Every now and then a person comes to this earth who makes a real difference in the lives of not just a few, but of many, sometimes an entire nation. Think of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Marie Curie and others. One such man was Stephen Biko, a civil rights activist who literally helped change the face of South Africa. Our friend rawgod has written a post to coincide with the 46th anniversary of the death of Mr. Biko at the age of 30 in Pretoria, South Africa at the hands of police. Thank you, rg, for reminding us of this great man who made such a difference in the lives of so many.
Tag Archives: Ideas from Outside the Boxes by rawgod
Be Kind … Just A Reminder
This week is something called “Be Kind to Humankind Week” … who knew?
Created in August 1988 by Toms River, New Jersey resident Lorraine Jara, the week-long celebration encourages people to exhibit acts of kindness and empathy towards one another.
Jara’s inspiration to initiate the event stemmed from a tragic incident involving two men from her hometown. Their unfortunate fate led her to establish Be Kind to Humankind Week. Notable figures, including Oprah Winfrey, Paul Simon, and several U.S. Presidents, have acknowledged Jara’s efforts in promoting kindness.
Though celebrated annually, Jara hopes that this initiative sparks a continuous culture of kindness and empathy, transcending the boundaries of a single week. The event also holds the potential to instill these values in young minds, fostering a brighter and kinder future for all.
Now, two of our fellow bloggers, Larry from “Just Drive, WillYou?” and rawgod of “Ideas from Outside the Boxes” reblogged this yesterday, so you may have already seen it, but I thought the concept was one worth repeating! Rawgod questions why we should need such a day … and I agree, we shouldn’t need to be reminded to be kind, but the reality is that we are humans and so we DO need occasional reminders … some people need hourly reminders!!! Anyway, if you haven’t already seen this post, please do take a moment to read and ponder! Thanks to Jay at “bluejayblog” for this timely reminder!
BLUBBERING!
Our friend rawgod doesn’t post often, but today he had something to say and I think he said it quite well. Thanks, rg, for reminding us what is truly important (and it ain’t Major League Baseball!!!)
I have not written much personally lately, I haven’t felt much need to say anything wise or useful. The world is going to hell in many ways, while some people are doing great things to bring the world together. Who gets the most media attention. The loud obnoxious ones. You’d think people would be over Trump by now, he has already proved he is incapable of being a leader for a nation of people, but listening to today’s American media they still think he is the best thing since Wonder Bread. Wonder Bread sucks. So does Trump.
But that’s just one thing. While the Putin war on Ukraine is well into its second year, it is no longer headline news. All the political bullshit around and behind the war is still there, sort of, but it is no longer about people being killed every day. The media does not want…
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MAINLY FOR AMERICANS, AND THOSE AFFECTED BY THEM — The Debt Ceiling Debate
On Tuesday, I read, saved and bookmarked Robert Reich’s newsletter about the debt ceiling, planning to share it sometime soon, but I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Meanwhile, our friend rawgod beat me to the draw, so in the interest of not re-inventing the wheel, I shall re-blog rg’s post! Please take a few moments to read this piece, for it clears up some miscomprehensions about what the debt ceiling is and how critical it is to the very survival of this nation. Thanks, rg!
Following are the words of Professor Robert Reich, once upon a time the Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. He is now, and has long been, an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He also worked in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. I believe he knows the truth about what he is saying.
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Friends,
Few things make me as furious as the mainstream media’s reluctance to tell the public what the Republican Party is doing — and instead hide the truth behind “both sides” rubbish. How the hell can democracy work ifTheNew York Times,CNN, and even National Public Radio obscure what’s really going on?
Let me state five central truths about the pending fight over the debt ceiling and show you how the mainstream media is distorting each of them.
Truth #1: The fight is being waged solely by the…
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THERE WAS APARTHEID, AND THERE IS STILL APARTHEID — IF WE CHOOSE TO LOOK AT THE TRUTH
I’ve been friends with rawgod for many years now, and I have to say that this is by far the BEST post he has ever done! It is a timely post, a humanitarian one … a reminder to us all. The video is particularly interesting and I learned a lot from it about Apartheid in South Africa only a short 50 years ago … and as I watched, I thought, “Is this where the U.S. is headed?” (I recommend using the closed captioning for the video, as the narrator’s accent is sometimes difficult to keep up with, at least for me) Thank you, rg, for this excellent post.
On Sept. 12, 1977, Bantu Stephen Biko was murdered by the South African government. They considered him the biggest threat to their apartheid way of life. Little did they know that he had already accomplished his goal of raising the consciousness of the black people of South Africa. It took another 17 years before Apartheid was officially ended, but it would not have happened without the hard work and great insight and organizing ability of Stephen Biko.
I have been singing his praises for more than 40 years now, but few seem to really care. So, when I found the video below, I just had to post it. It is only a summary of his life and work to make South Africa free, and does not present the real struggles he went through daily, but it is something.
So why do I keep coming back to the life and accomplishments…
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Filosofa's Word 