MY WEIGHT IN GOLD

This morning, a feature at MSN.com is HOW TV SHOWS HIDE STAR PREGNANCIES. 

As I scroll through the article, I am humored not only by some of the gimmicks but also by the fact that with certain shows; like Sex In The City, Friends and Seinfeld; I’ve actually been a fan long enough to remember the times when the leading ladies were preggers. 

Kerry Washington "Scandal"

Sarah Jessica Parker "Sex in the City"

But alas, as it often does, my mind began to wonder toward past experiences and—of course—extraneous circumstance…

The women that were featured in this particular article are all well know and well liked and although in many instances their pregnancies did not fit their ‘character’, they were none the less embraced by their adoring fans.  But for the average professional woman, it rarely works that way.  In terms of our careers, pregnancies are often viewed as unsavory set backs—particularly the maternity leave period.  Our dependability and efficiency are automatically questioned.  And pregnancy, in allot of cases becomes a scapegoat for not performing at our optimum.  But if multimillion dollar studios can work around a pregnancy; for an employee whose performance is 100% about being visible; what separates these women from the average woman? 

The Ambivalence of Truth & Reality

...As told ambiguously by an optimistic hermit of pessimisms... 

Conventional wisdom teaches us that we don’t have to make our own mistakes to learn.  Every waking moment is an opportunity to absorb someone else’s disarticulations, miscalculations, misjudgments or miscalculated lack of articulated judgment.  And yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to learn from other people’s mistakes…unless of course…

”You think you’re better than others”…? 

I take it with good humor, that people use this expression so frequently.  Whether they use it correctly or not; is an entirely different subject.

Our most humanly and incredulous nature leads us to believe that our biggest critics (aka. my haters—another subject on its own) will never know what it’s like ‘to walk a mile in my shoes.’  Meaning, that they will never understand the challenges I face. 

Mission: Rescue Humanity

Persecution - Irving Norman 1950. Oil on canvas.

As I look around...on the streets, on face book and other social media I note with a taste of sorrow that people are growing weary of people.  The anger and the hate is wearing us all down I see.  Do you know that hatred and anger are of the devil?  Even if you do not believe in God Almighty, do you know that the prayers you send out feed the deity that accepts them?  Or, the kind of energy you give off expands around you?  So when you act with anger and hatred, you are not only causing it to grow and fester among your 'enemies', but within yourself as well.

Often times, we look at our lives when we are in a bad situation and we tell ourselves that we don't deserve to be here.  But how often is that sincerely true?  How many Jobs’ walk among us?  By every principal - religious or not - everything comes full circle -- even the long arm of the law.  At any given moment, it is easy to respond to the negative vibes that others give out with negativity. And while we may feel vindicated in doing so at the time,

The Greyish-Golden Rule

In conversation a young man said to me recently, "Chivalry is not dead. I believe in being a gentleman..." Before I could reply he added "...I'm just not a gentleman to people who don't deserve it."

I love the irony of 'shades of grey'...they supply the perfect justification to be convicted by absolutely nothing!

Remember the golden rule? It advises; "Do unto others that which you would have done to you."  

Dieu, la Loi, et le Roi - Via Wikipedia 

People rarely treat us the way we like to be treated but that does not say that the proper way to treat others is the way they treat us. By virtue of humility, we continue to treat others the way we would like to be treated regardless of the way we are treated in return.  We are all just human.  As such, none are perfect. Who is any man to say that a woman, by any reasoning he may find, does not deserve chivalry? Even still, right is right, wrong is wrong, and when it comes to morale, there is no such thing as a lesser of two evils.  If you are a gentleman--