Author Archives: robb1138

Silly Question: What is the Meaning of Life

12 Friday Sep 2014

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The meaning of life: What is it, or is there one, or is it all relative?

Let’s answer one question at a time, and try to go from the simplest to the more complex issues.

Is the meaning of life relative? There are over 6 billion people on this planet today, and billions more who came before, and billions more to come. Ask any of them, in all their various situations in life, and you will rarely receive the same answer. What gives life meaning to one, obviously is not what gives meaning to another. Does the meaning of our lives come from an external source or from without. Does God give our life meaning? Or if there is no God, then does our life not have any meaning at all. That is a bigger question and issue, so I will leave that one alone for now. Assuming that we must give or find meaning within ourselves, I think the answers are going to be very different. However overall there may be some commonality.

Some say happiness is what gives life meaning. Some will then ask, “What is happiness?” This is not a one-size fits all type of question. Some people take great joy in the physical pleasures of the flesh. They want to eat good food, drink good wine, good sex etc. Life can’t be all about the hedonistic pleasures. Can it? How do you feel if your life is one of misery and poverty? How do you find joy in situations like that it? How is life meaningful to the person who doesn’t know where his next meal is from or where is he going to sleep. The meaning of his life is one of constant struggle to survive. Happiness is not part of his equation. Does that mean that person has no meaning? Does he get another chance at achieving happiness, if the meaning of life is experiencing the joy of being? Continue reading →

The Pros and Cons of Government Sponsored Genetic Testing

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Science

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The United States government should require and pay for extensive prenatal screening for pregnant women in this country. The U.S. is the only developed country in the world without a social insurance or statutory system to cover basic expenses for medical services for most or all of its population. This is especially problematic for low-income or high-risk individuals who are still able to work but who are self-employed, work part-time, or work for small businesses, and who may not be able to afford or obtain health insurance. Even for those who have health insurance, coverage for most preventive, screening, and counseling services, insurance companies sometimes exclude these items. Therefore, these limitations of U.S. healthcare coverage particularly affect genetics services, which have an important counseling component. Insurance reimbursement or other financing for genetic diagnosis, testing, screening, and essential genetic counseling is not generally available now in the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau’s website, in 2003 more than 45 million people were without health insurance coverage in the United States. The cost of government sponsored prescreening and the prevention of children being born with birth defects outweighs the costs of supporting the severely handicapped or learning impaired. Continue reading →

What Makes a Good Leader

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Personal Experience

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I feel that as leaders we create a vision of where our organization needs to go in order to grow and prosper in these hard economic times. This includes ways that we can improve both the quality and acceptance of the goal by working with all levels of employees, the administrative team, and key employees throughout the various departments. It is important to discuss the best vision for the company with as many individuals as possible to get their ideas and their support. I also think that as leaders, that we must work with the strengths and weaknesses of our organizations, as well as the external opportunities and threats. In the past, once a goal established, We must work to inspire everyone in the department to get onboard. As a leader in great organizations, we must be passionate about what we do. This inspiration extends to customers, investors, suppliers, boards of directors and all other stakeholders. Continue reading →

Marcus Aurelius – Meditations Summary

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in History, Philosophy

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Truth

Truth is an absolute value. Some things are true in all places and times. Resisting evil, for example, is always right.

Justice

Justice consists of treating others as one would wish to be treated. “Do unto others what you would have them do unto.” This statement summarizes this concept of justice.

Courage

Courage means standing up for justice.

Moderation

Nothing should be carried to excess.

Wisdom

Wisdom enables a person to know what justice is, to recognize when courage is required, and to do what is right.

Marcus Aurelius

Thoughts On Wisdom

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Philosophy

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What is wisdom? Like any other philosophical question, this is not one that anybody can answer in just a few words. Like ignorance or foolhardiness, we can identify if when we see it. The wisdom of an act or by the thoughts of a person makes itself evident in many ways, however wisdom resides within the mind of the person doing the act or saying his or her thoughts.

Although a person may be educated, education is not a prerequisite for wisdom. I am quite sure that no university that has a Wisdom 101 course. One attribute of wisdom is the understanding yourself; knowing both your physical and moral strengths and weaknesses. If you know what you are weak at, you will find ways to strengthen those areas or to avoid them all together. Learning how to understand how your own mind works will help you to understand others. Wisdom is the ability to understand consequences, to look forward and assessing possible risks and making common sense judgments.

The bottom line answer for me is that wisdom is learning from your mistakes and after learning all you can, realizing ultimately that you, in fact, know nothing and are humbled by that fact. Any process of education, whether it is formal or not is enriching as it will help guide a person along their journey through life and allowing them to realize that there is more to life than just the path and its end.