Dear sisters, dear friends, to begin general conference with a worldwide sisters session is significant and wonderful. Just imagine: sisters of all ages, backgrounds, nationalities, and languages united in faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we recently met with our beloved prophet, President ThomasS. Monson, he expressed to us how much he loves the Lord. And I know that President Monson is very grateful for your love, your prayers, and your devotion to the Lord.

A long time ago in a distant land lived a family of three sisters.

The first sister was sad. Everything from her nose to her chin and from her skin to her toes seemed not quite good enough to her. When she spoke, her words sometimes came out awkwardly, and people laughed. When someone criticized her or forgot to invite her to something, she would blush, walk away, and find a secret spot where she would let out a sad sigh and wonder why life had turned out to be so bleak and cheerless.

The second sister was mad. She thought of herself as very smart, but there was always someone else who scored higher on tests at school. She considered herself funny, fair, fashionable, and fascinating. But always, there seemed to be someone who was funnier, fairer, more fashionable, or more fascinating.

She was never first at anything, and this she could not endure. Life was not supposed to be this way!

Sometimes she lashed out at others, and it seemed that she was always one breath away from being outraged by one thing or another.

Of course, this did not make her any more likable or popular. Sometimes she clenched her teeth, tightened her fists, and thought, Life is so unfair!

Then there was the third sister. Unlike her sad and mad sisters, she waswell, glad. And it wasnt because she was smarter or more beautiful or more capable than her sisters. No, people sometimes avoided or ignored her too. They sometimes made fun of what she was wearing or the things she was saying. They sometimes said mean things about her. But she did not allow any of that to bother her too much.

This sister loved to sing. She didnt have great pitch, and people laughed about it, but that didnt stop her. She would say, I am not going to let other people and their opinions stop me from singing!

The very fact that she kept singing made her first sister sad and her second sister mad.

Many years passed, and eventually each sister reached the end of her time on earth.

The first sister, who discovered again and again that there was no shortage of disappointments in life, eventually died sad.

The second, who every day found something new to dislike, died mad.

And the third sister, who spent her life singing her song with all her might and a confident smile on her face, died glad.

Of course, life is never so simple, and people are never so one-dimensional as the three sisters in this story. But even extreme examples like these can teach us something about ourselves. If you are like most of us, you may have recognized part of yourself in one, two, or perhaps all three of these sisters. Let us take a closer look at each one.

The first sister saw herself as a victimas someone who was acted upon.1 It seemed like one thing after another kept happening to her that made her miserable. With this approach to life, she was giving others control over how she felt and behaved. When we do this, we are driven about by every wind of opinionand in this day of ever-present social media, those winds blow at hurricane intensity.

Dear sisters, why should you surrender your happiness to someone, or a group of someones, who cares very little about you or your happiness?

If you find yourself worrying about what other people say about you, may I suggest this antidote: remember who you are. Remember that you are of the royal house of the kingdom of God, daughters of Heavenly Parents, who reign throughout the universe.

You have the spiritual DNA of God. You have unique gifts that originated in your spiritual creation and that were developed during the vast span of your premortal life. You are the child of our merciful and everlasting Father in Heaven, the Lord of Hosts, the One who created the universe, spread the spinning stars across the vast expanse of space, and placed the planets in their appointed orbits.

You are in His hands.

Very good hands.

Loving hands.

Caring hands.

And nothing anyone ever says about you can change that. Their words are meaningless compared to what God has said about you.

You are His precious child.

He loves you.

Even when you stumble, even when you turn away from Him, God loves you. If you are feeling lost, abandoned, or forgottenfear not. The Good Shepherd will find you. He will lift you upon His shoulders. And He will carry you home.2

My dear sisters, please let these divine truths sink deeply into your hearts. And you will find that there are many reasons not to be sad, for you have an eternal destiny to fulfill.

The beloved Savior of the world gave His life so that you could choose to make that destiny a reality. You have taken upon you His name; you are His disciples. And because of Him, you can clothe yourselves with robes of eternal glory.

The second sister was angry at the world. Like her sad sister, she felt that the problems in her life were all caused by someone else. She blamed her family, her friends, her boss and coworkers, the police, the neighbors, Church leaders, current fashion trends, even the intensity of solar flares, and plain bad luck. And she lashed out at all of them.

She didnt think of herself as a mean person. To the contrary, she felt that she was only sticking up for herself. Everyone else, she believed, was motivated by selfishness, pettiness, and hate. She, on the other hand, was motivated by good intentionsjustice, integrity, and love.

Unfortunately, the mad sisters line of thinking is all too common. This was noted in a recent study that explored conflict between rival groups. As part of the study, researchers interviewed Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East, and Republicans and Democrats in the United States. They discovered that each side felt their own group [was] motivated by love more than hate, but when asked why their rival group [was] involved in the conflict, [they] pointed to hate as [the other] groups motivating factor.3

In other words, each group thought of themselves as the good guysfair, kind, and truthful. By contrast, they saw their rivals as the bad guysuninformed, dishonest, even evil.

In the year I was born, the world was immersed in a terrible war that brought agonizing grief and consuming sorrow to the world. This war was caused by my own nationby a group of people who identified certain other groups as evil and encouraged hatred toward them.

They silenced those they did not like. They shamed and demonized them. They considered them inferioreven less than human. Once you degrade a group of people, you are more likely to justify words and acts of violence against them.

I shudder when I think about what happened in 20th-century Germany.

When someone opposes or disagrees with us, its tempting to assume that there must be something wrong with them. And from there its a small step to attach the worst of motives to their words and actions.

Of course, we must always stand for what is right, and there are times when we must raise our voices for that cause. However, when we do so with anger or hate in our heartswhen we lash out at others to hurt, shame, or silence themchances are we are not doing so in righteousness.

What did the Savior teach?

I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.4

This is the Saviors way. It is the first step in breaking down the barriers that create so much anger, hatred, division, and violence in the world.

Yes, you might say, I would be willing to love my enemiesif only they were willing to do the same.

But that doesnt really matter, does it? We are responsible for our own discipleship, and it has littleif anythingto do with the way others treat us. We obviously hope that they will be understanding and charitable in return, but our love for them is independent of their feelings toward us.

Perhaps our effort to love our enemies will soften their hearts and influence them for good. Perhaps it will not. But that does not change our commitment to follow Jesus Christ.

So, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we will love our enemies.

We will overcome anger or hate.

We will fill our hearts with love for all of Gods children.

We will reach out to bless others and minister to themeven those who might despitefully use [us] and persecute [us].5

The third sister represents the authentic disciple of Jesus Christ. She did something that can be extremely hard to do: she trusted God even in the face of ridicule and hardship. Somehow she maintained her faith and hope, despite the scorn and cynicism around her. She lived joyfully not because her circumstances were joyful but because she was joyful.

None of us makes it through lifes journey unopposed. With so many forces trying to draw us away, how do we keep our vision fixed on the glorious happiness promised to the faithful?

I believe the answer can be found in a dream that a prophet had thousands of years ago. The prophets name is Lehi, and his dream is recorded in the precious and wonderful Book of Mormon.

In his dream, Lehi saw a vast field, and in it was a wondrous tree, beautiful beyond description. He also saw large groups of people making their way toward the tree. They wanted to taste its glorious fruit. They felt and trusted that it would give them great happiness and abiding peace.

There was a narrow path that led to the tree, and alongside was an iron rod that helped them stay on the path. But there was also a mist of darkness that obscured their vision of both the path and the tree. And perhaps even more dangerous was the sound of loud laughter and ridicule coming from a large and spacious building nearby. Shockingly, the mocking even convinced some people who had reached the tree and tasted the wondrous fruit to begin to feel ashamed and wander away.6

Perhaps they began to doubt that the tree was really as beautiful as they had once thought. Perhaps they began to question the reality of what they had experienced.

Maybe they thought if they turned away from the tree, life would be easier. Maybe they would not be ridiculed or laughed at anymore.

And actually, the people who were scoffing at them looked like people who were quite happy and having a good time. So perhaps if they abandoned the tree, they would be welcomed into the congregation of the great and spacious building and be applauded for their judgment, intelligence, and sophistication.

Dear sisters, dear friends, if you find it difficult to hold fast to the iron rod and walk steadfastly toward salvation; if the laughter and ridicule of others who seem so confident cause you to waver; if you are troubled by unanswered questions or doctrines you dont understand yet; if you feel saddened because of disappointments, I urge you to remember Lehis dream.

Stay on the path!

Never let go of the rod of ironthe word of God!

And when anyone tries to make you ashamed for partaking of the love of God, ignore them.

Never forget you are a child of God; rich blessings are in store; if you can learn to do His will, youll live with Him once more!7

The promises of praise and acceptance by the world are unreliable, untrue, and unsatisfying. Gods promises are sure, true, and joyfulnow and forever.

I invite you to consider religion and faith from a higher perspective. Nothing offered in the great and spacious building can compare with the fruit of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Indeed, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.8

I have learned for myself that the path of discipleship in the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to joy. It is the way to safety and peace. It is the way to truth.

I testify that by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, you can learn this for yourself.

In the meantime, if the path becomes difficult for you, I hope you will find refuge and strength in our wonderful organizations of the Church: Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society. They are like waypoints on the path, where you can renew your confidence and faith for the journey ahead. They are a safe home, where you can feel a sense of belonging and receive encouragement from your sisters and fellow disciples.

The things you learn in Primary prepare you for the additional truths you learn as young women. The path of discipleship you walk in your Young Women classes leads to the fellowship and sisterhood of Relief Society. With each step along the way, you are given additional opportunities to demonstrate your love for others through acts of faith, compassion, charity, virtue, and service.

Choosing this path of discipleship will lead to untold happiness and fulfillment of your divine nature.

It will not be easy. It will require the very best that you haveall your intelligence, creativity, faith, integrity, strength, determination, and love. But one day you will look back upon your efforts, and oh, how grateful you will be that you remained strong, that you believed, and that you did not depart from the path.

There may be many things about life that are beyond your control. But in the end, you have the power to choose both your destination and many of your experiences along the way. It is not so much your abilities but your choices that make the difference in life.9

You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad.

You cannot allow them to make you mad.

You can rejoice that you are a daughter of God. You can find joy and happiness in the grace of God and in the love of Jesus Christ.

You can be glad.

I urge you to fill your hearts with gratitude for the abundant and limitless goodness of God. My beloved sisters, you can do this! I pray with all the affection of my soul that you will make the choice to press on toward the tree of life. I pray that you will choose to lift up your voice and make your life a glorious symphony of praise, rejoicing in what the love of God, the wonders of His Church, and the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to the world.

The song of true discipleship may sound off-key or even a little loud to some. Since the beginning of time, this has been so.

But to our Heavenly Father and to those who love and honor Him, it is a most precious and beautiful songthe sublime and sanctifying song of redeeming love and service to God and fellowmen.10

I leave you my blessing as an Apostle of the Lord that you will find the strength and courage to joyfully thrive as a daughter of God while gladly walking each day on the glorious path of discipleship. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Three Sisters - By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

A Me in 30 Seconds statement is a simple way to present to someone else a balanced understanding of who you are. It piques the interest of a listener who invites you to Tell me a little about yourself, and it provides a brief and compelling answer to the question Why should I hire you?

When well crafted, your Me in 30 Seconds statement will include:

When networking, finish your Me in 30 Seconds statement with probing questions that cannot be answered with a yes or no to start a conversation that may lead to referrals or job opportunities.

For example:

WHO do you know who works in _______________?

WHAT businesses are in the area that _______________?

WHO do you know who knows a lot of people?

Keep your Me in 30 Seconds statement brief. People generally listen effectively only 30 to 60 seconds, and they appreciate concise responses to questions. This indicates that you are clearly focused and waste no time getting to the point.

It is a genuine form of communication that will help you organize everything you are into brief, coherent thoughts.

Sample Me in 30 Seconds statements for networking:

My name is Randy Patterson, and Im currently looking for a job in youth services. I have 10 years of experience working with youth agencies. I have a bachelors degree in outdoor education. I raise money, train leaders, and organize units. I have raised over $100,000 each of the last six years. I consider myself a good public speaker, and I have a good sense of humor. Who do you know who works with youth?

My name is Lucas Martin, and I enjoy meeting new people and finding ways to help them have an uplifting experience. I have had a variety of customer service opportunities, through which I was able to have fewer returned products and increased repeat customers, when compared with co-workers. I am dedicated, outgoing, and a team player. Who could I speak with in your customer service department about your organizations customer service needs?

Sample Me in 30 Seconds statement for an interview:

People find me to be an upbeat, self-motivated team player with excellent communication skills. For the past several years I have worked in lead qualification, telemarketing, and customer service in the technology industry. My experience includes successfully calling people in director-level positions of technology departments and developing viable leads. I have a track record of maintaining a consistent call and activity volume and consistently achieving the top 10 percent in sales, and I can do the same thing for your company.

I am a dedicated person with a family of four. I enjoy reading, and the knowledge and perspective that my reading gives me has strengthened my teaching skills and presentation abilities. I have been successful at raising a family, and I attribute this success to my ability to plan, schedule, and handle many different tasks at once. This flexibility will help me in the classroom, where there are many different personalities and learning styles.

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"Me in 30 Seconds": About Me Sample and Examples

Yewande "Andi" Osho (born 27 January 1973) is a British stand-up comedian, actress and television presenter,[1]

Osho was born in Plaistow, east London,[2] to Nigerian parents.

Having previously worked in television production, Osho turned to acting in 2003. By 2006, she had decided to go into stand-up comedy.[3] Osho spent a number of years working as a receptionist by day, while perfecting her stand-up comedy routine in the evenings.

In 2006, Osho starred as Alma in Dael Orlandersmith's drama Yellowman at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre. Other theatre work includes a critically acclaimed performance in the title role of Medea (Barons Court Theatre, 2005), Amanda in Cigarettes, Coffee and Paranoia (King's Head Theatre, 2005) and Zimbabwean exile Faith in the devised piece Qabuka (Oval House Theatre, 2005).

Osho's television roles include Lin Colvin in Casualty, Adeola Brooker in Doctors, Dr Rogers in Footballers' Wives: Extra Time and Angela Parker in Sea of Souls. She has also appeared in Waking the Dead, EastEnders, Comedy Central's @midnight, Night and Day and Russell Brand and Friends for Channel 4.[4]

Osho is also a playwright and one of the founding members of the London writers' group, Vowel Movement. She has contributed to News Review at London's Canal Cafe Theatre and in 2008, she co-devised a scratch performance of the stage play Up the Caf de Paris for the Pulse Fringe Festival. In 2007, Osho wrote the comedy CSI: Nigeria, in production for BBC Three.

Osho has performed at various comedy clubs and festivals across Britain, including: Jongleurs, the Comedy Store, the Reading Festival, the Pleasance Dome, the Chuckle Club, the Leicester Festival (Summer Sundae), the Comedy Caf, the Shoreditch Comedy Festival, Comedy Camp and the Hackney Empire.[5]

Osho won the 2007 Nivea Funny Women award.[6]

Osho co-hosted Tonightly on Channel 4 and appeared in an E4 pilot, The Andi O Show.[7] She has also appeared on Mock the Week, Ask Rhod Gilbert, and is a regular performer on Stand Up for the Week.[8]

On 26 February 2011, Osho participated in Let's Dance for Comic Relief, performing a dance routine to Michael Jackson's "Bad". Despite positive comments from the judges, she did not progress to the final round after a public vote.[9]

Osho is the only person to have won more than one episode of Celebrity Mastermind. In 2011, she won the Comic Relief episode with The Matrix trilogy as her specialist subject and then in 2012, she took part in a regular episode choosing host John Humphrys as her specialist subject. Osho also takes an occasional presenting role for the comedy club section on BBC Radio 4 Extra

On 19 June 2012, Osho made her debut in medical drama Holby City as medical student Barbara Alcock for three episodes. In July 2014, she appeared in Finding Carter as Susan Sherman. Between 2016 and 2018 she presented Supershoppers with Anna Richardson on Channel 4, being replaced with Sabrina Grant. She took part and won 7,000 for charity in a celebrity edition of The Chase on ITV.[10]

Osho appears in David F. Sandberg's Lights Out and Shazam! as the same character, a social worker named Emma Glover.[11][12][13]

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Andi Osho - Wikipedia

The Gurdjieff Work

Why am I here? What is the meaning and purpose of my life? Is there more to life than the life I am leading? You may find yourself asking such questions in a moment of quiet reflection, when you feel that something is missing in your life.

The search for a life of meaning was a quest that Gurdjieff,from a very young age, fully embraced and which was to define and shape the rest of his life.

In this quest, Gurdjieff was to discover that mankind is living a kind of deluded half-life in which we take the false for what is real. He was to discover that there is a real life full of meaning, beckoning, but elusive because of the way we have been taught to think from our earliest age that due to no fault of our own we have been conditioned to believe in a lie.

Gurdjieff also maintains that we are not who we think we are and that what we call "I/myself," is not really the case:

These are radical and shocking ideas that seem to fly in the face of the evidence that one lives ones life in a responsible way, awake and able to make conscious decisions.

Gurdjieff strenuously refutes this belief and goes so far as to maintain that it is in this state of sleep that we make all our decisions, develop relationships, innovate and invent, develop works of art, carry on our business. He insists that everything happens as a result of accidental associations and that we have no real conscious awareness of our self and what is taking place in our lives.

This is a hard pill to swallow and seriously challenges our incredulity. And this very questioning is what Gurdjieff intended. Gurdjieff insists that we must not take his word for anything, that we do not accept any of his ideas on face value and that we verify for ourselves in practice whether there is any validity and truth in what he is proposing:

Gurdjieff implored that we need to get to know our self, who we are and what we have become and that in this endeavour it is crucial to develop our capacity to see to observe frequently, clearly, objectively because in doing so a picture will eventually emerge of our true situation. This picture will not be somebody elses idea of what we are, but what Gurdjieff refers to as the terror of our situation.

When we awaken to this new reality, then and only then can we open to a new question, a question that has the power to transform our being.

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Quest The Gurdjieff Society

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To join, there is a one-time, start-up fee that will cover your initial physical assessment. Joining fees and regular monthly fees vary according to your membership classification.As a member of the CHRISTUS St. Michael Health & Fitness Center, you will not be bound by any contract.Please call us at 903.614.4441 for more information or click the link below to take advantage of our 14-day free trial.

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CHRISTUS St. Michael Health & Fitness Center

Rock gardens are a well-known example of Zen art.

Zen is a Japanese school of Buddhism that, along with schools that include Nichiren, Tendai, Shingon and Jodo-shu, has existed for centuries and remains popular today. Perhaps more than any other Buddhist school, Zen is concerned with the awakening of awareness in the present moment. It is a disciplined, minimalistic and sometimes fierce system that is more concerned with practice than philosophy. According to its practitioners belief itself is counterproductive to awareness and hinders awakening.

The patriarch of the Zen lineage is Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk who traveled from India in the 5th century AD to bring the practice of dhyana, or meditation, to China. The lineage became known as Ch'an, a word derived from dhyana. In the 12th century, the Tendai monk Eisai traveled to China to study Ch'an with the Lin-chi school -- Rinzai in Japanese -- and brought the teachings back to Japan. The nobility continued to prefer the flowery Tendai rituals, however, and Zen, which is the Japanese pronunciation of Ch'an, did not become immediately popular. Dogen, another monk who traveled to China, helped establish Zen by founding the Soto school in the 13th century.

The core beliefs of Buddhism are contained in the Four Noble Truths. They state that the world is suffering, that suffering has a cause, that you can end suffering and that the way to do so is to follow the Eightfold Path, which is a set of guidelines for proper behavior. Zen does not contradict any of these truths, but it places more emphasis on the third truth than other branches of Buddhism. For the Zen practitioner, ending suffering by waking up into this moment is not only possible, it is the only religious practice that matters.

Practitioners of Zen meditation, or zazen, sit motionless on benches for up to 18 hours a day, subject to a strike from the master's rod if sleep overtakes them. While meditating, they may be struggling with a koan, a nonsensical question posed by the master that frustrates logic. At some point, the practitioner may have an "Aha" moment when the austerity of the practice and the impossibility of solving the koan combine to destroy the thinking process altogether. At that point, the practitioner may awaken into satori, an experience of the present moment unconditioned by thinking. That unconditioned awareness is the goal of Zen practice.

Zen is essentially a system with no belief -- or beyond belief -- and adherents have conveyed inspiration through a multitude of art forms that have come to define Japanese culture. Zen artistic renderings are not expressions of logical beliefs, but of the intuitive understanding that Zen practice awakens. These renderings include rock gardens, tea ceremony, haiku poetry, sumi'e painting and kaiseki cuisine, among many others. Bodhidharma is a favorite subject of sumi'e artists, and his fierce, lidless eyes -- legend has it that he cut off his own eyelids -- glower from countless wall hangings.

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The Belief System of Zen Buddhism | Synonym

The candidate wanted no part of the negativity endemic to politics. Instead she offered an aggressively upbeat view of the future she foresaw for the human race.

We must combine our compassion with our creativity, she urged the convention. We must initiate a new process in democracy to identify our positive options, discover our potentials and commit our political will to long-range goals.

The words might have fit nicely into the current presidential campaign, but they actually were spoken 35 years ago at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco by a woman few expected to see take the stage, much less be nominated for the vice presidency. She was Barbara Marx Hubbard, who was not a politician by trade but a futurist, spiritual thinker, author and proponent of what are today lumped under the label of New Age ideas.

Ms. Hubbard, campaigning for months, had gathered enough support to have her name placed in nomination, mostly so that she could make a symbolic speech to the convention before endorsing the already assured ticket of Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine A. Ferraro. Ms. Hubbard believed that humans would graduate to a new level of cooperation and enlightenment, and in her speech delivered to a largely inattentive audience, and not in the prime-time television window she suggested who might lead the way into that brave new world.

The office of the vice president is the perfect place to call forth the genius of our people to build a world equal to our power and our aspirations, she said.

When Ms. Hubbard died on April 10 in Loveland, Colo., at 89, her vision of a newly vital vice presidency remained unrealized. But her ideas, books and lectures had reached countless seekers looking to clarify their purpose and expand their consciousness.

Peter Hubbard, a grandson, said she died after a brief illness.

Ms. Hubbard was a frequent speaker at seminars and conventions organized by groups like the World Future Society, and her 1998 book, Conscious Evolution: Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential, is a core text among those who think the human race is on the brink of an enhanced way of existing.

Conscious evolution is occurring in our generation because we are now gaining an understanding of the processes of nature: the gene, the atom, the brain, the origin of the universe, and the whole story of creation from the big bang to us, she wrote. We are now changing our understanding of how nature evolves; we are moving from unconscious evolution through natural selection to conscious evolution by choice.

With this increased knowledge and the power that it gives us, she continued, we can destroy the world or we can participate in a future of immeasurable dimensions.

Barbara Suzanne Marx was born on Dec. 22, 1929, in Manhattan. Her father, Louis, founded Louis Marx & Company, a leading toymaker.

By the time I was 6 years old, Ms. Hubbard said in American Visionary, a recent documentary about her directed by Karen Everett, I had so many toys that I learned one big lesson: More toys cannot make us happy.

Her mother, Irene (Saltzman) Marx, died of cancer when Barbara was a teenager; her father, with his self-made-businessman ethos, was a strong influence.

I had asked my father, who was completely areligious, What religion are we? she recalled in the documentary. Oh, he said, youre an American. Do your best.

The atomic bombing of Japan that ended World War II made a stark impression on Barbara when she was a teenager, she said: It underscored the truth that the human race had attained the ability to wield enormous technological power that could be either beneficial or destructive or both.

The first major question to shape my life was, What is the meaning of all our new power in science, industry and technology thats good? she said.

She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1951. That same year she married Earl Hubbard, an artist she had met in 1949 while in Paris. They settled in Connecticut and had five children, but Ms. Hubbard was not content with fitting into the suburban-housewife mold of the day.

She began reading the works of the philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who wrote about the further evolution of the human race; worked with Jonas Salk and the future-oriented Salk Institute; developed an interest in space exploration; and more.

Her marriage ended in the 1970s, a casualty of her increased activity in these areas, which included founding an organization she called the Committee for the Future. She also took to organizing synergistic convergence conferences, or Syncons, at which representatives of disparate groups would exchange perspectives and ideas.

From 1972 to 1976 she organized 25 such conferences. One brought together members of Los Angeles street gangs, police officials, crime victims and more. All participants met as equal members of the community, she wrote in Conscious Evolution, trying to work out something together.

A pivotal moment in Ms. Hubbards life came in 1966, when she had a particularly strong spiritual vision.

In a flash, I was catapulted into the future, and I could see a few frames ahead in the movie of creation, she said. She saw human knowledge and social systems meshing into a positive, empathetic force.

What Christ and all the great beings came to earth to reveal is, Were one, were whole, were good, were universal, she said, an insight that came with the message Go tell the story, Barbara.

Her eldest son, Wade, died in 2008, and her longtime partner, Sidney Lanier, died in 2013. She is survived by a son, Lloyd; three daughters, Woodleigh Hubbard, Suzanne Hubbard and Alexandra Morton; two sisters, Jacqueline Barnett and Patricia Ellsberg; a brother, Louis Marx Jr.; a half brother, Curtis Marx; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Though many of Ms. Hubbards ideas were somewhat esoteric, one that she expressed in the 1984 address to the Democratic National Convention involved a very practical rebranding.

Eighty percent of our scientific and technological genius is focused on killing, she said.

We must bring together the genius now focused in the War Room in a Peace Room in the White House, she continued. Its purpose will be to defeat the real enemies of humanity: hunger, disease, illiteracy, poverty and war.

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Barbara Marx Hubbard, 89, Futurist Who Saw Conscious ...

Learn about various topics affecting families and children. For each topic, find instructions, forms, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Custody & Parenting Time (Visitation) Understand the law in custody and parenting time (visitation) cases, how to make agreements between the parents, ask for a custody order,respond to a request, and change or enforce an order. Read information on custody mediation and how domestic violence affects children and custody rights.

Child Support Learn how child support works, how to make agreements between the parents, ask for a child support order, respond to a request, and change, pay or collect a child support court order. Find where to get help, which court forms you need and read answers to frequently asked questions.

Parentage/Paternity This section explains how parentage (paternity) works, how to establish parentage for a child, and how to dispute parentage if you believe you are not a childs parent. It includes forms and answers to frequently asked questions.

Child Abuse & Neglect Review basic information on child abuse and neglect and the juvenile dependency court system that handles those cases as well as guardianship cases in juvenile court and information on de facto parents.

GuardianshipLearn about guardianship, which is when someone who is not a parent of a child gets custody of that child, with explanations of your legal options, how to ask for a guardianship, and how to end a guardianship.

Juvenile DelinquencyBasic information about children being arrested and the juvenile delinquency system that handles those cases.

AdoptionHow to adopt a child or a stepchild with details about the different types of adoptions, and information about how to file for an adoption.

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Alan Watts was an orator and philosopher of the 20th century. He spent time reflecting on Personal Identity and Higher Consciousness. According to the critic Erik Davis, his "writings and recorded talks still shimmer with a profound and galvanising lucidity."[1]These works are not accessible in the same way as his many books.

The following lectures can all be obtained at alanwatts.org[1].

Watts proposes a thought experiment of imagining that one has total control over the content of each night's dreams. He uses this thought experiment to make a case for the self as the ultimate reality.[2]

Watts argues that there is less difference than generally supposed between what one would want to do if money were no object, and what one should do under actual circumstances. He proposes that the question "What do I desire?" should be given greater emphasis, even under actual circumstances.[3]

Watts makes a case for quieting the mind by leaving it alone. He argues that we are "addicted to thoughts" and want to avoid ourselves, and that this quest for self-avoidance leads to a "vicious circle" of worry.[4]

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Note: ISBNs for titles originally published prior to 1974 are for reprint editions.

Link:
Works by Alan Watts - Wikipedia

Some of the most important theories of motivation are as follows: 1. Maslows Need Hierarchy Theory 2. Herzbergs Motivation Hygiene Theory 3. McClellands Need Theory 4. McGregors Participation Theory 5. Urwicks Theory Z 6. Argyriss Theory 7. Vrooms Expectancy Theory 8. Porter and Lawlers Expectancy Theory.

From the very beginning, when the human organisations were established, various thinkers have tried to find out the answer to what motivates people to work. Different approaches applied by them have resulted in a number of theories concerning motivation.

These are discussed in brief in that order.

It is probably safe to say that the most well-known theory of motivation is Maslows need hierarchy theory Maslows theory is based on the human needs. Drawing chiefly on his clinical experience, he classified all human needs into a hierarchical manner from the lower to the higher order.

In essence, he believed that once a given level of need is satisfied, it no longer serves to motivate man. Then, the next higher level of need has to be activated in order to motivate the man. Maslow identified five levels in his need hierarchy as shown in figure 17.2.

These are now discussed one by one:

These needs are basic to human life and, hence, include food, clothing, shelter, air, water and necessities of life. These needs relate to the survival and maintenance of human life. They exert tremendous influence on human behaviour. These needs are to be met first at least partly before higher level needs emerge. Once physiological needs are satisfied, they no longer motivate the man.

After satisfying the physiological needs, the next needs felt are called safety and security needs. These needs find expression in such desires as economic security and protection from physical dangers. Meeting these needs requires more money and, hence, the individual is prompted to work more. Like physiological needs, these become inactive once they are satisfied.

Man is a social being. He is, therefore, interested in social interaction, companionship, belongingness, etc. It is this socialising and belongingness why individuals prefer to work in groups and especially older people go to work.

These needs refer to self-esteem and self-respect. They include such needs which indicate self-confidence, achievement, competence, knowledge and independence. The fulfillment of esteem needs leads to self-confidence, strength and capability of being useful in the organisation. However, inability to fulfill these needs results in feeling like inferiority, weakness and helplessness.

This level represents the culmination of all the lower, intermediate, and higher needs of human beings. In other words, the final step under the need hierarchy model is the need for self-actualization. This refers to fulfillment.

The term self-actualization was coined by Kurt Goldstein and means to become actualized in what one is potentially good at. In effect, self- actualization is the persons motivation to transform perception of self into reality.

According to Maslow, the human needs follow a definite sequence of domination. The second need does not arise until the first is reasonably satisfied, and the third need does not emerge until the first two needs have been reasonably satisfied and it goes on. The other side of the need hierarchy is that human needs are unlimited. However, Maslows need hierarchy-theory is not without its detractors.

The main criticisms of the theory include the following:

1. The needs may or may not follow a definite hierarchical order. So to say, there may be overlapping in need hierarchy. For example, even if safety need is not satisfied, the social need may emerge.

2. The need priority model may not apply at all times in all places.

3. Researches show that mans behaviour at any time is mostly guided by multiplicity of behaviour. Hence, Maslows preposition that one need is satisfied at one time is also of doubtful validity.

4. In case of some people, the level of motivation may be permanently lower. For example, a person suffering from chronic unemployment may remain satisfied for the rest of his life if only he/she can get enough food.

Notwithstanding, Maslows need hierarchy theory has received wide recognition, particularly among practicing managers. This can be attributed to the theorys intuitive logic and easy to understand. One researcher came to the conclusion that theories that are intuitively strong die hard.

The psychologist Frederick Herzberg extended the work of Maslow and propsed a new motivation theory popularly known as Herzbergs Motivation Hygiene (Two-Factor) Theory. Herzberg conducted a widely reported motivational study on 200 accountants and engineers employed by firms in and around Western Pennsylvania.

He asked these people to describe two important incidents at their jobs:

(1) When did you feel particularly good about your job, and

(2) When did you feel exceptionally bad about your job? He used the critical incident method of obtaining data.

The responses when analysed were found quite interesting and fairly consistent. The replies respondents gave when they felt good about their jobs were significantly different from the replies given when they felt bad. Reported good feelings were generally associated with job satisfaction, whereas bad feeling with job dissatisfaction. Herzberg labelled the job satisfiers motivators, and he called job dissatisfies hygiene or maintenance factors. Taken together, the motivators and hygiene factors have become known as Herzbergs two-factor theory of motivation

Herzbergs motivational and hygiene factors have been shown in the Table 17.1

According to Herzberg, the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction. The underlying reason, he says, is that removal of dissatisfying characteristics from a job does not necessarily make the job satisfying. He believes in the existence of a dual continuum. The opposite of satisfaction is no satisfaction and the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisatisfaction.

According to Herzberg, todays motivators are tomorrows hygiene because the latter stop influencing the behaviour of persons when they get them. Accordingly, ones hygiene may be the motivator of another.

However, Herzbergs model is labeled with the following criticism also:

1. People generally tend to take credit themselves when things go well. They blame failure on the external environment.

2. The theory basically explains job satisfaction, not motivation.

3. Even job satisfaction is not measured on an overall basis. It is not unlikely that a person may dislike part of his/ her job, still thinks the job acceptable.

4. This theory neglects situational variable to motivate an individual.

Because of its ubiquitous nature, salary commonly shows up as a motivator as well as hygine.

Regardless of criticism, Herzbergs two-factor motivation theory has been widely read and a few managers seem untaminar with his recommendations. The main use of his recommendations lies in planning and controlling of employees work.

Another well-known need-based theory of motivation, as opposed to hierarchy of needs of satisfaction-dissatisfaction, is the theory developed by McClelland and his associates. McClelland developed his theory based on Henry Murrays developed long list of motives and manifest needs used in his early studies of personality. McClellands need-theory is closely associated with learning theory, because he believed that needs are learned or acquired by the kinds of events people experienced in their environment and culture.

He found that people who acquire a particular need behave differently from those who do not have. His theory focuses on Murrays three needs; achievement, power and affiliation. In the literature, these three needs are abbreviated n Ach, n Pow, and n Aff respectively.

They are defined as follows:

This is the drive to excel, to achieve in relation to a set of standard, and to strive to succeed. In other words, need for achievement is a behaviour directed toward competition with a standard of excellence. McClelland found that people with a high need for achievement perform better than those with a moderate or low need for achievement, and noted regional / national differences in achievement motivation.

Through his research, McClelland identified the following three characteristics of high-need achievers:

1. High-need achievers have a strong desire to assume personal responsibility for performing a task for finding a solution to a problem.

2. High-need achievers tend to set moderately difficult goals and take calculated risks.

3. High-need achievers have a strong desire for performance feedback.

The need for power is concerned with making an impact on others, the desire to influence others, the urge to change people, and the desire to make a difference in life. People with a high need for power are people who like to be in control of people and events. This results in ultimate satisfaction to man.

People who have a high need for power are characterized by:

1. A desire to influence and direct somebody else.

2. A desire to exercise control over others.

3. A concern for maintaining leader-follower relations.

The need for affiliation is defined as a desire to establish and maintain friendly and warm relations with other people. The need for affiliation, in many ways, is similar to Maslows social needs.

The people with high need for affiliation have these characteristics:

1. They have a strong desire for acceptance and approval from others.

2. They tend to conform to the wishes of those people whose friendship and companionship they value.

3. They value the feelings of others.

Figure 17.2 is a summary chart of the three need theories of motivation just discussed. The chart shows the parallel relationship between the needs in each of the theories. Maslow refers to higher- lower order needs, whereas Herzberg refers to motivation and hygiene factors.

Douglas McGregor formulated two distinct views of human being based on participation of workers. The first basically negative, labeled Theory X, and the other basically positive, labled Theory Y.

Theory X is based on the following assumptions:

1. People are by nature indolent. That is, they like to work as little as possible.

2. People lack ambition, dislike responsibility, and prefer to be directed by others.

3. People are inherently self-centered and indifferent to organisational needs and goals.

4. People are generally gullible and not very sharp and bright.

On the contrary, Theory Y assumes that:

1. People are not by nature passive or resistant to organisational goals.

2. They want to assume responsibility.

3. They want their organisation to succeed.

4. People are capable of directing their own behaviour.

5. They have need for achievement.

What McGregor tried to dramatise through his theory X and Y is to outline the extremes to draw the fencing within which the organisational man is usually seen to behave. The fact remains that no organisational man would actually belong either to theory X or theory Y. In reality, he/she shares the traits of both. What actually happens is that man swings from one set or properties to the other with changes in his mood and motives in changing .environment.

Much after the propositions of theories X and Y by McGregor, the three theorists Urwick, Rangnekar, and Ouchi-propounded the third theory lebeled as Z theory.

The two propositions in Urwickss theory are that:

(i) Each individual should know the organisational goals precisely and the amount of contribution through his efforts towards these goals.

(ii) Each individual should also know that the relation of organisational goals is going to satisfy his/her needs positively.

In Urwicks view, the above two make people ready to behave positively to accomplish both organisational and individual goals.

However, Ouchis Theory Z has attracted the lot of attention of management practitioners as well as researchers. It must be noted that Z does not stand for anything, is merely the last alphabet in the English Language.

Theory Z is based on the following four postulates:

1. Strong Bond between Organisation and Employees

2. Employee Participation and Involvement

3. No Formal Organisation Structure

4. Human Resource Development

Ouchis Theory Z represents the adoption of Japanese management practices (group decision making, social cohesion, job security, holistic concern for employees, etc.)by the American companies. In India, Maruti-Suzuki, Hero-Honda, etc., apply the postulates of theory Z.

Argyris has developed his motivation theory based on proposition how management practices affect the individual behaviour and growth In his view, the seven changes taking place in an individual personality make him/her a mature one. In other words, personality of individual develops

Argyris views that immaturity exists in individuals mainly because of organisational setting and management practices such as task specialisation, chain of command, unity of direction, and span of management. In order to make individuals grow mature, he proposes gradual shift from the existing pyramidal organisation structure to humanistic system; from existing management system to the more flexible and participative management.

He states that such situation will satisfy not only their physiological and safety needs, but also will motivate them to make ready to make more use of their physiological and safety needs. But also will motivate them to make ready to make more use of their potential in accomplishing organisational goals.

One of the most widely accepted explanations of motivation is offered by Victor Vroom in his Expectancy Theory It is a cognitive process theory of motivation. The theory is founded on the basic notions that people will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when they believe there are relationships between the effort they put forth, the performance they achieve, and the outcomes/ rewards they receive.

The relationships between notions of effort, performance, and reward are depicted in Figure 17.3

Thus, the key constructs in the expectancy theory of motivation are:

Valence, according to Vroom, means the value or strength one places on a particular outcome or reward.

It relates efforts to performance.

By instrumentality, Vroom means, the belief that performance is related to rewards.

Thus, Vrooms motivation can also be expressed in the form of an equation as follows: Motivation = Valence x Expectancy x Instrumentality

Being the model multiplicative in nature, all the three variables must have high positive values to imply motivated performance choice. If any one of the variables approaches to zero level, the possibility of the so motivated performance also touches zero level.

However, Vrooms expectancy theory has its critics. The important ones are:

1. Critics like Porter and Lawler lebeled it as a theory of cognitive hedonism which proposes that individual cognitively chooses the course of action that leads to the greatest degree of pleasure or the smallest degree of pain.

2. The assumption that people are rational and calculating makes the theory idealistic.

3. The expectancy theory does not describe individual and situational differences.

But the valence or value people place on various rewards varies. For example, one employee prefers salary to benefits, whereas another person prefers to just the reverse. The valence for the same reward varies from situation to situation.

In spite of all these critics, the greatest point in me expectancy theory is that it explains why significant segment of workforce exerts low levels of efforts in carrying out job responsibilities.

The rest is here:
Motivation Theories: Top 8 Theories of Motivation Explained!