What is the Difference Between Demand Loans and Installment Loans in Business: Demand Versus Installment Loans in Business

For an entrepreneur or a new business owner, having to take out a loan can present a dilemma. When confronted with different kinds of loans, particularly when it comes to choosing between a demand loan and an installment loan, knowing the difference between the two is important and may prove vital to the survival of your business.

Businessdictionary.com identifies a demand loan as a “loan (such as an overdraft) with or without a fixed maturity date, but which can be recalled anytime (often on a 24-hour notice) by the lender and must be paid in full on the date of demand.” Thus, if you decide to take out a demand loan, you must be prepared to pay it back immediately, at any time the lender makes a demand for it. This may or may not be convenient depending upon the status of your business.  

According to dictionary.com an installment loan is a “consumer or business loan (such as for a vehicle, vacation or equipment) in which the principal and interest are repaid in equal installments at fixed intervals (usually every month).” The risk in taking out an installment loan appears to be far less than that of a demand loan.

One of the advantages with a demand loan is that the business owner or entrepreneur can pay it off at any time and does not have to pay penalties for payments made early, or those incurred when requesting an early payoff. The major disadvantage is that the lender may insist on payment in full, at a time when the borrower is not able to meet that kind of a financial demand. With installment loans, the borrower knows exactly what payment is expected and when it is due every month and thus, can prepare for it in advance. Penalties may result from not meeting installment payments on time. For example, when it is not possible to make a vehicle payment for three months, the lender may recall the vehicle. The same is true for mortgages and that can go into foreclosure.     

Entrepreneurs and other new business owners are often placed in a precarious position financially at first, and may not be aware of how much money they actually need for start-up costs or the difficulty of trying to borrow money without having an existing ‘track record’ of previous financial success. Lenders can be skeptical for the same reasons and may try to secure loans with the borrower’s other assets or property.

Lending and borrowing practices based on moral and ethical standards or principles may allow flexibility in both directions. For example, an entrepreneur who is just starting his or her own business may earn less than expected in the first few months of operation and be able to borrow extra money on installment payments. A vehicle acts as security until the entrepreneur gets on his or her feet financially. In the meantime, he or she may take out a demand loan against his or her house.

An entrepreneur or new business owner may find him or herself, ‘in too deep’ financially, if the business does not succeed, whereas one who realizes the dangers of risk taking in loans, is aware of his or her business potential and generally succeeds. The lender will be more willing to help the entrepreneur or business owner, if he or she can also see the potential and is willing to be flexible. 

In other words, both lending and borrowing practices work, but can be risky. Knowing the lender and his or her reputation for assisting entrepreneurs and new business owners is important. Establishing a mutual, ethical relationship and continuing to maintain it, can help to ensure a successful business. Regardless, obtaining financial counseling is usually a good idea for an entrepreneur or new business owner who decides to borrow money. 

What is a Hierarchy in Business and Why is a Pyramid Ranking of Concern: What is a Hierarchy in Business?

Many new entrepreneurs and potential small business owners become actively involved with existing businesses that have pyramid structures and designated hierarchies. At times, this can appear confusing and frustrating, but understanding what a hierarchy is in business and why pyramid ranking is of concern can help you to succeed as an entrepreneur. This may be of particular interest if you are planning to start a home-based business or decide to become a new, small business owner.

What is a hierarchy in business?

The word hierarchy in businessdictionary.com is “pyramid-like ranking of ideas, individuals, items, etc., where every level (except the top and the bottom ones) has one higher and one lower neighbor.” This should not seem to create a problem, but pyramid ranking can be of concern because it also “means greater authority, importance, and influence” for those higher up or at the top. 

Common sense suggests that ideally, every entrepreneur or potential, small business owner should have control of his or her own business, but it may be difficult to get started in a new business. An entrepreneur may agree to participate in a larger, well-established company or organization with nurturing capability or potential, not realizing the full implications of a hierarchy or pyramid ranking.

In a hierarchical structure, the higher the pyramid ranking, the more financial and other kinds of benefits, it should be possible to attain. Unfortunately, it does not always work that way when the primary benefits all go to a person or those on the top. Those on the lower levels of the pyramid may have to glean the fields, so to speak, in order to survive financially.

Many individuals learn that they are involved in a pyramid structure in their new business ventures or home-based businesses too late, when all of their potential profits have disappeared upwards and they have base-existence levels of income. Some ambitious entrepreneurs are able to establish large groups that appear to be successful initially, but find them taken over by others on a higher level of the pyramid. All of their efforts seem to be in vain, too.

There can be positive aspects to pyramids and hierarchy in business. For example, motivational training programs offered by companies and organizations to new recruits, prove beneficial with respect to learning how to organize and run home-based businesses or develop new small businesses. Motivation encourages new businesses to strive towards success. Another example is that of business-oriented networks that prove advantageous to entrepreneurs and new business owners, as well as others on different levels of pyramid structures. Many companies, including government organizations, function with a hierarchy that has a pyramid structure that works well for them and for others, in different levels of the hierarchy.

The major area of concern with respect to hierarchy in business and pyramid ranking has to do with moral and ethical business principles and practices. In other words, entrepreneurs and small business owners, even those involved in home-based businesses, can succeed if the company or organization with whom they are involved has appropriate moral and ethical, business principles and practices.

A word of caution is always in order for anyone contemplating starting a new business. Appropriate research is advisable to protect a potential entrepreneur, new small business owner or anyone setting up a home-based business from unethical involvement and inappropriate entanglement with a hierarchy of unethical business and its potentially disastrous pyramid structure. 

What Kids Can Learn From Sibling Rivalry: Understanding Sibling Rivalry

Many children have one or more siblings in their families which can result in sibling rivalry. This may seem to be either positive or negative to them. Understanding what kids can learn from sibling rivalry is important to them, as well as to their parents, other family members or teachers.    

   

What is sibling rivalry?

The freedictionary.com defines sibling sibling rivalry as “competition between siblings for the love, affection and attention of one or both parents or for other recognition or gain.”

From a psychological perspective, the freedictionary.com suggests that sibling rivalry can lead to the “Cain complex” which is defined as “a complex characterized by rivalry, competition and extreme envy or jealousy of a brother, leading to hatred.”

Ideally, what kids can learn from sibling rivalry is rooted and grounded in love, not hate. 

Much of what kids learn has to do with child-oriented teaching by their parents, grandparents and others.

The most important thing that kids can learn from sibling rivalry is the reality of their parents' unconditional love for them. In other words, their parents' love for them, does not depend on the absence of other siblings. Parents can and do love other children, sometimes many of them.

As kids become increasingly aware of their parent’s different expressions of love for other siblings, it does not mean that the kids need to be or become fearful of the loss of parental love. Parents can express their love for other siblings in many different ways, but it does not negate their parental love for them.

It is normal for kids to recognize the reality that other siblings receive what may appear to be extra, parental love associated with distinct age differences, particularly when privileges and age appear inter-related.  What is important is that each kid learns that at that same time in his or her life, he or she may experience that privilege also.

Kids can learn how the parental decision-making process works, simply by observing the example their parents set before them. They may also mimic their parents in different ways, as they learn how to play together and practice making decisions themselves. 

They can learn to love each other unconditionally too, regardless of how many siblings there are in a family or an extended family, if guided to do so by their parents, grandparents and others.

Kids can learn about positive and negative reward systems, by actively engaging in interaction with their other siblings. Having continual, positive interaction with their siblings with a reward for everyone reinforces the likelihood of siblings continuing to have positive interactions with each other in the future.

No two kids are exactly alike and what they learn from sibling rivalry may differ as well. It is important that the learning process continues in a family, and incorporates the learning process of all siblings, in such a way that there is a peaceful, happy, family environment where everyone knows and understands the meaning of parental love, but also the reality of sibling rivalry and what it means.     

Kids can and do learn how to live and interact with their siblings in group settings or on a community level, but ideally, this learning and motivation begins at home. As they grow older, this should extend further resulting in increased awareness, compassion and love for others.      

After Retirement Tips For Choosing an Encore Career: Choosing the Right Post-retirement Career

Empowerment in retirement may mean choosing an encore career once retired. The retiree has the option of returning to the same kind of work, choosing another career or enjoying his or her retirement by pursuing life in a different direction. 

Consider the following tips for choosing an encore career:

It may not be easy to return to work depending upon your reason for retirement, or your current state of health. Did you retire because of your age, or was it a forced retirement for other reasons? Are you still healthy and able to work? Having a complete physical assessment to ascertain whether you are physically and mentally competent to return to work, may be important in the decision making process.   

What is an encore career?

The expression encore career suggests taking on your previous job again, which would entail performing the same duties and job description. In other words, you would be returning to the kind of work that you did before you retired. Is that what you really want to do?

What does an encore career mean for a retiree?

For those who are already retired, an encore career may mean going back into or possibly having to exceed your previous level of employment after many years of work, but not without acknowledging the reality that you have already completed an appropriate number of years of service and are entitled to retire.

Why do you want to return to work?

Understanding why you want to return to work is important. Do you have to return to work for financial reasons? You may be able to find a different kind of work that is less mentally, emotionally and physically demanding for you as a retiree. In other words, it may not be necessary to have an encore career. Perhaps you feel that your previous work was the only kind of work that you ever had, or ever knew. Have you considered possible upgrading? There are endless job possibilities.

Are you able to obtain work in your encore career area?

Because jobs and job descriptions change, it may or may not be possible to return to your previous career, so be prepared to head in a new direction if you still want to find employment. You might speak with your previous employer to find out if your previous job is still available. Younger employees may have better qualifications and you may have to upgrade to keep up with the times. Even then because of your age, you still may not be able to obtain employment in your encore career area.

Are you an optimist?

An optimist who has retired, often has the expectations of being able to return to a previous career. Your previous employer may hire you back, because you are an optimist. He or she may be willing to employ you on a higher level where you can train others because of your positive personality and a constructive attitude, in conjunction with your previous employment record. At the same time, it is important to be realistic with your employer and yourself.

The temporary nature of an encore careers

After retirement, returning to a previous career is likely to be temporary at best, so it is generally wise for a retiree to consider the time element. What that may mean is to change careers for a third time.

No two retires have the same hopes and dreams or retirement expectations, nor do they need to have. You are an individual and the decision is yours to make, so choose wisely. Your post-retirement empowerment may depend upon it.  

Healthy Ways to Control Your Hunger: Dieting Tips For Preventing Physiological and Psychological Hunger Pain

Does hunger control you or do you control your hunger? Even more importantly, do you have healthy ways to satisfy your hunger pains? Healthy eating is extremely important at all stages of life.

Is hunger pain when dieting real?

Yes, hunger pain when dieting is real, but there are different kinds of pain, including physiological pain or hunger pangs, and psychological pain.

Physiological pain

Are you dieting by not eating or drinking anything all day, in order to lose weight? You will suffer physiological pain, as the acid in your stomach begins to irritate the lining of your stomach. You may suffer a low blood sugar, which can turn into a life-threatening situation, as well as result in permanent physical damage to your body. This kind of dieting will not control your hunger, but will increase your hunger-related pain.

Psychological pain

Psychological pain has to do with your psyche or self. Mental and emotional pain may occur when you try to change your dietary habits. If you persist, you will gradually learn how to cope mentally and emotionally with dietary changes. For example, psychological pain can occur if you deny yourself potato chips, after eating them regularly for many years. You may suddenly experience feelings of fear, loss or panic and sense that you have to have them. Eating chips in excess is a compulsion. You do not need to eat them, at all. 

Ideally, you should learn to eat something healthier and then, you will find that your hunger is satiated. For example, try eating grapes, cheese or raisins to ease psychological pain associated with hunger. Did you ever stop to think that eating in excess may be causing you to experience what you think is hunger pain? 

Learning behaviors for controlling hunger

Dieting can be exciting, challenging and fun, but your attitude to dietary change is important. Being positive and constructive about weight loss, as well as later, weight loss management, will enable you to learn new behaviors for controlling your hunger and hunger pain. For example, drinking water can help you to replace the learned behavior of consuming excessive amounts of soft drinks and reduce your sugar intake, at the same time. Ask yourself if what your body is craving is something sweet or simply fluids. Having a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon or lime, may be all you need to satisfy your hunger, at that moment. Try one mint for that sweet tooth craving.  

Why are some learned behaviors so problematic?

Previously learned behaviors tend to be problematic in dieting because your physical body and your psyche accept them as normal. Conditioning by repeated patterns of behavior that are potentially harmful to your health, like the regular consumption of excessive desserts, is a bad habit that is hard to break. Note that these patterns of behavior may also leave you unsatisfied and hungry with hunger-related pain.      

How to change learned behaviors into healthy ways to control your hunger

Diet tips encourage healthy eating habits that lead to satisfying your hunger and help you to avoid hunger pain on a physiological, as well as on a psychological level.

The article entitled, "5 Foods that fight hunger pains" may be helpful.  

Learning to consume three to four small meals a day, instead of one huge one, will satisfy your hunger and ease hunger pain. It may take time and a conscious effort on your part. Eating healthy snacks in between meals, like celery or carrot sticks and other fruits or vegetables regularly, may seem difficult at first, but you will reap potential health benefits in the end. 

You will have more energy, be happier about yourself in general and love your new appearance, as well as no longer have hunger pangs.

When is Self-help Not Enough? Empowerment May Mean Seeking Help Beyond Self-help

Self-help begins from the moment an infant or a child starts to realize that he or she can do something by him or herself. Throughout life, one’s sense of independence continues to expand its horizons increasing mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. The earliest expressions of self-help often require the assistance of parents, grandparents, siblings and others, when self-help is not enough.

What is self-help from a psychological perspective?

Self-help focuses on the psyche or the self, as it grasps new thoughts, ideas and concepts that potentially lead to improving one’s self, in whatever way possible. While self-help appears to be only in relation to the self, it invariably involves others in one way or another, in terms of support groups on various levels.    

What are self-help groups?

Self-help groups exist in every culture and society, as individuals gather in groups, or in community to find friends, plus emotional support and guidance. They often begin to identify themselves in meaningful roles in conjunction with their peers who support one another mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Active self-help participants assuming leadership roles economically or financially, often lead self-help groups. There are many self-help groups offering steps to recovery from substance abuse or alcohol addiction, where a buddy system or co-dependency proves beneficial.     

When is self-help not enough?

Unfortunately, there are times when self-help or self-help groups are not enough, or do not have all of the answers. Have you outgrown a self-help group? Recognizing this reality is important in terms of your emotional, as well as mental health and general well-being.

The article, “Getting Help” suggests the following situations are symptomatic with respect to needing help beyond the level self-help, as helping yourself or self-help groups with others. In other words, you may need professional help from a professional and therapy. 

Ask yourself if you feel this way:

Are you so angry or sad that you are unable to cope with day-to-day life? Perhaps your physical health is suffering and every day you feel like your body is letting you down. Maybe you don’t know which way to turn and like a deer caught in headlights, you are unable to move. Does life seems better through the bottom of a bottle, or with the help of drugs? Are you constantly fighting with your spouse, or you have pulled back from your relationship with your partner? Is there no joy left in your life? Does death seem like a better option than life?     

How can you get help beyond self-help?

This same article, “Getting Help” includes the following suggestions on what you can do to get help beyond self-help.

These suggestions include talking to your family doctor and other professionals. There are community, mental health clinics and contact organizations that offer professional information and therapy. Engaging in online research can lead you to appropriate, mental health resources. Workshops and educational resources also offer therapy sessions that may prove beneficial. The same is true with respect to turning to your church, family and friends.      

Remember that the self-help you learned as a child and throughout adulthood is ingrained in your constitution. 

Recall your successes. 

You have also helped others by being part of self-help groups, but maybe you have outgrown these resources. 

Do not panic. 

Never stop growing intellectually and emotionally. Recognize when it is time to seek professional therapy. 

Taking drastic, negative action may be an attention-getting device, but it is not usually the best way to get help on a higher level. You do have better options. To continue to empower yourself and motivate others in a positive and constructive direction, you may need to use a bit of ingenuity and find the therapy that you need.         

Financial Tips For Young Adults: Successful Money Management Tips For Teens and Those in Their Twenties

Young adults in every era struggle financially trying to make ends meet. While some are relatively successful, others often plunge deeper and deeper into debt. Eventually, they cry out to God and others for financial management assistance. 

These financial tips for young adults can help! Consider the following suggestions for successful money management.

Organize your finances

Not every young adult knows how to manage his or her money successfully. As a young adult, it is important to learn how to organize your finances in a way that works. Your future, as well as your well being, and that of your prospective, young family may depend upon it. Are you planning to have children? There are important things to consider like their education. Plan for these accordingly.    

Document your income and expenses

Document your income so that you know exactly how much money is coming in every month. Then, begin to document your fixed and variable expenses. Note that your fixed expenses like rent, car payments, insurance, heat and hydro are relatively stable and do not change a lot from month to month. Variable expenses such as food, clothing purchases and entertainment are more flexible. You should be able to juggle these around, too.

Start a savings account

If you open a savings account immediately, then you get into the habit of saving money. This is saving money for the future, not money you can spend at random. Ten percent of your income is a reasonable amount to save every month. If you cannot start with ten percent, then save five percent and increase it when you are able to do so. What is important is that you have started a savings account. Consider taking out savings bonds or invest in long-term retirement or savings plans.

Build an emergency fund

When you establish an emergency fund, it allows flexibility in case you encounter an unexpected emergency. Emergencies do happen at the most inconvenient times. For example, you may have a motor vehicle accident and have to pay a deductible. Where would you get the money? 

Purchase only what you need

Purchasing what you need as opposed to what you want, allows you to spend your money more wisely. Young adults often think that they have to have material things, but they may not need them at all, or at least do not need them immediately. What you do need must take priority. Do not fret about what other young adults have as they may have accumulated massive debts.

Be cautious with credit card transactions

Credit card transactions involve interest rates that are unexpected by the user. It is easy to use a credit card, but when it is time to repay it, you may find yourself paying the interest instead of paying the balance. Do you know what the interest rates on your current credit cards are? If they are too high, you may be able to consolidate them into one credit card with a lower interest rate. Talk to a financial adviser. You may pay your credit cards off monthly, or even destroy your credit cards if they become a financial burden.

Shop wisely

It is easy for young adults to overspend, particularly when it comes to making initial purchases for your home or young family. Plan to shop in such a way that you stay within appropriate financial guidelines. You do not want to return your purchases because you have overspent. Only buy high quality goods as they will retain their value over time. Otherwise, you may find that you have to replace them. 

Keep your receipts

If you make a practice of keeping all of your receipts, you will know exactly how much you have spent on your purchases. Keep receipts in a safe place and file them monthly. Remember that you may need them when you are filing your income tax.

Coupon shopping

Coupon shopping can save you dollars, but using coupons can entice you to overspend on items that you would not ordinarily purchase, or may not use. Many online coupons may be printed. Always check for validation dates, as they may not be honored everywhere.    

Avoid borrowing

Borrowing money often proves to be a trap for young adults, as it is easier to borrow money than to pay it back. Avoid borrowing from parents, family members or friends, as relationships can deteriorate quickly if you are unable to repay your loans.

Consider giving a financial gift to God on a regular basis. Remember to include God and others in your financial planning, as giving to God reaps its own unexpected rewards. Being a young adult does not mean that you have to struggle financially. What it does mean is that if you are careful, then you will lay the foundation for a successful financial future for yourself and your future family.

Married For Life: A Question of Interpretation Within Marriage

Interpretation of the concept married for life may vary considerably depending upon your personal belief system, upbringing and culture. Because of the wide range of possible interpretation, married for life can prove to be problematic for young people who are planning marriage in the future, or even married couples.

The web site married for life.net suggests that, "The more you are honest and deal with your true reality, the better your chances are of dealing with it constructively before it is too late."

Married for life often includes the statement until death do us part, but what does until death do us part mean? Those who are serious about their martial vows, understand the concept of being married for life as signifying the formation of an unbreakable vow, bond or relationship with the person to whom they are to be married, or are married.

This can be subject to different levels of interpretation, as well. For example, married for life may mean that only the actual, physical death of a spouse can sever a marital relationship. Some see married for life with until death do us part, as extending further than physical death or into a spiritual, eternal permanence.

Is there a difference between a spiritual and a natural marriage?

Yes, there is a difference, which may or may not be recognized or acknowledged by potential or actual spouses. In other words, is the union indicative of oneness in the spirit or only oneness in the flesh? With respect to being married for life, how seriously marital vows are taken may depend to some extent upon whether or not a true spiritual union or a natural union is intended, or has taken place.

The issue of marital fidelity is an important aspect of the understanding of being married for life.

Fidelity can prove problematic when prospective spouses or actual spouses do not have the same understanding of the meaning and significance of fidelity. In other words, while one person sees fidelity as an important aspect of being married for life, the other person may or may not perceive it in the same way. For example, a man may see his position in a marriage as being free from the bonds of fidelity, while at the same time, he expects his spouse to be faithful to him. This kind of marriage is likely to fail.

In terms of being married for life, another important aspect of it has to do with the love relationship.

In other words, is true love at the heart of the married for life relationship? Because there are so many different kinds of love and pseudo-love, there may or may not be the kind of love that is instrumental in keeping a lifelong, marital relationship intact. Godly love, as opposed to human love, can make a huge difference when it comes to being married for life.

Does loss of infatuation or interest in someone else constitute sufficient reason to end a married for life relationship?

Unfortunately, there are those who understand marriage for life as having an unwritten, unless or until clause. For example, this may mean married for life unless or until, someone better comes along. Circumstances change as well, and there are those who end marriages that are supposed to be married for life relationships based upon these kinds of changes.

Realistically, married for life is an ideal. Agreeing to enter into a married for life relationship is an ideal commitment to a spouse.

At the same time, marital life often takes unexpected turns and marital pathways may change. The original understanding of being married for life may change with respect to one or the other spouse. At times, there are no easy answers for those who become embroiled in controversial marital relationships of various kinds.

Premarital counseling can often make a difference for those who are planning marriage. Marital counseling, when there are problems or differences encountered, may also prove beneficial with respect to being married for life. Striving for an ideal is the right thing to do, but forgiveness goes a long way when it comes to the imperfection of broken, married for life relationships.

On Children's Laughter: Laughter and Double Joy

From a Christian perspective, each baby is a wonderful gift from God.

Suddenly, with a loud cry, a new baby announces its arrival to the world, a world filled with many joys and sorrows. How wonderful that first cry seems to us, simply because we know that the baby has arrived safely. Hopefully, the infant is born into a family who will celebrate his or her birth and welcome the infant, or the children in the case of multiple births, with open arms and loving hearts.

This is not an easy time for parents, either first-time parents, or parents with other children. Who ever promised that it was going to be easy? For new parents this can be a trying time, as everything about babies is new. For those who are parents again, it can be just as trying as no two births are the same and no two children are the same either. While the parents feel that they know everything that there is to know about babies and that they are prepared for the birth, in reality, each child's birth can be very different, as well as extremely traumatic. All of a sudden, the new mother and father are confronted with a situation unlike anything that they have been through before and can be frightened, wondering how they will ever meet the needs of their new offspring.

Consider it from the infant's perspective for a moment.

For nine long months, the baby has been growing and thriving in a warm, comfortable and safe environment. Suddenly, the infant finds him or herself thrust into a new environment. It is a world that appears to be strange, unlike the womb from which the infant has just emerged. That environment is not as comfortable or warm, either. At first, the baby is stunned by the sudden change in temperature. One of the reasons the newborn cries when it is born, is because of the temperature change. It is a shock to his or her system.

Just imagine the sound effects. The new world is not a quiet place. All of a sudden, the infant opens his or her eyes. No one really knows at what moment that infant begins to hear and see, or what the newborn child hears and sees. How he or she will react to the new sights and sounds is unpredictable.

The newborn baby is inevitably cold after he or she is born, because the world into which he or she has been born is not the same temperature as that to which the infant has become accustomed. Even dressed in appropriate clothing, the infant child may begin to shiver, as the body's way of compensating for the sudden change in temperature. It becomes important that the newborn baby is warm. The infant is used to being as snug as a bug in a rug, so to speak. Suddenly, it is not feeling secure. Why not? What the child would have been hearing is the sounds from the mother's body. The infant also knows how it feels to be snug within the mother’s womb, which has been comfortable. Suddenly, the baby can move about more freely, but a newborn baby is not used to having that kind of freedom. That can cause the infant to panic.

Any strange, new sounds may startle or awaken the infant, because he or she is able to hear. Any unusual activity or the lights in the room may cause the newborn to become alarmed or frightened. Imagine the reality of touch and textures alone. We live in a world of touch and texture, which can overwhelm the newborn.

Virtually everything is new and different. In time, the baby will accept its new world and being instinctively curious, he or she will begin to explore that environment.

Remember that the newborn child also has been obtaining all of its nourishment without any effort on his or her own part, having been fed via the umbilical cord while in the womb. That source of nourishment is no longer there as the umbilical cord has been severed. It is a shock to the infant's system and the newborn child becomes aware that he or she is hungry. The newborn infant may or may not have learned how to suck on its fingers while in the womb. Now, it is dependent upon the sucking reflex to obtain food and water.

While there are natural instincts that the infant is born with, that may begin to take over immediately, this is such a different world. These instincts  need to be developed.

In one sense, the infant knows his or her mother and father but, in many other ways, it does not recognize parents. Time has a way of taking care of that situation, but in reality, it will take time for both of them to adjust to each other. This is a new relationship that needs to be developed and nurtured. It is said that we all enter the world alone and in many ways, that is true. The newborn can feel alone, until such a time as he or she becomes accustomed to his or her parents, as well as to others including siblings. So much depends upon how the parents react to the newborn infant, instinctively.

Having another older sibling in the family can create additional concerns even though for the other sibling, it can be a wonderful experience. Suddenly, the older child's world is changed and he or she is no longer the center of the parent's attention. The older child, or children, need time to adjust to the reality of a new baby in the household.

With the birth of an infant, there are many so factors to take into consideration, it is a wonder that any parents succeed in parenting. But take heart, as God has provided solutions. Sometimes it is simply up to the parents and the children to find answers. What may work for one family may not necessarily work for another.

Persisting over time with love and patience, the parents and the newborn, as well as other siblings, come to know and love each other. All of the newborn's needs will be met, as well as those of the older sibling, or siblings.

How will parents know that they have succeeded in parenting?

One of the most joyful sights parents see is the smile on the face of a newborn. One of the most rewarding sounds that they will ever hear is that of children's laughter. To hear the sound of a newborn baby crying and an older sibling's laughter are miracles of life. It may appear to be a combination of joy and sorrow, where in fact it is really a parent's portion of joy with a difference, a double joy.

Knowledge: Love and The Love of Pure Knowledge

If anyone can state that knowledge rules, then why is there open suppression of knowledge? In our era, where there is the reality of a high academic achievement potential for anyone and everyone, on a global or international level, active suppression of knowledge still exists; so does the repression of writer's works and the oppression of writers. Often, knowledge is put down by authority figures, authoritarian rule or even by brute force. It is suppressed in many parts of the world even during this time when there is a demand for extremely high technology, all over the world.

For many generations, knowledge has been kept from thousands of people, on a global scale. Many times, certain kinds of knowledge have been kept completely secret. People have been left untaught or uneducated all around the globe, while the knowledge that they need for basic survival has been hidden, suppressed or repressed.

Frequently there have been repeated attempts to prohibit the publication or revelation of knowledge and truth. This is true of the past; it is still happening in the present and will continue to happen in the future.

As a way to compensate in many parts of the world, knowledge has been accumulated as secret knowledge, because the human perception of what is being taught does not include adequate understanding for appropriate comprehension. If anything, many people are afraid of the power that others have gained through knowledge or the actual knowledge itself.

People with acquired knowledge are feared by many of those who know, or understand certain concepts or ideas. Knowledge is perceived in terms of negative power and oppression, rather than as a goal to be attained.

There are those who have been taught to exclude knowledge from their own consciousness, for whatever reason. They are not allowed to give vent to certain kinds of knowledge and thus, knowledge is repressed inwardly, as there is no expression of the awareness of that knowledge allowed, at least not in their particular community or society. At times, this knowledge may re-surface at a later date, or take on other forms.

On the other hand, throughout the generations, there have always been those whose quest for pure knowledge has never ceased. Even in times of severe depression or radical oppression, it is generally pure knowledge that has enabled the survival of the human race.

Real love of knowledge leads one to seek pure knowledge or truth for the ultimate good of humankind. Knowledge should be used rightly for the good of humankind and not for evil purposes.

One of the difficulties with respect to the suppression of knowledge lies in the reality that it is the knowledge itself, that is being sought and not the actual source of the knowledge, or God, the Giver of all pure
Knowledge.


The solution to this problem lies in seeking God first. If one seeks God first, He will invariably reveal pure knowledge and truth, but with a difference, namely within the guidelines of His Love.

Why Do I Write: Dimino Definitions, Eureka, Erupt and Wow

The answer to the question of why I write may be summed up in three words namely eureka, erupt and wow. Let us look at those three words for a moment.

Eureka:

"Eureka, I have found it."

Eureka is what I will refer to as one of those dimino definitions that has stood the test of time. Initially this word was coined by Archimedes with respect to expressing his phrase "I have found it." He had just found a method, by which he could discern the purity of gold. Since that time, the word eureka has also been used to express triumph with respect to discovery.

Erupt:

A volcano erupts and spews forth lava from the bowels of the earth, at times, unannounced to the rest of the world. The lava brings about new rock formations. We can see this actually happening like an unfolding drama in Hawaii, where volcanoes continually erupt and the island land masses continue to grow in size.

What does this have to do with why I write? Words do the same thing as they erupt into some sort of formation, which we can behold.

What do the two words, eureka and erupt have in common?

The first word, eureka, has to do with an expression by a person; a word that expresses the entrance of something into existence from what appeared to be in the state of non-existence prior to that time. Something has been discovered or found.

The word eureka shows that an answer of some kind has been realized, perhaps a solution has been reached by someone, somewhere or somehow. That answer may have been pre-existent prior to that time, it has remained undiscovered, or at least it was not expressed by a human being until that particular moment in time.

The word erupt gives us some understanding in terms of a natural phenomenon that is actually happening or has happened.

From what appears to be in a previous state of non-existence, existence occurs or something diminoes into existence. What diminoes stands the test of time, unlike a domino which may fall down. Both of those words contain some element of surprise with respect to the unexpected.

Compare those two words to another word that that we tend to use almost every day.

Wow:

The word wow a typical reaction when all of a sudden, something astounding is perceived or realized. This is not a new word, even though we might think that it is.

Wow was used as far back as 1513, with respect to experiencing strong feelings, generally pleasurable in nature. Jumping ahead a few years into 1921, wow became a word used to express success. It was inter-changed with the word hit or something that was striking.

About 1926, wow was employed as a word or expression that would excite others in terms of admiration and general approval. About ten years after that, it came to be used to designate the rise and fall of pitch, dependent upon various speeds in a reproducing sound system.

Nowadays, we see wow being introduced as a contemporary expression that is used by many people to depict something that appears to be really wonderful or marvelous, as well as pleasing and surprising.

Words often undergo transition over periods of time, but what is actually occurring is more important, as we see that there is a continuing dimino effect happening in our world, right before our eyes and it is somehow still being defined in words and in nature, but yet in some way, it still remains beyond definition.

Eureka, erupt and wow say it all in a nutshell. In other words, I have found it, it erupted and it is marvelous to behold. 

That is why I write. Such is the nature of new and on-going discovery in terms of writing about any aspect of creation! What appeared not to be actually is, and it is being realized by humankind, a bit at a time.

We all can write about it, as we dwell in that same world of discovery. Isn't it wonderful?

The world of dimino definitions with respect to new discovery, is just beginning to grow. Eureka, erupt and wow are just three of those kinds of words. 

Why I write is to express the joy of discovery. That in itself is a God given gift.