Everyone has problems and challenges that need solving; they're an inevitable part of living. What many people don't realize, however, is that most of them can be overcome using a simple, focused program of personal brainstorming. Here are some practical tips to help you increase the effectiveness of your personal problem-solving skills:
Step 1: State your problem clearly
Before you start, firmly plant in your mind the idea that your problem can and will be solved. Your job is to find that solution, using personal brainstorming.
State your problem clearly and concisely in one sentence at the top of a blank sheet of paper. Then write down everything you know about your current problem or challenge. Try to isolate and write down specific factors or trends that have contributed to it. Keep in mind that a problem, clearly defined, is already half solved.
By gathering all of the information that you know about your challenge and laying it out in front of you in tangible form, you enable your most powerful problem-solving tool -- your brain -- to see connections, interrelationships and implications in the information you've collected, which would not be obvious if you just kept all of this information in your head.
Think about people who have faced problems or challenges similar to the one you are facing. What strategies or solutions did they use? Then determine if any elements of their solutions can be adapted to your current situation.
Step 2: Brainstorm solutions
As you review your problem statement and supporting information, write down any ideas that occur to you. Don't censor yourself at this point; there will be plenty of time to evaluate your ideas later. Write down every idea, no matter how far-fetched. Your goal at this stage of the personal ideation process is to generate a large quantity of ideas.
Ask yourself: How would a person who is an expert in this area solve this problem? You might want to try this exercise using famous people from history, creative thinkers such as Albert Einstein, or other leaders and innovators that you respect. Your goal for this exercise is to perform a bit of "slight of head" -- to whack your thinking into a different frame of reference to generate fresh ideas and insights.
Divide your problem into its component pieces and write each of them down -- perhaps in a mind map or outline that shows the relationships between each element. Then, try brainstorming ideas for each one. This "slice and dice" technique often works well when you're faced with complex or multi-dimensional challenges.
Envision an ideal future goal or outcome. Then work backwards to the present, writing down the steps you would need to take now to move toward that objective.
If you find yourself running out of ideas too quickly, don't give up. Keep working at it until you have written down at least 20 possible ideas or solutions. Many times, the first 5 to 10 ideas you write down are top-of-mind solutions; often the best ideas take more concentrated and prolonged brainstorming to emerge.
Conclusion
Your subconscious mind likes closure. When faced with an incomplete picture, it works to complete the mental image by inferring the missing information. Your mind works the same way on an unsolved problem or challenge; it loves to dive right in and get the job done.
In closing, remember that you can solve your problems and capitalize on new opportunities using personal ideation. All you need is a pencil, a pad of paper and a quiet "thinking spot" to tap into your creative muse.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Fatwa against “house husbands”
Several influential Islamic clerics in Malaysia say the practice of house husbands - men who stay home to do housework whiletheir wives work at the office - is un-Islamicand should be prevented. The ruling could hamper government policies to encourage men to take on a larger share of family chores. The government has approved paternity leave and is willing to give tax breaks and other incentives to men who share housework. However, the clerics ruled over the weekend that the practice of house husband is seriously flawed, against “natural order” and conflicts with Islamic sharia law.
Islamic Ethics
What are Islamic ethics and where do we find them? Everything in Islam is based upon the Koran (what Mohammed claimed that his god, Allah, said) and the words and deeds of Mohammed (called the Sunna). A Muslim repeats endlessly, “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” The Koran repeats again and again that Mohammed is the model or pattern for the ideal Muslim. A Muslim is not someone who worships Allah. A Muslim is someone who worships Allah exactly like Mohammed worshipped Allah. So every Muslim is a Mohammedan. There are absolutely no exceptions.
And where do we find Mohammed’s words and deeds?
1. The Traditions (or Hadith) are collections of everything Mohammed did and said. The best and most honored Hadith is by Al Bukhari.
2. The Sira is the biography of Mohammed and is written by Ibn Ishaq. The Sira is to Mohammed as the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are to Jesus.
There was not enough information in the Koran to create Islam. The Sunna (Hadith and Sira) define almost all of the doctrine of Islam.The collection of Koran, Sira, and Hadith is called the Islamic Trilogy. The Trilogy contains the complete political doctrine of Islam. Christians have two sacred texts—Old and New Testament. Muslims have three sacred texts. For 1,400 years, these three texts have only been read by Islamic religious and political leaders, but today these texts have been made easily understood (see the Book List at the end of this pamphlet).
The Trilogy overflows with ethical statements such as these from Bukhari’s Hadith.)B9,85,83 Mohammed: “A Muslim is a brother to other Muslims. He should never oppress them nor should he facilitate their oppression.”B8,73,70 Mohammed: “Harming a Muslim is an evil act; killing a Muslim means rejecting Allah.”
B5,59,369 Mohammed asked, “Who will kill Ka’b (a Jewish poet), the enemy of Allah and Mohammed?”Bin Maslama rose and responded, “O Mohammed! Would it please you if I killed him?”Mohammed answered, “Yes.”Bin Maslama then said, “Give me permission to deceive him with lies so that my plot will succeed.”Mohammed replied, “You may speak falsely to him.”
A Muslim should be a brother to other Muslims (not the rest of humanity). A Muslim should not kill another Muslim. A Muslim may lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam.So, for Islam, the ethical statements are:
Do not kill another Muslim.
Do not steal from another Muslim.
Do not deceive another Muslim.
Islam divides the entire world into Islam and nonbelievers and has two sets of ethics, one for Islam and another for the rest. The Golden Rule has the equality of all humanity as its basis. It is not: Do unto some people, as you would have them do unto you, but do unto all people as you would have them do unto you.
Islam denies the universality of the Golden Rule because Islam starts with the division of the entire world, all humanity, into two different groups—Islamic and non-Islamic. Every aspect of Islamic ethics is based upon this separation. Having two distinct groups leads to two different ethical codes. Said another way, Islam has dualistic ethics.
Deceit, violence and force are optional actions against the unbelievers. Believers are to be treated as brothers and sisters. Islam’s ethics are based upon:Good is whatever advances Islam.Evil is whatever resists Islam.The Origin of the Politics of Islam
Mohammed preached for 13 years in Mecca and only acquired about 150 followers. Following the death of his protector and uncle, the wealthy class of Mecca ran him out of town. He left with his followers and went to Medina, a town located less than a hundred miles from Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. There he preached for another year and obtained a hundred or so more followers.
In order to support himself and his followers, he sent men out to rob caravans from Mecca and generously distributed among them the wealth they brought back, keeping a portion for himself. Part of the wealth obtained from these raids were captives which Mohammed also distributed among his men as slaves and in some cases as wives. Slaves who agreed to convert to Islam were freed. Mohammed was never motivated by money as much as by power. He considered money a tool that could be used to fund jihad and to support his followers. These are all political actions.
Mohammed moved into a profoundly political mode. Suddenly the new Islam became popular. It was not simply a religion that would assure the poor a place of honor in a gilded paradise, but a political system that could provide them with wealth, sex and power, all to be had for the taking from the Free.
The word of Allah, as received and reported by Mohammed, is divided into two records. The Koran of Mecca was based on religious precepts. The Koran of Medina, however, became clearly political in scope and direction.
The belief that only Muslims are protected by Allah meant that non-Muslims were not afforded the usual considerations of morality, such as equality, honesty and compassion. Examples we see from Mohammed’s life show that non-Muslims can be mocked, raped, cursed, threatened, tortured, killed, robbed, or enslaved to advance the cause of Islam.
This dual system of ethics paved the way to jihad: war undertaken as an Islamic duty, [See Page 7] and are reflected in the Islamic world view:
dar al Islam, land of submissiondar al harb, land of war
In contrast, the prevailing non-Muslim world view is that all people at some fundamental level are equal, although they are not necessarily the same. Not all people are of the same ability, although all deserve to be treated fairly, compassionately and honestly. The ultimate ethical statement is: “Treat others as you wish to be treated.” In this view “others” and “self” are equal and all of humanity is to be accorded the same consideration. This is the ideal. We frequently fail to live up to the ideal, but is the ideal nevertheless.
The dual ethics of Islam are not as simple as a separate set of ethics for the non-Muslim. What makes political Islam so effective is that it has two stages of ethics for the non-Muslim. It has the ethics of the Meccan Koran (early, religious text), and the ethics of the Medinan Koran (later, political text). Islam can treat the non-Muslim well, but as an inferior (Koran of Mecca), or treat him as an enemy of Allah (Koran of Medina). Both actions are sanctioned as sacred in the Koran. Islamic apologists always refer to the Meccan ethics.
And where do we find Mohammed’s words and deeds?
1. The Traditions (or Hadith) are collections of everything Mohammed did and said. The best and most honored Hadith is by Al Bukhari.
2. The Sira is the biography of Mohammed and is written by Ibn Ishaq. The Sira is to Mohammed as the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are to Jesus.
There was not enough information in the Koran to create Islam. The Sunna (Hadith and Sira) define almost all of the doctrine of Islam.The collection of Koran, Sira, and Hadith is called the Islamic Trilogy. The Trilogy contains the complete political doctrine of Islam. Christians have two sacred texts—Old and New Testament. Muslims have three sacred texts. For 1,400 years, these three texts have only been read by Islamic religious and political leaders, but today these texts have been made easily understood (see the Book List at the end of this pamphlet).
The Trilogy overflows with ethical statements such as these from Bukhari’s Hadith.)B9,85,83 Mohammed: “A Muslim is a brother to other Muslims. He should never oppress them nor should he facilitate their oppression.”B8,73,70 Mohammed: “Harming a Muslim is an evil act; killing a Muslim means rejecting Allah.”
B5,59,369 Mohammed asked, “Who will kill Ka’b (a Jewish poet), the enemy of Allah and Mohammed?”Bin Maslama rose and responded, “O Mohammed! Would it please you if I killed him?”Mohammed answered, “Yes.”Bin Maslama then said, “Give me permission to deceive him with lies so that my plot will succeed.”Mohammed replied, “You may speak falsely to him.”
A Muslim should be a brother to other Muslims (not the rest of humanity). A Muslim should not kill another Muslim. A Muslim may lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam.So, for Islam, the ethical statements are:
Do not kill another Muslim.
Do not steal from another Muslim.
Do not deceive another Muslim.
Islam divides the entire world into Islam and nonbelievers and has two sets of ethics, one for Islam and another for the rest. The Golden Rule has the equality of all humanity as its basis. It is not: Do unto some people, as you would have them do unto you, but do unto all people as you would have them do unto you.
Islam denies the universality of the Golden Rule because Islam starts with the division of the entire world, all humanity, into two different groups—Islamic and non-Islamic. Every aspect of Islamic ethics is based upon this separation. Having two distinct groups leads to two different ethical codes. Said another way, Islam has dualistic ethics.
Deceit, violence and force are optional actions against the unbelievers. Believers are to be treated as brothers and sisters. Islam’s ethics are based upon:Good is whatever advances Islam.Evil is whatever resists Islam.The Origin of the Politics of Islam
Mohammed preached for 13 years in Mecca and only acquired about 150 followers. Following the death of his protector and uncle, the wealthy class of Mecca ran him out of town. He left with his followers and went to Medina, a town located less than a hundred miles from Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. There he preached for another year and obtained a hundred or so more followers.
In order to support himself and his followers, he sent men out to rob caravans from Mecca and generously distributed among them the wealth they brought back, keeping a portion for himself. Part of the wealth obtained from these raids were captives which Mohammed also distributed among his men as slaves and in some cases as wives. Slaves who agreed to convert to Islam were freed. Mohammed was never motivated by money as much as by power. He considered money a tool that could be used to fund jihad and to support his followers. These are all political actions.
Mohammed moved into a profoundly political mode. Suddenly the new Islam became popular. It was not simply a religion that would assure the poor a place of honor in a gilded paradise, but a political system that could provide them with wealth, sex and power, all to be had for the taking from the Free.
The word of Allah, as received and reported by Mohammed, is divided into two records. The Koran of Mecca was based on religious precepts. The Koran of Medina, however, became clearly political in scope and direction.
The belief that only Muslims are protected by Allah meant that non-Muslims were not afforded the usual considerations of morality, such as equality, honesty and compassion. Examples we see from Mohammed’s life show that non-Muslims can be mocked, raped, cursed, threatened, tortured, killed, robbed, or enslaved to advance the cause of Islam.
This dual system of ethics paved the way to jihad: war undertaken as an Islamic duty, [See Page 7] and are reflected in the Islamic world view:
dar al Islam, land of submissiondar al harb, land of war
In contrast, the prevailing non-Muslim world view is that all people at some fundamental level are equal, although they are not necessarily the same. Not all people are of the same ability, although all deserve to be treated fairly, compassionately and honestly. The ultimate ethical statement is: “Treat others as you wish to be treated.” In this view “others” and “self” are equal and all of humanity is to be accorded the same consideration. This is the ideal. We frequently fail to live up to the ideal, but is the ideal nevertheless.
The dual ethics of Islam are not as simple as a separate set of ethics for the non-Muslim. What makes political Islam so effective is that it has two stages of ethics for the non-Muslim. It has the ethics of the Meccan Koran (early, religious text), and the ethics of the Medinan Koran (later, political text). Islam can treat the non-Muslim well, but as an inferior (Koran of Mecca), or treat him as an enemy of Allah (Koran of Medina). Both actions are sanctioned as sacred in the Koran. Islamic apologists always refer to the Meccan ethics.
PEGGY LEE: "Sweet Happy Life" Lyrics
My wish for you, sweet happy life
May all the days of the year that you live be laughing days
With all my heart, sweet happy life
And may the night times that follow the days be dancing nights
Stars for your smile, moons for your hair
And someone’s wonderful love for your loving heart to share
My wish for you, sweet happy life
May all your sorrows be gone and your heart begin to sing
And if a wish can make it be
I wish you spend everyday of your happy life with me
Stars for your smile, moons for you hair
And someone’s wonderful love for your loving heart to share
My wish for you, sweet happy life
May all your sorrows be gone and your heart begin to sing
And if a wish can make it be
I wish you spend everyday of your happy life with me
May all the days of the year that you live be laughing days
With all my heart, sweet happy life
And may the night times that follow the days be dancing nights
Stars for your smile, moons for your hair
And someone’s wonderful love for your loving heart to share
My wish for you, sweet happy life
May all your sorrows be gone and your heart begin to sing
And if a wish can make it be
I wish you spend everyday of your happy life with me
Stars for your smile, moons for you hair
And someone’s wonderful love for your loving heart to share
My wish for you, sweet happy life
May all your sorrows be gone and your heart begin to sing
And if a wish can make it be
I wish you spend everyday of your happy life with me
CONVERSATION
Conversation can be defined as a societal phenomenon where two or more people communicate their feelings and exchange information. Whether regarding a group of friends, colleagues, or even the passing stranger, one would be hard-pressed to find any society that did not engage in conversation. Looking specifically in the academic world, conversation can be observed in many places. Obliviously most classroom dynamics are conducive to conversation, promoting discussion between students and teachers. Also, conversation between students is frequent during walks to and from class. However, the dining halls are the most common place for conversation. During breakfast, lunch and dinner students engage one another over the events of the day. In fact, there aren't many places or times in life when an individual can be without conversation. It has become such an integral part of everyday life that perhaps we as a society have lost a sense of what it is to stop, listen and reflect upon what is happening around us.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
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