MIRROR MIRROR!!!

 " What do you mean, Philb? " Asked Ms Squeers, looking in her own little glass, where, like most of us, she saw- not herself, but the reflection of some pleasant image in her own brain." ... Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby.


Long before the glass mirrors were first produced in Egypt, Gaul, Germany and Asia during the third century A.D., people first started looking at their reflections in pools of water, streams and rivers which were the first mirrors.
The earliest Man-made mirrors were polished stones and mirrors made from black volcanic glass Obsidian.


"Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only"...Samuel Butler.

 Some samples of this kind of mirror has been found in Turkey dating back 6000 years.
The invention of glass blowing method during the 14th century led to the discovery of convex mirrors, which increased the popularity of glass mirrors.
Justus Von Liebig, a German chemist, created the first modern glass-silver glass mirror in 1835.

Many do not know that the concept of the soul is usually associated with mirrors, which result in a wealth of superstition surrounding mirrors.  
For instance, an old Roman legend promotes the belief that breaking a mirror causes seven years of bad luck, and according to other superstitions, mirrors are to be covered when someone dies because mirrors can trap the soul of the departed.

"When water is like a mirror, it can behold the moon"...Rumi.

Enough said of the history and all the scary part, the point is mirrors are whether you like it or not, a big time component in our lives either it takes the shape of calm water or silver coated glass, it's just that you need to crash all the mirrors available before the women can actually realize it's significance and appreciate it's existence.

The biggest music legend, Michael Jackson of blessed memory sang a colossal hit single "Man in the Mirror" which literally talks about you being the change that is imperative to make the world a much better place.
We are the change we desire and unconsciously complain about constantly.

"When man created the mirror, he began to lose his soul. He became so concerned with his image than with himself"...Stephen R. Covey.

The mirror also played an amazing role that easily and pleasantly comes to memory in the classic Walt Disney blockbuster cartoon "Snow White and the seven dwarfs" where Snow White's wicked step-mother consulted a mirror several times to check who the fairest in the land was, as she was obsessed and bewildered by her own banal and physical beauty, hence the title "Mirror Mirror".

"Mirror Mirror! in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?, My Queen you are the fairest here so true, but Snow White is a thousand times fairer than you"...Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.


When most of us look into the mirror or at our picture, we do not feel the satisfaction we crave, perhaps except we garnish our faces with make-up, wear expensive apparels or pose in beautiful locations and with celebrities.
 Hmm, i guess we fail to realize that we do not need to look for any other type of beauty or superficial bewilderment so long we seek to beautify our minds, and that of others.

"Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations"...Earl Nightingale. 

Meet Helen Keller.
An American Educator who overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to become one of the twentieth century humanitarians, as well as the co-founder of ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), a nonpartisan non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in (this) country by the constitution and laws (of the United States).

"The most important day i remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher Anne Mansfield Sullivan  came to me, i am filled with wonder when i consider the immeasurable contrast between the two lives which it connects"...Helen Keller.

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Alabama, when she was nineteen months old, she was afflicted by an unknown illness, possibly scarlet fever or meningitis, which left her deaf and blind.

She never had a need arise for her to look in the mirror, or see through her physical eyes to make an impact on her life and of those around her, but something incredible happened that changed her life and also of those who have and will encounter her, forever.

She later in her life met someone i would describe as an angel, in person of Anne Sullivan whom she beautifully described above.
Anne, a selfless Irish-American teacher best known for being the instructor and companion of Helen Keller.

"The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secret of the heart"...St. Jerome.

Anne summoned courage to bring out the very best out of a miserable, deaf and blind beautiful girl that had no specific direction.

Exploring and discovering her ability and amazingly beautiful and intelligent personalty through the intense and sincere connection of hers, bringing out the best she possibly could in her to the bewilderment of humanity and also to unleash unto mankind an explosive miracle and eternal inspiration.

With she herself becoming a splendid mirror to the world, through her magnificent quotes that have helped shape mankind.
What is your story?

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched , they must be felt with the heart"...Helen Keller.

So, what do you see when you look into the mirror, from your point of view or rather, what are you helping others look at, or better yet, see in the mirror?

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)


SOURCES: Google
                   Goodreads
                   Mirror History
                   Mirror Quotes
                   Brainy Quotes
                   Wikipedia
                   Perkins

TOO MUCH MONEY???!!!

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination"...Oscar Wilde

There is this honest Banker friend of mine in his early thirties who conveniently built his own house to the amazement of his peers, me inclusive. Not a big deal right? then wait for it, he is the first born of eight, his dad is late, his mom is a diabetic, he is married with three kids, he is socially responsible and so much more. Yes it is still not much big a deal you'll say, but the bottom line is that he is responsible, and that is admirable.
If fifty percent of men followed his path the society could be much better.

Well, i know if you had a question on your mind, it'll be rhetoric, like what type of house did he build, Bungalow or Storey? And how did he make the money, being that he is a young banker and all that? hmm.

Either way, it is actually a very good question, but if you are up to date with the jet age, perhaps it wasn't worth asking in the first instance, and there is no point googling it either, and this isn't sarcasm.

Modern research and discovery has continued to help people break away from negative stereotypes that have prevailed over our sub-conscious mind for as long as our fore-fathers could remember. There hasn't arisen any need to re-invent the wheel and the secrets which the angels have whispered into the ears of sober and attentive men have constantly yielded worthwhile results, hence no one wants to procrastinate anymore in fear of tomorrow being too far away, or it not being there when we eventually arrive in our convenient time.

In recent times, the number of young millionaires has not only increased exponentially, more like explosively with un-uniform geometric progression. Why? Why ask why? Like i said earlier, the world is being released from traditional stereotypical behavioral patterns, the discovery that humans have grossly under-utilized both human and natural resources has motivated us to maximize available potential, exploiting available opportunity so far we are alive and of course able.


Young people have a lot of energy and fresh ideas and perspectives, the older generation are only needed as mentors and sponsors, especially after the government has provided the enabling environment such as infrastructure and laws to protect them.

 "Seven deadly sins. Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Science without humanity, Knowledge without character, Politics without principle, Commerce without morality, Worship without sacrifice"...Mahatma Gandhi.

A big head start and possible motivation for the justification of young millionaires is a glance at best selling author of "Multiple streams of income" Robert G. Allen.
He emphasized in his popular and colossal best seller the dire need for individuals to have more than one financial source which he explicitly classified as Passive and Residual.
Funny, i remember my Banker friend's reminiscent saying that gone are the days when only old folks with sprawling regalia and big luxury cars is the only imaginable picture we see on the building site supervising their building projects.
The new generation strongly prove that the regular words such as Hard work, Partnership and even Money can be seen in a whole new light and mean something different entirely, or can be further squeezed so tightly to reveal deeper meaning.
Hard work for instance today isn't the way it was decades or even centuries ago, what does a ground or road digger have to show for his excessive exertion of energy, he works really hard doesn't he?
Partnership is fast gaining a new meaning, it has gone far beyond professionals coming together to start a company, companies now share ideas with their clients being that the world has rapidly evolved and clients probably have more idea, experience, professionalism and resources to finance and execute projects, they are simply bonded by a shared vision with same anticipated result becomes the big picture.
Money they say answers all things, yet it's love is referred to as the root of evil, contradictory i'd say or rather more complicated.

Some people actually spend money like it grows on trees, which brings me to the question, is there really anything like "too much money?"
Here is where "Self Concept" comes into play.
Self Concept (Also called Self-Construction, Self-Identity and Self-Perspective) is a collection of beliefs about ones self that includes elements such as academic, performance, gender roles and sexuality, racial identity and many others. Generally, Self-Concept embodies the answer to "Who am i?"
Self-Concept is distinguishable from Self-Awareness, which refers to the extent to which Self-Knowledge is defined, consistently applicable to ones attitude.

The Self-Concept includes past, present and future selves. Future or possible selves represent individuals' ideas of what they might become, what they would like to become or what they afraid of becoming.
These different selves correspond to one's hopes, fears, standards, goals and threats for their present selves.

My point in this concept? When you make more money than your self-concept can handle, you will deliberately look for every possible way to destroy the resources you made, especially if you got it for free or by fraudulent means.

The name that comes to mind when you hear Microsoft is of course that of the richest man on earth Mr. Bill Gates, who dropped out of the highly acclaimed Havard University to pursue his crazy idea of a dream that eventually brought him fortune. One interesting thing is that his fortune did not destroy his self-concept because he went through the eye of the needle. He spent years perfecting his craft, he failed at some points, cried, almost lost hope, probably gave up somewhere only to pick up again to the extent that he climbed the ladder of sobriety.

So when he made so much money, he embraced the powerful principle of giving, which helps him touch the hearts of the needy and further endears him to many, so much that his billionaire counterpart Warren Buffet supports his renowned Bill and Melinda foundation which champions research for cure for AIDS which is presently ravaging our dear planet.
I get taken aback when someone says he has "too much money", apparently it is his self-concept that is actually speaking, meaning the money he has is surpassing the threshold that he can handle.
If you gave the richest African (According to Forbes Magazine) Aliko Dangote who is the President of Dangote Plc a billion Dollars, he will thank you with a smile and in no time turn the money over, but if you gave a young immature and myopic sighted youth, the money would probably kill him. It is all in the mind, and in the mind, self-concept.

So no matter how rich you think you are, trust me, you don't have too much money, it probably isn't even enough if you have the right mind set on where to effectively channel it to.

Little wonder Financial Expert Robert Kiyosaki said in his best seller series "Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Cash Flow Quadrant", that when you make a large sum of money, the aftermath is the reflection of your future.

"As much money and life you could want, the two things most human beings will choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them"...J.K.Rowling (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone).


Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)



SOURCES: GOOGLE
                    Wikipedia
                    Quotes about money
                    Brainy Quotes
                    Good Reads
                    Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Cash Flow Quadrant (Robert Kiyosaki)
                    Multiple Streams of Income (Robert G. Allen)

HOW FIT ARE YOU?

While in Junior-High School, naturally as a restless and hyper-active young teen, the Physical Education class was constantly my best period of "study".
It was a time that felt like birds were released as a sign of independence, the kids would troop out of every class like prisoners freed from a correctional facility.
It didn't quite matter which sport one participated in really, we could virtually do all sorts, ranging from racing to soccer and on and on.



"It is health that is real and not pieces of gold and silver"...Mahatma Ghandi

Unknown to us back then, the world of fitness, health and sports was getting well structured and systematized internationally as science, research, media and the commercial scene had made it quite imperative for sports to take deliberate paths designed to bring out the best in man in competitions, making selected people appear as super humans and legendary models for the coming generation.
Physical fitness is a general concept defined in many ways by differing scientists, thus you may consider two major categories. (1.) General fitness which is a state of health and well being, and (2.) Specific fitness which is a Task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupation.

Physical fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, exercise, hygiene and rest.

  

One word that attaches itself so tightly with fitness is "Discipline".
Why? Evidently because the moment you decide to be fit, you are deliberately choosing a different type of lifestyle entirely. You are saying goodbye to the yummy Hot-dog Shawarma, the tantalizing Burger, the smoking hot Pizza (I love Pepperoni) and a whole lot of amazing super grubs.
That is actually the easy part, because the next step will require you to get up early at dawn for some cardio, which will go a long way in helping you burn those calories that you so easily amassed, and have to take pain to lose, awesome right? yeah right, we all wish.

Chris C. brought a fine perspective to our attention in the book titled "Commitment: Two essential items for success", highlighting the important factors as "Mental commitment" and "Elimination of negatives". In other words, having a well garnered momentum of will power coupled with positive mental attitude will help us achieve whatever we want to, hmm cool.

 Sadly however, obesity apparently appears to have come to stay judging from what the researchers' statistics say, for example, using the US as a case study, new study found that of 22 industrialized countries the US has the highest number of obese people, 2/3 of US citizens over twenty years are overweight and so on like that.
Obesity is a medical condition in which excessive body fat has accumulated so much to the extent that it has an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and / or increased health problems.
Ironically, well perhaps i should also add "without prejudice", i was once privileged to meet a group of officials of The World Health Organization (WHO) and believe it or not, some of them were actually over weight. My point is, it is extremely difficult to practice what you preach in this spontaneous world where your activities are generally pressurized and largely determined by your prevailing environment.

For example, despite the fact that most of us are aware of nutritional facts, some factors still deter us from following doctors's recommendations to the letter. Even doctors don't stick to the plan a hundred percent, after all i know doctors that are chain smokers and voraciously after women.

See? Emerging facts continue to prove to us that fitness coupled with discipline and healthy deprivation will always be a healthy choice which is fueled by personal will power, making it a unique lifestyle and expressing the joy of independently choosing  a different way of living.
Basically however, most people have narrowed down the reasons for doing exercise to three which are (1.) When you are unhealthy and the Doctor strongly recommends it, (2.) When people complement it and, (3.) When it pays the bills (Then you have to be a model, an actor or a social figure in some way).

Fitness is not only a fine encouraging word you want to remember and be a part of, it is in some sort of way a celebration of life, appreciating the gift of life and telling God thank you and that it is awesome to possess some unique set of skills that the average person doesn't have. Being fit is a testimony in some sort of way, people tend to not only admire you, but they will also look up to you like a hero that can make things happen and perhaps save the day when trouble calls (Just like superman).
Well, regardless of whatever, we all are humans, so in effect some obstacles will always threaten our fitness plan, maybe due to our environment as the case may be. For instance, in third world and developing countries where the principle of the "Hierarchy of needs" thoroughly dictates the pace at which we move, like from our priorities for food, clothing, security and the likes of how we graduate in our need and ego, keeping fit might seem out of place in certain societies.
Rich and perhaps comfortable people are the ones that deliberately keep fit in gyms with their designer gears and stuff.
Most people will just see you as rich and unreasonable without adequate priorities, even if they are aware that the Doctor sternly recommended it for you.
Unfortunately, it is all basically a mash up of negative stereotypes, high stigmatization and inferiority complex of a lowly motivated populace.
Fitness is like war, you have to first of all make up your mind to want to and love to make a cautious effort to dedicating your life towards the fitness direction. You've got to eat fitness, drink fitness and preach fitness with infectious enthusiasm, or else you'll meet with a brick wall of exercise plateau, and it'll be a shame if your granny has more fitness than you do..



One more thing,  "Take care of your body, it is the only place you have to live"...Jim Rohn. (Wink)



Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)



SOURCES:  Google
                    Wikipedia
                    Men's Fitness
                    The Guardian
                    Worldometers
                    W.H.O.

H.S.E. (PART 2)

 
Popular safety tips like: "Better safe than sorry", "Working without safety is a dead end job", "Safety isn't expensive it's priceless" and  "Alert today, Alive tomorrow" are good, essential and creative sensitization strategies that actually make a whole lot of sense, especially when they are inculcated in kids early enough so that they do not depart from it when they grow up.

In many countries, especially "Third world countries" and the so termed "Developing countries" (They've been called that for as long as i can remember, yet they don't seem to develop), there seem to be so much more to worry about, so much that safety is thrown at the back seat.
Funny, if they actually took time to reconsider options, strategies and compliance concepts and law from world leading nations, it will be found that making safety a priority is what actually made them to have achieved as much as they have.

"When you gamble with safety, you bet your life"...unknown.

The following analogy may sound complicated, but it actually isn't, and if it is, well we are humans and are designed to conquer any form of complexity.

Some certain individuals whose humble beginnings are very well known to us eventually climb up the ladder right to the pinnacle of laudable success.
They become responsible and have high credible status in the society so much that we want to be associated with them.
Whereas another unknown person who grew up in some "Ghetto" grows up to be a thug without a plan for the future, potentially causing havoc in the society.

What is the difference between these two classes of people? Well, i'd simply say "seedy info". They term seems funny right? It actually means that the information that we constantly encounter everyday in forms of words and vision are seeds that are planted in our minds, bound to germinate and grow with us into the future.
So logically, if negative seeds are planted within us, they grow us into monsters, and if they are good seeds we become the good guys of the future.
The point? Some groups of people are considered poor so much that costly poverty alleviation programs are put in place for them, seriously? I think that stinks really badly, and it is totally unfair to call a group of people  poor especially when the fault is not theirs. The onus is upon the government to provide an enabling environment for the people in order for them to be the best they can be, because this poverty they keep talking about is actually of the mind, and riches on the other hand is relative as it means different things to different people.
This reality aligns with set laws that govern the Earth, strengthening the principles that we cannot abscond from, making prevailing circumstances chains which pin us to the ground, disallowing us from doing the right things, and they eventually become our alibi and justification.

Even if a perfect structure is drafted on paper only for "Developing nations" to follow step by step to succeed, it most probably won't work because of what the people have allowed to grow in their minds.
Greed, insecurity, corruption, selfishness, poverty mind, fear, lack of compassion for neighbours and the likes, will never let good intentions come to fruition.

Every form of safety requires a thorough background check, systematized analysis and aggressive overall x-ray of the entire structure of a nation.
This is why medical history of citizens, locational master plan and data base of the populace and their corresponding status are largely imperative.

Ever heard of "Positive Mental Attitude" (PMA) ? I'd say that tops the list especially when it teams up with "Emotional Intelligence". It creates a big mental picture of a team of people that look out for the good in people and strive to help them achieve their dreams regardless of whatever obstacles standing in the way.

One more thing, safety is relatively cheap in developing countries, how?
Well, how many law suits can we count in Developed countries that enriched victims of lack of safety?
The ones where doctors operating on a patient made mistakes injuring him / her, the 911 late response, the fellow that slipped outside a hotel while cleaning was in progress and they probably forgot to place a warning sign outside, take your pick.
In third world countries, the legal system has not evolved enough to protect human rights to the letter.
So no one would be amazed if the free for all keeps persistent.

"Safety isn't just a slogan, it's a way of life"...Unknown.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)

SOURCES: Google
                    Famous Safety Quotes
                    Brainy Quote
                    Safety Tips and Quotes
                    Funny Safety Quotes
                    Famous Safety Quotes.

H.S.E.: A NIGERIAN'S PERSPECTIVE.

 

A visit was arranged to a big company sometime ago, it's name cannot quite come to mind, but it is recalled it had a large compound with equally mighty equipment and plenty of staff wearing helmets and overalls.
The company offered me a good first impression about safety, and before i left the place that very day, something stayed with me. It was an inscription that read thus "SAFETY IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, AND YOUR SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY". Wow, that sure is a wake up call, but after thoroughly reflecting upon the text, i found that the level of relevance of the sentence largely depends on the environment in which it is preached.
Their nature, attitude to life, short and long term goals.

"The safety of the people shall be the highest law"...Marcus Tullius Cicero.
When the word "safety" which in general terms emotionally connotes protection from danger and risk, comes to the fore, we obviously immediately, intuitively and impulsively attribute the scenario to preservation of life, just like a super brand, like we know "nike" is a sports brand.
What does life mean to each and everyone of us? collectively and otherwise. What measures are the representatives of the people in government taking to ensure that the precious lives of the citizenry are not prematurely cut off? What values are being strategically put in place to make the lives of the populace valuable enough to guaranty quality content in the society in ways such that value is being added to the society?
As we should know that the society is a direct reflection of the quality of the mind of her citizenry.



"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist, that is all"...Oscar Wilde


Companies that consider environmental protection, occupational health and safety at work as important as providing quality products usually have managers and departments responsible for these issues.
They are called Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), also SHE or HSE.
They basically have two general objectives:
i. Prevention of accidents that may result from abnormal operating conditions.
ii. Reduction of adverse effects that result from normal operating conditions.

Unfortunately, we all know that in Nigeria, the government cannot adequately guaranty the safety of her citizens. The safety signs at work appear to be mere formality, as we constantly get evidences of maltreatment of workers in high risk working environments. Even when the workers suffer harm, it is then discovered that there has been no insurance put in place and adequate compensation is not given.

Corruption, unstable economy and lack of credible legal and leadership structures have been largely considered to be major causes of poor attitude and lack of virtue towards making safety of the population top priority.
Terrorism has been added to the negative list of Nigeria's woes, making it more difficult to warm her brand to the hearts of the rest of the world, after consistently being negatively branded with illiteracy, corruption and failed leadership for as long as i can remember.
 The latest embarrassment is the recent massacre of dozens of students in a boarding school in Yobe state, Nigeria.
The government apparently has neither a clue to what is really happening, nor has a clear cut goal towards diminishing the trend, thus making safety a far cry to her citizens.

This is a country that is internationally respected as one of the greatest crude oil producers and exporters, boasting of about $50b foreign reserves, countless untapped human and mineral resources, yet having dilapidated infrastructure, while a few people considered the "cabal" hold the country to ransom, amassing the wealth for themselves.
The scenario is made worse when brilliant people don't have opportunity to contribute their quota of intelligence to a needy nation, that will rather pay a fortune to a group of over-priced westerners (no offence), depleting the national treasure, wasting resources and drastically altering the eco-system.
Then the average citizen after realizing that the nation neither knows him or care about his welfare and having no sense of belonging and hope of opportunity, develops an inferiority complex and obeys the principle of "The Hierarchy of needs".

"Government's first duty and highest obligation is public safety"...Arnold Shwarzenegger

He will succumb to pressure, loosing sight of who he is, and have no choice but to live like a worthless animal that has no roots.
Health Safety and Environment? yeah right, to hell with safety, let us up the risks, as Rapper 50 cents passionately said "Get rich or die trying" or is it "try dying"? Maybe it doesn't matter.

Seriously, some people will say what is the point being alive when they are virtually dead while alive.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough"...Mae West.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)

SOURCE: Brainy Quotes
                 Google
                 Wikipedia
                 Safety Quotes
                 Goodreads

WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND?

 "Most people believe the mind to be a mirror, more or less accurately reflecting the world outside them, not realizing on the contrary that the mind is itself the principal element of creation"...Rabindranath Tagore.

The famous quote "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" was a part of a campaign slogan used by the United Negro College Fund in 1972 and has remained unchanged for more than forty years. The phrase has become an American vernacular and is being used by laymen and educators alike to drive home the point perhaps for the sake of lack of compromise of education.

2500 years ago, one man and his followers believed undeniably that the mind conquers all.
Buddha believed every living being has the same basic wish - to avoid suffering. Human evolution has altered our direction, making us extend seeking the path to happiness externally instead of internally. We have made material things our priority which has further betrayed our love and trust for ourselves so much that our perspectives of life have become shallow.
We now look up to our high status jobs, dream houses, fancy clothes etc. We believe food and money bring us happiness, whereas they are the cause of our unhappiness.

"The mind is everything, what you think you become"...Buddha.

Barack Obama apparently played a mind game of sort when he contested and won the American presidential election as the first ever  "Black" President of the United States. His courage and conviction forcefully made people think outside the box, breaking the barriers of negatively stereotypes that encompassed the western community for centuries. He believed in change, and naturally like an enthusiastic and a leader with charisma, he was able to convince people to share his colossal school of thought.

All our experiences, perceptions, sensations, dreams, thoughts and feelings are forms appearing in consciousness. It doesn't always seem that way.
When you see a tree, it seems as if you are seeing a tree directly, but science tells us something completely different is happening. Light which enters the eye triggers chemical reaction in the retina, producing electro-chemical impulses which travel along nerve fibers to the brain, the brain analyzes the data it receives and then produces its own image of what it is, that is when you experience seeing a tree.

What you are actually experiencing is not a tree itself, only the image that appears in the mind.

 

"A good man out of the good treasures of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of his evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) 

Who are the good people, and who are the bad ones?
The answer lies in our mind. Basically, the appearance and activities of a society is determined by the state of mind of her citizens.
Factors such as accent, style, fashion, beliefs and so on largely preach just that.
Good and bad can be in some sort of way considered relative terms along the same perspective of true and untrue events.
An example of this is "The sun rises and sets", truth is the sun is actually stationary, it is the Earth that revolves around it, making "the sun rises and sets" a mere personal truth, what we choose to believe due to what we see and experience. Its all in the mind, what is easy for the larger population to understand and live with, so that we can do loads of things together along the same line of thought (Equilibrium of thought actually).
So it may be safe to say if we could take the pain to study the state of mind of criminals and travel back in time to analyze their experiences, perhaps we just might find an ounce of justification. If we put ourselves in their shoes, maybe we would do worse, it is the state of mind.
The mind has been compared in many instances with the fertile soil, words and images are it's seeds, when planted, they grow like a carelessly planted acorn which grows into a gigantic oak tree which unconsciously takes control of our lives.
This is why it is wrong to do several wrong things in presence of the kids, because their minds are the most fertile, and they will like to practice virtually everything they see.

Education, exposure and enlightenment have however been proven factors that help our minds to be free, as somewhere inside of us is a yearn for self fulfillment which spurs us to out of free will inconvenience ourselves, even in pain to get something important done. It is all in the mind.
So, what is on your mind?

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom"...Albert Einstein.

Akin Abimbola. (akinzogee@gmail.com)

SOURCE: Google.
                  Famous Quotes.
                  Ashley Johns (The Mind is Everything)
                  Peter Russel (Spirit of Now)
                  The Holy Bible.