A measure of maturity ….. love others as they are.
~~Louise Hay~~
Love Others As You Would Love Yourself
“I have come o learn to accept people for who they are as i have gotten older.It took me awhile to learn this through trial and error in my younger years.I have grown up and learned that life is too short to not accept people for who they are.Because we all need as many friends’ in our lives to help us mentally and emotionally along the way in our lives.
Without friends’ we would just be in our own little world.Friends’ help us on our journey in life.They help teach us different ways in life to do things, that we may of never thought of ourselves.That is why it is great to accept people for who they are.Because we need friends’ no matter who they are.”
There is the sphere of the nearest and the dearest. Imagine young parents looking over their toddler, or a quiet moment between close friends. There is the sphere of the neediest. Imagine the chaplain who connects deeply with patients who are suffering with severe illness and is moved to tears. Cicely Saunders, founder of the world’s first hospice, remarked at age 83, “I still go into St. Christopher’s every morning to sit on the beds of the dying so I can listen attentively and follow them wherever they go with their emotions because then they feel loved.”
There is the sphere of humanity as whole, the equal-regarding affection for all that is associated with a Lincoln, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela or Rev. Martin Luther King. There is the love of non-human creatures, especially pets. Whatever the sphere, in love the other is no object (“it”) to be manipulated, but a subject (“thou”), a unique and cherished center of value. Ethically, love for the nearest and the dearest should not make us forget the neediest, our shared humanity, or other species.
Born in Napa, California in 1968 to a photographer father, the family moved to the North Shore in the 1970s where Clark Little still lives today. Prior to becoming a professional photographer in 2006, Clark Little worked at Wahiawa Botanical Garden as a supervisor overseeing 17 acres (69,000 m2) of beautiful native and tropical plants.
His career path changed lanes when his wife wanted a photograph for their house of some local water. Putting his knowledge of the ocean and his love for surfing to good use, Clark Little traded in his surf board for a camera and began documenting waves in such a spectacular manner as to draw attention world wide.
His work has been exhibited on the mainland of the USA, Brazil, Canada, Japan and featured in magazines, newspapers, television and radio the world over.
Clark Little is pretty well known today as the foremost shorebreak art photographer (his art has been seen on “Good Morning America“, and featured in a number of glossy magazines all over the world).
But as much as we like the fantastic shots of various wave’ innards, we are even more impressed to see him pitched against dangerous, massive amounts of water – violent waves, where you only have a moment to make that shot and to get out of the harm’s way.
New Clark Little coffee table book “Shorebreak” released! 10″x10″, 160-pages w/ shots from Hawaii, California, Japan & Tahiti.
~~INTERVIEW WITH SHOREBRAKE PHOTOGRAPHER CLARK LITTLE~~
Full credit goes to: PETAPIXEL
PetaPixel: Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in photography?
Clark Little: In the late 80′s and early 90′s I was known in the surfing world for catching big hopeless shorebreak waves on my surfboard at a famous surf spot called Waimea Bay. Back in those days, Waimea Bay was the epicenter of the big wave surfing world.
The surfing magazines published these shots since many were of wipeouts and situations where people would think that person got seriously injured.
Then I got married, had two wonderful kids and got into a career. Surfing went to the background.
Then one day, the photography started when my wife wanted a picture of the ocean to hang on our bedroom wall. She actually went to a local gallery and bought a photo of a wave at Waimea Bay.
I took a look at it and told her I could get something better and more interesting. I made her return the purchase. I went out and bought a cheap digital point and shoot camera and found a waterhousing for it on Amazon. I was playing with this on the weekends. The results were good and I saw the potential. My family and friends were complimenting the shots.
Within a few months, I upgraded to professional level equipment and have been fully addicted ever since.
PP: How would you describe your photography to someone who has never seen it?
CL: My work is called “Shorebreak Photography”. I put myself and my camera into a critical section of a breaking shorebreak wave, and capture the view looking out or looking in from the “tube”. A tube is formed when the water from a wave throws itself over and creates a pocket of air before it collapses.
I love interesting lighting, colors, backdrops (palm trees, sunsets / sunrise, white sand beaches), water texture (or lack of texture) and lots of action and power. All of my shots contain some or all of these components.
I live and shoot on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii where some very large waves break in shallow water. It is an area very famous for surfing. I love it when the ocean conditions turn extreme, and I am out there capturing these views that most people will never be able to see up close.
PP: Are you entirely self-taught in photography?
CL: I have only been shooting for 6 years and hadn’t taken any classes on photography before I started or after. When I started shooting, I already had 30 years of experience in the ocean, so that was the key. All of those years of surfing paid off with knowledge of how waves move, where to position oneself and how to survive in critical situations.
When I was upgrading to professional equipment, an established surf photographer named Brian Bielmann shared his thoughts on equipment and settings. That was a big help. After that I went through the school of hard knocks … litterally.
A funny side note is that my father was a professor of photography here in Hawaii for 22 years. I would play in the darkroom when I was a kid, but never got the bug until a few years after he retired. Maybe it is in our DNA?
What is wisdom? I feel like a droplet of spray which proudly poised for a moment on the crest of a wave, undertakes to analyze the sea.”
~~Will Durant~~
PP: What kind of risks have you faced in pursuit of your shots?
CL: When the waves are big, you might risk drowning or getting seriously hurt. There are tons of water coming down on or in front of you, sometimes in shallow water less than a feet deep. If your timing is off a bit, the consequences can be serious.
At the beaches on the North Shore where I shoot, every year a few people drown, break their neck, or get seriously hurt. I think the number of serious medical emergencies performed by the lifeguards on the North Shore is over 150 each year. Knowing the risks keeps me focused.
This is shorebreak photographer Clark Little videoed by his friend Freddy Booth behind him on the shoot with a GoPro HD camera and my footage of Clark from the beach edited with footage that Clark shot himself with a GoPro HD camera on his housing too. To see Clark’s incredible work go to http://www.clarklittlephotography.com. For more GoPro HD clips please subscribe to my Hodgson Hawaii channel.
Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa credited with ending apartheid there, died in Johannesburg on Dec. 5, 2013. Former PBS NewsHour correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault takes a look back at Mandela’s life and legacy.
Nelson Mandela Death: A Look at South Africa’s First Black President – Documentary
Published on Dec 5, 2013
Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n
Nelson Mandela, who led the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule and served as his country’s first black president, died at 95.
THERE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH WORDS, ENOUGH DOCUMENTARIES, ENOUGH TESTIMONIALS, ENOUGH MOVIES THAT WILL BE ABLE TO COVER ALL THE ASPECTS OF THIS EXCEPTIONAL HUMAN BEING.
TODAY … WE HONOR HIS MEMORY … AS HE HAS COMPLETED HIS JOURNEY ON THIS EARTH.
HIS COUNTRY AND THE WORLD ARE A BETTER PLACE BECAUSE OF THE IDEALS HE EMBODIED AND THE GOALS HE REACHED IN HIS LIFE.
NO ONE WILL EVER TAKE HIS PLACE.
THE WORLD WILL BE BETTER AS HIS EXAMPLE IS EMULATED AND CARRIED ON.
HE HAS PASSED HIS TORCH … NOW HE BELONGS TO HISTORY!
Every person should be participate for humanity, because humans give time one day for human rights.
People of entire world want to:- freedom, equality, peace, hope, dignity, justice, rule of law and prosperity. People should be together on 10th December and makes strong this day.
The roll of human rights companies, agencies and organizations are good for humanity. First of all they speak the truth and benefits for all humans.
Human makes rules however, these rules established and life would be perfect. Everyone wants justice and freedom in their country and human rights character has done.
In 1966 the General Assembly adopted the two detailed Covenants, which complete the International Bill of Human Rights; and in 1976, after the Covenants had been ratified by a sufficient number of individual nations, the Bill took on the force of international law.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt with the Spanish version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
During World War II, the allies adopted the Four Freedoms—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, and freedom from want—as their basic war aims. The United Nations Charter “reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, and dignity and worth of the human person” and committed all member states to promote “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion”.
When the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany became apparent after the Second World War, the consensus within the world community was that the United Nations Charter did not sufficiently define the rights it referenced. A universal declaration that specified the rights of individuals was necessary to give effect to the Charter’s provisions on human rights.
The adoption of the Universal Declaration is a significant international commemoration marked each year on 10 December and is known as Human Rights Day or International Human Rights Day.
The commemoration is observed by individuals, community and religious groups, human rights organisations, parliaments, governments and the United Nations. Decadal commemorations are often accompanied by campaigns to promote awareness of the Declaration and human rights.
2008 marked the 60th anniversary of the Declaration and was accompanied by year-long activities around the theme “Dignity and justice for all of us”.
~~2013 — 65th anniversary of the UDHR~~
~~Mandela’s memorial service takes place on International Human Rights Day~~
Published on Dec 10, 2013
Johannesburg — Nelson Mandela’s memorial service is taking place on International Human Rights Day. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights hosted a discussion on human rights in Johannesburg. But panelists slammed the country’s failure to submit its annual reports.
~~Mandela memorial one of largest in generations~~
JOHANNESBURG — Joyous, singing South Africans and dozens of foreign dignitaries gathered in the rain Tuesday to honor Nelson Mandela at a massive memorial service that drew some 100 heads of state and other luminaries, united in tribute to a global symbol of reconciliation.
Crowds converged on FNB Stadium in Soweto, the Johannesburg township that was a stronghold of support for the anti-apartheid struggle that Mandela embodied as a prisoner of white rule for 27 years and then during a peril-fraught transition to the all-race elections that made him president.
In spite of driving rain and cold temperatures, crowds of South Africans spontaneously broke out in song and dance around the FNB Stadium, chanting words of respect and adoration for the man whom many in the country revered as a father or grandfather figure. His nickname, Tata Madiba, could be heard echoing from the jubilant crowds.
CBS News correspondent Debora Patta explained that, far from dampening spirits, the rain would be seen by many as a blessing; a sign of a life well lived.
John Carlin, who has written two books on Mandela’s life, including the recently published “Knowing Mandela,” told CBS News from inside the stadium that the mood was “absolutely exhilarating.”
“It’s supposed to be a funeral service,” said Carlin, “but you’ve never seen a funeral service like it. People are so proud and so grateful that he was with us, with us in our hour of need.We’re just so, so proud and happy.”
Carlin, who spent years in South Africa documenting Mandela’s life, said the crowds in the stadium were filling the vast building with joyful noise. “The natural choral faculty that these crowds have — you get these sort of crashing waves of song, and it’s just exhilarating, and it’s a funeral!”
I would not have the life I have today if it was not for him,” said Matlhogonolo Mothoagae, a postgraduate marketing student who arrived hours before the stadium gates opened. “He was jailed so we could have our freedom.”
Tuesday, December 10, 2013, was the 20th anniversary of the day when Mandela and South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to bring peace to their country.
Mandela said in his acceptance speech at the time: “We live with the hope that as she battles to remake herself, South Africa will be like a microcosm of the new world that is striving to be born.”
The sounds of horns and cheering filled the stadium ahead of the ceremony. Rain sent those who arrived early into the stadium’s covered upper deck, and many of the lower seats were empty.
People blew on vuvuzelas, the plastic horn that was widely used during the World Cup soccer tournament in 2010, and sang songs from the era of the anti-apartheid struggle decades ago.
“It is a moment of sadness celebrated by song and dance, which is what we South Africans do,” said Xolisa Madywabe, CEO of a South African investment firm.
The soccer venue was also the spot where Mandela made his last public appearance at the closing ceremony of the World Cup. After the memorial, his body will lie in state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, once the seat of white power, before burial Sunday in his rural childhood village of Qunu in Eastern Cape Province.
10 Little-Known Nelson Mandela Facts – Rest In Peace
Archbishop Desmond Tutu pays homage to Madiba
Here is a look at memorials in recent decades that drew the world’s attention and its leaders.
Winston Churchill: His 1965 funeral was attended by “Four kings, two queens, presidents including France’s Gen. Charles de Gaulle in uniform prime ministers and statesmen from 113 nations,” The Associated Press reported. Hundreds of thousands of people had paid tribute while his body lay in state three days, and thousands lined the route to the funeral service.
Pope John Paul II: His 2005 funeral drew President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac among “dignitaries from more than 80 countries, including the presidents of Syria and Iran, and the king of Jordan,” the AP reported. “At least 300,000 people filled St. Peter’s Square … but millions of others watched on giant video screens set up across Rome.”
President John F. Kennedy: His 1963 funeral was attended by “28 presidents, prime ministers and kings.” As his horse-drawn coffin moved through Washington, “streets were lined by hundreds of thousands of people, many of them weeping.”
Yitzhak Rabin: The 1995 funeral for the assassinated Israeli prime minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner was attended by President Bill Clinton and more than 40 other presidents or prime ministers, including some Arab ones. “It was a collection of heads of states that only three years ago would have been unimaginable,” the AP reported.
Princess Diana: While her 1997 funeral drew British Prime Minister Tony Blair, then-U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and numerous foreign dignitaries, “organizers said they wanted to keep the number of politicians low to accommodate Diana’s friends and people connected with charities she supported.”
Mao Zedong: While a million people attended a memorial rally in Beijing for the Chinese leader in 1976, the government that long had largely closed itself off from the world continued the practice that day. “No foreign dignitaries were invited to Peking for the rally,” the AP reported.
Anwar Sadat: Three former U.S. presidents attended the Egyptian president’s 1981 funeral, as well as about a dozen heads of state and Prince Charles and other royalty. Heads of state of other Arab countries largely did not come.
Nelson Mandela: After the memorial service, Mandela’s body then will lie in state in Pretoria for three days, and he will be buried during a state funeral in his rural hometown of Qunu on Dec. 15.
Very fitting and proper that the day celebrating the Declaration of Human Rights started in 1848, 65 years ago today …. is the same day when Madiba has been honored as a the Father of a nation .. South Africa … a citizen of the world …. and has his own place in history!!!
By Melanie Nathan, Dec 05 , 2013.
~~Madiba~~
Our beloved Madiba, Nelson Mandela, has just died. With deep sadness we extend our condolences to Madiba’s family and all of South Africa. As much as we hoped this day would never come it has. Our hope is that Madiba rests in peace and that South Africa remains at peace.
At 95, we could not have hoped for much longer a life on this earth, and as prepared as we were, we still need him. And we always will. Even though his political days were well behind him, his presence prevailed as a beacon of continued hope for a country that still suffers on so many levels.
There will never be another Nelson Mandela in this world.
We know that the former South African President and the anti-apartheid hero will live on in our hearts forever, yet it is so hard to let go of the sense of protection that he continued to breathe into South Africa, while he fought, during his incarceration, after his release, during his Presidency, every moment thereafter, and even during the time he was ill.”
Since Mandela’s death, Johannesburg has been blanketed in cloud and torrential rain – a sign, according to African culture, of an esteemed elder passing on and being welcomed into the afterlife by his ancestors.
~~CELEBRATING THE DAY SINCE 1948 …. SIXTY FIVE YEARS~~
Human Rights Day is normally marked both by high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues.
Those of you who follow Blackbutterfly7 no doubt know that in times when we become worn out with so much happening around us, that I get in the mood to encourage.
Snow, snow, snow. I’ve lived in Illinois all of my life through snowy winters, but understand that there are some people in America now who are new to snow. Here’s hoping that they will turn snow banks into snowmen.
Human Rights Day is normally marked both by high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. In addition, it is traditionally on 10 December that the five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and Nobel Peace Prize are awarded.
Many governmental and nongovernmental organizations active in the human rights field also schedule special events to commemorate the day, as do many civil and social-cause organizations.
The Declaration of Human Rights arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled.
It consists of 30 articles which have been elaborated in subsequent international treaties, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions and laws.
The Guinness Book of Records describes the UDHR as the “Most Translated Document” in the world.
While not a treaty itself, the Declaration of Human Rights was explicitly adopted for the purpose of defining the meaning of the words “fundamental freedoms” and “human rights” appearing in the United Nations Charter, which is binding on all member states.
For this reason the Universal Declaration is a fundamental constitutive document of the United Nations. Many international lawyers, in addition, believe that the Declaration forms part of customary international law[ and is a powerful tool in applying diplomatic and moral pressure to governments that violate any of its articles.
in South Africa, Human Rights Day is celebrated on 21 March, in remembrance of the Sharpeville massacre which took place on 21 March 1960.
Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The formal inception of Human Rights Day dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V) inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.
When the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, with 48 states in favor and eight abstentions, it was proclaimed as a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations”, towards which individuals and societies should “strive by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance”.
Although the Declaration with its broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. Today the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main United Nations rights official, and her Office play a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
For full article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, follow this link:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
~~Article Sixteen~~
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
The Story of Human Rights
Uploaded on Sep 26, 2009
Human Rights Video Education
A History of LGBT rights at the UN
Published on Dec 9, 2013
This Human Rights Day marks the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948.
Watch this short infographic video to see how it all came to be and what has happened in LGBT rights since.
TODAY … IS A SPIRITUAL DAY ….. I FEEL A SOLEMN PRESENCE IN THE ATMOSPHERE. I FEEL THE PRESENCE OF SOURCE.
THERE’S A CONNECTION …. AN UNIQUE QUALITY TO THE DAY.
The term spirituality lacks a definitive definition, although social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for “the sacred,” where “the sacred” is broadly defined as that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration.
There is no single, widely-agreed definition of spirituality. Social scientists have defined spirituality as the search for the sacred, for that which is set apart from the ordinary and worthy of veneration, “a transcendent dimension within human experience…discovered in moments in which the individual questions the meaning of personal existence and attempts to place the self within a broader ontological context.”
According to Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation which “aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah, in ChristianityChrist, in BuddhismBuddha, in the IslamMuhammad.”
In modern times spirituality has come to mean the internal experience of the individual. It still denotes a process of transformation, but in a context separate from organized religious institutions: “spiritual but not religious.” Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern spirituality is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions.
Waaijman points out that “spirituality” is only one term of a range of words which denote the praxis of spirituality. Some other terms are “Hasidism, contemplation, kabbala, asceticism, mysticism, perfection, devotion and piety”.
The term spirit means “animating or vital principle in man and animals”. It is derived from the Old French espirit, which comes from the Latin word spiritus “soul, courage, vigor, breath”, and is related to spirare, “to breathe”. In the Vulgate the Latin word spiritus is used to translate the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruah.
The term spiritual, matters “concerning the spirit”, is derived from Old French spirituel (12c.), which is derived from Latin spiritualis, which comes from “spiritus” or “spirit”.
The term spiritualityis derived from Middle French spiritualite, from Late Latin “spiritualitatem” (nominative spiritualitas), which is also derived from Latin “spiritualis”.
Spirituality
Spirituality means something different to everyone. For some, it’s about participating in organized religion: going to church, synagogue, a mosque, etc. For others, it’s more personal: Some people get in touch with their spiritual side through private prayer, yoga, meditation, quiet reflection, or even long walks.
Research shows that even skeptics can’t stifle the sense that there is something greater than the concrete world we see. As the brain processes sensory experiences, we naturally look for patterns, and then seek out meaning in those patterns. And the phenomenon known as “cognitive dissonance” shows that once we believe in something, we will try to explain away anything that conflicts with it.
Humans can’t help but ask big questions—the instinct seems wired in our minds.
“Sei vorsichtig mit dem, was Du weisst. Damit beginnen Deine Probleme” 🍀 “Be careful of what you know. That’s where your troubles begin”
🌷
Wade in The 3 Body Problem
Those of you who follow Blackbutterfly7 no doubt know that in times when we become worn out with so much happening around us, that I get in the mood to encourage.
It Is What It Is 