JB Lifestyle

Kindness is an aspect of love. However kindness should not be confused for love. Today, we live in a world where people avoid suffering or want to "protect" their loved ones from any kind of suffering. While i do admire people's kind intentions, we must learn to accept that life is never going to be free from suffering. Some people even go as far as to say they do not want to have children to spare them from the harsh world we are living in. In my head, i always think seriously? Get a grip people. The priest in my local church gave a homily the previous Sunday about how parents are not bringing up their children responsibly.  Some parents grew up in poor families and had to struggle when they were young and so they feel that their children should not suffer out of "love" for them. Honestly, we need tough love people. If you bring up your children trying to shelter them from every hardship in life, they will have no strong values in life and they will b...

"Asalamu Alaykum" literally translated from Arabic means may peace be upon you! Sometimes, i think that certain muslims should meditate more deeply on the meaning of that greeting. Thousands of christans have been displaced in iraq and are still enduring persecution under the so called "ISIS" group. Innocent children have been martyred for refusing to renounce their christian belief. In Africa, thousands of people have been killed in Nigeria and others abducted under "boko haram" group. I read something on a website last week that said why is it that other religions in the world can live in peace side by side but there is always conflict with Islam? I understand that we are all sensitive when it comes to religion but why must certain Muslims resort to violence when they feel that their faith has been slighted? In Christianity, Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek when we are slighted by others and to forgive those who hurt us. I think that Muslim ...

I recently put a lot of food on my plate and was unable to finish it so i dumped it in the trash.  I felt guilty afterwards because there are so many people in the world who go hungry sometimes for a whole day and even search for left overs and food thrown out in the trash. Wastefulness does not only apply to food, it can apply to other things and even to our potential as human beings. Many people, especially young people waste their potential! How many are involved in robberies, drugs, prostitution? Granted, circumstances in life are sometimes so hard for some people such that they look for an easy way out or quick cash. There are no short cuts in life and you have to work really hard to make your way in life. Life is never going to be easy. There is so much unemployment and i know a lot of young people are discouraged and think what is the point? will i ever get to achieve my dreams even if i work hard? The answer is yes and more! You may not get exactly what you wanted but...

There was a song i was listening to a while back and one of the lyrics was saying something about letting loose tonight and that "too much is not enough". It really got me thinking about life and the false allure of material things. Honestly, human beings are greedy, its one of our flaws. There is a time i used to think that if i got just this or that, i would be content. And today i do have some of the things i really wanted a while ago but am not content. I want more and i am sure after i get that, i will still want more. (sigh) Everyday as part of the marketing strategy by companies is to encourage you to spend your last penny. ('they are trying to bleed you dry"). Yes we do need some basic things in life like food and clothing. However companies these days are enticing us with so many luxuries and things you do not need. whenever i go to my local supermarket, i end up buying something i didn't really need in the first place. There are some things i buy ...

"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade", so the saying goes! Life is often viewed as unfair, even by those we think are well off, wealthy, good looking, healthy e.t.c. Truth be told "life is a bitch" most often than not. However some people do not really need to complain so much about their lives. There are truly people out there in great suffering with huge problems but still find a moment to smile and be happy. Sometimes when we are experiencing trials in our lives, and yes some of these trials are caused by other people either directly or indirectly, we lash out at others. We become self righteous and angry  at the world and people around us. It is human to get angry but we should not blame other people for our misfortunes. We need to take control of our lives and be responsible. You are responsible for your own choices and can choose to direct your path in life. Yes, sometimes in life we have to struggle harder than others and we do not all have ...

Last week i was reading a story about parents in one of the Nordic countries who have killed hundreds of babies because they could not bear to see their children suffering. Euthanasia or so called "mercy killing" in my opinion is just a way to sugar coat murder. Another story about euthanasia said that a mother who had a constant ringing or scratching sound in her ears decided to end her life because she could not bear it anymore and left two children behind. I was just speechless to be honest. There are certain lines in life that we should not cross. Playing God is one of them. Who are we to decide who lives and who dies? And who are we to decide when a life should end? How many people are actually suffering in unbearable pain but still choose to hold on and persevere in their suffering? I do not believe in this so called "mercy killing." The truth is sometimes people are in so much pain that they just want an end to it all. I can understand that, and i can un...

Yesterday, i was reading some truly horrific news about a 16 year old girl who was killed in a so called "honor killing" by her own brother and mother because she got pregnant and did not consent to an arranged marriage. Honestly, i was speechless and truly horrified. How can your own family do that to you? I understand that we have different cultures and views because of the diversity of our race. However which culture or people justify murder? Two wrongs do not make a right. When someone makes a mistake, i do not believe that you cannot find a solution. Of course i have read stories about the cruel treatment of women in India which even prompts mothers to abort their unborn children if it is discovered that they are carrying females. What is this world really coming to? It will never be alright with me to kill someone in cold blood. There is a wise quote that says "bad things often happen because of the silence of good people". Wake up people, we need ...

"Seek and you shall find." True words to live by. On Christmas day, the priest in my local church gave a homily and said we need to search for God if we truly want the truth. Lets take the good example of the shepherds and the three kings from the east. They searched for God and found him and their joy was complete. Do not just sit down and say God does not exist and say i believe in science. We keep asking for signs of God's existence and love but they are too many to count. Some people say that if God exists, then he is not benevolent. How can he allow so many bad things to happen to us. How can he allow pedophiles, murderers, prostitutes, thieves, adulterers and so many other evil people to exist. We often forget that life is not black and white, people are not inherently evil and some circumstances make them the way they are or the cruelty of others drives them to evil. We forget that life is a trial for everyone, rich or poor, black or white, whatever our circumsta...

Happy New year! It is a new year 2015 and thank God we made it to another year, so many did not! As we begin this year let us make plans for prosperity or resolutions or things we have been putting off doing because we are lazy. Let us be firm in our resolutions. However we must always accept that life almost never goes the way we planned it or hoped for, it is often better though than we had thought it would be. Life is never going to be a straight path or easy. This year will come with a new set of challenges and problems mixed in with opportunities and beautiful moments. Life is bittersweet. Let us approach this new year with hope and determination to get through the year and become even better people. Take a look at your life and say to yourself, "how can i be better this year?" You may not be where you want to be at your age but there has to be some kind of progress in your life. You have to at least be different from how you were last year. This year make it a p...