The Kindness Movement

December 27, 2017 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

An epidemic is spreading.

It’s not the flu; although this malady is equally unpleasant, lacks an effective vaccine, can be contagious, and indeed triggers the urge to vomit. It’s entitled “meanness.”

Some argue the cause is social media.

No less than President Barack Obama stated that social media is destroying our discourse. As much as I respect the former president, I disagree. What’s demolishing it is that social media provides a platform for the coarse, boorish, cowardly ilk to hide behind a veil of partial anonymity, giving them what they perceive as permission to air without repercussion anything they desire to anyone they want. What one would never say face-to-face is — to them — considered acceptable in the cyber landscape. Sure, humans have harmed one another since Cain and Abel, but Cain couldn’t hide behind a cloak of technology and do so with impunity.

Don’t get me wrong; this is not another lamentation about the evils of social media and technology, and how they’re ripping to shreds the genteel fabric of society.

[Read more…]

What I Know, What I Believe, and What I Wish for You

December 20, 2017 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

There are almost eight billion humans sharing this small blue, water covered rock as it traverses its solar orbit at 67,000 miles per hour.

I know that these individuals are of all ages, unlimited principles, and an unfathomable range of colors, shapes, and sizes. I know that there are countless other life forms to whom Earth is also home.

I know that we all arrived from the same source and that we’re all going to end up in the same place; it is only the paths we take which differ.

I believe that each and every life is connected to each other via a greater, unseen — yet still very existent — domain of energy in which we are all interlocked and inseparable.

Some might call It “God” or “Universe,” or “Spirit;” it matters not It’s name; too often we fight over what to call It while missing It’s concepts. I furthermore believe that science and spiritually are not mutually exclusive; rather they complement each other. [Read more…]

Living in Constant Uncertainty

November 8, 2017 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

My mother was an avid devotee of Deepak Chopra.

She read his books without end, made sure to record him whenever he was on TV, attended his lectures, and listened to his recordings when she took her morning walk.

You can imagine my surprise when she called me one New Year’s Day and blasted open the phone conversation with the bomb shell, “Don’t ever buy me anything else from Deepak Chopra!”

“Uh, hi Mom,” I stammered, “Happy New Year to you too. What happened? Did he kill or molest someone?”

“Oh goodness no! He’d never do anything like that. He’s a very nice man.”

One might understand my confusion trying to square that circle. “Okay, so why is he now persona non-grata?”

“Did you read what he said in the L.A. Times?”

“No mom. I live in Eureka.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right. Anyway, there’s a piece in the lifestyle section where the reporter asked several celebrities what they wish for their children in the coming year. I can’t believe what he said! I’m just so upset.”

She stopped. I could feel her fuming. [Read more…]

Video: How to be a Friend to Yourself

April 3, 2017 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

From the YouTube page:

The person we may find it hardest to be kind and sympathetic to is, surprisingly, ourselves. Yet being a friend to ourselves provides the only viable basis for living an emotionally fulfilled life.

Days of Celebration

October 5, 2016 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

It’s a time for celebration!

Tuesday was the 22^nd anniversary of attaining my correct weight and Wednesday was the 62^nd anniversary of attaining my first breath.

Now, I realize that – on the grand scale of things – 62 is not that old, and should you be in your seventies, eighties, or nineties (God bless your genetics) please forgive me, but as I’ve pointed out before, this is the oldest I’ve ever been, causing some introspection. Please indulge me.

Understanding that 62 is a milestone in the fact that — if I so choose — I can now legally, officially, get a monthly Social Security check gave me pause to consider other life markers yet to come — and those long gone.

When I turned ten, realizing I was now in double digits, I was convinced I was “mature.”

Thirteen was significant, as I became a man in the eyes of Judaism, having my Bar Mitzvah. I turned 18 the year that we were allowed to vote; 19 put me eligible for the draft; 21 let me drink (legally); at 25, I could rent a car; 30 brought with it a sense of adulthood and 40 locked it in. At 50, the right of passage was the AARP card showing up in the mail.

Growing up listening to the Beetles’ “When I’m 64” makes that year significant. At one point, it seemed worlds away; now it’s knocking on the door. At 65, I believe I get Medicare. Passing 70 and 74 will be significant as those were the ages that my parents passed. My grandfather made it to 86; I fully intend to see that in my rear view mirror also.

Don’t misunderstand; this is in no way a tirade of the woes of aging; I’m not looking at this process at all in a negative sense (okay, maybe a wee bit).