I WISH WE'D ALL BEEN READY

Jordin Sparks I Wish We'd All Been Ready is a ballad from the soundtrack of the movie "Left Behind". In the lyrics of "I Wish We'd All Been Ready", Jordin laments that not everyone was ready to "leave" this world as they still had things to do and conflicts to resolve. The song was written and previously released by artist and writer, Larry Norman in 1969.

"I WISH WE'D ALL BEEN READY”

Theme song of the Left Behind Movie 2014

By: Jordin Sparks

Life was filled with guns and war

And all of us got trembled on the floor

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

Children die, the days grow cold

A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

There's no time to change your mind

The sun has come and you've been left behind

A man and wife asleep in bed

She hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

Two men walking up a hill

One disappears and one's left standing still

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

…Ready for the Rapture of the Church.

Truth: In the coming of that day, millions of people will disappear. Jesus caught them up to be with Him forever in heaven.

AM I TO BE BLAME?

They’re chasing me, they’re chasing, no they must not catch me, I have enough money now, yes enough for my starving mother and brothers.

Please let me go, let me go home before you imprisoned me.

Very well, officers? Take me to your headquarters.  Good morning captain! No captain, you are mistaken. I was once a good girl, just like the rest of you here. Just like any of your daughters. But time was, when I was reared in slums. But we lived honestly, we lived honestly in life. My father, mother, brothers, sisters and I. But then, poverty enters the portals of our home. My father become jobless, my mother got ill. The small savings that my mother had kept for our expenses were spent. All for our daily needs and her needed medicine.

One night, my father went out, telling us that he would come back in a few minutes with plenty of foods and money, but that was the last time I saw him. He went with another woman. If only I could lay my hands on his neck I would wring it without pain until he breaths no more. If you were in my place, you’ll do it, won’t you Captain? What? You won’t still believe in me? Come and I’ll show you dilapidated shanty by a railroad.

Mother, mother I’m home, mother? Mother?!.. There Captain, see my dead mother. Captain? There are tears in your eyes? Now, pack this stolen money and return it to the owner. What good would do this to my mother now? She’s already gone! Do you hear me? She’s already gone. Am I to be blame for the things I have done?

(author unknown)

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF DARKNESS

As I closed my eyes and stepped into his shoes, a chilling feeling engulfed my very soul.

The feeling of a loathsome loneliness.

The feeling of a gut-chewing, ferocious fear.

And the feeling of a death-like darkness.

And yet, somehow, from within me, I found the courage to laugh just like he had done, like this: Ha! Ha! Ha!

I know! I know! I’ve gone ahead and you want to know who “he” is, and what am I talking about? I will tell you! But first let me tell you how I met him.

All of last year, I was depressed over several things:

I was depressed because business was bad.

I was depressed because my money wasn’t going far.

I was depressed because I was gaining weight and losing hair.

In fact, I was depressed about being depressed over such silly things.

One day, during this depression, I was driving home from another failed sales call. The world around me was a sad place to be in when I stopped for a traffic light on the corner of Shaw and Edsa. Pedestrians were scurrying home, cars were snarling at each other, and thirty feet above me the Light Rail Transit was hurtling away towards nowhere.

I felt sorry for the world, and I didn’t feel any good about myself either.

Then, suddenly, right in the path of my car appeared a man.

His clothes were tattered, his hair was long, and his silhouette was messiah-like.

“Uh-oh! I said to myself, “Another one of those Looney tunes!”

As he groped towards my car with an open palm, I rolled down the window hoping to get rid of him with a few coins.

Ladies and Gentlemen, on that sad, dusky evening, the face I looked into made me jump out of my skin. Dust-covered, laden with scars, it was a face from another world.

Where his eyes should have been, there were two holes of darkness!

I gently dropped the coins into his palm, for a moment he seemed to stare at me.

He then thanked me and laughed heartily. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Laughed heartily? How could he? Was he not blind? Was he not a beggar on the streets? Where’d he get the gumption to laugh, let alone exist in this depressing world?

That is when my wandering soul abandoned me and stepped into his shoes. In his shoes I felt his loneliness, his fear, his darkness. In his shoes, I realized that the blind man was laughing in spite of blindness.

I drove away from the corner thinking:

So what if my business was bad; at least I wasn’t bankrupt!

So what if my money wasn’t going far; at least I wasn’t broke!

So what if I was gaining weight and losing hair; I still had a great smile!

Oftentimes, we take our shortcomings and setbacks much too seriously. We dwell so much on the negative that we forget to see the humor behind things.

How many times have we lost opportunities because we thought we were not tall enough, not rich enough or not skilled enough?

How many times have we broken relationships because we thought we didn’t get enough freedom, appreciation, or understanding?

Had we looked on the brighter side, we could have survived!

Had we looked on the lighter side, we could have shone!

Like:

Danny de Vito is short, bald, and ugly, and yet he is a successful actor, director, and producer.

Former Senator Juan Flavier is short, bald, comes from a humble background but he still went ahead and became the most famous Senator ever!

Comedian Marissa Sanchez constantly pokes fun at herself and becomes more and more successful.

They all started by looking at the bright side and making light of their shortcomings. Not only did they surpass their shortcomings; they outshone others.

So:

If our businesses are not making profits, think of the lighter side – turn them into non-profit organizations!

If our money is not going far, think of the lighter side – at least it’s getting faster!

If we are turning old and ugly on the outside, at least on the inside we are becoming wiser and more beautiful!

The change in our external behavior will change the way we think. The way we think and act will change our lives and destinies!

Laugh at your failures and laugh at your foibles! Laugh if you are fat and laugh if you are thin! Laugh and your loneliness, your fears and your dejections will fizzle away!

I maintain that we may have come into this world helpless and crying; but it is within our power and capacity to go out laughing.

Laugh! Laugh! Laugh! Even if you have a bad accent like mine. Like this: Ha! Ha! Ha!

(Long pause)

I know! I know!

Some of you are thinking that you can out-laugh me! Right?

Sure you can! Of course you can! The power and the capacity to choose the lighter side of darkness, ladies and gentlemen, lie within you!

By: Raju Mandhyan

BACK TO VENUS

I met my wife 20 years ago in a revolving door, and today we are still going around in circles.  I must confess that in all the 44 years of my life there is this one species on earth that I don’t understand – women!

I have seen them.

I have met them.

I have touched them.

They have seen me, they have met me, they have touched me, yet I don’t know a thing about them!

My mother was a woman.

My wife is a woman.

My mother-in-law is a woman, I think.

And yet, I do not understand a thing about them.

I don’t understand why they are never reasonable, rational or responsible, and yet they are always right.

I don’t understand why they have such big capacity to forgive and forget only when they are wrong.

I don’t understand why is it that when they say “yes,” it means a “maybe” and when they say “maybe,” it means a “no” and when they actually say “no, no!” it actually means a big “yes!”

For these reasons I have given up arguing with my wife because if I win the argument then oh, help me God! I”ll get into really big trouble!

Another thing I do not understand about women is their age. Why is their age such a big military secret? Not only it is a big secret, but women also forget their math once they hit 30. From there up, they start counting backwards. My wife better start telling the truth about her age or soon her younger son will be older than she is.

Let’s talk about women and their obsession with make-up.

Make-up what? Was something not done or undone?

Why is it that when they powder their noses they really do a whole new paint job on their faces? Why is it that when they go to the parlor for a 15-minute pedicure they come back with a 6-hour facial overhaul?

My wife has this Nordic torture tool that she uses to curl her eyelashes.

The other day she slipped and fell. Nothing happened, she landed on her eyelashes.

Women claim to be smarter than men, and then they go buy their shirts with button running the back?

Women claim to be smarter than men, then how come the smaller and cuter their dresses, the bigger and uglier the price?

Why is it that single women wear such tight fitting clothes that make it difficult for married men to breathe?

And why is it that the closets of married women are always full and yet for an evening out, they never have anything that fits?

On such evenings the only thing that suits and fits my wife’s mood (and fancy) is my badly abused, black leather wallet.

And do you have any idea how much time and money women spend on their bodies?

Haven’t women realized that the whole slimming industry is a big farce? If you don’t believe me, check out Oprah Winfrey, she’s big one day and small the next day.

The other day my wife went to get a face-lift. The face-lift didn’t help much so she also had her body lowered.

You know guys, when we acquire women, just like we do for a car, we must ask for an owner’s manual.

That way we will know the names and functions of every part, every psychosis of a woman.

That way we will know when to send her in for a tune-up or when to send her in for an oil change.

That way we will know the difference between wheel alignment and a misaligned crankshaft of a woman.

Having an owner’s manual will help me understand if my wife is low on battery or plain out of gas.

If we can’t get a proper owner’s manual then the only solution is to send them back to the manufacturer. The only solution is to send them back to Venus!

Yes, gentlemen and the not so gentle men of the Earth! Let’s unite! It’s time to come together and pack these soft, slippery and silly creatures off to where they came from. Let’s ship them back to Venus!

Imagine a world without women!

No more groceries! No more diapers and no more washing your hands before dinner!

We can live in beer bars, play billiards, and watch basketball all the time.

Imagine a world without women!

Our expenses will be down to half.

We will have the bathrooms, bedrooms, and the backyards all to ourselves.

Imagine a world without women!

No more commitments, no more marriage, and no more procreation!

Hey, wait a minute! No more procreation? No more kissing? No more ____!

No more ___?!

Men, I don’t know about you guys, circles or no circles, but I am going right back into that revolving door!

By: Raju Mandhyan

THE LAYERS BETWEEN OUR BEHAVIOR AND OUR INNER SOURCE OF AUTHENTICITY

1.       The Layer of Pretension. The most external layer wherein we pretend to be important, powerful, and far too different from the person we really are.

2.       The Layer of Fear. Also an external layer that we create when we try to please others or are afraid of the consequences of being ourselves.

3.       The Innermost Layer of Authenticity. Herein we are peaceful, happy and completely honest about ourselves.

By: Raju Mandhyan

STAYING LOFTY AND KEEPING THE FAITH

Since the dawn of civilization, people have wondered about their source of creation, the purpose of life, and the meaning behind everything we do.

Holy men, philosophers, and thinkers have provided us with several answers, yet the modern man still wonders and doubts his own capabilities.

But turn around and take a look at what mankind has done over the ages. We have mastered fire, built cities and highways, eradicated hundreds of diseases, created symphonies, and flown to the moon and back. We have done many things that would have amazed and stupefied every generation that existed before us.

So, perhaps if we do not have answers to the bigger questions of life, we can acknowledge our progress and make that an answer. Let us keep our faith in the daily chores that we perform and leave the higher questions to be answered, in time, by humanity.

There is a story about the most favored angel who went to the Creator and asked the Creator if he had any favorite beings other than him. He was surprised when the Creator pointed to an ordinary peanut farmer named John Doe in Georgia, USA as His most favorite being.

Envious and angry, the angel flew from the Heavens to Earth and went to observe the lifestyle of John Doe, the peanut farmer. John Doe’s daily routine was to wake up, wash up, eat breakfast, bid adieu to his family and go to the farm for work. But as he would step out of the house, John Doe would look up into the skies and whisper a humble “Thank you.”

He would toil all day in the farm. Come evening he’d have a drink, shoot some pool, and stumble home to his family. He would love and hug them and soon knock off to sleep. But every time he entered his doorstep, John Doe would look up into the skies and again whisper a humble “Thank you.”

The angel was pretty upset at seeing all this and he took the next flight out of Earth to Heaven.

Back in the presence of the Creator, he loudly and angrily explained the boring, humdrum, sinful lifestyle of John Doe and wondered why he was the Creator’s favorite being.

The Creator explained with a gentle smile. He said, “John Doe is my favorite being because he does exactly what he is supposed to do as a farmer. And to top it all, he expresses his gratefulness for his living and life twice a day to me. You, on the other hand, have good, angelic work to do, but instead you become insecure about your position, compare notes and become bitter about things.”

The lesson is that it doesn’t really matter what it is that we do in life but it is how we do it. The lesson is that destinations and achievements are not the ultimate goals. The journey and processes are important too. Whatever it is that we do, we must keep our faith, enjoy life, and thrive on our contribution to humankind and nature.

All it takes is for us to put our heads, hearts, and humor into what we do, and the whole universe will turn around on its axis to provide us with our destinations, achievements, and accolades in life.

Live well, love much, and laugh often. All you need to do to become an excellent person is to use your head rationally, put your heart into all you do, and take all your shortcomings lightly.

By: Raju Mandhyan

OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY APPROACH

In the world of organizational development, leaders need to continuously figure out what they are doing right, where future opportunities lie, how people can stay engaged and happy, and how to assess the changes of a constantly evolving world, so that the organization can  move forward confidently, peacefully, and holistically. To help leaders figure out answers to such questions, organizational developmental consultants apply a method of facilitation known as the Open Space Technology. OST, as it is referred to, was created nearly 30 years ago by a gentleman named Harrison Owen. The essence of OST is it strives to de-structure learning and dialogue. It allows conversations to flow, to grow organically with barely a push or a shove towards a cognitive end. When people from the media and advertising industries hold conferences, they call this similar approach the “Unconference.”

Very briefly, here are the guidelines for this approach called Unconference, which actually is Open Space Technology.

1.       Whoever comes is the right “people.”

2.       Whenever it starts is the right time.

3.       Wherever it happens is the right place.

4.       Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.

5.       When it’s over, it’s over.

6.       Follow the Law of Two Feet.

If at any time during our time together you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet, go someplace else. The Law of Two Feet, essentially, says: “Don’t waste time!” “Keep on moving!” “Keep on adding!”

By: Raju Mandhyan

IMPROVISATION, YES, AND THE RULES

IMPROVISATION, YES, AND THE RULES

Now, what exactly is the art and science of improvisation? Think of what a band of jazz musicians do. A jazz band has no leaders, no maestro, and no planned set. Any one of the band members can start strumming or humming a note then another picks it up, changes a bit, or simply adds to it. They don’t reject or exclude any note. They just keep on adding, twisting, turning, and, building until it takes form – any form – and then they celebrate the results. They go with what works and worry a little about notes that did not go well or did not jive.

Improvisation artists do the same thing with words, sentences, and stories. They  keep on adding, building, supporting, giving, and backing up their partners. Anyone! The goal is not to be hard and fast but to be free-flowing and creative. This is rapid-fire creativity in action that is all positive. There are no put downs, no complaints, no fears, no doubts, no negatives. It all ends up being a lot of fun too.

THE RULES

Improvisation is rapid, supportive creativity in action. It appreciates, it acknowledges, and it constructs. “Improv,” as it is called, never doubts, never questions, and never condemns any offer of a thought, a word, or a behavior. It is making things out of what is at hand, out of nothing.

The first, most powerful rule is to learn to respond to any offer or suggestions or idea with a “Yes, and” response. What the “yes” does is accept and what the “and” does is add and build, thus, allowing this interactive creation process to grow and develop. Give this concept some thought. Doesn’t every business idea need acceptance, appreciation, and support? This is the ultimate talisman of creativity – to be open and accepting, to support and build.

The other rules are:

1.       Whenever you add or build upon an idea, always sustain sense of play. Play is joyfully doing something in the present moment.

2.       Learn to live with ambiguity and failure. Be willing to move on into the unknown, the untested, the never before experienced.

3.       Listen. Listen with a deep and honest intention to change – to flex and adapt to the needs of the moment, to the needs of the stakeholders.

4.       Improve is a game. Storytelling is a game. Business and life is a game. Games have rules; thus, play the game by the stated or unstated rules.

5.       Have fun throughout while adding, listening, failing and playing the game. Have fun and relax.

These are the soft, tender, malleable rules of improvisation when creating and constructing in partnership with others. Your job is to lead or to be led. If your audience stumbles, just smile, support, and move on. If you stumble then do the same thing – move on. Yes, just move on!

By: Raju Mandhyan

I THOUGHT I WAS FAMOUS

The heat was unbearable in the Hyundai Innovation Lab within the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm at Angat Lab within the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm at Angat, Bulacan, Philippines. The event was the 2014 Social Business Summit attended by social innovators and social enterprises. The topic was health and wellness.

Large industrial fans blew air but the wind wasn’t having any cooling effect. People were sitting up on the chairs but it seemed they were staying on the chairs out of courtesy and in consideration of the fact that this was an event they chose to attend. The previous speakers were interesting, but none of them made the audience forget the sweltering heat. And then, Benjamin O. Yap, chief operating officer of United Laboratorist, Inc. (Unilab), stepped behind the podium.

“So, guess what?” he began. “This Enchanted Farm is a long ways from civilization have a hard time reaching this far. I, personally, had to spend for a chopper ride to get here. Well, it was fun and it took less than 15 minutes to get here. The interesting part was when we landed on the open lot near one of the settlements, scores of little children swarmed up on the helicopter. As I stepped out, all of them came up to me and began to take my hand to respectfully touch it to their foreheads, saying ‘Mano po!”

“I hadn’t realized how well known and famous I was in these parts of the woods! I loved the adulation and I began to shake hands and nod, and pat their heads, and smile and wave. I couldn’t help it! There were so many and this felt good. I felt important, well-known like a celebrity. After 20 minutes of nodding, patting, and waving I began to walk away from the children. That’s when several of them, in unison, asked me, “Sir, who are you and what is your name?”

At this, the audience burst out laughing and the kindly speaker, Benjamin O. Yap then transitions into telling the audience about how 12 million more such children will be born in the Philippines within the next 10 years. He spoke of how the first 1,000 days of their lives will be crucial to their physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

In the next 30 minutes he continued to expound upon the subject of safe birth and safe development in the first 1000 days of a child. All through those 30 minutes, the industrial fans continued blowing ineffectively, drops of sweat kept on gathering on listener’s brows, yet they sat there, eagerly hanging on his every word.

By: Raju Mandhyan

LISTENING MINDFULLY

The other day at the bank, Lisa, my young and attractive bank officer was telling me how her mother had taken a fall, and while waiting for hip replacement, was confined in a hospital in the USA.

While Lisa was talking to me, I was watching her eyebrows and wondering how painful it must be for girls to undergo all that plucking. I was wondering how she would look if she let her eyebrows grow. As soon as she was done speaking I looked up and brightly asked her, “Hey, how’s your mom? Does she still live in Japan?” Right! I was hearing her but I hadn’t been listening! Listening requires engagement, comprehension, absorption, and processing while hearing is only a function of the ears.

And the next time you are in a bank with an attractive bank officer, it would help to keep your mind on your listening.  History repeats itself only because people do not listen mindfully the first time.

By: Raju Mandhyan

HOW TO TRANSFORM YOURSELF INTO A LIFELONG LEARNER?

1.       Do not refuse any opportunity to listen to experts.

2.       Read as much as you can about a wide range of subjects.

3.       Do not refuse or turn down any opportunity to stand up and speak, however humble the occasion.

4.       Ask questions constantly about new subjects and re-validate your knowledge.

5.       Constantly put yourself and your abilities to test. Do not be embarrassed by failure.

6.       Constantly seek feedback on your speaking style and subject matter expertise.

By: Raju Mandhyan

AN AMERI CAN IN THE PHILIPPINES

On that day she was celebrating 30 years of good and happy living in the Philippines. At about 10 am she drove into the central business district of Makati to draw some cash from the automated teller machine at Citibank. Parking was, as usual, hard to find so she put on her emergency blinkers, squeezed in ahead of a large, already parked, white van and ran into the bank’s lobby hoping to step out quickly.

A few steps into the large, classy lobby of the bank she sensed it but didn’t pay any attention to the fact that there was an eerie silence. There also seemed to be no people around. At the ATM machine she shoved in her card, punched in her numbers, and took the cash that poured out. On her mind was her illegally parked car on the street outside and the thought that it might get hauled away by the police.

As she was about to turn and make a run for the door, from the corner of her eye she saw a woman in red crouched behind the service counter, hiding. The woman with her finger on her lips was whispering something to her in Filipino. “Weird people” my friend thought and glanced to her left. This time, she saw two men spread-eagled on the floor of the bank. “It’s getting crazier!” She thought to herself and moved on.

She was unconscious of it but all this while, the loud speaker in the lobby was announcing something in Filipino. A chill ran up her spine when she heard her car plate numbers being read and by instinct, she leaped and crouched behind the counter where the lady in red was hiding. Through a choppy, whispered, difficult conversation, the lady in red was able to explain to her that there was a small car with blinking lights blocking a big white get-away van of the guys who were currently robbing the bank. When my friend, who had been living in the Philippines for over 30 years, looked up and around she did realize that there were strange looking men walking around with huge guns in their hands.

That day, the American,  non-Filipino-speaking consultant from the Asian Development Bank who up to then had lived a good and happy life in the fun-loving and warm Philippines, lay cold for a long while on the floor of Citibank in Makati.

Until news of the robbery hit the town next day, none of her family and friends believed her story of being an accidental hero during a major bank heist in her host country where she didn’t speak the language.

By: Raju Mandhyan

10, 000 TO 9, 000 THINGS

In 1971 San Francisco, on the corner of 26^th and South Van Ness, a handsome cable car gripman on a motorcycle plunges under a laundry truck, breaks his pelvis, and crushes an elbow as spilled gas ignites and chars 65% of his body. After months of healing and recovering from such an incident, former school dropout W. Mitchell moves to another town earns a Master’s Degree, becomes Mayor, turns into an environmentalist, and makes scores of wise investments that earn him millions.

Four years later in Colorado, after having struggled back into complete recovery, the same gentleman’s turbo charged Cessna takes a plunge that breaks his back and legs forever. Again, after years of therapy and treatments, W. Mitchell, hops onto wheelchair and takes to the road telling his story of It’s Not What Happens to You but What you Do About it, to the world.

In the decades that follow he travels to over 30 countries spreading his message of hope and inspiration. During this period he also gets invited to speak and present at the White House on five different occasions. On one occasion, President Clinton introduces him as the person who could do 10, 000 things before his injuries, can now do 9, 000 things, and feels good about doing them.

Today, as a powerful and inspiring international speaker, he has acquired a unique style of telling his story. He begins by describing the day in 1971 San Francisco and then turns to a male member in the audience and says, “You dressed as an Ambulance Driver, lifted me up in your arms and ran me to the hospital. You saved my life.” He then turns to a young  female member of the audience and says, “You, Beverly, taught me how to get off the wheelchair and onto the sofa and from the sofa back on the wheelchair.”

If once was able to do 10, 000 things before a serious debilitating accident, then by the power of his will, he can continue doing 9, 000 things even after such devastating losses.

By: Raja Mandhyan