Blessed are the Meek!

What is humility? Humility is a virtue; it is a way of life every human being should adopt. Humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. Many of us when we receive recognition for our achievements we let it get to our heads. We are filled with so much confidence that it overshadows us, making us lose sight of who we are. We are inflamed with a sense of self importance that we no longer accept our recognition gracefully but instead we are arrogant enough to drop in  statements like “I knew I would get it” or “No one else could win it” in an effort to further exalt ourselves often to the ridicule of those around us.

Humility is not gained over night. It’s a practice makes perfect kind of thing. We first have to recognize when we have become too full of ourselves. When we are able to recognize this vice, we are able to asses ourselves and make every effort to change. If we do this then there is nothing that can stop us from becoming truly humble.

Being humble also allows to outdo ourselves. When we think too highly of ourselves, we think we are the best; we think we don’t need to improve and so we unknowingly limit ourselves. When we are humble, we never think that what we do is the best so we work on getting better and better. Even when we become the best we think we can still improve. We are constantly commended for our deeds but we don’t let it get to our heads; that is the true meaning of humility.

Humility is not a selfish thing. Humility helps us to recognize that everyone is equal; we recognize that anyone can learn what we have and do what we have done. Like Jesus, we see the possibility in everyone. We see that all have been made in the image of our Creator; that everyone has mental and spiritual powers capable of development.

To achieve true humility let us live by the words of the Epistle written by Paul to the people in Phillipa 

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:3-8)

 

Little Things or Big Obstacles ?

You’ve heard this time and time again “the little things count”. The thought held by many as some sort of philosophy. We hardly find the time to pay attention to the little things. We are so caught up with the”bigger” things around us that we forget that the little things count; we neglect them.

For example,  we watch so many  shows where people have neglected to read the fine print on a contract  and go on signing the agreement, later finding out they were deceived. The fine print doesn’t seem so much of a little thing now does it?  You’d be surprised at how many people are caught by this deceptive ploy. These things that we may see as small and insignificant may just be the thing that becomes a hindrance in our lives.

I recently entered a blogging competition and in my email I forgot to send one important detail: my age. Say that my blog piece was great, do you think the judges looked passed the fact that I left that important detail out? I may sound pessimistic, but no I don’t think so. This may just have been the platform for me to plunge into the world of media but I blew it by missing out that small, yet important detail.

It is imperative that we pay attention to detail because the “little things” do count. They count in greater ways than we imagine. It is these “little things” that can make us or break us. It’s these little things that can be determinants of our future. Start paying attention to these details before they become your biggest obstacle.

Liberalisation of Telecommunications???

You all enjoy the luxury of choosing among mobile and telephone service providers and cable companies. Many of you  will remember when there was only one telephone/mobile company and you had to pay unreasonable rates for calls and other services. So how did we end up with the present multitude of telecommunication companies? What changed? Well if you didn’t already know, the Jamaican government in 1999 embarked on what is called a “liberalisation of telecommunications”. In the Jamaican context this included getting rid of the monopoly thus allowing other companies to come in, get licenses and gain market share. This liberalisation of telecommunications has had a positive impact on the Jamaican economy, culture and communication.

The liberalisation of the telecommunications has economically impacted the you, the people of Jamaica in many ways. Specifically, due to increased competition the telecommunications companies offer lower, more reasonable rates to you. Digicel entering the telecommunications market in 2001 prompted LIME to start offering more reasonable rates to you, its customers. Last year, LIME slashed its call rates by 60% , making it $2.99 per minute but in a little less than a week this move was counteracted by Digicel. Digicel realized that the needs of each customer was different and so offered 6 different call/text plans simultaneously giving their customers the power to choose the plan best suited for them.  This benefited each of you as the cheaper call rates means that one would get value for his/her money and spend less money buying credit.

 

This move by the government has also attracted investment and has increased economic growth. It has cause increased investment in mobile networks as mobile companies in an effort to have an edge over their competitors invested greatly in the upgrading of their network infrastructure. The liberalisation has also influenced the installation of the submarine FabraLink cable by Columbus Communications. The telecommunications sector has also contributed to economic growth as the GDP has shown a steady increase moving from J$14275.7 M in 1999 to J$28511.3 M in 2004. Economically, the liberalisation of telecommunications has allowed you to receive more value for your  money by giving you cheaper calling rates and providing employment by attracting investment and increasing the GDP.

 

Jamaican culture has also been affected by this liberalisation of telecommunications.  Jamaica’s internet penetration is currently at 55% which means more than 1.5 million people in Jamaica have internet access. The set up of broadband by the mobile networks has enabled customers to connect to internet via wireless technology and the establishment of the Flow Cable company has contributed to the increase of internet penetration over the years. Also due to the reasonable rates offered by these companies internet access has become fairly inexpensive and more people are able to afford it.
These facts suggest that Jamaica has adopted a more internet reliant culture.Many students around Jamaica use the internet as their primary source of data when conducting research. In addition to that more and more people are using social media. Through allowing more and more individuals to access the internet at cheaper, more affordable rates this has allowed Jamaica to adopt a more internet dependent culture.

 

Telecommunications liberalisation has also affected the way we communicate. As time goes by the internet is being used more and more as a communication medium. We use it to send emails, to access social media and to even send and receive text messages. There was once a time when we had to send out physical letters and it would take days to be delivered to the recipient; now, we simple send out an email and it gets to the person instantaneously. We live in fast paced world so getting fast, almost immediate responses when we send out correspondence is important. Through greater access to other forms of telecommunications, we are able to communicate in a more efficient manner.  Liberalisation of telecommunication has overall made communication a fast and easier task.

Investment in telecommunication, increased GDP, more internet reliant lives and fast and easy communication are all positive results of the liberalisation of telecommunications in Jamaica. Increased investments mean more jobs, increased GDP means economic growth and more internet reliant lives and fast and easy communication means more productivity. Through liberalisation of telecommunications benefits the each of us individually and more so us as a people.

“The gratificat…

“The gratification gained from making someone’s life better by a selfless act of kindness is worth more than any prize or honour this world could ever offer.” ~Nickoy D. Wilson

The Selfish Reality

We live in a world where many people are self-centred, consumed by selfish ambition and filled with disdain towards others. They do things merely because of what they might gain rather than out of the goodness of their hearts. This is evident in almost all aspects of life. Schools are set up for profit rather than for the primary purpose of educating, people get into relationships thinking about what they can get rather than what they can give and people do charity to get recognition for their “good works” rather than doing it for the sole purpose of uplifting human kind.

Don’t get me wrong,I think people ought to be rewarded for their benevolent acts but doing such acts for the purpose of being rewarded should not be their goal. Too often there is a thin line between what we do out of genuine kindness and what we do selfishly; the lines are so blurred that you almost can’t tell difference.

On the flip-side , there are persons who genuinely set out to serve others. They don’t seek praise nor commendation. Neither do they seek the accolades that this world has to offer. The only seek to see how they can contribute to the human race through selfless service; to see how their lives can impact another for the better.  We all should aim to be like these individuals.

To achieve this, before we set out to do anything we must examine our motives; we must know why are doing it. Let us try our best to do good deeds not to benefit ourselves but instead for the benefit of others. The gratification gained from making someone’s life better by a selfless act of kindness is worth more than any prize or honour this world could ever offer.

“It’s not enough to have lived.
We should be determined to live for something.
May I suggest that it be creating joy for others,
sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind,
bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.”
― Leo Buscaglia

A Missed Opportunity

Yesterday I posted an article about my experience at Mega Mart and naturally I shared it on Facebook and tagged some friends. After one of my friends finished reading the article he commented with this statement ” I can understand why you would be annoyed; however, did you ever stop to think that maybe you were led to Mega Mart because you could somehow offer some words of encouragement to lift the spirit of the seemingly unprofessional employee? Sometimes we have to learn to see an opportunity to allow God to use us to bring a blessing to others in a bad situation. What do you think?”

Immediately after reading this, I thought to myself, how many times do we get so caught up in ourselves that we miss out on a opportunity to minister? How many times do we forget that among our many duties as Christians,one of them is to minister to God’s people?

While at Mega Mart I never thought that maybe the employee just needed a word of encouragement; a word of reassurance. I never thought that though it was the Sabbath and I wasn’t suppose to be there that God lead me there for a reason. I never thought that the words I may have shared could have impacted a life for Christ forever.

Everyday we must constantly remind ourselves that we have a duty to perform as Christians and among them is ministry. Not everyone will be a pastor or an evangelist but you can play your part in ministering to God’s people by simply  being an exemplar to others. I hope you have learned from my experience, I certainly have, we must go out with the intention of seizing each and every opportunity to minister to the people of the world.

 

#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

After hearing the story about the kidnapping of the Nigerian girls my heart became heavy and my blood ran cold. My friends came to mind and I thought what if this happened in Jamaica? What if my friends were the ones abducted? What would I do?

This incident is odious but it calls us to be cognisant of the realities in this world . One can only imagine what the families are going through. How they are feeling every waking moment knowing that their daughters are somewhere out there, trapped and alone. Many of us wish there was more we could do but since that s not the case we have to stand in solidarity with the families, hoping by the grace of God their daughters will be returned safely…Please #bringbackourgirls. Sigh 😥

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY!

Mothers’ day is the day we celebrate and profess our love for our mothers. The one who gave birth to us, the one who nurtured us, the one who lead us on the straight and narrow path. Today is a day of celebration for many but for some it brings a feeling dejection. This feeling stems from some never having the opportunity of knowing their mothers while others may have lost their mothers along the way.

Nevertheless, this day is not without meaning. For those who knew their mothers, it gives them an opportunity to reminisce and remember the treasured moments they shared with their mothers while for others, it gives them time to reflect and identify those individuals in their lives, who stood in the capacity of mother when they needed it most.

I express my respect and appreciation for all mothers. Both mothers who raised their own children and those who took up the responsibility of raising another’s child- the grandmothers, the aunts, the sisters, the cousins, the distant relatives, the teachers, the church sister and the neighbour- who made it  their duty to fill the gap; to make a child feel loved, appreciated and special. I thank you. Your efforts will not go unrewarded.

I wish you all a HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY! as you continue to nurture, encourage and inspire us- your children.

 

“The greatest w…

“The greatest want of the world is the want of men-men who will not be bought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.”
-Education by Ellen G. White

Another Annoyed Customer

So….today I followed my friend to Mega Mart because she ordered a cake for Mother’s Day and well I didn’t have anything to do. We went to the pastry area and after waiting just a moment she got to speak to the employee. My friend explained to him that she was there to pick up the cake she ordered after which he went off. When he returned, he said nothing to my friend and began to serve other customers. Now, my eyebrows were raised. I became irritated. I began to nudge my friend to say something but she refused. I’ve never worked in customer service but I know there are some things that come naturally. Things like giving the customer feedback, especially if  you’ve taken a request from a specific customer like in this case.

After doing whatever he left again then, when he was back he finally decided to give us some “feedback”.Not surprisingly it was not the feedback we were waiting for. He began to tell us how the cakes are stacked this way and how he’s going to have look for it among other negligible details. Just as we thought he was going to leave, he just laid it all on; telling us he was having a bad day and “if only we knew”. I’m there thinking to myself “Dude we don’t care, all we want is the cake”. Not to be insensitive or anything, I understand that people have bad days, we all do, but as someone who is required to offer customer service wouldn’t it be tactful to leave out the details of your life and more so what’s happening behind the scenes when dealing with customers. I’m sure he wouldn’t tell a customer at KFC that his co-workers were seasoning the chicken. Then again, who am I to assume he wouldn’t?

I’m sure I am not the only who has experienced this poor level of customer service. It is something that is evident in numerous government and private organizations in Jamaica. This problem is not something to laugh about and it’s obviously not something to be proud of. I could go on and on ranting about this problem but that won’t change anything because at the end of the day I am just another annoyed customer.