Teacher Day - Confucius

September 28 is a Confucian Holiday celebrating the birth of Confucius. It is also celebrated as Teachers' Day. While many confuse Confucius ism with a religion, it is actually more of a philosophy. Confucius was not a priest or a deity, he was a teacher.

Confucius was born around 551 BC in the small state of Lu. He was born into an aristocratic family, although there is debate as to whether he had any money or not. During his life he served many influential people and his teachings became not only fundamental to Confucian philosophy, but to the general Chinese philosophy.

The 6th century BC China was a bad time politically and socially in China. Leaders had lost their way.  There was a greater emphasis on the people serving the leader instead of being there to support the people and grow a strong community.   Ethics and integrity meant little to the leaders of the time. Confucius was disgusted by this development. At the time, he was a widely unknown teacher. He attempted to revive society by re-introducing the great moral teachings of the past.

At the cornerstone of his teachings was the belief that ethical considerations should be the guiding principle of government. He did not accept the idea of a strict legal system. He believed the primary task of a ruler was to promote the welfare and happiness of the people. The ruler should be a role model, his behavior should be better than everyone else. The leader’s strong ethical behaviors would influence the people's behaviors. Customs and voluntary adherence would be the best way to achieve and maintain an orderly society. Furthermore, he believed leadership should be given to the educated, not the noble. 

Confucius never wrote many of the quotations we see today. After his death, many of his disciples gathered and compiled his teachings. Here are a few quotations:

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

"Forget injuries, never forget kindness."

"He who will not economize will have to agonize."

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

"Respect yourself and others will respect you."

Throughout history, we have seen many teachers influence the world. Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Buddha, and Confucius have significantly changed the world and redefined the way many of us view right from wrong.

Who are the teachers in your life that have influenced you the most and how have they influenced you? What life lesson have you gathered from an effective and influential teacher? What is the wisest or most influential quote you have ever heard from a teacher? 

Travis Rudolph and Bo Paske

In our crazy world it often seems we cannot find those special acts of kindness that demonstrate the exceedingly generous human spirit we each possess. If we watch the news or troll through social media, we all too often witness quite the opposite. Our news is littered with political rants, divisive actions by so-called leaders, and acts of violence committed all over the world.

That is absolutely not the case with the story I am going to share with you.

Earlier this month, football players from Florida State were asked to visit a local middle school in Tallahassee, FL. The players arrived at lunch time and were to mingle with the students. This was the moment that would dramatically change the lives of two individuals and hopefully enlighten and inspire people all over the world.

Travis Rudolph, a junior wide receiver for the Seminoles, entered the lunch room and saw a young boy sitting by himself eating his lunch. That boy was Bo Paske. Unknown to Travis at the time, Bo was diagnosed with Autism many years ago. All Travis knew was that he was alone. Travis approach the table and asked Bo if he could join him. The two sat and enjoyed a conversation and a meal.

The resource officer at the school took a picture of the two and sent the photo to Bo's mother. In addition to being relieved to know today her son was not eating alone, she posted the picture to Facebook. The picture and the story quickly went viral.

The relationship between the two did not stop there. Travis was able to return not too soon after with a jersey for Bo and tickets to last Saturdays game. Travis and Bo have received a significant amount of media coverage from the event, even though ironically that was never the intent.

Below is a follow up story I watched on ESPN. Please take a moment to watch the video.

Why do you think we do not see more news like this in our world today? Should we be?  What lessons do you take away from this story? What can we do to be more aware of others? 

September 11th - 15 Years Later

This Sunday marks the 15^th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in modern American history.  While the day began as any other day, it would end with images and stories of unfathomable death and destruction.  It was a day no one saw coming and no one will ever forget.

While truly tragic, it was also a day which demonstrated the incredible will and strength of the human spirit.  There were as many stories of heroism as there was destruction.  We witnessed countless acts of bravery and selflessness.  And these are only the stories we know.  Many of the incredible stories forever died with the victims.

The following is a brief timeline of the day’s events.

At 8:45 am, the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  The crash instantly killed hundreds of innocent people and trapped hundreds more above the 110^th floor.  While emergency crews sprang into action, a mere 18 minutes later, a second plane crashed into the South Tower.  It was evident to all, this was not a coincidence, the United States was under attack. 

At 9:45 am, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon.  The jet fuel caused a devastating fire causing a small structural collapse. 

15 minutes after the Pentagon crash, the South Tower collapsed.  It was less than one hour from the time the plane crashed into the building to when it fell to the ground.

 At 10:10, the country became aware of a fourth plane wreck.  United Flight 93 had left the Newark airport late.  40 minutes after departure, terrorists took control of the plane.  The passengers on the plane, aware of the events of New York and Washington, decided to take action.  They overtook the terrorist and in the process crashed the plane into a Pennsylvanian field.  All aboard were killed instantly.

At 10:30, the inevitable occurred.  The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.  While the nation watched in awe, the brave firefighters, police officers and other city officials continued to respond to their call to duty.  Due to the devastation created when the Twin Towers collapsed, four other building would fall to the ground during the day. 

As the day concluded we began to hear the devastating carnage from the day.  In New York City approximately 3,000 people were killed, including 343 firefighter and paramedics, 23 police officers and 37 Port Authority officers.  In Washington, DC, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed at the Pentagon in addition to the 64 people on board the flight.  An additional 45 people were killed in the Pennsylvanian field from Flight 93.

What do you know about the events of September 11^th?   Do you think this is a day of tragedy or triumph for the United States?  After the events of the day, the country promised to "Never Forget". Do you think the country does enough to make sure the victims and sacrifices of 9/11 are not ever forgotten? What else could be done?