Call To Action!

Recently I've been checking out my networking situation. I was looking at the list of contacts on linked-in, the people on plaxo and faces on facebook. I looked at the people I'm hanging out with on Hi5 and then everyone else on my expanding e-mail contact list. Then it hit me, I know some pretty smart people. So, out in the networking world are CEO's, VP's, Doctor's, Dentists, Lawyers, Architects, Engineers, etc...

So I have a request for you all. We need to solve some serious issues in the world today:

Call To Action:
Need to:

• Stop Poverty
• Eliminate Homelessness
• Eliminate Crime
• Reduce Global warming
• Reduce Unemployment
• Find a Cure for Cancer

So we're now in a situation where the newspapers are pretty depressing, the federal deficit is in the trillions, the state of California can't balance it's budget, pollution is everywhere, crime is growing with issues like laptop thefts and then things get alot worse from there. What kind of world are we leaving to the next generation?

So there are political organizations out there that are supposed to fix the issues. I'm not sure those are working very effectively so I'm talking about a grass roots effort. Ok, so we can't solve all of the worlds problems but we can at least get some pretty smart people focused on some serious areas that make a difference. There are a lot of folks out there with either resources or time...so it's time to do something and make a difference.

What am I talking about it?
It's time for a different approach. It' time to look at situations differently. Need to go wide and look at situations from a global perspective now that we live in a 'flat world'. Need to go deep and look at situations from a detailed perspective. Need to look at the root-cause of problems and attack those issues. Life can definitely be different if we do something about it.

All lives have equal value in this world so we need to work together in a cooperative society so that we can have a win-win situation. Need to eliminate waste, create value, we need a productive society based on basic principles. If we don't we're talking about all of the side effects and problems of a dysfunctional society. I don't want to see higher taxes and an increasing US federal deficit to be the answer. There's gotta be a better way that requires some creative minds and hit this issues head-on.

How?
So, how should we deal with it. If we can't fix everything overnight, let's at least understand what's going on. Let's focus on the root cause of the problems and attack the source of the problems. As you go through and look at some of the problems like prison over-crowding, figure out why people are going to prison. Look at the root cause and you may find the root with insufficient education. If that's the case, let's fix the problem.

High School Graduation Rates
You know the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did an excellent study and found some disturbing numbers with the lack of high school graduates in the USA. Only 70% of high school students graduate from high school. (Link: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/high-schools.aspx) What happens to the other 30%? I know there are reasons why things go wrong but it's time to hit those issues and solve those problems. In this day and age, we need to have 100% of the high school students graduate. Maybe folks should look carefully at what it takes to meet the 100% goal. For example a good pre-school education for kids can create some solid learning principles that can make the 100% High School graduation a reality.

School maybe difficult due to family situations. Maybe a broken family or economic hardship. True there are situations to explain the concerns but the challenge is to overcome these concerns. I look around and see some folks that have done some amazing things with there careers, now it's time to hit some real issues.

Back in June I was touring the United Nations in New York City, it's an amazing place. looks like all of the right principles are being discussed.

• End Poverty & Hunger
• Universal education
• Gender Equality
• Child Health
• Combat HIV/Aids
• Environmental Sustainability
• Global Partnership

The UN is working in some excellent areas and continues to need support. It's a pretty challenging time and the impact of the economy is affecting progress. Check out: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/index.shtml

The Power of Love
The other day I saw a bumper sticker. "When the Power of Love can overcome the Love of power then only the world will no peace". This one really hit me when I look at world leaders. Looks like the Ego situation becomes too dominant and then we lead to a lack of peace in the world. It's time to turn the situation around and focus on the power of love.

So focus on the source of the problems and the key issues. Looks like for every problem we need to ask why and really understand what is happening. I don't have all the answers but figure the answers are out there.

I know the readers of this blog all come from different backgrounds and that makes things pretty interesting. I'm looking to broaden that base to really understand what is happening in this world. Look at folks from different countries, different religions, different economic situations. There's the wealthy and there's the homelessness. I understand certain schools in the bay area are providing exposure to homelessness by inviting those have lost their home to schools so students can better understand what's going on. There's different people from different cultural situations. Hindu's/ Muslims, Israelis/ Palestinians. Imagine if you can have people with these different backgrounds work together, play together from a young age. Remove the political differences and have people hang out with each other, play sports together Let's focus on what we have in common, not our differences. Let's use technology to unite, communicate and overcome those differences.

Maybe we need to go back to basics. Many folks are going through some pretty tough times, with the unemployment rate increasing and the problem with foreclosures. If we go back to basics and look at what we need such as food, shelter, hopefully the basics can be provided.

Disasters
The challenge is that there are a lot of things on everyone's wish list and we don't always get everything we want. What's worse is when mother nature comes along such as storm or earthquake and wipes out everything, Life definitely has it's challenges. How should one handle natural disasters floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, cyclones, volcano eruptions? Link:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/08/f-natural-disasters-history.html Work together and cooperate, need awareness and contingency planning, need local support to ensure folks can deal with such issues.

In life, we need to keep things in perspective. Look at the life cycle from when a baby is born and as a child grows up and becomes an adult, it's pretty amazing. A child comes into this world with nothing and is ready to soak in ton's of information. What we want is for every child to be nurtured with love, support and then gain plenty of knowledge to get through life's challenges in a positive manner.

I'm not saying there are answers for every problem but there are a lot of resources out there. The challenge is when the ego gets in the way and folks say I can do it all by myself and I don't need any one to help. Sometimes people get lonely so a little teamwork and a good support network can go a long way.

Balance
It is critical that we have balance in our lives. Someone who is an extreme workaholic will burn out and then again the couch potato will not go very far in life. To go back to the basics means to keep the body, mind and spirit in balance. Maintain that work-life balance, stay fit and enjoy life without those side effects.

Stress
If you don't maintain harmony and balance, there will be stress. I see a lot of people that live high stress lives and then anger takes it's course. It's not right. How does one reduce stress? Stay healthy, eat a balanced diet. Many people have a problem with time management. Maybe we all try to do too much in a day. At some point you have to prioritize and focus on the important things in life. Get your work done, take care of your errands and have some fun...but don't over do it. Find a way to relieve stress, maybe it's yoga, meditation, or just take a walk. If you can manage the stress you can go far in life.

Cancer
Now there are certain illnesses that make life extremely difficult. I was talking to a friend the other day about cancer. He indicated that some folks just can't understand illnesses like cancer or Parkinson's disease. It is not based on any specific action you have taken but it just happens. It's tough finding answers but there is some excellent research being done in these areas to find a cure.

I've been looking at hazardous materials and the list of restricted substances continue to grow. There are a lot of substances out there that are carcinogens and are capable of inducing cancer. We find them everywhere in cigarettes as well as a lot of materials and products that we deal with every day. I'm sure you have heard about the problems with lead. How about the phthalates in plastics? There are alot of materials used in products that are not good for people or the environment. We need to move away from those restricted hazardous materials and utilize natural products. There are many companies doing some excellent work to better understand where these materials come from . If we can find the source, understand the effect, hopefully the world can be a safer and healthier place.

What I'm looking for is to get some great minds together and solve the issues. Make it a better place for the next generation. Don't ruin the environment, make it a cleaner planet. Don't increase the federal deficit, reduce the burden that the next generation will need to deal with.

Don't overspend to put yourself in debt and then complain about bills. Life should be a little more simpler where people do the kind of work that they find fulfilling. Work for the sake of working, for the pride of making accomplishments, for getting a job done. Keep advancing in your career so that you can build up on those accomplishments. When there are setbacks, stay strong and keep moving forward. I think that some folks who run into challenges get scared and run the other way. Somehow, we need the internal strength to keep going and stay one step ahead.

Diwali
I'm writing this blog during the time of Diwali 2009, the Hindu festival of lights. Isn't it amazing how you can take a dark room, light a candle and watch the room light up. Watch how light spreads and glows. Light up your life with happiness and watch it spread. Diwali is a special occasion. One is reminded to wake up from the slumber of ignorance and pursue knowledge. As light dispels darkness, so should knowledge dispel ignorance. As people celebrate Diwali, they are reminded to light the light of wisdom and spread goodness. Did you catch President Obama's Diwali message? You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuiAW_6XKVM&feature=channel

Pay it Forward
As you find situations of appreciation, don't forget the thank you and the best thing you can do is to pay it forward. If someone does something good for you, do something good for someone else. Just like in the movie, 'pay it forward' can spread some good wishes along way. (Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward)

Things Money Can't Buy
The other day I was listening to a discussion between two people. One person said I want all the things money can buy and other person said I want all the things money can't buy. It's an interesting perspective and I want to emphasize the importance of those things money can't buy: Love, Respect, Trust, Friendship, Happiness, Health, Knowledge, and Peace. We need to continue to remind ourselves of this perspective and really focus on things that are important in life. People who emphasize these non-materialistic values can really go along way and live a much better and more meaningful life.

LIFENET

I am going to focus on a new group called Lifenet. Learning and Inspiring for a Fulfilling and Enriching life. People have a lot of untapped potential they are just not using. People tend to waste time on trivial things and sometimes create their own difficulties. Can we get past the little things are focus on things that make a difference. I know everyone is busy but busy doing what? Can we somehow get out of the 'rat race' and work together to live a better life. If we can increase our potential to do more in life and be more productive, we can live better and happier lives. We need to build a foundation where some basic principles are emphasized so people all around us can live a happy life. Under Lifenet, the focus is to maintain balance and then do more for society and more in this world. Need to work on the issues discussed in this blog. Eliminate waste, live in a cooperative society, focus on the basics and then give back to those in need. I'll be talking more about some of the good work being done through charitable organizations in future blogs. I'll be providing some specific details and recommendations moving forward and would really like to get your feedback.

Summary
In summary, I'm saying if you run into a problem, learn as much as you can until you find a way to deal with that problem. Do some good things for society and work together in a cooperative manner to address concerns as they arise. We have some real challenges around us and we need some smart brains as well as folks who have some time to help. When there is an issue, drive to the root cause of that problem to really understand the source of the concern. Take a global perspective to the challenges around us since we do live in a world where many situations are inter related. Need to work with people with good intentions work through charitable organizations and then we can really solve some critical issues in the world. Finally, enjoy life, have fun, and peace on earth!

Your comments are welcome.

Ken

Stages in Life

Hello,

Each individual is at a different stage in life and runs into different challenges. The question is can you increase your potential, achieve higher ambitions while going through life events.

As people go through the day to day routines of school or work, sometimes people run into big issues..... are you ready for challenges? Maybe we should anticipate the stages in life and then deal with them as they come along? Are you managing 'Life Events' and getting through them? Let's have a discussion on this to ensure you're handling the issues in the most effective manner.

Here's another way to think about what life has to offer:

There is the board game, LIFE, but let's talk about Life like a video game with different levels. You work through one level and then go to the next. Are you ready for the next level with new challenges?

Here are Challenges to work through at different levels:

Level 1 - Student
How's school going? Can you ACE every test? Are you at the top of your class?

Level 2 - College
Did you find the right college? Have you chosen a path that's going to set your path for life? How about graduate school?

Level 3 - Career
Did you find your first job? Have you found a career that's right for you? Do you enjoy your work?

Level 4 - Marriage
Are you going to make a commitment and settle down? What does it take to make a successful marriage?

Level 5 - First House
Looking for your first house? Ready to maneuver all the real estate lingo and paperwork? Make sure you buy something affordable and don't get caught in the mortgage crisis.

Level 6 - Kids
Would you like to have children and to see the world through another set of eyes? Do you want kids to carry on your traditions through the next generation? Are you ready to loose sleep and then juggle and multi task kids activities?

Level 7 - Sandwich Generation
So, you've got responsibilities at work, responsibilities raising kids and responsibilities looking after parents. Is this where you're close to a nervous breakdown? How do you handle it all and keep your sanity?

Level 8 - Accidents
Can you handle an accident? Car accident? Fractured bones? Need to visit the hospital and doctors and hopefully recover quickly.

Level 9 - Debilitating Diseases
What happens if someone you love has a serious medical issue? It could be Parkinson's disease or Cancer? How do you handle it? Do you have a system of support to help the patient get the treatment and help needed?

So, the challenge is to get through it all, one stage at a time. The best way to handle these things is to learn and understand new issues as they come up. Look into resources and a support network to help address these types of concerns.

The goal is to get through it all in a happy, fulfilling manner. I would like everyone around me get through life in a stress-free manner where everyone should have fun and be happy.

Good Luck!

Ken

Introducing LIFENET

LIFENET - Learning and Inspiring for a Fulfilling and Enriching life

By working together and creating a solid network we can create some synergy, so let's get LIFENET started. This will be an opportunity to connect a group of individuals, work together and provide a mutual support network. As we move forward and follow our ambitions we will work towards a better life but we should always maintain balance. Keep the mind and body in balance so that you can handle whatever comes at you and continue to be successful.

Having a solid network provides a means to handle life events when they come up. There may be job layoffs, health issues or other serious concerns that we have to work through. Then there are areas of learning, growing and sharing positive experiences. Let's filter through all the extra media and info on the internet and focus on what you need to know.

There will be 3 key themes through the support network:

1) Education
It is important to get a good education and even after schooling it is critical to keep learning. Whenever you run into a problem, you should learn as much as you can about the issue to help deal with it and find an answer. You should promote learning and seeking knowledge and possibly help others find solutions to life's challenges. There are an infinite number of topics to learn about and you can always 'google' an issue to learn. There are many people that maybe in need but by learning new skills, there life may progress to new levels. Life is one big mystery so keep learning.

2) Health
We want a network that can promote a strong healthy group of individuals. The strength of the network is based on the strength of the individuals. Need strong spirits, mentally and physically that can handle anything in life. Need to be informed when health issues arise and share the latest information in medical breakthroughs.

3) Charity
We live in a universe where everything needs to balance out. We want to live in a happy environment where all people around us are doing ok. Many people are already connected to various non-profit organizations and those efforts should be highly promoted. Consider volunteering your time to support a worthy cause or communicate info on charities that are doing good things for the world.


So, to kick things off, I have set up a yahoogroups for further discussion. The group is called LIFENET411. It will be a place to share articles, resources and information as we go through the journey of life.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lifenet411/

Look forward to seeing everyone join LIFENET. Send me your feedback.

Thanks,

Ken
kenkapur@yahoo.com

Hats off to the fantastic medical staff out there

Looks like I've been visiting hospitals too many times these days. Originally it was my Mom's knee surgery. Then my son broke his arm and needed an orthopedic surgeon to 'straighten it out.' Last month, my wife's mom was in a car accident and had a neck fracture which got her to the emergency room. Last week, it was my wife's dad with heart problems that got us back to the hospital's critical care unit.

So, lot's of visits to the hospitals and to the doctors. But I've really come to appreciate the medical profession and the supporting staff. I would like to pay a special tribute to the doctors, nurses, RN's, LVN's and everyone else who help people recover from accidents and health problems.

Since my mom got Parkinson's disease it got me thinking about dealing with the challenges in life. Then I had friends with cancer and recently my cousin's son in India found out he had throat cancer. These are very shocking experiences and very difficult experiences in life.

Now on the other hand these types of life events and life experiences also help to appreciate how important life really is. Looks like accidents and health problems just happen so it gives us a chance to think about what is really important in life.

You've probably all been seeing what's been going on around us by reading the paper's. First the mortgage meltdown then the financial crisis and now the credit crisis. There are some major issues going on as the country (and maybe the rest of the world) go into a recession and depression. Tough times, yes, very tough times for many many people.

So, when I look at all the things going on around me....I consider it a 'test'. Can you survive through tough times? Can you handle the ups and downs? Can you handle accidents and old age issues. It's a really, really tough test.

It makes us all think about what is important in life and hopefully, focus on the right priorities. Sometimes it's the experiences that help to change us, hopefully for the better if we can learn from these experiences.

On the financial side, the values of homes have gone up and then for many gone down. Maybe prices have gone back to where they were 3-5 years ago and still falling. In some areas such as Stockton, prices have gone down to where they were 10 years ago! And then with the stock market crash, stocks have been a real roller coaster with portfolios dropping significantly. For people who's lives revolve completely around 'the market', their lives have been devastated.

Anyways, with all that bad news, I need to go back to the notion that we need a really good support network to survive. In times like this, we need to extend our networks and have a good solid support network.

So this is why I really want to build that network for family and friends around me. Hopefully the network can continue to grow to help those in need.

We need balance in our lives and there are good times and bad times. So we need to continue to consider that we live in a universe where everything balances out. Yes, we will recover from a recession and depression eventually but we may need to make some changes.

In the meantime, we need to consider the network. The network should include doctors, lawyers, medical staff, and good insurance agents. The network should consist of a group of people who really care. So you'll be hearing more about my plans for LIFENET:

Learning through Inspiration for a Fulfilling and Enriching life - NETwork.

Take Care,

Ken

Making The World a Better Place

To expand on my thoughts from my previous blog, let's look at the world around us. There are people in this world going through some tough times like hunger, poverty, and homelessness. This universe has to be balanced, so it's not good when there are others around the world going through such difficult times. Then the diseases like cancer and other types of incurable diseases are really difficult to deal with. There are no easy answers.

On the other hand, there are some really good things going on around us. People with positive ideas, positive thoughts. Helpful people who want to make this world a better place. Lot's of great charities and non-profit organizations doing some really good things for this world. These charities are bringing people together to improve the world. We want to live a better life in a better world where the next generation have a great place to live. We don't want to destroy the world or create problems for the future. We want a sustainable society.

We should focus on future generations and ensure children get the support they need to be successful. We need to ensure kids around the world are well-educated and have the resources they need to grow in a successful manner. The focus should be on children and education. Kids need the right principles in life to set the stage and grow-up in a positive environment.

Living a Happy Life
There are poor and rich but the real question is about happiness. What does it take to live a happy life? Many people who live within their means tend to be happy. People who desire every materialistic possession in this world may live a life of discontent.

The Effect of Corporate Interests
Looking around recently, I look at what the media and corporate marketing is doing to society. The media has tons of bad news. We need a lot more positive vibes to live a happy and fulfilling life. Maybe the human spirit enjoys listening to all this bad news but that is not good for our society. We need to focus on all the good stuff that is going on and then promote it. Bring out the best in people.

Look at Corporate Marketing targeting the sales of products that end up creating problems for people. The concerns used to be about cigarettes but now look at fast food and junk food. Maybe the marketing has been extremely successful but then it promotes the sales of food that can make you unhealthy. Wouldn't it be great if all we were exposed to was good, healthy, home made fresh food. Maybe our bodies would be alot healthier. We get exposed to chemicals, preservatives, and unnatural ingredients. These end up causing big problems for us down the road. Some people talk about the causes of cancer, is it the exposure to chemicals?

Maintain Balance
We need a balance between the mind/body/ spirit. Here's a quote from the YMCA: 'At the Y, we help build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all with core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility at the heart of everything we do.' That is the right focus as we really need balance in our lives. We need to eat right, exercise and think clearly to live a happy and fulfilling life.

If folks can live a balanced life, you can increase your potential. We spend a lot of time on useless, wasted activities. Why not put the time in areas that lead to a better life. None of us our perfect so we can continue to strive for a better life. If we can follow some of the great leaders in this world who have noble thoughts, maybe we can see results where we can live a better and more productive life.

If we can live a better and happier life, we should then spread that happiness to others so we can see some change for the better.

What do you think? Why don't you share your thoughts and ideas?

Thanks for reading,

Ken

The Journey of Life

Lately I've been thinking alot about Life: Thoughts about the journey of life, considerng the world we live in. So here are some of my thoughts and some recomendations for dealing with the issues that we run into so we can all live a happy life. One of the key areas of focus is learning, we should all be learning on a continuous basis, that's the best way to deal with the issues. Consider the universe and how we are all connected.

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LIFE - Learning with Inspiration for a Fulfilling and Enriching life

How to live Life with a positive attitude?
How do you deal with challenges?
Are you accomplishing everything you want to?

Executive Summary
Life can throw you 'curve balls', how do you handle them? We all need a strong network where we deal with the issues and have a happy and fulfilling life. We need to better understand how things work. Once we learn and understand, we should teach others. There are challenges in life on a day to day basis, natural calamities and as a person gets older, help is required. Let's create a strong understanding, a good communication and support network with lot's of resources to help and of course...have fun. This is a discussion for people who care about the world we live in.

Recomendations (To cut to the chase)
Build a support network to connect those in need
Use IT to communicate and to reach out across the distances
Keep Learning
Have fun in life

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Inroduction
As I was sitting in the hospital as my mom was getting ready for her knee replacment surgery I started thinking. She has parkinson's disease and that has been a challenge to deal with, now the knee. The doctor said it's beacuse of arthritis. My mom has the will power to handle anything, she is strong enough to take what life has to throw at her. The knee surgery went well and I wanted to write about my thoughts and ideas.

We need a better life where tomorrow is better than yesterday. We need to deal with the issues and keep advancing. We shouldn't be too surprised when our bodies get older or natural causes impact us since that's life. People need increased strength to handle anything that life has to offer. We need to get through life in a positive and proactive manner.

Are you ambitious?
How do you handle stress?
Is everyone around you happy?
How do you help those in need?

Life - Learning with Inspiration for a Fulfilling Enriching life
We need to keep learning, We need find good examples of good character and be inspired. We should all be happy and fulfilled. We all want and deserve a happy and enriching life.

What am I talking about?
Take life from through the key steps:
Baby steps, childhood, school, marriage, having kids, raising kids, career, old age retirement.

Everybody fits into one of these areas. Then life has it's challenges. Are you ready for anything....or do you get stressed out. How do you handle stress?
We need to look at each of these steps and learn, gain knowledge, understand and deal with it. We can then live with a positive attitude. School and learning is not just for kids. Learning is for everyone throughout your life from young to old.

When I look around, everyone needs help, but remember the story of the blind man and the person with no legs. The amputee sat on the shoulders of the blind man and they got together to meet their objective. We need to work together to solve problems.

Here are some key areas where resources need to provided
Kids - Need help with school.
Careers - How do you handle new jobs and job changes? Layoffs?
Senior Care - Where can help be provided?

Non-Profit Organizations
There are many important organization that can provide the necessary support network. These organizations are ways of helping others and working with a support group. There are organizations and charities such as the Parkinson's Institute who is researching a cure and will provide support. Then there are some really good charities such as the Sankara Eye Foundation giving the gift of vision to those in need. There are many in the world that need help including children with little to eat or no shelter or home. We all need to work together to make the world a better place.

The Cycles of Life
Life has it's ups and downs. Just like to economic engines of growth and contractrion, things keep changing. Go with the expansions but then conserve and get ready for downturns

Health Issues
There can be many and there are concerns with family and friends. Cancer is one of the toughest, how do you handle issues like that?



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Your Thoughts?

Ken