James Pyles's Blog, page 128
September 5, 2018
Quoting: Boost Your Self Esteem Objectively
People with low self-esteem are frequently very good people by objective standards, but have high aspirations and hence feel frustrated in not reaching their lofty goals. Since they are not perfect, they consider themselves failures and this leads to many negative consequences. It is important for such people to realize they are thinking in either/or […]
September 4, 2018
The Murasaki Betrayal
Charlton Ortega piloted his light scout ship “Lily Sloane” into the nebulous Murasaki 312 quasar-like formation at half impulse power not knowing if he and his three crew mates would make it back out again. “Shields are nominal. Continuing sensor sweep. Still nothing.” Helen Olssen was both the ship’s systems expert and Ortega’s lover, and […]
The Man at 100 Forrest Avenue
“Are you sure he lives here?” Emily Long had been a stringer for the AP for the past three years and if this story panned out, it would make her career. “100 Forrest Avenue, Panama City, Florida. There’s no mistake.” Quentin Street called himself a consulting detective, like how Sherlock Holmes described himself. Emily had […]
Quoting: Feel Joy at Overcoming Obstacles
A powerful general will prefer difficult military assignments because he wants to show his strength and abilities when he is victorious. Similarly, if you feel strong love for another person, you will experience joy when you find opportunities to express the full extent of love for that person. So, too, when you have a strong […]
September 3, 2018
Shut up, Wesley OR Why You Should Expect twitter to Hurt You
“It is impossible to see a fault in someone else if you don’t have it in yourself.” -Anonymous I’ve been thinking about the amazing amount of kvetching going on in social media and especially twitter. I’ve participated in a certain amount of it as well, as chronicled in blog posts such as This is the […]
The New Dragon Saga: The Resistance
Chapter 3: “It’s a good thing the biotrace found him.” Landon heard a familiar voice, a man’s voice. The Master? Where was Buddy? “Yes sir. Another few minutes and his signal would have faded forever.” It was Carmen Ramsey, Landon’s doctor; the one who treated his wounds after one of the Games, the Roman’s sword. […]
Quoting: The Wealth of Torah
During a holiday, students at the Lakewood Yeshiva were elated at the words of Rabbi Aharon Kotler, the Rosh Yeshiva, who had just delivered an inspiring holiday lecture. At the end of his talk, the students began to sing a tune to the words from King David’s Psalms, “Were it not for Thy Torah being […]
September 1, 2018
Quoting: Don’t Let Materialism Distract You
A man once said to the Chafetz Chaim, “Rabbi, I have just bought a lottery ticket. Could you please give me a blessing that I will win, since the money I acquire will enable me to study Torah with peace of mind.” The Chafetz Chaim gently blessed him, “May the Almighty help you study Torah […]
August 31, 2018
Quoting: Powering Up with Enthusiasm
Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm (19th century Europe) wrote: “There is no comparison between doing something with enthusiasm and joy and doing it without enthusiasm and joy. If we would do everything with enthusiasm, there is no limit to the elevated levels we would reach. Enthusiasm generates power. A person with enthusiasm is able to […]
August 30, 2018
Quoting: Talking to the Little Child Within
We all have many positive messages stored in our mind since childhood. Counterproductive and limiting messages are stored, too. We may have outgrown many of them. but often, not all of them. Now, in the present, we have the ability to talk to the “little child” within, as it were. You can immerse your childhood […]
