Thank God and thank my Parents, I made it to be 63 - Mike Ghouse

Today, on January 1, 2015,  I cross the 63rd Milestone of my life. I will do my best to enjoy the God given life to the fullest. Statistically, I should live through 90+ as my paternal Grand parents made beyond that. However, I feel funny though, two of my 5 mentors did not cross the 64th milestone. My celebration would be complete, if you could, as my friends, affirm and consider the following;

Questioning everything you hear or read 

1. Making an effort to see others' point 
2. Expressing gratitude for any good your receive
3. Forgiving and seeking forgiveness often
4. Resisting stereotyping others, it frees us 
5. Being kind to at least one person a day
6. Volunteering  
7. Respecting the otherness of others
8. Reading www.TheGhouseDiary.com
9. Checking items listed below

Please make time for each one of these items

Your blueprint for happiness (text & images) - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/2014-a-blueprint-for-a-pu_b_4517662.html 

Pluralism is the way to go forward (video) - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/12/what-is-pluralism.html

Michami dukkadam (text & images) - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/11/michami-dukadam-starting-life-over-with.html

Film sacred (text & images) - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/12/sacred-great-american-movie-in-making.html

Americans Together documentary (video)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8

Standing up for others. Video (video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrjU0KULv-Y

Events you need to attend (text) - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2014/12/8th-annual-holocaust-and-genocides.html

7.9 Million Views of profile at Google - https://plus.google.com/108969690090944956820/about

Please check the website www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com and take a look at "about us" and the "documentary" and if you like to support what we are doing - please donate before 12/31 - for tax deduction purposes. http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/

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DETAILS: 

#1. Your blueprint for happiness (read)

If you did, congratulations! Please share how you did it. If you did not, don’t despair. I will make a deal with you and nothing should be free. You do what I ask you to do in one hour’s time, and if you don’t feel lifted up and see a purposeful, meaningful and enjoyable life, then let me know.

I urge you to go to the nearest library and spend one hour in solitude with you and your note pad, no phone, no bathroom and no email diversions. Remember, you give time for others, and it is time to give that hour to yourselves, it is worth it. Review your hi's and lo's for the last year and work on improving on deficiencies and cherishing the good things. Don’t panic, I have made it simple for you, just read this article "Blue print for a successful life" in
Huffington post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/2014-a-blueprint-for-a-pu_b_4517662.html

Fair enough?

You choose to be the driver of your life or be driven by others. The choice as well as the excuse is yours. I pray that we retain the ability to choose what we want in our lives. If I ask you next year on 12/28/2015 how did your year go, you should be able to say, I achieved at least half of what I planned. What if you had not planned at all?

 #2. Pluralism is the way to go forward (video) 

We have crystallized the definition of pluralism to, “respecting the otherness of the others and accepting the uniqueness of each one of us”. Pluralism is nothing but an attitude of live and let live, and it is applicable in every aspect of life including culture, society, religion, politics, gender, food, ethnicity, race and other uniqueness’s.
Pluralism is brand new discipline in the academic world and is yet to be taught as a subject. The course material would be unique, as it will focus on its effect on different aspects of life in building cohesive societies, societies where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.
Our Objective is to prepare an individual to function effectively in a multi-faith, multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-sexually oriented society with least conflicts. 
http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2014/12/what-is-pluralism.html

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#3. Michami dukkadam (text)

STARTING OVER WITH A CLEAN SLATE

This is not my obituary. It is a moment of reflection, and if it prompts you to think about your own mirror, then I have served the purpose of writing this note. This is one of the most beautiful moments of my life, and wish every one of us takes a moment to reflect on life. It is liberating to know ourselves and re-assess the priorities of our life.   

Michami Dukadam is a powerful phrase I have learned from Jainism, it simply means I will wipe all the negative thoughts from my mind, and ask you to do the same, I seek forgiveness from you, and I reciprocate the same. It will release both of us from burdensome bondage into Moksha, Mukti, Nijaat, Salvation or freedom.

Today is one such day, I am asking ya’ll to forgive me and I will do my part, I carry no-ill will, malice or hatred towards any one. Thank God, I am free like my new Grandson Jayden.

Let’s start our life on a clean slate.  

Full reading at: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/11/michami-dukadam-starting-life-over-with.html

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#4. Film sacred (text)

Sacred - a great American movie in the making

What is Sacred, Flag, Holy Books, Mother, Freedom of Speech?Sacred Film is about a successful real life event set in Mulberry, Florida coupled with a compelling romantic story built around the Quran burning incident. It is filled with human aspirations, fears, suspense and actions of a typical Hollywood Film.

The film skillfully manages conflicting issues of freedom of speech v what is sacred; safety of Americans v violent reactions; and radicalism v. pluralism. It is an embodiment of conflict mitigation and goodwill nurturance based on teachings of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad. It is a model for building cohesive societies.  Indeed, the concept is encouraged by major institutions.

Through “Sacred”, the world will witness positive changes taking shape; it encourages what Muslims ought to be – the Amins, and how they will be perceived by the society at large. What is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice-versa to restore sustainable harmony.

Sacred is an exemplary story of ordinary Muslim Americans working with fellow Americans of different faiths in forging a new paradigm; a cohesive America where no American has to live in tension, apprehension or fear of the other.

Shooting will begin in March for a September 11 release.  I will be happy to give a presentation to your group.

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#5. Americans Together documentary (video)

The film is in the making and scheduled to be released on July 4th, 2016 - right around the Presidential Primaries, and I hope to be one of the moderators in the debates.

What a majority of Americans want is a just society where everyone feels safe, secure and without the fear of other. What exactly do we want? How will we make the change?  How do we convince those cashing in on hate and fear mongering? Can we find a way to make peace lucrative and redirect energy towards creating a cohesive America?

Here is 11 Minutes trailer, the film of course will be entertaining and would rival a Hollywood thriller -  

Video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMXsTo4VYh8

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 #6. Standing up for others. Video (video)

God has blessed me to stand up for the rights of every human from Atheist to Zoroastrians and every one in between including LGBT community. The book encapsulates all that work but what prompted me to write the book is my speech at the  Immigration rally in Dallas on May 1, 2010 

I am standing here today because a lady by the name of Rosa Parks stood up for her rights and her right to be treated with dignity. If you cannot stand up for the rights of others, why should any one stand up for you?  

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrjU0KULv-Y 

I am standing here today as an immigrant because some one gave up his life to bring civil rights to America and it was this singular act that caused all of us immigrants to be here in America to enrich our nation  

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 #7. Events I request you to attend (text)

HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDES COMMEMORATION 

8^TH Annual public event to be held in Dallas on Sunday 1/25 and Washington DC on Tuesday 1/27 – It is a community bridge builder.

The purpose of this event is education, information and activism. We hope to learn and acknowledge our failings and make a personal commitment to do our individual share of expressing, “Never again”.

Our mission is to create awareness of the inhumanity within each one of us and hope to find the solutions.

The civic leaders, and leaders from the Atheist, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Jewish, Native Americans, Pagan, Sikh, Wicca, Zoroastrian and other traditions will come together and share their wisdom and their internal commitment to building a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. We have to do our share of creating the kingdom of heaven right here on the earth.

The Holocaust event has been commemorated by the Jewish community since 1953 for the loss of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, known as Yom HaShoah in Synagogues around the world.  Now, we have been sharing that information along with the various Genocides and Massacres around the world with public at large.

We at America Together Foundation are committed to spreading the knowledge of Holocaust and Genocides through interfaith and public events for the last seven years.

Please visit www.HolocaustandGenocides.com

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 AMERICA TOGETHER FOUNDATION

Our mission is to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.  We have a few clear cut goals and a few of them are as follows;

 

1.  Initiate a Leadership program in political Pluralism. We hope to establish the program to orient leaders with the concept of inclusiveness. We want no bigots in our politics and for that we have to start working on it – with a 10 year plan.

2. Establish the Center for Pluralism, an institute to study and teach cultural, family, social, political, and religious pluralism. The shortest definition for Pluralism would be-respecting the otherness of others and when we do that, conflicts fade and solutions will emerge.

3. Push the Interfaith dialogue to its limits, so we can face tough issues head-on, and get it over with it.  I hope we learn to live with our differences, rather than pretending to be nice and live with a load of ill-will within. Such attitudes are explosive and generate phrases like they asked for it, or they deserved it when the other group is in difficult situation. 

4. A film “Americans Together, building a cohesive America” is being conceived for a 2016 Release inclusive of the presidential primaries. We are looking to have our presence in the debates as a moderator to hone on the idea of Americans Together.   Hopefully, this would be a first film where almost every representation of America can be seen. It is again a movie to reflect the book Standing up for others and building cohesive societies. The gist of the film can be seen on the home page of www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com

...............................................................................................................................Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie "Americans together" is in the making.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.