Alisa Maier, 4, Abducted from Missouri Neighborhood

An Amber Alert was issued for this little 4 year old girl that was taken out of her yard by a skinny 20 something man as her brother watched…

Alisa Maier Abducted (full story)

There are kids taken all the time, legally by mom’s or dads that leave a relationship for no good reason and that’s hard to deal with. I’ve had to deal with that for almost 9 years. That tears a person up inside… but, at least I know where (in general) he is… and that he’s with people that love him to death. Though I don’t have a phone number for him, an address, and haven’t been able to speak with him for years.

When I read this article above it really tore a new hole in my heart… because I now have a darling 8 month old girl that want to keep safe from harm for the rest of her life… never letting her out of my sight. And of course, that isn’t possible…

What is possible though? There are things that are not possible and there are things that are possible. When I look at this story there are three things that were possible but that didn’t happen.

1. The boy watching Alisa, the 4 year old, wasn’t old enough to be watching her – because he couldn’t protect her or get a license plate number at least – or scream at the very least.

2. The boy watching Alisa didn’t understand that a strange car driving around the neighborhood for hours means NO GOOD and parents need told immediately.

3. Every single neighborhood in the world really needs video cameras setup to record cars, license plates, and strangers walking around.

Though I cringed at the technology when I first heard about it – electronic homing devices placed under the skin of the foot or arm sound like a great idea.

What are the alternatives? Lose your child to someone that’s going to either sell her on the black market, kill her, or hold her for ransom because you couldn’t watch her every minute of the day?

If Alisa had an electronic monitoring device embedded in her foot – there’d be a little less worry and a whole lot better chance of finding her than they have right now.

Not as good, but, seems like it could work too is to have a satellite set up that 911 operators have a direct link to. When there is a child abduction the satellite zooms into the neighborhood and starts capturing everything – in high resolution. Maybe it starts covering a circle of radius around GPS coordinates based on how many seconds/minutes have passed since the abduction. In this case any 4-door dark car would be suspect – and able to be found more easily in the traffic cameras or business video cameras pointing toward the streets.

I don’t read the news often – and never watch TV – so I miss most of these things. This one hit hard…

If you have kids – what do you do to keep them safe?

Update – AMAZINGLY – she was found!

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-missing-mo-girl,0,5570742.story

Momentarily, as in the next couple of days.

“What is the Point of Life?” is finished and I need to make the PDF version which will be different from the Amazon version which will be different from the Google Editions version, which will be different from the SmashWords edition, which will…

You get the idea.

So – the ebook, “What is the Point of Life?” will be free in many places and cost something in others.

Sounds sketchy, I know… here’s the reasoning…

I would make it totally free if it was up to me. I want to use Amazon and some other channels that mandate charging a fee for all ebooks they distribute. At Amazon it’s a minimum asking price of $1.99 if the file is a certain size – and it is. Others may charge as well.

I don’t expect to make anything from this ebook – so here’s what I’ll do…

For anyone that ends up paying for it I’m promising to give any money made to our neighbor here in Thailand – she is a victim of spousal abuse, which is generally tolerated here. She’s finally reached the end-point and wants to leave, so we’ll give her any money collected from the What is the Point of Life ebook. Fair enough?

If you come here to AimforAwesome.com to pick up a copy of the book I’ll just ask that you register for my member list – which is at no cost and spam free.

Update: What is the Point of Life? ebook is available now – click HERE!

Aloha & Best of Life!

Vern

I just read an article about the homeless problem in Hawaii being the 5th worst in the Nation. I’m wondering if anyone is surprised. Given Alaska or Hawaii, Nebraska or Hawaii, New York or Michigan or Hawaii to be living as homeless, and which state would you choose?

Homeless doesn’t mean dumb, it just means without a home. If I suddenly became homeless you know where I’d head?

Aloooooha!

And, why not? Who would continue to stay in New York City where it’s far more dangerous and cold than Hawaii – if he or she could afford a one-time ticket to get to Honolulu?

Are homeless wrong to do this? Of course not. Some writer (Jeremy Holcombe) is of the opinion that a homeless person in whatever state they become homeless in – should stay there, like they are incarcerated in that state and not to leave. Apparently he doesn’t think they should be able to move somewhere else!

Here, I’ll give you another article I just read: ”Homeless in Hawaii Equals Not Too Bad…”

Should states check their borders for homeless people crawling across state lines at night?

Should someone have to prove good reasons for moving to Hawaii on a form given on the airplane before landing?

There are some (few) that choose to be homeless – it’s a choice any of us could make, though it isn’t attractive as a choice to many of us… to some it is. To some it’s a way of avoiding all the BS, the drama that accompanies living life in Hawaii – or living in the USA in general. Life in the USA is no picnic much of the time, and with the recent economic crisis I’ll wager the homeless population increased across the country considerably. Without researching, I’d guess that every state has a budget for homeless shelters and programs to feed them. It’s a cost that every state of the nation bears, some in higher numbers than others.

For those that either choose to be homeless or as a result of circumstances beyond their control at the time, become homeless and living in Hawaii it’s not a picnic either. Homeless residents in Hawaii pay about $1 per meal, and can get 3 meals per day. These aren’t Luau-style meals, but they’re pretty decent – as they should be. Do you agree?

A homeless person gets about $200 in food stamps each month to buy groceries with. I don’t believe alcohol or cigarettes can be bought with food stamps, but they trade $100 in foodstamps for $50 cash and go buy what they ‘need’. There are numerous shelters available in the islands and nobody is being turned away for a place to sleep. Healthcare is free – as it should be. Everyone in the USA should be treated with decent healthcare regardless of mental, economic, or addictive status.

To Jeremy Holcombe – this deal for the homeless is ‘not too bad’. I don’t know what basement of a bar Jeremy grew up in but to me – it’s pretty damn bad, it’s bad because it’s perpetuating the problem. If we want the homeless off the street we get rid of shelters where they can pop in and pop out, and we build low-income housing. You know what people live in here in Thailand? Basically concrete rooms. They’re happy as clams. It’s their own. They pay over 20-30 years about $6,000 for a villa with one big room in front, 2 bedrooms, and a kitchen in the back – along with the restroom. They eat on the floor and it’s quite all anyone needs. I know I need to go deeper with my plan for Hawaii’s homeless – maybe I’ll write it up later.

I understand Hawaii residents resent having to pay for homeless persons food, shelter, and healthcare. But, it’s all over the USA, not just Hawaii. There are thousands of homeless that move to Florida, California, and the other warmer states to avoid harsh winters – why not Hawaii? While you as a taxpayer might pay a few dollars per year in Hawaii State taxes that go to supporting the homeless, individuals that really care about the homeless situation are giving them $50-100 as they can, to help them a little more than the $200 in food stamps does.

Here’s some quick math based on Jeremy’s figure of $2 million…

1,288,000 Hawaii Residents (estimate 2008, infoplease.com/ipa/A0004986.html)

2,000,000 in Hawaii homeless expenses to the state

= < $2 taxes per person in Hawaii per year paying for the homeless men, women, and children to eat, stay somewhere safe, and have healthcare.

The more than 1.2 billion dollars in tax deficits is not because of Hawaii’s ridiculous numbers of homeless people. The deficit is because Hawaii’s government doesn’t know how to manage the state. Who was that guy from Texas that was running for President for a short while? Made his money in oil? Some savvy business guy, anyway, Hawaii needs someone like this guy to grab the reigns.

Hawaii’s problems are bigger than the meager homeless problem. Sure we’d like to blame someone that seems to be leeching off the rest of us – but, you know what?

There are bigger leeches – we elected them.

They’re living large and getting more than $200 a month food stamps.

Don’t you think?

Ok, the content for the What is the Point of Life? ebook is written from my side and I’m waiting on more people to contribute. I have a handful of promises and some friends have sent their paragraph or so to add to the book.

If you haven’t sent your opinion in – why not do it now while you have a few minutes?

Just send by email to: AimforAwesome [{at}] gmail –> com your answer to the question, “What is the point of life?”.

Answer it for yourself. Tell, in your own words what the point of life is for you – to enjoy the optimal life – what are you doing? What is your focus? What is the most worthy way to spend your life? What gives you the most happiness, or, just makes the most sense for you to focus your life on?

If you want you can use the categories I list on this page – which will be the chapters for the book. I’ll put your entry under whichever chapter that fits – or, create new ones if it doesn’t fit one.

When you contribute you can list your name, email, website link, or other contact information. You will receive a free copy of the ebook too!

There is no time limit for when you send your entry – it’s an ebook, so I can add entries to it at any point in time.

So, no excuses – just send it!

Update 5/28: What is the Point of Life? ebook is available now – click HERE!

New Project: What is the Point of Life eBook
Participation: I need your help!

The post, “What is the Point of Life?” I did in 2007 has been on my mind. There are over 150 comments there from people of all ages, all backgrounds… and I’ve done my best to answer many of the comments they had about the meaning of their lives.

I love this topic – the meaning of life – and I felt compelled to do more.

I’ve got 50 pages done in my “What is the Point of Life” eBook and I need your help.

What I really would love is for you to send me your idea of the point of life so I can use it in the ebook sections where I talk about people’s various ideas about the whole meaning of life.

If you have come to the conclusion that your idea of the point of life is one of these (below), please tell me which one – and write a short couple sentences or 1-2 paragraphs about why you believe the point of life is the one you chose.

Though you choose just one – you can mention any of the others too – but, your main point of life should focus on one.

Your responses will be used in the ebook, and I’ll ask you to agree to letting me publish your statement in the ebook before I release it.

All those that are published will receive the ebook for free once published.

Remember to include your name, town, state, country, email, website or whatever other info you want to be in the ebook.

What do you believe is the main point to living life? Choose from these: (or add one if none fit)

• Freedom
• Collecting Toys
• Stretching (pushing yourself to experience new things)
• Hanging Loose – taking life easy, as stress free as possible
• Balance – moderation, equanimity
• Love
• Accomplishment
• Success
• Learning
• Friendship – including family, children
• Exploration – seeing new geographical areas
• Bliss / Happiness
• Buddhist Nirvana
• Religion
• The Future – working toward retirement
• Self – doing everything for self – making self happiest
• Helping Others

Thanks so much for your help! Looking forward to hearing from you about your opinion… What is the Point of Life? !! Please pass along to any friends you’d like to as well.

A  i  m  f  o  r  A  w  e  s  o  m  e  {[at}] g m a i l . c o m

(no spaces)

Important Update: What is the Point of Life? ebook is available now – click HERE!

No, not me – this bizarre video I just found on YouTube.

Picture a guy that can do anything… this IS that guy.

Here, watch the video first and then after it I’ll tell you about him.

His username on YouTube is: AzoAzoTube

His profile says…

Name: Aung Zaw Oo
Age: 27
Resides: Seattle, Washington, USA
Occupation: Animator
Companies: Uber Entertainment

Here is another video he did from a first-person perspective that was quite cool too in High-Definition:

1st Person Perspective Parkour >

He’s been at this a little while… here’s his:

2008 Show Reel

If you go to his YouTube Channel you’ll see he has some tutorials he’s starting to release there. Pretty cool stuff.

Wasn’t I just saying in a previous post that you should follow your passion?

I found a great article about a couple from the UK that met in Malaysia and spent the next few years running around Asia, becoming certified dive-instructors and creating a company.

Traveling the World and Working Online…

It’s still possible to take complete control of your life, whether you life in Hawaii or Cambodia… You’ll make sacrifices. You’ll eat soup some days.

For me to live in Asia after I decided teaching wasn’t for me my wife and lived off $300 USD for a year. We ate a lot of soup. We lived in a villa that was $50/mth for a few months, then $100.

I hate to hear people say they can’t do what I did. I hate to hear in their voice the disappointment in themselves when we’re talking and they say I’m lucky for having internet skills to pay the bills while I live anywhere in the world as they think back to the job they think they’re tied to for life.

Lucky? I spent thousands of hours over the last decade to get to where I am now. It was a passion. Overall it was fun.

Likewise, this couple were following their passion just for the sheer enjoyment of it – and it became something that supported them. Darren Rowse did this. Yaro Starak did this. Steve Pavlina did this. Jeremy at Shoemoney.com did this.

There is a, or was a filipina woman on Oahu that was making and selling Hawaiian quilts for a living. When she first started she was making barely enough to eat from. Now she employs a group of people to make the quilts and last time I checked she was selling $5,000+ USD of quilts on Ebay. Who knows how much she sold elsewhere. She just did what she liked to do – make quilts.

What do you like to do?

Follow what you like – if there’s no passion to what you’re doing – you’ll stagnate… the point of life is to figure out what the point is… part of it is doing what you like… chase your passions, don’t die in a dead-end job working for “the man” and watching 7 hours of television per day or looking forward to your next beer or bowl.

Please don’t.

This is a great little video clip that is inspiring and will probably get you revved up…

I saw this at my good friend, and inspirational motivator, Nick Liberati’s Boundless Success coaching site…thanks Nick!

Really had a great 2009… what made it awesome was the birth of our baby girl. Besides that, a lot of other things went well.

Rather that write it all out I’ll relax today and spend time with my family tonight – the last day of the year.

A good year overall…

How was your 2009?

Sometimes I get amazing comments on some of my articles. This was one reader’s response to my original philosophical question, “What is the Point of Life?”

Grab your copy of this free ebook - CLICK IT! Wait for it to download - 1.5MB.

I really enjoyed reading his take on the meaning of life so much so that I asked for and received his permission to reprint it here as a full article in itself. Enjoy!

*******

Hi Vern,

I read your article on the meaning of life and I too have been desperately searching for that answer myself. For many years I believed that the meaning or purpose of life was to love. But over the years of watching life happen to myself and others, I have come to question that theory. If the theory of love being the meaning or purpose of life were true, then why is it the hardest thing to attain and maintain?

Bibles all across the various religions and beliefs say this is to be true. They also say the reason we were created was to worship our creator. But I find issues with this thought as well. If G-D is the almightiest of the almighties, as he is, then why would he need or want to create beings for the sole purpose of worshiping him? He has angels for that. And no matter how many people populate the earth, he will become no greater or better, because he is already the greatest. And I can not imagine that someone who is the all powerful would need reaffirmation of his greatness.

I have an even harder time believing that building buildings, becoming wealthy, or being the best carpenter would be a purpose to life since all these things are superficial in themselves and are not needed for survival or inner gain with whatever G-D we believe in.

Friendships, loveships, and life itself is all ending and none are forever. So if love were to be the purpose, then why would they end? Why would we not still be in love with our first crush or first spouse? Why would we love our neighbor one week and loathe them the moment they did something ill to us? And for that matter, why would they have done something ill if they in turn had loved us?

This matter itself has come to manifest itself within me like a mold and I find myself desperately needing that answer since all the things I once held dear throughout my life have come to mean little to me. I used to be a Jones and had it all, until one day I realized all I had was “stuff”. Having material things then meant nothing to me. So I searched for love believing maybe it was the answer to this powerful life. But alas, I discovered that each human being has had and lost love which made me think that if love were it, then it would not abandon us so easily.

Then I came to think maybe it was connection within our souls and minds with our G-D. But that too fails when you logically look at the fact that the more you know, the worse you feel abut it all. It is a heavy burden to know too much about any one thing. Since there is no attaining perfection, no matter how much knowledge you gain, you are only reminded that there is so much more you do not know. And that in itself is a burden to carry because it makes you wonder where the end is. Or if there is an end. And if there isn’t, then why bother at all since you will technically never “complete” the task at hand.

So now I come to a simple place, where I think that maybe there is no point. No purpose. No meaning. Maybe G-D was just bored and wanted something to do so he created us. And through our own actions we have built, loved, and even created, ourselves.

Maybe the point is that there is no point. After all, the most evil in the world live longer and have better health because they care for no one or nothing, so they suffer little stress and its ails. While the good of the world are hit by a car while helping a dying dog on the side of the road.

This world contains absolute idiots who want for nothing all their lives, and yet they worked not a day for it all. Then others who work 7 days a week for years, are still in want and doing without any luxuries at all.

Those who never cheat are cheated on.

Those who never steal are stolen from.

And those who decline drugs are attacked on the streets for the hard earned money so someone can buy more drugs.

I don’t think doing good or bad has any real affects on life other than they go to jail if caught. No matter how bad a person is, there are always people who claim they are actually “good” inside and are even loved by these people. Yet someone like Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to good, was over shadowed in death by a famous woman, who although did much good as well, had not done it for any near the length of time that Mother Teresa had. And here we have Michael Jackson who was accused of molestation, still being the most wanted and famous man in the world.

If I did not know better, I might think that the worse of a person you are, the better the life you live.

And that would be a horrible thing if it were to be true.

So I still have no idea what the answer is. Some say we will find out in the end, but those same teachings also say that when that time comes, that we won’t even anymore care to ask.

If the peoples of yesteryear really did see G-D’s hand, foot, and backside, then why does he not come to us now? Why is it that thousands of years have passed with no word from him? Certainly if we were created to worship him, then he would make himself present for us to do so. And if love were the point, then it would not be the hardest thing to come by. So although I am now wondering if there is not even a point to it all, I still can not help but wonder what if there is. And if so, what it is?!