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Word
Gems Readers' Comments
"Hi, Wayne, What a beautifully well-written article! [Personal Statement #61: The Perfect Mate] You really are amazing with words...You are so insightful... You have such a gift of 'tuning in' to what lies beneath the surface, so to speak, such an awareness of life and of the 'blessings in disguise' that most people fail to see... K.P."
“Hello, Wayne, I don't know where I found you... I found your site and am amazed at your site.... wonderful... It looks like you have done a great deal of work on your site and will read more. Blessings to you. Bianca”
“Hi, Wayne, I read the article about making decisions with your gut and really enjoyed the content very much, as well the follow up of ‘Editor's Notes’ - was well written and enjoyable reading also. Ed”
“Dear Editors of Word Gem, I am Helen from China. I read many articles on this website. This is a great website. Thank you for your great effort doing this.”
"Wayne – good stuff... Thank you, thank you, for all your hard work putting this together. I much appreciate it. P.S."
“Dear Mr. Becker. This email is short and to the point: You have created the absolute BEST website I have EVER come across; Not only have you been so generous as to share some of the most enlightening words/opinions of truly great people, but your ‘Editor's Note’ comments are incredibly insightful, to say the least. I am overcome with goose bumps, smiles and tears whenever I read the ‘Word Gems’ on your site, and your comments always seem to make me nod in agreement.... If only ALL men could think with such wisdom, we'd have a perfect place in which to live... You are pure GENIUS!! Thank you so much... I have recommended your website to so many people, and EVERYONE who has read it absolutely loves it....You really are making a positive impact on a LOT of people! Respectfully, Kelly.” Editor's note: I always enjoy receiving notes from my readers telling me that they've benefited from my writings. Kelly recently said she liked my article, The Perfect Mate, wherein I make a tongue-in-cheek disparaging comment regarding insensitive young men. I must tell you frankly, terms such as "genius" I consider to be more generous than real. Because... I was one of those young men once... I remember that time too well... and, if some say that I am "incredibly insightful" today, such perspicacity was obtained at a high price... paid too much... let's just say that, in those teen years, I wasn't often accused of being a genius... and the effects of my dullness, my lack of awareness, then, are ones from which I have not yet recovered. Somewhere on this site there is a quote from a famous musician: "You say that I am a genius... but, before I was a genius, I was a drudge" - it's more like that. I enjoy my readers' kind words, but I have learned to keep even closer to my heart the lessons of past failings... lest I fall into such error again.
"Hi, Wayne...talked to Alice this morning, she said you have more things on your web site about Grandma [P.S. #16, The Grandmother Who Saved Me ]. I read it - very true. There are so many things I didn't ask - thought I would have the rest of my life to ask. Keep up the good work. Love, Aunt Betty"
"Hello there, dearest Wayne... Well, I have been meandering in the Personal Statements... and absolutely delighting in your superb writing! I say it again, your writing is magnificent. Thank you so so much for sharing it. The whole website is marvelous. One could read there for hours. I intend to print out some of my favorites soon... I hold you in deepest Love, Wayne. You are so beautiful. Your gift of writing must touch many people. I am honored to meet you and, I hope, to become your friend and sister... I hope that we will have more 'sharing' ... Shanna"
[Sheridan's aunt: "Hi, Wayne, My 10 year old niece ... has read your Word Gems , and is very intrigued with your website."] "Hi, Wayne! I love the saying [below] and I want to keep it forever. I heard a lot about your website... I read all about Lincoln's history... Thanks again, Sheridan (age 10) - P.S. I hope you are doing good." Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Galatians 6.4-5 (The Message)
"Love your essay [Editor's Essay: The Great Idea of Love]. Certainly succinctly simplifies a lot of Adler's commentary, for which one needs an excruciating degree of concentration, though I did wade through it. I found your explanation of why it is so profoundly vital that there be total commitment involved in physical union to be the best explanation I have ever found... A.K." ["Teacher of the Year," honored with a trip to the Clinton White House]
"I teach first year college English... I just found your web site and am MOST grateful and inspired that you are making [Adler's] essays available online... Please continue your project at greatest speed... I assure you that you will be filling a major educational need each time you complete a new essay. If you have a schedule, I will certainly plan my offerings around it if you let me know... Thank you, Dee"
"Dear Wayne, You are the best. Thank you so much for answers to questions that I have had for a long time. You gain nothing from this, I suppose, so I am in your debt. As a Christian, I do believe in the afterlife, of course. Thank you again, Janet"
"Hi! I like your Word Gems site . . . it is very helpful. Do you know where I can find more information about Carl Gustavson? I am working on a Master's degree and we are using A Preface to History (out of print) as required reading... Any help would be appreciated! Deborah"
"WOW, Wayne!!!!! Outstanding article!!!! [P.S. #58, How To Get Out Of Debt ] You not only write in a very interesting and easy-to-read manner, you also cull a wealth of valuable resources together to create a powerful picture and argument for your strategy. Excellent job - you are an outstanding writer. And the strategy you outline is sensible, as well as tried and true... Articulate, well-written, and very important. Thanks so much for it! ... I sure admire your pursuit of knowledge, and your dedication. Super! Anita"
***************************** Editor's note: several years ago I wrote an article debunking a common theological myth. It's now posted on another web site. This is how they introduce it: "Most of us have read the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, given in Luke 16: 19-31. If you’re like me, you probably found yourself struggling to understand what Jesus was trying to convey in this story. Could he have, among other things, been trying to give us some insights into the afterlife? Should this parable be used as valid justification for teaching that the fate of the wicked is eternal, never-ending torture in the fires of hell? Many churches and religious apologeticists believe so. But does this parable actually give credence to the popular (but very shaky) doctrine of eternal punishing? Keep in mind that annihilism is a teaching that falls within the pale of Christian orthodoxy, it’s just not as popular a teaching as an ever-torturing hell. Never fear – help is here! "The following article was written (under a slightly different title) by Wayne Becker ... I first read Wayne’s article several years ago and was very impressed with his writing skills and his logical conclusions on this subject. I think this article will help clear up just what the real intent of Jesus’ oft-quoted parable was, and just what this parable does not say. (Reproduced with Wayne’s permission. His article has been slightly edited) http://www.members.tripod.com/whistler4truth/21.htm
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"Hi, Wayne, I have just finished reading your Personal Statements about Politics and Economics [P.S. #14, 15] ... I have to say, I agree with you 100%. I, too, have very strong opinions about both subjects, and have never read or heard such 'right-on' statements such as yours... Actually, all of your Personal Statements reflect the mind of a HIGHLY intelligent person which, INDEED, you are... I have read your article about The Troubadour and The Wedding Song ...What great reading! I have learned so many new and interesting things regarding it, and I thank you. I have also read most of your other articles about you growing up on the farm, etc., and I am grateful to have had the chance to read them...You are a very wise soul...You have put into words exactly how I feel about many issues... At the risk of sounding like a 'broken record,' you are so great, and for that I can't thank you enough!! ... You always bring a smile to my face... K.P."
"Greetings, Your website presents a wealth
of reading material. I think this search for truth is crucial, and
deliberating on the words of different sages has made for
interesting observations in my classroom. I fully believe that when
we know and love the truth it does set us free. But
I contacted my master's degree English professor to say hello. "Hi Wayne, It’s good to hear from you. Your site is very interesting. I see that on the Poetry site I am in good company! All the best, Tricia [Ph.D.]" ... to which I responded... [quoting her poem] "It does us great disservice to think we are ever done with people... I reread this last night after having not seen it in a long time and realized that I had not truly appreciated your message before... your problem with 'closure' ... very good... thank you for that. I think of you from time to time because it was from you that I learned that a poem should not mean, but be ... that beauty, without didactism, is ok... I was a little more 'narrow' than I was prepared to admit when I entered your class, but left it a more expansive spirit." ... to which, she graciously commented: "Thank you, Wayne. I’m always the biggest learner in class, of course. Best, Tricia"
"Wayne, Thanks for the great article which I enjoyed very much. [P.S. #13, The Troubadour and The Wedding Song] ... For some time I have been interested in the various forms of proof, those which our culture exalts as the exclusive means of arriving at truth. I am referring primarily to the scientific method which liberated us from the superstition of the Church and then there are the various legal proofs - reasonable cause to suspect, beyond reasonable doubt and on a balance of probabilities. Most people do not understand the differences between these various kinds of proof. I also observe that most people hold beliefs, in fact all of us, which cannot hold up using these various methods. Even those in the scientific and legal fields disagree a great deal and scientific and legal opinions change enormously over time. No wonder Pilate asked What is truth? It seems to me that these methods cut us off from a whole universe full of possibilities. Given all the confusion how do we know what is true? ... I agree that the path to incontrovertible truth is the way of the poet, artist, and mystic because they draw from the well of their own experience and why should we be interested in their opinions. The way forward for us is to rely on our own experience and the deeper wisdom of the heart and not to defer to the opinions and dictates of others. Your discourse on romantic love reminds me of ... the poet Rilke who wrote that the ideal relationships are ones in which two partners guard and protect each other's solitude. He writes a great deal about the difference between dependent love and the real thing and how to tell the difference. I really admire the work you are doing on the web site. Cheers, Adrian [J.D.]"
"Hi, Wayne, I am in awe after reading your P.S. #25 [Why Destined Lovers Fail To Recognize Each Other] ... In awe of how beautiful this article is, how well you put into words something (Soulmate Love) that most often cannot be put into words in a way that does it justice... Kelly"
"Hi, Wayne, Yes, the song [Beach Boys' Come Go With Me] is very special taking us back to a happier and more carefree time. When we were younger the world was appareled in celestial light, the glory and freshness of a dream, as Wordsworth wrote. Now the glory and freshness has faded, having passed through the filter of our own unhappy experiences, most notably, the repression of religion, politics and economics. Repressed on almost every level. There is a verse in the Gospel of Thomas, The kingdom of Heaven is all around you but you do not see it. Read with interest your articles on politics and economics. I was reminded of a cartoon I saw recently. A group of politicians are force feeding a very large pig which is swelling up like a blimp. One politician says to the other, keep feeding it, something is bound to come out the other end. Referring to the enormous amounts of money pumped into the banking system but alas, no money coming out the other end in the form of lending. I agree that the problem is socialism but I have a theory that it's all corporate rule and that their agenda is not free enterprise but socialism. We are seeing this on a grand scale now with the bailouts but there have always been direct and indirect subsidies to keep the monsters alive. They are like quasi governmental agencies and key politicians are interchangeable with key corporate officials and they all think alike. Their aim is not competition but domination of key areas of the economy. The new elites are corporate executives and their political hand maidens. The game is bleeding the electorate white while diverting all that money into the hands of the elites. Watch what they do, not what they say. Your site is a treasure house of thought provoking stuff. Adrian [J.D.]" Editor's note: I think I've stated in my articles that my old college buddy Adrian is one of the smartest people I've ever known - you can tell that, can't you, from his comments here.
"Dear Wayne, thought of you when I copied this: Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in feeling creates LOVE. You are LOVED. Maureen"
"Wayne, Your web page is fantastic. I will be looking forward to reading what you have there. Ken"
"Wayne... I've been reading your site all evening. VERY ENJOYABLE. Thanks. Mark L.
"Wayne... I started reading [your Personal Statements] earlier in the evening, and I kept reading until 11:30 PM... thank you so much. Carolyn"
"Hi, Wayne, Good article about the Sperles [P.S. #27, Valedictorian Super-Mom ]! I have read most of the articles, you are a good writer ... keep writing. Paul"
"Wayne... I read your piece [P.S. #32, The Mysterious World Of Twin Soul Lovers ]. Intellectually, I can understand and accept why the 'long dark night of the soul' must be, but emotionally, my heart aches unbearably. It's one thing to sense that your twin soul is somewhere out there...it's another thing entirely to know who he/she is and where he/she is, yet not be able to come together. Writing about it just now brings a tightness to my chest! SIGH! The pain, the relentless longing... constantly waiting and wanting..." [name withheld]
"Thanks for sharing your article and website with us. Frances."
"Wow! Word-Gems shows the fantastic mind behind the man... What a thought-provoking way to express yourself! Thanks so much for sharing this... Linda"
"WOW!!! P.S. #31 [Finding Healing From Religious Abuse ] is extremely powerful... your high-caliber command of the English language... With threads of Political Abuse... Spiritual Abuse... Domestic Abuse, you wove quite a tapestry. From macrocosm to microcosm; a single cancer cell that metastasizes until the entire host is destroyed. My mind is reeling at the insidious inter-relationship you so masterfully exposed. You're right - you gotta wanna grow/change/wake up, and it sure isn't easy! ... I'm quite anxious for your Jesus article. I've walked a lonely path where religion is concerned, and I know a big change is on the horizon. Sharon"
"For one person to lift another to a better level of self-acceptance, self-respect, is an ideal which shall occupy our thoughts for our entire unending future. How I want to be such an uplifting person. That you already are such a person is apparent to many... The real question is who wants to be, or chooses to be uplifted. Ultimately it's the individual's free will choice that makes all the difference. Ruth"
"Hi Wayne... You have a great website, and, in time, I will read it all... Claudia."
"This Prayer To Soulmate Unseen [P.S. #25] ... is Smokin' Hot! This is rich with sexual tension tempered with honest heart and soul vulnerability... your Prayer could actually be wedding vows if trimmed down. The tone of your Prayer is a blueprint for a life-style AND a love-style... I know you have 'twin flames' in mind, and, to be truly and equally reciprocated, only twin flames could meet each other measure for measure; but what I'm getting at is that even a little bit of this kind of truth in love will go a LONG, LONG way... I am reminded of Jerry McGuire, the scene where Renee Zellweger says, You had me at hello ... From the first line to the last, you lay your heart and soul out there, and you don't let up. Women really do want this, a sensitive man who will plumb the depths of love. Humanity is craving, starving to death, for love like this; waiting to receive love like this, oblivious (asleep) to this one subtle fact... love must be given first or what is there to receive??? Who will be vulnerable first? Rose"
"Hello, Wayne... I have looked over your
website and
P.S. #23 [Forgiveness, The Final Battle]...
There is a lot there and difficult to write about. I think there’s
more to the Sunflower than you give it credit –
tape-measure forgiveness, possibly, but more, it is so much about being
human. It may not be where you are, but it tells us so much about
where ‘we’ are. The many religious traditions show how so very many
ways there are to coming to a ‘point’ or ‘sense’ of forgiveness
- maybe in giving forgiveness but maybe also in asking for
forgiveness. The Sunflower makes me wonder about the ‘aura’
of unforgiveness that we walk in – (is that a kind of original
sin?). What about the tradition that you can only be forgiven by the
ones you harm and then, in the case of the Holocaust, all are dead …
what happens to that ungiven forgiveness?" ... Sister JoAnn
Hohenbrink, Ph.D. ... Hello, Sister,
thank you for your note... My studies in the AfterLife (P.S. #3)
have given me some partial answers to this. My friend David, a
gifted psychic, was once asked a question by a lady who had been
sexually abused as a child. She had stayed at her uncle's house and,
during the night, either he or one of the sons, had assaulted her.
She wanted to know the identity. David received a message from his
Spirit Guides that it had been the uncle. David also was able to
access the uncle's spirit on the Other Side and found him in a kind
of dark, dank cellar, huddled in a fetal position, immersed in
self-loathing and fear. Some time later, the lady also passed on.
David contacted her to see how she was doing. She told him that she
was working with her one-time offender and that he was on a path to
recovery. It seems that, but for her outreach, he would still be
sitting with the rats in the root-cellar. There are thousands of
such reports, and it seems that even if the offended one has
processed the past ordeal, and does not need anything from the other
party, the one who committed the wrong needs to feel the acceptance
of the wronged party, for his own peace; in fact, he will need to
begin a program of doing what he can to set right past wrongs, and
may be assigned to that person as a kind of shadowing
helper... I think the notion of an "original sin" is a good
analogy... I will just say here that The Sunflower, but for a few
stellar exceptions, represents the Ego's testimony, the Ego's view,
regarding definitions of forgiveness. The Ego's views commonly pass
for what is human but it does not represent our essential humanity.
Abraham Lincoln once commented: How many
legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a
tail a leg doesn't make it a leg. And when we see most of 'the 50' in The
Sunflower calling certain attitudes, judgments, as forgiveness, this
does not mean that we are necessarily dealing with forgiveness. The
Sunflower presents a bastard-view of forgiveness drawn from the law
courts; a view of due process, of just compensation, and
satisfaction of rights. And while, on lower levels of existence,
there may be a need for such things, forgiveness in its grandest
sense - a sense baked into its literal meaning - is about seeking
the highest and best for another. Forgiveness is merely agape in
another form, love in the trenches of life. And it is created, not
by trying very hard, which process, as Tolle says, merely causes one
to identify even more with grievance and produces more neurosis, but
by that effortless Artesian Spring which needs to be unblocked.
(see P.S. #41 for further discussion regarding Sister JoAnn's
question.)
"OH, you silver-tongued DEVIL [Personal Statement #61: The Perfect Mate] - I bet you were there when EVE ate the apple! ... Ruth" Editor's note: It is important for all public figures to immediately answer their critics, lest another be granted right to define oneself; and, madam, I must protest... I deeply resemble your remarks... [smile]
"Hi, Wayne... I thought I'd tell you, I contacted Steve Gunn [P.S. #28, 32] and told him that you have referred to him many times in your articles. I suggested that he read what you have written, and he did just that! He is very grateful to you, and he is honored that you find his information so helpful... Kelly"
"Hi, Wayne... I am going to share with you a mind-blowing encounter that I experienced with one of my good friend's boyfriends who passed away over 2 years ago... Here it is: My good friend, Sarah, had a boyfriend named Bruce, who had been ill for a number of weeks... The doctors told him that he had congestive heart failure. His condition continued to deteriorate until he succumbed to his illness. Needless to say, Sarah was devastated... Now for the "mind-blowing" part: I didn't know yet that Bruce had died, not until the next day. However, that very night that he passed away, I smelled cigar smoke VERY STRONGLY. I kept asking everyone around me, "Do you smell that cigar smoke?" No one else smelled it. Only me. I dismissed it as being "all in my mind, I guess." Then came the night of Bruce's funeral: Once again, cigar smoke filled the air, so strong that my eyes felt as if they were burning. And once again, NO ONE else could smell it. I was starting to get very spooked by this, but, again, I dismissed it as being nothing, since no one else could smell it. Then, two nights later, I was lying in bed, fully awake when Bruce appeared before me with a message: He said, "I want you to tell Sarah how I REALLY died: But first, the reason you were smelling cigar smoke was because I wanted to give you a kind of hint: The hint is this: Take the word cigars and rearrange the letters from back to front, minus 2 letters, and then, well, you'll know how to take it from there. When you figure it out, tell Sarah that this was the cause of my death." And he was gone. I did as he asked, and the word was ARSENIC. I was so shocked and taken off guard, but the next day, I told Sarah. It was very awkward to approach this with her, but I told her about this message from Bruce, and asked her if she knew of anyone who might have poisoned him. She said No, but she couldn't get it out of her head. Six months later, Sarah came to my house, crying, and between sobs told me that she found out that the person that she and Bruce had been living with for months (during his entire "illness") had killed her parents with arsenic, and that she was arrested for this. There was enough evidence to prove that this was true. Sarah said she then KNEW that this girl poisoned Bruce with arsenic. This girl had been preparing Bruce's meals when Sarah was out. Sad, isn't it? Anyway, that was ALL the proof I'll ever need that people can communicate with the dead. I'll never forget that night, the night of 'Bruce's message.' Just wanted to share this with you. There are very few people who know about this, but you are definitely one who could understand this." [names withheld/changed to preserve anonymity]
"Wayne, I downloaded your Word Gems (About CharisCorp). Your opening pages are well written and impressive. You are an impeccable writer. A colleague also downloaded your Becker Capital Corp material. You sound like you know a lot about finances. We hope to harness your talents sometime... you, the 'farm boy,' have become world citizen, a very knowledgeable and wise person, humble about your qualifications... C. M. (Ph.D., language arts department chair)
"Hey, I have been reading Personal Statements - [they have] much to say on my part, for sure... You know what is interesting, when you said you were going [to seek for a teaching position in another state] I felt a sense of loss, like you had more to say. As I read what you have written [there is] much info that I have contemplated over the years... I have much to say about your article... Debbie"
*************************** Editor's note: Almost ten years ago, for my master's degree, I submitted to university instructors various writings, much of which is now posted on my Word Gems site - the most noteworthy example, I think, is my Paul & the Galatian Controversy: The Battle To Define Christianity. Someone once said that a faith which cannot survive collision with the truth is not worth many regrets; that the goal of the objective and honest researcher must be to overthrow one's own findings - that's hard to do; hard to disown, or even to chastise, one's own literary child. And while my writings earned for me high praise from the philosophy department at California State University, I will tell you frankly that I no longer agree with some of my own findings! I've learned so much in the interim! My spiritual journey, since then, has allowed me to see - how thrilling to see! - so many new things, and many old things, in a new light. All this reminds me of that most important lesson for all seekers of truth: Hold information loosely in your hands, pending further light, as there is always more light to come! Reject dogmatism on all levels; eschew Dear Leaders and their "infallibility"; Never assume that you have "arrived" at the answer; keep thinking, keep searching - as St. Paul said, "What we know about God," or any facet of the truth, "is always incomplete!" We have only begun, barely begun, our quest for ultimate reality, a process that shall be engaging and amazing us, even a million years from now... Even so, in 2002, five Ph.D. professors graciously said this about my writings... "superior thinking and philosophizing" "great grasp, great careful work" "excellent work... well expressed... thoughtful analysis" "organization and writing skills are strong" "well researched, well documented, and felicitously spoken" "very well done, thoughtful, and provocative... good job" "I judge that this deserves an A grade. It is superior work in many ways... It is not your ordinary commentary nor an unscholarly, undisciplined work sometimes seen in our Humanities' candidates but is built on long and careful work... This kind of work is so rare among Master's candidates who do not possess, or at least do not choose to do, such careful and concentrated study ... it is difficult to disagree with most of his presentations and claims because he presents them in such detail and with such reasoning based on learning and experience ... One of the highest compliments I think I can give is to ask you for a copy..." Without my prompting, in a letter of recommendation, this philosophy department chair suggested that I be given opportunity to teach writing and literature on the university level. ***************************
"Hello, Wayne... I have been reading from Word Gems a lot and enjoy all... E.M."
"Dear Wayne... your writings [Personal Statement #61: The Perfect Mate] are so very beautiful, I hardly know how to respond to you... [New York City, graduate of Vassar College] Editor's note: In my upcoming Personal Statement #53: The Artist As Guardian of the Heart of Humankind, I will discuss how women have reacted to my writings on romantic love.
"I love those Personal Statements!" Angie
"Hello Wayne... The information you wrote about as to the afterlife is very interesting to me. I have always been interested in that subject. When my husband passed over I experienced things in my life that could not be explained any other way... [he] appeared to me in a dream after he passed, and he looked as though he was in his early 30's. I can remember every detail of the dream. Thank you for the victorzammit.com address. It is VERY interesting, and I am amazed with what I am reading... I will continue reading and study the site. It is so amazing and interesting.V.E."
A reader's thoughts regarding the above paragraph and image: "Who knew a bull's-eye (a direct broadside hit) could be so gently and tenderly achieved. And Jesus said, he who has ears, let him hear... he who has eyes, let him see... You, my dear friend, are an amazing artist! The photo and the sentiment are, indeed, quite beautiful."
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