August 13, 2020 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Who knew that "raw food" could be so delicious take these ingredients for example: Spinach, apple and lemon shake!

So they can then say that vegetarian or raw food is boring, without flavor (maybe I said that?), or it is always the same. The possibility of recipes and combinations of ingredients is infinite, whether cooked or otherwise, so the flavors that you can discover is really exponential ... combine and enjoy.

This recipe that I am about to explain here is so simple to make and so fast that you will be almost certain to get hooked on it like we did. In addition to being very simple to make and very good (my fiancee for example does not like spinach but this smoothie works for him, magic!), is full of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) for your body and spirit. It is for example full of Vitamin C, fiber, and supposedly they all retain intact since you are eating them fresh as if you were to eat an apple or spinach in a salad.

The concept of raw food has been around for a while. I kept seeing it on the recipes I follow on pinterest. But was it worth it? I mean I have no intention to go on a raw food diet, though I have been told it can be cooked, at least to a maximum of 45° C to maintain its nutrients. So I guess the idea is that the base food should nourish us to the fullest, filling us with life, health, and natural energy. To be honest I don't buy into any of that, food is not simply food. A lot of healthy nourishing food can only be enjoyed when it is cooked. Or more nutrients are released when it is cooked. Broccoli, beans, etc.. I always say that we don't have to treat our bodies like rubbish, we can take some things to the extreme.

What I wanted to say with that is this is a wonderful recipe. One that will be a frequent guest in our kitchen, but it isn't enough to make us take up a raw food diet. Though it is enough to encourage us to try some of the different recipes you can find on the net.

This is an easy-to-make raw food recipe, a smoothie basically, but it is made of both vegetables and fruits that won't leave you unsatisfied. At least we were satisfied. Maybe you'll be surprised like we were! For those who hate spinach, it's a way to eat it that might just change your mind about that bitter leafy green.

Here goes, the recipe!

Difficulty: so easy that it's almost just a button press away

Preparation time: Less than 15 minutes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1. 250g fresh spinach
2. 2 apples (I use yellow ones)
3. 1 lemon

You'll need...

1. A blender

The recipe:

Easy, just:

1. Clean the apple and cut it into cubes.
2. Put the freshly washed spinach, apple and lemon juice in the blender.
3. Blend, and when you're happy with the consistency, you're ready to consume the smoothie... Delicious, healthy, natural and quick!

August 6, 2020 - Reading time: 9 minutes

Today there is increasing talk of the increase in divorces and separations, most of us know of a marriage that is close to ruin, or one that has ended in divorce but is only anecdotal as there are also millions of happy marriages that remain anonymous and it is time to make them fashionable, not for them, but because society needs it.

We should not be afraid of failure in our marriage if things are done well from the beginning, because contrary to popular belief the success of marriage does not depend on luck. I have several married friends who have already separated, their marriages did not even last three years, why? One of the main reasons is because they felt that there was no love in their relationship anymore.

But the silly notion should be rephrased, because they didn't not love their partner anymore. You see for there to be love, you have to love. It sounds like a very simple reasoning, but it's not that complicated. We can look at this deeper. It tells us that love is a noun and therefore reflects states, love is a verb and therefore reflects action. Love is static, it doesn't move, it doesn't change, it doesn't grow, it doesn't recover, if it's not loved. Love needs the action of love to create a reaction. That's why love just as it comes is gone and is that to stay you need the verb to love. What is the solution when there is no love anymore? Love, love more. There is a well-known proverb that goes something like: You have to sow love, where there is no love, to reap love.

Perhaps this is one of the keys to the difference between infatuation and love. Infatuation comes and goes, love is wanted, you seek it, and you work toward building it into something great.

Marriage is work, but it a work of love.

What does it cost something? Because if you don't nurture and tend to it, invest in its wellbeing it doesn't feel the same anymore. It isn't a lack of love. It is a lack of effort. Of course it costs. There's no free beer in life (as my father used to remind his friends). But everything that is worth it, also cost something; either tangible or intangible, the price is present at all times.

Besides, that what does it mean to "feel?"

Definitely the solidity of a marriage cannot be supported by the thought that today I feel like I love you, tomorrow I may feel nothing for you. That isn't what most would define as love. But talking with some of my friends it is as simple as that, taken from this idea I get the feeling that it is increasingly widespread. That when these feelings disappear coexistence is made into any uphill battle, many people start looking outside for what they do not find inside. Instead of focusing their attention and effort on regaining or rebuilding that love they once shared, they get carried away with what they feel is the easiest option: feeling like victims and seeking comfort elsewhere. Something like this is so fundamental, yet drastically affects such intimate aspects of people lives, for this love cannot be based exclusively on something as fragile and brittle as the feelings one feels at this moment. Feelings, by their very nature are oscillating and subject to ups and downs that, in most cases, do not depend on a persons will. They depend on many factors, factors that are internal and external to oneself, some of them are under our control - whether we control them is another thing entirely. Other factors are out of our control, these include such things as climate, tiredness, hormonal disarray and stress make our feelings and moods vary. Marriage must be entrenched and built on something more solid like will and intelligence than one the fluctuation of a whim.

On the other hand, thought must always carry a sentimental component and not only be based on reason. That is, it must be guided by the heart and head, which makes an intelligent love. The true seat of intelligence is not only reason but also the heart.

An intelligent heart and a sensitive reason form an unstoppable duo.

There are aspects of life that are so natural that little to no attention is paid to them. It seems that their development and growth is purely automatic. So it happens too often with marriage that the thought that love is also automatic. What could be more natural? Husbands and wives love each other, right? Why would they get married if they didn't? However the greatest danger of letting this happen naturally is that, being considered natural, it is understood that there is no need to worry about or work for it. This couldn't be further from the truth, the love is there sure, but it still needs to be nurtured. That is precisely why I think that we should devote time to the relationship and build love between the partners. Never, even on the best days should we take anything for granted. From the first moment you feel the butterflies in your stomach you have to take care of that love so that it grows and grows stronger. I know people who tend to think that strong love is one that happens on its own, it sort of awakens this explosive passion and brings with it strong feelings and this in itself is a great danger to true love. The strongest love is the one that means loving the other every day, not making it dependent on strong emotions. You need to learn to love and love precisely when love doesn't seem strong because emotions are lacking. To do this, it is necessary to know what are some of the causes that are the generators of the inevitable crises that occur in all marriages.

The question is not: How much can I benefit, but how much can I give in marriage? Other causes are the bad character traits we each have in one form or another, the routine, the attention to the media that transmits negative values, or pride and selfishness, which are the origin of almost all defects, just as humility and simplicity, are the foundation of almost all qualities.

There is a belief as false as it is diffuse, it holds that when love exists, there should be no difficulties or obstacles. In this way, when conflicts come up, it is interpreted that love is losing strength and quality.

One of the best articles on marriage I have read defined the keys of success in marriage based on a survey of one hundred couples (sorry I can't find a link to it right now) from different countries, with a minimum of ten years of marital life. The participants where asked it they considered their union to be happy, even if some conflicts existed which they considered normal were not lacking in their lives. The couples who responded the happiest shared their success factors:

• Avoid words, actions or gestures that are offenses by all means.
• Learn to shut up and avoiding useless arguments.
• Accept the other as is and love them with their flaws.
• Talk after a dispute, do not let them turn to wounds.
• Whoever gives up the effort to make the marriage work has signed the death sentence of their marriage. It's about fighting, not always winning.
• Always influence the affection, a kiss can be given in a thousand ways, a held hand, or holding open the door, there are a thousand ways to show you care.
• Marry for life: be clear that marriage is forever.
• Use all of your resources to keep the relationship in good condition and prevent potential conflicts: speak up on time, acknowledge mistakes, know how to apologize and know how to give in.
• Living together as people who love each other: Sincerity, trust (avoid having secrets with each other), understanding, respect, good manners, delicacy in treatment, being quiet, knowing how to listen, not always having the last word.
• Take care of the small details every day that make life more pleasant for each other.
• Do not keep a record of the spouse's transgressions, nor throw things in their face. Try to live in the present and look forward to the future.

The secret of marital happiness lies in everyday life, not in dreams. Happier couples don't always have the best of everything, they just know how to get the best out of what they have.

Basically the human virtues that most of us strive for everyday are the secret that lead to maturity and happiness. The acquisition of virtues in marriage leads to finding one's own happiness seeking the happiness of the other. Happiness is not achieved by striving to be happy, but by seeking to make others happy. Happiness is the result of a life of dedication to others; that's why you can be happy even if you suffer. Spending part of the day thinking about small things that can improve the relationship with the spouse means "shielding" the marriage. It is not only enough to be a husband or a wife, but to be a content spouse, that is, to behave as such.

Problems are calmed not by a shout, but with a caress.

July 10, 2020 - Reading time: 5 minutes

Being Thankful for What We Have

Good humor isn't limited to our species but it is one of the tools that has allowed us to grow and develop even when faced with insurmountable odds.

A Short Essay About Good Humor

Before I began to write about good humor (making the best out of your situation), I had been doing a lot of thinking. The topic has been in the forefront of my mind ever since the first scare (COVID-19) and how it pertained to our lives. For one thing, what does it mean now in a time of nearly endless possibilities; among other things how it can improve a situation that otherwise seems hopeless.

And that's precisely why I'm interested in writing about good humor today.

Because it's a tool that helps us have a put things in perspective, to distract the legitimate concerns that we all have at some point with a sense of pleasure.

Are we born with good humor? We are born with neither good or bad, but one is an innate part of our human experience. We strive for it while the latter is a trap that we can fall in if we are unable to look at the situation from different perspectives. This is derived from my personal experience, it tells me otherwise, and that is that one can modify their character not only to have good humor but to give it to others. Good humor is a gift that is freely shared among people in a similar situation.

Nicolas Zerbino, one of the survivors of the Andes flight disaster in the Andean mountain range, in which 16 of 45 people were saved after 72 days stranded in the mountains, said that after the accident, there were times when the most important thing was the sense of humor. No matter the situation it is a much-needed way to release stresses and pent up energy.

While they were stranded on the mountain range they were confronted with the realization that they had lost friends and family. But humor still survived, and it was a means to strengthen them and their resolved. Even when death constantly haunts you, laughing may seem like a frivolity. However, it can be just the opposite, it can be the summit of the human genius that in a humble and courageous interval fills you with life when placed in front of the double mirror of his smallness and dignity. Humor acquires new perspective and finds an escape from where to release contained thoughts and feelings. Nicolas Zerbino noted that the "more pronounced the slope, the sharper and longer the crisis, the more grim and longer the tunnel divides, make good supply of the magic of humor, and laugh at others, with others and above all of yourselves."

Victor Frankl's case, for example, was similar in that he found himself in a situation where the chance of survival was almost null. Victor Frankl was one of the few Holocaust survivors, he had been placed in the worst concentration camps: Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Kaufering and Türkheim, he lived through the worst cruelty a human being can imagine and yet he survived.

His chance of survival was slim when he arrived but yet they grew smaller everyday. Even after many of his teammates had fatally "injured" or gave up fighting he remained focused. He endured, persevered with will and intelligence, and won the match of his life. Some outstanding feats were achieved with these tools: including singing to improve his humor.Years later they became crystal clear memories of that match. "Humor is another weapon with which the soul fights for its survival" What's the fight about? What's the prize? "Survive....or die", he once said in a Hamletian way. Who's leading the contest? Neither the kidneys or the muscles, nor the head, it is the soul that stands in the heart of the front ready to fight. The soul has many attributes that allow us to overcome life's diverse obstacles. Given what's at stake when faced with those obstacles it takes all t of our cunning, focus, strategy, prudence, courage, and humor, a lot of humor. Humor is not an accidental complement to the human experience, it is essential for it. Humor can provide the necessary estrangement to overcome any situation, even if it is only for a few seconds. Those seconds are often the time needed to refocus and rise above the hurdle.

Like many of us, COVID was a moment for me to step back. I had to over come the initial fears, it was a chance to realize that it's not worth getting depressed over, laugh and enjoy life. Because this is too serious to take seriously, hence humor is a must-have crutch. While it's true we all have problems in our lives, it comes down to how we deal with them.

I would prefer to do so with a smile on my lips.

July 3, 2020 - Reading time: 3 minutes

One of the most rewarding activities is having a good time with friends. Now with one restriction after another appearing through the coronavirus pandemic, this once simple task has become a challenge. And in times like these the the benefits are in drastic need. Spending time with friends serves not only to relax and help us, but rather to support and help them. This is the reason I have network of contacts.

It's important to grow your networking whenever you can and with network I mean actual physical people, not social media friends! These are all types of people, you need to think about the relationships you want to have tomorrow and start building them today. This goes for the business side of things of course, people prefer to do business with their friends. According to my high school career counseling, nine out of ten jobs are achieved by such contacts. And I can attest to this, my fiancée got his job out of college through the father of his best friend.

Here are some tips how to take advantage of our personal relationships:

Make a list of the 250 people most important to you: business leaders, community leaders, friends, and family. This can be anybody really. The list should contain anyone we can offer something to or who can help us or who we can help. Start cultivating these relationships. I am not just talking about calling people by phone. Create long-term relationships that are lasting. It is important to remember the birthday or hobbies of our friends and contacts. Remembering somebody on their birthday is a nice gesture and it is easy to reach out to them.

Identify your attributes and improve them. Determine what you can offer others instead of only seeking people out for what they can offer you. The more we can offer the more interested people will be in helping us.

Analyze events well that pertain to your social circle. This is important because in order for us to be accepted by our contacts, we must be aware of news, events, and among other things changes in the way things are done. In addition to providing you with information, this will give you material to start conversations in any situation.

Always treat everyone at the same level.

Nothing scares people away more than a negative person. Always be optimistic, think positive and show it in your conversations. Listen, however, and let others speak. Don't talk without knowing what is being discussed.

Create a good impression from the start. It is helpful to move to the introduction stage quickly. Talk about hobbies, children, health, or other topics that will put people at ease.

The people that have complained the most about the lockdowns that are going on were the people without many contacts to start with. Don't let yourself get shut in.

June 22, 2020 - Reading time: 5 minutes

For many of us the coronavirus has meant less money, either through fewer hours or layoffs. This lack of social and economical means has caused estrangement in our society. Regardless of the necessity to further infection control actions aimed at delaying the spread of the disease by minimizing close contact between people. Methods like quarantines, travel restrictions, and closure of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theaters, or shopping malls are important. People can also apply methods of social distancing by limiting travel, avoiding crowded areas and physically moving away from sick people. Many areas now demand or recommend social distancing in the regions affected by the outbreak. Yet, this has meant a major cut in our daily lives, socially as well as economically. Which brought me to think about the different aspects of work.

Why do we work?

What is our motivation to work? Are we motivated by money, for a need for attention and praise, or for something that matters more? What drives us to work and get it right?

There is no doubt that economic remuneration and the desire for promotion are two of the most important motivating factors, but will they be the only ones? Will they be the most important? I don't think so, there are more and more indications that we feel driven by others, such as obtaining a better "mental salary" (salary related to quality of life) or even more importantly, by something more internal, by our desire to do things right, either by spiritual motivation or to overcome the personal limitations that we all feel sometimes.

Understanding what drives us to work can help us focus, it allows us to see what's really worthwhile, get past stages where you feel everything goes wrong, or that you're bored of work, or that your relationship with other employers is bad, because you know that what you're doing has a value that goes beyond your paycheck, or of getting along with your boss. All of these represent challenges and they are simply a personal challenge that has a motivation of its own. By having that personal motivation, it immediately makes you work better, harder, more dedicated and that often makes the difference between a good employee and an excellent one.

A great example was Konosuke Matsushita, a Japanese industrialist who founded Panasonic, the largest Japanese consumer electronics company. Here is an excerpt from the book entitled "Matsushita Leadership" by Dr. John P. Kotter, The excerpt gives us good insight into the character of Konosuke Matsushita.

A frail, sickly bicycle apprentice who survived unspeakable childhood tragedy, Konosuke Matsushita lacked formal education, wealth, charisma, connections and even a special talent. Yet, early hardships produced hidden strengths which opened Konosuke Matsushita's mind to the collective wisdom of others. The author reveals how a lifelong thirst for learning fueled the passion that led this humble, shy 5-foot-5-inch humanitarian idealist to pioneer management practices and advance his philosophy that the mission of a manufacturer is to relieve poverty and create wealth, not only for shareholders, but for society.

His brother-in-law, Toshio Lue, said of him: "I don't think Matsushita was a brilliant person or a man of great talent. However, his zeal and dedication to the work were exceptionally elevated." Surely many "gurus" would have said that Matsushita triumphed by having an outstanding IQ, and a spectacular vision, but his brother-in-law, who knew him well, chose something as far from it as commitment and dedication to doing things well.

The trick is not to look at the events that happen to us impatiently, stop measuring projects or jobs in terms of weeks or even days. Life must be given a chance, with short-term visions where we can focus and do our best regardless of the monetary reward for completion. With no work to do, the ethics associated with it do not generate distinctive value. The negative ethics of work and power structures that do not value the work done or attribute it improperly (in ethical terms) have dissolved the ethics present in society and emphasize individualism. Moreover, urbanization and large-scale businesses lead to the elimination of vital learning from work-related concepts.

These are all values my parents hold. Today however, the millennial generation is not identified with work but by their consumerist patterns (use of technology, fashion, popular culture) and not by the traditional concept of work ethic, but by tolerant (liberal) beliefs. This clash has been made more noticeable through the current crisis. In the 1940s work ethic was considered very important, and dissidents (nonconformists) were treated autocratically. The suppression of mood in the workplace was characteristic. A Ford Company worker, John Gallo, was fired for being preoccupied in the act of smiling.

As with all things, however, there is a happy balance, a balance which I hope we'll find before the end of the crisis.

May 26, 2020 - Reading time: 7 minutes

Is it just me, or is that meme, but do you think that memes have made a noticeable shift, one that has move toward a sexist narrative? For those who are unfamiliar with the expression, Wikipedia frames the meme like this:

A meme is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme.

Memes have always been to some extent borderline bad taste, one could argue that they are

One that has been highly circulated of late is the Karen meme. And it is because of this meme that I choose to write this here today. If you aren't familiar with the meme then let me get you up to speed:

"You know Karen right?" "Everyone knows a Karen!" "Karen's a bitch!" In fact the name Karen has become synonymous with a derogative toward women. Hadley Freeman wrote on the Guardian on Mon 13 Apr 2020 that the Karen meme has become mired in sexism.

Where did the Karen meme originate from (quoted from the aforementioned article):

Karen” is commonly used in the US to refer to a strident middle-class white woman who talks down to people of colour, usually in serving-staff positions. But the term was never just about racial oppression. As Vox wrote in its extremely extensive history of the trope, the comedian Dane Cook was using it in his act in 2005: “Every [friendship] group has a Karen, and she’s always a bag of douche.” The term went more mainstream a few years ago when someone on Reddit wrote so much bile about his ex-wife that his posts got their own subreddit called “r/FuckYouKaren”. One of the most popular ever tweets using the Karen meme was posted a month ago, just before the lockdown: “I’m scared for people who actually need to go to the store & feed their fams but Susan and Karen stocked up for 30 years.” This was liked 1.2m times, because only women shop, apparently (and shop selfishly).

It isn't just the Karen though, the medium has allowed a highly sexist discourse to develop and become mainstream.

If there's one thing to note about the society we live in, it's gender roles, stereotypes, and discrimination in the age of communication is alive and well. The Internet has made the exchange of data effortless and with that ease it has accentuated certain mindsets, over the years the so-called memes have spread over the web and social networks like a virus. The main memes circulating on the net have a humorous tone and have a general tone, however, they are not limited to that and often can carry a totally different and stereotypical message, especially when it comes to memes about women.

If we look at some of the memes that are shared the most on social media, we see that the current trend is clear: women. They are the ones that appear as the protagonists of discriminatory memes propelled to the central element on which the taunts fall. The typical selfish girlfriend, the hateful mother-in-law or the unbearable wife are some of the most common ones you will see, in addition to the gender stereotypes that are also transmitted over the net. These biases which we have had ingrained in our minds from birth are currently being encouraged and further shaped as memes. The most common memes or trends that are usually covered in them promote the values of a patriarchal societies and through them discrimination against women.

One of the most common topics and forms of sexism is the vision of women as a mere housewife, we live in a society in which still believes at some level that women can/should do nothing but household chores such as washing and ironing clothes or cooking, among others. This belief is coupled with believing that women were born to serve their men, bare children, and raise a family, for it is believed that the perfect woman is that devoted wife and perfect housewife.

The memes we see, show how women are presented as someone who needs a man to live, because if they aren't they'll end up as someone with too many cats. But the main idea is that women are harpies capable of leaving men without money, because it is all they care about. Choose a negative trait for a person and there isn't a question that you won't be able to find a meme for it.

It would be easy to put a thousands of examples of sexist memes together that have gone viral. We could continue to exemplify topics and forms of sexism promoted through these memes such as the belief that women are: weak, promiscuous, frigid, or the belief that women are less intelligent than men, thus, a long etcetera. But the important thing is to highlight the messages in these memes.

Although they may seem funny, thus less harmful, because of their humorous tone, we must not forget that there is sexism in the small things such as a mockery. It does not matter if it is an insult or a meme, because they are messages that, despite so much progress, have yet to leave our cultural consciousness. Instead they have been passed on from one generation to the next, they have been there since our childhood, now they are multiplying quickly and are becoming embeded in our society and once again being accepted as a cultural norm, because in the end, if we end up accepting that they are natural we will accept that our place is reserved for the kitchen. That we have been chosen exclusively for the tasks of the domestic service; that the woman is a piece of meat at the disposal of man; that women are hysterical or that women are "sluts or shrews." Thus, memes shouldn't be so easily dismissed when they come to us, we shouldn't accept them without thinking, nor should we simply ignore them. Because the harm is there and memes carry real consequences, those messages transmit ideas and strengthen agendas and ideologies, and since digital media is easy, instant, and free the cost of creation is small. There are alternatives, they can be used to to promote effective equality between men and women while placing the scenarios that are promoting the stereotypes and roles that are imposed on us from our birth in the spotlight. The medium is the same, the message can be much different.

Now are you ready for a change of pace? Then try these, 50 feminist memes!