“Under the laws of England during the 1500s, shires (counties) and other political subdivisions were organized to carry out the will of the king. Each shire had a reeve, or chief law enforcement officer. In later years, the term “shire” was combined with the term “reeve” (shire-reeve) to create the word “sheriff,” a term that is now applied to the chief law enforcement officer of most U.S. counties.” -From, “The Juvenile Justice System” By: Merlo, Benekos & Champion
“Personality traits that we traditionally associate with stagnation, inefficiency, failure, and despondency are nothing more than brainblocks: The products of glitches and the consequences of inefficient use of our brains. Brainblocks are the habits of feeling, thinking, and doing created by our brains that block our pursuit of success. And only our brains, or how we use them, can undo them.
Brainblocks are the enemy of action. They turn motivation to inertia, productivity to busywork, and dreamers to languishers. They cause an array of problems, ranging from diminished productivity and strained relationships to serious clinical problems, like depression and anxiety. Slowly and systematically, they end up killing our dreams.” -From, “Brainblocks” By: Dr. Theo Tsaousides
“Justice requires not only the ceasing and desisting of injustice but also requires either punishment or reparation for injuries and damages inflicted for prior wrongdoing. The essence of injustice is the redistribution of gains earned through the perpetration of injustice. If restitution is not made and reparations not instituted to compensate for prior injustices, those injustices are in effect rewarded. And the benefits such rewards conferred on the perpetrators of injustice will continue to ‘draw interest,’ to be reinvested, and to be passed on to their children, who will use their inherited advantages to continue to exploit the children of the victims of the injustices of their ancestors. Consequently, injustice and inequality will be maintained across the generations as will their deleterious social, economic and political outcomes.” -Amos Wilson
HABIT:
“Our lives- all of our lives, all races, all classes- have a regular course to them. They are habit-shaped. There is habit in the way we see ourselves, the way we see and relate to each other, as genders, as classes, as races. Habit has to it a silence, a soothing transparency. In our cluttered lives, charged with the burdens of the clock and the cool embrace of electronic socialization, habit relieves us of the myriad social decisions we’ve neither the time nor the energy to make or remake. Why throw the rice at the bridal couple? Who knows anymore? But everyone throws it. Harmless, eh? Most customs are, and habits as well. Habit does not alleviate pain. It does, however, cause us often to forget its source.” -From, “The Debt” By: Randall Robinson
DISCIPLINE:
“Discipline was a big word that meant a lot in our house growing up. It doesn’t only mean punishing someone for a transgression; discipline can also mean taking control of yourself- your words and your actions. Through many an ebb and flow in our individual lives- and in our relationships with one another- it’s discipline that has guided me…
When I think about discipline, I think of hard work. And when I think about hard work, I also think about making sure I take time to play and enjoy life and have a good time. Otherwise, what am I working so hard to accomplish?” -“The Making of a Stand Up Guy” By: Charlie Murphy
