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You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear

You’ve got to be taught from year to year

It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear

You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid

Of people whose eyes are oddly made

And people whose skin is a different shade

You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late

Before you are six or seven or eight

To hate all the people your relatives hate

You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be carefully taught

This little ditty is located in the middle of Act II of South Pacific, caught between the lively “Happy Talk” and the reprises that wrap up the love stories, one in tragedy, one in happiness.

It is really quite a social statement for the period just after World War II when these types of sentiment were awakening in our society. Don’t forget that the military was still segregated – full integration did not occur until the Korean War.

But I would like to concentrate on the first stanza and the first line of the second stanza because even in this day of social awareness, children are taught to “hate and fear” and “to be afraid.” We may have changed the targets of the “hate and fear,” but we still teach it.

Society is very good at controlling the individual. And one of the tools used by society is “fear” to manifest control. We are taught to “fear” so many things in life and we then let the “fear” control our day to day activities.

We are taught to “fear” failure to the point where we do not take the risks necessary to learn the lessons necessary to be a success.

We are taught to “fear” rejection to the point where we are paralyzed at the thought of picking up the phone to talk with people who have asked for our assistance.

We are taught to “fear” being different to the point that we are trapped in the mediocrity of everyone else.

This reminds me of the story of the African tribe that had a canoe race every year. But all the warriors were afraid to win because the winner would be killed. This is how the elite get to be elite, they control the rest of us to the point that we are convinced we will be _______ (you fill in the blank because we all have different fears) if we should attempt to step ahead of the crowd.

The problem here is then no one takes charge and the group is left to flounder around headless until a strong leader emerges who is willing to overlook the “fear” to set things straight. Strong independence can be seen as a threat by the greater group. The group uses all of its forces to control the individuals but some choose to ignore the control and step out despite the “fear.”

This not meant to imply that “fear” doesn’t really exist. When the courageous are interviewed, they will never say they are without “fear,”it is more that “fear” has a different impact on them. They use “fear” to direct their efforts, not prevent effort. The same is true for successful entrepreneurs, they are able to overcome the risk involved in their venture to achieve the results they are seeking.

So how about you? Can you overlook the “fear” you were taught and move on to the path for success? Can you overcome the “fear” you were carefully taught and reach the goals you have set for yourself?

Jeff Furgeson,  Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story.  Whether you’re looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Jeff can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind.  visit : Entrepreneur

Article Source: http://www.abcarticledirectory.com

Weeks ago, President Bush almost didn’t sign the housing bill that would provide a remedy for the housing slump, because of a particular provision in the draft where about $4 billion in funds are slated to shoulder the costs for redeveloping and rehabilitating foreclosed properties in communities hit hard by the foreclosure wave. Fortunately, succeeding events led to the eventual signing of the housing bill in the latter part of July.

Because of this, communities will now be able to help themselves purchase and redevelop foreclosed properties. But even before the bill was signed into law, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) has already been helping communities through its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

The CDBG is designed to address communities’ needs by providing them necessary resources during crucial times. Part of its mission is to make sure that residents with low to moderate incomes have decent and affordable housing, jobs, and get services depending on their needs.

You must’ve heard of this program already because the CDBG has been in operation since 1974. In fact, it is one of the longest-running programs at the agency. Many communities have already benefited from this. And now, it’s adding another set of distressed communities in its list of beneficiaries.

If you are a resident of Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Texas, the HUD will be assisting your communities after the terrible ordeal that was the most recent storms and floods. More than $100 million will be allocated to community redevelopment and rehabilitation of damaged homes and infrastructures in the said states. Seeing that the first three mentioned states had the worst damage, HUD allocated one third of the $300 million emergency fund to jumpstart their recovery.

Iowa will be getting $85 million; Indiana with $10 million, and Wisconsin, $5 million.

Meanwhile, after being declared a disaster area, three counties in Texas will get federal assistance. Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties will be eligible for temporary housing grants, home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help families recover from the storms’ destructive effects. FHA-insured homes will be covered by a foreclosure time-out for 90 days.

HUD Secretary Steve Preston is making sure that all operations are expedited so that your communities get the necessary assistance as quickly as possible.

Housing Assistance Network < http://new.housingassistancenetwork.com > - is a site that aims to help those who are in the low to moderate income brackets find financial assistance for housing, help in acquiring a new home, or grant programs from both state and non-government institutions.

Article source: http://new.housingassistancenetwork.com/posts/view/hud-provides-community-housing-assistance-to-calamity-stricken-states

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