Divine Definitions: (1) Showing loving interest and amiable goodwill; congenial; (2) Always ready to comfort, help, and be supportive; loyal; (3) The Person who knows you completely and is intensely fond of you; amicable; (4) The Person who is considerate of your every want and need; (5) Willing and able to take you into His heart; endearing; inviting; hospitable

Comments:
• God is the friend of each and every individual. Friends do not like to see friends hurting themselves or other friends, therefore God is the ultimate promoter of peace. If there is a conflict, He will let each individual know what is the best right action.
• God is not only a judge. He is also a companion. If you do not recognize Him, look at your human and animal friends. All good-natured compatibility is shared and enjoyed by the creator of relationships.
• We normally take God very seriously. That does not change the fact that He has the best sense of humor in the universe. He knows all the incongruous situations we put ourselves into. His empathy for our difficulties is not diminished. We will be able to best surpass ourselves when we get to the point where we do not take ourselves so seriously.
     The cynic says the universe is just a big joke. But God does not laugh at us; He laughs with us. He is the embodiment of compassion. It is we who make mistakes and treat each other foolishly. Humor is the general anesthesia for being born human. Humor clarifies the facts and purifies the truth.

FRIENDSHIP
Human Definitions: (1) showing kindly interest and good will; amicable; (2) comforting or supportive of others needs and wants; helpful; (3) attached to another by affection or esteem; a favored companion; (4) disposed to peace; ; amity; (5) cheerful; (6) entente <friendly understanding between factions>

Synonyms: a buddy, conciliatory, hospitable, playmate, propitious, sympathetic

Complementary Qualities: communication, forgiveness, respect, sharing, silliness, tolerance

Consequential Quality: love

Proverbs:
• A man who would have friends must show himself friendly. — Jewish
• True friendship is like sound health, the value of which is seldom known until it is lost. — Chinese

Quotes:
• No man is a failure who has friends. — No man is a failure who has friends. — Philip Van Doren Stern (1900–1984) American writer, editor, & historian, His story “The Greatest Gift”{1943} inspired the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life {1946}
• To find a friend one must close one eye – to keep a friend, two. — George Norman Douglas (1868-1952) British writer
• Become interested in your fellows; learn how to love them and watch for the opportunity to do something for them which you are sure they want done. — Jesus of Nazareth (7 BC-30 AD) The Urantia Book (130:7.2) {1955}
• So long as we love, we serve. So long as we are loved by others, I would almost say, we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend. — Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist

Comment: True friendship is a gift of sublime self-forgetfulness. Being overly focused on oneself will drain your energy. But if you focus on your task or your loved one, you will have more energy and motivation to persist.

Symbols: 1) shaking hands; 2) petunia flowers; 3) crossed arrows (Native American)

Legendary Figures: 1) Damon and Pythias. Pythias was condemned to death but was allowed to return home to finalize his affairs. Damon took his place on the chopping block, but Pythias returned in the nick of time to save him from execution. In reward for this show of friendship, they were both set free. 2) Nisus and Euryalus. Nisus died valiantly attempting to save his best friend Euryalus. — Virgil (70 BC-19 AD) The Aeneid {19 AD}

Divine Definitions: (1) The non-personal side of Deity; (2) The unlimited, primal, original, and precursor aspects of Divinity from which power, energy, and matter emerge; (3) Holding and controlling all power, energy, and strength in check.

Quotes:
• May The Force be with you. — George Lucas (1944-) Star Wars {1977}
• The absolute truth abides forever, whether enlightenment appears in the world or not. — Buddhism, Lankavatara Sutra 61 {3rd Century}

Observation: All the stars and the tiniest atom all obey the Force.

Comment: God’s force and power are always in control, always acting with the best interest of all involved. They are governed by goodness and distributed with fairness. He has no reason or will to force or coerce anyone to do anything.

FORCEFUL
Human Definitions: (1) acting with power or full of energy; vigorous; (2) effective; cogent; telling

Balancing Qualities: This quality is best in combination. It needs always to be balanced with a range of other qualities depending on the circumstances. As a parental disciplinarian you need to be forceful yet tender. A person in a potentially threatening situation needs to be forceful and prudent. In a rough and tumble game the combination would be forceful and playful.

Too Far: bully, insensitive

Quote: Persuasiveness is really just about getting your ideas across without being forceful. It’s a skill that can be learned and is useful for anyone who works in a team environment. — Amanda de Cadenet (1972-) British photographer & author

Divine Definitions: (1) The head of the universe; paternal; (2) Devoted to the care and rearing of the cosmic family; (3) The first Person of The Trinity; (4) The originator and initiator of all things and beings; The Father-Absolute
     Note: Here Father denotes the loving nature of The Original Person.
          See Also: Mother

Quotes:
• Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. — The Bible, Matthew 5:48
• In gaining an entrance into the kingdom of heaven, it is the motive that counts. My Father looks into the hearts of men and judges by their inner longings and sincere intentions. (140:3.19) — Jesus of Nazareth (7 BC-30 AD) The Urantia Book {1955}

PARENTAL
Human Definition: (1) fatherly or motherly integral characteristics; tender; affectionate; (2) the source from which something is derived

Quote: Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. — James Arthur Baldwin (1924-1987) American writer

Reflection: Number five of the ten commandments, “Honor your father and mother.”

Observation: One can be the parent of an idea and nurture an ideal.

Tips:
• It is important to know how to let your child learn. Give them the tools, instruction, encouragement, and then the freedom. We all learn differently.
• Notice what talents your child has naturally. Expose them to lots of options. Give your child the benefit of your observations about their talents and interests.

Advice: Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do. ― Benjamin McLane Spock (1903-1998) American pediatrician

PATERNAL
Human Definition: fatherly; characteristic of a father or fatherhood <as loyal, supportive, protective, loving, giving, and generous>
     See also: Maternal

Quotes:
• The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. — Theodore Martin Hesburgh (1917-2015) American priest
• A good father is one whose only reason for putting down a laughing baby is to pick up a crying one. — Linda Poindexter (? 1950’s-) American minister

Observation: Father’s Day dates back to 1508 in Europe.

Symbols: 1) the sun; 2) the umbrella

Divine Definition: The Father, The Mother, Sons and Daughters; the unit of mutual and intimate support; storge <natural (or acquired) familial love>

Comment: God was replete before creating anything or anyone. It was His loving nature motivating Him to begin the universal family. It is love that brings His family together. The best parental qualities are His.

FAMILIAL
Human Definition: pertaining to or characteristic of family bonds; a unit of mutual and intimate support

Quotes:
• So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty. — Haniel Long (1888-1956) American poet
• The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself. — Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) English writer & philosopher

Consideration: The family is the basic unit of society, then comes the clan, race, state, nation, world, and universe. Once we all recognize that we are all kin, we will have a chance for world peace.

Suggestion: Leave a place in the family for God.

Symbols: 1) the chain; 2) the ruby slippers (silver in the original written version) [Dorothy of Kansas wore them in The Wizard of Oz {1939} when she declared, “There’s no place like home.”]

Definitions: (1) all sides treating each other truthfully and impartially; just; equitable; objective; evenhanded; (2) pleasant and courteous; civil; fair-minded; (3) free from anything which might impair the appearance, quality, or character; clean; pure; (4) agreeable to the eye or mind <especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless traits>; lovely; beautiful; attractive; (5) open; honest; (6) the perfect melding of justice and mercy

Synonyms: candid, clear, equanimous, frank, honest, open, reasonable, sympathetic, unprejudiced

Idiom: Let’s be fair and square.

Quotes:
• We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy. — Susan Margaret Collins (1952-) American Senator
• I don’t think fairness means that you give equal time to every point of view no matter how marginal. You weigh the sides, you do some truth-testing, you apply judgment to them. — Bill Keller (1949-) American journalist

Comment: Every circumstance cannot be fair, but if all parties enter a situation with an attitude of fairness, they will have a better chance of ending up with a satisfactory outcome for all. Take into consideration not only a concern for your interests, but also a healthy concern for the other person’s interests.

Observation: Many of the higher, or more complex, qualities need a solid foundation. The groundwork for fairness begins with a raw reading of the law (natural or legal), then a balanced reading of justice, then comes the question of fairness, after that patience, and then kindness. Only then can one take the next step and show loving mercy.

Definitions: (1) enlarging in range or scope; unfolding; becoming more comprehensive; opening; developing in detail; (2) spreading positive ideas or ideals; (3) possessing a large measure of benevolence; broad-minded, generous, open-hearted, and sympathetic

Synonyms: amplifying, extending, swelling

Quote: The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. — Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841-1935) American poet

Comment: When you make someone your enemy, you shrink your consciousness; you shrink your options; you limit your possible points of view. The narrower your world view(s), the smaller your world.

Visualization: There was a TV show called “Bonanza.” It opened with a map being consumed by fire expanding from the center outward. Think of it as a positive metaphor: an increase of consciousness, an unfolding of personality, a growing of the soul?
     Life gets consumed as experience is expanded, only to nurture new growth.

Divine Definitions: (1) Setting the cosmos in motion; actualizing reality; activating the plan of creation; (2) Fully committed to the dynamic service of the universe; (3) Affectionately connecting with each person; (4) Exerting executive control of the energetic forces proposed by Original Thought; (5) Operating within everything and everyone; absolute immanence

Comments:
• Only after God had thought about what would be the options (having taken a look at all possible beginnings, all branching possibilities, and every possible outcome), using His infinite omniscience and perfect wisdom, did God finalize a plan of action. Then did the decree go forth as to what should take place and who should be involved.
• The divine plan asks those who have made some progress toward The Center to be willing to help those who are still struggling to become more complete. We are asked to be engaged as He is engaged.

ENGAGING
Human Definitions: (1) drawing positive attention or affection by being attractive, winning, or pleasant; (2) fully committed and affectionately connecting to the service of others

Compatible Quality: charming

Quotes:
• Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom. — Bodhidharma (5th or 6th century AD) Chinese Buddhist monk
• We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in the work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile. — Earl Nightingale (1921-1989) American motivational speaker

Divine Definitions: (1) God is the ultimate and inevitable goal of all creation; the final accomplishment; (2) The promise of prevailing in one’s search for God; the definitive attainment; (3) The end result of giving in to God’s irresistible influence; triumphant and victorious; (4) Our refuge and our strength

Comment: If we had no free will, our future would be predetermined. But since He, in His infinite wisdom, did give us the gift of free will, we can choose our destination and how to get there. If we choose to align our will with the will of The Father, He has assured us we will fulfill our heart’s desire. God gives us whatever help we need but we choose our own fate.

DESTINED
Human Definitions: (1) developing according to a plan <destined to become>; (2) certain to meet <a particular fate>; (3) focused on a goal

Derivation: Latin, “to stand”

Quotes:
• It can only be true love when you enable your other half to be better, to be the person they’re destined to be. — Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng (1962-) Malaysian actress
• Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place – that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance to realize the great life. — Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (1931–2015) Indian aerospace scientist and statesman; 11^th President of India

Reflection: If your goal is pure and heavenly enough it will be preordained.

PURPOSEFUL
Human Definitions: (1) having a meaningful goal or an important aim; (2) determined; resolute

Quotes:
• Life itself must be founded upon the infinite possibility for choice and accident; and if we cannot prove that it is, we must believe that it is. We must believe that we can change; that we can control; that we can direct our own destinies. — Anne Rice (1941-) The Witching Hour
• Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) Letter from Birmingham City Jail
• I know that most … can seldom discern even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as obliges them to admit the falsity of the conclusions they have formed … of which they are proud, which they have taught to others, and on which they have built their lives. — Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian Writer
     Note: In your struggle to help others “see the light,” it is important to understand the hold the past has on all of us; what we have experienced and fought for is often fused with destiny. Be sensitive to the truth contained in different beliefs.

Comment: Don’t miss out on your life. Destiny is always greater than you are at the present time. If you live up to it in your own mind, you will feel complete and satisfied, but only temporarily. There is always more.

Observation: No matter how good a person’s intentions are, things can go wrong. No matter how bad a person’s intentions are, things can go right. But if your intentions are pure, the outcome will more often than not be better than if your intentions are poor.

Advice:
• Whatever you do, do it on purpose.
• Don’t hurt anybody or anything on purpose.

Definitions: (1) arriving at a solution after purposeful consideration thus ending uncertainty or dispute; (2) making a choice or finalizing a judgment; (3) showing determination for a dedicated purpose; firmness; resolute

Synonyms: conclusive, incontestable, positive, unmistakable, unquestionable

Balancing Qualities: Open-minded, Vision

Parental Qualities: faith, wisdom

Consequential Qualities: calm, peaceful

Too Far: demanding, narrow-minded

Quote:
The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity. — Rollo May (1909-1994) Man’s Search for Himself {1953}
     Note: You must be in charge of your decisions. There are elements of weakness and cowardice in conformity. Those who possess power tend to praise qualities which trigger an obedient response.

Reflection: One of the most difficult times we have is just before a decision is made. This is particularly true on important decisions: a career choice, a relationship choice, a life choice. The mind brings up lots of possibilities and what-ifs. Some of these options have fear-triggering repercussions. But once the decision is made, and you proceed with a course of action, most of that fear dissipates. There are new decisions to make. Doubts will always come up, but if your self-reliance and self-esteem are strong, then some doubt is healthy.
     Decisiveness is connected with faith. Decision creates motion. You are acting, which will lead to your goal, and to becoming someone different. Have the faith to go ahead and take that first step based on your powers of judgment and experience. As you begin it, and move through it, you’ll find out what the next steps need to be to adjust to the “proper course.” If you made the wrong decision, you will find that out soon enough and you will adjust your navigation with new decisions.

Consideration: Consider the day-to-day decisions, the easy decisions, the habitual decisions, made again and again. They are like the sand and cement in a dam. They are the foundation of big decisions, and what holds life in place.

Comment:
The military uses threat-based planning. It can be used in ordinary life as well. First identify the specific threat(s). Once you’ve established what the threat is then it is a matter of establishing a defense/offense to deal with it.
     It might be you feel your job is at risk. Your defense might be to do a better job or build a better rapport with your boss and your coworkers while still maintaining your integrity. Do what you can to be efficient and proficient in the situation.
     Your offense might be to take a look at your dreams if you did lose your job – a plan B. There are others interested in your talents. Be prepared.

Tip: Decisiveness implies follow-through with a vision and clarity of what needs to be accomplished.

Advice: People often look for a general rule that will fit every situation. Use the higher qualities to govern all you do. Start by letting love permeate everything you do. Let personal goodness, idealized truth, and the symmetry and joy of beauty be the overriding characteristics of your choices.
     When it gets down to a specific situation, let the situation dictate the specific qualities. If you are driving a car, then attentiveness is obviously important. Yet you can still use the higher quality of courtesy as well. Although paying attention will get you from point A to point B, you can always filter the specific qualities through the higher qualities.
     If you’re doing something highly technical the qualities of skillful and meticulous are the most appropriate to the task at hand. But most likely you can find an altruistic reason in addition to the practical one.

Kinds of Decisions
• Choice with preference: I know what I want.
• The “You decide” decision 1: I love you and want to please you.
• The “You decide” decision 2: I’m too lazy or uncertain to decide.
• The agonizing decision: It is “too” important.
• The automatic decision: the same decision I’ve always made.
• The lesser-of-two-evils decision.
• The forced-into-it-by-outside-influences decision.
• The forced-into-it-by-inside-influences decision.
• The I-don’t-care-just-pick-one decision.
• The “It doesn’t matter to me” decision.
     Note: This last type of decision is often considered hard but in fact is not. If it really does not matter, save yourself the trouble and just pick one. If, on the other hand, you are leaning one way or the other, use the quality of intuition to make your choice.

Divine Definitions: (1) The Person who brings everything into being; the originator (and maintainer); the ordainer of what is caused to exist; (2) Characterized by originality and execution of first thoughts; (3) Productive; inventive; omniferous; (4) The generator of reality: physical, mental, spiritual, and personal; (5) Establishing and mandating the primal patterns, forms, and designs; the lawmaker; (6) Self-moved by the motivation of love

Quote: In loving his own productive, generative, generous love, God loves all those ways in which that love can be realized in creation. — Rowan Douglas Williams (1950-) 104th Archbishop of Canterbury

Comments:
• To appreciate and stand in awe of the creation is to give credit to The Creator for manifesting such prolific and imaginative innovations.
• God has also blessed us with a bit of the creative impulse. When we are being creative, we are sharing with Him a fundamental quality of His nature. This gift is one reason why He does not give us all of the answers. It is part of The Plan that we discover, and even create, reality for ourselves.

CREATIVE
Human Definitions: (1) to bring into being; to originate; to cause to exist; (2) characterized by originality and execution of thought; (3) forming something new; inventive

Synonyms: generative, productive, resourceful

Balancing Qualities: Ability, Harmony, Practicality, Responsibility, Talented

Compatible Qualities: adaptability, devoted, dreaming, flexible, humorous, playful, whimsical

Familial and Consequential Qualities: Three qualities work well with creativity: curiosity, courage, and confidence.
     In order to be courageous, in the inventive sense, one needs a measure of curiosity. Curiosity creates the positive impetus to venture into an unknown situation. Your fear says there may also be difficulty in that place, but your inquisitiveness, your sense of wonder, can be your guiding light. How will this new experience relate to something I really want? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? This is how curiosity leads to courage. Once you experience some courage, you become confident. Confidence allows you to commit to a course of action that surely will foster difficulty but also will lead to the accomplishment of your goal and many experiences of joy and growth. You are then literally becoming a new person.

People Who Exemplify This Quality:
There are different avenues and types of creativity.
• Imhotep (27th century BC) [Pyramid Builder]
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616) [Words]
• Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) [Music]
• Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) [Politics]
• Albert Einstein (1879-1955) [Math]
• Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) [Dance]
• Ieoh Ming [I. M.] Pei (1917-2019) [Architecture]
• Jonathan Winters (1925-2013) [Comedy]

Quotes:
• We are creators! And creators act. — Jacquelyn Small (~1950’s-) Transformers, the Therapists of the Future {1982}
• It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God. — Mary Daly (1928-2010) American theologian
• Creative thinking may simply mean the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done. — Rudolf Flesch (1911-1986) Readability expert
• Why should we all use our creative power? Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold, and compassionate. — Brenda Ueland (1891-1985) American writer
• Creating, I have concluded, is the best window to the universe I know. … If anything could truly change the face of our civilization, it is the creative process. — Robert Jordan Fritz (1943-) The Path of Least Resistance {1984}
     Notes:
• In Mr. Fritz’s quote one could substitute any favorite quality. Every quality is transformative.
• Fritz also says if you use your feelings as a standard of measurement, you will always gravitate toward what is familiar. But if you are creating something new, then by its very nature, your pursuit will be and therefore feel unfamiliar. If you cannot depend upon feelings, then it is the quality of wonder taking you forward.

Observation: One of the hardest parts of being original is getting outside of the existing paradigms, especially when the established prototype is a good one. If flapping birds are the only model, how can humans believe they can fly?

Tips:
• Fight destruction with creation.
• Use your natural and developed abilities in your creative endeavors.
• Conflict inhibits the creative function of the inner life. It is like a civil war in the personality. Be creative in resolving conflict.

Suggestions:
• Leaving all your options open is good at the outset, but it is deadly to finalizing a creation. Commit to a particular route and reduce the possibilities as you progress. The goal is a single point. Having a contingency, a Plan B if you fail, is reasonable, but having too many options is not workable.
• When that inner negative voice says you don’t have the money, you don’t have the will, you don’t have the ability – some of which is probably true – you are telling yourself you need to develop the qualities you do not possess. If you’ve got a grand idea, then go get the education, or the talent, or the backing. It takes courage to be creative.
• It takes time for the two sides of the creative process: absorption and execution. The fact that creativity ebbs and flows is a good reason to get the gifts of the muse down on paper, into a tape recorder, or onto a sketchbook when she is whispering in your ear.
     If you are bathing continuously in your creative juices, you will not have time for the realistic application of your creation. You need to project it, to three-dimensionalize it, to turn it into that which it needs to become. After the surge of the creative spark, return to the idea at a more normal time, and in a practical manner accept the challenge to enhance your idea. You will also re-stir your creativity when you go back to your sketch and see the flash of brilliance there, ready to be expanded from a simple notion into a concept and, finally, a substantive reality.

Symbols: 1) dance; 2) the spiral; 3) the storm; 4) a volcano; 5) Aries (The Zodiac); 6) the Minstrel (Tarot); 7) the mouth [speech]; 8) the spider [web spinning]; 9) weaving [warp = passive; woof = active]; 10) the letter ‘r’
     Note: Juan Eduardo Cirlot Laporta (1916-1973) in A Dictionary of Symbols {1962}, points out that the trilled r is onomatopoeic, alluding to thunder as the symbol of creative power. It is for this reason most verbs in almost all languages contain the letter r.

Mythological Figures: 1) Bel, the Father of the Babylonian gods, the creator of the world and all its people; 2) Osiris, the primary Egyptian deity, is the source of fruitfulness and life, the sum of all benefits, creator and god of the Nile

Theological Figures: Brahma {The Creator} [the supreme god in the Hindu Trimurti]; Ahura Mazda {The lord of light and wisdom} [the highest deity of worship in Zoroastrianism]; God by any other name