REDMOND'S REVIEWS are provided frequently at Universal Digest.
PLYMOUTH SETTLEMENT, A HISTORY 1608-1650
Plymouth was settled by Pilgrims arriving from England in 1608. In this week’s rendition of REDMOND’S REVIEW, this book review details some of the history of the time Plymouth settlement.
William Bradford wrote the “Historie of ye Plymouth Settlement, 1608-1650” and it is free to read in the public domain.
THE HISTORY OF THE PLYMOUTH SETTLEMENT, 1608-1650 AD
As the political narrative, along with the mandated tenured professors indoctrination on the current interpretation of the Pilgrim’s, it morphs and changes with the current times, far from an agenda-driven perspective. Here one reads the compelling writings of William Bradford. These valuable insights and historical writings were thought lost for many years. And, the world is a better place that they were not.
Whatever side of the logical prism you may reside, other forms of information for an accurate historical perspective need to be researched. And, I for one have spent quite a bit of time doing so. This is not the platform to discuss the historical inaccuracies being put forth by many in the educational system today. But, please understand fabrication of facts are alive and well today.
One should not try to do away with a myth by making up a fable. For example, many people point to the fact that William Bradford did not write about a ‘Thanksgiving’ so, they look at that as a cause to show that it did not ever happen. But, when one conducts the research on other writings of the time, you find that maybe William Bradford, and, I stress the word ‘maybe’, did not write about it because giving thanks was quite commonplace.
THANKSGIVING WAS SOMETHING COMMONPLACE
The writings about that Thanksgiving talk of games being played and meals being shared to celebrate a wonderful crop and harvest.
Battles, between diverse groups was commonplace, and so was negotiation, compromise, and the sharing of best practices.
William Bradford’s writings give a detailed accounting of what it was like to move from your birth place to another country. Then, set sail across the vast ocean to a world that you did not understand where an unknown future awaited.
Had the Pilgrims planned to land at Plymouth or was their another location in Virginia where they wanted to go?
Did you know one of the ships the original pilgrims went on had to be sunk?
Do you know the name of the first Pilgrim child to be born in America?
All of this information is free to read in the public domain. Those who want to enrich their scholarly understanding of the pilgrims and their plight at the Plymouth settlement will learn much.
Written By: Darren Redmond
UNIVERSAL DIGEST is pleased to be a conduit for our contributing authors. We do not claim credit; we simply want to make it more available to the general public. And, the opinions of the authors are not necessarily the opinion or stance of this website.
Friend lives matter. How do I know? Easy and hard, this was to understand. I was going to write an article for a couple of friends of whom I appreciate who helped with comments and some graphics to reestablish the Universal Digest website with its latest innovations. I was going through some things in life no different than anyone else must endure, from time-to-time. My emotional state was not depression, but maybe it wasn’t far from it. I was feeling pretty alone. I was stuck in a quagmire, some not of my doing and some, I am sure, was.
Then, it hit me like a softball up side the head (didn’t want it to hurt too bad). I started remembering all those comments that had been made to me from friends, over time. I started listening very hard to all this and I suddenly realized: I didn’t have just a couple of friends, I had a whole bunch of them. The list was short, at first, so I thought. Then, the more I thought about it, the more it grew. It is a list that is not only long, it is way, way, way, long! So, no friends names are mentioned, here. You all know exactly who you are and why I am writing this article. It is a tribute to each and every one of you. I’m floored with humility and appreciation.
Do not forget for one moment seeing what is good in a friend reflects on who you are.
We are living in a world of people that are wrapped way too tight. Something is wrong, so let’s fix it. It comes by giving. All lives matter. Black lives matter. White lives matter. Smart lives matter. Whiner lives matter. Dummy lives matter. Ignorant lives matter. Inter-dimensional lives matter. Inter-galactic lives matter. The list only stops at the limits of your imagination. Why limit it?
So, here it is for all it is worth and it is worth more than most could or, at least, would try to comprehend. So, as has been said before: “Get in, sit down, and shut up! We’re going for a ride.”
Everyone has heard, “Treat others as you wish to be treated.” “All good things come to those who wait.” “Operate without agenda, be honest and your good reputation will grow (I say).” Hey, we all make mistakes; I make them all the time. So, why judge anyone or anything else as being the reason you become a victim? It only happens when you let it, so stop it! This is important for all of us to realize. Just simply, let it all go. Stress is stupid. Where it can be eliminated with the wave of a mindset, make it so.
As we mature in life, we must determine what is and is not important to be happy. Do your best to be good and remember, even the most evil of people want to be be very best they can be. Realize, good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. So, hedge your bet, think before you act and forgive everyone else of everything! Clean the slate and watch what happens! It cannot help to get better when you realize from the outset you are ‘doomed’ to succeed. If you want something bad enough, it will happen, but just be careful of what you want. We all fail, at times in the success process; however, true failure comes in giving up and saying, “I cannot do this.” Yuck!
Yes, there are those who will try to bring you down to their level for various reasons, jealousy, envy, money, notoriety, lies, deception, and the list is long. Just walk away. Remove the yoke, if you have one. Life isn’t fair and many times it is. Get over it and do what you should do to make life work for you. It has been the gift, immemorial. Remember, you cannot help anyone else until you have helped yourself. Forgive, forgive yourself, forget where possible, and love with all your might. It works. It is true: Where one road ends, another one begins.
Well, the harder I work, the luckier I got. So, I stopped flapping the jaws and started listening to people who are actually trying to help me. I started hearing things like, “You rock,” “I care,” “I want to do this for you,” “What do you need,” “What do you want,” “You are smart so here is some recommendations,” “We follow you if we want the truth,” “You always give credit to others,” “You are kind, so that is why I talk to you,” “You are so honest,” “Handle your business, bro’,” “When you get to my age, you start thinking about what is important, and, it isn’t much,” “I am really glad you are my friend,” “I’m proud of you,” Your wisdom is infectious,” “That is the way you’ve always been,” “Be the beam,” “Now, I know why we get along so good, you listen and care,” “I can help you,” “I trust you,” “Call who you need and get the help you want; it will be fine,” “Real friends care and I do because I don’t have an agenda to help you,” and “I love you.”
In sum, it is always up to you to handle your life, not anyone or anything else. So, quit your bellyaching and get the job done! Now, the friend list has gotten even longer. Maybe you are too busy to be lonely, but then it hits you – you have never been alone. Not for a second, unless you tried to keep everyone out and what a waste that is…
Something else dawned on me. I had been the one in most cases to initiate and maintain contact. I have learned from so many mistakes, in the past that the bottom line of getting what you want by taking with an agenda, doesn’t work. So, patience is truly a virtue. Do not be in a hurry to accomplish anything except to help someone else first, without agenda. Then, some really weird stuff starts to happen and it is all good. So, now, I have ‘throttled it back’, so to speak to give everyone else, including me, some space. Guess what else I found out?
The listening thing kicked in. Wow. The purpose of relationships started making sense. Yes, blood is thicker than water, yet I found in so many areas like these, people tended to slip in blood when things got rough, but not so much in water. That is when I discovered something very unusual and weird about friendships.
Family is everything to you, but don’t forget a real friend. More often, you are closer to a friend than a family member.
A friend, I mean a real friend, won’t spare you details, but he or she will always be there for you because they can see who you are better than you can. There is no agenda, nor will there ever be. That is real friendship, pure and simple. It’s like one of these universal truths that most of us keep missing because of a number of reasons. Some reasons come to mind: First, we tend to take people, friends, and things for granted. We become complacent because it’s all good. Well, that is just fine until your world crashes into a heap. Then you say, “What happened?” The answer comes all too quickly, you were not paying attention to the important stuff, stupid!
Do not take a friend for granted. Pay attention.
Appreciating your friends is not on the minds of as many as there should be in this crazy, ever-changing techno-world in which we live, but appreciate them, you should and must. Because, down the road of life, could you imagine how truly lonely it could really get if you don’t? Family and some friends, over time, do pass away. To me, it is a travesty to forget for one moment, how valuable a real friend or family member is. Even for a moment in time…the horror.
Let’s take a look at lives that no longer matter: Dead people! They can do no more here. To many of us, they so quickly become a memory. To those less associated, they are quickly forgotten. Therefore, their only further contribution is to have the body become fertilizer. Period. The spirit has left the building, so to speak (for those who believe this). Just imagine, if you will, as dust from which you came, so, to dust shall you return. There are life forms that revel in this! The little animals, bugs, and the like are having a hay-day with the decay process. Then, without fanfare or announcement, a little root shows up to find all these nutrients! A message is sent upstairs, “Hey, stem, stalk, leaves, get ready! Get the chlorophyll hopping guys! Call in the flowers to get the bees working to spread the word! This community is thriving! I found the mother-lode!” So, whether you like it or not, or even care, life will all go on without you. So, why not make the most of it and give a damn about those around you? Especially, give a damn about those who give a damn about you! This is not rocket science.
Everyone wants to feel good about things in life. When you have a friend who shares the same goal, happiness results.
As I close this melodrama, how about a little bit of motivational music that only a real friend can enjoy?
Now, I not only feel better, am happier, and glad to have taken the time to produce this article, I can sleep better at night knowing I touched at least one friend who will benefit from reading this. When it comes to punch the final time card of life here, I am choosing to take the eternal road home, some day.
Until then, I imagined receiving this message, “Hey! You, down there. You think you are ready to come up here? Wrong, wrong, wrong, you are, and I can say that. You have fallen way too far behind. Get the message out with the rest of your talents to share, love and create, or you will have to deal with ME! Got it? Now, get back to work. When you are finished, I do want you to know; you have more friends up here than you ever thought possible while on earth. Love awaits.”
How about a global thanksgiving on a set date? Happy Global Thanksgiving or Happy Thanksgiving, World may have a certain ring to it?
While taking some time to wish some friends the best for the upcoming holidays it dawned on me that more and more my friends live in many different countries. This did not dissuade me from wishing these friends a ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ knowing full well this holiday primarily occurs in the United States and Canada. Why not have a Global Thanksgiving?
What I would like to propose is to consider a global thanksgiving based on the nationally accepted standard of the fourth Thursday of November each year (US). After having completed some research I have only seen one other organization touting to celebrate a global thanksgiving on the Sunday before the Canadian and US official holiday and this does not seem to have taken root. Please, this is just a thought that was actually spawned and recommended by a couple of supporting friends; however, Thanksgiving is known by so many, worldwide, albeit, not celebrated. Hence, I humbly submit my recommendation. I believe, of all times in mankind’s history on earth, this time may have come. Further, could it not possibly benefit us more as we have developed into a more interdependent, global community? In a civilization still fraught with religious and political intolerance, could this become a bridge to span these divides? Could this actually be a start to realizing such a thanksgiving may not just usher in a successful harvest, yet usher in the possibility that man no longer kills man? To this end, just this concept and its movements forward can only benefit mankind now and in the future, would we not agree?
Stop and think of this concept: Instead of harvesting a sea of souls in a celebration of death by war, we could one day harvest a sea of souls in a celebration of life by peace? Of course, many demonstrative changes must occur. To date, there has not been one. I am not concerned so much of how it must start; it is time it should. Period. All of us are involved in this thought train, all of us.
[Tweet “How about a Global Happy Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November?”]
Here is a brief history of how this started and how this holiday developed: A thanksgiving was celebrated in England in the 1500’s for a good harvest of crops. Although, over the years many areas of the world have celebrated a form of thanksgiving when a harvest yielded bountiful results. The first actually generally accepted thanksgivings had its roots in Canada in 1578. By the time the Puritans decided to leave England and its pagan-based multitude of celebrations, including Christmas and Easter and travel to the then undiscovered country of America in 1621. It was not until November 26, 1789 that President George Washington created the first official observance of Thanksgiving. After this proclamation, Thanksgiving was only loosely observed until President Abraham Lincoln called for a national celebration on the last Thursday of November. Due to the Civil War, Lincoln’s proclamation was not recognized until the Reformation after the war in the 1870’s. It was not until December 26, 1941 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt submitted the resolution to Congress to make the official date to be the fourth Thursday of November, each year.  To note, first official Thanksgiving was observed in Canada on April 15, 1872. Later, the Canadian Parliament made the first Monday of October as the official, permanent Thanksgiving celebration so as not to conflict with the same holiday in the United States in 1957. Ultimately, the United States adopted the Canadian Thanksgiving observance to coincide with Columbus Day.
The iconic turkey was the last to become the main course of a thanksgiving celebration. Although, any main course is completely acceptable, over the years a symbolic turkey has been pardoned as a presidential act each year.
With this being said, what do you think? How about a Global Thanksgiving Day? We here at Universal Digest are more than ready to celebrate.
