Did You Know?

By Edwardian Jude

Through my travels, I have found that people learn from the perspective they are given. So I have put together a collection of essays, poetry, and fiction in the hope that this will give people a perspective that will enhance understanding and inspire virtue.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496930767

Edwardian Jude

Edwardian Jude is the author of the play, The King’s Table, as well as several novellas. He is the creator of One Man’s Opinion (OMO), a sportswear line designed to make one think.

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© 2014 Edwardian Jude. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  05/05/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3075-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3074-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-3076-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913570

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Marriage

Oppression

Motivation

Living

Change

The Devil’s Plan

Prejudice

INTRODUCTION

T hrough my travels, I have found that people learn from the perspective they are given. So I have put together a collection of essays, poetry, and fiction in the hope that this will give people a perspective that will enhance understanding and inspire virtue.

MARRIAGE

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DID YOU KNOW …

that 99 percent of all people who have a wedding ceremony never actually get married?

T his is in response to a question as to why I am not married. I replied that I want a wife, not a roommate. I was then asked what I meant by that. I replied with a poem in which I tried to explain the difference between a wife and a roommate and the difference between a wedding and a marriage. My attempt to express the feelings of the heart came out like this:

God says you have to become as one.

So let’s see what that means.

He said this will make your life fun,

not money or things.

To become as one, you cannot lie,

You must listen and not play deaf.

You should always know the reason why

because you and your mate are yourselves.

There are vows that you take until death do you part

and not one word in there is mine.

You must change your life, including your heart,

so your marriage will stand and not fall on its behind.

You must think of your mate as if they were you,

and of not one thing shall you be deprived.

The answer to the question, what about you? Is who?

This is what will keep the one alive.

People will say that won’t work,

it will make your life be bored.

They will also say that you are a jerk.

Now who are you going to believe?

Them or the Lord?

When my friend received the poem, she questioned each line. ‘God says you have to become as one.’ What does that mean?

I replied, This is God’s definition of what a marriage is. A wedding ceremony is to acknowledge a marriage; a wedding ceremony does not define a marriage.

‘So let’s see what that means’?

That’s a line that starts to analyze what it means to be married, in my opinion.

She then asked what the next line meant: He said this will make your life fun, not money or things.

With a serious tone, I said, The Lord stated that man should not live alone, and the Lord decided what man needed. The Lord made woman—not a car, not a boat, not a slot machine, not money, not gold or diamonds, not a basketball, football, or TV. He made a woman.

She asked what the next line meant: To become as one you cannot lie, you must listen and not play deaf.

After a pause, I asked her, Can you lie to yourself? Can you fail to listen to yourself?

When she asked me to explain what the next line meant, You should always know the reason why because you and your mate are yourselves, I smiled and replied, Is there anything you do that you don’t know why you did it? Of course not, so naturally, your mate should know why you did it.

The next line in question was, There are vows that you take until death do you part and not one word in there is mine.

I explained, "When two people become as one, there is no mine between the two; there’s only ours."

With a look of anticipation and the need for much understanding of the line, You must change your life, including your heart, so that your marriage will stand and not fall on its behind, she waited.

I told her a story about a little kid who could not go with bigger kids because they knew the little kid would tell the truth to his mother. In the little kid’s heart, he could not lie to his mother. Then I asked my friend the question, Could you beat your mother down with a baseball bat? And she answered no. I pointed out that the only reason why she could not was because, just like the little kid, it’s the way she felt in her heart. The way you feel in your heart is what will make your marriage either stand or fall apart.

You must think of your mate as if they were you, and of not one thing shall you be deprived, I said. The first law of nature is self-preservation. Your mate is yourself, and you must preserve yourself.

With a puzzled look, she waited for the answer to the lines, The answer to the question, what about you? Is who? This is what will keep the one alive.

With a smile, I replied that if you’re buying things for your mate, then you’re buying things for yourself. So who are you talking about? As long as people understand that their mate is their self, they will always be one.

People will say that won’t work, it will make your life be bored was the next line to be discussed. There are people who have had weddings and say they have been married for twenty-seven years. They say they know for a fact that everything is not ours. They say they are not going to tell the truth about everything, and they are not going to know the reason why everything happens. If they did, life would be very boring. But in reality, twenty-seven years ago they had a wedding ceremony; the couples never became one. Consequently, they never got married. So in actuality, they have a roommate with a title.

With a heavy sigh, my friend beckoned for the answer to the next line: They also will say that you are a jerk. Now who are you going to believe? Them or the Lord?

With a chuckle, I replied, The same people will tell you that they had the same fairy-tale thoughts twenty-seven years ago. They will say that if you believe the unification of two people is what marriage is all about, then you are a fool. But the Lord said that marriage is about the unification of two people. Now, who are you going to believe?

Then I asked if she knew the three biggest benefits of being married. They are as follows:

1. Protection from the devil. You have the Lord’s protection. There is strength when living the way the Lord instructed. The Devil did not approach Adam and Eve together. So, we have the first example of divide and conquer. That is why the word mine is not in a marriage.

2. Being able to be in two places at the same time. When two become one, then each one can be in two places at one time.

3. Never having to worry about yourself anymore. A truly married couple will never have to worry about their physical selves, because each self is taken care of by the one. Ever since childhood, you have been taught to be concerned about your needs, wants, and desires. Once you come into your oneness, your needs, wants, and desires are no longer your concern. They are the concerns of the one; you only need to express them.

My friend raised the question, If everyone had a wedding ceremony and never got married, is that why Jesus gave a bill of divorcement?

In the book of Mark, chapter 10:8–9, ‘and they twain shall be one flesh so then they are no more twain but one flesh. Therefore, what God joined together let no man put asunder,’ I replied.

She asked, What is the purpose of the marriage ceremony?

I replied, It is to acknowledge the wedding and the two becoming one—because it’s there you receive your title. And you become the masculine or feminine of two: Mr. and Mrs. The joining into one begins.

So when do you become married?

When the two become one flesh. You’re no longer the masculine or feminine of two—you’re one flesh. Both halves of the one are equal. There will be no need to get approval, consent, permission, or the like to make any decisions, because the decision will be made with the consideration and the best interest of the one. Meaning, no matter which half makes the decision, it’s the one’s decision.

Still in need of understanding, she asked, Then who are married and who are not?

Those who become one flesh are, I told her. Those who lie or are evasive, and those who have things that they regard as only their own, are not.

How do you arrive at this oneness?

Read the poem.

OPPRESSION

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DID YOU KNOW …

that 99 percent of all black people are oppressed because they have no base?

A question was posed to a group of college students. Their professors asked the question, Why are black people oppressed?

One student after another tried to answer this question, but to no avail. When I was posed this same question, my reason for why blacks are oppressed was very simple: they have no base! Allow me to elaborate on why blacks are oppressed. As you continue reading, please remember: this is just one man’s opinion.

Let us start with what is meant by a base. Simply put, a base is a start. In this case, it is a country. Black people do not have a country and therefore have no base. The Chinese have China. The French have France. The English have England, and we can go on and on. But what nation do blacks have? Black people do not have a country.

Some will argue that black people have Africa, but in reality, can Africa truly be called a base for black people? Are there black people in Africa who are united as one people? No! Africa has, what, more than fifty countries? With all of that, do they have a united army of blacks or a black-controlled economy that can stand on its own?

Black people are scattered among the United States, Africa, China, England, France, Germany, and all over the world. We have no base. If we think of people as a race, a base is what keeps people from becoming oppressed.

Let us think of the Native American Indian. This is a people who were oppressed and pushed to the brink of extinction. The only thing that saved them was God and that they were united as a people—united as a nation. When they became empowered as a people united, the result was Custer’s Last Stand.

The pure sense of humanity at the thought of destroying an entire race of people, combined with the dignity carried by the uniting of their people as a race and nation, won them a base. They were granted a small piece of land on which they