Thomas F. O'Neill


*******This Is An Award Winning Blog*******

Phone: (800) 272-6464

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3

E-mail: introspective7@hotmail.com

Copyright © 2005 - 2023 by Thomas F. O'Neill - All rights reserved. Commercial use or reproduction in any form is strictly prohibited without the author’s consent.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Shenandoah, PA / Suzhou, China, Pennsylvania / Jiangsu, China, United States

I am currently working as a certified ESL teacher at a private school in Wuxi, China. I have also taught Primary School, Middle School, and High school in Suzhou, China. I am now currently a High school Teacher in Wuxi, in the Jiangsu province. I am also tutoring older students who are planning to travel to English-speaking countries. Some of my older students that I am tutoring are preparing to take their entrance exam for various Universities. I also volunteer for our school’s summer camp program. It is something I enjoy doing and at the same time the students learn a great deal about the western culture. I also worked at the SMIC summer camp in Shanghai in July of 2010 and 2011. During the last nine years I have been a volunteer teacher for the iCity charitable organization in Suzhou, China. I also have been doing a lot of volunteer work to promote our School.

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

The month of July is now upon us ......... 🦅

 Well, the month of June has passed us by, and the month of July is now upon us.

July symbolizes true ambition if you have ambitious goals, this month will take you closer to what you truly desire, and that of course will accentuate your inner power. Good things will take their time to manifest this month, but this is your chance, to make ‘July’ a greater source of inspiration. If you believe in your inner power then all the potential you have will manifest for all to see. 

If you were born in July then this is something even greater because your life will be full of opportunities. Equally, you have no excuses [not] to become successful because you can inspire yourself to become the person you ought to be ......... 🦅


Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/


Thursday, June 24, 2021

Singing the song "Return to me" from Suzhou, China ......... 🦅

Well, Dean Martin and Perry Como do much better jobs singing the song “Return to me” than I could, but I think I deserve a ‘C’ for effort ......... 🦅


Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Most of the time ......... 🦅


Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/

America’s incarceration crises ....... 🦅

America is home to 4.25% of the world’s population and our country also has approximately 25% of the world’s inmates. Statics show that most of those inmates are incarcerated due to drug-related crimes.

America is now the most addicted nation in the world and many drug addicts in the US are among the most serious and violent offenders it is due to the realities of addiction. It is also the length of sentences that truly distinguishes America from the other industrialized nations.

The number of sentences imposed would not place the United States at the top of the incarceration lists. If lists were compiled based on annual admissions to prison per capita, several European countries would outpace the United States. But American prison stays are much longer, so the total incarceration rate is higher.

The PBS video goes into America’s incarceration crises in greater detail ....... 🦅


Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/

Friday, June 18, 2021

Well, another summer holiday is beginning for me here ......... 🦅

Well, another summer holiday is beginning for me here in the Jiangsu Province of China.

Unlike last summer I will be able to travel anywhere in China, but I will have to stay put on China’s mainland. There are still overseas travel restrictions placed on foreigners with residential permits. If I leave China, I will not be able to return due to COVID – 19 and this rule has been enforced here since March 26th, 2020.

The restrictions will not stop me from having fun though because there are always fun things to do with those who are young in body and mind.

For the middle-aged folks out there - if you want to feel young surround yourself with those who are young at heart ......... 🦅










































Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/


Tuesday, June 08, 2021

Lost in time the Boris Strobonoff Story ......... 🦅

By Thomas F O'Neill

Father Ivan’s life was devoted to his church and his Catholic faith and he always considered himself to be a rational person even though some of his family members questioned the choice he made in becoming a priest. 

It was sometime in 1930 that he was assigned to his first parish, and he felt a little wet behind the ears. However, he was extremely popular among the parishioners who recognized immediately his compassion and devotion to the needs of others. He visited their homes, he attended to the sick, and he administered the last rights to the dying; but most of all the Children loved the attention he gave them after the Sunday services. He appeared to be understanding in the confessional as he listened and consoled the parishioners as they confessed their sins. He was not harsh or judgmental in what he heard and the young ladies in the parish seemed curious and went out of their way to learn all they could about him. 

It was late on a warm September evening, that Father Ivan was closing the church and looking forward to a good night's sleep after a long and tiring day. 

He heard a frantic knock on the church door and when he opened the door, he saw a young man standing there, dressed very strangely. Father Ivan thought to himself what an odd way to dress and he invited the young man inside the church to find out what was bothering him. 

“I am Boris Strobonoff,” said the man in a strong Russian accent.        

He seemed to be very frightened and confused as he stood in the church and looked around as if he were seeing the church for the first time. He told the priest that he was supposed to be married earlier that day. Father Ivan told him that there were no marriages scheduled today. 

He told the Priest that he was running late to meet Elaina the girl he is to marry and as he was running across the street everything went wrong and he is now confused. He went on to say that nothing looks the same and he can’t find Elaina or his family. 

“What is Elaina’s last name, Boris?” Father Ivan asked him. 

“Bronotov, Elaina Bronotov,” Boris responded in a frantic voice. 

Father Ivan was convinced that there was something strangely wrong with the young man and he asked him to wait in the Church. 

“I must find her, Father, and I must find my Family,” he yelled at the Priest. 

“I will help you; wait here and be quiet the other Priests are asleep,” said Father Ivan. 

Father Ivan went into the rectory to see if there was a family registered in the parish with Boris’s last name or the last name of Boris’s fiancée. Father Ivan could not find any names in the Parish registry that came close to the names that were given to him by that strange young man. When he went back to the Church, the young man was gone so he closed the Church and went to bed. 

The next morning, he told Father Evans, the pastor of the Church, of his experience with Boris. 

“Oh him,” said Father Evans as he was drinking his morning coffee with two of his brother Priests at the dining room table. 

“He comes here every year around the same time,” said Father O’Connor, a fellow Priest, “he always wears that same strange attire he’s very weird.” 

“He is some sort of kook,” said Father Evans, “and what is even stranger he hasn’t seemed to have aged one day in twenty years.”   

“This Boris Strobonoff said that he was supposed to get married in our Church,” said Father Ivan. 

“As I have said, I’ve been here twenty years, that person doesn’t belong to this Parish,” said Father Evans. 

“He comes here every year around this time, no one knows him or even heard of the Strobonoff Family,” said Father O’Connor. 

Later that day Father Ivan decided to search the parish records once again. He went as far back in the Church records as possible with the hope of finding some record of a Strobonoff or a Bronotov Family. The young Priest, to his amazement, discovered that the young Boris Strobonoff had also been seen by other priests on or about September 3rd during the last two centuries. 

Father Ivan continued in his search; he came upon the name of Boris Strobonoff with a notation next to the name which says: 

“On Boris Strobonoff’s wedding day, as he was running across the street to get to his wedding on time, he was tragically trampled to death by a runaway horse.” 

Father Ivan also found among the death records that Boris Strobonoff was buried on September 3, 1830; and that he was a Russian immigrant. His funeral was paid for by his friends, family, and his fiancée Elaina Bronotov, who was also a native of Russia. 

Father Ivan also discovered that Elaina Bronotov later married, Victor Igo, and her Great-Great-Grandchildren are members of the Parish. Elaina Bronotov, later known as Mrs. Elaina Igo was born in 1806 and died in 1888. She is buried in the Parish cemetery; also buried there is her former fiancé Boris Strobonoff (1805-1830). 

Father Ivan quickly ran up the stairs tripping over himself to tell Father Evans of his amazing discovery. Upon hearing the news Father Evans blessed himself and said, “So the young man is a Parishioner after all -- who would have known.” 

Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/

 

Sunday, June 06, 2021

Brother of my Paternal Grandfather parachuted into France ........ 🦅

The Brother of my Paternal Grandfather parachuted into France with the 82nd Airborne Division - 77 years ago - during the D - Day invasion. He was truly part of the greatest generation ........ 🦅


Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O’Neill

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/ 


Saturday, June 05, 2021

Maturity is when one realizes ........ 🦅


 

Wednesday, June 02, 2021

Altruism Vs Egoism ....... 🦅

By Thomas F O’Neill 

Most people do not realize that most of our understanding of reality is processed through our beliefs rather than what is objectively real. 

In other words, we come to understand the language of things without fully grasping the essence of things because the human mind filters out reality’s objectivity. 

We can still come to a greater understanding of a person’s worldview in how they perceive and understand reality. We can accomplish this through various psychological methods, if we want to understand how a person thinks, we must utilize their beliefs, their language, and how they perceive and processes information. Gaining an understanding of a person's beliefs provides us with a clearer understanding of the person on a cognitive level. 

Many successful people can place themselves in the center of things by utilizing other people's beliefs to gain their trust. We all have core beliefs, and when we gain an understanding of a person's core beliefs. We come closer to understanding their ego and how they perceive themselves in relation to others. To gain people's trust people must be comfortable and feel as if you think like them, that you perceive the world through their eyes. 

I suppose that is one reason why religion and mythology are so powerful because of how it affects the human psyche. It is passed down from one generation to the next to the point where it becomes the core reality for each individual on a collective level. It clouds the objectivity of our reality and we become the slave to our own beliefs. If we want to move closer to the objectivity of things we must strip ourselves of all beliefs. What we believe reality to be and how we perceive ourselves in relation to others is based on our ego. 

To grow and mature spiritually, we should make a distinction between what is altruistically true and what is egoistically true. Most of the time what we implicitly and intuitively know to be true stands in total contrast to our ego which is part of our core belief system. 

If you are doing things to feel important or to gain the recognition of others, you are working from your ego. On the other hand, if you do something spontaneously because you know implicitly and intuitively it is the right thing to do at that moment you are operating altruistically from your true self. 

There is also the distinction between being truly spiritual and being religious. Religion operates out of our core belief system. It is part of our ego - most people are born into their religion it is a part of their identity. They continue in their religion throughout their life because they want to feel accepted, they want others to see them as being a good person and to please their God so that they will be accepted into heaven after death. 

There is a quid pro quo (this for that) behind religion, we pray for favors, blessings, and miracles. Religion in most cases takes the responsibility away from the individual and places the blame on the mythological such as ‘original sin.’ 

Most religions communicate to us that we are not responsible for what we are and that we must wait for God to change us and save us from our fate such as ‘the second coming.’ Religion can separate us from who we truly are because it builds on our ego. It blinds us from what we know implicitly and intuitively to be true, within us, and in those around us. Altruism leads us closer to being truly spiritual because it leads us to our essential core which is beyond our beliefs and comprehension. 

Our essential core, soul, or what we come to understand as our spiritual nature is life itself. It is synonymous with what we think we understand as being God. Altruism is what we implicitly and intuitively know in the flash of the moment to be true. We don't always act on it because in most instances we are in the fog and cloud of our ego. 

I like to use the example of a soldier in a foxhole. He is sharing the foxhole with four other soldiers and the enemy throws a hand grenade in the foxhole. One of the soldiers jumps on the hand grenade sacrificing his life for his fellow men. He did not jump on the grenade to win the congressional medal of honor from the President of the United States, to have a ship named after him, a building erected in his honor, or to have future soldiers honor him. The moment he jumped on that hand grenade he implicitly knew it had to be done and he just did it. Because it was the right thing to do. He was being true to himself in that spontaneous moment in time. It was an altruistic spiritual act of selfless giving without any expectation of receiving anything in return that is true courage. 

Imagine what the world would be like if we followed our intuition from day to day and we lived not by religious creeds, dogmas, or unjust mandates but by what we implicitly know to be true.

I am reading more and more about scientists making revolutionary breakthroughs and scientific discoveries through flashes of intuition. Albert Einstein wrote in a letter to a friend that his greatest ideas came to him when he was relaxing and taking long hot bubble baths. His mind was not concentrating on the problem at hand but on enjoying a relaxing moment with his imagination. They are the moments when truth speaks to us intuitively through flashes of knowing. I have also come to understand that science and spirituality are beginning to merge and complement each other in our technological age. It is due to humanity striving to comprehend reality's essence which is the core of all things. 

Modern science is not dismissing the spiritual essence of things; it is just beginning to see the infinite and the infinitesimal subtleties and order of things such as in quantum mechanics. Where energy is neither created nor destroyed. Quantum mechanics complement our spiritual understanding and bring us closer to recognizing the infinite and the infinitesimal presence of the eternal. 

When the religious seek the grandiose signs of God, they overlook the infinite and the infinitesimal subtlety of God's eternal presence. I understand the eternal presence as being the eternal love of God - that presence is within us and around us for our existence and the existence of all things is the altruistic outreach of God's Love. 

Always with love from Suzhou, China 

Thomas F O’Neill 

U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464

China Cell: 011-86-13405757231

WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/