LivCor, a Blackstone Portfolio Company’s Post

During this #Passover season, may the story of liberation and freedom inspire us all. Wishing our Jewish clients a joyous celebration filled with cherished traditions, the warmth of family, and the hope for a future of peace and prosperity. Chag Pesach Sameach! #netsure #financialplanningwithadifference #financialplanning #financialfreedom #financialadvisor #wealthhealthinsurance #personalfinance #PetInsurance

Your reflections on life, relationships, and the changing world are thought-provoking. Indeed, many people find profound and enduring connections with their pets, highlighting the challenges in maintaining strong human relationships in today's complex world. Your mention of the sacrifices made in the past to preserve liberties and freedoms serves as a poignant reminder of the values that have evolved over time. The erosion of the family unit, loss of respect for life, and shifts in faith are significant societal changes that warrant consideration. It's a challenging landscape, and the tensions surrounding technology, freedom of speech, and societal values are complex. Your call for civility and the preservation of core values resonates with many who share concerns about the state of the world. While solutions may not be straightforward, your sentiment of seeking divine intervention and finding solace in companionship with your cat reflects the timeless pursuit of meaning and connection in an ever-changing world. 🌎🙏🐱 #Reflections #SocietalChanges #Values

Happy 76th Independence Day 🇱🇰. Let there be freedom in your mind and body, faith in your wards and pride in your soul. Let's salute our nation. Today let us take some time to value our nation and never forget the sacrifices. #oak #oakintegratedsystems #independence #independenceday #76thIndependenceDay #srilankadaily #celebratefreedom #freedom #bravery #srilanka

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance. ~Socrates In my early childhood, family gatherings were a cherished tradition, where grandparents, parents, and siblings would come together to dine and share stories in the living room. The backdrop of these moments was the constant hum of the RCA radio, through which the adults absorbed news and information. As immigrants, we relied more on neighborhood interactions than broadcast news, fostering a sense of community and trust among us. Our elders instilled in us a deep appreciation for our heritage and the sacrifices made for freedom, especially by my father, who fought to defend our newfound liberties. It's disheartening to see how, generations later, the lessons of those sacrifices seem forgotten by many. The unity forged in the aftermath of WWII now seems fractured as governments pursue agendas reminiscent of the tyrants they once fought against. Amidst cries of misinformation, it becomes evident that some seek to control narratives and suppress dissenting voices. Yet, despite the efforts to silence truth, I refuse to cower in fear. Even if my voice is drowned out or erased, the truth endures. For in the face of bullies and censorship, it is our duty to uphold the integrity of ideas and defend the freedom to express them. #FreedomOfSpeech #TruthEndures #DefendIdeas Hopefully you enjoy my posts and will follow me on LinkedIn. Richard DiPilla #thoughleadership #historian #storytelling

I grew up on land that once became a civil war battlefield. At one time, my family enslaved people. Some of them fought in the war on what I have always considered the wrong side, despite my conservative upbringing. I grew up hating that war and everything it represented. To wrestle with white supremacy and enslavement--with white violence on Black and brown bodies--is to wrestle with myself. It is a gruesome inheritance and yet it's in my blood. I live and thrive because we didn't let them. Fighting for justice, for me, always necessarily had to include what I can only honestly say was self loathing. To defend the right cause meant I had to abandon 'ours'. But, like all binaries promoted and repeated by those who have only an academic knowledge (AHEM white collar white liberals), this never sat right to me because it wasn't the full truth as I knew it firsthand. Southern conservatives will often tell you that the civil war wasn't about slavery. It was about land, liberty and government overreach. Liberals will respond that the land cannot be separated from the enslaved people who made it profitable, and you were profiting from them, so it was always and only *really* about slavery. They're both right. And wrong. For southerners then, it *wasn't* about slavery. But that's because dehumanization is a precondition of slavery. If you don't think of someone as human, you don't consider them at all. That's an ugly truth but it's *the* truth. AND...I can also tell you that, in my modern life, the government frequently tried coming for our land. Eminent domain here, a public park (to memorialize the civil war 🙄) there, "our researchers found a cemetery we want to preserve on your land and we know it's there because we researched it so you just have to let us come confirm our theory." (There was no cemetery. All that research time and money wasted when they could have just asked the real experts.) Time and again, the government came to us with the absurd argument that the 'public good' was more important than OUR HOME and the land it sat on. Land we used to work, eat, play and love in freedom. Land control is sovereignty. Like the indigenous we stole it from, we were using, stewarding and honoring the land. But they even wanted to take it from us! Or 'pay' us a pittance for it; always invoking the "morality" of our "civic duty" to part with it. My people have no morality for land theft by the government. Or overreach. The civil war was as bloody as it was because the great colonizing tide finally picked on colonizers and we knew how to make it ugly for them. That part of my history is one I couldn't be prouder of. The cause was wrong, but the side was right. Rural white conservatives are the natural ally of global freedom fighters. It's the corrupt propaganda of rich assh*les who want us to do their dirty work for them that tells us we aren't. Not this time though. This time, we're setting the record straight. To liberation.

Today, on National Sorry Day, I reflect on the deep scars left by the Stolen Generations, not as a distant historical event, but as a reality that still echoes through the lives of my family. Growing up in Brewarrina, a place with its own painful history as a mission site, I carry the stories of resilience and heartache that define our community. Just north from Bre is Goodooga, where my mum was hidden under the bed on the floor whenever the police came around their camp because she was fair-skinned. Another relative was rubbed with soot from the fire to darken her complexion, a desperate attempt to keep our family together. This is not a tale from the distant past but a mere generation ago—a lived reality for my family. These acts of survival highlight the lengths our people went to protect their loved ones from a system intent on erasing our identity. The strength and ingenuity shown by my family, and countless others, are testament to the resilience and determination of First Nations people. As a proud First Nations woman, I honor my ancestors' sacrifices and their relentless fight to keep our culture and family bonds intact. Today, we remember the pain and acknowledge the trauma, but we also celebrate the enduring strength and spirit of our people. National Sorry Day is not just a day of reflection but a call to action. We must continue to push for truth-telling and healing, ensuring that the stories of our ancestors are never forgotten. Let us work together to create a future where our children can grow up without fear, in a society that recognizes and respects the profound value of our heritage. #NationalSorryDay #StolenGenerations #FirstNations #Brewarrina #TruthTelling #Healing #Resilience #IndigenousStrength

The power of prayer has brought us through warfare, disaster, and tragedy. Tomorrow, the nation comes together in prayer and hope for the future. Will you take part? Learn more in today’s blog. https://lnkd.in/g3w-PTCy #CareerCoaches #ConstructionManagement #CareerMatchmakers

Never forget... Today, we reflect, mourn, and honor the lives of those lost 22 years ago. Their resilience and unity remind us that strength comes from standing together in the face of diversity. #September11 #neverforgotten #tampa #provewealth #provewealthadvisors