Read about Donald Latumahina’s life priority. Do you agree with him? Why?

From what I learn, I realize that my top priority should be relationships. Nothing else matters more. Here are why:

What is the most important thing people need? No, it’s not money. It’s not achievements nor recognition either. The most important thing people need is love. One inseparable part of relationships is giving. Whether it is giving your time, attention, money, or just a smile, genuine relationship is all about giving. Life is wonderful when we are thinking about others and not just ourselves.

Through relationships you have the people to support you in times of trouble
When we face difficult times, we need other people to support us. No one can take care of everything by himself. When the world looks dark and the problem looks big, nothing is more valuable than the support of people we love. They encourage us to go through, they accompany us in the time of trouble, and they are willing to share the burden with us. The journey will become much easier.

Eventually, relationships are the only things that matter. When people are dying they do not think about their achievements and awards. They don’t care whether they are rich or famous. All they want is having the people they love around them. We should not wait until that moment come. We’d better realize it now.

(Abridged from http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/02/18/5-reasons-why-relationships-should-be-your-top-priority/)

2. Read the following list of life priorities and add some more, which are true personally for you:

friendship, love, family, decent wages, interesting job, career and promotion, good living conditions, good health and physical fitness, leisure and fun, volunteerism, peace and security …

3. Work in pairs. Tell each other about your life priorities using the phrases given below:

I give the highest (top) priority to …. 

I think … is priority number two.

The third most significant thing is ….

The next most important thing is ….

Then follow … and …. 

… comes next.

My list of priorities may be concluded by ….

 

Listening and Speaking

Listen to the monologue “Becoming More Tolerant (How to Become a Better You)”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2A0-ZsjPDg

and construct the meaningful sentences matching the columns:

1)	Life gives us a tremendous opportunity		a)	to heal out our own prejudice, fears and insecurities.
2)	Every person has		b)	to be tolerant.
3)	To overcome our intolerance means		c)	to look at ourselves.
4)	Sometimes people are intolerant about		d)	a history and some challenges.
5)	It is so difficult		e)	race, religion, sexuality, political preference.

Grammar Focus

The Sequence of Tenses. The Reported Speech

Reported speech means that someone’s words (direct speech) are reported in the form of indirect speech. If the verb in the main clause is in the present or in the future, the sequence of tenses in reported speech shouldn’t be a problem because the tense in the subordinate clause doesn’t change. If the verb in the main clause is used in the past tense (usually, the simple past of the verbs say, tell, ask, answer), the verb in the object subordinate clause in indirect speech should also be used in one of the past tenses and the rule of the sequence of tenses governs this process.

Present Simple	→	Past Simple
Past Simple	→	Past Perfect
Future Simple	→	Future Simple-in-the-Past
Present Continuous	→	Past Continuous
Past Continuous	→	Past Continuous = Past Perfect Continuous
Future Continuous	→	Future Continuous-in-the-Past
Present Perfect	→	Past Perfect
Past Perfect	→	Past Perfect
Future Perfect	→	Future Perfect-in-the-Past
Present Perfect Continuous	→	Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous	→	Past Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect Continuous	→	Future Perfect Continuous-in-the-Past

Active             Passive

	Future-in-the-Past		Future-in-the-Past
Simple	should/would V		should/wouldbe + V3(ed)
Continuous	would be + Ving		_
Perfect	would have + V3(ed)		would have + been + V3(ed)
Perfect Continuous	would have + been + Ving		_

Changes in time and place words

now	→	then, at that time
then	→	at that time
here	→	there
this	→	that
these	→	those
today	→	that day
yesterday	→	the day before, the previous day
tomorrow	→	the next day
a year ago	→	a year before
last year	→	the year before
next year	→	the following year