Curated Collection
Meet Psychologist Cedric Johnson, Ph.D. on ILLUMINATION — Medium
Let’s make invisible stories visible series #02
Purpose of the Post
Our observations reflect that the distribution algorithm of this platform is broken or misprogrammed. It seems unable to distinguish rich and poor content for readers. We are optimistic it might be fixed soon.
As avid readers, we came across stories of Cedric Johnson, PhD on ILLUMINATION. They are not only insightful but also written in an attractive style. His stories are short, sharp, and digestible in simple language.
However, these outstanding stories had fewer than a handful of views. These creators pour their hearts and souls into their valuable stories.
When their pieces get no readers, it hurts them deeply and might discourage them from creating more. This potential problem might deprive avid readers of finding quality content.
As readers, writers, editors, and curators, this situation concerns us. On a platform that allegedly has millions of readers, outstanding stories of a published author reflecting 80 years of wisdom with a doctoral degree get almost no views.
Of course, we cannot expect artificial intelligence to understand human wisdom yet. Algorithms do whatever their programmers tell them to do.
Our fervent wish for the algorithm to gain more intelligence and present readers with valuable stories that matter to them.
In the meantime, we look for ways to amplify valuable stories and introduce writers who gain minimal or no visibility on this platform.
This post is part of the initiative Dr Mehmet Yildiz (owner and chief editor of Illumination Integrated Publications on Medium) asked the editorial team as a giveback activity for the disadvantaged writers with valuable content.
Dr. Yildiz wants kindly requested writers to curate stories of accomplished writers whose content has minimal visibility due to the algorithmic issues of this platform.
We explained the initiative in a bulletin. Here is the link for those who missed it.
We cannot change the system, but we can make a difference by amplifying the messages within our capacity and capability.
Meet Cedric Johnson, PhD
In this post, we introduce Dr. Cedric Johnson.
He introduced his past life on his profile, saying:
“I have lived at least three different lives on my spiritual and professional path. Before I hit middle age, I lived in my head and neglected my heart. Yes, I had degrees in theology under my belt. I also had a resume packed with experience as an Evangelical pastor, Seminary professor, author of Christian books, and radio talk show host on a religious station in Los Angeles.
All that ended when I traveled through the valley of the shadow of divorce, death, disease, debt, doubt, and the downward slide of my business. The turning point for me was after I migrated to the USA from South Africa in the 1970s, trained to be a psychologist, founded a multi-cultural clinic, and moved away from my Tribal background.”
Dr. Johnson describes himself:
“Now, in my old age, soon to turn 80, I find myself on an inward path. My quest is towards a more contemplative experience of truth through the eye of the heart. I am more drawn to the mystical component of faith rather than battles over human-generated beliefs and political divisions.”
He confirms that he is not anti-intellectual but knows the limits of his trickster ego-bound mind. Like Thomas Merton, he aspires to live from the center of his True self.
He is currently writing a memoir, “Getting out of my Head — Seeing with the Eye of the Heart.” This is the story of his shift from Evangelical Christianity in his early years to inner spirituality. He is the author of four other books.
His mission is threefold.
1 — Live from the Heart.
2 — Inspire others.
3 — Do good where he has the opportunity.
Curated Stories for Dr. Johnson
We reviewed and published these stories on Illumination. Unfortunately, they haven’t reached out to a broader audience yet.
However, we believe that many discerning readers will enjoy these insightful and engaging stories reflecting the wisdom of a thought leader, psychologist, and author.
Please enjoy the inspiring stories of Cedric Johnson, PhD listed below.
1 — Fire Your Internal Critic — Don’t Overthink the Inexplicable
2 — Get the Hell out of my Head
3 — The Day I Met an Ancestor
4 — Self-Awareness and Inspirational Leadership
5 — Kindness Matters
6 — The Many Faces of God
7 — Who are you Really?
8 — Watch the Freak Show — Don’t Join In
9 — Got Purpose?
10 — Be Creative Now: Here’s How
11 — Going Out on a Limb is Exhilarating
12 — Religion that Hurts -Faith that Heals
13 — Heaven is not a Gated Community
14 — Leaving the Tribe — From Evangelical Christianity to “None”
15 — Fruitfulness Matters
16 — Be a Soul. Not a Role
17 — The Jerk, the Thief, and I
18 — Truth Tellers Wanted
19 — My Dog — My Spiritual Teacher
20 — Self-disclosure Inspires Trust
21 — Trust Matters
22 — Forgiveness — The Gift We Give Ourselves
23 — Imagination — Gateway to Presence
23 — Mystical Moments Matter
24 — Is Productivity Killing Us?
25 — Forced to Change — Now What?
26 — Managing Poppycock
27 — Living with Hope
28 — Jerk Management
29 — Daydreaming Matters
30 — Authentic Connection: Seeing I to I
31 — Be Here Now
32 — A Broken Heart — Prelude to a New Life
33 — Don’t Shut Up — Speak Up
34 — Self-Disclosure and Inspired Leaders
35 — Being Seen
36 — The Power of Pause
37 — History is not Destiny
38 — Managing a Narcissist
39 — You Don’t Need That Promotion — Run Your Own Race
40 — Don’t Hang In — Get the Hell Out
41 — Prayer — Listen in Silence
42 — Insecurity — A Waste of Time
43 — Keep Praying — It Works
44- Got Faith?
45 — My Battle with the Bible
46 — Dancing with Doubt
47 — Character Matters
48 — Cultural Meaning of Work
Final Words
Many thanks to Cedric Johnson, PhD for submitting these high-quality, insightful, and engaging stories. We believe you will find valuable stories in this curated collection.
If you want your memorable stories to be curated, please contact Dr. Yildiz on Illuminations slack workspace. You might request an invitation via this weblink if you don’t have access.
Our Slack group includes thousands of members. It is a free service to the reading and writing community as a collaboration activity.
Thank you for reading the stories of Dr. Johnson.
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Writer and Editor Profiles
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Interviews with Writers
We interviewed Lawson Wallace. You can check his interview script at this link. Dr Mehmet Yildiz, our chief editor, also interviews published authors and many writers contributing to our publications. For example, he recently interviewed a published author Keri Mangis. You might check out interviewed writers in this collection. Interviews with Writers of Medium: Featuring inspiring writers of ILLUMINATION
Sample Curated Collections for New Readers
After reviewing and publishing stories submitted to our publications, our volunteer editorial and curation team members also create visibility for them in multiple ways. They do these tasks as a giveback activity. They are not paid for their duties.
Here are the recent collections from ILLUMINATION-Curator.
ILLUMINATION Reading Club, Curated Book Chapters of Illumination #01, Outstanding Stories — Volume 86, Outstanding Stories — Volume 87, Outstanding Stories — Volume 88, Outstanding Stories — Volume 89, Outstanding Stories — Volume 90, Outstanding Stories — Volume 91.
By the ILLUMINATION Amplifier.
Hand-Picked Articles #180, Hand-Picked Articles #181, Hand-Picked Articles #182, Hand-Picked Articles #183, Hand-Picked Articles #184, Hand-Picked Articles #185, Hand-Picked Articles #186, Hand-Picked Articles #187, Hand-Picked Articles #188, Hand-Picked Articles #189, Hand-Picked Articles #190, Hand-Picked Articles #191, Hand-Picked Articles #192, Hand-Picked Articles #193, Hand-Picked Articles #194, Hand-Picked Articles #203, Hand-Picked Articles #205, Hand-Picked Articles #206.
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Curated Collection #132, Curated Collection #131, Curated Collection #130, Curated Collection #129, Curated Collection #128, Curated Collection #133, Curated Collection #134.
Thank you for reading our collections.
Essential Documents for Our Writers
Every writer of our publications needs to review these guiding policies before submitting their stories. We are tolerant, but these are non-negotiable rules.
Improving the Quality of Writing Using an Editorial Checklist
Starter Kit for Writers of ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications
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