Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
creating beauty
Just as there is an ultimate Creator, I too have my own part to pay in Creation. The choices I make everyday help to create the beauty and joy in my life.
I'm thankful for the privilege.
I'm thankful for the privilege.
Friday, January 13, 2012
trusting
How does one trust their heart, really? Your heart can take you down smooth roads and bumpy roads that end in cul-de-sacs of heartache. I always thought that even if your heart took you down a difficult path, there would always be some deep purpose or lesson to come out of it.
Yet I've taken such a path recently. In the immediate, I don't see a deeper purpose in the bad decision I made-- just brokenness that needs fixing. Does a difficult road always need purpose? I always thought it did. I guess I don't think so anymore. And if nothing else, I've become a richer person for my experiences.
After all when you examine the meaning of life, sometimes there's deep purpose and sometimes there's meaninglessness and pointlessness. That doesn't make it good or bad. It's all part of the experience.
To answer my question: How does one trust their heart? We don't really have a choice. If you can't trust your north star, your compass will always be broken. We just have to... no matter where it takes us.
Yet I've taken such a path recently. In the immediate, I don't see a deeper purpose in the bad decision I made-- just brokenness that needs fixing. Does a difficult road always need purpose? I always thought it did. I guess I don't think so anymore. And if nothing else, I've become a richer person for my experiences.
After all when you examine the meaning of life, sometimes there's deep purpose and sometimes there's meaninglessness and pointlessness. That doesn't make it good or bad. It's all part of the experience.
To answer my question: How does one trust their heart? We don't really have a choice. If you can't trust your north star, your compass will always be broken. We just have to... no matter where it takes us.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
percolating thoughts
"A life without cause is a life without effect."- Paulo Coelho
"If you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind wanders."- ??
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
true theology
"In a very real sense, all theology is autobiography, is it not? Our experience, real and vicarious, is what informs our sense of reality, our internal picture of the way the world works, what our values are. We believe what we know is true -- that is, our felt knowledge--not what we are told is true. In the final analysis, how can a person who wishes to live with integrity do other than this?"
-Marilyn Sewell, Unitarian Minister
-Marilyn Sewell, Unitarian Minister
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
how to temper steel
For many years, a blacksmith worked hard and performed many acts of charity; yet despite all his devotion, nothing seemed to go right in his life.
One afternoon, a friend was visiting him was concerned:
‘It really is very strange that despite your firm belief in the spiritual world, nothing in your life has improved.’
The blacksmith answered:
‘The unworked steel arrives in my workshop and I have to make swords out of it. Do you know how that is done? First, I heat the metal until it is red-hot, then I beat it mercilessly with my heaviest hammer until the metal takes on the form I need. Then I plunge it into a bucket of cold water and the whole workshop is filled with the roar of steam, while the metal sizzles and crackles in response to the sudden change in temperature. I have to keep repeating that process until the sword is perfect: once is not enough.’
The blacksmith paused for a long time, then went on:
‘Sometimes the steel I get simply can’t withstand such treatment. The heat, the hammer blows, the cold water cause it to crack. And I know that I will never be able to make it into a good sword blade. Then I throw it on the pile of scrap metal that you saw at the entrance to the workshop.’
‘I know that God is putting me through the fire of afflictions. I have accepted the blows that life deals out to me, and sometimes I feel as cold and indifferent as the water that inflicts such pain on the steel.
“But my one prayer is this: Please, God, do not give up until I have taken on the shape that You wish for me.
“Do this by whatever means You think best, for as long as You like, but never ever throw me on the scrap heap of souls.’
Written by Paulo Coelho
One afternoon, a friend was visiting him was concerned:
‘It really is very strange that despite your firm belief in the spiritual world, nothing in your life has improved.’
The blacksmith answered:
‘The unworked steel arrives in my workshop and I have to make swords out of it. Do you know how that is done? First, I heat the metal until it is red-hot, then I beat it mercilessly with my heaviest hammer until the metal takes on the form I need. Then I plunge it into a bucket of cold water and the whole workshop is filled with the roar of steam, while the metal sizzles and crackles in response to the sudden change in temperature. I have to keep repeating that process until the sword is perfect: once is not enough.’
The blacksmith paused for a long time, then went on:
‘Sometimes the steel I get simply can’t withstand such treatment. The heat, the hammer blows, the cold water cause it to crack. And I know that I will never be able to make it into a good sword blade. Then I throw it on the pile of scrap metal that you saw at the entrance to the workshop.’
‘I know that God is putting me through the fire of afflictions. I have accepted the blows that life deals out to me, and sometimes I feel as cold and indifferent as the water that inflicts such pain on the steel.
“But my one prayer is this: Please, God, do not give up until I have taken on the shape that You wish for me.
“Do this by whatever means You think best, for as long as You like, but never ever throw me on the scrap heap of souls.’
Written by Paulo Coelho
Thursday, December 1, 2011
unending love
I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, it’s age old pain,
It’s ancient tale of being apart or together.
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,
Clad in the light of a pole-star, piercing the darkness of time.
You become an image of what is remembered forever.
You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the heart of time, love of one for another.
We have played along side millions of lovers,
Shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting,
the distressful tears of farewell,
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.
Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you
The love of all man’s days both past and forever:
Universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life.
The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours -
And the songs of every poet past and forever.
-Rabindranath Tagore
Translated by William Radice
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, it’s age old pain,
It’s ancient tale of being apart or together.
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,
Clad in the light of a pole-star, piercing the darkness of time.
You become an image of what is remembered forever.
You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the heart of time, love of one for another.
We have played along side millions of lovers,
Shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting,
the distressful tears of farewell,
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.
Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you
The love of all man’s days both past and forever:
Universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life.
The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours -
And the songs of every poet past and forever.
-Rabindranath Tagore
Translated by William Radice
Sunday, November 20, 2011
thoughts of the day
"Do not regret growing older. It's a privilege denied to many."-Unknown
"I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you at all."-Coco Chanel
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
life report
[David Brooks is publishing a series on his blog of autobiographical essays written by people over 70. Below are a couple excerpts from Marguerite Wolff Hessini's essay.]
"Sometimes I feel I have not lived one life, but many different ones within a 79 year lifespan so far. Having known several different historic moments in different geographic locations, within different social and political contexts, I have a sense of fragmentation, yet there is an ongoing, uninterrupted thread that characterizes my life and links it to the wider human experience."
"Now, what have I learned through all this?
Despite appearances, real choices are few in life for most,
and circumstances beyond our control may determine our options, if any.
Still, there is our inherent aptitude for adaptation, for creating new possibilities within what seem, at times, impossible situations,
and that is an incredible force we can claim for ourselves and use constructively and creatively."
Saturday, November 12, 2011
why no one likes brands
[Re-posted from www.good.is]
What if 70 percent of brands in the world disappeared overnight? Most people wouldn’t care, according to a new study of 50,000 people in 14 global markets performed by Havas Media, an international communications firm.
Of all the brands surveyed, only 20 percent made a notably positive impact on people’s lives. That means for all the millions spent on marketing and ads around the world, most people could care less which company sells them their lunch, television, or car. “The overall consumption model and the overall marketing model is not working anymore,” says Sara del Dios, the Havas executive behind the survey.
Reflecting demonstrations and disappointment in the global economy, the survey notes that most consumers don’t trust companies, think their efforts to be responsible are largely spin, and that they don’t work hard to fix big problems.
Some brands have succeeded, however, in creating a meaningful image. The top 10 list includes Ikea, Google, Danone (the French diary giant), Leroy Merlin (a global Home Depot), and Samsung. The survey’s results suggest that these brands succeed by convincing consumers that they are working to improve their lives, whether through their products or their responsible business practices.
Take Coke as an example. It’s one of the most well-known global brands, but comes in 20th on this list because only 35 percent think the soda improves their quality of life; others worry about the health concerns that come with sugary soft drinks.
According to the survey, 85 percent of consumers worldwide expect companies to be tackling major problems, whether environmental or social. That fact is reflected in another finding—53 percent of consumers surveyed said they would pay a 10 percent price premium for a product made responsibly, up from 44 percent last year.
There is a huge disparity between how brands are perceived in the developed and developing worlds. In the United States and Europe, far fewer brands are respected than in Latin America or Asia. That’s a reflection of economic reality, too: Growth is happening in the developing countries even as it slows in most established economies.
This, researchers say, is because brands and material advancement are more connected, and consumers reward companies who provide them with transportation (like cars from India’s Tata Motors) or hygiene (like Unilever’s Lifebuoy disinfectant soap). In more developed nations, where basic needs are more frequently met, consumers focus far more on the responsibility of the companies in question. And broader economic trends that have led to a poorer middle class in the developed world are also syncing up with what del Dios calls the “post-materialist society,” as consumers look to brands not just for products, but also for some sense of a richer life.
"Many of the aspirational stories that brands try to communicate are not so true, and what we want is more authenticity," del Dios says.
Whether or not corporations can provide actual meaning in people's lives was not addressed by the survey.
What if 70 percent of brands in the world disappeared overnight? Most people wouldn’t care, according to a new study of 50,000 people in 14 global markets performed by Havas Media, an international communications firm.
Of all the brands surveyed, only 20 percent made a notably positive impact on people’s lives. That means for all the millions spent on marketing and ads around the world, most people could care less which company sells them their lunch, television, or car. “The overall consumption model and the overall marketing model is not working anymore,” says Sara del Dios, the Havas executive behind the survey.
Reflecting demonstrations and disappointment in the global economy, the survey notes that most consumers don’t trust companies, think their efforts to be responsible are largely spin, and that they don’t work hard to fix big problems.
Some brands have succeeded, however, in creating a meaningful image. The top 10 list includes Ikea, Google, Danone (the French diary giant), Leroy Merlin (a global Home Depot), and Samsung. The survey’s results suggest that these brands succeed by convincing consumers that they are working to improve their lives, whether through their products or their responsible business practices.
Take Coke as an example. It’s one of the most well-known global brands, but comes in 20th on this list because only 35 percent think the soda improves their quality of life; others worry about the health concerns that come with sugary soft drinks.
According to the survey, 85 percent of consumers worldwide expect companies to be tackling major problems, whether environmental or social. That fact is reflected in another finding—53 percent of consumers surveyed said they would pay a 10 percent price premium for a product made responsibly, up from 44 percent last year.
There is a huge disparity between how brands are perceived in the developed and developing worlds. In the United States and Europe, far fewer brands are respected than in Latin America or Asia. That’s a reflection of economic reality, too: Growth is happening in the developing countries even as it slows in most established economies.
This, researchers say, is because brands and material advancement are more connected, and consumers reward companies who provide them with transportation (like cars from India’s Tata Motors) or hygiene (like Unilever’s Lifebuoy disinfectant soap). In more developed nations, where basic needs are more frequently met, consumers focus far more on the responsibility of the companies in question. And broader economic trends that have led to a poorer middle class in the developed world are also syncing up with what del Dios calls the “post-materialist society,” as consumers look to brands not just for products, but also for some sense of a richer life.
"Many of the aspirational stories that brands try to communicate are not so true, and what we want is more authenticity," del Dios says.
Whether or not corporations can provide actual meaning in people's lives was not addressed by the survey.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
empathic civilization
I never realized how truly powerful empathy is and can be.
I thought it was really interesting when he said that there wouldn't be any empathy in utopia, because we wouldn't need it with out any suffering. How would we connect with other people if there was no empathy? Utopia doesn't sound like such a warm and friendly place then. Would we be isolated in ourselves with happiness? That just seems odd. Is this why we aren't meant to find/create utopia? Something to think about...
Friday, November 4, 2011
gone
Although you have gone,
You still live in my memories.
Real enough to touch,
But as light and as fleeting as the wind.
Now that there is no You,
You have become a piece of Me.
You live in me now.
For better and for worse,
For joy and for pain.
You still live in my memories.
Real enough to touch,
But as light and as fleeting as the wind.
Now that there is no You,
You have become a piece of Me.
You live in me now.
For better and for worse,
For joy and for pain.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
power of belief
It's crazy to think how much our beliefs can change our physical health...
If we can do all that with our minds, can we also change our circumstances too? I don't think it's possible all the time, but I do think we can make our own luck.
If we can do all that with our minds, can we also change our circumstances too? I don't think it's possible all the time, but I do think we can make our own luck.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
percolating thoughts (#12)
['Percolating thoughts' is an on-going collection of quotes I have found and gained wisdom from. These are the ones that I've recently discovered and that I'm currently sitting with and reflecting on...]
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
-Steve Jobs
"Peace is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it."
-Thomas Merton
"All real living is meeting."
-Martin Buber, from I and Thou
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
-Steve Jobs
"Peace is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it."
-Thomas Merton
"All real living is meeting."
-Martin Buber, from I and Thou
Monday, October 10, 2011
trusting anyway
H and I had a conversation the other day about how as people get older and gain more life experiences, there's much more opportunity to get heart broken, be hurt, become resentful, distrustful, cynical, etc. As we get older, we become more sullied by life.
H asked me how I have been able to push past all the hurt I've experienced in my own life. Scars have been made, and I've been left wondering at times how to trust myself and others. Why not cloister myself away in a safe place? I can work to keep myself from getting hurt again.
But my answer to her was this... As humans, we are really left with no choice. We have to trust ourselves. We have to trust others. The reality is that we may get hurt again (and most likely we will, as loss and hurt come with love), but cloistering ourselves away to a safe and protected place only cuts ourself off from the world. It is a suicide of the soul. If we do not choose love and trust, what is left?
H asked me how I have been able to push past all the hurt I've experienced in my own life. Scars have been made, and I've been left wondering at times how to trust myself and others. Why not cloister myself away in a safe place? I can work to keep myself from getting hurt again.
But my answer to her was this... As humans, we are really left with no choice. We have to trust ourselves. We have to trust others. The reality is that we may get hurt again (and most likely we will, as loss and hurt come with love), but cloistering ourselves away to a safe and protected place only cuts ourself off from the world. It is a suicide of the soul. If we do not choose love and trust, what is left?
Saturday, October 8, 2011
last night
Last night I dreamt you came looking
for me. I was in a safe and hidden place.
Protected.
I tried to make a little extra noise.
Unsure if I wanted to be hidden or found,
I secretly kept hoping you'd peak inside my room.
But you kept walking by
in search of God knows what.
And I awoke to realize
you were only a shadow
of another dream I once had.
for me. I was in a safe and hidden place.
Protected.
I tried to make a little extra noise.
Unsure if I wanted to be hidden or found,
I secretly kept hoping you'd peak inside my room.
But you kept walking by
in search of God knows what.
And I awoke to realize
you were only a shadow
of another dream I once had.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
for when things get hard...
I wrote a list of things for myself to remember when I was going through a tough time last year. I came across that list yesterday and thought I'd post it here.
FOR WHEN THINGS GET HARD:
FOR WHEN THINGS GET HARD:
- There will always be challenges. How will you deal with them?
- What is going to help you move forward?
- Don't forget how far you've come.
- Today will be what you make it.
- There will always be things in your current situation that you may never find again. Take advantage!
- Embrace your personal growth.
- Look for God... in all things.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
the beloved man
A Siberian shaman asked God to show him a man that He loved. The Lord advised him to look for a certain farmer.
“What do you do to make the Lord love you so much?” the shaman asked the farmer when he found him.
“I say His name in the morning. I work all day and say His name before going to sleep. That’s all,” the farmer replied. I think I found the wrong man, thought the shaman.
Just then the Lord appeared and said, “Fill a bowl with milk, go to town and then return. Without spilling a single drop.”
The shaman did so. On his return, the Lord wanted to know how many times he had thought of Him.
“How could I? I was worried not to spill the milk!”
“A simple bowl made you forget Me,” said the Lord, “and the farmer, with all his tasks, thinks of me twice a day.”
[Originally found here]
“What do you do to make the Lord love you so much?” the shaman asked the farmer when he found him.
“I say His name in the morning. I work all day and say His name before going to sleep. That’s all,” the farmer replied. I think I found the wrong man, thought the shaman.
Just then the Lord appeared and said, “Fill a bowl with milk, go to town and then return. Without spilling a single drop.”
The shaman did so. On his return, the Lord wanted to know how many times he had thought of Him.
“How could I? I was worried not to spill the milk!”
“A simple bowl made you forget Me,” said the Lord, “and the farmer, with all his tasks, thinks of me twice a day.”
[Originally found here]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)