May the dawning of this New Year, fill your heart with new hopes, open up new horizons and bring for you promises of brighter tomorrows.
May you have a great New Year! ♥
Friday 31 December 2010
Happy New Year!
May the dawning of this New Year, fill your heart with new hopes, open up new horizons and bring for you promises of brighter tomorrows.
May you have a great New Year! ♥
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model.
An amazing, intriguing woman, more clever than she was ever given credit for... here's a few of her insightful quotes.
"It's far better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone — so far."
"It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch them. Not even talk. A feeling passes between you both. You're not alone."
"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
"No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they're pretty, even if they aren't."
"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no-one but yourself, and sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together."
An amazing, intriguing woman, more clever than she was ever given credit for... here's a few of her insightful quotes.
"It's far better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone — so far."
"It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch them. Not even talk. A feeling passes between you both. You're not alone."
"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
"No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they're pretty, even if they aren't."
"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no-one but yourself, and sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together."
Monday 27 December 2010
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher. Central to his philosophy is the idea of “life-affirmation,” which involves an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life's expansive energies, however socially prevalent those views might be.
In my opinion he seems to have been quite a gloomy guy. Very insightful and gloomy but, perhaps one can't be a philosopher without a certain amount of gloom...? ;)
More Nietzsche:
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
"It is not the struggle of opinions that has made history so violent, but rather the struggle of belief in opinions, that is, the struggle of convictions."
"One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes."
"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."
In my opinion he seems to have been quite a gloomy guy. Very insightful and gloomy but, perhaps one can't be a philosopher without a certain amount of gloom...? ;)
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
"It is not the struggle of opinions that has made history so violent, but rather the struggle of belief in opinions, that is, the struggle of convictions."
"One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes."
"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."
Confucius
Confucius (Kong Fu Zi), 551 BC – 479 BC. A Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. Confucius presented himself as a "transmitter who invented nothing" (not speaking of unknown things? ;)) and he put great emphasis on the importance of study (or learning).
Confucius's moral system was based upon empathy and understanding others. Virtue was based upon harmony with other people, summed up in the earliest versions of the Golden Rule.
"What one does not wish for oneself,
one ought not to do to anyone else;
what one recognises as desirable for oneself,
one ought to be willing to grant to others."
- Confucius
More quotes from Confucius:
"Knowledge is recognizing what you know and what you don't."
"Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew, you are fit to be a teacher."
"To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous."
"When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."
"It does not matter how slowly you go
so long as you do not stop."
"To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness."
"He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good."
Confucius's moral system was based upon empathy and understanding others. Virtue was based upon harmony with other people, summed up in the earliest versions of the Golden Rule.
one ought not to do to anyone else;
what one recognises as desirable for oneself,
one ought to be willing to grant to others."
- Confucius
"Knowledge is recognizing what you know and what you don't."
"Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew,
"To study and not think is a waste.
"When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."
"It does not matter how slowly you go
so long as you do not stop."
"To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness."
"He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good."
Wednesday 22 December 2010
Monday 20 December 2010
Love...
Do you love the one you love for you or do you love him for him (or her)...? Confusing? Yeah, it sure is. :P But! There is a difference!
Usually, naturally, there is a bit of both kinds of love in a relationship. Giving and taking. It's taken me a looong long time to (I think) "figure" this one out and I want to try it out on you "all"... ;) :)
Love can be about how safe, protected and loved you feel by your certain someone, i.e. loving someone for you for what you get out of Love. Or (and!) it can be the love you feel for your partner - what a great dad he is, what a kind heart he has or his quick wit. You love your partner for all the possibilities that he/she has for him- or herself...not what you get from Love but what Love enables you to see in you partner.
Again, love is usually, hopefully, a healthy mixture of both - from both lovers. But, a lot of the time, it's not. I say this both from my own experience and the experience of others. When there's an...let call it an imbalance of the two, not uncommonly between partners - where one loves for the all possibilities of the other and the other one love only for what he/she gets out of his/her partners affections. One of them could soar but is too frightened to do so...and the Love that he receives is...ultimately...wasted. This imbalance may last forever but will (again in my opinion) in the end to some degree be seasoned with bitterness.
There is also the desperate love between two partners who are both trying to fill themselves up with the other persons love, in the end draining each other out completely and usually ending in emotional, quite often dramatic, break-ups with wounds so deep they feel like they'll never heal.
Sometimes we're not even aware that we love someone only to fill a hole in ourselves rather than being the wind beneath our loved ones wings, helping them soar...
Is it right to deem one kind of love better than the other? I'm not sure, perhaps this will come back and bite me but I'm daring to say that Yes, there is a "better" more true kind of love...and it is not loving someone for yourself.
Because when you are in a relationship where you love each other, not for what you get, but what Love lets you give it is more true. You both grow, learn, evolve together into better, brighter, more beautiful versions of yourselves.
But, it's hard...we all have our own insecurities and old hurts that haven't healed so we love when love makes us feel special, beautiful, safe... We just have to be aware that what makes us special, beautiful, safe is our love for ourselves!
It's a cliché but it's true...you can't Love someone if you don't love yourself. You can give someone the illusion of love but it isn't the love that they, or you, deserve!
Find yourself first, love you, then give love and you'll get it back...! :)
I'm convinced of it!
Usually, naturally, there is a bit of both kinds of love in a relationship. Giving and taking. It's taken me a looong long time to (I think) "figure" this one out and I want to try it out on you "all"... ;) :)
Love can be about how safe, protected and loved you feel by your certain someone, i.e. loving someone for you for what you get out of Love. Or (and!) it can be the love you feel for your partner - what a great dad he is, what a kind heart he has or his quick wit. You love your partner for all the possibilities that he/she has for him- or herself...not what you get from Love but what Love enables you to see in you partner.
Again, love is usually, hopefully, a healthy mixture of both - from both lovers. But, a lot of the time, it's not. I say this both from my own experience and the experience of others. When there's an...let call it an imbalance of the two, not uncommonly between partners - where one loves for the all possibilities of the other and the other one love only for what he/she gets out of his/her partners affections. One of them could soar but is too frightened to do so...and the Love that he receives is...ultimately...wasted. This imbalance may last forever but will (again in my opinion) in the end to some degree be seasoned with bitterness.
There is also the desperate love between two partners who are both trying to fill themselves up with the other persons love, in the end draining each other out completely and usually ending in emotional, quite often dramatic, break-ups with wounds so deep they feel like they'll never heal.
Sometimes we're not even aware that we love someone only to fill a hole in ourselves rather than being the wind beneath our loved ones wings, helping them soar...
Is it right to deem one kind of love better than the other? I'm not sure, perhaps this will come back and bite me but I'm daring to say that Yes, there is a "better" more true kind of love...and it is not loving someone for yourself.
Because when you are in a relationship where you love each other, not for what you get, but what Love lets you give it is more true. You both grow, learn, evolve together into better, brighter, more beautiful versions of yourselves.
But, it's hard...we all have our own insecurities and old hurts that haven't healed so we love when love makes us feel special, beautiful, safe... We just have to be aware that what makes us special, beautiful, safe is our love for ourselves!
It's a cliché but it's true...you can't Love someone if you don't love yourself. You can give someone the illusion of love but it isn't the love that they, or you, deserve!
Find yourself first, love you, then give love and you'll get it back...! :)
I'm convinced of it!
Sunday 19 December 2010
Choosing the Path
Again, from Mr. Coelho.
Choosing the Path “I am willing to give up everything”, said the prince to the master. “Please accept me as your disciple.”
“How does a man choose his path?” asked the master.
“Through sacrifice,” answered the prince. “A path which demands sacrifice, is a true path.”
The master bumped into some shelves. A precious vase fell, and the prince threw himself down in order to grab hold of it. He fell badly and broke his arm, but managed to save the vase.
“What is the greater sacrifice: to watch the vase smash, or break one’s arm in order to save it?” asked the master.
“I do not know,” said the prince.
“Then how can you guide your choice for sacrifice? The true path is chosen by our ability to love it, not to suffer for it.”
“How does a man choose his path?” asked the master.
“Through sacrifice,” answered the prince. “A path which demands sacrifice, is a true path.”
The master bumped into some shelves. A precious vase fell, and the prince threw himself down in order to grab hold of it. He fell badly and broke his arm, but managed to save the vase.
“What is the greater sacrifice: to watch the vase smash, or break one’s arm in order to save it?” asked the master.
“I do not know,” said the prince.
“Then how can you guide your choice for sacrifice? The true path is chosen by our ability to love it, not to suffer for it.”
Wednesday 8 December 2010
The Porcupine and Solidarity
Once again fabulous words of wisdom from Paulo Coelho's blog. A cute story with profound depth, what I've come to expect from this amazing author/philosopher.
(image: Google)
During the Ice Age many animals died because of the cold. Seeing this situation, the porcupines decided to group together, so they wrapped up well and protected one another.
But they hurt one another with their thorns, and so then they decided to stay apart from one another.
They started to freeze to death again.
So they had to make a choice: either they vanished from the face of the earth or they accepted their neighbor’s thorns.
They wisely decided to stay together again. They learned to live with the small wounds that a very close relationship could cause, because the most important thing was the warmth given by the other.
And in the end they survived.
During the Ice Age many animals died because of the cold. Seeing this situation, the porcupines decided to group together, so they wrapped up well and protected one another.
But they hurt one another with their thorns, and so then they decided to stay apart from one another.
They started to freeze to death again.
So they had to make a choice: either they vanished from the face of the earth or they accepted their neighbor’s thorns.
They wisely decided to stay together again. They learned to live with the small wounds that a very close relationship could cause, because the most important thing was the warmth given by the other.
And in the end they survived.
Tenzin Gyatso - 14th Dalai Lama
"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
"All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness..."
"I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.
The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion."
- The 14th Dalai Lama's Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, December 10, 1989
Kindness is my religion too, even if I'm not a buddhist. This man has so many ideas so similar to my own. Truly someone to draw inspiration from, whatever faith you belong to or renounce yourself from...
I speak not of unknown things.
Saturday 27 November 2010
Søren Kierkegaard,
was a Danish philosopher, theologian and religious author interested in human psychology. Kierkegaard is regarded as the father of existentialism which means that (in at least in my book!) he's a cool dude! :) :) There's one "passage" of his that I can't seem to find in English (still looking!) so here's two quotes 'til I find what I'm looking for. :)
"Life can only be understood backwards;
but it must be lived forwards."
- Søren Kierkegaard
To be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and the way he understands it.
- Søren Kierkegaard
As a future teacher I love that quote, because I find it so true to what a teacher really should be like...! :)
but it must be lived forwards."
- Søren Kierkegaard
- Søren Kierkegaard
As a future teacher I love that quote, because I find it so true to what a teacher really should be like...! :)
Saturday 20 November 2010
♥ Compassion ♥
Watch this spectacular video produced for the one-year anniversary of the Charter for Compassion. Featuring voice of Rainn Wilson.
Learn. Act. Share.
Learn. Act. Share.
Friday 19 November 2010
Agnes - Champion
Lyrics:
You say it's impossible
But you didn't even try at all
Why am I the only one
Who gives the most all the time
You never can admit the truth
Trying to laugh it off
You say I'm a silly girl
But you just don't understand
Did you think I could ever be
The same way that I used to be
Letting you have your way
Though you had the best of me
The tables are turning now
I'm the one that's in control
No more lonely broken hearts
Can't you see I'm moving on
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
So much stronger than I was before
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
Finally taking hold of my life
It's easier to let you go
Now I'm not emotional
I've learned to make it on my own
I can carry on by myself
I'm through with all the pain
No more drowning in the rain
I'm free to be who I am
This time I am moving on
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
So much stronger than I was before
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
Finally taking hold of my life
On my life
Oh, oh, on my life, oohh
Every sign, every move
I will seek without you
Everytime every move
It will be what I choose
Every sign every move
I will seek without you
Everytime every move
It will be what I choose
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
So much stronger than I was before
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
Finally taking hold of my life
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
So much stronger than I was before
'Cause I-I-I-I'm a champion
Finally taking hold of my life...
- a champion...?
Saturday 6 November 2010
Epictetus
More really intriguing thoughts from Paulo Coelho's blog - Character of the week.
All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.
First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. All religions must be tolerated… for every man must get to heaven in his own way. Freedom is the right to live as we wish.
Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.
If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.
Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire. Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else. Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.
No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
No man is free who is not master of himself.
God has entrusted me with myself.
Epictetus (AD 55–AD 135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher.
All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.
First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. All religions must be tolerated… for every man must get to heaven in his own way. Freedom is the right to live as we wish.
Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.
If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.
Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire. Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else. Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.
No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
No man is free who is not master of himself.
God has entrusted me with myself.
Epictetus (AD 55–AD 135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher.
Sunday 31 October 2010
More compassion.
I know I keep coming back to this topic but it is something I feel that we can't have too much of. I follow the facebook group of the Charter for Compassion and which give me interesting updates. Today I was informed that "Karen Armstrong will appear on CNN this morning at 8:30 am ET on Faces of Faith. Karen was part of a panel on Interfaith leadership." and I truly hope that CNN is CNN all over the world 'cause then I'll tune in on the right program *fingers crossed* when I've finished writing this blog post. :)
I had a quick search on cnn.com to see if there was any more info about Karen or the Charter to be found there but I sort of got lost a bit. I did find this article (follow link or read it further down) though... It confirms the conviction I feel for the Charter. It is just what I've been feeling in my gut since like forever...! I'm not alone in thinking/feeling this way... :)
Which Karen Armstrong and Desmond Tutu express in the article - "Each [religion] has its own particular genius and each its particular flaws. Every single one of the faiths regards compassion and the Golden Rule as the litmus test of true spirituality and sees it as one of the main ways in which we come into relation with the transcendence that we call God, Nirvana, Brahman or Tao."
***
From cnn.com by Karen Armstrong and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, November 10, 2009
We have called on the world to sign up to a Charter for Compassion.
Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves into the place of the other and it lies at the heart of all truly religious and ethical systems.
The charter, which will be unveiled Thursday, November 12, has been composed by leading thinkers in many different faiths. Thousands of people have contributed to it online. It is a cooperative effort to restore compassion to the center of religious, moral and political life. Why is this so important?
One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global community, where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live together in peace.
Religion, which should be making a major contribution to this endeavor, is often seen as part of the problem. All too often the voices of extremism seem to drown those that speak of kindness, forbearance and mutual respect. Yet the founders of every single one of the great traditions recoiled from the violence of their time and tried to replace it with an ethic of compassion.
The great sages who promoted the Golden Rule were nearly all living during periods of history like our own. They argued that a truly compassionate ethic served people's best interests and made good practical sense.
When the Bible commands that we "love" the foreigner, it was not speaking of emotional tenderness: in Leviticus, "love" was a legal term: It was used in international treaties, when two kings would promise to give each other practical support, help and loyalty, and look out for each other's best interests. In our global world, everybody has become our neighbor, and the Golden Rule has become an urgent necessity.
When asked by a pagan to sum up the whole of Jewish teaching while he stood on one leg, Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, replied: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah -- and everything else is only commentary." His Holiness the Dalai Lama put it even more succinctly when he said: "My religion is kindness."
These traditions have also pointed out that it is not sufficient to confine our benevolence to those we find congenial -- to our own ethnic, national or ideological group. We must have what one of the Chinese sages called jian ai, "concern for everybody." If practiced assiduously -- "all day and every day," as Confucius enjoined -- we begin to appreciate our profound interdependence and become fully humane.
We come at this issue from different perspectives. I, Karen, was a Roman Catholic nun for seven years, from the age of 17 to 24. After that, I turned away from religion but came back to it after a series of career disasters -- when I was invited to make some TV programs for Channel 4, which was just opening up in the United Kingdom. The more I studied religious traditions that were different from my own, the more I had to revise my views on faith in general.
I started to study Judaism and Islam, and found that these faiths both offered a perspective on religion that was different from the somewhat parochial Catholicism of my childhood but which really resonated with me. I no longer see any of the great faith traditions, eastern and western, as superior to any of the others.
Each has its own particular genius and each its particular flaws. Every single one of the faiths regards compassion and the Golden Rule as the litmus test of true spirituality and sees it as one of the main ways in which we come into relation with the transcendence that we call God, Nirvana, Brahman or Tao.
In 2008, I was honored to receive the TED Prize, which consists of money, but more importantly, a wish for a better world the TED organization will help you to realize. I knew at once what I wanted to do and TED helped refine it. The result was a Charter that would restore compassion to its central place in religious and moral life.
If we wish to create a viable world order, we must try to implement the Golden Rule globally, treating all peoples, even those who seem far removed from us, as we would wish to be treated ourselves. We must strive for a global democracy, in which everybody, not only the rich and powerful, has a voice and which takes everybody's needs and aspirations with the utmost seriousness and respect.
Today we are all bound together, electronically, economically and politically, as never before. Our financial markets are inextricably connected: When one falls, there is a ripple effect worldwide. What happens in Afghanistan or Iraq today may well have repercussions tomorrow in New York or London.
Our world has become dangerously polarized and many of our policies -- political, economic, financial and environmental -- seem no longer sustainable. We have a choice. We can either choose the aggressive and exclusive tendencies that have developed in practically all religious and secular traditions or we can cultivate those that speak of compassion, empathy, respect and an impartial "concern for everybody."
The Charter for Compassion is not simply a statement of principle. It is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time. You can find out how you and your community can participate in the launch and in the ongoing effort to build a fair, just and compassionate world on our Web site: charterforcompassion.org.
We cannot afford to be paralyzed by global suffering. We have the power to work together energetically for the well-being of humanity, and counter the despairing extremism of our time. Many of us have experienced the power of compassion in our own lives. We know how a single act of kindness and empathy can turn a life around. History also shows that the action of just a few individuals can make all the difference. In a world that seems spinning out of control, we need such action now.
The Charter is a summons to action and includes directives about how to implement the Golden Rule. There can be no detailed directives; everybody will have to see how to do this in his or her particular sphere: in the media, in study, teaching, parenting, business, or politics.
The launch is only the beginning of the journey -- not the end.
"...the litmus test of true spirituality..." I LOVE it!! :)
I had a quick search on cnn.com to see if there was any more info about Karen or the Charter to be found there but I sort of got lost a bit. I did find this article (follow link or read it further down) though... It confirms the conviction I feel for the Charter. It is just what I've been feeling in my gut since like forever...! I'm not alone in thinking/feeling this way... :)
Which Karen Armstrong and Desmond Tutu express in the article - "Each [religion] has its own particular genius and each its particular flaws. Every single one of the faiths regards compassion and the Golden Rule as the litmus test of true spirituality and sees it as one of the main ways in which we come into relation with the transcendence that we call God, Nirvana, Brahman or Tao."
From cnn.com
We have called on the world to sign up to a Charter for Compassion.
Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves into the place of the other and it lies at the heart of all truly religious and ethical systems.
The charter, which will be unveiled Thursday, November 12, has been composed by leading thinkers in many different faiths. Thousands of people have contributed to it online. It is a cooperative effort to restore compassion to the center of religious, moral and political life. Why is this so important?
One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global community, where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live together in peace.
Religion, which should be making a major contribution to this endeavor, is often seen as part of the problem. All too often the voices of extremism seem to drown those that speak of kindness, forbearance and mutual respect. Yet the founders of every single one of the great traditions recoiled from the violence of their time and tried to replace it with an ethic of compassion.
The great sages who promoted the Golden Rule were nearly all living during periods of history like our own. They argued that a truly compassionate ethic served people's best interests and made good practical sense.
When the Bible commands that we "love" the foreigner, it was not speaking of emotional tenderness: in Leviticus, "love" was a legal term: It was used in international treaties, when two kings would promise to give each other practical support, help and loyalty, and look out for each other's best interests. In our global world, everybody has become our neighbor, and the Golden Rule has become an urgent necessity.
When asked by a pagan to sum up the whole of Jewish teaching while he stood on one leg, Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, replied: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah -- and everything else is only commentary." His Holiness the Dalai Lama put it even more succinctly when he said: "My religion is kindness."
These traditions have also pointed out that it is not sufficient to confine our benevolence to those we find congenial -- to our own ethnic, national or ideological group. We must have what one of the Chinese sages called jian ai, "concern for everybody." If practiced assiduously -- "all day and every day," as Confucius enjoined -- we begin to appreciate our profound interdependence and become fully humane.
We come at this issue from different perspectives. I, Karen, was a Roman Catholic nun for seven years, from the age of 17 to 24. After that, I turned away from religion but came back to it after a series of career disasters -- when I was invited to make some TV programs for Channel 4, which was just opening up in the United Kingdom. The more I studied religious traditions that were different from my own, the more I had to revise my views on faith in general.
I started to study Judaism and Islam, and found that these faiths both offered a perspective on religion that was different from the somewhat parochial Catholicism of my childhood but which really resonated with me. I no longer see any of the great faith traditions, eastern and western, as superior to any of the others.
Each has its own particular genius and each its particular flaws. Every single one of the faiths regards compassion and the Golden Rule as the litmus test of true spirituality and sees it as one of the main ways in which we come into relation with the transcendence that we call God, Nirvana, Brahman or Tao.
In 2008, I was honored to receive the TED Prize, which consists of money, but more importantly, a wish for a better world the TED organization will help you to realize. I knew at once what I wanted to do and TED helped refine it. The result was a Charter that would restore compassion to its central place in religious and moral life.
If we wish to create a viable world order, we must try to implement the Golden Rule globally, treating all peoples, even those who seem far removed from us, as we would wish to be treated ourselves. We must strive for a global democracy, in which everybody, not only the rich and powerful, has a voice and which takes everybody's needs and aspirations with the utmost seriousness and respect.
Today we are all bound together, electronically, economically and politically, as never before. Our financial markets are inextricably connected: When one falls, there is a ripple effect worldwide. What happens in Afghanistan or Iraq today may well have repercussions tomorrow in New York or London.
Our world has become dangerously polarized and many of our policies -- political, economic, financial and environmental -- seem no longer sustainable. We have a choice. We can either choose the aggressive and exclusive tendencies that have developed in practically all religious and secular traditions or we can cultivate those that speak of compassion, empathy, respect and an impartial "concern for everybody."
The Charter for Compassion is not simply a statement of principle. It is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time. You can find out how you and your community can participate in the launch and in the ongoing effort to build a fair, just and compassionate world on our Web site: charterforcompassion.org.
We cannot afford to be paralyzed by global suffering. We have the power to work together energetically for the well-being of humanity, and counter the despairing extremism of our time. Many of us have experienced the power of compassion in our own lives. We know how a single act of kindness and empathy can turn a life around. History also shows that the action of just a few individuals can make all the difference. In a world that seems spinning out of control, we need such action now.
The Charter is a summons to action and includes directives about how to implement the Golden Rule. There can be no detailed directives; everybody will have to see how to do this in his or her particular sphere: in the media, in study, teaching, parenting, business, or politics.
The launch is only the beginning of the journey -- not the end.
"...the litmus test of true spirituality..." I LOVE it!! :)
Sunday 10 October 2010
Delicious autumn!
- George Eliot
I love autumn! I love the misty mornings, Nature leaving the deep green behind for all different shades of red and yellow and she shares of Herself to us.
Right now is the perfect season, when combination of leaves in the trees and leaves on the ground is just...perfect... :) Soon all leaves will be gone, swept away and/or turned into mush by the then freezing autumn showers... Right now is it.
It's a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone.
Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it's time to reflect on what's come before."
- Mitchell Burgess,
Northern Exposure, Thanksgiving, 1992
Saturday 25 September 2010
My calling...?
I think I may have figured mine out...my calling that is... can one actually do that?! :)
I want to be a teacher, I'm learning to be one. :) I'm feeling fairly confident about that role. But, I want to be more than that...I want to be a good person who does and sees the good in others. I'm not perfect but neither is anyone else...we're all human, have the same worth...
All these things are coming together for me recently and I'm still not sure what it all means, where it will all take me but I'm trying to "go with the flow" because I don't feel all that in control of the situation (as I'd like to be). I feel gently but firmly urged, nudged into a place that feels both scary and yet so obvious...
....
I don't know...maybe I've just finally grown up or something but for the first time (ever?) I feel an urge to do something, to use my voice and embrace me - all that I know (and have been told) I am but have been fighting against... Gosh! Sounds like total gibberish doesn't it!? As I said, I don't really know what I'm in right now but I'm fairly certain I'll keep on going right into it.
Weird...
This wasn't really how I'd thought this post would turn out, I thought that I would be able to be a bit more specific but apparently not.
I want to be a teacher, I'm learning to be one. :) I'm feeling fairly confident about that role. But, I want to be more than that...I want to be a good person who does and sees the good in others. I'm not perfect but neither is anyone else...we're all human, have the same worth...
All these things are coming together for me recently and I'm still not sure what it all means, where it will all take me but I'm trying to "go with the flow" because I don't feel all that in control of the situation (as I'd like to be). I feel gently but firmly urged, nudged into a place that feels both scary and yet so obvious...
....
I don't know...maybe I've just finally grown up or something but for the first time (ever?) I feel an urge to do something, to use my voice and embrace me - all that I know (and have been told) I am but have been fighting against... Gosh! Sounds like total gibberish doesn't it!? As I said, I don't really know what I'm in right now but I'm fairly certain I'll keep on going right into it.
Weird...
This wasn't really how I'd thought this post would turn out, I thought that I would be able to be a bit more specific but apparently not.
Saturday 18 September 2010
Sense of Coherence
...or Salutogenesis is a concept or actually a theory of health and illness by Aaron Antonovsky. It explains how some people are more protected agains stress factors in their daily life due to the "sense of coherence" they have about Life and its challenges.
The sense of coherence has three components;
Comprehensibility: Does things make sense? Do I understand what's happening? Can I say what will come next?
Manageability: Can I manage? Have I got the support and "tools" to cope with what's happening?
Meaningfulness: It there a point? A purpose? A good reason? Are things in Life interesting? Worth caring about?
According the Antonovsky, meaningfulness is the most important factor. If there is no sense of meaning one will not have the motivation to make sense of things and/or to manage them...
And my point for this post?! (if there need to be one... ;)) :D Well, I've heard/read about salutogenesis before as a stress coping tool and/or a way to find balance in one's life... The other day at a lecture about learning the lecturer used this theory as a key part of making studies/studying meaningfull. If a child/person doesn't understand why/what/what for he/she learning something then he/she becomes a observer rather than a participant in school, and in the bigger scheme... Life.
I got a light bulb-moment out of this world!! :D OF COURSE! It makes perfect sense to use salutogenesis in the learning field too...! :) And I believe that a sense of coherense can be applicable to any and all aspects of life...so if you're still with me (bless you!) ;) That is my point...!
"Beyond the specific stress factors that one might encounter in life, and beyond your perception and response to those events, what determines whether stress will cause you harm is whether or not the stress violates your sense of coherence."
- Aaron Antonovsky
The sense of coherence has three components;
Comprehensibility: Does things make sense? Do I understand what's happening? Can I say what will come next?
Manageability: Can I manage? Have I got the support and "tools" to cope with what's happening?
Meaningfulness: It there a point? A purpose? A good reason? Are things in Life interesting? Worth caring about?
According the Antonovsky, meaningfulness is the most important factor. If there is no sense of meaning one will not have the motivation to make sense of things and/or to manage them...
And my point for this post?! (if there need to be one... ;)) :D Well, I've heard/read about salutogenesis before as a stress coping tool and/or a way to find balance in one's life... The other day at a lecture about learning the lecturer used this theory as a key part of making studies/studying meaningfull. If a child/person doesn't understand why/what/what for he/she learning something then he/she becomes a observer rather than a participant in school, and in the bigger scheme... Life.
I got a light bulb-moment out of this world!! :D OF COURSE! It makes perfect sense to use salutogenesis in the learning field too...! :) And I believe that a sense of coherense can be applicable to any and all aspects of life...so if you're still with me (bless you!) ;) That is my point...!
- Aaron Antonovsky
Saturday 11 September 2010
Solidarity
It thought that I'd already shared this here but when I went looking for it it was "gone"... ;) :D So...here it is "again". ;P
"Solidarity is not a matter of altruism. Solidarity comes from the inability to tolerate the affront to our own integrity of passive or active collaboration in the oppression of others, and from the deep recognition of our most expansive self-interest. From the recognition that, like it or not, our liberation is bound up with that of every other being on the planet, and that politically, spiritually, in our heart of hearts we know anything else is unaffordable."
- Aurora Levins Morales
Here in Sweden we're coming up on election soon (Sept. 19th) and to be honest with you, the policies the opposing parties are presenting are almost too similar to tell them apart. "Pest eller kolera?" we say in Swedish (transl. to plague or cholera?) when it's a choice between two uncomfortable options.
BUT! The ideological differences are still there - how people/humanity is viewed and I can not vote for those who exclude rather than include!
This is my penny's worth about politics and it's about all you'll hear me say. :)
Eid Mubarak.
- Aurora Levins Morales
Here in Sweden we're coming up on election soon (Sept. 19th) and to be honest with you, the policies the opposing parties are presenting are almost too similar to tell them apart. "Pest eller kolera?" we say in Swedish (transl. to plague or cholera?) when it's a choice between two uncomfortable options.
BUT! The ideological differences are still there - how people/humanity is viewed and I can not vote for those who exclude rather than include!
This is my penny's worth about politics and it's about all you'll hear me say. :)
Eid Mubarak.
9/11 and Compassion: We Need It Now More Than Ever
Article from The Huffington Post
By Karen Armstrong
Former Roman Catholic nun;
Author, 'Through the Narrow Gate'
Posted: September 10, 2010 08:24 PM
The anniversary of 9/11 reminds us why we need the Charter for Compassion. It should be an annual summons to compassionate action. The need is especially apparent this year. In the United States, we have witnessed an upsurge of anti-Muslim feeling that violates the core values of that nation. The controversy surrounding the community centre near Ground Zero, planned by our dear friends Imam Feisal Rauf and Daisy Khan (who were among the earliest supporters and partners of the Charter) has inspired rhetoric that shames us all. And now we have the prospect of the Quran burning proposed by a Christian pastor, who seems to have forgotten that Jesus taught his followers to love those they regard as enemies, to respond to evil with good, and to turn the other cheek when attacked, and who died forgiving his executioners.
If we want to preserve our humanity, we must make the compassionate voice of religion and morality a vibrant and dynamic force in our polarised world. We can no longer afford the barbarism of hatred, contempt and disgust. At the same time as we are so perilously divided, we are drawn together electronically, economically and politically more closely than ever before. A Quran burning, whenever it is held (it appears to have been delayed for questionable reasons by the pastor behind it), would endanger American troops in Afghanistan and send shock waves of distress throughout the Muslim world. In an age when, increasingly, small groups will have powers of destruction that were previously the preserve only of the nation-state, respect and compassion are now crucial for our very survival. We have to learn to make a place for the other in our minds and hearts; any ideology that inspires hatred, exclusion and division is failing the test of our time. Hatred breeds more hatred, violence more violence. It is time to break this vicious cycle.
In response to the prospect of a Quran burning, some people planned readings of the sacred Quran. Others are organizing interfaith gatherings on September 11. Each person who has affirmed the Charter, each one of our partners and associates, will know how best to respond in his or her own community. It is an opportunity to protest against the hatred that is damaging us all; to sit and do nothing is not an option. Instead of looking at one another with hostility, let us look at the suffering that we are seeing in so many parts of the world -- not least in Pakistan, where millions of people have been victims of the flooding. On September 11, let us all try to find something practical to do that can, in however small a way, bring help and relief to all those in pain, even -- and perhaps especially -- those we may regard as enemies. We are all neighbours in the global village and must learn to live together in harmony, compassion and mutual respect.
Imam Feisal Rauf is a Sufi. Over the centuries, Sufis, the mystics of Islam, have developed an outstanding appreciation of other faith traditions. It is quite common for a Sufi poet to cry in ecstasy that he is no longer a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew and that he is at home equally in a synagogue, mosque, temple or church, because once you have glimpsed the immensity of the divine, these limited, human distinctions fall away into insignificance. We need that spirit today -- perhaps especially near Ground Zero. Here I would like to add some words of the great thirteenth-century Sufi philosopher Muid ad-Din ibn al-Arabi, which I have found personally inspiring:
Do not attach yourself in an exclusive manner to any one creed, so that you disbelieve all the rest: if you do this, you will miss much good; nay, you will fail to realize the real truth of the matter. God, the omnipresent and omnipotent, is not limited by any one creed, for He says, "Wheresoever ye turn, there is the face of Allah" (Quran 2.109). Everyone praises what he believes; his god is his own creature, and in praising it he praises himself. Consequently he blames the beliefs of others, which he would not do if he were just but his dislike is based on ignorance.
It is time to combat the ignorance that inspires hatred and fear. We have seen the harm religious chauvinism can do; now let us bear witness to the power of compassion.
By Karen Armstrong
Former Roman Catholic nun;
Author, 'Through the Narrow Gate'
Posted: September 10, 2010 08:24 PM
The anniversary of 9/11 reminds us why we need the Charter for Compassion. It should be an annual summons to compassionate action. The need is especially apparent this year. In the United States, we have witnessed an upsurge of anti-Muslim feeling that violates the core values of that nation. The controversy surrounding the community centre near Ground Zero, planned by our dear friends Imam Feisal Rauf and Daisy Khan (who were among the earliest supporters and partners of the Charter) has inspired rhetoric that shames us all. And now we have the prospect of the Quran burning proposed by a Christian pastor, who seems to have forgotten that Jesus taught his followers to love those they regard as enemies, to respond to evil with good, and to turn the other cheek when attacked, and who died forgiving his executioners.
If we want to preserve our humanity, we must make the compassionate voice of religion and morality a vibrant and dynamic force in our polarised world. We can no longer afford the barbarism of hatred, contempt and disgust. At the same time as we are so perilously divided, we are drawn together electronically, economically and politically more closely than ever before. A Quran burning, whenever it is held (it appears to have been delayed for questionable reasons by the pastor behind it), would endanger American troops in Afghanistan and send shock waves of distress throughout the Muslim world. In an age when, increasingly, small groups will have powers of destruction that were previously the preserve only of the nation-state, respect and compassion are now crucial for our very survival. We have to learn to make a place for the other in our minds and hearts; any ideology that inspires hatred, exclusion and division is failing the test of our time. Hatred breeds more hatred, violence more violence. It is time to break this vicious cycle.
In response to the prospect of a Quran burning, some people planned readings of the sacred Quran. Others are organizing interfaith gatherings on September 11. Each person who has affirmed the Charter, each one of our partners and associates, will know how best to respond in his or her own community. It is an opportunity to protest against the hatred that is damaging us all; to sit and do nothing is not an option. Instead of looking at one another with hostility, let us look at the suffering that we are seeing in so many parts of the world -- not least in Pakistan, where millions of people have been victims of the flooding. On September 11, let us all try to find something practical to do that can, in however small a way, bring help and relief to all those in pain, even -- and perhaps especially -- those we may regard as enemies. We are all neighbours in the global village and must learn to live together in harmony, compassion and mutual respect.
Imam Feisal Rauf is a Sufi. Over the centuries, Sufis, the mystics of Islam, have developed an outstanding appreciation of other faith traditions. It is quite common for a Sufi poet to cry in ecstasy that he is no longer a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew and that he is at home equally in a synagogue, mosque, temple or church, because once you have glimpsed the immensity of the divine, these limited, human distinctions fall away into insignificance. We need that spirit today -- perhaps especially near Ground Zero. Here I would like to add some words of the great thirteenth-century Sufi philosopher Muid ad-Din ibn al-Arabi, which I have found personally inspiring:
Do not attach yourself in an exclusive manner to any one creed, so that you disbelieve all the rest: if you do this, you will miss much good; nay, you will fail to realize the real truth of the matter. God, the omnipresent and omnipotent, is not limited by any one creed, for He says, "Wheresoever ye turn, there is the face of Allah" (Quran 2.109). Everyone praises what he believes; his god is his own creature, and in praising it he praises himself. Consequently he blames the beliefs of others, which he would not do if he were just but his dislike is based on ignorance.
It is time to combat the ignorance that inspires hatred and fear. We have seen the harm religious chauvinism can do; now let us bear witness to the power of compassion.
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Knowledge...?
So...I've been abscent for a little while... Uni's started and it is all sort of New and Scary. :) Especially since we have our first exam is on Friday - barely two weeks in to the term!?!
My darling daughter has had a fever the last few days and I can just not allow myself to miss any lectures this early on so daddy has done his duty and mummy's been feeling guilty for not being "able" to... :/ Silly I know, but it's all a part of being a mum, isn't it? :\
I really hope that I'll find time and inspiration to keep posting here regularly, I think I really need this space. :)
My little Haven. ♥
"Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge."
- Kahlil Gibran
So hope that's true! :P
My darling daughter has had a fever the last few days and I can just not allow myself to miss any lectures this early on so daddy has done his duty and mummy's been feeling guilty for not being "able" to... :/ Silly I know, but it's all a part of being a mum, isn't it? :\
I really hope that I'll find time and inspiration to keep posting here regularly, I think I really need this space. :)
My little Haven. ♥
- Kahlil Gibran
So hope that's true! :P
Saturday 28 August 2010
...
I'm in a bit of a crappy place...still...
I seem to be virtually unbreakable. Which I guess should be seen as a good thing...? I think I've reached my "limit" so many time now that it surprises me that I'm still standing, walking, talking... For anyone else I would have totally allowed for relapsing back to smoking, eating or picking up drinking...
God! How pathetic... Why am I such a martyr...?!
Don't worry, my struggles are of the emotional kind rather than physical and as I said - virtually unbreakable...?
This post was going to be about something completely different...
*over and out*
I seem to be virtually unbreakable. Which I guess should be seen as a good thing...? I think I've reached my "limit" so many time now that it surprises me that I'm still standing, walking, talking... For anyone else I would have totally allowed for relapsing back to smoking, eating or picking up drinking...
God! How pathetic... Why am I such a martyr...?!
Don't worry, my struggles are of the emotional kind rather than physical and as I said - virtually unbreakable...?
This post was going to be about something completely different...
*over and out*
Tuesday 24 August 2010
Friday 20 August 2010
Maya Angelou quotes
Feeling a bit bored... Seems like everyone is doing what they're supposed to do today, while I just sit around just not able to be bothered. Gosh! Sounds depressing! :[ Sorry! :) Is not that bad...just having an off day.
So I waste (yeah waste! I so could be doing other stuff!) my time surfing the web, hunting for more fab quotes/saying/proverbs. I "always" seem to "get stuck" on a certain person or theme when I go in these hunts, today I got stuck on Maya Angelou. :) Don't mind that at all! :D Here are a few of gems I found...
Hope you're having a better day than me!
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Maya Angelou
"Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean."
- Maya Angelou
"While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation."
- Maya Angelou
So I waste (yeah waste! I so could be doing other stuff!) my time surfing the web, hunting for more fab quotes/saying/proverbs. I "always" seem to "get stuck" on a certain person or theme when I go in these hunts, today I got stuck on Maya Angelou. :) Don't mind that at all! :D Here are a few of gems I found...
Hope you're having a better day than me!
- Maya Angelou
"Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host.
- Maya Angelou
"While I know myself as a creation of God,
- Maya Angelou
Wednesday 18 August 2010
Eat, Pray, Love
I looooved the book!
I'm not crazy about Julia Roberts but I'm still going to want to see this movie! Out in cinemas now, in Sweden not until October 1st... *pout!*
Have you seen it? Are you going to see it? How did you like it?? Share! :)
Sunday 15 August 2010
Lifting and Leaning
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the good and the bad, for 'tis well understood
The good are half bad and the bad are half good.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift-flying years
Brings each man his laughter and each man his tears.
Not the rich and the poor, for to count a man's wealth
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's busy span
He who puts on vain airs is not counted a man.
No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.
Wherever you go you will find the world's masses
Are ever divided in just two classes.
And, strangely enough, you will find, too, I ween,
There is only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load
Of overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner who lets others bear
Your portion of worry and labor and care?
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the good and the bad, for 'tis well understood
The good are half bad and the bad are half good.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift-flying years
Brings each man his laughter and each man his tears.
Not the rich and the poor, for to count a man's wealth
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's busy span
He who puts on vain airs is not counted a man.
No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.
Wherever you go you will find the world's masses
Are ever divided in just two classes.
And, strangely enough, you will find, too, I ween,
There is only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load
Of overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner who lets others bear
Your portion of worry and labor and care?
To Make This Life Worth While
I LOVE words, I dream of being an artist of words but... *blushing* I'm not a big fan of poetry, I most often find it too hard and too difficult. :/ Most other type of writing is "better", easier...to the point even if it's long...! :) Poetry is, a lot of the time, a bunch of fancy words, hidden meanings and too weird to have the heart that I find in other writing...
But! :D There are of course exceptions to this preconception of mine! ;) Sometimes poetry is bursting with heart, truth and beauty that no in no other way could be shared but in the poetic form...
To Make This Life Worth While
~ George Eliot
May every soul that touches mine-
Be it the slightest contact-
Get therefrom some good;
Some little grace; one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies
Beyond the gathering mists-
To make this life worthwhile
But! :D There are of course exceptions to this preconception of mine! ;) Sometimes poetry is bursting with heart, truth and beauty that no in no other way could be shared but in the poetic form...
~ George Eliot
May every soul that touches mine-
Be it the slightest contact-
Get therefrom some good;
Some little grace; one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies
Beyond the gathering mists-
To make this life worthwhile
Monday 9 August 2010
Karen Armstrong
...a provocative, original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world.
Religious thinker Karen Armstrong has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths shaped world history and drive current events.
A former nun, Armstrong has written two books about this experience: Through the Narrow Gate, about her seven years in the convent, and The Spiral Staircase, about her subsequent spiritual awakening, when she developed her iconoclastic take on the major monotheistic religions -- and on the strains of fundamentalism common to all. She is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
(text taken from TED.com)
Religious thinker Karen Armstrong has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths shaped world history and drive current events.
A former nun, Armstrong has written two books about this experience: Through the Narrow Gate, about her seven years in the convent, and The Spiral Staircase, about her subsequent spiritual awakening, when she developed her iconoclastic take on the major monotheistic religions -- and on the strains of fundamentalism common to all. She is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
(text taken from TED.com)
Charter for Compassion
http://charterforcompassion.org/
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
...
I'm going through, experiencing, a bit of a rough spell at the moment and therefore most of the words that seem to "find me" right now are ones of heart ache, difficulites and sorrow...
Yep...that's where I'm at! ...or "worse" actually... I'm in heart ache limbo, sounds cheesy but feels true, not knowing where things are heading and confused as to what might follow...
Some words are quite dark and grim while others are perhaps more hopeful about lifes adversities - focusing on the nessecity of pain to be able to grow... I tend to go more towards those ones. Although, right here and now my spirit feels quite bruised and battered and my heart is unsure of what to do/feel...
"You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
hoping to give birth to a dancing star...
Yep...that's where I'm at! ...or "worse" actually... I'm in heart ache limbo, sounds cheesy but feels true, not knowing where things are heading and confused as to what might follow...
Some words are quite dark and grim while others are perhaps more hopeful about lifes adversities - focusing on the nessecity of pain to be able to grow... I tend to go more towards those ones. Although, right here and now my spirit feels quite bruised and battered and my heart is unsure of what to do/feel...
- Friedrich Nietzsche
hoping to give birth to a dancing star...
Sunday 8 August 2010
More Coelho...! Declaration of principles
1] All human beings are different. And should do everything possible to continue to be so.
2] Each human being has been granted two courses of action: that of deed and that of contemplation. Both lead to the same place.
3] Each human being has been granted two qualities: power and gift. Power drives man to meet his destiny, his gift obliges him to share with others that which is good in him. A man must know when to use his power, and when to use his gift.
4] Each human being has been granted a virtue: the capacity to choose. For he/she who does not use this virtue, it becomes a curse – and others will always choose for him/her.
5] Each human being has the right to two blessings, which are: the blessing to do right, and the blessing to err. In the latter case, there is always a path of learning leading to the right way.
6] Each human being has his own sexual profile, and should exercise it without guilt – provided he does not oblige others to exercise it with him/her.
7] Each human being has his own Personal Legend to be fulfilled, and this is the reason he is in the world. The Personal Legend is manifest in his enthusiasm for what she/he does.
Single paragraph – the Personal Legend may be abandoned for a certain time, provided one does not forget it and returns as soon as possible.
8] Each man has a feminine side, and each woman has a masculine side. It is necessary to use discipline with intuition, and to use intuition objectively.
9] Each human being must know two languages: the language of society and the language of the omens. The first serves for communication with others. The second serves to interpret messages from God.
10] Each human being has the right to seek out joy, joy being understood as something which makes one content – not necessarily that which makes others content.
11] Each human being must keep alight within him the sacred flame of madness. And must behave like a normal person.
12] The only faults considered grave are the following: not respecting the rights of one’s neighbor, letting oneself be paralyzed by fear, feeling guilty, thinking one does not deserve the good and bad which occurs in life, and being a coward.
Paragraph 1 – we shall love our adversaries, but not make alliances with them. They are placed in our way to test our sword, and deserve the respect of our fight.
Paragraph 2 – we shall choose our adversaries, not the other way around.
12A] We hereby declare the end to the wall dividing the sacred from the profane: from now on, all is sacred.
14] Everything which is done in the present, affects the future by consequence, and the past by redemption.
15] The impossible is possible
/Paulo Coelho
I just read this on Coelho's blog and went...wooow...! WOW! This man is just a awesome... It's a bit mind boggling that there's this person out there, right here and now, writing/speaking such obvious truths, the truths of my own heart and soul... Even if some things might not be completely "in tune" with my spirit I have yet to find (and believe you I'm looking!) something that's off...!
My favourite principle is Everything which is done in the present, affects the future by consequence, and the past by redemption. ...that and Each human being has the right to seek out joy, joy being understood as something which makes one content – not necessarily that which makes others content. And! ...from now on, all is sacred. it's just...aaah! Wow!
2] Each human being has been granted two courses of action: that of deed and that of contemplation. Both lead to the same place.
3] Each human being has been granted two qualities: power and gift. Power drives man to meet his destiny, his gift obliges him to share with others that which is good in him. A man must know when to use his power, and when to use his gift.
4] Each human being has been granted a virtue: the capacity to choose. For he/she who does not use this virtue, it becomes a curse – and others will always choose for him/her.
5] Each human being has the right to two blessings, which are: the blessing to do right, and the blessing to err. In the latter case, there is always a path of learning leading to the right way.
6] Each human being has his own sexual profile, and should exercise it without guilt – provided he does not oblige others to exercise it with him/her.
7] Each human being has his own Personal Legend to be fulfilled, and this is the reason he is in the world. The Personal Legend is manifest in his enthusiasm for what she/he does.
Single paragraph – the Personal Legend may be abandoned for a certain time, provided one does not forget it and returns as soon as possible.
8] Each man has a feminine side, and each woman has a masculine side. It is necessary to use discipline with intuition, and to use intuition objectively.
9] Each human being must know two languages: the language of society and the language of the omens. The first serves for communication with others. The second serves to interpret messages from God.
10] Each human being has the right to seek out joy, joy being understood as something which makes one content – not necessarily that which makes others content.
11] Each human being must keep alight within him the sacred flame of madness. And must behave like a normal person.
12] The only faults considered grave are the following: not respecting the rights of one’s neighbor, letting oneself be paralyzed by fear, feeling guilty, thinking one does not deserve the good and bad which occurs in life, and being a coward.
Paragraph 1 – we shall love our adversaries, but not make alliances with them. They are placed in our way to test our sword, and deserve the respect of our fight.
Paragraph 2 – we shall choose our adversaries, not the other way around.
12A] We hereby declare the end to the wall dividing the sacred from the profane: from now on, all is sacred.
14] Everything which is done in the present, affects the future by consequence, and the past by redemption.
15] The impossible is possible
/Paulo Coelho
I just read this on Coelho's blog and went...wooow...! WOW! This man is just a awesome... It's a bit mind boggling that there's this person out there, right here and now, writing/speaking such obvious truths, the truths of my own heart and soul... Even if some things might not be completely "in tune" with my spirit I have yet to find (and believe you I'm looking!) something that's off...!
My favourite principle is Everything which is done in the present, affects the future by consequence, and the past by redemption. ...that and Each human being has the right to seek out joy, joy being understood as something which makes one content – not necessarily that which makes others content. And! ...from now on, all is sacred. it's just...aaah! Wow!
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Elizabeth Gilbert
I really have to have a closer look at ted.com...!
I found this inspiring speech by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of amazing "Eat, Pray, Love") on another blog and wow, it is so worth the 19 min and 32 sec it takes to hear it!
Especially if you are a creative spirit or dream of releasing the creativity within you...
Olé!
I found this inspiring speech by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of amazing "Eat, Pray, Love") on another blog and wow, it is so worth the 19 min and 32 sec it takes to hear it!
Especially if you are a creative spirit or dream of releasing the creativity within you...
Olé!
Thursday 29 July 2010
The Pencil
More powerful stuff from Paulo Coelho:
I've put the "main points" in bold - for me... :)
A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked:
‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
‘ I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’
‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’
‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.’
‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.’
source: “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho
Needing to take the time to read more than little bits of mr. Coelho's work...!
I've put the "main points" in bold - for me... :)
A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked:
‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
‘ I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’
‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’
‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.’
‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.’
source: “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho
Needing to take the time to read more than little bits of mr. Coelho's work...!
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Siddhartha Gautama
From Paulo Coelho's blog:
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." - Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)
Yes!! :D Your own reason and common sense! That's it! :D
Trust your own heart, your own gut feeling whether it be concerning religion or love or parenting or housekeeping...! Don't do what other's tell you to do, do what you feel is right... You need to decide what works for you...! :)
Yes!! :D Your own reason and common sense! That's it! :D
Trust your own heart, your own gut feeling whether it be concerning religion or love or parenting or housekeeping...! Don't do what other's tell you to do, do what you feel is right... You need to decide what works for you...! :)
Thursday 22 July 2010
Paulo Coelho
- Paulo Coelho
"No" is not a sin.
"Yes" is not a virtue.
- Paulo Coelho
I'm really liking Paulo Coelho's quotes... I follow him on facebook and he really has some insightful stuff to share! He seems, at least to me, to be a very interesting and quite available person and I like him more the more I learn of him...!
His books "Veronika Decides to Die" and "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept" I can most definitely recommend that you read!
He is truly inspirational in his "quest" for individual growth (for everyone!) and questioning of the need for a "norm" to follow... Who really decides what is "right" and what is "normal"...?
Monday 19 July 2010
Did I make a boo-boo...?
Just added "I am not a human being trying to have a spiritual experience. I am a spirit being mastering the human experience." to the top of the blog, just under the header, because I thought it so...interesting. :)
But then with English not being my first language I just got a bit unsure about what exactly the words say... :/
My interpretation is that we are not really human beings trying to have a spiritual experience but in fact spirit beings trying to master the human experience...
Does the word "mastering" say that I'm already a Master at the human-bit of life ('cause that'd be all wrong!) or is it like I think/thought that it is a act of trying to master...??
Does my rambling make any sense...? Is my newly found "good" quote in truth a fat exaggeration?? :/
More than just slightly embarrassed,
But then with English not being my first language I just got a bit unsure about what exactly the words say... :/
My interpretation is that we are not really human beings trying to have a spiritual experience but in fact spirit beings trying to master the human experience...
Does the word "mastering" say that I'm already a Master at the human-bit of life ('cause that'd be all wrong!) or is it like I think/thought that it is a act of trying to master...??
Does my rambling make any sense...? Is my newly found "good" quote in truth a fat exaggeration?? :/
More than just slightly embarrassed,
Thursday 15 July 2010
Blessing of Solitude
from Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
May you recognize in your life
the presence, power, and light of your soul.
May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.
May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the facade of your life there is something
beautiful, good, and eternal happening.
May you learn to see yourself with the same
delight, pride and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.
- John O'Donohue
I've had this "in my keeping" for a while...and I love it because it has the same ring to it as for example the word of Max Ehrmann or Marianne Williamson, and many others...
That I am, we are, able. We need to believe and not try SO hard to be whatever our vision of perfect may be. We are good enough just the way we are...
the presence, power, and light of your soul.
May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.
May you have respect for your own individuality
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the facade of your life there is something
beautiful, good, and eternal happening.
May you learn to see yourself with the same
delight, pride and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.
I've had this "in my keeping" for a while...and I love it because it has the same ring to it as for example the word of Max Ehrmann or Marianne Williamson, and many others...
That I am, we are, able. We need to believe and not try SO hard to be whatever our vision of perfect may be. We are good enough just the way we are...
Wednesday 14 July 2010
Powerful Beyond Measure
It just struck me that I've not shared my most recent favourite quote, from my new favourite insightful person, Marianne Williamson! :D I can't believe I'd forgotten, she's (this passage!) is practically the reason for this blogs existence...! :)
It's the reason for me being in a place where I feel worthy and deserving of Good Things, where I feel allowed to be me, to shine. To shine bright for me, in my heart... Not to please or impress someone else or even to rub someones nose in my fabulousity! ;) :D :)
That's the power that words have! That's the power these words gave me...!
... no I don't always feel brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous! ;) The point is that I now know my worth even when I feel low and miserable, which I most definitely do from time to time...
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson
It's the reason for me being in a place where I feel worthy and deserving of Good Things, where I feel allowed to be me, to shine. To shine bright for me, in my heart... Not to please or impress someone else or even to rub someones nose in my fabulousity! ;) :D :)
That's the power that words have! That's the power these words gave me...!
... no I don't always feel brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous! ;) The point is that I now know my worth even when I feel low and miserable, which I most definitely do from time to time...
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson
Monday 5 July 2010
Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my steps,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand,
or Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
...working on her own phenomenality... ;) It's there, in all of us...we just need to believe! ♥
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my steps,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand,
or Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
...working on her own phenomenality... ;) It's there, in all of us...we just need to believe! ♥
Thursday 1 July 2010
Friday 25 June 2010
A better world.
Here's another quote I like.
"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful."
- Marie Curie
I believe that those most useful are our children, but the work of improvment begins within ourselves. Our children can not be expected to feel compassion and understanding for each other or the Earth if we can not...
Still on hols and getting a bit home sick... Family back home are celebrating Midsummer today! :) Happy Midsummer!
- Marie Curie
I believe that those most useful are our children, but the work of improvment begins within ourselves. Our children can not be expected to feel compassion and understanding for each other or the Earth if we can not...
Still on hols and getting a bit home sick... Family back home are celebrating Midsummer today! :) Happy Midsummer!
Saturday 19 June 2010
My soul gave me good counsel
An early start to the day so I'm taking some time to share more words with you. :) This time a quite lenghty poem (the one which gave its name to my blogger address... :) ) from "The Vision" by Kahlil Gibran.
Ah...! How I dream of having a long conversation with this awesome person! He's definitely at the very top of my "If you meet X amount of people, dead or alive, who would it be?"-list!! :D
For Gibran, no single religious tradition revealed the truth, so he wove together insights from Eastern Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, American Transcendentalism and folklore from his native Lebanon.
Nowadays we are fairly free to choose our own Path but (almost) a hundred years ago it was not as easy... To be that open minded and shining so bright... it can't have been an easy path for Gibran to walk. I'm in awe of the depth of his spirit and his knowledge, which he didn't get surfin' the web! ;) I think I read a lot but this man must have read more than I can even begin to imagine!
Read this and read it again...! The words become more beautiful and more radiant each time I read them...
I've marked in bold the passages that touch me the most...
"My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to love what the people abhor and to show good will toward the one they hate. It showed me that Love is a property not of the lover but of the beloved. Before my Soul taught me, Love was for me a delicate thread stretched between two adjacent pegs, but now it has been transformed into a halo; its first is its last, and its last is its first. It encompasses every being, slowly expanding to embrace all that ever will be.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to find the beauty concealed in a face, a color, a complexion, and to gaze intently at what the people think ugly, until it shows me its comeliness. Before my Soul taught me, I saw beauty as quivering flames between pillars of smoke; but it faded and I no longer see anything but the kindling that bursts into flame.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to listen to the voices not produced by tongues, nor shouted from throats. Before my Soul taught me, my ears were weary and ailing, and I was conscious only of uproar and discord. Now I sip at silence and listen to its inwardness that chants songs of the eons, reciting praises of the sky, announcing the mysteries of the Unseen.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to drink wat has not been squeezed or poured into cups, what is not raised by the hands nor touched by the lips. Before my Soul taught me, my thirst was a faint spark in a mound of ash, which I would quench with water from a pool or with a sip of freshly squeezed juice. Now, however, my yearning is my cup, my burning thirst is my drink, and my solitude is my intoxication; I do not and shall not quench my thirst. But in this burning that is never extinguished is a joy that never wanes.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to touch what has never taken corporeal form or crystallized. It made me understand that touching something is half the task of comprehending it, and that what we grasp therein is part of what we desire from it. Before my Soul taught me, I contented myself with heat when cold, and with cold when hot, and with either if I was listless. But now my once-cramped sense of touch is scattered everywhere, having metamorphosed into a fine mist that penetrates everything that appears from Being, so as to mingle with what has remained hidden from it.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to smell the fragrances that neither aromatic herb nor incense has diffused abroad. Before my Soul taught me, whenever I craved a scent I sought it in gardens or in perfume bottles or censers. But now I have begun to smell what does not burn or spill, and I fill my chest with pure breaths that have never passed through a garden in this world and have never been carried aloft by a breeze belonging to this sky.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to say, "Here I am!" when the unknown and the perilous call me. Before my Soul taught me, I refused to arise save for the voice of a caller I recognized, and I never fared upon any ways save those I had tried and found easy. Now the known has become my mount, which I ride toward the unknown, and the level plain has become my stairs, whose steps I ascend to put myself in jeopardy.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to measure time by saying, "It was yesterday, and will be tomorrow." Before my Soul taught me, I imagined the past as an era not to be met with, and the future as an age that I would never witness. But now I know that in the brief moment of the present, all time exists, including everything that is in time - all that is eagerly anticipated, achieved, or realized.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to define a place by saying 'here' or 'there'. Before my Soul taught me, I thought that when I was in any place on the earth I was remote from every other spot. But now I have learned that the place where I subsist is all places, and the space I occupy is all intervals.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to stay up late while the inhabitants of the quarter slumber, and to sleep while they are awake. Before my Soul taught me, I never experienced their dreams while unconscious, and they never shared my dreams in their heedlessness. But now I only swim, arms fluttering, in my sleep with them as my companions, and they do not soar in their dreams save that I rejoice in their liberation.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me never to delight in praise or to be distressed by reproach. Before my Soul taught me, I doubted the value of my accomplishments until the passing days sent someone who would extol or disparage them. But now I know that trees blossom in the spring and give their fruits in the summer without any desire for accolades. And they scatter their leaves abroad in the fall and denude themselves in the winter without fear of reproof.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me and demonstrating to me that I am not exalted over the panhandler nor less than the mighty. Before my Soul taught me, I thought people consisted of two types: the weak, whom I pitied and disregarded, and the powerful, whom I followed or against I rebelled. Now, I have discovered that I was formed as one individual from the same substance from which all human beings were created. I am made up of the same elements as they are, and my pattern is theirs. My struggles are theirs, and my path is theirs. If they do wrong, I am culpable, and if they perform a good deed, I am proud of their act. If they arise, I arise with them, and if they remain seated, so do I.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me that the lamp which I carry does not belong to me, and the song that I sing was not generated from within me. Even if I walk with light, I am not the light; and if I am a taut-stringed lute, I am not the lute player.
My Soul gave me good counsel, my friend, and taught me. Your Soul, too, has given you good counsel, and taught you. You and I are similar and alike, and the only difference between us is that I speak of what is within me and my speech is somewhat insistent, whereas you conceal what is within you, and from your restraint shines forth the face of virtue."
Enjoying my holiday,
xx
Ah...! How I dream of having a long conversation with this awesome person! He's definitely at the very top of my "If you meet X amount of people, dead or alive, who would it be?"-list!! :D
For Gibran, no single religious tradition revealed the truth, so he wove together insights from Eastern Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, American Transcendentalism and folklore from his native Lebanon.
Nowadays we are fairly free to choose our own Path but (almost) a hundred years ago it was not as easy... To be that open minded and shining so bright... it can't have been an easy path for Gibran to walk. I'm in awe of the depth of his spirit and his knowledge, which he didn't get surfin' the web! ;) I think I read a lot but this man must have read more than I can even begin to imagine!
Read this and read it again...! The words become more beautiful and more radiant each time I read them...
I've marked in bold the passages that touch me the most...
"My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to love what the people abhor and to show good will toward the one they hate. It showed me that Love is a property not of the lover but of the beloved. Before my Soul taught me, Love was for me a delicate thread stretched between two adjacent pegs, but now it has been transformed into a halo; its first is its last, and its last is its first. It encompasses every being, slowly expanding to embrace all that ever will be.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to find the beauty concealed in a face, a color, a complexion, and to gaze intently at what the people think ugly, until it shows me its comeliness. Before my Soul taught me, I saw beauty as quivering flames between pillars of smoke; but it faded and I no longer see anything but the kindling that bursts into flame.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to listen to the voices not produced by tongues, nor shouted from throats. Before my Soul taught me, my ears were weary and ailing, and I was conscious only of uproar and discord. Now I sip at silence and listen to its inwardness that chants songs of the eons, reciting praises of the sky, announcing the mysteries of the Unseen.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to drink wat has not been squeezed or poured into cups, what is not raised by the hands nor touched by the lips. Before my Soul taught me, my thirst was a faint spark in a mound of ash, which I would quench with water from a pool or with a sip of freshly squeezed juice. Now, however, my yearning is my cup, my burning thirst is my drink, and my solitude is my intoxication; I do not and shall not quench my thirst. But in this burning that is never extinguished is a joy that never wanes.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to touch what has never taken corporeal form or crystallized. It made me understand that touching something is half the task of comprehending it, and that what we grasp therein is part of what we desire from it. Before my Soul taught me, I contented myself with heat when cold, and with cold when hot, and with either if I was listless. But now my once-cramped sense of touch is scattered everywhere, having metamorphosed into a fine mist that penetrates everything that appears from Being, so as to mingle with what has remained hidden from it.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to smell the fragrances that neither aromatic herb nor incense has diffused abroad. Before my Soul taught me, whenever I craved a scent I sought it in gardens or in perfume bottles or censers. But now I have begun to smell what does not burn or spill, and I fill my chest with pure breaths that have never passed through a garden in this world and have never been carried aloft by a breeze belonging to this sky.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to say, "Here I am!" when the unknown and the perilous call me. Before my Soul taught me, I refused to arise save for the voice of a caller I recognized, and I never fared upon any ways save those I had tried and found easy. Now the known has become my mount, which I ride toward the unknown, and the level plain has become my stairs, whose steps I ascend to put myself in jeopardy.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to measure time by saying, "It was yesterday, and will be tomorrow." Before my Soul taught me, I imagined the past as an era not to be met with, and the future as an age that I would never witness. But now I know that in the brief moment of the present, all time exists, including everything that is in time - all that is eagerly anticipated, achieved, or realized.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to define a place by saying 'here' or 'there'. Before my Soul taught me, I thought that when I was in any place on the earth I was remote from every other spot. But now I have learned that the place where I subsist is all places, and the space I occupy is all intervals.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to stay up late while the inhabitants of the quarter slumber, and to sleep while they are awake. Before my Soul taught me, I never experienced their dreams while unconscious, and they never shared my dreams in their heedlessness. But now I only swim, arms fluttering, in my sleep with them as my companions, and they do not soar in their dreams save that I rejoice in their liberation.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me never to delight in praise or to be distressed by reproach. Before my Soul taught me, I doubted the value of my accomplishments until the passing days sent someone who would extol or disparage them. But now I know that trees blossom in the spring and give their fruits in the summer without any desire for accolades. And they scatter their leaves abroad in the fall and denude themselves in the winter without fear of reproof.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me and demonstrating to me that I am not exalted over the panhandler nor less than the mighty. Before my Soul taught me, I thought people consisted of two types: the weak, whom I pitied and disregarded, and the powerful, whom I followed or against I rebelled. Now, I have discovered that I was formed as one individual from the same substance from which all human beings were created. I am made up of the same elements as they are, and my pattern is theirs. My struggles are theirs, and my path is theirs. If they do wrong, I am culpable, and if they perform a good deed, I am proud of their act. If they arise, I arise with them, and if they remain seated, so do I.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me that the lamp which I carry does not belong to me, and the song that I sing was not generated from within me. Even if I walk with light, I am not the light; and if I am a taut-stringed lute, I am not the lute player.
My Soul gave me good counsel, my friend, and taught me. Your Soul, too, has given you good counsel, and taught you. You and I are similar and alike, and the only difference between us is that I speak of what is within me and my speech is somewhat insistent, whereas you conceal what is within you, and from your restraint shines forth the face of virtue."
Enjoying my holiday,
xx
Monday 14 June 2010
Leavin'...
:D The family's going away for a few weeks and I'm not sure if I'll get any leisure time ;) online :) during those weeks... I will be back, I hope you will too! :)
;P
With love,
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