Balance in Government
I recently found an excellent graphic that clearly delineates the differences between the Left in Government (The Democrats), and the Right (The Republicans). I found this extremely helpful as it promotes understanding at the level of philosophy, family life, and social values. I have included in the table below some of the elements of comparison, yet there is significant value in the way the graphic itself is constructed. To see the document for yourself, click here. (You will need to refer to this graphic document to really understand the remainder of this blog entry). Read more »
The World Needs You To Do What You Love
Recently, I read a great career article written by Jonathan Mead from Illuminated Mind. Rather than trying to write something better (which seems unlikely, given the quality of his writing), I have included the entire article here, with Jonathan’s permission. Read more »
Kindness in Balance
Today, there will be thousands, tens of thousands or more senseless acts of violence, theft, and abuse. Many of those acts will make the News, and will form the basis of our thoughts and conversations tomorrow. Someday, somehow, I hope we can fix the cause of those acts of violence, abuse, and theft. For now, however, I think it is important for us to remember that our News media are reporting to us the News items that are the most sensational, the most horrible, and the most attention grabbing, as they search for the right mix of headlines to attract their audience and therefore, their advertising dollar. The biggest news headline grabs the most revenue. The consequence of all this, of course, is that we can begin to perceive our world the way our news media presents it, which is that murder, theft, rape, and violence may be awaiting around every corner. As a result, we can become isolated, depressed, angry, etc. Some of us change our lifestyles to deal with the perceived threats.
What is missing from those daily headlines is Balance (a key principle in my life). Today, in addition to the thousands and tens of thousands of acts of violence, abuse, and theft, there will be millions and likely hundreds of millions of acts of kindness (or more) that will occur. The vast majority of those acts of kindness will go unnoticed and unreported, whereas many acts of violence, theft, and abuse will be reported in some way. Read more »
Death
My sister-in-law’s mother, Betty, made her transition yesterday. It got me to thinking about death and what it means. I remember the first couple of times death struck close to me. I just didn’t get it (I still don’t get it, for that matter). What was the point? Why do people have to die? Why can’t we just live forever?
There’s nothing about death to like. It can happen very quickly, which is tremendously hard on family and friends. It can happen slowly, which is very hard on the person dying. If I had to pick out the best way to die, I can’t come up with any choices I like. It seems like a painful process for all concerned. Why is it necessary? Read more »
Awe…..
Today, a departure from what I’ve written so far. This is a scientific topic, and it may be a bit deep / complicated for those of you who do not normally follow astronomy. I hope, however, that you will continue to read along, as the implications of this research are both astounding and humbling on a Universal scale. As you read along, try to imagine the space being described. Read more »
Everyday Miracles
The reason most people don’t recognize the miracles that are performed on their behalf, is because there’s just so bloomin’ many of them.
Like this very moment…
And this one…
And this one…
The Universe ©www.tut.com
After receiving this daily message in my inbox, I took a few minutes to look up our moment to moment miracles. After reading about them, I was again reminded how much is going on moment to moment that I/we simply take for granted. Here’s a bit of what I found. Read more »
Good Wolf / Bad Wolf
A traditional Native American story describes a boy who was feeling angry and upset at an injustice, who goes to his old Grandfather for advice. The Grandfather tells the boy that he, too has felt these feelings of hate and anger. The Grandfather shares that he has also realized how these feelings have no effect on his enemy, but they do cause him great pain.
“It is as if I have two wolves living inside me,” says the Grandfather. “One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.”
“But the other wolf,” Grandfather continues, “fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. The smallest thing will send him into a fury. He cannot think because his anger and rage are so great; however for all its fury, his anger changes nothing.
“Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.”
The boy looks into his Grandfather’s eyes and asks, “Which one wins, Grandfather?”
His grandfather replies, “Whichever one I feed.”
Kevin B. Burk http://www.therealastrology.com/ER/AMAZING/HTML/FeedingtheWolf.html
Have you experienced these wolves inside of you? If not, I congratulate you. For myself, I have certainly made friends with both of them. Over time, I too have come to realize that the angry wolf harms ME, and does not harm my “enemy”. Even if I act upon the angry wolf’s recommendations, my actions seem to hurt me more than they hurt someone else. On the other hand, the Good Wolf soothes me and makes me better able to handle the problems I face. Which one do I feed? Read more »
Impact on Others
People will forget all of what you say, and most of what you do, but they will never forget how you make them feel – Maya Angelou
I love this quote from Maya Angelou. If I think about the people who have had the greatest impact on my life, I find that it is certainly true for me. My grandmother, for example, was a significant person in my life. She died 32 years ago. At this point, I remember fewer of her specific words and actions than I did 15 years ago, but I’ve never forgotten how I felt when I was with her. I felt loved. I felt valued. I was always glad to be with her. For that reason, she continues to influence my life even today.
I believe you have the power to impact someone as deeply as my grandmother affected me. Do you have someone who looks up to you now? Do you have someone who believes in you? Do you know someone who could use your love and assurance? Is there someone who is important to you who might not know that? Consider extending your love and gratitude for their presence. You never know what impact you may have.
Something to think about….
Churches
I recently read the article about Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk banning a nun from teaching in the Catholic Church because she believed that women should be allowed to be priests (Newspaper Article). She was told to publicly renounce her belief, and she refused. It reminded me of when a Pope from long ago made that same demand of Galileo – to renounce his belief that the Earth was not the center of the Universe. The remainder of Galileo’s life was marked by the struggle between his knowledge and the official position of the Church. In 1992, 360 years after the church’s official condemnation, the Catholic Church finally exonerated Galileo for his stance. Can any of us honestly publicly renounce something that we’ve thoughtfully come to believe true? Read more »
Links of the Month
Below you will find the links that I found inspiring, interesting, or just plain fun this month. I hope you enjoy.
Finance
Fun
Inspiration
The World Needs You To Do What You Love
Music
News
About
I decided to put this page together at the urging of friends. Several of them were encouraging me to do this, as they were sure that my words were needed to help counteract all of the negativity out there. I’m not a pollyanna. I understand the problems of the world. I also understand that most of our problems are of our own making, and that the only way for any of us to solve our problems is to start exactly where we are, and solve what we can. We made the problems. We can solve them.
I know we cannot improve our lives by being negative. I know we cannot create what we want by fighting what we don’t want. It just doesn’t work that way, though the nightly news is full of people who are determined to do so using just that method. The only way out is to find a path of cooperation, Love, and compassion. This Blog is written so we can find a way to do just that. I hope you join me.
I work as a Life Coach at GLORIUS LIFE Coaching. If you are interested in Life Coaching Services, you can find more information about the services we provide at www.gloriuslife.com.
Mark
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