Part of the whole

 “It is my great hope someday, to see science and decision makers rediscover what the ancients have always known. Namely that our highest currency is respect.”

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Thoughts: 

Imagine if every decision was made based on respect... respect for everyone and everything. 

That each deliberation, experiment and choice was framed with the recognition that we are part of the whole, that life is a gift, that we are blessed with and not owed either our opportunities or the use of earth's resources. 

This underlying knowledge was part  of Indigenous traditions. Gratitude for food and the use of resources is a fundamental aspect of many Indigenous traditions and emphasizes respect for the natural world and the cycle of life. 

 

Imagine if this we part of decision making for large corporations and governments.

Although it is only impossible if we don't practice gratitude ourselves.. 

Cheers

Jeanne

Empathy

 Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change."

Max Carver

Thoughts:

Empathy is not something we either have or we don't. Empathy is something we can practice, anytime, anywhere. Maybe twice a day to start with to think of someone  or some group we disagree with or are angry with and look deeper until we find something they feel we can relate to .... No one is all bad ...  

Once we are accustomed to feeling empathy I think our feelings of helplessness and hopelessness start to dissipate, and it is from here we can build communities based on respect and create meaningful change

"Empathy is choosing to see ourselves in another despite our differences. It's recognizing that the same humanity - the same desire for meaning, fulfillment and security - exists in each of us, even if it's expressed uniquely"
Vivek Murthy

Cheers

Jeanne

Experience!

 "The only source of knowledge is experience."

Albert Einstein

Thoughts: There is no substitute learning other than practicing and doing... research (google) can show us a place to start and a direction to go in, but to know anything we need to experience it.

Many things I was told were true did not survive the challenge of experience. In life, in work, in parenting and painting most other things I've spent some time at. 

What stands the test is following my heart, believing in kindness above all, common sense and a conversation with myself of 'what's the worst that can happen' when I get nervous.

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
George Bernard Shaw

"Just try new things. Don't be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?"
Michelle Obama

Cheers
Jeanne

Nothing to say

 "To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. Nothing is often a good thing to say, and always a clever thing to say."

Will Durant

Thoughts: 

What a relief!! 

The less I say,

the more I hear.

and the more the bird songs and tree whispers reach my conscious,

It's not about me,

What a relief!!

Sailing around the world

 "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."

Dalai Lama

“You can’t get to where you want to be in one day,” he says, “just like you don’t sail around the world in a day. You just look at the horizon and say, ‘I can sail that far.’ Sailing around the world is just sailing to the horizon, over and over again."
Hugh Howey

Thoughts: A little love, a little compassion, a little kindness where, perhaps, we don't feel it... can start a change that can travel around the world. Every kindness is never too late or too little to be of value.

Your Citadel

 "Why would we let someone else’s darkness cast a shadow on our own life?

When Marcus Aurelius spoke of getting revenge by “not being like that,” this was partly what he was referencing. How do you defy the depressing times you live in? By not letting them depress you. How do you strike back against a cruel and deranged leader, how do you undermine a morally bankrupt regime? By being good and feeling good. By loving your children. By loving literature and art. By smiling to your neighbor. By helping a sick animal you find on the side of the road. By laughing—at the absurdities of the regime and at the absurdities of life.

Don’t let them touch your inner-citadel. No one can steal your happiness. No one can take your joy. This is ours to keep…or give up. Guard it fiercely, nurture it daily, and never surrender it to forces beyond your control."

Ryan Holiday

dailystoic.com

Where are we going

  "The Law-of-Destination is straightforward and simple: It is not possible to arrive where we never take the time to go."

Heather K. O'Hara

 AXIS, The Song in the Center of the Soul

Thoughts: TAKE THE TIME EVERYDAY to choose where our mind takes us. It is not necessary to go far off course at the whim of every gust that comes along. 

The wind is not in our control but we can make the world better by being steadfast in our values and staying kind in the face of storms.

"You know what matters?

Hope, Kindness.

You know how that spreads?

Through you.

You are hope for others

You are kindness too.

Share that today.

Rachel Marie Martin

Terrible is??

 “Everything terrible is something that needs our love.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

Thoughts: Hate and fear don't seem to be working 

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
Albert Einstein

"Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Albert Einstein

Opportunities

 "Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."

Ann Landers

"You have to really be courageous about your instincts and your ideas. Otherwise you'll just knuckle under, and things that might have been memorable will be lost."
Francis Ford Coppola

Thoughts: A little courage and some hard work go a long way to make life interesting

Imagination

 

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

Mark Twain

Thoughts:

People tell me this is this and that is that, but what about everything in between? What about that is this and this is that? 

The way I see it is there is no point to staying stuck in one view point, the longer we're in one place the more we see confirmations of that view. 

Generally I'm not seeing this passive mode of thinking make us more productive or happy or motivated to change the world or any other action ... 

We don't need to be right or wrong to exercise our imagination, we don't need it to take us to a conclusion. We just need it to become a little more free, to become a little more alive, to take a few risks which open us up to a place in between the absolutes of this and that.

"The man who has no imagination has no wings."
Muhammad Ali

"Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you're doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you."
Joel Osteen

Huh

 “We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”

 Paulo Coelho

“Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.”
Paulo Coelho, Brida

Thoughts: 

If I believe passionately that there is one direction we should be going and you believe passionately in another direction ... the opportunities for real dialogue and real questions and real listening abound...

Is it human nature to ignore these opportunities and entrench ourselves more deeply into our own perspective?  I wonder what it is inside that feels threatened by ideas that are different than ours?

who sees the choices? Feb 6th

 "People only see the decisions you made and not the choices you had"

Itachi Uchiha - Naruto Shippuuden

Thoughts: After reflecting on this quote I've come to think that I have restricted myself to see only limited choices for my own decisions. And having mulled this over it is now my challenge to broaden my range of choices and look for my underlying assumptions. Then maybe there will be possible decisions and options I'm missing. 

“so. tell me where should I go? to the left where nothing is right. or to the right where nothing is left.”

 Itachi Uchiha - Naruto Shippuuden

Freedom is not free!

 "Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."

Pope John Paul II

Thoughts: Freedom is not Free!!!

Smile on Your Brother

 Get Together 

Song by the Youngbloods

Love is but a song we sing
Fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Though the bird is on the wing
And you may not know why

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Some may come and some may go
He will surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

If you hear the song I sing
You will understand, listen
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

I said, come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now

Right now
Right now

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Chester Powers

Get Together lyrics © Ivan Mogull Music Corp., Irving Music Inc.

Wisdom is where?

 "Wisdom isn’t something handed down by institutions or represented by degrees—it’s earned through exploration, reflection, and a relentless openness to learning from the world around us.”

George Raveling

Thoughts: This bears reminding of cause I sure react rather than ponder the news I hear these days. 

Nothing and no one is all good or all bad. Hard to get my head around that, but all we can really know is ourselves and even that can be hard. Imagine listening to news without reacting... and how about a devil's advocate going deeper into other perspectives. They may not be 'good' but ours may not be totally altruistic either. 

Possibilities

 

• "When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't." – Thomas A. Edison
• “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”
  Marcus Aurelius
  
  Thoughts: It is only within ourselves that we can effect change. Wishing the world was different is a form of paralysis and a waste of energy.
• 

  
  
  

Sunshine

 "It never hurts to keep looking for a little sunshine"

Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh

Sunshine on My Shoulders

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.
If I had a day that I could give you, I’d give to you the day just like today.
If I had a song that I could sing for you, I’d sing a song to make you feel this way.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.
If I had a tale that I could tell you, I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile.
If I had a wish that I could wish for you, I’d make a wish for sunshine for all the while.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely, sunshine almost always makes me high.
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high.  Sunshine almost always…

(written by John Denver)

Walk While You Can

 "Walk while you can"

from Walking Well by Michael J. Gelb and Bruce Fertman

Thoughts: Moments turn into days and months then years and decades. Time can drip away until collective drops become an irreversible pool of missed living through worry and waiting. If you don't like something, don't talk about it, do something. And if you don't know what to do then turn off the clamour and walk and if you can't walk do what you can, breathe, flex any muscle that requires attention to being a living creature rather than a thought machine.

Big Yellow Taxi

by Joni Mitchell

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel *, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum *
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that DDT * now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

© January 7, 1970; Siquomb Publishing Corp

Cracks in Concrete - November 14th

 “I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so fuckin' heroic.”

George Carlin

Thoughts: There are lots of tufts of grass and flowers growing in cracks in the concrete. They are the stories of kindness, empathy, caring and sharing that are everywhere around us if we stop focusing on the anger, hate and violence that is attempting to pave over our world.

We can widen the cracks by practicing everyday kindness. We don't need to understand what is happening in the world to make a decision to stand for our values then stretch ourselves in that direction like a tiny plant stretching towards the sunlight. Imagine a tiny clump of seedling growing slowly into a forest.

The Day After

 "Whatever anyone does or says, for my part I'm bound to the good... In the same way
an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim: 'whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my true colours" 

Marcus Aurelius

"Our job today and tomorrow is the same as it’s always been—to be good, to be wise, to stand up for what’s right, to resist what is wrong and evil. Nothing changes that. Nothing exempts us from that. Nothing prevents us from doing that."

Ryan Holiday

Both the above quotes are from the Daily Stoic.

Thoughts: Our job is to be our best selves. To be aware where and when we get caught in drama and emotion and choose to shrug it off and remain true to what we know in our hearts. 

Kindness, respect, and empathy are infinitely more powerful than blame, hate and violence.

And if we can't find the truth in the present time, read history. Over time patterns repeat, over time even the whitewash of perspective tarnishes.

Cheers

Jeanne

Future - October 10th

 “The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

Good things and remember

 “There are four good things worth practicing. Being kind toward everything alive. Staying level and steady. Feeling happy for any creature anywhere that is happy. And remembering that any suffering is also yours.”

Richard Powers, Bewilderment

Barbra

 

"I just don't want to be hampered by my own limitations."

Barbra Streisand

Thoughts: What would we do if we believe we have no limitations??

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
Albert Einstein

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Henry David Thoreau

fear less - August 15th

 "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."

Marie Curie

Strength - August 1st

  "As soon as people decide to confront a problem, they realize that they are far more capable than they thought they were" 

Paulo Coelho

Thoughts:  

Kamala Harris

To inspire a generation to believe that it is possible to achieve anything with hard work, determination, and integrity is a legacy that will have more impact than asserting strength through wars, economic goals and domination.

No matter what challenges, bullying and nastiness she will face in this race for US President and democracy I will hope that she continues to believe and trust in herself and stay strong!

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only defense."

Bob Marley

Good Ideas - August 8th

 "Your time is better spent championing good ideas than tearing down bad ones ..."

James Clear

Thoughts: This means sometimes we need to look hard for something good to champion, but there is always something ... the good only seems obscure because the bad gets so much press.

"... Don’t waste time explaining why bad ideas are bad. You are simply fanning the flame of ignorance and stupidity. The best thing that can happen to a bad idea is that it is forgotten. The best thing that can happen to a good idea is that it is shared. It makes me think of Tyler Cowen’s quote,
“Spend as little time as possible talking about how other people are wrong.”
Feed the good ideas and let bad ideas die of starvation."

Quoted from: https://jamesclear.com/why-facts-dont-change-minds

Rights - July 25th

 "Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do."

Potter Stewart

Thoughts: We need more of this kind of thinking in this world today!

Align hope

 “But human beings are not machines, and however powerful the pressure to conform, they sometimes are so moved by what they see as injustice that they dare to declare their independence. In that historical possibility lies hope.”

Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

Words of hope from Howard Zinn

 

Practicing

 

Project

 "All of us are working on the same project. Some consciously,with understanding; some without knowing it. Some of us work in one way, and some in others. And those who complain and try to obstruct and thwart things... the world needs them too." 

Marcus Aurelius

"The world needs these types for many reasons... a diversity of opinion is, in the aggregate, better than homogeneity. 

Also, the obnoxious and the shameless and the evil do more for us than we think. They remind us what virtue is and give us something to struggle against. They prevent us from getting complacent and illustrate the terrible costs of being like them.

We can fight against them and denounce what they represent, but it's a fantasy to think they can be made to disappear. They serve a purpose and make us stronger through their adversity."

Ryan Holiday; the Daily Stoic Meditations 2022

Two giraffes were walking down the road

 One giraffe said to the other giraffe "... "

Do!

 “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion"

Paulo Coelho

Thoughts: It's never too late to stop talking and do ...  and interesting how opinions can grow

Unreasonable reason

 “When you ask, “Why do we do it this way?” and the only answer is “Because that’s how it’s always been done,” that rule deserves another look.”

Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

Thoughts: this is an 'I want to read book'. I've not got it yet but I will!

Competition to strive for

 "The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort."

Colin Powell

"A successful competition for me is always going out there and putting 100 percent into whatever I'm doing. It's not always winning. People, I think, mistake that it's just winning. Sometimes it could be, but for me, it's hitting the best sets I can, gaining confidence, and having a good time and having fun."
Simone Biles

(Simone Arianne Biles Owens is an American artistic gymnast. With a total of 37 Olympic and World Championship medals, she is the most decorated gymnast in history, and she is widely considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Wikipedia.)

Thoughts: If life is a competition and there always have to be winners and losers how do we take control of our happiness? (Assuming that being defined as a 'loser' is bad and no one wants to be this.)

The way I see it the only sustainable way to be content in our skin is to win our own self respect.

And I'm really not sure if there are ways of winning self respect other than putting above average effort and 100 percent into whatever we are choosing to do; whether anyone see it or not, whether it gets us more money or friends or awards or victories or wins any competition outside of making us become a better version of ourselves. If we do this, I expect, our choices will become more reflective of what we value and we will have purpose.

I think we are all happier with purpose.

Integrity - what don't we need

 "If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own."

Epictetus  

We can look to nature for examples of integrity

Heaven

 

Nothing goes far

 "To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. Nothing is often a good thing to say, and always a clever thing to say."

Will Durant



Thoughts: We waste a lot of words and energy talking about what politicians, religions, other groups and individuals, and even people in our circles do wrong.

Would it not be more productive to think/talk about what people are doing right and start there?

Would it not be more honest to forget comparing and just try to always do our best as we understand it?

Would it not make our lives more useful if we accepted that it is not helpful to speak ill of others?

Speaking ill of others, regardless of how acceptable it is or how much we feel someone deserves it serves no purpose other than for us to sound and feel superior, widen the gaps of understanding and obscure our chances of listening or understanding.

While I may not agree with all the opinions in Will Durant's book "Fallen Leaves - Last words on; Life, Love, War, and God" I appreciate the entertaining discussions of alternate views and thoughts he shares while coming to his conclusions and I understand why he arrives at them. 

Cheers
Jeanne

Happy

 "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

Denis Waitley

"When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself."
Tecumseh

"Often people ask how I manage to be happy despite having no arms and no legs. The quick answer is that I have a choice. I can be angry about not having limbs, or I can be thankful that I have a purpose. I chose gratitude."
Nick Vujicic

Thoughts: As I think about gratitude and appreciate the gifts surrounding me all the time whether I am conscious of them or not, I wonder why I ever let myself think of "wanting more", and then when I really think about that  I am grateful as much for the things I can't do as they give me opportunities I wouldn't have dreamed of if I could do whatever I wanted when I wanted it.