Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. ~ Charlie Chaplin, in ‘The Great Dictator’ We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly … Read more
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. Dalai Lama Happy 75th Birthday today to His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, in northeastern Tibet. When he was two, and named Lhamo Dhondup at … Read more
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 … Read more
If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions. — Old proverb Speaking of jumps yesterday, I am wondering if everyone is still here. Back on Blogger, I had ninety something loyal “followers,” as well as unknown numbers of folks … Read more
When God closes a door, She always opens a window, but sometimes it’s hell in the hallway.— AnonymousWe are considering the ways that setbacks and “failures” may be opportunities in disguise. To the artist, whose entire viewpoint is about finding creative, out-of-the-box pathways, you would think such detours would be second nature to us.But as … Read more
When we give from the heart, we do so out of a joy that springs forth whenever we willingly enrich another person’s life. This kind of giving benefits both the giver and receiver. The receiver enjoys the gift without worrying about the consequences that accompany gifts given out of fear, guilt, shame, or desire for … Read more
Except during the Great Depression, women and children have never been on our nation’s streets in significant numbers. During the 1980’s, cutbacks in benefits coupled with rapidly increasing rents and a dearth of low-income housing jeopardized the stability of all people with reduced or fixed incomes. At the same time, the number of female-headed households … Read more
If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another. — Winston ChurchillI had a wickedly funny video I was going to share with you today, but having thought some more about it, I believe … Read more
Then let us all do what is right, strive with all our might toward the unattainable, develop as fully as we can the gifts God has given us, and never stop learning!— Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most respected and influential composers of all time. Year after year, his symphonies … Read more
©Osho Zen TarotThe generous man enriches himself by giving;the miser hoards himself poor. — Dutch proverb With last night’s collapse of the American auto industry bailout (for now), and so many other factors that point to a deepening recession, we are all very jittery about what cash we do have. How, then, can we give … Read more