“Eh,” Ajahn Chah would peer at me when I was
having a hard time, “caught in some state again?”
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Personal Development
Should people be honest?
Ask anyone, “Should people be honest?” and of course their answer will be yes. It has to be! Saying no is to endorse dishonesty, which is like coming out against literacy or childhood nutrition—it sounds like a moral transgression. But the fact is, there are often good reasons not to be honest. When it comes to interacting with other people in a work environment, there are times when we choose not to say what we really think. This creates a dilemma.
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I need a needle so that I can put people together…..
“It is reported in the life of a great Sufi mystic, Farid, that a king came to see him. He had brought a present for him: a beautiful pair of scissors, golden, studded with diamonds – very valuable, very rare, something unique. He brought those scissors to present to Farid. He touched Farid’s feet and gave him the scissors.
Farid took them, looked at them, gave them back to the king, and said, “Sir, many, many thanks for the present that you have brought. It is a beautiful thing, but utterly useless for me. It will be better if you can give me a needle. Scissors I don’t need; a needle will do.
The king said, “I don’t understand. If you need a needle, you will need scissors too.”
Farid said, “I am talking in metaphors. Scissors I don’t need because scissors cut things apart. A needle I need because a needle puts things together. I teach love. My whole teaching is based on love – putting things together, teaching people communion. I need a needle so that I can put people together. The scissors are useless; they cut, they disconnect. Next time when you come, just an ordinary needle will be enough.”
– Osho
Love
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
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What aspects of our life might we want to take with us and build on into our Third Act?
“Everyone who lives long enough gets to have a third age; not everyone gets to live a third act!” ~ Ed Kelly
For those of us in the ‘developed’ world who are over 50 here are three startling statistics to consider. We can expect to live 30 years longer than our great grandparents; our life expectancy is increasing at the astonishing rate of two and a half years every decade(that’s six hours every day!); and that out of all the people who have ever lived beyond 65, two thirds of them are alive today.
The macro context in which this is occurring is that of a planet that’s getting mighty crowded by one particular species. And unforeseen systemic consequences threaten the interplay of natural forces that hold life on earth in a sustainable dynamic tension.
The micro context is equally challenging. Given that many of us may well live to 90 or more what on earth are we usefully going to do with this ‘gift’ of extra time? What opportunities await us? What kind of role could or should we take in society? And how could we start ‘letting go’ of our current conventional roles to create space for younger generations to come through and make their contribution?
Lifes Third Act
we are frequently more focused on ‘being interesting’ and less focused on ‘taking an interest.’
“When we fear what other people think about us, we are frequently more focused on ‘being interesting’ and less focused on ‘taking an interest.’ That’s why many people talk a great deal when they are anxious and why many people never feel heard. If both people and conversation are trying to be interesting, there is no one left to genuinely listen.”
― John Yokoyama, When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market
I’m going to be who I really am. And I’m going to figure out what that is.
“It’s much easier to not know things sometimes. Things change and friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody. I wanted to laugh. Or maybe get mad. Or maybe shrug at how strange everybody was, especially me. Continue reading
If the saint can only see that the unsaintly are just the other side of the same coin
If the intellectual can only see that the idiot is just the other side of the same coin, his insulting attitude, his disregard for the idiot will disappear and a feeling of brotherhood will be born. Continue reading
Tough times never last, but tough people do. – Robert H. Schulle
75 Reminders for Tough Times
- You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have.
- Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
- You cannot change what you refuse to confront.
- Nobody is perfect, and nobody deserves to be perfect. Nobody has it easy. You never know what people are going through. Every one of us has issues. So don’t belittle yourself or anyone else. Everybody is fighting their own unique war.
- Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you’re alive and full of potential.
- No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying. (Read Unstoppable
.)
- Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
- Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Let it go.
- Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. Start small. Start now.
- Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
- Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart.
- You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.
- Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
- You can learn great things from your mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.
- Give up worrying about what others think of you. What they think isn’t important. What is important is how you feel about yourself.
http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/07/17/75-reminders-for-tough-times/
ONE TUSK 