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Showing posts from August, 2021

[Life] ...be the Tree

“ Make your own Bible . Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson The *tree of life is on each side of the river, and it produces fruit every month...The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations. ― Revelation 22 “For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beaut

[Hope] ...the result of kindness toward a suffering soul

“You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.” ― John Lennon If you're reading this...yippee, you are alive!  If that's not something to celebrate,  then I don't know what else is!   “Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.” ― Emily Dickinson

[Excuse me]...while I succeed

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” ― Benjamin Franklin The Time is NOW You are never too young or too old for success or going after what you want. No excuses... 1) Helen Keller, at the age of 19 months, became deaf and blind. But that didn’t stop her. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. 2) Mozart was already competent on keyboard and violin; he composed from the age of 5. 3) Shirley Temple was 6 when she became a movie star on “Bright Eyes.” 4) Anne Frank was 12 when she wrote the diary of Anne Frank. 5) Magnus Carlsen became a chess Grandmaster at the age of 13. 6) Nadia Comăneci was a gymnast from Romania that scored seven perfect 10.0 and won three gold medals at the Olympics at age 14. 7) Tenzin Gyatso was formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama in November 1950, at the age of 15. 8) Pele, a soccer superstar, was 17 years old when he won the world cup in 1958 with Brazil. 9) Elvis was a superstar by age

[Goals] ...we don't always score touchdowns

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ― Albert Einstein If you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans were not solid. Don't ditch your goal, redesign your plans.

[Good]...for Goodness Sake

“It is good people who make good places.” ― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Be the person who makes someone smile. Be the reason someone feels good about themselves and believes in the goodness in people.

[Life]...what a pain

''Everything pleasurable in life requires some amount of sacrifice or suffering to obtain it.'' Even in pleasure there is suffering, because we understand that pleasure ends and the cycle of pleasure-pain begins again. I make sense of it this way; It's all about balance. The Universe, that is all that there is, is a life force in and of itself that can only survive as a unit by continually balancing itself. We and all living things mirror this life force. All is one; we are all connected indeed. Life matters. The Universe is a life force and all we do is for that life. We call it love. '''Balance' is a good feeling caused by being whole and complete. It's a sense of harmony.''  

[Fake News] yes, until proven otherwise...

“The human brain has not evolved to perceive reality, it has evolved to create an illusion of reality. That's why an exciting lie gains more attention than a boring truth.” ― Abhijit Naskar You've heard the phrase 'perception becomes reality' I'm sure. Here's some info that tells us why that is often true...''Did Humans Evolve to See Things as They Really Are?'' Do we perceive reality as it is? Find Out The only true difference between real news and fake news is that one is your choice (by being a smart, multi-source consumer) and the other is theirs(by being a lazy information consumer). 

[Plan] to succeed or at least survive...

  “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” ― Allen Saunders Doing the things in the present that we can see*,  helps us shape the future that we can't see.  (*A flowchart is a visual representation of the sequence of steps and decisions needed to perform a process. “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[Accord] is attaching oneself to a peaceful end...

  Agreement & Accord “Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” ― Alan Wilson Watts The only time people are truly afraid is when they are not in harmony with themselves.

[You] and only one You

  “We are survival machines – robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment.” ― Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene Yes, the foods we eat can trigger which genetic programming gets switched on and off -- it's cause and effect. The same for exercising our bodies. But the most powerful way might just be the way we think, how we think and the quality of those thoughts which will cause a change in our brains and will therefore change what we are.

[Act] ...and you shall receive(so act good!)

The way a person (or even a country) treats you is their karma but how you react is yours. Karma comes for everyone eventually. No one can't get away with screwing people over their whole life, I don't care who you are or who you think you are. What goes around does come around. That's how the Universe works. Sooner or later the universe will serve you just the right amount of payback that you deserve. 

[Happiness]...the state of

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Laughter is a preventative medicine, and as such a religion that inspires kindness and compassion.

[Affirmations] are positive self-talk - a kind of self-therapy - they are healthy spiritual foods for the soul

“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Negative self-talk and negative affirmations can (and will) keep you stuck in old thought patterns and behaviors.

[POWER]...mind your thoughts

  “Who would set a limit to the mind?  Who would dare assert that we know all there is to be known?” ― Galileo Galilei You create your reality ― your Universe every moment of every single day. Think about how powerful even a single thought is. Mind your thoughts because you can either bring salvation or unleash damnation. It really is your CHOICE. Whatever goes on in your mind, is what becomes your reality.

[Change] transmute, transform, vary, mutate, amend, modify replace, or swap.

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” ― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein The world today was created by thought and can't be changed for the better without changing our thinking.

[Equality] is the singularity

  I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights.  That is the way of a whole human being. - Abraham Lincoln The same spirit that inhabits all human beings resides in all animals. Are People Like Animals? I thought about what people do to each other. And I said to myself, “God wants people to see that they are like animals. The same thing happens to animals and to people—they die. People and animals have the same ‘breath.’ Is a dead animal different from a dead person? It is all so senseless! The bodies of people and animals end the same way. They came from the earth, and, in the end, they will go back to the earth. Who knows what happens to a person’s spirit? Who knows if a human’s spirit goes up to God while an animal’s spirit goes down into the ground?” - Solomon, Ecclesiastes 3

[Accord] a harmony that binds all to one and one to all

  “Out of clutter, find simplicity.” ― Albert Einstein Peace is much more than the opposite of war. Peace is accord. Peace is harmony. “All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind,  because oneness is the secret of everything.” ― Swami Vivekananda

[Freedom] will it or not?

“That's the thing about freewill: Every decision we make is a choice against something as much as it is for something else.” ― Rebecca Serle Freewill at the level of human thinking is an illusion. The options you see, the thoughts you get and the options you choose from are all part of a hard script written in the heart of the Universe. 

[Happiness] is a product of gratitude

“Thoughts Become Things... Choose The Good Ones!” ― Mike Dooley When you experience a beautiful moment as you go through your day memorialize it, honor it so you don't forget it. That's true gratitude.  Give it a try and the world will take on new meaning.

[Life] in the balance

“If you think we can't change the world, it just means you're not one of those who will.” ― Jacque Fresco The human race and our planet have been entering a time of intense difficulty, trouble, and danger for sometime now. Climate change, caused by our activity has now become a crisis, and like all crises it must be met with swift action. We know what we must do, and if we don't do it we will all die. 

[Freedom]...Tell Me No Lies

'The Big Lie' is a gross distortion or misrepresentation of the truth, used especially as a propaganda technique: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” The OSS psychological profile of Hitler described his use of the big lie: His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if yo

[Concern]ing Worry

''Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.'' ― Corrie Ten Boom It's not time to worry yet, it never is.

[Human Health] Here's to yours, mine and ours...

  “Disease, sickness, and old age touch every family. Tragedy doesn't ask who you voted for. Health care is a basic human right.” — Senator Elizabeth Warren No mother or father should ever have to make the decision whether or not they can afford to save their child's life.

[Patience] Just wait a second...

“How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” —Paul Sweeney Patience is not only the art of waiting. Patience is to be at peace no matter what happens, and being ready to take action and having faith that it will all work out in the end.

[Suffering] of one, is the suffering of all...

Be a Lamp “There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.” ― Richard Attenborough There is an ancient tribal proverb from India. It says, ''Before we can see properly we must first shed our tears to clear the way.''

[Good Life] it's your life

  “You know, an old man like me can teach a young boy like you all the good things in life. But it takes a young boy like you to teach an old man like me to appreciate all the good things in life. I guess that’s what life’s all about.” ― Wilson Rawls, Summer of the Monkeys Your life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling. There is nothing wrong with that.

What Makes a 'Good' Life?

  by Michael Corthell There are two primary ways of trying to live a good life. The first is living a life of Faith, that is believing in God and the other is living without belief in God. A secondary to this is, of course, being agnostic, which is still living without Faith—by not being committed to the Creator. ''The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.'' —Bertrand Russell Our relationship to the world is colored by whether or not we think there is a creative purpose for our lives. Looking past the theological belief how can we a achieve a good life in a practical, step by step way? Life Plan What do you value most? List all the people and things that you value. Prioritize your list. Take a good amount of time thinking about the things without which you couldn't live without. Determine your moral compass. What are your core values? Freedom, justice, altruism? Kindness, courage? Determine your moral code and ethics.

[Balance] It's how it all works...

  ''If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.'' ― Henry David Thoreau COMPENSATION    'One man is rich, but bored and another is poor, but happy'. 'One achieves great fame and fortune but then dies young, another is average but lives a long happy life'. A wealthy man can afford steak and lobster, but has a tender stomach, while a poor man eats plain foods with hearty appetite and enjoys good health. Or, a person may receive a huge salary, but has no time to spend with family. These compensations are called 'trade offs'. ''Senators and presidents have climbed so high with pain enough, not because they think the place specially agreeable, but as an apology for real worth, and to vindicate their manhood in our eyes. This conspicuous chair is their compensation to themselves for being of a poor, cold, hard nature.'' ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

[The One] May the force be with you...

“The ultimate cause of matter must be immaterial. The ultimate cause of entropy must be free of entropy. The ultimate cause of time must be outside time. The ultimate cause of space must be outside space. The ultimate cause of temperature must be without temperature. The ultimate cause of physical motion must be without physical motion. Why? Because everything on the left belongs to the temporal and contingent while everything on the right belongs to the eternal and necessary. Only the latter can explain the former. The former cannot explain themselves. The latter belong to the order of eternal truths.” ― Thomas Stark, God Is Mathematics: The Proofs of the Eternal Existence of Mathematics There is a common source for all things. The One. “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this c

The Prime Mover: God, The Universe, The One

All effects in the Universe lead back to the creator: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 2. The Universe began to exist. 3. Therefore, the Universe had a cause. 4. The first cause, can have no cause, and therefore is eternal and is known by its creation as  GOD . by Michael Corthell There is a famous historical idiom , ''All roads lead to Rome.'' In the same way, ''All effects lead back to God'' is a pithy way to describe the first cause argument. ''Zeus, first cause, prime mover; for what thing without Zeus is done among mortals?''    ―Aeschylus One of the most famous arguments for the existence of a Creator were given by Saint Thomas Aquinas, called the "five ways". One of the five ways, the last, is the argument from design, which you can study here . The other four are versions of the first-cause argument, which we will look at briefly in this teaching. The argument is basic and

[Ambition] success has little value without Struggle and without Struggle, there is no progress...

“Oh, it's delightful to have ambitions. I'm so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them-- that's the best of it. Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables Ambition is a strange creature. It creeps up when you least expect it and keeps you running even when you want to stand still.