“The purpose of goals is not to improve the future… Judge a goal by how well it changes your actions in the present moment.” Derek Sivers, Hell Yeah or No: What’s Worth Doing
Yes. I am a dreamer. But, I also believe that my dreams must begin today for who knows anything about tomorrow?
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Your ability to adapt to failure and navigate your way out of it, absolutely 100 percent makes you who you are. Viola Davis
When I was in graduate school I took a class on “Qohelet” (more commonly known as the Book of Ecclesiastes). Believed to be written by King Solomon, the book holds place as one of my favorites in the Bible. It is indeed a profound book on the wisdom of everyday living.
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“Art is useless by definition. If it was useful, it would be a tool.” Derek Sivers, Hell Yeah or No
Just a handful of years ago, I retired.
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“[All our motivations] start with the desire to be seen, to be treated with respect, to receive the dignity we each deserve.” Seth Godin
“I see you!”
Wikipedia describes the word Sawubona as an African Zulu greeting meaning “I see you.” It has a long oral history and it means much more that our traditional “hello.”
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You are what you have been becoming. Lanson Ross
Choice. You can choose to become whoever you want to be.
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There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Edith Wharton
When I was in the business of performing weddings, I always took the opportunity to remind couples that, in a very real sense, each was a mirror for the other. Whenever a wife gazed at her husband, it is often not the husband she sees but rather the wonder of herself. The same is true for a husband encountering his wife. Each spouse in tasked with a profound power, the power to make or break the self-worth of your partner.
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“In George Orwell’s book 1984, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Huxley’s Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us; Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. I fear that Huxley may have been right.” Thoughts from Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman, in a book written in 1985, prognosticated exactly the state of the America in 2020 when he foresaw our fondness for distraction and the pleasure associated with it.
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“The purpose of art actually is, in many cases, to make you feel quite uncomfortable. Or at least to go to that place that’s already of discomfort inside of you and tap into that.” Michael Moore
One sure way to secure disapproval is to create. Although “creatives” are often lauded for some enviable talent of making or doing something new, creatives are nevertheless often buoyed to a tether-less anchor. For, to create is to incite change and change is most often a fearful destination.
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“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves… And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.” Etty Hillesum
I write this post “dazed and confused” on the Eve of the National Election 2020. (Well, not “Eve” precisely as it is still three days away.) And I find myself so regrettably distracted from what matters most: my soul. It’s almost as if my inner life has ceased to exist.
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“From the very moment of birth, humans learn how to imitate others… In a sense, what we become is shaped by whom we imitate.”
Ilia Delio
It’s funny. I have always thought it a bit arrogant of St. Paul to suggest that his followers “imitate” him. After all, it seems that it would take a pretty heavy dose of “I’ve got my act togetherness” to make such a bold statement. But after further consideration I realize he was merely stating obvious human nature.
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