In Case You Miss Them

                                       

                                                 

                                                 

                                       

Man's Deeper Questionings

The world of today reveals itself as at once powerful and weak, capable of achieving the best or the worst. There lies open before it the way to freedom or slavery, progress or regression, brotherhood or hatred. In addition, man is becoming aware that it is for himself to give the right direction to the forces that he has himself awakened, forces that can be his master or his servant. He therefore puts questions to himself. 

The tensions disturbing the world of today are in fact related to a more fundamental tension rooted in the human heart. In man himself many elements are in conflict with each other. On one side, he has experience of his many limitations as a creature. On the other, he knows that there is no limit to his aspirations, and that he is called to a higher kind of life. 

Many things compete for his attention, but he is always compelled to make a choice among them, and to renounce some. What is more, in his weakness and sinfulness he often does what he does not want to do, and fails to do what he would like to do. In consequence, he suffers from a conflict within himself, and this in turn gives rise to so many great tensions in society. 

Very many people, infected as they are with a materialistic way of life, cannot see this dramatic state of affairs in all its clarity, or at least are prevented from giving thought to it because of the unhappiness that they themselves experience. 

Many think that they can find peace in the different philosophies that are proposed. 

Some look for complete and genuine liberation for man from man's efforts alone. They are convinced that the coming kingdom of man on earth will satisfy all the desires of his heart. 

There are those who despair of finding any meaning in life: they commend the boldness of those who deny all significance to human existence in itself, and seek to impose a total meaning on it only from within themselves.

 

But in the face of the way in which the world is developing today there is an ever increasing number of people who are asking the most fundamental questions or are seeing them with a keener awareness: What is man? What is the meaning of pain, of evil, of death, which still persist in spite of such great progress? What is the use of those successes, achieved at such a cost? What can man contribute to society, what can he expect from society? What will come after this life on earth?

The Church believes that Christ died and rose for all, and can give man light and strength through his Spirit to fulfill his highest calling; his is the only name under heaven in which men can be saved. 

So too the Church believes that the center and goal of all human history is found in her Lord and Master. 

The Church also affirms that underlying all changes there are many things that do not change; they have their ultimate foundation in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and for ever. 

(The Second Vatican Council)

Things You Can Do (by Scott Hughes)

Most people aren't Warriors, and I'm fine with it. Most people do things that don't make sense, and I'm fine with it. I've learned to accept the non-sense that fills this world. (Part of being a Warrior is accepting that most other people are not Warriors, and accepting them.) Still, the point is that people do things that don't make sense. They whine, complain, and cry over problems they can easily change. They get depressed over problems they cause for themselves.

For example, lazy people often whine that they don't make more money. Selfish people complain that they don't have more friends. Many people sabotage all their romantic relationships and then complain that they don't have a lover.

Granted, sometimes when something bad happens to a person it's purely bad luck. For example, you could be sitting in your well-built home while reading the newspaper and a tornado could tear your home up.

However, usually when you don't like what's happening in your life, it's your own damn fault. It's your fault if you're fat, lazy, uneducated, lonely, etc.

In the following, I list 71 things that you can do to be more successful. You choose to do them or not. If you choose not to do these things, then you have no right to complain about your problems; your problems are your fault!

1. Stop watching television.
2. Stop eating fast food.
3. Stop eating pizza and fried foods.
4. Stop driving places that you could easily walk to.
5. Read at least 1 book a month.
6. Take classes in what interests you or your vocation.
7. Work enough to support yourself, and if needed get a new job or second job to make enough to support yourself. Never stick with a job that doesn't pay enough to support yourself no matter how much you work.
8. Pay off your debts and don't go in debt. You can pay off your debts if you avoid needless expenses, such as cable, overpriced clothes, impractical decorations, unhealthy snacks, jewelry, etcetera.
9. Don't buy a car on finance, and don't buy an expensive car if a cheaper one that works is available.
10. Wake up early, and get all your work done as quickly as possible. That includes household chores, as well as your employment.
11. Drink alcohol less or quit.
12. Do drugs less or quit.
13. Don't smoke cigarettes.
14. Don't eat foods with high fructose corn syrup.
15. Don't drink soda.
16. Don't eat sugary foods at all.
17. Don't drink more than 1 glass of juice per day.
18. Stand up straight and have good posture.
19. Look people in the eyes when you talk to them.
20. Smile.
21. Be polite.
22. Keep your promises.
23. Wear a watch, if you can afford it.
24. Eat breakfast.
25. If you eat cereal at any time, choose your cereal based on healthiness not tastiness.
26. Exercise at least 3 days per week.
27. Walk often.
28. Always write with correct spelling and grammar.
29. Never speak worse about a person behind their back than you do to their face. (Feel free to say nicer things about a person behind their back than to their face.)
30. Don't gossip and don't have a big mouth.
31. Never judge other people harsher than you judge yourself.
32. Make New Years resolutions, but make one every day instead of every year.
33. Volunteer.
34. Forgive, but never forget.
35. Don't have skeletons in your closet.
36. Keep as few secrets as reasonably possible.
37. Despite the rule before this one, keep your friends' secrets.
38. Politely tell people that you will not betray your friends' trust, when you are asked about their secrets and such.
39. Volunteering (i.e. activism) is more important than voting. If you can do both, good for you. If you only have time for one, volunteer instead of voting. It makes more of a difference.
40. Privately question your own values.
41. Avoid questioning other people's values, especially in public.
42. Listen more than you talk.
43. Use a journal to count how many calories you consume per day.
44. Use a journal to count how many calories you burn per day.
45. If you want to lose weight, burn slightly more than you consume. If you want to gain weight, consume slightly more than you burn. If you are happy with your weight, try to burn the same amount as you consume.
46. Weigh yourself daily at the same time(s).
47. Write your daily weight down in a journal.
48. Never allow the police to search you, your car, or your belongings if you do not have something to hide.
49. Never tell other people that you think they or something they are doing is immoral or sinful.
50. Keep your moral values and religion to yourself. Use them to direct your own actions.
51. Ask people how they are often and listen to their answer.
52. Laugh at other people's jokes, but not your own.
53. Shower at least once per day.
54. Wash your hands, even if you aren't an employee.
55. Take care of the elderly, which includes spending time with them and talking to them.
56. Avoid going places where you need to be waited on.
57. Wait on yourself wherever possible.
58. Make your friends look good.
59. Avoid lying.
60. Don't pretend to be better than you are. Don't pretend to be more successful, popular, etcetera.
61. Treat other people as if they are better than they are. Treat them as if they are more successful, popular, etcetera.
62. Don't brag about your talents. Instead, surprise people with them when they just happen to be called upon.
63. Sit up straight.
64. Keep your house clean.
65. If you have either of them, keep your car and office clean.
66. Stretch daily. (I do Yoga most mornings.)
67. Dance.
68. Take dancing lessons if you could use improvement.
69. Ask other people (e.g. your friends, your co-workers, your boss, etc.) what their favorite book is, and read it.
70. Ask their favorite song or band, and listen to it.
71. Ask their favorite movie, and watch it.
Extras:
72. Don't be camera shy.
73. When your alarm goes off in the morning (if you use one), don't press snooze.
74. Make a budget and follow it.
Suggestions from visitors:
75. Say "I love you" often to the people you feel this way about.
76. Always turning off lights when leaving a room, unless of course there are others are in the room. For that matter, conserving any unnecessary electricity usage is key to the future of humanity.

Something to Ponder

If you woke you this morning with more health than illness, you are more

blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of

imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are

ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest,

torture, or death, you are more blessed than 

three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead,

and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish

someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are alive and married, you are very rare.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful,

you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder,

you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch

If you can read this message you've just received a double blessing in that

someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over

two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and pass this along to remind

everyone else how blessed we all are.

(Anonymous) 

Life: Explained

 

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is: ......... Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

What wants to change?

"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."

-- Theodore Rubin

Our lives really begin to change when we learn to shift our perspective on ‘problems.’

From the spiritual perspective, problems offer our best path to growth. Like it or not, pain gets our attention. Pain also challenges the ego's perception that it is in complete control of life. This opens the door for soul’s guidance.

If we want to be rid of the pain, we must do the work that leads us to greater consciousness. Paradoxically, we can only get rid of the pain by moving through it.

The next time you feel “poor me,” stop and ask, “What needs to change? What does my soul want me to learn?”

“No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

-- Source Unknown

(The Inner Journey)

Happiness

Happiness is like a butterfly;

                                the more you chase it,                                                                        

       the more it will elude you,

but if you turn your attention to other things,

it will come and sit softly on your shoulder...

                
                                                  Thoreau 

The Earth's Oldest Trees

My Career Test Result

Career Inventory Test Results Extroversion |||||||||||| 33% Emotional Stability ||||||||||||||| 50% Orderliness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 76% Altruism |||||||||||||||||| 56% Inquisitiveness |||||||||||||||||| 60%  You are a Guide, possible professions include - career counselor, psychologist, educational consultant, special education teacher, librarian, artist, playwright, novelist/poet, editor/art director, information-graphics, designer, HRM manager, merchandise planner, environmental lawyer, marketer, job analyst, mental health counselor, dietitian/nutritionist, research, educational consultant, architects, interpreter/translator.

Take Free Career Test
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The Hairdresser Saint?

Born in 1766, Pierre Toussaint was a slave in his native Haiti. His owner, Jean Berard, taught the young man how to read and write. When slave revolts broke out, the Berard family brought him with them when they fled to New York City in 1787. 

Shortly after their arrival, Mr. Berard died and Pierre became the main support of Mrs. Berard and the household. He studied to become a hairdresser and soon developed a large clientele among the rich. Upon her deathbed in 1807, Mrs. Berard gave Pierre his freedom. 

Pierre married, and he and his wife purchased the freedom of many Haitian slaves. Once the refugees arrived in New York, the couple helped them find jobs, gave them money, and cared for them when they were sick-often bringing them into their home. 

The Toussaints were childless but often took care of abandoned children, giving them a home and opening a school to help the children learn a trade. They provided financial support for the Oblate Sisters of Providence (a religious order for black women), the first New York City Catholic school for black children, and an orphanage begun in 1817 by a fellow New Yorker, Mother Elizabeth Seton. 

Pierre died June 30, 1853, at the age of 87. He is buried behind the main altar of St. Patrick Cathedral in New York. 

On December 18, 1996, Pope John Paul II declared Pierre Toussaint "venerable", a step towards eventual canonization. Toussaint is considered a founder of Catholic charities work in the United States. 

February is Black History Month in the United States. 

(From The Little Black Book)

Let Us Show Each Other God's Generosity

Recognize to whom you owe the fact that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly and as in a mirror but then with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a son of God, coheir with Christ. Where did you get all this, and from whom?

Let me turn to what is of less importance: the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship?

Who has given you dominion over animals, those that are tame and those that provide you with food? Who has made you lord and master of everything on earth? In short, who has endowed you with all that makes man superior to all other living creatures?

Is it not God who asks you now in your turn to show yourself generous above all other creatures and for the sake of all other creatures? Because we have received from him so many wonderful gifts, will we not be ashamed to refuse him this one thing only, our generosity? Though he is God and Lord he is not afraid to be known as our Father. Shall we for our part repudiate those who are our kith and kin?

Brethren and friends, let us never allow ourselves to misuse what has been given us by God's gift. If we do, we shall hear Saint Peter say: Be ashamed of yourselves for holding on to what belongs to someone else. Resolve to imitate God's justice, and no one will be poor. Let us not labor to heap up and hoard riches while others remain in need. If we do, the prophet Amos will speak out against us with sharp and threatening words: Come now, you that say: When will the new moon be over, so that we may start selling? When will sabbath be over, so that we may start opening our treasures? 

Let us put into practice the supreme and primary law of God. He sends down rain on just and sinful alike, and causes the sun to rise on all without distinction. To all earth's creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. His gifts are not deficient in any way, because he wanted to give equality of blessing to equality of worth, and to show the abundance of his generosity. 

(From a sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, bishop)

Thinking Outside the Box

As the St. Louis Cardinals entered the postseason in 2006,

a rejuvenated Scott Spiezio was more prepared for success

than he had ever been. Physically, he had spent countless

hours in the weight room and even more time working on

his hitting and fielding. From a mental standpoint, 10-MT

had successfully prepared him to manage the postseason

pressure.

Spiezio had learned to use centering breaths to control

his heart rate and arousal state. His performance statement,

“See it; short and compact swing,” helped him develop

and maintain pinpoint focus on staying calm, recognizing

the pitch, and then putting a powerful, short, compact

swing on the ball. Spiezio used his personal highlight reel

to train himself to believe in his ability to perform well

under pressure. He had visualized himself being calm,

confident, and successful countless times throughout

the season, which helped lead to his triumph in that key

eighth-inning at bat against the Brewers. To intensify his

work ethic and enhance his self-image, he repeated his

identity statement to himself in his daily mental workouts:

“I put the work in. I am a dominant major-league hitter.”

After defeating the San Diego Padres in the National

League Division Series, the Cardinals were down one

game to none in the National League Championship

Series against the heavily favored New York Mets. In the

seventh inning of Game 2, the Mets were ahead by 6–4

and appeared destined to take a commanding two-game

lead in the best-of-seven series. With two men on base and

two outs, Scott Spiezio once again found himself down

to his final strike with the Cardinals’ season seemingly

hanging in the balance. He had swung and missed on two

tough changeups by Guillermo Mota and was expecting

another off-speed pitch but instead saw a fastball, which

he pulled foul to stay alive.

With Mota keeping him guessing, Spiezio stepped out

of the box to regain his composure. “See it; short and

compact swing,” he told himself as he stepped back into

the batter’s box. The very next pitch, Spiezio put a short,

compact swing on another fastball and crushed it off the

right-field wall. He missed a home run by inches, ending

up with a triple that drove in two runs to tie the game.

The stunned New York Mets were unable to recover, and

Spiezio doubled in another run in the ninth inning.

The Cardinals went on to beat the Mets in a physically

grueling yet unquestionably memorable seven-game

series. Eventually, St. Louis would ride the momentum to

a World Series championship over the Detroit Tigers. The

so-called experts hadn’t given the Cardinals much of a

prayer against the Tigers, who were coming off a dominating

series sweep to capture the American League pennant.

Of course, there weren’t too many people giving Spiezio a

chance of such a career revival, either. For Spiezio and the

2006 Cardinals, numbers could not relate the entire story.

The team did not listen to what other people thought,

because that was not important. What is important for

athletes is to focus on the process of success and what it

will take to reach their goals. The 10-Minute Toughness

workout gives athletes the focus that they need to reach

their potential and beyond.

(From 10-Minute Mental Toughness)

Honor and Courage in the Writing Life

The Greatness of the Warrior does not come only from her strength and daring, her skill with the sword or light saber, or her ability to vanquish her foes. It comes from the honorable way she conducts herself, from her devotion to truth and peace, from the respect she has for others, and from the courage with which she faces battle. To fulfill his greatest potential, a writer must also foster these qualities in himself. Despite the focus of writing classes, excellence in writing isn't only about voice and style. It is also about finding the truest parts of ourselves and having the moral strength never to waver from what we hold sacred. To find that strength, we can look to the warrior as a model and a guide. 

Devotion to Truth

The medieval knight believed that whoever was on the side of truth would win the battle. Even if we must be more realistic today, truth is no less important now than it was a thousand years ago. But if someone asked you right now to list the basic truths you live by, could you answer? Most of us can come up with some sort of response, but it is seldom well thought out or clearly articulated. It takes some work to uncover what we truly believe in, but once we do, those truths can serve as beacons both for our daily lives and for our writing. 

Courage

"Fiction never exceeds the reach of the writer's courage," says Bastard Out of Carolina author Dorothy Allison-and the same could be said for any type of writing. Courage is the first quality we think of when we envision the warrior. Surely it takes great valor to go into battle knowing that death may be waiting for you there. Writing doesn't demand that kind of immense physical bravery, but it does require great moral valor. 

What is so threatening about writing? Many things are. You face the blank page knowing only you can fill it-and only if you slice into your soul. You open the deepest regions of your heart to strangers who have no reason to care. You offer the fruits of your labor, love, and struggle to agents, editors, publishers, and reviewers who will often tell you it is unworthy, feeble, pathetic. You ask those agents, editors, and publishers to risk their careers for your ideas. You face the fact that you may work for years and years without external success. You read the work of others who get published to great accolades-even when they do not write as well as you do. You have to tell everyone who asks that, no, you have not sold any of your five novels or eighteen short stories or eighty-two poems. You deal with rejection, rejection, rejection. 

Writing takes another kind of courage as well. It takes courage to write the raw, unvarnished truth: to expose your most private memories, dreams, and fears; to face up to what is wrong in the world and put it on the page; and to write with utter authenticity. That is why so many of us shy away from anything ugly, sordid, or repulsive in our writing. It is also why publishers' slush piles are full of works that read false-too many of us are trying to stay on safer ground. 

Fortunately, you can learn to deal with all of this fear. This is not to say that you can get rid of it entirely-or would even want to, for a certain amount of fear can be a powerful motivator-but that there are techniques for making it manageable. 

(From Writing as a Sacred Path by Jill Jepson)

NEW: My Twitter Address

You can also follow me on the following twitter address:

http://twitter.com/zekariali

Being or Doing?

I'd like to invite anyone interested to post their thought on being and doing. Which one is more fundamental and essential? Which one should we cultivate first? Which one produces more result? Which one should we cultivate more to achieve our dreams?

Prayer is the Light of the Spirit

Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance but prayer from the heart, not confined to fixed times or periods but continuous throughout the day and night. 

Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God's love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it. 

Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature. 

Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God's grace. The apostle Paul says: We do not know how we are to pray but the Spirit himself pleads for us with inexpressible longings. 

When the Lord gives this kind of prayer to a man, he gives him riches that cannot be taken away, heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. One who tastes this food is set on fire with an eternal longing for the Lord: his spirit burns as in a fire of the utmost intensity. 

Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit. 

(From a homily by St. John Chrysostom, bishop)

Gross National Happiness-Bhutan

Watch this video about Bhutan and its King. Amazing!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXJwNSkdTH0&feature=related

THE SEVEN CENTERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

The following is from a classic of the higher consciousness frontier; The Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes, Jr. which explains the Living Love system to higher consciousness. 


1. The Security Center
This Center makes you preoccupied with food, shelter, or whatever you equate with your personal security. This programming forces your consciousness to be dominated by your continuous battle to get "enough"from the world in order to feel secure. 


2. The Sensation Center
This Center is concerned with finding happiness in life by providing yourself with more and better pleasurable sensations and activities. For many people, sex is the most appealing of all sensations. Other addictive sensations may include the sound of music, the taste of food, etc. 


3. The Power Center
When your consciousness is focused on this Center, you are concerned with dominating people and situations, and increasing your prestige, wealth, and pride-in addition to thousands of more subtle forms of hierarchy, manipulation, and control. 


4. The Love Center
At this Center you are transcending subject-object relationships and are learning to see the world with the feelings and harmonies of flowing acceptance. You see yourself in everyone-and everyone in yourself. You feel compassion for the suffering of those causht in the dramas of security, sensation, and power. You are beginning to love and accept everyone unconditionally-even yourself.


5. The Cornucopia Center
When your consciousness is illuminated by this Center, you experience the friendliness of the world you are creating. You begin to realize that you've always lived in a perfect world. To the degree that you still have addictions, the perfection lies in giving you the experience you need to get free of your emotion-backed demands. As you reprogram your addictions, the perfection will be experienced as a continuous enjoyment of the here and now in your life. As you become more loving and accepting, the world becomes a "horn of plenty" that gives you more than you need to be happy. 


6. The Conscious-Awareness Center
It is liberating to have a center from which your Conscious-awareness watches your body and mind perform on the lower five centers. This is a meta-center from which you non-judgmentally witness the drama of your body and mind. From this Center of Centers, you learn to impartially observe your social roles and life games from a place that is free from fear and vulnerability. 


7. The Cosmic Consciousness Center
When you live life fully in the Sixth Center of Consciousness, you are ready to transcend self-awareness and become pure awareness. At this ultimate level, you are one with everything-you are love, peace, energy, beauty, wisdom, clarity, effectiveness and oneness. 

Quotes About Life and Death

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein 

Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for.

Alice Walker

Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.

Amelia Burr 

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.

People living deeply have no fear of death.

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.

The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself.

Anais Nin

Life is a process. We are a process. The universe is a process.

Anne Wilson Schaef

How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.

Barry Lopez

The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

Bertrand Russel 

You can shed tears that she is gone, 

or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,

or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, 

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her only that she is gone,

or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, 

be empty and turn your back.

Or you can do what she'd want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

David Harkins 

Every man dies - Not every man really lives.

William Ross Wallace

I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.

Winston Churchill

He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend - provided, of course, that he really is dead.

Voltaire 

Every True Story Ends in Death

Today the Lenten Season begins. It's Ash Wednesday. This season has always been dear to me. It is a time when I really experience the magnitude of God's love for me. It's a time of purification, a time of cleansing. It's a time of setting the priorities of my life right. It's a time of focusing on the essentials rather than the accidentals.

At the beginning of the movie Brian's Song, a voice says: "Every true story ends in death. This is a true story." Yes, my life will end in death. I will cease to be. I will stop walking on this earth. I will no more play and laugh with my baby girl. I will never 'make love' with my wife. (I put it in inverted commas because I am not sure of the expression. Do we make love or do we share it?) My feeling towards death is very distant. I feel, most likely like everybody, that it is not going to happen to me. Or it is not going to happen to me in the foreseeable future. I kind of think that I have many more years to live. Is that true?

I would like to think that it is true. I would like to believe that I have many successful and fruitful years ahead of me. I would like to believe this with all my heart. It gives me the extra courage to carry on and hang on when I feel terribly down. It is amazing to note that this thought is so embedded in my head that it is natural. It is like a give (as we say when we do physics calculations.) Though I know death exists, it doesn't cross my mind. (Only sometimes when I think of putting an end to so much suffering.) I don't think it has ever descended from my head to my heart. For me, the existence of death is more theoretical than real.

As you can tell this is not a good way to go about it. I was watching one programme about death on Ethiopian TV. The journalist was interviewing two very old people. One was a woman, who is waiting for death to come at any moment. She even has her coffin ready. The other one was a man, who is always on the go trying to escape it. When told about the woman who has already bought a coffin, he said: I don't want you to talk to me about coffins. I don't like it. I have never been close to a coffin before. I am begging God for more days. He listens to me. He knows how I hate to die.

These two old people have death on their minds practically every moment of their days. In my opinion, what makes them wait for it or fight it is their age. What makes the idea of death so distant to my mind is my age and health. I am young and healthy, so I don't expect myself to die anytime soon. To be honest this scares me. It scares me because I am not living my dreams believing I will have time to do so in the future. It scares me because at odd times it dawns on me that I could die at any moment. To die without living is a thing to dread. I dread dying without living my dream more than I could possibly dread dying itself. It will be a tragedy.

"Every story ends in death. This is a true story." says that voice. My life is a true story. And it will end in death. (Logic 101.) I wish I have a voice that whispers in my heart "Your true story is going to end in death. Are you ALIVE?" Obviously, it is what lies between my birth and death that defines my life. What lies between the two, we call it LIFE. What is my life like? Am I living it or going through it, as I pass through some town on my way to another one? And that is what I am struggling with.

More Beautiful Pictures

Kosice Marathon

Baby Asian Elephant in Tall Grass

Baby Asian Elephant in Tall Grass

Is There a Way Through Suffering?

I found the following while reading the preface of a book entitled "Is There a Way Through Suffering?" by Pat Lynch.


As an evangelist it is my privilege to meet thousands of people from different backgrounds, nations and cultures. Something they all have in common is pain-the pain of being human. People do not live detached, unthinking lives; we are constantly asking questions. What is it all about? Is there a God? If there is a God, does he really care? How can he love me in the midst of my sin and pain? There are no easy answers to the question of suffering. Often all I can do is empathise with the people who share their problems and doubts with me. I must confess that I have a great love for people, especially when they are down or depressed. I feel honoured when they share with me their innermost selves. 



I have listened to many stories throughout my life, and I have learned something of the journey each person has to make. We sometimes sat in silence, entering into the pain, sharing the sadness without needing words. I learned about the longing of people's hearts, the loneliness of their lives, their need for love and affirmation. I heard of dreams that were shattered, visions unfulfilled, hopes disappearing. I was told of isolation and bitterness, joy and laughter that turned stale. I felt the budding of new life in the searching of each soul and could see people's dignity as they trod their own muddy and twisted path. It seems that often all we have to hold onto is the hope that life springs from death and light from darkness. One truth kept coming back to me as I wrote this book: God is always saying, 'Love each other and take the hand of my suffering people'.