I read the book, Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh about 6 years ago. It was right after 9/11/2001. I remember how much I savored every word. This film sums up some of that sentiment. Continue reading “Peace is every step”
If you live to be a hundred..
I gave this to my wife once upon a time and she keeps it in her room at work where she can see it everyday. It expresses very much the way I feel about her. God really smiled on me the day she walked into my life.
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.”–A.A. Milne
Recently she took a stand for truth and whenever you take a stand for truth you expose yourself to forces that can be unpleasant. In the end the truth won out and it was her willingness to stand in the gap on behalf of a less fortunate person that saved the day. The real measure of a person is what they do for people who can in no way repay them. By that standard my wife is in a league of her own.
Living in the present moment
Reading the New York Times article detailing the use of mindfulness techniques in approaches to elementary school children has gotten me thinking more deeply about the profound effects of meditation and mindfulness. I think it was Mahatma Gandhi who once said that if we could get 1 percent of the world meditating we could eliminate war. Character education is routinely taught in schools. It’s a good thing too, but mindfulness is more about living than thinking. Character education is thinking good thoughts and thinking can never outdo doing. You can act your way into good thinking but very rarely if ever can you think your way into good acting. Therefore mindfulness education is one very simple way to nurture thoughtfulness from which will flow the other virtues that most character education programs would seek.
Yesterday’s post on Separating truth from half truth contained this line:
..how does one stop to separate the truth from the half- truth, the event form the pseudo-event, reality from the manufactured image?–Thomas Merton
Daily we are surrounded with images and words that call us to mindlessness. These come in the form of both events and pseudo events and how do we really know that we aren’t being manipulated for some purpose. What is reality and what is manufactured? We are surrounded by invitations to mindlessness, Both terrorism and the war on terror invite us to mindlessness. Terrorism and the war on it are two sides of the same sword. The answer lies in not hitting back but in sitting mindfully in the present moment and encouraging others to do the same. What has happened, what can happen and what will happen are not reality. What is happening at this instant is reality and that is where our focus ought to be.
Little friend
My wife spotted a baby rabbit that had wandered onto our patio tonight. She asked me to call our daughter and together the three of us enjoyed a moment with this lovely little visitor. He was later killed by one of the neighborhood cats. I’m not a cat lover, but I know that this is just the way of predators. Nonetheless I am saddened by the passing of this lovely little creature who bore the imprint of the Most High. I suppose the lesson in all this is the impermanence of all creation. Still I’m saddened at the passing of our little friend. There is terrorism in the world and this is one more example of that. I love all creatures even cats and can’t bear to harm any. [googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=231693131621462857]
What Dad’s really want…
I got a poster mailed to me this week from the Peace Alliance. I used to think that our generation was going to be the one to end war. We had a lot of idealism in the 1960’s and 1970’s. We’d lived through Vietnam with its lies and subterfuge and we were seasoned. Continue reading “What Dad’s really want…”
Words and worlds apart
Just last night I walked past the village library and I thought to myself what an anachronism a public library has really become. I actually remember using card catalogs and microfilm. Continue reading “Words and worlds apart”
Attitude of Gratitude
I’ve long heard it said that an attitude of gratitude is one of the secrets of a healthy, happy life. This post at Lifehack.org really sums that up and I thought it was worth sharing.
In today’s hectic and competitive world, there is so much negativity floating around that it is easy to get taken in by it. Pessimistic attitudes lead to chronic depressions and a negative mind is actually a magnet for ailments and sadness. We often complain about what we do not have and take for granted what has been provided to us.
Weeds
ShipwreckedinSouth Carolina has a great story this morning and I want to give it some more coverage. James is a regular reader of this blog and I read his posts as well. After reading this story I’m convinced more than ever that it is the weeds in my life that give it the most color and life. Thank you to all the weeds in my life and work.
Living by the sword has its risks
George Bush’s favorite reason for the Iraq War is “fighting them there so we don’t have to fight them here.” I knew that was simplistic and misleading but had nothing to refute that until now. In today’s New York Times there is an article that is quite informative and alarming. Continue reading “Living by the sword has its risks”
Compassion in your heart
As a soldier you can be compassionate. You can be loving and your gun can be helpful. There are times you may not have to use your gun. It is like that knife that is used to cut vegetables. You can be a bodhisattva as a soldier or the commander of an army. The question is whether you have understanding and compassion in your heart. That is the question.
–Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism–Thich Nhat Hanh