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The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the
divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.
God gives us the capacity for choice.
We can choose to alleviate suffering.
We can choose to work together for peace.
We can make these changes
...and we must.
~Jimmy Carter~
Arlington National Cemetery
Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.
Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.
Peace, peace, and farewell...
By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has
a policy, but nothing more. - Albert Camus
"Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle," -
Mahatma Gandhi.
#msg-14408490
the gifts of gratitude..
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life..
It turns what we have into enough, and more, it turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity..
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow..
~ Melody Beattie ~
Consciously cultivating thankfulness is a journey of the soul, one that begins when we look around us and see the positive effects that gratitude creates..
We do this by noticing those around us to whom gratefulness comes easily and realize how much we enjoy being around these people..
We also tap into these gifts as we think about times in the past when we felt particularly grateful..
Remember peacefulness and the delight that accompanied those times?
As we come to understand the gifts of gratitude, we realize that being grateful is not something remote or foreign, but
part of the natural joyful expression of our full HUMANNESS..
Happiness, the sheer joy of being alive, is within our reach..
All we need is an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE..
Gratitude creates happiness because it makes us feel full, complete; gratitude is a realization that we have everything we need, at least this moment..
It's magic key~all you need to do is use it, and the world is suddenly transformed into a beautiful wonderland, in which you are invited to play..
That's because, like most of the great simple truths, gratitude is stunningly simple..
This is not to say, however, that an attitude of distractions, obfuscation, and negative attitudes from our upbringings may get in the way..
But all you really have to do is make a commitment to do it, and the magic will yours..
~ M.J. Ryan ~
the labyrinth..
Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love..
~ Caroline Adams ~
We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.
A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."
Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.
A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.
A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.
The Labyrinth Poem
One Step At A Time
Rows of ragged rocks outline a path for healing?
Brown, decaying leaves hug the winter ground â| a blanket to transform?
The labyrinth awaits the sojourner--
almost calls her name--
Will you enter my simple boundaries
and journey my paths
One Step at a Time?
Straight ahead, yet winding and crooked
The curled road beckons to be trod --
reinforcing the uplifted
blessing the downtrodden
Maybe tears, maybe joy, maybe peace
One Step at a Time.
All who are heavy laden, come stand at the gate
All who are fragmented, place one foot down
and the other in front
All who find wonder in the commonplace,
Come travel the narrow rows
One Step at a Time.
Give up your burdens, your middle of the night worries
Lay a care on a silver, craggly rock as you pass
and move on to the next,
the monotony will soothe you
One Step at a Time.
Moving inward,
The trail winds in and out
Muscles untensing,
The walkerâ| s job seems easy,
The cares tumble down
and hit the ground with imagined force
lightening the load on contact
One Step at a Time.
Step 48, step 49, many more follow
while curling toward center like a
snail into its shell
Motionless at last,
a wooden cross is sighted,
Godâ| s presence overwhelms
and envelopes the inner sanctum--
His peace now a cloister
on the journey half over
One Step at a Time.
The pause to discover
new perspectives to ponder
fresh eyes, lightened heart
the world is a wonder
with steps unencumbered
the pilgrimage rewinds
One Step at a Time.
The breathing is slower
the feet touch down lower,
and easier on the road well-worn
The unknown, now familiar
the end is the beginning
the sad is now glory
All happening unexpectedly
One Step at a Time.
A twist inward
A transformation outward
A fresh view from fatigued eyes
All part of a simple design
of much complexity
with the whole greater
than the sum of the steps
All the while traveling
One Step at a Time.
~ Suzanne Moody ~
Bocca Di Dolcezza
"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace."
~~HH the Dalai Lama
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=13003297
Every child comes with the message that God is not yet
discouraged of man.
Keep your face to the sunshine and you will not see the
shadows. - Helen Keller
Tis a Fearful Thing
It is a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.
A fearful thing
to love, hope, dream:
to be--
to be,
And! to lose.
A thing for fools, this,
and
a holy thing,
a holy thing
to love.
For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.
To remember this brings painful joy.
'Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing,
to love
what death has touched.
--Anonymous
Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of
imagination. - Oscar Wilde
i was asked
but there are no words
it was a straight mental instantaneous communication
what had i done?
to benefit or advance the human race..
~ Sogyal Rinpoche ~
source..
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Do not hit at all if it can be avoided, but never hit softly. -
Theodore Roosevelt
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away. "
-Anon.
"The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched -
they must be felt with the heart."
~Helen Keller~
"The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."
-Native American Proverb
there's a place in the world for a gambler..
~ Dan Fogelberg ~
[Suppressed Sound Link]
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=6185025
you raise me up..
~ Josh Groban ~
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http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9171012
:)
I created this board just for that purpose and to keep a positive outlook.
just imagine..
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interesting artist
the "bridge to truth" sure looks like the golden gate :)
http://www.awakenvisions.com/gallery1/bridge.htm
my philosophy..
(Daniel's views on life)
What kind of beliefs does a man have who paints pretty pictures of imagination and inspiration? I have had many philosophical and spiritual beliefs in this life, sometimes held strongly, other times just in inquiry or even in mystery. I noticed that my beliefs are always changing. And I more or less think of my beliefs as just how things seem to me for now.
I see people invest great passion in the "rightness" of their held beliefs. Jews, Christians, Muslims and others, often so sure they are right and others are wrong, the fundamentalist of each ready to kill others in the name of their "god" and their "rightness". And those with such "conviction" calling those who disagree with their side "terrorists".
I have listened to many teachers and I have checked in to my own experience and my innermost being to validate, or not; what is said. It is my experience that we are all the same oneness, and that our "separateness" is indeed an illusion; that this illusion is vast and pervasive and seems very real; that the stronger we indulge in the illusion the more egoic we act, the more ignorant we are and that all suffering we experience is in some way a result of this complex illusion. The illusion is a distortion of the Truth, which is always present behind the illusion and That is all of our true nature.
When we are truly in our hearts, truly feeling the connectedness, the love, we then feel joy and peace as we are more being our true nature. Truth does not assert, defend, try to convince others. Our true nature IS Heart, is love.
The pain and suffering and apparent "wounds" are a result in being in illusion, in one's egoic activity too much. Most of what is going on in our day to day world is just a bunch of egoic programming interfacing with other programming, more like the Matrix (film) than people think. I know it is possible for each individual to wake up out of the dream or illusion to realize one's true nature, one's true being. The requirement is putting that commitment above all else. Making realizing one's true nature one's highest priority in life. And that commitment leads in some way to honest SELF-INQUIRY (specifically, SELF-INQUIRY into the truth of one's self, one's true nature, and what activities of MIND one habituates which keeps one from realizing what they already always are).
And when it comes to "beliefs" it is important not to simply take the words of another and recite them as one's own, or quote them from a scripture, but to always find out for oneself through personal experience. And to share from there (personal experience) what one has found to share freely, openly and relaxedly with others - for them to accept or reject as they wish. The diversity of perspectives, when shared casually with others can be a wonderful thing, expanding life's possibilities. Wanting or forcing others to see things the way you do is counter productive and not fun.
My devotion is to Truth. My highest priority and commitment in life is to abiding as and living life from my true, natural state. I regularly visit and listen to and speak with my teachers, who talk about this with other who are interested. I have found some great teachers who are quite good at pointing to the Truth. I gladly point to the pointers and you can connect with them here if you wish.
Therefore, to sum up my philosophy I would state simply:
1) We are what we take ourselves to be.
2) All that we experience in life is based on our interpretation. Our interpretation determines the nature of our existence.
3) ALL suffering and unfulfillment is the result of faulty interpretation - of taking ourselves to be a somebody separate from others. Taking ourselves to be an identity different from our true nature.
4) Therefore, having the broadest, truest angle of vision, the most accurate interpretation is wise.
5) Truly realizing and abiding as one's true nature, the natural state, is the only way to accomplish this.
6) The requirement for enlightenment is to make #5 one's highest priority in life, above comfort, security, pleasure, etc. Then one will naturally attract the help and support one needs to wake up and stabilize in living that awakening. Stabilizing involves inquiring into and seeing all the ways in which one has avoided one's true nature, all the programming and habits and fixations, including one's very notion of being "separate".
Thus, I have found that the ONLY solution to the world's and an individual's struggle and suffering or unfulfillment is true self-realization (enlightenment). All other approaches and "solutions" are pseudo and/or temporary and are of the realm of hidden programming, which goes deeper than people realize. All those beings throughout history who have truly self-realized have said the same things - among those things that we are in a state of illusion which is so profound that even our notion of separateness is illusion; that the answer to life's woes is through Truth - which inevitably leads to self-realization - the awake state. The awake state is always present behind the illusion. It is not "attained", it is what is always there and comes forth when the illusion is busted. All are now invited to wake up from the dream.
In Love always,
Daniel
April 2004
http://www.awakenvisions.com/philosophy.html
good one :)
Desiderata..
written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s
Go Placidly Amid The Noise & Haste, & Remember What Peace There May Be In Silence.
As Far As Possible Without Surrender, Be On Good Terms With All People.
Speak Your Truth Quietly & Clearly; And Listen To Others, Even The Dull & Ignorant; They Too Have Their Story.
Avoid Loud & Aggressive People, They Are Vexations To The Spirit.
If You Compare Yourself With Others, You May Become Vain & Bitter; For Always There Will Be Greater & Lesser People Than Yourself.
Enjoy Your Achievements As Well As Your Plans.
Keep Interested In Your Own Career, However Humble; It Is A Real Possession In The Changing Fortunes Of Time.
Exercise Caution In Your Business Affairs; For The World Is Full Of Trickery.
But Let This Not Blind You To What Virtue There Is; Many People Strive For High Ideals; And Everywhere Life Is Full Of Heroism.
Be Yourself. Especially, Do Not Feign Affection.
Neither Be Cynical About Love; For In The Face Of All Aridity & Disenchantment It Is Perennial As The Grass.
Take Kindly The Counsel Of The Years, Gracefully Surrendering The Things Of Youth.
Nurture Strength Of Spirit To Shield You In Sudden Misfortune. But Do Not Distress Yourself With Imaginings.
Many Fears Are Born Of Fatigue & Loneliness.
Beyond A Wholesome Discipline, Be Gentle With Yourself. You Are A Child Of The Universe, No Less Than The Trees & The Stars; You Have A Right To Be Here.
And Whether Or Not It Is Clear To You, No Doubt The Universe Is Unfolding As It Should.
Therefore Be At Peace With God, Whatever You Conceive Him To Be, And Whatever Your Labors & Aspirations, In The Noisy Confusion Of Life, Keep Peace With Yourself.
With All Its Sham, Drudgery & Broken Dreams, It Is Still A Beautiful World. Be Cheerful. Strive To Be Happy.
Desiderata is Latin for "Things to be Desired."
Love without Condition..
I love you as you are, as you seek to find your own special way to relate to the world..
I honor your choices to learn in the way you feel is right for
you..
I know it is important that you are the person you want to be and not someone that others or I think you "should" be..
I realize that I cannot know what is best for you, although perhaps sometimes I think I do..
I have not been where you have been, viewing life from the angle you have..
I do not know what you have chosen to learn how you have chosen to learn it, with whom or in what time period..
I have not walked life looking through your eyes, so how can I know what you need..
In this place where I am, I see that there are many ways to perceive and experience the different facets of our world..
I allow without reservation the choices you make in each moment..
I make no judgement of this, for if I would deny your right to your evolution, then I would deny that right for all others and myself..
To those who would choose a way I cannot walk, whilst I may not choose to add my power and my energy to this way, I will never deny you the gift of love that god has bestowed within me, for all creation..
As I love you, so I shall be loved..
As I sow, so shall I reap..
For it is the inalienable right of all life to choose their own evolution and with great love I acknowledge your right to determine your future..
In humility I bow to the realization that the way I see as best for me does not have to mean it is also right for you..
I know that you are led as I am, following the inner excitement to know your own path..
I know that the many races, religions, customs, nationalities and beliefs within our world, bring us richness and allow us the benefit and teachings of such diverseness..
I know we each learn in our own unique way in order to bring that love and wisdom back to the whole. I know that if there were only one way to do something, there would need only be one person..
I will not only love you if you behave in a way I think you should or believe in those things I believe in..
I understand you are truly my brother and my sister, though you may have been born in a different place and believe in another god than I..
The love I feel is for all of god’s world..
I know that every living thing is a part of god and I feel a love deep within for every person, animal, tree and flower, every bird, river and ocean and for all the creatures in all the world..
I live my life in loving service, being the best me I can, becoming wiser in the perfection of divine truth, becoming happier in the joy of..
Unconditional Love
~ Sandy Stevenson ~
peace cannot be achieved through violence..
it can only be attained through understanding..
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
A child’s love..
We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking..
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi." He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked around and saw the source of his merriment..
It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists..
"Hi there, baby; Hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik.
My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?"
Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi." Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man.
The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby..
Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk..
My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments..
We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door.
"Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed..
As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position..
Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's..
Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder..
The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time..
I stood awestruck..
The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby."
Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone..
He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."
I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me."
I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes..
I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not..
I felt it was God asking, "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" when He shared His for all eternity..
The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little
children."
~ Unknown ~
Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
mifl..wonderful..
thank you..
thanks for the wonderful contribution here :)
...not only a good message, but some beautiful photography.
sara...
very happy to see that you enjoyed "pathways to peace"
here is another beautiful and inspirational presentation
http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/
btw: make sure your sound is on with both
"We must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
another one from that site...
Pathways to Peace
cool website which I discovered because of this post:
#msg-7925531
a sample quote from the website:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
- Matthew 5:9
When William Faulkner accepted the Nobel Prize in 1950, he said, in part: "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion, sacrifice and endurance."
and once again..
the post..
fountain of sorrow
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mona lisa's and madhatter's..
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;~)
The saying "the buck stops here" derives from the slang expression "pass the buck" which means passing the responsibility on to someone else. The latter expression is said to have originated with the game of poker, in which a marker or counter, frequently in frontier days a knife with a buckhorn handle, was used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. If the player did not wish to deal he could pass the responsibility by passing the "buck," as the counter came to be called, to the next player.*
On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, "You know, it's easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you -- and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here' -- the decision has to be made." In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, "The President--whoever he is--has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/buckstop.htm
"Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place we must find."
--Dr. Wayne Dyer
#msg-7166086
makes sense to me..
"Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment,
are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a
hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving
your own evolution".
--Deepak Chopra
#msg-6971789
"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
--Sir Winston Churchill
#msg-6929947
"I am a Muslim and a Hindu and a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you." -Gandhi
#msg-6923889
Rules To Live By..
Lacking almost totally in America of the 1990's is a code for the conduct of the affairs of men, but it was not always so..
In times past, men lived and died by norms of behavior that guided their lives and actions..
The advantage of one having rules to live by is that when faced with a decision there is a reference point from which to draw information about what a possible correct course of action should be..
Below are some norms of behavior long obeyed by thinking men and are some I have strived ( not always successfully) to live by..
1. In all that you do, consider its benefit or harm to yourself, your children and your people.
2. All that you do will return to you, sooner or later, for good or ill. Thus strive to always do good unto others or at least strive to be just.
3. To thine own self be true. Be honest with yourself and with others.
4. Give your word but sparingly and then move heaven and earth to abide by it once given.
5. To keep ones head is a virtue, the anger of a moment can play havoc for years.
6. Know which battles to fight and which to avoid. Live today to fight tomorrow.
7. Courage and honor endure. Their echoes remain when all else has vanished.
8. Pledge friendship only to those who are worthy.
9. Do your best or do nothing.
10. Love and care for your family always.
11. Laws of the land are to be obeyed so long as they were chosen with wisdom and the good of the people in mind.
12. Your children are the promise of the future. Don't break a promise.
13. Live in harmony as best you can with the natural order of the world.
14. Seeking wisdom is a virtue. Love truth, honor, courage, and loyalty.
15. Be prepared for the future. It will be upon you tomorrow.
16. Embrace life and you will live.
* See Proverbs in the Bible for a more exhaustive code.
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