The reason why we have two ears and one mouth is so we might listen more and talk less.
Talking doesn’t always help. It hurts more often than it helps. Only give feedback when it is requested, or you might just make matters worse. Listening allows us to hear solutions. Talking creates noise that stifles our ability to hear the solution.
Fight for the things you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
Her career on the High Bench was driven by what is best for the American people, not what is best for special interests or a particular political party. Today’s Bench would do well to follow her example instead of bring shame to it.
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
There are two sides to every problem. The side that perpetuates the problem and the side that allows us to break out and attack the problem differently. Think of them as two handles, one that doesn’t give us the leverage to lift and one that does. Some might think of this as perspective. It comes down to looking at the problem through new eyes and finding the solution that you have been overlooking.
Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system that is corrupt, that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy.
Yes, we become stronger when men and women, young and old, gay and straight, native-born and immigrant fight together to create the kind of country we all know we can become.
If you were to try and convince me these words are untrue… you would have your work cut out for you…
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
Do not forget that life is a struggle both with forces outside our bodies and with forces inside our bodies. The best way to survive and prosper is to remember the virtues that keep us on track and moving forward: discipline, fortitude, clearheadedness and sacrifice.
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything…
Now is the time to make your voice heard. You are not alone. Engage. Find a way to help make the world a better place. Complaining about the way things are doesn’t count as engagement.
Special thanks to the artist and friend Adam Hansen.
Don’t focus on the obstacles in front of you. Focus on what you need to be doing to reach your goal. Focus on the details, the outcome will take care of itself. Not looking at the desired outcome will lead to greater success in the long run.
In the fall of 1939 in Paris and throughout France, people thought they were safe from the coming war because of the “One Big Beautiful” ditch along the Italian, Swiss and German borders. That is no less foolish than building a Big Beautiful Wall along the Southern border of the United States. The most tragic thing about the stupidity of man is the unwillingness to let go of ideas that have proven to be ineffective.
Stop caring what other people think. Don’t let caring what other people think force you to adopt their views.
This morning after making my morning coffee I returned to bed to enjoy it while reading. This morning it was The Paris Library. Tux always joins me back in bed. He is very aware of my “possessions” and he likes to get my attention by “owning” them. My cell phone was next to me so he laid down with his head covering it. I acknowledge his move by stroking the top of his head, no doubt what he was after in the first place. I didn’t need a phone, after all I had a good book… and a cat.
After reading a chapter, I set the book down and looked out the window into the back yard. I noticed small birds flying in and out of the Russian Sage. It’s late summer and the sage is in full bloom. I don’t know if the birds were eating the flowers or possibly seeds, or just playing. They appeared to be chasing each other in and out of the sage. The birds were so small they barely bent the branches of the sage when they landed on them. That is surprising because it doesn’t take much weight to bend the slender branches. I watched them for a few minutes and then decided it was time to start the day, after another cup of coffee, in bed of course.
Life is not cake. If you look at others and say “why not me,” you are playing a zero-sum game. When you look at the accomplishments of others with desire, you should say “I can do that too.”
Mr. President, do you ever get tired of not knowing what you’re talking about?
If you find yourself in a hole, quit digging. Don’g make matters worse by fretting and complaining. Make them better by looking out of the hole and deciding what you need to do to climb your way out. Anger and negative emotion will only make matters worse.
It’s 9:30pm. I’ve just finished reading Raising Hare A Memoir. I picked it up at my favorite bookstore in Kanab, UT. I drop in there about every six months, sometimes a bit more often. Whoever stocks their shelves always has a unique selection of books about people and/or the outdoors. This find was no exception. The book was about an English woman that saves a wild new-born hare. Against all odds the hare survives and actually befriends the woman and spends it’s life living in the English countryside and periodically visiting the woman and becoming an integral part of her life, all the while remaining a wild creature. I was moved by the telling of her story. A remarkable memoir about her and the hare.
After finishing the book I decided to make some Tapioca Pudding. My first attempt. I was marginally successful. I may not have boiled the pudding quite long enough. It tasted slightly of egg and I don’t know why. My sister would know what I did wrong. I sat down outside to enjoy the desert. Tux sat with me as usual. When he got a wif of what was in my bowl, he jumped up on the table in front of me to have a closer inspection. Apparently not to his liking, he turned around and sat down with his back to me. Apparently he agreed with me that it wasn’t cooked quite right.
Please click here to view my Reading Log Update
We don’t get to choose our parents but we do get to choose our mentors. This includes acquiring the wisdom of those that have come before us, it also includes choosing as associates those that can provide us examples of what we aspire to be.
Very creative, and spot on. Of course you know whom this refers to…
Choosing a path requires thought and commitment. That does not mean you abandon your path at the earliest sign of resistance. It does mean that you need to constantly evaluate the path you are on and shift if it is clear there is a better way.
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For they sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
When I think of you, my soul is lifted. Your love makes me content. It is enough for me to be the person I am with you, the person you have helped me to become.
Self-pity accomplishes nothing. If you have a problem (we all do) you need to do something about it. To do or not to do, that is our choice.
I attended my first protest last Saturday. I stood with several hundred other people on Peace Corner in Bend Oregon to raise awareness of the jeopardy we are facing at the hands of the current administration. Protest is a funny thing. Not everyone agrees with you when they see you standing up for an issue, but it pleases me to note that half or more of the people driving by honked and waved in solidarity. There were many people holding signs of course. I did not have one. I chose to smile and wave at all the passing cars. I tried to make eye contact with the vehicle occupants. The man standing next to me told me he liked my style. He said that smiling and waving probably was as effective as sign waving, perhaps even more. I tend to agree. Many of the signs had very good messages. Some were disappointing. You can tell a lot about the level of love a person carries inside of them by the sign they are waving. That would make for an interesting study. I was only given the middle finger once by a passing motorist. I think that is note worthy. My hope is that those passing by who may not agree with the warning being given, might later realize that the people there were sincere and caring, and that fact might give them pause to examine their position.
If things get tough, remember that you would not be here if it weren’t for a long line of ancestors that managed to tough-it-out.
Rule by killing—even if it takes the form of suppression, exile, imprisonment, or (as in business) mere dismissal—affects the sensibilities of those who do it. Unsurprisingly, they hear fewer and fewer dissenting opinions, and long though their reigns may be, their sense of reality becomes increasingly impaired. They become paranoid, not least because they have made themselves more and more enemies. Those around them, acting “only in command, never in love,” may implement their orders mechanically—and on occasion foolishly, as they try to make sure that they will not be the tyrant’s next victim. And the leader himself becomes less imaginative and clever.
This should sound familiar. Cohen is providing us with a cautionary warning here. While the current administration is not using murder in the literal sense (and let’s hope it never descends that far into the abyss) It certainly is employing murder in the business sense, summary dismissal of anyone in service that speaks out or in any way displeases the POTUS. Cohen does not touch on the “murder” of facts, but that is definitely occurring and has become a staple of the administration. It’s difficult for me to understand how anyone can tolerate, let alone support, this type of leadership.
Be flexible. If you find the path to your desire blocked, find another path, if that is blocked, try yet another. There is always an opportunity, all we need to do is look for it.
There are as many paths as their are radii of a circle.
—Henry David Thoreau
I don’t have one, but I should.
If a person puts even one measure of effort into following ritual and standards of righteousness, he will get back twice as much.
—Xunzi
Xunzi was one of the three great classical Confucian philosophers best known for his lessons on how to build self-awareness by engaging in continuous education and practice of ritual activities, in other words, a daily routine.
That probably sounds boring to many people today. After all, we have an endless supply of entertainment and distraction sitting right in our hand. But what is all that distraction buying us? Is it opening our mind and soul to discovery of ourselves? Is it showing us the path to excellence? In most cases it is doing just the opposite.
There are many ways to establish a routine. The important thing is to have one. How does having a routine open our mind and soul to discovery and accomplishment? An orderly routine allows our mind to open up. Chaos only serves to keep us distracted and unfocused. The freedom to go about life differently every day is not freedom, it’s chaos. Good habits, a routine, give us a certainty that allows our mind to focus and opens it to new ideas. Self-discipline means success in our endeavors.
I opened by saying I don’t have a routine. I actually do, I just haven’t given it much thought. I write almost every day, usually in the morning. I read (but not on any particular schedule). I ride my bicycle — I also try to get other forms of exercise. The goal for me is to recognizing the activities that are good for me and make time for them each day, preferable the same amount of time and preferably on the same schedule. That is the difficult part. We get the best performance and satisfaction out of our lives when we are not constantly guessing what to do next.
Remember, the higher you are, the smaller things look. Before talking or engaging with others, imagine yourself flying high above and looking down not only at them, but everything around and concerning them. This will give you a perspective that will make you a better negotiator, person, friend.