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a quote by horace mann

Last night I passed a church on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia displaying a quote in large black and white letters in a glass-encasement attached to the building. Every so often the quote changes. Light shining on the words make them easy to read at night. Once in a while a quote seems to demand special attention from a passer-by whose imagination it manages to capture. Tonight Horace Mann’s words: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity” got me to stop, stare and reread those simple words strung together in a deeply moving way.

In recent years magazines and books tend to write about how caught up we are in surface things, and if we were to catorgize many of them we’d have to put them on our meaningless list. The writers of these magazines and books want us to consider a whole other way of living in the world. That sounds like a fair suggestion considering the way the world is at the present time. And so the quote by Horace Mann seems a good starting point to think about what exactly we could do for humanity before we die. There are many people already living this way. They don’t get write ups; they don’t want write ups.

The quote by Horace Mann gives those of us who have more on our meaningless list than our meaningful list a chance to consider how we’ll go about winning some victory for humanity before we die. Now’s as good a time as any because we’re in the midst of a season that tends to put joy in our hearts whether we strive for it or not.

And so, I say to myself that it’s time to shorten my meaningless list, and begin to figure out why that quote by Horace Mann grabbed my attention. Oh, Yes!

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four websites, a movie, and a book

Four websites:
www.gratidudes.com

www.share-international.org

www.naturalnews.com

www.swamikriyananda.org

A movie:
THE KITE RUNNER –
“Surely one of THE GREATEST FILMS you are ever going to see!” -Jeffrey Lyons
“This is a MAGNIFICENT film!” -Roger Ebert

And a book:
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda –
“I keep stacks of Autobiography of a Yogi around the house, and I give it out constantly to people. When people need ‘regrooving,’ I say read this, because it cuts to the heart of every religion.” -George Harrison

“This book. . . .inspired me to change my diet, meditate, and pay attention to my spiritual well-being. Autobiography of a Yogi is a modern classic that also happens to be a terrific read-one of my very favorite books.” -Andrew Weil, M.D., author and pioneer in holistic medicine

“This book is a must-read for the budding yogi, the spiritual veteran looking for a deeper understanding, and everyone in between.” -Yogi Times

“A profound introduction to yoga and meditation.” -Odyssey, South Africa

“If we had a man like Paramahansa Yogananda in the United Nations today, probably the world would be a better place than it is.” -Ambasador of India B.R. Sen, in a eulogy at Yogananda’s funeral

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sun and rain and being busy

Some magazine articles, movies, tv programs, books, experts, DVDs, tell us we need to multitask if we want to get ahead, become successful, have the right friends, be respected, and, of course, have a lot of money in the process. We’ll be happy, we’re told, living the way of constant doing and striving. However, if we don’t question that idea, we’ll also be burdened by our fragmented thoughts, and an inability to slow down. And when an opportunity comes to have an evening of aloneness – even when the aloneness doesn’t mean lonely, just a chance to catch up with other parts of ourselves – we feel pressured to make plans. We tell ourselves that we shouldn’t be alone for an evening, a day, a weekend, – we should be out doing.

If all that busyness was working, why are there so many depressed people, people on the verge of suicide stopped only by prescription drugs, or lifted up only by prescription drugs, so many people unable to sleep, so many sick people, so many people just plain unhappy because they’re not doing what they enjoy? It’s a fair question to ask, isn’t it?

Today is a rainy day; lately there have been complaints about the rain. The sun is teasing us – it’s sunny, then it’s not. Spirits are dampened; maybe weekend plans have to be changed. But rainy days are wonderful, too. Rain has a way of slowing things. It can change a day of rushing to a more mellow one, and that means we’re less stressed. We don’t need to change our plans, just our mind set, and then getting rained on at the beach becomes fun. Staying indoors on a beautiful sunny day is a little difficult; the sun seems to say come out and play. Rain, however, says, you can go out if you want, but you can also stay in. Don’t worry, you’ll be busy, but it’ll be a different kind of busyness; you’ll be busy being still – just for a little while.

I used to feel that practicing Qi Gong with Matthew Cohen’s Fire and Water DVD was an imposition. Then there came a time when I realized the benefits were outweighing any imposition felt, and that every time I practiced, I learned something new -maybe more insight about the way of a particular movement, or of a word not heard before that brought new meaning to not only Qi Gong, but life in general. Now practicing the once difficult empty stance is a pleasure, and Qi Gong is not an imposition. The empty stance is “full of emptiness” Matthew Cohen says. And slowly an understanding that the busyness of being still – of being empty – has its own rewards.

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tama kieves

I subscribe to Tama Kieves eletters, and this week under Tama’s Musings she wrote about “Mothering Ourselves: Nurturing Yourself, Your Dreams, and the World.” She writes at her soul level, and she shows no hesitation in sharing the person she was, the person she is, and the person she’s becoming.

I imagine that to be on a cruise with her, and the other spiritual teachers joining her, would be a gift one could call “Mothering Ourselves.”
www.tamakieves.com

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happy parenting day

It’s easy to believe that being a loving, caring, happy, and somewhat peaceful parent in the year 2009 has its own worst list of fears, uncertainities, anxieties, perplexities – more so than other decades. I’ve said I wouldn’t want to raise a child in today’s world. On second thought, no matter the decade it’s always been challenging and exciting, and although the techie age has somewhat replaced playing hopscotch, jumping rope, happily eating a fudgicle while doing somersaults, etc., the same value system is always there to be tapped.

There have been a lot of changes since my children went through childhood, but the time-honored way of parenting with love, intuition, common sense, soul searching, innate intelligence, observation, communication, enjoyment, trust, sense of humor, and knowing when to let go, are still alive and kicking.

My children were raised in Manhattan, and it was there that I noticed the many hair-raising ways people have of bringing up their children. Some didn’t believe in any discipline – not even a slight reprimand when it was called for, – kicking, hitting, and screaming at mom and dad were accepted; others gave their children credit cards to do whatever, to buy whatever, before their children understood the basics of life; one couple bought an apartment next door for their two children who were below high school age so that their before-children lifestyle could be continued; children were left with sitters who watched tv all day long, or regularly socialized with friends instead of being attentive to the children; there were children having easy access to their parents’ “adult toys”; parents vacationing and leaving children with less than the best; it’s a long and interesting list, and is exciting reading in a novel, but leaves food for thought in real life. I noticed also that people are remarkably resilient, and come into the world with their own strengths and talents which have the potential to take them beyond earlier misadventures.

And there were awesome parents who – most of the time – had huge amounts of enthusiasm, fun, and wisdom, and taught their children, other children, and other parents, by their example.

Being a parent means different things to different people. I guess it will always be this way. The world’s parents are not cut from the same cloth. And why would we want it any other way? Perhaps that’s what makes it all challenging, exciting, and having to stretch mind, body, and spirit.

This posting has somehow become about parents, so that’s what it will be – HAPPY PARENTNG DAY TO WOMEN AND MEN WITH CHILDREN IN THEIR CARE. Wherever you are, have a beautiful day.

* * * * *
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. – Khalil Gibran

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it’s a day for. . . .

In Philadelphia it’s a soft, completely cloudy, cool with a little rain, kind of day. It’s a great day for gathering energy by putting on Matthew Cohen’s Qi Gong DVD, and following his voice and movements; it’s a wonderful day to bring a book or a magazine, and a smile, to a favorite bistro, a tea salon, or a friendly neighborhood diner; it’s a walking meditation kind of day with no particular destination in mind; it’s a day to spend a few hours in a big, used bookshop to find that special book – all for the price of $2.95; it’s a perfect day to forget about the happenings on the outside, and placing attention on what’s happening on the inside – so that when it’s time to be part of the outside, a happy, loving, kind, peaceful person shows up; it’s a kind of day to get in touch with people who like to laugh; it’s a day to put 10 one dollar bills in a pocket, so as not to pass by a homeless person without offering a human connection; it’s a kind of day for watching Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia; and it’s an accepting kind of day with a silent thank you to go along with it.

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a decision

A French politician, Justice Minister Rachida Dati, returned to work days after the birth of her baby. Some people are up in arms about her decision. What’s with all the comparisons? The answer I bet is more complex than we think, and it’s probably personal for those with opinions about this. So I’m guessing it has nothing to do with Rachida Dati, or her baby. Seriously her decision was hers to make. We’re all wired differently. This decision might be a piece of cake for her, for another, impossible. It’s not good; it’s not bad – it’s just the way things are. Minding our own business when things don’t concern us, would allow for a more harmonious world.

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thanksgiving 2008

Did you somehow filter the outside world long enough to think of all the reasons to be thankful on this Thanksgiving 2008? Sometimes it’s tough, esp. when we see photos of people in California losing all the stuff they hold dear, or the people in places such as Mumbai (formerly Bombay) losing their lives in the blink of an eye.

Because we live at a time when tragedies are all too frequent, and easily come alive in our homes at the click of a button, we can at least learn from them so that they help us understand all the more that each day is a gift to be lived as masterfully as we can until it’s time for us to move on to our next journey. I think the next journey is also a gift, and the beauty of that gift depends on how we’re handling the one we have now.

Our amazing world presents us with many ways to grow in body, mind and spirit. This morning on aol I read Michael J. Fox’s words about living with Parkinson’s disease in an interview he gave in People Magazine. He said: “You either get Zen with this [stuff] or you lose your mind. Having the disease is part of an amazing life. And not an ‘otherwise’ amazing life.” He clarifies, “It’s part of what makes my life amazing.”

I find that lately the word “amazing” is used frequently. It’s a wonderful word.

www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/
www.michaeljfox.org

amazing, adj. 1. causing wonder and amazement; possessing uniquely wonderful qualities.
www.wiktionary.org/wiki/amazing

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a simple description of a friend

My friend in Thailand sent an email to me yesterday. I always like reading them because he talks at length about the adopted country he so much enjoys, and the new precious Thai family he married into. I’d say he’s along the same lines of Cloris Leachman – no ordinary person. How does one describe one who is no ordinary person? Well, I can describe the little things about him, and perhaps the little things about a person tell the biggest story. I’ve noticed that when he travels he never mentions the negative of any country. He writes at length about all the things he likes, – the people, food, beautiful sites, great, simple places to stay to learn the ways of the country, the how-to of getting around. He doesn’t seem to buy into anyone telling him what he can and can’t do, especially as it pertains to his personal life – that which he’s quite capable of deciding all by himself. He doesn’t listen to what can and can’t be done when a certain age is reached, or at any age for that matter. Categorizing and/or labeling life is not his thing. He lives, explores, enjoys being alive, and, if you were to meet him along the way, I bet you’d be glad you did.

He’s been around the world. If someone were to hand him a container of soap for additional sanitizing of hands, he’d give it right back to them. If he happened to be watching tv and a drug commercial appeared he’d casually mute it. Why allow that into one’s psyche? – I can hear him say. On second thought, that would be me saying that. He would simply mute it.

Yes, no ordinary person is he.

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tai chi and more

Tai Chi is exhilerating, it loosens muscles and joints, strengthens the body and mind, teaches correct breathing, and has other benefits as well. It’s also beautiful to watch.

I recently bought a Terry Dunn video to get an idea of where head, torso, knees, and legs have to turn. I know that a video can’t be compared to a good instructor. However, for a few more months I’ll stand in front of the video.

I enjoy Tai Chi. Walking is a great exercise, too, but summertime walking in hot and humid weather is challenging; plunging into the sea is far more enticing. I practice the Five Rites from the Ancient Secret of The Fountain of Youth book (love that title; love that book!), and they’re wonderful, but Tai Chi was also calling.

So, here’s to all the wonderful exercise choices we have, and to doing them . . . correctly.

Have a great day!

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“Turn yourself inward. Correct yourself and your world will change.” – Kristen Zambucka