Banged your head against...

....any walls, lately?  Well, if you find that you are banging your head against a brick wall, which of the following options should you choose: a) get a crash helmet?; b) persuade several other people to bang their heads against the wall, too - in the hope that between you all, you can make an impact?; or c) stop doing it? I don't really have to create a questionnaire to get the answer.

 

I know how every reasonable person in this world will reply.  As do we all.

 

 

 

The worst of all evil is to leave the ranks of the living before one dies.   (Seneca)

Winners and losers don't exist....

....unless you have some kind of a competition going on. Despite the fact that we are encouraged from an early age, to see life as a race or a battle, our happiness is not dependent on point scoring.  



 

True joy is not linked to the ability to get what you want. It stems from the ability to see that there's more to existence than material success.

 

 

 

Sometimes all a person needs to succeed is just a little support.

Things that are easy to say....

....are not always easy to hear. A few words, uttered in an unguarded moment, can reverberate in an awkward echo that is never satisfactorily silenced. Fortunately, the opposite is true. There are some speeches that we mull over in our minds for ages, afraid that they will go down badly. Yet when we finally deliver them, they can be surprisingly well received.

 

 

 

As long as you think about what you are really trying to say, you're very likely to say it in a way that brings about the right result.

 

The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence.

Another one of those blogs...

...that's different from the norm -

The Imperial Diet of Worms

 

On 17 April 1521, Martin Luther was asked if a collection of books (25) was his, and if he was prepared to recant and revoke their heresies.   Luther asked for more time to give a proper answer, so was given until the next day.

On 18 April, Martin Luther, stating he'd prayed for long hours, consulted with friends and mediators, and presented himself before the Diet.  Among other things, he said - Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me.   Amen

 

 

 Here is one of his prayers -

Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.
I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbour.
I do not have a strong faith; at times I doubt.
O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you.
With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness.
Therefore I will strive to remain with you. Amen.

Spin doctors love....

....sound bites. (Don't they just!!)  Their view - Let's not bother people with our complicated arguments. Let's just say something short and snappy. It'll sound good and stick in their memory.

And, as we're all too busy working to cover the taxes that, in turn, pay those politician's wages, we don't much seem to mind. Until, that is, we wake up and realise that they have squandered billions through incompetence and idiocy.

That's the price we are likely to pay for taking assurances at face value, no matter who gives them.

A rumour goes in one ear and out of many mouths.   (Chinese proverb)

I'd wish I'd been able to meet....

.....the man who designed a special suit to keep you dry while you were having a bath. Now that's what I call eccentricity in its purest form!! It sounds like a great idea until you stop to think about it. There is, of course, a world of difference between a nearly useful invention and a really useful invention.

 

Do you have a plan that sounds very convincing, appropriate and wise. But does it contain a fundamental flaw? If you can't see one, invite someone else to criticise it. There is nothing wrong with a little cautious cynicism.

 

 

 

A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love.    (Mother Teresa)

Some events seem....

....strange at first. We blink in disbelief. We do our best to carry on as we were doing before. We will try not to see - or to talk or to think about whatever makes us feel so uncomfortable. Yet it is not always the case that we 'blank out' bad things whilst recognising good ones.

 

 

Weirdly, we often can't see the most amazing opportunities whilst being all too keenly aware of grudges or grievances.

I pointed out to you the stars and all you saw was the tip of my finger. (Sukuma Proverb)

Some senior scientists were paid to prove....

.....that the beating of a butterfly's wing on one side of the globe, can trigger air currents that eventually cause a hurricane many miles away.  (Part of the Chaos Theory, I seem to remember.)   If so, perhaps we all have to rethink the idea that our words and deeds make little impact on society as a whole.

 

 

We do have influence. And power. We need to recognise this and to use our abilities wisely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.    (Nietzsche)

 

Do you ever feel, like me....

.....that whatever you do is either not enough, or not good enough?  Well, when you think about it, critics have to be careful about how much praise they provide. Their job is to find fault and, if they are too forgiving, they may end up being criticised for it. Sometimes, they will be unduly harsh - just because this appears to prove that they are keeping their edge. Others may or may not have a right to disapprove of you, but you are not entitled to feel that way about yourself.

 

 

 

Regardless of what others think or of what you may fear that you feel, it is extremely important to be your own best friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others

Mistakes - they always seem to tempt us....

....to review them and then to analyse those reviews.  We do this sometimes because we feel we may be able to learn something - and sometimes, through some perverse desire to punish ourselves. Often though, our biggest mistakes are the ones we know nothing about. They may involve opportunities we do not realise we have missed or decisions that have led to a worse outcome than we yet realise.

 

 

And then, there are the moves we made which we thought were wrong, yet turned out not to be mistakes at all.

 

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.      (Leo Buscaglia)