Monday 30 October 2017

There are many reasons....

Image result for wildflower meadows
....why we may want to avoid making a wholehearted commitment. Usually these all boil down to a fear of disappointment. We don't want to fail. We don't want to look foolish. We don't want to hurtle headlong into some pit of despair that we could have avoided had we only kept a few more psychological barriers intact.


But, of course, if we don't put all we've got into whatever we are doing, we can't expect to get back all it might otherwise have to offer us. Take the risk.





Dreams must be heeded and accepted.  For a great many of them come true.   (Paracelsus)




Sunday 29 October 2017

Back in the 1960s....

.....when people were singing about Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Puff the Magic Dragon  (ummm, best not follow those threads), we were introduced to the breathalyser.  Before that,  the police had another way to see if a driver was drunk. They would say, 'get out of your car and walk in a straight line.' An inability to do as much was considered evidence of incapacity. 


But it is not just alcohol that can influence us to steer a confused and meandering path through life. Diversions and distractions, positive and negative alike, can make us deviate from our missions. The challenge is to remain straight and sober enough to see the difference between what is truly important and what is not.


Let the day be lost to us on which we did not dance once  (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Some wounds never heal....



....Some ailments never fully clear up. We must learn to live with the challenges that they pose and try our best to turn these, somehow, into constructive, even positive, factors. The idea that things could be worse is not just some flimsy form of self-deception intended to make discomfort more bearable. It is potentially the seed of some tremendous tree of inner strength and wisdom. Much the same can be said of old emotional injuries and upsets.

Image result for afghanistan countryside



Past problems can become future opportunities.












Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself  
(Robert Green Ingersoll)


Saturday 28 October 2017

Have you ever seen.....

....old sketches of silent comedies?  Buster Keaton? Harold Lloyd?  Keystone Cops?  It's just as well they all lived when they did. Imagine the risk assessment forms they'd have to fill out before racing over a moving train, or running in front of one. Or hanging from the hands of a clock Then again we must be glad of the Health and Safety police. It can only be a matter of time before they infiltrate the army and declare that wars are far too dangerous ever to fight. After which, we shall have world peace.

In a situation that seems very black and white there are always shades of grey!





Every picture tells a story....

.....Every story has two sides. Every side to every story has two more sides - an upside and a downside. To every downside, there's an upside. Plus, of course, vice versa. Every single one of each of those different sides is a story in itself. And, as we have already established, every story has two sides. So where does that take us? Nowhere, really. 





At times it can be wiser to cut out any complication, and rely on simplicity.











Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words
is all that is necessary





Friday 27 October 2017

I found the paradox....

....that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love - Words from Mother Teresa.  She certainly recognised something that we could all benefit from seeing. When we find life painful, we tend to put up barriers. Ultimately, these don't protect us. They just make us even more vulnerable.




The more, though, that we give, the more that we love and the less that we care about what we may get in return for any of this, the more we find true contentment and real freedom.



Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility
into flames of achievement.        (Golda Meir)

Thursday 26 October 2017

Just as seeds....

.....planted in fertile ground, will take root and grow, so we can expect ideas and experiences to expand and increase in our imaginations over time. And in the same way that plants often look strikingly different once they have become established, so our memories and impressions stop resembling the realities that first gave rise to them.


That's why we should always be wary of overly romantic notions, and it is also why we should mistrust many of our deep-seated regrets and resentments.



'Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.'   (Khalil Gibran)


Wednesday 25 October 2017

There's no law against reluctance....

.....In fact it can often be wise to be cautious.  (Did I just write that!!!  I definitely need another cup of tea.)  It would have to be asked, at such times, whether in your desire to avoid upsetting an apple cart, you are leaving an awful lot of rotten apples to fester at the bottom of the pile. You can argue that it doesn't matter as long as you keep putting fresh ones on the top. But sooner or later, you are going to end up overwhelmed by the distinct smell of cider vinegar.

Image result for rural britain

Don't put off till tomorrow, what you can do today.



We automatically adopt the mood of any situation, until we have learned to master our own minds.

I seem to remember that Carl Jung....

....believed in a powerful therapy called 'the talking cure'. (But I wouldn't rely on my memory.)  Anyway, the power of psychological analysis should never be underestimated. Once we understand why we feel a certain way under certain circumstances, it becomes far easier to break a habit and alter an entrenched pattern.


It's only when we refuse to look at what lies behind a situation... or when we deny that a problem exists, that we stay stuck. Share honesty from your heart and all that's wrong will start to right itself.






Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves   (Carl Jung)



Tuesday 24 October 2017

It is perfectly possible to hold....

....an entire conversation without sharing a single piece of useful information. People do it all the time. They exchange platitudes and pleasantries, gossip and hearsay. They may argue or agree, but they rarely reveal their most important feelings and fears.


Their deepest hopes and their most powerful passions stay secret. Then they wonder why nobody ever seems to really understand them.




Nobody has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.  (Abraham Lincoln)

Einstein usually crops up....

....in any discussion about especially clever scientists.  Well, here's another name - Werner Heisenberg. He is most famous for his Uncertainty Principle. He found that the outcome of any experiment will always be influenced by the presence of an observer, no matter how impartial or uninvolved that witness tries to be.

Image result for nepal

As in physics, so in life. We influence things and people just by looking at them.




Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  (Albert Einstein)

Monday 23 October 2017

It seems that nobody is immune....

....from having to attend meetings etc.  Father Christmas isn't on duty right now. He is away at his annual conference with the tooth fairies and the wish-granting elfs. They do tell that this is held  in the four-leafed clover field at the end of the rainbow. So who minds the shop? Which ethereal entities are left in charge of the humans who find themselves in need of supernatural support?


Actually, we are left to look after each other. And sometimes, it turns out, we do a pretty impressive job of it. Today, as every day, there's someone you can help... and someone who can help you.



When we are without boundaries we will know no limits.

Not the ususal....

....blog, but now is the time for me to put on record some realities; due to comments which have been made about me by those who speak from a position of ignorance.

But, first I will start with some quotations -

Ghandi said he would love to become a Christian. He was just waiting to meet someone who sincerely lived out what Jesus taught.

The very word ""Christianity"" is a misunderstanding - in truth, there was only one Christian, and he died on the cross.  (Nietzsche)

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don't mind, and those that mind, don't matter.



1. I have never professed to being a Christian.  I am not and will not ever be good enough to wear that label.  The first Wesley sermon I read was 'The Almost Christian'. It is my belief that this is the best any of us can truly hope to be.

2. I am not a Pastor in the fullest sense.  It is an honorary title bestowed on me when arriving in Pakistan because there is no equivalent for lay preacher - something I trained for and became fully accredited.

3. No middle-aged Englishman would leave a comfortable (if uneventful) life in suburban Britain, and move 6000 miles to a country, a culture, and a language that he may never fully understand; after giving up his home, giving all of his belongings to charity and leaving friends and family behind not knowing if he will ever see them again - Nobody would do all of that on a whim.  (If they did, they would choose a country where they would fit in more easily.)

4. I'm just an average man who answered a call - a divine call - to go to Pakistan and live and work with and for the very poor children.  I did not want to do this, initially; and feel wholly inappropriate and inadequate to the task.  I did eventually say 'yes' because the One who called me - the One I serve - gave everything for my salvation.  I, in return, dedicated my life to what He asked of me.  Why Pakistan?  I have no idea. 

5. It has been pointed out to me that nobody in the history of mankind would ever have employed Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob etc for the roles they took on.  As for the voice of those distractors - and there are many - Noah was mocked.  If I have to over-turn the 'stalls in the temple, set up for personal gain'; well if that's what God wants.....

6. I received this calling because I am different.  My mind-set is different.  I have always had a rebellious streak.  I was not sent to be battered and moulded into a pale imitation of those around me.  I have to work at understanding and respecting the culture, but that doesn't include respecting arrogance, impoliteness and gossip. 

7. I'm certainly no saviour, and have never professed to be one.  I will just do what I can, in whatever way I am called to do it.  If, at the end of my time, one child has been taken out of poverty and given a chance to make something of themselves; the ripple effect could transform thousands - job done.

8.  I have no time for religion.  Neither does God.  It is a set of man-made rules, mostly seriously outdated; made for the benefit of those who made them.








You can run from here....

....to the end of the earth, but you can't escape your own shadow. If though, you face a strong source of light, you can fix it so that your shadow always falls behind you. That way you can be gloriously oblivious of your own dark side, whilst everyone else is all too keenly conscious of it. By and large, it's far better to recognise the negative side of your personality, than to live in denial of its very existence.





You have to own it before you can make amends for it.





Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give -
which is everything.

Friday 20 October 2017

Most people do things....

....the way they have always been done because to do anything else requires courage and concentration. In theory, these qualities are free and abundant. We all have them in our hearts. We can all access them when we need to. In practice, well... 





Set an example.  Be brave and focused. You may amaze yourself.  










Going back to the basics strengthens your foundation.

As far as I'm aware...

....it's a good many weeks before the New Year. But does that make it too early to begin a diet, embrace a fresh priority or start a new regime? Are you somehow stuck in the old cycle, rather like a towel trapped in a washing machine that must continue spinning too hard, too fast, for too long? If you really believe that New Year's Day has some special, magical, significance, feel free to wait.


But if you truly want to change your future, remember that you are not a towel and life is not an uncontrollable engine. Today is as good a day as any to commence.




The difference between an opportunity and an obstacle is your attitude.
Your faith has to be greater than your fear.

Thursday 19 October 2017

I suspect that it's not....

.....the billions of people that can make this planet seem a little over-crowded.   I'm sure that it could hold many many more, but I'm not so sure that it  can hold the attitudes, opinions and the beliefs - . the same attitudes, opinions and beliefs which make it so difficult for us to distribute the Earth's resources fairly.

Image result for pakistan scenery pics


People are often not very nice to other people. But when they are, the most amazing miracles can happen.



Kind deeds repay themselves many times over.



Wednesday 18 October 2017

Have you looked out of your window....

....and seen any fairy-tale castles lately? How about knights in shining armour? We do not live a fairy tale existence, yet we still expect happy-ever-afters. Happiness, though, is like sunshine. Even in the warmest climates, the sun disappears every night. When we expect a situation that will stay exactly the same forever, we expect too much of anything or anyone.


Image result for autumn season in pakistan


Please remember that, and remember that even a relationship with a seemingly dark situation is actually just the other side of a very bright coin.


The human tendency to look for outer causes for our moods is the
greatest addiction on our planet.   (Richard Rudd)

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Our best is all we can ever do....

.....And how do we do that? Well, we certainly don't achieve it by worrying about whether we could be doing better. When we try too hard, we spoil things. We create unnecessary complications. We reopen wounds that are best left alone and given time to heal. When you want to solve a particular problem to the highest possible standard, you still need to remember where to show respect and draw the line.






Always remember the do as you would be done by ethos.  A few minutes of careful thought are worth hours of aimless effort.




If you don't have time to do it right you must have time to do it again.

Doctors are ill on occasion....

.....aren't they?  And, I suppose, there must be many relationship counsellors who have crises in their own relationships.  So, does this mean that we should totally disregard all that those people know?  Should we question their integrity? Not unless we wish to prove ourselves dreadfully arrogant, smug and narrow-minded.
We learn more from experience than we can ever learn from books or teachings. Sometimes, the only way to get that experience is the hard way. (Yep, proven that rule to be correct many times over.) 







Don't look at 'how something should be'. Instead, value it for what it is.










The true means of being misled is to believe oneself finer than the others. 
(Francois de La Rochefoucauld )

Sunday 15 October 2017

You do not have....

....time to sit reading this today. You need to get a move on. Run a little faster. Try a little harder. Worry a little more. Relax a little less.


Or rather, don't. Don't succumb to the pressure. Don't let yourself be wound up into a frenzy. Don't panic, don't overreact, don't try to control any chaotic situation. And don't fall for that old trick of having no time left. It's possible that any  'deadline' you have is more flexible than you think. So, take all the time you want, and more. The slower you go, the more you'll get right.



The two most powerful warriors in this world are patience and time  (Leo Tolstoy)



Saturday 14 October 2017

Life is full of ideas....

....that don't really make much sense, arrangements that don't work quite as well as they ought to and explanations that sound good until you really start to think. We all know this, but we generally prefer not to dwell on the defects and drawbacks. We find it easier just to pretend that all is more or less fine.





Sometimes, though, we are obliged to confront the inadequacy of a belief, a situation or an assumption. Annoying, maybe -  but definitely not the end of the world.










The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.   (Blaise Pascal)

Friday 13 October 2017

Conventional wisdom tells us....

....that people don't like to be deceived. The truth of the matter is that they do. That is why so many of us end up being so easily misled. We enjoy being fooled - especially if this allows us to feel that several of our favourite fantasies are being confirmed as 'probably true'. What we don't like is to be undeceived!






We don't enjoy being told the truth or forced to face some uncomfortable fact











There is no birth of consciousness without pain  (Carl Jung).

Thursday 12 October 2017

Everyone I've ever known....

....has, at various points in their lives, been constrained by a ball and chain round their ankle.  (Metaphorically speaking, of course.  Then again.....)   Anyway, it's possible to go a long way with a ball and chain. All you need is a wheelbarrow in which to transport the ball and the ability to hop. If you are obliged to live with this impediment for any great length of time, it is possible that you will become adept at the art of coping. You can get used to most things if you try.


Remember, though, that when you are offered the use of a pair of wire- cutters, it is wiser to take advantage of the opportunity than to say, 'No thank you, I haven't got any room for these in my wheelbarrow!'


Just because you're not understood doesn't mean that you're on the wrong path.

Wednesday 11 October 2017

You don't find out....



....what you are capable of until you try. What if you try and you don't succeed? Then, at least, you discover that you are capable of trying! That's something to be proud of, all on its own. It's also worth remembering that effort is never wasted. Even if it does not achieve the desired result, it has an impact of some kind. It shifts something, somewhere. 


Often, what's more, the result we think we desire is not quite the one we truly need. 






Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches as to conceive how others can be in want  (Jonathan Swift)

Time to grip your seat tightly....

...They say.....   Don't those two words make you cringe!   Wouldn't be so bad if we knew who 'they' are.  
Anyway,  they say you can't judge a book by looking at its cover.  Question is, is this old maxim true? (Perhaps someone should produce a book with a cover that says, How To Judge Books By Their Covers. That should confuse them.)





We read so much significance into labels, that we hardly notice contents. Wherever we see style, we assume there must be substance. We should take care over the conclusions we reach. Look beyond the obvious and you may well manage to reveal a true hidden treasure.





The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it discovered by accident.
(Charles Lamb)

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Back in the mists of time...

.....if you wanted to speak to someone else on the phone, you dialled a number that rang an instrument at their home. People even made formal arrangements to talk at a particular time on a particular day.  (I kid you, not.) Now, wherever we go, we are expected to carry a mobile with us.
We end up having the most inappropriate conversations in the most ridiculous places. Or worse, we end up having to listen to others doing the same. 



Just because something is possible, it isn't necessarily desirable. And just because something seems pressing, it isn't automatically urgent.


The only time you should ever look back, is to see how far you've come.

Monday 9 October 2017

I've made a significant discovery....


....We were placed on this earth to talk to one another. There, that's it.  That must be the purpose of life, the reason for everything.
Just look at what people do all day, every day. They never stop communicating. But they never stop putting each other under pressure or, at least, imagining that they are being put under pressure - which amounts to pretty much the same thing. Ummmm, if we are not just here to chat and fret, what is the point?


Could something as simple as a sense of gratitude for life itself, be the only real goal? It could! Aspire to that.


Appreciation can make a day, even change a life.  Your willingness to put it into words
is all that is necessary.    (Margaret Cousins)

Next time you are close to a large tree....


.....take a good look at it, and give a lot of thought to what it must have looked like when it was first planted. If you're in the middle of one of those classic novels, stop to think of how the main idea must have first arisen as an inkling in the mind of the author. What things are when we first encounter them and what they can become, with or without our help are two very different matters.




Has a process begun for you?  How far can it take you?   Maybe you should ask yourself how far you want to go.




I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your being.   (Hafiz of Persia)

Sunday 8 October 2017

Now, here's a question that we shouldn't.......


....rush to answer.  Does the world owe you a living? Some would say that it does. An influential philosopher/prophet once observed that birds rarely go short of food, even though you never find them planting seeds or gathering in crops. If nature provides for them, surely it can take care of humans, too. Whether we are 'owed' a living or are just lucky that our world offers us a living wherever it can, the fact is that we live on a benevolent planet.

       




When we act generously we become more in tune with its purpose.













To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.   (Bertrand Russell)


When an artist makes....


....their very first brush stroke on a blank canvas, nobody else can tell what they are intending to paint. It's even possible that the person with the paint brush in their hand may not know. Creative impulses are powerful forces and many of the world's most inventive individuals soon learn that there is more to be gained from taking the odd giant leap of faith than from making a long list of complicated plans. 

Related image

Instead of asking 'where am I?'; wouldn't it be better to ask 'where, if I try, can I get to from here?'



Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.   (Mother Teresa)

Saturday 7 October 2017

Let's start the weekend with....


.....a 'they say....' moment.  They say, 'You live and learn.' You do indeed. We all do. But we do not all necessarily do it in this order. The trouble with doing it the other way round is that by the time you have finished doing all that learning, you are not in much of a mood to enjoy a whole lot of living. Then again, when you do the living bit first, the learning part can become even more difficult.

Image result for icelandic fjords


Sometimes, though, we are fortunate. We get a chance to learn and live simultaneously.



We are told never to cross a bridge until we come to it, but this world is owned by men who have 'crossed bridges' in their imagination far ahead of the crowd.

You can teach....

....quite a few words to some birds, especially parrots.  And, sometimes, it seems that they can use their words in context and give the impression of being able to choose which words to use. Experts argue, though, that the birds do not really appreciate the meaning of their utterances. They are merely saying things because they sound good.


Image result for tailand scenery

What then, is the difference between us and them? We recite our arguments and parade our opinions, yet our view of the world is very narrow.



You were born an original, don’t die a copy.   (John Mason)

Friday 6 October 2017

Have you developed a policy....

....or a plan, or a strategy? Well, you can develop and declare one if you like. You can draw up a spreadsheet. You can write up a list of rules and regulations. But you can't make an allowance for everything. You're not going to be covered for every eventuality.






Spontaneity is an ally not an enemy. When it offers to come to your aid, don't send it away because it does not have an invitation - or a prearranged role to play!








If you are not ready today, you will be even less so tomorrow.   (Ovid)

You are never going to believe this, but.....

.....I have been asked to make sure that this blog complies with health and safety regulations. After all, we don't want anything regrettable to happen to you while you are reading these words. Are you sitting down? Then stand up at once, your chair may have a broken leg. Are you standing up? Sit down, quickly, before you lose your balance.


Sometimes, we can take too many precautions. Sometimes, we can worry too much. Try trusting the wilder side of your heart.



Speak when you’re angry, and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.   (Lawrence Perer)

Thursday 5 October 2017

When we put a lot of effort....

....into something, when we try as hard as we can yet get nowhere, we can easily conclude that we must have wasted our time. That phrase, though, carries a lot of weight, so it should never be used lightly. Did we enjoy trying? Did we learn something from it? Did the process of doing one thing cause something else to happen? Is there a possibility that one day we may look back on what we have been through and feel better about it?


You will only waste time if you worry about wasting time.




We love but once, for once only are we perfectly equipped for loving.    (Cyril Connolly)

Humans, in theory at least.....

....are smarter than animals. (Ummm, over recent weeks, I have had cause to wonder!!)  They have a greater ability to rationalise and analyse. They can stand back from a situation, see it from a distance, make a complicated plan and then see it through, even if that involves allowing for various unexpected developments that may require a sudden change of course. Well, that's the idea.


How smart are we all really? Not as smart as we could be.  But if we think more carefully about what is or isn't really worth doing, then surely brilliant ideas will pour forth.




Nothing makes us more vulnerable than loneliness, except greed.   (Thomas Harris)

Wednesday 4 October 2017

We often hear tales of prisoners who.....

.....when released, reoffend just to get back into an institution they feel safe in.  And we act in a similar way to get back into our comfort zone.  We are all comfortable when we are in our element. We all grow edgy when we feel that we are out of our depth.
We cannot remain in our comfort zone forever. Life has a way of challenging us to master new skills and acquire additional abilities. So we must expand our comfort zone to the point where we feel comfortable about our own ability to broaden experience and pass fresh tests.



If you feel that you are required to cope with something difficult, look for a way in which you might be able to make this easy.




Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
(Thomas Edison)

Sunday 1 October 2017

In the 1970s

.....which, as far as I'm concerned, comes under 'current affairs' and not 'history'; there was a pop group called The New Seekers.  They sang - 'I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony.'   A song of hope and peace, of universal love, trust and forgiveness, and strangers stopping to smile at one another in the street. It became an enormous hit, not just because the tune was so catchy but because the sentiment struck such a chord.





We wanted it then, we still secretly want it now. We might yet get it. But not by chasing rainbows indiscriminately.





Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we
look the other way.   (Martin Luther King)