Friday 30 March 2018

Why go the extra mile?....

....What do you want to put in all that effort for? Will it really make a difference? Or will you just tell yourself that it has been worthwhile because otherwise you will feel that you wasted far too much time? Why not just be lazy and lacklustre like everyone else? Because if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing to the best of your ability.


Honour your highest standards and your deepest priorities, no matter how inconvenient that may be.




Nobody whoever gave of his best regretted it.  (George Halas)

Thursday 29 March 2018

We can't deny that....

....accidents happen. So too, do strokes of sheer genius. Very often, the latter occur as a by-product of the former! That, all alone, is one good reason not to be overly risk averse.



A plan that allows no room for error, a climate that won't tolerate experiments, a society that judges errors as failures... well, all that just holds back growth!



True wisdom comes to each of us when we realise how little we understand about life, ourselves, 
and the world around us.    (Socrates)

Monday 26 March 2018

What if something fails....

....to fall neatly into place? What if, in an attempt to clean up a mess, we end up making the situation even messier? What if we are all doomed and our lives are never going to get any easier? Once you start travelling down the road of pessimism, you soon discover that it is possible to go a mighty long way. Fears become self-perpetuating. Potential problems breed like microbes in a dish of warm jelly.




One bright, inspiring thought, though, can turn a dank dungeon into a palace of light.










Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.   (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Let the light in....




Saturday 24 March 2018

Generations ago.....

....there was a Native American Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the Winter, the second in the Spring, the third in Summer, and the youngest son in the Autumn. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet
and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit,
full of life and fulfilment.
The Chief then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of Spring, the beauty of Summer, and the fulfilment of Autumn.

Moral of the story:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time.

Some arguements....

...aren't worth getting into. We know, before a word is spoken, how they will play out. We can hear our set-piece speech forming in our own head... and it doesn't require much imagination to guess what will be said to us in return.



Conversation that doesn't actually involve listening, absorbing, digesting and allowing for some possibility of change as a result of the exchange is never very worthwhile.










To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason is like
administering medicine to the dead.   (Thomas Paine) 



I wonder how many....

....reading this will know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.  All of you, I hope.  Subtlety was hardly the giant's strong point, was it?  He really did not need to yell out, 'Fe, fi, fo, fum'. He would have had a much better chance of catching Jack, if only he had proceeded with a little more stealth. There are, though, times when we all seem to be more interested in making a noise than getting a result.



Indeed, there are some people who confuse the two and figure that as long as there's plenty of fuss and bother, something must be happening - a strange conclusion to reach.


Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding  (Kahlil Gibran)

Tuesday 20 March 2018

Please pause to think about....

.....all those libraries, all those shelves, all that paper that then got made into books. All those digital scanning machines. All those optical recognition programs, all those efforts to preserve the wisdom of the ages. It humbles us just to think about the size of that body of knowledge. 


But, what does most of it contain? A list of reasons why this can't happen, that isn't allowed and something else should be discouraged at all costs. Well, there are times when we need to be rebels and take particular note of our hearts not rulebooks.  For you, is today one of those days?



God is in the details  (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe)

In this world there are....

.... many rules, regulations, protocols, prohibitions, social, as well as legal, limitations. We take these in our stride. Until or unless, we discover that they prevent us from doing something that we sorely wish we had the freedom to do, we hardly even notice them. That's life.

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We probably can't do much to change it. (Ummm, might have to debate that point, another time.)  But we don't have to add to the situation by inventing new restrictions and creating artificial, imaginary obstacles for ourselves.



If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
 Don't complain.       (Maya Angelou)





Monday 19 March 2018

We don't get long....

....on Planet Earth. A few short decades that are over before we know it. Isn't it strange though, how easily we all forget this? We often act as if we have been here forever... and are due to remain for the rest of time. We become entrenched in our attitudes, opinions, principles and beliefs. Yet if we do not know where we were before we came here, or where we are going once we leave, how can we possibly be so sure about where we are now? 



Sometimes a day or a week brings with it a real epiphany. Act on it when you have the chance.



We may grow out....

....of childhood; but do we all grow into adults? Might some of us still be children at heart who have somehow learned to emanate a convincing air of authority and maturity when required? 
Poets and seekers of spiritual enlightenment often speak of the need to be childlike. It would not be surprising then if a few were to misinterpret this message as an encouragement to be childish. 



Throwing a tantrum is most unlikely to resolve a problem, but being open to a new possibility might well yet bring a minor miracle.




Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished?  Yes, work never begun.  (Christina Rossetti)

Saturday 17 March 2018

I'm inclined to agree....

....with the old adage - Nothing ventured; nothing gained.
But this doesn't mean that every time you attempt something, you will succeed. Sometimes, you fail to gain even when you venture a great deal. Against this, though, is the true interpretation of our opening statement.


It is very hard for opportunity to make its presence felt if you don't make an effort to put yourself in a position where it can find you.  And remember, opportunity does not always knock. Sometimes, it just grabs the door handle and marches straight into your home. Sometimes, too, it hides timidly in the shrubs and herbaceous borders.


You were born with the ability to change someone's life - don't ever waste it.

One tiny drop....

....of a strong chemical can be enough to clean (or pollute) a huge tank of water. You would not think that it could spread so far and make such a difference but the smallest amount is all it takes. It is the same with love. And with anger. Just the tiniest quantity of resentment, jealousy or fury can be sufficient to spoil an otherwise happy situation. And just a little love can be similarly transformative.


Unless, that is, the anger has gone in first. Then, the antidote needs to be far stronger.




Love sometimes wants to do us a great favour -
hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.      (Rumi)

Quite often our work.....

.....running One World Welfare Organisation, and delivering on its raison d'etre - its founder's vision, I'm reminded of the story of the young child and the starfish -

A young child was walking along the seashore surrounded by thousands upon thousands of starfish which had been washed up on to the shore and were fighting to survive.  The child was throwing them back into the sea as he walked.
This was witnessed by an adult further away from the shoreline.  The adult walked over to this child and asked him why he was bothering.  After all, there were so many dying starfish that he couldn't make much difference.




As the young child picked up yet another starfish and saved it by throwing it back into the briny waters, he replied - maybe I can't but I certainly did to that one.



I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do. (Helen Keller)

Friday 16 March 2018

Contrary to what many....

....unenlightened people think, there's nothing wrong with getting it wrong. There's nothing problematic about having a problem. If you really had nothing to worry about, you'd have something to worry about!

Life is all about challenge. It is about growth, discovery, education and elevation. It is about the quest for enlightenment. It is about going beyond entrenched attitudes and opinions. Opening the mind... and the heart.


In seed time, learn; in harvest, teach; in winter, enjoy.   (William Blake)

I can testify to this.....



......because the best came out of the very bad which happened last Spring......
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Talk is unquestionably cheap....

.....Anyone can say anything. What does it matter? Words, ultimately, are expressions of the intellect, which is cold and dry and slightly robotic. The language of the heart by comparison is distinctly non-verbal. Yet that, surely, is the one we truly want to be fluent in.




But then, sometimes, a few well-chosen words can make the world of difference.


You were born because you are going to be important to someone.

Thursday 15 March 2018

Can we argue with this!!!....



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Choose the right path....



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What's the point of worrying?....

.....Have you worried before? Did you enjoy this? Did it prove helpful? Well then, there is your evidence? Ah, but perhaps this time you are worrying about something different? 


Allow me to be helpful to you. The same principle applies, regardless of the issue at stake. There is never an advantage to be gained. It is always a waste of time.


Worry often gives a small thing a great shadow. (Swedish Proverb)

There is so much to do....

....and so little time to do it all in. So many people need help. How can you possibly assist them all? So many problems are waiting to be solved. What match are your meagre resources to these? So, if you can't do everything, is there even any point in doing anything?


Of course, there is. The one difference that you can make today is a big difference. Over time, it may well have a greater, more far-reaching impact than you might ever imagine.



Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have.  (Thomas A. Edison)

Wednesday 14 March 2018

'Love seeketh not itself to please....

 ....Nor for itself hath any care.....But for another gives its ease.....And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair ' Taken out of context, these lines make their composer, William Blake, sound a little simple and soppy. But then love can do that to us all - especially when that love truly is given unconditionally.


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To give without thought of receiving is one of the bravest yet wisest acts we can ever perform. To build a heaven now, all you have to do is express your heart in the highest, most noble way possible.


Wherever you are - be all there   (Jim Elliot)

At a guess, I don't suppose....

....that you want to jump out of an aircraft today. Most likely, a marathon swim isn't on your agenda either, especially if it involves crossing shark-infested waters. So, having established that there are more undesirable possibilities to be deterred by than those you were previously contemplating, let us look at any difficult task the world now seems to be asking you to perform. Is it really that tricky? Is the element of risk quite as intense as you recently imagined? 


Be a little brave if you want to win.



Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day.   (Franz Liszt)



Tuesday 13 March 2018

Nothing lasts for ever....


...Some things, though, drag on for an awfully long time. We assume they will never change. The moment we adopt this attitude, we lose some of our ability to make a difference. That's fine if we are happy with things as they are. But if we really would like to have a different experience, we must never decide that it isn't possible.



Complacency could very well put you in danger of missing an amazing opportunity which would fall right into your hands if you reached out to grab it.


Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light   (Helen Keller)

Several decades ago....

......Hollywood B-movies were full of invading aliens. (No, I didn't see them first time round!!!) They were coming to get us. There was no escape. Actually, we have nothing to fear from the other inhabitants of our galaxy. They, though, are terrified of us.  3-tailed headless creatures on the planet Yarul, threaten their children with tales of Earthlings, and the curse of endless complication that they carry with them, everywhere they go. It's true.


As a race we are experts in the art of making easy things difficult. It is an innate ability and it is important that we overcome it!




If it is important enough to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find an excuse.

Monday 12 March 2018

Giving in good faith.....

Yesterday, in Manak's church, I told how the power of prayer works and through giving in good faith, God can make good come out of all that is  bad.  The  service was about Christians being called to give and make sacrifices, not to take.

I told them the story of individual greed by a Pakistani that deprived orphans in Youhanabad and a community many miles away in Moldova.  I said that I'd given in faith, and all that I sent was kept by the 'Christian' involved.  Whatever I gave, wasn't enough; and eventually I didn't have the money to come to Pakistan.  All I could do was pray to the one who had called me to come here.  Only through Him, by Him and with Him could I have got here - for the generosity I had shown was then shown to me many times over.


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I had to choose my words carefully because the Pakistani in question is local.  Even so, I suspect some knew.

Some people say that....


...nothing ever happens without a reason. But if you cannot see the reason for something, it is hard to believe that a reason exists. You may feel fairly sure that you are pursuing the most appropriate path. But you can easily be talked out of this conviction by someone who seems to be more logical, articulate or persuasive.



But instinct is good. There is a reason why things are as they are, even if you cannot yet identify it. Try trusting what you feel, not what you think.



Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.   (Voltaire)

Something to truly be afraid of....



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Let's assume you have been....


.....given a ticket for speeding.  If that law enforcer wore stripy pyjamas and had the face paint of a clown, you might not be inclined to take them very seriously. And if the judge, who later sentenced you for the non-payment of that ticket, pronounced your sentence from beneath a Groucho Marx mask, how worried would you be?
There are good reasons why authority figures wear particular outfits. But we make a grave mistake when we judge anyone too quickly by appearance alone.   (My old grandma used to say - never judge a sausage by its skin.)  Look beyond the obvious.



He who rides a tiger can never get off.  (Chinese Proverb)

Saturday 10 March 2018

Some people will say....


....or do almost anything if they think that it will gain them more money, more love or more respect. It's all rather sad, to say nothing of counterproductive. Money earned through insincere action is soon wasted on unnecessarily indulgence. Love attained through a false promise is soon lost. Recognition given to an empty gesture is rapidly replaced by criticism.


If there is ever pressure on you to lower a standard or to compromise an important principle, the apparent reward is probably not really worth having.






We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.  (Martin Luther King)


Friday 9 March 2018

It is certainly not easy....

....to have a heart. That's why so many people are callous or ignorant. They limit the access to their deeper feelings. They put up emotional walls and psychological barriers. They hide behind their opinions, habits, busy timetables and convenient, well-rehearsed excuses and explanations.

  


To be sensitive is to be vulnerable. But it is also to be free; open in a way which can never otherwise be possible, to a host of wonderful experiences.








Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower  (Shigenori Kameoka)

It's usually in the kitchen....

....that we follow recipes, but there's one that's easy to follow anywhere - a recipe for tension.  It requires no special skill. All you have to do is combine one negative thought with another. The proportions hardly matter. Nor do the temperatures. You'll get some kind of pain or stress no matter how you proceed. Unless, of course, you make a concerted effort to keep your problems in separate compartments. Refuse to see them as related. Then you will be able to resolve them.


Only if you lump them together will you end up with something that seems bigger than you are!




Any fool can criticise, complain, condemn, and most fools do.

Thursday 8 March 2018

There is no such thing....

...as a conflict that cannot be resolved. It is, though, much easier to attain peace if both parties earnestly desire it. Some people feel that to give way in a tense situation is to show weakness.  (As an aside, I now live in a place where politeness is also considered a weakness.  Go figure!!)  Getting back to my main point -  to give way to a base emotion can hardly be considered a strength. 





Troubled waters always need oil pouring on them, not wave-generating machines lowering into them!













The individual is the central, rarest, most precious resource in our society.  (Peter Drucker)



There was once a Pope called.....

....Alexander.  Dunno if he followed any religious doctrine, but he (Alexander Pope) was a poet.  He once remarked - 'Hope springs eternal in the human breast'.  Hope, observed Pope, cannot help but bounce back, even when it is seriously squashed. The most that its enemies can do, is pile so much weight upon it that it takes some while to recover. If you really want to get the better of hope, you had best attack it swiftly while its defences are down.
If you have found yourself a little lacking in your life lately, that's what must have happened.


To revive it, just create a little space in which there is less pressure.



The world is round so that friendship can encircle it  (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)



Wednesday 7 March 2018

It may surprise some.....

....to discover that I occasionally learn from the past -

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted out of the blue by 'Monica from Texas'.  Terminally ill apparently, and had given my name by God to inherit her fortune - to be used for those in desperate need. 70% for One world Welfare Organisation (OWWO) work, and the balance for Sunita and I to live, The amount would have made me one of the richest Britons alive. (Even if one too many zeros had been accidentally typed, it was still well over £3 million.)

All she wanted was my prayers and total anonymity, my complete trust, oh and my full details to pass to her fund manager. 

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Yep, I admit I initially believed the 'ill woman' angle, but after innocently suffering from the monetary depravity of a dental surgeon from Lahore a year ago, who also asked for my trust, professed to be a Christian and quotes biblical texts.........well, lightening doesn't strike twice here.  (But then, out of all the bad of the beginning of last year, a lot of good has blossomed.)