Appearances can be deceptive.....

....Sorry to state the obvious, but sometimes, though, we all need to be reminded of life's most basic laws and truths. We get carried away by fantasies. We see whatever we most wish we could see, regardless of what we are actually looking at. When others collude with our fantasy by adopting disguises or adjusting images so that they match our secret desire, we lose all ability to see reality.

Until, that is, the veil slips.

Patience is the companion of wisdom.     (Saint Augustine)

Inevitable, really....

A very very long time ago....

....at the time of Ancient Greece, an aristocrat by the name of Heraclitus, was born.  He may have been born into the aristocracy, but he lived as a hermit and believed that his wisdom stemmed from his loneliness. His wise observation, that change is the only constant, remains beyond question. (But I know many who resist change with a passion that belies belief!!)  'No man ever steps in the same river twice', was his famous statement

Anyway, this aristo-hermit wasn't so smart with his grasp of medicine. He died trying to cure an illness by covering himself in manure and lying out in the sun.

To know some things, is not to know all things. Something none of us should forget. 

An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the 

brain cell it occupied.         (Arnold Glasow)

I have a confession to make....

.....I think that arrogance is a wonderful thing. There isn't really enough of it in this world. Likewise, profligacy. It's such a shame that we are all so humble - and that we find it so hard to spend money that we haven't really got. If only, as people and as nations we could learn to be more opinionated and more extravagant.

Am I being sarcastic?  Who?  Me?  Well, I suppose I am, but there are times when it actually is desirable to be confident, and not be too inhibited.

The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction [that] you give it. (Ayn Rand)

Says it all, really....

A friendly reminder to all....

.....who so generously give.  If anyone seeks money for the running of an orphanage, check it out thoroughly.

Even if you believe yourself to be in contact with a Christian, do a thorough check.  In many parts, this is a tag worn but has little meaning to the wearer.

Don't believe any pictures you may be able to see.

Check out the credentials of the person running it.

If it is a registered charity, ask for the number.  Then independently confirm it.  If it isn't, walk away from it.  Wherever it is, it will be registered if it is genuine.

Insist on a receipt.  It is not a problem for a genuine concern to provide one, but make sure it isn't obviously something hastily cobbled together.

Give in good faith, and you may well just be improving an individual's bank balance.

Remember the old adage at all times - If in doubt - DON'T.

Stealing is stealing. I don't care if it's on the Internet or you're breaking into a

warehouse somewhere - it's theft.    (Patrick Leahy)

Fancy a bit of culture?....

.....Have you heard of Christina Rossetti?  She wrote - 'Who has seen the wind, neither you nor I, but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by.'

There are so many invisible forces at work in this world. We detect their presence by the reactions they create or the dramas they give rise to. Just because something is subtle, though, it does not mean that it is not powerful.

A small smile or a gentle gesture of goodwill can have an enormous effect - even if it is not fully acknowledged or appreciated.

How far that little candle throws his beams. So shines a good deed in a weary world.   (Shakespeare)