"When we define we also confine..."
Could it be this ??
Angels here on earth. I feel there are those souls who were "assigned" certain life paths to be such. Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Oprah, and who knows -- perhaps our own Jeanne Mayell. Just because one person's role is perhaps larger than another's doesn't detract from the assignment for good. ?
Thought of all of us here when I read this today:
Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.
Angels here on earth. I feel there are those souls who were "assigned" certain life paths to be such. Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Oprah, and.... ?
And each of you.
I've always loved and often shared that L.R. Knost quoation!
Here's another one of hers:
"Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful."
It's good for all of to accept the plateaus as well as delight in the view from the hills and grieve in the cavernous sorrows.
Oh, that last part is from me not her ?
I've always loved and often shared that L.R. Knost quoation!
Here's another one of hers:
"Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful."
It's good for all of to accept the plateaus as well as delight in the view from the hills and grieve in the cavernous sorrows.
Oh, that last part is from me not her ?
Yes, love this one, too! So very true...
I heard Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar speech (posted elsewhere in this forum) but his brother's words resonate with me:
"Run to the Rescue with Love and Peace will Follow".
Thank you River Phoenix.
here is the full transcript of Joaquin Phoenix's speech:
Hi. What’s up? Hi. God, I’m full of so much gratitude right now and I do not feel elevated above any of my fellow nominees or anyone in this room, because we share the same love, the love of film, and this form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life. I don’t know what I’d be without it.
But I think the greatest gift that it has given me, and many of us in this room, is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless. I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues that we are facing collectively, and I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me, I see commonality.
I think whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice — against the belief that one nation, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control, and use and exploit another with impunity.
I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world and many of us, what we’re guilty of is an egocentric worldview — the belief that we’re the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby. Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.
And I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something to give something up but human beings, at our best, are so inventive and creative and ingenious, and I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop, and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment.
Now, I have been — I’ve been a scoundrel in my life. I’ve been selfish, I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with. And I’m grateful [to] so many of you in this room [who] have given me a second chance and I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we support each other, not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other toward redemption. That is the best of humanity.
I just — I want to — when he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, “Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.” Thank you
I've been thinking a lot about my mom today. She was the wisest person I ever knew, and always had words of wisdom to offer that made me feel better. I miss her so much, especially in these dark days. She fled a dictatorship, and I wonder what she would have to say about what's become of her adopted country. She'd probably tell me to be brave, because she was nothing if not fierce. So, since mom has been on my mind, I thought I'd honor her by sharing with this community words I think she'd say to me.
- No hay mal que por bien no venga. (There is nothing bad through which good doesn't come.)
- Todo regresa. (What goes around comes around.)
- Sientate a la puerta de tu casa y veras pasar el cadaver de tu enemigo. (Sit patiently at the entrance of your home, and wait for the corpse of your enemy to pass by. My personal favorite, it really means be calm and patient, and wait for those who are no good to undo themselves, because they eventually will.)
@unk-p I watched him speak those words live. He was so beautiful in his quirky geeky and very authentic way.
A 12th century Shambhala prophecy said that some day the world would hang in the balance, just as it does today. At that time, heart warriors would use one weapon to save us -- the understanding of the radical interconnectivity of all beings. To me, that is what Joaquim Phoenix's speech was about. Now I just have to give up cream in my coffee.
Now I just have to give up cream in my coffee.
try the hemp milk. It's really good, has a sort of neutral flavor- it wont taste like someone spilled oatmeal or coconut or somethimg in your coffee.
Thank you for posting the transcript here too so we don't lose track of it. I never get tired of hearing it. I watched it live as well.
These words were posted on Dan Rather's Facebook page, 2/9/20:
They are counting on despair. That's how they win.
Those who seek to undermine our democracy, to normalize corruption and hate and division... They are counting on despair.
Those who say our votes don't matter, that facts don't matter, that the truth doesn't matter... They are counting on despair.
Those who say there are "real Americans," that we need to go back to a mythic past, that we should close ourselves to the world... They are counting on despair.
Those who would despoil our environment and undermine science... They are counting on despair.
Those who would gaslight, lie, and revel in propaganda... They are counting on despair.
Those who look the other way, make excuses, and normalize autocracy... They are counting on despair.
There is a tendency to feel the despair well up from within, and not recognize it as a weapon being wielded with precision and purpose from without. They are counting on despair.
The greatest leaders in our history knew that despair is toxic to progress. Washington at Valley Forge. Lincoln at Gettysburg. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham. But more than the famous names are the countless women and men who have fought back against despair in the service of hope, and progress. I have seen it in foxholes, on picket lines, in classrooms, and in midst of natural disasters. I have seen it in the marches, movements, and moments where people rose up and said our world can be better, and we will do the hard work to make it so.
Despair these days is an understandable feeling. Our world seems in many ways upside down. To fight against the odds, against the powerful, against the morally bankrupt, is exhausting. But just remember, they are counting on despair. Will you let them have it?
@lynnventura, thank you for sharing your mother's wonderful words of wisdom. My favorite is the same as yours: "Sit patiently at the entrance of your home, and wait for the corpse of your enemy to pass by."
What a beautiful way to honor your mom and offer support to this community.