Nurturing Light

I read this today and enjoyed the message...

Every living system that goes out of balance attempts to right itself. This is true of your blood pressure and your heart rate but also of the rain forest or a population of birds. Pressure on the system from one side–such as lack of food, absence of home ground, or the sudden intrusion of enemies–causes a reaction to shove the system back into balance. Violence is the most extreme response to imbalance.

When people are asked to make moral decisions, it is the emotional center of the brain that increases in activity, instead of the rational centers layered higher up in the cortex. Only after anger emotionally fires us up do we call in the cortex to fashion reasons, including religious reasons.

If you plot revenge against an evildoer, you are harming yourself: Not because the thought may come back to injure you, which is superstition, but because negative thinking reinforces the source of negativity. Darkness adds to darkness. The simple psychological fact is that the mind grows from habit and use, and as long as you habitually use those centers that send out blame, anger, retribution, intolerance, and violence, those centers will be nourished in their growth.

Nurture instead the light that you find inside. Transformation doesn’t come about by being touched with a magic wand. Habit and use apply here too. If you find even the smallest reasons for sending out intentions of love, tolerance, forgiveness, and peace, these centers will grow inside your mind. Spirit counts on this growth.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).


Peace and love,
Christine :)

I love you and Buddha too :)

In procrastinating for my finals, I stumbled upon a delightful song called "I love You and Buddha Too" by Mason Jennings-check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbSOPuN7OhE

Not only is the music upbeat and catchy, the themes behind the lyrics are excellent. The words so simply and elegantly summarize my feeling about religious differences.

"Oh Jesus, I love you
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed"

I researched some of the religious figures I was unfamiliar with and had some surprising discoveries.

Although I have heard the word 'guru' countless times, I found the definition far different than what I previously conceived. From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Dev):
"A guru (Sanskrit: गुरु) is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others (teacher)...
Guru is composed of the syllables 'gu' and 'ru', the former signifying 'darkness', and the latter signifying 'the destroyer of that [darkness]', hence a guru is one characterized as someone who dispels spiritual ignorance (darkness), with spiritual illumination (light) -as per Advaya-Tãraka Upanishad (verse 16)"

To save you the time of inquiring after the other mentioned religious elements. Tao Te Ching is an ancient Chinese text written in 6 BC by Laozi, a record keeper from the Zhou Dynasty. The book describes the fundamentals of Taoism; philosophical and religious traditions and concepts that have influenced East Asia for thousands of years. This book is a central part of the Chinese religion and Buddhism as well.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_te_ching)

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is considered a saint from India in the 19th century. He preached the universality of religion, promoting individuality in the seeker's approach to God, contrasting to the religions of the West like Christianity and Judaism that both had exclusionary elements. Ramakrishna appealed to Hindus by activating and demonstrating their values of education and helping the poor; characteristics often just associated with Christians. One of his famous sayings is:
"Every religion is a path to God."
(http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/ramakrishna.html)
(http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Av/RamaKris/RamaKris.htm)

I am more familiar with Mohammed, Buddha, and Jesus, however, if you are not I encourage you to read up on those important characters as well.

Cheers to Mason Jennings, if only the ignorant could be persuaded with melodies.

Happy studying
-Mikaelyn

Taking chances

I just read this quote that I really feel explains a lot about life and all of our anxiety about not knowing where we're headed right now or what decisions to make for our future.

"Because of all the wonderful things life is, safe is not one of them...at the root of any fundamentalism is anxiety- sometimes terror- about the wild and woolly risk of living fully, knowing that difficult things can and will happen."

Maybe we're not meant to feel "safe" where we are...we're meant to take risks and keep pushing forward. Great success comes from great risk, right? When we quit pushing ourselves and we settle for something less than what we're capable of...it seems like that is when we lose our meaning, our dreams, and our true happiness in the process. Because life can be so many wonderful things, but to truly experience them and appreciate them, we have to sacrifice the feeling of being "safe" where we are, we can't stand still. We have to go out there and make our dreams happen.

"Leap and the net will appear."

P.S. The first quote comes from another blog that I've been glancing at here and there- her name is Oriah & she has a lot of good insight and cool ideas. (http://www.oriahsinvitation.blogspot.com/) The post containing this quote is called "The Inner Tyrant"

Chris

How do I say goodbye?

By: Erica
So I am graduating in less than 2 weeks. I know that I am obviously not the first to graduate but I just don't see where I can go from here. Unlike most people, my "home" with my parents is and has never been a real home to me. When I am in that house/city, I feel worthless and sink back to exactly where I was my whole life until MSU. I have struggled with self-esteem issues my entire life and being at MSU is the only thing that keeps me at a semi-healthy level. I am more terrified at this point in my life than I have ever been. To be honest, I barely made it out of my parent's house the first time. I honestly had given up on myself and thoughts of ever being truly happy and didn't want to continue living. Thoughts of going to college and escaping my hell were the only things that kept me going. Now what? I'm leaving the only place I have ever been happy. I can't even be around my family without feeling alienated instantly because what do you say to the people who you feel have never been there for you and having all this terrible family history that we aren't supposed to talk about and even if we were, the fact that I don't know how I can talk about it. I look at everyone in my family and see the same thing: absolutely no happiness, just trying to make it to the next day. I can't go back there. I don't have the strength to pull myself out of the hole. I honestly am not able to see the value that I bring to anyone's life and constantly doubt myself. Being at MSU has allowed me to feel better about myself but I now realize that maybe its just being here that makes me happy because the second I leave to go home/visit family I lose the little confidence I have in myself. Family is supposed to be your lifeline, your support. What do you do if you feel like you have nothing to say to your family and feel that you don't have anyone to talk to? I am seriously afraid of what might happen after I leave MSU......

What makes you happy?

This is in response to Chris's previous post. I have spent a great deal of time this semester examining myself, who I am and where I want to go in life. One of the significant challenges I have found is incorporating everything for which I am passionate. I love being and working outdoors. I also greatly desire and feel morally obligated to help people. I could easily work as a divemaster in many locations around the world. However, I feel a life of this nature would be very self-centered as the motivation to be a divemaster is personal pleasure. Whereas if I work in a hospital or abroad with the World Health Organization, although I am sure these positions would also be rewarding and enjoyable, the primary motivation would be to help others.
In an interview yesterday, I was asked: what most makes you happy?
I was actually excited to provide my answer when I found myself lost for words. At the time the only thing that came to mind was helping people. Helping others brings me a lot of happiness whether providing a listening ear to a friend or caring for a patient in the hospital. I find caring for others to be extremely rewarding. This was a motivational factor for becoming a RA and pursuing a nursing career.
What else though? What on a day to day basis makes me happy?
Trying new things or visiting new places. Feeling challenged. Being outside. Engaging in meaningful conversations. Doing physical labor with my hands. Those things make me feel alive.
The scale of things doesn't matter either, as I have found satisfaction on a variety of levels. What I have come to discover is that a regular, daily stream of little things almost makes up for the lack of constant immersion. I may not be little in a foreign country and culture but I find immense joy in cooking a foreign recipe or conversing with someone different from I.
How do I combine those things that make me most happy into a job and a lifestyle? I don't want my job to be "work" I want it to be apart of who I am. I never want to dread getting up for work in the morning.

One of other greatest challenges I face daily, and I feel like Chris discussed this, is learning to be happy where you are. It is easy to get caught up in future plans, and envision life after you graduate or after med school or after you get a job. There are always going to be things in your life that you would rather change and there will always be something that you are striving to reach or achieve. The best way I have found to combat this thinking is self-awareness. When I find myself unhappily longing for something more or better or different, I try to thoroughly think through the issue and why I feel that way, then examine possible solutions and either do something or find other positive things to focus on. Certainly easier said then done. For example, I cannot wait to travel and live abroad and nurse people back to health in the African bush. However, that is currently unrealistic. I do not have the experience or resources but look at what I do have. I am about to graduate from a good university with a good degree. I am more fortunate then hundreds of millions around the world. I have a world of possibility. Yes, perhaps I cannot work for the United Nations now but I can start my career in a good hospital and perform very rewarding work.
You are in control of your future and your happiness. If you are not happy, discover what does and do that.

As cliche as this sounds, you can always sing in your head as I have come to do:
"Don't worry about a thing, cause every little gonna be alright"

ahhh!

http://www.feministing.com



So after yet another friend told me that she was raped a week ago, seeing this video just made me crazy! Why are rape jokes and metaphors acceptable, or considered funny? I don't understand how having a hard test is anywhere equivalent to the reality of rape. I know that sometimes we tend to go a bit overboard on what is "politically correct," but I don't think anyone could argue that language and our use of it demonstrates much about the mentality of a culture. Thoughts anyone?

-Meg

How to find contentment?

It seems I have spent lots of time lately thinking about my life and wondering what is missing. It's like I'm never happy with where I'm at, I don't feel that I'm accomplishing as much as I should be...I feel like I'm just wasting time, letting days go by, and somehow I have lost my motivation, I've lost what makes me happy. Will I ever find contentment? Do you feel truly happy with where you're at in your life? Is this just the result of too much deep thought? I'd like some insight on this. How do you really enjoy every day and live life to the fullest? How do you accomplish your goals and reach your dreams without overworking yourself-- while still enjoying time with your friends and family and getting enough sleep? I have the hardest time prioritizing "living life to the fullest" when there is the need to be "responsible" at the same time. Can I have both? I hate seeing adults who, in the midst of working hard to make a life for themselves, have forgotten to enjoy life and keep exploring, and in a way, I think it's made me afraid to take that leap into adulthood and responsibility. I don't want to lose my zest for life and love in the process.
So this is what I'm struggling with. Do you have any advice?

-Christine

"Once you've taken a few punches and realize you're not made of glass, you don't feel alive unless you're pushing yourself as far as you can go."

Are You Centered?

To be centered is considered desirable. But if there is no person inside your head, if the ego’s sense of I, me, mine is illusory, where’s the center? Paradoxically, the center is everywhere. It is the open space that has no boundaries.

Experience isn’t a place; it’s a focus of attention. You can live there, at the still point around which everything revolves. To be off center is to lose focus, to look away from experience or block it out.

To be centered is like saying “I want to find my home in creation.” You relax into the rhythm of your own life, which sets the stage for meeting yourself at a deeper level. You can’t summon the silent witness, but you can place yourself close to it by refusing to get lost in your own creation.

When I find myself being overshadowed by anything, I can fall back on a few simple steps: I say to myself, “This situation may be shaking me, but I am more than any situation.” I take a deep breath and focus my attention on whatever my body is feeling. I step back and see myself as another person would see me (preferably the person whom I am resisting or reacting to.) I realize that my emotions are not reliable guides to what is permanent and real. They are momentary reactions, and most likely they are born of habit. If I am about to burst out with uncontrollable reactions, I walk away.

As you can see, I don’t try to feel better, to be more positive, to come from love, or to change the state I’m in. If you can observe the mechanism at work without getting wrapped up in it, you will find that you possess a second perspective, one that is always calm, alert, detached, tuned in but not overshadowed. That second place is your center. It isn’t a place at all but a close encounter with the silent witness.

Adapted from The Book of Secrets, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2004).

Every person...

Every person should have...
...enough money within their control to move out and rent a place of their own, even if they never wants to or needs to
...something perfect to wear if the employer or date of their dreams wants to see them in an hour

Every person should have...
...a youth they're content to leave behind
...a past juicy enough that they're looking forward to retelling it in their old age
...a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and sexy underwater
...one friend who always makes them laugh and one who lets them cry

Every person should have...
...eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make their guests feel honored

Every person should have...
...a feeling of control over their destiny

Every person should know...
...how to fall in love without losing themselves

Every person should know...
...how to quit a job
...break up with a lover
...confront a friend without; ruining the friendship

Every person should know...
...when to try harder and WHEN TO WALK AWAY

Every person should know...
...that they can't change the length of their calves, the width of their shoulders, the size of their bra cup or length of their...

Every person should know...
...what they would and wouldn't do for love
...how to live alone

Every person should know...
...whom they can trust and whom they can't and why they shouldn't take it personally

Every person should know...
...where to go...
...be it to their best friend's kitchen table..
...or out in the woods...
...or at a bar
...when their soul needs soothing...

Every person should know...
...what they can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, and a year...

Humanity

We set an example in all that we say and do. Make that example a good one.
-----

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended...
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.veryone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball- the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day,' said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.'

'Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!'

**

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?


A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate amongst them.

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

-Oriah

All you need is love?

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There's nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love.


Oh, the Beatles. Such philosophers! This song does bring up some good questions, though. Is love really all we need? In what sense? And is it enough for a relationship? I think that we do need love, but in many forms: love for life, love for something we do in life- a hobby, our work, our religion, mutual love between friends and family, and the unconditional love of those closest few. As for in a relationship, I have grown away from this idea of one true soul mate. I just think that love works differently for everyone. I also believe that choosing to be or not be in a relationship with someone, as a friend or romantically, is a reflection of what you want from your life as well as a reflection of your feelings towards that person in particular. For example, there are people that I like or even love, and without doubt wish them the best in life. However, I choose not to spend time with them because their paths are so different from mine or because their personalities bring me down rather than up. (Think that ex- bestie from middle school. I still truly care about her, but I can't help her to fix her problems if she doesn't want them to be fixed, so I just have to distance myself for my own mental health.) As for romantic relationships- sacrificing for love sounds so romantic in the movies, but how much should one sacrifice for a person they love before they sacrifice too much of what makes them, well, them?

"Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be." -I'm not sure I buy that. Is that just optimism? Or is it that pre-destination idea so that it doesn't really matter what you do, it's all just God's plan unfolding? If we regret something, wouldn't that mean we weren't where we were meant to be? The things that I regret, and they aren't big things, but they were times I know I wasn't being true to myself- that I wasn't acting as the person I want to be. I've learned more from those times then the average day of routine, that's for sure. So is that full circle, and that's why I was meant to be there?

Can we be where we're not meant to be? And what is "meant to be"? What love do we need? What are your thoughts???

-Meg

What are your thoughts everyone?

Why is there suffering?

I very much enjoy anthropology and like most, find myself watching people in public, noting behaviors and listening to the conversations of others. One of my favorite ways to study popular thinking of others is to Google common phrases. If you enter the beginning of a phrase or question in the Google search bar, it will pull up the top searched items starting with that phrase. Here are some interesting search topics that your fellow human beings are pondering about...

Why do...
...men have nipples?
...dogs eat grass?
...dogs eat poop?
...cats purr?
...cats knead?
...men cheat?
...my eyes twitch?
...we dream?
...we yawn?
...mosquito bites itch?

What are...
...the symptoms of swine flu?
...the primary colors?
...seven deadly sins?
...capers?
...michael jackson's kid's names?
...the seven wonders of the world?
...carbohydrates?
...hemroids?
...these strawberries doing on my nipples I need them for the fruit salad

How to...
...tie a tie
...kiss
...get pregnant
...lose weight
...make a website
...lose weight fast
...solve a rubix cube
...write a resume
...draw
...get rid of stretch marks

One of the most popular searches was "why do we suffer?". There was an array of explanations, several of religious foundation, including one that prompted my response.

The authored explained:
"Indeed the question is often asked, "Why does a loving God allow anyone to suffer?" This tract seeks to answer these questions.
Psalm 119:67 is applicable to believer and unbeliever. It says, "Before I was afflicted I went astray..." Often God uses suffering to draw the unbeliever to Himself."

I am confused by this statement and disagree because it seems to give God a egotistical trait of mortal human nature. I also find it disturbing that God would cause people to suffer for this reason. I believe suffering exists for as many reasons as there are types of suffering. However, I do not think it needs to exist nor is it caused on purpose.

The author goes on to state "Paul the Apostle suffered greatly in his life and yet he could say, "we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Perseverance, character and hope are all qualities which the Christian wants. We must accept that suffering is one method the Lord uses to build these. When we endure suffering we also give strong evidence that our faith is genuine (1 Peter 1:6,7)."

I do see the reasoning in this explanation, as those character attributes are very valuable. This is an optimistic way to view suffering, finding the rainbow in the thunderstorm. However, there exist other means and experiences by which people can develop character. Instead of learning to persevere through dealing with the loss of a loved one, one could learn perseverance by achieving a hard goal such as climbing a mountain.

Addition explanations of the purpose of suffering:

-We suffer now to later help others that suffer; "...when we are going through some sort of suffering or trial, we often feel that others do not understand, but when we hear words of comfort from someone who has been through the same circumstances, it is more comforting and easier to accept..."

-Suffering is a result of sin; Hebrews 12:7 says, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" I agree there is universal karma.

-We suffer because Christ suffered; "In 3:10, Paul says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death...."
This brings to light the argument of original sin. I believe that a newborn baby is guilty of nothing that has passed, except perhaps morning sickness and back pain. Would Jesus want us to suffer as he did? Hang on a cross by nails? Be persecuted? Would you want others to suffer as you have with the intent of strengthening your relationship?

"...In verse 75 we read, "in faithfulness you have afflicted me." We can be sure that the Lord will do those things that are ultimately good and correct...Sometimes we may suffer for reasons that will not be apparent until we reach heaven. Yet when we get there we shall surely say, "It was good for me to be afflicted.""

Could it be possible that God does not control everything? That tragedy could occur, unpredicted, with no plausible explanation?
Is it scarier to believe that no one has control?

How well do you know yourself?

An adviser from the Career Services Department did a presentation for my class on job interviews. If you feel as I do, job interviews induce utmost internal anxiety and terror. The presenter shared with us that the biggest mistake usually made is inadequate preparation. Similar to studying for a test, before a interview you need introspect and study yourself.

Try this challenging introspection exercise we did in class, write:
Top 5 achievements of my life
Top 5 things I like to do
Top 5 things I hate to do

When choosing experiences ask yourself how did that experience make you a better person, professional, scholar, citizen?

Why We Are Here

"Why we are here: To tremble at the terrible beauty of the stars,
to shed a tear at the perfection of Beethoven's symphonies,
and to crack a cold one now and then."

-David Letterman

Conflict

“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict – alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.”

Dorothy Thompson

Ready for a change of scene?

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/weekend-getaways/best-places-to-live/adventure-towns-text

Cheers, Mik

E=mc²

"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein