Wise Words for You

Our pale blue dot has circled its star eighteen times since it lost the astronomer who gave us the perspective to see it that way — and that phrase. Carl Sagan is not usually remembered as a political prophet, aside from pioneering recognition of the dangers of nuclear war and remaining an inspiration to opponents of drug criminalization. But his inquiry probed any political order’s taboo “set of forbidden possibilities, which its citizenry and adherents must not at any cost be permitted to think seriously about” (like the USSR’s “capitalism, God, and the surrender of national sovereignty” or the USA’s “socialism, atheism, and the surrender of national sovereignty”). Otherwise, it would wither, as with antiquity’s Alexandrians who never “seriously challenged the political, economic and religious assumptions of their society. The permanence of the stars was questioned; the justice of slavery was not.” While not a radical leftist like his ...

Within each one of us there is a master of the universe. Not the universe out there but the inner universe of our thoughts and feelings, attitudes and actions. Most people realise too late what awaits within and how valuable it is. For too long we allow ourselves to be distracted and bewitched by all that is happening outside. To be the master of your inner world is to be the master of your own destiny. Are you going to be the master or a slave?

When you look at the world through your physical eyes, you will see all the facets of our diversity: culture, race, personality, religion and so on. Seeing only through your physical eyes, it is easy to become stubborn and to try to prove yourself right. However where there is stubbornness there is no love. And trying to prove the self right is equally offensive. A diamond will sparkle even in the dust; you do not ever need to prove that you are right. In the face of the dangers that come from seeing only with the physical eyes, always think: now is the time to go beyond all divisions, beyond all that limits us and our sense of self. Whatever the race, the religion, the class – our consciousness now has to go beyond all of that

Courage is taking a step forward into an area of difficulty without a solution in mind, trusting that whatever help you need will become available.

Make time to create the moments you need for silence. To create a time of silence takes just a second. A second is a drop of time … a drop of time through which I step to renew myself deep inside. So I stop, for a second, and say to myself, “Now I shall go inside.” In the space of a second, I pass beyond all the muddle and find myself in my original state of peace

True happiness comes when my mind and the senses have become quiet and peaceful. In that state, there is spiritual power; we are performing actions, but free from desires and free from attachment to what we do. Such happiness finishes any sorrow that comes to us. Take time to find that quiet and peaceful place inside and happiness will stay in our hearts forever.

Amidst the earthquakes of unexpected situations, the hurricanes of unreasonable behaviour, when fortune strikes against me, I will remain unmoved, knowing that finally all will be well.

Teaching others is best done with love. Once the heart has understood the mind opens.

Develop the habit of getting up early and sitting in silence. Read a peaceful thought and reflect on it. Write down some ideas about this thought. Return to silence, allowing these ideas to take root inside you. Share your ideas with a person close to you. This practice will help you accept and cope with conflicts and difficult situations. It will help you stay happy and peaceful for the rest of the day.

Why is the modern view of progress so impoverished? Illustration by Matt Herring THE best modern parable of progress was, aptly, ahead of its time. In 1861 Imre Madach published “The Tragedy of Man”, a “Paradise Lost” for the industrial age. The verse drama, still a cornerstone of Hungarian literature, describes how Adam is cast out of the Garden with Eve, renounces God and determines to recreate Eden through his own efforts. “My God is me,” he boasts, “whatever I regain is mine by right. This is the source of all my strength and pride.” Adam gets the chance to see how much of Eden he will “regain”. He starts in Ancient Egypt and travels in time through 11 tableaux, ending in the icebound twilight of humanity. It is a cautionary tale. Adam glories in the Egyptian pyramids, but he discovers that they are built on the misery of slaves. So he rejects slavery and instead advances to Greek democracy. But when the Athenians condemn a hero, much as they condemned Socrates, Adam ...

The positive is more powerful than the negative. The positive is innate. The negative indicates what is missing inside you. Light exists and its absence is darkness. Never forget you are a human being who can decide the attitude you take in life. You have an enormous positive inner potential still to be discovered. These thoughts will help you face any circumstance in life with a different perspective.

No matter how bad people may seem, they possess at least one virtue. Be like the humming bird and pick out the sweetness of everyone’s character.

Real honesty means being true to the best that is within you. This is more honest than simply speaking your mind.

Inner cheer is destroyed by a conscience which bites. Learn to do everything in a worthwhile way. It’s an art which teaches you to appreciate your inner beauty (It makes you think twice about ruining it, too) Don’t be hard on yourself when making a mistake. It’s much more effective to be handled with love. Telling the self off is a terrible habit, it subtly shapes a nature of sorrow. Finish the business of thinking of rubbish and instead take delight in all that you’ve found. 9

Peace ends when you are emotionally involved in a situation. The practice of being an independent observer helps you stay stable and calm. It is the best way to approach a decision in any circumstance.

Whether you’ve been blogging for months or years, blogging can be relentless at times and it’s not uncommon to fall out of love with your little bit of the internet. Here are 5 steps to rekindle to romance and fall in love with your blog again… Fall in love with your blog again 1. Write for yourself We need to be excited about what we write about or we will fall out of love with it. It will also show in our work and people will stop enjoying it. 2. Don’t write content Kind of follows on from 1 because “nobody does  content  for the joy of their soul” and as Maria puts it, thinking of your work as content has icky connotations! 3. Read “You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.” Stephen King Explore. Be a fan! Get blown away and inspired by someone else’s work…it’s the only way to be able to do 1! Austin Kleon’s book,  Steal like an Artist  has some great advice for...

Our first reaction to a difficult situation is often negative. There is a tendency to be carried away in a storm of negative thoughts. Such thoughts are of no use and lead us further from the solution. Thinking one positive thought everyday helps me to maintain stability. Constant practice will help me remain stable even in the most difficult circumstances.

All paramedics should carry identification with the name of their employee But there's been a rise in people impersonating paramedics Can be done with ease, as uniforms and vehicles can be bought online When you call an ambulance, you trust the paramedics who arrive to be trained professionals who know how to save a life. All paramedics should carry identification with the name of their employee - but in an emergency it is not what most people would think to ask to see. But perhaps we should do, for there's been a rise in the number of cases of people impersonating paramedics, even showing up at accidents to 'treat' patients. This can be done with alarming ease, as paramedic uniforms and vehicles can be bought online. It's not illegal, unlike impersonating a police officer. Tthere's been a rise in the number of cases of people impersonating paramedics or convicted of criminal offences while impersonating a paramedic. However, none has been co...

Patience is a reflection of the peaceful mind. My peaceful mind is able to cope with all situations without becoming disturbed and agitated. It calmly accepts the resolution of circumstances and, with this patience acquires the  power  to  deal  with all situations

When you talk to yourself in your mind, which self do you address? And how? Usually people do not talk to their divinity, but to the most superficial aspects of their everyday personality. And often it’s a  stream   of fears, complaints and a mindless repetition of old things. If we talked that way to another human being,   we would have to apologise . Learning  to talk properly to the self is a spiritual endeavour. Thoughts from the past and worries about the  future  do not  create  good conversation. Instead  learn to  talk to your mind as if it were a child. Talk to it with love. If you just force a child to sit down, he won’t. A good mother knows how to prompt her child into doing what she wants. Be a good mother to your mind, teach it good, positive thoughts so that when you tell it to sit quietly, it will. Love your mind. Stay happy.

Spirituality teaches me to see my responsibility and what causes I am setting in motion by my thoughts, words and  actions . I just have to fulfil my responsibilities and the rights will  automatically  follow, because they are the effect. This may not happen  immediately , but it is inevitable. The law of cause and effect, action and reaction, the law of karma is an integral part of spirituality. It gives us a basis on which to  make  right choices and  create  a beautiful future for ourselves and the  world  around us.