Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Dreams

 **
*Dreams are illustrations...
 from the book your soul is writing about you.*

- Marsha Norman                       



Sunday, November 30, 2014

Travel inwards

A wonderful talk about the art of stillness.
So much of our lives happens in our heads. 
We can only catch the larger picture when we take time to step back.
Go slow to understand 
and gain real sight.
Enjoy the luxury of paying attention in an age of distractions.
In an age of constant movement
nothing is so urgent as sitting still.
Take time for introspection.
Sometimes
the best way to travel
is by going nowhere.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Spiegel im Spiegel

"The meaning of life 
is to find your gift.

The purpose of life
is to give it away,"
*
J. J. Golliver
A. Pärt

Compassion has the eyes of wisdom

We all think we have time.

Until we don't.
We are all imposed to suffering. Suffering is a part of humanity,
as is compassion.

The true meaning of compassion and empathy

is to see clearly into the nature of suffering

and to transform suffering.
Our compassion makes a difference.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Appreciate

"...he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

What if..

What if we would never grow up? 
What if we would always find wonderous joy in things our grown up brains don't notice anymore - like raindrops?
Think about it - there is water coming down from the sky! 
Just..buckets and buckets and buckets! How weird is that?
..and then sometimes, when these raindrops freeze on the way, they make snowflakes!
The prettiest most delicate things that melt away the moment you touch them; each one unique, just suddenly appearing in front of you, here - a snowflake..
In the middle of a normal everyday fuzz, life gives us a glimpse of "magic".
 It's all around. All the time. Life is it - life is "magic".
It's a curious world and you once knew it. Once. Before your brain "grew up". 
Now you just need to remember again - a world full wonder.


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

How to pass exams?

 Businessinsider.com came up with another 10 hacks for life:
 How to pass exams.

Tip no 7: Teach a class of stuffed animals:
"Get a stuffed animal. Maybe get a few. A dozen or so. Then arrange them into an approximate class on your bed or in a study room (or classroom, if you can) and teach them the subject you're learning ... Teach a few classes to your stuffed menagerie, and then (and this is the really important part) get some f*cking sleep."




Thursday, November 13, 2014

Build your dreams

"There are so many people 
that use 'following your dreams' 
as an excuse to not work. 
When in reality, 
following your dreams, 
successfully, 
is nothing but work."

-Humans of New York 
creator and photographer 
Brandon Stanton 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

The tree of life

Oh, November,
The month when color is finally stripped off of everything.
No more protection  only foundations remain.
What summer secrets will be revealed for everyone to see?

Monday, November 3, 2014

Inspired


“I want to build a bridge.”
“How do you build a bridge?”
“If you want to build a bridge it’s going to take a long time and it might be hard because your employees might not be as interested in building the bridge as you are. You have to think about what kind of bridge you want to make. One type of bridge is a suspension bridge and another type of bridge is an arch bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge is a suspension bridge and it was built by John Roebling and his family and that’s all I remember from second grade. And the bridge has to be strong because the water can rise and push up the bridge. I’d maybe like to build a bridge in Wisconsin because there are a lot of people in Wisconsin who might not have bridges but I don’t really know where Wisconsin is.”
Some people just want to build bridges...
-Humans of NY

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Cherish

/ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/
“This bud of love 
by summer’s ripening breath,
may prove
a beauteous flower 
when next we meet...”


Friday, October 31, 2014

Sour grapes and greedy for pizza



Him: "We were reading Aesop's Fables the other night, 
and she surprised me by knowing the definition of a fable."
Her: "A fable is a story that teaches a lesson!"
Me: "So what's your favorite fable?"
Her: "Once there was a fox that wanted some grapes
 and he really wanted the grapes so he tried to jump up
 and get them but he messed it up 
and so he tried again but he messed it up again 
but then he walked away because he decided the grapes were sour 
and that teaches you not to be greedy 
and want too much pizza."
Him: ".... I think we may have combined a few there."
- Humans of NY

Thursday, October 30, 2014

In between

"There are things known
 and there are things unknown, 
and in between are the doors of perception." 
- Aldous Huxley

Monday, October 27, 2014

Beauty, grace and wisdom

Spread roots to be strong.

Reach and grow so you might touch the stars.

There is beauty in balance.

Find courage to be true and 
and you'll leave a a golden trace of wisdom and grace.

Who has touched a heart 
shall never die.
**

Friday, October 24, 2014

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Come out and tell me a story


"There is a child inside each one of us, 
who comes out in front of the person 
we are most comfortable with."
**


Saturday, October 18, 2014

Don't let words or voice stop you from listening


“When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot.
 To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. 
The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout
 to hear each other to cover that great distance. 
What happens when two people fall in love?
 They don’t shout at each other
 but talk softly, because their hearts are very close.
 The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small…”

Go and read the rest of the story - it's pretty..

Friday, October 17, 2014

Perspective of a countdown

"Here is a little perspective on how I view my life.
When we start counting our age, we count up, right? We start counting at 0 when we're born and we count up. It has this built-in assumption that it's never going to end; life
goes on and on and on.... And you keep counting up.

But - there are statistical realities: one day, you are going to die. And you're going to die at some statistical average age. If you stay in shape and eat well, you'll probably live until you're around 85. You can probably be an active, productive member of society in some shape or form until the age of 70/75... And then you fully retire.
So when is comes to my age (which is currently 25) I never think about me being 25 years old. I think of it as, I have 60 years left to do something good in this world! I have 60 years left to achieve what I want to achieve in my lifetime. I have 60 years left to make a difference in my life and in the life of others. So what I do is that I count DOWN. It might sound depressing, but it's absolutely not. It gives me a kick in the ass! A kick in the ass to do something today that my future self will thank me for. To do something today so I can be better than the day before. To realize that I only have a limited amount of time on this earth.
So use every single day. Every single hour. Every single minute. Every single second. ...because it all counts. Once the day is over, you can't get it back."
- mcsamil

The glass castle of limited thoughts

"The peak moments of my life as a teacher 
are where I am present at the moment when a student realizes
 that who they are is so much bigger and grander that they can imagine,
 that their limited conceptions of themselves are just that - concepts
 and that their true power and beauty is limitless.
 Sometimes your life really can change in an instant.
 Yoga is not just asana technique. 
Asana is a tool used to break the glass castle of limited thoughts and beliefs 
that hold people back from the infinite light of the true self."
- Kino

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Don't...

You Don’t Have To Have A Dream...
Americans on talent shows always talk about their dreams. Fine, if you have something that you’ve always dreamed of, like, in your heart, go for it! After all, it’s something to do with your time… chasing a dream. And if it’s a big enough one, it’ll take you most of your life to achieve, so by the time you get to it and are staring into the abyss of the meaninglessness of your achievement, you’ll be almost dead so it won’t matter.
I never really had one of these big dreams. And so I advocate passionate dedication to the pursuit of short-term goals. Be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you… you never know where you might end up. Just be aware that the next worthy pursuit will probably appear in your periphery. Which is why you should be careful of long-term dreams. If you focus too far in front of you, you won’t see the shiny thing out the corner of your eye. Right? Good. Advice. Metaphor.
Look at me go!
Don't forget - it's lots about just luck!
You are lucky to be here. You were incalculably lucky to be born, and incredibly lucky to be brought up by a nice family that helped you get educated and encouraged you to go to Uni. Or if you were born into a horrible family, that’s unlucky and you have my sympathy… but you were still lucky: lucky that you happened to be made of the sort of DNA that made the sort of brain which – when placed in a horrible childhood environment – would make decisions that meant you ended up, eventually, graduating Uni. Well done you, for dragging yourself up by the shoelaces, but you were lucky. You didn’t create the bit of you that dragged you up. They’re not even your shoelaces.
I suppose I worked hard to achieve whatever dubious achievements I’ve achieved … but I didn’t make the bit of me that works hard, any more than I made the bit of me that ate too many burgers instead of going to lectures while I was here at UWA.
Understanding that you can’t truly take credit for your successes, nor truly blame others for their failures will humble you and make you more compassionate.
Empathy is intuitive, but is also something you can work on, intellectually.
Don’t rush in life..
You don’t need to already know what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. I’m not saying sit around smoking cones all day, but also, don’t panic. Most people I know who were sure of their career path at 20 are having midlife crises now.

...and don’t seek happiness.
Happiness is like an orgasm: if you think about it too much, it goes away. Keep busy and aim to make someone else happy, and you might find you get some as a side effect. We didn’t evolve to be constantly content. Contented Australophithecus Afarensis got eaten before passing on their genes.

- Tim Minchin

Monday, October 13, 2014

Like rhymes in a cookbook


"Arts degrees are awesome!
And they help you find meaning where there is none. 
And let me assure you, there is noneDon’t go looking for it.
Searching for meaning is like searching for a rhyme scheme in a cookbook:
you won’t find it and you’ll bugger up your soufflé.

I said at the beginning of this ramble that life is meaningless.
It was not a flippant assertion. I think it’s absurd: the idea of seeking “meaning” in the set of circumstances that happens to exist after 13.8 billion years worth of unguided events. Leave it to humans to think the universe has a purpose for them. However, I am no nihilist. I am not even a cynic. I am, actually, rather romantic. And here’s my idea of romance:
You will soon be dead!
 Life will sometimes seem long and tough and, god, it’s tiring.
 And you will sometimes be happy and sometimes sad.
And then you’ll be 
old. 
And then you’ll be dead!

There is only one sensible thing to do with this empty existence, and that is:
fill it. Not fillet. Fill. It.
And in my opinion (until I change it), life is best filled by learning as much as you can about as much as you can, taking pride in whatever you’re doing, having compassion, sharing ideas, running, being enthusiastic.
And then there’s love, and travel, and wine, and sex, and art, and kids, and giving, and mountain climbing … but you know all that stuff already.
It’s an incredibly exciting thing, this one, meaningless life of yours.
Good luck!"
-Tim Minchin

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Fools and wise men

...
Girl: "Ahh.. what sweet fools 
love makes us both..
Poets and philosophers 
and as full of life as never before.."
...
Boy: "I would be a fool in your court
 before I was the wisest man in all the lands -
better a fool in love
 than a wise man in his wisdom.."
How wise
are they 
who
are 
but fools
 in love
...

Friday, October 10, 2014

6 months

"I hope to enjoy however many days I left on this beautiful earth and spend as much of it outside as I can, surrounded by those I love...
the reason to consider life and what's its value is to make sure you are not missing out. 
Seize the day! What's important to you? What do you care about? What matters? Pursue that.. Forget the rest.."

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Secret journeys


All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware..

Monday, October 6, 2014

Keep warm

"I was so young. 
I don't even remember how old I was the first time I called someone gay. But I had to have been in elementary school. One day, my dad was picking me up and right before we pulled out of the parking lot, a girl waved at us with a smile like a vine. Even though she was the orchard that everyone picked on, she was still sweet and loved to be alive.
When my dad asked me why I didn't wave back, I told him it was because she was gay. He looked at me with one of those religious stares, and every bit of Buddhism in his brow raised the question, "What does that even mean?"
We all crack under peer pressure, but once you see that their earthquakes are coming from your faults, you realize how deep trembles are felt beneath the surface where things are left and forgotten. See, this was before poetry became my world. I noticed that words have gravity. I've seen them crush people from a first-person perspective. I felt a phrase fall out of my mouth like an atom bomb without the knowing the effects will radiate for years.
I've loved a language that hates people, cracking jokes trying to shadow their mirrors just because I wasn't confident in my own reflection. I hated myself for the shape of my eyes so I became a bully. Because we all want to feel like American sometimes, and we all want straight spines. We all want straight spines to stand for something we believe in, but it's funny how flags and people have the same knack for politely waving at the ones they have forgotten. See, as early as elementary school, my parents planted a seed, and the lotus of Buddhism began to blossom in my brain. We had a pond in the backyard, and the flat water taught me of equality, that life is the one thing we all share.
I was also taught how to pray. I've been memorizing mantras, enchanting sukhas out loud before the pledge of allegiance ever molested my lips. I was taught of cause and effect, how good is the ultimate truth that everything relies on, how the thought will turn to word as quickly as fuel becomes fire whether it's for burning down a house or for keeping a lover warm. The spark of an idea will always match the fuming language we decide to pull out of our mouth.
But I forgot that the voice does the work of the Buddha, so why would I ever call someone gay before calling them beautiful? Why would I not praise the person that drinks the same water as me? Why would I lift my voice just to put someone else down? You see, us humans, we have a habit of overpowering and taking what doesn't belong to us. But I pray that we are making our way towards the moment when our tongues are the only thing left for us to conquer. And if there's one thing that I've learned being a poet is that it's not about what you have to say in your poem. 
It's about what you have to say when your poem is done."

G Yamazawa.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The roofless sky alone, curls of weightless sound and light

"All the world was gone in curls of weightless sound and light. The air was thick with the soundless falling of the leaves, so much so that the soft brilliant shade of green tinted all around, broken suddenly everywhere by the flight of tiny birds. A million sparrows flushed heavenward. A million finches soared, the brilliant sun flitting on their tiny outstretched wings. 
"Forever, ongoing, always in every cell and every atom," I prayed.
"The Incarnation," I said. My words rang out again as if a roof covered us,
a roof that could echo my song, though our roof was now the roofless sky alone."
- Armand


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Stories with a beautiful heart

“I was the youngest in the family. I went to Israel first, and the rest of the family was supposed to join me. Nobody made it. We sent letters to each other for the first few years. The last letter I got from Poland came in 1941. It was from my mother. It asked me to send food. Then the letters stopped.
 I knew that the Germans had occupied Poland, and I heard rumors about the things that were happening. I never learned the specifics of what happened to my family. I never wanted to.”

"I met him in a youth movement when I was 15. In the old days things moved very slow. 
We took a long time to fall in love mentally. Then one night we decided to go see a movie, and there was a blackout in the theater. And because nobody could see... we held hands. Oh man, that was a very big deal back then! Then a few weeks later, he brought me an orange. Oranges were very rare! There were no oranges anywhere. That's when he got his kiss."


 "There have been very good parts and very bad parts, but in the end, I love life. 
Every night before I sleep, I ask God for three more years, so that I can make it an even one hundred. Then I recite a blessing that my mother gave me when I left her in Poland. It was the last time I saw her. The blessing is much more powerful in Hebrew, but it says: 

Wherever you go, may people always recognize that you have a beautiful heart."


-Humans of New York

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Meaning

Don't search for the meaning of life - there is none.

The question is - what is the meaning of your life?
What is it that you really want to do with your life?


If you find the answer
you have found the meaning.

Monday, September 29, 2014

How do you spend your time

Eulogy:

 [yoo-luh-jee] nounplural eulogies:

"..a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, 
especially a setoration in honor of a deceased person."

From Late Latin eulogia, from Greek: praise, from eu- -logy ;
influenced by Latin ēlogium - short saying, inscription;
also called (archaic) eulogium (juːˈləʊdʒɪəm).

**
"Have you noticed that when people die,
 their eulogies celebrate life very differently
 from the way we define success in our everyday existence?

No matter how much a person spends his or her life burning the candle at both ends, chasing a toxic definition of success and generally missing out on life, the eulogy is always about the other stuff: what they gave, how they connected, how much they meant to the lives of the real people around them, small kindnesses, lifelong passions and what made them laugh. 
So the question is: 
Why do we spend so much time on what our eulogy is not going to be?"

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Try impossible

Achieving all kinds of things 
which you first considered impossible
begin from the first try 
and the iron motivation
to never give up.
It always seems impossible
until it's done!

The difference between the possible
 and impossible 
lies in a person's determination.

What impossible thing have you tried today?

Friday, September 26, 2014

Balance

There is peace in balance.
Create room for it.

Absence

“Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; 
they come from a sense of poverty. We can’t simply relax with ourselves. 
We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.
 We feel that someone else knows what is going on, 
but that there is something missing in us, 
and therefore something is lacking in our world.” 

- Pema Chödrön



Monday, September 22, 2014

The word

 "I need a new word for „love“. This one doesn’t begin to cover all that I want to say.
 It feels raw and overused. It rings back slightly hollow. And I want to say something so tender it almost breaks your heart, and something so strong that would make you physically shake, and something so timeless that you would learn to know everyhting that ever existed and then forget all about it again with a blink of an eye... I need something that would squeeze you like hugs and make you feel safe, and burn you like desperate kisses of a last goodbye... something that would drift you away, somewhere where you would find me, always..until the end of time, we’d have a place for us.

...but, for now, we have the word for it. Love. The secret code of all lovers who have vowed the word to each other countless times, since the beginning of all beginnings. The word which has promised so much, to so many. The word which embodies all hopes and dreams. The word. The word which wouldn’t have any meaning, if there wasn’t anybody who could fill those four letters with all the happiness of the universe.



 We do share the code. But it’s not in the word. 
It’s in what we see when we are together, and in what we feel when the whole world around us
 has disappeared."


On stargazing

"Stargazing is one of the most profoundly human things one can do, 
but perhaps, we must more frequently tear ourselves away 
of the mistery and the beauty of the starry heavens above 
and rather inspect, admire and foster what's within"
*
...just a thought.
                                                                                                        -Jack Gleeson

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Phantom limbs of superpower

"In the area of design we still don't understand how to attach devices to the body mechanically. It's extrordinary that in this day and age one of the oldest, mature technologies in human timeline - the shoe - still gives us blisters! How can this be? We have no idea how to attach things to our bodies!

Imagine if our clothes and shoes were not designed and manufactured using artists and strategy, but rather data driven quantitative framefronts - in that future our shoes would no longer give us blisters. If we designed our clothing to be stiff and soft whereever needed, whenever needed, our clothing would be not only aesthetic covering but would support our abilitites and disabilities. We're beginning an age in which machines attached to our bodies will make us stronger and faster and more efficient. Imagine if what you wore could mirror YOUR body tissue perfectly - you would never feel dicomfort again. And that would be only the beginning."