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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT |
My friend Steve Weems, from Brunswick, Maine, often sends a meaningful quote or bit of wisdom to a small group of appreciative folks. I am amongst them and will periodically share my favorites on this webpage. |
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Seriously
Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him:
“Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm apologizes, and withdraws.
The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology.
When the scene is repeated a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so g—damn seriously.’” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?” “There aren’t any.”
-- Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, from The Art of Possibility, Transforming Professional and Personal Life
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Character and Courage
The ultimate measure of a person is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort, but where the person stands at times of challenge and controversy.
-- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
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Native American View of Spring
I have come to terms with the future.
From this day onward I will walk
easy on the earth. Plant trees. Kill no
living things. Live in harmony with
all creatures. I will restore the earth
where I am. Use no more if its
resources than I need. And listen,
listen to what it is telling me.
-- M. J. Slim Hooey
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"Pure" Miracle
The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
-- Thich Nhat Hanh, expatriate Vietnamese
monk, teacher, author and peace activist, from Touching Peace
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Character is developed when competence is exercised for the benefit of others.
-- from the Ithaca College mission statement
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Strolling along the edge of the sea, a man
catches sight of a young woman who appears
to be engaged in a ritual dance. She stoops
down, then straightens to her full height,
casting her arm out in an arc. Drawing closer,
he sees that the beach around her is littered
with starfish, and she is throwing them one
by one into the sea. He lightly mocks her:
"There are stranded starfish as far as the eye
can see, for miles up the beach. What
difference can saving a few of them possibly
make?" Smiling, she bends down and once
more tosses a starfish out over the water,
saying serenely, "It certainly makes a
difference to this one."
-- taken from The Art of Possibility,
Transforming Professional and
Personal Life, by Rosamund Stone
Zander and Benjamin Zander
If you want to consider this from a Zen
perspective, it could be that nothing makes
a difference, and everything makes a difference.
Steve Weems
POLARIS INSTITUTE
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INTERPRETING WHAT WE SEE
A shoe factory sends two marketing scouts to a region
of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business.One sends back a telegram saying,
SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES
The other writes back triumphantly,
GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES
To the marketing expert who sees no shoes, all the evidence points to hopelessness. To his colleague, the
same conditions point to abundance and possibility.
Steve Weems
POLARIS INSTITUTE
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You will find as you look back upon your life
that the moments when you have really lived
are the moments when you have done things
in the spirit of love.
-- Henry Drummond
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