Daily Mood Quotes - November 8, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 188 – November 8, 2011

The thought manifests the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops in the habit; Habit hardens into the character; Character gives birth to the destiny; So, watch your thoughts with care, And let it spring from love; Born out of respect for all beings...

~Maha Ghosananda

Yesterday, I was on a tirade because of the laziness I saw in others. Its effect on me was very negative, because I allowed the negativity that others put out to cause me to act and react just a poorly as those, who were in my opinion, lazy. Shame on me for giving it that kind of energy.

Last night my husband found an article on the internet titled Buddhist Intention: Being Kind in Unkind Times by Mediation Teacher Larry Yang from the HuffPost Religion section (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-yang/intention-being-kind-in-unkind-times_b_1077740.html). My husband asked me to read it and when I was finished, I felt ashamed because I had allowed the difficulties of my life, and those highlighted by the news media, which provides a constant stream of negative information (painful experiences, disasters, poverty – 49.1 million people, just to name a few) from the television and radio, to have an effect on me without realizing it. I also allowed my husband's and my difficulty in finding a job, to color my perception of what I am seeing in the current workforce. Having the holidays right around the corner only added to the stress and further colored my perception of the world.

In the article Mr. Yang quotes Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank; two people who saw the world for what it could be while enduring what it was in their time. Robert F. Kennedy said, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why...I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” It seems as if I had gotten caught up in the “whys” and completely forgot about the “why nots?” Mr. Yang's article reminded me of why I started this blog in the first place. I am not by nature an unkind person and yet I got caught up in all the negativity that surrounds us, courtesy of the economy and the 24/7 news cycle and was swept away by it, at least temporarily. Now I must stop to mention, going through menopause really doesn't help. I feel like I'm in hormone hell, but I know this is a hell that will pass. Unlike the one I was headed for, if I would have continued down the path of negativity. Like Yoda (yes I like that little green sage) said to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back, "But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny," Well it's time to pull out of that negative spin and spin life in a positive direction. 

Rodney Atkins says it best when he sings, “If you’re going through Hell; Keep on going, don't slow down, if you're scared, don't show it; You might get out, Before the devil even knows you're there” but if you engage in the meanness of hell, then you might just get stuck there. My husband says, “The true test of integrity is being kind to people whose opinions, attitudes and actions could make your blood boil, even if your heart is in the right place. Its not as easy as it may sound." Robert Kennedy also said, “Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies." It's a deliberate choice to change an attitude; one only you can make.

Just something to think about. “Kindness in Unkind Times” Thank you Mr. Yang.

How will you be kind today?

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Thank you for reading.

Daily Mood Quote - June 10, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day 37 – June 10, 2011

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

I really don't know why this quote struck such a cord in me today. This is the most negative quote I have ever read by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Still it's true. I understand in the context of his time in history, this position was not only warranted, it was altogether required to get his point across.

I know there are a lot of people who hark back to “better days” and young people especially, who have simply no idea of the magnitude of the ignorance that generated the social and civil strife of the 1960's and 1970's. It's not that the people weren’t well meaning back then, it just that they did not understand the weight of their actions, to quote Abraham Lincoln, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” We hear in the news and media, random allusions and tweets during trade disputes, about discrimination, “slavery” and other such accusations. Unfortunately, the people who are espousing these points of view, are clearly misguided and ignorant of how far we have come as a nation and how open and balanced our society has become. The majority of these people have college educations, so ignorance isn't the issue, it's conscientious stupidity that is their lot. How selfish it is to reignite social discord over more money for themselves. They look at what is and say, “it is bad” and not at what has grown and see the good. Robert Kennedy said, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not."

Some, also in ignorance, long for “the better days of the past.” Those “better days” really weren't, and we tend to forget that. Maybe we should ask the question, “Are we exactly where we should be?” Chances are the answer is yes, but where we go from here is up to us. Because the future is an unknown, it is easy to fear it and long for “better days,” or to blame someone else for our lot in life no matter how severe or plush. In actuality it is up to us to reach for the “why nots” and overcome the fear and conscientious stupidity that are the hand tools of ignorance and the enemy of progress.

No movie quote today.

What “why nots” for a better tomorrow will you embrace today?

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Thank you for reading