It has been a long and crazy summer. Renovations ongoing at our house, almost non stop travel and training, including a 25th anniversary vacation trip for Denise and I to Boston, a garden that has underpeformed due to weather, and even more.
I have not written anything for a while. Not that I have not wanted to but my procrastination and schedule has kept me from just sitting down and doing this. I generally do my best writing when something is bothering me or heavy on my mind. My whirlwind summer has not allowed for anything to stay long enough in my grey matter to give me impetus to blog. I have kept up on Twitter and Facebook, since these are short snippit writings.
Now I have some time at home and some sad events have given me motivation to write. I recently found out that an former school classmate passed away from cancer. This was the latest in a recent series of deaths of people I either knew or were close to people I knew. These include the horribly tragic death of fellow teacher Joe McCauley at the hands of his son. Such a tragedy. A friend's mother, my boss's neighbor who was killed by a car in Florida while crossing the street, and several others I found out about.
Those who know me would tell you I am not an emotional person. In fact my daughter tagged me in Facebook picture as "serious". How true! I am not emotional as others are. My emotions tend towards deep thinking and heavy contemplation. I did weep heavily at the loss of my own mother, but it took nearly two years to bubble to the surface. I have not cried or torn my hair or any other displays of emotion over the recent losses. But I have thought deeply about them.
When I go through my own form of grieving it brings to mind a number of deep philosophical questions and challenges. Right now my own mind and heart is wrestling with "What does the future hold for me?" This is where the title of this entry comes from.
CARPE DIEM-Latin for "Seize the day". It comes from a poem by the Latin poet Horace. He tried to express the philosophy of the Greek philosopher Epicurus--"Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow we Die".
Our lives are finite. Death is the great equalizer. We only have so long on this earth. We better make the best of it. Carpe Diem-Seize the Day. Drain every ounce of life out of today because you do not know when it will be over. You know, Dead Poet's Society and all that!
Ironic that we recently attended a church where the series was "One Month To Live". What would you do if you only had one month to live? Think about it. Would you Carpe Diem? Would you live life to the fullest?
I cannot say I have been great at it, but I have certainly turned my efforts around to live life to the fullest. I try my best to focus on my family and my God and my friends. I try not to focus on my stuff or my tangibles, rather on my intangibles. I hope that all of us do this more and more as we get older.
Did not mean for this to be a downer. These things have been on my mind and the events of the summer have made them more prevalent. So make time for those you love and even for those you hate. Your life will be more complete as a result.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
"Don't appreciate the things I do, appreciate me for the person I am"
This quote from our friend Darcie struck a real chord with me this week. You may have recognized that we have been struggling with our place in the Church that we helped to launch just over two years ago. So, I made the decision earlier in the week that it is time that our family leaves Lifepointe Church. No need to worry about us, we will go on to seek other pastures (not necessarily 'greener').
The issues that caused me to make this decision have been building for a while. You might say that Lifepointe Church is in its terrible twos and experiencing growing pains. It finally came to a head for me on Sunday at a "leadership" meeting. Many of the people who have volunteered and given more time and money and energy to see Lifepointe succeed felt that they were equal partners in the effort. It was made clear to us that is not the case. I was angered by the implication that I existed at Lifepointe only to serve the Pastor. (Apparently the three people who made this implication thought I went "postal" over this point. Angry yes, postal no!)
As my wife and I spoke with others about the decision to leave (some of whom had already left out of frustration and disappointment), Darcie spoke about how she experienced something similar before. A Pastor at another Church had approached her and stated that he appreciated what she did for the Church. Darcie told the Pastor that she "did not want him to appreciate the things she did, she wanted him to appreciate her...". Thus the title of this entry. Too often as volunteers and followers we are seen as "employees" and not "partners" or "community members". This was particularly evident this week for me.
I think that this has been a common thread throughout our time at Lifepointe. Many, including me, felt that going to Church on Sunday was a 'job'. I really have not gotten anything new or challenging or enlightening out of the sermons in two years. I accepted Christ because I had a "God shaped hole in my life" (as Pastor Roger Pryor of Heartland Community Church puts it). I needed and still need the bigger picture understanding of my existence. Will Christianity provide all of that for me? No, but it will for many. I am a much more complicated and deep person that needs to meld his solutions for life from many sources.
I think there is often a vast disconnect and misunderstanding between people as to what each of us needs or wants out of life. The easy path is to assume (and you know what happens when you do that--ass-u-me) that we all want or need the same things. I think marketers and businesses make this mistake all the time. They assume we are some mass of consumers who will eat up whatever they shove down our throats simply because they provided it to us. They are guilty of another piece of wisdom--"Tell me want you want and I will tell you what you need". This is what I felt like at Lifepointe Church. That I was being force fed concepts and ideas that were making me (and others) gag and choke.
The reality for me is that I do not like to be force fed. I am an intelligent person who thinks deeply and critically about things before accepting them. It is why it took me so long to go back to church in the first place. I began to see Church as a place to start getting answers to questions I had about how to make things better or my family. As I attended I also got answers to questions I had about how to put my own soul and personality at peace.
But the answers did not all come from the Bible or the sermons. As much or more came from the people I encountered (especially in the Men's group and the Couple's group to which we belonged). These were people who "appreciated me for the person I am", not just for the fact that I volunteered and served in the Church. Or because I had memorized chapter and verse from scripture. We met and made friends with lots of people at Lifepointe that also filled that role. They appreciated me for the person I am and as a friend. But in the end as a person who served and volunteered I did not I feel that same level of appreciation and commraderie.
I think we all need to look beyond what each of us can do, what we can contribute, what we can give or donate. We need to look at each other as "people" who have wants and needs and desires and dreams that we want to fulfill. And each of those things are going to be unique to each of us no matter how much someone thinks that one way of doing things will fulfill all needs and desires.
I wish those who are staying at Lifepointe the best of luck in their endeavor. I will go on as I always have and the time spent at Lifepointe will be a part of my being and character. However, for now my soul is wrent and hurting and only time will heal this wound.
The issues that caused me to make this decision have been building for a while. You might say that Lifepointe Church is in its terrible twos and experiencing growing pains. It finally came to a head for me on Sunday at a "leadership" meeting. Many of the people who have volunteered and given more time and money and energy to see Lifepointe succeed felt that they were equal partners in the effort. It was made clear to us that is not the case. I was angered by the implication that I existed at Lifepointe only to serve the Pastor. (Apparently the three people who made this implication thought I went "postal" over this point. Angry yes, postal no!)
As my wife and I spoke with others about the decision to leave (some of whom had already left out of frustration and disappointment), Darcie spoke about how she experienced something similar before. A Pastor at another Church had approached her and stated that he appreciated what she did for the Church. Darcie told the Pastor that she "did not want him to appreciate the things she did, she wanted him to appreciate her...". Thus the title of this entry. Too often as volunteers and followers we are seen as "employees" and not "partners" or "community members". This was particularly evident this week for me.
I think that this has been a common thread throughout our time at Lifepointe. Many, including me, felt that going to Church on Sunday was a 'job'. I really have not gotten anything new or challenging or enlightening out of the sermons in two years. I accepted Christ because I had a "God shaped hole in my life" (as Pastor Roger Pryor of Heartland Community Church puts it). I needed and still need the bigger picture understanding of my existence. Will Christianity provide all of that for me? No, but it will for many. I am a much more complicated and deep person that needs to meld his solutions for life from many sources.
I think there is often a vast disconnect and misunderstanding between people as to what each of us needs or wants out of life. The easy path is to assume (and you know what happens when you do that--ass-u-me) that we all want or need the same things. I think marketers and businesses make this mistake all the time. They assume we are some mass of consumers who will eat up whatever they shove down our throats simply because they provided it to us. They are guilty of another piece of wisdom--"Tell me want you want and I will tell you what you need". This is what I felt like at Lifepointe Church. That I was being force fed concepts and ideas that were making me (and others) gag and choke.
The reality for me is that I do not like to be force fed. I am an intelligent person who thinks deeply and critically about things before accepting them. It is why it took me so long to go back to church in the first place. I began to see Church as a place to start getting answers to questions I had about how to make things better or my family. As I attended I also got answers to questions I had about how to put my own soul and personality at peace.
But the answers did not all come from the Bible or the sermons. As much or more came from the people I encountered (especially in the Men's group and the Couple's group to which we belonged). These were people who "appreciated me for the person I am", not just for the fact that I volunteered and served in the Church. Or because I had memorized chapter and verse from scripture. We met and made friends with lots of people at Lifepointe that also filled that role. They appreciated me for the person I am and as a friend. But in the end as a person who served and volunteered I did not I feel that same level of appreciation and commraderie.
I think we all need to look beyond what each of us can do, what we can contribute, what we can give or donate. We need to look at each other as "people" who have wants and needs and desires and dreams that we want to fulfill. And each of those things are going to be unique to each of us no matter how much someone thinks that one way of doing things will fulfill all needs and desires.
I wish those who are staying at Lifepointe the best of luck in their endeavor. I will go on as I always have and the time spent at Lifepointe will be a part of my being and character. However, for now my soul is wrent and hurting and only time will heal this wound.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
“Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.”
This is a good quote. And it got me thinking about the role of leadership versus the role of management. I had a bit of an epiphany when I equated in my mind these things:
- Leadership=accountability=ownership=the throat to choke
- Management=responsibility=doing=get 'er done
I like to tell people that they call them "managers" because they just manage to get by...Leaders should the first out of the trench and the last on back into to the next trench. They MUST lead by example. Their followers have elevated them to the status of leaders exactly because they seek an example to follow. You cannot appoint someone to be a leader:
"The person at the head of the room is not always the leader; it is the
person that everyone turns to when they begin to speak..."--Charles Schwab
If I am going to follow someone I want them to be a leader. I am smart enough and experienced enough and can think on my feet enough to manage myself. But sometimes I just want an example (a mentor) to follow. Someone who can take me to new heights and new challenges. I know the skills to climb the mountain. But I do not always know the best route to follow. That is where a leader comes in.
Managers can take you to the top of the mountain; leaders will get you safely back down the other side...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Love your neighbor as you love yourself
Recently I have been reading a book called "Disciple" by Juan Carlos Ortiz (thanks to my friend Matt Stambaugh for the loan). I have not finished it but felt compelled to at least throw some thoughts out on the blog since I have not written in a while.
One of the main points is about the Biblical statement: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself". This particularly hit me since Dee and I are struggling with our current spiritual situation. This quote seems innocuous enough. Love other people as you love yourself. But what does that really mean? As I read the book more light bulbs lit and epiphanies happened. Some of what Ortiz talks about in the book is that the core of Christianity (and all religions for that matter) is "love". When we treat each other with respect and put others before ourselves than we can achieve happiness.
For some that might mean eternal life in heaven, for others Nirvana and oneness with the universe, for others inner peace and joy, for others the conquering of inner and outer demons, trials and tribulations. For me, having studied and taught many philosophies and religions these points all come from the same place. It's not about us. It's about something bigger than us. Call that God, Allah, Brahman, Grand Unified Theory or any of the other million names of the power of the universe; it does not really matter in the end. What matters is that we stop looking at ourselves and start seeing the world around us. It is a beautiful place even with the ugliness, evil, darkness, etc. I explain to my students that you cannot have good without the presence of evil, beauty without ugliness, light without darkness. The opposite of good is not 'evil', it is 'not good'. The opposite of 'light' is not 'dark' it is 'not light'. Light and dark are 'complementary' not opposite. They are two parts of a greater whole ("love" or "balance").
The Chinese have explained these things through the concept of Yin and Yang. These two form a dichotomy; two halves of a greater whole. They serve as balance to each other. Sometimes Yin (female, cold, dark) is greater than Yang ( male, hot, light). Sometimes the other way. But one cannot exist without the other and they form a continuous example of balance. So while reading the Ortiz book I made the connection again that 'love' as described in the Bible, 'submission' in Islam, the Middle Path in Buddhism, Yin-Yang in Taoism all represent a goal we should all seek--balance.
Unfortunately I do not always see people seeking to exhibit 'love' or 'balance'. Too often I see people in the extremes. Too hot; too cold; too light; too dark; too me; too you...Not enough "us" as a whole. This is where I am at in my spiritual and philosophical journey. I am being pulled back to the center point of balance. I see people around me wanting to make things about them and not about the greater balance of the universe and life.
I told my wife last night as the celebration of our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary came to a close that of all people I see her as one of the greatest examples of balance I know. For my companion of all these years it is not about her...it is about everyone else. She is a true servant.
That is another point in the "Disciple" book. If we are to achieve "love" or "balance" as I always think of it, we must stop living in the extreme of our own desires and wants and give freely to others so that we can maintain the proper balance of the universe.
One fact about the great philosophers and spiritual leaders of history is that they were all "Servants" to a greater whole. Can we truly emulate them and be "servants" as well?
One of the main points is about the Biblical statement: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself". This particularly hit me since Dee and I are struggling with our current spiritual situation. This quote seems innocuous enough. Love other people as you love yourself. But what does that really mean? As I read the book more light bulbs lit and epiphanies happened. Some of what Ortiz talks about in the book is that the core of Christianity (and all religions for that matter) is "love". When we treat each other with respect and put others before ourselves than we can achieve happiness.
For some that might mean eternal life in heaven, for others Nirvana and oneness with the universe, for others inner peace and joy, for others the conquering of inner and outer demons, trials and tribulations. For me, having studied and taught many philosophies and religions these points all come from the same place. It's not about us. It's about something bigger than us. Call that God, Allah, Brahman, Grand Unified Theory or any of the other million names of the power of the universe; it does not really matter in the end. What matters is that we stop looking at ourselves and start seeing the world around us. It is a beautiful place even with the ugliness, evil, darkness, etc. I explain to my students that you cannot have good without the presence of evil, beauty without ugliness, light without darkness. The opposite of good is not 'evil', it is 'not good'. The opposite of 'light' is not 'dark' it is 'not light'. Light and dark are 'complementary' not opposite. They are two parts of a greater whole ("love" or "balance").
The Chinese have explained these things through the concept of Yin and Yang. These two form a dichotomy; two halves of a greater whole. They serve as balance to each other. Sometimes Yin (female, cold, dark) is greater than Yang ( male, hot, light). Sometimes the other way. But one cannot exist without the other and they form a continuous example of balance. So while reading the Ortiz book I made the connection again that 'love' as described in the Bible, 'submission' in Islam, the Middle Path in Buddhism, Yin-Yang in Taoism all represent a goal we should all seek--balance.
Unfortunately I do not always see people seeking to exhibit 'love' or 'balance'. Too often I see people in the extremes. Too hot; too cold; too light; too dark; too me; too you...Not enough "us" as a whole. This is where I am at in my spiritual and philosophical journey. I am being pulled back to the center point of balance. I see people around me wanting to make things about them and not about the greater balance of the universe and life.
I told my wife last night as the celebration of our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary came to a close that of all people I see her as one of the greatest examples of balance I know. For my companion of all these years it is not about her...it is about everyone else. She is a true servant.
That is another point in the "Disciple" book. If we are to achieve "love" or "balance" as I always think of it, we must stop living in the extreme of our own desires and wants and give freely to others so that we can maintain the proper balance of the universe.
One fact about the great philosophers and spiritual leaders of history is that they were all "Servants" to a greater whole. Can we truly emulate them and be "servants" as well?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Chief Services Officer SM (CSO)
I have been using this term for quite a long time (at least 5 years or more). I thought I should probably put it down in writing officially so that I have some claim to it in the future. I have found 1 company on the internet that uses this term but not sure of others. Just in case...also I am not sure if you can Trademark, Service Mark or Copyright a job title, but what the heck..
I came up with this term in relationship to the work I do. Many organizations have CIOs, CFOs, COOs, CEOs, etc. But I have never seen someone called a Chief Service Officer. Yet in this day and age when many companies are shifting to being service providers, wouldn't it make sense to have someone in charge of providing, managing and guiding those services? I thought so! So here it for all posterity!
I came up with this term in relationship to the work I do. Many organizations have CIOs, CFOs, COOs, CEOs, etc. But I have never seen someone called a Chief Service Officer. Yet in this day and age when many companies are shifting to being service providers, wouldn't it make sense to have someone in charge of providing, managing and guiding those services? I thought so! So here it for all posterity!
Friday, March 6, 2009
If you don't run your own life, somebody else will.
I found this quote from a man named John Atkinson in my RSS feeds. I thought it was appropriate given the current state of the renovations going on with our home. Some of you who may read this know we are getting extensive renovations done on our home. At least that is the plan. So far very little overall work has actually gotten completed. Excuses and unfilled promises by our contractor have left us stressed and wondering if the work will get done by the deadline (May 10). After meeting with the FHA inspector yesterday, I decided I had enough of being run and controlled by the contractor. I was letting the contractor convince me that the work would get done. He has been running my life. Well it is time to take my life back.
I don't generally like to play hardball with people. I like when people affirm me as a person, and I like to affirm them back. But sometimes you have got to put a stake in the ground and take control. The title of this entry says it all. You have got to take control (even if that is tough and results in being a bit mean to other people). In our current situation the stress is getting too much.
One thing I do not understand is how people feel they can get away with such a terrible work ethic. My kids know I do not "promise" things. In the last 25 years I have said that to my children and wife and everyone else less than a dozen times. When I make a promise it means I am 100% committed to fulfilling that promise. A contract to do work is a promise. You MUST come through. You cannot jack people around when you make such commitments. It is not just a legal thing, it is an ethical and moral thing. It is just not the right way to act or behave. Because I am not perfect, I do not feel I can make such commitments lightly. Things happen; life gets in the way. We all know that. But a contract or a promise is an agreement to put life aside while you fulfill your promise.
I really do hope this all works out with our contractor. He is a young guy trying to build a business. Unfortunately for him, this is no way to go about achieving success. I cannot recommend him to others when he has failed to even come close to our expectations. Ans that is what it is all about. Setting expectations, meeting them and managing everything that goes on around meeting those expectations and obligations.
But if you let others run your life, you will never be able to have those expectations met. Nor will you be able to look others in the face with honesty and integrity and be the person they expect you to be.
I don't generally like to play hardball with people. I like when people affirm me as a person, and I like to affirm them back. But sometimes you have got to put a stake in the ground and take control. The title of this entry says it all. You have got to take control (even if that is tough and results in being a bit mean to other people). In our current situation the stress is getting too much.
One thing I do not understand is how people feel they can get away with such a terrible work ethic. My kids know I do not "promise" things. In the last 25 years I have said that to my children and wife and everyone else less than a dozen times. When I make a promise it means I am 100% committed to fulfilling that promise. A contract to do work is a promise. You MUST come through. You cannot jack people around when you make such commitments. It is not just a legal thing, it is an ethical and moral thing. It is just not the right way to act or behave. Because I am not perfect, I do not feel I can make such commitments lightly. Things happen; life gets in the way. We all know that. But a contract or a promise is an agreement to put life aside while you fulfill your promise.
I really do hope this all works out with our contractor. He is a young guy trying to build a business. Unfortunately for him, this is no way to go about achieving success. I cannot recommend him to others when he has failed to even come close to our expectations. Ans that is what it is all about. Setting expectations, meeting them and managing everything that goes on around meeting those expectations and obligations.
But if you let others run your life, you will never be able to have those expectations met. Nor will you be able to look others in the face with honesty and integrity and be the person they expect you to be.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Christ was not a Christian; Buddha was not a Buddhist and Confucius was not a Confucian
Recently we have been going through some team storming while helping to launch a young church. The church spun off from our home church and has been "under construction" for the last two years. As with any team, the period of forming is beyond us and we are well into the "storming" phase. This will eventually pass and we will move into "norming" and "performing". In the meantime though there has arisen issues around accountability, communications, commitment, inclusiveness and falling into the status quo approach to church.
The more I thought about these things, the more the statement "Christ was not a Christian, Buddha was not a Buddhist and Confucius was not a Confucian" becomes important. I heard this while watching an unnamed program about religion on our local PBS station (one of my favorite stations). The show had some very insighful comments from religious leaders (including the Dalai Lama, priests, ministers, Muslim clerics, and others). This one stuck with me so I wrote it down. I wondered how I might use it for good. With the events I mentioned above weighing on my mind, and adding pages on Evernote (www.evernote.com) I once again came across this wisdom from other people.
Why is this statement important? Well, I believe it helps keep things in perspective. Even in faith we must remember that it was not Jesus, Buddha or Confucius who founded the respective religions associated with their names. It was others. These individuals simply taught what they each believed were important and life-changing lessons. It was those that came afterward that took those lessons and elevated those individuals to higher positions within a hierarchy or organized faith or philosophy. It was later generations that either correctly interpreted the wisdom or royally screwed it up. Too often people in today's world want to associate the world's screw-ups and human foibles to these wise men and not accept accountability or responsibility for themselves.
When faced with issues of faith and trust, it is important to keep perspective. It is flawed humans who make choices and decisions. Choices are in our hands--even choosing not to choose is still choosing (maybe a future blog post on that one?). In our current situation with our church I have this underlying sense that some people want me to believe that choices are not in my hands. I guess that is not really my conception of how the Creator/God works. The movie "Evin Almighty" had a great line about this. Does God give us success or the opportunity to succeed? Does the Creator give us forgiveness or the opportunity to forgive? I truly believe the latter is true. Whether you call the grand force of the unoverse God, Creator, Allah, or whatever, I truly believe we must make the choice to do something with what has been presented to us. We must make the most of things in life. Issues will not fix themselves. Ignoring them won't make them go away.
The issues our team of church leaders is facing were created by us. We are accountable and responsible for recognizing that and taking steps to either live with the crap we have served ourselves or doing something different and getting better. (Here is where Einstein's definition of insanity comes in--doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results). I hope those involved in the issues with our church and anyone who happens to read this journal can work towards understanding that you must fix the issues you created in yourself before you can fix the issues in others.
The more I thought about these things, the more the statement "Christ was not a Christian, Buddha was not a Buddhist and Confucius was not a Confucian" becomes important. I heard this while watching an unnamed program about religion on our local PBS station (one of my favorite stations). The show had some very insighful comments from religious leaders (including the Dalai Lama, priests, ministers, Muslim clerics, and others). This one stuck with me so I wrote it down. I wondered how I might use it for good. With the events I mentioned above weighing on my mind, and adding pages on Evernote (www.evernote.com) I once again came across this wisdom from other people.
Why is this statement important? Well, I believe it helps keep things in perspective. Even in faith we must remember that it was not Jesus, Buddha or Confucius who founded the respective religions associated with their names. It was others. These individuals simply taught what they each believed were important and life-changing lessons. It was those that came afterward that took those lessons and elevated those individuals to higher positions within a hierarchy or organized faith or philosophy. It was later generations that either correctly interpreted the wisdom or royally screwed it up. Too often people in today's world want to associate the world's screw-ups and human foibles to these wise men and not accept accountability or responsibility for themselves.
When faced with issues of faith and trust, it is important to keep perspective. It is flawed humans who make choices and decisions. Choices are in our hands--even choosing not to choose is still choosing (maybe a future blog post on that one?). In our current situation with our church I have this underlying sense that some people want me to believe that choices are not in my hands. I guess that is not really my conception of how the Creator/God works. The movie "Evin Almighty" had a great line about this. Does God give us success or the opportunity to succeed? Does the Creator give us forgiveness or the opportunity to forgive? I truly believe the latter is true. Whether you call the grand force of the unoverse God, Creator, Allah, or whatever, I truly believe we must make the choice to do something with what has been presented to us. We must make the most of things in life. Issues will not fix themselves. Ignoring them won't make them go away.
The issues our team of church leaders is facing were created by us. We are accountable and responsible for recognizing that and taking steps to either live with the crap we have served ourselves or doing something different and getting better. (Here is where Einstein's definition of insanity comes in--doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results). I hope those involved in the issues with our church and anyone who happens to read this journal can work towards understanding that you must fix the issues you created in yourself before you can fix the issues in others.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
While watching the movie Ghost Town with my family, I saw this quote on a poster in the office of the main character. It is from Albert Einstein (one of my personal idols) and speaks to thoughts I have had of late. Given that we have just passed through the (Judeo-Christian) holiday season, it comes to mind the importance of living your life not for yourself, but for others.
With the world in a financial mess pretty much due to personal and corporate greed and unwavering belief that capitalism is the answer to everything, I have to stop and take a moment to shake my head. I do this, as my wife says, as a sign of contempt. We found out that rolling one's eyes is a sign of contempt, and the more a couple rolls their eyes at each other, the liklier they are to divorce. So Denise says I do not roll my eyes, rather shake my head in the same sort of gesture. In this case I am showing my contempt for those who got the world into the mess we are in by focusing on themselves, rather than others.
As is the focus of this blog, it is a case of not listening to the wisdom of people like Einstein. He in turn was simply restating the age old wisdom of spiritual leaders like Jesus and the Buddha. It might not be patently clear, but humans do not exist for themselves. We have survived and triumphed in the world because we have learned to put aside our own needs and focus on the needs of others before our own. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (the French Enlightenment philosopher) called this the social contract. Pretty simple--giving up your indivdual rights for the greater good. That is what it is all about.
As I told my wife, I hope no one ever tries to accuse us of not giving of our time, talent and/or treasure. We are in fact probably over generous. It may not be in the way, shape, form or time that people want, but it is in the spirit of what Einstein stated. To me that is the most important thing. That you live with a focus outward towards others, rather than inward towards oneself.
If you get a chance check out Ghost Town. It is a cute movie with a good message, and has some good laughs to boot.
With the world in a financial mess pretty much due to personal and corporate greed and unwavering belief that capitalism is the answer to everything, I have to stop and take a moment to shake my head. I do this, as my wife says, as a sign of contempt. We found out that rolling one's eyes is a sign of contempt, and the more a couple rolls their eyes at each other, the liklier they are to divorce. So Denise says I do not roll my eyes, rather shake my head in the same sort of gesture. In this case I am showing my contempt for those who got the world into the mess we are in by focusing on themselves, rather than others.
As is the focus of this blog, it is a case of not listening to the wisdom of people like Einstein. He in turn was simply restating the age old wisdom of spiritual leaders like Jesus and the Buddha. It might not be patently clear, but humans do not exist for themselves. We have survived and triumphed in the world because we have learned to put aside our own needs and focus on the needs of others before our own. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (the French Enlightenment philosopher) called this the social contract. Pretty simple--giving up your indivdual rights for the greater good. That is what it is all about.
As I told my wife, I hope no one ever tries to accuse us of not giving of our time, talent and/or treasure. We are in fact probably over generous. It may not be in the way, shape, form or time that people want, but it is in the spirit of what Einstein stated. To me that is the most important thing. That you live with a focus outward towards others, rather than inward towards oneself.
If you get a chance check out Ghost Town. It is a cute movie with a good message, and has some good laughs to boot.
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