"He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I am surrounded by people who aspire to excellence. They push themselves, dream big and take risks. They questions assumptions, test their limitations and welcome correction. They learn to use pressure to …
Category: Observations on Life
Just say no to negativity!
I came across a scientific explanation why humanity progresses in fits and starts rather than on the basis of eternal progress. Apparently our brains are hard-wired with what is called "negativity bias," a trait that proved favorable as the process of natural selection worked its magic on our species. Negativity bias is the tendency to …
The “Inner Go”
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman used an interesting quote yesterday from Lewis Mumford's book "The Condition of Man," about the development of civilization. Reflecting on the American nation in 1944, Mumford drew a chilling parallel to the decline of the mighty Roman Empire: Everyone aimed at security: no one accepted responsibility. What was plainly …
You are a Creative Power
Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions. But when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself. ~ …
Talkin’ ’bout a revolution, wherever you go…
Just as the printing press transformed religion and the Western world in the mid-1400s, the internet is catalyzing massive changes in virtually every sphere of human activity. Medicine, science, politics, education, the arts and many other major cultural institutions are adjusting so quickly to the internet's democratizing influence that the heads of the old guard …
Continue reading Talkin’ ’bout a revolution, wherever you go…
A Mind Free of Unnecessary Things
Wumen Huikai was a 12th century Chan master who wrote many beautiful lines of verse. One of my favorites, called 10,000, delivers a poignant message: Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season …
Deep Feeling, Shallow Knowledge
If you feel deeply about something doesn't it make sense that you would seek to know as much as you could about the object of your affection? I read an article yesterday that blew me away. The article, "Basic Religion Test Stumps Many Americans," looks at the fact that Americans are deeply religious people who …
Whose line is it anyway?
Here's some food for thought for you today. While moving through the "Fast Checkout - 10 items or less" line to pay for my two items I looked over at the other queues of shoppers, mostly exhausted-looking mothers, who had shopping carts filled to overflowing with food. I thought to myself that it must have …
The Finer things in Life
On Fields O'er which the Reaper's Hand has Passed by Henry David Thoreau On fields o'er which the reaper's hand has pass'd Lit by the harvest moon and autumn sun, My thoughts like stubble floating in the wind And of such fineness as October airs, There after harvest could I glean my life A richer …
World of Jenks
Well the cold/flu that was slowly making its way through my family finally overcame my defenses Friday night, giving me the opportunity to get some rest this weekend. It seems that there are two types of people, those who go down with every little ailment and others who require nothing short of World War III …
Gregory Hake 