Melody Gardot's sultry voice has made her an international sensation. Her album, "My One and Only Thrill," recently went double platinum and topped the charts in France; an impressive feat for a young Philadelphian who not long ago suffered a life threatening accident while riding her bicycle. Gardot was hit by a Jeep and suffered terrible injuries. The …
Category: Observations on Life
Music is Medicine, Music is Sanity
In a previous post we considered the fact that certain types of music help to bring order to the conscious mind. Robert Gupta, violinist with the LA Philharmonica, shares a fascinating story about an encounter he had with this phenomenon. Nathanial Anthony Ayers, a Julliard-trained violinist, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He left school and became homeless, only to be discovered …
Civic Virtue and the Rise and Fall of Empires
Every great civilization of which we have record in history that came and went, failed from within. Edward Gibbon, in his seminal work The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, outlines this process in great detail: internal weakness precipitates external vulnerability and collapse inevitably follows.
A visit to the “still wood”
"An April Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow When the warm sun, that brings Seed-time and harvest, has returned again, 'T is sweet to visit the still wood, where springs The first flower of the plain. I love the season well, When forest glades are teeming with bright forms, Nor dark and many-folded clouds foretell The …
It’s about time…
A friend of mine sent me a short email yesterday about the origin of April Fools' Day. Apparently Pope Gregory XIII signed a papal bull on February 4, 1582 declaring a shift from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar, which is the calendar we use today, corrected an error in the previous Julian …
Wisdom: See the Miraculous in the Common!
"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." To use time wisely you need wisdom. Short on wisdom? Ralph Waldo Emerson offers a powerful starting point: "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common." Is there anything more common than common things in this world? Ample opportunity to see the miraculous!
The Mirabeau Bridge: Still I Stay
What is the source of your stability and sanity? What makes it so that you can "stay?" There is an old saying that might help here. It goes something like this: "In joy not overjoyed, in sorrow not dejected." As in all things, there is a sweet spot in the middle.
Invictus (Unconquered), I am the Captain of my Soul
Life is full of twists and turns. Of that there is no doubt. The question is whether or not you will meet the curves that will inevitably come...unbowed and unafraid. Mastery and captainship are within your grasp and they are the key to the revelation of your greatness.
George Washington, Humility and Strength by Gregg Hake
There is no harm in always leaving room for the possibility that your perspective may be limited, even if you have done your very best. Humility averts the pitfalls of hubris, prejudice and fanaticism. Humility is the harbinger of nobility and dignity. In true humility lies a fountain of inexhaustible strength and determination.
Parenthood, Character and You
"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands." - Anne Frank There is nothing like parenthood. It is an opportunity to distill your central values and beliefs in preparation for passing the baton. Parenthood forces the question: …
Gregory Hake 