Dignity is a product of internal choices. It is not conferred or situationally-dependent and no one one, no matter how cruel or heartless he or she may be, can strip you of your dignity. Dignity is the reward of righteousness. You can wear the crown of your soul no matter how much you are mocked, …
We live in a time marked by the rise of terror. Mistrust, resentment, greed and a race for power are manufacturing a dark, desperate universe in us and around us. In this new world, fear and anxiety permeate our discourse and shape our interactions. The world feels more dangerous, sounds more menacing, and looks as …
“The finest triumph of civilization, in every phase of human activity, is the tearing down of walls of separation, aloofness and antagonism between nations, classes and individuals. Commerce has done much, the telegraph, the telephone and wireless have had their part, increased travel and the spread of education have also been factors in sapping to …
In a world governed by men who are naked and ashamed, success is measured by material prosperity, physical prowess, and the size of one’s tribe. Rather than valuing that which distinguishes him in the natural world – his ability to perfect reason and embody virtue – his highest aim is to accumulate the trappings of …
I recently introduced two dear friends to the remarkable musical compositions of the writer, composer, Christian mystic and visionary, Hildegard von Bingen. Saint Hildegard, or Sybil of the Rhine as she is also known, was a Benedictine abbess who founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg and Eibingen in the 1100s. Among other things, Saint Hildegard left …
"The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. In this long vigil he often has to vary his methods of stimulation; but in this long vigil he is also himself striving against a continual tendency to sleep." ~ Marc Chagall There is a tremendously …
"There is a certain reserve in self-respect, a reverence for the fine dignity of the individual self, which keeps man from taking the whole world into his confidence. His real, deeper self he keeps for those who are nearest and dearest. There are men and women who, at the first meeting, as mere casual acquaintances, …
Yesterday I happened upon a simple piece of advice: "If you wouldn't write it and sign it, then don't say it." Today I would add a corollary: "If you won't sign it, then don't send it." Where has the world gone that I once knew, a world where people owned up to their thoughts and …
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson The harvest you reap is a thing of the past. You cannot do much about your harvests, apart from handling them with the fullness of dignity available to you. You do, however, have complete control …
"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." ~ Albert Einstein Character flaws don't just happen. They are formed over time like stalactites in a cave. They are rigid, yet ultimately fragile and they invariably complicate the passage from this moment to the next. Character flaws are not a necessity, only an unfortunate side-effect of careless …
Gregory Hake 