Taking it All In.

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Rod's World

My friend Jo Jo Smith posted a comment on the Orlando massacre today: No More Guns . I have been listening to my body as to how it feels about what it would take for a person to take the lives of 50 fellow human beings. In my mind I can’t imagine how you could devalue life that much, but on a daily basis people do it.

Who or what teaches us our human values? When my father passed I learnt a harsh lesson in expecting someone to be there and then they were no longer. You can have memories but its not the same. So what do people say about human values, 15 quotes that delve deep into it today. Lets begin the journey:

1. Elvis sings in his song Always on My Mind about making people feel second best, do you want to leave those type of fingerprints Second best or not.

2. The fourth estate is another way of referring to the media. I think they have forgotten the above human value, at least in the country I reside in, Australia.

3. Your values cannot be challenged by it suddenly becoming the hard road to travel, they are what makes you who you are.

4. Brene Brown has a beautiful definition of Integrity : Courage over Comfort, What’s right over fun, fast and easy, practicing your values not just professing them. I think it adequately covers what the above quote is pointing at.

5. I think they should have a subject that is called values all through our schooling years. Our later years would be so much easier and we would make a lot less mistakes.

6. It’s like always telling the truth, if you live from your values you do not have to remember what you did, as you have nothing to fear having done wrong.

7. Perhaps the greatest exponent of Human Values, Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama realises just how important it is to spread the message of having a set of harmonious values.

8. University degrees, hit singles, Trumps Billions are no replacement for living by your word. Reliable, Accountable, Integrity, treat people with these.

9. I’m sure if we lived our life this way we would live an extraordinary one. They say people who are knocked down, who then pause and ask the hard questions rise the strongest.

10. The labels we place on ourselves by country, religion, race or colour enable us to not be a good person to others, try being a human being.

11. Seems there are a few nations doing this over remembering that we are all part of the human race. We need a little more Respect – Aretha.

12. I must admit I had to look up who Helen Walton was, Helen Robson Kemper Walton was the wife of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club founder Sam Walton. At one point in her life, she was the richest American and the eleventh-richest woman in the world. Love her quote.

13. If you do what you Love for job, you will never work another day in your life.

14. Sherry Turkle is an M.I.T. professor who questions how Technology is treating our values and connection. her TED talk Connected but Alone has been watch over 3 million times. Perhaps she has got onto something.

15. This is what was forgotten in Orlando. I beg of you to restore these values to where they must be held by all human beings , in our hearts and minds.

My friend Jo Jo has an anthem for these values, its called Standing In the Lovelight.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Rod's World

I just attended another of our intercultural events at the Darebin Intercultural Centre where many different cultures gather to learn about what makes each of theirs special. I have developed a Facebook page Interculturalism with the ethos that is the title of this blog. Join us in posting about things that express this.

How many different cultures do you have amongst your friends, I find the social groups that I hang around in are made up of the dominant Caucasian race that our country was settled with. A person from a different culture is a novelty , you may say.

How do you get to learn about the world if you cannot afford to travel, you have the opportunity at places like our centre and can reach out to other cultures and find out what events they hold to show off what makes them special.

I have chosen 15 quotes that cover the wide spectrum that is Interculturalism, lets begin our journey around the planet:

1. If you meet someone who does not know your native language, give them the universal sign of welcome, a smile, that will break the ice.

2. Our recently deposed Prime Minister ruled using jingoistic saying, one of the most demeaning was Team Australia, pointing out that if you did not belong to it you were on the outer in our country.

3. These are some of the ways you can say welcome, there are 6,909 distinct languages on the planet.

4. With all of our different customs and economies we cannot forget we are all inhabitants of Gaia, mother earth and must make sure that we treat her well. Some western economies seem to have forgotten this.

5. 1984, the book and movie , In a dystopian 1984, Winston Smith (John Hurt) endures a squalid existence in the totalitarian superstate of Oceania under the constant surveillance of the Thought Police. The story takes place in London, the capital city of the territory of Airstrip One (formerly “either England or Britain”).

Winston works in a small office cubicle at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history in accordance with the dictates of the Party and its supreme figurehead, Big Brother. A man haunted by painful memories and restless desires, Winston is an everyman who keeps a secret diary of his private thoughts, thus creating evidence of his thoughtcrime.

Pray that this never occurs and takes away the diversity that makes up our planet.

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6. Bob Marley declared a war on those who lived a racist life, treating people differently because of their colour. How did he do it with songs like this : One Love.

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7. James Andrew Beard was an American cookbook author, teacher, syndicated columnist and television personality. Beard was a champion of American cuisine who taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. One of the quickest ways to break down barriers is to share our love of food with other cultures.

8. I grew up a country boy from regional Victoria. They say you can move the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy.

9. How much of the six basic subjects we all had to learn at school do we use on a day to day basis in relating to the people in or lives. Not much in my case. It is all the workshops that I have attended after being asked to leave traditional education that have empowered my life.

10. My aim in Life, still a ways to go.

11. Be curious about others, this made me think of this song : Curiosity Killed the Cat.

12. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Dutch-American activist, author, and former politician of Somali origin. She is a leading opponent of female genital mutilation, and calls for a reformation of Islam. She is supportive of women’s rights and is an atheist. Her latest book was released in 2015 and is called: Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now.

Racism is a form of cowardice.

13. Have you been told you’re special today. Now you have.

14. No words needed here.

15 Catherine Pulsifer is an inspirational writer. She has faced many challenges in her life and found ways to cope by reading motivational and inspiring books.

In 1998 Catherine wrote her first book, Wings for Wisdom. Since then she has then written many more books and developed a website www.wow4u.com.

One of her primary goals in life is “to help others build a more rewarding and successful life by sharing her experiences and challenging peoples thinking!”

I teach two Sri Lankans, a Pakistani and a Chinese student English, I learn as much if not more from them. That is why I love Interculturalism.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Namaste2

Are you telling a great Story?

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Rod's World

My friend Emeli has chosen Stories as the theme of her next workshop, based on stories can carry us, or break us: Collective Potential. At different times in our lives we listen to different stories, some empowering , others that take us to the depths of despair. What is it that has us choose to stop listening to the empowering ones? I have a friend who never seems to do this , he says he does it by concentrating on living in the moment.

There are many varieties of quotes that relate to our stories, I think I have chosen wisely in the 15 I have selected today, let us begin our journey.

1. Delicious ambiguity, what a beautiful term. Add some zest to your life by not knowing what the next moment is going to be.

2. What were your favourite kids stories, I liked Charlie Brown. Sir Terence David John “Terry” Pratchett, OBE was an English author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his Discworld series of 41 novels. Pratchett’s first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971; after the first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, he wrote two books a year on average. His 2011 Discworld novel Snuff was at the time of its release the third-fastest-selling hardback adult-readership novel since records began in the UK, selling 55,000 copies in the first three days. His final Discworld novel, The Shepherd’s Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.

3. That voice in your head speak in words like I am and I always. The stories of our life link us, such as I have two sisters Ruth and Jann and an older brother Hugo. Christina Baldwin is founder of , Peerspirit.com living on our planet with Nature powerfully.

4. As young children we have imaginary friends, believe in Unicorns and the fae. Society seems to delight in suppressing these as we grow older. Terry Prachett speaks to those of us that survive this.

5. My writing teacher Catherine Deveny, The Dev says you should always be truthful in your words. then you don’t have to remember what you said or wrote, because it is the truth.

6. 7 billion of them, each unique. Make it as good a one as it can be.

7. This to me is a Sacred Story from a life of Sacred love.

8. Perfectionism is the booby prize, how do you enjoy the journey?

9. Memories are often written in a song – some Elvis : Memories.

10. Neil Gaiman gave one of the most inspirational commencement speeches ever about making some art, its long but worth the time : Make some Art.

11. Putting Yellow stickies on our fridges to express our feelings to our beloved, a noble past time.

12. Sacred Love – to be told or tell someone I Love You and realising that It never has to be said again but that it will for the rest of their lives.

13. Terry Prachett again. Who is going to write your story, moi or someone else?

14. ANNA QUINDLEN is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of eight novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, and Miller’s Valley. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, published in 2012, was a number one New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear. She loves London : Streets of London.

15. A reminder for number 15. Only you can remember how you see the world, so tell those stories proudly. You are a divine being.

Remember behind every favourite song, there is an untold story. Please tell your Sacred stories.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Space is the Place!!

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Rod's World

My friends Emeli and Jodi run a social enterprise called Collective Potential, their mission is to: Create spaces for people to connect in real life and provide experiences and resources to create fulfilling lives: Collective Potential website.

It got me to thinking about what does this term creating space mean? Perhaps its talking about astronaut space, physiological space, acreage space, there are many to choose from. I have chosen from a wide range of modalities for the 15 quotes today, lets begin:

1. One of the two most famous philosophers in the world Unknown and Anonymous, Unknown says that we need to let go to allow better things to happen to us.

2. Never devalue your worth for another, never.

3. Well known blogger Melanie Koulouris is famous for her Life has taught me poem. This is a beautiful quote about the need for space on your spiritual path.

4. If you are leading a totally full life, there are time you may need to delete some of it to allow for growth. Randy Gage, author of Mad Genius, a manifesto points out that this means people as well.

5. Busyness means that life can become a bit hum drum with all of that doing, remember to have space for a creative outlet amongst it all, mine are dance, Tai Chi and singing.

6. Something borrowed, something new, something blue: that space that is happening is occurring for the new shiny you to emerge from the ashes. Time for the title song : Sun Ra’s opus.

7. Our job is to turn our minds down and listen to the body, our home. In the silence we can welcome the rest of the world.

8. Saying Hello to the new and goodbye to the old. There was a famous song written about this in the sixties by the lads from Liverpool : Hello Goodbye, check out those outfits.

9. Little boxes all in a row, modern architecture of convenience has seen the beauty of previous time periods be eroded into fitting in as many people as we can on one block.

10. Come home my darling, you know where I am. How many of us enter our sacred space on a daily routine. The bliss king Joseph Campbell says this is where to go to when you feel lost.

11. I promise to laugh with you, cry with you, and grow with you. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart. I promise to support your dreams and to respect our DIFFERENCES, and to love you and be by your side through all the days and nights of our lives.

12. Turn around, you are going the wrong way. Yes you, are you listening?

13. You can be anybody in this space, most definitely not the authentic you.

14. Enter your space ship of light. Back in 1972 David had something to say about this : Space Oddity.

15. Democritus was an influential Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher primarily remembered today for his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe. He was born in Abdera, Thrace, around 460 BC, although, some thought it was 490 BC. Atoms and empty space, puts it in perspective doesn’t it.

In other words, all of those points that I made about how to hold space for others can and should be applied to yourself first. Give yourself permission to trust your own intuition. Give yourself only as much information as you can handle. Don’t let anyone take your power away. Keep your ego out of it. Make yourself feel safe enough to fail. Give guidance and help to yourself with humility and thoughtfulness. Create your own container for complex emotions, fears, trauma, etc. And allow yourself to make decisions that are different from what other people would make.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

The Quality of Happiness!!

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Rod's World

I chose this subject because I have begun reading Luminita Saviuc’s AKA the Purpose Fairy’s 15 Things you should give up in order to be Happy. Luminita had been faithfully writing her blog when this particular one received over one million hits.

What fascinates people about being happy? it is the most popular answer when we are asked what do we want in life and one of the most common things sung about, remember the iconic song by Pharrell Williams : Happy!!

There are thousands of words that have appeared on happiness quotes over the centuries and I have chosen some featuring the word and others that point to it for our journey down our happiness trail: Let’s begin.

1. There are many forms of happy throughout the word, possible 7,000,000,000 of them as we are all unique individuals.

2. Have you been told you are gorgeous today? There, I bet that put a smile on your face.

3. Will I listen to one of my 30,000 – 98 days worth of music on my Itunes, watch a Netflix documentary or read one of my favourite Brian Johnson’s Philosophers Notes, you have the ability to choose to do what makes you happy moment to moment, it is not in the hand of others.

4. Sorry for spilling it everywhere, with happiness comes awesomeness.

5. Mandy Hale is affectionately known as The Single Woman TM around the world. In just over two years, Mandy has garnered a massive Twitter following of a half a million people from across the globe. With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle, Mandy cuts to the heart of the matter with her inspirational, straight-talking, witty, and often wildly humorous take on life and love.

6. Is it kosher to put another list in the middle of an existing list? I’m not sure but it’s a great list.

7. Lots of films on happiness are made with a magical happy ending. Methinks they have forgotten the main gist of life.

8. Too much thinking, that’s what my brain used to say to me during my mental health period. Luckily I discovered the work of Arion Light : The Activation School. This has allowed me to make this a possibility in my life.

9. Don’t be burgled by this, stay Happy.

10. Johny Cash agreed by covering this classic song : You are My Sunshine.

11. One of the world’s greatest philosophers, Unknown points out the pleasure of dancing in the rain : Too much fun, We’re so Happy.‘

12. Ben is an author and psychologist, he was widely known for his syndicated column, “The Marriage Clinic,” and for his many books, including I WILL, and I CAN.

He was active on the West Coast as a consulting psychologist and was much sought after as a lecturer throughout the states.

He’s best-known books are:
* Haste Rico Mientras Duermes/Become rich while you sleep (published by Editorial Sirio, Dec 1996)
* I Can (published by Wilshire Book Company, May 1985)
* I Will (Dec 1978)
* Grow Rich While You Sleep (Dec 1976)
* I Will The Art of Discovering Life’s Riches Gracefully (published by Prentice-Hall Inc, 1961)
* I Can! the Key to Life’s Golden Secrets (published by Cadillac Publishing Co. Jan 1955)

13. Austin O’Malley was brave enough to write a book entitled The Cure for Alcoholism, unfortunately for society it wasn’t a big seller. I’m not sure what he means here but I think it means to live a quiet life.

14. Cute quote photo of the blog, not sure I fully agree with this as I add service to happiness.

15. Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist,tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. A leading transcendentalist,Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Resistance to Civil Government (also known as Civil Disobedience), an argument for disobedience to an unjust state. I love the beauty of this quote, Thoreau certainly lived it out in his busy life.

As I meander down the annals of time, I find I have more not less to be happy in my life about, to travel the journey with a smile on my face.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.