The Dead Parents Society


What do you talk about around the dinner table or consequently avoid discussion like the plague? I was having a catchup at Macca’s AKA a coaching session when this subject came up. Her dad had passed recently and mine were well gone so It was safe to discuss our feelings towards them.

It is something that is not on the list for a mention, Gardening, House ownership, and even sex are okay. But dear old mum and dad are not on the agenda. Is it because it hurts too much, they say it takes a few years, but my dear old dad passed 11 years ago, and when I think of him, which I must admit is rare these days, it still hurts.

AMarc and Amgel list, they are from the iconic tome:: 1000+ little things Happy Successful People do differently. google Life hack.

  1. The most beautiful thing is to see a person nearby smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the one behind it
  2. 2. If you have the power to make someone happier today, do it. The world needs more of that.
  3. Some people build lots of walls in their lives and not enough bridges, there’s no good reason to be one of them. Open yourself up. Take small chances on people.
  4. 4. Never stop doing little things for those around you. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.
  5. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of love – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
  6. Be present, be thoughtful Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses. This is how to make a real and lasting difference in your relationships, new and old.
  7. We don’t always need advice. Sometimes all we need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen to, and a heart to understand.
  8. Today, just be 100 per cent present with those around you – be all there. That is enough.
  9. There is no such thing as self-made Someone else believed in you. Someone else encouraged you. Someone else is invested in you. Someone else prayed for you. Someone else spoke life over you. Be that someone for others too.
  10. It’s practically impossible to love your neighbours if we don’t know them, and yet that’s often the case We live in such a hyper-connected world with such limited or nonexistent communication Remember this. Relationships matter. Stories matter.
  11. In human relationships, distance is not measured in miles but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other yet miles apart.
  12. Stay in touch with those who really matter to you, not because it’s convenient, but because they are worth the extra effort.
  13. The single greatest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place. Too often we don’t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Bring awareness ti this. And listen for what’s truly behind the words.
  14. Set an example. Treat everyone with respect, even those who are rude to you not because they are always nice, but because you are. And do your best to be thankful for the rude and difficult people too, they serve as great reminders of how not to be.
  15. 15. Sometimes it is better to be kind than right.
  16. People are much nicer when they are happier, which says a lot about those who aren’t very nice to you. Sad, but true.
  17. The real test always comes when you don’t get what you expect from people. Will you react in anger? Or will calmness be your superpower?
  18. The way we treat people is the way we treat people we don’t understand is a report card on what we’ve learned about love, compassion, and kindness.
  19. Be kinder than necessary. What goes around, comes around. No one has ever made themselves strong by showing how small someone is.
  20. The best relationships are not just about the good times you share, they are also they’re also about the obstacles you go through together and the fact that you still say I love you in the end.

Now for the quotes and the songs, I promise to not get too morbid.

I missed doing this, I feel sad often. At 68nits too late, baby.

It has been eleven and four years for the Williams siblings since we became the elders. Each and every day.

Plum village, such a wisw nman. R.I.P. THich.

How many ways can you say, I love you mum and dad.

I did some terrible things to my mum during my teenage years, I call it our black vs. white time.

Lots of truth in this statement.

In my Buddhist years Pema Chodron always said this

They mostly always know already, they just love you for who you are.

Unrequied love by any other name.

Great image of motherhood.

For you, Karina.

Unfortunately , we do not do this all of the time, then we have to have our wounds healed.

Early days, it’s up to mum and dad.

over to my words. The first slogan I ever got paid the princely sum of AUS25 dollars for It’s up to us, Because we Can, It’s our time. The ethos of Interculturalosism: Love and Respect for all, everybody included. Leonard – The light gets in, Gil Scott Heron: The revolution will not be televised Me- fuck Rupert Murdoch. It is an interesting time in our lands: WE are charging the machine guns, and some of us will not make it. There are more of us than them, They know they have lost. If you enjoyed this I would appreciate s donation towards the 1 million dollars I am raising for the ASRC in 2023/ The button os on our website.

Until next time, my dear friends.

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What Interculturalism could provide?


I have started watching Al Jazeera News broadcasts because I was sick of the mindless photo opportunities our Prime Minister down here in Australia, nicknamed as Scotty from marketing uses main stream media in our country for. Today I say an item where the Italian ambassador for the Republic of Congo had been ambushed and killed on a country road and it made me think would these people have done that if they knew why the ambassador was in their country, fundamentally to provide aid in the name of doing good deeds between the two countries.

Then I thought about as to why had I named my blog I am an Interculturalist all those years ago. The definition of Interculturalism goes as follows: Interculturalism refers to support for cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies within cultures. … It is based on the recognition of both differences and similarities between cultures. It has addressed the risk of the creation of absolute relativism within post modernity and in multiculturalism. Cross-cultural dialogue is what drew me to the Darebin Intercultural Centre after attending a Colombian film night at which there were about twenty cultures hanging out and being friends, all I can say is that I was hooked from that night.

So what does society say is the value of living an intercultural life, Let’s have a look:

1. Terminal Uniqueness sounds like it would get in the way a lot.

2. Ruth Benedict was a interculturalist of the early 19th Century, She studied the relationships between personality, art, language and culture, insisting that no trait existed in isolation or self-sufficiency, a theory which she championed in her 1934 book Patterns of Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8

3. Such a beautiful quote!!

4. Many races, One planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8xnsvDdPu0&list=PLxRZFM2I_PNdIcCrvc6p-SPzKUvsSe4jX&index=4

5. And we take the best of each country.

6. And they can come from any walk of life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Qkf2Jm6pc

7. Do you have to understand them all, not really.

8. How do you cook your chicken?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YewVugPHon4

9. Just 7 billion of us.

10. We have all seen that meme, seems they drew imaginary lines on the planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDdCmJ84LI

11. Do you?

12. Some of the things that Interculturalism can solve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHbiUvXlhM

13. This is what Interculturalism battles with each and every day.

14. Its not all in the words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8AOAap6_k4

15. And we finish with some fine words from Maya Angelou.

Life is full of positive experiences. Notice them. Life your life to the fullest potential by reveling in the beauty of these experiences, and letting them inspire you to be the most positive version of you. Living a positive life is all about creating positive habits to help you focus on what truly matters. Interculturalism is this for me. Here are some simple ideas to help you life this life:

  1. Wake up every morning with the idea that something wonderful is possible today.
  2. Celebrate your existence.
  3. Appreciate life’s perfect moments.
  4. Embrace life’s challenges.
  5. Become addicted to constant and never-ending self-improvement.
  6. Live and breathe the truth.
  7. Fill your own bucket.
  8. Help the people around you smile.
  9. Spend time with positive people.

I have included two of Australia’s musical secrets in the playlist today: We commence with John Lennon, then follow with one of Australia’s best, Murray Kyle. Back to the last century for Dionne Warwick and Friends, Culture Club and Bob Marley. The penultimate track is a band I spent a lot of time watching in my youth in Melbourne – I’m Talking and we finish with Womack and Womack with that song: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtVIdAvmWWOGAUdwvsPovnM

So I have created a Facebook group called Interculturalism which has the ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included, Here is the link to join it and share your examples of it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Interulturalism Until we meet again my dear friends.

Our COVID Love Affair.


7 months,from 22nd March until now, that is how long our beloved city of Melbourne has been in lock-down from COVID, most of it stage 3 and 4. We have had a love affair with masks and crosses on the ground. I began the first stages in a psychiatric unit at the Melbourne Clinic and have ended it breaking up with the women I wanted to spend my life with.

It has made Zoom like technology a must at most houses, for the kids to do their school work, parents to do their work as the government asked them not to go to work unless they really had to, and for my friends in the conscious dance community to listen to the DJ’s they danced to weekly in dance halls all around Melbourne.

So what has the world said about COVID, because lets not forget it is a world-wide pandemic, here we go:

1. How long is 7 months, a frigging long time.

2. Charles Robert Darwin 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution sounds like he would have been a great man to have on the COVID Health team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HMP4zrJiM4

3. 5 basics of the pandemic.

4. Don’t forget the merch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARt9HV9T0w8

5. How true was this over the past seven months.

6. The naysayers are many, especially the journos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6WMzDOh1o&list=PLhGO2bt0EkwvRUioaJMLxrMNhU44lRWg8&index=15

7. Did they have to put a limit on how much toilet paper you could buy in your country, we did.

8. I think after seven months, I’ve got there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4pi1LxuDHc

9. COVID Parenthood 101.

10. Hadn’t thought of this, the royal handshake and hug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Vmjyjst4U

11. The streets and walk-paths are really empty.

12. This would be funny if it was not true: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH4TVYT1OYQ

13. Ice cream.

14. The cute as pie one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygdB-ZE0daY

15. Oops, sprung.

So, what are some things that can help you get through this pandemic, here are a few suggestions:

  1. Wash your hands and face, and brush your teeth.
  2. Change your socks,
  3. Call a close friend.
  4. Stretch.
  5. Go outdoors.
  6. Take a light exercise break.
  7. Dress to feel your best.
  8. Listen to your favourite music
  9. Take a few deep, controlled breaths.
  10. Clear your stuffed nose.
  11. Cook a good meal.
  12. Walk away from energy vampires.
  13. Complete an important piece of unfinished business.
  14. Work on something that’s meaningful for you.
  15. Assist someone in need.
  16. Think about your latest (or greatest) success.
  17. Act like today is already an awesome day.
  18. Notice what’s right.
  19. Take a moment to acknowledge how far you’ve come.

The playlist today begins with two older songs by David Bowie and Gloria Gaynor. Following are two bands, U2 and the Lumineers. The only pop diva is next, Enca ft. Noizy. We finish with two COVID parodies of Foreigner and Michael Jackson: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtSY-drWEG7LyrzJbFT4GV2

Today is the day we were meant to find out about an easing of the restrictions, I think I saw an extension to November the 2nd, missed by that much. So during this time we really need the ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. Until next time my dear friends.

What I don’t Know!!!


I have just spent three hours texting on the phone to my ex-partner, and it ended up in the usual Fuck Off. But during that I committed to writing a blog about what I didn’t know, a relative hard task because its about what I don’t know. Areas like how insecure I feel at times and how life confuses me. It seems the previous ones I wrote judging her personality based on my own defensiveness rather than any knowledge. I do not hold this to be totally true but apologise for causing her hurt in writing about her if it caused these feelings.

What do I feel insecure about? Many things: Insecure that I will fail in my new businesses, Insecure that I never feel my deepest emotions, Insecure that I will never respond to a woman in a way she feels worshiped, Insecure that I will always feel unlovable all my life and insecure that I will feel that if I let people get close to me they will reject me.

I am confused by how to meet a lovers needs, I am confused by fitting in, I am confused by feeling all the feels as my anger may get out of control, I am confused by what to do to be a good elder for my community, I am confused at the way the world is governed, it feels so wrong, I am confused by women’s intentions and I am confused by what it takes to find a woman who will love me for who I am.

So what has society said about insecurity and confusion, let’s take a walk down memory lane:

1. I’m not sure if I have as yet.

2. I have all three of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLmYZSu3NCc&list=PL6IfNZf-6l0gKdY4foPph_HTEm3nwrx8x&index=2

3. How many make your list?

4. They were for a while: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THeLVhU53ow&list=PLxXNIlld_SoIPdy-IW_b4ksQWqsfFO7e2&index=22

5. Boom!!!

6. I’m learning this big time, and the things about me that don’t work as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAfyFTzZDMM&list=PLxXNIlld_SoIPdy-IW_b4ksQWqsfFO7e2&index=28

7. This is why finding your perfect partner is so hard, because we all have these.

8. I haven’t as yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXXQLa-5n5w&list=PLxXNIlld_SoIPdy-IW_b4ksQWqsfFO7e2&index=31

9. Not an easy thing to do.

10. Intuition is from innocence, Insecurity from your darkest places: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocDlOD1Hw9k&list=PLxXNIlld_SoIPdy-IW_b4ksQWqsfFO7e2&index=27&bpctr=1600577394

11. Hit the pause button and turn it onto play.

12. When this happens in your life it is a grand declaration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoZLPSw8U8&list=PLxXNIlld_SoIPdy-IW_b4ksQWqsfFO7e2&index=26

13. Quite a broad recipe of circumstances of which insecurity is but one.

14. Not this takes something to meet on an equal plain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYa1eI1hpDE&list=PLxXNIlld_SoIPdy-IW_b4ksQWqsfFO7e2&index=30

15. I plead guilty to this.

I wish to add some words by Jeanette LeBlanc, they relate to the writing of this:

Write the truth of yourself. As you know it. Right Now. In this exact moment and only this moment. Make your words sing with the hope of you , with the want of you, with the very blood and bones and guts of you Select the lines that speak your heart. Your sex. Your sacred. Spill yourself into this paragraph as if lives depend on it. Because your lives – every last one – do.

Today’s playlist is all pop diva’s except for the opening number. Gnash starts us off followed by Jess Glynne. Three of the biggies follow Christine Aguilera, Beyonce and Pink. Cobie Caillat is the penultimate diva and we finish with Taylor Swift: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrsm9HO0oD7BenIjEVeZoRGT

When the world is willing to recognise its insecurities and confusion we will be able to recognise that Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included will have a chance. My new tribe: Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to humanity has this as its ethos, if you would like to join here is the link: https://bit.ly/2ERbjc9. Until we meet again my dear friends.

You’ve got a Friend!!!


I’ve got a new friend, actually she is an old friend who become a lover for a period of time. We had been friends for ages, a little bit distant at times but had become closer in the past year that had grown onto a three month affair and then it ended. I tried to hold on and then one day realised if I did not agree that it was over it all would be, the friendship, everything. You do not find close friendships that easily, or I haven’t found this easy to do, so I returned to the status of being close friends.

Why do you keep friends who you classify as close around? Well, here are the reasons I kept this friend around: She is faithful to me, she believes in me when I don’t believe in myself, she doesn’t buy my bullshit, she asks me what am I feeling and listens and expects the same of me, she enjoys my company and I enjoy hers, and tells me what she will not put up with.

So how has society related to friendships over the centuries, I’m sure that it goes back to the start of history, let’s have a look:

1. And they really want to.

2. My friend loyally stuck in there until I came to my senses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCQGnVrTsAM

3. My friend is a woman of faith, this is for you.

4. You can tell them about your nightmares: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIS-RuoZxCI&list=PLahlcCtGIBvjZidRBlzpqyLN2mntGJPl9&index=12

5. I fit into this category, slightly cracked, Thank you.

6. Not sure if I agree with all of this, I think friends allow you to cry as much as you need to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cizgXSegrko

7. John Hay was either a U.S. secretary of State or an Australian academic, neither was well known for writing quotes.

8. We live on opposite sides of town, yet never apart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHBT7wjqVI

9. There are times you need to do this for your friends, when they forget what friends are for.

10. Dual weirdo alert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL41kS5OFxQ

11. Marcel is one of my favourite philosophers.

12. And can sit in silence as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk7RVw3I8eg

13. I find it is on the way back after having had a great time with your friend.

14. I know this, I nearly lost it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPhMPnQ58k&list=PLE6nCASEBsgD6HSVUjaKKa0a0h0XK3aGR

15. Thanks for doing this, and restoring my feelings.

To you my friends, I honour your insight, wisdom and friendship.

People have told me to use my words but I like my Friends Marc and Angel Chernoff’s lists, here is a list of questions your close friends would ask you:

  1. What do you need to spend less time doing?
  2. What makes you feel comfortable?
  3. What’s something simple that makes you smile?
  4. What would you regret not fully doing ,being, or having in your life?
  5. When you’re ninety years old, what will matter to you most?
  6. The best part of waking up, is?
  7. What’s one thing you love about your life?
  8. What would the child you once were think of the adult you have become?
  9. What’s something you look forward to almost every day?
  10. What’s something that makes you feel instantly better?

The playlist today cover most of the decades from the 70’s. We begin with the Friends Theme song, then back to the 70’s with James Taylor. Dianna Krall coves a Julie London classic next, then Dionne Warwick and her friends do that song. Then two old songs, Bob Marley first then a cover by Disturbed. We finish with Maroon 5: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtOCwYP1pbvpd6apSJTsShV

My aim is to have all the people of the earth be friends. I have created a tribe, Thriving People – People who want to make a difference to Humanity, 1,000,000 taking on the ethos Love and Respect for All – Everyone Included, you can join us here: https://bit.ly/2ERbjc9. Until we meet again my dear friends.

You are not a Pretzel!!!


Just got back from a Warrior of Love Retreat, this is us at the end:

WOL DEC2019.jpg

The theme was Belonging, to community and self. We did an interesting practice called the quadrant where you got to hang out in four fields – The Pleaser, The Lone Wolf, The Village and  The Leader. I discovered that I am a bit of a pleasing lone wolf who likes hanging out in villages in the hope it will rub off on me.

So here is an exercise to help empower your situation :

A silhouette of a human being stands before you, perhaps a friend, perhaps a lover, perhaps a perfect stranger: They need you to connect with them, they need you to share this moment, they need you to be you – just the way you are. And they need you to respect them, just the way they are. Here are 13 practices to help achieve this:

  1. Smile without hesitation
  2. Give without expectation
  3. Comfort without lying
  4. Guide without misleading
  5. Forgive without resentment
  6. Rest without judgement
  7. Notice with critiquing
  8.  Appreciating without comparing
  9. Listen without interruption
  10. Question without objection
  11. Challenge without mocking
  12. Consider without doubting
  13. Discuss without criticizing

These exercises help you become more of the real you, what do we say about truly being you, here are some examples from over history:

beyou1

1. It seems Beyonce can do a little more than making sexy Youtube videos and sing.

beyou2

2.  I like this quirky to be list: Mama, Weer All Crazy Now,

beyou3

3. Turning down all those doubts in your head help free your heart.

beyou4

4. Stay true to your school, you are its main student and you choose who the other students are: Be True To Your School.

beyou5

5. You were in a unique line of one when you arrived.

beyou6

6. Find your Others: Self-Care.

beyou7

7. There are 7 billion people on the planet, not all of them will like you.

beyou8

8. From my second favourite Buddhist master, Thich Nhat Hanh comes this powerful insight: Who You Are.

beyou9

9. Two things we know will happen – birth and death, the in-between is your life to live.

beyou10

10. Moment to moment your life can change, unfortunately, we do not live our lives like this for quite a bit of our lives: Lose Yourself. 

beyou11

11. My name is Rod Williams, my unique version of that name.

beyou12

12. The philosophy of the woman who changed the Beatles forever: Walking On Thin Ice.

beyou13

13. Edwin Elliot or Edwin Bailey Elliott was born  June 1, 1851, in Oxford, England and died July 21, 1937, also in Oxford, England. He was a mathematician who worked on invariant theory. Outside mathematics, Elliott had many interests. Music, natural history and literature were all high on his list of hobbies. However, these were often more than mere hobbies. For example, he founded the oldest literary society in Queen’s College.

beyou14

14. You are your own superpower: No One.

beyou15

15. And for your final lesson on being you, being your unique self is how people can best enjoy you. If they don’t, time to move on.

fate controls a lot of who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go. In choosing to be a Warrior of Love I am surrounding myself with people who make me a better person, and I choose who to let go of those who don’t.

The playlist today begins on the last century with Slade and The Beach Boys. We then return to modern times with Savanahh Christina and Jessie J. Some rap from Eminem next and a surprisingly tuneful number from Yoko Ono follows. We finish with Alicia Keys: You Are Not a Pretzel!!!

Learn to accept that is often not people who have been in our lives we miss but the feeling we had when we were with them. Times change, and what presences Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included may as well. Remember you can get these blogs in your inbox by filling in the form on the right-hand side. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

beyou16

Choose to Shine!!


I have returned to Marc and Angel Chernoff’s first book 1,000 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently, which was the book I discovered this remarkable couple through – Get on Board. Using my write about the page you open to, I am writing about 12 Choices Winners Make Every Day. How do you relate to the term winning: Here is what Marc says about it:

‘Follow in the steps of a winner. Don’t wake up at seventy-five-years of age, sighing over what you should have tried. Just do it, and be willing to fail and learn along the way. At least you will know you gave it your best shot.

At the end of the day, whether you chose to go with it, flow with it, resist it, change it, or hide from it, life goes on. If what you did today didn’t turn out as you hoped, tomorrow is a new opportunity to do it differently or to do nothing at all. What’s important to realise is that you have a choice.”

Here are the 12 choices they suggest:

  1. They don’t give up on the things they believe in.
  2. They work with and spend time with, the right people.
  3. They concentrate on the present.
  4. They maintain a positive attitude.
  5. They endure the pain.
  6. They ignore the naysayers.
  7. They live through Love.
  8. They accept 100% responsibility for their current situation.
  9. They take action and plant the right seeds.
  10. They don’t lose themselves in the commotion.
  11. They appreciate what they have.
  12. They make a positive difference.

A pretty great list – let us look at winning:

win1

1. A definite win in your life when this happens.

win2

2. You don’t have to win every battle, choose wisely which ones you fight: Battle Hymn of The Republic.

win3

3. This would be winning, in my eyes.

win4

4. You can choose Yes or No, It’s up to you: No Excuses.

win5.jpeg

5. Another way to spell winning.

win6

6. Renee Oldstead is an American actress and jazz singer. She is a vegan. She appeared in a PETA ad, Fish Are Friends Not Food, urging her fans to become vegan themselves. In 2012, Olstead joined PETA’s campaign to free the elephant Mali from captivity at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, where she has been alone for the last three decades: Count on Me.

win7.jpeg

7. Win or Lose, it’s your choice.

win8.jpeg

 

8. All of your friends like this, they are your winners: Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

win9.jpeg

9. Shadow and Light, we move between them constantly.

win10

10. Where is your winning post?: A Thousand Miles.

win11

11. An unusual take on winning by a very famous man.

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12. And you will have won: Time of My Life.

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13. What are your winning values?

win14

14. Internal not external: You can get it If You Really Want It.

win15.jpeg

15. Show me new ways, and then I can win at what I previously lost at.

Zig Ziglar has a great saying about winning: “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

Today’s playlist begins with the United States Army Field Band, then pop diva Meghan Trainor. Bruno Mars then funks it up, followed by a Queen rock anthem. Then two females – Vanessa Carlton and Madonna, finishing with Jimmy Cliff.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time, my dear friends.

Self Love 9

A Hero is Someone Who Understands


We all tell stories, our lives are made up of them. From our childhood to the day we die there is a story for each day. But do we take radical responsibility for these stories? Clinton Callahan in his book Radiant Joy, Brilliant Love: Get it here, free postage worldwide. writes:

Human Beings are massively creative. We do not usually think of ourselves as creative. We allow that we might be a little creative at Christmas time when we wrap presents or decorate the house. But in every moment we are creating the stories that we tell to ourselves and to other people – the stories that give meaning to what happens in our lives. We do not tend to notice how vicariously we produce stories, because every three seconds the Box generates regenerates stories identical to what it created for us in the previous three seconds. That is how the Box keeps things the same: it ongoing creates the same stories.

There are two classes of stories that we can create about what happens. By far the most common story we create characterizes us a victim of the circumstances. That we were a victim seems completely inarguable. The inarguability comes from our habit of interpreting “the facts” to show how we were hurt, insulted, abandoned, betrayed, abused, neglected, etc., forcibly establishing ourselves as a victim of a low drama. Telling a victim story from the Parent or Child ego states creates an ordinary human relationship.

But we can take the exact same circumstances, the same incident, the same people involved, the same actions, and we could create a responsible story about being involved in these circumstances. Responsible stories place us “at cause” or “at cause” for the circumstances. Responsible stories come from the Adult responsible ego state and create an extraordinary human relationship.

How do we as people relate to being responsible, and what do we write about it, here are a few of my favourite sayings:

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1. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière ( 15 January 1622 – 17 February 1673), was a French playwright, actor and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and universal literature. His extant works includes comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed at the Comédie-Française more often than those of any other playwright today.

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2. I think if you are being responsible for your whole life the accountability and ownership will be a natural follow-on: The Power of Responsibility.

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3. Simone moves it up a notch or two.

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4. Joyce Meyer is an American Evangelist whose motto is Sharing Christ, Loving People. Her love includes lessons for them such as the one above: Song for the Asking.

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5. As the name after suggests, plugging up your excuses allows those changes that you want to make to fulfil your dreams to start happening.

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6. Clinton calls this getting feedback and shifting forward: Slow Down.

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7. Yes, those poor me stories you are telling years later, they control you.

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8. Wikipedia gives a choice of Ruth’s mother in law from the old testament or a WWE wrestling star for Naomi, my inner gremlin likes to think it could be the latter: My Boomerang Won’t Come Back.

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9. From the man who is not your Guru, comes some fine words as to what responsibility can offer you.

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10. You have charge of yourself and your reactions, be responsible for them on a daily basis: Changes.

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11. 

Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt portrait 1933.jpg

Roosevelt in 1933
1st Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women
In office
January 20, 1961 – November 7, 1962
President John F. Kennedy
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Esther Peterson
1st United States Representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
In office
1947–1953
President Harry S. Truman
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Mary Pillsbury Lord
1st Chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
In office
1946–1952
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Charles Malik
First Lady of the United States
In role
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by Lou Henry Hoover
Succeeded by Bess Truman
First Lady of New York
In role
January 1, 1929 – December 31, 1932
Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by Catherine Dunn
Succeeded by Edith Altschul
Personal details
Born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
October 11, 1884
New York City, U.S.
Died November 7, 1962 (aged 78)
New York City, U.S.
Cause of death Cardiac failure complicated by tuberculosis
Resting place Home of FDR National Historic Site, Hyde Park, New York
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
(m. 1905; d. 1945)
Children
  • Anna Eleanor
  • James
  • Franklin
  • Elliott
  • Franklin Delano Jr.
  • John Aspinwall
Parents
  • Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt
  • Anna Rebecca Hall
Relatives See Roosevelt family
Signature

Oops, cut and pasted a wee bit too much, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat and activist. She served as the First Lady of the United States from March 1933 to April 1945 during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms in office, making her the longest serving First Lady of the United States. Roosevelt served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952. President Harry S. Truman later called her the “First Lady of the World” in tribute to her human rights achievements.

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12. 

Anne Lamott
Anne-Lamott-2013-San-Francisco.jpg
Born April 10, 1954 (age 64)
San Francisco, California, United States
Occupation Novelist, non-fiction writer, essayist, memoirist
Nationality American
Genre Drama, humor, literary fiction, Reviews

Oops, did it again, Anne Lamott (born April 10, 1954) is an American novelist and non-fiction writer. She is also a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, her nonfiction works are largely autobiographical. Marked by their self-deprecating humour and openness, Lamott’s writings cover such subjects as alcoholism, single-motherhood, depression, and Christianity: Definition of Prayer.

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13. Start with self-love, then move on, it’s where the juice lies.

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14. The man who gave me access to my Why, my purpose. Simon Sinek rocks: Start with Why.

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15. More Self Love then the discovery of the juices in life.

We can live from new responsible stories by taking full responsibility for creating our past circumstances just exactly the way they went, so that you can learn all that you needed to learn to get exactly here at this moment, reading this blog.

The playlist contains some wisdom today. it begins with Sir Groovy 2007, two folkie tunes by Paul Simon and Nichole Nordeman.  Two quirky numbers from Charlie Drake and Shrek. The wisdom follows from Anne Lamott and Simon Sinek. Here’s the video playlist: A Hero Is Someone Who Understands.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends:

namasteflower

 

 

 

You Will Not Know How Powerful You Are!!


Often when we talk about helping poor communities, we’re actually working not to save a life but to offer more choices. That’s how we improve our well-being – by enabling choice.

The above statement is from Seth Godin’s inspiring little book: We Are All Weird: The Rise of Tribes and The End of Normal: Link to Buy It. I like the testimonials – “This is a book about giving a damn. It’s about caring about what you do and (as important) who you do it for. Professional apathy is a relic of a dead era and, as Seth teaches brilliantly, a mentality you cling to at great peril. Everyone with a pulse and a paycheck should be living, We Are All Weird – Chris Taylor, founder, Actionablebooks.com.

But it is Sherold Barr’s testimonial, who describe themselves as a  Master Coach and Freedom Fighter that impressed me the most: “This book will resonate with anyone who wants to lead a tribe, be authentic, dance to the beat of their own music, and make a difference in the world. If your inner critic (the resistance) has been telling you that you are not enough, your work is not good enough, and who do you think you are to make a difference then buy this book. Let your freak flag fly high.”

So how does the world present enabling choice? It actually goes to many places and here are some of them:

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1. How often do we forget that the person we must first enable is the one looking back at us in the mirror?

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2. Rosemary Edghill (born 1956) is an American writer and editor. Some of her work has appeared under her original name, eluki bes shahar (lower case intentional). Her primary genres are science fiction and fantasy, but she began by writing Regency romance novels. The publishers of her first novel felt that “Eluki Bes Shahar” (her legal name at the time) sounded insufficiently English to attract readers, so she adopted the pen-name Rosemary Edghill, which became her legal name in 2004. Not really an enabling choice when you think about it: Choice.

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3. Relationship experts say that choice has nothing to do with who you fall in love with. I think that is what this quote is pointing out. Our heart doesn’t seem very logical at the time.

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4. Those people that are no longer in your life for an excellent reason, they didn’t stay around long enough to discover how truly valuable you were: Don’t Give Up

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5. Victor Hugo is the poet my brother took his new name from when he changed his given name to create a new identity.

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6. It’s the behaviour that rankles, stopping one person will not cease the violence committed against women by men. Its behavioural change that is required not naming the perpetrators: Bon Appetit.

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7. It’s become less and less that I wake up these days thinking of the opposite of this.

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8. You can choose to make a difference with your life or not, really, really, truly:  Where’s The Love.

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9. A title like Chief Executive Officer does not make you a leader, try Nobel Peace Prize Winner or something in that ilk.

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10. Sammy Davis Junior rose to the top of the entertainment tree in America at a time when African Americans had to sit at the back of the bus in most states, he had a commitment: Mr Bojangles.

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11. How often has it been said a particular person had the ability, but that person never chose to utilise it. That’s why it is the people who make the tough choices rise to the top.

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12. One may say, impossible, because they have to want to, you can not make them do it: Tough Lover.

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13. In psychotherapy and mental health, enabling has a positive sense of empowering individuals or a negative sense of encouraging dysfunctional behaviour. One must choose to give up the latter definition and allow the person to do what they need to so they can move forward.

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14. Don’t be forced into a hasty decision, what occurs in your life is your choice, not others. Unfortunately, I think 90% of the human race forget this at times: Thinking Out Loud.

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15. If you are making no decisions in your life there is nothing that is important to achieve, so how can your day to day actions be significant?

Today, some people can make a living as painters or professional bowlers or even poets. There are ten million households with a net worth of more than a million dollars. And there are millions (perhaps a billion) people who make enough money from their day job that they’re able to pursue something they enjoy with their spare time. More and more often, the thing they enjoy is something weird. Choice is what we choose.

The playlist begins with Bollywood superstars Miss Pooja and Manjit Rupowalia, followed by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush with one of the great duets. Kate Perry adds some Pop Diva, then the Black Eyed Peas sing a sultry number before Sammy Davis Junior takes us back to another era. Christine Aguilera and Ed Sheeran close out the list: You Will Not Know How Powerful You Are.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

namasteflower

I didn’t have to work hard for that!!


Universal Lesson: When we forget our peaceful nature, we can ask the Universe to remind us of what is real. From Gabrielle Bernstein’s The Universe has Your Back it states if you have gone through a particularly rough period of time the act of praying to your dominant life reality soon restores your belief in the planet and yourself.

So how do we determine our realities? A lot of it is gained through our childhood, our formative years and our education. Yet many of us do not exist in these realities as life deals us another route. Can we get back to them, let’s  have a look:

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1. I am an English tutor, a Community manager, a dancer, a brother, an uncle, a son. What do you add after these two vitally important words?

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2. What would it be like to free yourself from limitations and soar beyond your boundaries? What can you do each day to discover inner peace and serenity: Limits.

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3. It is often what we are taught that creates our reality. Paulo Friere used critical pedagogy: Advocates of critical pedagogy view teaching as an inherently political act, reject the neutrality of knowledge, and insist that issues of social justice and democracy itself are not distinct from acts of teaching and learning.

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4. Remember that you do not need to change your reality just because someone else disagrees with you, after all, it is only their opinion: All We Know.

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5. Its interesting quotes can be printed with spelling mistakes, running is a way to change your reality, but I think the earth spins beneath your feet.

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6. Probably the most famous reality quote in the world, Chinese philosopher is claimed to have written the iconic Tao Te Ching, which seeker of the truth does not have a copy of this in their book shelf:  Forest.

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7. Perhaps a little graphic, this quote points to the face that sometimes we are blinded to what is our current reality.

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8. I sometimes hanker for childlike innocence over wisdom, how about you: Agnus Dei.

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9. Joseph Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the human experience. His philosophy is often summarized by his phrase: “Follow your bliss.” Yes Please!!

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10. I have found time and time again that this statement is true, my soul is where my reality lives: Heart and Soul.

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11. We have a lot of realities during a calendar year, here’s a hint how many.

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12. Imagine if all our realities were dreams competing with each other, that would be an interesting world to live in: Imagination.

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13. How do you create your reality, with action or words? I’m a fan of the former.

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14. Deepak Chopra questions standard medical genre with the belief that “human aging is fluid and changeable; it can speed up, slow down, stop for a time, and even reverse itself,” as determined by one’s state of mind. His books are worth a read: Re-inventing the Body.

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15. Finally, let your passions create your reality, why wouldn’t you.

You and I , we are ultimately responsible for which reality we hang about in, a statement worth examining day by day.

Namaste until  next time, my dear friends.

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