Tag: philosophy

On Compassion

Compassion is the act of recognizing that the pain we feel as humans is universal, that it binds us all together despite whatever overt differences seem to be too difficult to surpass, and taking action to help alleviate that pain for others.
It is an intellectual and emotional act.
It is also physical, you can feel it rush through you when your heart grants access to its deepest depths which hold that limitless source of love, and it floods through you, invigorating your body and mind, inspiring you to act.

Celtic Work Blessing

May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work that you do
with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light
and renewal to those who work with you
and to those who see and receive your work.
May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of
refreshment, inspiration and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert,
approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
May your soul calm, console and renew you.

(via care2)

The Lake

Lake Michigan is beautiful without limit. There are a million places along the lakefront from which you can enjoy its beauty. Even from the same locus, it will never, ever look the same twice. For that reason, its beauty can never be captured by image, though perhaps someone more well-spoken could capture how it makes them feel, with words.

You can enjoy it by driving down to the beach and parking, by walking through the streets, or even via a nice bike-path that runs through the city.

It is our state’s greatest natural resource.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race

— Calvin Coolidge
(via thinkexist)

A Philosophy of Cool for Non-Living Things

Cool can come from what a [thing] is or what it does. But at the core, Cool is about purity of expression, of material objects being infused with human energy, creativity and insight to make them more than just the sum of their parts.

— Mark Hoyer, WHAT IS COOL?, Cycle World 2/2010
I love Mark’s take on cool; from motorcycles to programming languages, it still makes sense. It makes me think about how great it is to be alive, living, in the present. It is a gift.

Glass Drinking Glasses

Was it a happy-accident that glass drinking glasses have been in use for hundreds of years and they don’t leach any dangerous chemicals into their contents and thus into our bodies?
Did that lull us into false sense of security where we assume that drinking container vendors would only provide us with things that would not poison us?