Ideas & such
“I hope that you will listen, but not with the memory of what you already know; and this is very difficult to do. You listen to something, and your mind immediately reacts with its knowledge, its conclusions, its opinions, its past memories. It listens, inquiring for a future understanding. “Just observe yourself, how you are…
Some days, do you get the feeling you’re missing something? This is a story a friend of mine told me: I was walking down the sidewalk on a busy New York City day with a friend who lives in the forests of Brazil. He stopped, cocked his head & said, “Listen! I think that’s a…
Upon learning of Dr. Maya Angelou’s passing on May 28, Oprah Winfrey released a statement that referred to the poet, author and legend as “the rainbow in my clouds.” The touching sentiment is one that Dr. Angelou herself had discussed during her 2011 appearance on “Oprah’s Master Class.” During that interview, Dr. Angelou explained where…
It is my greatest dream that no news story get published until it’s passed this test, in this anecdotal fable attributed to Socrates: Once upon a time in ancient Greece, one of the acquaintances of the great philosopher Socrates came up to him and said: “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one…
Lots of folks have lots of different angles about this week’s 50th anniversary celebration of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, but one of the perspectives is provided as a reminder that sometimes we need to * get off script • challenge our inner wiring, and • say what’s in our heart & mind,…
This is a little bit from Canadian artist Emily Carr, one of my favourite folk: “Remember, the picture is to be one concerted movement in a definite direction for a definite purpose, the expression of a definite thought. All its building is for that thought, the bringing into expression and the clothing of it. “Therefore…
The Waking by Thoedore Roethke I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and…
I love Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York.” He talks to ordinary people & they say the most ordinary things, which stick to you, and make you come back for more. I really liked this one, in an exchange he had with a South Asian couple: “It is important to maintain your equanimity. You cannot…
When I start to get angry, I see my predicament and how I’m getting caught in expectations and righteousness. Learning to give up anger has been a continuous process. When Maharaj-ji told me to love everyone and tell the truth, he also said, “Give up anger, and I’ll help you with it.” Maharaj-ji offered me…
A man was trapped in his house during a flood. He began praying to God to rescue him. He had a vision in his head of God’s hand reaching down from heaven and lifting him to safety. The water started to rise in his house. His neighbour urged him to leave and offered him a…
Time to change, isn’t it? If you don’t have something you need to work on to change, it’s possible you’re not really alive… Look around and there’s always something to make better. To make prettier. To make smooth. To make different. To colour, to shape, to whittle or to add to. And usually the only…
You know the old saying by Yogi Berra – “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Seems like a number of people I know are facing that, just now. And you know how it is: Choice A looks good, makes sense, and you’ve taken the first step toward it as you…
This is a story that my friend Amanda told me about, from Mother Earth News: In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what…
Let me be the 101st parrot. Regular Brother Ian readers (that would be you, because you’re here, hey) know that the editorial staff and I are huge Derek Sivers fans. I was just telling this little story to a young monk yesterday. It was a nice touch when I told him two other stories, and…
This coming week in Victoria, BC, a class begins that I’m pretty sure you’ll find useful & inspiring. It’s called SIMPLIFY> Spring Cleaning for Home, Heart & Soul. I hope you sign up soon – the class starts April 2nd – so here’s more about the class. And I’d also like to introduce you to…
In the wake of the German air crash, I thought Jeff Brown’s remarks were targeted not on the blame and the “reasons,” but on the heart. I like his use of “realeyes” for when we realize…here’s Jeff: A depressed, messed up pilot takes his issues out on a plane load of innocents, and people express…