Thoughts: Peace, from the inside out
Poetry of music: Mason’s “Classical Gas,” with the magic of Deborah’s harp
Always loved the song (and you did, too, you told me so) – but loved it even more when I moved to Oregon as a young monk & found Mason Williams was from there. Wahoo!
Years pass, and like anything, the songs go on & on, and often just get better. Here’s “Classical Gas” for guitar (with Mason Williams, who wrote it) and Deborah Henson-Conant on harp in Eugene, OR (USA) in March 2012.
Thoughts: It starts here :)
I think Mr. Hemingway & I agree on this one – it just doesn’t work to have a short list going, when you measure out your day. Besides the obvious fun things, it seems to me it’s a nice move to add to the mix (gasp!): enjoying the work we have to do.
Maybe it’s singing when we work, or at least whistling.
Maybe it’s asking a friend along. Doing the dishes? Pour a glass of wine for your friend so they lean on the counter & visit while you scrub. Traveling to another city? Find a travel buddy. Starting a project? Declare it a PROJECT and gather a few like minded friends to look over it with you. Weeding the garden? Call a pal to come talk or pull weeds alongside you.
Maybe when you’re about to complain about some small thing, channel your inner-Robin Williams & think: “There MUST be a joke about this in here, somewhere.” Laugh it out,baby, laugh it out.
Maybe it’s adding to all this by doing the fun things we think about, and ditch the dreaming.
Isn’t this fun to think about?
It’s fun to have you around!
Brother Ian
PS> Disclaimer: I never met Mr. Hemingway. I put “have fun” on the Ten Most Important Things before he came to whisper this to me, in a dream.
Writings: Jim Carrey: “Don’t let fear turn you against your playful heart.”
I think this will fire you up for the morning….create a great day! 🙂
Thoughts: Play, brothers, play
See more of Chan Kwok Hung’s work here…
Writings: Thich Nhat Hanh, in the face of the beast…makes a recommendation
I’m a fan of Thay’s, of Steven Goodheart, who shared this poem of Thay’s in a posting, and of showing we believe in peace by showing it – here’s more from Steven:
In light of the terrible violence all around the world, in the Middle East, the Ukraine, and so many places, I thought I would share this poem. It’s called “Recommendation” and was written by my heart teacher Thich Nhat Hanh in 1965 during the Vietnam War, which was ripping his country apart and would only go deeper into violence in the decade ahead.
With his life and teachings, Thay has proved again and again that non-violence does *not* mean non-action, or “idiot compassion,” and that by rejecting violence we *can* skilfully and compassionately deal with even the most difficult issue of life, individually and collectively.
RECOMMENDATION
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Promise me,
promise me this day,
promise me now,
while the sun is overhead
exactly at the zenith,
promise me:
Even as they
strike you down
with a mountain of hatred and violence;
even as they step on you and crush you
like a worm,
even as they dismember and disembowel you,
remember, brother,
remember:
man is not our enemy.
The only thing worthy of you is compassion –
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.
One day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.
Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road,
the sun and the moon
will continue to shine.
Writings: Maybe, from the sun, hey….
The solar age is dawning…and just maybe it’s not a new idea. Here’s Jimmy Stewart in “You Can’t Take It with You” in 1938.
As we work our way to an ideal in life that the things we do are connected with sharing & healing, it feels pretty natural to begin the process of moving away from oil-based energy, which leaves a mess to be cleaned up, in so many ways, to the warmth & light of Brother Sun.
Here’s Jimmy:
About Brother Ian
Over the centuries, Brother Ian has been collecting stories & information & discourses for the purpose of elevating the human condition as needed, dissecting it when necessary, and building the case for hope.
In the spirit of noting that organized crime, organized baseball, organized labour, and organized religion tend to engender controversy & occasional discord, I promise to be neither organized or critical of those who are.