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There is Understanding and Then There is Opinion

January 18, 2024

Try out some wisdom on yourself that is at least 3,000 years old. I guess people have been the same since the beginning of culture. From the book of Proverbs (18:2)

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing personal opinion.

We experienced that often even before social media amplified it I seldom watch TV news, but what I have seen amplifies this with the appropriate (trained) facial expressions.

I catch myself—have I researched this appropriately or am I merely parroting some thought that originated in Russia or China?

Or, perhaps we violate this additional warning (18:13).

If one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and shame.

How often we impulsively blurt out an often stupid opinion on someone’s problem without ever fully listening and understanding.

I have that problem, too. Working on it…

Posted in Attitude, Learning, Listening, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

First Things

January 17, 2024

Physicists talk of first principles. The basic laws or principles of nature. You can jump from a second-story window and hope you won’t fall and break some bones, but you will fall. Gravity is a law. 

One of my mentors when I was learning mechanical design told me, “You can’t violate the laws of physics.”

Another first is what you do.

Suggestion:

Put first things first.

What is your first thing, your first principle? Or your next first thing?

God? Work? Family? Yourself? Your image? Your addiction?

Better sort out what the really important first thing is. Then put it first. Use intention. Don’t drift into it. Or, you may drift into violating a law of nature and wind up with fractured health or relationships or life.

Posted in Intention, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Holding Your Tongue

January 16, 2024

I write several emails a day responding to various requests for my time and attention. I have discovered that I need to take a deep breath, refocus, then cut 80% of what I’ve written. 

I say too much. Explain too much. Drag in thoughts about motivations that probably are not there. I can get snippy, especially when tired or stressed.

Reading a chapter of Proverbs a day for January in order to start the year on the right foot, I noticed over and over the admonitions of reining in anger and minding your tongue.

Every time I have violated that prescription I have lived with regret.

And I know better.

The distance from knowing to speaking or writing within the brain is short. The only circumventing technology is a breath. Maybe also counting. Take Jesus’ advice to Peter about forgiving and use it here—count 70 times 7.

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Peace and Justice and MLK

January 15, 2024

Today in the United States we recognize the work and person of Martin Luther King, Jr. Even though I lived where there were no black people and similarly there were no black people in my university as far as I can recall, the civil rights movement captivated me. I had read stories of the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings and cross burnings as a youngster. I was deeply affected. I can remember lying awake on some nights wondering if some local KKK would discover I was a closet believer in rights for black people and surround our house.

Of course, that was never a threat in the north with no black people around. But some of the local people had joy teasing me about following MLK in the late 60s.

King took lessons from Gandhi in India going about working for change in a peaceful manner. That appealed to my personality.

King was correct in his analysis that few seem to remember. He affected much change in society as we began to change laws that specifically discriminated. But he also talked of the need to change people’s hearts. He knew as a Christian pastor how difficult, yet essential, that is.

Many things are much improved in America following that time. Yet, many human hearts remain closed and biased.

That’s a human thing, not just an American one. I’ve seen looks and subtle comments on trips to Germany (where I speak a little bit of the language). I’ve experienced it elsewhere in many countries.

We have so far to go as seekers of peace and justice to show people how to live with kindness, humility, empathy, justice. 

In the end, we must see hearts change. “I have a dream…”

Check out Abraham, Martin, and John by Dion.

Posted in Justice, Peace | Leave a Comment »

Take Time To Breathe—For Health and Spiritual Uplift

January 12, 2024

So, how is the new year going? Already have forgotten your resolutions? Maybe you’re in northern Illinois where I am as I write this. We had about six inches of snow on the ground at 6 am. Morbid curiosity drove me to the community Facebook page. Already people were complaining about snow removal. It was still snowing. We received perhaps four more inches.

Maybe other things are getting you uptight? Perhaps the trouble is resting enough prior to going to bed that sleep comes late?

Part of my Yoga teacher training dealt with breath. Yes, we all breathe constantly all day and all night. Are you ever aware of that breath?

I offer a simple, easy breath method to help you to relax. Dr. Andrew Weil recommends it often. When Ted Lasso of the popular TV series was experiencing panic attacks, his therapist recommended it. I’m in good company.

The key to this method is to not stress over it or force it. It’s easy. Let it be easy.

  1. Sit. Upright. But not tense.
  2. Inhale through your nose counting to four. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you count. Breathe as deeply as is comfortable for you.
  3. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Try to make it the same pace as the four. If you don’t make it to seven at first, no problem. Don’t stress over it.
  4. Exhale through the mouth for a count of eight. Try to make a whoosh sound through pursed lips. Try to keep the same pace to your counting. Imagine your lungs completely empty.
  5. Repeat 2-4 times.

When all those questions and more crowd your hyperactive brain that many people call the “monkey brain,” pause, sit, breathe.

4-7-8

It’s easy.

Posted in Awareness, healing | Leave a Comment »

So You Want To Be a Prophet?

January 11, 2024

Parents sent notes. They came to my house. They pleaded. I was an elected member of the school board. There were parents who wanted us to start a “gifted and talented” program because they were convinced their little offspring would be the next Mozart—or something.

I advised seeing the movie Amadeus. Do you really want your child to be sub-threshold or even over-threshold psychologically disturbed?

These memories returned while I was thinking about how many “Christians” over the past 2,000 years have wanted to be prophets. 

For one thing, they thought that meant foretelling the future. They missed the part of the Bible where God says he hates fortune-tellers.

And they inevitably get it wrong.

And they think that means telling everyone else they have it wrong and they are all going to hell.

They don’t know. I’ve not heard of a human person yet who had the power to look inside another person and know for certain the status of their soul. Sure, people leave trails. But, I certainly would turn back any power vested in me to determine someone’s future. Although I’m sure that there are people who just love telling other people off.

They also, unless they had some weird persecution complex (check out Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ for a Freudian take on Jesus), they haven’t read and understood the bios of most of the prophets. They had lonely and frustrating lives.

You are what you are. As Paul once told a church that was messing up organizing itself, they should look at the spiritual gifts of everyone and everyone look at their spiritual gifts. They should be tested. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. That is the road to grief.

Note: we instituted a “gifted” program like everyone else. The teachers that first year said, great, we have the brightest kids, we’ll make them work. The parents said, our kids are in this special program, they should all receive automatic A’s that are worth 5 points on a 4-point scale. In the end, I don’t think it mattered much. There are many kids not from that program running around with MA’s and PhD’s. 

Note Two (don’t read if you are going to read the book): 

The last temptation was marrying Mary, having kids, and sitting on the doorstep enjoying family life.

Posted in Attitude, Gifts | Leave a Comment »

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

January 10, 2024

Apologies to Paul Simon and his 59th Street Bridge Song:

Slow down, you move too fast

You got to make the morning last

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feeling groovy

Paul Simon, 59th Street Bridge Song

We have laptop on the lap. Amazon is so easy. Instead of getting off our butts and going to a store like millennia of shoppers, we click and buy. Next day, delivery.

I cannot for the life of me fathom why a 55-and-older community has so many people in a hurry. But as I go out for morning exercise, I cannot believe the number of speeding cars who also have not enough time to stop at a stop sign.

I just listened to an interview with Michael Easter, author of Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough. He talked about staying for a while in a monastery and again staying with natives in the Arctic. He learned to slow down. Then he felt much better—mentally and physically.

Once I rushed everything I did. Perhaps it was Chicago traffic that helped cure that inner urge to rush. If you can’t go anywhere faster than 5 mph, then you just turn on some good music and chill.

Paul Simon had an image of just kicking down the cobblestones on the approach to the 59th Street Bridge in New York. We all need an image of slowing, taking it easy, feeling groovy. We can get our work done without raising a cloud of dust—and anxiety.

Posted in Living, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

A Proverb

January 9, 2024

The adventure of life is to learn.

The purpose of life is to grow.

The nature of life is to change.

The challenge of life is to overcome.

The essence of life is to care.

The opportunity of life is to serve.

The beauty of life is to give.

A Proverb

This “proverb” that I picked up somewhere in my reading is not from “The Proverbs”. These are great verbs to consider incorporating into our lives this year.

Learn, Grow, Change, Overcome, Care, Serve, Give.

Posted in Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Dear Prudence

January 8, 2024

I don’t know how many times I have read the eighth chapter of the book of Proverbs. I stared at the words and one word popped into consciousness—prudence. Why have I not pondered that word before?

The associated thought was the song from the 1968 Beatles “White Album” written by John Lennon to Prudence Farrow, the sister of actress Mia Farrow—Dear Prudence. 

There was a time when the fashion was to name girls after positive character traits—Hope, Grace,  and yes, Prudence.

But what is prudence? Why should Wisdom, the narrator of the Proverbs, emphasize it?

Prudence is a discipline of oneself, a behavior of minimizing or avoiding risk, making good and careful decisions.

Pause here and reflect on all the hasty and ill-taken decisions taken. They come flooding into my consciousness.

Just as we need to count to ten (or count to ten ten times) before replying to certain statements, a pause before making a final decision on a purchase or a course of action is also, well, prudent.

A person even into their 20s who rush into decisions would look at prudence as crimping their freedom of action. For those of us who have been burned by bad decisions, we have learned prudence. Rushing to decision—or when someone is pressuring us to rush into a decision—usually turns out for the worse.

Prudence. Yes, a worthy character trait to infuse into our lives.

Posted in Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Whatever Else Get Insight

January 5, 2024

As the story goes, Solomon was about to become king at a young age. God said to him, what would you like? Solomon asked for wisdom. He got enough to fill two books. His renown for wisdom spread through the known world.

Yet his life was a shambles. His son destroyed the kingdom in short order.

Reading through the book of Proverbs every January starts the year off providing a solid foundation for which to build a good life in the new year.

Buried in the beginning of Chapter 4 lies a bit of a warning.

Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.

Wisdom itself will not provide the righteous and good life. People with PhDs who have no sense about how to live are more numerous than stars you can count at night.

Insight—accurate and deep understanding; the capacity to gain understanding; to perceive clearly or deeply.

Do not merely read through the proverbs. Take some time daily to ponder them. Think about the meaning. Think about how these apply to how I will live today.

Need an example of wisdom without insight and the ability to live out the wisdom—think Solomon.

Don’t be a Solomon. Be like someone who puts wisdom into action—be like Jesus.

Posted in Awareness, discernment, Thinking, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

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