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    “Perhaps the most counter-intuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others, the more you’ll get. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom.”

    Kevin Kelly, Blog

      “If you feel called upon to alleviate suffering in the world, that is a very noble thing to do, but remember not to focus exclusively on the outer; otherwise, you will encounter frustration and despair. Without a profound change in human consciousness, the world’s suffering is a bottomless pit. So don’t let your compassion become one-sided. Empathy with someone else’s pain or lack and a desire to help need to be balanced with a deeper realization of the eternal nature of all life and the ultimate illusion of all pain. Then let your peace flow into whatever you do and you will be working on the levels of effect and cause simultaneously.”

      Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 203)

      Iain Thomas Quote On Giving People A Chance and How Everyone Is Someone

        “Joan of Arc came back as a little girl in Japan, and her father told her to stop listening to her imaginary friends. Elvis was born again in a small village in Sudan, he died hungry, age 9, never knowing what a guitar was. Michelangelo was drafted into the military at age 18 in Korea, he painted his face black with shoe polish and learned to kill. Jackson Pollock got told to stop making a mess, somewhere in Russia. Hemingway, to this day, writes DVD instruction manuals somewhere in China.  He’s an old man on a factory line.  You wouldn’t recognize him. Gandhi was born to a wealthy stockbroker in New York.  He never forgave the world after his father threw himself from his office window, on the 21st floor. And everyone, somewhere, is someone, if we only give them a chance.“

        Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You

        Beyond the Quote (176/365)

        What do you see when you look into the eyes of another human being? Do you see a person for what they appear to be? Do you see them for who they were? Do you see them for who they could be? It depends on the person, I suppose. When I look into the eyes of another human being, I try to see someone who, when given a chance, can become somebody. Somebody who has limitless potential inside that is only but waiting to be molded and realized. Somebody who is capable of great things. Somebody who can make a real difference in their world. I see this in almost everyone. But, not everybody sees it in themselves or others.

        Read More »Iain Thomas Quote On Giving People A Chance and How Everyone Is Someone

        Clay Jensen Quote on Choosing To Live and To Keep Moving, Whatever Happens.

          “Whatever happens, keep moving. Get through it. Choose to live. ‘Cause even on the worst day, there are people who love you. There’s new music waiting for you to hear; something you haven’t seen before that will blow your mind in the best way. Even on the worst day, life is a pretty spectacular thing.”

          Clay Jensen, Graduation Speech, 13 Reasons Why (Season 4)

          Beyond the Quote (173/365)

          If you’re going through hell… keep going. I mean, why would you want to stay in hell? Not moving doesn’t seem like an option when hell is where you find yourself—so don’t fool yourself if you’re in some kind of hellish reality. Keep moving. Whatever happens. No matter how hard things get. Keep moving forward in some kind of direction that’s going to take you away from where you are and out of the hell that you might find yourself in. What’s the alternative?

          Read More »Clay Jensen Quote on Choosing To Live and To Keep Moving, Whatever Happens.

          Thich Nhat Hanh Quote on Suffering and Having Compassion For Those Who Are In Pain

            “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over.  He does not need punishment; he needs help.  That’s the message he is sending.”

            Thich Nhat Hanh

            Beyond the Quote (76/365)

            Below, you will find an exchange between another person and I in regards to the quote above and the caption I put up for it.  It’s a good exchange and there are elements that I think are worth elaborating on and discussing.  Here is the exchange:

            Read More »Thich Nhat Hanh Quote on Suffering and Having Compassion For Those Who Are In Pain

            Rob Dyer Quote on Staying Focused On The Right Things—Things That Bring Us Together

              “At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart, or what’s holding you together.”

              Rob Dyer

              Beyond the Quote (74/365)

              There is a lot happening right now that can make us feel like we’re being torn apart.  With the threat and spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), there is more and more happening each day that is moving us further and further apart and into smaller and smaller groups (even into isolation).  Everything from the biggest organizational gatherings in the world to the most remote meetings in our own backyard are being postponed and cancelled to prevent the spread of the virus.  During this time when we are being forced apart physically, we need to find ways to continue to come together mentally and emotionally.

              Read More »Rob Dyer Quote on Staying Focused On The Right Things—Things That Bring Us Together

                “The journey of the bodhisattva warrior starts with the basic attitude of enlarging our motivation to include the welfare of others.  This is a simple response to this dark age.  Let’s begin right now by engaging love and compassion however we can—not tomorrow, but today.  By cultivating courage and confidence in ourselves and maintaining our seat, we can enjoy creating a sane environment; we can enjoy creating an enlightened society.  This doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Start by looking at your own life and see what you can do, one step at a time.  Love is the saving grace.” ~ Sakyong Mipham, Turning the Mind Into An Ally (Page 212)

                  “Receiving is much harder than giving, but this fact is seldom recognized in mainstream American society.  Dependent people are often deprived of chances to give, finding that they must endure a state of almost constant relinquishment and passivity.  Consequently, the person receiving help accumulates a debt to the other and must bear the weight of feeling beholden day in and day out.  There are few means through which the person can pay back a caregiver for rides to the doctor, help with medical bill paperwork, handling loads of laundry, and check-up telephone calls—the list of favors owed can be immense.  The dependent person may yearn for something useful to do, only to be admonished, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything.'” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 188)

                    “Maybe I should at least wait, to help you, until it’s clear that you want to be helped.  Carl Rogers, the famous humanistic psychologist, believed it was impossible to start a therapeutic relationship if the person seeking help did not want to improve.  Rogers believed it was impossible to convince someone to change for the better.  The desire to improve was, instead, the precondition for progress.  I’ve had court-mandated psychotherapy clients.  They did not want my help.  They were forced to seek it.  It did not work.  It was a travesty.” ~ Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 81)

                      “Before you help someone, you should find out why that person is in trouble.  You shouldn’t merely assume that he or she is a noble victim of unjust circumstances and exploitation.  It’s the most unlikely explanation, not the most probable.  In my experience—clinical and otherwise—it’s just never been that simple.  Besides, if you buy the story that everything terrible just happened on its own, with no personal responsibility on the part of the victim, you deny that person all agency in the past (and, by implication, in the present and future, as well).  In this manner, you strip him or her of all power.” ~ Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 80)

                        “Not everyone who is failing is a victim, and not everyone at the bottom wishes to rise, although many do, and many manage it.” ~ Jordan Peterson, via 12 Rules for Life (Page 76)

                          “The best way to empower someone is not to give them anything; Is not to treat them as if they need to be put on the sidelines. The best way to empower someone is to encourage them to give something to the world—to demand something.” ~ Claire Wineland (20), EEM LA 2018

                            “If you won’t give a dime out of a dollar, you won’t give $1 million out of $10 million.  The time to give is now!  When I had nothing, I began this process.  The reward is that if you give, even at the times when you think you have very little, you’ll teach your brain that there is more than enough.  You can leave scarcity behind and move toward a world of abundance.” ~ Tony Robbins, Money: Master the Game