In response to a query on my Facebook page, I posted twenty-five “Thoughts, ideas, and principles” recently. Since this material might not be readily accesible by some, I have added it as a comment below for those who don’t have Facebook accounts.
January 28, 2009
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Thoughts, ideas, and principles
Strictly speaking, the rules and norms of conduct do not establish our behavior, they establish a predictable response to our behavior. We decide rather to follow the rules or to accept the consequences for not following them.
I want to know.
I am a citizen of the world, and my country is this earth.
I know some amazing people, but I have never met a person I found to be charismatic, and I doubt I ever will. There are no natural leaders, only followers.
“The art of leadership…consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention.” (Mein Kampf)
Chance favors the prepared mind. Life is continuous revelation.
Having a solid base enables us to confidently set forth into new endeavors.
Will I change the world? Perhaps not, but I am determined not to let the world change me.
In backpacking as in life, it is the journey and not the destination.
“A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for.”
One cannot promise the heart, it follows its own course. Love is spontaneous and change is inevitable, but with mutual seeking we can construct the contexts that favor growth and development. Love is continuing revelation. Unconditional love is possible, and is what I now experience for Fran.
A right relationship needs to be open and honest, between individuals of equal power and commitment to the relationship. Without a base of equal power and commitment, any attempt at being open and honest is fatally compromised. In addition to its being the grounding strength of love, this basic concept is relevant in the business world and to any relationships between or among people.
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back to you, they’re yours. If not, they were never rightfully yours in the first place.”
I am a Quaker pacifist revolutionary socialist. (This calls out for exposition/explanation. Ask me.) Professionally, I am an academic experimental psychologist at Villanova University.
All people deserve an opportunity for a healthy and productive life (this phrase did not originate with Bill Gates).
There is no WAY to peace, peace IS the way.
Capability for street speaking is an essential quality for a modern man or woman. This is not to say that street speaking is the most important speaking that you can ever do, but if you are capable in this area, speaking confidently in the bedroom, locker room, and the board room, are all relatively easy.
Sex is God’s gift to men and women, to be used but not abused.
In my peace activities, I often prefer solitary vigils and street speaking over large demonstrations.
I hate rattlesnakes when hiking, but that does not mean I want to kill them..
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”
Some things are better left unsaid.
This, too, will pass.
It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.
We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Prayer is walking/talking with God, to seek our leading. I speak figuratively of course, but to emphasize the direct and personal and compelling experience of conscience.
I strive to be a pacifist. A pacifist is not a passivist. These words are unrelated etymologically.
Comment by admin — January 31, 2009 @ 9:21 pm