Topic: #124. Don Miguel Ruiz: Don't Take Things Personally

Great idea. Don’t make assumptions though? Isn’t that a pretty big assumption – namely, that it is possible to lack assumptions?

Topic: #121. Michael Gelb: Think Like da Vinci!

I think there is something misleading about this. There is a very common notion in psychology (presented in all introductory college courses) called ‘nature vs. nurture.’ What this basically means, if it is not yet common enough to be worth explaining, is that the extent to which nature or biology and genetics and heredity plays into development and attributes of a person (or other living being) versus the extent to which nurture or environment and psychosocial aspects of upbringing have a role is a very complex and controversial issue. Recently, behavior genetics research has disclosed information that accounts for a very significant portion of the character, personality, intelligence and other individuated capacities of complex behavioral predispositions of a human being. Thus, while this is still certainly no grounds for saying the answer is ‘it is nature that is mostly the important part,’ it is certainly the case that it plays a significant role; that which genius might be made, it is also definitely born and without being born it is more than likely to never be made. I think while this might be beautiful and inspiring, it also falls short of being a “big idea” if it gives people false or misleading hopes.

Topic: #107. Viktor Frankl: Missions

Do you feel your specific mission in life changes as you go? As in when we were children our missions were to grow and learn…oh, wait! I answered my own question…our mission is STILL to grow and learn.

IMVHO, life mission is not necessarily the work you do for money, as a matter of fact, it usually is NOT. I feel your life mission is the karmic path you are on to get you to the next level…as in learning Acceptance, Finessing being in the NOW, Being a Leader by Example…that typ[e of thing…not CEO by 32.

Topic: #120. Carlos Castaneda: The Warrior's Perception

All Carlos Castaneda books are available free at http://www.scribd.com. Can you imagine that?.

Topic: #119. The Struggle

“Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man.We make ourselves into one or the other”
The above quotation made me remeber the word of king Solomon of the Bible “He becometh poor that deal with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” Prov 10: 4. We all got here and become whatsoever we plan to be. But the planning may be conscious or unconscious. Either you like it or not you will become something. What matters most is what you become and does the end justify the means

Topic: #119. The Struggle

“Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man.We make ourselves into one or the other”
The above quotation made me remeber the word of king Solomon of the Bible “He becometh poor that deal with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” Prov 10: 4. We all got here and become whatsoever we plan to be. But the planning may be conscious or unconscious. Either you like it or not you will become something. What matters most is what you become and does the end justify the means

Topic: #119. The Struggle

“Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man.We make ourselves into one or the other”
The above quotation made me remeber the word of king Solomon of the Bible “He becometh poor that deal with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” Prov 10: 4. We all got here and become whatsoever we plan to be. But the planning may be conscious or unconscious. Either you like it or not you will become something. What matters most is what you become and does the end justify the means

Topic: #43. Michael Gelb: What Makes Chess Grandmasters So Grand?

I don’t know what I am passionate about. I have not thought about what I want to do or what I like to do, I have just done what needed to be done. Any suggestions on how to find out?

Topic: #248. Abraham Maslow: Family

Wow, those Dianetics ads are sure distracting. I could hardly pay attention to what you were saying.

Also…Scientology?

My search results:

Big Ideas matching ‘hubbard’:
None

Topic: #36. Friedrich Nietzsche: God Is Dead

I am still floored by the simplicity of Nietzsche’s life plan (perfectly stated by H. Gunaratana:

”......there are levels of morality. The lowest level is adherence to a set of rules and regulations laid down by somebody else. It could be your favorite prophet. It could be the state, the head man of your tribe or your father. No matter who generates the rules, all you’ve got to do at this level is know the rules and follow them.”

“The next level of morality consists of obeying the same rules even in the absence of somebody who will smack you. You obey because you have internalized the rules. You smack yourself every time you break one.”

“There is a third level or morality, but it might be better termed ethics. This level is a whole quantum layer up the scale, a real paradigm shift in orientation. At the level of ethics, one does not follow hard and fast rules dictated by authority. One chooses his own behavior according to the needs of the situation. This level requires real intelligence and an ability to juggle all the factors in every situation and arrive at a unique, creative and appropriate response each time. Furthermore, the individual making these decisions needs to have dug himself out of his own limited personal viewpoint. He has to see the entire situation from an objective point of view, giving equal weight to his own needs and those of others. In other words, he has to be free from greed, hatred, envy and all the other selfish junk that ordinarily keeps us from seeing the other guy’s side of the issue.”

"When you have the wisdom to truly understand a situation, compassion towards all the parties involved is automatic, and compassion means that you automatically restrain yourself from any thought, word or deed that might harm yourself or others.

“Thus your behavior is automatically moral.:”

I apologize for the “c & p”, but he says it so clearly, I had to share it!

Awesome, and well worth striving for…so,

when I meet The Buddha on the road…..I always try to kill him.

Lowell

Topic: #8. Your Primary Question

Hi,
Good question – despite loving empowering questions, and starting from Anthony’s work in Awaken the Giant Within, I’d not heard about the “one question under stress” idea. However, after 20 years of working with empowering questions (with myself and others) I came to realise that we all have “one personal question” – of the moment.

eg, I have one now that will probably drive most key decisions between the birth of my son and the time he leaves home to fend for himself. Then I’ll have another one. Probably “How long shall I lie in this morning, now that I can? :-)

Great post though. Thanks for sharing.

Regards
Andy
Empowering Questions

Topic: #244. Leo Buscaglia: Grow In Love

Several years ago I made a huge collage and across the top I placed the phrase “falling in and out of love” with the words embedded in storm clouds and divided in half by a flaming ball of the sun. It fills one wall and contains so many images of what I love and what I’m curious about in the world and those images which strike awe in my soul. I’ve often puzzled over why I put the words I choose across the top. I think in reflecting on Leo Buscaglia’s words that the images contain the meaning of the last sentence and words across the top simply describe the surface of my life. It may not be that it is one or the other but both in a truly organic pulse that contains both the growing and the falling away that is life.

Topic: #147. Carlos Castaneda: Blink of an Eye

Likewise we have the option of “putting into” our lives those things we choose. The abilty to choose is a more positive approach to life than the victimized attitude of only being able to remove those things that are impsoed upon us.

Robert Frost notes with clarity the difference of choice in his poem “the road not taken”.

Topic: #107. Viktor Frankl: Missions

This mission in life – does it come from outside – as in some one or some thing ordains you with this ‘destiny’ or is it something that you choose for yourself? Personally I am not comfortable with the idea that there is a great director/gardener of life so I find it hard to come to grips with having a mission in life.

Do you think my skepticism is a result of my world view, or is it because I dont understand the mission in life concept?

Topic: #195. Dan Millman: Wake Up!

Anyone who’s intrigued, inspired, mystified, or even slightly curious about Dan Millman’s writings should check out this cool new hybrid recording that was produced. It features his spoken word weaved within the framework of some gorgeous, heartfelt music. I bought it and it brings me centredness and peace more and more with each listen. One of their comments on the site says “a tool one can truly use at sunrise and sunset…” I couldn’t agree more.
Check it out and spread it around for more peace in the world:

http://www.songofthesage.com

Topic: #34. Abraham Maslow: What Must You Be?

What I read about Abraham Maslow in my psychology textbooks has been a big influence on the way I live my life to this day. I loved that section of my psych class.

Topic: #26. David Emerald: Rubber Bands and Your Ideals

I also thought of Robert Fritz when I saw this quote. When I read his book, The Path of Least Resistance, years ago I found it uncomfortable and somewhat irritating. But in a parrallel project actually checking my comfort zone I got in the habit of noting what was outside my comfort zone thus creating imaginary rubber bands of comfort to discomfort visually. That technique I felt planted the seed in my mind where I wanted to and needed to grow next. I still find it uncomfortable to go beyond my comfort zone but I find it is a necessary requirement to be an effective self actualizer who is able to be self fulfilled.

Topic: #245. Maslow & Self-Awareness

Maslow is my number 1 hero/mentor, especially when it comes to dealing with self-actualization. Yet after years of reading his teachings and practicing on my own how to be all I can be I have found a presupposition embedded in Maslow’s work as well as others who agree with him that only the best of us can successfully be self-actualizers who can become self fulfilled. Call it defensiveness or reactions of just plain hard earned experience but I think the object of this game of being a self actualizer is about how often can we get in the self-actualizer state and then when we do that how effective are we in actually being what we think we can be? Some may not be as talented as others in sensing who we can be and some even when we do sense our desires and wants may not be able to acquire the resources, skills and knowledge necessary to be the person we imagine we can be.

I don’t mean to emphasize the possibility of failure in the quest to be all we can be but there are darn good reasons why we all can’t just rise to our potential even after being inspired by Maslow’s words.

Topic: #97. Squeeze the Old Kegel

Medical reasons have been cited (e.g. http://www.urologyhealth.org/print/index.cfm?to… – “We do not recommend that you practice these exercises during urination by starting and stopping the flow of urine.”) that the Kegel muscle is not supposed to be squeezed during urination… Ghm

Topic: #225. Differences

This is obviously a hot topic currently as we watch the political debates ramp up. For the most part I’ve found it to be more beneficial to observe differences & perspectives rather than to react and involve myself or participate in someone else’s issues. Which, if you get to the heard of it, are mostly personal. Play your own game, not someone else’s.

Not to suggest there is no value in voicing your opinions in order to make a positive difference, but to first understand that people are “where they are” because of what they’ve chosen to think up to this point, is a very beneficial insight to possess. Whatever stage in life we are in, at this particular moment, is determined by so many things: upbringing, culture, education, religion, personal growth or lack of, the thoughts we’ve consciously chosen, etc..

Forcing our own influence automatically creates more resistance. Being wise enough NOT to take other’s beliefs and opinions personally allows us to be in a place where we can continue focusing on our own issues and appreciate the fact that others are allowing us to have our own voice.

Topic: #93. Joseph Campbell: Follow Your Bliss

The suggestion is to “follow your (as in my) bliss.” Got it. But wait, lets look at the distinctions that are supposed to make this idea big. The suggestion is to follow a bliss and your is said to be important because it distinguishes the bliss that anyone ought to follow as his or her own. Okay, simple enough. So now we have “follow bliss, so long as it is your own.” And what is this bliss? Got that too: it is what makes you “truly giddy.” So now we have “follow that which makes YOU (that is, not someone else but you) giddy.” Follow is straight forward, it implies some kind of action that will move one in the direction of that which makes him or her get truly giddy. Hmmm. So what is this telling us really? Where is the substance of the idea? That bliss is one’s own giddiness? That it is of utmost importance to do what makes one giddy? Maybe I’m missing something, but this doesn’t end up telling me much at all. Impulses without ideals are ultimate sources of giddiness, but I don’t think people as conscious participants in the life process should therefore make hedonism their utmost ideal. Sometimes considering the presence of others can be a deeper source of bliss, but one that is unseen by giddiness, self-importance, and action that has following of this as its compass.

Topic: #216. Read

Reading is the key to life, cos all life problems, challenges have been experienced by people of all ages and solution to thier problem have been documented like Socrates said by learning from the writings of others you will save yourself the pains they have gone through ( in my own word). Paul the Apostle said study to show yourself approved.
Study is the key to life. The more i read the more my mind expand and once the elasticity of a mind and has been strech it will never return back to its normal shape. let us learn to study

Topic: #85. Go Straight at Your Problems

What if one’s problem can be metaphorically likened to being faced with the limitation of not being about to break brick walls with the head because the flesh will physically not withstand such a “bold” act. Should one, then, still face the problem just in case it works? Or is this “big idea” a bit too general to express the way one ought to face the complex dynamics of the world and the problems that reside in it and one’s self? Avoidance may not always be the best answer, though certain situations may even find this as an adequate dealing – avoidance of unnecessary confrontation, for example (Gandhi anyone?). Thus, (1) taking something “head on” is not necessarily the best answer to dealing with something and itself is platitudinous in not saying anything that has functional use (e.g., to say that one should face his/her problems head on says nothing about the enormous amount of gradation – one that is, ironically, ever more vast than the number of possibilities between taking something on or not: ghm, two!) that is involved in the specific way one might take something on and (2) who was it that said something along the lines of “big ideas cannot be captured in a paragraph”? ...I might add, “they cannot be captured adequately when the aim is to express the idea AND its content rather than capture it in a form that is familiar to those who are adequately versed in its backgrounds (e.g., a formula that expressed a proof in physics or mathematics).

Topic: #121. Michael Gelb: Think Like da Vinci!

And I believe he was Gay also!

Topic: #215. Meditation

This is wonderful. It reminds me of the Christian scripture “pray always” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) (- Personally, I think meditation and prayer work quite well together.)