Eisenhower’s Chance for Peace Speech


Eisenhower’s Chance for Peace Speech

 

 

Dwight D. Eisenhower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower

Chance for Peace Speech
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chance_for_Peace_speech

Eisenhower's Farewell Address
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower%27s_farewell_address



Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter with a half-million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people … This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.

Why The Older You Get, The More You Hate Everyone (And Why That's OK)


Why The Older You Get,

The More You Hate Everyone

(And Why That's OK)

 

By Gigi Engle

 

 

Why The Older You Get, The More You Hate Everyone (And Why That's OK)

https://www.elitedaily.com/life/i-hate-people/1420157

 

 

You know how you're always talking about how you hate everyone? The thing is, the older you get, the more real this is.

 

True story: I don't really have friends anymore. I'm super close with my family; my siblings and two of my cousins are my best friends. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you may be wondering why the older you get, the more you hate everyone (or, rather, why more people get on your nerves). I’m here to tell you a personal tale.

 

I used to have a ton of friends. I confided important things in a couple of people I considered to be my best friends. I felt like they knew my soul through and through; they could see me; they would never go anywhere. In my mind, I thought they would be in my wedding party, we'd have kids around the same time, and we’d raise our kids as best friends.

 

But as time went on, I graduated from school and got a “real job.” I matured, grew up, and things changed. All of those friendships I thought I couldn't live without fizzled out.

 

I want to make it clear that I in no way entirely blame other people for my lack of friends. I played a critical role in the deterioration of those friendships. But at first, I felt really horrible about the whole thing. I felt like I was putting in a lot more effort and giving a lot more of myself than I was getting back.

 

As soon as I stopped giving each relationship my all, the friendships started to decline. Neither of us put in the work to fix what was broken. Instead, we walked away.

 

That's the thing about some people: They might walk in and out of your life. I've come to the conclusion that the older you get, the harder it is to make friends because you start to realize you’re done with drama and don’t have time for nonsense. And the most important takeaway of all is that it's really OK, because this is your life to live.

 

The older you get, the less you're willing to put up with.

 

When you're young, you may have wanted to be friends with everyone. As you get more mature, the less you're willing to deal with anything that’s not worth your time and energy. For me, if someone wants to be a shady, they have no place in my life. If someone isn't going to put the work in to make our friendship sustainable, it can feel disappointing, but I don't have time for the nonsense anymore. If that means losing friends I had and not making any new ones, I'd rather spend my time alone than with someone who makes me feel alone.

 

The older you get, you might not care about making new friends.

 

I've gotten to the point in my life where making new friends isn't even on my list of priorities. I'm still a friendly person. I chat it up with people and I hang out with people, but I don't really let them in. I don't tell them secrets. I don't become vulnerable.

 

I'm past the point of making a new best friend. I have my family, and I'm completely OK with that. When you get to a certain age, making new friends stops being something that’s on the top of your to-do list.

 

The older you get, you may be less trusting of people.

 

When you're a kid, you may expect people have your best interest at heart. You trust them with your whole heart. When you grow up more, you learn that people can disappoint and hurt you. It was astonishing to see so many close friends walk away, but luckily, that made walking away myself much simpler. I toughened up because I had to.

 

The older you get, the less you choose to put anyone before yourself.

 

I’ve learned that when you put yourself first, that's when things really change for the better. A switch flips somewhere along the road between early adulthood and real adulthood.

 

You start doing things to please yourself rather than other people. The older you get, the less you stop looking for a ride-or-die friend. Instead, you start improving yourself. Friends may walk in and out of your life, but you will never leave you.

Zoroastrianism


Zoroastrianism

 

 

Zoroaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster


Zoroastrianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism

 

 

Zoroastrianism or Mazdayasna is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zaraθuštra in Avestan or as Zartosht in Persian). It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ontology and an eschatology which predicts the ultimate conquest of evil by good. Zoroastrianism exalts an uncreated and benevolent deity of wisdom known as Ahura Mazda (lit. 'Lord of Wisdom') as its supreme being. Historically, the unique features of Zoroastrianism, such as its monotheism, messianism, belief in free will and judgement after death, conception of heaven, hell, angels, and demons, among other concepts, may have influenced other religious and philosophical systems, including the Abrahamic religions and Gnosticism, Northern Buddhism, and Greek philosophy.

With possible roots dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE, Zoroastrianism enters recorded history around the middle of the 6th century BCE. It served as the state religion of the ancient Iranian empires for more than a millennium (approximately from 600 BCE to 650 CE), but declined from the 7th century CE onwards as a direct result of the Arab-Muslim conquest of Persia (633–654 CE), which led to the large-scale persecution of the Zoroastrian people. Recent estimates place the current number of Zoroastrians in the world at around 110,000–120,000 at most, with the majority of this figure living in India, Iran, and North America; their number has been thought to be declining.

The most important texts of Zoroastrianism are those contained within the Avesta, which includes the central writings thought to be composed by Zoroaster known as the Gathas, that define the teachings of Zoroaster and which are poems within the liturgy of worship, the Yasna which serve as the basis for worship. The religious philosophy of Zoroaster divided the early Iranian gods of the Proto-Indo-Iranian tradition into emanations of the natural world as ahuras and daevas, the latter of which were not considered to be worthy of worship. Zoroaster proclaimed that Ahura Mazda was the supreme creator, the creative and sustaining force of the universe through Asha, and that human beings are given a choice between supporting Ahura Mazda or not, making them ultimately responsible for their choices. Though Ahura Mazda has no equal contesting force, Angra Mainyu (destructive spirit/mentality), whose forces are born from Aka Manah (evil thought), is considered to be the main adversarial force of the religion, standing against Spenta Mainyu (creative spirit/mentality). Middle Persian literature developed Angra Mainyu further into Ahriman, advancing him to be the direct adversary to Ahura Mazda.

Additionally, the life force that originates from Ahura Mazda, known as Asha (truth, cosmic order), stands in opposition to Druj (falsehood, deceit). Ahura Mazda is considered to be all-good with no evil emanating from the deity. Ahura Mazda works in gētīg (the visible material realm) and mēnōg (the invisible spiritual and mental realm) through the seven (six when excluding Spenta Mainyu) Amesha Spentas.

How to Be Happy Alone: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Best Friend


How to Be Happy Alone:

10 Ways to Become Your Own Best Friend


by Katelyn Chef


How to be happy alone: 10 ways to become your own best friend

https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/how-to-be-happy-alone-rcna33959



True happiness comes from within.

And while you can always turn to others for a mood boost, there's nothing quite like being content with your own company. That said, can you really be happy alone?

Yes, but it's all about perspective.

The word "alone" sometimes carries a negative connotation since many equate it to being lonely and, well, sad. However, that is simply not the case as the two words have completely different meanings.

“Feeling lonely is actually completely different from being alone. Loneliness is a feeling while being alone in a situation," Dr. Nina Vasan, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Real told TODAY.

With the right techniques, you may be able to get past this feeling of loneliness, whether you're single, going through a breakup or simply miles away from the people you love. “For example, if you’re by yourself but connecting to others through good communication or activities like volunteering, you don’t feel lonely," she said.

In fact, the ability to enjoy the joys of quality alone time may just be the greatest act of self-love. Not to mention being alone — whether by choice or circumstance — gives you time to be "introspective, creative, or engaged through activities like journaling, painting, reading a book or building something for your house."

Read on for expert-backed tips and tricks on how to be happy alone. Implement one (or all) of these techniques into your everyday life to remind yourself the happiness should always start and end with you. Who knows, you may even find that you're a better friend, partner and colleague because of it.

Develop a workout routine

Have you ever noticed how your mood improves after a brisk walk around the block? It's no secret that a simple walking routine is beneficial for your health. In addition to lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure, walking — either fast or slow — helps relieve stress and increase mindfulness, according to research.

“On the biological level, the endorphins that get released from exercising improve mood. Psychologically, the more you engage and the better you get, that sense of mastery increases confidence and self-esteem, which leads to feeling happier," Dr. Vasan said.

It's even better when you can take your workout outdoors, "as time spent in nature also helps to improve mood."

Stop comparing yourself to others

When scrolling through social media, it's easy to lose sight of who you really are — and what sets you apart. Kathryn Lee, MHC, ED.M, M.A warns that social media can often lead to comparison, aka "the thief of joy."

"Comparing yourself to others can make you feel inadequate, less than, and left out potentially leading you to experience higher levels of stress, anxiety, or low self-esteem," she said.

If you find yourself feeling down, stop scrolling and remember that we are all on different paths. According to Lee, the best way to get out of this negative headspace is to practice acceptance and cut out any of the emotional triggers like Instagram or Facebook.

Curate hobbies

Your career, family and everyday commitments keep you busy enough as it, but what do you do for you? Dr. Vasan recommends revisiting an old hobby or finding a new one that sparks joy. Go for something that stimulates creativity like taking up photography or signing up for a ceramics course.

Volunteer in your community

Helping others does your heart — and head — some good. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Happiness found that people who volunteer are happier than those who don't.

"Volunteering and giving back helps you find a sense of purpose. By identifying a cause you care about and giving your time to that, you get connected to something beyond yourself, and that can increase your sense of happiness,” Dr. Vasan said.

Practice self-reflection

Much like looking into a physical mirror, self-reflection is a simple way to gain insight into what you look like — from the inside out.

Dr. Vasan suggests activities like journaling, practicing mindfulness and expressing gratitude to help you better understand who you are and what you need. In return, you’ll be able to connect with others on a deeper level.

Be bold and try new things

Remember when you tried kale for the first time and actually liked it? Of course, it can be daunting, but trying new things opens up a a whole new world for you.

Come up with a list of things you've always wanted to try, everything from daring foods to out-of-the-ordinary activities. One by one, check the items off your list and discover a few favorites along the way.

 Lean on animals for emotional support

All pet parents know that they're never truly alone — as long as they have their fur baby by their side. Dr. Vasan couldn't agree more: "Emotional support animals can bring immense joy and companionship to people.”

If you think having your pup or cat with you would help on your solo journey, then Dr. Vasan recommends reaching out to your doctor to see if you can register your pet as an emotional support animal. That way, "you can take them in certain places related to housing and travel.”

Put yourself first

Although it's often easier said than done, Lee suggests carving out time to really get to know yourself. After all, "the most important relationship we have is the relationship with our own selves."

Treat the relationship with yourself like any other relationship in your life by prioritizing your wants and needs. Maybe that means scheduling daily workouts, reading daily affirmations or setting aside five minutes a day to jot down your thoughts. By filling your own cup, you'll have the space and energy for everyone else.

Get out in nature

Research shows that time spending time outside leads to a more happy, relaxed state. For example, a 2019 study published in Scientific Reports found that spending at least 120 minutes in nature each week improved people's health and overall wellbeing.

Lee adds that fresh air and sunshine can lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate and overall stress. Stepping out in nature also clears the mind, ultimately leading to improved working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control.

In other words, you'll become one with yourself by becoming one with nature.

Live in the moment

So many times we save life's little luxuries — pricey candles, layered cakes, you name it — for special occasions. The true secret to being happier alone is living your best life 24/7, 365. "Don’t wait for someone, something, or a milestone to dictate your happiness,” Lee said. "You have the agency to create a life full of joy and abundance."

Take this as your permission to light all the candles, bake all the cakes and do whatever makes your heart happy.

A Rabbit Hole of Unposted Odd 'n Ends


A Rabbit Hole of Unposted Odd 'n Ends

 

 

 

I Am Brahman

 

Adi Shankaracharya

translated by Vivekachudamani

 

The fool thinks, “I am the body.” The intelligent man thinks, “I am an individual soul united with the body.” But the wise man, in the greatness of his knowledge and spiritual discrimination, sees the Self as the only reality, and thinks, “I am Brahman.”

 

 

 

No Gold is Lost

 

by Nisargadatta, I Am That

 

Imagine a big building collapsing. Some rooms are in ruins, some are intact. But can you speak of the space as ruined or intact? It is only the structure that suffered and the people who happened to live in it. Nothing happened to space itself. Similarly, nothing happens to life when forms break down and names are wiped out. The goldsmith melts down old ornaments to make new. Sometimes a good piece goes with the bad. He takes it in his stride, for he knows that no gold is lost.

 

 

 

The Truth is Still the Truth

 

by Mohandas Gandhi

 

Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth.

 

 

 

More Equal

 

by George Orwell, Animal Farm

 

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

 

 

 

Remain Still

 

The Ribhu Gita

translated by Dr. H. Ramamoorthy and Nome

 

Pure and impure thoughts are a feature of the mind. There are no wandering thoughts in the Supreme Being. Therefore, abide as That and, free from the pure and impure thoughts of the mind, remain still like a stone or a log of wood. You will then be always happy.

 

 

 

Glittering and Empty

 

by Nisargadatta, I Am That

 

The world is but a show, glittering and empty. It is, and yet it is not. It is there as long as I want to see it and take part in it. When I cease caring, it dissolves. It has no cause and serves no purpose. It just happens when we are absent-minded. It appears exactly as it looks, but there is no depth in it, nor meaning. Only the onlooker is real, call him Self or Atma. To the Self, the world is but a colourful show, which he enjoys as long as it lasts and forgets when it is over. Whatever happens on the stage makes him shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear, he enjoys it, as it happens.

 

 

 

That Pure Awareness

 

by Colin Drake

 

To enjoy this peace and absolute security we do not need any dogma, belief systems, rituals or practices. All that is necessary is to abandon the external search for this. We must stop "seeking for love in all the wrong places"; just recognize, and totally relax into, that pure awareness that we already are.

 

 

 

I Observe Silence

 

by Meher Baba

 

Man’s inability to live God’s words makes the Avatar’s teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence. Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence.

 

 

 

In Case We Never Meet

 

by Jack Kerouac

 

I have lots of things to teach you now, in case we ever meet, concerning the message that was transmitted to me under a pine tree in North Carolina on a cold winter moonlit night. It said that Nothing Ever Happened, so don't worry. It's all like a dream. Everything is ecstasy, inside. We just don't know it because of our thinking-minds. But in our true blissful essence of mind is known that everything is alright forever and forever and forever. Close your eyes, let your hands and nerve-ends drop, stop breathing for 3 seconds, listen to the silence inside the illusion of the world, and you will remember the lesson you forgot, which was taught in immense milky way soft cloud innumerable worlds long ago and not even at all. It is all one vast awakened thing. I call it the golden eternity. It is perfect. We were never really born, we will never really die. It has nothing to do with the imaginary idea of a personal self, other selves, many selves everywhere: Self is only an idea, a mortal idea. That which passes into everything is one thing. It's a dream already ended. There's nothing to be afraid of and nothing to be glad about. I know this from staring at mountains months on end. They never show any expression, they are like empty space. Do you think the emptiness of space will ever crumble away? Mountains will crumble, but the emptiness of space, which is the one universal essence of mind, the vast awakenerhood, empty and awake, will never crumble away because it was never born.

 

 

 

The Most Adaptable to Change

 

by Charles Darwin

 

It may or may not have been Charles Darwin who penned,

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.

It is the one that is the most adaptable to change,”

But it is true, nonetheless.

 

 

 

The Timeless Dance

 

by Mike Jenkins

 

There is nowhere you can go where I am not, no thought you can think that I am not, no breath you can take that I am not, no word you can speak that I am not, no pain you can suffer that I am not, no distance you can travel that I am not and no sound you can make that I am not. For you are I are one, embracing in the timeless dance of here and now.

 

 

 

No Need for Understanding

 

by Ramesh S. Balsekar

 

The final understanding is the acceptance of what Is as the functioning of totality or god. However, that acceptance is not in your hands. In the final understanding, there is no surrenderer, no accepter, no seeker and no finder. You know you have understood the teaching when questions answer themselves. You know you have understood the teaching when questions don’t matter anymore and they dissolve. The stopping of all questioning is the most powerful understanding. Understanding means there is no need for understanding.

 

 

 

Out Beyond Ideas

 

by Rumi

 

Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Language, ideas, even the phrase each other, doesn't make any sense.

 

 

 

A Very Human Performance

 

Bokonon

a.k.a., Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle

 

If I am ever put to death on the hook, expect a very human performance.

 

 

 

Beyond the Shadows

 

by Plato

 

Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed by the masses.

 

 

 

Entangling Briars

 

by Daito Kokushi

 

Wishing to entice the blind, the Buddha has playfully let words escape his golden mouth; Heaven and earth are ever since filled with entangling briars.

 

 

 

An Ocean in a Drop

 

by Rumi

 

You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.

 

 

 

So Goddamned Lonely

 

by Kurt Vonnegut

 

How on earth can religious people believe in so much arbitrary, clearly invented balderdash? The acceptance of a creed, any creed, entitles the acceptor to membership in the sort of artificial extended family we call a congregation. It is a way to fight loneliness. Any time I see a person fleeing from reason and into religion, I think to myself, there goes a person who simply cannot stand being so goddamned lonely anymore.

 

 

 

The Witnessing Consciousness

 

Ashtavakra

translated by Manuel Schoch

 

You are neither earth nor air nor fire nor water nor ether ... To attain liberation know yourself as the witnessing consciousness of all these ... If you separate yourself from the physical body and rest in consciousness then this very moment you will be happy, at peace, and free of bondage.

 

 

 

No Particular Path

 

Dattatreya, Song of the Avadhut

translated by Swami Abhayananda

 

A yogi has no particular path; he simply renounces imagining things. His mind then ceases of its own accord, and the perfect state just naturally occurs.

 

 

 

Know, Without Doubt

 

Dattatreya, Song of the Avadhut

translated by Swami Abhayananda

 

Know, without any doubt, that I’m limitless. Know, without any doubt, that I’m changeless. Know, without any doubt, that no stains can touch me. My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

 

 

 

He Who Renounces

 

Adi Sankaracharya, Atma Bodha

 

He who renouncing all activities, who is free of all the limitations of time, space and direction, worships his own Atman which is present everywhere, which is the destroyer of heat and cold, which is Bliss-Eternal and stainless, becomes All-knowing and All-pervading, and attains thereafter Immortality.

 

 

 

So It Goes

 

by Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

 

So it goes.

 

Tralfamadorian Proverb

 

 

 

Of Mind and Senses

 

The Amritabindu Upanishad

 

It is the mind that frees us or enslaves. Driven by the senses we become bound; Master of the senses we become free. Those who seek freedom must master their senses. When the mind is detached from the senses, one reaches the summit of consciousness. Mastery of the mind leads to wisdom. Practice meditation. Stop all vain talk. The highest state is beyond reach of thought, for it lies beyond all duality.

 

 

 

The Gift Back

 

by Edo

 

We've all been given a gift, the gift of life. What we do with our lives is our gift back.

 

 

 

Peace Arising

 

by Jac O'Keeffe

 

As you learn to observe with no attachment, peace arises. The only thing that can attempt to interfere with this is your identification with thoughts.

 

 

 

If You Listen Very Closely

 

by Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

Have you ever sat very silently, not with your attention fixed on anything, not making an effort to concentrate, but with the mind very quiet, really still? Then you hear everything, don’t you? You hear the far off noises as well as those that are nearer and those that are very close by, the immediate sounds – which means really that you are listening to everything. Your mind is not confined to one narrow little channel. If you can listen in this way, listen with ease, without strain, you will find an extraordinary change taking place within you, a change that comes without your volition, without you asking; and in that change there is great beauty and depth of insight.

 

 

 

Why Would You Do That?

 

by Robert Adams

 

When you think about the mind, when you're thinking about the thoughts then you're giving it energy. When you just observe and just watch and leave it alone and do nothing where does the energy come from? There is no energy to give it. So you ignore the mind by observing it. Then you will find out that there is no mind. You've been wasting your time for years observing something that doesn't exist. So why would you want to do that?

 

 

 

Find the Source

 

by Ramana

 

People often ask how the mind is controlled. I say to them 'Show me the mind and then you will know what to do.' The fact is that the mind is only a bundle of thoughts. How can you extinguish it by the thought of doing so or by a desire? Your thoughts and desires are part and parcel of the mind. The mind is simply fattened by new thoughts rising up. Therefore it is foolish to attempt to kill the mind by means of the mind. The only way of doing it is to find its source and hold on to it. The mind will then fade away of its own accord.

 

 

 

Shadows and Sun

 

by Rupert Spira

 

The self that seeks Awareness is like a shadow that seeks the sun.

 

 

 

A State of Bliss

 

by Deepak Chopra

 

If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.

 

 

 

Real Truth

 

by Alan Watts

 

We must here make a clear distinction between belief and faith, because, in general practice, belief has come to mean a state of mind which is almost the opposite of faith. Belief, as I use the word here, is the insistence that the truth is what one would “lief” or wish it to be. The believer will open his mind to the truth on the condition that it fits in with his preconceived ideas and wishes. Faith, on the other hand, is an unreserved opening of the mind to the truth, whatever it may turn out to be. Faith has no preconceptions; it is a plunge into the unknown. Belief clings, but faith lets go. In this sense of the word, faith is the essential virtue of science, and likewise of any religion that is not self-deception.

 

 

 

Ductless Glands and Viscera

 

by Aldous Huxley

 

What we feel and think and are is to a great extent determined by the state of our ductless glands and viscera.

 

 

 

Two Races of People

 

by Ray Bradbury
Playboy Interview 1996

 

There are two races of people – men and women – no matter what women's libbers would have you pretend. The male is motivated by toys and science because men are born with no purpose in the universe except to procreate. There is lots of time to kill beyond that. They've got to find work. Men have no inherent center to themselves beyond procreating. Women, however, are born with a center. They can create the universe, mother it, teach it, nurture it. Men read science fiction to build the future. Women don't need to read it. They are the future.

 

 

 

The Revelation

 

Agent Smith, The Matrix

 

I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure.

 

 

 

The Irony and Paradox of Civilization

 

by Ibn Khaldun

 

The goal of civilization is a settled life and the achievement of luxury. But there is a limit that cannot be overstepped. When prosperity and luxury come to a people, they are followed by excessive consumption and extravagance. With that the human soul itself is undermined, both in its worldly wealth and its spiritual life.

 

 

 

The Advantages Animals Have


by Voltaire

 

Animals have these advantages over man:  they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.

 

 

 

A Dispassionate Eye

 

by Osho

 

Once your eye is completely clean, clean of all the dust, once it becomes a pure mirror, it reflects that which is. And that is truth, and truth liberates, but it has to be your own. My truth cannot liberate you, Buddha's truth cannot liberate you. There is only one possibility of liberation, and that is your own truth. And all you have to do is create a dispassionate eye.