This Week's Word & Thought: Power

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”  - Mahatma Gandhi

His Legacy

Mahatma Gandhi is known as the Father of India. His birth date is celebrated as a national holiday in India - Gandhi Jayanti. He devoted his life to the cause of Indian independence from the British Empire. He said, "Just as a man would not cherish living in a body other than his own, so do nations not like to live under other nations, however noble and great the latter may be."  Gandhi once said, "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man." Throughout the world, the date of his birth is celebrated as the International Day of Nonviolence.

To Gandhi, power was non-violence and love.  I believe it is very fitting for the current times that surround us and realizing many feel anger and fear.  Stay the course and do not lose hope in the progress we have made as a country.  After all, love does trump hate.

Namaste

Thought & Word for the Week: Freedom

I asked one of my work team members to give me  a word that inspires them.  I was given a quote that I had not heard before and after reading decided “freedom” was the word.  Here is the quote:

“My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminishes constraint diminishes strength. The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one's self of the chains that shackle the spirit." – Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-French-American composer, pianist and conductor.  He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20^th century.  Born June 17, 1882 in Lomonosov, Russia and Died April 6, 1971 in New York City, NY.

Here is a quote on freedom from one of my most admired:

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free.”  ― Thich Nhat Hanh

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in southwest France where he was in exile for many years. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He is often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.

Namaste,

This Week's Word & Thought: Heroes

Recent events in our nation and in the world demonstrate even more the need to reach out and actively voice love and acceptance.  We start with our families and friends as well as each other and those we interact with on a daily basis. 

Here are four of my top heroes in life and a quote from each on this topic. 

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.  – Nelson Mandela

You must not lose faith in humanity.  Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. – Mahatma Gandhi

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.  – Maya Angelou

If we are to have peace on earth…our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.  – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here is wishing each of you peace in a time of turmoil.

Namaste,

PS:  true translation of Namaste is “I bow to you.”

This Week's Word and Thought: Kindness

As my initial audience knows, I stopped writing my blog regularly over a year ago.  There were many reasons for this, but primarily I had concerns over what right do I have to express my opinion on many world events and human behavior.  I have decided that as a member of humanity, I do have a right to speak my mind, but have also decided for it to be on a smaller weekly scale.

At work I do a weekly email titled "This Week's Word and Thought" and I want to share those thoughts with a broader audience.  I hope you enjoy!  Namaste, Tom

"Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love."  - Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu, or "Old Master," is an honorary title for the ancient Chinese man whose original name was Li Er. As a saint or deity, he is known by many names, including Lao Jun and Lao Dan. He is credited with founding philosophical and religious Daoism.

Little is truly known about the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu (sometimes also known as Laozi or Lao Tze), who is a guiding figure in Daoism (also translated as Taoism), a still popular spiritual practice. He is said to have been a record keeper in the court of the central Chinese Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century B.C., and an older contemporary of Confucius. This could be true, but he may also have been entirely mythical—much like Homer in Western culture. It is certainly very unlikely that (as some legends say) he was conceived when his mother saw a falling star, or born an old man with very long earlobes – or lived 990 years.

You can read more about him, whether real or mythical, at 

http://bit.ly/thephilosphersmail_LaoTzu