The secret of happiness
lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life,
and in elevating them to art.
William Morris, English Designer, 1834 – 1896
In the details
Month: January 2015
Once we notice…
The aspects of things that are most important for us
are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.
And this means: we fail to be struck by what, once seen,
is most striking and most powerful.
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations
photo dave parker
The modern disease
In many Muslim cultures, when you want to ask them how they’re doing, you ask: in Arabic, “Kayf haal-ik?” or, in Persian, “Haal-e shomaa chetoreh?” How is your haal? What is this “haal” that you inquire about? It is the transient state of one’s heart. In reality, we ask, “How is your heart doing at this very moment, at this breath?” When I ask, “How are you?” that is really what I want to know.
I am not asking how many items are on your to-do list, nor asking how many items are in your inbox. I want to know how your heart is doing, at this very moment. Tell me. Tell me your heart is joyous, tell me your heart is aching, tell me your heart is sad, tell me your heart craves a human touch. Tell me you remember you are still a human being, not just a human doing. Tell me you’re more than just a machine, checking off items from your to-do list.
Omid Safi, The Disease of Being Busy
At its own pace
The meaning of life is just to be alive.
It is so plain and so obvious and so simple.
And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves
Alan Watts, The Culture of Counter-Culture
photo brandon wiggins
Sunday Quote: Perspective
Sometimes one waits too long for the perfect moment before snapping the picture.
You never realize that all you needed was to change perspective.
Miguel Syjuco, Illustrado, 2008 Man Asian Literary Prizewinner
Not sorting things into good and bad
Each day we can encounter setbacks or difficulties, or simply things may happen which we did not expect. And sometimes they can reveal a lot, if they stir up our own mixture of unresolved issues linked to our past. Rather than regarding them as diversions or obstacles on the path, we are encouraged to see them as where we are called to go. The “bad” situation becomes something to be skillfully worked with:
A person who falls to the ground gets back up by using that ground.
To try to get up without relying on that ground would be impossible.
Chinul, 1158–1210,
Zen Master considered to be the most significant influence on the formation of Korean Zen
Mindfulbalance 