Creed in Progress

I try to model a way of living to my students and for my children.  Plus I believe in keeping it simple.  In attempt to crystalize my way of life, I've started rewriting these personal rules.

1.  Fight another's loneliness.  What to step up and be an hero? Make them smile.  Look into the eyes and connect.  We will all have days of desperate loneliness: you and me included.  Loneliness that appears to have even a chance of becoming unending makes people violent to relationships, themselves, and to others.

2.  Stand up for yourself.  Refuse to be mistreated.
Call it out simply, directly, and the soon the better.  Niceness is only an option but be cognizant of rule 1. Some possible things to say:
You are  acting ________.  
I'm not interested in this _________ in the future and so it needs to stop now.
This behavior is unacceptable and needs to change if we are going to continue _________.

3.  Listen to yourself.  Listen deeply to your words and observe your actions.  Listen quietly to what makes your soul slightly resonate.  Move so your words and actions come from those quiet resonant moments.   Use those moments to have long term goals.  Working on those long range goals give meaning to the daily grind.
    (A slight P.S. on listening deeply to oneself:  Its alright to learn scary things about yourself.  We can work it out together. Self discovery sounds like it shouldn't be do terrifying but it often can be. Its worth it long term.)

4.    Commandment 11:  Don't be a prick.  So you know it.   So what.  Repeat steps 1 -3.
      "Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water."

What do you think?  Would you recommend something different?

Kindness is Water

"The important thing, that which we cannot live without, is kindness.  Kindness is water, religion is like tea.  It's a great luxury. it increases the savor of life, and is wonderful if we have it.  But kindness is the starting block of every life.  We should ground ourselves in the people around us before immersing ourselves in text and notions of the absolute."

-Pico Iyer, paraphrasing teachings from the Dalai Lama

How to create

Despite the tired old claim that Necessity is the Mother of Invention,
it's usually Observation and Imagination that deserve the credit.
                                                   
   -- The Te of Piglet, pg. 160

 Not tolerating intolerance is not the same thing as intolerance itself.

the Animal and the Diabolical self

"Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can that the centre of Christian morality is not here. If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronising and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute." --C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

shake, rattle, and roll

"The spiritual crisis, when it visits our lives, is the moment of profound change. It is the moment when we may come to the root of our pain, the source of our existential dilemma. We do not need to fix it, we do not need to run from it, we do not need to fear it. We do not need to do anything. In doing nothing we are left with an acute awareness of all that is occurring. An acute awareness of all that is occurring is, after all, what we are... We are in conflict. Stay with that fact. That conflict is vibrating; it is shaking our world. Let our world shake. Let it tumble down. Whatever is left standing is Life itself. Life is not in conflict.
Now, shall we live?" 
~Steven Harrison, Being One~

change, slowly but change still

 Elder Oaks:

"On the subject of public discourse, we should all follow the gospel teachings to love our neighbor and avoid contention. Followers of Christ should be examples of civility. We should love all people, be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs. Though we may disagree, we should not be disagreeable. Our stands and communications on controversial topics should not be contentious. We should be wise in explaining and pursuing our positions and in exercising our influence. In doing so, we ask that others not be offended by our sincere religious beliefs and the free exercise of our religion. We encourage all of us to practice the Savior’s Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

When our positions do not prevail, we should accept unfavorable results graciously and practice civility with our adversaries. In any event, we should be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or nonbelief, and differences in sexual orientation."

such obedience

"We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those who preside over them -- even if they knew it was wrong. But such obedience as this is worse than folly to us. It is slavery in the extreme. The man who would thus willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings until he turns from his folly. A man of God would despise this idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the Saints were told to do by their presidents, they should do it without any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves." (Joseph Smith, Jr. in the Millennial Star, volume 14, number 38, pages 593-595)

Now THERE is a leader!

OZY:

So the Tibetans do not need a Dalai Lama anymore?

DALAI LAMA:

No, I don’t think so. Twenty-six hundred years of Buddhist tradition cannot be maintained by one person. And sometimes I make a tough joke: We had a Dalai Lama for almost five centuries. The 14th Dalai Lama now is very popular. Let us then finish with a popular Dalai Lama. If a weak Dalai Lama comes along, then it will just disgrace the Dalai Lama. (The Dalai Lama laughs.)

OZY:

How old do you want to become?

DALAI LAMA:

The doctors say I could become 100 years old. But in my dreams I will die at the age of 113 years.

OZY:

You have written and said that you can affect your rebirth.

DALAI LAMA:

I hope and pray that I may return to this world as long as sentient beings’ suffering remains. I mean not in the same body, but with the same spirit and the same soul.

OZY:

It is said that whoever has achieved enlightenment will not return.

DALAI LAMA:

The first Dalai Lama became 80 years old. There his disciples said that he was ready for a place in heaven. He replied: “I have no desire for any of these heavenly places. I want to be reborn, where I can be of use.” This is my wish, too.

Read more: The Dalai Lama: On China + the Future of Tibet | C-Notes | OZY 
http://www.ozy.com/c-notes/the-dalai-lama-on-china-the-future-of-tibet/34231.article?utm_source=A1&utm_medium=pp&utm_campaign=pp

I care

You seem to look at our generation and think that it is wicked because of its changing fashions and styles, its messy hair, multiple earrings or tattoos. Our generation looks at yours as morally bankrupt because it seems to care more about the length of our haircut than the intentions of our heart. It seems to care more about loyalty to authority than social justice. We are pleading for a chance to make a real difference on the world, to have a real impact, to eradicate poverty, to clean up the environment, to help broker peace among nations, to reduce corruption and increase accountability in government, to innovate technologically, but instead our culture encourages us to go with the flow, to not make waves, to be loyal Republicans and loyal citizens to a corrupt government, to choose respectable status-quo professions and toe the line in our jobs and church lives. We are told not to question and not to think too hard. Our generation is currently struggling not because it doesn't care but because it cares too much, far more than yours seems to.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/athoughtfulfaith/permalink/713293088756826/

tattoo

"If I were to get a tattoo of my beliefs, it would simply say: Subject to change upon reevaluation."

Ride the edge

fron the bio ofJuanita Brooks by Levi Peterson:

When young Juanita argued with her Sunday School teacher incessantly, her father "drew an analogy which Juanita would long after make famous among liberal Mormons. A cowboy who wants to turn a stampeding herd can run neither in it nor against it; he must ride at the edge. 'Happy sounds are generally better than cursing,' she would quote him as saying, 'but there are times when he must maybe swear a little and swing a whip or lariat to round in a stray or turn the leaders. So don't lose yourself, and don't ride away and desert the outfit. Ride the edge of the herd and be alert, but know your directions, and call out loud and clear. Chances are, you won't make any difference, but on the other hand, you just might.'"

Dolores Umbridge

Here’s what’s so bad about Dolores Umbridge, and consequently, what Millenials can’t stomach from their co-religionists at church (poison in any group):

1. She’s controlling, meeting any challenge to her authority with more rules.
2. She ignores what is unpleasant rather than preparing for it.  She prefers not to deal with reality.
3. She’s smugly self-righteous.
4. She mistakes titles and hierarchy for competence.
5. She has no real experience, and thus no judgment.
6. She is petty and cruel toward those who threaten her worldview.  She prefers to shoot the messenger or at least make him write “I must not tell lies” in his own blood hundreds of times.
7. She expects and rewards tattling.
8. Her clothing choices wouldn’t look out of place in Relief Society.

from:
http://www.wheatandtares.org/14440/what-would-dolores-umbridge-do/

slogans for Lucifer's camp in the Pre-Earth War in Heaven

(something I was playing with :)

In Mormon Theology, there was a war of words before this Earth life.  I was imagining the propaganda,  posters, and TV commercials.

Some possible posters from the Lucifer camp:

Choose to Obey

Make your Future Choices NOW

Give the Father
     the only True Gift
          you have to give

Better to CTR now
    Now and FOREVER
or do you gamble with your
    loved ones eternal souls?

Choose Jesus?
    Are you choosing war, death, and destruction?
In your guts, you know, he's nuts!

With this choice,  there is safety and peace.

CTR NOW!
Or just HOPE your loved ones do later.

I will not split up the family.
Can you get that guarantee from the other side?
        - Vote Lucifer!

We are stronger together
   We are strongest 100% unified!

Tv ad:
    What are ALL the circumstances of your soon-to-be Earth life?
    Don't know?
    Feel like rolling the dice?

*I, Ray Brown, don't endorse these messages and am pro-life.....pro-earth life*

Lessons from the war in heaven

Lessons from the war in heaven
     (Lucifer's rebellion from our Heavenly Parent's Plan)

Never Sacrifice Agency for Obedience

God with all wisdom and understanding would rather have a war than limit others' agency.

The risk of breaking apart the family is worth it have the children grow up, learn, fail, and possibly be amazing.

find your true self

There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man's lack of faith in his true Self.

William James

We don't laugh because we're happy - we're happy because we laugh.

William James

Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.

William James

10 Steps to Being Happy, According Pope Francis

1. "Live and let live."

2. "Be giving of yourself to others."

3. "Proceed calmly" in life.

4. Have "a healthy sense of leisure."

5. "Sundays should be holidays." Spend Sundays with family and friends.

6. "Create dignified jobs for young people."

7. "Respect and take care of nature."

8. "Stop being negative."

9. "Respect others' beliefs."

10. "Work for peace."

If We Must Die

Claude McKay, 1889 - 1948

If we must die—let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die—oh, let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
Oh, Kinsmen!  We must meet the common foe;
Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!