From the June 1962 cover of National Geographic February 20th marked the 50th anniversary of the day astronaut John Glenn orbited of Earth. He was one of NASA's original Mercury astronauts, depicted in the recent film, "The Right Stuff." The mission lasted just under five hours, allowing Glenn to circle the globe three times in … Continue reading The Inner Reaches began in Outer Space
Patrice, my good friend and kindred spirit at "The Heartbreak of Invention," http://patricemj.wordpress.com/ asked me to join in on this revealing look at personal "firsts," inspired by one of her fellow bloggers, and in the spirit of friendship I offer this humorous look at some of my own firsts. Enjoy! First Girlfriend: My first efforts … Continue reading First things first…
This is my first ever reblog, but it is clearly a very important message.
Sadness is not contagious. In our valiant efforts to be constructive and positive in a world full of difficulty, we can mistake avoiding the distress of others for a way of maintaining our own positivity.
Thanks to our mirror neurons and our natural empathy with other living creatures, encountering sadness most definitely touches us and can even make us feel upset.
But while avoiding the pain of others may momentarily make us feel better, it doesn’t really contribute to our own well-being – or even our own happiness.
Engaging with others in their suffering has an important place in our development as individuals and as societies.
The Charter for Compassion, founder, Karen Armstrong, has some interesting points to make about this subject.
In Buddhism, compassion (karuna) is defined as a determination to liberate others from their grief, something that is impossible if we do not admit to our own…
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(Thanks to Trish at Creating Reciprocity for the inspiration for this message. The poem, "Mad Girl's Love Song," by Sylvia Plath is featured on her blog and you should check it out. http://creatingreciprocity.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/for-the-day-thats-in-it/ ) One of the most important reasons to express the way we feel about everything that happens to us in our lives … Continue reading Love is Wholeness
I composed the photograph at the top of this post in the late Spring of last year, but the image came powerfully to mind as I began my day, braving the sting of winter's breath on my way to my annual physical, as the sun poked its nose over the tips of the trees, with … Continue reading Consciousness, Empathy, and Love
painting by untitled blue on flickr - Acrylic on 4 Canvas: 125x90cm On a recent errand to acquire a bottle of aspirin from the neighborhood drug store, (never actually having set foot in the place previously,) as I walked through the door, I was immediately seized by an overwhelming desire to check the sign out … Continue reading Madness and the Demise of Common Sense
John's Consciousness 