Juba is the capital and largest city of the Republic of South Sudan. It also serves as the capital of Central Equatoria, one of the ten states of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and functions as the seat and metropolis of Juba County. (Wiki)
We were very pleased and excited to write a piece for MindBodySpirit. MindBoySpirit is an awesome and lucid UK based company focusing on health and wellbeing, self-empowerment, idea exchange/community.Our piece is titled Words to live by: See the Good and Life is Practice.
Hope you enjoy and if you do, please leave a comment and share with those who are important to you.
It’s the ONLY thing worth doing. Radically simple. Radically effective. Practicing compassion or in other words living by the golden rule does more than heal others it heals our own heart when we practice it. As the well known author on religious thought, Karen Armstrong states after decades of research and study it seems to be the only thing that brings everlasting happiness. One reason why this concept fascinates me is because it isn’t always the easiest thing to do from time to time. I guess that is why it is worth doing and yet makes our life more fulfilling. I can only speak for myself in that there are definitely moments where I default and pass judgement not consciously putting myself in another’s shoes. These lapses never feel good and weigh me down giving good reason to focus on practicing compassion. Somehow, when focused on it things tend to challenge me to arise to it on a more radical level. Not always easy but always rewarding.
One thing I’ve realized is that it is truly a practice. One that brings conscious effort in the beginning just like anything and one I have failed on many occasions. So much seems to stem from simply being conscious. When we ride on selfish behavior it usually originates from the mind not the heart. I write about this not because I am there, but because I’d like to better live in the heart of compassion in my day to day life. Like Karen Armstrong states, it is the only thing worth doing. I guess personally I would add yoga practice to that or any practice that brings us inward, consciously watching and observing the patterns of the mind acting as a gateway to our center, into our hearts. Unblocking ourselves daily is an important part of the process I can attest to. Writing has also helped in this regard to cleanse what inhibits my heart and weighs on my shoulders, especially if I am filled with thoughts and worry. It’s a daily effort. An effort worth making.
Via PeaceLoveYoga
Kurt Vonnegut is awesome. He was a true counter culture novelist.
Via (inktank)
There aren’t many writers who witnessed a 20th century apocalypse at first hand. But of those who have Kurt Vonnegut’s response, Slaughterhouse-Five, is arguably the most memorable. It was published in 1969, twenty-four years after Vonnegut, a 23 year-old American prisoner of war, survived the Allied firebombing of Dresden. This massive air attack, which killed 130,000 people and destroyed a city of no military significance was probably the most important thing, besides getting married and having children, which ever happened to him.
Maybe then it’s no surprise that this highly imaginative, nearly psychedelic novel, sandwiched between an autobiographical introduction and epilogue, is full of such poignant words of wisdom. After all as Vonnegut writes on the first page, “All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true.” While the other parts are products of his amazing imagination, as these observations below show, they are no less powerful for it.
1. “There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time.”
2. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to always tell the difference.”
Click to read 13 more powerful insights — BOOKS.
