A "Thought 4 the Week" On the Need to be Happy and reverent

I had the privilege to join Scout Sunday Service at my local Catholic Parish.   Scouts and Scouters are reminded to be reverent and always give back.    It was also such a joy to see the love  shown was that was ever more. 

As the new week is at hand, I also had a chance to saw this "oldie" but "goodie" courtesy of the team @ Simple Truths about a need to be happy no matter what the circumstances are:

Watch Now As I always end my "Thoughts 4 the Week", I am reminded to move "Onward"  as the great Diane Nyad tells us about how it is every so possible.

A "Thought 4 the Week" to Start the 2nd Month of 2014....

As a new week dawns, I decided to release this "Thought 4 the Week" courtesy of Jonathan Lockwood Huie:

 

 Conflict cannot survive without your participation.

- Wayne Dyer

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the practice of tolerance,

one's enemy is the best teacher.

- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Few are the giants of the soul that actually feel

that the human race is their family circle.

- Freya Stark 

An "enemy" is a mirage -

an image of self reflected on the sands of Hell.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

Lord, grant comfort, joy and health

to those I call friend,

to those I call "enemy,"

and to those I have cursed by my indifference.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

An "Outsiders" Newsflash (2/1/2014): How have economic sanctions impacted daily life in Iran?

A new month has dawned and with it--a whole host of possibilities.



As the World and Iran continue talking, there needs to be a realization of the reality of life in Iran today.    In making the rounds of the "Social Grid". a friend noted this courtesy of the PBS newshour that underscores the reality that is life in Iran today.

An "M-Thought" 4 the Week :-)

As the W-end looms, some "food 4 thought" 4 all...



..as I hope we remember these admonitions courtesy of

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Blessed are they who see beautiful things

in humble places where other people see nothing.

- Camille Pissarro

Talent is God-given; be humble.

Fame is man-given; be thankful.

Conceit is self-given; be careful.

- John Wooden

We come nearest to the great

when we are great in humility.

- Rabindranath Tagore

Real excellence and humility are

not incompatible one with the other,

on the contrary they are twin sisters.

- Jean Baptiste Lacordaire 

..Onward!! :-)

A "Newsflash" 4 the Week: A Very Busy World Before Us...51 Countries Have Elections..and yes they have consequences :-)

Almost 2 Billion People around the World (1/3 of Mother Earth) will speak to determine their future.  It is bound to be a very very very interesting year....and exciting times that we would be talking about here in "Outsiders".

On The Fight For Freedom: Peter Greste's letter from Tora prison - Al Jazeera Blogs

Just like many around the World, I have been following the plight of the Al Jazeera team detained by Egyptian Military Authorities.    Although the current Egyptian authorities want the World to believe that they are a Democracy, the detention of the Al Jazeera Team shows that this is far from the real truth.  This is as 29 people lost their lives in violence in Cairo just now.



I will continue to track this and periodically comment and share thoughts on Twitter as well using the hashtag #freeAJStaff to do my part.   Freedom of Expression is fundamental--there should be no compromise.   No Government should be afraid.



 My thoughts and prayers are with The Al Jazeera Team and their families as they endure this and commend Mr. Greste for the courage he's shown in this letter: A letter from Tora prison - Al Jazeera Blogs

A "Thought 4 the Week-End": 10 Things We May Not Know About the Founder of FedEx :-)

As the W-End is before us in the US, This is a fascinating account of how one man never gave up and truly believed in the Art of the Possible....

Onward: -)

Mike Pouraryan shared with you: 10 Things You Might Not Know About FedEx Billionaire Fred Smith Forbes - Fred Smith’s overnight delivery service was anything but an overnight success. But now he’s worth $2.3 billion, FedEx FedEx ships more than 10.2 million packages daily in 220 countries, and, while UPS left gift givers stranded this Christmas, Smith’s company soared. Available on the App Store.

On An Ever More Challenging World: A Brief "Thought 4 the Week"

As I write this, the World Economic Forum in Davos is in full swing.    The rich and famous are there to reflect upon the World as the gap between the rich and the poor is ever more.  The President of Iran spoke about his hope for the future and invited the World to Iran.    The Prime Minister of Egypt spoke to the BBC about how Democracy has returned to Egypt even as Police Headquarters in Cairo was subject to a car bomb attack in one of the most secure areas of the Capital.     It is two years since Mubarak was ousted.    Thailand continues to be in a state of chaos and Ukraine is up in arms.   Although the new Constitution in Tunisia is one good news after the advent of the Arab Spring that began two years ago.

It is not easy to remain hopeful.   Yet, this from Jonathan Luckwood Huie was ever so timely for us all to remember--although easier said than done, there is no choice: 

Onward to the Week-End:

When you feel worried and depressed,

consciously form a smile on your face and act upbeat

until the happy feeling becomes genuine.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy

is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet,

alone with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.

- Anne Frank 

A "Thought 4 the Week" As America Remembers Dr. King

Today is Martin Luther King Day. It is a day to remember a many and all that he stood for. For me, it was his constant reminder about love, understanding and overcoming bitterness was ever so important. I had to remind myself of his seminal saying to "Never succumb to the tempation of bitterness". This is as I also saw this from an Old and Dear Friend which is also important for us all to remember & recognize...to as Sir Winston Churchill told us, "...never, never, never give up"...

 Onward w/the new week before us...... :-) 

Nothing to be afraid of

Failure is nothing to be afraid of. Highly successful people experience it all the time, and they do just fine.

What will hold you back is not failure. What will hold you back is doing nothing because you fear failure.

Say what you authentically believe, without worrying about whether or not you’re saying the right thing. Express what you truly feel, without being concerned about what others will think.

And by all means, take action, without fretting or procrastinating or fearing what might or might not happen. Prepare yourself as best you know how, make sensible, well-informed choices, and then get busy doing it.

Sometimes, the result won’t be to your liking. But you can deal with that, and you’ll never know what works and what doesn’t until you step forward and act.

The way to succeed at anything is to take action even though failure is a definite possibility. Push yourself constantly forward into action, and make a beautiful, unique difference in life.

— Ralph Marston

View of the Week: On Our World & A Desire to Aspire To...As a New Week is Before US :-)

It was painful to be witness to Our World This Week.  This was a week that saw devastating Fires in Australia and a drought emergency declared in California.   This was also a week that saw War raging onward in South Sudan and the Taliban again taking their fight to the heart of Kabul.

Of all the death and destruction, the one in Kabul was especially daring.   This was done in the heart of the Embassy District that is supposed to be one of the safest in Afghanistan.    A number of foreign nationals--including the head of the IMF Afghanistan office--died.  The Restaurant Owner--a Lebanese--also died as a result of the blast despite all that he had done to be safe and to protect his clients.    What is clear is that no one and nothing is safe in Afghanistan.   After all that the World has done and the price paid,  it is of profound concern as a Post-Invasion Afghanistan is yet to emerge.

Beyond Afghanistan, there is Iraq.     It has been the view of us here in "Outsiders" that Iraq is a country in name only   The uprising in Anbar and the resulting death is as powerful an indicator as any on the dissolution of Iraq.   14,000 People have taken refugee in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.   Kurdistan, in the meantime, has struck an independent deal with Turkey to sell oil.    The Carnage in Syria also rages on with no end in sight as the World again is trying to get another peace conference going, even though one of Assad's key backers--Iran--has not been invited.  

It is not easy to remain optimistic in the face of so much carnage and as the transformation of our World continues onward to a World that is increasingly automated and digitized.    What one can hope for is what St Francis reminded us: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life 

Onward.....

Also released to http://www.outsiderviews.com