Deep within us-no matter who we are-there lives a feeling of wanting to be lovable, of wanting to be the kind of person that others like to be with. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of loving.
Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers)
Calling the goal "holiness" implies a religious bent. But you could substitute maturity, enlightenment, knowledge, whatever you like in that direction and you still have the same idea. So, substitute a word here or there and hang on to the concept.
I've had more than one Christian friend write me, upset that I have used this quote. They believe Christianity is all about faith, not reason. And questioning it implies you expect it to eventually be disproved.
I think they use the wrong definition of faith in this case. Rather than believing something that's difficult to accept (or absurd, as Christian existentialism would
suggest), I would use the world faith in terms of active trust.
I believe the chair will hold me up. But until I sit in it, I haven't shown faith in the chair. When I commit my body to it, taking the chance I might fall on my fanny, that’s when I exercise faith.
Faith is not necessarily unreasonable; it depends on the object in which we place our faith. And questioning ideas, doesn't mean you expect them to be proved false. It's like the night watchman checking doors. He's testing, not because he wants to find a door unlocked, but instead to prove (hopefully) the doors ARE locked.
If Christianity (or any other belief system) is objectively true, there is no need to hide away from reality. It will show itself for what it is in the light of day.
We can gladly question our assumptions about life and test our theories in the crucible of living, knowing we will only be drawn closer to "what is" if we follow truth. And (as Peck says in The Road Less Traveled), your mental health can be measured by your commitment to reality at all costs.
So, let's be skeptical. But not with the goal of seeing all theories, philosophies and religions fall under the microscope of reason. Instead, let's happily question life. And no matter how sentimental it may sound to the philosopher who feels superior because he is always searching and never finding - let's question because we DO seek the goal of truth and are happy to find it in little nuggets here and there along the way in all sorts of odd and interesting places.
Stephen Goforth
"Are you doing what you want to do in your life? Or are you just blowing through? I'm challenging your life right now. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? Would you take a trip around the world? Run a company? If you're not doing what you want, that's where I want you to go. This week is about you doing what you want to do for every week of the rest of your life."
Bill Watkins, head of Seagate Technology speaking to employees before the company’s annual (and grueling!) team-building event in
If your mind doesn't seem as nimble as was at one time, it could be that you are just taking longer to process the information because you have more experiences to cross-reference it with. It’s not that your brain is sluggish, you’re probably just a bit wiser. That’s the conclusion of a set of aging studies. They are analyzed in the latest edition of the journal Progress in Brain Research. The New York Times explains more of what’s in the neurology book in this article.
Stephen Goforth
I go back to things my dad said: "Your career is long and the business world is small. Always act with integrity. Never take the last dollar off the table." In my dealings to sell Bebo [to AOL], this advice was critical. You can always do a slightly better deal, but that incremental dollar or windfall is not worth creating an imbalance that affects the relationship. You have to have the intuition to know when to say, "I'm going to make sure that we walk away feeling like we've both done well."
I think of my step-grandmother. When I was a kid, visiting for the weekend, my friend from next door asked me to come over to his place. I turned him down so I could sit with my step-grandmother on the porch while she knitted. She told me I didn't have to stay and keep her company. I could go play with my friend. But I didn’t want to do that.. and I didn’t know why. Later, I figured out the reason. She had been talking about the beauty of God's world and spoke to me as if what I thought really mattered. Her simple faith had stirred a desire to hang around and hear more.
In heaven, Billy Graham and the like, will have to take a back seat to the single mother scrubbing floors to support her children. She'll get the pat on the back, not because she never doubted or cried her heart out but because when it came down to it, she loved and trusted God in little ways every day and just lived out what she believed. It’s much easy to be holy when you have big crowd in front of you to impress. But what about when no one is looking?
"Some of the best advice I ever received was unspoken. Over the course of my IBM career I've observed many CEOs, heads of state, and others in positions of great authority. I've noticed that some of the most effective leaders don't make themselves the center of attention. They are respectful. They listen. This is an appealing personal quality, but it's also an effective leadership attribute. Their selflessness makes the people around them comfortable. People open up, speak up, contribute. They give those leaders their very best. When it comes to specific advice, the best was from a former boss, who told me, "Don't view your career as a linear progression." He advised me to take horizontal rather than vertical steps: to try out situations that are unstructured, to learn different ways of working, and to get outside of headquarters and experience different cultures." - Sam Palmisano, chairman and CEO of IBM in Forbes Magazine
your slightest look
easily will enclose me
though i have
closed myself as fingers,
you open
always petal by petal
myself as spring
opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously)
her first rose.
ee cummings
"First, always ask for the order, and second, when the customer says yes, stop talking. I have watched more people make great presentations, whether they're trying to sell to their family or in business or in government, and never get to the point of what they're trying to get out of it. And too many times when the customer says yes, the person who got that answer just doesn't stop talking. Worst advice? The worst advice that people can take is to react before they've had a chance to think. I think we all say things and wish we hadn't said them. Ready, shoot, aim is not the smartest policy." - Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, founder of Bloomberg LP in Forbes Magazine
I think Einstein was assuming there were answers to be found.. as opposed to people (some of them I bumped into while studying philosophy) who dare not find any answers because what appealed to them was the "search" for truth/answers/reasons. Finding answers would mean move from aggressive critics to defending a particular viewpoint. Not as much fun. This is similar to romantic love that enjoys the chase, but is quickly bored (or frustrated) with the catch.
We show (by our choices) whether we ask questions because we really want answers.. or whether we draw pleasure from shouting question marks at the world and take comfort from the echo of our own voice.
Stephen Goforth