Flowers without butterflies
If flowers have not the butterflies and bees to carry their pollen, the winds to carry their seeds, the rains to nourish, their species dies out. Flowers cannot survive without conversation.
:- Doug.
Archive for August, 2012
We teach by what we demonstrate
We teach by what we demonstrate. If we demonstrate “Sit there, listen only,” we get nothing. If we demonstrate conversation, we increase our chances of conversation.
:- Doug.
I pray sometimes to people about
Am I to silence
my lips, my pen?
Keep to myself
my thoughts, my prayers?
I pray sometimes
to people about:
please help, please open
our world, include voices
you had not heard
hear their prayer, our prayer
words I hear
seem no answer
still, open
:- Doug.
It takes a pulse
It takes a pulse
to live among:
a going out, a coming home
an acting, a stopping to hear
softness, softness
:- Doug.
The quieter ones
It’s important to give the quieter ones a chance to engage and share their voices. Otherwise, we just hear the usual voices and lose those who ponder, take their time, do not often speak. We reinforce the old patterns and nothing new happens. Why do we want to have these conversations? Then conversing in smaller groups gives more voices an opportunity to be heard, and speeds the conversation’s spread.
:- Doug.
All these are at least of God
Shh, can you hear
the light rain coming?
the heartbeat rhythm of the fish you caught?
the first movement of the conscience of an executive of a multinational corporation?
All these are at least of God
:- Doug.
Be still to see
How can I move the world?
Become the still point of its turning.
A fulcrum?
Silence answers out of the silence
Converse; be still to see
:- Doug.
A story we want to believe
What can carry our ideal?
Must we our errors forever repeat?
Can we grow? What do we dare?
Some words shared around our hearts’ imagination
Mix in some action, quicken our pulses
We can yet be more when we
Hear a story we want to believe
:- Doug.
If you don’t have enough money, you might die
If you don’t have enough money, you might die. Here’s news: you will die. This is news you can use…to get out of your fear…to get out of your greed: get into love. Love expands you, makes you fuller, more whole, more complete. Love.
:- Doug.
The conversation about love
Invite people to the conversation…the conversation about love. What can love accomplish that greed cannot? Fear, thy name is greed. (The opposite of love is fear.)
:- Doug.
Wills and Trusts are not difficult complex things
The difficult complex things in families are not how we write a Will or a Trust or a deed. Rather they are in getting conversations going, deciding directions, making life choices. People keep these to themselves often out of avoiding the difficult questions, or perhaps out of fear of questioning their long-held assumptions.
:- Doug.
Look for which we put first
Greed is taking to your bosom things. Love is taking to your bosom people.
So when we say we can have both a big bank account and serve people, look for which we put first.
Maybe all the money will be added to us, maybe not, but if that is why we do something, sad for us. The other is dying: Get to where we see only love, and then live.
:- Doug.
Life’s choice:
Life offers this choice: seek to stuff your bank account or to love others. You can have only one primary. The first shrivels the second expands you.
:- Doug.
Which of these two is more guilty?
Greed is stealing that cannot be justified based on need. Some stealing is out of need. Which of these two is more guilty? In our times, greed is often condoned by governments and encouraged by society, to the downfall of both.
:- Doug.
Do something scary
Do something scary. Something that will help so many people it seems impossible for you.
:- Doug.
