When I first heard about the concept of parallel universes, I laughed. This was the stuff of science fiction, and I was expected to take it seriously? Yet I respected the source and decided to find out more., Fact, it turns out, is truly stranger than fiction. Quantum physics: the birth of parallel universes Quantum […]
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If all humans were to disappear from the face of the earth tomorrow, would the earth be better or worse off without us? Alan Weisman answers this question in his fascinating book The World Without Us. The book is one of the grandest thought experiments of our time. It examines the impact human beings have […]
We often feel like giving up. When you write a book or a blog, you wonder if anyone is reading your work. If you’re in a job, you wonder if your hard work will ever be recognised. What can you do when despair creeps in? Just keep showing up. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling […]
“You are not in this world. This world is inside you.” – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj I had a serious case of travel lust after chancing upon the concept of location independent living. It sounded like the life of my dreams! All at once I fell in love with the idea of living anywhere in the […]
This is a guest post by Tess of The Bold Life. Tess is an amazing lady who challenges her readers to be more, give more, and live in joy. Be joyful within yourself I feel joy when I give and receive love. I am often more comfortable when I give than when I receive. Yet […]
Not all judgments are the same, although we should try to judge less. First, a short joke that shows the difference between offensive judging and defensive judging. An elephant asked a camel, “Why are your breasts on your back?” “Well,” said the camel, “I think that’s an inappropriate question from somebody whose dick is on […]
My beloved cocker spaniel almost died yesterday. On the way up to my apartment after his evening walk, his leg slipped into the gap between the elevator and the landing. The elevator door started to close, and he was about to have his leg ripped off. He lived, but I’ll never forget the lessons that […]
“I am a part of all that I have met.”
– Alfred Tennyson
Where does the word ‘community’ come from and what does it mean? Understanding the literal components of the word may helps us in choosing our communities and contributing meaningfully to them.
‘Community’ is the modern English derivative of the Latin communitas, which is a combination of two Latin root words:
So community literally means coming together to share our gifts. Let’s look at the two components to building community, whether that community be your marriage, family, workplace, friends, or religious group:
- Making the effort to initiate or maintain contact
- Sharing gifts to build a mutually beneficial relationship
“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.”
– Albert Einstein
Every person has intrinsic value. Your very existence is a gift to the world, perhaps in ways you are not even aware of. This post is not about that kind of value. Rather it is about the moral values you consciously live by, which over time determine your character.
photo credit: thinkpublic
What are your values?
Before reading on, do take a minute to jot down the three values that matter most to you. For example: honesty, compassion for the sick, spending time with children, learning, having an open mind, contributing to society, caring for the environment and so on.
“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”
– Oscar Wilde
photo credit: teadrinker
While we easily spout truisms like “money doesn’t make you happy”, most people still secretly desire to be rich and wonder what it would be like to own a private jet, have homes on every continent, and rub shoulders with the rich and famous.
Yet the more you have, the more you stand to lose. While money is hard to earn, it is even harder to lose. And when you are rich, the losses come hard. Not everybody can deal with that possibility. Can you?