Without a Vision People Perish

When I was listening to “The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander, I was reminded again of a quote I heard a while ago:  

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”

~ Proverbs 29:18

A vision produces a timeless picture based on infinite possibilities, nurtured by human desires directed by the underlying purpose given to us by our creator.  When we think of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I have a dream” or remember Mahatma Ghandi’s “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” we can understand what I mean.

 “A vision is an open invitation and an inspiration for people to create ideas and events that correlate with its definitional framework.”

~ Benjamin & Rosamund Zander - The Art of Possibility

We need to renew a vision for this country.  A true vision can only be implemented when we are allowed free choice.  Smart choices come from information and an awareness of all the facts involved.  

 

"When you become knowledgeable, you become a formidable ally of truth and a formidable enemy of falsehood, and that's what we need in this nation."

~ Dr. Ben Carson

I like what Dr. Ben Carson has to say about “not being political correct.”  That kind of attitude has stifled the population and does not allow open communication. In our polarized society we have too many divisions with wars on genders, on race, and religion, etc.; always pointing out the differences and what’s wrong.

"I believe it is a very good idea for physicians, scientists, engineers, and others trained to make decisions based on facts and empirical data to get involved in the political arena and help guide our country.”

~ Dr. Ben Carson

A true vision is an image of harmony which benefits for all involved.  A true vision is fueled by passion and is based on values like honesty, humility, integrity, and service.

I don’t believe that a true vision can be implemented without an input of the Devine.  God has placed before us an “Ideal of Creation” which still has to be fulfilled.  The “family of man” has yet to be realized. In that ideal, He is showing us clearly what we should be doing, even how we can reach true happiness.  Again, it is our choice to accept it or not.

Remember Rule #6!

What is the rule #6?  -- Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Here is the story behind it.  It is told by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander in a book ”The Art of Possibility.”

Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws.

The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by a hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again, the intruder is greeted with the words, “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete clam descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology.

When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague. “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so g–damn seriously.’” “Ah,” says his visitor that is a fine rule.”

After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?”

“There aren’t any.”

 

I enjoy reading this book and especially got a kick out of the rule.  For the past few days I thought a lot about the warning not to take myself too serious.  Our ego always pushes itself into first place and wants to have the ‘last word.’  When we can laugh at ourselves, it becomes easier to defuse our emotions.

Who is Your Spellbinder?

We all like stories because they catch our attention and most of all, we can remember anything told in a story much better.

I have read several of Og Mandino’s books before.  When I found the “The Spellbinder’s Gift” in my bookshelf I realized that I hadn’t read it yet.

I started reading the book and couldn’t put it down.  It is the fascinating story of Bart Manning, a retired agent to the most famous and dynamic motivational speakers of his time.  Enjoying his retirement, Bart is faced with a peculiar person on the streets of Manhattan, who has a wake-up call for him.  It motivates him to come out of his seclusion and start to pick up his business again.

At a crowded convention, he found a new client who has a spell-binding message, and he decides to present him to the world.

In the true Og Mandino fashion, this speaker’s message contains lessons which everybody should hear.  He is a true teacher and even healer who drives home the importance of not only hearing a lesson of truth once, but he also wants to give it as a special gift to all participants to read and re-read every day.

Here are the 7-steps Assembly Instructions For Our New Life: 

1)    Separate yourself from the crowd.

2)    Live each day in a day-tight compartment

3)    Go the extra mile!

4)    Look for the seed of good in every adversity.

5)    Never neglect the little things.

6)    Never hide behind busy work.

7)    Never allow anyone to rain on your parade.

 

I am sure there are many more spiritual principles which one could add to this list.  But as Mr. Mandino’s messenger suggests, it is important to repeat these steps often and act upon them.  Life seems to build on steps, once we take the first, the second, the third etc. we get into a current and that flow nobody can stop anymore. 

In order to get spell-bound by the right kind of message, it needs a whole lot of focus at first.  And most of all, it needs daily reinforcement, repetition, and persistence. 

How to Conquer the "Triangle of Death?"

You may have heard of the Bermuda “triangle of death,” where people have vanished in the Atlantic Ocean, think that I am referring to warfare, or have been aware of certain climbing techniques but what I am talking about here is right with us: in the middle of our face; the triangle between our eyes, nose and mouth.

I was reading an article by Doctor Craig Maxwell, who explained about the dangers which can lurk in this area because of human touch, and the fact that the area is moist, dark and connected to the brain (through the nose and the sinuses.)

Even Doctor Mehmet Oz talked about it one day on his show where he warned us not to touch our nose with bare fingers because bacteria can enter into the sinus cavities by picking it, squeeze a pimple or just scratch it with the nail.

Dr. Martin Spiller goes one step further to clarify the ‘dangerous triangle’ as the door to the brain and the dangers of Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis (formation of blood clots).

 

There are several ways to avoid spreading bacteria in the face.  The obvious is not to touch.  But what to do when the nose is clogged or stuffy?  Dr. Ben Kim advises to rinse the nose every night before going to bed.

Some people irrigate the nose with a Neti pot  which is an old Ayurvedic tradition.  Ayurvedic medicine also has the custom of oil pulling.

Dr. Bruce Fife promotes coconut oil for a variety of applications.  In his newest book, Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing he suggests to use coconut for oil pulling and to smear the oil into the nostrils to prevent crusting of the nostrils.  

I wrote once before about oil pulling.  But since I learned about the advantages of coconut oil, I now submit to using it, instead of sesame oil.

Benefits of Oil pulling:

It whitens teeth.  Coconut oil possesses natural antibiotic and anti-viral properties that brighten dull or yellowed teeth and enhance the cleansing action of oil pulling, according to Dr. Bruce Fife. It also improves gum health, eliminates bad breath and makes for a prettier smile.

It clears up acne. The detoxifying effect oil pulling has on the body can also reduce the appearance of skin rashes and other blemishes. "Removing bacteria and toxins from the body eliminates a great deal of stress that results in improved energy levels," said Dr. Fife. And we all know how stress can lead to embarrassing skin problems.

It can lead to a healthy, glowing complexion. Because oil pulling involves "pulling" germs and toxins in the mouth that often leak into the bloodstream, affecting the entire body, Dr. Fife believes that it can improve skin health and appearance. But don't be misled by random myths that the oil activates some unknown enzymes in the mouth that magically detox the body. The health benefits of coconut oil coupled with the cleansing action will have your skin glowing from the inside out.

 


Dr. Bruce Fife

I hope I gave you some ideas on how to triumph over the “triangle of death.”  We all want to empower ourselves and learning health secrets can be very energizing and most of all: saving money.

 

 

Simple Lessons

Recently I picked up a copy of Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”  I had heard of the book but never read it.  To my big surprise, I really enjoyed to humor and wisdom as well as the stories.  Mr. Fulghum recounts many personal experiences in his tales that warmed my heart because they were descriptions of authentic human beings, real life accounts of neighbors, friends and family.  I never met Mr. Fulghum personally but through his writings I got to know something about him, an honest man who loves his country, his family and home-life.

The way he describes the lessons learned in Kindergarten, I feel like many people today may have skipped Kindergarten or have just plainly forgotten the early lessons.  Here are the rules, if you never read the book:

“These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):

1. Share everything.

2. Play fair.

3. Don't hit people.

4. Put things back where you found them.

5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.

6. Don't take things that aren't yours.

7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.

8. Wash your hands before you eat.

9. Flush.

10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.

12. Take a nap every afternoon.

13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

14. Be aware of wonder.  Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.

16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first work you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.”

“Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.

The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation.
Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm.

Think what a better world it would be if all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.
Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are - when you go out into the world, it is best
to hold hands and stick together.”
~ Robert Fulghum,  All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

 

For me the reading has been very refreshing, getting me out of the cold winter mood and reminding me that there is always new life and fresh ideas when we see them through the eyes of a child.

Thank you, Mr. Fulghum, for providing a medium for me to remind me, that when we look at the world through children’s eyes, it suddenly becomes exciting and adventurous again.

How to Beat the Winter Blues

A couple of days ago I found myself in a really bad mood; the snow and the cold were getting to me.  I have lived here in Southern Ohio for the past 18 years and have never experienced a winter like this.  Snowfall after snowfall and the cold, how does -3 degrees Fahrenheit sound? 

As I took a review over my situation, I realized that there was nothing I could do about this status quo.  Couldn’t even blame it on Global Warming (or is it Global Cooling now?).

I understand that there is a medical condition for “Winter Blues” called Seasonal Affective Disorder.

So, what is one to do to overcome the Winter Blues?

I got my gratitude list out again and couldn’t help to feel better right away.

 

I have a warm house, good food and a wonderful family to share it with.  We are connected through TV, the internet and telephone and can talk to anyone, anywhere in the world and let our imagination run wild to be transferred to a lovely place with sunshine and warmth.

Now, if that doesn’t beat the Winter Blues?

Who was Helen Lyndon Goff?

 

Helen Lyndon Goff was a young girl, growing up in the outback of Australia who later transformed herself into an imaginative and legendary writer who created the stories around the famous character of “Mary Poppins.”  She moved later on to London and as P.L. Travers, she wrote several works even though only one ended up in the Disney film and the musical of Mary Poppins.

Pamela Lyndon Travers’ story is portrayed in the recent movie “Saving Mr. Banks.”

The movie goes back into Helen’s childhood in Queensland where she grows up as the oldest of three sisters.  Her dad is a banker but falls short of his services to his job since he drinks a lot.  Helen adores him, and he adores her but she is confused when she discovers her Dad’s drinking habits.  He supports her imagination and encourages her to believe in herself.

In the meantime we are taken into her later life as a writer.  She lives in London and has written several stories about Mary Poppins, a nanny who flies in with the wind of the East.  She is described as being "practically perfect in every way."  She is also very stern but at the same time loving and nurturing.  She also has magical abilities, as she can transport herself and objects to other places and talk to the animals.

Walt Disney has been pursuing P.L. Travers for 20 years to give up the rights to the story for him to create a movie.

As the story goes, Mrs. Travers travels to Los Angeles to meet with Walt Disney and his team of script writers and music composers to once again convince Mrs. Travers to sign off the rights to the movie.  She agrees somewhat under very demanding conditions which puts the whole Disney studio under tremendous pressure.

“That’s what we do, we storytellers. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope, again and again and again.”

~ Walt Disney

Why is the movie called “Saving Mr. Banks?”

In the Mary Poppins books, Mr. Banks is the patriarch of the family who is so obsessed with his working life that he doesn't have much time for his children. Travers believed that Mary Poppins came to the Banks family to save Mr. Banks from his unfulfilled life and to make him realize that family was his real priority. Travers' father was a bank manager who died when he was in his 40s of alcohol-related diseases. Travers, in turn, wished she could have saved her father from his own demons.

 

Walt is right about that, when he persuades the cranky author to loosen up by assuring her that their collaboration will make her work, and her long-lost father, immortal. 

“Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious! Mary Poppins was right, it’s extraordinary! It does make you feel better! Hee hee hee hee!”

~ George W. Banks

Who is Mary Poppins?

Mary Poppins is a fictional character who reminded the author of her great aunt Ellie who came to their home, after her father had passed away.  She is a very no-nonsense person whose favorite words were: "Spit spot into bed!"

Great Aunt Ellie also carried a carpet bag, and she would often instruct children in etiquette and other niceties. Mary Poppins has many other interesting things up her sleeves.  

 

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!”

~ Mary Poppins
 
The Disney Magic

If you have seen the movie “Mary Poppins” you will agree that the Disney team truly created magic with its cartoon characters, the catching tunes of the songs interwoven into the story of the Banks family.

“Saving Mr. Banks” is storytelling at its best where filmmaking is classic and engaging the viewer into healing family trauma.

Thanks to Walt Disney’s persuasion Mrs. Travers not only solves her financial troubles but also heals some of her own wounds in relationship with her dad (Mr. Banks).

One blogger, Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., in her review of the movie went as far as calling the account a story of redemption and hope.

 

Other reference sites:

 

http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/saving-mr-banks.php

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2013/12/27/review-saving-mr-banks-packs-emotional-wallop/

http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/12/22/Movie-review-Saving-Mr-Banks

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10483126/Saving-Mr-Banks-The-true-story-of-PL-Travers.html

I truly enjoyed watching “Saving Mr. Banks.”  I am very partial to movies in historical fiction. To me, it was worth 2 hours in the theater.