thinking thursday.
mind :: my brain and yours
Dissenters spur innovation, creativity, and social justice: “Dissent makes the group as a whole smarter and leads to more divergent thinking, but the people who stand up with those sorts of opinions often get beaten up for it." Is your organization or community set up to welcome or ostricize dissenters?
I just added David Grossman's new book, To the End of the Land, to my reading list: "The story came quickly. It would be about a middle-aged woman, Ora, whose son, Ofer, only just released from army service, has voluntarily returned to the frontline for an offensive against one of Israel's many enemies. Ora, having moved from celebration to renewed fearfulness in a matter of hours, is in danger of losing her mind. She has no idea how she will get through the next weeks or months. Then, in a fit of magical thinking, it comes to her. She will mount a pre-emptive strike of her own. She will simply go away, absent herself from her home and her life. That way, she reasons, she will not be there when the army "notifiers" come to tell her of her son's death. And if she is not there, perhaps he will not die. After all, how can a person be dead if his mother isn't at home to receive the news of it?" When asked about his own son being killed while serving in the army, Grossman said, simply, "I cannot afford the luxury of despair." (Thanks to Christy Lee-Engel)
body :: my place and yours
Print or pixels? Of two minds about books: “She talks about the smell of the paper and the feeling of holding it in your hands,” said Mr. de Halleux, 32, who says he thinks the substance is the same regardless of medium. He added, sounding mildly piqued, “She uses the word ‘real.’ ” (Thanks to Clara Boza)
It's feeling fall-ish in this hemisphere. Seven soups every Saturday is the only answer.
You'd think I'd tire of this. Or outgrow it. But I just never do.
Are you chasing skinny? Her realization is exactly why I recently took all my clothing out of my closet–all those "I used to fit into this" or "I'll hang on to this because I'll lose weight soon" clothes–and gave them all away ALL OF THEM to Goodwill. It was radical and necessary. Not "when I," but "I am right now." That's liberating. Of course, I now have only a white shirt and a single pair of blue jeans left in my closet, but so be it.
soul :: my heart and yours
"The Top Five Regrets of the Dying" provides instant perspective: "Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness." (Thanks to Victoria Boundy)
This beautifully simple expression of being grateful touched me. Being grateful is important. And satisfying. And complete.
A final thought :: The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. -Kahlil Gibran
[Image from Hong Kong-based artist Lie Fhung, whose gorgeous art is featured in Four Word Self Help and in Life is a Verb]
