i am grateful for…
1) mlk’s planting of the notion that peace is not the absence of hate, but the presence of love. obvious or not, it is such a more potent question to ask–not: how can i eliminate hate? but rather: how can i cultivate love?
2) mlk jr.’s words:
– “The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be… The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
– “At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”
– Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’
– “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
– “We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.”
(more mlk quotes on beliefnet)
3) the opposite of revenge fantasies–transformation fantasies. or radical acceptance and forgiveness fantasies.
4) soup. especially right now souen’s jappa soup
5) selma the acupuncturist
6) warmish january days
7) how incredibly satisfying it is to sneeze sometimes
8) the gorgeous (if brief?) cessation of over-analyzation
9) maggie’s dress last night
10) meryl’s speech
11) partners in health–go, meryl
12) leisurely sundays in bed
13) snuffly mondays on the sofa
14) outpourings, however awkwardly motivated and insufficient, e.g. the haiti ribbons. help is help. love is love. i think.
1 Comment
Inspiring, thank you. And Martin Luther King Jr. is the greatest human being of my lifetime. (And I’m not a young guy.)
love,
b