Never thought about this. Clergymen may stress over the personal woes their congregants bring to them as they look for guidance and hope in dark times. During these days of darkness for so many, the internal resources of many religious leaders must be stretched quite thin. In my Facebook timeline this morning I spotted these posts and want to pass along Vincent Grove‘s call to pray for our pastors, priests and rabbis … keep them lifted up as so many draw on the wells of their compassion and creativity to inspire hope and strength. It makes sense to help these important leaders say strong in faith and spirit as they serve our friends, family and maybe, even ourselves.
Steve Kardynal does Miley Cyrus better than herself
Steve Kardynal‘s brilliant new Chatroulette video of Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball features him in undies atop a wrecking ball – and eventually, even less clothed – in his own living room. No, I can’t say any more. You’ve got to see Steve in action to understand how funny he is. Look! People sharing his chat session (pictured on left) are definitely having a blast watching his silly antics.
This by the way, is good, clean fun. Steve is the only woman-portraying, bearded, socked and booted man I’ve ever seen who can do full skin on a wrecking ball without even a hint of x-rated sexuality. 1.5 million views only a day after being posted.
Thou shall not kill – the spirit of the young
Friend Carl Sharif tells this wonderful story of elder wisdom transmitted to him as a youth that speaks to the meaning of God’s words and how they apply to our lives on multiple levels:
I grew up in the Christian Church and my father (Deacon P. Dawson) was Chairman of the Deacon Board and quite a student of the bible. I will never forget a discussion he had with me when I was a very young boy.
I once asked him about the 10 commandments and he recited them to me. When he got to “Thou shall not kill” I was terrified. I thought of all the ants that I had stepped on, mosquitoes I had swatted and other major act of murder I had committed and was really scared that G_D was going to get me. He sensed my youthful concern and here is what he said to me:
A couple of my favorite Jimmy Cliff songs
That sweet voice of Jimmy Cliff. Make you want to just sit back and enjoy this world in which such fine beauty can be created. Many Rivers to Cross. Yah, mon.
House is auctioned off, a man buys it and returns it to former owner
An Argentine media portal published news today of a beautiful and generous act that saved a family from forcible eviction.
In Bahia Blanca, Argentina, a man named Claudio Del Valle bought at foreclosure auction the house of a woman whose family was under order of eviction, and returned it to her.
Silvina Corzo and her two sons were on the verge of homelessness and were very distressed. The Banco de La Pampa had ordered their house at 1647 Enrique Julio to be auctioned off. Seconds after the auctioneer accepted Mr. Claudio Del Valle’s offer of 71 thousand pesos for the property, Mr. Del Valle approached Silvina and told her, “Don’t worry. I purchased the house for you.”
The Great Healers
Focus on the moment you are in and the enjoyment of life you can experience in that moment. Watch while a string of enjoying moments transform hours, days, weeks, months into a pillow magically whisking you away from loss, pain and frustration. Enjoyment, small happinesses, gratitude for life and time … are all great healers.
~ A Kimiism
PBS & TED review the state of education today
The Chicago Tribune has a fabulous article on PBS’ TED Talks Education hour long show on May 8 2013, which brought
… together a diverse group of teachers and education advocates delivering short, high-impact talks on the theme of teaching and learning. You’ll also see Chicago’s Malcolm Xavier London performing a spoken word poem about the racial and class tensions he experienced … London, who just turned 20, is a terrific fit for TED — which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. The nonprofit organization bills itself as being devoted to ideas worth spreading and often features people who have taken unorthodox paths giving talks about what they’ve learned
Principal Kafele shares inspiring thoughts on mission and passion
I love Principal Kafele‘s positive approach to solving today’s educational issues. He also shares great advice on personal achievement. This 11 minute video is an excellent sample of his practical approach for achievement and success.
Principal Kafele counsels:
If you see in your mind’s eye what you’re striving to achieve, the chances increase exponentially that your vision will become your reality … Everything starts with an idea. From the idea we create a goal – we devise a plan – we become firm in our purpose – we embark on a mission – a mission that is vision oriented. What we are going to achieve … (is) already locked into our mind’s eye …
Bergen CC NAACP screens Half the Sky today 4/29
Bergen Community College Chapter of NAACP in Paramus is sponsoring a screening of Half the Sky today 4/29 at 11:45am-2:15pm in Room A-104 (in the Student Center atrium), followed by a panel discussion on empowering women as full citizens across the globe and ending targeting violence against women. Please feel welcome to join.
Renée from Half the Sky organization is coming out from their New York office to tell us about the movement that has been sparked by the book and film, and as one of the discussion panelists I (Kimi Wei) will share my own perspectives as a widow, single mom, domestic violence survivor, sustainability advocate and Happiness trainer.
Lead good lives & be funny
My friend Tina Cruz shared this wisdom and blessing with us this morning. Thanks Tina!
“If individuals lead good lives, society will also be good.” God bless us all!
Here’s Google’s portrayal of us ladies on International Women’s Day. I posted on Facebook that it makes us women look funny, to which my friend Yinh Lai sagely responded, “Aren’t We?” It’s a good thing I have smart friends like Yinh to help me be light. Thanks Yinh!
“The power’s in you” says legless maker of Cheetah Legs
Watch the TED Talk with me: Aimee Mullins, the designer of Cheetah running legs, herself a legless woman, talks about combining form, function and value – and of the power of believing and unifying. Aimee’s an athlete, an activist, a woman’s advocate, a sports record-breaker and a completely awesome lady.
Amy quotes Shakespeare, “When you prick me, do I not bleed; and when you tickle me, do I not laugh?” and adds, “It is the humanity within us that makes us beautiful … Whimsy matters.”
Teaching happiness course first transforms – the teacher
The same information expounded in The Happy Movie that the Wei Family loves so much, is available in a course given by the Institute of Child Education & Psychology (ICEP), which teamed up with Action for Happiness to add to its offerings an online class which imparts the skill of how to teach happiness to others. Isn’t this a marvellous idea?
I was blessed to receive one of a handful of scholarships to take the course Teaching Happiness: Positive Psychology for behaviour and learning, and I’m just wrapping it up this week. I loved The Happy Movie and the concepts it propounds, so I knew I would enjoy this course. But I didn’t expect that so many of the fundamental principles the course teaches would work a direct transformation in me. Moreover, I’m astonished at how rapidly the transformation has taken place. The changes this course has awakened in my own thoughts and attitude is dramatic and gratifying. One basic premises of the Teaching Happiness course is, that the teacher must first work on increasing his/her own happiness, before attempting to teach these skills to others. The premise is that students of a happy teacher will be provided with two resources for increasing their own happiness: they will be impacted by awareness of their teacher’s authentic happiness, and they will also have a behavioural reference and role model close at hand.
Can 4 year olds be temperate in the presence of a marshmallow?
Martin Seligman describes temperance as including,
…the ability to protect against excess and delay gratification. It includes humility and modesty. And being careful about choices and not taking undue risks. It also includes forgiveness and giving people a second chance. There is an aspect of self-regulation here – controlling your appetite and emotions, being disciplined, regulating what you feel and do. The temperate person does not suppress motives or desires but waits for until it is wise and appropriate to satisfy them, so no harm is done to self or others.
Recommended reading: my favorite books
These are books and stories that I’ve found useful or that are special to me. If they resonate with you too, please tell me in a comment. Disclaimer: if you buy one of these titles from Amazon, I will get a very small commission.
Social Justice
Inspiration
Shaping Society
Personal Development
by Marie Cardinal
Keen Social Insights
Health
Environment
