A man who asks a question can be considered a fool for a moment. A man that does not ask is a fool for life. –Confucius
Tag: Inspiration
Video of the Day: December 22, 2018
Thought of the Day: December 22, 2018
Expecting things to change without putting forth any effort is like waiting for a cruise ship at the airport.
Book Review: Fighting the Inside Dragons by Bogden Ignat
I discovered this book on this post and was immediately moved to acquire it and read it as quickly as possible. I devoured the entire book in an evening. Let me begin by saying that this is not a Kumbaya book. There are hard lessons involved and they are plainly stated. That is one of the many things that I loved about this book. Some of us require that “tough love” or to be “hit over the head with the point”. I know that I do. The author found a way to deliver that tough love without malice. That is a spot that is difficult to hit when writing.
There are so many positives to hit regarding this book, I am almost certain that I am going to do a disservice by leaving some of them out. One of the best points is how misery loves company. Ignat says, “Most of us can’t wait to find someone that is willing to talk about crappy things with us.” This is so accurate that it is borderline scary. If we spent nearly as much time talking about the good things in life instead of the bad, how much different would our lives be. Often we don’t even realize how much time we spend discussing the negativity of life. With the 24/7 news cycle and the looming specter of social media, we don’t even have to look far for the crappy things and a person to compare tragedies with.
I love the way that the neural network is described. So simple, so accurate, Each time we perform an action that is a habit, we further reinforce that habit. It is a vicious circle. Each time we embrace that habit, the path becomes a little wider and a little smoother.
As much as I loved the book, there were a few issues. Sometimes the wording of a point caused me to go back and reread a passage several times. While that is inconvenient, I believe that the reinforcement of several readings helped to highlight the message the author intended. Ironically, the author mentions several times that his writing style is unusual; however, he embraces it and it works for him.
The book is raw and that is a good thing. Everyone doesn’t respond to the literary version of frolicking in the fields. Thank you, Bogden. This book was well worth the time that you invested. Congratulations.
Video of the Day: December 21, 2018
Thought of the Day: December 21, 2018
The answers that you seek never come when your mind is busy. In silence and stillness, the answer becomes clear.
Video of the Day: December 20, 2019
Thought of the Day: December 20, 2018
My philosophy is that worrying means that you suffer twice. –Newt Scamander
Book Review: Buddha In Blue Jeans by Tai Sheridan
Buddha in Blue Jeans by Tai Sheridan is beautiful in its simplicity. When I first began my journey, this is one of the first books that I acquired through Kindle. The book was written in 2011 and extolls the virtues of sitting quietly. Yes, I know, I know, sitting quietly is not one of the most exciting topics that one can cover; however, a person can learn a lot about him or her self and the world in general by sitting quietly.
This book is an extremely short read as one can finish it easily within an hour but there are timeless subjects that are covered throughout the pages. One could easily make a study of this book over weeks and months by simply pursuing the ideas that Sheridan covers. There are fifteen topics that are covered in the book that range from Care for Your Body to Love Indiscriminately.
One of my favorite passages in Buddha in Blue Jeans is “Pain is Natural”. I found this to be beautiful because we are in an “instant relief” based society. There is a pill for everything that ails a person and several pills that counteracts the side effects for the first pill, creating a balancing act. Please don’t misunderstand, I am not advocating for a person to be in continuous, agonizing pain; however, a little pain is normal. Pain is a message to the brain that tells us to be careful.
Is Buddha in Blue Jeans going to answer every question that a person might have on the voyage to enlightenment? Of course not, but it will smooth out the first few steps along the way. I fully recommend Buddha in Blue Jeans to those that are just beginning their life-changing journey. I also recommend the book for a gentle read to reinforce many things that experienced seekers know to be true.
Buddha in Blue Jeans is available on the Amazon Kindle app for free. You can get your copy here.
