Celebrating Ten Years of Maria Popova's Brain Pickings, #10

Over the past several years, Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings the inventory of a meaningful life, has become one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Brain Pickings was born as an “eccentric personal record” of Maria’s studies and originally sent to seven readers. Now, it is included in the Library of Congress’s archive of “materials of historical importance.”

In celebration of her tenth year of Brain Pickings, Maria offers us ten of her life-earned core beliefs. This is rich stuff so they will be offered one at a time over the next ten weeks. If you’re impatient or want more, go to Brain Pickings and get your own subscription. Incredibly, this feast is still free … although she accepts donations, suggesting a donation level ranging from “a cup of tea to a good dinner.”

10. Don’t just resist cynicism — fight it actively. Fight it in yourself, for this ungainly beast lays dormant in each of us, and counter it in those you love and engage with, by modeling its opposite. Cynicism often masquerades as nobler faculties and dispositions, but is categorically inferior. Unlike that great Rilkean life-expanding doubt, it is a contracting force. Unlike critical thinking, that pillar of reason and necessary counterpart to hope, it is inherently uncreative, unconstructive, and spiritually corrosive. Life, like the universe itself, tolerates no stasis — in the absence of growth, decay usurps the order. Like all forms of destruction, cynicism is infinitely easier and lazier than construction. There is nothing more difficult yet more gratifying in our society than living with sincerity and acting from a place of largehearted, constructive, rational faith in the human spirit, continually bending toward growth and betterment. This remains the most potent antidote to cynicism. Today, especially, it is an act of courage and resistance.

Here is the tenth in Maria Popova's list of things she loved reading and writing about:
What Makes a Person: The Seven Layers of Identity in Literature and Life

Life Lessons from San Franciso

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently passed a resolution in response to the current political situation. It turns out that this resolution is an amazing list of lessons for life. Here's the list, minus the political and bureaucratic commentary.

Try substituting "I" for "We" and think about what it might mean in your life.

San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one-third of our population. This is the Golden Gate—we build bridges, not walls; (I will build bridges, not walls.)

We will never back down on women’s rights. We will ensure our young girls grow up with role models who show them they can be or do anything. (I will stand up for women's rights.)

For all the LGBTQ people all over the country who feel scared, bullied, or alone: You matter. You are seen; you are loved; and San Francisco will never stop fighting for you. (I will never stop fighting for you.)

We still believe in this nation’s founding principle of religious freedom. We do not ban people for their faith. And the only lists we keep are on invitations to come pray together. (I will stand up for religious freedom.)

Black Lives Matter in San Francisco. We will continue reforming our police department and rebuilding trust between police and communities of color so all citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods. (I will stand up for safety and freedom for all people.)

Climate change is not a hoax. In this city, surrounded by water on three sides, science matters. And we will continue our work on CleanPower, Zero Waste, and everything else we are doing to protect future generations. (I will work to protect future generations.)

We have been providing universal health care in this city for nearly a decade. Regardless of future changes, San Franciscans will be protected. (I will work for universal health care.)

We are the birthplace of the United Nations, a city made stronger by the thousands of international visitors we welcome every day. We will remain committed to internationalism and to our friends and allies around the world. (I will work for peace ... world peace.)

San Francisco will remain a Transit First city and will continue building Muni and BART systems we can all rely upon. (I will support public transportation systems.)

California is the sixth largest economy in the world. The Bay Area is the innovation capital of the country. We will not be bullied by threats to revoke our federal funding, nor will we sacrifice our values or members of our community for dollars. (I will support the common good over financial gain.)

We condemn all hate crimes and hate speech. We will fight discrimination and recklessness in all its forms. We are one City. And we will move forward together. (I will stand up and speak up against all forms of hate.)

Never have I been prouder of my state and this shining city.

Creating a Culture of "Speaking Up!"

In this hazardous time, I've been trying to figure out what I can do ... what I'm willing to do and still maintain my personal balance and peace.

The answer came this morning in a DailyKOS post by skynelson who offers six habits that develop a culture of speaking up. Suddenly it struck me that that's what I can do. I can be observant and speak up when I see something that's not right, whether it's in our national politics, our local community or my own heart.

It's a good article that suggests that in creating a culture of speaking up, "we don’t have to fight against people. Instead, we connect with them as citizens instead of as opponents or cogs in the machine. We change the system by connecting with people, leading by example and speaking from the heart. We become more aware of our mutual interconnectedness and of our own personal leadership role in society."

Here are his six habits to creating a habit of speaking up:

1.    Be Mindful

By cultivating mindfulness we are more likely to recognize opportunities to do good. (More)

2.    Show Kindness

When speaking up, we may feel that we have to overcome someone else. Instead, we can use kindness to enroll the other person in our vision. (More)

3.    See and acknowledge all sides

Seeing all sides allows us to understand how our cause may resonate for other people. We can then speak directly to their humanity, rather than trying to convince them to agree with us. (More)

4.    Assume commonality

The outside labels that define us are not who we really are, rather they arise from conclusions we have drawn from past experiences. If we can see past a person’s learned reactions in order to see the shared human emotions underneath, we can create connection. That connection allows us to speak up more authentically, respectfully and effectively. (More)

5.    Don’t be attached to a particular outcome

Speaking up is about you, and the culture of action that you create in your own habits. You don’t have control over the response you get. What is important is building the habit of speaking up, increasing mindfulness, and building a society that notices. (More)

6.    Set the stage for synchronicity

When we do these things and step forward, something amazing happens: I suspect the cosmos is designed to respond constructively to our action. The universe is a canvas waiting for us to step forward with ideas and convictions so it can respond in supportive ways that guide us. We should make it a habit! (More)

Celebrating Ten Years of Maria Popova's Brain Pickings, #9

Over the past several years, Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings the inventory of a meaningful life, has become one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Brain Pickings was born as an “eccentric personal record” of Maria’s studies and originally sent to seven readers. Now, it is included in the Library of Congress’s archive of “materials of historical importance.”

In celebration of her tenth year of Brain Pickings, Maria offers us ten of her life-earned core beliefs. This is rich stuff so they will be offered one at a time over the next ten weeks. If you’re impatient or want more, go to Brain Pickings and get your own subscription. Incredibly, this feast is still free … although she accepts donations, suggesting a donation level ranging from “a cup of tea to a good dinner.”

 9. Don’t be afraid to be an idealist. There is much to be said for our responsibility as creators and consumers of that constant dynamic interaction we call culture — which side of the fault line between catering and creating are we to stand on? The commercial enterprise is conditioning us to believe that the road to success is paved with catering to existing demands — give the people cat GIFs, the narrative goes, because cat GIFs are what the people want. But E.B. White, one of our last great idealists, was eternally right when he asserted half a century ago that the role of the writer is “to lift people up, not lower them down” — a role each of us is called to with increasing urgency, whatever cog we may be in the machinery of society. Supply creates its own demand. Only by consistently supplying it can we hope to increase the demand for the substantive over the superficial — in our individual lives and in the collective dream called culture.

Here is the ninth in Maria Popova's list of things she loved reading and writing about:
Patti Smith on Time, Transformation, and How the Radiance of Love Redeems the Rupture of Loss

Celebrating Ten Years of Maria Popova's Brain Pickings, #8

Over the past several years, Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings the inventory of a meaningful life, has become one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Brain Pickings was born as an “eccentric personal record” of Maria’s studies and originally sent to seven readers. Now, it is included in the Library of Congress’s archive of “materials of historical importance.”

In celebration of her tenth year of Brain Pickings, Maria offers us ten of her life-earned core beliefs. This is rich stuff so they will be offered one at a time over the next ten weeks. If you’re impatient or want more, go to Brain Pickings and get your own subscription. Incredibly, this feast is still free … although she accepts donations, suggesting a donation level ranging from “a cup of tea to a good dinner.”

 8. Seek out what magnifies your spirit. Patti Smith, in discussing William Blake and her creative influences, talks about writers and artists who magnified her spirit — it’s a beautiful phrase and a beautiful notion. Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit? Find them, hold on to them, and visit them often. Use them not only as a remedy once spiritual malaise has already infected your vitality but as a vaccine administered while you are healthy to protect your radiance.

Here is the eighth in Maria Popova's list of things she loved reading and writing about:
The Magic of the Book: Hermann Hesse on Why We Read and Always Will

Thank you to the water protectors at Standing Rock

Sacramento Standing for Standing Rock

 

I didn’t go to Standing rock,

but I am the millions who stood with you.

I didn’t stand round your sacred fire while you prayed 

for strength to protect the water that gives life to all,

but I felt its warmth and sent my food and blankets

and prayers for your safety and the sanity of our leaders.

I didn’t go to Standing rock,

but I am the millions who learned from you.

I didn’t stand with you on the line where the forces

of greed threw their weapons of intimidation against you,

but I saw your steadfast strength and holy conviction

and it touched my heart and I stood up in my town.

Sacramento

I didn’t go to Standing rock,

but I am the millions 

whose voices you set free.

I didn’t camp with you in the long months 

and freezing nights

on the prairies inspirited with the blood 

of your ancestors,

but I raised my signs in the streets and my voice around our tables 

in the big cities, small towns, and villages, six continents wide.

I didn’t go to Standing rock,

but I am the millions 

who knelt with the veterans

I didn’t actually kneel with the veterans 

asking your forgiveness, but they held 

my heart in their hands 

while they knelt and requested atonement 

for the theft of your land, the broken promises,

the subjugation of your children, your culture, 

your language.

I didn’t go to Standing rock,

but I am the millions guided by your leadership and courage.

I didn’t stand with you as you wielded prayers against guns,

but my heart expanded with hope as the world turned toward you,

reminded of our own power, emboldened to step forward for our earth,

ready, finally, to speak up for our children and the children of our children’s children.

I didn’t go to Standing Rock;

but I am the millions forever changed by you.

You are my Standing Rock;

You made me Standing Rock.

Thank you.

Vermont

Milwaukee

Washington DC

Denver

Gratitude and Self Promises

In the Gratitude Miracles Journal, Cycle 7 is Gratitude Creates Wonder. 

Part of the wonder I feel after having completed that cycle … 28 weeks … 196 days … of writing my gratitudes is a sense of consistency, of being able to trust myself to do what I decided to do. Perhaps that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but for me it is. My life’s journey is littered with broken promises to myself.

Fortunately, most of those broken promises were discretionary, like the new year’s resolutions we make, almost expecting to break them. Gradually, as the pattern of broken promises became clear, I realized that one of the problems was not being sufficiently committed to the promise in the first place. Every commitment has a price: time, money, effort, discomfort, giving up something in order to achieve something bigger. Every change requires moving out of our comfort zone into discomfort. Making a promise without considering the discomfort factor paves the road to failure.

Whim promises. When I promise myself that I will train for a marathon (something I’ve done a couple of dozen times over the years … and never completed), I imagine the satisfaction of completing the marathon, building strength, becoming fitter, without contemplating the hours, miles, aches and blisters along the way. I neglect the discomfort factor. I have no strategies in place for dealing with the realities of training. I quit.

In the movie Glory Road, Coach Don Haskins, hall of fame basketball coach who broke the color barrier by starting five black players, said to one of his players, “If you quit now, you'll quit every day for the rest of your life!” Quitting becomes a pattern of behavior. Before making a commitment, I’m starting to consider the price and think about how I will handle the discomfort needed to keep the promise to myself.

Perfection promises. Some promises beg to be broken. No more sugar. 10,000 steps a day. Meditate an hour a day. These “shoulds” often come clusters, and I find myself embracing them as if I were perfect, as if I should be perfect. I am letting go of these perfection promises in favor of intentions to avoid sugar, walk more, find a quiet time in every day. 

Writing in my gratitude journal every day takes five minutes and focuses me on the positives in my life. It reminds me to notice the miracles in my life. It’s a promise to myself that I can keep, and keeping this small promise to myself makes me feel confident in making bigger promises.

I am currently on day 12 of a 30-day juice fast. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I first saw Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead a few years ago. My cholesterol tends to run moderately high and I want to know if a juice fast would lower it. I’ve tried to do 30 days before, but the furthest I got was 14 days. 

There is definitely discomfort involved in this promise. Not only hunger, which comes and goes, but the challenges of having a social life in this busiest of all holiday seasons. I spent a fair amount of time before I began this promise, asking myself if it was important enough to warrant the discomfort? How would I handle the worst hunger moments? (Interestingly enough, it comes exactly at 4:00 pm every day, but it turns out that a cup of hot V8 gets me through it.) How would I handle the temptations … the little voice that says, “this tiny little bit of cookie won’t matter?” (Oddly, those tiny white paper cups of free stuff at Costco … stuff that I would never want otherwise … are one of the most devilish of those little voices.) What would I do when someone wants to have a birthday dinner? (Delay … the 30-days will be over soon.) What would I do when I forget why I’m doing this in the first place? (Rewatch the movie, schedule the appointment to have my cholesterol checked, write about why I’m doing this in the first place.)

Keeping my commitment to write my gratitudes every day is making me more confident in making bigger promises to myself. To help with this specific commitment to do a 30-day juice fast, I am going to comment to this post every day or so until I reach my objective. I’ll also report the results of my cholesterol check.

Celebrating Ten Years of Maria Popova's Brain Pickings, #7

Over the past several years, Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings the inventory of a meaningful life, has become one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Brain Pickings was born as an “eccentric personal record” of Maria’s studies and originally sent to seven readers. Now, it is included in the Library of Congress’s archive of “materials of historical importance.”

In celebration of her tenth year of Brain Pickings, Maria offers us ten of her life-earned core beliefs. This is rich stuff so they will be offered one at a time over the next ten weeks. If you’re impatient or want more, go to Brain Pickings and get your own subscription. Incredibly, this feast is still free … although she accepts donations, suggesting a donation level ranging from “a cup of tea to a good dinner.”

7. “Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time.” This is borrowed from the wise and wonderful Debbie Millman, for it’s hard to better capture something so fundamental yet so impatiently overlooked in our culture of immediacy. The myth of the overnight success is just that — a myth — as well as a reminder that our present definition of success needs serious retuning. As I’ve reflected elsewhere, the flower doesn’t go from bud to blossom in one spritely burst and yet, as a culture, we’re disinterested in the tedium of the blossoming. But that’s where all the real magic unfolds in the making of one’s character and destiny.

Here is the seventh in Maria Popova's list of things she loved reading and writing about:
James Gleick on How Our Cultural Fascination with Time Travel Illuminates Memory, the Nature of Time, and the Central Mystery of Human Consciousness