Quotes, Part 2

“I have long looked forward to the time when we could devise a political system, suited both to our traditions and to the demands of the modern world. A democracy that has nonviolence and peace at its roots.” Dalai Lama

 

“During the day…practice cherishing the ‘simplest’ person…or people you dislike” Dalai Lama

 

There is so much conflict in the world and in our personal lives. A lot of times instead of trying to reduce tension we seem to try and make it worse. I see a lot of that in my job. Their are a couple of people whose main pleasure seems to be trying to get other people in trouble and in back biting and tearing others down. As the Bible says “let he without sin cast the first stone.” These women are far from perfect and they need to get the mote out of their own eyes before they start criticizing others.

 

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Dalai Lama

 

There are a lot of things that make me happy. I find happiness in my art and writing. I find happiness in watching the cats play and acting silly. I find happiness in the love of my family. I find happiness in reading. I find happiness in cooking and trying out new recipes. I find happiness in inventing new recipes. I find happiness in taking a walk and looking at nature. Lately I take my digital camera with me on my walks so that I can capture the beauty of nature and keep it with me. I find happiness in talking to family and friends. My niece and I talk often and we have a great time talking about politics and our favorite science fiction shows. Happiness is not something that we are owed by life. We make our own happiness or unhappiness. Find the positive things in life and you can be happy. If you wallow in misery and the things that aren’t perfect you will never be happy. You owe it to yourself to try and be as happy as you can.

 

“No matter how insignificant the thing you have to do, do it as well as you can, give it as much of your care and attention as you would give to the thing you regard as most important.” Mahatma Gandhi

 

When I was growing up one of the things that was stressed is that if you are going to do something do it right. Why do a sloppy job? It only makes sense that you don’t want to have to do things over. I always make it a point of trying to do my best because I want to be proud of my accomplishments. I like to try and do new things so that I can get new experiences and grow as a person. I hate the feeling of stagnation and it is something that I have always promised myself that I would never do. I love learning new things and new skills. You are never too old to learn except in the case of Merlin who is incapable of learning to stop whining. But then Merlin is a cat and they have special dispensation from things like not irritating humans. They say it is in their job descriptions to do so.

 

In things that are important to me like my art I am always trying to improve. I have lately started redoing pictures that I wasn’t totally satisfied with. I have realized that with the computer art as I get new tools and as I learn and improve that I can go back and make changes and try and get a picture that is what I really want. I have learned that art is fluid and should grow as I grow. That is a good thing.

 

“In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. On the level of a religious practitioner, my second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding amongst different religious traditions. Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create better human beings. It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each other’s respective traditions.” Dalai Lama

 

I have always believed that there is one race and that is the human race. I respect the value of other religious beliefs and would hope that others would respect mine.

 

The picture is called Winter’s Beauty because in spite of the fact that it is cold, snowy, and pretty darn miserable to drive in the winter snow outside is beautiful.

 

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