WELCOME
Best wishes for less Suffering, more Happiness with Good Health and Time to Enjoy it. Welcome to Thai solar calendar 2562.
Forgive the intrusion, this month's Grabs for personal consideration.
Let’s begin by sharing an insight:
"From the darkness of Ignorance, may the light of wisdom and warmth of compassion prevail. Every one has a role to play and are an active player, whether they know it or not. Starting with the individual, then growing in beneficiaries until including all. It is no thing to be taken personally, it is just the way things are. Or not.” Anonymous
Discuss with sincerity. Deny untruth. Dismiss unuseful. Accept useful. Adapt to change. Adopt least effort most benefit. Adept with sharing. Enjoy throughout. As each case may be. Round. And again. Or not.
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TOPICS
-- Media Words
-- TED Talks
-- Guest Sings
-- Street Jives
-- Wisdom Reconciles
-- Challenge Reflects
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MEDIA WORDS
Approx 5 min reads
Intro
Wendy Squires explores walking along the path of self-discovery through self, with others and separateness, declaring “
Forget romance, there's only one relationship in life that counts” via The Age
Rosemary Simons farewells Phyllis Frazer Simons, saluting a “
Marvellous legacy of building, books and plants” via The Age
Benjamin Law explores the value of uncertainty, testing ideas and facing challenges with integrity, in “
Dicey Topics: Stan Grant talks politics, religion and sex” via The Age
Intra
Georgina Dent explores unrealized savings lurking in the back of the fridge, shining a light on why to “
Want to save $1000 a year? Cut down your food waste” via The Sydney Morning Herald
Thuy On explores personal identity, open home, modern life and sharing the cost of living, reviewing “
Sydney Writers' Festival: Melanie Cheng's first novel, Room for a Stranger, explores the issues of loneliness, ageing and generational and cultural divisions” via The Brisbane Times
Maureen Matthews explores relationships, responsibilities, repairing, rehabilitation prospects and futility predictors, reasons for why “
We should be happy together, but we're not” via WA Today
Inter
Helen Pitt explores connections between monetising workforce participation, housing inequity and access to affordable accommodation, calling out “
'Bricks for chicks': how to combat ageing female homelessness” via The Age
Simon Caterson explores a contrasting and comparison of leaders, leading and the led, reviewing two books in “
What it takes to become a real leader” via The Sydney
Kristie Kellahan explores an example of consequences of past colonialism, denying indigenous culture, early climate denialism, share a modern day invitation for “
Mexico City tours: Explore historic sites before they sink and disappear” via Traveller.com.au
Multi
Cara Waters explores an example of an individual using their experience to align with their personal views and forging a reduced-cruelty living, citing how “
'It really bothers people': Running a vegan business” via WA Today
Yan Zhuang explores migration, living harmoniously and evidence of afterlife, inviting us to “
Meet the group restoring the graves of Gold Rush-era Chinese migrants” via The Age
James Massola explores an example of vendetta, personal cost, and determined human intervention, inviting us to meet “
Hakeem al-Araibi on his time in a Bangkok jail and the global campaign to set him free” via The Age
All
Anna Halafoff, Andrew Singleton, Gary D Bouma and Mary Lou Rasmussen explores value of embracing diversity, informed exploration of world views and engaging intelligent discussion, finding if we “
Want a safer world for your children? Teach them about diverse religions and worldviews” via The Conversation
Paul Karp explores the value around education in merit-based ability rather than religious subscription, why “
Victoria opens the way for secular or atheist school chaplains” via The Guardian
Evelyn Lewin explores connections between environment, diet and wellbeing, asking “
Is living a 'low-tox' life the path to a healthier you and planet?” via The Age
Togather
Roy Ward reports the retirement of a moral exemplar on a field of human contest, shining a spotlight as “
NRL 2019: Greg Inglis' brotherly support praised by Will Chambers” via The Age
Sara Burnett explores how cultivating wisdom, established track record of service to country, demonstrated commitment to family ties, creating sustainable jobs make inspiring leadership qualities, writing “
US 2020 presidential race: Gay Mayor Pete launches bid for Democratic nomination” via WA Today
Kerrie O’Brien explores juggling life, kids and benefits of living collectively, reviewing a Mother’s account of why “
'These kids will never love you': Jocelyn Moorhouse's heartbreak and unconditional love” via The Age
Nobly
Lucy Bloom explores how creating and delivering access to healthcare improves human existence for all, reasons behind Dr Catherine Hamlin’s declarations that “
'I am not a saint, I am just an ordinary woman'” via The Sydney Morning Herald
Liam Phelan and Janie Barrett explores overcoming historical obstacles, resilience and having a sense of humour, revealing “
Hope and healing: a new approach to treatment is helping Indigenous Australians fight kidney disease” via The Brisbane Times
Nico Clark explores a local experiment in decriminalisation of drug dependence, minimizing Suffering and increasing healthier outcomes while improving societal benefits, reporting that “
Despite bad press, injecting room is doing what it was designed for” via The Age
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TED TALKS
10-20min presentations
Dr. May-yi Shaw: The in-between in disguise (18 mins)
Ruben Meerman: The mathematics of weight loss (21 mins)
Sharad Paul: The Myth of Race (18 mins)
Meklit Hadero: The unexpected beauty of everyday sounds (13 mins)
Cristine Chen: Being a Third Culture Kid (8 mins)
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GUEST SINGS
Approx 5 min presentation
The Herd - The Sum of it All
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STREET JIVES
Approx 2 min presentation
Sesame Street: Janelle Monae - Power of Yet
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WISDOM RECONCILES
Approx 20 min presentation
TopThink: 7 Signs Someone is Secretly Jealous of You (10 mins)
Ethics Matters: Episode 3 Our Society (12 mins)
Dan Halliday interviewees Liz Anderson and John Thrasher. Explore how society should be organised and wrestle with conflicting libertarian and egalitarian points of view.
You Can’t Ask That: Intersex (29 mins)
A subject that is still widely misunderstood, secretive and rarely spoken about in detail, eight individuals reveal the complexities of being born with an intersex variation.
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CHALLENGE REFLECTS
Approx 30 min presentation + reflection times
If desired, a short selection of publicly available material on a chosen theme for personal reflection.
For best results, sit comfortably with a straight back, have headphones in a shared space, after each clicked link, allow a little reflection with your personally-held view before clicking on the next link.
Get ready to Reflect!
Choose your playing level:
Be introduced at 1.
Be soothed at 2-4.
Be shocked at 5.
Be inspired at 6.
Fuller illumination 1-6.
And yes, its a repeat of an oldie and a goodie. Or not. You be the judge.
Cryptic Clue:
What is a strategy to overcoming feeling of missing out?
1.
Inspire
2.
Perspire
3.
Collaborate
4.
Engage: Test for personal circumstances, if useful keep, if unuseful discard, if exceeds needs, share mindfully
5.
Endure: Adapt for present times without sacrificing intent
6.
Endear: (Inspiring Others To Tend the Flame) live/ demonstrate/ inspire/ teach experience with others
yearn
[yern]
From Old English
giernan, from a Germanic base meaning = eager.
have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from, craving. Ie, She yearned for a glimpse of the sea. Ie, they yearned to go home.
learn
[lern]
From Old English
leornian = learn’ (in Middle English also = teach), of West Germanic origin; related to German
lernen, also to
lore.
1. comprehend, gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught. Ie, they'd started learning Mandarin. Ie, she is learning to play the piano. Ie, we learn from experience.
2. transmitted, recorded or retained; committed to memory. Ie, I'd learned too many grim poems in school.
3. discovery. Become aware of (something) by information or from observation. Ie, I learned that they had eaten already. Ie, the trading standards office learned of the illegal network.
earn
[ern]
From Old English
earnian, of West Germanic origin, from a base shared by Old English
esne = labourer.
1. obtain (money, gain or kind) in return for labour or services. Ie, he earns his living as a lorry driver.
2. return or gain as interest or profit over a period of time. Ie, the dollars can be placed on deposit and earn interest.
3. recognition or gain deservedly in return for one's behaviour or achievements. Ie, through the years she has earned affection and esteem.
[
Practice]
Optional
-- Chant
Buddha Mantrastyle
One strategy to transform unlimited
yearning is to
learn and
earn with all, some or sum of the above meanings. Or not. As the case may be.
This is universal basis of
re:lig:ion (again:uniting:energy). Here in this email, we'll hear it as countless sounds: of thoughts, words and actions wishing, causing and receiving less Suffering and more Happiness. For benefit initially of the individual increasing in beneficiaries until it includes all across all times and directions.
It is not personal, it just the way things are.
