#619 Wise, Effective Response to Stupidity, Chaos, Violence & Suffering

     “For me there was a pivotal moment after experiencing the war and massacre in Lebanon in 1982. This was a time when hope for humanity seemed almost extinguished. And in the middle of the bombed out ruins of a refugee camp, an old Palestinian man offered me coffee in the midst of the rubble. I saw in his being the indomitable nature of the human spirit shining through. I saw the light that shines in the darkness. I saw the part of us that can never be extinguished. I’ve encountered this light in kindred spirits, amplified in spiritual masters, and in the lives of those beloved beings who have been raped, abused and tortured and yet who choose to forgive and show us all the path to transformative healing.

     Whether you believe in God or not, I think it would be impossible to sustain your activism without making contact with that light. Einstein realized that we had to discover whether or not it is a hostile universe. The mystic earns the privilege of experiencing love at the core of the universe. It is my wish that every activist would come to experience this reality also.”                                                            James O’Dea

          OMTimes.com          December C 2014 edition 
          http://www.editions.omtimes.com/magazine/2014-12-C/index.html

Hemad Nazari, National Geographic   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com

#364 Being your own Trainer, Sports Psychologist & Life Coach

     The will to repeatedly put a little bit more quality, a little bit more intelligence - the "right effort" into each activity - to behave mindfully - comes from deep within us. This will is referred to as "heart", "spirit", "character", "intestinal fortitude" or "show us 'what you're made of'". If we learn to consistently dig down deep to manifest that "little extra", we are training ourselves to become progressively stronger, more competent, and more resilient. We transform ourselves into an elite individual, a champion in our chosen field of interest. In other words we intentionally remodel "what we're made of" - our mind, body & emotions - physically & functionally, for the better. Also, we become a fine personal trainer, sports psychologist & life coach to ourselves.

     "Water boils at 100°C, not at 99°C. That 1° of intensity makes all the difference. Workouts are similar ... If you aren't getting results, up the intensity!"               encouragement handwritten on Dalplex exercise room board

     “I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results. That’s why I approach practices the same way I approached games. You can’t turn it on and off like a faucet. I couldn’t dog it during practice and then, when I need that extra push late in the game, expect it to be there.”         Michael Jordan, NBA MVP 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996, & 1998.
     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/06/348-heart-of-mindfulness-practice.html
     and: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/06/basic-essential-life-skills-need-to-be.html

alan-tunnicliffe   www.dpreview.com

#351 Resilience - Cultivating Inner Strength by Experiencing Sequential Successes

     "Resilience seems to be a skill that has to be experienced to be learned. ... The belief that one can bounce back from a setback, can overcome a failure or disappointment is most likely based upon numerous instances where that individual has previously done so. Those multiple experiences may give birth to a belief that one can turn things around."

       Barton GB. Career success and life skill development through sports. PhD Thesis, Boston University, School of Education, 2011.

lona Antonoviciute http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

#340 Mindfulness is Intentional Transformational Learning

      "Fundamental change is difficult because it involves a radical shift in identity. 'Fundamental', 'structural', and 'radical' are terms that highlight different aspects of transformational learning (TL). ... An apt metaphor for transformational change is the caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly — not a difference of degree, but, rather, one of kind; not superficial, but, rather, structural in nature. When we move from the biologic metaphor to the psychologic of TL, the structures implicated are those of identity rather than those of anatomy. The ground of assumptions upon which we construct our identities is remade during transformational learning."

       Green L. Transformative learning: A passage through the liminal zone. in: Psychoanalysis and education: Minding a gap. Karnac Books, London, England, 2012. pp199-216. 

Jithoto   www.dpreview.com