New Media Lives In The Dark Ages Without A Content Management System
The summer’s over and I can’t wait to get back to school.
I completed my first year of Computer Science in the spring and landed what I thought would be the summer job of my dreams, with the IT department of a prominent media company. They came across as cutting edge high tech and were into just about everything: print, web, blogs and they were just introducing Twitter support when I arrived.
I came into the building expecting this would be a well-oiled machine and that my job would be to wander around with a flashy MacBook Pro, monitoring network security, maybe helping troubleshoot the odd malfunctioning laptop and sipping lattes. The Twitter project would add some excitement and give me something to Tweet about myself. The main workspace was more or less what I’d pictured: a converted warehouse boasting a few dozen cubicles (most decorated with action figures), lots of Macs and a corner that had been tricked out as a photo studio. There were a lot more cables than I’d been expecting; the first hint that all was not so state of the art behind the scenes.
The IT shop, which they kept hidden in a large back area, was a far cry from the spotless labs I was used to at college. Racks of computers in seemingly haphazard locations, a spaghetti tangle of wires and harried staff running around, looking stressed out. To make matters worse, this company had never gotten around to implementing anything remotely resembling content management, so much of my job turned out to be doing one of two thankless tasks:
# Searching the network for a specific file (usually a photo or video clip) that someone needed and was pretty sure it existed, but they didn’t know where it was stored or what the file name was. In a rush, of course, because the file was needed to meet a publication deadline.
# Grabbing the raw text from a writer’s laptop, then dumping it into the editor of whatever end system (could be a blogging tool, web editor, Twitter or just as likely, all of these) for publication because the writer had no clue how to format the content properly for each of the different publication outlets. Of course the writer would be right there, pulling out hair because they’d barely met the deadline and with all the time it was taking to publish into different formats, they might get scooped by the competition.
If all companies are run like this, I think I’ll stay in school for my Masters at least.
Ken Hollins is a Computer Science major who spent the summer learning a valuable lesson about the importance of a content management system. After being run ragged while working for a well known media outlet, Ken has plans to eventually write his thesis on digital asset management. If you need a student intern for next summer, please contact Ken at:
Related Dark Wanderer Articles
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
The Demon Wanderer of the Hollows – A story based in Western, Massachusetts
Prolog
So my friends, as we march fourth in our never ending world of technical wonder and prowess.
Let us remember there are still mysteries out there and yes, even in our old age we learn there are things that do go bump in the night.
If you’re ever in Southampton MA, along the Old College Highway keep your eyes wide open and keep close watch on your soul.
The Village
In the small sleepy village of Southampton, Massachusetts stirs a hollow along the Manhan River. This is a small river no more than 10.9 miles long in Western Massachusetts, but a river no less.
The village of Southampton like all New England villages is dotted with white houses, quaint historical areas, some old saw mills and yes, the hollow. This is where my story begins.
Each night for many months during the summer, I would bike along the Route 10 stretch, better known as College Highway to the locals. I have always found it very ironic that there is not one college located upon this path.
As the summer wore on, it began to cool and dutifully after my family was in bed I started to ride. The sky was a speckled with brilliant stars and never ending clarity that only a New England night can give you. The air was brisk, with the crisp air sending shards of coolness to my lungs. The night was perfect.
My typical path was about a 5-7 mile loop and this night was no different. My speed was excellent and my heart raced as my legs pumped strong and true. About 3 miles into my trip my heart and stomach sank and repulsed with fear. I had the uneasy feeling I was being watched or followed in some manner. My mind I thought must be playing tricks on me, maybe it was one to many Steven King books, maybe it was just a stressful day of working on some never ending software project, maybe is was just foolishness.
But like a child caught in the dark, the fear grew with every rotation of my pedals. What was happening to me, I thought out loud. Now at 4 miles, the road became much darker than I recall, and not one car drove by. Normally I dread the teenagers racing by, but not tonight, there was just silence. Mile 5 and still no cars and my feet become sluggish, almost like lead weight had some how attached to the lower portions of my feet. Every effort a struggle to go on, every breath a burning fire within, for God sake what is wrong with me?
As my bike accelerated past the old farms houses I entered the hollow, just where the Manhan river crosses route 10. Two eyes about 4 feet off the ground shined back with the light of a 1000 moons. In a flash, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of relief that I was not crazy and fear upon what I was seeing.
The creature looked like a tiger you see on the discovery channel, but with a scrappier, rough cut cat like face. It’s blood lust shown through its whiskers like protrusions, only to be superseded by its ravenous set of teeth.
As it stared blankly at me, it green eyes blazing, I could feel my soul being drawn from my body, but it was not my soul it wanted. No, it was not that, it wanted me for a late night feeding. My legs pumped with the might of good old Hercules, my heart raced and my blood pumped relentlessly to every muscle. I tuned once to see the green eyes following me on the edge of the woods and panic set in. Just then a tractor trailer, with the words Harley Davidson of Southampton rushed by with a mighty roar.
The creature vanished, not word, no sound, no grand exit, it just vanished. I did not let up until I made it back to my house a few miles away.
That night, my dreams were haunted and engulfed by the beasts’ eyes. The restless abandon of the beast was evident even in my sleep. I awoke in a cold sweet, shivering, shaking like a newborn coming from the darkness only to find I was still sleeping. I could tell this by the fact I was starting to fly, and down below I could see my body, my helpless body, sprawled out like I had cut a forest of lumber.
What happened next was beyond reality, I was being flown, no carried back to Old College Highway. The street lights went by like shooting star’s the road looks like solid lines on a maze.
I was being flown back to the God dammed hollow. Instead of fear, my eyes filled with rage, rage for my family, rage for my freedom. And there I stood, I was back in the hollow. Suddenly the eyes appeared from the wood line, they looked like green lightening gazing deep within my eyes. Then I was awake.
The next day passed with me feeling rather silly of my dreams and thinking how much I felt like a young child afraid of the boogie man.
Once again when night came and my family was asleep I started out on my bike. This time I was feeling rather at peace and going along at a rather fast clip down the Old College Highway. Soon I was upon the hollow and I felt nothing out of sorts. “All is well”, I thought to myself. Then as I was cresting up the hill I heard a deep barking growl and a sudden bang against the guard rail. My heart raced as I pumped with all my might and did not look back till I was home.
Later that night my friend was flying in from the West Coast and we gathered as we do every year by a midnight fire. I told him of my tale and they only laughed, I guess I did to. That night we had some beers and told stories of the old days on the Cape where we would walk 12 miles a day to get to work only to bus tables for 12 more hours. It felt good. At some point I can’t recall exactly when, my friend lit a cigarette and we stepped out of the light of the fire to talk. At that moment through the wood line we heard what could only be described as a daemon scream. It continued on and loud for what seem like a life time, and my heart sank. I asked him, “Did you hear that?” And he concurred.
For a moment I was thinking it was a practical joke played by his brothers but he insisted it was not. Then we heard the crunching of sticks, the movement of legs, the sounds of the beast. Both of us moved slowly, watching like soldiers in a war, then It was gone.
That night we talked and talked about what had occurred but to this day I have no explanation. I have never again seen or heard the beast that lives along the Manhan River from Southampton to Westhampton Ma, but I assure you my friends there a beast lies.
Take this tale as you will , perhaps the babbling of an old man but no matter how much we think we understand the world some things are still a mystery .
“Many time we find or selves with nothing to do but speak out and raise our voices in the hope that it shall be heard. “
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
3 After Dark Holiday Activities in Egypt
Regarded as one of the most historically important countries in the world, the enigmatic and diverse culture that visitors experience on their holidays to Egypt continues to fascinate the thousands of people who visit every month. Whether you go to Egypt for the culture, the food, the history or simply the exotic ambience of cities like Cairo and Alexandria, there are certain ‘must see’ sights that you cannot miss. The unbelievable architectural feat of the Pyramids, the mystery of the haunting Valley of the Kings, or the awesome, monumental ruins at Karnak; these attractions are the core of Egypt’s intriguing story. However holidays to Egypt also offer unique experiences that are not so well-known, with a whole new set of adventures to discover after dark.
A Sunset Felucca Cruise
Cruising down the Nile in a Felucca – an ancient Egyptian sail boat, as the blazing desert sun slips slowly beneath the horizon, is one of those magical ‘once in a lifetime’ excursions that will stay in your memory forever. As holidays to Egypt are usually fairly active with so much to see and do in a short time, treating yourself to a sunset cruise can be a welcome respite. Lay back and listen to the soft swish of the water as you glide past traditional houses and get a glimpse into the lives of the people who make their homes by the banks of the mighty Nile.
The Karnak Light Show
Visiting Karnak during the day is one thing, but to see it under the guise of night is an amazing spectacle. The famous Karnak Light and Sound show has become almost compulsory for foreign tourists on holidays to Egypt, but far from being a clichéd experience, it is completely enthralling and you will be captivated from the very first moment. Wander around the ancient ruined city as the narrator unveils the story of the ancient city of Thebes and the lives of the Pharaohs. As you stand beneath the colossal pillars you will be transfixed. In an intricate display of light and sound, the hallowed ruins of Karnak are transformed as the lights reflect off the inscrutable waters of the Nile and up into the night sky.
A Moonlit Horseback Ride around the Pyramids
The cool breeze of evening… the stars shining overhead… the silhouetted forms of the Pyramids before you… and a steady muffled thud of your horse’s hooves on the desert floor… sound tempting? The experience is every bit as wonderful as it sounds and if you are lucky enough to be on holidays in Egypt during a full moon, it will be even more magical. Evenings are the best times to take a ride around the Pyramids. There are less people, it is much cooler and the atmosphere at night is completely different. It seems somehow fitting and more reverent to visit these incredible monuments in repose without all the fuss that surrounds them during the day. You have time to contemplate the magnificent accomplishment of their construction and the mysterious myths and legends that surround them.
Claire Bryant is an Egypt holiday specialist for key2holidays, an online tour operator offering holidays to Egypt as well as holidays to the Indian Ocean, the Far East, Cuba and the Caribbean, Southern Africa, Italy & the Mediterranean, Canada, Australia and the Pacific. key2holidays has a dedicated team of experienced travel consultants to share their knowledge and help you to plan and book your ideal holiday.
Related Dark Wanderer Articles
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
Treacherously Driving In The Dark
If it is raining or if there is inclement weather while you are driving at night, try to make sure that you are leaving at least three car lengths between you and the next vehicle in front of you. If you are going to to attempt to go for a car ride at night, keep in mind the fact that your sight and visibility while driving are not as high as they would be if it was during the day. Ideally, you should try to get all of your chores and main activities done during the daytime hours if nighttime driving is bothersome to you. If you have any difficulty seeing while you are driving at night, then make sure that you make an appointment to have your eyes checked by an eye doctor. It is not uncommon for people to experience difficulty seeing while driving at night. Possible causes can stem from the type of job that they have (I.e. working on a computer all day) or from lack of nutrients in their diet OR from simply not having gotten enough rest over the course of the week. Therefore, it is incredibly important to always remember to balance out the amount of work that you do during the day with the amount of rest that you are getting. Too many times, we deprive ourselves of sleep.
So, what can be done to make driving at night easier as well as safer? The best way to ensure your safety as well as the safety of other people around you is to make sure that you drive more cautiously. If there is someone who is driving too closely behind you, slow down to let them pass you or move into a different lane. Always make sure that your headlights are on when you are driving at night. You would be surprised to find out that there are many people who forget this simple fact. Driving does not have to be as dangerous as some people make it out to be.
Just because a car or truck may be bigger than a wild animal doesn’t mean that if you accidentally strike a wild animal that you will not sustain any damage. Driving at night is incredibly dangerous during certain times of the night as well as certain times of the year because animals who are seeking food or shelter tend to wander a little too close to buys roadways. There have been numerous instances in which a person driving a vehicle has gotten into a serious car accident-one in which they have been hurt and/or killed simply due to the fact that they struck another animal. These situations are both sad and unfortunate for both the animal as well as for the person.
For starters, at night time, it is not as bright out, therefore with the lack of light, you are not able to see things until you are almost right on top of them. This is why you will often see stray animals as well as wild animals (I.e. deer, raccoons, etc.) that have been killed by passing motorists. These nocturnal animals come out at night and are notorious for wandering into the path of passing vehicles.
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
Dark And Light
A SIBERIAN SAY ING –”If you don’t know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don’t know the stories you may be lost in life.”
ABDUL BAHA –”There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look towards the people themselves… Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN –”Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbour to compromise whenever you can.”
ACHARYA MAHAPRAGYA & APJABDULKALAM –”Science has revealed that the humanbody is made upofmillions and millions of atoms. The differences between one human being and another and between any 1 iving being and non-living being are all determined by the sequencing ofafew atoms. Any contact whatsoever of the j iva with the ajiva causes the former to suffer and therefore existence in this world inevitably means suffering. The only way out is for the j iva to liberate itself from the human condition.”
ADI GRANTH –”Says Nanak, The Master is a tree of contentment and forbearance; Righteousness its flower, enlightenment the fruit. This tree by joy in God keeps ever fresh and green; By practice of meditation is it ripened. With joy in the Lord is it consumed, By such as dispense the supreme charity of selfless action.”
ADI SHANKARACHARYA –”Shiva is able to function when united with Shakti; otherwise He is inert.”
AESCHYLUS –”When one is willing and eager, the gods join in.”
AESOP –”The shaft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagle’s own Lures. We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction.”
ALAN D FOSTER –”Living gives you a better understanding of life. I would hope that my characters have become deeper… Wider travels have given me considerably greater insight into how cultural differences affect not only people but politics and art.”
ALAN WATTS –”A myth is an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the world.”
ALBERT CAMUS –”For centuries the deathpenalty, often accompanied by barbarous refinements, has been trying to hold crime in check; yet crime persists.”
ALBERT CAMUS –”It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN –”The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all truf art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer paused wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead ; his eyes are closed.”
ALBERT EUNSTEIN –”We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”
ANANDAMAYI MA –”The distress that is experienced burns to ashes all pleasures derived from worldly things. This is tapasya. The heartache, the anguish over the effect ofobstructions, is the beginning of an awakening to Consciousness. Remember, one is born to experience various kinds of joys and sorrows according to one’s desire. For the time being. God comes to you in the disguise of suffering. He is purifying you in this manner.”
ANDRE BRETON –”I have always been amazed at the way an ordinary observer lends so much more credence and attaches so much more importance to waking events than to those occurring in dreams…. Man… is above all the plaything of his memory.”
ANNIE BESANT –”Belief in karma ought to make life pure, strong, serene, and glad. Only our own deeds can hinder us; only our own will can fetter us. Once let men recognise this truth, and the hour of their liberation has struck. Nature cannot enslave the soul that by wisdom has gained power and uses both in love.”
ANONYMOUS –”A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.”
APJ ABDUL KALAM –”The country is greater than the individual.”
ARTHUR CCLARKE –”Communication technologies are necessary, but not sufficient, for us humans to get along with, each other. Technology tools help us to gather and disseminate information, but we also need qualities like tolerance and compassion to achieve greater understanding between peoples and nations.”
ARTHUR CCLARKE –”Let’s be optimistic if only because it offers us the opportunity of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
ARTHUR CCLARKE –”The time has come for us to move our focus from the geeks to the meek. We need to turn digital communication tools to work for the poor and the disadvantaged.”
ARTHUR CCLARKE –”Who is an intellectual? He is someone educated beyond his intelligence.”
ARTHUR KOESTLER –”Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.”
ATHARVA VEDA –”Earth, which has many heights and slopes and the unconfined plain that bind men together, Earth that bears plants of various healing powers, may she spread wide for us and thrive. Earth, in which lie the sea, the river, and other waters, in which food and cornfields have come to be, in which live all that breathes and that moves, may she confer on us the finest of her yield….”
ATHARVA VEDA –”He cannot be seen by the eye, and words cannot reveal Him. He cannot be reached by the senses, or by austerity or sacred actions. By the grace of wisdom and purity of mind, He can be seen, indivisible, in the silence of contemplation. This invisible Atman can be seen by the mind wherein the five senses are resting.”
ATHARVA VEDA –”Naturally, man has to seek all means of discovering the meaning of Life, for without knowing it, he is lost; he wanders from birth to birth, receiving knock after knock and is seldom the better for all the experience.”
AUROBINDO –”Mortality and pain Are mere conventions of a mightier stage.”
AUTHOR UNKNOWN –”Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
AUTHOR UNKNOWN –”We say we love flowers, yet we pluck them. We say we love trees, yet we cut them down. And people still wonder why some are afraid when told they are loved.”
AYN RANDAnd what is the state but a servant and a convenience for a large number of people, just like the electric light and the plumbing system? And wouldn’t it be preposterous to claim that men must exist for their plumbing, and not the plumbing for the men?
AYYA KHEMA –”If we divide into camps…the world will never have peace…We must work on ourselves and also with those we condemn if we want to have a real impact.”
AYYAPPA PANIKER –”Grow new wings to catchup with science/ across the recesses of outer space./ The pioneers have unfurled their flags on the heights;/ break you your idols, and bless yourselves./ Nothing is empty any more, nothing is outside of us;/ The whole universe is filled with subtle sensations./ Where is our telescope, where our thermometer?”
BAHA’U'LLAH –”Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, tQ walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, 0 concourse of light!”
BAIDYANATH SARASWATI –”Man as microcosm transcends earthly limits through cosmic intelligence and ritual action. Cosmogenic myths have revealed how the limits of the natural state were transcended in the beginning. The state of primordial solidarity was transcended as the Cosmic Egg emerged. The Earth is limited, the Sky is unlimited. Human culture is an Inverted Tree, with roots upward and branches downward. Man’s existence on Earth and the Sky must make no difference.”
BEN OKRI –”A people are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Sick storytellers can make nations sick. Without stories we would go mad… Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart larger.”
BENJAMIN DISRAELI –”The world is weaned of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN –”If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good master should catch you idle? Are you then your own master? Be ashamed to catch yourself idle, when there is much to be done for yourself, your family, your relations and your country.”
BERDAYEV –”I see two initial motives in man’s inner life: the search for meaning and the search for the eternal.”
BERNARD SHAW –”Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”
BERTRAND RUSSELL –”If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinise it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something,which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
BESS S ALDRICH –”It’s Christmas Eve Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl, but it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart… filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.”
BHAGAUAD GITA –”One gradually attains tranquility of mind by keeping the mind fully absorbed in the Self by means of a well-trained intellect, and thinking of nothing else.”
BHAGAUAD GITA –”That which realy is cannot go out of existence, just as that which is non-existent cannot come into being. The end of this opposition of’is’ and ‘is not’ has been perceived by seers of essential truths.”
BHAGAVAD GITA –”OArjuna! Great is the person who can use his mind to control his senses and do his karma without any attachment, It is better to do your duty than to remain without doing anything. Action is important because we cannot even maintain our own body without it.”
BHAGAVAD GITA –”Offer to Me all your works and rest your mind on the Supreme. Be free from vain hopes and selfish thoughts, and with inner peace fight your fight.”
BHAGAVAD GITA –”Similar to a person who is not attached to external pleasures but enjoys happiness in the Atman or soul, the person who perceives Brahmn, the all-pervading consciousness in everybody feels everlasting joy… The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahmn, and its eternal nature is called adhyatma, the self.”
BHAGAVAD GITA –”Thecore factor for human beings to subsist is food, which is dependent on rains. Rain is brought through sacrifice and sacrifice is done by doing the duties and rituals prescribed to oneself. It is from the Absolute who has no beginning or end that the Vedas emanate. The Vedas or the sacred literature are the ones that prescribe the rules and rituals to be followed. Thus all acts of sacrifice involve and centre around the Absolute.”
BHAGAVAD GITA –”Waters from many rivers continually flow into the ocean but the ocean never overfills. In a like manner, desires and attachments constantly flow into the mind of the Illuminated One, but he, like the ocean in its deepest depths, is totally still and never disturbed!”
BIBLE –”Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.”
BILLY GRAHAM –”Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness.”
BKS IYENGAR –”Illuminated emancipation, freedom. Unalloyed and untainted bliss await you, but you have to choose to embark on the inward journey ; to discover it.”
BRAHMAKUMARIS –”The one who experiences happiness is the one who is successful.The one who recognises the needs of others is the one who gives real happiness. True happiness is that which spreads around. others.To work with the inner happiness is to progress with lightness.”
BRAHMAKUMARIS –”There is some darkness in most human minds today, so there is a darkness component in most scenes and situations. How much value can be given to someone who is able to bring light and lightness to a place or a moment, where others have brought their dark? Like a crown of sparkling jewels, their presence and their words are priceless. It may only be a gentle smile of comfort, an attitude of genuine interest, some words that diffuse an awkward moment. Those who stay light in spirit while others weave darkness are both illuminated and illuminators.”
BRAHMOKUMARIS –”Change the climate within your inner world.Reduce the emissions of negativity by generating positive thoughts.”
BRIAN NICKLAUS –”How many parents would be proud of their child who enlists to fight against worldly enemies in foreign lands, compared to the number of parents who would encourage, or even allow their kids to be missionaries and live in those same dangerous places?”
BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD –”He who is abiding in the Earth, yet different from the Earth. He who is abiding in the Waters, yet different from the Waters. He who is abiding in the Fire, yet different from the Fire. He who is abiding in the Air, yet different from the Air. He who is abiding in the Sky, yet different from the Sky. He is your Soul, the Inner Controller.”
BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD –”The Self is the honey of all beings And all beings are honey for the Self.”
BRIHDDARANYAKA UPANISHAD –”He who, dwelling in the sun, yet is other than the sun, whom the sun does not know, whose body the sun is, who controls the sun from within – He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal.”
BURTON HILLIS –”The best of all gifts around any Christmastree: the presence of a happy family all Wrapped up in each other.”
CARL SAGAN –”Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something.”
CARL SAGAN –”The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.”
CARL SAGAN –”Thesize and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise. In the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos… They remind us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that knowledge is prerequisite to survival.”
CATHERINE INGRAM –”When scientists or mystics look deeply into what seems to be emptiness or space, what they find is some kind of presence. Quantum physics now tells us that particles emerge out of so-called emptiness, out of pure space. We can eliminate all particles from a given amount of space, such that the space is seemingly devoid of anything whatsoever, and suddenly elementary particles will emerge …out of the void. They are somehow already there ‘in potentia’. I once asked my teacher if he thought that love was what powered Creation, and he answered. “I don’t even call it love. It is some kind of fullness, such as the fullness of the ocean when there are no waves. “A burgeoning wholeness merging into itself. And within this wholeness, stardust is looking at itself and wondering, “Who am I?”
CG JUNG –”We can keep from a child all knowledge of earlier myths, but we cannot take from him the need for mythology.”
CHARLES C WEST –”We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that God who is shaking them.”
CHARLES DARWIN –”Those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”
CHARLES DE GAULLE –”In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.”
CHARLES DICKENS –”Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fireside and his quiet home!”
CHARLOTTE CARPENTER –”Remember, if Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.”
CHARLOTTE D KASL –”Joy brings a heightened state of awareness and a quiet receptivity that allow us to “see into the life of things”. And conversely, when you take time to look into the life of things, you will start to feel more joy.”
CHERIE CARTER-SCOTT –”The best way to learn clarity is to identify those times when you are not experiencing it the moments of fogginess can be clues that the lesson of clarity is being presented. When you are focused on your judgments of others, you are not using them as mirrors, and hence are stuck in the fog. When you are focused on the way someone else has behaved, you are in the fog. In essence, whenever you are dissociated from what the situation is saying about you and your perceptions, and focused instead on what it is saying about the other person, you are in the fog.”
CHIEF SEATTLE –”Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the people of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it.”
CHINESE PROVERB –”Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.”
CHRISTINA ROSETTI –”Earth, strike up your music, Birds that sing and bells thatring; Heaven hath answering music For all Angels soon to sing: Earth, put on your whitest Bridal robe of spotless snow: For Christmas bringeth Jesus, Brought for us so low.”
CHRISTMAS CAROL –”The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor lepherds in fields as they lay… They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far and to the earth it gave great light and so it continued both day and night… nd by the light of that same star hree Wise men came from country far ‘o seek for a King was their intent and to follow the star wherever it went Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel rn is the King of Israel! ‘his star drew nigh to the northwest O’er Bethlehem it took its rest and there it did both Pause and stay Right o’er the place where Jesus lay. foel, Noel, Noel, Noel rn is the King of Israel! ‘hen entered in those Wise men three Full reverently upon their knee And offered there in His presence Fheir gold and myrrh and frankincense. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel born is the King of Israel! Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord dat hath made Heaven andearth of nought And with his blood nankind has bought. sloel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel!”
CHUANG TZU –”Tao is beyond words and beyond things. It is not expressed either in word or in silence. Where there is no longer word or silence Tao is apprehended.”
CHUN BOO KYUNG –”The one that is visible begins from the invisible. The invisible consists of three ultimates, and their essence is infinite.”
DISRAELI –”There is no education like adversity.”
DON MARQUIS –”The most pleasant and useful persons are those who leave some of the problems of the universe for God to worry about.”
ECKHART TOLLE –”Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment. It is part of the is-ness of the NOW.”
ECKHART TOLLE –”Being rich/wealthy is being in touch with the fullness of life. When you are open to the present moment, what comes in, is a gratitude for “what is”. When you are aligned with the present moment, there is a peace that comes, so it is like you are experiencing life for the first time, when you become present. When you are in a state of gratitude for what is… that is really what being wealthy means.”
ECKHART TOLLE –”True communication is communion-the realisation of oneness which is love.”
EDGAR R. FIEDLER –”Ask five economists and you’ll get five different answers — six if one went to Harvard.”
EDWARD SMITH –”Stop fighting your creative spirit that is struggling to break free inside you. You will not be the person you were meant to be until you free this creative spirit and find ways to put it to use. Freeing your creative spirit will not send you into financial ruin or cause havoc with your life, if you acknowledge the creative side of you and find ways to gradually blend it into your thought process. What will happen is thafyou will find happiness you didn’t know existed and you will become the person you were meant to be.”
EKNATH EASWARAN –”The widest possibilities for spiritual growth lie in the give-and-take of , everyday relationships.”
EKNATH EASWARAN –”To remake ourselves, we don’t have to bring goodness, love, fearlessness, and the like from without and stuffthem all into ourselves somehow. They are already present in us, deep in our consciousness; that is why we can never really rest content with being anything. less than perfect. If we work to remove the impediments that have built up over many years of conditioning, to dislodge all the old resentments and fears and selfish desires, our life will become like a fountain of living waters, as it was meant to be. An old fountain may be so clogged with rubbish that not a drop of water can get through. But with a lot of cleaning, you can get the water to start playing again. Then grass and flowers will grow around it, and birds will come there to have their bath. Just so, love can flow from us as from a living fountain, and those we live and work with will come to us to be refreshed.”
EPICTETUS –”There is only one thing for which God has sent me into the world, and that is to develop every kind of virtue or strength, and there is nothing in all the world that i cannot use for this purpose.”
EPICURUS –”Be moderate in order to taste the j oys of life in abundance.”
FALI S NARIMAN –”Confidence of the public in the higher judiciary is high and we can’t have it reduced now.”
FLORENCE SCOVEL SHINN –”Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, butsimply points the way.”
FRANCIS BACON –”We camot command Nature except by obeying her.”
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT –”Study Nature, love Nature, stay close to Nature, It’ll never fail you.”
GANESH UPANISHAD –”You are the earth, water, fire, air and the space. You are the root foundation of speech. You are beyond the three gunas: ’sattva’, ‘rajas’ and ‘tamas’. You are beyond the physical, mental and causal bodies. You are beyond the three aspects of time: past, present and future. You are eternally established in the muladhara chakra. You have three shaktis: action, knowledge and will. Salutation to the Ganapati whose seed mantra is Aum Gam. We know Ekadanta, the One-tusked God, the unique God. We meditate upon Vakratunda, the curved-trunk God. May that unique elephant God illumine our consciousness and direct us along the right track.”
GARTH BROOKS –”Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
GAUTAMA BUDDHA –”Whatsoever you find to be conducive to the commongood benefit and welfare of all beings, take it.as your guide.”
GEORGE D ALKEN –”The best policy tslo declare vtctory and leave.”
GEORGE SANTAYANA –”Everything in Nature is lyrical in its ideal essence, tragicin its fate, and comic in its existence.”
GEORGE W BUSH –”I believe that God has planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom… We need to use power to help people – for we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people.”
GERMAINE GREER –”Revolution is the festival of the oppressed.”
GOSPEL OF SRIRAMAKRISHNA –”Sometimes I see that You are the whole and I am a part, sometimes I see that You are the Master and I am Your servant. But Rama, when I have the knowledge of reality, then I find that You are I and I am You.”
GOSPEL OFST JOHN –”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
GURU GRANTH SAHIB –”According to the karma of past actions, one’s destiny unfolds, even though everyone wants to be so lucky.”
GURU GRANTH SAHIB –”He Himself creates, and He Himself assigns us to our tasks. He Himself gives sustenance to the millions of species… God cherishes all His beings and creatures, as the mother cares for her children. The Destroyer of pain, the Ocean of Peace, the Lord and Master gives sustenance to all.”
GURU NANAK –”When the True Lord Himself grants forgiveness, then one does not have to enter the cycle of reincarnation again.”
HAKUIN –”At this moment, is there anything lacking? Nirvana is right here now before our eyes. This place is the lotus land. This body now is the Buddha.”
HARRY GOLDEN –”The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.”
HENRY D THOREAU –”The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.”
HENRY D THOREDU –”As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness. ”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU –”My profession is always to be alert, to find God in Nature, to know God’s lurking places, to attend to all the oratorios and the operas in Nature.”
HENRY VAN DYKE –”Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the worldstronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than deathand that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem 1,900 years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.”
HERMAN HESSE –”Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin.
HILLARY CLINTON –”There are issues that not just the US but others hove with your government and…military security establishment,”
HINDU PROVERB –”Even nectar is poison if taken to excess.”
HORACE MANN –”Be ashamed to dte until you have won some victory for mankind.”
IGBO SONG –”We are on a market trip to earth: Whether we fill our baskets or not, Once the time is up, we go home.”
ISHA UPANISHAD –”Everything in the universe belongs to the Lord. Therefore take only what you need, take only what is for you. Do not take anything else, for you know to whom it belongs.”
IZAAK WALTON –”The persons who lose their conscience have nothing left worth keeping.”
JAIN COSMOLOGY –”Space is a substance that accommodates living souls, matter, the principle of motion, the principle of rest and time. It is all-pervading, infinite and made of infinite space-points.”
JALALUDDIN RUMI –”God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites, so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.”
JALALUDDIN RUMI –”Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is afield. I’ll meet you there.”
JALALUDDIN RUMI –”The Sun of the spirit is everlasting: it hath no yesterday.”
JAMES ARRAJ –”Faith is the bird that Sings when the dawn is still dark. Rabindranath Tagore Faith is a highly distinctive kind of knowledge, a knowledge that works through love, through the heart, and because we misunderstand the nature of this knowledge we resist it, or fail to respond fully to its mysterious call… How can we reason and faith, certitude and freedom?”
JATAKA –”On the eastern side of this Himalaya, the king of mountains, are green-flowing streams, having their source in slight and gentle mountain slopes; blue, white, and the hundred-leafed, the white lily and the tree of paradise, in a region over run and beautified with all manner of trees and flowing shrubs and creepers, resounding with the cries of swans, ducks and geese, inhabited by troops of monks and ascetics….”
JEAN-PAUL SARTRE –”Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat.”
JEWISH PROVERBS –”A bird that you set free may be caught again, but a word that escapes your lips will not return.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Among those who stand, do not sit; among those who sit, do not stand. Among those who laugh, do not weep; among those who weep, do not laugh.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”As you teach, you learn.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Ask about your neighbours, then buy the house.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Do not be wise in words – be wise in deeds.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Don’t be sweet, lest you be . eaten up; don’t be bitter, lest you be spewed out.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Don’t live in a town where there are no doctors.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Don’t look for more honour than your learning merits.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”First mend yourself, and then mend others.
JEWISH PROVERBS –”He that can’t endure the bad will not live to see the good.,
JEWISH PROVERBS –”Never trust people who tell you all their troubles but keep from you all their joys..”
JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI –”Can you not listen to this as the soil receives the seed and see if the mind is capable of being free, empty? It can be empty only by understanding all its own projections, its own activities, not off and on, but from day to day, from moment to moment. Then you will find the answer, then you will see that the change comes without your asking, that the state of creative emptiness is not a thing to be cultivated – it is there, it comes darkly, without any invitation, and only in that state is there a possibility of renewal, newness, evolution.”
JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI –”You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”
JOAN BORYSENKO –”Ask for divine help in your struggle to forgive. The God of the Judeo-Christian tradition has an ancient reputation for compassion and mercy. Try praying for your enemy. Don’t just ask for a change in that person’s heart or behaviour really pray for him.”
JOHN BURROUGHS –”Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than a moral.”
JOHN DONNE –”Any man’s death diminishes me, because i am involved in mankind: And therefore never send to know for whom the bells toll; it tolls for thee.”
JOHN DONNE –”Death be not proud though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so For those whom you think’st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.”
JOHN KEATS –”Silence is deep as Eternity, speech is shallow as Time.”
JOSEPH CAMPBELL –”Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life.”
JOSEPH CAMPBELL –”Now, i came to this idea of bliss because in Sanskrit…there are three terms that represent the brink,, the jump ing-off place to the ocean of transcendence: Sat, Chit, Ananda. The word’ Sat’ means being.’Chit’ means consciousness, ‘Ananda’ means bliss of rapture. I thought, ‘I don’t know whether my consciousness is proper consciousness or not; i don’t know whether what i know of my being is my proper being or not; but i do know where my rapture is. So let me hang on to rapture, and that will bring me both my consciousness and my being.”
JOSH BILLINGS –”One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness.”
JULIUS ERVING –”The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life -mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.”
KABIR –”He who walks between boundaries is Man,/ He who goes beyond them is a saint./ But he who transcends the limited and the limitless,/ His Mind is unfathomable.”
KABIR –”Kabir, the servant of God, has seen it all. 0 brother seekers! Only while you are alive is there hope of finding Him. While you are alive, meditate. While you are alive, contemplate. Only while you are alive can liberation be found.”
KAHLIL GIBRAN –”Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.”
KAPIL SIBAL –”Give a child the right to decide and not let the results of examinations decide his or her future.”
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR –”My choosing Islam was not a political statement; it was a spiritual statement.”
KATHA UPANISHAD –”The wise man should surrender his words to his mind;and this he should surrender to the Knowing Self;and the Knowing Self he should surrender to the Great Self;and that he should surrender to the Peaceful Self.”
KENYAN PROVERB –”Treat the Earth well. It , was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children.”
KISHORE ASTHANA –”The tree does not keep repeating ‘I love you’ every time someone passes by. It quietly shows that it does, in a way that true lovers would do well to emulate. And, afterthis, it does not ask anything in return. It does its part without expectation of a reward, as if it had truly internalised one of the core teachings of our spiritual heritage.”
KULARNAVA TANTRA –”The individual soul (jiva) is Shiva; Shiva i^j iva. When in bondage, it is j iva; freed from bondage, it is Shiva.”
LAO TZU –”Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
LAO TZU –”In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired. In the pursuit ofTao, every day something is given away.”
LAO TZU –”Know the male,/yet keep to the female:/ receive the world in your arms./ If you receive the world,/ the Tao will never leave you/ and you will be like a little child… Know the personal,/yet keep to the impersonal:/ accept the world as it is./ If you accept the world, the Tao will be luminous inside you/ and you will return to your primal self.”
LEO TOLSTOY –”Don’t seek God in temples. He is close to you. He is within you. Only you should surrender to Him and you will rise above happiness and unhappiness.”
LINDA HOGAN –”There is a way that Nature speaks. that landspeaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.”
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN –”Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.”
M KATHLEEN CASEY –”Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
MAHATMA GANDHI –”In the attitude of silence the soulfmds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.”
MAHATMA GANDHI –”Our world has enough for each person’s need, but not for his greed.”
MAHATMA GANDHI –”Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.”
MAIMONIDES –”The right way is the mean in each groupof dispositions common to humanity; namely, that disposition which is equally distant from the two extremes in its class, not being nearer to the one than to the other.”
MAITRI UPANISHAD –”There is something beyond our mind which abides in silence within. our mind. It is the Supreme Mystery beyond thought. Let one’s mind and one’s subtle body rest upon that and not rest on anything else.”
MAN ‘YOSHU I (SHINTO) –”In the land of Yamato there are many mountains;/ Ascending to the heaven of Mount Kagu,/1 gaze down on the country, and see/ Smoke rising here and there over the land,/ Sea gulls floating here and there over the sea./ A fine country is this,/ The island ofdragonflies, this/ Province ofYamato.”
MANDUKYA UPANISHAD –”Aum, the imperishable sound, is the seed of all that exists. The past, the present, the future, all are but the unfolding ofaum and whatever transcends the three realms of time, that indeed is the flowing ofaum. This whole creation is ultimately Brahmn and the self, this is also Brahmn.”
MANDUKYA UPANISHAD –”The Unseen One, featureless, unthinkable, undefinable by name Whose Substance is the certitude of One Self In Whom world-existence is stilled Who is all peace and bliss that is the Self, that is i what be known.”
MARCEL PAGNOL –”The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.”
MARCUSAURELIUS –”If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
MARTIN LUTHER KING. JR –”A nation that continues year after year to spend more Money on military defense- than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
MARY BAKER EDDY –”Spirit is the real and eternal, matter is the unreal and temporal.”
MARY ENGELBREIT –”If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”
MAUD VAN BUREN –”We hear the beating of wings over Bethlehem and a light that is not of the sun or of the stars shines in the midnight sky. Let the beauty of the story take away all narrowness, all thought of formal creeds… Time and space and language lay no limitations upon human brotherhood.”
MAURICE SENDAK –”There must be more to life than having everything!”
MEENA OM –”The curved trunk of Ganesh represents the arousal of the powers of the kundalini. Vast ears represent the ability to listen to and comprehend all that others say. The large stomach inspires us to keep all that is within our minds under wraps until it is accomplished.”
MELODY BEATTIE –”Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.”
MIAHATMA GANDHI –”To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”
MILAREPA –”If you find a certain practice increases your evil passions and tends you towards selfishness, abandon it, though it may appear to others virtuous. And if any course of action tends to counteract your evil passions, and benefit sentient beings, know that to be the true and holy path.”
MK GANDHI –”"President” means Chief Servant.”
MK GANDHI –”Service that is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service that is rendered in a spirit of joy.”
MOTHER MEERA –”In silence more work can be done. The true / experience of bliss is; without words.”
MOTHER TERESA –”I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”
MOTHER TERESA –”We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
NAMASKARA SUTRA –”I bow down to those who have reached omniscience in the flesh and teach the road to everlasting life in the liberated state. I bow down to those who have attained perfect knowledge and liberated their souls of all karma. I bow down to those who have experienced self-realisation of their souls through self-control and self-sacrifice. I bow down to those who understand the true nature of soul and teach the importance of the spiritual over the material. I bow down to those who strictly follow the five great vows of conduct and inspire us to live a virtuous life. To these five types of great souls I offer my praise. Such praise will help diminish my sins. Giving this praise is most auspicious. So auspicious as to bring happiness and bliss.”
NIELS BOHR –”The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.”
NORMAN VINCENT PEALE –”Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things lappen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will.”
NORMAN W BROOKS –”Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself…”
OGDEN NASH –”I think that i shall never see A billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I’ll never see a tree at all.”
OSHO –”Each person comes into this world with a specific destiny – he has something to fulfil, some message has to be delivered, some work has to be completed. You are not here accidentally – you are here meaningfully. There is a purpose behind you. The whole intends to do something through you.”
OSHO –”This is the situation of every human being. It is difficult to find a man whose heart does not want to fly like a bird in the sky, who would not like to reach for the stars, but who is also deeply attached to the earth. His roots are deep in the earth. He is attached to his imprisonment, but he also longs for freedom. He is divided.”
OSHO –”You are truth. You are love. You are bliss. You are freedom.”
P CHIDAMBARAM –”Spread the message of tolerance and strengthen the thread that binds the society.”
PABLO PICASSO –”Some painters transform the sun into a yellowspot, others transform a yellow spot info the sun.”
PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA –”The Spirit of God, I realised, is exhaustless Bliss; His body is countless tissues of light.”
PEARL S BUCK -”I am so absorbed in the wonder of earth and the life upon it that I cannot think of heaven and angels.” RABINDRANATH TAGORE –”Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.”
PEDRO CALDERON DE LA BARCA –”One may know how to gain a victory, and know not how to use it.”
PHILIPADAMS –”When people say to me: “How do you do so many things?” I often answer them, without meaning to be cruel: “How do you do so little?” It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don’t. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever.”
PHILLIPS BROOKS –”The earth has grown old with its burden of care but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung.”
PHILOKALIA –”If we had to seek for virtue outside of ourselves, thatwoulc assuredly be difficult, but as it is within us, it suffices to avoid bad thoughts and to keep our souls turned towards the Lord.”
PLATO –”If we disregarddue proportion by giving anything what is too much for it; too much canvas to a boat, too much nutriment to a body, too much authority to a soul, the consequence is always shipwreck.”
PN MENON –”The worldly existence that is full of love, hatred and the like is verily like unto a dream. It appears real in its time or during ignorance but becomes unreal on awakening or dawn of true knowledge Sankara ’sAtmabodha To assert that the entire visible universe is unreal is not correct when this existence is full of the pleasures of life as we realise them in enjoyment. This alleged unreality is opposed to experience. Hence it might be said that samsar or worldly existence must be accepted as real. In a dream we feel so many pleasures or pains. But on awakening we realise those feelings were unreal. Samsar is a dream of unrealities. It lasts as long as one is ignorant, but when true knowledge dawns, it disappears. It has no real existence. So worldly pleasures are unreal.”
PROPHET MOHAMMED –”Do Something If someone has a palm shoot in his hands, he should plant it.”
PROPHET MUHAMMAD –”Those who maintain kinship with the detached, who continue to provide for those who let them down and willingly forgive their oppressors, shall indeed excel both in this world and the next.”
PROVERB –”I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.”
PSALMS –”Happy is the man.. .his delights is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”
QUOTING MARK TWAIN –”If there had been government research establishments in the Stone Age, we would have had absolutely superb flint tools. But no one would have invented steel.”
QUOTING MARK TWAIN –”Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
QURAN –”If any do wish for the transitory things of life. We readily grant them such things as We will, to such persons as We will. But in the end We have provided hell for them; they will burn therein, disgraced and rejected. But those who wish for the things of the hereafter, and strive for them with all due striving, and have faith – they are the ones whose striving is acceptable to God.”
QURAN –”Lo! We have given you abundance; so pray to your Lord, and sacrifice.”
RABBI DAVID A COOPER –”Justice, it should be noted, in kabbalistic terminology, is compared to what other traditions call karma. That is to say, cosmic justice is the spiritual law that every action, word, or thought reverberates throughout the universe.”
RABINDRANATH TAGORE –”Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.”
RABINDRANATH TAGORE –”Obstinate are the trammels, But my heart aches when I try to break them. Freedom is all i want, but to hope for it i feel ashamed. I am certain that priceless wealth is in thee, And that thou art my best friend. But i have not the heart to sweep away the tinsel that fills my room The shroud that covers me is the shroud of dust and death. I hate it, yet hug it in love. My debts are large, my failures great, my shame secret and heavy. Yet when i come to ask for my good, I quake in fear lest my prayer be granted,”
RABINDRANATH TAGORE –”You are invited to the festival of this world and your life is blesse’d.”
RADHANATH SWAMI –”If there is to be any peace of mind or harmony in this world, forgiveness is absolutely crucial. If we cannot forgive, then there is no possibility of any relationships surviving at any level.”
RAINFOREST ALLIANCE-”The more diverse an ecosystem is, the more interdependence of species exists within that system. The complex relationships among diverse species are difficult to identify. As species disappear orbecome extinct we begin to see the vital links that exist amongspecies.”
RAMAYANA –”There were no malefactors in Rama’s kingdom. No one suffered harm… Men lived for a thousand years, each having a thousand sons who were free from infirmity and anxiety; trees bore fruit »and flowers perpetually; Parjanya sent down rain when it was needed and Maruta blew auspiciously; all works undertaken bore happy results and all engaged in their respective duties and eschewed evil. All were endowed with good qualities; all were devoted to pious observances, and Rama ruled over the kingdom for ten thousand years.”
REINHOLD NIEBUHR –”God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
RHONDABYRNE –”The law of attraction says that like attracts like, and yhen you think and feel rhsii you want to attract i the inside, the law will e people, circumstances nd events to magnetise what you want.”
RICHARD CONDON –”I am you and you are i and what have we done to each other?”
RIG VEDA –”That is full, this is full From Fullness is born fullness When fullness is taken away from fullness, Fullness still remains.”
RIG VEDA –”Thou by whose lustre all the world of life comes forth, and by thy beams again returns unto its rest, 0 Surya with the golden hair, ascend for us day after day, still bringing purer innocence.”
RIG VEDA –”When with the Supreme Being as the offering the gods performed a sacrifice, spring was the molten butter, summer the fuel, and autumn the oblation. On the grass they besprinkled Him, the Sacrificed Supreme Being, the first bom. With him the gods sacrificed, and those Sadhyas and the sages. From that sacrifice, fully offered, was gathered mixed milk and butter. And the birds of the air arose, the forest animals and the domestic.”
ROBERT FRITZ –”Transcendence is the power to be born anew, to make a fresh start, to turn over a new leaf…to have a second chance. Transcendence makes no reference to the past… When you enter a state of transcendence you are able to create a new life, unburdened by both the victories and the defeats of the past. Transcendence is more than just the accurate realization that the past is over. It is also a realignment of all dimensions of yourself with the very source of your life.”
ROBIN CASARJIAN –”Sometimes forgiving was easy for me; sometimes it was a very bold choice. Whatever it was, it always left me happier and free to move on to create healthier relationships with others and with myself.”
ROY DAVISON –”Our society is bathed in artificial light, and submerged in spiritual darkness. Everywhere there is light, except in the hearts of the people. Spiritual enlightenment is our greatest need.”
ROY DAVISON –”Our society is bathed in artificial light, and submerged in spiritual darkness. Everywhere there is light, except in the hearts of the people. Spiritual enlightenment is our greatest need.”
SAMA VEDA –”It is in the best interest of a man to become a Karma Yogi and work to the best of his abilities and without bothering about the results.”
SAMUEL TAYLOR COTELDGE –”0 William! we receive but what we give. And in our life alone does Nature live.”
SATAPATHA BRAHMANA –”So great is the power of sacrifice that it is the Self of the gods. When, out of the essence of sacrifice, the gods had made their own Self, they took their seat in the world of heaven. Similarly, the one who sacrifices now, when out of the essence of sacrifice he has made his own Self, takes his seat in the world of heaven.”
SATHYA SAI BABA –”God is the Sun and when His rays fall upon your heart, not impeded by the clouds of egoism, the lotus blooms and the petals unfold.”
SATHYASAIBABA –”Intolerance has its roots in the tyranny of individual ‘ego’ that clings to the obsession of being uniquely special. It feeds on ignorance and fear. Ignorance or the less we know, is more likely to project our.. .prejudices onto others. Dialogue exposes areas ofcoincideuces and differences and uncovers the hidden inner forces that are the only source of real understanding.”
SATHYASAIBABA –”Remember, if there is anything sweeter than all things sweet, holier than all things holy, verily it is the Name of the Lord.. .or the Lord Himself. Surrender your heart to Him. He desires naught else from you. He can be won by no other means – neither by unlimited scholarship nor by pompous or colourful ritual.”
SENECA –”When you enter a grove peopled with ancient trees, higher than the ordinary, and shutting out the sky with their thickly intertwined branches, do not the stately shadows of the wood, the stillness of the place, and the awful gloom of this doomed cavern then strike you with the presence of a deity?”
SENECA THE YOUNGER –”The worst evil of all is to leave the ranks of the living before one dies.”
SHASHI THAROOR –”The only way forward must be for those who give assistance to Pakistan to be-extremely responsible…”
SHIVA PARMAR, ISKCON –”In my faith i develop a relationship with God and it makes me feel like a better person.”
SHUNRYU SUZUKI ROSHI –”Don’t move. Just die over and over. Don’t anticipate. Nothing can save you now because you have only this moment. Not even enlightenment will help you now because there are no other moments. With no future, be true to yourself and express yourself fully. Don’t move.”
SIMI BAJAJ –”For every action, there is a reaction You abuse Mother Earth… she will strike back With forces strong and aggressive Affecting every human being The writing is on the wall Yet few of us can see To save our suffering planet Is up to You and Me…”
SMS GREETING –”Wishing you happiness as big as Ganeshji’s appetite Jife is long as his trunk trouble as small as his mouse and moments as sweet as his laddus Sending you warm wishes on Ganesh Chaturthi!”
SONIA GANDHI –”We are committed to see that infrastructure does not remain a bottleneck in the development of the country.”
SOREN KIERKEGAARD –”Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further.”
SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ –”Past and future are in the mind only – i am now.”
SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ –”Past and future are in the mind only-Iamnow.”
SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI –”Silence is the highest eloquence.”
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA –”If you want to light a lamp, you need four things. First a container, second oil, third a wick and fourth a match box. If anyone of these is lacking, you cannot light the lamp. This lamp can, however, remove only the darkness that lies outside. How is the darkness in the heart to be removed? It can be removed only by Jnana Jyoti, the light of wisdom, and by nothing else. How is this spiritual light to be lit? This also needs four elements. Vairagya or detachment is the container. Bhakti or devotion is the oil. Ekaagrata, one-pointed concentration, is the wick. Jnana or knowledge of the Supreme Truth is the matchstick. Without all the four, the light of spiritual wisdom cannot be got.”
SRIMAD BHAGAUATAM –”Truly do I exist in all beings, but I am most manifest in man. The human heart is My favourite dwelling place.”
ST FRANCIS OF ASSISSI –”All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
ST FRANCIS OF ASSIST –”Lord, make me an instrument of peace where there is hatred, let me sow love where there is injury, pardon where there is doubt, faith where there is despair, hope where there is darkness, light and where there is sadness, joy.”
ST MATTHEW –”Be ye therefore perfec even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
ST TERESA OF AVILA –”We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can, namely, surrender our will and fulfil God’s will in us.”
STEVE PAVLINA –”Make up your mind; Waiting for clarity is like being a sculptor staring at a piece of’ marble, waiting for the statue within to cast off the unneeded pieces. Do notwaitfor clarity to spontaneously materialise – grab a chisel and get busy!”
STEVEN JEFFREY –”One of the recurring themes in aboriginal art is the life spiral. When life is represented by a spiral, each loop will be related to the loop that went before it. They will be similar although different in outlook. Decisions we make in our lives are often related to those we made earlier. An individual is as much an ongoing creation as the rest of the world, and the patterns are repeated.”
SUN MYUNG MOON –”I exist for my family, my family exists for our society, our society exists for our nation, our nation exists for the world, all the world exists for God, and God exists for you and me, for all mankind. In this great circle of give and take there is harmony, there is unity, and there is an eternal process of increasing prosperity, Furthermore, since in this circuit all existence will fulfil its purpose of creation, there is abundant and profound joy. Thisis the Kingdom of Heaven, in which feelings of happiness overflow.”
SUN TZU –”Invinclbility ties in the defence, the possibility of victory in the attack.”
SURJIT S BHATIA –”Concern about inequality, or convergence, or almost any economic phenomenon, is really concern about individuals, not countries. A country is an artificial concept, as has been found out by many societies that have been partitioned… But the reason economists have used the country as a unit of analysis to study essentially individual issues is largely because of the convenience of data availahility.”
SUTTA NIPATA –”‘ ‘Make your offering,” said the Master. “As you make it be pleased in mind. Make your mind completely calm and contented. Focus and fill the offering-mind with the giving. From this secure position you can be free from ill will.”
SVETASVATARA UPANISHAD –”Thou art the air Thou art the moon Thou art the starry firmament Thou art Brahman Supreme; Tjiouart the waters thou, the Creator of all! Thou art woman, thou art man, Thou art the youth, thou art the maiden, Thou art the old man tottering with his staff; Thou facest everywhere. Thou art the dark butterfly, Thou art the green parrot with red eyes, Thou art the thunder cloud, the seasons, the seas. Without beginning art Thou, Beyond time and space. Thou art He from whom sprang The three worlds.”
SWAMI MUKTANANDA –”There is nothing other than Her, there is nothing else like Her. There is nothing before Her, in the middle of Her, or behind Her. In this mode Chiti is called the transcendent Supreme Shiva, supreme consciousness, absolutely alone, the ‘formless, attributeless Absolute’of the vedantins.”
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA –”If you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidience and faith, and life becomes more secure, lore fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA –”Repetition of Om arid self-surrender to the Lord will strengthen the mind, and bring fresh energy.”
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA –”We are like silkworms; we make the thread out of our own substance and spin f the cocoon, and in course of time are imprisoned inside. But this is not forever. In that cocoon we shall develop spiritual realisation, and like the butterfly come out free help does not come from without; it comes from within ourselves.”
SYLVIA BOOR STEIN –”There are only two modes of the heart. We can struggle, or we can surrender. Surrender is a frightening word for some people, because it might be interpreted as passivity, or timidity. Surrender means wisely accommodating ourselves to what is beyond our control.”
TENZIN GYATSO –”The reality today is that we are all interdependent and have to coexist on this small planet. Therefore, the only sensible and intelligent way of resolving differences and clashes of interests, whether between individuals or nations, is through dialogue.”
TERRY PRATCHETT –”Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”
THE BAHAI PROPHET –”Glorified is He before Whom all the” dwellers of earth and heaven bow down in aaoration and unto Whom all men turn in supplication.”
THE BAHAI PROPHET –”The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed, and thus they were not told!”
THE BAHAI PROPHET –”The light of the people of the world is their mowledge and utterance; while the splendours shed from the glorious acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are His Words, through whose potency He rolleth up the whole world of existence, sets it under His Own authority by relating it unto Himself, then as the Mouthpiece of God, the Source of His divine light – exalted and glorified be He proclaimeth: ‘Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there but Me; in truth all others except Me are My creatures. Say, 0 My creatures! Me alone, therefore, should ye fear.”
THE BAHAI PROPHET –”The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God.”
THE BUDDHA –”Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
THE BUDDHA –”We are the cause of most of our sorrows. Respect and listening are the source of harmony and happiness. Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others. Joy comes not through possession or ownership but through a wise and loving heart. Joy and openness comes from your own contented heart.
THE MOTHER –”A fixed form was needed in order that the organised individual consciousness might have a stable support. And yet it is in the fixity of the form that made death inevitable. When the body has learned the art of constantly progressing towards an increasing perfection, we shall be well on the way to overcoming the inevitability of death.”
THE XIV DALAI LAMA –”Human beings are of such nature that they should have not only material facilities but spiritual sustenance as well. Without spiritual sustenance, it is difficult to get and maintain peace of mind.”
THICH NHAT HANH –”Looking into the mirror of the moon Suddenly i saw myself, And i saw you smiling, Blessed One. How strange!”
THICH NHAT HANH –”My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which i stand.”
THIRUVALLUVAR –”Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth, For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men. Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion. For if the various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.”
THOMAS CAMPBELL –”Victory has a hundred fathers, bull defeat is an orphan.”
THOMAS PAINE –”The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
THOMAS TUSSER –”At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year.”
TREY MORGAN –”In life you never accomplish anything important without taking a risk. The problem is, as we get older, we are less likely to take risks. The older we get, there is a greater temptation for complacency. We become people who wear our seat belts, watch our cholesterol, fear having children for the sake of getting our hearts broken. While i’m not advocating not wearing seat belts and etc, i am saying that too often we find ourselves taking the easy road even though God created us to be risk takers.”
TS ELIOT –”Only those who will risk go ing too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
UDDHAVA GITA –”Witha pure mind one should observe in all beings as well as in oneself only Me, the atman, who am both inside and out, and unobstructed like the sky. Ideas of rivalry, jealousy, pity and egoism quickly depart from a man who always thinks of Me in all men.”
UPANISHADS –”Whatever is here, that is there. What is there, that again is here. He who sees any differences here Goes from death to death,”
UTTARADHYAYANA SUTRA –”As the fallow leaf of the tree falls to the ground, when its days are gone, even so is the life of men; Gautama, be careful all the while! As the dew-drop dangling on the top of a blade of grass lasts but a short time, even so the life of men; Gautama, be careful all the while! A life so fleet, and existence so precarious, wipe offthe sins you ever committed; Gautama, be careful all the while! A rare chance, in the long course of time, is human birth for a living being; hard are the consequences of actions; Gautama, be careful all the while!”
VICTOR HUGO –”Society is a republic. When an individual tries to lift themselves above others, they are dragged down by the mass…”
VINCENT VAN GOGH –”I have… a terrible need .. .shall i say the word? … of religion. Then i go out at night and pain
please
Diablo 2 LOD Start ACT3 Talk 002-Dark Wanderer-1.13Beta BarBarian LV99
Video Rating: 0 / 5
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
Don?t Be Afraid of the Dark
I had a dream once. I had just finished up some business in the town square and was beginning to feel restless and ready to leave so I started walking to my car so I could go home. There was a hill at the edge of the square, if I walked up its street and around the corner it should have been an easy five minute walk to get to my car. I say, “should have been,” because as soon as I step outside of the square and began to make my trek up the incline something odd began to happen. Every step I took away from the square was met with more and more darkness. It was freaky. I went from full daylight, back at the square, to pitch black, couldn’t see a thing around me darkness in a matter of a few strides. Yet despite my new blindness I still felt like I knew exactly where I was and how to find my way to where I wanted to be, but not having the ability to verify my inner feeling with external visible evidence I began to doubt myself. And the more dismissive I chose to be of my initial affirming inner sense the more intense my doubts grew until finally I reached the point of a full blown panic. I couldn’t bring myself to take another step. I was so afraid of getting lost in the darkness, of taking a wrong turn or wandering so far into the void that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back even if I wanted to, that it didn’t matter that even amid my fear I nonetheless still dreaded the thought of having to pass one more second in the square I’d just left. It didn’t matter because at that moment, the square was where the light was. It was a place where everything was so familiar to me it had become stale. There was no way I could get lost there, I became convince, and at the time that sounded like a rather comforting situation to be in. Being in the throws of a panic-attack as I was, mind numbing boredom didn’t seem like such a horrible trade-off in place of wet my pants fear. I turned around and started back down the hill, back into the square, back into the daylight, back into the tedium of yet another Groundhog Day (see Bill Murray) in the town square and as soon as the darkness was lifted and I found myself being able to not only feel but clearly see my surroundings, I immediately went from feeling scared to feeling defeated. I realized then that all I’d managed to do, by coming back to this place, was to surround myself with everything I desperately wanted to leave behind. I blasted myself for being such a coward. Why had I let the darkness intimidate me so when I knew (because something in me was telling me, indeed screaming at me) that I still had the ability to find my way even in the dark? And what good was having the ability to see everything if all I was seeing just reminded me of those things I wished I could be rid of?
The metaphor of this dream wasn’t at all hard for me to figure out. Though the situation of it was somewhat on the other-worldly side, as many dream scenarios tend to be, the feelings I experienced in this dream were very much in sympathy with the emotional experience I was used to having regarding my career direction in my “waking life” experience at that time. I could see now that I had been allowing my fear of uncertainty this area of my life to discourage me from taking chances outside of the perimeter of my comfort zone and I was paying dearly for this decision with a severe case of restlessness. My dream was just trying to get me to see this choice I was making about my career direction in a different context. An in this, this dream taught me something very much to the point of fear in general, not just as it pertained to my career choices.
Fear is the wayward child of uncertainty. And being in the dark can be an intimidating thing because it forces us to rely on something which most of us are not used to relying on – our intuition, our sixth (inner) sense. We’re more comfortable placing our trust in things discernable to our five worldly senses. We want to see things with our own eyes before we extend our trust to them. We’re not used to placing much confidence in the guidance of our gut; so when our gut becomes the only sense that is of any use to us we grow uneasy. Suddenly we’re not so sure of even those things, which in the light of broad day, we would never doubt. We want that tangible verification we associate with our experience of things through our five physical senses and when we don’t have this “proof” everything becomes a question. Everything arouses doubts. And in this mental environment fear has fertile ground to grow, prosper and impact our life experience in a way that hampers our spiritual development. But here’s what I’ve learned from my experience in the darkness:
There have been moments in my life, which I now can acknowledge, where I have fought to stay in the constricting space of my comfort zone even after it had become painfully obvious to me that this was a position that was not serving me well. I know this can be a stumbling block for me, so I now try to stay mindful of fresh instances in my life where I may be repeating this same mistake.
I’m learning that stepping outside of my comfort zone in spite of my fears is what ultimately frees me from my (perceived) limitations. There’s an expression that I like which I once heard Sally Field say when she was giving an interview, “Fear is where the information is.” So if you can bring yourself to walk through your fears whole new worlds will open up to you.
I’m learning not to deny my fears (because I understand now that I can’t conquer what I refuse to even acknowledge exists), I choose instead to simply weather my fears. By this I mean I simply choose to be aware of my fears, to be honest with myself about them, even as I refuse to dwell on them or allow my fears the power to influence my choices. Through this action though I acknowledge my fears I do not substantiate them and in this I do not allow them to have power over me. I’m learning that my fears may be challenged, and are ultimately overcome, by my pressing on despite them.
And one of my most difficult lessons yet… I’m learning how not to be so concerned over the fact that when I step out on faith’s path I never know how things are going to unfold and I’m learning to be okay with that uncertainty. Instead of dwelling on what all might go wrong because I can’t see around every corner (if I’m wandering in the “darkness”), I look to focus on the wonder and amazement that only comes about from not knowing what’s around every corner. And that’s an important thing to remember – if you can’t take the uncertainty, you’ll never gain the wonder! So I’m learning not to panic whenever pain or difficulty strikes. I’m learning, instead, to take the long view of my life experiences. I’m learning to accept that sometimes difficulty is an essential precursor, a necessary preparation, for something extraordinarily wonderful. And that you have to allow space for your life’s story to evolve, you have to be willing to weather pain and see the storms of your life experience through in order to realize the beauty of the after-storm sunshine. And there’s nothing else in the world like an after-storm sunshine.
I keep saying “I’m learning” because the applications of all these understandings are works-in-progress. There’s always a new fear to be challenged; there’s always that next (perceived) boundary to be dissolved. Faith must grow to know no boundaries. But though I am still learning, perhaps these lessons I’m learning in my darkness will be of some use to you in your life experience. Though these types of experiences, where it seems as if you’re moving through your life with nothing tangible to guide you, may seem ominous and daunting, these moments must arise periodically in every person’s experience. They arise to teach us something very valuable. They are our opportunity to be led by faith (instead of by sight). They are our opportunity to trust the true light within one, the Light that is The Source, instead of relying on the artificial light we see in the world at large.
Evette Gardner is the author of the self realization / advaita ebook Divine Heritage. She currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts. You can read more of her articles on her web site and blog.

The amazing features of the Diablo 2 Mod created by Seltsamuel in a short overview. Check it out online on Bnet Snej Realm! – High resolution 1024×768 gameplay and optional window mode – max char lvl 500 – max skill lvl 60 – new Interface – new Items (Unique/Set/Charms/Runes/Gems/crafts/Cuberecipes and much more) – Uber – Dungeon – new and changed maps – Slots now even in gloves, boots and belts Official Forum: snej.d2maniacs.org + DOWNLOAD Snej mod: snej.d2maniacs.org Click on one of the download sources and have fun! Don’t forget to read the readme after installing the mod.
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
How To Handle Someone With Alzheimer’s Who Wanders
If someone with Alzheimer’s wanders, first consider the causes
“Wandering,” which includes pacing restlessly in a room, meandering aimlessly through the house, or wandering away from home or from companions in a public place, is no small hazard: People with Alzheimer’s have been known to wander away from homes or nursing facilities and been found very ill or even dead from stress, lack of proper medication, or exposure to the elements.
The first step to ensuring a patient’s safety is to think about what might prompt the wandering.
Look for the trigger
If the behavior is new, determine if there have been any big changes in her life. A recent move or change of caregiver can be stressful, for example, and frustration and anxiety can cause wandering. Take extra measures to calm her in stressful times, such as going on fewer outings and following a steady routine. A new medication could be causing agitation as a side effect; mention the wandering to the prescribing doctor.
Look for a pattern in wandering episodes. If it always happens at night, for example, it could indicate fear or loneliness and she may need extra support after dark. If it’s at mealtimes, she may be hungry or thirsty and unable to follow through on these desires. Some people wander at specific times linked to activities from their previous work life or other former routines.
Assess whether your friend or relative is busy enough. Sheer boredom is a common cause of wandering. She should ideally have access to a variety of activities (sorting laundry or blocks, making art or crafts, watching calm nature-type videos, and talking). It’s also good to provide some time out of doors with a companion and some interaction with other people.
Reduce temptations and stressors
Keep keys out of sight. A friend or relative who has Alzheimer’s that’s severe enough to include wandering shouldn’t be driving. But she may still recognize keys left hanging in a familiar place and drive off — even if you don’t think she has memories of driving or still knows how.
Avoid crowds. Crowded situations can produce stress that leads to wandering once she’s back at home. And from a practical standpoint, it’s hard to keep track of someone who wanders when you’re in a shopping mall, fair, or other large public gathering.
Don’t let a wanderer go out alone. Even if the person you’re caring for is a longtime walker, she shouldn’t venture out on her own. She could become confused and lose her way home or meander away from her usual turf.
Don’t leave her in the car. If you leave someone prone to wandering alone in the car while you’re running a quick errand in the bank or drugstore, she’s liable to become frightened or worried and slip out of the vehicle.
Make the house safer for walking. If you haven’t done so already, remove throw rugs, arrange furniture so the person has clear pathways to move through, and eliminate clutter and low-to-the-ground hazards such as magazine racks or plants.
Install nightlights. Illuminate preferred safe paths, especially in hallways and rooms that are used most.
Consider childproof locks for dangerous doors. Doors leading to stairways or the outdoors are the most problematic. Try plastic pinch-grip style doorknob covers, which can be hard for an older person to open. Block sliding glass doors.
Try new locks. Any kind of door lock that’s different from what the person always used, especially if it’s a bit challenging, such as a high chain lock or a key lock for a door that once had a button lock, might work because it’s difficult for her to learn new things.
Try a “Do Not Enter” sign on an exit door. Some people are deterred by this simple measure.
Try safety tools
Look into alarms that signal movement. Bed pads or chair pads with wireless remote alarms aren’t inexpensive, but they offer an immediate alert that a wanderer is getting up. Other devices include floor mats with remote alarms, motion detectors that go off only on a portable receiver the caregiver can carry around, and conventional door chimes that sound when a door is opened and are installed by an electrician.
Disguise dangerous doorways. A gentler alternative to door locks is to lead the person away from certain doors with visual cues that convey that the door is something else. Camouflage possibilities include painting the door to match a surrounding wall or hanging posters, mirrors, or murals on the door that are especially designed to make it look like a bookshelf or pantry shelf.
Enlist the help of others
Tell immediate neighbors about the person’s Alzheimer’s. Ask them to call you if, say, she uncharacteristically comes over to visit or is seen walking alone.
Use daycare and professional help. If someone with Alzheimer’s begins leaving home when she wanders, she should no longer be left alone even for short periods. Take advantage of adult daycare programs or a relief caregiver when you must go out, if you’re the primary caregiver.
Be prepared
Enroll her in the Safe Return program. This Alzheimer’s Association-sponsored program is designed to provide help if a person with dementia wanders away. An enrolled person’s identification information is immediately given to local law enforcement. The enrollee also receives an identification bracelet and clothing labels, which bear the 800 number of the program’s help line. Anyone who finds the person wandering can call the number.
Consider identification. Even if you don’t register in a Safe Return program, having identification on the person that gives her name, disease, and a contact number is useful. Many options resemble regular jewelry.
Keep track of clothes. If your friend or relative is a chronic wanderer, some caregivers recommend making sure she’s always dressed in bright colors. That way, if she does slip away she can be more easily identified and found. The caregiver should keep track of what she’s wearing each day.
Keep a recent photo handy. It’s common to avoid photographing an older person who appears greatly changed because of the disease. But an up-to-date shot will help searchers identify her if she’s ever lost.
Caring.com Editorial Team
Caring.com features original content focused exclusively on eldercare matters. Our 20+ editors and writers research and fact-check every article meticulously, and our advisory board reviews the site regularly to assure the accuracy and relevance of the material we publish. We have hundreds of articles and checklists on health, housing, finance, legal and family issues, and other caregiving concerns, and we’re adding new articles and other resources every day.
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
Healthy Dark Chocolate and Antioxidants — Give Your Body a Boost?
Dark chocolate is certainly not the first food that would come to mind when considering “Healthy”. However, evidence is mounting that the extremely high concentrations of Heart Healthy antioxidants found on the cocoa bean may well provide a much needed antioxidant boost to supplement our body’s defensive barriers.
An antioxidant is a molecule that is capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation process in other molecules.
Oxidation is a chemical process in which an electron is attracted from a stable substance and moves to an unrelated oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can be caused by “free radical” molecules, which by themselves, can cause harmful chain reactions that will damage otherwise healthy cells.
Healthy dark chocolate is an excellent source for providing your system with high concentrations of antioxidants, which can neutralize and thus limit the damaging effects of free radical molecules in your body
Let’s take a look at this cell damaging villain … the “Free Radical”.
Free radicals are not the result of disease or injury. They are created naturally in our bodies as the result certain chemical reactions, such as generating energy to feed our cells during physical exertion. They can also be imported into your system through cigarette smoke and other airborne pollutants.
Free radicals are chemically imbalanced, missing one or more electrons and thus having a ‘positive’ charge.
These radical molecules will seek to balance their charge, and will attract or ’steal’ electrons from other molecules, including the molecules that make up your body’s DNA and the mitochondria in your cells.
The mitochondria creates the energy necessary to sustain the life of the cells. Damaged mitochondria are weak and have lower energy and less resistance to disease.
The DNA structure in each of your body’s cells carries the blueprint necessary for cellular reproduction and duplication.
When the DNA is altered as a result of the free radical, the new cells that are created are imperfect and possibly malignant with the potential to form tumors or cancers.
Free Radicals are linked as a significant cause of most degenerative diseases, including heart disease, premature aging, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the creation of cancer cells and tumors.
Enter Antioxidants! Antioxidants are molecules that have available one or more FREE electrons. They therefore have a “negative” charge, and attract wandering, positively charged Free Radical, rendering them neutral and removing the threat to healthy cells. This free radical is now chemically balanced, and is no longer a threat to ’steal’ electrons from your body’s healthy cells.
So, having established the vital importance of having free radical neutralizing antioxidant molecules in your body … where do they come from?
The human body is an amazing organism. Much of what our body requires to sustain life can be generated from within. This is somewhat true for antioxidants; however, dietary supplementation is also required.
Vitamin C is a good example. Unlike most other animals, vitamin C is NOT created within the human body and must be acquired through diet.
Most people are well aware of the importance of a consistent source of vitamin C in their diet. Vitamin C is a monosaccharide antioxidant, and proper levels must be maintained either through diet or supplementation in order to maintain a healthy body.
So, what is the relationship between healthy dark chocolate and antioxidants?
Scientists have known for years that cocoa contains significantly high levels of antioxidants.
According to research cited in The New York Times, fresh cocoa beans are super-rich in the type of flavonoid called flavanols, which are very strong antioxidants. All 3 known flavanols are found in the cocoa bean at an amazing 10% antioxidant concentration level.
Another research study conducted by researchers of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University showed that flavanols in cocoa make blood platelets less likely to stick together and cause blood clots. They also prevented fatty substances in the blood stream from sticking together and clogging arteries.
So, simply eat chocolate and gain these healthy benefits? Well, it is not nearly that simple. Any product resulting from the processing of the cocoa bean can be called chocolate; however, very few of these products would realistically qualify for a clinical definition of being ‘healthy’.
An understanding of how the cocoa beans are processed and the type and quantity of additives in order to create a specific chocolate product is essential for determining potential health benefits.
The multitude of Health benefits certainly appears to justify doing some research and identifying a source for antioxidant rich, Healthy Dark Chocolate.
Intrigued by the concept of “HEALTHY” Chocolate, the author researched and put together information regarding what constitutes “HEALTHY” Chocolate. You can download the author’s FREE report, “Healthy Dark Chocolate For Life“
Related Dark Wanderer Articles
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
Where are the Forever Wandering Stars in Bible Versus Quran?
Forever means time without end, everlasting time; eternally, all times, incessantly, limitless time, without ever ending.
“He wants to live Forever but No one can live Forever”.
Forever is mentioned 290 times in the Bible and 14 times in the Quran.
How does the Bible use “Forever”:
Ruin Forever, never to be rebuilt.
Desolate Forever, no man will dwell in it
The Lord says that Hazor and other Biblical places will desolate and no man will dwell in such places Forever, however, these places are still full of life.
Deuteronomy 13:16
Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It is to remain a ruin Forever, never to be rebuilt.
Jeremiah 49:33
“Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place Forever. No one will live there; no man will dwell in it.”
Jeremiah 51:26
No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate Forever,” declares the LORD.
The throne Forever
The peace Forever
The Lord promised that the throne of David and his descendants will remain secure before the Lord Forever and they will live in peace Forever. The History from David’s time up till now signifies that this Lord’s promise never achieved.
2 Samuel 7:13
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom Forever.
2 Samuel 7:16
Your house and your kingdom will endure Forever before me ; your throne will be established Forever.’ “
1 Kings 2:33
May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants Forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace Forever.”
1 Kings 2:45
But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD Forever.”
1 Kings 9:5
I will establish your royal throne over Israel Forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
Psalm 89:29
I will establish his line Forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
2 Chronicles 13:5
Don’t you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants Forever by a covenant of salt?
The Lord sits over the flood as King Forever.
The Lord will dwell at the mountain Forever
The Lord rejected them Forever but He will not always accuse Forever. Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself
Psalm 29:10
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King Forever.
Psalm 44:23
Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us Forever.
Psalm 68:16
Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell Forever?
Psalm 74:1
[ A maskil of Asaph. ] Why have you rejected us Forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
Psalm 103:9
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger Forever;
Isaiah 57:16
I will not accuse Forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me— the breath of man that I have created.
Live Forever
Live Forever is used six times in the Bible.
Of course there is nothing on the Earth that would or could Live Forever
1 Kings 1:31
Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my Lord King David live Forever!”
Psalm 49:9
that he should live on Forever and not see decay.
Daniel 3:9
They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live Forever!
Daniel 5:10
The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “O king, live Forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale!
Daniel 6:6
So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live Forever!
Daniel 6:21
Daniel answered, “O king, live Forever!
For this reason, one has to be cautious when interpreting the following two verses about the bread and blood of Jesus
The meaning of these two verses are only found in John and never mentioned in the other three Gospels.
John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live Forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
John 6:58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live Forever.”
Priest Forever
Melchizedek is an unknown and an extremely vague person.
He is described as:” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest Forever”. Jesus ranks in the order of Melchizedek.
However, it seems likely that Melchizedek is superior to Jesus because he has no mother while Jesus has a mother.
Psalm 110:4
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest Forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5:6
And he says in another place, “You are a priest Forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 6:20
Where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest Forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:3
Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest Forever.
Hebrews 7:17
For it is declared: “You are a priest Forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 7:21
but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest Forever.’ “
Hebrews 7:24
but because Jesus lives Forever, he has a permanent priesthood.
Destroyed Forever
I wonder why the Bible deals with Esau like that.
It is Jacob who was unfair to his brother Esau and cheated him.
Obadiah 1:10
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed Forever.
Love Forever
The Love Forever means killing of mighty kings
Psalm 136:18
And killed mighty kings— His love endures Forever.
Sleep Forever
Is there sleep Forever?
Jeremiah 51:39
But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter— then sleep Forever and not awake,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:57
I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep Forever and not awake,” declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty.
Leprosy Forever
Is there leprosy Forever?
2 Kings 5:27
Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants Forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.
Womb enlarged Forever
Is there Womb enlarged Forever?
Jeremiah 20:17
For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged Forever.
Wandering stars Forever
Scientifically speaking there are no Wandering stars neither ever nor Forever!
Jude 1:13
They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved Forever.
How does the Quran use “Forever”:
Scientifically speaking, there is nothing Forever on the Earth. Everything and anything should have an end.
The Quran never uses “Forever” for anything on the Earth.
The Quran uses “Forever” for the Afterlife.
The Believers: Gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them Forever
Surah 4:57
“And (as for) those who believe and do good deeds, we will make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them Forever; they shall have therein pure mates, and we shall make them enter a dense shade”
Surah 4:122
“And (as for) those who believe and do good, we will make them enter into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein Forever; (it is) a promise of Allah, true (indeed), and who is truer of word than Allah?”
Surah 5:119
“Allah will say: this is the day when their truth shall benefit the truthful ones; they shall have gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide in them Forever: Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Allah; this is the mighty achievement”
Surah 9:21-22
21- Their lord gives them good news of mercy from himself and (his) good pleasure and gardens, wherein lasting blessings shall be theirs;
22- Abiding therein Forever; surely Allah has a mighty reward with him”
Surah 9:100
Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with him, and he has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them Forever; that is the mighty achievement”
Surah 18:1-3
1- (All) praise is due to Allah, who revealed the book to his servant and did not make in it any crookedness”
2- Rightly directing, that he might give warning of severe punishment from him and give good news to the believers who do good that they shall have a goodly reward,”
3- Staying in it Forever”
Surah 64:9
“On the day that he will gather you for the day of gathering, that is the day of loss and gain; and whoever believes in Allah and does good, he will remove from him his evil and cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein Forever; that is the great achievement”
Surah 65:11
“an messenger (Mohammad) who recites to you the clear communications of Allah so that he may bring forth those who believe and do good deeds from darkness into light; and whoever believes in Allah and does good deeds, he will cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers now, to abide therein Forever, Allah has indeed given him a goodly sustenance”
The Unbelievers: hell, to abide in it Forever
Surah 4:168-169
168- Surely (as for) those who disbelieve and act unjustly Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to a path;
169- Except the path of hell, to abide in it Forever, and this is easy to Allah
Surah 33:64-65
64- Surely Allah has cursed the unbelievers and has prepared for them a burning fire,
65- To abide therein Forever; they shall not find a protector or a helper
Surah 72:22-23
22- say: surely no one can protect me against Allah, nor can i find besides him any place of refuge:
23- (It is) only a delivering (of communications) from Allah and his messages; and whoever disobeys Allah and his messenger surely he shall have the fire of hell to abide therein Forever.
The following verses summarize the fate of Human beings in the Afterlife.
Surah 98:6-8
6- Surely those who disbelieve from among the followers of the book and the polytheists shall be in the fire of hell, abiding therein Forever; they are the worst of men
7- (as for) those who believe and do good, surely they are the -best of men
8- Their reward with their lord is gardens of perpetuity beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein Forever; Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with him; that is for him who fears his lord
Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible “?
Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil
Prof. of Clinical and Chemical Pathology,
Head of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Unit,
Ain-Shams University. Cairo, Egypt.
And,
President of the Egyptian Society of Inventors.
Member of the Egyptian union of Writers
Related Dark Wanderer Articles
Filed under Dark Wanderer by
In Bible versus Quran: God brings deep darkness to light
Death in the Bible versus Quran: Job and the Shadow of death (1)
In the Quran, Death is mentioned 34 times, and the Shadow of death is not found therein.
It is interesting that Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses etc. did not talk about the Shadow of death and it is Job who was the first one ever who talks about the Shadow of death.
A Biblical verse (Job 1:1) talks about Job’s Character, it says that Job was perfect, blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned (turned away from) evil.
However, Job cursed the day of his birth; and he said: Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it as the most bitter of days.
Job, the perfect man, said unto God: Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me. I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my few days almost over? Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy; let me alone before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death.
On the other hand, the Quran says that Job called to his lord: ‘affliction has befallen me, and you are the most merciful of the merciful.’
Then Allah heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he suffered, and Allah gave him his household (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them, a mercy from Allah, and a reminder to the worshippers.
The Quran says that none of Allah’s Prophets including Job could say anything like Turn away from me or let me alone unto their Lord. So, Muslims’ faith is that Job never ever said that.
According to the teaching of Quran, it is unforgivable sin to say or to believe that Job said that unto the Lord God.
================================================
Death in the Bible: Job and the Shadow of death (1)
In the Bible, Job said that the Lord God: 1) leads priests away stripped and overthrows men long established, 2) silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders, 3) pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty, 4) reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light, 5) makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them and He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering through a trackless waste and they grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.
———————————————————————————
Job 3:5 (King James Version)
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it (claim it); let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it (as the most bitter of days).
————————
Job 10:18-22 (American Standard Version)
18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me.
19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not my days few? Cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,
21 Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;
22 The land dark as midnight, the land of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as midnight.
————————
Job 12:19-25 (English Standard Version)
19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty.
20He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders.
21He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
22He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.
23He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away.
24He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste.
25They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.
================================================
Death in the Quran: Job and the Shadow of death (1)
The Shadow of death is not mentioned in the Quran.
Job was a great Prophet. He had been afflicted with the loss of all of his possessions and children, the laceration of his body, his being shunned by all except his wife, for a period of about eighteen years, as well as the affliction of enduring a straitened means of livelihood.
Verses 21:83-84 talk about Job suffering, and his prayer to Allah and how Allah did respond to him; the wisdom of Job’ story is given by the Quran.
The verses say:
And, mention, Job when he prayed and called out to his Lord: ‘Indeed harm, adversity, has befallen me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful’. Then Allah heard his prayer and removed that adversity
So Allah responded to him, in his call, and removed the harm that had befallen him; He healed the laceration of his body and Allah restored his people to him, and doubled their number; Allah is the most open-handed one.
But what is the wisdom of Job’ story in these two verses?
The Quran says that Allah has done that (removed the harm etc.) as a mercy from Him and a reminder to the believers and the worshippers that they have be patient and thus they will be rewarded by Allah.
——————————————————————————–
Verses 21:83-84 (Yusuf Ali Translation)
83) And (remember) Job, when he cried to his lord, “truly distress has seized me, but thou art the most merciful of those that are merciful.”
84) So We listened to him: we removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his people to him, and doubled their number, – as a grace from Ourselves, and a thing for commemoration, for all who serve us.
================================================
Back to my question to the smart and interested reader: Are the Scholars truthful when they claim that the Quran is quoted from the Bible?
Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil
Prof. of Clinical and Chemical Pathology,
Head of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Unit, Ain-Shams University. Cairo, Egypt,
President of the Egyptian Society of Inventors,
Member of the Egyptian union of Writers,
Published some 60 Medical Articles,
Supervisors for 79 PhD theses,
Supervisors for 111 Master Degree theses,
Co-Chief Editor of the Egyptian Journal of Lab. Medicine,
Honorary President of SPIC-Egypt (The Society of Practitioners of Infection Control – Egypt)
Filed under Dark Wanderer by