BS: The Difficulties of Life

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: autolycus
Date: 10 Dec 06 - 05:53 AM

Frida, it is a humdinger,isn't it.


   Slag - you might be interested in this quote from a
great man.


   "The golden age never was the present age.


      Poor Richard's Almanac 1750. benjamin Franklin.


   I'd endorse most of your comments - good stuff.


   One event that repeats often in counselling/therapy/
encounter/etc. groups is when somebody talks about some
difficulty they experience then to discover that others
have the same problem.

   What is striking is how many people in those groups,
and therefore out in the world, think their problem is
peculiar to them. The great discovery , which usually
amazes somebody, is that others have the same problem.






       Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Slag
Date: 10 Dec 06 - 04:00 AM

Life is whatever you make of it, within the constraints of God-given abilities and the natural limitation common to all. Some have additional burdens and some have additional blessings. We all missed the Golden Age, whenever THAT was. The trick is to understand that Happines is NOT something to be pursued but the by-product of doing good and useful things we enjoy doing. You CANNOT let Hollywood define what it takes to be happy and really, you can't let anyone other than YOU make that definition. Expectations kill happiness. Let life surprize you. Look for the good. Look for the humor in the situation. Get outside yourself and help somebody else. Learn something new. Teach somebody something new.

What I gleaned in the opening thread was that it easy to be unhappy. All you have to do is envy everyone else. And then you can waste your life worrying about what sombody else may or may not be thinking about you. Then again the are a lot of people out there with so much time on their hands they have nothing better to do than go about sticking their long critical noses into other peoples lives. Avoid these people at all costs and avoid the angry person.

If you find that the happy moments are few and far between, that's OK. It helps you realize how precious Happines is and may you memorize those moments and cherish them. Let them warm you, amuse you. comfort you and strenghten you. When you come to the end of your days you will know that you have truly lived, you've blessed others and helped to make this old world a happier place.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: freda underhill
Date: 10 Dec 06 - 12:17 AM

Ivor, those rules are so great, I've copied them (and put them somewhere where I'll trip over them occasionally!)

freda

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: autolycus
Date: 09 Dec 06 - 07:05 PM

SOL   (smile out loud).

   So pleased I posted them now. And very happy about the appreciation. I think I'm learning a lesson here - perhaps about the value of giving.

Anyway, perhaps someone can pop the rules into appropriate threads at le temps juste.

I'm quite proud now that on another thread,I was called a fool. (I agreed, naturally.)


Interestingly, the rules don't talk of the 'difficulties' of life, but the 'lessons.'


   And vis-a-vis Uncle Dave's original post,the hero of the story is characterised in many ways, but we're not told who by.






       Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Janie
Date: 09 Dec 06 - 02:12 PM

Bless you Ivor! Just a bit of thread drift. I used to give copies of the "Rules" to certain psychotherapy clients and tell them to put them up on the fridge or bathroom mirror. The folder with the hand-outs gort lost in an office move. Boy, am I glad to have them back.

I don't know who I'm quoting here, but I have always thought this one liner sums it up quite succinctly.

Life isn't meant to be easy. It is meant to be life.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: JennyO
Date: 09 Dec 06 - 06:47 AM

Ivor, your "Rules for Being Human" reminded me of this - a favourite of mine written by the cartoonist Leunig:

WHAT IS THIS LIFE?

Life is a holiday on Earth.

You arrive at your holiday destination and there, to
meet you, wearing a big smile, is your host and guide.

(Hello, I'm your mum. I'll get you started and show you around. Would you like some milk?)

The accommodation is a bit unusual but it's clean and
comfortable - it's your body; quite a good base for an
existence.

(I'll just personalise it and it will feel like home.)

You study some maps, go for a bit of an explore and
soon your getting the hang of it. The place is full of
holiday makers and before too long you're having a
holiday romance! And why not?!

Life is an interesting place to visit; quite enjoyable
and well worth the experience but you wouldn't want to
be there too long. You would always feel like a bit of
an outsider.

Holidays on Earth can be wonderful and horrible. But
regardless, it's always a bit sad when they come to an
end. And always a good feeling to know that you are
returning home to where you really belong; all
refreshed and with some lovely holiday memories.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Amos
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 10:27 PM

Three cheers! Keep passing that one about, Ivor!


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: autolycus
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 05:56 PM

Thanks jeffp, Are the biscuits available in the UK,I wonder?

   The full quotation about risk is brilliant.

   Ah,and it reminds me of the following - I'll just get the book.


   Rules for Being Human




1. You will receive a body.

         You may like it or hate it but it will be yours for this time around.

2. You will learn lessons.

         You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them stupid or irrelevant.

3. There are no mistakes only lessons.

         Growth is a process of trial and error;experimentation. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that lands up working.

4. A lesson is repeated until learned.

         A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go in to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end.

       There is no part of life that does not contain lessons. If you are alive,there are lessons to be learned.

6. 'There' is no better than 'here'.

       When yout 'there' becomes 'here', you will simple obtain another 'there' that will again look better than 'here'.

7. Others are mirrors of you.

       You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of life is up to you.

       You have all the tools and resources you need - what you do with them is up to you.

9. The answers lie inside you.

       All you need to do is look, listen and trust.


10. You will forget all this !




My source (Living in Time by Paulden Jenkins (Gateway Books 1987)) says the above is copyright-free. No author is given.






       Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: jeffp
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 04:39 PM

Ivor, Wally Amos started a cookie (biscuit) company called Famous Amos. It became a big success and I believe he had one of those really inspirational back stories. Pulled himself up by his bootlaces, that kind of thing. I'm just going from memory here, too lazy to look it up.

The cookies are pretty good, by the way.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: autolycus
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 04:09 PM

The person who risks nothing has nothing, is nothing ,does nothing,

They may avoid suffering and sorrow

But simply cannot learn,feel,change,grow,love.....LIVE





    from a long quote about risk, the first part by Wally "Famous" Amos (who he?), and maybe all of it.






       Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Cluin
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 07:03 PM

Living lives of quiet desecration.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 06:57 PM

You spend the first part of your life being hounded to death by your parents and the rest of it hounded to death by your kids.....that's life!

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 05:14 PM

Hey, at least women can still have fun!

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: frogprince
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 10:02 AM

I'm not sure if Dave's original post was intended to be taken lightly, but truth be told I don't really like it too well; it's like belaboring "Life's short, then you die" or expanding on "The life of man is short and brutish" (Not sure if the last quote is precise, but ya get the point). I've had enough moments in life I could have done without; but a mindset like that would hang over your head throughout life like the cloud over Li'l Abners' cousin Joe.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: freda underhill
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 09:57 AM

Live your life like water;

It flows from mountain to the sea,

On its way the water is giving,

And serves all creatures, you and me.

Hills and boulders block not its way,

For water will always flow around

And settle not for it recycles

Even when the sea it's found.

When life you find is dull or dreary

And problems build to make you weary,

Remember Wu Wei, to flow around.

It is not life which blocks your progress,

But the stubborn self-made dam.



from Lao Tzu's "unwritten verse" of Tao Te Ching by Mike Symonds

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Amos
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 09:48 AM

Actually the best is ALWAYS ahead. It's the nature of things.

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Rapparee
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 09:00 AM

And when you're young your best days are ahead of you; when you're older they're behind you.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Lox
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 07:14 PM

Why haven't you said something ...

...tsk ...

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:53 PM

You shouldn't have said anything ;')

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Cluin
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:50 PM

Three simple ways to avoid criticism: say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:48 PM

Nice

The only thing that doesn't seem to me to apply any more is the one about being in or out of politics.

Nowadays it's if you have a point of view - let alone (God forbid) an intelligent one - that you are ostracized.

Apathy is the common denominator where I come from.

Subject: RE: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:46 PM

They stone ya if you want to sleep alone...

Subject: BS: The Difficulties of Life
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:43 PM

In the course of some deep housecleaning my Beautiful Wife came upon a yellowed, ancient newspaper clipping her aged father had clipped years ago. This is timeless wisdom for the ages which we should all be aware of:

----

Man comes into this world without his consent and leaves it against his will. During his stay on earth his time is spent in one continuous round of contraries and misunderstandings.

In his infancy he is an angel; in his boyhood, he is a devil; in his manhood he is everything from a lizard up. If he raises a family, he is a chump; if he raises a check he is a thief, and the law raises hell with him.

If he's poor he's a poor manager and has no sense; if he is rich he is dishonest but considered smart; if he is in politics he is a grafter and a crook; if he is out of politics you can't place him--he is an undesirable citizen.

If he goes to church he is a hypocrite; if he stays away he's a sinner. If he donates to foreign missions he does it for show; if he doesn't he is a tightwad. When he first comes into the world everyone wants to kiss him; before he goes out everyone wants to kick him.

If he dies young there was a great future in front of him; if he lives to a ripe old age, he is in the way--only living to save funeral expenses.

Life is a funny proposition after all.

       --Anonymous after all these years.


Dave Oesterreich