Here's a link I found recently that's on topic:
How to Think Before Speaking
I especially like the ENATA rule of thumb: Effective, Necessary, Accurate, Timely, and Appropriate... too bad ENATA isn't an easier word to remember.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
the right order
Lewis puts the words in the right order.
Love - Love comes first, setting the attitude of the heart toward the things that are really important in life. If my actions come from a heart full of hate or indifference, I can't see how I'll have any chance of making a positive impact on the world around me. It means that I first take stock of what's really important in life, and put first things first.
Think - Using the mind comes next, employing our mental powers to the best of our abilities. In coming after Love, we have already put first things first and the abilities of reason and thoughtfulness are directed at things that really matter. It is perfectly easy, if Think comes first, to rationalize all kinds of behavior that is self-centered. But when it takes it's place as second behind Love, the mind can arrive at solutions that will genuinely do good.
Speak - Finally comes action, and the hope is that if we've fixed the heart and mind on the things that matter, then hopefully the body will follow. Our actions then, taking place in the context of a loving heart and a thinking mind, will have a chance to really make a difference for good.
Love - Love comes first, setting the attitude of the heart toward the things that are really important in life. If my actions come from a heart full of hate or indifference, I can't see how I'll have any chance of making a positive impact on the world around me. It means that I first take stock of what's really important in life, and put first things first.
Think - Using the mind comes next, employing our mental powers to the best of our abilities. In coming after Love, we have already put first things first and the abilities of reason and thoughtfulness are directed at things that really matter. It is perfectly easy, if Think comes first, to rationalize all kinds of behavior that is self-centered. But when it takes it's place as second behind Love, the mind can arrive at solutions that will genuinely do good.
Speak - Finally comes action, and the hope is that if we've fixed the heart and mind on the things that matter, then hopefully the body will follow. Our actions then, taking place in the context of a loving heart and a thinking mind, will have a chance to really make a difference for good.
Friday, April 18, 2008
a simple motto
Three simple words - Love-Think-Speak - strike a strong connection within me. I have wondered to myself several times - "Why do I like that phrase so much? What draws me to it? Why does it ring so true?"
I read the Narnia series, like many others, as a child. I liked them, and of course these kinds of fantasy stories have a lot of appeal to children. When "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" appeared as a full film in 2005, I was interested in seeing it, and reliving those childhood memories of the books. It was sometime then that I decided to re-read the whole series, this time ~20 years later as an adult. Reading children's books as a adult is interesting - for one, it doesn't take very long. Secondly, you see more of the real guts of what the author was trying to say - the themes, imagery, and relation to real life come out on a completely different level, a level with much more meaning than you realize as a kid. It was in reading "The Magician's Nephew" as an adult that those three words hit me. I was sitting on my couch, late in the evening after the family had gone to bed - I read those words, and the power of their weight hit like the proverbial ton of bricks. I literally dropped the book on the floor, jaw agape, and thought to myself "that's exactly everything I've ever believed about life, summed up in three little words!!" Those words come right after Aslan has selected a few of the animals to become more than what they were. It was as if Lewis was saying to me directly, reading his book some 50 years after he wrote it, that these are the things I need to do to be all that I should be.
I like it because it's simple. Three words, done. Easy to remember, not complicated.
I like it because it gives a goal. Something I can strive for, something to aspire to.
I like it because it rings true and complete. Each word is different, and plays it's own important role in life. All three words are needed.
It isn't because I get it right. I can imagine someone reading this, and thinking "he wrote that? that guy has some nerve". My life has not always been what I'd like it to be. At times I've said things I shouldn't have - would have been a whole lot better off if I would have just kept my mouth shut. Hopefully those individuals will eventually be able to look past my past mistakes.
In fact, it is partly because I don't get it right that it resonnates so well inside - as if everything I know is wrong in myself can maybe, just maybe, be made a little bit better if I keep those words in mind during the day. Not because it is what I am, but because it is what I want to be.
I read the Narnia series, like many others, as a child. I liked them, and of course these kinds of fantasy stories have a lot of appeal to children. When "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" appeared as a full film in 2005, I was interested in seeing it, and reliving those childhood memories of the books. It was sometime then that I decided to re-read the whole series, this time ~20 years later as an adult. Reading children's books as a adult is interesting - for one, it doesn't take very long. Secondly, you see more of the real guts of what the author was trying to say - the themes, imagery, and relation to real life come out on a completely different level, a level with much more meaning than you realize as a kid. It was in reading "The Magician's Nephew" as an adult that those three words hit me. I was sitting on my couch, late in the evening after the family had gone to bed - I read those words, and the power of their weight hit like the proverbial ton of bricks. I literally dropped the book on the floor, jaw agape, and thought to myself "that's exactly everything I've ever believed about life, summed up in three little words!!" Those words come right after Aslan has selected a few of the animals to become more than what they were. It was as if Lewis was saying to me directly, reading his book some 50 years after he wrote it, that these are the things I need to do to be all that I should be.
I like it because it's simple. Three words, done. Easy to remember, not complicated.
I like it because it gives a goal. Something I can strive for, something to aspire to.
I like it because it rings true and complete. Each word is different, and plays it's own important role in life. All three words are needed.
It isn't because I get it right. I can imagine someone reading this, and thinking "he wrote that? that guy has some nerve". My life has not always been what I'd like it to be. At times I've said things I shouldn't have - would have been a whole lot better off if I would have just kept my mouth shut. Hopefully those individuals will eventually be able to look past my past mistakes.
In fact, it is partly because I don't get it right that it resonnates so well inside - as if everything I know is wrong in myself can maybe, just maybe, be made a little bit better if I keep those words in mind during the day. Not because it is what I am, but because it is what I want to be.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Free Hugs campaign
Ours is a disconnected society - personally anyway. At the same time, we're becoming increasingly aware of just how connected we are economically, politically, & environmentally across the globe. But these connections seem to happen at the same time as we become more and more disconnected on a personal level.
It's a given now that we don't talk to people we don't know (i.e., strangers!) on the street - which is especially odd in large cities where millions of people are constantly walking past one another, but with no personal connection - no conversations, few "hello!"s, rare eye contact, and certainly no hugs! We sometimes wear headphones so we can legitimize ignoring people. Even at the grocery store, you can go through the self-check out and not even have to interact with another human being.
Along comes this guy, starting his "free hugs" campaign. The word "free" is known as one of the greatest selling points in advertising - along with babies and puppies - advertise something for free, and you'll get business. So here's a guy standing on the street holding up a sign that says "Free Hugs". When a friend of mine sent this to me, he said "I ran across Jesus today". He just may be right.
The video follows this man on a social journey of sorts as he holds up his sign offering "free hugs" to complete strangers. It's interesting to see what happens and how people react to his offer. It's amazing what a simple hug can do when we break down these personal barriers we've set up between ourselves, in large part constructed on a foundation of mistrust. Instead of "I don't trust you", a hug says "I have faith in you".
Ok, so maybe you might think giving out hugs to complete strangers is a bit over the top, and you could never do that. I'll be honest - I don't know if I could do it either. How about a simple smile and a hello? Or getting to know the names of the strangers in our lives that we see every day? That I can do.
It's a given now that we don't talk to people we don't know (i.e., strangers!) on the street - which is especially odd in large cities where millions of people are constantly walking past one another, but with no personal connection - no conversations, few "hello!"s, rare eye contact, and certainly no hugs! We sometimes wear headphones so we can legitimize ignoring people. Even at the grocery store, you can go through the self-check out and not even have to interact with another human being.
Along comes this guy, starting his "free hugs" campaign. The word "free" is known as one of the greatest selling points in advertising - along with babies and puppies - advertise something for free, and you'll get business. So here's a guy standing on the street holding up a sign that says "Free Hugs". When a friend of mine sent this to me, he said "I ran across Jesus today". He just may be right.
The video follows this man on a social journey of sorts as he holds up his sign offering "free hugs" to complete strangers. It's interesting to see what happens and how people react to his offer. It's amazing what a simple hug can do when we break down these personal barriers we've set up between ourselves, in large part constructed on a foundation of mistrust. Instead of "I don't trust you", a hug says "I have faith in you".
Ok, so maybe you might think giving out hugs to complete strangers is a bit over the top, and you could never do that. I'll be honest - I don't know if I could do it either. How about a simple smile and a hello? Or getting to know the names of the strangers in our lives that we see every day? That I can do.
Friday, April 11, 2008
First Words from Aslan
"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters."
Stories of beginnings are found in many (all?) of the various cultures of our planet. They often serve to give us answers to questions that we all find intriguing, yet difficult to answer - Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? These questions go to the core of who we are and what we believe.
Even in the magical world of Narnia, answers to these questions go to the core of identity. Who are these talking beasts? Where did they come from? What is it that makes them different from the regular animals also found in Narnia? In Lewis's fictional world, we are given the answers from the mouth of the creator of Narnia - Aslan himself. The quote at the top of this post is from "The Magician's Nephew", the 6th of seven books in the Narnia series.
In many ways, "The Magician's Nephew" is the creation story of Narnia. Lewis writes a tale once again about children, but this time they stumble into Narnia as a barren, dark world. They arrive, however, just in time to watch it become. There they watch as Aslan selects a few animals, speaks the above words to them, and they become the magical talking beasts of Narnia. Three things make them different from the dumb animals, three things they must do in order to remain themselves - Love, Think, Speak. Otherwise, we find out a few pages later, they will return to their prior, dumb ways. We might say that these are the things that make them "human".
So back to reality - what if we try the same thing? What if we the people made these three words into a basic model for our lives? I think Lewis, in just 3 words, sums up what is really important in life - how we live, work, & play with one another. This blog is dedicated to exploring those ideas.
Stories of beginnings are found in many (all?) of the various cultures of our planet. They often serve to give us answers to questions that we all find intriguing, yet difficult to answer - Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? These questions go to the core of who we are and what we believe.
Even in the magical world of Narnia, answers to these questions go to the core of identity. Who are these talking beasts? Where did they come from? What is it that makes them different from the regular animals also found in Narnia? In Lewis's fictional world, we are given the answers from the mouth of the creator of Narnia - Aslan himself. The quote at the top of this post is from "The Magician's Nephew", the 6th of seven books in the Narnia series.
In many ways, "The Magician's Nephew" is the creation story of Narnia. Lewis writes a tale once again about children, but this time they stumble into Narnia as a barren, dark world. They arrive, however, just in time to watch it become. There they watch as Aslan selects a few animals, speaks the above words to them, and they become the magical talking beasts of Narnia. Three things make them different from the dumb animals, three things they must do in order to remain themselves - Love, Think, Speak. Otherwise, we find out a few pages later, they will return to their prior, dumb ways. We might say that these are the things that make them "human".
So back to reality - what if we try the same thing? What if we the people made these three words into a basic model for our lives? I think Lewis, in just 3 words, sums up what is really important in life - how we live, work, & play with one another. This blog is dedicated to exploring those ideas.
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