Live your life
and
forget your age. - Norman Vincent Peale
and
forget your age. - Norman Vincent Peale
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Simply being outside in nature brings healing and happiness. Every spring I take my indoor plants outdoors and they blossom and bloom in ways they never seem to when indoors. The same principle applies to us humans: being outside is good for us. The Japanese and Scandinavians engage in something called "forest bathing" which means spending time outside in forested areas. Here's how to do that from Dr. Qing Li, author of Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health And Happiness.
"The key to unlocking the power of the forest is in the five senses. Let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet. Listen to the birds singing and the breeze rustling in the leaves of the trees. Look at the different greens of the trees and the sunlight filtering through the branches. Smell the fragrance of the forest and breathe in the natural aromatherapy of phytoncides. Taste the freshness of the air as you take deep breaths. Place your hands on the trunk of a tree. Dip your fingers or toes in a stream. Lie on the ground. Drink in the flavor of the forest and release your sense of joy and calm. This is your sixth sense, a state of mind. Now you have connected with nature. You have crossed the bridge to happiness." Humility is a component of altruism, since the humble person is naturally concerned about others and attentive to their well-being. - Matthieu Ricard
Rosalynn Carter served as America's first lady from 1977-1981 while Jimmy Carter was President. Politically active, she served as her husband's closest advisor, something he acknowledged: "There's very seldom a decision that I make that I don't discuss with -- either to tell her after the fact what I've done, or, very frequently, to tell her my options and seek her advice."
Here are some words of wisdom from Ms. Carter who turned 92 August 18th:
Don't fear failure. If you do, you won't.... try, act, risk or set goals. There's nothing to fear. Go for it. - Victor M. Parachin YOU NEED TO BE EXPERIENCED AND QUALIFY FOR A PERMIT TO CLIMB MT. EVEREST . . . 'JUST SAYING'8/18/2019
Unbelievably, anyone could climb Mt. Everest as long as they paid the $1,000 climbing fee. However, as a result of several climber deaths, the policy for climbing Mt. Everest has been changed. So, if this is on your 'bucket list', here's the change -
You can no longer pay your way to the top of the world’s tallest mountain. After 11 climbers were killed or went missing in May of this year, a high-level commission for the Nepalese government ruled that anyone seeking a permit to climb Mt. Everest must demonstrate high-altitude mountaineering experience and training, replacing the policy of granting a climbing permit to anyone who could pay an $11,000 fee. The Guardian reports that the Nepalese commission found that the Everest deaths were primarily caused by the inexperience of the climbers and crowding near the 29,035 ft (8,850 m) summit. Now, anyone who has the desire to summit the mountain must have previously climbed another Nepalese peak of more than 21,325 ft (6,500 m), must submit a certification of good health, and must be accompanied by a trained Nepalese guide—an effort to discourage overzealous climbers from tackling the treacherous peak on their own. Sounds like common sense kicked in to members of the Nepalese government! After spending a month traveling and teaching Europe, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, founder and publisher of Hinduism Today magazine returned to his ashram in Hawaii where it was discovered he had advanced intestinal cancer. Upon consulting with teams of eminent medical specialists and learning that even the most aggressive treatment would be ineffective, he declined treatment beyond palliative measures. He opted to follow the Vedic practice called, prayopavesa. That mean he took only water and abstained completely from all other nourishment. On the 32nd day of his fast, he left his body peacefully.
Sometimes described as fasting to death, prayopavesa is a traditional and acceptable Vedic way for a person to end his or her life. Praypoavesa is not considered a suicide, euthanasia or assisted suicide for the following reasons:
We should not consider the faults of others, nor their doing or not doing skillful or unskillful deeds. We should consider only whether we have done or not done, skillful or unskillful deeds. - Buddha
That quote is from contemporary Vedic philosopher Swami Subramuniyaswami. It's a reminder that joy, like light, can brighten the darkest places of the human experience. After the El Paso mass shooting on August 03, 2019 which killed 22 people and injured 24 others, Antonio Basco was concerned that no one would attend the funeral of his wife who was one of the victims. He and his wife, Margie had no relatives nor many friends in El Paso.
Yet, on the day of her funeral, Basco walked into the La Paz Faith Memorial and Spiritual Center to a storm of applause and a procession of people wanting to hug him. The building was at capacity with 400 mourners. Outside, another 700 waited in nearly 100-degree heat to pay respects, according to funeral organizers. He spent two hours shaking hands and embracing people who had come to pay their respects and offer support. People came from different faiths and no faiths, from large cities and small towns. Flower arrangements were sent from as far away as Japan and New Zealand. On the occasions when Basco looks back at that time in his life he will, of course, be saddened by the death of his wife but he will also be gladdened because 700 strangers showed up. Joy can be awakened when there is absolutely no reason. Though they share the same root, how different humiliation is from humility. For if humility is a state that blossoms from within, a state of true affection for and kinship with the lowly, humiliation is a state that is imposed from without. To be humiliated is to be brought low, to feel ashamed of being one-downed, of being made to “eat dirt.” - Noelle Oxenhandler
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
August 2019
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