Wisdom to know the difference

 

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  More About the Serenity Prayer

Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and Yet the Same
      

Grant me the serenity

 

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  More About the Serenity Prayer

Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and Yet the Same
      

Wisdom to Know the Difference

 

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  More About the Serenity Prayer

Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and Yet the Same
      

What to Change, What to Accept

 

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  More About the Serenity Prayer

Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and Yet the Same
      

Serenity Prayer - words to live by

 

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  More About the Serenity Prayer

Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and Yet the Same
      

The Serenity Prayer Says It All

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  More About the Serenity Prayer

Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and Yet the Same
      

Stay Home During the Pandemic *AND* Try Not To Worry

I want to be very clear that the preceding post refers only to not letting
"experts" stifle your creativity and goals.

PLEASE trust the medical experts
(and not the politicians) regarding the COVID19 pandemic, it is still spreading
exponentially in the United States and Europe, and places like India and Africa 
are going to get hit hard.

Please Stay Home (especially if you are over 60 or have a medical condition)!
Protect yourself, your family, and your community by minimizing all contact.

Take precautions, but try not to worry.

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow,
it only saps today of its joy.
- Leo Buscaglia

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.
- Winston Churchill

The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing,
and should be treated with caution.
- J. K. Rowling

It is of the small joys and little pleasures
that the greatest of our days are built.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Light and Joy...
 Jonathan

Understanding and Appreciating the Difference

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

Further reading: Great Truths

Different and yet the Same

Consciously Choosing Your Truth
      

Wisdom to Know the Difference

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)
My thoughts on the Serenity Prayer and more thoughts

Do what you can, and do it well.
Accept the rest with equanimity, and trust in God.
No one can ever do more than that.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Make the best use of what is in your power,
and take the rest as it happens.
- Epictetus

You have to accept whatever comes
and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage
and with the best that you have to give.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Today's affirmation:
I practice non-resistance.
I accept the wisdom of God
in creating the world exactly as it is.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Letting Go and Accepting This Moment

Serenity in Times of Crisis

Eye Of The Storm
    

Do What You Can; Trust God With The Rest

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

Make the best use of what is in your power,
and take the rest as it happens.
- Epictetus

Do what you can, and do it well.
Accept the rest with equanimity, and trust in God.
No one can ever do more than that.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Letting Go and Accepting This Moment

Serenity in Times of Crisis

Eye Of The Storm
    

Non-Resistance (Serenity Prayer)

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)
My thoughts on the Serenity Prayer and more thoughts

Make the best use of what is in your power,
and take the rest as it happens.
- Epictetus

You have to accept whatever comes
and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage
and with the best that you have to give.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Do what you can, and do it well.
Accept the rest with equanimity, and trust in God.
No one can ever do more than that.

Today's affirmation:
I practice non-resistance.
I accept the wisdom of God
in creating the world exactly as it is.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Serenity in Times of Crisis

Antidotes for Worry

Eye Of The Storm

Go With the Flow to Live a Happier Life
    

Knowing the Difference

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

You have to accept whatever comes
and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage
and with the best that you have to give.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Could we change our attitude,
we should not only see life differently,
but life itself would be different.
- Katherine Mansfield

Do your best, and always accept life as it comes.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Serenity in Times of Crisis

Letting Go and Accepting This Moment

Eye Of The Storm

Humor in the Face of Adversity

God Grant Me The Wisdom

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

He who knows others is wise.
He who knows himself is enlightened.
- Lao Tzu

Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three
universally recognized moral qualities of men.
- Confucius

Common sense in an uncommon degree
is what the world calls wisdom.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Please, register to vote TODAY, and VOTE on election day.
Voting for the kind of America you believe in
is one of the greatest gifts you can give your grandchildren.
Make a difference.

Create the legacy of a better world.
Leave this world a better place than you found it.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Serenity in Times of Crisis

Eye Of The Storm

Antidotes for Worry

Love and Wisdom

Being Observant

Pragmatism

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

In matters of style, swim with the current;
in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
- attributed to Thomas Jefferson

The way you get meaning into your life
is to devote yourself to loving others,
devote yourself to your community around you,
and devote yourself to creating something
that gives you purpose and meaning
- Mitch Albom

Life is pretty simple:
You do some stuff.
Most fails. Some works.
You do more of what works.
- Leonardo da Vinci

I never considered a difference of opinion
in politics, in religion, in philosophy,
as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
- Thomas Jefferson

Pragmatism vs. Idealism:
There are times to rock the boat,
But mostly it is better to stay dry
than to capsize.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Acceptance

Expectations

Tolerance

Tread Lightly

Perspective

Wisdom

Differences

Do not rail against life

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr

How is it that one rails against that
which is nearly a certainty?
- Mary Anne Radmacher

As selfishness and complaint
pervert and cloud the mind,
so love with its joy
clears and sharpens the vision.
- Helen Keller

Do not rail against life. [Do not complain about life.]
Make positive contributions where you can.
Practice gracious acceptance elsewhere.
And express daily gratitude for all of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Surrender

When You Have Been Wronged

Overcoming Disability

The Serenity Prayer

Serenity

Acceptance

Complaining

Gratitude

Understanding

Know The Difference

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Great Truths

Consciously Choosing Your Truth

Different and yet the Same
      

Non-Resistance

Do not attempt to conquer the world with force,
for force only causes resistance.
- Lao Tzu

Resistance creates suffering.
Stress happens when your mind resists what is.
The only problem in your life
is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds.
- Dan Millman

We may have our private opinions
but why should they be a bar to the meeting of hearts?
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

A tree that is unbending, is easily broken.
- Lao Tzu

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

Today's affirmation:
I practice non-resistance.
I accept the wisdom of God
in creating the world exactly as it is.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Maybe So, Maybe Not. - Ancient Taoist Proverb

Love All of Life

The River of Life (Poem)

Joy Blooms Where Minds and Hearts are Open

Quotes about Serenity

Quotes about Resistance

Quotes about Acceptance

Quotes about Suffering

The Serenity Prayer

My Positive Affirmations

Acceptance

God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. - Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer) 

 Do what you can, and do it well. Accept the rest with equanimity, and trust in God. No one can ever do more than that. 

 Further reading: Love versus Attachment 

  Life Happens 

  Enjoy what you have

I Can Endure

You must do the things you think you cannot do.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

We cannot choose our external circumstances,
but we can always choose how to respond to them.
- Epictetus

If patience is worth anything,
it must endure to the end of time.
And a living faith will last
in the midst of the blackest storm.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Hopefully, you are healthy and joyful on most of your days. On those other days, understand that there are days to take action, and there are days to simply endure what seems that it cannot be endured - whether physical pain, the loss of a loved one, or some other severe hardship.

Further reading: Grace

Attitude is Everything

Zero-Based Gratitude

The Serenity Prayer

Cope With Loss, Grief and the Fear of Your Own Mortality

Quotes about Being Strong

Endure Quotes

Quotes about Strength

Quotes about Suffering

The Serenity Prayer - God grant me the serenity...

The Serenity Prayer is most commonly attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, although there is some evidence that it existed before he popularized it in the 1930's. This prayer became well known with it's adoption by Alcoholics Anonymous in 1941.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

To apply this great wisdom...

1. The past cannot be changed, so what there is to do is to accept what has been with no regrets, no resentments, and no call for vengeance.

2. Remember that there are a million "wrong things" in the world (as well as a billion "right things"), so focus your energies on addressing with courage the few issues closest to your heart, and accept the rest of life with serenity.

3. Never waste your time or energy complaining. Either take positive action, or accept with serenity. This is especially true with regard to politics and money.

Further reading:
Serenity - make a conscious choice to live a stress-free life

Life only appears to be rushing toward us

The River of Life has no meaning - no good, no bad, no better, no worse, no love, no hate, no fear, no anger, no joy. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The Eye-of-the-Storm