Draw Inspiration from the Heart of Suffering Itself

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Watch FDR's 1941 "Live in Infamy" Speech

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear
       

Inspiration, NOT Fear

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Watch FDR's 1941 "Live in Infamy" Speech

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear
       

Resist the Clutches of Fear

 

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Watch FDR's 1941 "Live in Infamy" Speech

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear
       

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2021

 

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Watch FDR's 1941 "Live in Infamy" Speech

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear
       

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2020

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Watch FDR's 1941 "Live in Infamy" Speech

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear
       

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2019

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear
       

Regret Is Not A Useful Emotion

He who spends time regretting the past,
loses the present and risks the future.
- Quevedo

Regrets are the tears of choices not made
and of good deeds left undone
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Regret is an appalling waste of energy,
you can't build on it - it's only good for wallowing in.
- Katherine Mansfield

The 3 Rs that Plague Humanity:
Regret, Resentment, and Revenge.
Regret Is Not A Useful Emotion
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: How to get over regrets and resentments

Do What You Can Do

Choose to Love Life
      

The Nature of Prayer

Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.
- George Meredith

Never pray for justice, because you might get some.
- Margaret Atwood
[Consider how often the word "justice" really means "revenge."]

Our prayers should be for blessings in general,
for God knows best what is good for us.
- Socrates

I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.
- Jean Ingelow

God Provides What You Need, Not What You Ask For.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

If God listened to the prayers of men,
all men would quickly have perished:
for they are forever praying for evil against one another.
- Epicurus

Further reading: Thank You Prayer

Choose To Be Fearless

Love even those who hate you
      

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2018

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

Further reading: Serenity rather than Fear

You Need Courage

Revenge Never Ends
     

Regret is Futile and Wasteful

Regrets are the tears of choices not made
and of good deeds left undone
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

He who spends time regretting the past,
loses the present and risks the future.
- Quevedo

Regret is an appalling waste of energy,
you can't build on it - it's only good for wallowing in.
- Katherine Mansfield

Life is too short, time is too precious,
and the stakes are too high
to dwell on what might have been.
- Hillary Clinton

The 3 Rs that Plague Humanity:
Regret, Resentment, and Revenge.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: How to get over regrets and resentments

Choose to Love Life

Do What You Can Do
      

God Provides What You Need, Not What You Ask For

Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.
- George Meredith

Our prayers should be for blessings in general,
for God knows best what is good for us.
- Socrates

Never pray for justice, because you might get some.
- Margaret Atwood
[Consider how often the word "justice" really means "revenge."]

I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.
- Jean Ingelow

If God listened to the prayers of men,
all men would quickly have perished:
for they are forever praying for evil against one another.
- Epicurus

God Provides What You Need, Not What You Ask For.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Thank You Prayer

Love even those who hate you

Choose To Be Fearless
      

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2017

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Today, fear again grips America - in public and in private. Remember FDR's words and focus with courage on the job at hand - the job of living joyfully regardless of external circumstances.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself
the means of inspiration and survival.
- Winston Churchill

This world of ours... must avoid becoming
a community of dreadful fear and hate,
and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Further reading: You Need Courage

Serenity rather than Fear

Revenge Never Ends
     

To be admirable, morality must be its own reward

If people are good only because they fear punishment,
and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed.
- Albert Einstein

Power is of two kinds.
One is obtained by the fear of punishment
and the other by acts of love
Power based on love
is a thousand times more effective and permanent
then the one derived from fear of punishment.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Correcting bad habits cannot be done
by forbidding or punishment.
- Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of scouting)

It is an open question whether any behavior
based on fear of eternal punishment
can be regarded as ethical
or should be regarded as merely cowardly.
- Margaret Mead

Punishment cannot heal spirits, can only break them.
- Barbara Deming

To be admirable, morality must be its own reward.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  Finding Peace in Forgiveness

Revenge, the Deadliest Sin?

Anger is Its Own Punishment

Five Perspectives on the Nature of God
    

The Gift of Forgiving

Without forgiveness, life is governed
by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.
- Roberto Assagioli

Today, I say yes to forgiving.
I commit to being for-giving love
and for-giving compassion in all areas of my life.
- Sheri Rosenthal

Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness,
or else forgiving another.
- Jean Paul

Give yourself the gift of forgiving
everyone you are angry with -
for every action you resent.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: The Cleansing Power of Forgiveness

Forgive Others for Your Own Sake

Finding Peace in Forgiveness

How to get over regrets and resentments
    

Give up the idea of conflict entirely

If you want peace, you must give up the idea of conflict entirely and for all time.
- A Course In Miracles

Man must evolve for all human conflict,
a method which rejects
revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war
is nothing but an act of murder.
- Albert Einstein

Killing more people won't help matters.
- Jeanette Rankin (First woman elected to US Congress)

Further reading: Revenge Never Ends

Anger is a Killing Thing

Jimmy Carter on Peace

Why be Good?

If people are good only because they fear punishment,
and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed.
- Albert Einstein

Power is of two kinds.
One is obtained by the fear of punishment
and the other by acts of love
Power based on love
is a thousand times more effective and permanent
then the one derived from fear of punishment.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

It is an open question whether any behavior
based on fear of eternal punishment
can be regarded as ethical
or should be regarded as merely cowardly.
- Margaret Mead

Correcting bad habits cannot be done
by forbidding or punishment.
- Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of scouting)

That thing of hell and eternal punishment is the most absurd,
as well as the most disagreeable thought that ever
entered into the head of mortal man.
- George Berkeley

All punishment in itself is evil.
- Jeremy Bentham

Punishment cannot heal spirits, can only break them.
- Barbara Deming

Further reading:  Anger is Its Own Punishment

Revenge, the Deadliest Sin?

Finding Peace in Forgiveness

Five Perspectives on the Nature of God
    

Revenge Never Ends

Revenge... is like a rolling stone,
which, when a man hath forced up a hill,
will return upon him with a greater violence,
and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion.
- Albert Schweitzer

Through violence, you may 'solve' one problem,
but you sow the seeds for another.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Violence, even well intentioned,
always rebounds upon oneself.
- Lao Tzu

Peace cannot be achieved through violence,
it can only be attained through understanding.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I object to violence because
when it appears to do good,
the good is only temporary;
the evil it does is permanent.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

The ugliest word in the world is revenge.
It spells hate; it spells fear; it spells greed.
For my loss, I must kill; I must steal - must avenge.
It's your fault; you must pay; you must bleed.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading:  The Unworkability of Vengeance

Ending Hatred

How to Deal with Anger - How to Deal with Fear

Enemies

Watch What You Pray For

If God listened to the prayers of men,
all men would quickly have perished:
for they are forever praying for evil against one another.
- Epicurus

Never pray for justice, because you might get some.
- Margaret Atwood
[Consider how often the word "justice" really means "revenge."]

Our prayers should be for blessings in general,
for God knows best what is good for us.
- Socrates

I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.
- Jean Ingelow

The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.
- Billy Graham

Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.
- George Meredith

Further reading: Thank You Prayer

Your Own Darkness

Love even those who hate you

Categorizing People

Choose To Be Fearless

Anger is a Killing Thing

Anger is a killing thing:
it kills the man who angers,
for each rage leaves him less than he had been before -
it takes something from him.
- Louis L'Amour

Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful
to us than the injury that provokes it.
- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

No one can make you jealous, angry, vengeful, or greedy -
unless you let him.
- Napoleon Hill

It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time.
Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive
and you have the power to choose either.
- Wayne Dyer

Anger is a Dagger Twisted into the Soul of the World.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: End Your Anger

Cultivate Awareness

Revenge, the Deadliest Sin?

Stress, Anger, and Forgiveness

Hatred vs. Love

Seek To Love

Lord, grant that I might not so much
seek to be loved as to love.
- St. Francis of Assisi

If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
- Mother Teresa 

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
- St. Francis of Assisi

Guide our feet into the way of peace.
- Luke 1:79

Further reading: You Have No Enemies

Doing God's Work

The Power of Unconditional Love

Creating the world that could be

Never Ascribe to Malice...

Renounce Vengeance