Desire of Knowing

Leave off that excessive desire of knowing; therein is found much distraction. There are many things the knowledge of which is of little or no profit to the soul. (Thomas a' Kempis, in One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 20 July)

Authority also preserves us from danger.  Without proper authority, the two alternatives are chaos (no one in charge) or oppression (a despot in charge).
(Cloud & Townsend, Boundaries Face To Face, p. 255)

I trust myself to participate in my life.  I am connected to the source of all energy and healing power.
(Perry Tilleraas, The Color Of Light, 7 December)

Guard against self-justification and self-righteousness.  Be aware how easy it is to make excuses and to blame your misfortunes on others.
(after One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 19 June)

The good we do during our lives endures long after us.  Indeed, we may never be aware of our greatest contributions.
(Daily Guideposts - 2012, 19 June)

Do what you can with what you have, where you are.
(Theodore Roosevelt in Night Light by Amy E. Dean, 3 November)

Our action or response should be appropriate to the situation.
(Harry & Emily Griffith, This Love We Share, 21 June)
23 December 2013

Storing Up Grievances

Storing up grievances is more than a waste of time.  It is a waste of life that could be lived to greater satisfaction. If I keep a record of oppressions and indignities, I am restoring them to painful reality. (What The King Said! in One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 18 August) 9 October 2012

The Prophets

... The prophets taught that adherence to God's will would bring divine favor whereas disobedience would lead to hardship -- and surely obedience would be better for everyone involved, especially the poor, needy, and weak.  The prophets, in short, were concerned about issues of real life - poverty, homelessness, injustice, oppression, the uneven distribution of wealth, the apathetic attitudes of those who have it good toward those who are poor, helpless, and outcast. ... (Bart D. Ehrman, God's Problem, p. 54)

[Mr. Dickie's comment: The issues of real life haven't changed in thousands of years.]
23 July 2012
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Hell

• When a child dies of starvation, there is hell.
• When people groan under the boot of oppression, there is hell.
• Where there is any injustice, there is hell.

Doesn't this sound like an apt description of far too much of the human condition?
(Mamia Abu-Jamal in Escape Routes by Johann Christoph Arnold, p. 149)
23 March 2012