Cool Mind Warm Heart

I Am All The People I Ever Met

 

“Who am I, you ask?  I don’t know, my friend.  I am all the languages I ever spoke, I am all the places I ever lived, I am all the people I ever met, I am all the women I ever loved, I am all the writers I ever read; I am all my ancestors – but at least they had the decency of never thinking of themselves as writers.  Who am I, you ask?  I don’t know, my friend; I don’t even know who is writing this page.”

— Jorge Luis Borges

When Our Real Parents Die

He said, “I used to meditate for two things.  But today my parents died and I am in sorrow, so I’m not meditating.”  His language was entirely mystical.

I said, “Your parents died?  You’re a swami.  You have nothing to do with parents.”

“No, no,” he said.  “You also have parents.  When they die you will understand.”  He continued: “Attachment was my mother, and anger was my father.  They both died, so I have nothing to do....”

~ Swami Rama

Pennies for Prejudice

[useful absurdity for a peaceful heart]

My latest idea to save the world came, as usual, while wearing glasses that prompt a view of life that is playful, loving and deep.  How else do you find an idea named  “Pennies for Prejudice”?

It begins with a little gizmo to be invented by a roomful of ruthless saints doubling as computer wonks.  It ends by serving anyone who wants to grow a more peaceful heart while also generating the heavy green needed to bankroll a bunch of those honorable initiatives the world cries for?

Corky Burr and the Keepers of Awe

[a story for thanksgiving]

Thirteen words that shape the world.

His name is Corky Burr, age mid-sixties by my calculations.  He and I were high school classmates.  I don’t believe our paths have crossed since, and we really didn’t know each other well then.  I have no memories of him, just a single impression: a small sparkle of kindness.  By “small” I mean his physical size, not quality of light.  Recently we became Facebook friends, which, as millions of us know, means mostly we get to glimpse at whatever sliver of a person’s life they wish to share with their Facebook companions.  The very first statement of Corky’s I was privileged to read was this: “I have 16 more days before I marry the love of my life.”

The Rewards of Playfulness

“Stopped for speeding in LA.  The macho cop slowly swaggers up to my window and says in a somewhat 'gotcha' tone, 'I’ve been waitin’ for you all day.'  To which I replied, ‘Gosh officer, I got here as fast as I could.’  He let me off.” 

[Email from my friend and creative playmate, Tom Rizzo.]

Laughter Intervened

Like all young men I set out to be a genius, but mercifully laughter intervened.

–– Laurence Durrell

Symbols of Friendship

The images of the stone sculptures I build and photograph on my Vermont farm are, more than anything else, symbols of my work in the world.  Symbols of friendship, you might say.  I help others take whatever life presents and create beauty, health and meaning––for themselves and their organizations. 

The same can be said for my essays, My Two Cents.  They are offerings to us odd socks who are willing to entertain the possibility that everything is a gift.  That willingness can transform our every preference, opinion and choice.  Imagine the power of moving beyond, if only for a moment now and again, the great human craziness of believing that people and circumstances outside ourselves are responsible for our happiness.  That belief, which we all struggle with, may be the single biggest cause of human misery––and thus the biggest obstacle to effective leadership.