Positive Chronicles :: Edition XXXXXI

CNY Inspirations: Love is not a vaccine against hate

By InterFaith Works of Central New York

This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Design Inspiration Coming to You Via “Dream Nursery”!

Sneak peak at the nursery makeover for Mely Cruz

The new web series captures all the magic of a modern nursery makeover, brought to you by the creators of The Stork’s Warehouse.

New book offers a poetic inspiration for those who want to change their lives for the better

effrey B. Hunter announces the release of ‘Sometimes I Feel Like…’

19 Real-Life Tattoo Tales That Will Make You Laugh — and Possibly Cry

English professor draws inspiration from natural world, water for poetry

Linda Russo discovered poetry in her mid 20s; now teaches, writes ecopoetics

Bihar man digs 5-km canal to bring water to his village

A man in Bihar’s Gaya district has carved out a 5-km canal in over 20 years to bring irrigation water to the fields in his village.

Zen Fable : The Man Who Said Yes

A man went to a Buddhist monastery for a silent retreat. After he finished, he felt better, calmer, stronger, but something was missing. The teacher said he could talk to one of the monks before he left.

The man thought for a while, then asked: “How do you find peace?”

The monk said: “I say yes. To everything that happens, I say yes.”

When the man returned home, he was enlightened.

Interpretation

“Most of our pain, most of our suffering comes from resistance to what is. Life is. And when we resist what life is, we suffer. When you can say yes to life, surrender to life and say: “Okay, what should I be now?” That’s where power comes from.”

When the weather is bad, when your crush won’t answer, when the obstacle won’t budge, don’t say no. Don’t dig in your heels and push and shove until your veins pop out in frustration. Say yes. Accept. Breathe. Life is flowing. Always. It’s us trying to swim upstream. Let the current carry you instead.

Positive Chrononicles – Edition XXXXX

North-East Now: Regional businesses share their inspirational stories, news and videos as Power Week continues

The ongoing Power Week – part of the North-East Now initiative – has received an incredible response from local businesses.

Letter: Böll’s anecdote is Mexican parable’s real inspiration

What a lovely letter . But I’d wish to correct the description of a “Mexican parable”. I believe the parable is from the short story Anecdote concerning the lowering of productivity by the German writer Heinrich Böll. It tells the same story but the dialogue this time is between a fisherman “on the western coast of Europe” and a “smartly dressed tourist”. It was written in 1963 and first broadcast by a German radio station.

Meet the Kolkata Braveheart Who Risked Her Life to Save A Woman from Molestation

A car ran over Nilanjana Chatterjee’s left leg after she was trying to save a woman from being molested in Kolkata. This is her story.

Spiritual Warriors finding community

Through virtual performances, the Spiritual Warriors have played some high-profile shows even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo submitted

The world may have shifted online in a big way because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Leroy Joe and the rest of award-winning Lil’wat Nation band The Spiritual Warriors continue to make connections.

Anecdote : Remain true to your values

Kenyan runner Abel Mutai was only a few meters from the finish line, but got confused with the signs and stopped, thinking he had finished the race. A Spanish man, Ivan Fernandez, was right behind him and, realizing what was going on, started shouting to the Kenyan to keep running. Mutai did not know Spanish and did not understand.

Realizing what was going on, Fernandez pushed Mutai to victory. A reporter asked Ivan, “Why did you do this?” Ivan replied, “My dream is that one day we can have some sort of community life where we push ourselves and help each other win.” The reporter insisted “But why did you let the Kenyan win?” Ivan replied, “I didn’t let him win, he was going to win. The race was his.”

The reporter insisted and asked again, “But you could have won!” Ivan looked at him and replied: “But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor of this medal? What would my Mother think of it?” The values are transmitted from generation to generation. What values do we teach our children and how much do you inspire others to earn? Most of us take advantage of people’s weaknesses instead of helping to strengthen them.

Interpretation

We need to remain true to our values at all times whether or not we win in the so called external achievements. This is what makes us true winners in the journey of our lives.

Positive News : Edition XXXXIX

CNY Inspirations: Remembering love

By InterFaith Works of Central New York

This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Love can heal us and our community. Allah’s pervasive qualities of love are attainable through our own breath whether we call out fervently or softly. According to the book “Physicians of the Heart” (Meyer et. al, 2011), Ya Barr, agape love, awakens us to the most intimate love God provides, like a womb, and opens us to understand and be kind to strangers.

I walk with time: Prakash Jha on drawing inspiration from real-life issues

Citing examples of classics like “Do Bigha Zameen” and “Mother India”, the director said films set against a socioeconomic backdrop have often received favourable response from the audience.

Finding inspiration as a cartoonist during COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the way many people work – from remote working at home, to being furloughed, or even laid off, the pandemic has impacted many people’s jobs.

But for one profession, the coronavirus outbreak has offered inspiration and insight. Cartoonists around the world have been drawing caricatures on the topic for half-a-year now, and it’s given them an abundance of material and ideas to draw from.

For Simone and Max Rocha, Family Has Always Been a Source of Inspiration

Though they work in different fields — she in fashion, he in food — the siblings share a passion for craft and collaboration.

Zen Fable : A Cup Of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

Interpretation

The best travelers head out with no preconceptions about the cultures they will visit and the people they will meet. They remember to pack the most important thing: an open mind.

Positive News : Edition XXXXVIII

‘Fatima’ represents a test for a different kind of faith-based movie

(CNN)Every so often a faith-based movie breaks out and makes a lot of money, illustrating the demand for such films, even though most of them aren’t very good. “Fatima” represents a more polished cinematic contemplation of religion, focusing on a century-old event that encompasses World War I and possesses a sobering connection to the Spanish Flu.

Sachin Tendulkar Asks Athletes To Draw Inspiration From Sir Donald Bradman To Get Through The Pandemic

Sachin Tendulkar implored athletes to seek inspiration from Sir Donald Bradman’s career to get through the COVID-19-forced break.

Emefa Cole Shares Her Inspirations

The jeweller shares her broad and beautiful sources of inspiration.

Dwellings and buildings have always been a source of inspiration, from mud huts to igloos to the traditional turf houses of Iceland. My pieces are quite bold structures that stand alone like buildings, rather than being designed to be at one with the body. They use the body as a foundation then build up from there.

Meet Tripat Singh, the 75-year old vegan who is an inspiration to Virat, Anushka

Meet Tripat Singh from Chandigarh who tells us about his diet, the sudden adulation he has been garnering and so much more

Tale : The Man who used to urinate on my head when I was in the Prison

Nelson Mandela: “After I became president, I asked some members of my close protection to stroll with me in the city and have lunch at one of its restaurants. We sat in one of the downtown restaurants and all of us asked for some sort of food.”

“After a while, the waiter brought us our requests and I noticed that there was someone sitting in front of my table waiting for food”.

I then told one of the soldiers: go and ask that person to join us with his food and eat with us. The soldier went and asked the man so. The man brought up his food and sat by my side and began to eat. His hands were trembling constantly until everyone had finished their food and the man went. The soldier said to me: The man was apparently quite sick. His hands trembled as he ate!”

“No, not at all,” said Mandela.

“This man was the guard of the prison where I was jailed.

“Often, after the torture I was subjected to, I used to scream and ask for a little water.

“The very same man used to come every time and urinate on my head instead”.

“So I found him scared, trembling, expecting me to reciprocate now, at least in the same way, either by torturing him or imprisoning him as I am now the president of the state of South Africa.”

“But this is not my character nor part of my ethics”.

“The mentality of retaliation destroys states, while the mentality of tolerance builds nations”.

I say, treat others well because no one knows tomorrow.

#TalesOfAfrica

Interpretation :: As we can see above, we need to treat others no matter what they could have done to us. If one doesn’t do this, the cycle of hate and violence continues.

Positive News : Edition XXXXVII

Agriculture This Week – Positive stories also exist in COVID-19

Amid the myriad of bad news stories that have arisen in 2020 on the Canadian Prairies due to the impact of COVID-19, there are good news stories too.

It is important to recognize not everything is doom and gloom which can become a dark cloud over everything if not careful. It is too easy for everyone, from our federal, provincial and municipal officials to the chatter over a social-distanced coffee, that things are rather dire.

13 Good News Stories: Finally, ‘I Do’; More Stories For The Heart

A DNA test surprise; kidney stays in the family; parents finally cuddle their twins; restaurateur and family lean in for front-line workers.

Zen Fable : Your Anger is not you

A Zen disciple approached his teacher. “Master, I have an uncontrollable temper. Can you help me overcome it?”

“Hmmm, that’s strange. Can you show it to me?” asked the master.

“Not right now.”

“Why not?”

“It occurs suddenly.”

“Then it can’t be a part of your true nature,” said the master. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t have any difficulty in showing it! Why do you allow something that isn’t yours to worry you?”

Thereafter, the master’s words would come back to the student whenever his temper rose. Soon, he learned to check his anger and developed a placid temperament.

Interpretation : What your traits may be, they need not define us. We can choose to keep the ones that are positive and get rid of the ones which are not. This is not as simple as it sounds but is surely possible as long as we accept it is just a trait and not who we are.

Positive News : XXXXVI

Feeling glum? 10 positive stories you may have missed

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still some good happening in the world. Here are ten of the University of Sydney’s most promising and positive stories that you may have missed.

Click here to read more…

MEET HIHEYHELLO, THE NEW ADVENTURE MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN

This week in Women in the Mountains, we sat down with Editor in Chief Sierra Domaille and Art Director Juhee Kim of HiHeyHello magazine. Their new adventure magazine seeks to shake up women’s media by highlighting the outdoors, sport, and creativity in one beautifully designed print magazine. HiHeyHello magazine photo.

Believing in ‘Miracles’: Christian animated video series shares message ‘ofGod’

Sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to get a project off the ground.

The award-winning “ofGod: Miracles” is the first in a series of animated videos created by Grosse Pointe Woods resident David S. Tumpkin.

Bounceback Bharat: Inspirational stories, e-conclaves to support nation building, spread positivity amid Covid-19

India’s leading radio network, Fever Network, has launched a novel campaign ‘Bounce Back Bharat – Radio’s First Digital Conclave’, which aims to support nation building and to spread positivity through inspirational stories in the Covid-19 era.

Positive News : Edition XXXXV

Inclusive Tech to Power Businesses

07August2020_business More demand for tech-enabled jobs across industries; cybersecurity, privacy measures to be beefed up for protecting critical data

Click here to read more…

Bounceback Bharat: Inspirational stories, e-conclaves to support nation building, spread positivity amid Covid-19

07aug2020_bouncebackbharat India’s leading radio network, Fever Network, has launched a novel campaign ‘Bounce Back Bharat – Radio’s First Digital Conclave’, which aims to support nation building and to spread positivity through inspirational stories in the Covid-19 era.

Click here to read more …

Inspiring: Azharuddin- a taxi driver’ son clears UPSC exam

07aug2020upsc Despite having financial difficulties, his mother Meraj focused on providing quality education to her children.

Umbrella Academy star Ellen Page’s inspiring and touching coming out story

07aug2020_ellenpage

Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page famously came out in a speech at a Human Rights Campaign event in 2014, but what spurred her decision to embrace being in the LGBTQ+ community?

Inspiring Stories Of Visually Impaired IAS Aspirants Who Cracked UPSC In 2020

07aug2020_visuallyempaired

Visually-impaired people do not see the world as we do. However, they are inspired by the same things are the rest of us are – stories of people making the society a better place and helping each other at the time of crisis.

23-year-old Gokul from Tirumala never let his complete visual impairment get in the way of his dream – becoming an IAS officer and working towards the betterment of the country. He cracked UPSC 2019 and ranked 804, reports The New Indian Express.

Click here to read more ,..

Mosques in Ayodhya spread message of communal harmony ahead of Ram temple’s bhoomi pujan’

There are 8 mosques and 2mausoleums located close to Ram Janmabhoomi premises

With days to go for the August 5 “bhoomi pujan” ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the mosques adjacent to the Ram Janmabhoomi premises are spreading the message of communal harmony.

“It is the greatness of Ayodhya that the mosques surrounding the Ram temple are giving a strong message of communal harmony to the rest of the world,” Haji Asad Ahmad, the corporator of the Ram Kot ward, told PTI.

Click here to read more ,,,,

IN SEARCH OF A GUIDE

suftmystic A man is going in search of truth. As he comes out of his city, he finds an old man sitting under a tree. The young man does not know where to go in search of truth. He has heard that one has to go somewhere in search of truth, one has to go on a pilgrimage — but where? Roads go to all sides. Which road is the road?

Seeing the old man sitting under the tree, he thought: perhaps this man is old enough; he must know which road leads to truth. And he asked the man. He said, “Yes I know the road. Follow the right and go on until you come to a certain tree” — he described the tree in detail, its leaves, its fruit — “and you will find under it a very old man… just to give you an example, something like me but thirty years older. This is the man who is going to be your guide.”

The man was very happy. He thanked the old man and rushed towards the way he had shown him. For thirty years he was wandering and wandering, and the tree never came and the old man never came. He was getting tired, and he himself was getting old, and he said, “What nonsense!”

Finally he decided, “It is better to go back home… enough is enough! Thirty years I have wasted in searching truth, and I have not even met the old man who is going to be my guide. And God knows, when the guide meets me, what kind of guidance it will be and how long it will take. It seems to be too complicated; it is better to go home. I was running a good business. I destroyed the business and unnecessarily got into trouble hearing this word `truth’ again and again.”

He came back. Again he passed the tree — and he was shocked! This was the tree the old man had described. And he looked under the tree and the old man was there — the same old man, thirty years older and exactly the same as the description in every way. He said, “My God! Then why did you waste my thirty years?”

He said, “I wasted your thirty years — or you wasted my thirty years? At that time you were not ripe enough to be guided, because I gave all the guidance and you didn’t even look at the tree — and I was describing it in minute detail. I was describing your guide in minute detail, and you did not look at me, to see that I am describing myself. You were in such a hurry; you were too young. But nothing is wasted. I was, waiting, knowing that one day you will come back, one day you will recognize this tree, one day you will recognize this old man, that I am your guide!”

Interpretation : The story is immensely significant. It signifies we will surely find what we are looking for..wherever ot may be and from whoever it may be

Positive News :: Edition XXXXIX

My Story Is Inspiring Others To Take Up Online Sports Seriously’

Aaditya Sawant, famously known as Dynamo to the online gaming freaks, is a PUBG superstar. Dynamo’s videos are seen by lakhs on YouTube and his fan following is no less than a top cricketer

Based on an inspirational real life story, Australian film Penguin Bloom is selected for Toronto

It’s an inspirational Australian story, about a struggling family whose lives are changed when they find a baby magpie, that first went viral on Instagram then became a bestselling book.

And now a film, Glendyn Ivin’s Penguin Bloom, based on that book, will have a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Northamptonshire woman to lead team of over 70s as they swim the English Channel

The team will be raising much-needed funds for the Children’s Air Ambulance

A team of over 70s lead by a local woman will be taking on the gruelling challenge of swimming the English Channel.

Nagaland: Toyi Swuro’s inspiring story: From part time cobbler to owning ‘Craft Gallery’

26 years old Toyi Swuro is a local entrepreneur from Phek town and takes pride in his profession as a Cobbler. He opened Craft Gallery in 2018 which deals with all types of leathers such as leather footwear, leather goods such as purse, wallets, belts, upholstery, leather straps for various purposes. A unique feature of Craft Gallery is that it provides services to students and underprivileged citizens by helping them repair their footwear at minimal charges or sometimes free of cost.

Tale of the Journeying Stream : Sufi Parable

A stream, from its course in far-off mountains, passing through every kind and description of countryside, at last reached the sands of the desert. Just as it had crossed every other barrier, the stream tried to cross this one, but found that as fast as it ran into the sand, its waters disappeared.

It was convinced, however, that its destiny was to cross this desert, and yet there was no way. Now a hidden voice, coming from the desert itself, whispered: “The wind crosses the desert, and so can the stream.”

The stream objected that it was dashing itself against the sand, and only getting absorbed: that the wind could fly, and this was why it could cross a desert.

“By hurtling in your own accustomed way you cannot get across. You will either disappear or become a marsh. You must allow the wind to carry you over, to your destination.

But how could this happen? “By allowing yourself to be absorbed in the wind.”

This idea was not acceptable to the stream. After all, it had never been absorbed before. It did not want to lose its individuality. And, once having lost it, how was one to know that it could ever be regained?

“The wind,” said the sand, “performs this function. It takes up water, carries it over the desert, and then lets it fall again. Falling as rain, the water again becomes a river.”

“How can I know that this is true?” “It is so, and if you do not believe it, you cannot become more than a quagmire, and even that could take many, many years. And it certainly is not the same as a stream.”

“But can I not remain the same stream that I am today?”

“You cannot in either case remain so,” the whisper said. “Your essential part is carried away and forms a stream again. You are called what you are even today because you do not know which part of you is the essential one.”

When it heard this, certain echoes began to arise in the thoughts of the stream. Dimly it remembered a state in which it — or some part of it? — had been held in the arms of a wind. It also remembered — or did it? — that this was the real thing, not necessarily the obvious thing to do.

And the stream raised its vapor into the welcoming arms of the wind, which gently and easily bore it upwards and along, letting it fall softly as soon as they reached the roof of a mountain, many, many miles away. And because it had its doubts, the stream was able to remember and record more strongly in its mind the details of the experience. It reflected, “Yes, now I have learned my true identity.”

Interpretation

We go through many directions till we find our real identity in life. This is the way life has been designed by the supreme.

https://www.independentri.com/sports/article_4da8caae-d259-11ea-995b-d3dbc0246c38.html

Positive News :: Edition XXXXVIII

TN Village Turned Off Street Lights For Over a Month To Protect a Bird’s Home

A village in Tamilnadu’s Sivaganga district has kept its street lights off for the last 40 days to help an Indian Robin lay her eggs and nest in peace.

Woman hailed for ‘nerves of steel’ after taking selfie with bear that sneaked up on her

According to a Daily Mail report, the encounter between the hikers and the bear took place at a popular hiking trail at Chipinque Ecological Park in Mexico.

17 Acres Of Barren Land Now Flourishes With Rice & Apples, Thanks to 66-YO Farmer

In a span of 6 years, 300 lorries loads of rock was removed from the land, with 5 acres set aside for paddy and almost 20 varieties of fruits, pepper, cardamom and even coffee!

Kerala woman who helped visually impaired man in viral video gifted new house

A few weeks back, video of a woman from Kerala helping a visually impaired and elderly man board a bus had gone viral on social media. Surpiya, woman in the video, was gifted a brand new house for her act of kindness by renowned business group Joyalukkas.

South African, Ntuthuko Shezi inducted into Anzisha Prize Hall of Fame as inspirational entrepreneur who started very young

The Anzisha Prize (www.AnzishaPrize.org), a partnership with African Leadership Academy and Mastercard Foundation, is celebrating inspirational entrepreneurship journeys as part of the new Hall of Fame list. South African entrepreneur Ntuthuko Shezi has been inducted as one of ten African entrepreneurs in the Anzisha Prize Hall Fame that highlights successful transitions into entrepreneurship before the age of 25.

Faye Mitchell shares her inspiring story of stroke recovery

A BRAVE and determined stroke survivor has given a message of hope to others: “You are not alone”.

The Fable of Coyote and the Void

The Void sat on a rock, staring blankly into space.

Coyote approached him. “You look blue,” she said. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know,” the Void said. “Something’s missing, that’s all. It’s like I want to write a love letter but I don’t know my lover’s address. I feel like I could burst into a million million pieces. It hurts.”

Coyote sat down next to him. “That’s a big problem all right,” Coyote said. They sat there quietly for a long time.

“I have an idea!” Coyote said. “You need to make something, something different from you! You need an up and a down, darkness and light, that kind of thing.”

“What good would that do?” the Void asked.

“Well,” Coyote suggested, “it might give you an address for your letter.”

The Void considered this. He shook his head. “That’s pointless,” he said. “Anyway, the thing about the love letter was poetry. I didn’t mean it literally.”

“Okay,” Coyote said. “Just a thought.”

They sat quietly again. Then Coyote sat up straight. “I’ve got it!” she said.

“What?” asked the Void.

“Look, you have to make it more interesting. Start with things like darkness and light, up and down and so on, just to make sure you’ve got an over here and an over there, a subject and an object, and then…”

“Wait a minute,” the Void interrupted. “How could I do that? You know I can’t be divided.”

“Just pretend!” said Coyote. “Make believe you can! Look, pretend there’s a sky. Color it blue or something, put clouds in it, then pretend there’s an Earth underneath, halfway up. Plant things in the Earth and…”

“Wait!” the Void blurted. “You’re getting ahead of me!”

“Just listen,” Coyote said, “I’m on a roll. Make the plants all different shapes and colors, and make wind blow through the sky to move the clouds and let the growing things sway about. Then you could send your love letter — or whatever it is — to all of them. What do you think?”

“Mmm, quite the picture,” the Void said. “Still, I don’t see the point.”

But Coyote’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened. She jumped up and turned to the Void, exclaiming, “There’s more! Pretend there’s little creatures everywhere that could move around on their own — some could fly, some could swim, some crawl, some walk. I’m sure they’d all love to read your letter!”

The Void tried to imagine what Coyote was describing. “Well, maybe,” he said, “but I’m not sure they’d be interested in my letter. Anyway, there’s another problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Too much work. Those creatures and growing things would wear out. I don’t want to have to keep making new ones.”

“Right, right,” said Coyote. “That is a problem.”

“Although, I suppose we could let them do it,” the Void offered. “I mean, put them to work making more of themselves.”

“You’d need to make it fun,” Coyote said. “Otherwise they wouldn’t bother.”

“True,” said the Void. “That means they’d have to want to. That means desire. Lots of problems with that.”

“You’re right,” said Coyote, stumped.

They decided to leave it for the day, to let the idea simmer.

The next morning the Void was walking by himself contemplating Coyote’s scheme. It was good, he could see that, but it was still missing something, something important.

He met Coyote. “I’ve been thinking,” he said.

“So have I,” Coyote replied. “Something’s missing, isn’t it?”

“Yep. Your idea is nice enough, what with blue sky and clouds, and creatures walking around underneath and making more of themselves, even allowing for the problem of desire, but in the end, there’s still the question…”

“I know what you’re going to say,” Coyote interrupted. “What’s the point?”

“Exactly,” said the Void.

“But what’s the point of your love letter?” Coyote asked. “That’s what started all this, after all.”

“Shhh,” said the Void. “You just gave me an idea.”

Coyote sat patiently, eyeing the Void.

Suddenly the Void shouted, “I’ve got it!” His eyes were bright. “Oh yes!”

“What?”

“We’ll make the Beautiful!” the Void cried. “The most wonderful, happy, glorious, radiant, majestic, sacred and tender Beautiful that ever could be! All the creatures will love it, and their love for the Beautiful will become an answer to my love letter!”

Before Coyote could say another word, the Void spun around, his arms outstretched, spinning so fast a whirlwind rose up, encompassing both of them.

The whirlwind grew to be a Beauty as vast as all vastness, becoming more beautiful than the Void and Coyote ever could have imagined.

“Now that was a good trick,” Coyote said when she caught her breath. “But now we have another problem.”

“What? What could be a problem?” demanded the Void, proud of himself.

“The creatures and all those growing things,” Coyote explained, “they’ll see the Beautiful and won’t even bother to move, or for that matter bother to make more of themselves. They’ll just stand in awe. No desire.”

“You’re right,” the Void said, instantly deflated. “What to do?”

Coyote winked at him. “I know,” she said.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Hide it,” she said.

“What do you mean,” asked the Void.

“Hide the beautiful! Hide it inside everything! Just let a little Beautiful shine out at a time so all the beings don’t get dumbstruck. Then they’ll want more. They’ll see the Beautiful glinting out of each other and that’ll start them hugging and making more of themselves, and they’ll see it peeking out of the sky and clouds and everywhere, and they’ll love everything and care for it and their love will be their letter back to you!”

“Perfect!” the Void cried out, and that word rang through the vastness. He embraced Coyote and cried out, “Yes! Now all the creatures will desire the Beautiful, loving what is just out of their grasp! The clouds will be making beautiful to mimic the Beautiful inside them they can’t see, the sky will be making beautiful, the growing things will be making beautiful, the creatures of all kinds will be making beautiful, making beautiful as they make themselves! My letter will be received and answered!”

And so they both got to work, first making the Beautiful even greater, so infinitely beautiful that tears ran down their cheeks, and then out of the Beautiful they made the sky a hundred shades of blue, and the clouds ever-changing, and the Earth glorious, watered by rain that fell from the clouds and gathered in streams and rivers and oceans, growing all the beings, some rooted, some winged, some with feet, and at each turn they made the Beautiful visible and hidden, flung through every inch of space and every moment of time.

“This is fun!” the Void shouted. He turned to Coyote. “How can I ever thank you?”

Coyote blushed. “Don’t be silly,” she said.

Interpretation

This is what life is all about. We need to focus on the beautiful to see the beautiful. For, this is what life is all about.

Positive News :: Edition XXXXVI

What went right this week: Paris pedalled forwards, plus other good news stories

Paris voted for a cycling revolution and women’s football was given a boost, plus other stories of progress

Real Madrid finally launched a women’s football team

Women’s football was given a boost this week with the announcement that the Spanish club, Real Madrid, will launch its first female football team next season. Real had been one of the only clubs in Europe without a women’s team.

Farm to fork: the open database that lets people buy food direct from source

Set up by food activists during lockdown, Farms to Feed Us connects people with farmers and growers across the country

Inspiration Games offers a ‘strange’ experience for world-class athletes

Americans Tianna Bartoletta, left, Allyson Felix, center, and Candace Hill celebrate after winning the women’s 3×100-meter relay during the Weltklasse Zurich Inspiration Games at Mt. San Antonio College on Thursday.

Three runners take their place in the starting blocks for a hurdles race; two are bathed in sunshine, the other shadowed by gloomy skies.

CNY Inspirations: The ‘inner loving voice’

Some of you have sadly experienced the traumatic death of loved ones due to COVID 19. Some of you have cared for patients, and some of you have recovered or are recovering. Yet all of us have been affected emotionally and spiritually and perhaps have struggled for the perspective to respond to the anxieties of others.

Fable : Acceptance

Once upon a time there was a world famous teacher in AenTakkasila, in north-western India. He had 500 high class students who learned sacred teachings from him.

It just so happened that one of these high class students had been named ‘Bad’ by his parents. One day he thought, “When I am told, ‘Come Bad’, ‘Go Bad’, ‘Do this Bad’, it is not nice for me or others. It even sounds disgraceful and unlucky.”

So he went to the teacher and asked him to give him a more pleasant name, one that would bring good fortune rather than bad. The teacher said, “Go my son, go wherever you like and find a more fortunate name. When you return, I will officially give you your new name.”

The young man named Bad left the city, and traveled from village to village until he came to a big city. A man had just died and Bad asked what his name was. People said. “His name was Alive.” “Alive also died?” asked Bad. The people answered, “Whether his name be Alive or whether it be Dead, in either case he must die. A name is merely a word used to recognize a person. Only a fool would not know this!” After hearing this, Bad no longer felt badly about his own name — but he didn’t feel good about it either.

As he continued on his way into the city, a debt-slave girl was being beaten by her masters in the street. He asked, “Why is she being beaten?” He was told, “Because she is a slave until she pays a loan debt to her masters. She has come home from working, with no wages to pay as interest on her debt.” “And what is her name?” he asked. “Her name is Rich.” they said. “By her name she is Rich but she has no money even to pay interest?” asked Bad. They said, ‘Whether her name be Rich or whether it be Poor, in either case she has no money. A name is merely a word used to recognize a person. Only a fool would not know this!” After hearing this, Bad became even less interested in changing his name.

After leaving the city, along the roadside he met a man who had lost his way. He asked him, “What is your name? ” He replied, ‘My name is Tourguide.” “You mean to say that even a Tourguide has gotten lost?” asked Bad. Then the man said, “Whether my name be Tourguide or whether it be Tourist, in either case I have lost my way. A name is merely a word used to recognize a person. Only a fool would not know this!”

Now completely satisfied with his own name, Bad returned to his teacher.

The world famous teacher of Takkasila asked him, “How are you, my son? Have you found a good name?” He answered, “Sir, those named Alive and Dead both die, Rich and Poor may be penniless, Tourguide and Tourist can get lost. Now I know that a name is merely a word used to recognize a person. The name does not make things happen, only deeds do. So I’m satisfied with my name. There’s no point in changing it.”

The teacher summarized the lesson his pupil had learned this way — “By seeing Alive as dead, Rich as poor, Tourguide as lost, Bad has accepted himself.”

Interpretation

This fable shows us all about self acceptance. We all need to accept the situation we find ourselves in and try our best to the best possible extent without denying there is a problem if we face one.