Being Point

Month: December 2008

  • Hope December 31, 2008

    Welcome to the last day of 2008!

    Concluding our consideration of hope this week, what do you hope for?  For other people, animals, plants, oceans? For our planet?  For other nations?  Does that kind of hope do any good?  How does what you hope for, for others express itself in your life?
    Consider Thomas Merton’s words:
    “Do not depend on the hope of results.  You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not results opposite to what you expect.  As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.  You gradually struggle less and less for an idea, and more and more for specific people in the end.  It is the reality of personal relationship that saves everything.”

    As we close the year, know that the results which we support in this practice are held to be preciously and uniquely individual to each of you, and we treasure our relationship with you.

    Thank you for the opportunity to support your hopes and dreams – and please know that to learn with you is a great privilege.

    May 2009 bring everything you’ve always hoped for!

  • Hope December 30, 2008

    Yesterday, we discussed the desirability of taking action in connection with hoping .  .  . the notion that hope alone might be insufficient to accomplish the desired result, but that hope and action together could be a powerful combination.

    That conversation elicited a question:  Is there any downside to hope?  If so, how do we manage it?

    Francis Bacon said, “Hope makes a great breakfast and a poor dinner.”  Can one over-rely on hope?

    What’s the wisest possible relationship to hope?

  • Hope December 29, 2008

    It’s traditional at this time of year to reflect on the past and to plan for the year ahead.  For this short week of Study Hall, now through Wednesday, let’s consider the topic of hope.

    There seem to be two disparate schools of thought about hope:  those who embrace it and those who dislike it.

    Famous writer and psychologist, Erik Erikson, said, “Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained, hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded or trust impaired.”

    On the other hand, Nietzsche said,
    “Hope is the worst of all evils for it prolongs the torments of man”

    How do you feel about hope?  What role, if any, does hope play in your vision for the year ahead? In general, do you cultivate or deny hope?

  • Giving and receiving December 23, 2008

    Our discussion about giving and receiving continues.  Author Shakti Gawain says:

    “Receiving and giving are opposite energies that are inextricably linked together in the natural flow of life, like inhaling and exhaling.  If one aspect of that cycle doesn’t function, the entire cycle ceases to function and the life force cannot move freely.  If you can’t inhale, you will soon have nothing to exhale, and before long, your body will be unable to continue living.”

    What are the implications during this Holiday Season of the notion that giving and receiving are of equal importance?

  • Giving and receiving December 22, 2008

    We’re well into the holiday season now – a traditional time of giving and receiving gifts – our topic for the three days of this week’s Study Hall.

    Shopping can turn into work very quickly, and gift-giving can become a chore if our intentions are not carefully chosen and honored.  Our culture is immersed in comparison – bigger, better, faster – so that the heart of a gift can be lost with excess attention on the object and with insufficient attention on the giving.  It has also been difficult for human beings to receive gifts for those same and other reasons.

    What have been your delights and challenges in giving and receiving gifts? How much do you enjoy giving?  How about receiving?

    How do you feel about unconditional giving?  Is it really possible, or is every “gift” inevitably tied to an expectation or hope of some kind?

  • Magic and Miracles December 19, 2008

    Concluding our discussion this week of Miracles and Magic (with a nod to Technology), let’s broaden our view and look outside of ourselves.  We found this week that we were challenged to identify exact examples of miracles and magic – and some say that miracles and magic don’t exist.  We love that diversity of opinion because we always learn from it.

    Yesterday, we looked at results that we desired for ourselves that are MIRACULOUS (like “miracles”) and MAGICAL (like “magic”).

    Today, let’s turn our attention outward.  What magical and / or miraculous results would we wish for others?  Think about how you could play a part in those results for others.  Be as specific as you can and please be prepared to share if you can.

    While you’re at it, consider the implications of Bertrand Russell’s observation:

    “The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”

  • Magic and Miracles December 18, 2008

    So far this week, we’ve focused on very literal definitions of miracles and magic. Let’s turn our attention to “magic” in its figurative sense.

    One of my favorite quotes is from Goethe who said, “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it.  Action has magic, grace and power in it.”

    All human beings seek wide varieties of results constantly – whether to satisfy one’s hunger, to make money, to serve others, to have a great marriage, etc.

    What Goethe is saying is that moving from thinking to acting has a “magical” affect – and, further, that action has grace and power.

    Can you think of some experiences that felt magical to you because you took action?
    What actions can you take today and before the end of the year where you could potentially experience magic, grace and power?”

  • Magic and Miracles December 17, 2008

    In our results work, it’s always fascinating to observe people’s expectations and experiences about how long things take.  We live in a culture of immediate gratification where we have been rushed and pushed – and, oftentimes, we have rushed and pushed back.

    There’s an old saying that, “Even miracles take a little time.”

    So here’s an interesting question:  What characteristics does something have to exhibit in order for you to see and understand it as a miracle?

    Does it have to be instantaneous like a flash of light?  Does it need to involve spirituality or religious beliefs?  Can one be non-religious and still experience miracles?  How “big” does a miracle need to be, to be a miracle?

  • Magic and Miracles December 16, 2008

    Our results classes this week have revealed that miracles are most often associated with events caused by a spiritual power and that magic is associated with the wish of human beings to do the impossible.

    We discussed the Arthur C. Clarke observation that, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

    Consider, then, that social writer, Eric Hoffer who said, “When everything is possible, miracles become commonplace and the familiar ceases to be self-evident.”

    Is it possible to take miracles, magic – and even their closely-related contemporary cousin, magic – for granted?

    How do you maintain  – assuming you have one – a sense of wonder and gratitude for your experiences and the people, places and things that are part of it?

  • Magic and Miracles December 15, 2008

    This week, by popular demand, we’ll consider Magic and Miracles – Being in the Flow.  Serendipity and Synchronicity.  This is a lot of material, and it’s perfectly fitting for the season, so we’ll work with these topics until December 24th.

    Here are some foundational questions:

    Do you believe in magic?

    Do you believe in miracles?

    Is there any distinction between magic and miracles?

    Can you share an example?

    What influence, if any, do you feel humans have in experiencing magic and miracles?

    How “big” does something have to be for you to consider it a miracle or magical?