Tag Archives: society

Overcoming Hate

What could I ever say about hate and love that would rival the words of one of the greatest visionaries for humanity, Martin Luther King Jr.?

His words encompassed a much broader spectrum than the issue of racism. They spoke to the very essence of who we are as individuals. They inspired us to improve our own character and integrity, so that we can then each contribute to a better humanity. He raised the bar. He dared us all to be better people.

We each grapple with the dark night of our own soul. Hate has the potential to rear its ugly head in various situations, small to big. Each of us holds the key to overcome the world’s hate. It is not in “someone else’s hands”. Unless we overcome our own darkness, the world will not be survive its darkness.

Inspirational Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

“I have decided to stick to love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.“

“There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

“Hate destroys the hater…”

“I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love.”

Your Smile, Your Gift

Leave it Richer

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“Leave the world richer.” These wise words are just a small snippet of the Eleanor Roosevelt quote below. Reading only the snippet, one might think she meant leave the world having accumulated the maximum financial wealth we can. Service to self. Who can blame us, really? That’s how our society has trained us to think about success.

But no, take a moment to scroll and read the entire quote. Mrs. Roosevelt meant we should aspire to leave this world knowing we contributed something positive to it, that it’s a better place because we visited here for awhile.

Think of the world we would create if we all embraced that thought….

More Inspirational Quotes:

“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”
~ Socrates

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively”
~ Bob Marley

“Don’t Gain The World & Lose Your Soul, Wisdom Is Better Than Silver Or Gold.”
~ Bob Marley

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.”
~ Oscar Wilde

“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.”
~ Anne Frank

Free Your Love

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Infinite love already exists in everything that is alive, including you and me. Our love lessons are about removing the obstacles to love. They teach us out how to access, express, and live it. That is, if we choose to learn.

This can feel difficult in a world that is expressing so much dissension and “un-love”. But each of us is a potential key to healing it.

Fear, anger, prejudice… we employ a myriad of padlocks to hold our love hostage. Every experience around love is an opportunity for self-examination. Our souls desire to learn how to love better.

Consider that perhaps the high tension in the world right now is a challenge to each of us to work on unlocking our own love. Together, we can collectively unleash a world of love that has never been seen before.

Inspirational Quotes:

“Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.”
― Anais Nin

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
― Mother Teresa

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
― Mother Teresa

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Photos courtesy congerdesignm and zanna-76, Pexels

Nature Teaches Us

When I see a solitary tree in a field, I wonder… Are you lonely out there? Do you yearn for the other trees, your family?

But wait, when the farmer cleared the field and if there were others, why did he not cut you down too? Perhaps there was something in you that he felt. A will to live? A purpose not yet fulfilled?

Were you the one tree that looked strong enough to withstand the solitude, to be staunch and strong through every harshness imaginable to guard his field?

But wait, you are NOT alone. Earth, air, sky, clouds, rain, sun… You are nurtured, cradled, and loved by all of it.

Perhaps you demonstrate that not just simply survival – but dare we hope great joy? – is found in your ostensibly lonely journey.

But still I wonder, DO you miss your trees? Your family?

Hmm. Perhaps not. Perhaps you also teach that it is ALL family.