|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||
           
|
Collected Works & Thoughts of Bryant McGill
Front Cover  IntroductionDear friends around the world,This collection will be my last (forever evolving) book, other than a project I am also working on called my "UnBook," which I will tell you all about later. I am done with books, and have never been in the book sales business to make money. Let me explain. Robert Frost had a simple goal with his poetry; he just wanted one poem to stand the test of time, and work its way into the fabric of humanity. My Rhyming Dictionary, eBooks and print publications have broken 500,000 copies in use! I have enjoyed a success that few best selling authors get to enjoy. There is literally, not a day that goes by, where someone, somewhere is not quoting my work. It is like it has taken on a life of its own. My thoughts regularly appear in newspapers, magazines, school papers, books, blogs, television shows, websites, and radio programs. I am astonished and humbled by it all. I don't need anything else, and am more than satisfied. I have always wanted to give all my work away for free anyway, and this is what I am going to do. From now on I will just be revising my collected works book. (v1.0, v1.1, v1.2, etc...) I will also be releasing it in a downloadable, and printable PDF version in the future for free. Thank you all for making my dreams come true. Now it is time to move on to other dreams. Peace and Love, Bryant My name is Bryant McGill. I am a simple person who loves to write, think and enjoy what life has to offer. I do not consider myself to be famous, or a celebrity. There all types and degrees of notoriety, and mine is minor compared to many. I have been fortunate enough to have had a few million people read my various works, and even a hundred-thousand or so use my references for writers, but in the grand scale of things I am just a tiny and insignificant writer of inspirational essays, poetry and references, with a modest following. No matter the number, I am so grateful to all of those who take their time to read what I present. Those who take the time to judge me by the content of my writings will understand that I have a very simple and humble message to share. My work is about real people, relationships and experiences that we can all learn from. My quest as a writer is certainly not about me, for I am far too unimportant. I am just a student of the world; a minuscule, and frail embodied consciousness struggling to understand, and be a meaningful part of this great, mysterious play of life, which is set on the stage of our baffling home in the universe. I enjoy reading, thinking, trying new things, learning, creating, sharing and meeting interesting people. I enjoy being alive. I have had the unique and humbling privilege to meet, interview and get to know as close friends, numerous top personalities, intellects and achievers throughout the world. I have also had the honor to hear stories and learn from ordinary people from nearly every part of the globe. Like my writings, I too am a work in progress. I realize that I am an infinitesimal speck of frailty and vice. My work is often clumsy, and reflects the true splintered weakness of my emotions; sometimes loving, sometimes selfish, sometimes compassionate, and sometimes cruel. As an artist I have a lot to learn. I believe that every person is precious, and inside, we are still like little children who yearn for acceptance, unconditional love and the gentle, warm affection that can only come from another soul who is whole enough, and generous enough to reach out, and give the gift of acceptance and compassion. I would like to be such a person, and am therefore reaching out with a hope that I could bring some degree of happiness to other human beings. I am a person who is not afraid to love people, or to tell them how I feel. I am a very caring person, and I easily feel for people and their situations. I find inspiration in the random acts of kindness between strangers, and especially when I witness a gesture of selflessness touch and heal someone in pain. Like in Braveheart, when William Wallace, whose actions just caused his new wife's death, kneels in front of her father at her funeral, and bows his head in humility and shame. The father looks down at him, with his fist clutched tight and trembling with rage, but then in that magic moment, his hand opens, and he reaches out and places his hand on William Wallace's head as he lets go of his rage, and his heart turns from hate to forgiveness. I think about such moments of kindness and compassion like that all the time. I think about them every day. I think that single act may be man's most amazing accomplishment on this Earth. I believe in the overwhelming goodness of most people. The gifts of love and kindness are forces that have the power to change and heal people. How we treat other people can and does change them; equally so, how we treat ourselves can change us. I work hard to be a good person. It really depends on your world view, and how you define a person, but to me a person is not just the physical body, or the talk; to me a person is defined by their actions. And being social creatures, outside of our own useless self-image, the only proof that we exist resides in the minds of other people we change with our actions. So, I constantly ask myself, "How do I change people?" I want to change people for the better, and have my existence proved by the raised hands of the people I have met, who will say without doubt I have cared. I credit my inner-strength, survival and love for other people to my Grandfather. He was a loving and affectionate man who taught me how to love others through example. He was the most important person in my life. He has passed away and I miss him dearly. When I was a child he would say, "come and give papa a kiss." I saw the love in his eyes. I would frequently swim in his pool on hot Southern summer days, and often times he would walk several acres from the main house to the pool, carrying a plate of crackers, summer sausage, smoked cheese and some iced pink lemonade for his Grandson. His love made all of the difference in the world to me. I have worked hard to heal my soul from the less fortunate experiences in my life, and have learned many lessons about compassion and forgiveness. I worked most of my life trying to find compassion and forgiveness for myself. I am happy and fulfilled now, but things were not always so. Some little things about me are: I am constantly amazed at how creative and funny people can be. I like listening to people. I do not watch TV. I only sleep a few hours a night. I am a recluse, and sometimes go months without leaving the house. I believe all people are capable of great things. I am not a person of unlimited means. Like most people, I have worked very hard for everything I have, and my most valuable asset is my time, which I believe is one of the best things a person can own. Time to enjoy my family, time to learn, time to share with friends, time to enjoy life, and time to strive to make the lives of others more enjoyable. Like most people, even the ones that don't know, I have been carried where I am by the currents of life. I have one oar in the water, and do what I can against the rushing forces that surround me, but I know that I am mostly just along for the ride. Best wishes from a fellow traveler.  A Gift Giver's ManifestoIf you want to be successful at anything you do, it will help you to first be a successful human. That's right; a successful human. And just what is that? I believe that since human life is a social life, becoming a successful human means being there for other people, which is why I have always believed that no time is better spent than that spent in the service of your fellow man. Further, success does not mean happiness, success means doing the right thing. The rewards of doing the right thing are usually much deeper and painful. The greatest happiness comes from feeling and expressing our love for other people, and particularly our families. If you think about it, we love most those who we serve most, whether it be children, employees, friends or our communities. And this means that we can bring about a greater love for one another, though a life of simple, but meaningful service, and this is precisely what being a Gift Giver will do for those we can educate about the unlimited potentials for success through service.When John Donne contemplated the indelible inter-connectedness of humanity in Meditation XVII, saying that, "No man is an island," 1 he was speaking to you and me. Irrespective of Ayn Rand's eminent and highly influential tributes to individualism, and the power of self-determination through her unforgettable Randian heroes, John Donne's grounding toll to reason struck a long lasting chord in us all when he wrote, "All mankind is of one author, and is one volume...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." Donne's bell is tolling for us all right now. When we fail our friends and neighbors, and even the stranger down the way, through our vanity, selfishness, greed, envy, fear, indifference, or complacency; when we fail to even know about, or acknowledge someones suffering, which is in obvious sight, much less attempt to ease it, the world is truly made a darker place, and Donne's bell tolls louder, while something dies in us all. The failure of that individual to act represents an atomic failure of humanity itself. The world markets of optimism and hope can plummet, because of the actions or inactions of a single person. Russell Crowe's character Maximus said in Gladiator, "What we do in this life, Echoes into Eternity." 2 Clearly what we do not do can have the same effect. The upside to this, and there is always an upside, is that the good works of even one person can represent the whole of humanity's triumph through that sole heroic act. One person really can make a difference, and a difference that can seismically move through the masses, transforming an entire ethos practically overnight; a cultural and emotional butterfly effect if you like. Look at the enormous impact Gandhi had on two violently clashing countries with his simple, and frail embodied spiritual exercises of selflessness, loving other people and valuing human life. And that was even without the power of media to move his ideas around quickly. One person can make a difference, and you need not look to icons like Gandhi to find people making a difference. Above, I mentioned the world markets of optimism and hope. There are many types of currency, not the least of which is a system of emotional and trust economics that govern societies, both primitive and modern. These economics govern every relationship, whether it be between individuals, or nations. In fact, money as we know it does not really exist. Think about it. Money is just a piece of paper, and outside of our dynamic and collective consent it has no value beyond the value of the paper it is printed on. The only reason money has value is because we all agree that it does. So ironically, money can be seen as a placeholder for of all things -- trust. Humorously, while still accurate, you could say "In God We Trust," is printed on our money, because you hope to God that when you go to redeem that worthless piece of paper (or its digital representation in an account) that the recipient will honor its value with real world goods and services at a fair exchange. The key point here is there is more trust in the world that we may think, even during our most cynical hours. When you fully accept that money is a placeholder for trust, you must realize also, that there is a lot of trust in the world, and this offers us something to build on. In a relationship, when trust is lost, everything is lost. We can become emotionally bankrupt, or even in debt. To make money one must spend money. And this is why it is important that we invest in people, whose personal accounts of hope and optimism are low. There are so many people in need, who quietly are hovering near the abysmal edges of emotional bankruptcy. Life is dynamic, and it can be ugly. Thomas Hobbes said in Leviathan that life was, "...solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." 3 And, Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden that, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I must sadly admit that this seems to be the case for too many people. This is one of the reasons I believe too many people anesthetize themselves with a never-ending, glutinous consumption of mass entertainment, television and fruitless consumerism. Most people do not do these things because they're living life, they do these things because they're hiding from life. If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in poor company, and many people are poor in the deepest and most internal sense. They will do anything to avoid being left alone with their thoughts; being left alone to Thoreau's quiet desperation, or worn down by the unforgiving and brutish world spoke of by Hobbes. They are teetering on emotional bankruptcy, and though they do not realize it, they are living with the haunting, but quiet realization that they are not answering the calls for help from their fellow man. They have a nagging feeling that they have not yet experienced all of what life has to offer. They want more in their relationships; more money and more success. They try to force these things, and when they do not materialize, they become negative and pessimistic. The harder they try, the further away the things they want seem to move. They do not realize that all things come through other people. It is counterintuitive for them to hear that you get most things in life you want not by taking them, but by giving. Giving is the key to all success in all applications of human life. Giving is not a physical action; giving is a philosophy, and a way of living life. There are endless opportunities to give the smallest things that cost us nothing, but mean the world to other people. Money and time are not the only things we can give. We can give others appreciation, patience, compassion, courtesy, kindness, dependability, friendship, forgiveness, gratitude, honesty, loyalty, respect, tolerance and of course love. For example let's look at just one of these; courtesy. Courtesy is a powerful and amazing gift to give. Courtesy is a silver lining around the dark clouds of civilization; it is the best part of refinement and in many ways, an art of heroic beauty in the vast gallery of man's cruelty and baseness. Good manners are appreciated as much as bad manners are abhorred, and a polite enemy is just as difficult to discredit, as a rude friend is to protect. Mastering courtesy alone will enhance your life and the lives of others. We can give a tired clerk a kind and understanding glance. We can give a frustrated driver a spot in line on the road. We can give a hopeful passerby a kind smile and wave. We can speak to people at all stations of life with respectful and polite words and tones. We can wait with one item in the grocery line behind someone with a full cart with a gentle smile, and body language that makes their day better. When we want to talk, we can instead listen, and let our attentiveness to another's need to speak be our silent statement. All of these simple, but powerful gifts have immense value to the person receiving them, and all are examples of an overarching philosophy of giving and service that we can each apply in our lives every day. Simply by thinking about something other than ourselves, and by monitoring our behaviors with a pure and selfless intent of making the lives of other people better, we have the privileged opportunity to change them for the better. This is what being a Gift Giver is all about. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have a debt to the society we live in. If we want to succeed in society at anything, we must first pay our debt to society. But here is the most important part; our debt never ends. We must pay it each and every day for the rest of our lives. Once you realize this, no matter your philosophical, or religious framework, whether it be the golden rule of Christianity, the humanist view of biochemical inducement of self-preservation through the sociological laws of reciprocity, the "Mystical Law" of Karma (the universal law of ethical causation), Confucian Shu reciprocity, good old horse sense of the law of the harvest, or any other world-view construct of the same truth, life will start working for you rather than against you. Life has a way of shining on people who stand in the sunshine of kind actions. But you can't fake it. It has to come from the heart, with a true spirit of giving and selflessness. A talent is no talent, unless it is used for the benefit of other people. Even if you consider your talents a blessing, they will be quickly used against you in a Newtonian reversal if you do not properly use your precious gifts for the benefit of others. For a brief period in this ephemeral existence, we have the privilege to share time with other people, and serve them, and their needs. The greatest joys in life are found not only in what we do and feel, but also in our quiet hopes and labors for others. I have written before, that as with people, the trees that are pruned, watered and nurtured by caring hands bear the greatest fruits. It is critical to know that it works both ways. If you personally have not been served by caring hands in your own life, do not be bitter, but instead, ask yourself who you can now serve. If you have had some tough times in life, now more than ever is the time to make someone else's life better. How we treat other people can, and does change them, and how we treat others is in fact part of how treat ourselves, which changes us. To me a person is defined by their actions. And being social creatures, outside of our own useless self-image, the only proof that we exist resides in the minds of other people we change with our actions. So, ask yourself, "How do I change people?" I want to change people for the better, and I want to have my existence proved by the raised hands of the people I have met, who will say without doubt that I have cared. Where wise actions are the fruit of life, wise discourse is the pollination. But this message is only talk. To be of value to us all, these ideas need to be made real in the world. We should speak to protect the ideals of goodness, and act to make them real in the world. The first proves a consummate mind, the second a valorous heart. It is my belief that true progress for humanity is anything that takes us closer to loving one another. Small acts of kindness between you and the individuals around you are are the germination that spring into being something as mysterious as life itself, and what may in fact be man's greatest accomplishment; compassion for others. It is my hope that we can all grow in one another a deeper and more meaningful desire to ease the burdens others. Every person is a precious gift, and we are all like little children who yearn for acceptance, safety, unconditional love and the gentle-warm affection that can only come from another soul who is whole enough, and generous enough to reach out, and give the gift of acceptance and compassion. I would like to be such a person, and am therefore reaching out with a hope that I could bring some degree of happiness to other human beings. Many people are now sensing that something important is happening in the world. People are talking, and they "feel" something; they are picking up on something they cannot articulate, but they know it is there. Let's define it before it gets here. Please join me and other good-spirited people around the world in our deepest and most sincere desire to share our own unique gifts. Become a Gift Giver, and set into motion a life of service, with other caring people, who will leave in the wake of their good deeds the waves of promise, and hope that will cover the vast waters of any shallow doubt. We carry within us the enormity of possibility that has created everything man has made in the world. Let us now yearn for the possibility of building a happiness in every heart. Let us now build inward, a new world of hope, where our greatest achievements are counted as the the simple acts that reap heartfelt tears from the people who have touched, and been touched by the caring hands of other people bearing precious gifts.  About Give Yourself the BookIn this volume you will find some of the most powerful and accessible tools ever discussed on how to attain a deep sense of fulfillment, abundance and joy in the face of adversity and hardship. You will learn about the seven powers that govern our relationships and potential. You will learn a fresh and new way of looking at power, control, and energy, including secret techniques that have been used by the great masters of all ages. This book will introduce you to your greater-self, and set you on a journey toward your greater-purpose. You will discover something shocking about yourself and learn to tap into the final and absolute source of REAL power.This text revolutionizes the concept of "personal empowerment" and transformation. Its methods are striking, counterintuitive, unique and represent something truly original. In this book you will be taught the most powerful transformational force in the world, that works 100% of the time. You will be given the seven secret keys to manifest any reality you desire. This book will even teach you how to change your entire world practically over night. There is no truth or knowledge available greater than what you will find written on these pages, because there is nothing greater than LOVE. An uncleby Bryant H. McGill, July of 1993(Dedicated to Uncle Mickey) An uncle is a very special man, A father's brother's blood, A woven line of family name, Both sewn from seeds of love Their children too, all heirs the same, Fulfilling legacy's call, Their blood as one from two forth sprang, So spreads the roots of all This simple truth of bloodline fire, No greater gift is known, Than knowing why our hearts aspire, To forever cherish our own  Antiquity of Autumn  Beautiful Flower Let me Hold Theeby Bryant H. McGill, November of 2009Beautiful flower. Let me hold thee, and inhale your fragrance. And touch your delicate petals. And praise, with gentle caress, the artistry of your being. Let us bathe in the warm cosmic light That flows through our openness To the infinite mind of the beloved, Where we shall live and love forever Let the great cosmic void take us Every atom and thought, washed away in waves That course and move upon us, and through us With rhythms of lovemaking, breathing and heartbeat For only then, will our love be fully expressed As we become a thought in the mind of God's delight A warm celebration of joy, from his own greatest creation, Love, returning to the source of the universal mind My beautiful angel, open all you have to me Come with me, and as me; and I with you, and as you. We are us, when we make the trip through oneness And we return for a moment, back to the beloved.  Become the Powerful Change the World Needs to be HealedI have come to realize we cannot change a person's mind or educate them; this they must do themselves. Through a long study of the concepts of empowerment and transformation, I have concluded that INTENTION is paramount. Intention is the foundation of ALL inner and outer institutions of man. It is the basis of legal and judicial systems, all human contracts, and rests at the root of all innovation and progress.Your intentions define YOU. People are more than just response to stimuli, for they have the power to make decisions that reject the superficial 'rewards' of yielding to positive consequences. Many people have sacrificed themselves to fates that clearly were not congruent with self-interest by possessing intentions greater than the self. Thusly, deterministic or divine, intention is the seed-germ of all change, and can defy all environments. According to many theologians, the judgment of "the intentions of our hearts" by God upon our very soul is predicated upon our innermost intentions. According to philosophers and, now even scientists, intention is the foundation of numerous quantum physical, and metaphysical universal laws. Intention is the primary concern of all individuals, the collective, the state, and all judgments worldly and purportedly beyond. Both prayer and meditation are explicit forms of manifesting intention. In short, intention is the only pathway to the future we will likely ever know. Many people feel powerless. But, one freedom that no influence, power, city, state, government, group, consequence or intimidation can reach to gird, is the sovereign soul's ability to think, and consequently react to the situations of life. The most elemental root of our thoughts; the underlying structure upon which our complex ideals and knowledge stands is our basic intention. Propagandists, research scientist and consumer psychologist work steadily to pry into "black box" of free agency and thought, but thankfully individual sovereignty, and the indomitable will of man has not yet been bridled, or entirely broken, and we still have relatively free minds, IF WE CHOOSE. As individuals, it may seem we are not able to control or change the world, but through our willful intentions we may at least escape the culpability of our own complicit minds and hearts. When we internally oppose oppression, or any force that would usurp individual sovereignty, we thusly lift our hands from the collective reigns that empower such oppressions. We have the power to oppose, and therefor, not be party to what we see as injustice, EVEN if we belong to a collective that perpetuates the injustice. This is the liberating and defining power of intention. Through our intentions; a place no power can influence, we have the power to oppose. The terrible atrocities in the world require more from each of us than a regret-filled acknowledgment they exist; they require our most earnest intentions be focused on their immediate eradication. To do this we must first have conscious awareness that it must change. Once our 'rightful intention' is set and no longer accepts, we will in time begin to see the change as the collective mind rejects the injustice. The one and only true freedom we ALL posses is what we think; and our intentions govern what we think. We all feel that we cannot change the world alone, but as a free soul on earth we can express our intentions to NOT live in a world, where some humans, have in fact been reduced to nothing more than mere vessels of pain. We DO NOT have to be victimized by the ugliness in the world any longer. An incubus of ignorance, fear, hunger, oppression and intolerance haunts large regions of the world, and I have no delusions that I am immune. I refuse to forget that I too am human, that I too am frail, that we all are subject to such miseries, and that in time we shall all be subject to frailty and suffering personally. Will you acknowledge with me, that everything we have created in the world started as a tiny intention? We carry within us the enormity of possibility that gave birth to everything man has made in the world. Let us now yearn for the possibility of building a happiness in every heart. Let us now build inward, a new world of hope, a world of limitless possibilities for the children of tomorrow, where each soul can reach the heights of their potential to love, and to be loved. We have the power to set our intentions on the betterment our world. The very "least" among us has the enormous power to effect change through small and intended acts of determination and will. We can each immediately liberate ourselves as victims in the world, through solidifying an 'intent' to act; 'intent' to forgive; intent to love; 'intent' to be virtuous, polite and empathetic. Then with that 'intention' set into motion through the simplest first actions, we will begin to liberate ourselves from victimization, thereby creating an entirely new perspective and future. Our divine intention is to love, to be loved, to feel safe in this world and to each know our purpose. We have the power to choose these virtues, rather than choosing violence, rage, anger, revenge, greed, and other base impulses of the lesser-self without purpose. We may know our true purpose in life, because we may choose our purpose in life. Through my expressed intentions, I hereby declare that my purpose, which will be, and is now at this very moment being fulfilled is to rise above my own indifference, and irrevocably declare, that I CHOOSE to have a true, heartfelt compassion and empathy for my fellow man. Through my INTENTIONS, I will stand erect, defiant and without shame to declare, that IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! The beginning of all power starts with your intention the very moment you choose to no longer accept the 'reality' you see before you. Do not underestimate the power in an individuals commitment to harness the power of their intention, which is a way for ALL people to be powerful. Express your intentions now, and become the powerful change the world needs to be healed.  Begot of the ashby Bryant H. McGill, April of 1994Born of the ash, Bloom of the dust Fires of the soul, Colors of rust Bloom of the born, Rust blood red And the gray noon bright, Of the colors of dead  Belief, Faith and Hope - Quotations and EpigramsHope: "The greatest joys are found not only in what we do and feel, but also in what we hope for."Belief: "Few things are so firmly believed as those we can least disprove. All men desire knowledge, but many only believe what they desire. Deep-rooted beliefs are one of the many consequences of intellect, and also of ignorance; and telling one from the other is sometimes impossible." Character and Virtues - Quotations and EpigramsLoyalty: "Within the hearts of men, loyalty and consideration are esteemed greater than success."Prudence: "While it is important for people to see your promise you must also remember that hope is the keeper of both happiness and disappointment, the father of both progress and failure." Honesty: "Honestly appraise your defects, and diligently seek to minimize them. Self examination often only reveals that we cannot honestly examine ourselves. Be honest, and know yourself! But what good is knowing if you attempt to do nothing with the knowledge?" Prudence: "Speak rarely, but then speak carefully. Speak with great calculation and discretion before your rivals and with great nobility of manner before friends. The opportunity to make your thoughts known arise with every social gathering, but the ability to conceal them once liberated never comes." Patience: "The more a person knows the more they realize they don't know. To seek knowledge is healthy, but rather than making a personal investment in a proposition, make your investment in patience, time and tolerance. For nothing is more forbearing, charitable or fickle with knowledge than time." Discretion: "Small victories, when added together, can become the sum of change. People can be divided from their ignorance more easily by gentle strikes on a wedge than with blunt hammering at their toughest seams. Sometimes the best use of intelligence is to simply not let others know your thoughts." Prudence: "He who is silent must be agreed with, for what shall the wings of opposition thresh upon, without the winds of conversation to shoulder them." Prudence: "While it is important for people to see your promise you must also remember that hope is the keeper of both happiness and disappointment, the father of both progress and failure." Integrity: "Don't make the mistake of thinking that you have to agree with people and their beliefs to defend them from injustice."  Compassion, Love and Healing - Quotations and EpigramsLove: "There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."Forgiveness: "The ability to forgive is one of man's greatest achievements." Compassion: "One of the greatest things you can learn in life is to be compassionate. However many people do not understand the most critical thing about compassion; that true compassion includes compassion for yourself." Giving: "Take without forgetting, and give without remembering." Empathy: "We are all struggling, whether we know it at times or not. Even in our moments of individual bliss, an incubus of ignorance, fear and hunger still haunts large regions of the world. I am recalcitrant to the ever pervasive ethos of apathy that haunts my part of the world, but not nearly enough." Listening: "It has been my experience that if we make the effort to listen to people when we meet them, and work to get to know them a little, it is then easy to find something likable in practically anyone." Compassion: "Join me in my quest for a greater understanding of our existence. Join me in my desire for a greater self. Join me as I seek the humility to love and understand my fellow man." Love: "True love is quiescent, except in the nascent moments of true humility." Empathy: "We all need to intimately know the sorrows of others, so that the saying, 'There but for the grace of God, go I,' becomes an epitaph to our indifference, rather than a trite allegory of elitism for those who have forgotten that they too are human, that they too are frail, that they too are subject to such miseries. And in this dervish whirlwind of vanity, indifference, greed and ignorance we fuel, we all at times, ask whatever forces we believe in for clarity and meaning of our purpose in this existence." Listening: "One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say." Consuming all til all is doneby Bryant H. McGill, February of 2004They love the greedy harlot's hand They love the selfish gaping grin They love the murderous natural man They love the supple, silky skin They taste the baby, budding fruit They gulp the green-leafed tender bud They taste the sour, shadowed root They drink the darkest demon's blood They consume the world, their own estate They do not love their children one Their own flesh, the thing they hate Consuming all 'til all is done  Cosmic Opal - The Queen of all Gemstones  Country Road PASSAGE  Dare to love every person, including yourselfWe live in a world where people flip one-another off without hesitation, but are afraid to express love for another human. There are actually fathers who never tell their children they love them, which I consider a form of child abuse. I refuse to live in a world where it is more socially acceptable to hate, than to express love for other people. I DO NOT accept that world, so I shall create another. All people are worthy of love; all people deserve to be cherished as unique and beautiful.I am sure some people will find this amusing, but I have been practicing this concept I developed for many years. I call it "The Practice of Becoming Love." Stage 1: Quit saying you hate people. Never do this again. Stage 2: Tell yourself constantly, "I love myself and I love others." Stage 3: Tell the people important to you that you love them. (As hard as it is to believe, many people have never reached this stage.) Stage 4: Whisper quietly to yourself "I love you and wish you happiness in life" to each stranger you encounter, speak to or walk by, who is easy to like, or beautiful in countenance. Stage 5: Whisper quietly to yourself, "I you love you deeply and wish you healing and contentment in life" to each stranger you encounter, speak to or walk by, who is rude, or hateful in countenance. Stage 6: Find partners in this philosophy that agree to exchanging mutual feelings of love verbally. Stage 7: Speak aloud or quietly, telling all living things, such as animals, insects, trees and plants you love them. Stage 8: Speak aloud or quietly, telling all things seen, such as rocks, mountains, sand, and water you love them. Stage 9: Speak aloud or quietly, telling all things unseen you love them. Stage 10: Without speaking, emit a pure and innocent love toward all things and people that can be felt and seen by those in your presence. Stage 11: Upon parting, look each person you encounter directly in the eye and say, "I love you and wish you peace in life." Stage 12: Become the energy of love.  Dare to see yourself for what you really are!Dare_to_see_yourself_for_what_you_really_are.jpg) Dare to see yourself for what you really are!  Deep Within the Roots Decend Dreams from the Past - Native American VisionDreams_from_the_Past_-_Native_American_Vision.jpg) “A quick sketch from a dream I had about Native Americans”
Several years ago I had a surreal dream that went like this: I started meeting people with names like Goldenhawk, Raven, and Phoenix. Then one day I sat with a Chief. We spoke and then he fell silent. He sat still, and looked in my eyes as his medicine man spoke to me. I listened as others who had been shown told me of secret cities of gold and he asked me to see them. I was told they are invisible to most. He told me of charcoal pyramids with golden capstones and stone centered medicine wheel. At the conclusion of our meeting I was told to go and receive my messenger and that a "bird" would find me. Soon after, and out of the blue I received an email from someone telling me they must speak with me. He told someone who screens my email to relate to me that, "he is the messenger," and his name was "Yellowbird." Now that really got my attention. Yellowbird told me that he also had a dream years ago that he was sitting amongst people from all tribes and nations. Adam, "Yellowbird" said that many years ago when the conquistadors were searching for the "Cities of Gold," they never found them because the cities of gold were actually the cultures and traditions of the people. The elders are getting older and they are quickly losing them because they are dying. The elders want to pass on their ceremonies and prophecies to "make a difference". Yellowbird, who was adopted by a member of Sitting Bull's family told us that he sent the Treaty's information to the Grand Chief of the Mayan Council, who is the President of the Continental Council of the Americas. Yellowbird is also heavily involved with the "The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor." This prophecy is told by many Native nations in the Western hemisphere where the Elders speak of a prophecy that foretold how we will come together and reunite as one. My Goodwill Treaty organization is in the process of forming "THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' GRAND PEACE COUNCIL." I have received other visions and instructions and am now following this path. Many things have been revealed to me; many more to come.  Dusty Shoesby Bryant H. McGill, September of 1987There sitting on a table, lined up together, and paired off in twos A silent story was told, for a quarter they sold, they were old, and worn, empty shoes As I looked at them I saw the blood, sweat and strife, The bitter moments of life, With the love, joy, and good things too. And somehow in that moment, I felt inexperienced, and humbled, by this old man I would never know, And his dusty old shoes Education - Quotations and EpigramsEducation: "Education should prepare our minds to use its own powers of reason and conception rather than filling it with the accumulated misconceptions of the past."Education: "In America, educators punish those who actually think for themselves. There is only acceptance for popular opinion." Education: "One of the most important things one can do in life is to brutally question every single thing you are taught." Education: "True education is limited to those people who would die without knowing, whereas the masses in the institutions are merely going through the motions, for education is a way of living." Education: "Those who have actually lived them, best teach the lessons of life. Everyone should have role models. It is wise to seek friendship with those people who have achieved your own aspirations, and to work hard to learn from them, and even harder to give to them. Who could tell you more about the world than someone who has lived in it, and who could tell you more about the times than those who have traversed them?" Education: "Our understanding of the world around us is constantly being redefined and expanded, and so therefore, it is wiser to be passionate about seeking for truth than knowing it." Education: "The secret to discovery is to never believe existing facts."  Eight Point Cosmic Blossom of Birth  Existence, Life and Death - Quotations and EpigramsExistence: "The mysteries we ostensibly perceive, though seemingly ubiquitous, are but mere stitches that hold the inconceivably vast fabric of the unknown tightly closed from our ever prying view."Death: "I have watched life's light flicker, and at once fade from their eyes as they passed from this world. I have sat silent and frightened, with tears streaming from my eyes as I tried to grasp some salient thought about the absence of their breath. I have collected stories from these people, many of whom exist only as a memory in my mind, and a sentiment in my poetry." Death: "Death is the great hope of all life; the desire to expend itself; to be used and consumed by its own longing for itself." Death: "Through death all life is converted into food for the inconceivably vast maw of eternity." Life: "You may find many contradictory statements and philosophies within my writings. However, to this I will say such is life, for life is full of contradictions." Life: "I am just a student of the world; a miniscule and frail embodied consciousness struggling to understand, and be a meaningful part of this great, mysterious play of life which is set on the stage of our baffling home in the universe." Birth: "I am a contemplative person by nature, and as it is such, there has seldom been a period of time that has gone by wherein I did not reflect back to the moments my children were born. What I remember most; having had a true lasting impact on me are two things. Of the two, what I consider most awe-inspiring was their first breath. I have thought intently about it over the years; about its profound implications on my understanding of the mysterious world around us, and ultimately about its paradoxical beauties. There I stood in each case as they came into the world, and I witnessed their very first, amazing and miraculous breath. With that breath came the animations of life and their helpless, compelling cries. The second thing that has continued to impact me is as this happened, in that instant of their springing into being, my wife and I helplessly collapsed into an embrace, and together wept tears of utter and absolute humility and joy." Life: "The clues to the great mystery are all around us! To understand the mysteries of life you must look around and within. You will see patterns everywhere; patterns that seem to manifest themselves over and over again. These patterns exist intertwined within nature and man bridging the gap between the enigma of self and universe. You see them in spiraling galaxies and the Mandelbrot fractal of fossilized Ammonoidea; growing from the unknown to atoms to molecules to solar systems to galaxies to the paradoxical expanses of the universe with origins and destinations unknown; just like us in birth and death. The similarities of tree branches, rivers and blood veins. The power of cellular division and nuclear fission, the patterns of finger prints like endoplasmic reticulum, or a black opal's play of fire like the nebula of supernova. Moon shots are like protoplasmic lurches, while simple thoughts and observations of the nature around us take us beyond the unknown. The clues to the great mystery are all around us and deep within us." Life: "Life is a wonderful journey. I believe we should make good use of the precious time and talents we have been given. We should look at the world around us, as well as the mysteries within us, as we seek for understanding and harmony with self. The gift of thought is more than I can bear, and I am elated in gracious joy for each moment I have in this beautiful and painful experience called life." Life: "Birth and death; we all move between these two unknowns."  Flight of the Dovesby Bryant H. McGill, December of 2004Whisking flurries of beating wings Stunning sight to the eye Smiles are set upon such things To the grace upon they fly And in the winds from there to thither High in places men can know Upon a wing, no trick or tether As the fickle flake of snow While to the pace of beating hearts With a rush the wings they thrust Up they lift their form to art Wanton men to envy must And from these beauties for all men Hope abides in their flight That man could soar to such ends In peace their bosom could ignite God is in the Box of Liesby Bryant H. McGill, November of 2001This is the truth of the day The electrons that dance in the sand They tell us what to say A depraved truth they demand Beaming out to the stars A glint cast out from the eye As we bow to the tube we worship And dare not its wisdom deny With synchronous flicker we chant Like a ritual they tell us to cry As a billion glowing rooms rant With the same electronic lie God is in the box of lies Christ is in there too And so are your children's wide eyes As they feast on the word of the few In nature the truth is plain The cycle is shown in the land It only flickers with day And not from the beamings of man We molded it from the soil A perversion of its natural design A technological toil That will deliver us to death in time So cast it out of your sight And keep it out of your mind, And hopefully our souls will delight In knowing again the divine  Gossip, Negativity and DisloyaltyGossip,_Negativity_and_Disloyalty.jpg) It is unfortunate, but unless you live in total solitude you will always have people stabbing you in the back. It can be very disheartening to discover that someone you trusted has been secretly working against you. How you handle things will mean the difference between success and failure. 2. When you hear someone say "he said, that you said," never EVER respond to them. Do not allow this into your life or mind. Never defend yourself or acknowledge crazy accusations. I sit back and let the 'enemy' destroy themselves with their own venom. It always works. 3. Surround yourself with positive people who are not going to be talking about people negatively in any capacity. Do not have NEGATIVE INFLUENCES IN YOUR LIFE. I feel very sorry for people whose lives are full of drama and negativity, but when they get negative I move on. I choose to love those people from a distance. People who allow 'friends' engulfed in drama and gossip into their lives BECOME embroiled in drama themselves. If you let unbalanced people into your life, you will become unbalanced. You carry their negativity with you as it travels from person to person, tainting everything in its path. 4. Live a productive and positive life. If you are ever confronted with gossip, NEVER pass it on, and never play ball with purveyors of gossip. A PERSON or 'FRIEND' WHO WILL TALK BADLY ABOUT SOMEONE TO YOU - WILL BE TALKING BADLY ABOUT YOU TO SOMEONE ELSE -- A L W A Y S, you can bet your life on it. Do not respond, walk away, never look back, and spend the time you would have wasted by helping someone in need, or supporting a friend who is down with positive conversation. Like anyone, I have been thrown under plenty of buses. And no matter who you are, it hurts. But, one of the beneficial effects of standing back and allowing mischief makers to work their craft is that they will help you sort out your true friends and alliances. No matter how you guard yourself, you will be victimized by people who play subtle games, attempt to divide and conquer, and who manipulate for their own selfish gain. Just understand that power and control are illusions. Those are the old ways, and those methods will no longer work in this new age that is upon us. Sit back, know who YOU are, have patience and let others figure things out (or not) over time, but most importantly, do not become the very thing that has hurt you. "Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love." ~Mahatma Gandhi"  How Scant the Sheaves  Humbling Human Divisions by Bryant McGill  I AM FACISIMby Bryant H. McGill, September of 2004I have heard the rumors and whispering of discontentment I have seen the shaking, angry fists and pointing fingers I have felt the hot breath of heavy arguments raging I have tasted the bitterness of nations divided by ethos And... I know the joys that set the roots of longing in your past I feel the desperation in your pleas for promise and hope I sense the anxiety as you hold tightly onto the present I believe in your worthy longsuffering to shape the future For You're the split bodies that bathed distant shores to bloody red You're the American born, baptized, and married dressed in white You're the brave hands that held the stars on waving fields of blue You're the hope that freedom's banner would never lose its color Yet I will blow down your sacred edifices of long traditions I will flood your highest towers of hope and progress I will freeze still the warm affection flowing for your countrymen I will burn your paper cities to the ground with a thought For I am the inquisition of faith and religious hope for your salvation I am the drummer marching through the streets to lift you high I am the movement for your human rights and progression I am the new face, walking an old path, to the same place!  I See the Flower of Kim Chun-suI shall speak his name,Kim Chun-su, like that spoken of the flower. Now, no more than a mere whisper; will he come to me - in my heart, and become my flower? Can you see him now, hiding in the mountains so far away, And can you hear his whispers, in the surf of southern Korea? Forget everything you thought you knew about him, forget what you think you know now, your belief, that is he gone - Let us not believe in those ideas, but believe only in this moment. His poetry of no meaning a pure thought of the true meaning, now speak his name with me and become his flower Kim Chun-su a golden, happy child of Chungmu who became something to you and I What we all wish to become an unforgettable gaze Can you see him? Imagination, Genius and Creativity - Quotations and EpigramsCreativity: "Creativity is the greatest expression of liberty."Imagination: "Science, after all, is only an extension of reason, a proving ground, if you will. Though science may lend many needed things to our world it can not afford us the most important ones, such as the human will, hope, determination and our ability to defy the forces of the physical universe with our conscious will. In most ways science is just one of many tools that we use to accomplish the goals of our conscious will. Science fiction, which constantly expands our vision of possibility and the future of true science, is the offspring of our creative emotional aspirations. Many of our scientific realities have been born from our hopeful vision, will and emotional determination; forged from fantasy with the tools of reason, logic and science serving only as the mold into which the molten fruition of our minds are poured." Curiosity: "Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness." Imagination: "The realities of the world seldom measure up to the sublime designs of human imagination." Enthusiasm: "Genius is always accompanied by enthusiasm." Enthusiasm: "Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind."  Interview for Lisa Tenzin-Dolma's Book, Mind & MotivationInterview_for_Lisa_Tenzin-Dolmas_Book,_Mind__Motivation.jpg) MIND & MOTIVATION: THE SPIRIT OF SUCCESS guides you step by step through an enthralling journey to the deepest, most potent aspects of yourself, and encourages you to discover new ways of enriching your life. Each chapter explores a quality that you can tap into and develop, and includes practical exercises aimed at enabling you to understand who you are, what you truly wish for, and how you can achieve this. To say it another way, the art of surrender is the art of getting out of the way of your own growth. My greater purpose is already written in the fabric of my being. My purpose awaits my arrival. I do not, and will not strive to become my greater purpose. Does a flower strive to become a flower; to radiate its delicate, colorful beauty, or to smell so sweet? I have defeated most of my ego; I have conquered myself and released the illusion of control. I have a photo of myself as a child on my desk with a caption that reads, "Who I want to be when I grow up." I am now in a free fall toward my destiny of a grand reunion with my original-self; a self uncorrupted by the world's false lessons of fear and control. My true purpose is to become my own unique self, and to do so in happiness, free from fear. At one level I am different from any person alive and from any person who has ever lived, and yet at another level we are all the same. I am a unique and beautiful expression of the divine gift of life and creation. I will not squander the gift of life! I will continue to rise above my own indifference, and CHOOSE to have a true, heartfelt compassion and love for others. I will reach deep inside, and give each person I encounter the gift of myself. No shame, no fear, no regrets, no need for approval, no cynicism, no doubts, no anger; just love. 2. Did you have a route mapped out at an early age, or did you set out on one path and then discovered other branches of that path that you felt compelled to follow? From a very early age I knew I had a purpose, but my worldview was far too narrow to comprehend the implications of my plans. I had many plans mapped out at an early age. I even created a 30 year plan at the age of 22, which surprisingly is still valid and useful! The most important thing for me has been an overarching plan to not waste my life. 3. You have a great many diverse interests and a tremendous creative output. What stimulates you most, and why? I love to create. I do not believe in creation for the sake of creation, but rather for creating more joy, beauty and optimism in an often ugly world. I am most stimulated when I tap into what I call the "creator energy." I believe that every person carries the power of creation inside of themselves. They are like superheroes walking around with undiscovered powers. The power of creation that each person possesses is the most awesome force in our universe. What we create individually and collectively is a mirror of what is in our hearts. Our creations are the outward expressions of our inner truths. Everything on Earth under the dominion of humanity is a bounty or bane of the hearts of humankind. Everything we see represents the fruits of choice, time and pressure. Governments, institutions, economies, science, media, technology, philosophy, poverty; everything is a state-of-mind and a creation of choice. In my work I choose to strive to cultivate and accentuate the positive, and resist indulging in negativity. In my mind the existence of negativity is no excuse to place those horrors upon a pedestal for entertainment or endless meditation. There are enough negative feedback loops in the world without creating more. I am most fulfilled when I am creating beauty and fostering greater hope for others. 4. Are there any particular times when you feel especially connected or "plugged in"? If so, what sparks off that feeling of connection and "rightness"? Feeling and understanding the "oneness" with others has been an important part of my growth, and has been an enabling force in my life. I once was shut off from others and took pride in my independence. I know now that this was only arrogance. I have come to the conclusion that the stranger on the street and I are the same. We are all on the same path, we are just in different places on the path. I know I am in a good place when I look at another person and see an entity just like me; a person who is desirous and worthy of joy and fulfillment. Even people who are judgmental and mean to me remind me of a former self, and so I will not judge them, but will offer my hand in friendship, and wait for them. There is not a person on Earth who has trespassed upon me, or whom I have trespassed upon, that I would not accept back into friendship in earnest intent. I am just like every person. I am you. We are not different, we are the same. What we do to others we do to ourselves. So, I will lift you up and be your friend. I will not judge you and I will easily forgive. Will you forgive me when I fail? I know I am in the right place when my answer to that question is yes. 5. When you explore all elements of your creativity, and integrate these, what effects do you notice or feel? I intentionally express my creativity in areas where I have no real pronounced talent. I explore music, art in many forms, writing poetry, programming, business building, inventing, making jewelry, singing, dancing and numerous other creative outlets. I believe we are all natural creators. So I try not to hold myself to any unreasonable standard, such as having talent! Why should not being "good" at something stop me from doing it? I don't have to be skilled at photorealistic painting to create art. When I create, I don't think about how my creations will be judged. I create as a simple expression of childlike joy. What comes through me cannot be bound by talent; it is an expression of something greater than myself. Like many things, you can learn a great deal from children in this area. The simple joys of creation, discovery and exploration are enough for me. The judging I will leave to others. By exploring different facets of my creativity I tap into a broader spectrum of potential and understanding. It helps me realize there are no limits, and that is where I live, in a world totally free from limitations. Poverty is a state of mind, and it is through positive creativity that I have discovered true wealth at many levels. 6. What, to you, is most rewarding about your life and work? And what are the aims that you set out to achieve? (Feel free to mention specific projects you're involved in or working on if you wish to).The most rewarding thing about my life and work is that I am alive and have the knowledge that I can effect the world in positive ways. I am also very blessed that I get to meet so many interesting people. I love learning from people, and teaching people that good things are still possible. I am overjoyed by the discovery that we are each powerful creators. I love sharing the fact that we do not have to be victimized by the ugliness in the world any longer. I refuse to accept that world. There is a new world waiting for us all. I love to ask people what they would attempt to do if they knew they could not fail, and then share with them that it is impossible to fail. Humanity has never once failed at bringing into the world what was in their hearts; never once! It is just a matter of choosing what to hold in your heart, and the rest is as they say, "history." My primary mission in life is to advocate greater goodwill and peace. Peace is desirable at all levels, is it not? It is desirable in the world, in our countries, in our cities, in our own homes, in our relationships, and even in our inner-selves. Peace is worth considering and accessible through education, and by choice. There can be no peace in the grizzly presence of poverty or excess; two equally abominable monsters. Peace is a state of humility and surrender, and goodwill and harmony exist only as a voluntary acts. They cannot be enforced, coerced, or sanctioned. Like love, peace is fickle, transient and mysterious. It must be desired, fostered, nurtured and protected. From now, until the day I die, I am committing my time and energy to a simple mission of demonstrating greater goodwill and peace is possible. The peace project I am working on carries with it a message of hope through oneness. Every life is precious. Let us subdue the ravages of our baser-self, and aspire to the higher calling of exalting joy through compassion, for that is the one true purpose of humanity. You can find out more at: www.goodwilltreaty.org 7. You have founded charities, and give away a great deal of your work for free, which is unusual in a world that is largely governed by a desire for material gain. Please could you say what motivates you to do this? Simply stated I believe in the concept of paying forward. Whether we acknowledge it or not, and as I have written before, we all have a debt to the society we live in. If we want to succeed in society at anything, we must first pay our debt to that society. But, here is the most important part; our debt never ends. We must pay it each and every day for the rest of our lives. Once you realize this, no matter your philosophical, or religious framework, whether it be the golden rule of Christianity, the humanist view of biochemical inducement of self-preservation through the sociological laws of reciprocity, the "Mystical Law" of Karma (the universal law of ethical causation), Confucian Shu reciprocity, or any other world-view construct of the same truth, life will start working for you rather than against you. Life has a way of shining on people who stand in the sunshine of kind actions. But you can't fake it. It has to come from the heart, with a true spirit of giving and selflessness. Some people feel that when you produce something without apparent compensation you are being used by others. I think they are missing the point. Being used by others is one of the greatest honors you can experience; to be *use*ful. In today's busy world of information overload, for people to stop, pay attention and find value in what I have to share is often times payment enough. At the same time, there is no nobility in poverty and we can best help others from a position of strength, not weakness. I am worthy of material gain and shall have it. Money is totally unimportant to me, which is why I need, and will have an unlimited amount of it. However, to me, not all things should be materially profitable. I do what I can to make my money in other areas that are not as sacred to me as my life's higher calling. I intentionally create this distinction to keep my intention pure, and to keep my contract with the universe resolute. 8. You're very active in social networking. How important do you feel this is in our technological, high-speed age? What are the benefits? All success in life comes through other people, whether online, or in "real life." I have been working with "social networking" software since I was 10 years old when I wrote and ran bulletin board systems that pre-dated the Internet's commercial use. Social networking and the Internet are transforming the world before our eyes at the speed of fiber-optic light. Social networking is what we humans do, whether in the remote village, or the global village, and while cliche, it is nonetheless true that the more things change, the more they stay the same. And what we see as innovative now -- is not the end, but rather a new incarnation of what is, and always will be important to people, and that is relationships. People will continue to find new and interesting ways to interact with others. I love interacting with people around the world and making new friends. The more people you meet the more likely it is that you will meet those very special people who will become an important part of your life. Life is largely about relationships; even being solitary is a way of dealing with others. We cannot escape it; we are all here together and the Internet helps to show us the ways in which we were always connected from the beginning. 9. You promote many top names in the creative industries, as well as being personally hugely successful in other areas of work. What does success signify to you? What, to you, embodies the feeling of success? When I receive private letters from people around the world telling me I have helped, or inspired them in some way I feel successful. When my children look to me as their Father, and I can know deep inside that I am setting an example for them that communicates through action, and not words alone, that their lives are full of opportunity, and great things are possible for them, then I feel successful. When I am able to recommit myself to my goals each day I feel successful. When I can carry my own burden and can still help someone else, I feel successful. When someone betrays me, judges me or tries to hurt me, and I refuse to become like them, or become cynical, I feel successful. When I am disappointed, and yet still can believe, I feel successful. When my heart and mind is open, I feel successful. When I cry because I feel for someone, I feel successful. Even when I fail I feel successful, because it was a place of effort from which I fell. Each day, like everyone, I wake up and face the world. It is not always a hospitable world. It is full of problems to be solved, mistakes to learn from and the accumulation of my experiences, both good and bad. However, it is a new day and a new chance! Nothing embodies the feeling of success more to me, than knowing that each second is a new chance. Success in the traditional sense is transient; at best a place from which to fall. My idea of success is that I can decide what to do with my next minute, I am alive, I love myself, I am privileged to love others, and others truly love me. Success, just like poverty is a state of mind. You can become successful instantly with a simple decision and commitment. Long lasting and pronounced success comes to those who renew their commitment to a mindset of abundance every minute, hour and day. Every moment is a new chance for you to recommit your hope and faith to your own version of success. My version of success does not matter and I need not tell you what it is. You can observe it in the way I live each moment.
 Join me in my True Love for Life...I am in love with life. If you open your mind you will realize that life is just amazing. Try not to let your religious and cultural prejudices stand in the way of learning something new or understanding something differently. What seems one way to one person can seem very different to another. What would be correct and good in one instance can be wrong under other circumstances. Therefore, I consider the opinions of others as I do the words from a friend's conversation; to be considered alongside my own and carefully weighed and thought about. We are all brothers and sisters in humanity. I hope that you can know the joy and humility of realizing the many similarities we share with other cultures, even with their ethological constructs so seemingly dissimilar from our own.Ultimately, I would like to build bridges to greater understanding and empathy. It is not that I believe there is no evil in the world; for there surely is, and it must be dealt with. I do, however, believe there is an appalling lack of understanding, communication and concession between individuals and groups. So often, both have valid and completely legitimate points, yet both have great misunderstandings too, and neither have any capacity to acknowledge their own faults. Both sides are often right about the other, wrong about themselves and unwilling to accept the mantel of responsibility to change. Change will never happen when people lack the ability and courage to see themselves for who they are. In my own quest for greater understanding, I have held correspondences for a great many years with people of diverse stations in life, and in multitudinous regions and nations. Many of these people I communicate with are very well known in their respective fields, and often these people have something very meaningful to say. As I have found out, many of them have led excruciatingly brutal lives of high pressure; pressures where the seams of true human nature are often ripped open, exposing them to the best and worst humanity has to offer. Many are in positions of high power, literally holding the lives of their subordinates in their hands. For example, I have communicated with an executioner from a firing squad, a billionaire CEO, a death row serial killer, world famous actors, one of the most hated men in America, a cutting edge researcher, a surgeon who has felt the life under his scalpel slip away, a soldier that has killed hundreds in battle, Noble Prize laureates, best selling authors, politicians and countless other intriguing people with vivid life experiences to learn from. These people often have something simple, yet profound to say, and almost always, it is surprising. Equally important though, is my correspondence with ordinary people living out regular lives, and I have found their experiences, stories and advice meaningful and touching. Many of my correspondents live in countries across the globe such as Greece, Romania, Sierra Leone, France, Denmark, Madagascar, Australia, Pakistan, India, Lithuania, Spain, Hong Kong, Norway, Iraq, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, China and dozens of other countries and cities. I communicate with the young and old, rich and poor, and people representing many cross-sections of life experience, religious conviction, political affiliation and cultural understanding. I also pay aclose ttention to what children have to say, for I learn a great deal from them too. My exploration has reached into my own personal life and past too. I have talked with people in the tragic field of pediatric oncology. I have been an interpreter for the deaf working within that silent subculture and listening to what there was to learn about communication and isolation. As a young man, I volunteered hundreds of hours in hospices and domiciliaries, befriending the elderly who had no family, and have held their hands in mine, as I watched life's light flicker, and at once fade from their eyes as they passed from this world. I have sat silent and frightened, with tears streaming from my eyes as I tried to grasp some salient thought about the absence of their breath. I have collected stories from these people, many of whom exist only as a memory in my mind, and a sentiment in my poetry. I have done hundreds of hours of work with the police and FBI, working with the socially challenged, domestic chaos, suicides, addictions and remorseless killers, during which, I have held a dying woman's skull together with my bare hands as she gasped, trying to whisper some unintelligible communication to me with her last breath. I have stood witness to both the creation, and destruction of innocent life. I have worked with the mentally retarded and physically challenged, and learned about the broken boundaries between the mind and body, and the fine line between health and hardship. But even with all of my experiences I know that I am nave, but not so much so, as to not know that we are all nave. We are all struggling, whether we know it at times or not. Even in our moments of individual bliss, an incubus of ignorance, fear and hunger still haunts large regions of the world. I am recalcitrant to the ever pervasive ethos of apathy that haunts my part of the world, but not nearly enough. We all need to intimately know the sorrows of others, so that the saying, "There but for the grace of God, go I," becomes an epitaph to our indifference, rather than a trite allegory of elitism for those who have forgotten that they too are human, that they too are frail, that they too are subject to such miseries. And in this dervish whirlwind of vanity, indifference, greed and ignorance we fuel, we all at times, ask whatever forces we believe in for clarity and meaning of our purpose in this existence; our Raison D'etre. However, true meaning is an apparition. Life is complex and full of illusions. Absolute understanding in this life is unattainable, and time without profound change is inescapable. Yet, we are all still compelled, like the moth to the flame, to attain that which is beyond our reach, and this we must do. The mysteries we ostensibly perceive, though seemingly ubiquitous, are but mere stitches that hold the inconceivably vast fabric of the unknown tightly closed from our ever prying view. To understand the mysteries of life you must look around and within. You will see patterns everywhere; patterns that seem to manifest themselves over and over again. These patterns exist intertwined within nature and man bridging the gap between the enigma of self and universe. You see them in spiraling galaxies and the Mandelbrot fractal of fossilized Ammonoidea; growing from the unknown to atoms to molecules to solar systems to galaxies to the paradoxical expanses of the universe with origins and destinations unknown; just like us in birth and death. The similarities of tree branches, rivers and blood veins. The power of cellular division and nuclear fission, the patterns of finger prints like endoplasmic reticulum, or a black opal's play of fire like the nebula of supernova. Moon shots are like protoplasmic lurches, while simple thoughts and observations of the nature around us take us beyond the unknown. The clues to the great mystery are all around us and deep within us. You may find many philosophical contradictions within my writings. However, to this I say such is life, for life is full of contradictions. Do not allow the adumbrations of Aristotelian logic to prevent you from seeing a vast spectrum of truths; the post-Boolean continuum of shades of grey where we spend most of our lives. This simple philosophical perspective, long understood in Eastern spiritual philosophies is a 'new,' seminal vanguard of understanding and reason in the West. Poetry can bridge that gap between what is solid and what is suggested; poetry can pull cogent meaning from the vaporous illusions of the esoteric. The most essential thing I can say of poetry is this: Good poetry does not exist merely for the sake of itself, but rather, is a byproduct of yearning and growth; great poetry canonizes that yearning for the growth of others. I call my poetry 'Living Poetry,' because it is continually a work in the making, as I too am a work in the making. When you read one of my poems, you may be in fact reading the thoughts, sentiments and life experiences as seen through my eyes, and the experiences of many people in many places. One of my poems, 'The Tree of Life,' is a composite of wisdom and insights from nearly 100 people living in numerous countries, and took two years to get on paper. My poetry is not about books or mass publications or publicity or fame. I have always been too busy corresponding, thinking, learning and writing to want any of that. My poetry is about real people, relationships and experiences that we can all learn from. My poetry is certainly not about me, for I am far too unimportant. I am just a student of the world; a miniscule, and frail embodied consciousness struggling to understand, and be a meaningful part of this great, mysterious play of life which is set on the stage of our baffling home in the universe. Join me in my quest for a greater understanding of our existence. Join me in my desire for a greater self. Join me as I seek the humility to love and understand my fellow man. Life is a wonderful journey. I believe we should make good use of the precious time and talents we have been given. We should look at the world around us, as well as the mysteries within us, as we seek for understanding and harmony with self. The gift of thought is more than I can bear, and I am elated in gracious joy for each moment I have in this beautiful and painful existence called life.  Justice, Fairness and Intention - Quotations and EpigramsIntention: "A single lie can forever destroy your reputation, a single truth the reputation of another. Not all truths should be spoken, not all lies reviled. Intention is often more important than truth, for truth is regularly a device of choice by those of ill intent."Intention: "The test of a belief is not exclusively in the belief itself, but also in the intentions and actions of those who embrace it." Justice: "Be willing to give all, even to your own physical demise, in order to protect truth from injustice. Be eager to pay any price, so long as it is your own stand for that which you are committed to by truth and honor; this is the price freedom." Intention: "When you are doing things for the right reasons, you do not need to play by the rules."  Knowledge and Intelligence - Quotations and EpigramsKnowledge: "Remember that the greatest fool in the world may ask more than the wisest man can answer."Emotions: "Emotion is often what we rely upon to carry us across the unfathomable voids in our intelligence." Intelligence: "An intelligent person is never afraid or ashamed to find errors in his understanding of things." Intelligence: "Human intelligence may not be the best trick nature has to offer." Knowledge: "Knowledge is that possession that no misfortune can destroy, no authority can revoke, and no enemy can control. This makes knowledge the greatest of all freedoms." Truth: "Truth is not a matter of fact but a state of harmony with progress and hope. Enveloped only in its wings will we ever soar to the promise of our greater selves." Knowledge: "The terrain of our knowledge is scattered with assumptions like precarious, narrow, towering-peaks and mysteries like abysmal rifts. And as is in nature, these mountains and valleys of enlightenment and ignorance are leveled with time."  Lavender Flower Flows  Learning, Growth, Success and Change - Quotations and EpigramsPotential: "We are defined by, what we are confined by."Growth: "In order to deserve, we must pay our dues and steadily work for perfection. We must relish in struggle, and relinquish pride. We must dispel fear and seek enlightenment. We must shun division and honor love. We must know our hearts and seek to understand others. We must try, live, create, feel, grow and love. " Change: "One column of truth cannot hold an institution of ideas from falling into ignorance. It is wiser that a person of prudence and purpose save his strength for battles that can be won." Change: "Leave room for other possibilities in your life. When we have made up our minds about something or someone, we often never revisit the circumstances that led us to our conclusions. People change and so do situations, as most situations are comprised of people's lives. When we leave no room in our lives for other possibilities we are sometimes left behind, for we stand still while the world is transformed around us." Learning: "A person who makes few mistakes makes little progress." Ambition: "Yearning for the seemingly impossible is the path to human progress." Success: "The successful often expect others to esteem their accomplishments as they do, but find contempt in its place. This is because success is hard for many to relate to. For some, long-suffering is easier to respect because it reminds them of their own lives." Ambition: "Ambition is not what a man would do, but what a man does, for ambition without action is fantasy."  Liberty, Freedom and Tyranny - Quotations and EpigramsFreedom: "Freedom is not a gift nor does it simply exist for us to have, but rather it is a sacred duty, and its blessed yield of hope is born from none other than the blood of the innocent."Freedom: "It is better to lose everything you have to keep the balance of justice level, than to live a life of petty privilege devoid of true freedom." Rights: "The right to justice is something that no one can bestow, nor take away, for it is in one's heart." Freedom: "True freedom is where an individual's thoughts and actions are in alignment with that which is true, correct, and of honor - no matter the personal price." Manners - Quotations and EpigramsManners: "Courtesy is a silver lining around the dark clouds of civilization; it is the best part of refinement and in many ways, an art of heroic beauty in the vast gallery of man's cruelty and baseness."Manners: "A polite enemy is just as difficult to discredit, as a rude friend is to protect." Manners: "Good manners are appreciated as much as bad manners are abhorred." Manners: "Courteousness is consideration for others; politeness is the method used to deliver such considerations." Manners: "Callousness and insolence bring to bare unanimous social condemnation, while the simple efforts of politeness are admired; even in those who are otherwise despised." Rudeness: "A mistake made by many people with great convictions is that they will let nothing stand in the way of their views, not even kindness." Manners: "No one is more insufferable than he who lacks basic courtesy." Masonic Midnight Radiance Moments Afterby Bryant H. McGill, December of 2004I have held a human soul As it flew right from my hands And I watched that warm red glow Chill, and then disband I have looked in knowing eyes That knew not any more Nor winked quaint goodbyes That twinkled just before I have felt a weakened breath That moved in shallow sighs That rattled upon death But spoke of no goodbyes I have held a hand in waiting Until minutes before the night Our clasp slowly abating Then gone just with the light There was nothing I could sense No mystical night surprise Just a profound silence Broken by sobs and cries  Now oneby Bryant H. McGill, November of 1989Sex without pain, Weakening with a quiver, Would be like food With out taste or smell Sex without love Or the spirits endeavor, Would be only pain, Weakening with a quiver With all and without, So tasteless is the flesh, Unless as one The two flesh's do twine, Eternally fulfilling With the grace of a kiss, My darling with all be mine...  One Blistering Kissby Bryant H. McGill, August of 2008Out of the moment, one blistering kiss To the vapors, of passion's heavy mist Hand in hand, sweaty salts to lick Round the glass the clock's fingers tick Hypnotized by the music of her sighs The heart won't fly for simple lust or lies Into the abyss, of the deepest heart I dive And hold my breath 'til death, to stay alive.  Our Master Loveby Bryant H. McGill, April of 2003Oh, love is a masterful pain A splendid martyr it makes To render its likeness again The best and worst credits to take We give it our happiest years It reaps from our souls endless tears In life it goes on, in death too beyond It both comforts and proves our worst fears Peace and Love Eternal Buddha People and Relationships - Quotations and EpigramsMankind: "In all known time there has never been a greater monster or miracle than the human being."People: "There are amazingly wonderful people in all walks of life; some familiar to us and others not. Stretch yourself and really get to know people. People are in many ways one of our greatest treasures." People: "People are really amazing when you sit back and think about it. They are funny, curious, and never seem to stop amazing me with the clever things they come up with. I have met a lot of people in the world. I can say from my experience that most people are good." Fathers: "I dare not try to express the depths of a father's love, for though I have dedicated much of my life to words and poetry I doubt I could come close to expressing my feelings. I will say that a father's love is often expressed in many different ways." Relationships: "The experiences of meeting and interacting with people carries with it most of the greatest opportunities to be had; the opportunity to laugh, to learn, to grow, to change, to hurt, to cry, to share, to empathize, to help, to serve, to love, to regret, to long for, to remember and to live." Relationships: "In the company of the accomplished, people hope it will rub off on themselves, in the company of the misfortunate, they fear it!"  Please! Please! Please! Please!No more ugliness, cruelty or painSad victims, and broken hearts The ghastly horrors, left to reign Once whole people, torn to parts A new world exists for us all Free from the gross ravages of fear From deep within comes the call For those that choose to hear The real world is speaking to you, Calm yourself in quietness and listen As the illusion flees from your view And truth rushes back in your being The truth of what life is really about To be this human magnificence Free from the fear and poverty of doubt Is the beauty of a kinder existence We can live in love, respect and peace For all people, and all living things, Division is the most deadly disease The dark bell, from which all misery rings We are all one, and we are all worthy Of our brief, and fragile moment, To live in this mysterious, grand world To which, we have all been sent Please! Peace for the children who suffer! WE ALL have the power and choice, Hope, love, food and clean water, Your thoughts, your legacy, your voice  Poetry - Quotations and EpigramsPoetry: "The most essential thing I can say of poetry is this: Good poetry does not exist merely for the sake of itself, but rather, is a byproduct of yearning and growth; great poetry canonizes that yearning for the growth of others."Poetry: "Poetry can bridge that gap between what is solid and what is suggested; poetry can pull cogent meaning from the vaporous illusions of the esoteric." Poetry: "The talent of a true writer and poet is in the ear."  Poetry In Motion  Power, Control and Fear - Quotations and EpigramsFear: "If we fear the unknown then surely we fear ourselves."Preface to Antonia Tosini's Book on Human Rights and Peace, "Bread and Sunflower"Antonia Tosini's masterful tribute to human rights and peace, "Bread and Sunflower" is a collection of ideals worthy of every reader's time and meditation. Ambassador Tosini's commitment to peace and human rights is commendable. Her visionary work in this book, and her humanitarian efforts around the world are a gift to us all.Fear is the greatest enemy; the father of all suffering, and love is the only cure for humanity's great afflictions. Throughout the pages of her soulful dedication to human rights and peace, "Bread and Sunflower," the reader is confronted with the grizzly realities of human life on Earth; a reality from which most people try to remain unattached. Far from unattached, Tosini has taken the savage plight of humanity's most grotesque and tortured victims deep into her heart. While her writings and thoughts meditate on these monstrous realities, they are passionately enjoined with her unique and unyielding positive resolve. From an indefatigable vision of hope that dwells deep in the author's soul, comes the miracle of a graceful new awareness; an awareness that while these horrors exist, we are all one, and there is still hope. Antonia's "Bread and Sunflower," is replete with ghastly visions, such as an unwanted "newborn baby being thrown into a river," by its father in her poem, "Out of the River." The emotional and poignant metaphor of that child being swallowed by the river as a "tiny flower," is enough to send the reader desperately searching for the solid ground of meaning and sanity in an insane world, for both violence and murder are forms of insanity. A mind selfishly uninvolved with the world's suffering will be rightfully molested by the author's poem, "Perversion," which chillingly whispers of a predator who, "Tastes the purity of the child," and in the aftermath of reading her lines about, "the little soul which sinks into nothingness," the reader too sinks into nothingness with that child. The awareness brought to each reader concerning these beastly acts is inescapable, for as the author skillfully illustrates in her work, we are all made victims; first by the act, and second by those who do nothing, or do not care. In "I Want," the author proclaims, "I want a world of love with no violence." Yet in, "LA TUA MANO," we are reminded of a "disgraceful world with no wisdom." What do we do when the world seemingly lacks the wisdom to live in the grace of peace, rather than a state of dis-ease? How can we, "break the chains of poverty and prejudice," which shackle each soul through the universal links of fear, greed and indifference? Like all of the great peacemakers throughout history, Antonia Tosini knows that the only answer is LOVE. In this book, "Bread and Sunflower," there exists two worlds. One world is nothing short of hell on Earth. It is a place where the unlimited creativity of humanity has been bridled and abducted by fear to create a vision of cruelty and indifference so chilling, that death itself has become a welcomed and kind benefactor. The other world is a world held in your hands. You, and those who love peace are the keepers of the bless'ed torch of hope, and its tendril flames, that burn in the hearts of every soul throughout the world, no matter how oppressed and downtrodden. Those who embrace love are the strength, for they who yearn in their deepest sinews that their children would live in a world of limitless possibilities, where each soul could reach the heights of their potential to love, and to be loved. As you will discover through the pages of "Bread and Sunflower," the only difference between these two worlds, that will ever exist-- IS YOU.  Purpose and Action - Quotations and EpigramsPurpose: "Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for."Action: "Do not let your ambitions become a sanctuary for your failures." Action: "Do not let your grand ambitions stand in the way of small but meaningful accomplishments." Purpose: "It is better to have a meaningful life and make a difference than to merely have a long life." Action: "It is better to have a fair intellect that is well used than a powerful one that is idle." Progress: "Speak to protect the ideals of goodness, and act to make them real in the world. The first proves a consummate mind, the second a valorous heart. Noble words are the seeds of noble actions, and noble actions enable true human progress." Truth: "There is little more powerful than when truth joins action."  Red Flame Bloomby Bryant H. McGill, May of 1996This is the dragon The damsel's flame red bloom The heaven's ghost of love The life-makers loom Now I have seen it And now I shall live Like the dawn of another eve The night fall doth give And all of the world The people and memories too Are now a sighful kin To the silk-lit blacken hue But in their somber There is a memory blooming sight To visions of love and truth so tame That a velvet revolt incites To our greater selves, give in, let go, To intrepid thoughts at dawn So not for naught the thoughts will go To carry life beyond Red Flowers from Self-PortraitRed_Flowers_from_Self-Portrait.jpg) Release The Primal Fears  Remnants of Salvation Rolling Hills Wandering Roots that Bind the Dragon  SandcastlesLife wears you downeach day, little by little Like sandcastles, grain by grain back to the sea, breath by breath Back to the soil, the blood recedes to the unknown, from the unknown Hands that create, and then wash away... Self-Portrait Panel from My Happy PlaceSelf-Portrait_Panel_from_My_Happy_Place.jpg) Self-worth and Confidence - Quotations and EpigramsConfidence: "Learn to have confidence in yourself and attempt to rely on your instincts. Instincts are often the last remnants of a once good judgment that has been dispirited by fear; the tireless master that regularly bridles true individual possibility."Self-worth: "Many openly show discontentment with their looks, but few with their intelligence. I, however, assure you there are many more plain minds than faces."  Service, Helping and Influence - Quotations and EpigramsService: "No time is better spent than that spent in the service of your fellow man."Influence: "Never doubt the power of suggestion. Never doubt the powerful influence you can have on someone weaker than yourself. If you have moral courage and strength then it is your responsibility to help others with that influence through your example. Given the right friends and environment, even the weakest in integrity and character will try harder." Influence: "As you grow older you will realize something very important. And that is, you have more influence on people's lives than you may first imagine. People feed off of their friends and associates for guidance and support. So what I am getting to here is that before you deem a person as 'bad', be sure that your sphere of influence, or rejection does not help tip them over the edge of becoming your perception." Influence: "If you study the Parable of the Sower, its surface suggests that people are much like a field that needs to be sowed with the seeds of good examples; carefully cultivated, weeded and tended to in order to produce a worthy crop. Ask yourselves what seeds do you sow in others? Do you cultivate and weed that the sprouts of goodness have a chance to grow. Don't make the mistake of sowing seeds of doubt and mistrust. Again, give people a chance and you will become a living part of their success." She Kept Her Face Covered She's Home NowDedicated to Jessica Marie "Jessie" LunsfordHer daddy tucked her into bed Gave her a kiss, and whispered, "I love you." Those would be, the last words he said, Her brown, loving eyes, his last view. The impression was still on her pillow, Where her precious head, had last laid In the quiet comfort of her home, Where no child, should ever be afraid Her school books lie out and ready, For a new day; her shoes on the floor The only things missing, a stuffed teddy And the innocence, we trusted before. Her room will stay the way it was left With the lights on, until her daddy decides-- To turn off the lights; close the door, now bereft Of the warm, loving soul once inside. She was taken, without mercy-- so cruel! Like a flower bud, cut before blossom, To her family, a stolen, crown jewel That sank all our hearts to the bottom And from this abyss, we now sit in Our own demons, we now must face, Of mortal monster's, all consuming sin Their deeds, to all, a disgrace But, as we pick up-- the sword of justice To see her eternal balance restored, Let us swear to remember, and keep in trust This child's blessed memory, ever more And with our oath, we shall promise To give thanks, for life's great blessing And live worthy, of those who have truly lost And learn from this essential lesson! Sins are not the Worstby Bryant H. McGill, April of 1997Sins are not the worst, And goodness not the best But love is ever living And death eternal rest  Small Townsby Bryant H. McGill, August of 1997Small towns, freckled frowns, far behind the times Drawl downs, heckle-hounds, childlike pervert minds They started young, and just for fun, they called each other names And now their tongue, though youth is done, embraces still these games Oh meet them today, and watch them smile, and say then fair-the-well Deceits underway, for all the while, they're talking you straight to hell Feverish whispers, judgments high, condemnations fly As little tweaks, by mental freaks, through connotations lie They're scared inside, that's why they lied, at themselves they mostly frown For deep inside, in fear they hide, themselves they thus then crown A crown of chatter, a crown of hate, a crown of jealousy and woe So know your friends, and say good things, and by talk you'll know your foes  Suffering, Pain, and Ignorance - Quotations and EpigramsSuffering: "Suffering is one of life's great teachers."Ignorance: "Most people do not actually know how to think for themselves, and unfortunately that prevents them from even knowing it." Ignorance: "The common person fears to think beyond the common." The Course of the Fleshby Bryant H. McGill, July of 2005For who could fain a soul controlled, Whilst craving teeth on supple lobes, Ignore the cockles thrashing toll, Like the Muse's hot whisper in the ear. Youth's blossom, the soul intoxicates Blood that seethes on petals to devour A flower's beguiling grand seduction Fighting the dizzy lust to englut Later deep in season's sweet opine Mature consuming blooms delight, In waves that swell and yearn to crash On thundered shores where youth subsides No difference, to those thus immured In youthful folly, or mature love sublime, The marrow sets the quickened course, The eye and hand, the time.  The Golden RuleBaha'i World Faith:
 The higher calling of exalting joy through compassionThe_higher_calling_of_exalting_joy_through_compassion.jpg) I was shocked to discover, that never before in the history of diplomacy and politics on Earth, had a document been brought before all nations to be signed, that simply stated we unequivocally desire world peace. I am not suggesting a document that has any specific actions or concessions, but just a simple statement of intention. This seemed to me like a catastrophic failure toward the goal of greater peace. Declaring our intentions for greater goodwill and peace IS the obvious first step toward attaining those goals. Every journey begins with the first step.
The Inner Space Territorial Acquisition ProclamationThe_Inner_Space_Territorial_Acquisition_Proclamation.jpg) September 9th, 2007 - This is an exercise in creativity, but I am serious. For those not aware, there is an international Outer Space Treaty. The effect of the Outer Space Treaty was to restrict control of private property rights, in the way that the law of the sea prevents anyone owning the sea. This is often disputed by those who claim the ability to sell property rights on the Moon and other bodies. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits only nations from claiming sovereignty but does not prohibit private ownership. To date, the dispute has never been tested in a court of law. As such, I, Bryant McGill hereby lay claim, to the entirety of Inner Space. This claim includes all of inner space, on Earth, and the universe, which represents 99.9+ % of everything. I am sending notice to the United Nations, and notified 750 heads of state, ambassadors, diplomats and leaders around the world, with notice of my territorial acquisition.  The LieAlmost everything a person thinks is a lie, and an assault against the natural man.The Open-Winged McGill Family Crest The precious opal is the queen of all gemstonesYou will always remember the first time you hold in your hand the queen of all gemstones; a brilliant precious opal. Beauty in nature will seldom speak more clearly or boldly to you as the first moment when you peer spellbound into the magnificent luster of the opal's kaleidoscopic inferno. One must think it would be God's own vision if he held in his hand the Earth itself to gaze at the heavenly fires of her aurora borealis. Seduced, as you gaze into the opal's labyrinthine nebula of fires and color, you will know that were the expanses of the universe ever to be contained they would abide in the effulgent opal's blaze.Resplendent hues of unfathomable color and fire leap from its form. Your eyes and entire being will satiate with visual harmonies of color. There are greens that leave jealousy without color; greens with depths that pale rich emeralds to light jades. Opulent blends dance before you in infinite shards of light infused with a cosmos of motley infinitudes of reds, like blood red roses; deeper than any crimson, ruby oxblood red. The intense blues shift from sapphire and turquoise and cerulean to cobalt salted glass with depths like the heart of the ocean; azure visions crisp as any October sky and as sullen as the most beautiful blue eyes love's envy has ever known. It will only take one gaze, and you too will be forever in love.  The Tree of Life1The tree of all life divides The limbs and branches bifurcate, Yearning growth shall not subside The will of life will not abate 2 With men and leaves the same Our family lines divide Through this freely flowing vein Life's hope, the young derive 3 The branch from which you grow Will tell you who is kin, And all those we truly know, Are those we call our friends 4 This simple truth of bloodline fire, No greater gift is known, Than knowing why our hearts aspire, To forever cherish our own. 5 Like leaves we live and fall, On branches we all abound The graves that catch us all, Are scattered on the ground 6 We all return to soil, This fate for both is known For seeds are grown like souls, In death new life is sown 7 The ties that bind us taut, Man's family tree of souls Are like leaves naturally wrought, On branches perched on knolls 8 While deep within the roots descend, Life's intercourse with ground At each and every sunray's end, Stirs life, in mysteries bound 9 In this endless cycle of life, The past is future true The days follow the starlit nights, As the sun gives way to the moon 10 The tides slowly ebb and flow, As mountains rise and fall Winters warm to summers' glow, And spring gives birth to all 11 Life's chance is in the center Between the dark and light, Outward, it grows, from the inner As diverging patterns fight 12 The voids define the forms, And the chaos stirs the order For all opposing forces burn, Brightest at their border 13 To each and every living thing The call of life will enthrall, From the mysteries, up we spring, Then to them back we fall 14 The worm awaits its feast Our master in the ground, The most becomes the least Our death to dust is bound 15 Like leaves we have a season, We pass through life so fast And no one knows the reason, That youth and life can't last 16 All life awaits its chance To grow and plant its seed, And hope the future grants Its single greatest need 17 To be a part of life With roots secured in ground, While through the bitter strife New hopes are made or found 18 To reproduce the best And minimize our faults, And through our lives attest, By that which we exalt! 19 To know of things greater Than the small part we play, To know what Creator Produced us from the fray 20 For leaves and men the same Our time is frail and brief, Cruelty has not been tamed Nor fairness worth belief 21 Some leaves wither and die, Because they grew too low And others, perched up reaching high, Shall never peaceful shadows know 22 For growing high, up above Has many sights unseen, Like the moist gift to all beloved, The silky-shaded dues that gleam 23 Some seem like perfect leaves With broad and beautiful forms, Yet caught up in a gentle breeze From life they may be torn 24 Most are average size and form, While others grow not well Some were diseased and deformed And quickly died and fell 25 The cycles of life will pass through Its purposes will be fulfilled, And when destiny wants to take you No matter what it will 26 Give yourself to this flow And enjoy the time as you wait, You may only resist to learn and grow But you cannot resist your fate 27 For nature is very resourceful Its mistakes are with pure intent, It is never at all remorseful And shall never through force relent 28 So do not fight its mighty plan Or force will be met with force, And in this yielding peaceful span Shall men then know their course 29 Life's truth is so simple, Its purity is cold and divine, The skies are our holy temple Under which we are all entwined 30 We all yearn for knowledge The light we need to grow, We must however acknowledge, Some things, we cannot know 31 Once we accept our Creator's design Living in joy can then begin, This is the wisdom eluding mankind It is our pride, we must transcend 32 Take what life has to offer you And make it the best you can, And understand the simple truth That it is sufficient, to be a man 33 Accept your place in nature The truth, you will then plainly see, We're but a melody, in one grand overture Like the rustling leaves of a tree. The Tree of Life Divides, Illustration  The Universe Was ListeningI call the number of a prostituteHer number given to me by her friend She is in desperate need. Will you help her? I opened my check book. Her phone was ringing. She answered. I said, "Pay attention. I am here to help you, tell me now what you need and the universe will give it to you." I put my pen to the check.... I AM ready for a large amount. She hung-up the phone. Life is about choices...  The Vision of an Orphanby Bryant H. McGill, March of 1993In the early dawn of the first Autumn day, In a small town-- Few to whom had known, Awoke a young orphan boy. As usual he made his way through the town, While silently his soul did sing, Through the thick of the woods-- to the edge of the lake, By the way of the winding spring. At the bank of the lake he sat quiet and still, That even the animals knew, Of his wisdom's taught, by nature's insight he wrought, And to all he lends wisdom hitherto. And over the years of seventy and nine, His shadow as one did twine, With the leaves and the trees-- by the sun's peaceful ease, To a wreath of the soul and the vine. He only spoke once that the town people heard, From a drifter of the lands of the free, So he said once he heard-- like a flittering bird, Chirping psalms of the gods begging pleas And as the orphan died he spoke before the trees, What can I offer to you, Least that which you already possess, But a token far above-- written knowledge, spoken love, Hereof noble scarlet blood may you bless. The grave of death calls out to me, As I am weary and soon to pass, For those graves of the soil-- stretch far to the sea, With the roots of all souls springing up through the grass. Here at my death I wonder, what of life-- and living have I learned, Have your psalms been remembered, For your souls too shall surrender, one day, And my spirit now moves by its freedom so yearned. We are all born from the same dust, And spring forth to the light, Reaching up to the height, Of the source of the envy-- of the cold black of night. And even as the dry leaf in my hand is crushed, and scatters in the soil, So too by a greater hand am I returned to the earth, And even as the farmer-- for his crops will so toil, From his efforts shall he eat, for his misery shall yield mirth We are born that all may live, That all indeed will be born, That the gift of life be given to the night, By the break of the dawn-- of the morn's early light. And I know now that my youth is spent, And what may I say of youth, Except it be the wish of the old, That the start of the finish, through time does diminish, That a story you tell-- though it be long, shall be told. Our youth is not the grace of calm, But the waves of the highest in the sea, That joins the heart, the soul and mind, That shakes and settles the roots of the trees. It is through the good will of youth, that our souls do so grow, Like the arrow so springs-- from the taut archer's bow, And flies through air like a wedge in the night, As it soars like a razor to the knowledge of light. It is how we learn that so separates us, from the beasts of the wild, It is that quest that so burns-- in the deep of deep, For the knowledge of gods, Of the infant child's weeps! Will I ever know of these things, I seek knowledge even as the trees, branches of leaves Stretch and sway in the wind, that they may each find the sun, For knowledge so shines-- from the sun as it sends, As for life and to live-- our morrow so depends... Ah, but as tomorrow shall come, even so shall it pass, For opposition in this life Is the blood in my veins, Like the black roots in the ground Of the shiny gold grains. You should never be as one constant-- In spirit or body! For even as we are made of bones of hard-- and tender flesh, So too should our spirits be not of all tenderness. For it is the unbalanced That shall cause even itself to fall, For the moon would not shine-- Should the sun never fall. And once again I beg of you, do tell, What can I offer to you, Least that which you already possess, But a token far above-- written knowledge, spoken love, Hereof noble scarlet blood may you bless. May you bless me that all I have lived for, in knowledge and deed, Be my fare to your paradise-- with assured Godspeed, That the orphan of the trees, my life you have known, That my life as I give-- be my eternal birthstone. My birthstone to forever, my tomb of today, And I call to your mercy-- as in weakness I lay, For all I have to give to you-- are my mortal remains, To christen this earth, to forever sustain... So a sustain of life-- by my death do I give, That the green of your leaves by my marrow should live! For it is the twain of our souls-- that do twine into one, Like the night and the day, and the moon and the sun... And the breath no longer filled his lungs... And as sure as he died-- the trees youthfully grew, And forever they cried-- leaves mounted in dew, And forever his soul-- with the bird's songs sing, Shining bright in the blue-- waving leaves living green The way your true story will be toldVow to cherish, each simple moment,For this time is the greatest gift ever sought Love your children, that you never lament Over words and deeds, never wrought Catch every little tear; like diamonds in your hand And remember, little things break their hearts Seek to truly know them; to truly understand Their tiny worries, through gentle smiles depart. Even their scattered toys-- are a joyful reminder That they are there, and happily at play, Even their demands, proudly declare, They have their own minds, and say; Their little bodies, so perfect a display; Their hands that playfully touch your face, Or, pull your hand to say, "come along and play;" In a magical, and wondrous place. Their voices-- instruments pure and true Their words, a melody most sincere, When they peer in your eyes and say, "I love you," And you know it's the truest thing, you'll ever hear. These are the things, that will make them whole, That they will carry forever in their memory This is they way your true story will be told, By loving and treasuring your family.  This Lifeby Bryant H. McGill, April of 2003Love the lips, taste the wine Curves of hips, intertwined Up the hill, down the valley Children shrill, bodies tally Fickle fate, despot masters Hour's late, great disasters Children sleeping, gentle faces Stars creeping, cross the spaces Love your daughters, love your sons For time's waters, quickly run Wake the flies, stir the worms To dust that dies, to ash that burns Time is the Great Illusionby Bryant H. McGill, December of 2004Take every precious moment And spend it well my friend And dwell thee not on discontent To higher forms transcend For life is full of illusions None as persuasive as time Men shall come to their conclusions And few as such sublime For our time is frail and brief Our hearts are a beating clock No matter what our will or belief The ticking hands shall stop Many a man before his hour Answered a call of unknown toll When rang the bells a distant tower His mortal hours stole But time you see is a perception Its tempo an illusion of the mind The clock shall make no exception Save how a man shall reckon time It is here that death has no power Some deeds they echo on forever In another's beating passing hour The gift of your loving endeavor Sometimes it is just a smile or glance Your gift of a gentle touch or embrace Just never miss that precious chance To do what time cannot erase  Tourtured Souls Truths once knownby Bryant H. McGill, July of 1996Do not be afraid... my daunted friends For life-- like light, shall never be bound Through life, this darkness veil transcends Your soul's own light, shall joys resound! From light, the shadows of darkness cast In crossroads-- we many therein stand Succumb thee not to darkness vast Sin's wisdom-- of the Master's plan The colors of life, and choices all Seed the fields of hope-- with our druthers We sometimes in, these spectrums fall Needing-- our sisters and brothers! For beneath the muted colors-- dearth Life's vestige brilliance, may there be found Lore tells of beauty, soul and birth Strife's journey, spirit-- nature crowned Within black, and sullen faces shown Memories of pith-- begin to wane Kin to moments, of truths once known These ballads-- and visions-- the same  Understanding and Wisdom - Quotations and EpigramsUnderstanding: "I would like to build bridges to greater understanding and empathy. It is not that I believe there is no evil in the world; for there surely is, and it must be dealt with. I do, however, believe there is an appalling lack of understanding, communication and concession between individuals and groups."Understanding: "Do not allow the adumbrations of Aristotelian logic to prevent you from seeing a vast spectrum of truths; the post-Boolean continuum of shades of grey where we spend most of our lives." Clarity: "Change will never happen when people lack the ability and courage to see themselves for who they are." Understanding: "True meaning is an apparition. Life is complex and full of illusions. Absolute understanding in this life is unattainable, and time without profound change is inescapable. Yet, we are all still compelled, like the moth to the flame, to attain that which is beyond our reach, and this we must do." Understanding: "To know something you must also know its seasons. What would one know of the Earth who only saw the winter, and what would one say of the moon who only saw its faint image in the bright of day? The same is true of people, for only in great time may the seasons of their hearts be known." Unfinished business: a reflection of the Southern way of life08/26/05 - For the Journal-Constitution. Essay's by Famous Southerners I believe there is a deeper meaning to Southern college football. Sure, we have all heard the stories and witnessed the fervor and wrath of football in the South. Rivalries, savoring victories for years, legends and heroes, and ferocious competitions of what was, what could have been, and what will be the matchup of the century; these are a few hallmarks of real Southern college football. Many Southerners have tried to explain this passion to the uninitiated, usually to discover that it is hard to convey an ethos with mere words. But, for those of us who grew up around it, we know that college football is a reflection of the Southern way of life.The South, it seems, has unfinished business. All people invest their pride in their youth; Southerners are no different, nor was my grandfather, who may have been the greatest Alabama football fan who ever lived. He watched every game and had a shrine of photographs, Daniel Moore prints, autographs and memorabilia. He loved the Crimson Tide, and followed Bear Bryant's career with Alabama from day one. My name was likely inspired by my grandfather's hero, Paul "Bear" Bryant, who he endlessly quoted to me, saying, "If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride and never quit, you'll be a winner." Well, one day my grandfather had the privilege of meeting his hero. What did he do when he stood before his idol? Did he have something signed to add to his collection? No, he had an autograph signed for me, "To Bryant, From Bryant Believe in yourself." For sure, the one thing he loved more than football was his grandson. For many Southerners, college football is more than just a game. It is a part of our childhood, our dearest memories, our coming-of-age, our traditions and our celebration of life, competition and excellence. The embodiment of Bear Bryant's quote lives on in the traditions and will of the Southern people's determination. Southerners believe in themselves, have dedication and pride, and will never quit, and for these reasons will always be winners. American poet Bryant H. McGill is a Mobile, Ala., native, the author of the award-winning "McGill English Dictionary of Rhyme," and editor of the American Review Literary Journal. 37 Vapors, Dreams and Illusions Various Thoughts - Quotations and EpigramsAppearances: "It is better to be respected as wise than feared as cunning. Being clever is no fault, nor is calculating necessarily devious, but virtue often abides with the simple and corruption often with the quick."Equality: "American society will never completely understand the true meaning of equality." Fanaticism: "Fanatic is often the name given to people of action by people who are lazy." Constitution: "For the weak, beliefs are not always in line with their own personal truths, but instead they follow the path of least social resistance. Over time this reshapes the innate values nature instills within each soul into corrupt half-truths; values neither of the individual nor of a civil order, but a convoluted perversion of both. For many this makes it impossible to remain faithful to their values and yet equally impossible to escape from them. They are paralyzed with indifference and their intellectual and spiritual growth is stunted between fear and acceptance." Loans: "Never expect a loan to a friend to be paid back if you want to keep that friend." Persistence: "The act of beginning is powerful, but the greater force is the art of ending. Raw intellect can begin the momentum of an idea, but only diligence, perseverance and unrelenting determination will materialize that gift of creation into the real world." Tolerance: "The best way to win against the intolerable is to tolerate them, for this they have seldom dealt with. Your indulgence may soften their malice and open their eyes to more honorable ways." Reputation: "Unfortunately, your reputation often rests not on your ability to do what you say, but rather on your ability to do what people expect." Comedy: Why do we laugh at such terrible things? Because comedy is often the sarcastic realization of inescapable tragedy. Emotions: "Comfort in expressing your emotions will allow you to share the best of yourself with others, but not being able to control your emotions will reveal your worst." Visions of gloryby Bryant H. McGill, March of 1998Visions of glory, Oh, human is he, The fear of the dark, The light doth decree!  We danced like sparrowsWe danced like sparrows-In the flame of one another's youth We inhaled the fragrance- Of the bloom of life We smothered oneanother- In the warmth of tender flesh The world was transformed- But for a brief moment.  We did not get to say goodbyeby Bryant H. McGill, December of 2004If I die before I see you again A simple thing I want to say No matter to the troubles when Our time was dark or grey For as a whole our time was great And filled with joys and love That no trials can thus abate Nor change the truth thereof Where I am, I hold no grudge And hope you feel the same For time is a forgetful judge That freely forgives blame One day it will be your turn To give this gift again To those you love, you'll return That you kept within The simple truth that you cared And wish you showed them more There's no reason to despair To memory - let's adore! We may have hated as enemies oughtby Bryant H. McGill, August of 2004We may have hated as enemies ought Our people fiercely battles fought And shoved the dagger deep impale With bloodied hands we thrust to hell And with the last strangled breath There was but one nation left And those, their people lifted high The defeated culture left to die Yet now we meet on unsullied ground My ghostly words in your thoughts resound I hold no blame for your people's deeds I forgave the wrath that secured their needs My only regret, it pains my soul Are the lives my children never knew Their young bright hearts, cut dim and cold Their hopeful futures stilled and through Like you, I loved my children, I treasured every living breath Their memories now a fading vision From which the vivid laughter left When next you look into cherished eyes And know you would instantly give your life You then will know what I did for mine How easily, we each would sacrifice I swore the same things to God above That tomorrow would be theirs alone We cut and bled the soft-white dove Their supple smiles to Earth and bone Weakness, Vices and Evil - Quotations and EpigramsCorruption: "The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places."Corruption: "Sometimes power is all a person has, so they will protect it even unto their own destruction, for without power they have nothing." Anger: "Keep your anger in check. Anger is like a fire's ember; the hotter it burns the quicker it consumes itself and those things around it. Unchecked, anger often turns into an explosion of cruelty that can forever destroy a reputation and wound the tenderness of those whom we care about." Vanity: "Self-made men often worship their creator." Jealously: "There are few surer ways to become disliked by men than to perform well where they have performed poorly." Deception: "Truth is often the favorite tool of those who deceive." Anger: "A wise person lets his anger die quickly for one who conquers his anger in fact conquers a brutal and timeless enemy. Anger is a short madness, and wrath, its brightest flame, is nothing less than a communion with our darkest most primitive aggressions. Remember it is easiest to destroy your anger while it is still small before it has seized your intelligence and turned your own strength against you." Vanity: "Architects of grandeur are often the master builders of disillusionment." What are my plans?I don't like society, so I think I will re-invent it... What men truly knowby Bryant H. McGill and Chris Heinen, December of 2004Men know many things Of beginnings, middles and ends Lifted heroes, fallen Kings Changes like the winds Needs, Hopes, and distant dreams The suffering that makes us stronger Things that are, and things that seem And a life, we wish was longer Birth, death and a brief moment For mistakes guilt and regret Sins that need divine atonement Our wrongs to thus unset Many more; are the things unknown Yet all can know good deeds Thus are mighty beauties grown From such noble seeds  Where is Home Who creates the ghettos?Who creates the ghettos?Who creates the farms? They that plow the meadows They that worship arms Swords into plowshares Let the steel transcend, The act begins by caring It's the heart that bends Words, Language and Communication - Quotations and EpigramsDiscourse: "Where wise actions are the fruit of life, wise discourse is the pollination."Language: "Language is vastly important to nearly all human progression. Language is a factor that joins nations of people together. It is a common denominator among civilizations of people where in some cases there may be few others but hate. Though through language there may be division, without its powers there would be only division. If a person cannot communicate his ideas effectively to others because of a weakness in language, then how may they understand the concepts of others fully? And even more important, how may one conceive and understand one's own creative thoughts? How can you bring to fruition that which you cannot convert from the abstract?" Reading: "I have never read for entertainment, but rather for understanding and to satisfy my eager curiosity." Discussion: "Try to keep your mind open to new ideas and never let offense stand in the way of discourse, for discourse and the exchange of ideas is the only motion by which the chaff is separated from the wheat in the world of ideas." Words: "Words are the tools that verbally enable our thoughts. If a person cannot communicate his ideas effectively to others because of a weakness in language, then how may he understand the concepts of others fully? Moreover, how may one conceive and understand one's own creative thoughts? How can you bring to fruition that which you cannot convert from the abstract?" Opinions: "Try not to let your prejudices stand in the way of learning. What seems one way to one person seems very different to another. What would be correct and good in one instance can be wrong under other circumstances. Therefore, I consider the opinions of others as I do the words from a friend's conversation; to be considered alongside my own and carefully weighed and thought about." You will live them one more timeby Bryant H. McGill, April of 2004What shall be known of the days we've wasted The friends we've loved and those we've hated What will become of the laughter last Or those once known in lives long past What shall we do with the time we've wasted Or the gentle lips like wine once tasted What of our children alone when we die Or our bodies like fallen leaves that lie What will come of the mornings and the days Who will remember our purpose and ways What of our memories and what of the pain Who will know them as us the same It is you-- that will live them one more time And you will taste those lips of wine You too will know the joys I knew, And sorrows' longing, for life anew  Zeitgeist: Famous Quotes Defining the Spirit of Timeless WisdomHonorable Dean Alfange: "I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents God gave me -- not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say -- ..This, with God's help, I have done.' All this is what it means to be an American." 38Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do." William Henry Channing: "To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony." Mother Teresa: "People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the end, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway." Theodore Roosevelt: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." 39 Calvin Coolidge: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; he world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination re omnipotent. The slogan press on has solved and always will solve he problems of the human race. No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." Zen mantra: "great doubt: great awakening; little doubt: little awakening; no doubt: no awakening." Buddha: "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your common sense." Robertson Davies: "The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." Robert F. Kennedy: "You're happiest while you're making the greatest contribution." Ralph Waldo Emerson: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Success: To laugh often and much; -- To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; -- To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; -- To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; -- To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; -- To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived." Louis Farrakhan: "Something is WRONG! Wrong with the government in which we live, wrong with the leaders that lead us, wrong with us, and the way we respond, to our enemy and each other. This nation is not about poor people! Whether they're black, brown, red, yellow or white. This nation is about RICH people, and to hell with the weak, the poor, they must serve!" George Orwell: "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." Arthur Schopenhauer: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and third, it is accepted as self-evident." Aristotle: "Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." Sophia Stewart: "The poor steal because they're needy; the rich steal because they're greedy." Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." Saint Augustine: "Seek not abroad, turn back into thyself, for in the inner man dwells the truth." Albert Einstein: "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." Jung: "He who looks outside dreams. He who looks within, awakens." Mahatma Gandhi: "Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love." Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Lakota Proverb: "Force, no matter how concealed, begets resistance." Albert Einstein: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." Ben Franklin: "By improving... yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid only of standing still. Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you." Ralph Waldo Emerson: "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." Salvador Dali: "While we are asleep in this world we are awake in another one." Abraham-Hicks: "One who is connected to the Energy Stream is more powerful than a million who are not. And two who are harmoniously focused and connected to the Energy Stream brings about a co-creative endeavor that cannot be matched by anything else in all of the Universe." Ayn Rand: "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." Abraham Joshua Heschel: "When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people." Tom Robbins: "When they tell you to grow up, they mean stop growing." Jack Kerouac: "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn...." Tori Amos: "If you allow yourself to feel the way you really feel, then maybe you won't be afraid of that feeling anymore." Tori Amos: "When you stop putting yourself on the line, and you don't touch your own heart, how do you expect to touch other people?" Washington Irving: "Great minds have purposes, little minds have wishes." Albert Einstein: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: His eyes are closed." Alonzo B. Bragdon: "Alas, how scant the sheaves for all the trouble, The toil, the pain and the resolve sublime-- A few full ears; the rest but weeds and stubble, / And withered wild-flowers plucked before their time." 40 Aristotle: "There is a cropping-time in the races of men, as in the fruits of the field; and sometimes, if the stock be good, there springs up for a time a succession of splendid men; and then comes a period of barrenness." 41 Bible: "As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more." 42 Thomas Hobbes: "No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." 43 David N. Elkins: "When we touch this domain, we are filled with the cosmic force of life itself, we sink our roots deep into the black soil and draw power and being up into ourselves. We know the energy of the numen and are saturated with power and being. We feel grounded, centered, in touch with the ancient and eternal rhythms of life. Power and passion well up like an artesian spring and creativity dances in celebration of life." 44 William Blake: "To see a World in a Grain of Sand -- And a heaven in a Wild Flower, -- Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand -- And Eternity in an hour." 45 Charlene Spretnak: "There are sacred moments in life when we experience in rational and very direct ways that separation, the boundary between ourselves and other people and between ourselves and Nature, is illusion. Oneness is reality. We can experience that stasis is illusory and that reality is continual flux and change on very subtle and also on gross levels of perception." Albert Einstein: "Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance." Black Elk: "Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of the little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss." Albert Einstein: "A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation, and a foundation for inner security" Albert Einstein: "Man tries to make for himself in the fashion that suits him best a simplified and intelligible picture of the world; he then tries to some extent to substitute this cosmos of his for the world of experience, and thus to overcome it. This is what the painter, the poet, the speculative philosopher, and the natural scientists do, each in his own fashion. Each makes this cosmos and its construction the pivot of his emotional life, in order to find in this way peace and security which he can not find in the narrow whirlpool of personal experience." Albert Einstein: "The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. The religion which based on experience, which refuses dogmatic. If there's any religion that would cope the scientific needs it will be Buddhism...." Henry Miller: "We invent nothing, truly. We borrow and re-create. We uncover and discover. All has been given, as the mystics say. We have only to open our eyes and hearts, to become one with that which is." Albert Einstein: "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." Jainism: "Have benevolence towards all living beings." 46 Dag Hammarskjold: "God does not die on that day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reasoning. ... When the sense of the earth unites with the sense of one's body, one becomes earth of the earth, a plant among plants, an animal born from the soil and fertilizing it. In this union, the body is confirmed in its pantheism." Hinduism: "The mode of living which is founded upon a total harmlessness towards all creatures or [in case of actual necessity] upon a minimum of such harm, is the highest morality." 47 Alred Tennyson: "Flower in the crannied wall -- I pluck you out of the crannies -- I hold you here, root and all, in my hand. -- Little flower, but if I could understand, -- What you are, root and all, and all in all, -- I should know what God and man is." 48 Hildergard of Bingen: "I, the fiery life of divine essence, am aflame beyond the beauty of the meadows, I gleam in the waters, and I burn in the sun, moon, and stars .... I awaken everything to life." Joseph Joubert: "How many people eat, drink, and get married; buy, sell, and build; make contracts and attend to their fortune; have friends and enemies, pleasures and pains, are born, grow up, live and die -but asleep!" Senator Robert F. Kennedy: "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." 49 Albert Schweitzer: "The deeper we look into nature, the more we recognize that it is full of life, and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret and that we are united with all life that is in nature. Man can no longer live his life for himself alone. We realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all this life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe." Jane Harrington: "When you touch a body, you touch the whole person, the intellect, the spirit, and the emotions." Jainism: "I have acted, I have caused others to act, and I have approved of others' actions. One should first comprehend that all such actions taking place in the world are the cause of the influx of karma particles, and then should forswear them." 50 Lao Tzu: "One may know the world without going out of doors. -- The further one goes, the less one knows. -- Therefore the sage knows without going about, -- Understands without seeing, -- And accomplishes without any action." 51 Rumi: "I am the dust in the sunlight, I am the ball of the sun -- I am the mist of morning, the breath of evening -- I am the spark in the stone, the gleam of gold in the metal -- The rose and the nightingale drunk with its fragrance. -- I am the chain of being, the circle of the spheres, -- The scale of creation, the rise and the fall. -- I am what is and is not -- I am the soul in all." Pat Ogden: "In our bodies, in this moment, there live the seed impulses of the change and spiritual growth we seek, and to awaken them we must bring our awareness into the body, into the here and now." Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common." Sun Myung Moon: "The spiritual world is connected with the physical world. The common factor connecting all things is true love." 52 William Shakespeare: "And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." Susan L. Taylor: "We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly ... spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order." Vivian Elisabeth: "Follow the wisdom provided by nature. Everything in moderation - sunlight, water, nutrients. Too much of a good thing will topple your structure. You can't harvest what you don't sow. So plant your desires, gently nurture them, and they will be rewarded with abundance." 53 Charlene Spretnak: "There are sacred moments in life when we experience in rational and very direct ways that separation, the boundary between ourselves and other people and between ourselves and Nature, is illusion. Oneness is reality. We can experience that stasis is illusory and that reality is continual flux and change on very subtle and also on gross levels of perception." Albert Einstein: "One cannot but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity." Leo Buscaglia: "The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises." Eileen Caddy: "Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed." Saint Francis de Sales : "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew." Vince Lombardi: "The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur." William George Jordan : "Unhappiness is the hunger to get; happiness is the hunger to give. . . . If the individual should set out for a single day to give happiness, to make life happier, brighter and sweeter, not for himself but for others, he would find a wondrous revelation of what happiness really is." Zeitgeist: Quotes, Quips and Epigrams by my FriendsWawi Amasha: "WE ARE ALL THE SAME, if we like it or not, we all are a part of the same origin. Color, class, creed, country are all illusions. We are unique. We all want and need the same. LOVE, FOOD, SHELTER, PURPOSE, HAPPINESS. Realize this and be true to what life is supposed to be. We are all brothers and sisters in this journey called life. Let us make it count and cut the hatred and all the negativity. A beautiful life."Stella Vidal: "Perhaps those who chase money will come up empty handed and those who strengthen relationships will not contend with scarcity." Wawi Amasha: "Humanity has a lot to learn. The only way to heal is through love, compassion and forgiveness, otherwise we are doomed and the universe will find a way to force us to face our weaknesses and it's not going to be pretty." Stella Vidal: "How about you go through your journey believing that each day is your arrival, thus celebrating every small accomplishment? Knowing, that there is more to the journey, but not waiting to be happy until you have 'arrived' to the last destination? Many times we overlook the excitement and anticipation of what is yet to come without realizing that your destination IS where you are today." Stella Vidal: "Highly realized people think from the en - that is, they visualize what they wish for before it shows up in material form. Their visualizations can be magnified through meditation and PRAYER. What are you trying to manifest into YOUR life?" Bibliography
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
| ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
McGill RSS Feeds