This world of blogging is a strange world indeed. You read blogs, leave comments and begin to feel like you actually know the people you are talking with. Yesterday I had the great
Kim (left) of Tranquil Dreams visited the Life of Jonathan the other day. It was awesome.
fortune of actually meeting one of my blog friends in person and to make them an actual friend.
If you have never read Tranquil Dreams then you don’t know Kim. She writes eloquently about food, books and especially movie reviews. I enjoy reading her work and what I like best is that she always has a friendly and encouraging comment to share with you when you visit her blog.
Kim told me she was coming to Maine awhile ago, and I was hoping that we could meet in person when she was here. We were able to work out the details and I was able to spend some time with Kim and her awesome boyfriend Eric. They were kind enough to humor me and listen to my stories about camp and life.
For me it was a thrill, and if Montreal is full of people like Eric and Kim, I definitely have to visit there.
I hope anybody who is coming to the area, gets in touch with me to arrange a meeting, it was amazing to meet your blog friends in person. Also in the picture, Kim makes me look really tall.
In life there aren’t many experiences which bring large numbers of positive people into your life at once. Each person making a lasting impact on you, whether it is big or small. If you are a reader of this blog, then you have noticed my absence recently.
The great crew from camp after an unexpected dip in the lake. It cost me a phone but it was well worth it.
I had great intentions of being able to keep writing while working the hours that this great experience requires for the short-term. Unfortunately life has gotten in the way, and my intermittent contributions will have to do until the middle of August.
Inspiration comes from life, and I think that to live your life to the fullest and gather the lessons that each day has to teach, you need other people in it. There is a sign in my current office which I did not put there, but it serves to remind me about the impact that people have. It states. “Everyone brings joy to this office. Some when they enter. Some when they leave. ” I have found these words to be true.
My current occupation is as an administrator at a small summer camp in Maine. It is a fantastic place, and the staff that works here consists of tremendous young people. I often hear people complain about the younger generation and the fact that they lack work ethic or morals. I would challenge them to spend a day with the counselors at our camp. You would be bowled over by character, determination, hard work and just plain decency. They are all good kids who contribute greatly to the successful running of the camp.
Selfishly, the influx of all of these great people has made me a better person. All people get down, and need an encouraging word from time to time. Without even knowing that they are doing it, almost without exception this group of young people has encouraged me daily, and inspired me not only to advocate for them, but to remember my younger self and the dreams and inspiration that come along with it.
Often times as life moves along we tend to minimize the number of people in our lives as we become set in our ways and interests. I know that I have been less likely to venture out of that comfort zone to stretch to try new things. This entire experience has been a stretch and a growing experience. I know that it is only for a short season, which gives me the strength to carry on through all difficult circumstances and also reminds me to cherish the moments that do come along.
Each and every person in this adventure, those that are here and those that have moved on have made an incredible impact on my life in a very short time. From the owners to the girl who washes the clothes. I am truly lucky to have been able to be impacted by these great people. I am sure that just as quickly as we all came together, we will all separate at the end of the summer, but the memories of this experience will last with me for the rest of my life.
As our society has evolved to produce more and more entertainment for people to enjoy, the moments available for actual individual, creative thought have become few and far between.
I know that personally, there were times where I was entertained during every moment of my free time. It was common to turn the television on immediately when I got home to add noise to a quiet house, to having music playing all night long to, “help me sleep”, it was a non-stop bombardment of my senses that was actually distracting me from engaging in any original thought at all.
When you look at how our young people choose to live life, it is even worse, between Ipods, computers, video games and television, there is very little left for the imagination to do for them. They are living an amusement park ride of the senses, allowing for outside influences to supply the entertainment, not developing their individual thoughts or imagination. This is not everybody, but a large portion of the youth today.
Finding Your Thoughts In The Quiet
Solitude
Solitude is not a dirty word. As we are developing as people, it seems like you are constantly judged by how many friends you have and that if you are ever by yourself then you must have a problem.
That is not true, what you need to develop is an ability to be by yourself and to use that time not as a sign of social dissatisfaction, but to use it as a time to develop your individual creativity and thoughts.
It is in this time alone that you will be able to find your original thoughts and understand the many experiences that you have. If you find a quiet time without any distraction and allow your mind to work unfettered by any outside influence, you will experience original thoughts, no matter how intelligent you feel you are.
You will find your own thoughts in the quiet times. You will be surprised what you will be able to create and understand in that time all by yourself. You will find many of the things that you are passionate about as well as being able to glean wisdom and understanding from the experiences you have had throughout your life. You will also start to really notice all of the rich details in the things around you that previously you were oblivious to.
Knowing Yourself is The Ultimate Reward For Solitude
Probably the best thing that finding a little solitude will give you is a much deeper understanding of yourself. What makes you happy? What makes you sad? You will find the things that make you smile, and the things that break your heart.
There are many things that people like to do with others and you need to have contact with many people to be a well rounded individual. But I also think that it is important to find moments of pure solitude so that you understand what parts of yourself you have to offer to others.
So challenge yourself to find some moments of solitude, and to think original thoughts that are yours and yours alone. All of those in your life will appreciate you and your unique thoughts more than you can imagine. Give it a try.
Quotes on Solitude:
“Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character.” ~James Russell Lowell
” Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a quiet in a crowded day—-like writing a poem or saying a prayer. What matters is that one be for a time inwardly attentive.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.” ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
“In solitude we give passionate attention to our lives, to our memories, to the details around us.” ~ Virginia Woolf
‘In meditation it is possible to dive deeper into the mind to a place where there is no disturbance and there is absolute solitude. It is at this point in the profound stillness that the sound of the mind can be heard.” ~A.E.I. Falconar
“O Solitude, the soul’s best friend, That man acquainted with himself dost make.” ~Charles Cotton
“Solitude is the nurse of enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is the true parent of genius.” ~ Isaac D’Israeli
“One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a journey; but I like to go by myself.” ~William Hazlitt
“I am sure of this, that by going much alone a man will get more of a noble courage in thought and word than from all the wisdom that is in books.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you knew the world was ending tomorrow, who would you make sure you visited today?
The Mayans thought it was going to happen in 2012, yet here we are!
by Jonathan Hilton Day 54
Knowing the world would end tomorrow would make me want to see a lot of people today, for a number of reasons, but I think that this question is good motivation to look at how we value people and how we let relationships drift away into indifference for a multitude of reasons.
So I am going to split the people into categories and explain the reasons for each. One thing is for sure it would be one busy day.
Family First
First of course there would be family that I would want to see, so that I could make sure that they were ready for the impending destruction. I would want to say thank you for all that you did in my life and that I am very grateful for the kindness and that I love them all very much, ask if there was anything I could do for them on that last day.
Each relationship in that familial web is important and I would hope that I could get to them all. I know how much I miss the ones that are gone already, they are with me every day and I am not sure about what would happen if the world ended, but as long as I was able I would be carrying them with me.
I have a clear conscience in this area
Friendship Is Important
Second I would want to visit all of the friends that I have met over the years to say good bye and reminisce about good times shared, and all of the funny memories we had, so that I could tell them how much I appreciated spending some time on this journey with them.
There are many friends from all of the different phases of my life and I guess I would have to use Skype to talk with some of them, but if I could I would talk to them.
The people I grew up with are as dear to me today as anyone, because there is a shared experience of childhood that could not be faked or manipulated. We knew each other, both the good and the bad, and there was a support and caring there that still exists today. My high school friends shared a different time with me, but still significant. The ties you make as a youth are strong even if you don’t see each other on a regular basis. They don’t break easy.
I went to two different colleges and there are two distinct groups of friends there but they are the people that I really grew up finally with and started to learn about the world. I have nothing but smiles and great times to share just one more time before the world ends.
Then of course as an adult, there were a lot of people I met through the jobs I have had, but not a lot of them were friends, they were coworkers for the most part. These “friendships” were clearly only for a short time and they did teach me something, but it is the past where I have found my true friends.
This One Goes Out To You
Next I would find the three people who I was ever in love with in my life. It might be awkward because I haven’t seen any of them in years. but I would want to tell each of them that regardless of my actions, I take responsibility for them. They had an impact
A nice peaceful place for the end of the world
on me and I have carried it with me for my entire life. Not the bad things but the good times the memories that made me a better person. They still are making me better today. I am grateful that we shared whatever we shared.
Forgive Everyone
Time is getting short so I would want to at least call some people I feel like there are unresolved issues with. To tell them that I forgive them and am sorry for my part in any pain they experienced.
Life is full situations that provide you with a choice, I made some that were universally good and some that might be construed as bad for everyone. Whenever the end does come these petty things are not going to be on my mind. I send best wishes to those who are angry and hope they find happiness before their ending. I forgive them for anything they did to me.
Finally
That being done, if I had any time left I would go to a spot that was special to me, there are several and await the end of the world with anticipation, and not be afraid in the least bit. What good would that do? The world is ending and there isn’t anything you can do about it, might as well enjoy the spectacle.
Is there any other song appropriate for this post?
Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
10 years for fame or beauty
by Jonathan Hilton Day 51
There is no way I would forfeit one day of my life to become extremely attractive or famous because I simply think that both things are subjective and are they really worth it?
Now there are some things that I might seriously consider this proposition but for being attractive or famous I don’t think it would be worth it.
Being Attractive is definitely not worth it
First of all there is the attractive part. This assumes that being attractive is a purely physical thing, and if I am going to be judged purely on the physical then what about my thoughts, my
Beauty is on the inside
creativity and all of the other things which I think are pretty good about me, that make me, me?
Besides I think that many of the problems our society stems from our obsession with physical beauty. Which to one person is different than to another.
When you look at your life and your development as a human being, would you give back the knowledge, understanding and wisdom that you have collected over the years?
Looks are fleeting, but your character lasts forever. In the end, isn’t a higher intellect and human understanding much more attractive to the right kind of people anyway?
Beauty is subjective and changes, and those who value the aesthetic over the substance of a person tend to be shallow. Why would you care what they think of how you looked? Those who you would care about would see your value and beauty no matter what your looks were.
I have known very attractive people on the outside who are really unattractive on the inside, and every one seems to be unhappy.
Fame Is Fleeting
When it comes to fame, I think that living ten years of life would be more valuable than
What Price For Fame?
whatever fame could bring to you. I think that being famous is a double edged sword, because everything that you do is thrown wide open for the world to see.
There seems to be very little that famous people keep to themselves, and that might be difficult.
I would never deny a certain human desire to have your thoughts and talents appreciated by others, and that fame might lead to some validation of what you have thought or done.
However, there is another side that will inevitably come with that, of judgment of your entire life.
Everything that you ever did, or anyone that you have ever known would have a piece of you that could be distributed for cash reward. Real friends are hard to find in any case, I think with fame you would never know who your friends were or what the real intentions of people were.
So I think fame might be interesting, but not worth ten years of my life. Think of all of the experiences you can have in ten years. There will be beautiful days, great relationships, love, gratitude, anything that you can imagine that you could experience in a ten year period would not be worth giving up for fame.
What Would I Give Ten Years For?
Thinking about this I had to try to think of something that I would give up ten years from my life expectancy for and I came up with a few. First, I think I would do it for the perfect
We are our experiences, it is all a valuable part of the process.
relationship, but then I think that the perfect relationship exists for everyone so I could have that without giving up ten years of my life, so I would keep the ten years and enjoy the relationship for that time.
I would be tempted to give up ten years on the end of my life to be able to be young again and know then what I know now, because I wouldn’t waste so much time doing things that are so stupid.
Then you realize that all of those experiences were vital in making you who you are. Even though the experiences of your 20’s were often self destructive, self indulgent and downright idiotic, they were a necessary stop on the journey of your life.
True wisdom can never be gained unless you learn the lessons that life has to offer you. Knowing what it is like to be excessively drunk, lets you know that your decision to not drink at all is smart.
Having meaningless relationships gives you the capacity to appreciate deeper connections with people today. Acting foolish and not valuing your thoughts, allows you the capacity today to appreciate the wisdom that you have attained and the depth that your thoughts take today.
So the short answer would be that I guess there is nothing that I would give up ten years of my life expectancy for, every second is precious, and needs to be cherished and lived to its fullest potential.
When I first heard this song, I was in my thirties, today in my mid forties, I wonder if I have lived my life to it’s fullest. I can only hope that every day I do.
Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
Don’t look at the lights
by Jonathan Hilton Day #44
I am sure there are plenty of different philosophies to answering this question, and I believe the type of person you are will determine your behavior when it comes to elevator button pushing. The differences in this area are not meant to create divisions but to define who we are as people.
Personally when I have the occasion to use an elevator, which surprisingly doesn’t happen very often. I am transformed into a ten year old boy fascinated with this form of
once is good, ten times means you mean it
transportation, and just for the record I feel the same way about escalators, stairs that move: where will technology take us next?
When it comes to elevators, I don’t think they would have put all of those buttons on there if they didn’t want them to be pushed.
I think it is something about the fact that they light up when you push them and there is something attention grabbing about lighted numbers, but if I am in an elevator by myself and not in a hurry, I will push all of the buttons and see what happens.
I definitely push both the up and down buttons when you are waiting to get on the elevator.
Maybe it is the power that you feel by pushing a button and summoning a machine to transport you to other places, without having to use those stairs. Stairs are for losers. I also believe whole heartedly that if pushing the button once will bring the elevator to you, then pushing it ten times will bring it to you faster. It only makes sense.
The elevator can sense the urgency that pushing the buttons numerous times represents, especially if you do it in a particularly frantic or spastic manner. The elevator will think, “Geez, must be a very important person in the lobby, forget all these other people who only push the button once.”
The problem comes when you are facing off with another button pusher on a different floor. You are going to have to hit that button like you’re playing space invaders to get more power than some other frantic button pusher who is obviously not as important or impatient as you are.
Don’t worry about the people in the lobby staring at you and slowly moving away from you, they will really admire your persistence. So much so that I bet they will just wait for the other elevator to come, so that you can enjoy your well earned ride all by yourself. As Charlie Sheen said, “Winning!”
Singing to buttons always works!
There is also a secret trick I have learned to make any elevator understand that I am a person to be taken seriously and to get to my floor quicker, and that is to tap out a song on the button very quickly and to sing along with it.
The best songs for this are A Little Less Conversation, by Elvis and Sweet Child of Mine by Guns n Roses. You will really impress everyone in the building as you loudly and quickly sing these songs to the rhythm you are banging on the elevator buttons.
So remember that pushing the button on an elevator many times is always better than just once, show the world that you are the type of person who controls their own destiny and push that button 60 times in quick rapid fashion. You may set a new speed record for elevator travel. (note: I really don’t think that people who use stairs are losers.)
For apparantly different reasons, Flo Rida likes elevators too!
Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
by Jonathan Hilton Day 40
When I read this question I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. My answer is neither but not because I have anything against genius or even anything against a simpleton, (whatever that means).
I assume the question is designed to make you feel like genius comes with worry and if you are a simpler person you will experience joy. I reject the question as biased and borderline offensive. Here are my thoughts.
Worry is a Choice
First lets look at the word worried. This is always a choice, you don’t have to do this. This question seems to assume that only intelligent people worry and only people with no intellect are happy. This if offensive to me as a human being who strives to find a way to be happy, am I merely a simpleton looking for my natural state or am I a genius doomed to failure?
Worry has never made anyone more successful in anything. No matter how much you work something over in your mind, dread it or want to avoid it, you still can’t stop it from occurring.
Any random, run of the mill genius should realize this, so if you are spending your life as a worried genius then you are, in my opinion only half right. There are choices every day that people of all intellectual levels have to make which directly reflect on the experience they will have. Just like kindness is a choice and what thoughts about life you pay attention to are choices as well. I do not know much but I do know that an intelligent person would be able to choose a better recourse than to waste their time worrying.
Why Judge?
There is a judgment in this question that should be ignored and pointed out. Who am I to differentiate between a genius and a simpleton. Suppose I am a member of the latter
I like these guys. Am I a simpleton? Or just a fan of comedic genius?
group, I assume I would lack the skills to understand the question.
If I were in the former I suppose I would be too worried to function and display my genius appropriately. I guess I don’t know why anyone would ask such a question. These distinctions are all relative anyway to the intellect of others.
I may be a genius to some and a simpleton to others, that distinction has absolutely nothing to do with what type of person I am, or how much I worry or am happy. Not one bit. We spend too much time in life labeling others and placing them in categories to feign some sort of understanding.
I may be a simpleton which means I would be a little slow on the uptake but I know that we are all connected and the more time we spend dividing us the unhappier we are going to be in the end, no matter if we think mighty thoughts or nothing more significant than the batting average of a baseball player.
I have been fortunate to know many great people in my time, and intellectual ability has never been a factor in how I felt about them. It was the kindness, the giving, and the value they provided. I have enjoyed conversations with people all of my life there is no intellectual entrance level of intellect.
The Worst Question in The World
Just reading this question I think makes the world just a little more of a difficult place. I
I can’t bear to listen.
apologize to anyone reading it, because I feel like just considering the labels of genius or simpleton makes us all a bit more narrow-minded.
I hope to embrace all of my fellow human beings, not just some endowed with high levels of intellectual capacity, but all of them. The phrase joyful simpleton is along the lines of ignorance is bliss.
They are designed to demean portions of the population. Who are these simpletons? Where do they live? All of us have parts that are intellectual and others that enjoy the simpler things in life. There is no reason to intellectually slander anyone for this.
Accept all people regardless of their intellectual capabilities, if you think yourself a genius then start hanging around with smarter people.
Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
If you could experience true love for only a week of your life would it be worth it?
by Jonathan Hilton Day 36
Sometimes life seems to be full of things that are dichotomous to experience. Both bitter and sweet to the senses and often times we have to make a decision if they are worth it or not.
Love is one of these experience in life. There are so many positive things to it but in the end you have to wonder is it really worth it? Wouldn’t the time be better spent developing a talent or learning to fly a kite or something?
The answer I give in the final analysis is based on the weight of the measure of the positive power of love against the angst and pain that remain when for whatever reason love ends. That is the dilemma this question asks you to solve.
The Power of Love
There is nothing that can make you feel as good as being in love. The connection that you have with one other person which allows you to know that there is something unique and special inside of you that someone else appreciates.
All of you flaws are overlooked for a moment and the positive ingredients that make you who you are, seem to be enough, like shining jewels in you soul that are invisible to everyone else.
There is nothing more important than spending time with that person you love. Hours are condensed to moments and moments are non-stop fun, interest and your heart actually hurts when you are apart. There is a counting of the moments until you are together again.
Someone’s love for you is very powerful and can allow you to grow and accomplish things together that apart would be impossible. Love has the power to make you unbelievably happy and when you appreciate that you live in the moment like at no other time in your life.
The Price you Pay
There is a significant cost that you sometimes pay for love however, for no good thing comes for free or without risk. Love is so precious that many times we start to let fear of losing your love creep in and start to destroy the positives you feel. Jealousy is one of the major culprits.
When you are afraid of losing your love then jealousy arises. It can be based on absolutely nothing, or on something from your past or any irrational fear, but once jealousy starts to creep in, love seems to be much harder to maintain. Envy, anger, doubt, inferiority and ego also come with this package, but the culprit is fear. I don’t think you fall out of love as much as you fall into fear.
These negative emotions cause you to lose your empathy for that person you loved and once that is gone, there is no longer any love.
Once love is lost, there is no cure for the pain that you feel other than the calming salve of time. That does not do you any good when you are alone, can’t sleep and you miss the thing that made you so happy.
There is a hole in your soul that may in time be closed or perhaps it will just sit there, neither healing or being fatal to your existence. Just bearing a constant reminder of what once was and now is gone. Is that pain really worth it when it comes to love? When you just want to find a way to be normal, to find your worth again. To feel that special again.
Totally Worth It
I admit freely that in my past, I had totally given up on love and the fact that it could ever provide anything but pain and anguish in the end. Yet I know that there is a hope that love will rise and those feelings will come with it.
The idea that no better way to spend a day than talking about whatever it is that the one your love is interested in. Life is a game that was designed to be played by pairs of people to be most effective.
Love makes this possible. With the power, the craziness, the mess, the loss, the happiness, the sadness, the fear, the jealousy, the joy, the anguish, the euphoria, the pain is all worth it. I would do it for a week, if that is all I was allowed to have.
I know I am a better person for those I loved truly and carry those victories and defeats happily in my heart! If I was only allowed that kind of love for one day it would definitely be worth it. Life would be much less if I had never had her head on my shoulder or held her hand just to feel her near me.
The memory of the power of that relationship gives a hope to the heart that tomorrow, a love may rise again. If it doesn’t come then you will at least have the memory of the power and purity and know that the most beautiful things in life are in fact possible.
If you could experience true love for only a week of your life would it be worth it?
If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
You Can Do It Now!
by Jonathan Hilton
Day 35
There are two ways to go with this answer, you can say if something hasn’t happened yet then it is not ever going to happen and you could lose the few strands of hope you have left for accomplishing the task.
Or the other answer can be that the time must be ripe for whatever it is that you have brewing, and dream of achieving, and the only thing you have to lose is more time passing before you achieve whatever it is you want to accomplish.
THE TIME IS NOW!
I believe that there is no time like right now to do whatever it is you have been thinking of achieving. This doesn’t mean that you have to do it all today, but start moving in that direction and you will be surprised where you may end up as you approach your goals.
There may be seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your path, but even the tallest mountain can only be crossed by taking the first initial steps. That is the way of the world and if you long to achieve something you can do it.
When you look at the part of the question, yet, it would seem to indicate that you have
We all have that voice in our head, trust yourself.
been thinking of doing something for a long time, maybe it seems financially unrealistic, or seems to take away from your family time, or some other reason.
There will always be a reason if you want to avoid accomplishment. There are lots of people who have accomplished great things after a lot of struggle.
Historically speaking you can find many who persevered and contributed much to the world at a much more significant age. Leanardo da Vinci was drawing significant sketches as he enjoyed his sixties, Michelangelo created sculptures of great talent in his eighties, Winston Churchill traveled the world and contributed to society right up until his death at the age of ninety and Leo Tolstoy wrote novels as his seventies rolled by. So it has been proven that it is never too late to achieve anything.
Picture Your Success
Well, what would you do?
The most important factor to hold on to when you are seeking achievement is that you have a clear picture of what it is you want to accomplish, then the path will open up to you as you investigate how to make this thing happen.
Often it is not the destination but the journey that provides the most fertile ground for growth and contentment and if you never get started you will never experience any of it.
All it seems that you have to lose is the regret of never knowing if you could have achieved your goal or desire or not. How many people go to their grave with regrets about what they never tried? How many allowed a failure or twenty nine failures or a hundred failures stop them from learning and accomplishing what they might accomplish if they only tried just one more time. I think that in the end there is nothing to lose, except doubt and regret.
If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
If you could choose one book as a mandatory read for all high school students, which book would you choose?
Any Book by William George Jordan!
by Jonathan Hilton Day 33
To find a great work of literature that would be appropriate for a high school curriculum would be easy, but my own opinion is that I should choose a book that will foster thought as well as provide a guide on life.
Too much of our school curriculum are designed to teach people how to perform tomorrow, ignoring the here and now.
My choice provides a lot of guidance and information rolled into one fantastic package. Self Control, Its Kingship and Majesty by William George Jordan provides readers with the motivation and inspiration to reach to become better people and to try to understand life that is happening in the here and now. Everyone in the world should read this book and here is why.
Sparks In My Mind
In my own life there have been a lot of important moments and accomplishments, that at the time meant something wonderful. My journey into thought and actually becoming more aware began the day I started to read this book. I had never heard of William George Jordan, most people never have, but that does not make his words any less powerful to digest.
My mind was like an old mansion with a lot of dust on the furniture and cobwebs all over the place because it had never been properly used up to its capacity. The reading of this book was like throwing the windows open and allowing the first cleaning crews in to make the place presentable.
This power of words, has led to further investigation and expansion, that seems to have no end, nor do I want it to. Yet this entire journey would not have been possible without the key the thoughts of William George Jordan gifted to me a hundred years after it was originally published.
Good Seeds Lead to Strong Crops
In any mind, especially the young, what you put into them is going to have a distinct influence on what you are able to yield out of them. Playing video games and watching television are not going to permanently harm anyone, but there is not a lot of thought stimulated by these activities.
Reading this book, really reading and thinking would change lives and allow students to take their minds further, because there is great advice for how to live. This Guidance applies to life today as well as it did to life at the beginning of the 20th Century.
These seeds of thought would be planted and for some they would grow quick and for others it might take years, but if young minds are exposed to high ideas these ideas can’t have anything but a positive effect on people.
Ideas That Transcend Time
The thoughts and writings of William George Jordan really do apply to today as much as they did in 1907. Thinking well of others and becoming aware of how you think are the kinds of Thoughts that will resonate with all people at all times.
For me, I had never comprehended that how I thought was affecting my life and if I didn’t like what was happening in my life then I had to make changes in the way that I was thinking. The idea that I had control over this thought process was empowering and has been the basis of my personal growth.
If I had never read this book, I am not sure that would have happened. Another theme was the crime of the tongue, how gossip is demeaning to all.
Jordan not only states this but goes on to explain in detail why it is so. Another great one is how blind allegiance to duty is not only foolish but unhealthy. Blindly following anything without questioning is not a good way to live your life.
There are many great thoughts like this that I may have heard of before but never had explained to me in an appropriate way. These lessons resonated and pounded my brain like a bell tolling. Think! Think! Think! The dignity of self-reliance, Think! Worry the great American disease, think! Syndicating our sorrows, think! Failure as success, think! The royal road to happiness, think! There is a weight in these thoughts that stays in your mind.
It touched my Soul and Still Does
So many books I have read since that time and learned a lot of different ideas and studied philosophies of life but none had the impact on me personally as the collection of books written by William George Jordan.
It is great advice, great motivation and also inspiration. I feel like the first step that I had in the journey to actively become a better human being stared the moment I started to read the words in this book.
It could only have a positive impact on the lives of others and the best part is that you can get his books digitally for next to nothing.
This is the greatest bargain in the history of man. Incredible knowledge at your disposal and it doesn’t cost a thing.
If you could choose one book as a mandatory read for all high school students, which book would you choose?
Why Solitude?
Mayan Calendar Kerfuffle? Please!
Doomsday cultists await ‘end of world’
Mayan scholar refutes Dec. 21 apocalypse prediction
Mayan Calendar Means I Don’t Have to Shop for Christmas
2012: Mayan Prophecy and the Shift of the Ages
The Gift of Forgiveness
Are ‘Best’ Friends Essential?
Good Friends…
The Truth About Life Expectancy
10 Easy Changes to Help you Live Longer At Home
Shaffer: Worst elevator crowned in downtown Raleigh
Does Getting Trapped In This Elevator Make Me Look Fat?
Does True Love Really Exist?
You Are Cordially Invited to Release Your Regrets
Regrets
4 Ways To Harness Your Mind
Of what I have known about Books.