changing – Beatitudes Community

Living with Flexibility

Sun, June 2, 2019 Published by Peggy Roberts

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, internationally known author and speaker in the field of self-development, wrote a book called Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life—Living the Wisdom of the Tao in which he has written essays on the ancient wisdom of Lao-tzu. The essay on the 22nd verse deals with “Living with Flexibility.” Dyer says, “Having lived by the ocean for years, I’ve observed the beauty and majesty of the tall palm trees that grow at the water’s edge, often measuring 30 or 40 feet in height. These stately giants are able to withstand the enormous pressure that hurricane-force winds bring as they blow at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. Thousands of other trees in the huge storms’ paths are uprooted and destroyed, while the stately palms remain fixed in their rooted selves, proudly holding sway over their otherwise decimated domain. So what is the palm trees’ secret to staying in one piece? The answer is flexibility. They bend almost down to the ground at times, and it’s that very ability that allows them to remain unbroken.”

Living without flexibility in the way we act and see the world leaves us at a disadvantage. Trying to control everything never works out in the long run. We all know people who are rigid and set in their ways who cannot bend or budge. I imagine that each of us have times when we are that way ourselves. The Tao suggests that nurturing flexibility helps us to withstand the storms of life and remain open to all possibilities. If you imagine yourself as a tall, stately palm tree—the wisdom of the Tao would say: When criticism comes, listen. When powerful forces push you in any direction, bow rather than fight, lean rather than break. When you live from the perspective of being able to say, “I don’t know for certain, but I’m willing to listen,” you become a person whom others identify with because your flexibility lets them see that their point of view is welcome. Let go of having to win an argument and being right by changing the atmosphere with a statement such as, “I’ve never considered that point of view. Thank you for sharing your ideas with me.” In this way you give everyone permission to relax their rigidity because you have no need to prove yourself or make others wrong. Let us live the wisdom of the Tao by being flexible in the way we act and see the world.

What’s Your Ikigai?

Mon, June 26, 2017 Published by Peggy Roberts

Donald F. Fausel
Nov. 22, 1929 – June 12, 2017

For this article, I’d like to share one written by Dr. Don Fausel, one of our residents who passed away last week. Don was a man of great insight and wisdom which you will find as you read his thoughts on “What’s Your Ikigai?”—Peggy R.

“It’s never been easy to be a human being! We have always had to wrestle with strong and painful fears. Now, if we face ourselves honestly, or if we merely eavesdrop on the secret murmurings of our heart, isn’t this what we discover—that one of our basic fears, the fear beneath many fears, is the dread of being nothing, of having no real importance, no lasting worth, no purpose in life. It is precisely to this fear of being nobody, having no worth, that our Judeo-Christian-Humanitarian ethic reminds us that our basic value is not something we achieve in competition with everyone else, but something we gratefully accept along with everyone else. We need not become important, we are important. We need not become somebody, we are somebody. No matter what others may say or think about us, or do to us, we are somebody.

As we grow older and become less able to function physically or mentally as we did in our younger years, we need to remind ourselves, that we are still somebody, with the same dignity and worth, with the same God-given inalienable rights. Sometimes, when we’re not able to do a lot of the things we used to do, when our body is failing us and our short term memory is not as good as our long term memory, it’s hard for us to accept the fact that we are somebody worthwhile. That’s why it’s particularly important for us Elders to periodically ask ourselves, what is my purpose in life?

Several years ago, I discovered a Japanese word that captures the importance of having a positive attitude and purpose in our life. The word is Ikigai, (pronounced ee-ki-guy) the Japanese word used to describe why I get up in the morning, what my sense of purpose is. I love the word Ikigai! I like saying it! I like writing it! Ikigai, Ikigai! I think it was the beginning of my interest in happiness. I realized if you don’t have an Ikigai, you’re not going to be happy. I was even more impressed with the origin of the word and its application for us elders. Researchers have identified what they call Blue Zones. These are areas throughout the world with a high percentage of centenarians; places where people enjoy remarkably long full lives. Their lives are not only longer, but physically and mentally, they are more active than elders in other areas of the world. National Geographic’s, Dan Buettner, has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in these Blue Zones. One of those areas is the Japanese island of Okinawa. It was there that he discovered that one of the characteristics for a long healthy life was having an Ikigai. To a resident of Okinawa, Ikigai can be anything from tending their vegetable garden, taking care of great grandchildren, to walking and exercising every day. Whatever it is that motivated them to remain involved, they give credit to their Ikigai. After years of research Dan Buettner concludes:

“One of the biggest revolutions in thought in our time is the changing of emphasis from physical health to mental health in connection to longevity. The effects of negative stress and ‘inflammation’ are cited more and more frequently as the cause of early death and lowered quality of life. One of the most important methods for counteracting that is Ikigai, a sense of purpose. … Ikigai is something that brings joy and contentment. It fills a person with resolve and a sense of satisfaction in what they are doing. Most of all, it brings happiness.”

In our own way, we need to seriously consider identifying our own Ikigai. We need to know and follow our values, passions and talents–and to share them by example, on a regular basis. It might be by living our lives, with our physical and mental restrictions, as a legacy for our grandchildren or great grandchildren, or showing compassion for those in need, who are less fortunate than we are. Whatever we choose to do, it’s our Ikigai. So what is it that gives your life a sense of worth? What gets you out of bed in the morning? Since I retired, my major Ikigai for the past five years or so has been writing. To paraphrase the French philosopher, Descartes, “I write, therefore I am!” What’s your Ikigai?

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Thu, September 22, 2016 Published by Peggy Roberts

There is nothing like turning to the Psalms to find eloquent, beautiful verse. Psalm 139 is one of my favorites and the line that always rises above the rest is where the Psalmist says: “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).” Do you know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? Do you know the profound worth of your soul and that there is an astounding splendor in you? Our world is populated by people of every race, status and age, all yearning to feel worth and value. Whether an orphaned, poverty-stricken child in Africa, a prostitute in Thailand, a military officer in Russia or an executive on Wall Street – every soul searches for true significance. Often times, however, our search leads us to all the wrong places. We try to find our worth in economic status, acceptance by peers or a sense of special accomplishment. Inevitably, we discover that net worth does not produce self-worth. Acceptance by friends does not equate to well-being within. Comparing favorably with others does not produce peace with ourselves.

St. Augustine said, “Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.” Isn’t it incredible that of the 7.4 billion people in the world, not one of us is exactly like any other?! Some are tall. Some are short. Some are wide. Some are narrow. Some have thick hair. Some have thin hair. Some have light skin. Some have dark skin. Like snowflakes, all are unique and have been fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Unfortunately there is a lot of money spent on changing what God has fearfully and wonderfully made. In 2015, Americans spent an unprecedented $13.5 billion dollars on cosmetic surgery.

American pop singer, Lady Gaga, says, “Baby, you were born this way.” Each and every one of you was born fearfully and wonderfully made. You carry within you something ineffable, something that Christianity names being made in the image of God, and which Buddhism names the potential Buddha-nature of all people and which is expressed in the Hindu greeting, Namaste–that which is divine in me honors what is divine in you. Know your profound worth and recognize the divine spark in each other. *

Why Does Technology Change so Fast

Tue, August 30, 2016 Published by Beatitudes Campus

Ahhh, the water faucet. It’s been delivering water to sinks since 1700 BC in a Minoan palace using a simple concept of terra cotta piping and spouts. Not much has changed really. Leonardo Da Vinci designed the first valves in the 1500’s. And through the 1900’s there were three more advancements to include quarter turn, single handle and ball valve designs. Finally we ended up with the automatic motion activated valves brought on by public awareness of “germs”. How can something see such little change for thousands of years only to have the majority of its advancements in the last century? Obviously for the faucet it is the simplicity of the device and the Industrial Revolution but I’m using this example to illustrate how something can exist for such a long time with very little change. And the beauty is, it still doesn’t need new instructions with each new version. By the way, did you know the average family uses the faucet 70+ times per day?

Before a few centuries ago, technological advances were far and few between. Maybe once per century or longer. Look at how long it took to go from the sword to the gun. After the Industrial Revolution, a lot of things advanced pretty quickly. Mainly things people used to socialize and improve quality of life like the telephone, television and the automobile. However, after a certain amount of time they settled into a slower and more predictable rate of improvement. This is referred to as “lockin”.

Now fast forward to the Age of Electronics or the “Information Age”. When was the last time you purchased a cell phone only to have a newer and better version available even before you have pocket wear marks in your favorite pair of jeans? Computers and software upgrades are almost continuous. You can now digitally store what took 100 VHS tapes, or 50 CD-ROM’s on a plastic chip the size of your fingernail. Scientists are mapping everything from the brain to the universe. You can pretty much find information on anything you want in minutes via the Internet. You can communicate and share pictures with someone thousands of miles away as if they were your neighbor. And on and on and on.

Why is this happening? Why do we continually have to learn new features, new tips, new tricks, new procedures, etc? The question I get asked most commonly is “Why do you have to change it if it was working fine in the first place?” And the population most challenged by this phenomenon is the elderly. The people we work for every day … our residents. Unfortunately the answer to these questions aren’t easy and there are actually several theories that may not leave you with the solid answers you probably hoped for. So as to not drag this out too far I will only touch on a few of them.

It is said that technology products are “self-accelerating”. That is, the products own processes enable them to develop even more rapidly. For instance, computers are used to help develop faster and better computers. And those new chips are immediately put into use. With the aid of faster computers, other sciences can make advancements faster as well. With everything going digital and computerized, more discoveries are being made every day now. They each benefit the advancement of the other. Like a perfect storm. What used to take months or years now can only take weeks or days. All in the interest of creating longer life, better environment, better economy and of course, better revenue. However, the belief is that technologies with this property of perpetual self-accelerated development, sometimes termed “autocatalysis”, create conditions that are unstable, unpredictable and unreliable. And since these particular autocatalytic technologies drive whole sectors of society, there is a risk that civilization itself may become unstable, unpredictable and unreliable.

Another theory is that it all ties to advancements in communication … for communication and by communication. In other words, 100 years ago it would take days if not months to spread the news of a discovery to different parts of the world. Today that same information can be made available to the entire world in a matter of minutes. An Internet or telephone connection is the only limitation. And with that type of knowledge sharing between all disciplines of researchers and developers, the rate of technological advance increases exponentially. On a world wide scale.

Honestly, at the Beatitudes Campus, we upgrade equipment simply because the old equipment is just that … OLD. In order to avoid major down times we have to continually be proactive and upgrade at about the expected life span of any particular device. We don’t want to just use it until it breaks and then have to suffer the wait time for ordering something new. But unfortunately either way comes with all the new advancements that have occurred since the deployment of the first one. New features, new buttons, processes that all seem to have the sole purpose of frustrating the life out of us. But believe it or not, the intention is to make things better. And for us IT guys, it means job security in our field for a long time to come. Our challenge is to try and keep up with these advances as they occur. Sometimes an impossible task.

Tag: changing