For inspirational songs, there's no place like hope
Article by: KIM ODE Star Tribune August 26, 2012
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/167371325.html
The next time you're seeking a source of inspiration, try singing
"Over the Rainbow." You know, um, the song that ends, "Why, oh why
can't I?"
Perception is a funny thing.
While the lyrics of the signature song from "The Wizard of Oz"
actually paint a mood of wistfulness wilting into despair, the
feelings perceived from Judy Garland's serenade to a place beyond the
clouds apparently are enough to make it No. 1 on a list of "Top 100
Most Inspiring Songs" as determined by Beliefnet.
Beliefnet, which describes itself as a multi-faith online resource for
inspiration and spirituality, compiled the list "as a guide for
individuals who seek encouragement and strength," according to a
release.
Granted, Dorothy sort of flew over a rainbow, and even though she
awoke vowing never "to leave here ever, ever again" because there's no
place like ... Oh, gosh, the music swells and you just know there must
be a place where dreams really do come true.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP 10
•"What a Wonderful World," by Louis Armstrong
•"Lean on Me," by Bill Withers
•"Wind Beneath My Wings," by Bette Midler
•"Man in the Mirror," by Michael Jackson
•"We Are the Champions," by Queen
•"Greatest Love of All," by Whitney Houston
•"Imagine," by John Lennon
•"You Raise Me Up," by Josh Groban
•"One," by U2.
2012-08-20
How Great Love Is
How Great Love Is
Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived;
happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others, including love.
One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to
sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to
leave.
Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island
paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally
under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to
ask for help.
Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness,
Can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my
boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."
Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful
vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you," Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my
beautiful boat."
Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go
with you."
Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just need to be alone now."
Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with
you."
But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear Love calling to him.
Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, "Come, Love, I will take you
with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she
forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went
on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder.
Love then found Knowledge and asked, "Who was it that helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"But why did Time help me when no one else would?" Love asked.
Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because only
Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."
[sent by email without attribution]
Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived;
happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others, including love.
One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to
sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to
leave.
Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island
paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally
under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to
ask for help.
Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness,
Can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my
boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."
Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful
vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you," Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my
beautiful boat."
Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go
with you."
Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just need to be alone now."
Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with
you."
But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear Love calling to him.
Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, "Come, Love, I will take you
with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she
forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went
on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder.
Love then found Knowledge and asked, "Who was it that helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"But why did Time help me when no one else would?" Love asked.
Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because only
Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."
[sent by email without attribution]
How Great Love Is
How Great Love Is
Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived;
happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others, including love.
One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to
sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to
leave.
Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island
paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally
under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to
ask for help.
Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness,
Can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my
boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."
Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful
vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you," Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my
beautiful boat."
Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go
with you."
Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just need to be alone now."
Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with
you."
But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear Love calling to him.
Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, "Come, Love, I will take you
with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she
forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went
on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder.
Love then found Knowledge and asked, "Who was it that helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"But why did Time help me when no one else would?" Love asked.
Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because only
Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."
[sent by email without attribution]
Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived;
happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others, including love.
One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to
sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to
leave.
Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island
paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally
under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to
ask for help.
Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness,
Can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my
boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."
Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful
vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you," Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my
beautiful boat."
Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go
with you."
Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just need to be alone now."
Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with
you."
But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear Love calling to him.
Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, "Come, Love, I will take you
with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she
forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went
on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder.
Love then found Knowledge and asked, "Who was it that helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"But why did Time help me when no one else would?" Love asked.
Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because only
Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."
[sent by email without attribution]
2012-08-14
On being true to oneself
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh: On being true to oneself
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Time and again I am asked by people on a concrete occasion "What is the Will
of God for me now, in the nearest future?" And I always refuse to speak in
God's own Name, because I believe that all I, or any priest, can do is to
stand before God in awe, and say, "Lord, Thou art the Truth, Thou art Life,
Thou are also the Way, teach this person; be to this person the Way,
enlighten this person with the truth, and bring him to such plenitude of
life as no one can either convey or give."
And yet there are things which can be done. Each of us is a freeman of God,
as St. Paul said clearly, He says there was a time when we all were slaves
of Satan, slaves of our passions, of our fears, slaves of all the things
that press on all sides and do not allow us to be true people. In Christ
freedom is granted; not license, but the freedom to be ourselves, the
freedom to grow into the fullness of the stature which God has dreamt for
us, to grow into fullness that will make us truly living members of the Body
of Christ, partakers of the Divine Nature.
On whatever step of our spiritual development we are, the first thing which
is required of us is that we should be true to ourselves: not to try to be
anyone except the person we are; not to try to ape any behavior, to force
ourselves into any mould in heart, in mind, in will which could be a lie
before God, to lie to ourselves, a deception for others. The first rule is
to be true to ourselves; and to be true with all the integrity, all the
passion, all the joy of which we are capable.
And what does this mean? Apart from what I said a moment ago, it means that
we must find who we are not only socially, but at another level.
And to do this, we can read the Gospel which is an image of what a true
human being is; not a book of commandments, of orders, as it were, given by
God, "Do this, and you will be right in My sight" no: it is a picture of
what a real human being thinks, feels, does and is. Let us look into the
Gospel as one looks into a mirror, and we will discover that in so many ways
we are a distorted image but that in a few ways perhaps, we are a true human
being already, at least potentially. Let us mark those passages of which we
can say, like Luke and Cleophas on the way to Emmaeus: Does not my heart
burn within me when I hear, when I read these words? How beautiful they are!
How true! That is life!.. And if you find one passage or another to which
you respond this way, rejoice; because at that point God has reached you at
the deepest level of your being, revealed to you who you truly are; but at
the same time revealed to you Who He truly is, shown you that you and He are
in harmony; that if you only become what you already, potentially, truly
are, you will become His like, the like of God; a true undistorted image -
at least in one or two things.
Then there is another move; if we want to be truly ourselves, we must
remember that God does not expect us to be what we are not, but what we are.
And that we can stand before God, and say to Him, 'Lord! I have read this
and that in the Gospel; I understand it with my mind; I believe in my heart
that it must be true; but it does not set my mind aglow, my heart on fire;
it does not stir my will, it does not transform me yet. Accept me as I am! I
will change - but for the moment I cannot respond to such a commandment, to
such an example. There is a passage so beautiful, to me, in the writings of
St. Mark the Ascetic in which he says, "If God stood before you, and said,
'Do this, and do that' and your heart could not answer 'Amen' - don't do it;
because God does not need your action: He needs your consent, and harmony
between Him and you."
Let us therefore try when we ask ourselves in an attempt to find out what
the Will of God is for us, not in the absolute, but now: where do I already
stand? What can I already now be and do, and do it wholeheartedly with God?
- because in the end, the aim of our spiritual life, of our life and our
faith in Christ does not consist in being drilled into doing one thing
rather than the other; it is to establish between God and us a relationship
of true friendship, of a joy of mutual freedom, and within this freedom,
within this friendship, in response to God's love, to God's respect for us,
to the faith He has in us, to the hope He has vested in us, and say 'This
person has understood that he is not a slave, that he is My friend' and He
is our friend. What a joy! And it is a gift of God, which we can give Him as
we received it from Him!
Amen.
* All texts are copyright: Estate of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh,
Metropolitan Anthony Library
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Time and again I am asked by people on a concrete occasion "What is the Will
of God for me now, in the nearest future?" And I always refuse to speak in
God's own Name, because I believe that all I, or any priest, can do is to
stand before God in awe, and say, "Lord, Thou art the Truth, Thou art Life,
Thou are also the Way, teach this person; be to this person the Way,
enlighten this person with the truth, and bring him to such plenitude of
life as no one can either convey or give."
And yet there are things which can be done. Each of us is a freeman of God,
as St. Paul said clearly, He says there was a time when we all were slaves
of Satan, slaves of our passions, of our fears, slaves of all the things
that press on all sides and do not allow us to be true people. In Christ
freedom is granted; not license, but the freedom to be ourselves, the
freedom to grow into the fullness of the stature which God has dreamt for
us, to grow into fullness that will make us truly living members of the Body
of Christ, partakers of the Divine Nature.
On whatever step of our spiritual development we are, the first thing which
is required of us is that we should be true to ourselves: not to try to be
anyone except the person we are; not to try to ape any behavior, to force
ourselves into any mould in heart, in mind, in will which could be a lie
before God, to lie to ourselves, a deception for others. The first rule is
to be true to ourselves; and to be true with all the integrity, all the
passion, all the joy of which we are capable.
And what does this mean? Apart from what I said a moment ago, it means that
we must find who we are not only socially, but at another level.
And to do this, we can read the Gospel which is an image of what a true
human being is; not a book of commandments, of orders, as it were, given by
God, "Do this, and you will be right in My sight" no: it is a picture of
what a real human being thinks, feels, does and is. Let us look into the
Gospel as one looks into a mirror, and we will discover that in so many ways
we are a distorted image but that in a few ways perhaps, we are a true human
being already, at least potentially. Let us mark those passages of which we
can say, like Luke and Cleophas on the way to Emmaeus: Does not my heart
burn within me when I hear, when I read these words? How beautiful they are!
How true! That is life!.. And if you find one passage or another to which
you respond this way, rejoice; because at that point God has reached you at
the deepest level of your being, revealed to you who you truly are; but at
the same time revealed to you Who He truly is, shown you that you and He are
in harmony; that if you only become what you already, potentially, truly
are, you will become His like, the like of God; a true undistorted image -
at least in one or two things.
Then there is another move; if we want to be truly ourselves, we must
remember that God does not expect us to be what we are not, but what we are.
And that we can stand before God, and say to Him, 'Lord! I have read this
and that in the Gospel; I understand it with my mind; I believe in my heart
that it must be true; but it does not set my mind aglow, my heart on fire;
it does not stir my will, it does not transform me yet. Accept me as I am! I
will change - but for the moment I cannot respond to such a commandment, to
such an example. There is a passage so beautiful, to me, in the writings of
St. Mark the Ascetic in which he says, "If God stood before you, and said,
'Do this, and do that' and your heart could not answer 'Amen' - don't do it;
because God does not need your action: He needs your consent, and harmony
between Him and you."
Let us therefore try when we ask ourselves in an attempt to find out what
the Will of God is for us, not in the absolute, but now: where do I already
stand? What can I already now be and do, and do it wholeheartedly with God?
- because in the end, the aim of our spiritual life, of our life and our
faith in Christ does not consist in being drilled into doing one thing
rather than the other; it is to establish between God and us a relationship
of true friendship, of a joy of mutual freedom, and within this freedom,
within this friendship, in response to God's love, to God's respect for us,
to the faith He has in us, to the hope He has vested in us, and say 'This
person has understood that he is not a slave, that he is My friend' and He
is our friend. What a joy! And it is a gift of God, which we can give Him as
we received it from Him!
Amen.
* All texts are copyright: Estate of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh,
Metropolitan Anthony Library
2012-08-08
Simply Smiling Can Actually Reduce Stress
July 31, 2012 - Smithsonian Magazine
Simply Smiling Can Actually Reduce Stress
Posted By: Joseph Stromberg
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/07/simply-smiling-can-actually-reduce-stress/?utm_source=smithsonianinsider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=201208-insider
It sounds like the most useless advice imaginable: Just put on a happy
face. Conventional wisdom is that smiling is an effect of feeling
happy, rather than the other way around. Simply smiling in stressful
situations can't possibly make you feel any better, right?
Wrong. A fascinating new study by University of Kansas psychologists
that will soon be published in the journal Psychological Science
indicates that, in some circumstances, smiling can actually reduce
stress and help us feel better.
"Age old adages, such as 'grin and bear it,' have suggested smiling to
be not only an important nonverbal indicator of happiness but also
wishfully promotes smiling as a panacea for life's stressful events,"
said researcher Tara Kraft. "We wanted to examine whether these adages
had scientific merit; whether smiling could have real health-relevant
benefits."
To investigate the claim, the researchers recruited 169 willing
college students for a hands-on experiment. But they had to engage in
a bit of deception. Actually telling the participants that they were
testing whether smiling would make them happier would have distorted
the results, so the students were told that the experiment was about
multi-tasking.
First, the participants were instructed on how to perform an unusual
task: holding chopsticks in their mouths in particular ways that
prompted various facial expressions. They were divided into three
groups, one that was taught how to form a neutral expression, one that
learned how to form a normal smile, and one that was instructed to
form a Duchenne smile (also known as a genuine smile), which involves
the use of eye muscles, as well as those around the mouth.
Additionally, only half of the smilers actually heard the world
"smile" during the learning phase; the others were simply taught how
to hold the chopsticks in a way that produced smiles, without the
expression being identified as such.
Next, the students were put in "multi-tasking situations" that were
intentionally designed to be stressful. In the first one, they were
asked to trace a star shape with their non-dominant hand while looking
only at a mirror image of it, and were misled about the average
person's accuracy in completing the task. While attempting to execute
the maneuver with as few errors as possible to win a reward (a
chocolate), they were continually reminded to hold the chopsticks in
their mouths to maintain the intended facial expression. Afterward,
they were instructed to do the same as their hands were submerged in
ice water.
During and after each of these tasks, the participants' heart rates
were continuously monitored, and at regular intervals, they were asked
to report their levels of stress.
The experiment's findings were startling. As a whole, the smilers had
lower heart rates while recovering from the stressful tasks than those
who had assumed neutral expressions, and those with Duchenne smiles
had lower heart rates yet. Even those who were smiling only due to
their instructed chopstick position—without explicitly being told to
smile—showed the same effect. Since heart rate is an indicator of the
body's stress response, it seems as though the act of smiling actually
reduced the participants' overall stress level.
Most intriguingly, a small difference was noted in the self-reported
stress levels of the groups after the ice water task. Although the
amount of positive feelings declined for all participants after
putting their hands in ice water, the decline was slightly smaller for
smilers than for those with neutral expressions.
Researchers are baffled regarding why this might happen. The
connection between facial expressions and underlying mental states is
still largely unexplored, but some have suggested that smiling could
reduce levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone. This study flips
our traditional understanding of emotion and appearance on its head:
Feeling good could sometimes be a consequence of smiling, not just the
other way around.
What does this mean for your daily life? When feeling stressed, try
forcing a smile on your face. If you can manage a genuine, Duchenne
smile—what people often refer to as "smiling with your eyes," not just
your mouth—that's even better. For whatever reason, forcing yourself
to look happier could actually end up helping you feel happier.
"The next time you are stuck in traffic or are experiencing some other
type of stress you might try to hold your face in a smile for a
moment," said Sarah Pressman, one of the researchers. "Not only will
it help you 'grin and bear it' psychologically, but it might actually
help your heart health as well."
Simply Smiling Can Actually Reduce Stress
Posted By: Joseph Stromberg
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/07/simply-smiling-can-actually-reduce-stress/?utm_source=smithsonianinsider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=201208-insider
It sounds like the most useless advice imaginable: Just put on a happy
face. Conventional wisdom is that smiling is an effect of feeling
happy, rather than the other way around. Simply smiling in stressful
situations can't possibly make you feel any better, right?
Wrong. A fascinating new study by University of Kansas psychologists
that will soon be published in the journal Psychological Science
indicates that, in some circumstances, smiling can actually reduce
stress and help us feel better.
"Age old adages, such as 'grin and bear it,' have suggested smiling to
be not only an important nonverbal indicator of happiness but also
wishfully promotes smiling as a panacea for life's stressful events,"
said researcher Tara Kraft. "We wanted to examine whether these adages
had scientific merit; whether smiling could have real health-relevant
benefits."
To investigate the claim, the researchers recruited 169 willing
college students for a hands-on experiment. But they had to engage in
a bit of deception. Actually telling the participants that they were
testing whether smiling would make them happier would have distorted
the results, so the students were told that the experiment was about
multi-tasking.
First, the participants were instructed on how to perform an unusual
task: holding chopsticks in their mouths in particular ways that
prompted various facial expressions. They were divided into three
groups, one that was taught how to form a neutral expression, one that
learned how to form a normal smile, and one that was instructed to
form a Duchenne smile (also known as a genuine smile), which involves
the use of eye muscles, as well as those around the mouth.
Additionally, only half of the smilers actually heard the world
"smile" during the learning phase; the others were simply taught how
to hold the chopsticks in a way that produced smiles, without the
expression being identified as such.
Next, the students were put in "multi-tasking situations" that were
intentionally designed to be stressful. In the first one, they were
asked to trace a star shape with their non-dominant hand while looking
only at a mirror image of it, and were misled about the average
person's accuracy in completing the task. While attempting to execute
the maneuver with as few errors as possible to win a reward (a
chocolate), they were continually reminded to hold the chopsticks in
their mouths to maintain the intended facial expression. Afterward,
they were instructed to do the same as their hands were submerged in
ice water.
During and after each of these tasks, the participants' heart rates
were continuously monitored, and at regular intervals, they were asked
to report their levels of stress.
The experiment's findings were startling. As a whole, the smilers had
lower heart rates while recovering from the stressful tasks than those
who had assumed neutral expressions, and those with Duchenne smiles
had lower heart rates yet. Even those who were smiling only due to
their instructed chopstick position—without explicitly being told to
smile—showed the same effect. Since heart rate is an indicator of the
body's stress response, it seems as though the act of smiling actually
reduced the participants' overall stress level.
Most intriguingly, a small difference was noted in the self-reported
stress levels of the groups after the ice water task. Although the
amount of positive feelings declined for all participants after
putting their hands in ice water, the decline was slightly smaller for
smilers than for those with neutral expressions.
Researchers are baffled regarding why this might happen. The
connection between facial expressions and underlying mental states is
still largely unexplored, but some have suggested that smiling could
reduce levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone. This study flips
our traditional understanding of emotion and appearance on its head:
Feeling good could sometimes be a consequence of smiling, not just the
other way around.
What does this mean for your daily life? When feeling stressed, try
forcing a smile on your face. If you can manage a genuine, Duchenne
smile—what people often refer to as "smiling with your eyes," not just
your mouth—that's even better. For whatever reason, forcing yourself
to look happier could actually end up helping you feel happier.
"The next time you are stuck in traffic or are experiencing some other
type of stress you might try to hold your face in a smile for a
moment," said Sarah Pressman, one of the researchers. "Not only will
it help you 'grin and bear it' psychologically, but it might actually
help your heart health as well."
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