Quote for the night

[hummingwolf]

"What if every moment of our lives is an expression of our commitments? When your car breaks down by the side of the road, you don't just get out, abandon it, and walk away. You are committed to keeping your car. The fact that you wear a wristwatch is another sure sign that you are a creature of commitment. You could teach your dog to read the hands of a clock, but it wouldn't mean anything to him, because dogs are not creatures of commitment. When the car breaks down on the way to the veterinarian, your dog does not worry that he will be late, as you do. As far as he is concerned, all that has happened is the parade of wonderful smells has slowed down.

"The problem is not that we suffer from a shortage of commitment, but that what we are committed to does not live up to our dreams. How can you tell what you are committed to? Just look at your life as it is now. That's exactly what you are committed to. If you are committed to something different than the way it is now, you will be in action making those dreams come true, or you will be engaged in a fierce struggle to change it for the better. You do not get any points for thinking about it. I know this may seem like very bad news, but actually it is the best news you could have. If you want to get somewhere else, you first have to know where you are now."

--Nicholas Lore

Comments

[blue-by-you.livejournal.com]

One of the three books I'm reading at the moment is one I've read before, and it's called, The Silent Language by Edward T. Hall. It's an old book but still very relevant. It's about non-verbal cultural norms and how we use them to communicate -- and what a mess it is when we're trying to relate to someone from another culture who has very different cultural norms. One of the first chapters deals with Time and is called Time Speaks. Americans value time. We wear watches, we make appointments, we think in time when we talk about the future etc... Many other cultures don't do that and so, we often find them to be lazy or inept, while they find us to be rude and pushy.

Interesting post, C - thanks.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I feel like I've got different cultural norms from everybody. I probably ought to read that book.

[kenhighcountry.livejournal.com]

I really liked this quote.
Thanks for sharing it.

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it.

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

that's excellent. what's it from? i'll go scan for his name and see what i find. it's words to the unwise this a.m. i mean, i needed that. how are you today, cb?

[hummingwolf.livejournal.com]

The quote's from the book The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success. You can run across interesting stuff in the job search section of the local library!

Not doing too well yet. Fell down on an icy sidewalk yesterday & hurt my knee, which didn't help much. With your finger accident, this seems to have been a dangerous weekend for people.

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

oh gee, i'm sorry. yes, it seems many of us are getting hurt and/or suffering losses of various kinds. i hope your knee heals up quickly. my finger is doing ok. i'm even typing with it. as whitelinefever always says, onward through the fog!

[skygypsy.livejournal.com]

wow, what a fantastic perspective!!!

and what a wonderful "trick" for remembering to be in the present... and for putting a stop to procrastinating on all those "some day i will..."'s...

:)

as always, thanks for sharing such wonderful, thought-provoking goodies!! :)