Sunday 29 March 2009

BRIDGES TO PEACE

Today I needed a change. Something inspirational and pleasant. Something symbolic and far away from violence and ugly stuff. A friend suggested bridges and voila! Bridges represent so many thing. By their very essence, bridges challenge human ingenuity. Successful completion such a structure is a life altering accomplishment, no matter how complicated or plain the structure. Symbolically a bridge can also gulf differences and bring peoples together. Bridges are as old as mankind, enabling, stable, beautiful. Some bridges kiss the sky, some hug the ground. Bridges can be amazingly complex or astonishingly simple. I recommend you enlarge these thumbs because only seen large can their true beauty be appreciated.


Among them, there were Muslims, Christians,
and Jews living together.
But then violent organizations came,
bringing with them many large groups of people
from various parts of the world to Palestine.



Determination and perseverance move the world;
thinking that others will do it for you is a sure way to fail.


When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.



Everyone is so afraid of death, but the real Sufis just laugh:
nothing tyrannizes their hearts.
What strikes the oyster shell does not damage the pearl.



Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian,
stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way
of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.



Trust me when I say that I can close my eyes
and see the end result,
and when you can see it, too, you will be amazed.


If you don't control your mind, someone else will.


Palestine is the cement that holds the Arab world together,
or it is the explosive that blows it apart.



Determination is the wake-up call to the human will.


Don't get discouraged; it's usually the last key
in the bunch that opens the lock.


Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.


The essence of government is force,
and most often that force
is used to accomplish evil ends.


You must not lose faith in humanity.
Humanity is an ocean;
if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,
the ocean does not become dirty.


Victory attained by violence is tantamount
to a defeat, for it is momentary.


When I despair, I remember that all through history
the ways of truth and love have always won.
There have been tyrants, and murderers,
and for a time they can seem invincible,
but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always.


I demolish my bridges behind me ~

then there is no choice but forward



I have no fear that the candle lighted in Palestine
years ago will ever be put out.



A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates
when he becomes a conformist.


The first duty of the revolutionary is to get away with it


The state calls its own violence law,
but that of the individual, crime.


I choose to rise up out of that storm and see that in moments
of desperation, fear, and helplessness,
each of us can be a rainbow of hope,
doing what we can to extend ourselves in kindness and grace
to one another. And I know for sure that there is no them ~
there's only us.


You can't fight City Hall, but you can goddamn sure blow it up


It does not require a majority to prevail,
but rather an irate, tireless minority
keen to set brush fires in people's minds.


Halfway through a project you will discover
the impossible, but have confidence
that you know how to work through the impossible.
Impossible is when you will do your best work.


Our wretched species is so made that those
who walk on the well-trodden path
always throw stones at those
who are showing a new road.


There is no flag large enough to cover
the shame of killing innocent people


People demand freedom of speech
as a compensation for the freedom
of thought which they seldom use.


If we don't believe in freedom of expression
for people we despise,
we don't believe in it at all.


The hardest thing in life is to know

which bridge to cross and which to burn.



A heretic is a man who sees with his own eyes


Don't follow the path. Go where there is no path
and start the trail.



Sometimes, if you aren't sure about something,

you just have to jump off the bridge

and grow your wings on the way down.



Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls


Sometimes you put walls up

not to keep people out, but to see

who cares enough to break them down.



Whenever you are confronted with

an opponent. Conquer him with love.



Build bridges instead of walls and you will have a friend.



If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution.


Talk peaceful to be peaceful.


Peace is its own reward.



Something opens our wings.
Something makes boredom and hurt disappear.
Someone fills the cup in front of us:
We taste only sacredness.



If in thirst you drink water from a cup,
you see God in it.
Those who are not in love with God
will see only their own faces in it.



Come out of the circle of time And into the circle of love.


The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.


One needs to be slow to form convictions,
but once formed
they must be defended against the heaviest odds.



Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the barriers
within yourself that you have built against it.



Pacifism is a wonderful conviction in theory,

but only in theory. Real life has a way

f eventually rubbing even the most altruistic nose

in a steaming pile of "F**k that!



The weak can never forgive.

Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.



It is very easy to find an impressive line of people
who tell you that your aim is impossible.
That is when you take personal joy in ignoring them all.


The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.


Peace cannot be kept by force;

it can only be achieved by understanding.



There is always hope
when people are forced to listen to both sides.


Watch your manner of speech if you wish
to develop a peaceful state of mind.
Start each day by affirming peaceful,
contented and happy attitudes and
your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.


Who speaks, sows; Who listens, reaps.


When dealing with people, remember
you are not dealing with creatures of logic,
but creatures of emotion.


The most important things are the hardest to say,
because words diminish them.


I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist.

I am willing to fight for peace.

Nothing will end war unless the people themselves

refuse to go to war.

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