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fjones
Member
since 1999-06-07
Posts 98
MS

0 posted 1999-08-05 10:30 PM




1---A lesson lived is wisdom well learned.

2---Love is a verb. It requires action!

3---Joy is God given and eternal. Happiness is man made and fleeting.

4---Few people learn to be at peace within in any circumstance.

5---Balanced is the person who enjoys his own company.

6---Live so you will never have to stand over a deceased love one and have major regrets.

7---Face your own mortality and prepare.

8---Draw wisdom from trouble. You will be given the opportunity to use it to minister to others in similar circumatances.

9---Learn to discern truth. Doing so makes problem solving much easier.



© Copyright 1999 fjones - All Rights Reserved
JohnDoe82
Junior Member
since 1999-08-04
Posts 42
MO, USA
1 posted 1999-08-05 10:45 PM


Those are some wonderful thoughts to live by. I especially like #3. That's the truth.
Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669
Michigan, US
2 posted 1999-08-05 11:18 PM


These are indeed wonderful and beautiful Truths, Faye. Learning them is difficult. Learning to actually live them is much, much, much harder. I sometimes wonder if #6 is even possible (some whom we love don't make it easy). And I have discovered that #7 (like anything) can be carried to excess. But, then, I suppose all of those potential problems are actually answered by the first three.

Wise words, my friend...

Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191
Cape Cod Massachusetts USA
3 posted 1999-08-06 08:11 AM


I like them all - but #2 is my favorite....
Love to live - and Live to love...

JP
Senior Member
since 1999-05-25
Posts 1343
Loomis, CA
4 posted 1999-08-06 10:44 AM


Hey Ron, I got plenty of number 7 if you ever need some - couple that with a healthy dose of number 5 and the rest seem to fall into place.

How about a number 10? Kind of a twist on the rule of gold: Do unto others as others would like to be done unto.


------------------
Dum spiro, spero
JP




[This message has been edited by JP (edited 08-06-99).]

Robin Goodfellow
Junior Member
since 1999-06-29
Posts 26

5 posted 1999-08-07 04:47 PM


How can you say joy is God given? Happiness is a smile, Joy is an lightening of the spirit. This can be given from all things. Depending on where mortals look for it. Some find it in the eyes of their loved one, others find it in the frightened face of a dieing man. But either way it is given from a mortal being.
At most God gives comfort. A calm port in the storm.His unconditional love reassures the mind that there is hope. But it gives no joy.

Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612
Hurricane Alley
6 posted 1999-08-07 06:03 PM


I have one that I live by:

10. Owe (o) is a letter in the alphabet. You do not owe, I do not owe, we do not owe. What is given is just that, given. I do not expect to receive anything in return. (Now if my mortgage company would agree!)



~one voice~
Senior Member
since 1999-07-08
Posts 664
Billings, MT USA
7 posted 1999-08-08 01:00 AM


Pdv: I much agree with your philosophy!

------------------
~onevoice~

"She looked at her life
like lines, never-ending,
constantly forming,
reforming and bending."



lenny
Member
since 1999-07-11
Posts 63
front royal, va. u.s.a.
8 posted 1999-08-11 06:47 PM


Wonderful!!! And I fully agree that Joy is, indeed, God given. From whence else could it spring? Joy is the natural upwelling of the true state of Spirit. "And in His image created He them" Someday,(or some life)we will all know the Joy that is inherent to our souls. Happiness, the murky reflection of Joy, is always dependent on something else in this world of duality and relativity. Joy is neither relative to nor dependent upon anything of this world. Joy to you!!! Smile...
JP
Senior Member
since 1999-05-25
Posts 1343
Loomis, CA
9 posted 1999-08-11 11:47 PM


Well Lenny, you almost had me. You explain that Joy is God given and (assumably)that without God giving us joy we have nothing but: "Happiness, the murky reflection of Joy, is always dependent on something else in this world of duality and relativity. Joy is neither relative to nor dependent upon anything of this world."

You argument is rather circular in that you say happiness is dependent, while you assert that Joy, wbich is better, is also dependent - it is dependent upon your God to "give it to you", wouldn't that automatically taint joy?

Buhddists would say that your whole concept of joy AND happiness would create Karma, which is not a good thing...

Just a few thoughts I had....

------------------
Dum spiro, spero
JP


lenny
Member
since 1999-07-11
Posts 63
front royal, va. u.s.a.
10 posted 1999-08-13 09:23 PM


I almost had you, J.P.? Is this a competition?
You are very clever in your convenient misinterpretation of my words, but cleverness
never did equal perceptiveness. When I say God given it is not meant as in the sense of a reward for being good--it is meant in the sense that joy is God given as an indelible and irrevocable part of our soul. I have not said anywhere that joy is dependent--you, in your non-understanding said that. I know both
Buddhism and Hinduism very well, having spent
ten years in India and central Asia. Please tell me where Buddhism asserts that Nirvana (cosmic joy) creates karma. Indeed, Joy is far beyond the reach of karma while happiness
is completely bound by it. Joy need only be
realized, not earned nor obtained. Realized. That which already is need only be brought to remembrance. Meditation is a wonderful way to still the sensory stimulii and tumults of the world of duality, thereby allowing the innate Joy to well up to the surface of our consciousness. Happiness is fleeting and always accompanied(balanced) by its dual opposite. 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction' is not confined to the physical sphere. Once realized, Joy is eternal and requires no balance as it is above the laws of relativity and duality. Your inference of 'your God' tells me that you are either an athiest, agnostic, or have your own special God. Very interesting. Truth,or Nirvana, Samadhi, Bliss--whatever you choose to call it, can only be grasped by the soul--not the mind. Intellectual swordfighting never leads to true understanding--only ego satisfaction, a state
of delusion that, indeed, leads to circular thought which, in turn, leads nowhere. I hope
that you are trying to absorb this rather than trying to think of a clever 'comeback'.
Joy is a terrible thing to waste.

------------------
lenny

lenny
Member
since 1999-07-11
Posts 63
front royal, va. u.s.a.
11 posted 1999-08-14 01:01 AM


During my evening meditation tonight the thought occured to me that perhaps I responded a little too strongly JP. If that is the case I apologize. The difference between happiness and Joy is that happiness is occasioned only through the fullfilment of any particular desire. She loves me, therefore I am happy. I had a good day today, therefore I am happy. There is peace in the world today, therefore I am happy. In essence, I got what I wanted, therefore my desire, conscious or subconscious, is fullfilled and I am happy. Happiness is always temporary and intrinsically transitory. Joy, on the other hand needs nothing to occasion it. It stands above recruit, is pure and untainted, and bubbles up without cause from our own souls as it is our own true nature. We have all experienced at least a little of this Joy at one time or another. Oh, I'm in such a good mood today and I don't even know why. Standing before a beautiful sunset or a breathtaking panorama or just going for a walk alone in nature often opens the door for this joy to rise to the surface of our consciousess. Where did it come from when no desire occasioned it? When the overburden of life's stresses, cares, and desires is stripped away,the vein of pure gold, which was always there, is brought into full view. Children, who have not yet been corrupted and burned by life's trials are often observed expressing this joy. When Christ referred to the little children He said, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." He was referring to the state of pure joy manifest in them, not their earthly bodies. The goal of all is joy, but through the delusion that circumscribes this world we end up seeking its imperfect reflection. The moon of Joy is always in the heavens but when we look down we see only its reflection on the surface of the ocean of delusion. Whatever your feelings are JP, I wish you Joy.

------------------
lenny

fjones
Member
since 1999-06-07
Posts 98
MS
12 posted 1999-08-14 02:36 PM


This quote is from the book John, fifteenth chapter, of the Christian’s Holy Bible.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my
Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may
be in you and that your joy may be complete.

These words were spoken by Jesus to his disciples and apply to Christians today.
Anyone that does not know Jesus on a personal base does not have complete Joy. Maybe a fleeting taste of joy can be felt but not complete joy.

Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296
Purgatorial Incarceration
13 posted 1999-08-15 04:35 AM


Ok, first I want to say that I have avoided this thread for a while, because once I get started.... Anyway, I'm feelin the mood, and I want to say a few things (like I'm ever quiet!)

11: A mind is like a parachute, it only operates when it's open!


I think that as with anything (since we're talking philosophy here) It's all a matter of perspective.
If someone believes that joy is derived from a higher power, then does our disbelief in their religion mute their joy?
If someone believes that happiness is granted in a smile, does your belief in God lessen the impact of that smile?
My own belief is that joy is where you find it. Whether it's in a bright, toothy grin, or in you faith in what's beyond, or if it's in the feel of a warm summer wind, joy is where you find it and what you make of it.
Everyone has different forms of what gives them glee. For me, it is in making others feel joy. I like to put a smile on people's faces, and in their hearts. If I have effected someone's life in a positive way, that gives me joy.
Now, I don't believe in a god. However, I hold many of the teachings from many religions to be true, based on the common sense that developed as I matured in life. And in my studies, I have seen that most religions mirror each other in many ways, though some are subtle. The point is, that even though I don't believe in God, or a god, I still take joy in some of the things I've learned in relation to these teachings.
I don't know, but maybe it's like the short phrase: Carpe Diem. Sieze the day, and be happy with what you have found, you is what you make of it.
The one thing I can say with almost complete assurance, is that you probably won't find happiness arguing over it's generation!

Smiles everybody!

------------------
...the things I did not know at first, I learned by doing twice.
-Billy Joel

lenny
Member
since 1999-07-11
Posts 63
front royal, va. u.s.a.
14 posted 1999-08-16 06:53 PM


I sincerely applaud you Christopher. Thank you for your gentle reprimand and understanding heart. You have a very spiritual attitude whether you realize it or not, and I would feel more of an affinity with an individual of your attitude than one who professes that only his God or approach to God was the correct one. Five hundred years ago that attitude burned a lot of good people at the stake. And happiness, joy, and--aw heck--bliss to you too. Smiling here...

------------------
lenny

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