Joe's Black Dog

Joe's Black Dog
Joe's Black Dog by Marjorie Weiss

07 June 2013

Graham Greene, 'A Burnt-Out Case' 1960

Trapped Seeds by the justified sinner
Trapped Seeds, a photo by the justified sinner on Flickr.


'Evolution, as far as we can tell, has lodged itself in the brains of man. The ant, the fish, even the ape has gone as far as it can go, but in our brain evolution is moving ...
Suppose love were to evolve as rapidly in our brains as technical skill has done ... I have a small hope, that's all, a very small hope, that someone they call Christ was the fertile element, looking for a crack in the wall to plant its seed.'

http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/20/specials/greene-burnout.html

06 June 2013

Crying

selbstinszinierung durch fremdbestimmung by der bobbel
selbstinszinierung durch fremdbestimmung, a photo by der bobbel on Flickr.

from The Dustbowl of Good and Evil by Tom Richardson

'while fireworks
and fluro wristbands
flash in the dark summer night

Her husband sits in the parking lot
She doesn't see his tears'



Crying For Health (source unknown)
'Crying is one of our first socialising behaviours, similar to smiling and laughing. It lets others know how we feel, without needing to use words. 
Babies cry to attract the attention of their parents. Orphans don't cry as much, and often have difficulties reading mood and expressing themselves emotionally.
As we get older, crying becomes a submissive behaviour. Tear-filled eyes blur vision and make us seem vulnerable, and therefore less of a threat. Crying also expresses our emotional distress and calls our tribe to gather round and support, or forgive.
Crying, similar to laughing, also has an effect on our brain and 'healthiness'. Work pressure, anxiety, depression and relationship problems affect the levels of 'stress' hormones in our body. 
Crying helps to rebalance the stress hormones, even if only for a short time, makes us feel better and expresses profound emotion.'

'Luminous Emptiness' by Francesca Fremantle

'...generosity springs from unshakeable confidence in the possession of goodness. In order to connect with this confidence, we need to let go of our limited self-concept and open up to the limitless power of the buddha qualities, allowing them to enter our own lives - or rather, to rediscover them there - and to radiate out to all beings. By definition, goodness cannot be kept for oneself; virtue. goodness, and richness ... are inseparable from their generosity ... Through wisdom we recognise the inherent potential for enlightenment in all beings, making it impossible to disrespect them simply because they are different. Feeling our essential sameness deeply, however strange others may sometimes seem to us, gives us the power of sympathy and empathy. Emotional reactions of liking and disliking begin to lose their importance, so that impartial, all-embracing love can blossom in their place. Inner equanimity develops from seeing that the same opportunity for awakening exists in all circumstances, whether happy or sad, pleasant or unpleasant, privileged or deprived.'

https://www.lionsroar.com/author/francesca-fremantle/