Inspiration

If we do not take the time to cultivate our own personality and character, we neglect the most valuable thing in our life. Let us read some inspirational texts today. Internalise the ideas that seem valuable to us, incorporate in our own principles and create a personality and character that is better than before. Then share what we feel.

Over the last few decades, I have read many texts that somehow touched my mind and heart enough to make a significant difference in my life. Small quotes, stories, short chapters, sometimes a whole book, containing enough wisdom, brilliant ideas. They made me think a bit further, made me sometimes change my bad habits and had a positive effect.

I want to say thanks to the authors of these quotes, stories, texts, books. I have taken some of these ideas and internalized them and it felt like they became mine. Without any intent of plagiarism, I have been sharing my own convictions here in this blog, inspired by so many people who lived before me or at this time. If it was not for the sharing and going to the extent of writing down their ideas, our civilisation would not have progressed to the place where it is now.

Let us just do so: read, reflect, let the good ideas sink in, incorporate and modify them to fit in our own value system and then go on sharing with many others.

Getting inspired feels great; sharing some inspiration with others feels super.

I wish you all a fruitful reading and sharing.

Hans Van Rostenberghe

PS: I have written up to now more than 800 entries in this blog. Please take a look at the archives. When I read my old postings, I think the initial ones from 2014 may be still the most inspiring ones.
Feel free to share anything written here, to go and inspire your friends and family. No copyright!

What is a poem?

Once I was asked: what is a poem?

The question, what is a poem,  may have many different answers, depending on whom you would talk to. When I started my own attempts at writing lyrics, I was convinced that poetry has to rhyme, but then I read so many beautiful, touching poems that did not rhyme, that I have given up this notion. Deep inside, I still like better rhyming poems, though.

The best definition of a poem, I read in Emerson's essay, the poet. This essay is freely available online, and Emerson wrote the following  <"...For it is not metres, but a metre-making argument that makes a poem,--a thought so passionate and alive that like the spirit of a plant or an animal it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing. The thought and the form are equal in the order of time, but in the order of genesis the thought is prior to the form."> 

I agree very much that the poem making argument is what makes a poem. In far too many verses, the argument tends to get lost in beautiful lyrics and the reader experiences only an impressive collection of words.

I like poems with wonderful metaphors.

I think nobody really has a universal definition for poetry, but it is still worth, I feel, to take some time every day to read a poem or two. (for a modest collection of simple, yet interesting motivational and inspirational poems, please click this safe link )
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If you found a few drops of inspiration 
If you felt good while reading this blog
Please do not hesitate to share the feelings, the inspiration with your family and friends
There is no copyright. No issues. (just will grateful if you attach my name as an author).
Same goes for my poems, I wrote under the author name Aufie Zophy. as in the safe link above
  Other blogs and sites from my hand:
Inspirational quotes
Small prayers for a big world

Dutch version of some of my posts: Juweeltjes voor de ziel

The Best Farmer

I came across a verse (34) of the Tao Te Ching,
a Chinese book filled with a lot of wise sayings.
In summary, I think it tried to express the following: 

The endless creative power in the universe,
the power, the energy, many of us call God,
is everywhere, and everyone and everything depends on It.
But It does not make claims for itself, It does not take possession
It does not dominate.

Some of these concepts sound a bit abstract,
but they tend to carry important lessons for us.
It is always nice to put these concepts in story format,
so even the youths may benefit from these bits of wisdom.
A simple story I could come up with,
was the following, about a farmer:

 In a faraway land, there was a farmer,

the best farmer in the world.

He was the only farmer in his country,
providing food for everyone living there.
He did not make any claims;
He did not try to get privileges;
He surely could be in control,
but did not dominate;
did not try to abuse his position.

No one else was interested in farming,
except his only one apprentice.
He taught him the skills and tricks of farming,
but above all, not to make any claims for himself
and perhaps,
the latter was the most important thing he taught him!
He went on and passed this to all humans who were open to it.

What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Please read also my other postings.
Not all are as complex😉😀 as this one. :)





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If you found a few drops of inspiration 
If you felt good while reading this blog
Please do not hesitate to share the feelings, the inspiration with your family and friends
There is no copyright. No issues. (just will grateful if you attach my name as an author).
Same goes for my poems, I wrote under the author name Aufie Zophy.
A selection of the poems is found by clicking https://aufiezophypoems.blogspot.com/
 

 Other blogs and sites from my hand: Inspirational quotes
Small prayers for a big world

Dutch version of some of my posts: Juweeltjes voor de ziel

Sailing between the waves

 Do you have some of these days where you feel like this may be a good day

and then, just something happens? Let me tell you about what happened today.

I woke up and prayed for the strength to be nice throughout the day. 

I was to chair a meeting of our local research ethics committee. 

These meetings are often the extreme challenge to a person's patience.
Researchers do take their research and ethical obligations to their participants serious,

But a certain percentage couldn't care less. 

Remaining nice throughout the meeting feels like sailing in between storms with giant waves, steering your boat away from the waves that could shake up all aboard your boat. You feel like a master captain until suddenly boom, a storm you did not expect turns up in front of your eyes, your boat gets shaken by the waves and there goes your peace of mind. To get back the poise and control quickly after the storm, is a skill worth learning. Today, I had one such storm, but then I think I managed to steer the ship again in between the big waves giving the impression to all in my boat that the sea was superbly calm again.

The point I try to make here is that when we are trying to be good, lovely and nice, it will be like a trip on a calm sea, no matter how many storms may rage not far from where we fare. The peace of mind we get through being good, lovely and nice is such a great treasure. Surely when we are driven by a purpose and want to make it to a certain destination, we may not be able to avoid all waves and get shaken up on and off, but then getting back to the captains hut and steer masterfully, being good lovely and nice again, may require a lot of willpower, but will guarantee to come back to the so much cherished treasure of peace of mind. 

I have a small poem for you:

 

For our family and everyone we know

let us do nothing but our very best

Pray that our God's light may glow

and that they will be forever blessed

Try to love, listen and fully understand

let truth and trust forever grow

make them truly feel to be your friend

                                                                                   Aufie Zophy 

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If you got a few drops of inspiration 
If you felt good while reading this blog
Please do not hesitate to share the feelings, the inspiration with your family and friends
There is no copyright. No issues. (just will grateful if you attach my name as an author).
Same goes for my poems, I wrote under the author name Aufie Zophy.
A selection of the poems is found by clicking https://aufiezophypoems.blogspot.com/
and a more complete set of almost all poems I wrote can be found on PoemHunter.
The PoemHunter website though is a bit disturbed by a lot of advertisements. Other blogs and sites from my hand:
Inspirational quotes
Small prayers for a big world
Dutch version of some of my posts: Juweeltjes voor de ziel

Year with flowers

Husband: "You look so optimistic for 2020. 
What do you think it will bring? 
The world is in such a big mess."
Wife: "I expect it will bring flowers."
Husband: "Yes? How come?"
Wife: "Because I am planting flowers."

  The world is indeed in quite a mess in many places.
But in many more places, the world is still wonderfully beautiful.
Let us plant some seeds, some flower bulbs and small trees.
Let us plants seeds of love, seeds of kindness.
Let us plant seeds of honesty and dedication;
seeds of passionate care and positivity.
Then we can expect the coming year will bring us just that

Contest

Let us all participate in an imaginary contest:
The grand prize goes to the one who can most people smile in one day.

Actually, the grand prize is shared by all contestants,
because for every smile generated, each will get a giant dose of happiness
and what a better grand prize than that could you imagine.

So come, let us start the contest today, make as many as possible people smile!

Some drops may stay

A cup of coffee
a glass of water,
internalized in the dark depth of my body;
some drops may stay there for years to come.

My experiences today:
the good and bad things I did,
the messages I heard,
internalized in the dark depths of my mind;
some drops may stay there for years to come.

The feelings I felt,
the happiness I shared,
the hurt I caused;
some drops may stay in my heart for years to come.

The prayers I said,
the silence I heard,
the peace I felt;
some drops may be with me forever.

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Sister blogs:
Inspirational quotes
Small prayers for a big world
Brother blog (selection of my poems, written under the pen name of Aufie Zophy):
aufiezophypoems

 Dutch version of some of my posts: Juweeltjes voor de ziel

Looking

The way we see the world depends first on the world,
but secondly, it depends also on the way we look.

We can look at the world through pessimistic glasses
and see the small plastic bottle that was left on the beach,
get really upset that people throw rubbish everywhere and
miss out on the beautiful colors of the sea under the sunny sky.

We can look at the world through optimistic glasses
and see the sea in all its glory with its magnificent tints;
we may notice the bottle and pick it up so no one else gets upset about it.

Can you see the difference?
Which spec shall we choose?

I have a photo below, showing a painting from my niece:

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Sister blogs:
Inspirational quotes
Small prayers for a big world
Brother blog (selection of my poems, written under the pen name of Aufie Zophy):
aufiezophypoems

 Dutch version of some of my posts: Juweeltjes voor de ziel