21 Courage To Connect

Courage to Connect by David Spinks

Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Who is one person that you’ve been dying to connect with, but just haven’t had the courage to reach out to? First, reflect on why you want to get in touch with them. Then, reach out and set up a meeting.

19 You Know

You Know by Jen Louden

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
We live in a society of advice columns, experts and make-over shows. Without even knowing it, you can begin to believe someone knows better than you how to live your life. Someone might know a particular something better – like how to bake a three-layer molten coconut chocolate cake or how to build a website – but nobody else on the planet knows how to live your life better than you. (Although one or two people may think they do.) For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”

3 Day One Strong Belief

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance


There are two strong beliefs that I have that are shared with my closest family but with few other of my family or friends.  The first is atheism.  I do not believe there is a god and consider all the churches, shrines and sacrifices that man has made over the ages as a complete waste of resources.  When I toured Italy and Turkey, I was struck with how much our ancestors spent on what are to me completely bogus beliefs.  On the other hand, I also believe that we should be completely compassionate toward people in the world less fortunate than we and do not begrudge the comfort religious beliefs can provide to well-meaning believers.  It is when these religious beliefs take the form of manipulating the ignorant to enhance the power of the "priestly" class that I resent and regret the seemingly inborn tendency toward grasping for supernatural explanations of the natural world.  A key event in the promulgation of Christianity was Constantine's conversion and promotion of Christianity in 300 AD or so.  I often wonder how the world would be different if he had not done so.  Then I think about the fact that most of the world's religions have as a basic tenet, love one another, and that this basic concept becomes so lost in ritual rigmarole as the religion develops, it might not have made a lot of difference if another religion had assumed the prominence of Christianity.  So, two strong beliefs, atheism and that empathy and compassion could change the world to a better place if applied.  Unfortunately, other than talk, I've done very little actively to live these beliefs....My immediate family however, does share my atheism so maybe I've had some effect at least....

1 Day Fifteen Minutes To Live: What should be written

First, it's been a long, sometimes hard, but exhilarating ride.  


Accompanied by the love of my life, Mary Ann, we've raised two wonderful boys, David Gerald and Craig Evan and somehow accumulated enough resources to live comfortably in our retirement close to them and our grandchildren, Hayden Clark Hubbard, Elise Roberts Hubbard and Evan Hallenbeck Hubbard.  (Toast:  May we see you old and grey and playing with your grandchildren...unknown)


I think about how extraordinarily lucky we are to have been born in this country and at this particular time in history.  Relative to almost every other country in the world, we have had it made in terms of opportunity to live comfortably, with excellent job opportunities after college.   Of the eight children in my family, five have served in the military in times of relative peace and none of us had to face the rigors of combat or even serve in war theaters. 


Most of my family and self have escaped any serious encounters with the justice system and,  in many cases that has been simple matter of luck as we risked the life and limbs of ourselves and others growing up as mindless teenagers.


With about 5 minutes to go, I'd like to say that the most  important principle I've learned is a basic Christian tenet purportedly said by Christ,  (I'm an unabashed atheist, by the way):   Love One Another