On Humility

Humility – a 14th century word from the Latin humilitas

Humility – a state of being humble

Humility – a modest opinion of one’s self-importance

Humility – demureness, down-to-earthness, humbleness, lowliness, meekness, modesty, submissiveness

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. (C. S. Lewis, novelist)

I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps. (Mahatma Gandhi, leader)

Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire. (William Penn, statesman)

I don’t have a set of tenets, but I live an ethical life. I practice a humility that presupposes there’s a power greater than myself. And I always believe, don’t inflict harm where it’s not necessary. (Michael J. Fox, actor)

If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results. (Emily Brontë, author)

Personally, I rather look forward to a computer program winning the world chess championship. Humanity needs a lesson in humility. (Richard Dawkins, scientist)

I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men. (Lao Tzu, philosopher)

What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself. (Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President)

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights. (John R. Wooden, college basketball coach)

Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved? (Carl Sagan, scientist)

Enjoy this video with more wisdom from Carl Sagan about humility.

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On Time

Time is a dimension, a non-spatial continuum for ordering events

Time is a measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues

Time is an appointed, fixed, or customary moment for something to happen, begin, or end

Time can be continuous or in intervals

Time is a moment for opportunity

Time is a period

Time is tempo, a rate of speed

Time is the past, the present, and the future

Time is a moment indicated by a clock or a calendar

Time can be a turn

Time can be finite or infinite

Time can be good, bad, hard, or off

Time moves on, but people can call a time out

Time can be a time for being or being on time

Things can be in time, on time, and time and again

Time can be a moment, a beginning, or an end

Time involves a traveling back to do something different

Time can be behind or ahead; something that we have or waste; keep, lose, give, or fight against

Time is a moment, an occasion, an epoch or an instant, wink or a stretch, and even money

Time is something that passes and does not stop, yet people try to manage it

Philosophers have sought to understand time

Einstein explained that time cannot be in isolation from space

There are connections over time, but only time will tell

“Time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me” –The Rolling Stones

FYI: For this post, Steve selected the photos and determined the theme. I, without seeing the pictures, wrote the text to his theme, and then he inserted the pictures. Next time, I’m determine the theme, which will be Connections.

Steve is a long-time friend and a good guy. I encourage you to visit his site to see his photos, which are available for purchase. He will also respond to comments here when he can, so feel free to ask him questions.

Photos by Steve Ancik, LightWavesImages

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On a Sudden Change

Life is a journey of ups, downs, twists, turns, and even smooth sailing. For example, I just returned from an emotional visit with my aunt and cousins in Italy (after 48 years). Returning after any time away is never easy, and getting back to the normal routine has its challenges – and complicated by jet lag.

Also, many bloggers put extra pressure on themselves to return to writing, posting, commenting, and visiting others – yep, so do I. Fortunately, readers are more patient and tolerant than we expect of ourselves.

As if I haven’t had enough emotions the past two weeks, this morning I received shocking news of the sudden and tragic passing of a good friend. Informing three others of the incident wasn’t easy. With that in mind, the prudent thing to do is step away again for a few days … probably back this weekend.

Peace to my friend’; comfort and strength to his wife.

Stained glass from a church in Florence (I took the picture)

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On MLK 2013

Courtesy of the American Anthropological Association

Monday (January 21, 2013) is Martin Luther King Day – a federal holiday (since 1986) in the US, which actually means a vacation day for federal employees.

States have the opportunity to declare a holiday for its employees – and most, if not all, have on this day. In my state of Ohio, local government/public groups have the option of declaring the day a holiday.

Private employers also have an option of exercising the holiday,but only a bit more than a third do. A small percentage of others offer this day as a floating-holiday option.

Whether one chooses or not, and no matter the occasion, holidays provide the opportunity to reflect. In other words, holidays are more than just a day off from work.

Dr. King’s work and the Civil Rights movement was huge news in the 1960s. Today, two factors dominate my mind: Yes, we as a society have come a long way – but we still have a long way to go. Let’s look at a some information that may seem disjointed, but there’s a relationship.

Barack Obama’s candidacy, election, and reelection sparked its share of racism, although many disguise it in other ways.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports the number of hate groups has increased 69% since 2000.

An Associated Press survey (released 2012, in cooperation with researchers from Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago), concludes that when measured by an implicit racial attitudes test, anti-Black sentiments increased to 56% in 2012.

Somewhere there is a city council member proudly stating their city does not recognize Martin Luther King Day as a holiday in the name of prudent fiscal management, while also pointing out there are no Blacks living in that city.

Whether professional, spiritual, or personal, reflection is a powerful tool that can drive personal change. I sincerely wish that race was irrelevant – unfortunately it isn’t – and maybe that day of irrelevance will come in the future. However, if it does, it will not be due of legislation, Supreme Court rulings, or any other civic action, but from personal reflection – after all, that’s what modifies individual behavior – but that will be have to done by a vast majority.

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On a Church Wine Group

People are generally surprised when I mention that our church has a wine tasting group. Interestingly, the group is not only successful, but it also is one of the longest-running groups at the church.

I’m not sure when the group actually started, but being one of the founding organizers and prime movers, my best guess is 12-15 years ago. We are a fun and fellowship group that uses wine as the vehicle to drive the event.

The following are the basics for our group:

• Meet 3-5 times per year
• Volunteers offer to host the event
• Organizers set the theme, which may be countries, regions, wine types (varietals), or something quirky as numbers, animals, or colors – and something to accommodate red and white wines
• Attendees sign up in advance, bring a bottle of wine (per couple) within the theme and an appetizer to share

Like any organization, he had growing pains. On the other hand, because we pioneers wanted to be an official church group, we quickly adjusted. Here are some of the finer points that I have learned.

• We went to the pastors first with our idea to get their permission
• As attendees arrive, the host provides inexpensive starter wines
• Using nametags is important
• Incorporate a “program” within the event – we include a welcome, thanks to the hosts, introducing first-time attendees, a prayer, something informative about the wines/theme, and reminders about the group’s purpose
• After the program, the remaining time is for fun and fellowship

Additional tips

• Have a set of wine glasses for the group (they don’t have to be fancy)
• If the wine runs out, so be it – thus the host does not supplement
• Know the communication guidelines within the church as newsletter and weekly bulletin submission requirements and deadlines
• Remind attendees not to fill the glass so everyone gets a chance to taste

Given our longevity, our group has been successful. During our years, I have no doubt that 400 different people attended our functions … thus I wonder how many people would I not know if it wasn’t for our church wine group.

By the way, in this past post, here’s a prayer I put together about wine, The Spirit of Wine. Plus, enjoy some of our home decor done with corks.

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