Daily Wisdom
DO GOOD PURIFY MIND
Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace, to live peace … Peace will be the last word of history. — Pope John Paul II
We are the memory keepers and the
trappers of time; stealers of stolen glances and breathless lungs from
all that have been taken away. We are the noticers of subtle signs
hidden in plain sight by a benevolent universe
bigger than we’d ever believe…We are the directionless wanderers and
the destinationless travelers and we are the crumpled map that never got
packed to join us. We are the cinematic lovers and the translucent
curtains saturated in light. The soundtrack to the moments without
sounds and the swiftness that two bodies can become one in the stillness
of a second. We, says the last string pulled out, the final string that
kept it all together, balled up tight, filling us after all this time,
We, are the chasers of the light. — Tyler Knott Gregson
So the problem of Evil never really
existed. To expect the universe to be benevolent was like imagining one
could always win at a game of pure chance. — Arthur C. Clarke
Whatever are the difficulties in
believing that the Old and New Testaments proceed from, or record the
acts of, a perfectly wise and good being, the same and still greater
difficulties stand in the way of the belief, that a being of such a
character can have been the Maker of the universe. He considered
Butler’s argument as conclusive against the only opponents for whom it
was intended. Those who admit an omnipotent as well as perfectly just
and benevolent maker and ruler of such a world as this, can say little
against Christianity but what can, with at least equal force, be
retorted against themselves. — Christopher Hitchens
The error is this: it is proper for a
creator to be optimistic, in the deepest, most basic sense, since the
creator believes in a benevolent universe
and functions on that premise. But it is an error to extend that
optimism to other specific men. First, it’s not necessary, the creator’s
life and the nature of the universe do not require it, his life does
not depend on others. Second, man is a being with free will; therefore,
each man is potentially good or evil, and it’s up to him and only to him
(through his reasoning mind) to decide which he wants to be. The
decision will affect only him; it is not (and cannot and should not be)
the primary concern of any other human being. — Ayn Rand
No matter how long you play rock n roll
songs might change just as the balls are there, the rock balls. And
that’s what’s important to us. — Bon Scott
[A]bove all, it has been the Qur’anic
notion of the universe, as an expression of Allah’s will and creation,
that has inspired in diverse Muslim communities, generations of artists,
scientists and philosophers? Scientific pursuits, philosophic inquiry
and artistic endeavour are all seen as the response of the faithful to
the recurring call of the Qur’an to ponder the creation as a way to
understand Allah’s benevolent majesty. As Sura al-Baqara proclaims:
‘Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah.’”
His Highness
the Aga Khan’s 2003 Address to the International Colloquium ‘Word of
God, Art of Man: The Qur’an and its Creative Expressions’ organised by
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (London, United Kingdom) — Aga Khan
‘Dance India Dance’ is family to me. I actually miss the madness whenever the season is not on air. — Mithun Chakraborty
In a child’s eyes, a mother is a
goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with
wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the
greatest power in the universe. — N.K. Jemisin
The thing about nature is that each
species does what it’s best at. That’s why it’s all so locked together.
I’m certain that at its center is some kind of peace or unity or harmony
- the white light people speak of having when they come back from “the
dead.” And what does our species do best? We construct artificial
systems wherein we are mighty predators, or mighty thinkers, or
sagacious, benevolent rulers of the universe - allies with God even. — Rick Bass
Sometimes, we don’t get what we want … But this is a benevolent universe. And once in a while, we do. — Melody Beattie
From a pragmatic point of view, the
difference between living against a background of foreigness (an
indifferent Universe) and one of intimacy (a benevolent Universe) means
the difference between a general habit of wariness and one of trust. — William James
The more I learn about the universe,
the less convinced I am that there’s any sort of benevolent force that
has anything to do with it, at all. — Neil DeGrasse Tyson
They’re stackable, like Tetris. All beverages should be stackable. — Penny Reid
No specification is necessary - to add
or subtract or divide is in vain. Little or big, learned or unlearned,
white or black, legal or illegal, sick or well, from the first
inspiration down the windpipe to the last expiration out of it, all that
a male or female does that is vigorous and benevolent and clean is so
much sure profit to him or her in the unshakable order of the universe
and through the whole scope of it for ever. — Walt Whitman
The man’s father runs the program for
30 years, steps down, and within a day his son’s got the job? What is
this, North Korea? — R.S. Grey
If God is Trinity and Jesus is the face of God, then it is a benevolent universe. God is not someone to be afraid of, but is the Ground of Being and on our side. — Richard Rohr
Conversion may come under many shapes,
and it may be brought about in many ways. With some men it needs a
cataclysm, as a stone may be broken to fragments by the fury of a
torrent; but with some it comes gradually, as a stone may be worn away
by the ceaseless fall of a drop of water. — W. Somerset Maugham
Once she read a book but found it distasteful because it contained adjectives. — Lois Lowry
What then is this harmony, this order
that you maintain to have required for its establishment, what it needs
not for its maintenance, the agency of a supernatural intelligence?
Inasmuch as the order visible in the Universe requires one cause, so
does the disorder whose operation is not less clearly apparent demand
another. Order and disorder are no more than modifications of our own
perceptions of the relations which subsist between ourselves and
external objects, and if we are justified in inferring the operation of a
benevolent power from the advantages attendant on the former, the evils
of the latter bear equal testimony to the activity of a malignant
principle, no less pertinacious in inducing evil out of good, than the
other is unremitting in procuring good from evil. — Percy Bysshe Shelley
It’s tragic that most of us spend our
private lives paradoxically thinking something is watching us and
permanently disapproving. We say we believe in benevolent deities but
smear them with hate and the power to smite. We see sin everywhere, when
the only sin is when we forget to treat each other with respect. That
is the sad secret that makes the Universe vulnerable. — Sean J Halford
Pain and darkness have been our lot
since the Fall of Man. But there must be some hope that we can rise to a
higher level … that consciousness can evolve to a plane more
benevolent than its counterpoint of a universe hardwired to
indifference. — Dan Simmons
Think of the universe as a benevolent
parent. A child may want a tub of ice-cream and marshmallows, but a wise
parent will give it fruits and vegetables instead. That is not what the
child wants, but it is what the child needs. — Srikumar Rao
Theologians and philosophers, who make
God the creator of Nature and the architect of the Universe, reveal Him
to us as an illogical and unbalanced Being. They declare He is
benevolent because they are afraid of Him, but they are forced to admit
the truth that His ways are vicious and beyond understanding. They
attribute a malignity to Him seldom to be found in any human being. And
that is how they get human beings to worship Him. For our miserable
species would never lavish worship on a just and benevolent God from
whom they had nothing to fear. — Anatole France
It would be very nice if there were a
God who created the world and was a benevolent providence, and if there
were a moral order in the universe and an after-life; but it is a very
striking fact that all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to be.
— Sigmund Freud
From a philosophical perspective,
Linde’s little story underscores the danger of assuming that the
creative force behind our universe, if there is one, must correspond to
the traditional image of God: omnipotent, omniscient, infinitely
benevolent, and so on. Even if the cause of our universe is an
intelligent being, it could well be a painfully incompetent and fallible
one, the kind that might flub the cosmogenic task by producing a
thoroughly mediocre creation. — Jim Holt
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce
the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer,
lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect
upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check. Eating
non-starchy vegetables and fruits like apples, pears, and green leafy
vegetables may even promote weight loss. [1] Their low glycemic loads
prevent blood sugar spikes that can increase hunger.
At least nine different families of fruits and vegetables exist, each
with potentially hundreds of different plant compounds that are
beneficial to health. Eat a variety of types and colors of produce in
order to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. This not only
ensures a greater diversity of beneficial plant chemicals but also
creates eye-appealing meals.
There is compelling evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Numerous early studies revealed what appeared to be a strong link between eating fruits and vegetables and protection against cancer. Unlike case-control studies, cohort studies,
which follow large groups of initially healthy individuals for years,
generally provide more reliable information than case-control studies
because they don’t rely on information from the past. And, in general,
data from cohort studies have not consistently shown that a diet rich in
fruits and vegetables prevents cancer.
A more likely possibility is that some types of fruits and vegetables may protect against certain cancers.
Specific components of fruits and vegetables may also be protective against cancer. For example:
Some research looks specifically at whether individual fruits are
associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. While there isn’t an abundance
of research into this area yet, preliminary results are compelling.
Data from the Nurses’ Health Studies and the Health Professional’s
Follow-up Study show that women and men who increased their intakes of
fruits and vegetables over a 24-year period were more likely to have
lost weight than those who ate the same amount or those who decreased
their intake. Berries, apples, pears, soy, and cauliflower were
associated with weight loss while starchier vegetables like potatoes,
corn, and peas were linked with weight gain. [1] However, keep in mind
that adding more produce into the diet won’t necessarily help with
weight loss unless it replaces another food, such as refined
carbohydrates of white bread and crackers.
Fruits and vegetables contain indigestible fiber, which absorbs water
and expands as it passes through the digestive system. This can calm
symptoms of an irritable bowel and, by triggering regular bowel
movements, can relieve or prevent constipation. [18] The bulking and
softening action of insoluble fiber also decreases pressure inside the
intestinal tract and may help prevent diverticulosis. [19]
Eating fruits and vegetables can also keep your eyes healthy, and may
help prevent two common aging-related eye diseases—cataracts and
macular degeneration—which afflict millions of Americans over age 65.
[20-23] Lutein and zeaxanthin, in particular, seem to reduce risk of
cataracts. [24]
The
contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not
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