We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.

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— Richard Feynman (via philphys)

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

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— Aristotle (via fuckyeahyoga)

(via wordslessspoken)

I don’t generally consider myself to be a Christian in the literal, believing Christ was raised from e dead sense, but if the religion were phrased more like it is below more often, I might consider it.

Christmas Reflection on the Cosmic Christ from Fr. Richard Rohr

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Today, Jesus as Wisdom, Adonai, Root of Jesse, Key, Rising Sun, King, and Emmanuel come together in the celebration of His birth. The day was chosen in the early Roman church to replace the civil festival of the Rebirth of the Sun, which they could discern to be increasing by December 25. So they aligned Jesus with the cosmos itself, which is probably a very good thing for us to do too, instead of merely aligning him with any competitive or tribal notion of religion.

Quoting John 14:6, Jesus presents himself as first of all a Way (skillful means, practice, and lifestyle), and then he becomes our experienced Truth (for me and through me), which is finally the one great Life (for me and for the world). The sequencing is important! It is a terrible shame that this very verse is the one most often used to preach an intolerant and exclusionary version of Christianity. What Jesus is surely saying in this most misused passage is that if Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life,” then you and I aren’t! Nor are our groups. He is. All our pretenses are utterly undercut.

When people are truly following Jesus, they enjoy a great freedom from themselves—they can laugh at themselves, and let others do the same. They can accept humiliations and not being first or best—because their own reputation is not at stake. They know it is all about the One Eternal Christ Mystery and not about them.

The mature follower of Jesus will probably look more like a holy fool than a pious churchgoer, an uptight schoolmarm, or a too-obvious “saint.” At Jesus’ very birth he is fully identified with poverty, homelessness, immigrants, shepherds who were unclean by Temple criteria, and pagan astrologers from some offbeat Oriental religion! This Cosmic Christ did not come to create or maintain any in-groups or superiority systems, but to live and offer to the world a universal truth. Such a Christmas is indeed worthy of being the central holiday and holy day of the entire year.

• Father Richard Rohr

We have common cause against the night… Why love the woman who is your wife? Her nose breathes the air of a world that I know; therefore I love that nose. Her ears hear the music I might sing half the night through; therefore I love her ears. Her eyes delight in seasons of the land; and so I love those eyes. Her tongue knows quince, peach, chokecherry, mint and lime; I love to hear it speaking. Because her flesh knows heat, cold, affliction, I know fire, snow, and pain… We love what we know, we love what we are. Common cause, common cause, common cause of mouth, eye, ear, tongue, hand, nose, flesh, heart, and soul.

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— Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes (via philphys)

Animal factories are one more sign of the extent to which our technological capacities have advanced faster than our ethics.

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— Peter Singer. (via nefffy)

(via philphys)