26 Comments

1. 

   Liam on March 17, 2011 at

   Too soon. Somehow I don’t think friends in Japan would appreciate this.

   ***RESPONSE FROM BRYAN***

   I’m open to that this may be too soon to look for beauty in what’s happened in Japan… this is more about our orientation towards beauty as it relates to challenge and hardship in general…and seems strange NOT to acknowledge events in Japan… thoughts?

   Reply
2. 

   Mads Damgaard on March 17, 2011 at

   Hey guys,
   thanks for the recording. Great to hear the honesty abt the stuff that you experience. I came to think of Eckhart Tolles teachings about how suffering can bring you into awareness of “Being.” I have lost my parents relatively early and have had quite a troubled childhood which has and is affecting my life in various ways not least of all with women. But it is also this pain which has pushed me to seek release and this led me to AMP and aftewards to teachings like Tolles which has enriched my life immensely. I dont think i would have had the desire or determination to become and know myself fully as I have now, if I had not experienced this pain. In that way it can be considered a gift which other people did not receive. From a conventional point of view this seems mad but if all suffering is essentially an illusion it seems usefull to be forced to examine it in detail and see it for what it is.
   Thanks guys!

   Reply
3. 

   Josh Sumara on March 17, 2011 at

   I already have that recording, so if I make the cut don’t sweat sending it.

   One story in particular comes to mind.

   I have an older cousin who lost his Grandmother in 2000. I never knew her. I’d only seen pictures of her on my grandmother’s refrigerator. To me she’d always been “So-and-so’s grandma.” When I heard she died I felt “Bad” but I was also indifferent. She didn’t mean anything to me personally.

   2007 rolled around. Christmas Eve family party, handing out presents, and my cousin had a present he was told to open last. We went through all the superficial shirts, money, video games, until it came down to that final rectangular present in the corner.

   He opened it with his fiance at his side, and the whole room went silent. He was crying.

   I was hit by a wave of sadness. This person, who’s normally just an older, cooler guy who’s good at playing guitar suddenly became a human being to me, and it was in a state that I would have been uncomfortable with showing/seeing.

   The present was a giant frame, and inside was a memorial of his dead grandmother. Pictures of her, him, her old house, and all these memories he recalls vividly, and I can barely understand. But I’m sitting there, tears streaming down my face, watching my cousin mourn and remember a valued relationship that’s been gone for a long time.

   Which brings me to death. I am not at all familiar with death. I’m 23 and I haven’t lost a single person I’ve been close to. I fear death. I’m afraid of terrorism, natural disasters, 2012, anything that can take what I love, what I have called home, and destroy it.

   That said, I can see the beauty in it a little bit. I don’t think I’d value anything nearly as much as I do if it was eternal. My parents are aging fast, people around me are losing loved ones left and right, and people overseas are fucking suffering. I’m more angry than I am enamoured.

   But I think that over time I’ll start to see the beauty of my own fear and grief more and more, the same way that I was moved to tears by my cousin’s pain.

   Reply
4. 

   Paul on March 17, 2011 at

   Interesting conversation.

   I’d distinguish between welcoming bad experiences and welcoming the positive things that can come out of the bad experiences that have already happened.

   I try not to embody the archetypal proposition that ‘all resurrections are preceded by a crucifixion’, even though many things seem to play out this way.

   So I guess I try to continually upgrade my destiny so that as few bad things as possible happen – and at the same time stay open to (and creative with respect to) good things coming out of the bad things I wasn’t able to stop in time (due to not being enlightened/integrated yet).

   I believe the same good things that come out of bad experiences (eg meeting someone new) could have come about in a different way ie without the bad experience.

   In other words I don’t think any bad experience is ultimately *necessary* for personal growth. This goes against a lot of spiritual or psychological ideas but I think it’s worth thinking about.

   Thanks, Paul.

   Reply
5. 

   Scott Grow on March 17, 2011 at

   I have a story to share, but it is in the form of a word document and is about ten pages long. It is about the brotherhood of Marines in combat, the tragedy being war in general, and the beauty of the bonds forged under fire. Please email me so that I can send it to you, and if you deem it appropriate, you can publish it through AMP. Thank you.

   Semper Fi,
   Scott

   Reply
6. 

   Tambo on March 17, 2011 at

   I actually arrived in Japan a few days before the earthquake hit. I was taking a train into Tokyo when all of a sudden the train came to an quick stop. The train had stopped moving forward, but I could feel the car swaying back and forth for a couple minutes. I had never been in an earthquake before, and I do not speak Japanese well so I had no idea what was going on.

   But the people around me seemed calm and collected. There was some worry on their faces, but no one freaked out. I think this may be the numbness you talked about. Earthquakes are common in many areas of Japan, and most people were probably more annoyed by the inconvenience than by what was going on (I was one of these people). When I heard Tsunamis were sweeping the coast I thought about the fact that my luggage back at my sister’s place might be ruined, not about the lives that would be lost.

   When I finally figured out the magnitude of the disaster, I immediatley thought of my own safety. I heard that huge Tsunamis would hit the coast, and feared for my life. After gathering more information I found that the area I was in was not in eminent danger, so I focused more on trying to find a place to stay.

   One of my biggest impressions of the scene was seeing thousands of people lost near the station, desperately trying to get ahold of loved ones and find a way home. There were so many people back in the states worried about me, and at first I had no way to contact them and let them know I was ok.

   I was never in any immediate danger, but I didn’t know that at the time. The worst that befell me was waiting outside in the cold for some form of transport for a place to stay, and feeling like a homeless person walking the streets. It was a long and emotional haul for me to be sure, but nowhere near the tragedy faced in other parts of Japan.

   It is still hard to find the beauty in this disaster because, though I am now in the southern area of Japan with my brother (a place so far unaffected by the earthquake) I still have friends and relatives close to Tokyo. My sister actually left her home, for fear of nuclear fallout, and even in the southern part of Japan, there is some fear of radiation.

   But there is beauty in this too. The whole world has come together to help in relief efforts. In Japan, I have seen many acts of extreme kindness from people I barely knew offering us their food and homes. I also felt a lot of love from my family and friends making sure I was safe and helping me in any way they could. Most of all, though, it has taught me to look at life in a different way. The petty and trivial problems I had, now seem much less important. I am so thankful for being alive and knowing that my family and friends are ok. It has really taught me to seize the day and see the beauty that can come from tragedy.

   Reply
7. 

   AMSON on March 17, 2011 at

   FOR US HERE IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICA ESPECIALLY HERE IN ZAMBIA CAN’T COMPREHEND WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN JAPAN. THOUGH WE HAVE HAD OUR SHARES OF MISFORTUNES ie WARS, DISEASES & POVERTY WHAT HAVE HAPPENED IN JAPAN IS A TOTAL DISASTER WITH THE NUCLEAR MELTDOWN AS AN ICING ON THE DISASTER CAKE. HOW CAN ONE SEE BEAUTY IN THIS? THE ONLY THING THAT COME TO MIND IS THE WAY US HUMAN COME TOGETHER TO HELP.

   Reply
8. 

   Barbara Gunderson on March 17, 2011 at

   I’ve experienced a lot of pain in my life, the most recent was a break up in a relationship that took me a year to get out of, because I didn’t want to feel the pain of loneliness, ect. But it broke me, and I turned my heart to God, and have been taking a good look at all the past yuck that I
   ve experienced, The beauty of it all is even tho it was a toxic relationship that physically made me sick, If not for it I wouldn’t be leaning on the Holy Spirit to guide my life now, so I am thankful for the pain, im still processing and growing but I’ll never go back, and look forward to the future.

   Reply
9. 

   tri on March 17, 2011 at

   it’s difficult to see/create beauty in the face of tragedy in one’s life,in the life of others when one didn’t experience it but for Japanese who themselves suffered and still suffer one time catastrophical US atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,I thought it’s hardship endurance, bravery, discipline, unity, stoicism to overcoming multifaceted difficulties which other people unexperience it. I set great store by their heroic deeds and believe they, Japanese people, will pridefully stand up for recovering their damaged economy due to such natural calamity. NIHON GANBATTE (Japanese strive up).

   Reply
10. 

    Shiraz on March 18, 2011 at

    I guess it’s a timing thing…

    There’s beauty that’s going to come out of a catastrophe like in Japan (or it already has come out), but a book, movie, documentary, or some account that will be shared with the rest of the world that will illuminate that beauty.

    We had to wait a number of years (decades?) before Ann Frank’s diary became known and shared with the world…

    My point is that beauty seems to come after the fact, or it’s a result of a catastrophe… not necessarily the catastrophe itself.

    At least the way I look at it.

    Reply
11. 

    Seth Opperman on March 18, 2011 at

    It’s funny, the things that come from tragedy and pain. I am a college student at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. Last semester was rough for me because my girlfriend of three years and I had broken up, my mother and father were getting a divorce, and one of my close relatives, my Uncle Richard, had just passed away from cancer. I was really in the dumps for quite a long time, hardly able to compose myself to go to the cafeteria for meals. I rarely even woke up in time for class because I couldn’t sleep at night.

    This went on for awhile, a time when I could only find happiness in a television show. I went home for winter break and stayed with my mother, helping her out around the house and by the time I left I was functional again, but still somewhat emotionally numb.

    As it was the start of a new semester when I returned to school, my concert choir passed out the new music for the semester. Two requiems; the Verdi and the Mozart. I had only heard about the Mozart Requiem before and new a little of the background story in which it was written. Over the course of the semester, I connected more and more with the piece as we progressed through each movement. I even bought the CD on iTunes to help me learn the music but when I started listening to it, I found myself in somewhat of a mediative state – the latin speaking to me like God’s own voice. When Lacrymosa came through the speakers, the slow waves of sound washing over my wounded heart, I began to cry. Funny, because Lacrymosa means to weep and that, I was doing.

    What I found over this last semester is that it takes that low and dreadful place to find such beauty in life. Never before had I been so touched and moved by such music, even music I was singing myself. But coming from a place where I was stripped down to my very substance, my heart left exposed to the world – what I call my most organic state of being – I started being able to find happiness in the smallest things. A smile on a friends face would make my day, or the laugh of a child (I mean who doesn’t that make happy?). And I realized that after all I’d been through; the breakup, the divorce, the loss of Uncle Richard – that I couldn’t possibly regret these things and that if it weren’t for experiencing the pain of each one, I would never have heard the true beauty of Mozart’s Requiem. I would’ve kept missing all the million of little details that make this world worth living in. And no longer was I the one saying “Salva me”, save me, but rejoicing in the beautiful irony of this life and all of the learning opportunities it offers us.

    ***RESPONSE FROM BRYAN***

    Thanks for this — I love how you speak of how loss can strip us down, expose our hearts….. and music has been the gateway for me to experiencing the full range of emotions, as well….

    Reply
12. 

    Brad on March 18, 2011 at

    It is said that going through a divorce is one of the top three most distressing things a person can go through. I went through it about a decade ago and, indeed, it was a full-blown crisis. At the time, I couldn’t see much beauty in any of it (other than that first exciting impact of suddenly realizing you are in many ways free from many chains), but it took me a few years to really comprehend that it was a totally positive experience: it helped me hone in more clearly on what I want out of life and comprehend in a clearer way the things that I would no longer tolerate in a relationship. It made me grow and understand that I really can choose to be master of my own destiny; that if there is something wrong in any relationship, I must have the courage to go forth and either cure it, or work to expunge it from my life. We have too little time to acquiesce to things that don’t work towards our own happiness. Today, I am grateful that my former wife had actually helped me see who I am, what I want, and what I don’t want. In that sense, there is no such thing as a wasted relationship: it’s all a laboratory, and we are here to learn.

    Reply
13. 

    Diego on March 18, 2011 at

    First I think there is kind of an awakening when you stop having something you took for granted. Once tragedy has happened, you can begin having a different relationship to your existence, to environment, to other people, to technology, etc.

    I would say that depending on how I relate to the suffering -and the overview of things through time- I can become more real, more authentic and connected with myself. I remember a time when I was a teenager that I started journaling about current situations with relationships in my life and my pain about them. There was no BS there. I had a burning moment and the next days I felt really clean and ok with myself, like I found a potential I hadn´t been able to express.

    I think tragedy and beauty are related by helping us penetrate new boundaries and stop sleepwalking in our lifes.

    Reply
14. 

    Jonathan Mandel on March 18, 2011 at

    I have a simple and small example. I had an amazing first date with a woman. For our second date I invited her to my house for dinner. She arrived with flowers, but our date didn’t go well. Something had shifted for her, and she left after dinner. I was disappointed. The next morning I saw the light illuminating those flowers and created this picture:

    http://www.checkerbox.com/#Portfolio/Personal-work/Follow-The-Light/22.

    The disappointment is gone, as are the girl and the flowers, but this art continues to illuminate my life.

    ***RESPONSE FROM BRYAN***
    Wow, this is beautiful, Jon — thanks for this.

    Reply
15. 

    Mark Hunter on March 18, 2011 at

    This audio really does come across as not only petty but self absorbed and foolish.
    Unfortunately no matter how bad it was a heartbreak does not equal the death of thousands. And saying that you are so removed from what happened that you can not relate is stupid.
    Come back and record a new message when you HAVE lost someone close to you and can have some real perspective .

    ***RESPONSE FROM BRYAN***
    Hey Mark —
    Funny, I don’t recall equating heartbreak with the death of thousands, or even the loss of a loved one.

    More and more as I reflect on it, however, and some of the stories I hear coming out of Japan confirm a suspicion I have, that our capacity for happiness/beauty/fulfillment can actually be fairly independent of our external circumstances…

    People in Japan who have commented that it’s actually been Nourishing to have an experience that brings things back to What Matters, beyond the trivial concerns of our day-to-day life…

    And there are people who have everything that SHOULD make them happy (steady job, partner, stability, friends, etc.) who are Miserable…and it’s even WORSE in these situations, cause they don’t even have a REASON for their dissatisfaction with their life…

    And I was just talking to Scott, who over the weekend attended a funeral of his friend’s dad, who lived his life so fully, that the funeral was more a celebration of the life this man had lived, as opposed to one of mourning… I acknowledge that many people who are lost in a disaster or accident often don’t have the opportunity to life life as fully, but my point is that our RELATIONSHIP to our life circumstances are far more impactful than what has actually happened to us or not.

    Either way, sounds like you might have a powerful story of loss to share…

    Reply
16. 

    Jonathan on March 19, 2011 at

    I want to thank everyone who’s shared their stories so far, reading through them all has really sharpened my focus and has me wanting to share. Tambo and Seth’s stories particularly: the first being the direct experience of the event that has allowed Bryan to open this inquiry up; and the second being the power of music – something which effects me everyday. We all listen to music, and for years I just listened to music with no real thoughts towards it, but I feels as if I listen much more consciously nowadays. Thank you.

    My Mum was diagnosed with Cancer this time last year, this was hard news to take now that I’m living overseas in the UK, away from my parents; I had never been exposed to the possibility of losing someone so close to me before and it had me wanting to rush back home. But I didn’t and I am so grateful for that, because it allowed me to feel into the fears of what it might have been like to lose my Mum. Even through the simpilest of actions, like cutting strawberries for example, had me shedding tears over the kitchen sink one morning. Picking berries was something my Mum and I did regularly together when I was small. And besides, what good would I have been just sitting on my ass at home staring at my Mum before and after the surgery that was going to remove the tumour from her body? I really struggled with the idea that she could die and asking her if ‘she was alright?’ every 5 minutes? Selfish.

    In the end my Mum beat the Cancer (for now), and I even got to go to one of her follow-up appointments to see where it was that she was being looked after. The building was amazing and had this radiance of calm around it, with volunteers playing guitar and offering free coffee to those that were there in support of friends and family members being treated. She will have these check-ups regularly for the next three years, but being exposed to the clinic and the patients and family members there that day (who were all there for a shared reason) made me feel a lot safer. Both my parents outlook on life has changed too, as a result they are beginning to value the NOW, leaving past worries behind and moving forward with their plans for retirement – it all got put on hold last year. So I’m happy for them because of the Cancer in a way if that makes sense. It’s probably the biggest killer in North America, but its effect on survivours and family members can really change the way we may see, feel and choose to experience this world. I am so grateful not to have lost my Mum.

    “When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.” ~ Anthony Robbins

    Reply
17. 

    thinx2damnmuch on March 19, 2011 at

    To me, I feel this empathetic “grieving” for the loss that others are feeling elsewhere in the world because I too have faced and grieved for my own losses. Life tends to blend them all together into a life simultaneously filled with joy for my/other’s/humanity’s progress…and sadness for my/other’s/humanity’s losses. It’s as if time and place don’t really matter anymore.

    As far as the beauty side of things: Although it can come from the rebuild/aftermath after the destruction, I don’t think that’s the main way. The real beauty I see is essentially appreciation for what I have. When I hear of people losing their friends/family to death/disaster, I look around to the life I have now that does not have the death/disaster and have renewed appreciation. I again really cherish the time with my people, home, job, infrastructure, society, and freedom.

    It’s not so much that there’s beauty to be found in the disaster, but in everything else NOT in the disaster, relatively speaking. In other words, appreciation is beautiful. For example, right now I appreciate just having the lifestyle I do to have a home, computer, internet, utilities, safety, stability, freedom, and a forum like this to even having this discussion with everyone here. We all connect in a way never before possible in human history!

    Reply
18. 

    Nicholas Koech on March 20, 2011 at

    Its realy devatating to loose someone you love thruogh terible incideces and accidents. It makes me imagine about the true meaning of our existence and how to support the needy and enjoy every opportnity we get in our life time.

    Reply
19. 

    PATERESIO LALIQAVOKA on March 20, 2011 at

    DURING DAYS WITH LOTS OF SUNSHINE I SEE THAT MONGOOSE AND CHICKEN ARE ENEMY…BUT DURING THE FLOOD THEY HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON, SURVIVAL IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY…THIS PROBABLY ILLUSTRATES THE EXISTENCE OF TRAGEDY….IT FOCUS HUMAN HEART TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE….TOWARDS A PERSON WHO ALSO HAVE THINGS IN COMMON A HEART AND NEEDS SURVIVAL….FROM THIS I HAVE LEARNT TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOURS IN BOTH TIMES DURING THE SUNSHINE AND DIRNG RAINY DAYS, which is the creator,s command TO LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF…..This summarises countless experiences in my life…..

    Reply
20. 

    Daniel V on March 20, 2011 at

    I really want the Inner Circle Recording and also would love to interact on this blog more. I’ll share an interview, examples and how I see beauty in the face of tragedy that has made a big impact on how I relate and view the world.

    I was reading an article and Deepak Chopra was being interviewed by Playboy and the interviewer asked him “What do you hope your legacy will be?”

    And Mr. Chopra answered “Easy come, easy go.”

    The interviewer asked what that meant to him. He said

    “We take ourselves so seriously and yet we’re gone in the blink of an eye. I recently took my son to the place in India where I’d like my ashes to be scattered. It’s a place called Haridwar, and it’s where I scattered the ashes of my own father recently. When you go there you open the registry and see that your grandfather had visited and your great-grandfather and your great-great-grandfather. In three generations, it’s as if you never existed. And yet we are timeless. It can be mathematically proven that right now you have in your body a million atoms that were once the body of Jesus Christ, the Buddha and Genghis Khan. In just the past three weeks, a quadrillion atoms have gone through your body that have gone through the body of every other living species on this planet. We are not our body and mind. There’s a spiritual essence that transcends the activity of the present moment. Part of you never dies, because it was never born. It’s outside time, outside space. That’s very comforting. It’s a kind of universal identity. In the meantime, the highest form of intelligence you can have is to observe yourself. Let it go at that. You don’t need to judge, you don’t need to analyze, you don’t even need to change. This is the key to life: the ability to reflect, the ability to know yourself, the ability to pause for a second before reacting automatically. If you can truly know yourself, you will begin the journey of transformation. As human beings we have unlimited potential and imagination. The worst thing you can do is be a conformist and buy into conformity. It’s the worst possible thing. It’s better to be outrageous. It’s better to hang out with the sages, the people open to possibilities, even the psychotics. You never know where you’ll find the geniuses of our society.”

    That has affected how I look at the beauty in the face of disaster. I lost my gf and job two years ago, with that I found AMP and have been creating beauty in my life and relationships. Beethhoven was blind and created beautiful music. I’m thinking of Charlie Sheen at the moment and laughing but I feel he’s creating beauty out of disaster. People are entertained, talking about and enjoying this whole spectacle. Life is a ride that goes up and down.

    I’ll end with this link. Its a video of Bill Hicks asking what the point of life? Its amazing.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q95kX_EP2Nk

    Easy come easy go,
    Daniel

    ***RESPONSE FROM BRYAN***
    We saw Deepak speak at the Integral Spiritual Experience event we were presenting at over New Year’s, and he dropped some Vedic knowledge that blew Decker away and kindled a respect for the ancient wisdom traditions. A true scientist and philosopher…

    I love that you can see the beauty even in the Charlie Sheen antics…from this perspective, it’s all a cosmic dance, in the end…

    Reply
21. 

    Shirley on March 21, 2011 at

    When my husband of 33 years died of a sudden heart attack 5 years ago, I thought my life was over. I was extremely overweight, he had been my world, and I thought I’d never fall in love again. Also, I had to sell our home that I loved dearly.

    A few months later, I fell and broke my left arm, shattered my elbow so completely that there was nothing left to pin together. That was a blessing in disguise. I ended up losing 96 lbs and getting in shape. I had a new lease on life. Meantime, I’m a fine art photographer, and on one of the photo-sharing sites, a very passionate man began flirting with me, and I realized I was still alive.

    Since then, I’ve discovered that I am a vital, beautiful, sexy woman, and have had quite a few men want to marry me. Until now, I hadn’t found the right one, but about a month ago I met the man I hope to spend the rest of my life with. We’re like a couple of teenagers.

    It just goes to show, life isn’t over ’til it’s over, and you never know what’s around the next corner. Never, ever give up!

    Reply
22. 

    Fr John S. Toon on March 21, 2011 at

    ’tis truly good to see some are into the really important issues of our day-to-day lives. I’m watching with interest and may offer two pennyworth at some stage. Fr John

    Reply
23. 

    JHC on March 21, 2011 at

    WOW.
    WHOA.

    been reading the different posts here.

    the only thing i can think of that perfectly sums up this Ashes To Beauty concept is Anthony Robbins 9/11 video “Negotiating Conflict Leadership In Times Of Crisis”.

    i just watched it yesterday and it really moved me.

    the 3 things that Bryan recently wrote how beauty emerges from tragedy was succinctly conveyed in that 9/11 video. and then some.

    and in my own life experiences, yes, beauty CAN come from tragedy if one chooses to see and believe it. others wont.

    a major part of who i am and have become came out from tragedy, and me seeing the beauty and flowing with the healing power of seeing the silver lining.

    but i do not believe that evil and tragedy MUST happen to become better or to learn or to see beauty. what i do believe is how we choose to see the tragedy that happens.

    what was that powerful saying: “you do not see the world as it is, you see it as you are.”

    Reply
24. 

    Gordon from Food4Africa on March 22, 2011 at

    In Southern Africa we have Tsunamis everyday. 75% of the population have inadequate access to food. Children GO HUNGREY ever day. Food4Africa compiled a data base of vunerable children and stopped collecting names when we reached over 500 000 children which was 4 years ago. Everyday we have to turn hundreds of requests down as our funding only allows us to feed 17 000 children a day. The effects of malnutrition severly hamper the childrens ability to play a positive role in society. The impact of NO FOOD is far bigger than any Tsunamis and has a bigger impact on the economy. We have enormious sympathey with the victums of natural desaster as we deal with them daiy but unfortunately without any news coverage. Ever person on this plannet should be involved in giving back to those that are in need. As the wheel turns we all have a need, please play your part.

    Reply
25. 

    C F on March 22, 2011 at

    Re., Hemingway and his suicide, I heard somewhere, maybe at Hemingway House at Key West, that he had been depressed ever since the 1935 hurricane that killed many WWI vets, workers on the US 1 hwy, whom he had tried to save, but he had had only one boat. Story goes that he felt enormous guilt and impotence at that disaster.

    I have friends in Japan, and my son is serving there (with his family) so I am very interested in this tragedy. I know that it can be really difficult to see anything good coming out of something so terrible.

    I have spent time in Japan (two tours with the AF in the 60’s), and I am not surprised at all at the response of the Japanese. I don’t see it as “numbness” in any way. They are a very tough, very resilient, very disciplined people. And they know how to pull together.

    My heart is with them as they work through this tragedy.

    If we learn anything at all from this, I hope we take away from it the knowledge of what is really and truly important.

    Thanks for the link to the Decker/Sabongui interview. That was special. It really holds one of the keys to life – how to go forth into any discomfort without holding back, without running away, without giving up. A skill necessary whether you are taking your first sky-dive, meeting the girl of your dreams, or facing the aftermath of a humongous disaster. It’s really amazing how human beings can simply and naturally respond to just about anything with a dignity and courage that they had no idea they owned, until the moment of truth. It’s the “thinking” about it beforehand that cripples.

    Reply
26. 

    Fr John S. Toon on June 9, 2011 at

    Great Stuff!
    Fr John

    Reply