Friday Reflections

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

 

In light of continuous violence taking lives of so many innocent children and adults…….

Point to Ponder: And how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see

Reflection: This song was written in 1962 by Bob Dylan and reflected the times of war, violence and protests for human rights all across the world at that time. However, seeing the current situation in America (and the world) I thought of the message of this song and wanted to share it with you as it is especially relevant today.  

I hear Bob Dylan's voice as he pleads: And how many deaths will it take 'till he knows That too many people have died? 

No matter what political or religious believes you have, I am sure everyone wants these senseless killings to end. A quick solution for these tragedies needs to be in place. Otherwise:

"What a pity a man must die before he wakes up?"

 

Story Line: Blowin’ In The Wind by Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man?

How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand?

How many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist Before it's washed to the sea?

How many years must some people exist Before they're allowed to be free?

And how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see - The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

How many times can a man look up Before he sees the sky?

How many ears must one person have Before he can hear people cry?

And how many deaths will it take 'till he knows That too many people have died?

The answer, my friends, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Oh, the answer, my friends, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

Songwriter: Bob Dylan

Blowin' in the Wind lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC 

 

 

The Most Motivational Performance Review Ever

 

Reflection: A little coaching goes a long way - feedback isn't much use unless it is specific. 

Hint: click here for a larger, higher quality version.

Stephen Hawking- To live in the hearts he leaves behind is not to Die.

 

Point to Ponder: Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” Address to Hong Kong University Students in 2006.

Story Line: The human life is often compared metaphorically with the movement of Sun through the day. Sun rises in the morning symbolizing the new beginning and then travels through the day to the evening and fades away symbolizing the end of the journey. At the finale just before the curtain call, represented by the Sunset, the Sun puts on a spectacular celebration with vibrant, diverse colors on the horizon.

Sunset Years is also the term used by us humans to describe the later years of life. For 21 years old Stephen Hawking, diagnosed with a rare motor neurone disease, the doctors had given two sunset years to live. Instead of wrapping up his affairs, with his passion and determination, he extended his journey through 55 more sunset years and with its brilliant lights and magnificent colors, contributed immensely to the world through scientific discoveries. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Albert Einstein.

The short video on top is the celebration of his brilliant long sunset years.*

Reflection On life by Stephen Hawking

❝One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away❞ - advice to his children that he shared with Diane Sawyer in 2010 interview.

Life would be tragic if it weren't funny.

*Except for last two photos of stars and galaxy by NASA, the rest of the photos are taken at various locations by Anand and Luisa Shah.

Every Day is a Woman's Day

Your Children Are Not Your Children *

Answers to life's problems lie inside of you. All that you need to do is Look, Listen and Learn.

 POINTS TO PONDER

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. - John Lennon 
 

STORY LINE From Kahlil Gibran's* "The Prophet" 

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

* Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese American artist, poet and a writer. 

REFLECTION

We wanted to thank everyone for their passionate, insightful, and astute comments regarding reflection - Two Sides of Success .Your differing points of view, thoughtful dialogue, and passionate comments are the best of what Friday Reflections can be. We encourage more dialogue like this. 

    We noticed that many of last week's comments were made by parents. Parents that loved their children, cared for their children, and worried for their futures. Jimmy Chin's story seemed to strike a chord because his story represented one of the greatest fears a parent can have  regarding the child they love - they want a different life than the one a parent has laid out for them. 

    One of the comments left by a concerned mother really hit home. It's a dilemma that many parents face regarding their children - the fear of failure, of harm, and the unknown. Often we forget that we were once that idealistic, passionate child where fear wasn't on the forefront of our minds. This particular reader was observant enough to say:

But then I am the same parent that did not put the Fear of anything in my sons' heads... Then why am I chickening out now? My mother allowed me to come to a foreign country for Grad school - going against all her in laws - who wanted to marry me off to some "suitable" guy. Was her risk taking justified - because - she was allowing me to follow my dream of further education and hence a perceived guaranteed bright future?

It seems that she was once like her own son in wanting a life different than what was expected of her. She didn't know where the roles had switched where her own son, like her, dreamed of a different life. The reader then asked a question that no one but her, her child, and the inevitability of nature can answer. She asked: 

How do you chose which passion/conviction to follow or let follow? When is the "right" time to follow your passions? What are the pre requisites? Mostly I want to know- What should be a parent's role in this or should they be?

      Your comments, and the questions of this concerned parent, got us thinking. It sparked us to post this reflection. 

* Repeat from January 17, 2013. Reader's comments from the original publication also included in this blog.