Tag: reason

Pysche

Posted on by Olaf

Some would say that sheep are known for their ‘gentle, social, and herd-oriented psyche’. They certainly have instincts for safety, companionship and routine.  Apparently they are emotionally sensitive and, being ‘prey animals’ they are fearful and cautious – they easily get lost.  Not so very different perhaps then from most human beings! More usually the word ‘pysche’ refers to the human soul, mind, or spirit—essentially the essence of a person’s inner self. In psychology, ‘psyche’ describes the totality of the human mind, including both conscious and unconscious elements. The word comes from the Greek ‘psukhē’, meaning ‘breath, life, soul’.

Futility

Posted on by Olaf

For a change, here’s a quote to begin this Booster: Clever and entertaining, the series based around four elderly pensioners living in an exclusive retirement home is flush with murders and intrigue, along with a visiting fox! Often insightful, Osman weaves his observations of life into the conversations and actions of his characters. Garth is […]

The Project

Posted on by Olaf

Most of us like a project of some kind so long as it is not overwhelming. Somehow it is more satisfying than a routine chore like hoovering or washing the dishes. Ideally, a project needs a plan with a timeline, the right tools and materials.

With the vision for it taking shape, there is a sense of purpose and pending fulfilment. There are bound to be distractions and probably some difficulties to overcome.

Undoing what’s done

Posted on by Olaf

There’s little more frustrating than trying to undo a knot but not being able to see where it starts and ends. Sailors and Scouts learn how to use up to 25 knots for practical purposes. How many do you know?
According to The Ashley Book of Knots there are over 3,850 knot types!

Tying a knot is a life skill that most of us learn before going to school – the simple shoe lace. Even with this there are different ways of doing it and you will probably still be doing it the way you were first taught.

Recalibration

Posted on by Olaf

There are certain big events in life that can set us back on our heels, bring us down to our knees, make us reconsider the direction of our lives or call for a complete reset. Here are a few – broken relationship, loss, accident, redundancy or retirement.  When we embark on a new relationship or obtain a new job, adjustments and calculations need to be made to the allocation of limited time, effort and finances.  A similar process happens with these ‘life turning points’.  We may need to rethink our goals, abandoning some that seem out of date, revising others or setting ourselves new aspirations. Machines and instruments need careful initial calibration as well as occasional recalibration.  Bodies and minds can sometimes need this too.  Crises don’t only come in midlife.  What was the last big event that caused you to have a recalibration and how are you doing since?  Clouds are continually forming and reforming with the changing meteorological conditions. There is even such a thing as ‘Recalibration of Neural Networks for Point Cloud Analysis’ used in research to help with the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease! What shape are your clouds and can you spot any recalibration going on?

  • ‘Sometimes in order for change to be made in a positive fashion, we must force ourselves to look unblinkingly at painful realities and re-evaluate’ – Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

One Life, Live It!

Posted on by Olaf

There are many who will tell you how to live your life but who’s right?  The ‘global wellness market’ is said to be valued at over $4.75 trillion and growing at more than 6% a year.  It is a big business with therapists and ‘experts’ galore waiting to take people’s money and time to deal with their insecurities, hopes and dreams.  Entertainment channels massage our desires and advertisers prey on our egos as we fall victim to the exploitation of others.  Often the young want to be older whilst  the old want to be younger; the employed want to retire, the retired wish they still had purpose in work; those in the shade want sun, those in the sun want shade.  What about you now?  Do you long to be beside the sea for a long relaxing holiday that drifts into retirement or are you already living the life you dream of?

‘If I knew yesterday what I know today, where would I be tomorrow?
I won't let my soul slide away, I'd do whatever it takes
'Cause this time's only borrowed
I got one life, one life, one life and I'm gonna live it
I got one life, one life, one life and I'm gonna live it right’ – James Morrison

Perspective

Posted on by Olaf

You may well know this bird is an Oyster Catcher and be familiar with its beautiful burbling sound but none of us can share its unique perspective as it skims low across the sea. What is your unique perspective in life at present?  In the twists and turns of life, we find ourselves in diverse places, travelling at different speeds and dealing with many types of emotion.  Here are some experiences you might be entering, wanting, dreading or leaving behind – going into the valley, on the mountain to, in the boat, on an eagle’s wing or walking on water.  Whichever one it is, you probably won’t be able to change it so the vital thing is to have the right perspective as you pass through it.

  • ‘Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life’ – Gregory Peck
  • ‘The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it’ – Chris Pine

Guidance

Posted on by Olaf

Suppose in stepping on to this beach, you are given two choices.  Stay put to enjoy the scene or choose a boat and head off into the water?  In this metaphor for guidance, if you get into a boat you then have further issues to resolve: which boat, where is the destination, how to get there, what supplies are needed and who to take with you (if anyone)? Your life will have been like this multiple times for big and small things.  Sometimes you have a period of stability but other times, there is a need for a succession of choices as one thing leads to another.  The story is told of a ship’s Captain who looked into the dark night and saw a light in the distance. Met by repeated refusals to alter course and give way, the impatient Captain sends a final signal: ‘Alter your course ten degrees south. I am a battleship.’ The reply was, ‘Alter your course ten degrees north. I am a lighthouse!’  Oh that it was always so easy to make a wise choice!

Many are the plans

Posted on by Olaf

It has been said that our plans amuse God!   We can all certainly think of plans made at different stages of our lives that have come to nothing and perhaps seem foolish or naïve in retrospect.  Compare the innocence of lambs which have no plans to those which litter the graves of every human being!  Does that mean to say that it is wrong to plan?  Have we not been given brains to weigh up options, consider priorities and find the best solutions to problems?  It is the direction and motive behind every plan that is of greatest significance.  Is the goal solely to satisfy self, even at the expense of others or perhaps in some way to have disregard for God’s ways?  

  • ‘The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile’ – Psalm 94:11
  • ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails’ – Proverbs 19:21