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Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree is one of the many books
that our generation has rediscovered upon becoming parents.
It's ubiquitous -- found in every library, bookstore, and
preschool classroom. And yet, rereading it again for the first time
in thirty (or so) years can come as a bit of a shock. Many parents
we know have commented: "It's so depressing!" And on
one level, that is perfectly true. A boy and a tree have an
idyllic, playful, nurturing relationship that is forever
transformed when the boy, inevitably, begins to grow up. Now he
doesn't want to play; he wants apples for money. And then wood
for a house. And then a tree trunk to make a boat. And then,
finally, a stump to rest upon. The tree offers him everything he
needs, and each time he accepts, the progressively shorn and
mutilated tree is "happy." Read More »
Related: thanksgiving, shel silverstein, preschoolers, parenting, kids, giving
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by Wendy Sachs (How Does She Do It?) My kids are now eight and
six years old, which means they are still plenty self absorbed to
believe that they are king and queen of the castle, but old enough
at least… Read More »
Related: wendy sachs, social conscience, mommy tracked, mommy track, giving, charity
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Dainty
There was once a guy who suffered from cancer... a cancer
that can't be treated. He was in his 30’s
and he could die anytime. All his life, he was
stuck in his house being taken cared by his mother. He never went
outside but he…
Read More »
Related: worth., worship, worry, work, wonder, violence, understanding, uncertainty, truth, trust, travel, tolerance, time, teamwork, talent, tact, suffering, success, stupidity, strength, spirituality, sorrow, solitude, solidarity, simplicity, silence, sharing, service, self respect, security, sanity, salvation, sacrifice, sacred, rules, roles, risk, revolution, reverence for life, responsibility, respect, reputation, religion, relationship, relation, regret, reform, rebellion, reason, reality, readiness, radicals, racism, quotations, question, purpose, public, progress, procrastination, presence, prejudice, praise, power, popularity, politics, poetry, plan, philosophy, pessimism, perspective, persistence, perfection, perception, peace, patriotism, patience, organize, order, optimism, opportunity, nature, myth, mystery, mother’s day, mother, money, moderation, mistakes, minorities, mind, men, memory, meditation, mediocrity, meaning, maturity, material position, management, lying, luck, love, logic, limitation, life, leadership, labor, knowledge, kindness, justice, judgment, joy, intuition, interdependence, intention, integrity, inspiration, insanity, injustice, influence, individuality, indifference, inclusion, impermanence, imagination, illusion, ignorance, identity, ideas, ideals, hypocrisy, humor, humility, humanity, humanism, hospitality, hope, holidays, history, hero, hell, heaven, health, hatred, happiness, habit, growth, grief, greed, gratitude, government, good, goals, globalism, giving, generosity genius, garden, future, fulfillment, friendship, freedom, forgiveness, feeling, fear, family, fame, faith, failure, extremism, experience, expectations, excellence, example, evil, ethics, equality, envy, enthusiasm, enemies, ending, encouragement, empathy, effort, effectiveness, education, duty, dreams, doubt, diversity, dissent, disobedience, difficulties, democracy, death, curiosity, criticism, creed, credo, creativity, creation, courtesy, courage, controversy, conservation, conscience, connection, confusion, conflict, confidence, compromise, compassion, community, communication, common sense, commitment, civilization, choice, children, character, chaos, change, challenge, ceremony, caution, busyness, budhism, brevity, boredom, books, birth, belief, beginning, beauty, awareness, autumn, authority, attitude, atheism, art, arrogance, argument, appreciation, apathy, antagonism, anger, age, advice, action, acceptance
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user
By AlleyCat, on Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:50pm PDT
Well ladies Halloween was fun but I'm pooped, how about
ya'll? My kids had a blast giving out candy to all the
kids and even ADULTS (that was different) that came by.
They were having so much fun giving out the candy that they even
gave out their own personal stash. I… Read More »
Related: thinking, sharing, learning, giving, children
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Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, and is
fashioned by mind. If you speak and act with a polluted mind,
suffering will follow you, as the wheels of the oxcart follow the
footsteps of the ox. Everything is based on mind, is led by mind,
is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act…
Read More »
Related: worth., worship, worry, work, wonder, violence, understanding, uncertainty, truth, trust, travel, tolerance, time, teamwork, talent, tact, suffering, success, stupidity, strength, spirituality, sorrow, solitude, solidarity, simplicity, silence, sharing, service, self respect, security, sanity, salvation, sacrifice, sacred, rules, roles, risk, revolution, reverence for life, responsibility, respect, reputation, religion, relationship, relation, regret, reform, rebellion, reason, reality, readiness, radicals, racism, quotations, question, purpose, public, progress, procrastination, presence, prejudice, praise, power, popularity, politics, poetry, plan, philosophy, pessimism, perspective, persistence, perfection, perception, peace, patriotism, patience, organize, order, optimism, opportunity, nature, myth, mystery, mother’s day, mother, money, moderation, mistakes, minorities, mind, men, memory, meditation, mediocrity, meaning, maturity, material position, management, lying, luck, love, logic, limitation, life, leadership, labor, knowledge, kindness, justice, judgment, joy, intuition, interdependence, intention, integrity, inspiration, insanity, injustice, influence, individuality, indifference, inclusion, impermanence, imagination, illusion, ignorance, identity, ideas, ideals, hypocrisy, humor, humility, humanity, humanism, hospitality, hope, holidays, history, hero, hell, heaven, health, hatred, happiness, habit, growth, grief, greed, gratitude, government, good, goals, globalism, giving, generosity genius, garden, future, fulfillment, friendship, freedom, forgiveness, feeling, fear, family, fame, faith, failure, extremism, experience, expectations, excellence, example, evil, ethics, equality, envy, enthusiasm, enemies, ending, encouragement, empathy, effort, effectiveness, education, duty, dreams, doubt, diversity, dissent, disobedience, difficulties, democracy, death, curiosity, criticism, creed, credo, creativity, creation, courtesy, courage, controversy, conservation, conscience, connection, confusion, conflict, confidence, compromise, compassion, community, communication, common sense, commitment, civilization, choice, children, character, chaos, change, challenge, ceremony, caution, busyness, budhism, brevity, boredom, books, birth, belief, beginning, beauty, awareness, autumn, authority, attitude, atheism, art, arrogance, argument, appreciation, apathy, antagonism, anger, age, advice, action, acceptance
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Compassion literally means to feel with, to suffer with. Everyone
is capable of compassion, and yet everyone tends to avoid it
because it's uncomfortable. And the avoidance produces psychic
numbing -- resistance to experiencing our pain for the world and
other beings.
It had been raining for…
Read More »
Related: worth., worship, worry, work, wonder, violence, understanding, uncertainty, truth, trust, travel, tolerance, time, teamwork, talent, tact, suffering, success, stupidity, strength, spirituality, sorrow, solitude, solidarity, simplicity, silence, sharing, service, self respect, security, sanity, salvation, sacrifice, sacred, rules, roles, risk, revolution, reverence for life, responsibility, respect, reputation, religion, relationship, relation, regret, reform, rebellion, reason, reality, readiness, radicals, racism, quotations, question, purpose, public, progress, procrastination, presence, prejudice, praise, power, popularity, politics, poetry, plan, philosophy, pessimism, perspective, persistence, perfection, perception, peace, patriotism, patience, organize, order, optimism, opportunity, nature, myth, mystery, mother’s day, mother, money, moderation, mistakes, minorities, mind, men, memory, meditation, mediocrity, meaning, maturity, material position, management, lying, luck, love, logic, limitation, life, leadership, labor, knowledge, kindness, justice, judgment, joy, intuition, interdependence, intention, integrity, inspiration, insanity, injustice, influence, individuality, indifference, inclusion, impermanence, imagination, illusion, ignorance, identity, ideas, ideals, hypocrisy, humor, humility, humanity, humanism, hospitality, hope, holidays, history, hero, hell, heaven, health, hatred, happiness, habit, growth, grief, greed, gratitude, government, good, goals, globalism, giving, generosity genius, garden, future, fulfillment, friendship, freedom, forgiveness, feeling, fear, family, fame, faith, failure, extremism, experience, expectations, excellence, example, evil, ethics, equality, envy, enthusiasm, enemies, ending, encouragement, empathy, effort, effectiveness, education, duty, dreams, doubt, diversity, dissent, disobedience, difficulties, democracy, death, curiosity, criticism, creed, credo, creativity, creation, courtesy, courage, controversy, conservation, conscience, connection, confusion, conflict, confidence, compromise, compassion, community, communication, common sense, commitment, civilization, choice, children, character, chaos, change, challenge, ceremony, caution, busyness, budhism, brevity, boredom, books, birth, belief, beginning, beauty, awareness, autumn, authority, attitude, atheism, art, arrogance, argument, appreciation, apathy, antagonism, anger, age, advice, action, acceptance
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user
By maria*, on Thu Oct 1, 2009 4:55pm PDT
I created this social network online in hope to make some changes
in the United States. Things here may seem like they are
getting better, but yet there is no help available to homeless
families. If there is help it is truly hard to find.
People like to gossip and say things that… Read More »
Related: social networks, relationships, realestate, online stores, love, homeless, giving, games, friendships, dating, caring, business