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On these pages we'd like to examine aspects
of life that tend to hinder us from living a full life.
There are many of them, and every individual experiences
most of them during a lifetime. But as with most things
in this world, what we go through and what we feel aren't
necessarily the problem; how we react to our
circumstances very often determines how we feel. Some people
can lose a child in a car accident and get on with their
lives, while others fall apart, break down, and lose
their love of life. Some people find the failure of a
business or project to be debilitating, while others see
the same circumstances as a challenge to be worked
through. |
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The way I see it, if you
want the rainbow,
you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton
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These pages will be much more challenging
than the others, for us to make and for you to read. We
must be sure that we're not focusing just on the negative
issues, but also on positive ways of dealing with them. We must read about the obstacles with an open mind,
sometimes admitting to ourselves something that we might
not want to admit. We must search open-mindedly to find
resources that will be helpful, not condemning; we must
admit that changes may be needed in certain areas, and
start the process of change rolling. |
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That said, here are our topics:
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We'd like to
share a
statement of belief: The world is not falling apart. We
are not experiencing moral decay or any sort of breakdown
of morality or ethics. People aren't becoming meaner or
more angry or more violent--people have always been mean
and angry and violent, just as people have always been loving
and caring and helpful and gracious.
Nowadays, though, with the overwhelming amount of news
that focuses on death and sickness and natural disasters
and violence, we tend to see the negative more. If you
get up in the morning and watch the news, then go to work
and see only your co-workers, then maybe stop at the
grocery store on your way home and then watch the news
again, how much of an opportunity have you had to see the
beauty of humanity to contrast with the garbage you see
on the news? Not very much, unless your co-workers happen
to be great people who aren't so busy that they can't let
their better sides show (and many people are).
Our world is still a beautiful place, and the people in
it are still beautiful. We see more violence on the news
these days, but that doesn't mean people are worse. In my
experience teaching, I still find that my students are
caring, loving people who are looking to make a positive
mark on the world. They have hopes and dreams and desires,
and they work hard to get ahead. The world is not in the
hands of terrible people who will blow away others in
rage or frustration; the world is in the hands of those
who love and who do their best to help. We may not always agree
with their methods, ideas, or ideals, but we must trust that
they're doing what they truly feel is best for all. The greedy and
the arrogant will always be around and sometimes will even be "in
charge," but their power will
always be fleeting; their time will always be short. |
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Sometimes
things which at the moment may be perceived as obstacles--
and actually be obstacles, difficulties, or drawbacks--can in the long
run
result in some good end which would not have occurred
if it had not been for the obstacle. Steve
Allen
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Obstacles are those
frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
Hannah More
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I’m not afraid of storms,
for I’m learning how to sail my ship.
Louisa May Alcott
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Affliction comes to us not to make us sad, but
sober; not to make us sorry,
but wise; not to make us despondent, but by its darkness to refresh
us,
as the night refreshes day; not to impoverish, but to enrich us, as
the plough
enriches the field; to multiply our joy, as the seed, by planting, is
multiplied a thousand-fold.
Henry Ward Beecher
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When I was a Boy Scout, we played a game
when new Scouts joined the troop. We lined up chairs in
a pattern, creating an obstacle course through which the new
Scouts, blindfolded, were supposed to maneuver. The
Scoutmaster gave them a few moments to study the pattern
before our adventure began. But as soon as the victims
were blindfolded, the rest of us quietly removed the chairs.
I think life is like this game. Perhaps we spend our
lives avoiding obstacles we have created for ourselves and in
reality exist only in our minds. We're afraid to apply
for that job, take violin lessons, learn a foreign language,
call an old friend, write our Congressman - whatever it is
that we would really like to do but don't because of personal
obstacles. Don't avoid any chairs until you run smack
into one. And if you do, at least you'll have a place to
sit down.
Pierce Vincent Eckhart
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One
who gains strength by overcoming obstacles
possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.
Albert
Schweitzer
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The
battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles
within
yourself--the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us--that's
where it's at.
Jesse
Owens
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We
have some
inspiring and motivational books that may interest you. Our main way of supporting this site is
through the sale of books, either physical copies
or digital copies for your Amazon Kindle (including the
online reader). All of the money that we earn
through them comes back to the site
in one way or another. Just click on the picture
to the left to visit our page of books, both fiction and
non-fiction! |
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Obstacles are those
frightful things you see when you
take your eyes off your goal.
Henry Ford
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quotations
- contents
-
welcome
page
-
obstacles
the
people behind the words
-
our
current e-zine
-
articles
and excerpts
Daily
Meditations, Year One - Year
Two - Year Three
- Year Four
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