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Storytelling for the Common Good: Telling our Stories, Sharing the Wisdom
Out with the old, Bring on the New
A story by Steven Jay*
It was a day like any other day.
But this day was different.
I would awake to the beat of a heartbeat now so strong,
But only just a few hours past
I was holding on for dear life.
Little did I know how lucky I was
The momentary pain
The tossing and turning at night
The gasps for air when
I thought my lungs were full of
Life
And yet today, I was fortunately lucky.
Lucky I was told for
Only two or
Four out of
One hundred of what I had experienced would see the light of a new day.
And Ididn't know what had really
Happened
Until the animals would come out of
The Walls and I was talking to a man who
Wasn't there.
That seven inch cut down
The middle of my chest was forever a memory of an old life in a world I was no longer part of.
And just one minute before they put me
Under for the long sleep
I would ask The Universe for one thing and one thing only:
To spare my life and I would work for you. To serve. To empower. To bring joy to the world.
In music.
In words.
In art.
And in
Verse for the Universe
To experience
And to realize that not everyone gets a sevond chance.
And with that chance comes a
Responsibility.
To see.
To feel.
To make the difference.
To love.
To love every second of every day for everyday is a gift.
A gift to make a difference.
To heal.
To care.
To serve
To love.
On December 3, 2015 I had triple bypass heart surgery which not only saved my life but brought me closer to what is most important. I am one of the 2 to 4 percent that survive a Widowmaker heart attack. And no matter what anybody says....you never forget how lucky you are to live each brand new day for most people who have it...do not get that chance.
Copyright 2018 Steven Jay. All rights reserved
*Steven Jay is a passionate creative force and creative alchemist who has spent his life seeking solutions for human potential based on the natural world. As the Founder and Creative Director of Mobilized, he invests him time and energy in discovering passionate people who are dedicated to empowering a healthier planet and population in balance with the natural world. He spends a majority of his time deeply and passionately focused in creating and co-creating projects, partnerships and aligning with like-minded socially-aware individuals and organzations who are committed to collaboration without compromise.
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Dear Friends of the GCGI,
Every year, the season of Christmas and New Year are celebrated by peoples and families in many parts of the world. People make the effort to unite, share time and express gratitude for the love they have received. Christmas and New Year messages, trees, lights and decorations, singing carols, lighting up candles, gifts, cards, wishes and meetings happen, reminding us of Love - the central message of the man in whose name the feast is celebrated.
At this season of goodwill, love and hope, we are called upon to speak and act from our deepest selves, wisdom, resources, vision and insight. We are called to lead, each in our own way, and to participate with others, all leading together, taking action in the interest of the common good. These times are actually a call to become fully alive, awake, and to participate in all aspects of Life. The tapestry of life continues to be woven. We must remain fearless and hopeful, steadfast in our actions and find the threads woven into the fabric of our lives that are beginning to create a beautiful tapestry. The tapestry of a better life, the better world.
At GCGI we share with our entire network and friends the challenges confronting humanity due to the growing values-free actions taken by many around the world. What the GCGI seeks to offer is a vision that positions the quest for economic and social justice, peace and ecological sustainability within the framework of a spiritual consciousness and a practice of open-heartedness, generosity and caring for others.
The GCGI has from the very beginning invited us to move beyond the struggle and confusion of a preoccupied economic and materialistic life to a meaningful and purposeful life of hope and joy, gratitude, compassion, and service for the good of all.
Looking forward and walking together: A Time to Weave a New Tapestry of Life
During this festive season, we want to thank you for all of your support and friendship.
Life, indeed, is certainly and unequivocally so precious that every second of it can create a new scope for doing something valuable, something worthwhile.
The optimum opportunity life offers is for us to enjoy the spiritual joy of fellowship, a blessing incomparable with anything else. As the great Persian poet Sa'di has reminded us:
‘If I be asked on the Doomsday to freely choose what I want [I would say] let friend be ours and all the bounties of Paradise be yours.’
And when we make an assessment of our past year, we see that we have been fortunate to have been able to maintain our companionship with those people we consider sincere, honest, greed-free and sympathetically understanding, friends and companions, like you.
We wish you and the rest of your beloved family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May you and yours enjoy Companionship, Joy and Wonder, and may the Peace spoken of in all faiths fill your hearts with Hope and Love.
With all our love,
Kamran and Annie
HOPE is the Tapestry that we are Weaving for Better Days at this Christmas Time
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All of us are getting older. From the time we are born, we are moving toward the final journey. How does this make you feel? How do you feel about aging in general?
We do have a choice in how we approach aging, but we do not have a choice when it comes to aging itself.
Photo:i.pinimg.com
Today, 28 November 2018, my wife and I watched a fascinating, inspiring and beautiful life stories of a group of retirees in Morocco and Lebanon, in a programme on Al Jazeera. It seems it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, the retirement stories, dreams, hopes, fears and anxieties are all the same.
I believe, all retirees, as well as those planning to retire soon, and indeed, all those who will be retiring in years to come, should try and watch this inspiring programme, full of gems for a better life in older age.
Thus, it is my pleasure to share these beautiful stories with you. Please try and watch it. It is so beautiful.
A New Lease of Life: Growing Old in the Arab World- Al Jazeera
Lebanese and Moroccans reflect on life after retirement, as they pursue their passions in art, music, and literature.
‘In 2015, the World Health Organization published 'Healthy Ageing'*, its assessment of and vision for the elderly, between now and the year 2030. It talks about retirement ideally being "the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age". It defines functional ability as "having the capabilities that enable all people to be and do what they have reason to value".
The five men and women from Morocco and Lebanon in this film have met both of these challenges head on - and in quite different but inspiring ways.
When older people in the Arab world approach retirement, their greatest worries are often financial - but also to do with exactly what they'll do with their time once they stop working. Their image of retirement is often as some kind of death sentence, a period of inertia, boredom, physical weakness and sometimes depression. But as people in many parts of the world are now living longer, is this stereotype starting to change?
For the five retirees in A New Lease Of Life, life after work is all about continuing to be mentally and physically able, of devoting their life to relationships, to the arts - and to their own health and well-being.
...Abulsalam Sulaiman lives deep in the Moroccan countryside and used to work in tourism. When the work dried up, he took up the flute and now plays solo as well as in a band - and his music is a big part of his spiritual life. "All I can think about is the flute", he says. "It helps me in reverence to God".
All five of these inspiring characters share Ahmed Onaisi's conviction that "a retiree who has no hobby lives a huge void as if he's counting the days until he dies" - and collectively defy retirement and old age by pursuing passions that have given them all a new lease of life…’
Watch the video: A New Lease of Life: Growing Old in the Arab World
*'Healthy Ageing': The World Health Organization
Related readings:
Composing a New Life: In Praise of Wisdom
A Sure Path to build a Better World: How nature helps us feel good and do good
What is Money? Is it Money Money Money, Must be funny?
In Praise of ‘Enoughness’ and 'Lagomist' Economy
Wisdom of Lao Tzu: The Path to Virtue, Happiness, and Harmony
...And finally, Lest We Forget: We Can All Make a Difference at any Age
‘If proof were ever needed that it is never too late to make a major impact, Harry Leslie Smith, who has died aged 95, surely offers it. He was 91 when his bestselling memoir-cum-polemic in defence of the welfare state, Harry’s Last Stand (2014), was published, winning him a mass following in Britain’s ascendant left and beyond.
Following the book’s publication, he was invited to address that year’s Labour party conference before a speech by the then shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham. His passionate denunciation of benefits cuts and austerity – including the line “Mr Cameron, keep your mitts off my NHS!” – made headline news…’
Continue to read: Harry Leslie Smith-Writer, campaigner and passionate critic of austerity who found fame late in life with his bestselling book Harry’s Last Stand
Related reading:
'In 1939, I didn’t hear war coming. Now its thundering approach can’t be ignored'
Dear Mr. Cameron can you hear the voice of experience, wisdom and honesty?
- Composing a New Life: In Praise of Wisdom
- Mission Accomplished? The Human and Economic Cost of US Wars Since 9/11
- In search of beauty, wisdom and love? Then, come, come, whoever you are come
- The man who taught me about war and peace, hatred and love, despair and hope
- 14 November 1940: The Day Coventry Gave the World the Charter of Forgiveness and Reconciliation it ever Needs