Universalist Thought of the Day

03/09/2021

As painful as it may be, it is still better to learn the stark truth than to wallow in illusory and false consolations.

17/04/2021

"Always forgive your
enemies; nothing
annoys them so much".

Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde's words perhaps have the flavor of revenge towards those who have hurt us, but let's ask ourselves Unitarian Universalists whether it is useful or not for us to forgive and what that means.
To put it briefly, we could compare forgiving to having feelings of compassion and wanting to let go of resentment, deciding not to take revenge and not holding thoughts of hatred.

"He insulted me! He hit me! He bullied me! He robbed me!" In those who cover these thoughts the rancor will not subside.

By cultivating resentment, hostile actions will never subside; while it is with friendship that hostile actions subside. This is an ancient teaching, valid also for us today, which urges us, when it is in our power to do so, to put an end to disputes.

Cause and effect:
"Do not address anyone with harsh words! Those who receive them will use them in turn towards you. Painful is, indeed, the verbal quarrel; If you hit them with sticks, sticks will hit you in response."

Let us therefore try to look with more detachment at the errors of others, always remembering the principle of cause and effect because even those who do evil experience good but if evil persists it reaches saturation, and then those who do it also experience evil.
And conversely, even those who do good experience evil until the good reaches maturity, but when the good reaches maturity, then whoever does it experiences the multiplied good.

Dear Unitarian Universalist friends, let us therefore try to observe the behavior of society and we will notice how much unhappiness comes from malice and foolish offenses, done only to please vanity and out of personal pride.
Then, if someone foolishly harms us, we will return the protection of our love to them without resentment; the more harm we get from them, the more good it will go from us to them; thus the fragrance of goodness always returns to us, and the harmful air of evil will return to them.
So when someone offends us, we can also choose to remain silent for a while, feeling pity for their foolishness. When the insults are over, we could ask them, "Look, if someone refuses to accept a gift that is given to them, who would that gift belong to?" Certainly anyone understands that in this case the unaccepted gift continues to belong to the one who offered it.
Therefore, to anyone who unfairly addresses us in an offensive language, we refuse to accept their offense. They will keep it to themselves, and the unhappiness it intended to cause will no doubt fall upon them.

But forgiving, does it also mean that if someone has committed a crime, I will avoid filing a complaint with the authorities?
No, nothing more wrong. The complaint will be made even if I have forgiven.
Why? Simply because the laws, at least in democratic Countries, are made for the good of all. Therefore, if I do not report, I will have failed to do the good of all. What if the person regrets what he did? He will have all our solidarity and support but the complaint will still be made ... only without negative feelings because they hurt in the first place those who cultivate them.

Yes, negative feelings hurt those who cultivate them in the first place ...

With non-anger you conquer anger, with good you conquer evil, with generosity you conquer avarice, with truth he who lies.

Remembering these wise words will help us to chase away negative thoughts and emotions like passing clouds so that our sky can return to being clear.

31/03/2021

Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah.

The human soul is a trinity: Nefesh. Ruach and Neshamah. It is the spiritual entity, the center that creates the relationship between man and the Divine. Ruach is the intermediate part between Nefesh (the natural and instinctive soul) and Neshamah (the divine soul). It is the moral, rational soul, seat of good and evil, of ethical qualities. As a Sacred Breath, it is also Spirit. Together with Nefesh she is subject to transmigration and has no rest until Neshamah has ascended to her source.
Who are we? A projection of individual consciousness aware of things; and some of those things, we desire and try to get them. We were created, wanted, invented by the "I Am" to investigate the nature of the Universe, sensations, perceptions, thoughts, emotions and desires.
It goes without saying then, the importance of that splendid principle held by every Unitarian Universalist ... that principle which proclaims that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.

24/03/2021

"Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands".
- Clint Eastwood.

Let's try to interpret these words. It is said "Sometimes" ... so it's not possible to apply the principle every time. Therefore, one has to evaluate the situation, look around, maybe there's a better way to leave it on others' hands. But suppose you establish there's no other way to deal with it other than taking it into your own hands, well then you are called in that moment to go for it even courageously and not procrastinate. Like, if you say you desire the world, or your city, your work place, your family, even your own life ... to be a better place ... why not starting to change for the better whatever is in your power to change.
Like, you certainly wouldn't like to be associated with those who say that they want to change the world for the better but they can't even slightly change themselves to be a better person. Nope, that's not the way you are. You are a Unitarian Universalist who's called to believe that change for the better is possible. Yes, we believe in working for a peaceful, fair, and free world.

21/06/2019

A wise one has said to me:
"Stop putting your needs at the bottom of the list.
It's ok to love someone special more than yourself but don't get lost nor forget that you are special too.
It's ok to help others, but remember to help yourself too.
There's a time when you have to follow your passion and do something important for you ... just for you".
Well, thanks wise one, I salute you.

19/06/2019

17/06/2019

UNIVERSALISTS FIND INSPIRATION FROM SEVERAL SOURCES BUT HOW RECONCILING BUDDHISM AND DESIRES?

In Buddhism there's no dogma but there's thinking orientations. Certain buddhists think that desires are natural, essential, and necessary to life: an integral part of ourselves.
If we had to get completely rid of the capacity to desire, we would undermine at the base our will to live both as individuals and as a community.
Thus, it is necessary to put the emphasis on the transformation rather than on the elimination of desires ... and in this way desires and attachments may become fuel for illumination.
It's important to practise so that merely selfish desires, which aim to a passing happiness, may be transformed to embrace also others' and even the whole world's lasting happiness.

16/06/2019

Psychology says that in order to feel good, one has to expect nothing. Everything that happens to us must be a surprise. If a person says "Have a nice day" to us, next day we don’t have to expect that again.
We can’t get used to things, less so to people. If we consider all life events as surprises and never as expectations, we'll be happier.
Have a good life.
Okkkkkkkayyyy.

14/06/2019

To live is to hope, no hope no life.
Which hope? That our life might be going on since billions and billions of years and has never gone extinct ... that we don't get extinct ... that there might not be birth nor death, but only transformation. And to what reality are we going after this life? To that where we came from.

14/06/2019

To live is to hope, no hope no life.

11/06/2019

Stop telling lies to yourself.
Maybe you can lie to whomever out there in the world, but you can't lie to yourself.
Our lives improve only when we open up to new possibilities, and the first of them - perhaps the most difficult one - is being honest towards ourselves.

10/06/2019

UNIVERSALIST BOOT CAMP

Stop running away from your problems.

Face them head-on, even though it might not be easy. There's nobody in the world who can manage every moment in an impeccable way (above all those tough moments).
Nobody expect us to be able to solve every problem immediately.
We are not made that way. Actually, we are made to get angry, sad, to hesitate, and fall.
Why? Because that's the real meaning of life: to face problems, learn from them, change ourselves and sort them all out through our life.
That's what shapes us and lets us be what we become.

09/06/2019

UNIVERSALIST BOOT CAMP
To change life for the better.

Stop spending time with the wrong people.

Life is too short to spend time with people whom you are not happy with.

If someone wants you in their life, they must make room for you. And you shouldn't need to fight to obtain it.

Never insist with someone who doesn’t seem to appreciate your worth. And remember that best friends are not those who stay near you when things are all right, but are those who get along with you even when things are not so well.
Recent studies on the subject show that we end up being similar to people who we mostly spend time with.

Who are these people for you?