Some Words Speak Loudly…

The Dighu blog welcomes a new guest writer, Angela Christianson! Mother of six, grandmother of two, wife of thirty years, Dighu cofounder and current Dighu president, she has a powerful message to share with us today. Enjoy!

Have you ever experienced a single word speaking volumes to your being without even making a sound? A word with mysterious or even mystical qualities that explodes with meaning as you open your mind and heart to it…?

And if you have, did you let it happen?

MAGNANIMITY is one of those words for me. When I first noticed it more than 15 years ago it stopped me in my tracks – I couldn’t allow myself to hurry by. It speaks to a quest for greatness that goes way beyond the average run-of-the-mill hunger for power or control, fame or fortune. Really, as I have discovered, it is about great heartedness; about being capable of embracing all of life and of growing and growing even as we shrink with age, staying young at heart forever and especially of bringing the world-in-need along such a path of adventure.

Instead of arriving home from work as an ugly toad our big hearted son-in-law becomes a handsome prince for his family

Hmmm – sounds delightful! How DO I get me some of that???

So glad you asked! Nothing like a big question to give rise to something wonderful :D!

Truth is, more than anything, discovering and growing into such a vast life construct as MAGNANIMITY is a process, an approach to life. It is about being prepared to ask questions even if we’re not sure they’re smart ones. It’s about going through the world with our eyes and hearts wide open, ready and even eager to learn, to discover and to share. Being hopeful for the future, dreaming of doing great things, not as a craving for one’s own honor and glory, rather as a desire for the good of others. It’s about getting to know our unique talents and living these with humble confidence for the sake of all.

Our brand new son-in-law living magnanimity joyously while on medical missions

In the end, MAGNANIMITY is about living the ART of LOVING as the one great life work– living a life story that grows and grows and never ends…

Words with mysterious and mystical meaning – is there REALLY such thing? In my world, absolutely there is! But don’t feel you have to take my word for it; try it out…let it happen and discover how alive you are!!!

 

 

 

The Path to Forgiveness + Happiness =Taking (YOU)rself Out of Equation

We are thrilled to introduce guest blogger Elizabeth! She is currently entering her second year of an undergraduate degree in art, and days away from embarking on a semester abroad in Rome. Thank you for your perspective and wisdom Elizabeth! :D

A tremendous struggle in the discovery process of our own humanity is discovering our place in humanity.

Sound complicated? Allow me to rephrase. The individual’s human struggle to discover his or her role in society poses a huge difficulty.

By drawing both denotations of the word humanity together in the same sentence, one can juxtapose the linguistic beauty of the dualistic role of humanity in its singular form as “the condition of human nature” and as a collective noun as “the human race.” The linguistic complexity of the word humanity is appropriate in light of the beautiful complexity of the human discovery process.

As a young child, it seems that grownups have it all figured out. I smile at as I look back upon my own naivety, for as I’ve become a young adult I find that all these adults, who had perceivably a sense of control, are no different: We all seem to be grappling with our own humanity, regardless of age.  Ironically enough, as we grow we learn that our place in humanity lies in altruism, the property of forgetting about oneself for the well-being of others.

 Just recently in a conversation with Genevieve Kineke, an author and expert on the subject of forgiveness, she reflected back to one of the most difficult realizations of her life. She explained that in order to attain freedom, “You have to take yourself out of the equation.” Let’s parse this phrase in relation to our understanding of both meanings of humanity.

 For the individual: The path to forgiveness begins with the foundational understanding that human outward behavior is a response to wounds from suffering. Realizing that others’ propensity to wound has nothing to do with YOU, creates a new mentality towards the actions of others. To forgive is a form of selflessness. One might say, ‘you need to get out of your own head,’ and let go of that pride that allows you to feel entitled to being treated righteously. However, forgiveness is so beneficial to YOU – you’ll find that you’re no longer weighed down by the hurtful actions of others and that through incorporating this selflessness, you will find that your capacity to love grows with your ability to forgive.

In turn, your realization of an aptitude to forgive and to love becomes beneficial in spreading positive energy throughout humanity as a whole!

 Your homework: Seek to remember your ability to let go of those hurts by taking yourself out of the equation and LOVE! Have a beautiful day! 

  :D

  “If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only your own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear.”

― Dalai Lama XIV, The Wisdom of Forgiveness