Some thoughts to start the week

THINGS THAT IT TOOK ME OVER 50 YEARS TO LEARN:
by Dave Barry, Nationally Syndicated Columnist
[Selected favourites]

If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
I think I'd have to say that, also, often the reason why it has achieved great things is meetings: our problem is that we all too often have no idea at all how to make meetings work well. Two heads really are potentially better than one but only if we knoe what we're doing .... Is supect that behind this grain of truth a rather larger cultural prejudice in favour of individual despotism lurks

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
Interesting idictment, don't you think? Is this a gotcha for you? It certainly has been true of me at times. I include this thought because I now feel that there is something vitally important about creating dialogue and, in a way, doing a kind of spiritual direction with people who aren't Christians; which means listening far more than we ourselves share and showing a genuine empathy and interest and questioning [counselling skills there folks] that can help people move further and perhpas begin to link up their search with Christ's care and offer.

You should not confuse your career with your life.
Or as someone else once said, "Who on their deathbed is going to say that they wished they'd spent more time at the office?" The interesting thing is that it seems to take people into their early mid-life before they realise this and sometimes, by then, it's quite hard to change course.

The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
Straight from the book of James.

The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
Except those of us who don't drive. We just think that drivers are extremely ignorant when it comes to non-drivers, and of course we'd do better if we did drive...:-)

A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)
I think that there really is something in this. Not just waiters: anyone in a public service role; it's a vital life skill; distinguishing the person from the role they currently undertake; half the time they are only carrying out company policy on a pittance of wage and information. Do as you would be done by

Your friends love you anyway.

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
This is the one I need to hear: I've spent too long thinking that people knew what they were doing and deferring to it, and discovered that most of the time they're on autopilot and have no real idea.However, note the previous but one analect and the starter on meetings.

FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2030, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.