2007 Wisdom Awards
Criteria
Every year I scan the web for new sites that show a heartfelt attempt at accumulating wisdom. This year we sway heavily towards the fields of health and religion. Although several of the sites contain rather dated classical literature, wisdom of course is timeless.
The 2007 words of wisdom were...
Learn
Woman
Complete
Passion
Peace
Universe
I tabulated the results from an AllTheWeb search in March. In an effort to remain courteous to the site owners, the links below generally point to their entry page... you might have to search their site to find the specific document that I'm referencing.
May I have the envelope please?
This site contains a large collection of ancient religious study texts. I am not proposing that any particular form of religion suffuses more wisdom than any other, however the practice of self restraint shown by many religions certainly is a wise path to follow and examples can be gleaned by reading many of these treatises:
"Blessed (are) the peacemakers, since they shall
be called sons of God" (Mt 5:9). The servant of God cannot know
how much patience and humility he has in himself, while he is satisfied.
However when the time has come, that those who ought to satisfy him,
do the contrary to him, as much patience and humility (is) there, that
much he has and not more.
At times a bit challenging, but in the manner that writing from several hundred years ago makes you recognize long-lasting truths...
MeritCare has an extensive database of reference guides both for treating disease conditions as well as for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The guides are clearly written, well organized, and tailored toward lay consumers:
Most vital organs gradually become less efficient
with age. Your metabolism gradually slows, which means that your body
needs less food energy than before. The kidneys also become less able
to keep your body hydrated. This makes exercise, water intake, and a
well-balanced diet increasingly important over time. An active body
that gets plenty of oxygen, water, and nutrients is more likely to function
efficiently for a longer period of time.
I couldn't find a general index to the site or a top-level table of contents, but this Google search will show you a list of their articles.
From the Himalayas the Swami has created a very deep and insightful treatise on the motivations of faith and personal growth:
Man is not merely a body, a mind or a spirit, but
a curious mixture of all these in a manner not comprehensible to ordinary
intelligence. The Katha Upanishad says that the true ‘enjoyer’ (or the
empirical agent of knowledge and action) is a composite structure of
the Atman, the mind and the senses, together. Life is not merely a process
of swirling masses of matter, groups of molecules, aggregates of atoms
or vortices of electrical forces; nor is it an occasion for the study
of psychology (or even metaphysics); nor an idealistic soaring into
the realms of logical thought, mental phenomena or mere psychic experience.
In a more practical vein, this classic written by the Spanish writer Baltasar Gracián y Morales in 1647 is 300 aphorisms with comments geared more toward a practical approach to acting wisely:
Keep Expectation alive — Keep stirring it up. Let much promise more, and great deeds herald greater. Do not rest your whole fortune on a single cast of the die. It requires great skill to moderate your forces so as to keep expectation from being dissipated.
Hosted by a site with nearly two thousand great classics, visit the Literature Network's version of ...
Of course yoga is more than just stretching and balance... it is primarily a means to enhance self awareness. At his web site, Mr. Jerard does an excellent job explaining many of the finer points of yoga, mostly from a spiritual and social context:
Finally, spiritual awareness will result in a “spiritual awakening.” This spiritual awakening will cause a Yoga student to connect physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, which will result in finding one’s true purpose in life. When we find our purpose in life, we find self-worth. Now that you have seen the formula to self-worth, you must realize that none of this can happen if we are struggling back at “square one,” dealing with our ego.
Be sure to visit Mr. Jerard's blog at:
Assembled by a couple of teachers, this page has helpful hints regarding raising children, with "Two Minute Drills" and insights shared from years of dealing with the teacher-parent-child triad.
Parents create memories for their children. Create those memories that are filled with the simple joys of family and friends; love, laughter and conversation. Plus, a cupcake on the side!
Hosted by Dubuque schools, in Iowa...
