#12 in a series of wild and precious things that help you with your intentions.
TWIL (This Week I Learned.)
This week I learned about my intentions behind my actions. Several times I had chances to check my actions to make sure that they were right and correct. Sometimes the same action can be the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do based on the heart behind it. Case in point: I signed up for a fundraiser that I believe in. I decided how much money I felt comfortable pledging. I decided I wanted to invite my family to join me.
And then, in the last minutes before the event began, my team was $35 short of being in first place…
And every competitive bone in my body wanted to give $35 more. Certainly, I don’t think lightning would strike me down if I had donated the money. My religious beliefs aren’t based on the Norse gods so I actually never worry about lightning striking me but, yeah, I wasn’t worried about serious repercussions from donating an extra $35. Still, I held back. I think I made the right decision.
Quote
“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.” ― Brené Brown
“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.” — Seneca
“Ultimately, good citizens and good Samaritans each have a role to play if we are to get along with others. Perhaps politeness and compassion are best captured in the principle: ‘If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.’ (Dalia Lama XIV)” — Kun Zhao and Luke Smillie in The Science of Being ‘Nice’: How Politeness Is Different From Compassion
Prompt
So — are you in the politeness camp or compassionate camp? Do you find yourself leaning into fairness and rules or do you simply help other people even if that means you have to bend rules every so often?
Quest
The idea is that those of us who veer toward politeness can stretch our sharing with our needy neighbours and those who are compassionate can learn to follow rules a bit better.
Notice this about yourself this week and see what you can do.
Wayback
February 24, 1582 — It’s the first day for the Gregorian calendar!
POD Poem of the day —
- Song (Intention.)
- Video. (A clip from a very obvious parody of a “campaign dance” for Mike Bloomberg. Apparently this has been seriously shared by “journalists” and others who didn’t check to see where the video came from.
“Q: The comedians who made the video gave an interview and said this: I would hope that after this, especially for the journalists who shared it, people would be more careful about sharing things they see on Twitter, but it’s probably naïve of me to think that.
A: Brad: We’re helping journalists, I think. That’s Nick’s and my goal: to teach journalists to use Google.”) - Hero: Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
Why? She’s my hero this week so I am sharing her with you. Because — “Every week for more than 13 years, I have been pouring tremendous time, thought, love, and resources into Brain Pickings, which remains free (and ad-free) and is made possible by patronage. It takes me hundreds of hours a month to research and compose, and thousands of dollars to sustain.” - Take an Underbelly-related action: Let me know what you would like to see more of — or less of. I’m interested in your thoughts! ([email protected]) Thank you!
And…if you’re here but haven’t subscribed…take a chance and get a little uplift once a week on Monday mornings — straight to your inbox.