Calm Waters

Calm Waters. Tanjung Bungah, Penang Island, Malaysia (July 2021)

Calm Waters Metaphor

Until recently the calm waters metaphor dominated the thinking of practicing managers and academics. The prevailing model for handling change in calm waters is best illustrated in Kurt Lewin’s three step description of the change process.

According to Lewin, successful change requires unfreezing the status quo, changing to a new sate, and freezing the new change to make it permanent. The status quo can be considered an equilibrium state. Unfreezing is necessary to move from this equilibrium. It can be achieved in one of three ways:

1) The driving forces, which direct behavior away from the status quo, can be increased; 2) The restraining forces, which hinder movement from the existing equilibrium, can be decreased; 3) The two approaches can be combined. Read More

Persian Poetry

SAʿDI, Abu Moḥammad Mošarref-al-Din Moṣleḥ b. ʿAbd-Allāh b. Mošarref Širāzi, Persian poet and prose writer (b. Shiraz, ca. 1210; d. Shiraz, d. 1291 or 1292), widely recognized as one of the greatest masters of the classical literary tradition.

Human Beings

Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of one essence and soul.
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.
If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain.

Travler

A traveler without knowledge is a bird without wings.

Without Action

However much you study, you cannot know without action. A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man. Empty of essence, what learning has he whether upon him is firewood or book?

Friendship

Make no friendship with an elephant keeper If you have no room to entertain an elephant

African Literature

Contrary to the general perception, the African literatures written before the twentieth century are substantial. Whatever limits can be imagined—in terms of geography, genre, language, audience, era—these literatures exceed them. Before the twentieth century, Africans wrote not just in Europe, but also on the African continent; they wrote not just in European languages, but in African languages; they wrote not just for European consumption, but for their own consumption; they wrote not just in northern Africa, but in sub-Saharan Africa; they wrote not just orally, but textually; they wrote not just historical or religious texts, but poetry and epic and autobiography; and they wrote not just in the nineteenth century, but in the eighteenth century and long, long before.

Spiritual Force

“…there is indeed a great force in the world, a force spiritual and able to shape the physical universe, but that force is not something cut off, not something separate from ourselves. It is the energy in us, the strongest in our working, breathing, thinking together as one people; weakest when we are scattered, confused, broken into individual, unconnected fragments.”
― Ayi Kwei Armah

Pleasure In Hurting

“Clearly, she was enjoying herself to see that woman hurt. It was nothing she had desired. Nor did it seem as if she could control it, this inhuman sweet sensation to see another human being squirming. It hit her like a stone, the knowledge that there is pleasure in hurting. A strong three-dimensional pleasure, an exclusive masculine delight that is exhilarating beyond all measure. And this too is God’s gift to man? She wondered.”
― Ama Ata Aidoo, Our Sister Killjoy

Our Shadows

“We walked in wisdom with our shadows, in search of the dead part of ourselves, which would be our shelter.”
― Yvonne Vera, Nehanda

Freedom

“i have been told many times by family, friends, colleagues and strangers that I, a black African Muslim lesbian, am not included in this vision; that my dreams are a reflection of my upbringing in a decadent, amoral Western society that has corrupted who I really am. But who am I, really? Am I allowed to speak for myself or must my desires form the battleground for causes I do not care about? My answer to that is simple: ‘no one allows anyone anything.’ By rejecting that notion you discover that only you can give yourself permission on how to lead your life, naysayers be damned. In the end something gives way. The earth doesn’t move but something shifts. That shift is change and change is the layman’s lingo for that elusive state that lovers, dreamers, prophets and politicians call ‘freedom’.”
― Diriye Osman, Fairytales for Lost Children

Confucius’ Beliefs, Philosophy and Teachings

The Golden Rule

Confucius’ social philosophy was based primarily on the principle of “ren” or “loving others” while exercising self-discipline. He believed that ren could be put into action using the Golden Rule, “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.” (Lunyu 12.2, 6.30).

On Politics

Confucius’ political beliefs were likewise based on the concept of self-discipline. He believed that a leader needed to exercise self-discipline in order to remain humble and treat his followers with compassion. In doing so, leaders would lead by positive example. According to Confucius, leaders could motivate their subjects to follow the law by teaching them virtue and the unifying force of ritual propriety.

Native American Heritage

America, I Sing Back

America, I sing back. Sing back what sung you in. Sing back the moment you cherished breath. Sing you home into yourself and back to reason.
― Allison Adelle Hedge Coke

Whose Mouth Do I Speak With

I can remember my father bringing home spruce gum. He worked in the woods and filled his pockets with golden chunks of pitch. For his children . . .
― Suzanne Rancourt

Carrying Our Words

We travel carrying our words. We arrive at the ocean. With our words we are able to speak of the sounds of thunderous waves. We speak of how . . .
― Ofelia Zepeda

Philosophy of Life

The beauty of philosophy is that it poses thought-provoking questions and inspires us to think deeply about ourselves and life in general. Even more so, pondering about the ideas and perspectives outlined by different philosophers can help us to gain a better understanding of the world we live in.