In a warm and fuzzy moment, you agree to cat sit for your neighbors while they spend the week in San Juan. Now, you hate yourself for saying yes. Maybe you promised to take your mother shopping this weekend, but you forgot the tournament would be televised, and you don’t want to miss a moment of the action. Did you raise your hand when your supervisor asked for volunteers to cover for a colleague going out on maternity leave, and now, you’re beating yourself up for it?  Or maybe the thought of getting out of your uber-comfy memory foam bed is much more enticing than keeping your promise to yourself to go for that morning run.

There is not a soul alive who, at one time or another, will regret having agreed to doing something, and later wish they hadn’t. Maybe you agreed to help with those never-ending chores around the house. Maybe you offered to help someone move. Maybe you volunteered for a charity event. There are millions of scenarios, but the outcome is still the same. You have changed your mind, and you want out.

Next comes the conversation. The internal dialogue. The great debate. The wrestling matches. Keep the commitment. Ditch the commitment. What will you choose?

All this backing and forthing is resistance. In this context, resistance is the place between doing and not doing. Between moving forward and retreating.

Author Dan Millman explains what happens to us when we succumb to resistance. “Stress happens when your mind resists what is… The only problem in your life is your mind’s resistance to life as it unfolds.”

I find that this is the worst part of the decision-making process. Resistance devours time in monumental increments, because while dithering back and forward, time passes, and you end up with nothing to show for it.  And the worst thing about time passing? You can get it back. You cannot push the resent button. You cannot buy more. Those minutes are gone forever. No matter your eventual decision, you’ve still lost – you’ve lost time.

And Steven Pressfield, in his book the War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle, cements this idea of loss with this quote:
“Resistance by definition is self-sabotage.”

When we notice that we are “in resistance” we have three choices. We can honor our original commitment, we can choose to walk away from it, or we can choose to contemplate and waste a lot of un-recoupable time, and in the end do either. Number one is probably the best choice. You keep your honor and save face. More than likely, you will feel better for keeping your word. You will also reap the psychological benefits of doing something good for someone else. Number two is also an excellent choice if you are willing to accept whatever consequences arise. Choice number three – in my humble opinion – is the worst choice. Because no matter what your eventual decision, you will have robbed yourself of time.

There is one more thing. In my own life, I have often found myself resisting because I’ve created this story in my mind of how long the thing I’ve agreed to do is going to take, or how hard it’s going to be, or how much work I’ll have to do. I have psyched myself into expecting a negative result, which generated a lot of resistance. That mental exercise is nothing more than wasted energy. The things that I have spent time resisting haven’t been nearly as awful as I told myself they would be.

So, let’s all cut the self-sabotage, and stop wasting time and energy. Let’s not tell ourselves disempowering stories. Let us love ourselves enough to avoid that loop of resistance. If you must, give yourself time to think about honoring a commitment BEFORE agreeing to it and later regretting that you said yes.

I’ll leave you with a quote from speaker, author, and scientist Steve Maraboli:

“I feel keeping a promise to yourself is a direct reflection of the love you have for yourself. I used to make promises to myself and find them easy to break. Today, I love myself enough to not only make a promise to myself, but I love myself enough to keep that promise.”

until next time…

 

For nearly fourteen years, I’ve been fighting with myself about my weight. I gained nearly 30 pounds in my first year back in the US. I lost half of it when I decided to self-produce a music CD and a CD release party. The thought of seeing photos of me in years to come with that much weight on my body was a GREAT motivator.  A year later, I’d lost a job, a long-term relationship, and a lucrative music gig. I was distraught, depressed, and financially devastated. I began to comfort myself with my favorite food group – all things cake-y. And the weight piled on. And on. And on. When menopause appeared, it came with a dozen of it’s best friend – pounds.

I couldn’t believe it, but the scale told the whole AND the ugly truth.

I started trying to lose the weight. I worked out 3-4 times a week for a few months until my post-surgery arthritis kicked in and an ankle injury sidelined me. I struggled to accept that my body simply couldn’t take the all or nothing workouts of my ’20’s. I tried the 10 day Smoothie Diet. It didn’t satiate me. I counted calories – that made me hangry. I also tried intermittent fasting – I ended up with headaches. I blamed my irregular sleep habits and my crazy schedule – teaching during the week – gigging on the weekends. My late night companions driving the hour plus home from those gigs? Coke (for the caffeine), donuts (the sugar) and pretzels (crunchy), all chosen for their ability to help me stay awake while behind the wheel. I lost a few pounds here or there, but they all returned. 

A milestone birthday, my abs going on vacation and failing to help me get out of bed, and a photograph from a recent gig were the final straw. Enough was enough.

I’d halfheartedly tried Weight Watchers years back. Now rebranded as WW, I remember thinking that the diet was too restrictive, but for the short time I followed it, I did see results. Noticing how fabulous Oprah looked post-WW made me decide to give WW another try.

Since joining WW at the beginning of this year, I am down twelve pounds. I haven’t been at this weight in nearly seven years. It hasn’t been as easy as I’d hoped, but it hasn’t been as hard as I’d expected. The plan offers a lot of flexibility, and I don’t have to give up on my favorite treats. I just eat them less and in smaller portions. And speaking of less, I eat out a lot less and cook WAY more. It’s been an adventure in the kitchen, buying kitchen gadgets that I once deemed frivolous. I’ve bought some great cookbooks and have tried many new recipes. I use my new WW tote bag when shopping at my local Farmer’s Market each weekend, where I buy locally grown produce and meats. It might seem as though I’m promoting Weight Watchers. I’m not I’m just sharing what’s worked for me.

But the biggest take away? That after multiple attempts over these past few years, I’ve finally made some progress. After failing and starting over countless times, I have a reason to celebrate. I’m inspired to go after the next twenty, but doing so one pound at a time. Sometimes even a half a pound is enough. I’m sharing this to let folks know that as long as you’re breathing, keep trying. Keep reaching for your goals. If one thing/system/plan/regimen doesn’t work for you, go try something else. And whatever you don’t, don’t beat up on yourself. Treat the whole process as a journey of discovery. I remember once thinking to myself, “Well, here you are, working out again. What good is it going to do you?” I immediately rejected that statement and replaced it with something more loving such as, “Good for you! How awesome it is  that you refuse to give up on yourself.”

This advice isn’t just for those working to shed those extra pounds. WHATEVER you are yearning to be/do/have/change, go after it full stop – always do your best. Please, don’t ever quit.

NEVER. EVER. EVER. QUIT.

For this month’s post, I decided to share a few juicy quotes from a talk I gave at a Centers for Spiritual Living in February of 2020.  Maybe they’ll inspire or lift you up as they did me when I first discovered them. Here goes…

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Meade.

“Don’t become mesmerized by the pictures that have appeared if they are not what you want. Take responsibility for them, make light of them if you can, and let them go. Then think new thoughts of what you want, feel them, and be grateful that it is done.” Rhonda Byrne

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Ferdinand Foch

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.”  Ernest Holmes

“Suppose your whole world seems to rock on its foundations. Hold on steadily, let it rock, and when the rocking is over, the picture will have reassembled itself into something much nearer to your heart’s desire.”   Emmet Fox

The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God’s willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance of how the Infinite is already active within you, how it has already placed within you all that you need to solve and dissolve inner conflict through conscious communion with the Self.  Rev. Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith

“There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer: no disease that love will not heal: no door that enough love will not open…It makes no difference how deep set the trouble: how hopeless the outlook: how muddled the tangle: how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world.” Emmet Fox

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.”  Martha Graham

In a gentle way, you can shake the world. Mahatma Gandhi

Until next month…

One of the things that helped me get through the wierd, surreal, challenging days of 2020 was my discovery of a British television show called Escape to the Country.

Similar to House Hunters on HGTV, it features folks looking to exchange their current digs (usually in the bigger cities) for greener pastures in rural locales across Britain, Northern Ireland, and the rest of the UK.

Those looking for new residences are all ages and configurations. Some are families looking to find larger plots of land for their children and fur babies. Some are middle-agers seeking to bring multiple generations under one roof. Still others are repatriating to England after having lived in other parts of the world, some for decades.

The majority of the home searchers are couples usually ranging in age from their mid-50’s and beyond. Some are downsizing, while others are buying larger homes to accommodate visiting grandchildren. Still others want to realize dreams of part-time businesses, revisit deferred dreams of hiking and biking their days away, or rediscovering the joys of artistic endeavors such as painting, baking, or community theatre. I began to notice that most of these people weren’t interested in the traditional notion of downsizing. Nor were they looking to consolidate their homes and possessions to conserve resources for fear of running out of funds before running out of life. In fact, very few referred to retirement as many do.
When the word retirement is mentioned, images of lazing your days away after having worked 40+ years of life come to most people’s minds. Retirees travel, maybe go to Vegas and gamble a bit, or take extended visits to see the grandchildren. There’s endless television watching. There’s the option to camp out at the at the local watering hole. One can volunteer, or get more involved in church activities. However, when thinking about the guests of this show, I realized they weren’t treating their house-hunting moves as preludes to more sedentary lifestyles, but like transitions into the next great adventure of their lives. While it seems most Americans seem to think of retirement as a time of winding down, most of the people in this show are shifting into 5th or 6th gear.

This has little to do with money. The range of available budgets run from below the national average into millions of available pounds.

I know that a reality show is not a barometer of the ideas and habits of a general population, but I can’t help but think there might be some foundational differences in how Europeans and Americans view retirement (as we think of it), which in itself is a recent, and predominantly Western phenomenon. It feels like for a lot of people here in the States, when we reach retirement, we walk away from life.

Incidentally, I also officially crossed the threshold of my 6th decade of life. And I noticed that thoughts of retirement and of not having enough have been haunting me. I questioned the more consistent thoughts of just coasting to retirement, rather than dusting off some of the dreams I didn’t think I wanted anymore, and putting plans into action to start them again. In fact, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted anymore. The goals and dreams I had even just a few years ago no longer excited and inspired me. I’ve questioned so many things; my lack of ‘get up and go’, my preference for the comfort of my couch instead of workouts. and my increased appetite for cookies, cakes and ‘bad’ carbs of all kinds instead of fruits and vegetables. I wondered what happened to the woman who preferred reading to binge watching home decor shows. And then, with all the weirdness of the pandemic and spending inordinate amounts of time at home, I honestly questioned ‘Why bother? What’s the point of it all?”

Watching Escape to the Country reminded me that I have so much more to live for, and that I too, should I choose, can shift into a higher gear. That continually mulling over so-called past mistakes is is an incredible waste of time. Besides, the gift is that I made every choice consciously. I followed my dreams, and they mostly came true. Even though I never got the coveted full-time tenured teaching position that I wanted, I did have the full-time teaching experience, and I loved it.

I’ve also researched other sesigenerians, septuagenarians, and octogenarians. I’ve watched a lot of NHK World from Japan, where people well into their 90’s fish, farm, grow their own vegetables, open and run small businesses. And I’m thinking, why am I sitting on my ass? What the heck is wrong with me? It’s been quite the kick.

So, I’ve kicked the word ‘retirement’ out of my vocabulary. I will work until I can’t. Or don’t want to. Or until I feel I have nothing left to do. Truth is, I don’t see how I can retire, but that isn’t the full reason for my change of heart. I don’t want to just live, I want to feel alive! I want to squeeze the most out of this life. I don’t want to leave the planet without finishing what I’ve started. I could live five lifetimes working to accomplish some things I’ve always wanted to do, but now the focus is on completing what I’ve already started.

I am not under any illusion that this will be easy. And I am closer to the grave than to the cradle. But I’m more motivated than I’ve been in years, and no matter how this all turns out, the one thing I resolve to do is to have fun!

When I take my last breath, I want to be at peace with what I’ve done. I hope to have fulfilled my sacred contract.

What about you? Have you ‘retired early’ from your life? Have you let your age, being tired, your physical condition, or any other reason (excuse) keep you from living the life you deserve? As long as you’re breathing, you’ve got a chance.

Get to it!

We are living through some ‘interesting’ times. Historic times. Anxious times. Uncharted territory. Frightening times for some.

I find that if I can approach each day as follows;  one breath at a time, one moment at a time, one step at a time, and one prayer at a time, I feel a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, comfort, and peace when I lay my head on the pillow at night. 

In addition to my approach, I also have a few items from my survival tool kit that I employ. The top five are meditation, prayer, a bit of laughter, listening to my favorite tunes, and reading the inspirational words of others.  In this post, I’d like to share the words of Indian writer, author, and activist Arundhati Roy (author of the award-winning novel The God of Small Things) in the hopes that her words might bring comfort and a new way to view this place of limbo we find ourselves in. Her words certainly moved me and brought me peace. This is an excerpt from her article The Pandemic is a Portal.

“Whatever it is, coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could. Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to ‘normality,’ trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists. And in the midst of this terrible despair, it offers us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. Nothing could be worse than a return to normality.”

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”

Until next time…

DG

excerpted from YES! MAGAZINE © 2020

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These days we’re all feeling weary. Maybe you’re feeling battle-scarred, sad, and scared. Could you be anxious and angry? Or possibly downright afraid?

The fear of the unknown can be the biggest fear of all. But having been on the planet for upwards of 5 decades, I know that as horrible as things may seem or be, being afraid and allowing fear to run the show is worse that then thing we’re afraid of.

I’ve always thought that life is like that crazy wooden roller coaster I loved to ride as a kid. Every fall, our family would attend the state fair. I couldn’t wait to get on that roller coaster! I’d ride it as soon as we got inside the fairgrounds. When I felt the pressure and heard the click of that big, heavy bar across my lap as it pinned me into my seat, I’d close my eyes and scream my head off through the whole ride. Once my feet were back on the ground and if I hadn’t gotten sick, I’d eat as much cotton candy as my Mama would allow!

Just like on the roller coaster, this ride called life will take you all the way to the top of the course. You find yourself looking out over the landscape, basking in the sun’s rays dancing on your face, and feeling invincible. Seconds later, the coaster plunges down the track, swerving, looping, and twisting, thrusting you side to side, up and down, pushing your stomach into your brain. Once the ride is over, you’ve had some moments – some scary, some exhilarating. But always, you’re grateful that the ride is over and that you can finally place those feet on comfortable, steady terra firma.

Just like a roller coaster, the downs and the ups of life are all a part of the experience. And as long as you’re breathing and are on this side of the dirt, it’s a ride from which you can’t escape. The only way off is to check out. Literally.

So, instead of bristling against what is, and feeling anxious and angry, irritated and scared, divert that energy into something that can launch you forward. What would you like your life to be once you cross over the bridge into your post-Covid-19 existence? How will you be different? What will change? What will you release, and what will you embrace? What lessons or discoveries will you integrate into your life?

I’ve lived through so much pain; divorce, sexual abuse, homelessness, trauma, and abandonment. I’ve known hunger. I survived a category 5 hurricane and lived without electricity for nearly a month. I’ve witnessed and experienced the fallout of mental illness. I’ve even pondered taking my own life.

Obviously, I triumphantly crossed those bridges and put some distance between myself and those trying experiences. Despite all the woes, challenges, and heartbreak, I’ve still had a pretty amazing life. I’ve travelled over a good swath of the world. I’ve entertained celebrities and royalties. I’ve dined on foreign beaches. I have loved and been loved…deeply. I dreamed of a life beyond my circumstances and hardships, and I worked to make those dreams come true.

You might feel as though you’re riding a roller coaster that has gone out of control…jumped its track. Know that no matter what things may look like, what you’re experiencing, or where you are on that roller coaster, you’re still alive. Instead of feeling fear, could you possibly feel exhilaration? How about feeling battle-ready instead of battle-scarred? Could you exchange anxiety for anticipation?

I encourage you to ride that roller coaster with fierceness. With passion. Lock that bar low over your waist. Hold on tight. Cruise through the drops, loops and twizzles with determination – and a scream or two. You can do it.

In 2019 I was a bit on the quiet side. A new and incredibly demanding job, and gigs and speaking engagements nearly every weekend wore me down. I rested little. Slept? Not nearly enough. Ate lots – too much…of the wrong things. Felt tired and oftentimes depressed. Doing anything other than coming home and collapsing on the couch (50% of the time I never made it to my bedroom!) was too much work. Finally, In December, I took some time off. I needed to be off the clock, off a schedule, and with myself. Needed to reflect and SLEEP.

I realized that I spend nearly all of my waking hours working or driving to work. I haven’t had an extended vacation in years. I’ve spent very little time with friends, hanging out, or just doing nothing. I haven’t been to the movies and attended only two concerts all year.

I also noticed that I haven’t been creating much, and as several people close to me have reminded me, “You need to create…that’s what you came here to do.”

This pace of life I’ve been living is completely unsustainable. And besides, I just don’t effin’ want to live like this anymore.

So, things are about to change.

I’m setting boundaries – even at work, all the while trusting and knowing that everything is working in my favor.

Soooo…

To collaborators past, present, and future, I’ll be in touch soon.

To my fellow performers/vocalists/musicians, You’ll see me in the audience soon. To my students and clients, let’s get to work! The studio is opening in April! To my friends and road dogs, let’s connect…we have lots of catching up to do, stories to share, meals to eat, and places to see.

As I wrap up this lengthy post, I encourage everyone to put yourselves first. No money, no job, NOTHING is worth losing your health, your sanity, and your joy over. Take care of yourselves and do whatever you need to do to live a balanced, grounded, and happy life. As much as you can, do things that feed your soul…again and again and again. Despite the craziness of the times we live in, find something to smile about, someone to help, something to be grateful for.

Love to all!

DG

I find it tough these days to write. After a full day at a demanding job, words play hide and seek with me. They don’t exactly flow from my pen/brain/lips as I’ve been accustomed to them doing. However, despite my best intentions, it’s been a minute since I’ve posted, so I’m making it a point to write this.

While on Facebook a week or two ago, I got caught in up in all the Meghan and Harry in Africa stories. And despite my resolve, I decided to read the comments section at the end of some of these articles.

Maybe I’m just getting old. Maybe my sensibilities are like dusty, crumbly relics from some pre-historic era, I guess, when people were too busy hunting and gathering and running from water buffalo to judge people – at least not out in the open and certainly not to people outside of their immediate circle. But the truth is, people have been comparing and judging themselves and each other since we’ve been on this rock. The short of it is that I continued to be surprised at the level of vitriol heaped on Markle by the [British] press, and some of the trolls that read the rubbish they publish. Even if she is as horrible as they say she is (I seriously doubt that), who cares? I so want to ask her detractors “How is her supposedly bad and un-royal behavior affecting you? Is her behavior taking a job away from you, or food off your table? Does her behavior impact your ability to do your job efficiently and effectively?” I want to ask them, “Don’t you have enough of your own concerns than to worry about hers?” I want to ask them “Are you giving of your time, talents and treasure to causes and organizations that could use some help, rather than spending your precious allotment of breath (and money if you buy those danged tabloids) on gossip, lies, and slander?” And what if she is ‘taking advantage’ of Harry (not that she ever needed him anyway)? It’s still none of anyone else’s business.

.Markle said in the documentary that she expected rough going from the [British] press, but she thought it would be fair. Her statement reminded me of the days I’d run home from school to my mother and regale some story of how someone at school had waged verbal warfare on me with their words. When I’d tell her that someone had lied on me, she’d ask me “Is it true?” When I’d sheepishly admit that it wasn’t, she’d say, “Girl, remember that especially when you don’t give people something to talk about, they’ll make something up. As long as it isn’t true, try to ignore them and go about your business.”

And as I grew up in a home where all religious faiths paths were honored, the following verses and phrases come to me at moments like this.

Proverbs 19.5 – A false witness shall not be unpunished, and [he that] speaketh lies shall not escape.

Proverbs 11:9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

From the Baha’i Faith (Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’u’llah and the New Era, p. 83)
“Never to allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another, even though that other be our enemy.”

From the Baghavad Gita, Chapter 13, Verse 8 – 12:
“… Straightforwardness in speech includes absence of taunt, censure, gossip, ornamentation.”

If I were to ever have the opportunity to speak to Meghan, I would share my mother’s wisdom… “Go your own way.” I’d remind her that there is nothing that she can do to change anyone’s opinion of her, so just focus on loving her family and doing the work she feels called to do. I’d encourage her to live as fully, out loudly, and as happily as possible, no matter what, because at the end of it all, the only thing that matters is her happiness.

The level of violence witnessed in this country on a daily basis is staggering. To me, it’s unfathomable. It seems to be getting worse. With people getting jumped in the street, robbed, beaten, kidnapped, carjacked, or murdered, just leaving the house to go to the grocery store is an act of bravery.

Between the newscasts, the Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos shows, the so-called ‘reality shows’, movies, video games, etc., the mass consumption of violence as ‘entertainment’ confounds me.

And it isn’t just physical violence. Verbal violence is off the Richter. The nastiness, pettiness, judgment, shaming, blaming, name-calling, swearing at others is, well…off the Richter.

Everything – EVERYTHING begins with a thought, so in case we think that just because we don’t say violent words or act on them doesn’t mean we haven’t been ensnared in their energy. Our thoughts can be just as, if not more violent than their physical or verbal expression. And it doesn’t matter if we are conscious of it or not. In fact, I believe the unacknowledged festering of violent thought is more dangerous. Its unpredictability makes it so. No one can foresee when someone will ‘go off’.

I believe that this level of violence is unsustainable. Unchecked, it has the ability to consume us. And it does appear that we are the verge of self-annihilation, or imploding.

Many of us see this mammoth challenge and understand that we must correct our course. Prayer, to God, the angels, saints, ancestors, and other beings on the angelic realm will absolutely help, but until we ourselves become accountable and begin to DO something, we may as well be co-conspirators.

Some may say that man is inherently violent. Others say that violence is part and parcel of living and that it’s always been that way. I don’t agree with the first statement, and while the second statement may be true, that doesn’t mean that it was unavoidable. The Bible and the holy books of other faiths offer a lot of nuggets that contest that notion.

I believe we have accepted this level of dysfunction as status quo, and are hoping we can literally dodge the ‘bullet’ (no pun intended) until we check out for good.

So what do we do? What can we do?

I know what I’m going to do: I’m going to shift my focus away from the violence I see (I don’t have to spend any more time looking at it…I know it exists) to focusing on what I’d like to see. I won’t fight against violence: I will work toward peace. I will join and work with others who are doing the same. I will continue to pray and meditate for peace for every living thing. I will also donate to organizations that support survivors of violence to help them find a new, happier, and more hopeful normal. I will advocate for the availability of conflict resolution for all. I will share with others the teachings and writings of some of the brightest minds on the planet about establishing, growing, and perpetuating peace. I will advocate for virtues-based education, which honors all human beings and religious paths.

But most importantly, I will (re)establish my own inner sanctuary. I will furnish it with words and thoughts of love, kindness, and peace. I will monitor my inner compass to ensure that I am thinking and acting more and more with my heart. When I’m tempted to utter a few choice words to the person that cut me off in traffic, or the customer service person who could care less about helping me, I’m going to breathe, and instead of counting backward from ten, I’ll number my blessings. I’ll walk away if necessary.

After grounding myself in my own self-care practices, I’ll do more for others, such as offer a silent greeting to people I pass on the street. I can pray for my fellow travelers, invoking the energies of protection for them as they trek to their destinations. I will envision and breathe my way to seeing the light for others who can’t see it for themselves yet. I will dwell in the peace that passes all understanding.

I invite you to begin your own daily peace practice. At the very least, you’ll be more at peace, or can return to peace more quickly if you find yourself out of its protective vibe.

In closing, I’m sharing some thoughts about violence from some of the world’s most inspirational minds. Maybe they’ll inspire you as they did me while doing research for this blog post.

In America all too few blows are struck into flesh. We kill the spirit here, we are experts at that. We use psychic bullets and kill each other cell by cell.\ Norman Mailer.

There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.
Muhammad Ali

I write about violence as naturally as Jane Austen wrote about manners. Violence shapes and obsesses our society, and if we do not stop being violent we have no future.        
Edward Bond                                                                                                                          
Nonviolence doesn’t always work — but violence never does.
Isaac Asimov

When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.
Oscar Wilde

Hungry people cannot be good at learning or producing anything, except perhaps violence. 
Pearl Bailey

Great anger and violence can never build a nation. 
Nelson Mandela  

Through violence, you may “solve” one problem, but you sow seeds for another. 
The Dalai Lama

Through violence, you may murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Violence does not always take visible form, and not all wounds gush blood.
Haruki Murakami

Violence of the tongue is very real- sharper than any knife.
Teresa Giudecca

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.    
Mahatma Gandhi

                                                                                                                                             quotes sourced from:

wildoldsayings.com; www.peacedirect.com. www.coolnsmart.com