Community

Worldly Wisdom

Forestwood

 No one can climb a tree with no branches

– Finnish proverb

Helsinki
Birch Trees in Helsinki, Finland

What do you think the underlying message says. Does it refer to the support of friends and family that folk find so essential to personal growth and development?

Or, could it refer to the many divergent paths one might consider, or does take throughout life, before we reach our ultimate destination or end goal?

proverbial-thurs

I often find there is profound wisdom in proverbs, sayings and quotes and I marvel at the way they are so succinct in communicating messages, to the reader. Mostly anonymous, they come to us from past generations and from across cultures. They speak of the experiences of lives lived and lessons learned. Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.

.

Nothing is more beautiful and powerful than a smile that has struggled through the tears

~ Demi Lovato (Actress and Singer Song-writer)

smile www.cuded.com
Source Credit: http://www.cuded.com

This theme of this week’s  quotes is power, not raw power, but rather that power of the self, as an entity, that power we find within ourselves.

The less effort, the faster and more powerful

you will be

~ Bruce Lee

Bruce lee

We have nothing to lose by trusting the infinite power

of the Self, except the bondage of our own ignorance

~ Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

smartphone
First World Problems

And finally there are these words:

“You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world’s happiness now.

How?

By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged.   Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.”

–Dale Carnegie

Linking to Friendly Friday’s Smiles Challenge

Sharing one’s perspective increases understanding.

cropped-stpa1.jpg

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

23 thoughts on “Worldly Wisdom”

      1. I really like Dale’s quote as well, Peggy! It is echoed in a Norwegian saying that goes something like: to make someone else happy is the only true happiness.

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Oh yes. No argument from me about that! I suppose Keith also discovered many branches along the way through life. Probably a good thing the palm had no branches to encounter on his downward descent. He might have fatally injured himself. Don’t you think he must be made of some incredibly strong DNA, considering the sum of his life experiences?

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I agree with the Finnish proverb. No one usually gets to where they are with the help or support from others around them. It could be a small piece of advice or a helping hand all the way – often we are not in this world alone and we don’t have all the answers in all the way. So often we get challenged or stuck along the way and we turn to others for guidance.
    Demi Lovato: A smile is the best makeup and face one can wear. A genuine smile is one that is so lovely to see, and usually that comes from a place where we are content, at least content in the moment be it over life or hearing a random joke. I like he accompanying image that you share along with this quote. It got me thinking that sometimes we can’t smile on our own and others around us are the ones who might be the ones that make us smile.
    Dale Carnegie: When someone is lonely or discouraged, I think the best thing we can give them is a listening ear and not suggesting what they should or shouldn’t do. Sometimes others just want to be listened to – and if you do, they might feel wanted and I think everyone wants to be wanted to or to belong to some place or someone in this world. It’s like your tagline above your comments box: ‘Everyone is important. What do you have to say?’ 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am glad you like my tagline Mabel thank you! Although it is not mine, that graphic on sharing a smile with another is poignant. We think of sharing many things with others but smiling at a stranger might be considered weird, by some, or culturally offensive or worse still, even suggestive. Even so, in many places, smiling is recognized as reflective of someone who is kind, open and caring. A really genuine happy smile can light up a room, spreading positive energy. When gentle, contented people smile, it extends to their eyes. And in the eyes, we find, as another saying goes – a window to the soul. Even artificial smiles can produce an endorphin release in the body!! And it costs nothing! You are write right, Mabel in that in the event that our mood is low, we may not feel like smiling at all, and we need to be distracted from the thoughts, that we are dwelling on, that are making us miserable.

      Like

      1. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but you might want to think of putting the tagline somewhere in the book 🙂

        That is so true that a smile is not aways welcomed. In Chinese culture, or at least what I was taught growing up, smiling by way of showing teeth or grinning is considered ugly and a bit too revealing.

        Have to agree with you about the eyes. When someone’s face seems expressionless of neutral, sometimes the eyes says how you really feel.

        Like

      2. I would love to put that in our book, Mabel! Thank you for the compliment. It means a lot to me that you think it worthwhile! It is interesting how showing one’s teeth in an open smile is seen as ugly in Chinese culture, and revealing! I do think it is correct that it is ‘revealing’ in the sense that an toothy grin or smile indicates openness, and a mouth with smiling lips and no teeth is more reserved. Being a quieter person, it took me much longer to feel comfortable smiling with an open mouth. I think I finally that to really smile, you had to use your whole face, including teeth, not just one’s eyes. I had realized this when I saw photographs of myself, at times, when I knew I had been deliberately smiling, yet a somewhat blank expression was seen in the photo! I was only smiling with my eyes! I then learn that I almost have to accentuate my smile in order for the camera to register an open smile! In this day and age of the Selfie, it is easy to forget that some of us feel self conscious having our photos taken, and to be reserved in one’s prerogative.

        Like

      3. There’s the idea that a lot of Chinese (and I think this goes for people of Asian background) don’t have straight teeth. I guess this is in comparison to those in the Western world (think Westerners living in in first world countries) who have access to healthcare and can afford braces to make their teeth straight. Also another reason why smiling widely tends not be entirely embraced in Chinese culture…due to looks.

        I think smiling with your eyes is the best thing even though you may have a blank expression. Some of us are just discrete that way. Selfies seem to be everywhere these days…I still feel awkward posing for photos, any kind of photos lol.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. This reminds me of a younger me, Mabel. My face ached on my wedding day from smiling in a way I wasn’t used to in photographs!! I feel much more at ease now and a lot of that had to do with realizing that smiling discretely rather than openly meant one stood out more in a photograph. (ie. smiling quietly was counter productive )

        Liked by 1 person

  3. That proverb is just true 👌 branches needn’t be any massive help , just a genuine pep and someone to lean on during rainy days ☔️

    Like

    1. ‘A genuine pep and someone to lean on.’ This is so valuable in times of self-doubt and worry. Without a support network, the despair of loneliness might begin to creep in to one’s mind. And loneliness can create so much unhappiness. It is considered that having a cup of coffee with a friend may be up to ten times more beneficial for our mental health than the action of any anti-depressant. Not only are we distracted from our worries, our focus is widened, we feel connected socially with the outside world, we might hear a different perspective, or at least have a sympathetic ear and someone who is willing to listen, at least in a small way, to our problems.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yeah! It’s about proverb itself – a proverb is one man’s wit and all men’s wisdom 😁
        I write similar content at my blog.Please check it out whenever you’re free 😊

        Like

      2. I certainly will, Idealideas! That surely is a true saying! And it is also a free gift that one man or woman can give to all men and women!

        Like

  5. I think the Finnish proverb means that we need the support of our family /friends to achieve our goals. I like that. Great photo with Mr Lee.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Pingback: Worldly Wisdom – Umair Yaseen

Comments are closed.