24. Play

The work we do eventually leaves us drained

No matter how carefully we go about it or have been trained

Stress and strain build up and must be contained

It is vital to schedule time to rest and also time to play

Periods spent doing what we enjoy refreshes us and keeps stress away

We are renewed and made ready for another workday.

It could be a dance, a sport, a song, a hobby, or another outlet

A long walk, a ramble, a climb, a run that leaves us with no regret

Or time spent with friends, family, or new acquaintances that we have met

Which, once done, from our toil we have temporarily ceased

It's pressures, burdens, and responsibilities we have impermanently released

To experience life's joys, pleasures, and amusements, leaving our strength increased.

So it's okay to go fly a kite in a favourite park

Though model planes and drones would be better for a bright spark

Put some more effort in, and you may just make a mark

For whatever rejuvenates you and you enjoy is your play

Do it periodically, and it will keep burnout at bay

To sustainable success you have found a way!

WIP

John C. Immanuel

Home

23. Discipline

What would it take for our lofty dreams to become reality?

How do we achieve the happy and successful lives we so strongly desire?

Along which path must we walk to succeed with integrity?

The way of discipline is the sure one that we require

It provides a clear path to realistic goals without ambiguity

Aided by methods, plans, and systems that are not unaffordable to acquire.

Without discipline, worthwhile skills can not be cultivated

No profession can be practised when valued skills are absent

With discipline, we can attain mastery and expertise, leaving us strongly motivated

The world becomes our oyster as we showcase our abilities and talents.

May we embrace discipline with joy till our innate abilities are activated

For it is the best way to ensure that our success is long-lived, not transient.

No one goes through life without experiencing some pain

Each one must choose either the pain of discipline or that of regret

The choice of discipline is a wise one, resulting in much gain

Desires and emotions come under control and one achieves a stout mindset

Without discipline one can not live responsibly, and may labour in vain

Discipline is indispensable in achieving the goals of life, which before one are set.

Determine to be self-disciplined in the area that matters the most

Reduce tasks into smaller, manageable efforts with pauses in between

Reward yourself as you achieve any milestone of which you can boast

Envision eventual outcomes until in your mind they are seen

Prepare well in advance for times at your duty post

Discipline can be as simple as sticking to a good routine.

WIP

John C. Immanuel

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22. Contemplation

Why should one bother about what gets one's attention?

Does what we focus on even matter at all?

Any benefits from being intentional about what we gaze upon?

The act of looking at something in a calm and careful way defines contemplation

It could be something in nature, our environment, or on a wall

Which gets and keeps our attention, leaving other options forgone.

Our thoughts go towards what our eyes rest on

The worlds of our minds become indwelt by new objects perceived

Which, in turn, affects and alters our spaces within

We are changed by where our thoughts have gone

Due to the new entrants that our minds have received

Which, to the careless, could be to their chagrin.

To have more control over what one becomes eventually

It is wise to guide the eyes to good frequently and carefully

For the desire of a good life in the here and now, and eternally

Because where the mind goes, the person follows ultimately

As one contemplates what edifies and uplifts repeatedly

One's destiny will come to fruition in due season, unfailingly.

To seek and find God, a divine instruction

Requires that one seek with all of one's heart

Though we look with our eyes and hear with our ears

It is the longing of one's heart that attracts illumination

From the darkness in the world, it sets one apart

One is strengthened, renewed and relieved of one's fears.

WIP

John C. Immanuel

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Sagesse

Des vies réussies et heureuses ont été vécues avec sagesse.

Des vies exemplaires et nobles, dignes d'être élevées et imitées.

Par la sagesse, des rois ont bâti et gouverné des royaumes.

Dépourvus de sagesse, domaines et royaumes ont été réduits à la désolation.

Il serait dévastateur de minimiser son importance.

Sachant que des vies, des communautés et des industries ont été sauvées par son génie.

La sagesse est un indicateur, une mesure du développement intellectuel personnel.

Elle se manifeste progressivement dans le processus décisionnel des jeunes.

Les parents applaudissent, les enseignants se réjouissent et la société s'en trouve améliorée.

On aurait aussi bien pu entendre une excellente interprétation d'une belle chanson !

Les jeunes qui font preuve de sagesse acquièrent plus de liberté de choix et d'indépendance.

Le monde des adultes les récompense progressivement et accueille leur présence.

 Dans un monde qui privilégie les gains rapides et la gratification instantanée,

La sagesse fait souvent défaut aux impatients, aux amateurs de sensations fortes et aux jeunes agités.

Ce qui conduit à des disputes irréfléchies, des affrontements et autres situations acrimonieuses.

Mais lorsque les répercussions douloureuses, les conséquences d'actions imprudentes, frappent et nous laissent sans souffle,

Nous ne pouvons qu'espérer et prier pour avoir l'occasion de prendre un nouveau départ plus intelligemment.

Et rechercher sans relâche la sagesse d'en haut pour vivre sans souffrir inutilement.

En cours

John C. Immanuel (alias John O. Iyaniwura)

Méditation

Notre monde évolue à un rythme effréné.

Alarmes, rappels, notifications et messages sont monnaie courante !

À peine une tâche terminée, une autre nous appelle et sollicite notre attention.

Nous cherchons à enchaîner les tâches dans des plages horaires fixes, sans toujours avoir notre mot à dire sur nos engagements.

Parfois, nous aimerions pouvoir remonter le temps, le fixer un instant.

Nous nous démenons pour respecter les délais, les paiements, les trains et les avions qui rythment nos vies bien remplies.

Nous ne pouvons pas vivre durablement si nous les menons à la va-vite.

Les pressions de nos journées de travail doivent être gérées avec une sagesse nouvelle pour nous guider.

 Nous avons besoin de moments de calme qui apaisent notre esprit et nous apportent la grâce, de moments de méditation.

Pendant lesquels nous nous tournons vers notre source de foi, d'espoir et de force pour trouver l'encouragement divin.

Des périodes où nous laissons de côté nos préoccupations, notre besoin de contrôle, et trouvons quelque chose qui nous fait sourire.

Après quoi, nous retournons à nos activités avec une vigueur et un enthousiasme renouvelés qui nous maintiennent en vie.

La méditation est un moyen de recevoir une grâce nourrissante.

Elle apporte clarté et concentration, surtout à celui qui prie.

Nous gagnons en perspective, en compréhension, et peut-être même en abstractions.

Avec cela, nous sommes renouvelés comme par une nouvelle forme de nourriture.

Nous avons l'impression de pouvoir continuer encore un kilomètre.

Ou d'entamer un autre long trajet.

En cours

John C. Immanuel

Traduit automatiquement avec l'application logicielle Translate.  

21. Meditation

Our world moves at a hectic and frenetic pace

Alarms, reminders, notifications, and messages are the order of most days!

Hardly have we completed one task before another beckons and seeks our attention

We seek to cram more into fixed segments of time, we do not always have a say about our commitments

At times, we wished we could turn back the hands of time, or make it stay fixed for a while

As we scramble to meet deadlines, payments, trains, and flights that define our busy lives. 

Our lives can not be sustainably lived if we run them like a rat race.

The pressures of our work days must be handled with new wisdom to guide our ways.

We need moments of stillness that calm our minds, bring us grace, times of meditation

During which we turn to our source of faith, hope, and strength for divine encouragement

Periods when we let go of our concerns, our need to be in control, and find something that makes us smile

Following which we return to our activities with renewed vigour and zest that keeps us alive.

Meditation is a means by which we receive sustaining grace

And it yields a harvest of clarity and focus, especially to the one who prays

We gain perspective, insights, perhaps new abstractions

With which we are renewed as through a new form of nourishment

We feel like we could go on for yet another mile

Or commence another especially lengthy drive.  

So it is wise to proceed to a comfortable and quiet place

Where one can be still, focus, and experience divine rays

A serene spot, perhaps a corner or a chair, that's free of distractions

Be mindful of the Universe and its Creator to grow in enlightenment

It results in an improved state of mind and a better lifestyle

Quiet moments are precious, they make one thrive.

WIP

John C. Immanuel

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