Who can find a virtuous woman? for
her price is far above rubies.
She reacheth out her hand to the poor; yea,
she reacheth forth her hand to the needy.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and
she shall rejoice in time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom; and
in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
--The Bible, Proverbs 31:10, 20, 25, 26--
Ich habe einen Menschen immer nur als ein fuer sich bestehendes Individuum angesehen, dass ich zu erforschen und dass ich in seiner Eigentuemlichkeit kennenzulernen trachtete, wovon ich aber durchaus keine weitere Sympathie verlangte. Dadurch habe ich es nun dahin gebracht, mit jedem Menschen umgehen zu koennen, und dadurch allein entsteht die Kenntnes mannigfaltiger Charaktere, sowie die noetige Gewandheit im Leben. Denn gerade bei widerstrebenden Naturen muss man sich zusammennehmen, um mit ihnen durchzukommen, und dadurch werden alle die verschiedenen Seiten in uns angeregt und zur Entwickelung und Ausbildung gebracht, so dass man sich denn bald jedem Vis-a-vis gewachsen fuehlt.
Goethe
I have looked at people always as individuals, so that I could study their uniqueness without making demands on their sympathies. In that way I’ve learned to get along with different types of temperaments —specifically those with an opposing and argumentative nature. I found that it strengthened many different sides in me and enabled me to feel confident in order to deal humanely vis-a-vis others.
Translation from the German by EMH
I have learned early on that joy does not come from without ... that is, from people, even very dear people, loved-ones, it comes from within, as I could see, when their eyes sparkled because of some good they discerned. Their joy I would take in so deeply that I did not loose sight of the sparkle in their eyes, even so I knew it was more than an outer giving but an inner nurturing of a joy they could feel.
And at times when I walked through a blooming meadow, again I could feel a joy bubbling up, a feeling of belonging right there in the midst of the beauty of that field. Sometimes I would kneel in the grass and then stretch out in it and looking up into the blue of the sky, reaching beyond my vision higher and higher. As I would get up and walk to a brook gurgling along with its crystal clear water, there too I could feel the joy swelling in me and seeing the little fish swimming by, looking sideways up, as if to say, ”Why are you here?” Because of joy, I would say! Joy made me step into a shady cool forest, ah … the stillness. Only a few rays of sunlight sliding by the trees to make the stillness more delightful, joy was here --- and from within me it would brake forth, making me feel as if a deep well was springing up without ever loosing its power to flow outward.
Joy is the nectar of Love … and thus we leap with peace-generating joy for all of God and His beloved living things and beings, may it be a blade of grass or a singing bird in the bright blue sky.
–Eva-Maria <>
When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.
― Rumi
« Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. »
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
