An Act of Culture ~ Michael Pollan

“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.”  ~ Michael Pollan

More at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pollan

Artwork from Emmy Lou Packard   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Lou_Packard

Many people ~ Primo Levi

“Many people — many nations — can find themselves holding, more or less wittingly, that ‘every stranger is an enemy’. For the most part this conviction lies deep down like some latent infection; it betrays itself only in random, disconnected acts, and does not lie at the base of a system of reason.”

~  Primo Levi

More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo_Levi

My Quaker Past ~ " Jewish Mom"

 "My nine years at Friends School shaped me as a human being in many ways, and one of the most formative experiences of all was standing up week by week and sharing my own “inner light’ with my friends and classmates and teachers. And just yesterday it occurred to me out of the blue that there is a strong connection between those Meeting for Worship monologues of long ago (and my blog) today.
My mission for this website is that it will be a place where I can share my Inner Light with you .... And most of the time this website is just that, it’s a place where I share only those thoughts and experiences and insights that touch my heart most deeply.What I really want, what I’m really strive for, is to only open my mouth when I have something important to say. When I feel my inner light stirring within me, and I just have to open up my browser and start typing. And send some words straight from my Jewish Mom heart to yours."

More at  http://jewishmom.com/2012/07/15/my-quaker-past (Well worth reading the whole article ~ very moving.)

Find Yourself at Least Once ~ Primo Levi

"I read somewhere.... that the sea’s only gifts are harsh blows and, occasionally, the chance to feel strong. Now, I don’t know much about the sea, but I do know that that’s the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing blind, deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head."

~ Primo Levi

More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo_Levi

Artwork from Anna Firmin http://www.hannahfirmin.com/artwork-gallery.php

What he Wants ~ Bob Dylan

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."

~Bob Dylan

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan

Kriyat Shema

"I herewith forgive all those who have angered or taunted me,
all those who have sinned against my person,
my wealth, my possessions or my honour,through compulsion, knowingly with malice, or in ignorance,
by their words or by their deeds.
No one should suffer punishment because of me."

More at  http://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Kriyat_Shema_Al_HaMitah

Artwork by David Bekker http://www.chicagomodern.org/artists/david_bekker/

Barking with the Dog ~ Leonard Cohen

"I never really understood
what he said
but every now and then
I find myself
barking with the dog
or bending with the irises
or helping out
in other little ways"

More at  http://www.leonardcohen.com/us/home

Artwork by Igor Potash  http://www.ipostash.com/

Your Life is a Leaf ~ Leonard Cohen

Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone.
They were waiting for me when I thought that I just can't go on.
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song.
Oh I hope you run into them, you who've been travelling so long.

Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control.
It begins with your family, but soon it comes around to your soul.
Well I've been where you're hanging, I think I can see how you're pinned:
When you're not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you've sinned.

Well they lay down beside me, I made my confession to them.
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem.
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem.

When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon.
Don't turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon.
And you won't make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night:
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right,
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right.

Leonard Cohen

 The Sisters of Mercy on facebook http://www.facebook.com/MercySisters?fref=ts

Art by Penny Peckham - http://wordandimage-pennypeckham.blogspot.co.uk/2011_10_01_archive.html

More at http://www.leonardcohen.com/us

Genuine, Warm, Simple ~ Joshua Loth Liebman

“The primary joy of life is acceptance, approval, the sense of appreciation and companionship of our human comrades. Many men do not understand that the need for fellowship is really as deep as the need for food, and so they go through life accepting many substitutes for genuine, warm, simple.”

- Joshua Loth Liebman

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_L._Liebman

Understand More ~ Woody Allen

"We're all faced throughout our lives with agonizing decisions, moral choices. Some are on a grand scale, most of these choices are on lesser points. But we define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are, in fact, the sum total of our choices. Events unfold so unpredictably, so unfairly, Human happiness does not seem to be included in the design of creation. it is only we, with our capacity to love that give meaning to the indifferent universe. And yet, most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying and even try to find joy from simple things, like their family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more"

— Woody Allen

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Allen

The Voice Inside ~ Betty Friedan

“It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if you have never faced it before. It is frightening when a woman finally realizes that there is no answer to the question 'who am I' except the voice inside herself.”

― Betty Friedan

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Friedan

Go Outside ~ Anne Frank

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” 

~ Anne Frank

More at  http://www.annefrank.org/

Artwork from Leonid Afremov

Daily Life ~ Albert Einstein

"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men."

Albert Einstein

More at  http://einsteinandreligion.com/

Vegetarianism is my Statement ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer

“To be a vegetarian is to disagree - to disagree with the course of things today... starvation, cruelty - we must make a statement against these things. Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it's a strong one.” 

― Isaac Bashevis Singer

More at  http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1978/singer-bio.html

The State of Our Own Being ~ David Lapin

"So as we observe the state of the nation and the world, see their progress and their struggle, we can and we should observe the state of our own being. Not only in terms of how much more we are doing, observing and learning, but also in terms of how much more deeply and sensitively we are living."

Rabbi David Lapin (for Rosh Hashanah)

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah

A Point of Equilibrium ~ Nilton Bonder

"Many people believe that humility is the opposite of pride, when, in fact, it is a point of equilibrium. The opposite of pride is actually a lack of self esteem. A humble person is totally different from a person who cannot recognize and appreciate himself as part of this worlds marvels."

Nilton Bonder

More at  https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilton_Bonder

Artwork may be by Florence Starr Taylor, but I'm unable to verify this.

https://rogallery.com/Starr_Florence/starr-taylor-biography.html

Against the Glass ~ Bob Dylan

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,
Alive as you or me,
Tearing through these quarters
In the utmost misery,
With a blanket underneath his arm
And a coat of solid gold,
Searching for the very souls
Whom already have been sold.


“Arise, arise,” he cried so loud,
In a voice without restraint,
“Come out, ye gifted kings and queens
And hear my sad complaint.
No martyr is among ye now
Whom you can call your own,
So go on your way accordingly
But know you’re not alone”.


I dreamed I saw St. Augustine,
Alive with fiery breath,
And I dreamed I was amongst the ones
That put him out to death.
Oh, I awoke in anger,
So alone and terrified,
I put my fingers against the glass
And bowed my head and cried.

Bob Dylan


Copyright © 1968 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1996 by Dwarf Music


More at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKlmc8HpkI4

Live for Today ~ Albert Einstein

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning."
— Albert Einstein

More at   http://www.adherents.com/people/pe/Albert_Einstein.html

Shema ~ Primo Levi

You who live secure
In your warm houses
Who return at evening to find
Hot food and friendly faces:

Consider whether this is a man,
Who labours in the mud
Who knows no peace
Who fights for a crust of bread
Who dies at a yes or a no.
Consider whether this is a woman,
Without hair or name
With no more strength to remember
Eyes empty and womb cold
As a frog in winter.

Consider that this has been:
I commend these words to you.
Engrave them on your hearts
When you are in your house, when you walk on your way,
When you go to bed, when you rise.
Repeat them to your children.
Or may your house crumble,
Disease render you powerless,
Your offspring avert their faces from you.


More at  http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/primo_levi_2004_9.pdf

Freedom of Expression ~ Albert Einstein

"Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population."

- Albert Einstein

More at   http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/people/pp-einstein.html