Reading Corner

Links related to the weekly posts.

 

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This week, we discussed why it is important to set an intention for peace in your relationship. Here are some other thoughts about the benefits of living intentionally.

Achieve Emotional Balance Through Living with Intention “Did you know that just by changing the way you think and process the world around you, you can mitigate stress, get more out of your day, and achieve emotional balance? You become whatever you think about all day long; meaning stress is heightened when you think stressful thoughts. If your mind is always focused on feeling stress, you won’t have room for more productive thought processes. If you want to achieve emotional balance, the best place to start is with honest, non-judgemental self-reflection.”

The Intention of Peace “‘Peace’ is one of my favorite words. It has a bit of onomatopoeia to it – you know, a word that sounds likes its meaning, like ‘buzz’ or ‘hiss.’ When I say the word ‘peace’ I become more peaceful. I take a deep breath and exhale on the first sound of the word, and the sibilant at the end takes the rest of my breath. ‘Peace.’ I imagine Jesus doing this with his fearful disciples in the upper room.”

Intention Setting 101 “An intention is a guiding principle for how you want to be, live, and show up in the world — whether at work, in relationships, during your meditation, or in any area of your life. Ask yourself, what matters most to you? Your answer could form a powerful intention, for which you can align your thoughts and attitude for the day ahead.”

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This week, we wrote about spreading peace and that we are all connected. We found so many fascinating writings from a number of different angles that we are sharing four links this week. We think you’ll finding them inspiring.

Promoting Peace “This section is about peace – a most fundamental asset to community building, to personal growth, and to the very survival of our planet. At the heart of many faiths, practices, and cultures, advancing peaceful co-existence is essential to ensuring productive, meaningful lives and sustainable societies. After providing a working definition of peace, our main focus will be on practical steps one can take to advance peace, so that we can strengthen ourselves and our communities.”

We Are All Connected “Why does a negative person poison the emotions of everyone around him/her? How can a wonderfully charismatic person raise the energy, mood, and productivity of a group? Why do you laugh more at a funny movie when you’re in a theater full of laughing people? Our ability to affect others is not a coincidence. Let’s look at the science behind human connectedness.”

What Can We Learn from the World’s Most Peaceful Societies? “Given the grinding wars and toxic political divisions that dominate the news, it might come as a surprise to hear that there are also a multitude of sustainably peaceful societies thriving across the globe today. These are communities that have managed to figure out how to live together in peace—internally within their borders, externally with neighbors, or both—for 50, 100, even several hundred years. This simple fact directly refutes the widely held and often self-fulfilling belief that humans are innately territorial and hardwired for war.”

Spirituality, Religion, Culture, and Peace “This paper is about different spiritual and religious traditions in the world and how they have or could in the future contribute to the creation of a global culture of peace. As the above quotations indicate, almost all of the world’s religions, in their own sacred writings and scriptures, say that they support “peace”. Yet it is a known fact that war and violence have often been undertaken historically, as well as at present, in the name of religion (as is discussed further below). Yet religions profess to want peace. So what is ‘peace’? And how have religions historically helped to promote peace, and how might they help create a more peaceful world in the 21st century? These are a few of the questions that this paper will attempt to explore.”

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This week in our blog, we felt compelled to write about peace in relationships. Here are some authors writing about peaceful relationships from various angles.

How To Stop Overthinking In A Relationship “If you would like more peace of mind in your relationships and reduce feelings of anxiety, insecurity, or jealousy, then this article is exactly what you are looking for. You may be asking yourself, ‘How to stop overthinking in a relationship?'”

Enjoy four kinds of peace “When you’re at peace – when you are engaged with life while also feeling relatively relaxed, calm, and safe – you are protected from stress, your immune system grows stronger, and you become more resilient. Your outlook brightens, and you see more opportunities. In relationships, feeling at peace prevents overreactions, increases the odds of being treated well by others, and supports you in being clear and direct when you need to be.”

Wake up! The best relationships aren’t boring, that’s peace Phil and Maude say: Be sure to read beyond the beginning to get the gist of this fascinating article. “When you’re introduced to the foreign reality of a relationship that is good for you, you will also be introduced to a number of “feelings” you likely never really sat with before. And it’s no wonder you easily grow weary in search of something that’s “missing“, when it may not have anything to do with the relationship itself.”

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This week, we asked how can we use the differences in our relationships to inspire us? Here are some articles that share positive ways of relating to differences.

How to Stay Together When You Are Different From Each Other “The strongest relationships are the ones in which both partners can be themselves. Intending to change the other person or dramatically changing yourself to fit someone else’s ideals dooms couples to failure. When two people have beliefs or habits that differ too much, it creates friction. For example, if one partner is devoutly religious and the other is an all-out atheist, it might be difficult for the couple to find common ground on the way that the universe functions. When a neat-freak has to put up with the habits of a slob, there will be arguments. Opposites may attract, but they don’t always have staying power.”

Unity Quotes & Diversity Sayings To Help Us Stand Together “We can learn a great deal from the unity we create in our relationships that we can translate to many other areas of our lives. As we practice a sense of togetherness, we can start to see how these skills can be to our benefit as well. Here are some inspirational unity quotes that will hopefully encourage you to practice it in your daily life. You will see how these thoughts apply not only to your personal relationships but to all your interactions with others.”

How to Build Relationships across Difference “At a recent retreat I facilitated focused on social change, a diverse group of people gathered, from company and foundation executives to grassroots activists and public housing residents. Their goal? To confront their own biases, form relationships across differences, and start to rebuild trust in their community. In our politically polarized society, the authentic conversations they had about race, religious differences, and our country’s often painful history were rare, courageous, and transformative.”

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This week, we asked how can we use the differences in our relationships to inspire us? Here are some articles that share positive ways of relating to differences.

How to Stay Together When You Are Different From Each Other “The strongest relationships are the ones in which both partners can be themselves. Intending to change the other person or dramatically changing yourself to fit someone else’s ideals dooms couples to failure. When two people have beliefs or habits that differ too much, it creates friction. For example, if one partner is devoutly religious and the other is an all-out atheist, it might be difficult for the couple to find common ground on the way that the universe functions. When a neat-freak has to put up with the habits of a slob, there will be arguments. Opposites may attract, but they don’t always have staying power.”

Unity Quotes & Diversity Sayings To Help Us Stand Together “We can learn a great deal from the unity we create in our relationships that we can translate to many other areas of our lives. As we practice a sense of togetherness, we can start to see how these skills can be to our benefit as well. Here are some inspirational unity quotes that will hopefully encourage you to practice it in your daily life. You will see how these thoughts apply not only to your personal relationships but to all your interactions with others.”

How to Build Relationships across Difference “At a recent retreat I facilitated focused on social change, a diverse group of people gathered, from company and foundation executives to grassroots activists and public housing residents. Their goal? To confront their own biases, form relationships across differences, and start to rebuild trust in their community. In our politically polarized society, the authentic conversations they had about race, religious differences, and our country’s often painful history were rare, courageous, and transformative.”

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