Yes.

I love this idea! It reminds me of an earlier post of my own about city buses... (Electric Bus Plus)

A Fresh Take on New Year's Resolutions...

Ideas to help bring peace, joy, and happiness to us simply and inexpensively are just the best!

Thanks Mr. Rogers...

I always feel like singing! How about you? :)

Maybe our challenge is to make time for singing everyday. 

I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony...

Amazing Musical Swings in Montreal

"Each swing is a set of four and has its own unique sound, but if you are in perfect harmony with the other 3 seats then an actual song is played. The theory is that you communicate and interact with people more if it’s for a specific goal and if you’re having fun."

Allegiance or Faith?

al·le·giance/əˈlējəns/

Noun:

Loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.

faith/fāTH/

Noun:

Complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Can "faith" exist without an object or concept to have faith "in"? 

I've been wondering about this as I read a born again Christian's arguments/explanations for this change in their life. The change being, becoming "born again" and affirming a commitment to a particular belief system.

What I wonder about is: is one's faith dependant upon having a system of belief to have faith in? Can I be a faithful person, trusting in God, god, Jesus, Allah, love, peace, the universe, goddess, Jehovah, or another name for something we cannot define or prove without having an allegiance to a belief system?

And what makes something a "strong" belief versus a "weak" belief? One's level of certainty? Certainty can be form of blindness, and can be dangerous. Humans have been blessed with a questioning mind. And unless the level of my belief is directly correlated to the existence or non-existence of said object of belief (i.e., God), what difference does it make if I question things? Isn't a curious mind a sign of being a fully engaged person, seeking understanding?

WTF Saint John? How DO you change the world?

I read a quote once from Mother Teresa when someone asked her how she does what she does: "Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you."

Sage advice.

It applies to many situations.

When you talk about "changing the world", as I have in the title of my blog, one's first response may be to feel overwhelmed by the prospect, and then to give up before you even start.

But then I remember this quote by Oscar Schindler: "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire."

As all wisdom does, these quotes empower through the reminder of simplicity. Focus on what you can do. Start at home.

Which brings me to a heartening development in my own home town. Lisa Hrabluk has begun an inititive called "What's the Future Saint John?" A question many of us have been asking ourselves. I invite you to get more details at her blog post...

And I invite us all (me included) to jump on this bandwagon and be part of the solution to our troubling times.

:)