“Over the course of history, more pain and suffering have been inflicted by zealots attempting to impose their religious, political, and moral beliefs on others, than any other cause. More people have been killed in religious wars and inquisitions than any other conflict (except fights over the remote control). Those who claim God is on their side alone are indeed alone.

The propensity to proselytize springs not from divine inspiration, but emotional insecurity. God loves, allows, appreciates, and respects. Impotent self-esteem seeks converts. In his book New Seeds of Contemplation, Christian mystic Thomas Merton wrote, ‘One of the first things to learn if you want to be a contemplative is to mind your own business. Nothing is more suspicious, in a man who seems holy, than an impatient desire to reform other men.’

One who has discovered truth does not demand that others agree.”

Alan Cohen, in “Why Your Life Sucks…And What You Can Do About It

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“How often do we try to do more than one thing at once? We have cordless phones that are supposed to make our lives easier, but in some respects, they make our lives more confusing. My wife and I were at a friend’s home for dinner a while ago and noticed her talking on the phone while simultaneously answering the door, checking on dinner, and changing her daughter’s diaper (after she’d washed her hands, of course)! Many of us have the same tendency when we’re speaking to someone and our mind is somewhere else, or when we’re doing three or four chores all at the same time.

When you do too many things at once, it’s impossible to be present-moment oriented. Thus, you not only lose out on much of the potential enjoyment of what you are doing, but you also become far less focused and effective.”

Richard Carlson, PH.D., in “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“One day Buddha was sitting with all his disciples around him when an old man appeared and said, “How long do you want to live? Ask for a million years and they will be granted to you.” Buddha answered without hesitation, “Eight years!”

When the old man was gone, his disciples disappointingly pressed him, “Master why didn’t you ask for a million years? Think of the good that you would do for hundreds of generations!” And Buddha replied with a smile, “If I were to live a million years, people would be more interested in extending their lives than in seeking wisdom.”

Do you know what he meant? That they were more interested in surviving than in improving the quality of their lives. How true that is! Few spend time and energy to improve the quality of their existence. You can live without having lived. People think they are alive because they are breathing, eating, speaking, conversing, and going from one place to another. They’re not dead of course. But are they really alive? What does it mean to really be alive? It means three things: being yourself, being now, and being here.”

Fr. Anthony DeMello, S.J., in “Walking on Water”

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“Judging others is a way of covering up feelings of insufficiency and insecurity. I decide to examine each judgment I heard in my head and think of it as a mirror allowing me to glimpse some hidden part of myself. I discovered that there were very few people whom I viewed as “acceptable” and the majority of them were very similar to me. Since I rarely allowed myself to relate to anyone was who not exactly like me, I had put myself into an isolated box. From that day on, I used every judgment as a gift to learn about myself.

Making this shift meant that I had to give up judging the world. Giving up my righteous intolerance meant that I could no longer deem myself automatically superior to anyone, and the result was that I needed to take a good look at my own flaws.”

Cherie Carter-Scott, in “If Life Is A Game, These Are The Rules”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“Changing your attitude from wanting something to having it is simple. You just must decide that it’s already within you, in spirit. Yet, many people have difficulty going from wanting something to having it because they believe that, if it’s not actually in their physical possession, they don’t have it. Actually, the opposite is true.

It isn’t until you know that you have it within you that you can produce it in your life. It isn’t out there somewhere in the world for you to go get. It’s inside your own being and needs only to be brought out of you into the world and into your life. Deciding that you already have it is making a commitment to yourself that you’re willing to make your dream real. Also, be grateful that you have it, for your appreciation and gratitude open you up and make you the beneficiary of life’s abundance.”

Michael J. Tamura, in “You Are the Answer”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.