Flourishing in Winter…
I’ve been talking about flourishing a fair bit lately, and recently someone asked, “Is it possible to flourish in winter?” It’s a good question, and a lot depends on what is meant by flourishing. If it means being highly productive and in a state where everything goes well, presumably not. That’s not what happens in winter, for winter is the season of slowing down, staying indoors and sober reflection. It isn’t a “go and glow” time, and if you confuse winter for summer, frost bite is a short step away. But perhaps the question could have been...
Read MoreManaging Monday with Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu (1931-), Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has consistently championed the cause of the vulnerable, being willing to speak truth to power in a wide range of circumstances. Here are a few of his many notable insights… Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace. Desmond Tutu I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown down from the table of someone who considers...
Read MoreManaging Monday with Alan Paton – Take 2
This is a second look at some of the thoughts of South African author, human rights advocate, Christian thinker, and educator, Alan Paton (1903-1988), who is best know for his book Cry, the Beloved Country. It’s a haunting book on the tragedy of race relations in South Africa, and one which shaped much of my thinking during my late teenage years. I still remember the opening two sentences of the book – perhaps because the countryside remains etched in my memory… There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they...
Read MoreCan bitterness be beaten? Redeeming Emotions (4)
You’ve probably been in the company of someone who is bitter as the result of significant hurt or disappointment in the past. It could be that the company is your own – and that try as you might, you can’t keep your mind from replaying scenes which cause you anger and emotional pain. That smouldering resentment becomes a deeper and deeper bed of bitterness. So what is bitterness? Gregory Popcak has suggested that ‘Bitterness is unforgiveness fermented’ – and I think that is richly suggestive. Perhaps the most famous example of bitterness in the Bible is...
Read MoreIs it possible to forgive? Redeeming emotions (3)
We all know that we are supposed to forgive others. Provided the offence against us has been minor, it might be relatively easy to do. ‘We all make mistakes,’ we’d say philosophically, and let the matter drop. But sometimes it is not so easy. Not all offences fit into the trifling category. Some will impact us until our dying day. Is forgiveness then possible? We started this redeeming emotions series with two posts on anger. Today we shift our focus to the question of forgiveness, and the healing of emotions that might need to take place before that is possible. What might...
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