MindFul MiMiMindFul MiMiMindFul MiMi is a philosophical blog with topics that range from politics, books, family and children to psychology, ecology and simply the thoughts we think and the opinions we have. Articles
The success or failure of the euthanasia movement is based on the classific
2008-04-18 14:57:00 There has been a lot of talk in Luxembourg lately on whether or not to legalise euthanasia and in February the law was passed (30 votes for, 29 against) making it legal under certain conditions. It still has to pass a second instance before being adopted. Euthanasia would only be allowed for the terminally ill and a series of checks are built into the law. Patients will have had to have repeatedly ask to die on documented and witnessed occasions. It would go ahead only with the consent of two doctors and a panel of experts. This new law started animated discussions in Luxembourg, a very conservative and catholic country. Luxembourg is the third country in the European union to legalise euthanasia.The Netherlands was the first country to legalise euthanasia (in 2002) and it is also legal in Belgium and the state of Oregon (USA). Switzerland allows assisted suicide but euthanasia is not legal.What is euthanasia?The intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for ... More About: Success , Failure
There's something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery - Stef
2008-04-07 14:48:00 I have always been a fan of black and white photography. I love Edward Steichen's picture collection of The Family of Man.Or Robert Doisneau's work. So a recent article about Vanessa von Zitzewitz caught my eye. Her glossy website shows all these photographs taken of models for jewellery, perfume and fashion - boring. Yes, they are nice pictures, taken in a professional way but they do not tell a story, they don't convey a message, they don't pull a feeling from me. However, this woman has also been spending two months a year for four years in the HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION's Mercy Center in Bangkok which is home to 200 street children, orphans and children living with HIV. The pictures she took document the difficult life of these children and are collected in a book called Slaughterhouse Angels.These pictures are so different from her magazine shots. They tell a story. They make you feel something when looking at those children's faces. What amazed me was that these child... More About: White , Black , Strange , Black and White , Imagery
The block of wood should not dictate to the carver - Maori proverb
2008-03-31 13:49:00 There are some great things made out of wood these days.Check out a child's bike at Likeabike. 2 year old's do not have a sense of balance yet nor enough reflexes, hence this bike has neither pedals nor brakes. This bike helps them to pass onto a bigger bike (without side wheels) in no time.Need a USB stick? Want to be original? Why not use one made of wood? Check out the wooden sticks sticking out of the computer and other wooden things at BientotDemain. Keep the salad natural. At Homology you can buy a lovely salad bowl made out of bamboo.Like to work in the garden? Looking for a garden shed? How about a designer one from Nils Holger Moormann who created Walden: a disproportionate matchbox where one can store garden tools, sit comfortably to drink a beer or light a campfire. More About: Wood , Maori , Block , Carver
It takes a village to raise a child - African proverb
2008-03-27 14:55:00 ANGALEO is the first cinema for children that travels around the world.The Heger family: mom, dad and 3 boys (aged 2, 4 and 5), will travel around the world starting in September this year. In a 14 ton truck. Their goal is to show cartoons to children all over the world. To make them dream for a while.You can be part of their voyage. For 10 euros your picture will be taped to the side of their truck and travel with them for 3 years and 150.000 kilometers. And you can win a trip to South Africa at the same time.Check out their website and travel with them. More About: Child , Village , African
I've been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No b
2008-03-27 10:39:00 Like actor and writer Stephen Wright, I have lately been thinking about painting more than actually painting. Yesterday however I seemed inspired and courageous enough to stand in front of my easel and throw something on canvas. The first try turned out laughable :-) The second try is the painting you see here. And today I have been at it again! And it feels good.Just wanted to share that. I am not content with the way the painting is photographed. So if any of you has any tips on how to photograph works of art, please let me know. More About: Painting , Abstract
Herman Hesse
2008-03-26 10:14:00 Today just some wise words from Herman n Hesse :“You know quite well, deep within you,that there is only a single magic,a single power, a single salvation...and that is called loving.Well then, love your suffering.Do not resist it, do not flee from it.It is only your aversion to itthat hurts, nothing else.”********************************* ******...nothing in the world is more distasteful to a man than to take the path that leads to himself. ***************************************If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us. ***************************************~H ermann Hesse
Work is a necessity for man. Man invented the alarm clock - Pablo Picasso
2008-03-25 09:50:00 Before I was a mom, I used to go to bed late. Or early but I'd read until late. I could sleep until noon without feeling I'd lost a day. I had to set my alarm clock to get out of bed in the morning. Although I do not fall into the category of an early riser, I do not have a problem to get out of bed when the thing buzzes. I do not understand the concept of the snooze button. I prefer to set the alarm at the correct time and then get up. At least those 10 minutes of snooze are spent in deep sleep and not dozing.When I became a mom, the whole concept of time changed. There was no more ME time. Time was spent looking after a baby and making sure its every wish was catered for immediately. No alarm clock was used in the first months. I adapted to my son's rythm, waking and sleeping when he did.Once I started working again, I needed to get organised. I used the alarm clock once more in order to get up before my son, prepare breakfast, pump some milk, take a shower, get dressed, dress ... More About: Clock , Work , Pablo Picasso , Alarm , The Alarm
All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind - Ka
2008-03-24 14:01:00 At Friday's Feast , there are 5 questions featured each week, created lovingly by the chef. It is similar to Friday fill ins. So far I have never participated in any of those but today I guess I needed the inspiration... Here is Friday's Feast number 184:AppetizerGiven the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?Definitely the country. I was born in the country and I guess it marks you as a child to be able to run around in the fields and woods. I have lived in a big big city for 5 years. I was young and needed the action. I now live in a small village with a big garden and I absolutely love it. Yesterday we went for a walk outside. Sun, blue sky. I took the camera. We went walking around in the woods and I took pictures. It was just a joy to be outside and to watch our boy discover nature. You don't have that in the city.SoupWho is the cutest kid you know?My two sons. A biased answer, I know. But they are.SaladFill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when... More About: Words , Mind , Fall , The Mind
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is
2008-03-20 15:06:00 I am a fervent reader. I love books. I love to buy books. I love to own them.I buy more books than I read. Maybe this comes from a childhood frustration? We were not poor, but spending money on books was seldom done. We lived in a small village in the country and there was no library close enough to get to. But we had what I call a wonderful invention: a library bus full of books would stop in our village every two weeks and I made sure never to miss it. It made me discover books that I would never have read otherwise. For free.I remember the joy I felt when hearing the honking music announcing the arrival of the bus. Entering it was like penetrating into a secret, wonderful world full of stories. For me, the magic of books dates back to that time and has only amplified today.The library bus still exists and tours the little villages to bring books to the reading community with half of its books for children and young adults.I went there today with our 2 year old. He knows what a bu... More About: Read , Fire , Light , Learn
How far does your food travel before it reaches your mouth?
2008-03-13 12:52:00 I don't mean the path from your plate over your fork to your mouth. I mean the road from where it was planted, grown and harvested to where you cook it in your home.Do you know where the food you buy comes from?When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically travelled at least 1,500 miles. The French consume ingredients that have travelled an average of 2000 km.In 2005 Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon started the 100 mile diet. For one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia. A 100-mile radius (or 160 kilometres) is large enough to reach beyond a big city and small enough to feel truly local.A strawberry yoghurt equals about 9000 kmif one takes into account the road travelledby each of the ingredients necessary to produce it. A similar experience was done by a journalist from the French Psychologies magazine (the article - in French - can be found here). She lives in P... More About: Travel , Food , Mouth
A person starts dying when they stop dreaming - Brian Williams
2008-03-12 12:21:00 Some time ago I bought a book called "Dreaming s: The Art of Aboriginal Australia". I find aboriginal art very inspiring and I have a thing for earth colors. I also like the way each aboriginal painting tells its own story.Have a look at the sites and browse through some amazing art.Desert ArtDreamings iconography: how to read the paintings.Aboriginal paintings at Galeria AnielaAutralian Art and PrintsAboriginal Art onlineCooinda GalleryJapingka Gallery More About: Stop , Dying , Williams , Person
Creative women
2008-03-11 20:46:00 I stumbled upon Melanie at Be Alive * Believe * Be You through another site where someone was talking about the journals she made. After checking out her site and creations I decided to ask her to make me a journal (see picture) which I received in the mail today. It's a bit like Christmas when you receive a package in the mail even if you ordered it. I had told Melanie that I liked the colors orange/red/yellow and butterflies. And the result is really nice.So if you are looking for some original art, go to her website or her Etsy shop. More About: Women , Creative
In creating, the only hard thing is to begin: a grass blade's no easier to
2008-03-05 12:18:00 I am painting again!!! I haven't been very creative over the last few years as I was a bit busy with bringing two children into this world. Now that is of course not an excuse, but I guess my creative juices weren't flowing.Over the last weeks and months, and especially since we have our new office/creative studio, my fingers have been itching but my mind was troubled. I couldn't seem to focus on what I wanted to do. There are so many tings that interest me. Yesterday I decided to just take out my acrylic paints and jot something on paper. They were just doodles but it felt so good to have my brushes and fingers in paint again.Today I picked up a painting I started years ago and never finished. It is a 3D thing with tulips and will probably look tacky but I don't care. I am creating again!!!I have not found my 'road' yet. I have not narrowed myself down yet and that is my problem. I want to do eerything and hence seem to be missing the creation part as I am forever collecting ... More About: Creating , Hard , Grass , Thing
The perfect ideas for the perfect baby gifts
2008-03-02 12:50:00 If your friend just had a baby and you're looking for the perfect gift, here are a few tips.Personalise clothing items with the baby's name such as:a set with bib, teddy bear and slippersbody packed in a milk cartona cute little bonnetOr be original with these items:Baby socks packed in an egg carton or ice conesBibs packed in a jarRock star bottles and pacifiersPersonalised storybookTimboo baby clothing and accessories made from bambooBabyboum clothing and accessoriesKoeka clothing and accessoriesLiboo toysOr, instead of giving a gift for the baby, how about thinking about the mother (who has done all the work after all) by making her a gifts basket filled with relaxing showergel, hydrating bodylotion, fresh strawberries, a bottle of champagne, the book What to expect the first year, a voucher for a wellness day etc.If you've just had a baby and you're looking for some sites, check out below suggestions of items I found useful:Announce the arrival of your baby in style with car... More About: Ideas , Gifts , Perfect
9 ways to stay healthy and happy
2008-02-27 11:47:00 • Eat your fruit and vegetables.I admit that the recommended 5 a day are not always easy to attain. But you can be creative and turn the fruit into a smoothie or the vegetable into a puree which makes them easier to eat. Especially rich in all sorts of vitamins and other good stuff are Kiwi's, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, . Mix a kiwi with a banana and eat it on a sandwich or bagel. Eat the fresh spinach leaves as a salad with cherry tomatoes, nuts and raisins. It doesn't always have to come the original boring way. Have meals devoid of meat and replace it with tofu. Eat like an Okinawan as they seem to be the healthiest and longest living people on our planet. Check out the Okinawa program.• DrinkDrink lots of water. Drink before you get thirsty. Drink a lot after you wake up in the morning to cleanse your body. If you find still water bland, drink sparkling. Drink (green) tea. Put some fruit through the juicer and add sparkling water or buy fresh fruit juices. Avoid sodas a... More About: Happy , Healthy , Stay
Boundaries don't keep other people out, they only fence you in.
2008-02-25 17:03:00 When you grow up certain circumstances and events in your life have such an impact on you that they make you cringe, retreat into your protective shell and build a fence around yourself. Such boundaries are to keep others from coming too close, from hurting you again or from seeing a side of you that you don't want to show.Most of the time you are too young and naïve to realise that such fences or walls do not always do you any good. In fact, they may (temporarily) protect you from being hurt and deceived, but in the long run they only fence YOU in. Defences that served you well as a child to ensure survival can, when carried into adulthood, may actually cripple you.They prevent you from living your life, your real life, the 100 percent one, the rollercoaster up and down ride that you are supposed to take to feel alive.You may be waiting:- for life to happen,- for the right person to come along and solve all problems,- for the right circumstances,- for the right job,- for others t... More About: People , Fence
Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the p
2008-02-20 09:16:00 I just love this video - it is so true. More About: Jobs , Time , Mother , Full
Be brave - follow-up
2008-02-19 16:52:00 In my recent post about doing one thing every day that scares you I linked to Jessie's blog and her 'Be brave project'. I was wondering where one should get ideas and inspiration to do a brave thing every day when one leads a busy but sometimes unbrave life with little opportunities to do really brave things such a bungy-jumping or charity work in Africa...Here is what she had to say:You've asked how to go about finding brave things to do and I must say that finding those things is very personal and sometimes just plain spontaneous. I will tell you though, at the beginning of my own Be Brave journey, I sat down with my journal and made a list of all the things I was afraid of doing. My biggest reason for doing something that scared me every day was largely inspired by my need to finish my thesis after struggling with it for the past 2 years. I'll be the first one to admit that my thesis caused a whole lot of FEAR. I feared that I would fail, that it would suck, that I didn't h...
If you had a band...
2008-02-14 13:12:00 what would you be called?what would be the name of your album?what would your album cover look like?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special :Random The first article title is the name of your band.http://www.quotationspage.com/random .php3 The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.http://www.flickr.com/explore/inter esting/7days/ The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.Now take your photo, add the band name and title to it, then post it.Here is my result: More About: Band , A Band
The love we give away is the only love we keep - Elbert Hubbard
2008-02-14 12:39:00 Today is Valentine's Day. The day of all lovers. The day that people say I love you, give gifts and write poems.I am wondering...do we need a special day for that?I find Valentine's day a cheesy invention, commercial trap and rip off. Everything is at least twice as expensive on Valentine's day. All Valentine's gifts seem to be made of corny messages, tatty animals, cutesy hearts and cloying objects. Yuk! I wouldn't want one of those.My other half agrees with me and we don't do anything special on this day. We say I love you when we feel it, not because there is a special day on which you're supposed to say it. We give (non-tacky) gifts for no special occasion or reason.Still... I am a bit of a romantic. And I don't like the feeling of being left out. Consequently, even if I hate to admit it, I guess I'd be happily perplexed if my other half surprised me with a little something, even if it were a bit tacky :-) More About: Love , Give
Television is more interesting than people. If it were not, we would have p
2008-02-12 13:13:00 We work less than a few decades ago and have thus more time than the former generation. It is a fact however, that no generation has complained more about 'lacking time' than ours. Besides the number of working hours, the number of hours spent on housework has also dropped significantly, even for working women, so the sense of 'having no time' is a strange paradox, all around.[from What's Offline Sunday New York Times by Paul Brown]"Since 1965, there's been a six- to eight-hour weekly increase in leisure for the average worker age 21 to 65," Mr. Hurst told Kiplinger's.Mr. Hurst explains where all that free time is coming from: men are working less, with part of the increase attributable to stay-at-home dads. "For women, all of the increase is from a decline in housework — less cooking, cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping than 40 years ago," he says.And what are we doing with all our additional free time? "Roughly two-thirds of the increase in leisure is spent watching te... More About: Television , Interesting , People
If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? - Milton B
2008-02-07 14:13:00 Before I was a MomI slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I slept all night and nothing could wake me.Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous, my cleaning products stored away properly or my medicine cabinet locked. Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on (except for this once, by my friend Lucy's firstborn), chewed on, or peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests…or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life s... More About: Evolution , Hands , Works , Mothers , Milton
Sometimes things will fall apart in order for other things to fall into pla
2008-02-07 13:45:00 Mira Kirshenbaum wrote a book called 'Everything happens for a reason'. I bought it because of the title which I happen to agree with.In each of our lives we are faced with events that seem inexplicable, unjust, even cruel – events that can shatter our perception of the world, our understanding of ourselves, and our faith in a higher power.When we ask, "Why me?" friends and family offer comfort with the words, "Everything happens for a reason" – but we all want to know what the specific reason is in our case.Kirshenbaum helps you decode the events in your life and find solace and strength in the positive reasons behind them. It's not just that everything happens for a reason. But she has discovered that the reasons people find are positive and healing, just what you're longing for, a sense that you've been given a life-enhancing lesson or an unexpected gift or a new opportunity.It's as if the cosmos were specifically designed to give us what we need to do a better job lead... More About: Things , Order , Fall
The stupidity of people comes from having an answer to everything - Milan K
2008-02-04 15:21:00 How STUPIDITY makes us grow.Certain psychological phenomena can be called "stupidifying":The too fusional love between a child and his parents that keep him from becoming autonomous:Because he loves his mother too much, a child can stay in his beatitude of an impotent infant, his 'baby attitude', persuaded that his mother expects that of him.According to Francoise Dolto a child has to go through several successive separations: weaning from the bottle to discover the pleasure of the diversified foods of adults, detachment from its mother to become autonomous...The 'stupid' child is not an 'idiot'. It is a child scared by the perspective of growing up. And when children do stupid things they follow a normal evolution: they try to oppose themselves, to separate from their parents.A child that is 'stupid' in school often signals that an unvoiced event or family secret is a 'parasiting' on his cognitive functions.The insecurity of the adolescent who plays the fool because he do... More About: People , Milan , Answer , Stupidity
Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion - Heb
2008-02-04 12:39:00 Check out this inspiring speech on 'Tales of Passion ' by Isabel AllendeOr others from the website TED - Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers such as:Finding happiness in body and soul - Eve EnslerWhat I want - Nora YorkBuilding a friendlier world through blogs - Mena Trott More About: World , Great , The World
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
2008-02-04 11:16:00 Express your talentPaint, write, sing,... Find the time for it and do it with all your heart.Stand for your choicesStick to your conviction but be ready to abandon your assumptions.Voice your opinion. Accept that you make wrong choices.Learn from your childrenThey are your mirror but they are not you.Listen to your bodySleep enough. Exercise to let your body breathe and free your mind. Eat healthy to allow your body to be healthy.Tell the truthA lie is an internal brake. It is a fear that locks us up. If we face this fear however, it makes us grow and the courage we used to overcome our fear reinforces us and makes us stronger. Always.Be linked to your heartHave friendships that are strong but not built on any kind of dependance or lies. Authorise yourself to be humanDon't try to be happy ALL the time. Accept lows and failures. They need to exist to allow for the highs and successes.Cease to do several things at a timeMultitasking usually means stress. You cannot listen to two of y... More About: Principles
The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future b
2008-02-03 15:02:00 There are good and bad reasons to change:One should not change for someone elseSome might want to transform their personality to keep their partner for example. However, it is impossible to desire for the other. When we try to redefine ourselves for someone else we interpret their needs, not ours. And hence the base for change is falsified.One should change for oneselfAs the change concerns us, it has to be a personal move. The wonderful thing about it is that the other (the partner,...) will of course profit from our transformation.One should not change to flee realityA love story turning bad, a daily rythm that stresses us and makes us unhappy...and up pops the need to change and turn the page. But when we flee, the first thing we encounter on our road is exactly what we have wanted to get away from. We change jobs to get away from mobbing colleagues and around the corner the new colleagues are doing just the same. To change one has to first face one's own demons.One should chang... More About: Discovery , Future , Change , Time , Person
While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us wh
2008-01-22 09:41:00 Francoise Dolto had a very singular vision of the child. She was a paediatrician and psychoanalyst. She thought that word, explanation and communication was very important in the construction of an individual.I am currently reading a few books by her which regroup a series of questions and answers she gave during dedicated radio broadcasts. Parents would write letters with their educational questions about their children, and Dolto would answer them during the radio show. This took place in the 70ies but still now I find her explanations and advice valid and useful.Her thoughts were quite revolutionary at a time when it was thought that infants cannot understand nor suffer from what happens in reality. But she also addressed mothers, distressed parents who want to read and understand the symptoms of their children.Of course a baby cannot talk yet, but Dolto anticipates that he can listen, understand and be pacified by a true voice if targeted at the child directly. She says 'childr... More About: Life , Children
Do one thing every day that scares you - Eleanor Roosevelt
2008-01-16 12:14:00 Remember the 'Sunscreen song'?It has Eleanor Roosevelt 's quote 'Do one thing every day that scares you' in it - besides other good advice. It is not easy to do something that scares you - let alone doing such a thing every day. That is why Jessie started the Be Brave project. Making such a commitment is already a brave thing.What if you're at home and there is nothing really brave to do? Where does she get the inspiration for her brave actions? I will ask her and let you know. More About: Thing
Nothing links man to man like the frequent passage from hand to hand of a g
More articles from this author:2008-01-10 14:53:00 If you like reading, you might have come across the site Bookcrossing.com. It calls itself the world's biggest free book club. BookCrossing lets you share your books with the world, and track their individual journeys. Their members have registered 4,472,244 books so far, and a good number of these are "in the wild" at any one time. I have registered with them some years ago and have released one book only so far. Unfortunately this book was picked up but the person probably kept it as no further tracking was added to the site. Too bad.I love the idea though of finding a book 'in the wild' or 'setting a book free'. Now I must admit that I am one of those people who are basically unable to part with a good book. Once I've read it and it was good, I want to keep. So the book I set free was one I did not particularly like :-) Nevertheless, people's tastes are very different and someone must have like it enough to keep it instead of passing it on and setting it free somewhere els... More About: Links , Hand 1, 2, 3 |
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