Hafiz Quotes

"Hafiz was born in Shiraz in south-east Persia (modern Iran) in approximately 1320 A.D., twenty two years before the birth of Chaucer and a year before the death of Dante. He was named Shams-ud-din, which means 'Sun of Faith,' Mohammed. Later when he began to write poetry he selected Hafiz for his pen-name or 'takhallus'. 'Hafiz' is the title given to one who has learnt the whole of the Koran by heart and Hafiz claimed to have done this in fourteen different ways."

_____________________________

"Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive."

"I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being."

"We have come into this exquisite world to experience ever and ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom and light!"

"One regret, dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed, is that I did not kiss you enough."

 "I should not make any promises right now, but I know if you pray, somewhere in this world - Something good will happen."

"This place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you."

"Love wants to reach out and manhandle us, break all our teacup talk of God."

It Felt Love

How

Did the rose

Ever open its heart

And give to this world

All its

Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light

Against its

Being,

Otherwise,

We all remain

Too

Frightened.

Dig it.

Vintage country. And that shirt, Johnny.










  Willie Nelson wrote this one.

Um.

Is it only me? I neverrrrr have an answer for the person who asks me what my hobbies are. Never ever. All I know is that I like to do whatever appeals to me at the moment and  most of the time those things vary. But I've found that I really genuinely like reading about philosophy when I have nothing else better to do.

So tonight I've stumbled upon this beaut through the website allaboutphilosophy.org.... and thought I'd share :)

Materialism as a philosophy is held by those who maintain that existence is explainable solely in material terms, with no accounting of spirit or consciousness. Individuals who hold to this belief see the universe as a huge device held together by pieces of matter functioning in subjection to naturalistic laws. Since materialism denies all concepts of Special Creation, it relies on the Theory of Evolution to explain itself, making beliefs in materialism and evolution interdependent.

The first question this worldview should cause most of us to ask is, "If all that exists is matter only, where did the natural laws that govern it come from?" New scientific discoveries in the areas of biological complexity, cosmological design, quantum physics, and information theory bring these materialistic assumptions into doubt. A massive quantity of evidence demonstrates that the universe and its material aspects are connected by a network of energy, design and information. We now see much more than matter - we see the result of conscious creation.

Materialism, at its simpler level, involves the focus on material "things" as opposed to that which is spiritual or intellectual in nature. We live in a world surrounded by and composed of matter. It is natural, therefore, that we may become distracted from spiritual or intellectual pursuits by material possessions, but this is frequently where problems occur. We can become obsessed by a desire to obtain them, or simply frustrated by the need to maintain them.

The questions this attitude should cause us to ask are, "Are material things really more important than anything else? Is material success the highest goal? If things are all there are, what's life all about? Why am I here at all? If life is really just about materialism, why should I even try to live a moral life? What does it matter how I treat others or how I live, as long as I have what I want? Why does what I believe about the origin of life matter?"

In a court of criminal law, a conviction arrived at by any jury requires proof beyond a shadow of a doubt. Current theories of materialism appear to be clouded by shadows and doubts. We needn't conclude that it is necessary to take a completely opposite view. After all, as C.S. Lewis once said, "God … likes matter. He invented it." Consider, instead, how what you choose to believe affects how you live, for as Lewis also said, "different beliefs about the universe lead to different behavior." What we believe must either be true of false. Before settling on the position you choose, you owe it to yourself to keep seeking the truth about life, death and the universe.

Oh, Classic Lady.

I picked this, dare I say it, adorable blog name because a) you guessed it, my name is Natalie and b) I've been told I tend to surprise people (good thing or bad????), hence the "Would"...  very inarticulately I simply meant, expect the unexpected!  And this is all the more a perfect blog title because of my adoration of the style, grace, and talent that is Natalie Wood. I like to think that this blog is a good mix of the two; a little quirky and a little classic.

And now I leave you all with a little photo homage to gorgeous Natalie... I'm off to my date with my couch, Dr. Zhivago, and a glass of sangria. Ciao!