A path to live a more

Harmonious life

German ArciniegasGerman ArciniegasRaleigh, NC Nov. 2007

http://tertulia.pbwiki.com

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Things to have in mind

• We are here to expand our cultural horizons, be

informed, debate, share our ideas and opinions and

mostly, have FUN !

• Sharpen the saw. Get our brains in gear.

• Have humor ! We take life and ourselves way too

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• Have humor ! We take life and ourselves way too

seriously

• Respect other people’s ideas

• No political, commercial or religious tendencies or

objectives.

• Share our ideas and pick new ones from others to enrich

our lives

Agenda

• Why talk about this?

• What do we mean by “harmonious”

• Balance

• What is affecting harmony in our lives

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• What is affecting harmony in our lives

• What can we do about it?

• The “toolbox”

Why talk about this?

1. Everything starts with ourselves.

• We cannot give what we do not have.

• To establish an enlightened society we need to discover what we have to offer to the world

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world

• To help the world we have to make a personal journey

• Examine our relationship with ordinary life

• “The life which is unexamined is not worth living”. Socrates.

Why talk about this?

2. The pace is constantly accelerating, we are

bombarded with a million things…

• How to get grounded, make the most out of

out time, set our priorities right, have peace

of mind and in the process create a better

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of mind and in the process create a better

world?

• The more you look, the more inquisitive you

are, the more you are bound to see

Why talk about this?

3. It is one of my dear hobbies…

• Find and apply ways to live a better life

• 7 years searching, 7 years sharing

“How to live a better live”

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• I do not have all the answers, or have

arrived to any final destination

• These are my personal points of view

• The only way to receive is by giving…

Harmonious

har·mo·ni·ous (här-m n - s)

adj.

• 1. Exhibiting accord in feeling or action.

• 2. Having component elements pleasingly or

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• 2. Having component elements pleasingly or

appropriately combined

• 3. Characterized by harmony of sound;

melodious.

Harmonious

• compatible - able to exist and perform in

harmonious or agreeable combination;

• symmetrical, proportionate

• balanced - being in a state of proper equilibrium;

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What do we mean by harmonious

• a

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Weaving…

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What did we see or hear…

• a

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What do we mean by harmonious

Multiple voices or threads harmonically “weaving” the great symphony

�Peace of mind

�Happiness

�Creates a better world

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great symphony or fabric of our lives.

�Creates a better world

Balance – The search“How to live a better live”

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Balance - The wheel of life“How to live a better life”

Financial

SocialMental

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Financial

SocialMental

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Social

FamilyPhysical

Mental

Spiritual 0

Social

FamilyPhysical

Mental

Spiritual 0

Balance – The Golden Mean

• The only way to achieve sustainable happiness

is to practice the Golden Mean.

• It is at the core of both Eastern and Western

philosophy and is central to the teachings of

Socrates, Aristotle and Confucius.

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Socrates, Aristotle and Confucius.

– Every quality has extremes at both ends.

The Golden Mean is the natural balance

between these extremes. At this harmonious

point goodness and beauty are achieved.

Balance

• Balance between:

(team exercise)

– a

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Balance

• Balance between:– Reason and feelings

– Spiritual and material worlds

– Us and the rest

– Work and play

– Seriousness and laughter

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– Seriousness and laughter

– Adulthood and childhood

– Rules and freedom

– Heavy and light baggage

• Good posture in the saddle when riding the horse

What is affecting our harmonious lives?

• What is throwing us out of balance?

(team exercise)

– a

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What to do in our daily livesto live a more harmonious life?

• (team exercise)

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The Vitruvian Man (bonus ! ☺ )

• Created by Leonardo da Vinci around the year 1492

• Sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man

• Leonardo based his drawing on Marcus Vitruvius, a Roman architect in 1 BCE, and his Book III of the treatise De Architectura. He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the

B

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the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe.

• According to Pythagorean tradition, the circle represents the spiritual realm; the square, material existence, so the human body represented the perfect marriage of matter and spirit, which is reflected in its proportions.

• Leonardo symbolized the material existence by the square and spiritual existence by the circle. Thus he attempted to depict the correlation between these two aspects of human existence

A

Phi, the golden ratio (bonus ! ☺ )

(A + B) is to A as A is to B

A B= 1.6180339887

phi = 1.6180339887

B

A+B

A

A

Bphi= =

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phi = 1.6180339887

A

The golden ratio (bonus ! ☺ )

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Golden pyramid

a = b x phi Slope golden pyramid = 51° 50'

Pyramid of Cheops = 51° 52‘ !!!

Height 148.2 m, and half-base 116.4 m, yielding 1.6189

for the ratio of slant height to half-base ! phi = 1.61804

The toolbox

• Finding knowledge is easy. Applying it is tough

• Have the right outlook on life (glasses for the

mind! )

• Live with balance

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• Accept personal responsibility for uplifting our

own existence and that of others

• We do not need much to be happy

• Now is the only time we have!

The toolbox

• (team exercise)

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The toolbox

• The others are part of me and I am part of what surrounds me

• Involve others in this view and journey of discovery

• You reap what you sow

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• You reap what you sow

• Travel light, do not burden your mind and spirit

• Be aware of the connection between body and mind

• Know how your mind works. If it’s not running well, go over troubleshooting steps or seek help

Troubleshooting steps

• Put coloring attitudes aside and analyze:

– Is this real?

– How big is this, really?

– See and feel this from another person’s point of view

– What would be the worst that could happen?

– Is it worth it to loose my peace of mind over this?

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– Is it worth it to loose my peace of mind over this?

– Can I share and see how others feel about it?

– What are the “real” reasons I feel this way?

– Should I let this control me or do I want to have control over it?

– What could I do now in practical terms to fix it?

– Do I need help?

Our next topic:

And WE were happy ever after!!!

The End!

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Our next topic:

“The basic elements of

Music Appreciation”

December 18 - Fritz Gartner

Imagen para fondo con elementos independientes

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Imagen para fondo con elementos independientes