Enduring Beauty

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  “Beauty is the quality which makes to endure. In a house that I know, I have noticed a block of spermaceti lying about closets and mantel-pieces, for twenty years together, simply because the tallow-man gave it the form of a rabbit; and, I suppose, it may continue to be lugged about unchanged for a century. Let an artist scrawl a few lines or figures on the back of a letter, and that scrap of paper is rescued from danger, is put in portfolio, is framed and glazed, and, in proportion to the beauty of the lines drawn, will be kept for centuries. Burns writes a copy of verses, and sends them to a newspaper, and the human race take charge of them that they shall not perish.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson. (1803–1882).   Essays and English Traits.

Sentinel

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"Dreams, combat, terror, numbness or subservience--every day these things wipe out your sacred principles, whenever your mind entertains them uncritically or lets them slip in." (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 10.9)

Let nothing slip by without checking, for the old saying goes, "If the big things don't get you, the little ones will kill you." Don't let the little ones kill you, ok?

As we move through a day our mind meets many uninvited guests. The difficulty is that we open the door and let the uninvited guests stay. We even sit them down and serve them dinner--something we would never do in "real life". These distractions, these influences are sly--sapping energy we should be using elsewhere. They push and pull until we find ourselves so far out in left field wondering how we wound up out there.

Protect your mind, your principles by posting a Sentinel at the mind's gate. Here's how Commander Mark Divine DIRECTs mental traffic, as described in his book "The Way Of The Seal":

Detect the thoughts that slip in--they never stop.
Interdict, forbid useless thoughts, distractions, negativity.
Redirect to new thoughts, with intentionality.
Energize new thoughts by supporting with your whole being.
Communicate right thinking by saturation in the truth.
Train the mind to be strong.

This fellow gives a summative presentation one might find helpful. Watch from 3:40 or enjoy its entirety:

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