Friendship and the art of being for those with ears to hear and eyes to see

Friendship
Why would I now turn to "friendship"?
Because until and unless you can BE A FRIEND, you cannot expect friendship or leadership or any other place where loyalty and forebearance must be the shield of unbending position.

An author once wrote a small volume called the art of living ( Wilferd A Peterson), Simon and Schuster, New York, 1961
I would ask Dharma to reprint a small portion on this subject.

QUOTING
The first step in the art of friendship is to be a friend; then making friends takes care of itself. To be a friend a man should start by being a friend to himself, by being true to his highest and best and by aligning himself with the enduring values of human life that make for growth and progress.

To be a friend a man should strive to be "like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" and to be a source of refuge and strength to those that walk in darkness.

To be a friend a man should believe in the inherent goodness of men and in their potential greatness; he should treat men in a big spirit, expectant of a noble response.

To be a friend a man should strive to lift people up, not cast them down, to encourage not discourage; to set an example that will be an inspiration to other.

To be a friend a man should be sensitively responsive to the dreams and aims of others and show sincere appreciation for the contribution others make to the enrichment of his life.

To be a friend a man should practice the companionship of silence and the magic of words that his speach may build and not destroy, help and not hinder.

To be a friend a man should close his eyes to the faults of others and open them to his own.

To be a friend a man should not attempt to reform or reprimand, but should strive only to make others happy if he can.

To be a friend a man should be himself, he should be done with hypocrisy, artificiality and pretense, he should meet and mingle with people in quiet simplicity and humility.

To be a friend a man should be tolerant, he should have an understanding heart and a forgiving nature, knowing that all men stumble now and then, and that he who never made a mistake never accomplished anything.

To be a friend a man should join hands with ALL people who are working for great principles, great purposes and great causes; he should put his shoulder to the wheel to help achieve common goals.

To be a friend a man should go more than halfway with his fellow men; he should greet others first and not wait to be greeted; he should radiate a spirit of overflowing goodwill.

To be a friend a man should remember that we are human magnets; that like attracts like, and that what we give we get.

To be a friend a man shouldrecognise that no man knows all the answers, and that he should add each day to his knowledge of how to live the friendly way......


THE ART OF "BEING"

The art of being is the assumption that you may possess, this very minute, those qualities of spirit and attitudes of mind that make for radiant living.

It is a philosophy of being today, instead of "becoming" in a tomorrow that never comes.

It is recognised that courage, joy, serenity, faith, hope and love are immediatly available now, and proceeding to open yourself so those qualities can be expressed through you in everyday living.

It is following the maxim of Shakespeare; "Assume the virtue though you have it not" ...knowing that the dynamic power of habit can build it into your character.

It is being great now, being forgiving now, being tolerant now, being happy now, being successful now, instead of postponing positive and constructive living to some vague and indefinite future.

It is knowing that when we move into the future it becomes the NOW, and that now is the appointed time!

It is wasting no time dreaming about the rich life you may live next year, or ten years from now, it is beginnning to live at your best right now, today.

It is heeding the wisdom of the ancient Chinese seer who observed " A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," and it is taking that step today.

It is beginning today to be the man (person) you want to be.

It is developing an awareness of the infinite possibilities in each magnetic moment.

It is enlarging the now by pouring into it intense creative energy.

It is immortalizing the present moment that your life may have eternal significance.

It is coming into a full realization that the Master voiced the secret of victorious being, when he declared that the Kingdom of God is not afar off, but that it is within you now!

So be it. I also hear most often... "but I only intended to..."
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions!

Phoenix Journal:
Shock Therapy for a Brain Dead World

Pages 51/54