SERENITY

The following excerpts are from "Acceptance was the Answer", one of the most quoted personal stories of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. It was written by Dr. Paul Ohliger who died in 2000 at the age of 83. Understanding and practicing acceptance, every day, for everything, is the key to serenity. 

Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.
Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players". He forgot to mention that I was the chief critic. I was always able to see the flaw in every person, every situation. And I was always glad to point it out, because I knew you wanted perfection, just as I did. A.A. and acceptance have taught me that there is a bit of good in the worst of us and a bit of bad in the best of us; that we are all children of God and we each have a right to be here. When I complain about me or about you, I am complaining about God's handiwork. I am saying that I know better than God.
For years I was sure the worst thing that could happen to a nice guy like me would be that I would turn out to be an alcoholic. Today I find it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. This proves I don't know what's good for me. And if I don't know what's good for me, then I don't know what's good or bad for you or for anyone. So I'm better off if I don't give advice, don't figure I know what's best, and just accept life on life's terms, as it is today - especially my own life, as it actually is. Before A.A. I judged myself by my intentions, while the world was judging me by my actions.
When I focus on what's good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what's bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases.
Acceptance is the key to my relationship with God today. I never just sit and do nothing while waiting for Him to tell me what to do. Rather, I do whatever is in front of me to be done, and I leave the results up to Him; however it turns out, that's God will for me.

I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my acceptance and off my expectations, for my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance. When I remember this, I can see I've never had it so good. Thank God for A.A!

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 



SERENIDADE

Os trechos abaixos são de "Aceitação era a Resposta", uma das estórias pessoais mais citadas do Livro Azul dos Alcoólicos Anônimos. Foi escrita pelo Dr. Paul Ohliger, que morreu em 2000 aos 83 anos. Entender e praticar a aceitação, todos os dias, para tudo, é a chave da serenidade.

Aceitação é a resposta para todos os meus problemas hoje. Quando estou perturbado, é porque considero alguma pessoa, coisa, lugar ou situação - algum fato da minha vida - inaceitável, e não posso achar serenidade até aceitar que a pessoa, lugar, coisa ou situação é exatamente o que deve ser neste momento. Nada, absolutamente nada acontece no mundo de Deus por engano. Até que aceitasse meu alcoolismo, não conseguia ficar sóbrio; a não ser que eu aceite a vida completamente, como ela é, não posso ser feliz. Preciso me concentrar não tanto no que precisa ser mudado no mundo, quanto no que precisa ser mudado em mim e nas minhas atitudes.
Shakespeare disse, "Todo o mundo é um palco, e todos os homens e mulheres meros atores". Esqueceu de dizer que eu era o maior crítico. Eu sempre era capaz de ver a falha em todas as pessoas, todas as situações. E estava sempre pronto a dizê-lo, porque sabia que você queria perfeição, tal como eu. A.A. e a aceitação me ensinaram que há um pouco de bom no pior de nós e um pouco de mau no melhor de nós; que somos todos filhos de Deus e cada um de nós tem o direito de estar aqui. Quando eu reclamo de mim ou de você, estou reclamando da obra de Deus. Estou dizendo que sei mais do que Deus.
Durante anos eu tinha certeza de que a pior coisa que poderia acontecer a um cara legal como eu seria me tornar um alcoólico. Hoje acho que é a melhor coisa que já me aconteceu. Isso prova que eu não sei o que é bom para mim. E se não sei o que é bom para mim, então não sei o que é bom ou mau para você ou para qualquer um. Por isso é melhor eu não dar conselhos, não achar que sei o que é melhor, e simplesmente aceitar a vida como ela é, hoje - especialmente minha própria vida, como ela de fato é. Antes de A.A. eu me julgava pelas minhas intenções, enquanto o mundo me julgava pelas minha ações.
Quando eu ponho meu foco no que está bem hoje, tenho um bom dia, e quando eu ponho o foco no que está mal, tenho um mau dia. Quando focalizo um problema, o problema aumenta; quando focalizo a resposta, a resposta aumenta.
Aceitação é a chave da minha relação com Deus hoje. Eu nunca fico sentado sem fazer nada enquanto espero que Ele me diga o que fazer. Em vez disso, faço o que está diante de mim para ser feito, e deixo os resultados por conta d'Ele; aconteça o que acontecer, é o que Deus quer para mim.
Preciso manter minha mente, que aumenta tudo magicamente, concentrada na minha aceitação e não nas minhas expectativas, pois minha serenidade é diretamente proporcional ao meu nível de aceitação. Qando eu lembro disso, posso ver que minha vida nunca foi tão boa. Agradeço a Deus por A.A.!

Deus, dá-nos serenidade para aceitar o que não podemos mudar, coragem para mudar o que podemos, e sabedoria para sacar a diferença. 

The city blossoms in new towers and flowers.



One millisecond before the picture was taken there was a sunflower in the upper left corner but the hands below took it away. If you look long enough you can see its ghost image.

Prayer for Heath Ledger

God, keep your son Heath in a good place,
He who felt the pain of a gay man's self-denial,
With a broken voice under a mountain of shame,
Who humbly asked for acceptance and accepted himself in the end,
He who went beyond movie-star good looks
To search for the core of our common humanity,
Who was never more than an Aussie lad with a crooked grin,
He who plunged in the depths of insanity to look evil in the face,
To show us the ugly joke of addiction,
Who turned himself inside out with fearless surrender to his art,
He who wanted to live, and died of an accidental overdose,
Who needed a peace he could not find,
May he rest in that place from where great artists, their lives cut short, enjoy whatever we the living learn from their art.
God, keep Heath Ledger in the peace he deserves.

IL FAUT CULTIVER SON JARDIN

Little things that give me joy. The flowers that came out this morning framing the New York skyline.

Video (demora um pouco a carregar)




Jets of water, jets of steel and glass skybound in joy.

Heath Ledger, o Coringa no novo filme de Batman "The Dark Knight".

HEATH LIVES
Jorge Pontual

Heath Ledger is the only living thing in a dead movie. Could he have died for giving too much live to the Joker?
The audience cheers everytime he kills someone and he kills a lot. The Joker gives life to our killer instincts. It's safe to kill in a movie theatre. His insanity is our insanity. We don't have to act out on our insanity, he does it for us. He's a clown who takes himself very seriously. He doesn't take anyone else seriously. He knows better. He's willing to go beyond any pretense of righteousness. Everyone is a Two Face. Batman is a closeted drag queen. Only the Joker has the courage to make no compromise. He plays for all or nothing.
Heath Ledger is constantly licking the Joker's scars, his deranged slashed smiling mouth. He's an addict. His demands are inhexaustible. He wants more and more and more. This world is too small for his mouth and his tongue. He can't have enough.
We're all addicts. We go the movies at midnight to watch a dead movie. We cheer for death. We want more. We leave with dry tongues wriggling, dangling from our wrung out mouths. We overdose on killing. Never enough.
There's beauty in an artist's total surrender to his act. Heath kills himself to give life to the Joker, to our darkest dreams. He dies so we can live and suffer, safely, the awfulness of our addiction.
The Joker is no one, he has killed the self. He's only instinct, impulse. He's random. He has no purpose. He revels in chaos. His life is a joke. A cruel joke.
We go out into the night of Gotham sad for Heath and his Joker. Such waste. We ask God for serenity and courage and wisdom. We want to live. No more jokes. No more death.