There is an extreme shortage of common sense in today's world, When looking back in history, I soon discovered this has always been a problem, Benjamin Franklin once said, ”Of all the senses, common sense seems to be the one that is used the least.”As obvious as it may seem, many seem to be totally oblivious to it. Most, if not all of the problems the world faces today could be solved if people would just sit back and think about what would seem to be the most obvious and simple solution to any issue. Often times people tend to overcomplicate the issues. I often think back to what my parents and grandparents believed and said, at the time I thought they were totally out of their mind and ignored it. I now wish I would have listened and followed their advice.It is now evident they were a lot smarter than we gave them credit for. Many times, in today's world, the schools and universities can no longer be counted on to teach truth and values that will guide someone through life.
In The Wisdom of Our Ancestors, the authors mount a powerful defense of Western civilization, sketching a fresh vision of conservatism in the present age. In this book, Graham McAleer and Alexander Rosenthal-Pubul offer a renewed vision of conservatism for the twenty-first century. Taking their inspiration from the late Roger Scruton, the authors begin with a simple question: What, after all, is the meaning of conservatism? In reply, they make a case for a political orientation that they call “conservative humanism,” which threads a middle way between liberal universalism and its ideological alternatives. This vision of conservatism is rooted in the humanist tradition (that is, classical humanism, Christian humanism, and secular humanism), which the authors take to be the hallmark of Western civilizational identity. At its core, conservative humanism attempts to reconcile universal moral values (rooted in natural law) with local, particularist loyalties. In articulating this position, the authors show that the West—contra various contemporary critics—does, in fact, have a great deal of wisdom to offer. The authors begin with an overview of the conservative thought world, situating their proposal relative to two major poles: liberalism and nationalism. They move on to show that conservatism must fundamentally take the form of a defense of humanism, the “master idea of our civilization.” The ensuing chapters articulate various aspects of conservative humanism, including its metaphysical, institutional, legal, philosophical, and economic dimensions. Largely rooted in the Anglo-Continental conservative tradition, the work offers fresh perspectives for North American conservatism.
In the vast realm of Indigenous wisdom, there exists a profound understanding of the sacred rhythms that permeate the natural world. It is within these rhythms that we find not only solace and serenity but also the keys to unlock our true potential. But in our modern world, where chaos often reigns supreme, it is easy to become disconnected from these sacred rhythms. We find ourselves caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, oblivious to the subtle whispers of nature calling out to us. Yet, deep within our souls, there remains an innate longing for connection - a yearning to rediscover our place within this grand tapestry. In this book, we delve into the timeless teachings that connect us to the very essence of our being and offer guidance on how to navigate the complexities of modern life. As you turn each page of this book, allow yourself to be drawn into the timeless wisdom shared by Indigenous cultures worldwide. Let their words ignite a flame within you - a flame that illuminates your path towards harmony and resilience. Embrace their teachings as guiding lights on your journey and let them remind you of the sacred bond we share with all living beings. Remember: Wisdom is not simply about knowledge; it is about embodying ancient truths in our daily lives. Let the wisdom contained within these pages serve as stepping stones on your path towards embracing the sacred rhythms of nature - an invitation to dance with creation itself. Open your heart, open your mind, and let your journey into Indigenous wisdom continue... “The Holy Land is everywhere.” - Heȟáka Sápa (Black Elk)
Voices from the Ancestors brings together the reflective writings and spiritual practices of Xicanx, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx womxn and male allies in the United States who seek to heal from the historical traumas of colonization by returning to ancestral traditions and knowledge. This wisdom is based on the authors’ oral traditions, research, intuitions, and lived experiences—wisdom inspired by, and created from, personal trajectories on the path to spiritual conocimiento, or inner spiritual inquiry. This conocimiento has reemerged over the last fifty years as efforts to decolonize lives, minds, spirits, and bodies have advanced. Yet this knowledge goes back many generations to the time when the ancestors understood their interconnectedness with each other, with nature, and with the sacred cosmic forces—a time when the human body was a microcosm of the universe. Reclaiming and reconstructing spirituality based on non-Western epistemologies is central to the process of decolonization, particularly in these fraught times. The wisdom offered here appears in a variety of forms—in reflective essays, poetry, prayers, specific guidelines for healing practices, communal rituals, and visual art, all meant to address life transitions and how to live holistically and with a spiritual consciousness for the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Today, many of us hunger for guidance on how best to live our lives. In this fascinating and scholarly book, psychologist Dr Brian Bates offers a journey into a way of wisdom which once was ours a thousand years ago when our ancestors lived as indigenous peoples in ancient Europe. To them the archaic word 'Wyrd' meant all that was sacred and unexplainable - the force which underlay all life. This force was at the heart of their spiritual tradition which, in its scope and depth, had remarkable parallels to the Eastern Tao and the Native Americans' Great Spirit. Drawing on twenty years of research, Brain Bates gives a rich description of the creative, organic vision of the world which our ancestors held - at the centre of which were the shamans, powerful figures who mediated directly with the spirits and the pulse of the earth's rhythm. He also shows how, through practical techniques and mediations, as well as through extraordinarily fertile stories from our past, we can once again rediscover and reclaim our sacred heritage - a wisdom which is still deep within us all, and needs only to be brought to the surface.
Jewels from Our Ancestors: A Book of African Proverbs is a short, illustrated literary collection of words of wisdom from the continent of Africa. The book honors the elders who have come before us and gifted us with sensible sayings that compel both readers and listeners to reflect, learn and grow.
Reveals the shared ancestry behind our affinity with dolphins and our shared destiny • Explains how we are both descendants of the aquatic ape and still share many physiological features with dolphins that set us apart from other primates • Explores dolphins’ communication with other species and how dolphin therapy has miraculous effects on people with autism, cancer, stroke, and depression • Explores the connections between dolphins and Atlantis and Lemuria Wild animals avoid contact with humans, but wild dolphins seek us out to play and socialize, even going so far as to voluntarily rescue people from drowning. What explains this remarkable natural affinity? Revealing the evolutionary basis for our special relationship with dolphins, Frank Joseph explains how we are both descendants of the same ancient branch of human-ity. Building upon the aquatic ape theory, he details how we both began on land but devastating floods forced our distant ancestors into the seas, where humanity developed many of the traits that set us apart from other primates, such as our instinctive diving reflex and our newborns’ ability to swim. But while some of the aquatic apes returned to land, later evolving into modern humans, some remained in the cradle of Mother Ocean and became our dolphin cousins. Integrating scientific research on dolphin intelligence, communication, and physiology with enduring myths from some of the world’s oldest cultures, such as the Aborigines, Norse, Greeks, and Celts, the author examines our physical commonalities with dolphins, including their vestigial thumbs and legs, birth processes, and body temperature. He explores dolphins’ uncanny ability to diagnose disease such as cancer in humans and how dolphin therapy has had miraculous effects on children with autism, victims of stroke, and those suffering from depression. He provides evidence for dolphins’ different attitudes toward men, women, and children, their natural affinity with cats and dogs, and their telepathic communication with other species, including ours. He explores dolphins’ mysterious role in the birth of early civilization and their connections with the Dog Star, Sirius, and Atlantis and Lemuria--a bond still commemorated by annual gatherings of millions of dolphins. As Frank Joseph shows, if we can learn to fully communicate with dolphins, accessing their millennia-old oral tradition, we may learn the truth about humanity’s origins and our shared future, when humankind may yet again quit the land for a final return to the sea.
