Author Archives: vincentsmithauthor

Everything good begins in silence

Posted on February 26, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Most of us will do anything to avoid sitting alone and quietly confronting our own inner selves, which is why Pascal, the French philosopher, said: “All men’s miseries come from their inability to sit quietly and alone.” The Danish philosopher … Continue reading →

Posted in Boredom, Calmness, Contemplation, inner peace, Rush, Silence, Stillness | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The more I have the more bored I am

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Family psychologist John Roseman has spent years researching the perennial problem of children complaining that they are bored. He reported that parents in less affluent countries tend to look at him with disbelief when he asks if their kids complain … Continue reading →

Posted in Affluence, Boredom, Contentment, Meaninglessness, Purpose in life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Being smart for things that are good

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Sam Levenson described how his Jewish momma would always bargain with shopkeepers – even for the smallest items. He said he remembered her asking a greengrocer how much the cucumbers were. The greengrocer said they were two for five cents. … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Cleverness, Goodness, Life, Life's journey, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Exploding elephant

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I once went on a four day hike through the mountains led by an experienced bushwalker who told us what provisions we’d need, and then told us to take a bag of rice as emergency rations in case we got … Continue reading →

Posted in Appetites, Destruction, Greed, Hiking, Judgement, Rice, Shame | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Allergic to ourselves

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Bill Flick, a columnist for The Pantagraph, reported the case of a man in England who, for thirty five years, had been robbed of restful sleep because he sneezed several hundred times each day. Over the years various doctors had … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Peace, Peaceful Sleep, Rest, Restlessness, Sleeplessness | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Meaningless monotony

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

William Barclay had a dog named Rusty who would accompany him on walks beside a stream, where he would plunge into the water, grab a rock in his mouth and bring it to the bank, and there he would carefully … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Meaninglessness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The most beautiful things are not seen but felt

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I remember hearing about one of those great Sydney characters of yesteryear, a celebrated open –air preacher named Roy Gordon, who was being constantly interrupted by an interjector who said it was nonsense to believe in things you can’t see. … Continue reading →

Posted in Believing, Faith, Feeling, Preacher, Unbelief | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Start a quarrel and the vultures start circling

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The American Indians used to tell a story about a couple of thirsty male cougars who both arrived at their usual water hole at the same time. They immediately began to snarl threateningly at each other, each one daring the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conflict, Quarrel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fears become less fearful when we face them

Posted on February 25, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old parable of a little boy running away from a witch who had turned herself into a cat. As the boy ran he kept glancing fearfully over his shoulder. The first time he looked back the cat was … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Courage, facing our fears, Faith, Fear | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The anchors of hope

Posted on February 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In the ancient world the anchor was the symbol of hope.The Greek philosopher Epictetus said: ‘A ship should never depend on one anchor.’ The philosopher Pythagoras took this further when he said: ‘Wealth is a weak anchor; and fame is … Continue reading →

Posted in Anchor, Faith, fame, Hope, hope and love, love, Security, Spiritual Insight, wealth | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment