view Authentic/A_Guide_for_Living.txt @ 558:8a18eb8a0257

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author Henry S Thompson <ht@inf.ed.ac.uk>
date Sun, 29 Sep 2024 14:51:26 +0100
parents 3ae1fe7aecbb
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*Towards a Guide for Living*

I shold be continually striving to fulfill the potential of my
humanity (in general) and my particular gifts (in particular),
grounded in Christianity.  "... 'Live up to the light thee hast and
more will be granted thee'. ... [so] I strove to lead a more Christian
life, in unison with what I knew to be right ..." Caroline Fox, 26.04
in QF&P

Accepting that I will fail again, while trying to fail better, here
are some specific actions or goals, which I may use "as an aid to
self-discipline" [BPD]> if I take the above seriously.

  * Start most days with some quiet time, prayer for the day ahead,
    what opportunities/risks it may offer for doing good/falling
    short.

    End most days with some form of [Ignatian] Examen

  * Apologise less, and only when it's genuine, and not a dishonest
    attempt to look good/earn brownie points.

  * Enumerate specific concrete goals/projects
      * For those already underway, describe/identify KPIs/criteria for
        declaring victory and/or pulling out
        * CCrawl research paper
        * Grant proposal
        * PDF project
        * CDX project
        * WebArch book
        * Move south
      * For candidates, prioritise
        * CCrawl whitepaper
        * Middle Way project
        * Autobiography
        * Group of N

     [ref. BPD "[C]omplete all tasks I take on and only take on those
      I truly feel I can carry out.  To finish current major projects
      before I embark on new ones"]

   
  * Start a House Group dedicated to Good Old Fashioned (Christian)
    Quakerism [ref. BPD "[M]ake a commitment to discuss my faith and
    the faith of others each week"; "[A]ttempt to find others who
    would want to participate in mutual guidance"; "[T]hink about the
    future of Quakerism"]

  * Start having people in for lunch (Bonnie?) or dinner

  * Ask Mark if we can start having lunch every week or two

  * Look for a way to volunteer in a helping capacity
    Samaritains?  Google [volunteer counselling opportunities
    edinburgh] suggests there are _lots_ of opportunities

    Reconsider my unwillingness to serve as an Overseer

  * Anger management: try harder to own the weaknesses that fuel my
		      aggressive responses
                      * To Catharine
                      * To (motor)cyclists

  * Declutter, including reclassifying much long-held-on-to as
    clutter.  [ref. AW "[Release] many possessions and attachments
    ... no longer hoard newspapers/cuttings and printed matter
    generally.]

  * Practice explicit humility and thanksgiving, giving thanks for
    "the comforts [I] enjoy and the responsibilities [my] affluence
    entails" [BPD] and the blessings of my family.

  * Aim for honesty and integrity, not forgetting the that tact is not
    dishonesty: "Is it true, is it kind, is it necessary, is it
    helpful?" and "Does this build community?"

    Things to document/confess/seek to redress, or lay to rest?
      Russian History
      Early years of marriage
      Timanous

  * Try not to dismiss suggestions/opportunities out-of-hand.