View allAll Photos Tagged Humility
the words on the pages are a very famous quote from an awesome inspirational author- Marianne Williamson. i often reflect back on these wise words about what we are here to do..
it's really worth meditating on-
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people
won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And when we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson from the book, "A Return to Love, Reflections on the Principles of A Course In Miracles"
special thanks to ruby blossom for the texture
1. Work to be at peace with others, showing forbearance as needed. Forgiving others is required.
Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (ESV)
Colossians 3:12–14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (ESV)
Romans 14:12–13; Ephesians 4:1–3, 30–32
2. Don’t seek your own way. Jesus is the great example.
Philippians 2:3–6 Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own. The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God. (GNT)
3. The words we speak and the way in which they are spoken have much to do with maintaining peace.
Proverbs 12:18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (NIV)
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (NIV)
Proverbs 18:13; 25:11; Ephesians 4:29
4. If you have been hurt or have hurt someone else, go to that person for reconciliation.
Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (ESV)
Matthew 5:23–24 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (ESV)
5. Paying back someone who has hurt you is wrong. If someone has truly sinned against you, trust God to take care of it.
Romans 12:19–21 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NKJV)
Romans 13:3–4
6. Violence is not acceptable; it is not pleasing to God.
Psalm 11:5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. (NLT)
Proverbs 16:29 A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. (ESV)
Psalm 7:15–16; Proverbs 24:1–2
7. Remember that God is the ultimate defender.
Psalm 37:7–9 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. (NKJV)
Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (NKJV)
Psalm 59:16
Biblical Narratives
• Paul and Barnabas in disagreement, Acts 15:36–40 (The solution for them was each going his own way.)
• Euodia and Syntyche, needing to live in harmony, Philippians 4:2–3
Practical Steps
• Asking whether this will really matter in eternity is always good advice. Be willing to stand down when the conflict is over something really not all that important.
• Ask, “Am I convinced that I am right in this situation?” Be willing to take advice; ask others for their thoughts. Be willing to consider other viewpoints.
• Evaluate: Do you seem to always be involved in some conflict? Perhaps you are the problem. Do you always need to be right? Is involvement in conflict a way to make you feel powerful? Commit to corrections in this area.
• Work on saying what you say with kindness and a nonelevated emotional tone. It’s not just what we say, but how we say it.
• “Breathe grace!” is a well-known biblical counseling phrase. Our mindset must always be reaching out to others with understanding and God’s love.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 79–81.
I would appreciate any identification assistance on this plant, I saw it at family home
" Beauty is the humility and wisdom that comes from the heart and reflected in the actions and speech "
“In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height!”
(William Shakespeare - English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)
This couple of wild tigers gave us a “show” striking several poses as if they were “models” used to cameras, it happened deep in the jungle of Bandhavgarh in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh and hopefully we met them after lunch time...!!!
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“Without humility there can be no humanity” John Buchan.
Humanity is one of the seven principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. "Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples."
And this little thing is a Red Cross pin )
For MacroMondays theme "Humility"
Happy MacroMonday!
Knowing God's love, peace and joy should give the Christian patience.
"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
Just as anxiety is not trusting God to take care of you, impatience is an attitude that says you are displeased with how God has arranged the circumstances. It is offensive to God.
So, while others lose their cool, our hearts and minds as Christians are set in humility and happy wonder at God's incredible kindness to us. In the traffic jam, the Christian does not need to focus on self and become angry because self is being inconvenienced, but rather able to focus on God's blessings. I'm in a traffic jam because He has blessed me with a car! He has given me health to drive!
Also we do not represent self, but Christ Jesus. We are able to show tolerance in love, not returning anger for anger at the others around us, but instead showing them what Christ has done for us.
"To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:8-9
Impatience demonstrates our own natural weakness, but patience demonstrates the power of God in us. We are no longer in bondage to natural responses but now able to reflect the graces of Christ Jesus. We can remember that God has been very patient with us.
"Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:16
This Thanksgiving, we can thank God for His gift of patience!
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
Talk about and exercise in humility, catching puffins in flight is hard! It's a bit easier in a calm sea as they are taking off, but the one opportunity I had on this trip the sea was uncooperative. I was put ashore with a few other lucky souls on a small island where the puffins were roosting. It was a learning curve before I could start getting shots and we only had 2 hours, as the seas were rising and we needed to get off the island before it became too rough. We had to wade out holding our gear above our head. Fortunately, no gear was dropped, I need to go back and get some more now that I've had some practice.
Publicity Photo
"It ain't the heat, it's the humility." – Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born Lorenzo Pietro Berra; May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–1963, 1965), all but the last for the New York Yankees.
He was an 18-time All-Star and won 10 World Series championships as a player—more than any other player in MLB history. Berra had a career batting average of .285, while hitting 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He is one of only six players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
In our time, Merton’s model of Christian living has provided a helpful clue in my own understanding of what it means to follow the holy Gospel of Jesus Christ by following in the footprints of Francis of Assisi. Imperfect as my ongoing and lifelong attempt to do this is, I am encouraged by Merton’s own struggles, successes, and journey. May you likewise find inspiration, challenge, and guidance in our deeper exploration of this part of Merton’s life, thought, and writings.
-The Franciscan heart of Thomas Merton : a new look at the spiritual inspiration of his life, thought, and writing / Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M.
/*************
Whether the historicity of Francis’s stigmata can ever be verified in an apodictic way or not is really of little importance, but the continued value of his pointing us toward a lifestyle that might bring us to a place where such an overwhelming mystical experience of the Divine can change our whole lives forever is key.
-The Franciscan heart of Thomas Merton : a new look at the spiritual inspiration of his life, thought, and writing / Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M.
Macro Monday: Theme - Humility
This week's theme was challenging to do macro style. Not much came to mind that I was happy with, so I turned to my trusty quotes for some inspiration.
*No plants were harmed during the making of this image : )
HMM!
[...] What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God [...]
-- Quote by Monica Baldwin
Nikon D70, Tokina 12-24 f/4, 12mm - f/4 - 1/3s - HDR 3xp +2,-2EV
Rome, Italy (July, 2008)
There are seven virtues: humility, chastity, kindness, patience, abstinence, diligence and liberality.
The number seven is one of the most significant in the Bible. Scholars say it denotes completeness or perfection.
In other religions, according to the Talmud in Judaism, the universe is made of seven heavens.
The Koran often speaks of seven heavens and Muslims on a pilgrimage to Mecca walk seven times around the Kaaba, the cuboid building at the centre of Islam’s most sacred mosque.
In Christianity, Judaism and Islam, God resides above the seventh heaven and one of the most important elements in Jewish weddings is the conferring of the seven blessings.
And in modern Jewish wedding ceremonies the bride often circles the groom seven times.
In Hinduism there are seven higher worlds and seven underworlds.
In the ancient Vedic form of the religion the sun god’s chariot is pulled by seven horses and the human body has seven basic chakras or “wheels of energy”.
Japanese mythology has seven gods of fortune responsible for good health, long life, happiness, knowledge, wealth, warriors and fishermen.
In Buddhism the newborn Buddha rose to his feet and took seven steps.
Fun read about SEVEN: www.express.co.uk/news/uk/469565/The-magnificient-7-The-m...
Thanx for your visits and comments, M, (*_*)
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Tulips, pink, frazzled, fringed, seven,colour, design, studio, square, heart, Nikon D7000, black background, conceptual art, magda indigo
Armenian medieval monastery in Tatev (from old Armenian Ta tev - meaning "give me the wings") based in beautiful hills at east part of the country.
A new tribute to Saint Vincent de Paul, Patron Saint of The Poor by expressionist artist Stephen B. Whatley; created with prayers on the Feast Day , September 27th 2019.
The French priest who lived from 1581-1660 was known for his great compassion and humility - and was said to have written 30,000 letters in his lifetime; all embodied in this drawing inspired by historical images.
The British artist is a devout Catholic convert and often feels what he calls a 'Divine Push' to paint tributes to Jesus, Our Lady & The Saints on significant landmark years or Feast Days - and to share them.
Dependent on prayer, especially to the Holy Spirit - his 2013 exhibition at London's Westminster Cathedral was called "Paintings From Prayer".
The eclectic work of Stephen B. Whatley is in collections worldwide & public collections including BBC Heritage, London Transport Museum, Newman University (UK), Westminster Cathedral and The Royal Collection of HM Queen Elizabeth II - whilst his series of 30 paintings commissioned by the Tower of London in 2000 are permanently reproduced throughout Tower Hill Underpass, outside Tower Hill Station - the main entrance to the Tower of London.
St Vincent de Paul. 2019 by Stephen B. Whatley
Charcoal & pastel on paper, 16.5 x 11.5in/ 40.6 x 30.5cm
"Grace has been defined as the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul."
~ William Hazlitt ~
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
[...] Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility [...]
Nikon D70, Tokina 12-24 f/4 - 13mm - f/14 - 1/8s - HDR 3xp +2/-2EV - Cokin Grad dark Tobacco filter
Ponzano Romano, Italy (January, 2010)
"Will Tahu find the humility and patience to earn deeper knowledge of fire and learn that not everything can be taken by force?"
Fourth creature of the series to make the G2 creatures into large and powerful elemental masters. Ikir came to completion in one day after I began tinkering with his head design. It's a good feeling when a moc comes together straightforwardly.
As usual, I recycled the head, but gave the creature different eyes from the rest. Boat studs made for great bird eyes in this case.
With Ikir, I thought that Tahu's challenge is basically the fact that he can't reach the flying bird. Assuming Tahu is fairly hot tempered, his trial is to learn that he can't simply force and take everything he wants. Instead, with Ikir, he must learn to earn, wait, give and compromise until he finds the connection he needs with Ikir.
Hollande was born in Rouen, to a middle-class family. His mother, Nicole Frédérique Marguerite Tribert (1927–2009), was a social worker, and his father, Georges Gustave Hollande, an ear, nose, and throat doctor who "had once run on a far right ticket in local politics.The family moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, a highly exclusive suburb of Paris, when Hollande was thirteen. Hollande was raised Catholic, but became an agnostic in later life,and now considers himself as an atheist[8] (In December 2011, Hollande told the French Christian magazine La Vie that he respects all religious practices but has none of his own).He attended Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-la-Salle boarding school, a private Catholic school in Rouen, the Lycée Pasteur, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, then graduated with a bachelor's degree in law from Panthéon-Assas University. Then he studied at HEC Paris where he graduated in 1975, before attending the Institut d'études politiques de Paris and the École nationale d'administration. He graduated from ENA in 1980[10][11] and chose to enter the prestigious Cour des comptes. He lived in the United States in the summer of 1974 while he was a university student. Immediately after graduating, he was employed as a councillor in the Court of Audit.Early political career: Five years after volunteering as a student to work for François Mitterrand's ultimately unsuccessful campaign in the 1974 presidential election, Hollande joined the Socialist Party. He was quickly spotted by Jacques Attali, a senior adviser to Mitterrand, who arranged for Hollande to stand for election to the French National Assembly in 1981 in Corrèze against future President Jacques Chirac, who was then the Leader of the Rally for the Republic, a Neo-Gaullist party. Hollande lost to Chirac in the first round. He went on to become a special advisor to newly elected President Mitterrand, before serving as a staffer for Max Gallo, the government's spokesman. After becoming a municipal councillor for Ussel in 1983, he contested Corrèze for a second time in 1988, this time being elected to the National Assembly. Hollande lost his bid for re-election to the National Assembly in the so-called "blue wave" of the 1993 election, described as such due to the number of seats gained by the Right at the expense of the Socialist Party.First Secretary of the Socialist Party (1997–2008)François Hollande in 2004: Hollande with his former partner Ségolène Royal, at a rally for the 2007 elections. As the end of Mitterrand's term in office approached, the Socialist Party was torn by a struggle of internal factions, each seeking to influence the direction of the party. Hollande pleaded for reconciliation and for the party to unite behind Jacques Delors, the president of the European Commission, but Delors renounced his ambitions to run for the French presidency in 1995, leading to Lionel Jospin's resuming his earlier position as the leader of the party. Jospin selected Hollande to become the official party spokesman, and Hollande went on to contest Corrèze once again in 1997, successfully returning to the National Assembly.
That same year, Jospin became the prime minister of France, and Hollande won the election for his successor as first secretary of the French Socialist Party, a position he would hold for eleven years. Because of the very strong position of the Socialist Party within the French government during this period, Hollande's position led some to refer to him the "vice prime minister". Hollande would go on to be elected mayor of Tulle in 2001, an office he would hold for the next seven years.The immediate resignation of Jospin from politics following his shock defeat by far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of the 2002 presidential election forced Hollande to become the public face of the party for the 2002 legislative election but, although he managed to limit defeats and was re-elected in his own constituency, the Socialists lost nationally. In order to prepare for the 2003 party congress in Dijon, he obtained the support of many notable personalities of the party and was re-elected first secretary against opposition from left-wing factions.
After the triumph of the Left in the 2004 regional elections, Hollande was cited as a potential presidential candidate, but the Socialists were divided on the European Constitution, and Hollande's support for the ill-fated "Yes" position in the French referendum on the European constitution caused friction within the party. Although Hollande was re-elected as first secretary at the Le Mans Congress in 2005, his authority over the party began to decline from this point onwards. Eventually his domestic partner, Ségolène Royal, was chosen to represent the Socialist Party in the 2007 presidential election, where she would lose to Nicolas Sarkozy.
Hollande was widely blamed for the poor performances of the Socialist Party in the 2007 elections, and he announced that he would not seek another term as first secretary. Hollande publicly declared his support for Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, although it was Martine Aubry who would go on to win the race to succeed him in 2008.
Following his resignation as first secretary, Hollande was immediately elected to replace Jean-Pierre Dupont as the president of the General Council of Corrèze in April 2008, a position he holds to this day. In 2008 he supported the creation of the first European Prize for Local History (Étienne Baluze Prize), founded by the "Société des amis du musée du cloître" of Tulle, on the suggestion of the French historian Jean Boutier. François Hollande awarded the first prize on 29 February 2008 to the Italian historian Beatrice Palmero in the General Council of Corrèze.2012 presidential campaign: French presidential election, 2012. Following his re-election as president of the General Council of Corrèze in March 2011, Hollande announced that he would be a candidate in the upcoming primary election to select the Socialist and Radical Left Party presidential nominee.[13] The primary marked the first time that both parties had held an open primary to select a joint nominee at the same time. He initially trailed the front-runner, former finance minister and International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.Following Strauss-Kahn's arrest on suspicion of sexual assault in New York City in May 2011, Hollande began to lead the opinion polls. His position as front-runner was established just as Strauss-Kahn declared that he would no longer be seeking the nomination. After a series of televised debates throughout September, Hollande topped the ballot in the first round held on 9 October with 39% of the vote, not gaining the 50% required to avoid a second ballot, which he would contest against Martine Aubry, who had come second with 30% of the vote.The second ballot took place on 16 October 2011. Hollande won with 56% of the vote to Aubry's 43% and thus became the official Socialist and Radical Left Party candidate for the 2012 presidential election.[14] After the primary results, he immediately gained the pledged support of the other contenders for the party's nomination, including Aubry, Arnaud Montebourg, Manuel Valls and 2007 candidate Ségolène Royal.Hollande's presidential campaign was managed by Pierre Moscovici and Stéphane Le Foll, a member of Parliament and Member of the European Parliament respectively.[16] Hollande launched his campaign officially with a rally and major speech at Le Bourget on 22 January 2012 in front of 25,000 people.[17][18] The main themes of his speech were equality and the regulation of finance, both of which he promised to make a key part of his campaign.[On 26 January, he outlined a full list of policies in a manifesto containing 60 propositions, including the separation of retail activities from riskier investment-banking businesses; raising taxes on big corporations, banks and the wealthy; creating 60,000 teaching jobs; bringing the official retirement age back down to 60 from 62; creating subsidised jobs in areas of high unemployment for the young; promoting more industry in France by creating a public investment bank; granting marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples; and pulling French troops out of Afghanistan in 2012.On 9 February, he detailed his policies specifically relating to education in a major speech in Orléans.On 15 February, incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy announced that he would run for a second and final term, strongly criticising Hollande's proposals and claiming that he would bring about "economic disaster within two days of taking office" if he won.Hollande visited Berlin, Germany, in December 2011 for the Social Democrats Federal Party Congress, at which he met Sigmar Gabriel, Peer Steinbrück, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Martin Schulz;[23][24] he also travelled to Belgium before the United Kingdom in February 2012, where he met with Opposition Leader Ed Miliband; and finally Tunisia in May 2012.Opinion polls showed a tight race between the two men in the first round of voting, with most polls showing Hollande comfortably ahead of Sarkozy in a hypothetical second round run-off.The first round of the presidential election was held on 22 April. François Hollande came in first place with 28.63% of the vote, and faced Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round run-off.[28] In the second round of voting on 6 May 2012, François Hollande was elected President of the French Republic with 51.7% of the vote.President of France (2012–present)[ François Hollande was elected President of France on 6 May 2012. He was inaugurated on 15 May, and shortly afterwards appointed Jean-Marc Ayrault to be his Prime Minister. He also appointed Benoît Puga to be the military's chief of staff, Pierre-René Lemas as his general secretary and Pierre Besnard as his Head of Cabinet. On his first official visit to a foreign country in his capacity as president of France, the airplane transporting him was hit by lightning.[31] The plane returned safely to Paris where he took another flight to Germany. The first measures he took were to lower the income of the president, the prime minister, and other members of the government by 30%, and to make them sign a "code of ethics".Budget: Hollande's economic policies are wide-ranging, including supporting the creation of a European credit rating agency, the separation of lending and investment in banks, reducing the share of electricity generated by nuclear power in France from 75 to 50% in favour of renewable energy sources, merging income tax and the General Social Contribution (CSG), creating an additional 45% for additional income of 150,000 euros, capping tax loopholes at a maximum of €10,000 per year, and questioning the relief solidarity tax on wealth (ISF, Impôt de Solidarité sur la Fortune) measure that should bring €29 billion in additional revenue. Hollande has also signalled his intent to implement a 75% income tax rate on revenue earned above 1,000,000 euros per year, to generate the provision of development funds for deprived suburbs, and to return to a deficit of zero percent of GDP by 2017.[33][34] The tax plan has proven controversial, with courts ruling it unconstitutional in 2012, only to then take the opposite position on a redrafted version in 2013.[35][36]
Hollande has also announced several reforms to education, pledging to recruit 60,000 new teachers, to create a study allowance and means-tested training, and to set up a mutually beneficial contract that would allow a generation of experienced employees and craftsmen to be the guardians and teachers of younger newly hired employees, thereby creating a total of 150,000 subsidized jobs. This has been complemented by the promise of aid to SMEs, with the creation of a public bank investment-oriented SME's, and a reduction of the corporate tax rate to 30% for medium corporations and 15% for small.Hollande's government has announced plans to construct 500,000 public homes per year, including 150,000 social houses, funded by a doubling of the ceiling of the A passbook, the region making available its local government land within five years. In accordance with long-standing Socialist Party policy, Hollande has announced that the retirement age will revert to 60, for those who have contributed for more than 41 years.LGBT rights: Further information: Law 2013-404; Hollande has also announced his personal support for same-sex marriage and adoption for LGBT couples, and outlined plans to pursue the issue in early 2013.[37] In July 2012, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that "In the first half of 2013, the right to marriage and adoption will be open to all couples, without discrimination [...]", confirming this election promise by Hollande.The bill to legalize same-sex marriage, known as Bill no. 344, was introduced to the National Assembly of France on 7 November 2012. On 12 February 2013, the National Assembly approved the bill in a 329–229 vote.The Right-wing opposed the bill. The Senate approved the full bill with a 171–165 majority on 12 April with minor amendments. On 23 April, the National Assembly approved the amended bill, in a 331–225 vote, and following approval of the law by the Constitutional Council of France, it was signed into law by President François Hollande on 18 May 2013, with the first same-sex weddings under the law taking place eleven days later.Labour reform: As President, Hollande pursued labour reform to make France more competitive internationally. Legislation was introduced in late 2012 and after much debate passed the French lower and upper house in May 2013. The bill includes measures such as making it easier for workers to change jobs and for companies to fire employees. One of the main measures of the bill allows companies to temporarily cut workers' salaries or hours during times of economic difficulty. This measure takes its inspiration from Germany, where furloughs have been credited with allowing companies to weather difficult times without resorting to massive layoffs. Another measure that aims to simplify the firing process. Layoffs in France are often challenged in courts and the cases can take years to resolve. Many companies cite the threat of lengthy court action – even more than any financial cost – as the most difficult part of doing business in France. The law shortens the time that employees have to contest a layoff and also lays out a scheme for severance pay. The government hopes this will help employees and companies reach agreement faster in contentious layoffs.Another key measure introduced are credits for training that follow employees throughout their career, regardless of where they work, and the right to take a leave of absence to work at another company. The law will also require all companies to offer and partially pay for supplemental health insurance. Lastly, the law also reforms unemployment insurance, so that someone out of work doesn't risk foregoing significant benefits when taking a job that might pay less than previous work or end up only being temporary. Under the new law, workers will be able to essentially put benefits on hold when they take temporary work, instead of seeing their benefits recalculated each time.Pension reform: As President, Hollande pursued reform to the vast and expensive pension system in France. The process proved to be very contentious, with members of Parliament, Labor Unions, and general public all opposed. Mass protests and demonstrations occurred throughout Paris. Despite the opposition, the French Parliament did pass a reform in December 2013 aimed at plugging a pension deficit expected to reach 20.7 billion euros ($28.4 billion) by 2020 if nothing were to be done. Rather than raising the mandatory retirement age, as many economists had advised, Hollande pursued increases in contributions, leaving the retirement age untouched. The reform had a rough ride in parliament, being rejected twice by the Senate, where Hollande's Socialist Party has a slim majority, before it won sufficient backing in a final vote before the lower house of parliament. French private sector workers will see the size and duration of their pension contributions increase only modestly under the reform while their retirement benefits are largely untouched.[43] Several scholars and economists argue the reform did not go far enough.[who?] Foreign affairs: See also: List of presidential trips made by François Hollande
Leaders of Belarus, Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine at the summit in Minsk, 11–12 February 2015. As President, Hollande promised an early withdrawal of French combat troops present in Afghanistan in 2012.He also pledged to conclude a new contract of Franco-German partnership, advocating the adoption of a Directive on the protection of public services. Hollande has proposed "an acceleration of the establishment of a Franco-German civic service, the creation of a Franco-German research office, the creation of a Franco-German industrial fund to finance common competitiveness clusters, and the establishment of a common military headquarters". As well as this, Hollande has expressed a wish to "combine the positions of the presidents of the European Commission and of the European Council (currently held by José Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy respectively) into a single office...and that it should be directly chosen" by the members of the European Parliament.Hollande made a state visit to the United States in February 2014; a state dinner was given in his honor by U.S. President Barack Obama.On 27 February 2014, Hollande was a special guest of honor in Abuja, received by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in celebration of Nigeria's amalgamation in 1914, a 100-year anniversary. In September 2015, Hollande warned former Eastern Bloc countries against rejecting the EU mandatory migrant quotas, saying: "Those who don't share our values, those who don't even want to respect those principles, need to start asking themselves questions about their place in the European Union".Intervention in Mali: Hollande reviews troops during the 2013 Bastille Day military parade. On 11 January 2013, Hollande authorised the execution of Operation Serval, which aimed to curtail the activities of Islamist extremists in the north of Mali.[44] The intervention was popularly supported in Mali, as Hollande promised that his government would do all it could to "rebuild Mali".During his one-day visit to Bamako, Mali's capital, on 2 February 2013, he said that it was "the most important day in [his] political life". In 2014, Hollande took some of these troops out of Mali and spread them over the rest of the Sahel under Operation Barkhane, in an effort to curb jihadists militants.Co-Prince of Andorra: The President of the French Republic is one of the two joint heads of state of the Principality of Andorra. Hollande hosted a visit from Antoni Martí, head of the government, and Vicenç Mateu Zamora, leader of the parliament.Approval ratings: An IFOP poll released in April 2014 showed that Hollande’s approval rating had dropped five points since the previous month of March to 18%, dipping below his earlier low of 20% in February during the same year.[57] In November 2014, his approval rating reached a new low of 12%, according to a YouGov poll.[58] Following the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 2015, however, approval for Hollande increased dramatically, reaching 40% according to an IFOP poll two weeks after the attack,[59] though an Ipsos-Le Point survey in early February showed his rating declining back to 30%. Personal life: For over thirty years, his partner was fellow Socialist politician Ségolène Royal, with whom he has four children: Thomas (1984), Clémence (1985), Julien (1987) and Flora (1992). In June 2007, just a month after Royal's defeat in the French presidential election of 2007, the couple announced that they were separating.A few months after his split from Ségolène Royal was announced, a French website published details of a relationship between Hollande and French journalist Valérie Trierweiler. In November 2007, Trierweiler confirmed and openly discussed her relationship with Hollande in an interview with the French weekly Télé 7 Jours. She remained a reporter for the magazine Paris Match, but ceased work on political stories. Trierweiler moved into the Élysée Palace with Hollande when he became president and started to accompany him on official travel.On 25 January 2014, Hollande officially announced his separation from Valérie Trierweiler[63] after the tabloid magazine Closer revealed his affair with actress Julie Gayet.[64] In September 2014 Trierweiler published a book about her time with Hollande titled Merci pour ce moment (Thank You for This Moment). The memoir claimed the president presented himself as disliking the rich, but in reality disliked the poor. The claim brought an angry reaction and rejection from Hollande, who said he had spent his life dedicated to the under-privileged.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Hollande
Today will be the happiest day of François Hollande’s term as president of France. In the least surprising surprise result of the year, Hollande has defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, with whom much of France had become frustrated and fed up. Public sentiment is easy enough to understand. Sarkozy rode into office on a wave of expectations which he seemed tempted to inflate at every turn. But he, like France, was ill-equipped to handle the economic crisis that now threatens to pull France into Europe’s troubled bottom tier, down with Italy, Spain, and Greece. Sarkozy’s brand of center-right nationalism had met its match. Now it’s time for Hollande’s, shall we say, socialist nationalism. Despite his reputation as a would-be “Mr. Normal,” Hollande offers an ideology far more grandiose in its self-regard than any associated with Sarkozy. Sarkozy’s egotism suited a party that believed it knew the future. Hollande’s apparent personal humility is an all-too-poetic fit with the animating spirit of his political creed — a wilfull ignorance of its own futility and obsolescence. There are many illustrations to come of why socialism is dead on arrival in twenty-first century France, and François Hollande will find no shortage of disappointments and calamities waiting for him at the peak of power. But right now, we can already identify five key reasons why Hollande is destined to fail: 1. No mandate. Whatever else can be said about socialism or François Hollande, there is no disputing the fact that his public support comprises a soberingly small slice of the French electorate. As it stands, he has not cracked 52% of the vote. What you may not know is that one in four voters rejected every candidate, with 20% casting no ballot and 5% casting a blank one. France’s radicals may tolerate him in a resigned sort of way, but the French right will simply bide their time and drum up some challenger who reminds no one of Sarkozy. The far right, on the other hand, will drive Hollande to distraction. He will be pushed toward the terrible choice either of demonizing them or trying to ignore them. Both alternatives will strengthen them, so long as Hollande actually advances his policies. Anything trans-nationalist will give the Front National fits, while anything else will be occasion for a pitched battle with Hollande over what nationalism is for. Hollande’s support is shallow and weak, fueled largely by a combination of dismayed hope and relief that at least one needn’t endure Sarkozy’s variety of failure anymore. To strengthen his support, Hollande will have to demagogue and cut left. The more he does this, the narrower his appeal will become. No matter what kind of changes in policy he achieves, they will be transitory. France, and Europe, are already waiting for the other shoe to drop. It will.
2. Nationalist nonsense. Barack Obama’s foreign policy has proven itself to be incoherent but acceptable to many Americans. François Hollande’s foreign policy will prove unacceptably incoherent. The French left has always favored greater European togetherness, but now associates the European project with Germany’s economic domination of the Continent. Hollande wants to square the circle by spearheading a European push for ‘more growth’, but he associates pro-growth economic reforms with so-called austerity. (Simply not spending substantial new sums counts as austerity.) As Gideon Rachman observes, France “is a country where the state already consumes 56 per cent of gross domestic product, which has not balanced a budget since the mid-1970s, and which has some of the highest taxes in the world.” And Hollande’s vision of growth is a product of his leftist view of nationalism:Mr. Hollande has vowed to restore social equilibrium in France, in part by pushing back against the austerity championed by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and the European Central Bank president, Mario Draghi. Mr. Hollande’s plans include rolling back tax breaks that Mr. Sarkozy gave to the wealthy, and increasing state-sponsored investment, in part by creating tens of thousands of civil sector jobs. 4 Essential Tips To Becoming A Better Leader Hollande is correct to realize that Germany lacks the political authority to successfully impose its fiscal habits upon Europe. But he is a fool to believe he ought to do more of precisely what caused Germany to try in the first place. Massive government spending is actually not the problem (although if Paul Krugman is right, France and Europe would require a volume of deficit spending that Hollande hasn’t a chance in hell of securing). The problem is not the amount of money that Hollande takes in, from whatever source, but how he will spend it: on government jobs. The secret killer of Europe’s economy has been government jobs, which have grown to absorb so much of Europe’s economies because so many European governments have functioned as if the EU had done nothing to weaken nationalism. There is little more nationalist than a government job, and little more hostile to European togetherness. The more government jobs, the farther away a common labor market. Civil sector jobs strengthen nationalism just at the moment of its most startling failure, yet they are the centerpiece of Hollande’s vision of normalcy. It’s a view that puts him on a collision course with the viability of the Eurozone and the EU itself. Once the left really accepts this, Hollande will become a scapegoat for whatever doesn’t work, which eventually will be everything. Left nationalism is as useless in the face of this crisis as Sarkozy’s center-right Gaullism. Sarkozy got off easy. Hollande won’t. 3. More globalization. Globalization will not reverse itself out of deference to François Hollande. For now, France is itself a globalizer, not a victim of globalization. But by the time Hollande is done with France, that may well change. The markets do not like Hollande — and why should they? — but, try as Hollande might, France is a market, and a big one. If he impairs the vitality of French business in Europe — and he will — he’ll make firms from around the world an offer they’ll be unlikely to refuse. This time, Germany won’t be first in line, especially if Hollande gets his way. The European left’s resistance to Germany is stronger than its resistance to China. China, meanwhile, is busy developing a new approach to Europe that can capitalize on this attitude. Just as the French left will find itself more nationalist, yet more beholden to foreign powers, it will be more antagonistic to globalization, yet more dependent upon it. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3: take Europe’s economic situation, add French socialism, and stir. 4. Focused opposition. France’s political right may be fraying and fragmenting now, but by the time Hollande is up for re-election, France’s needs — and the right’s — will become clear. Long gone will be the days when only a few isolated American and British commentators advance opinions concerning the necessity of one or another kind of new Napoleon in France. The heavyweight argument on that count involves a recognition that French nationalism and European togetherness can only be reconciled through a kind of French-led continental unity for which Napoleon’s First Empire is the only available inspiration. But a more easily digestible argument, capable of reuniting the right, looks something like this:Given the inevitable collapse of a future Hollande administration – either through economic failure or political ineptitude – what will save France from this poisonous consensus of decline and disorder? To return to the Napoleonic/Gaullist model, it needs a strong man (or woman) to advance bold, wholesale reform. It doesn’t require a dictator: the rule is that every successive great leader adopts and preserves the best of the constitution that came before. But France surely needs a president who will a) reject sectional politics that pits one class or region against another, b) resist pandering to the mob, and c) do what must be done to deregulate the French economy. Once the right accepts these things, an intelligible, coherent answer to Hollande will come into focus. The key piece will involve spanning the nationalist-versus-transnationalist divide. It will come as a matter of logic — before, not after, Hollande is replaced. The big picture for the French right is a realization that France cannot be kept strong and proud unless it asserts its political leadership over the whole of Europe. If it does not, failed states and hostile interests will hem it in on all sides, and unmet longings will bring chaos to its politics and its streets. 5. The force of history. The objection will be raised that the French right will never unite to beat Hollande unless the right individual — a truly remarkable individual — steps forward. Circumstances, however, have a habit of thrusting to the forefront someone who will do. By the time Hollande’s term is up, France will, historically speaking, have tried everything but a far-right government led from Paris. And the far right is too factional to swiftly step into effective command. Europe’s shambles and France’s limbo will form a vacuum reminiscent of the one that Napoleon stepped forward to fill. The people will be ready for it. After Hollande, they will be exhausted by politics and sick of themselves. Socialism will have proven itself completely unable to reconcile nationalism and transnationalism, as we already know it to be. The task will fall to the French right. Today, Hollande’s opponents seem incompetent to fulfill this task. But whatever the institutional preparedness of the French right appears to be, France will face the kind of historic moment that makes great statesmen, not waits on them. France’s savoir won’t be Hollande, thanks to the one-two punch of his orthodoxy and his disposition. His administration will exacerbate the troubles that already dwarf him. Whether he is aware of this or not, the outcome will be the same.
www.forbes.com/sites/jamespoulos/2012/05/06/five-reasons-...
French unemployment rose to near a record high in the third quarter, the latest sign that President Francois Hollande is struggling to meet a pledge to create jobs.Unemployment climbed to 10.6 percent in the three months through September from 10.4 percent the previous quarter, national statistics office Insee said in an e-mailed statement. That’s in contrast to Germany, where the jobless rate fell to a record-low 6.3 percent in November.While jobless claims have been steadily climbing for the past four years to reach a record 3.6 million in October, Hollande has been able to point to France’s growing population as part of the reason. The unemployment rate, by contrast, has stayed below the all-time high reached in 1997.The third-quarter increase now leaves unemployment at its highest in 18 years and just shy of the the 10.7 percent record. While the economy is showing some signs of sustained growth for the first time since Hollande took power in May 2012, the labor-market numbers represent a political defeat for the Socialist president, who has said that job creation is a condition for his own re-election in 2017.Separately on Thursday, Markit Economics said its composite manufacturing and services gauge fell to 51 in November from 52.6 in October. While that’s above the key 50 level indicating expansion, it lower than the initial estimate and signals the slowest growth of private sector output since August.
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-03/french-unemplo...
Text taken from a version, in English, of The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, and modernized slightly. Good advice from a classic author. The background is straw.
Thanks for looking!
Purple Sunbird (female)
" Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. "
Saint Augustine.
Girl in praying posture.
This is the last of the seven photos in my blog entry:
≅ river 2003 ≅ featuring there under the title "humility".
Location: Chalares canyon, Ikaria island.
September 2003.
devotees go barefoot as a sign of humility
The "Feast of the Black Nazarene" attended by tens of thousands of Filipino Catholics, is an annual celebration of faith which takes place every 9th of January. It is the single largest festival in the Philippines. Highlight of the festivity is a procession which commemorates the first procession to transfer the Black Nazarene from a church in Intramuros to the Minor Basilica in Quiapo on Jan. 9, 1767.
The devotion to the image of Jesus Christ is a practice that was sanctioned by two Catholic popes 200 years ago by granting indulgence to those who piously pray before the image of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo.
The Black Nazarene, enshrined in the minor basilica in Quiapo, Manila, is a life-sized, dark-skinned statue of Jesus Christ, brought from Mexico to the Philippines in the year 1606. The image is believe by thousands of Filipino catholics to have magical and miraculous powers.
The Philippines is the only country in Asia with a Catholic majority.
Feast of the Black Nazarene
Quiapo, Manila
Philippines
"Will Tahu find the humility and patience to earn deeper knowledge of fire and learn that not everything can be taken by force?"
Fourth creature of the series to make the G2 creatures into large and powerful elemental masters. Ikir came to completion in one day after I began tinkering with his head design. It's a good feeling when a moc comes together straightforwardly.
As usual, I recycled the head, but gave the creature different eyes from the rest. Boat studs made for great bird eyes in this case.
With Ikir, I thought that Tahu's challenge is basically the fact that he can't reach the flying bird. Assuming Tahu is fairly hot tempered, his trial is to learn that he can't simply force and take everything he wants. Instead, with Ikir, he must learn to earn, wait, give and compromise until he finds the connection he needs with Ikir.
A Good Gesture....This Is How Our Elders Taught Us To Do!!
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Acknowledging The Applause Of Audience And In Appreciation Of Their Visit ,,,,,
This Is How Our Children Are Taught And Expected To Show Their Respect To God...
Parents And Gurus And Elders.....With Utmost Humility And Total Submission With Whole Heart , Body And Soul And Seek Their Blessings.....
We Do Follow It..Sincerely ,,May Not Be Every Day..But Surely On Family Funcitons, Festivals And On Auspicious Days ......Our Children Do It Even Before Appearing For School Examination.....Or Before Taking Up A New Job Or Undertake Travel.....
..Whether The Future Generation Will Follow It Or Not....Is A Question Mark?
Theophilus continued to trace Luke's account to understand the man, Jesus of Nazareth. He understood Jesus to be the Messiah, and needed to know more. This was not the Messiah they had been expecting. This was not the Redeemer that had been spoken of in their culture for so long. Jesus had come in humility. Born in the manger. Baptized to fulfill the Law and prophecies. Obedient to His own word in the worst of temptations. And then calling others to follow Him.
Not only those closest disciples, but everyone. Jesus had traveled from place to place exhorting all to repent and believe, that He was the promised Redeemer, that He would save them from the judgment that was due for their sin. That was good news indeed to a heart under conviction, like Theophilus.
As Theophilus spent the days following the path of Jesus' ministry, he spoke with those who had seen Him. Those who had witnessed the events. Jesus had preached, He had healed and fed. He had freed men and women from demonic possession. He had performed many miracles.
All the while, calling. Calling.
If God will save even a sinner such as me, thought Theophilus, I will do this as well. I will tell others.
But first Theophilus must understand what happened next.
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Soon afterward He was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him Luke 8:1
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:17-19
"When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him. As He laid His hands on each one of them, He would heal them. Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Messiah.
When it was day, He went out and made His way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. But He said to them, “I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee." Luke 4:40-44
"Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”" Mark 1:14-15
"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
To be real on this path you must be humble--
If you look down at others you'll get pushed down the stairs.
If your heart goes around on high, you fly far from this path.
There's no use hiding it--
What's inside always leaks outside.
(yunus emre)
When young we feel almost indestructible believing we can conquer the world. With Age come knowledge, humility and understanding that we cannot wrap the world around our arms. We are just a small part of something incredible, not the center of it.
Macro Monday project – 06/20/11
"Humility"
A new tribute to the humility of His Holiness Pope Francis, painted in prayer by expressionist artist Stephen B Whatley.
The portrait tribute will be on public display in the artist's exhibition of 25 Catholic tribute paintings 'Paintings From Prayer' which will be uniquely on show in the Chapels of St Andrew & St Patrick, within Westminster Cathedral, Victoria Street, London SW1, 8 -22 August 2013.
PAINTINGS FROM PRAYER by Stephen B Whatley
at Westminster Cathedral, Victoria Street, London. SW1P 1QW
8-22 August 2013
Exhibition displayed in the Chapels of St Andrew & St Patrick (Right hand aisle of Cathedral)
Exhibition open: Mon-Fri: 7-7pm, Sat: 8-7pm, Sun:7-7.45pm.
Oil on canvas,
27.5 x 19.5in/70 x 50cm
Collection of Westminster Cathedral, London, UK