This Is Our Story

This is Our Story

Humanity United in Action,
Driven By Love and Compassion,
Informed by Science and Reason.

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  • Cycle-of-Life Season
    • 1 Dormancy
      • Week 01: Human Worth
      • Week 02: Universality
      • Week 03: Justice
      • Week 04: Suffering
      • Week 05: Humility
      • Week 06: Avoiding Harm, or Evil
      • Week 07: Engaging the World
      • Week 08: Order
    • 2 Sowing
      • Week 09: Preferences (Desire)
      • Week 10: Autonomy
      • Week 11: Life as a Journey
      • Week 12: Renewal
      • Week 13: Hope and Optimism
      • Week 14: Self-esteem (Self-worth begins)
      • Week 15: Self-confidence
      • Week 16: Independence (Self-competence)
    • 3 Growth
      • Week 17: Our Future
      • Week 18: Honesty
      • Week 19: Obligation in the World
      • Week 20: Duty toward Others
      • Week 21: Awakening
      • Week 22: Obstacles and Opportunities
      • Week 23: Individuality and Community
    • 4 Ripening
      • Week 24: Honoring
      • Week 25: Excellence
      • Week 26: An Ethic of Generous Service
      • Week 27: Openness
      • Week 28: Transcendence
      • Week 29: Wisdom
      • Week 30: Caring
      • Week 31: Courage
      • Week 32: Citizenship
    • 5 Interlude
      • Week 33: Grounding and Well-Roundedness
      • Week 34: Assertiveness
      • Week 35: Restoration
    • 6 Fulfillment
      • Week 36: Creativity
      • Week 37: Truth
      • Week 38: Love
      • Week 39: Faith
      • Week 40: Rebirth
    • 7 Assessing
      • Week 41: Home and the Past
      • Week 42: Vitality
      • Week 43: Self-actualization and Integrity
      • Week 44: Connectedness
      • Week 45: Empowerment
      • Week 46: Equality
    • 8 Harvest and Celebration
      • Week 47: Flourishing
      • Week 48: Focus and Perspective
      • Week 49: Change
      • Week 50: Finding Our Niche
      • Week 51: Accepting / Surrendering
      • Week 52: Living Religiously
      • Week 53: Celebration and Remembrance
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You are here: Home / Cycle-of-Life Season / 4 Ripening / Being Present

Being Present

Sometimes the most caring thing we can do for someone is to be present in a time of need. The simple act of human contact and what it represents is all we can do, and enough.

Real

True Narratives

  • Michael Dorris, The Broken Cord (Harper Perennial, 1990), a true story of a man’s commitment to a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, whom he chose to adopt.
  • Karhryn Davis, Aurelia, Aurélia: A Memoir (Greywolf Press, 2022): “The subject is the death of Davis’s husband, Eric, from cancer. While Eric is dying, the two spend their mornings side by side in bed.”

Imaginary

Visual Arts

  • Umberto Boccioni, States of Mind: Those Who Stay (1911)
  • Umberto Boccioni, States of Mind: Those Who Leave (1911)

Music: songs and other short pieces

  • James Taylor, You’ve Got a Friend
  • Carole King, You’ve Got a Friend
  • The Beatles, Here, There and Everywhere
  • Nawang Khechog, Presence

Film and Stage

  • Toy Story 2: the toys try to rescue their friend from an unhappy fate

From the dark side:

  • Charulata (The Lonely Wife) is Satyajit Ray’s study of a woman whose husband pays her little attention.
  • Tokyo Story, a tragedy of inattention and indifference
  • Letter from an Unknown Woman, a story of unrequited romantic “love,” a pregnancy, a child and indifference

Music: Composers, artists, and major works

Compositions:

  • Vaughan Williams, Hugh the Drover: well-bred Mary falls in love with Hughand they stand by each other to the stocks, from which they are freed.
  • Gernsheim, Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, 32 (1875)
  • German, pieces for violin and piano
  • Cassadesus, works for violin and piano, including Sonata Nos. 1 and 2, and Hommage a Chausson for Violin and Piano, Op. 51
  • Cassadesus, Suite for Two Violins, Op. 39 (In Memory of Gabriel Fauré)
  • Elgar, works for Violin and Piano, including his Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 82 (1918)
  • Raga Madhmad sarang, an afternoon raag (performances by Amonkar, Rajurkar and Bismillah Khan)

Albums:

  • Matthew Shipp Trio, “Piano Song”

Fictional Narratives

Novels:

  • Sigrid Nunez, What Are You Going Through: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2020): “Reading Sigrid Nunez’s absorbing new novel is somewhat akin to having a long conversation with someone who is telling you something very important, but is telling it in a very quiet voice. You have to really pay attention.”

August 24, 2010

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Topics

Acknowledging Anticipation Appreciation Belonging Choosing Confidence Focus Honoring uniqueness Judgment Motivation Planning Prudence Remembrance Restraining Retreat Reverie Self-knowledge Tenacity Transcending ego Week 01: Human Worth

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