“Fame and infamy merely consist of others’ projections, fantasies and opinions, which mean about as much as yours. People’s opinions of you are like clouds passing in the sky, pushed here and there by whichever wind is prevailing. When they’re with you, your mythical self gets a massage; when they’re against you, it gets punched around, but it only hurts as much as you believe in the myth of who you are.
Conversely, fame, acclaim, renown or just straightforward approval can cause tension when you’re afraid to lose them, and infamy and disgrace can be quite enjoyable as a refuge for a while. Ultimately, it’s YOU who does the approving and disapproving of yourself, and your “public” simply reflects that in this nutty hall of mirrors.
Approval and disapproval alternate on the revolving yin-yang wheel, so any effort to hold on to the former and avoid the latter is futile. It’s far better to identify yourself with your spirit which is eternal, unchanging and beyond anyone’s approval or disapproval, even yours.”
Stephen Russell, in “Barefoot Doctor’s Guide to the TAO”
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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.
