W-O-W-5-archive

Words Of Wisdom

Each week Art Anderson Speaks brings you a new W-O-W to enrich
your lives. Each W-O-W insight is drawn from the speeches, books, or
other materials prepared by Art Anderson. A commentary follows the
W-O-W insight to further clarify its meaning and application to your life.

Art would be delighted to receive comments from you about any of
these W-O-W insights or to hear about any of your own.
Please write to him at art@artandersonspeaks.com

"Reality is the raw material for its own transformation, and
adversity can become anything you choose to make it into."

COMMENTARY

Contact Art Anderson by email: art@artandersonspeaks.com

Nothing more profound or enlightening can be said about dealing with adversity.

That reality is the raw material for its own transformation is a liberating truth that
was first revealed to me more than thirty-five years ago by a very dear, wise,
and articulate poet named Fred McCuistion. I have pondered this concept ever
since and find it to be true in my life and the lives of others. It is the basis of my
speeches and writings and of the subsequent insights you will receive in these
weekly W-O-W segments

Reality is given to us by God to transform for our good and the good of others.
We are His co-creators of the future. The implications this has for the adversities
we face in life are obvious: Adversity can become anything you or I choose to
make it into. I have also found this to be true time and again in my own life and
in the lives of those I have helped as an attorney working with people who are
oppressed and beleaguered and even more so as an ordained minister working
with people who are dispirited and despairing.

But you must also realize that, to transform adversity into a stream of blessings
in your life, there are a series of steps that have to be followed. These steps,
along with certain attitudes you must cultivate in your life, will be provided to
you week-by-week in these W-O-W insight segments.

You alone are in charge of your life and you have the God-given power to find
the blessing in every bane, a cause to rejoice in every curse, an unfulfilled dream
in every nightmare. Life is meant to be a celebration, not a struggle. Become
prophetic. Don't just try to foretell your future, but actually make it happen.
Enjoy the prosperity, happiness, and abundance God meant for you.

Ponder this W-O-W insight as I have pondered it.

THIS WEEK'S W-O-W
WOW 1--July 1, 2005

Words Of Wisdom

"The World Is As You Are."

COMMENTARY

Artists see the world differently. They notice shades, shadows, variations in
hues, and different perspectives that the rest of us miss. The world of the artist is
not the same for those who are deaf to the subtle tones of color and texture; nor
is the world of the poet the same for the poemless pedagogue; nor that of the
lover for those who know not love. For each of us, the world is as we are.

If we put on pink-tinted glasses, everywhere we see pink. We can rub the
objects of our vision, but the pink will not come off. It’s not in them, but in us.
So, too, when we look through loving eyes, we see love everywhere. Love
transforms the lover. It's the first of all freedoms because it transcends the laws
of man and liberates us from the bonds of hatred and bitterness. Yet our love
needn’t change the world. It’s only necessary that we love, and then it’s we who
are changed and the world becomes for us as we are, a place filled with love.

It’s the same when we forgive others the wrongs they’ve done us. It is, all along,
we who harbor the bitterness and resentment the wrong created. By not forgiving
others, we sin against ourselves. By forgiving them we forgive ourselves. We
free the prisoner within us. The world again becomes for us a place of peace and
beauty. Forgiveness is our God-given power to perform miracles, to change
water into wine, ugliness back into beauty, bitterness back into peace, and hatred
back into love. And the funny thing is that the miracle takes place within us.

What we give, the world gives back. Everything in life follows the invisible law
of cause and effect. It’s invincible and inviolable. Each thought we think adds to
or detracts from who we are. Each choice we make, no matter how insignificant
it may seem at the time, shapes our character. And each action we take has an
equal reaction for good or evil that redounds to us.

Hear within yourself the desire of what you want to be. It’s the voice of God
speaking to you. Believe and visualize yourself already living that life and it will
be yours. Cause and effect are one. The oak is already in the acorn, but until the
acorn gives itself completely to the joy of becoming the oak, nothing happens.
So, too, commend yourself totally to what you want to become and the world
around you will comply. All of nature cheers a noble quest. You cannot fail. The
world is as you are. It can be no other way.

THIS WEEK'S W-O-W
WOW 2--July 14, 2005

Words Of Wisdom

Every two weeks, "Art Anderson Speaks" brings you a new W-O-W
to enrich your lives. Each W-O-W is drawn from the speeches,
books, or other materials prepared by Art Anderson.
A commentary follows each W-O-W to further clarify
its meaning and application to your life.

Art would be delighted to receive comments from you about any of
these W-O-W insights or to hear about any of your own.
Please write to him at art@artandersonspeaks.com

"Love transforms the lover."

COMMENTARY

Contact Art Anderson by email: art@artandersonspeaks.com

This is the one, crucial, and indispensable W-O-W insight to living a genuinely
human and happy life. We cannot survive without loving. We need to love just
as we need to eat, drink, and breathe, only more so.

and flow. To betray one is to betray both.
and flow. To betray one is to betray both.

Love is the very life that flows through us. It purifies us just as water cleanses
the aqueduct through which it flows. It makes us holy. It perfects us even as
God is perfect. It readies us for union with God, because God is love. We must
therefore desire love as we would desire God—with our whole heart, soul,
strength, and mind. It’s that important.

Love is never wasted or lost. It makes no difference whether our love is well
received or not. Nor does our love need to change the world. It’s only necessary
that we love, and then it’s we who are changed—and the world becomes as we
are—brimming and teeming with love. Suddenly we see all the love that was
always there but was invisible to less loving eyes. Love is a self-referral process.
We imbue the world with the love that it then gives us back.

When we extend ourselves in acts of love, we grow. We break boundaries. It's a
misnomer to refer to love as self-sacrificing. It can never be a depletion of the
self, but always a completion. It’s self-reciprocating. The more we engage in
loving, the more capable of loving we become; and the more capable we are, the
more love we can engage in. It’s an ever-expanding process.

Like a pebble in a pond, love ripples forth from the very center of our being
reaching out in ever-expanding circles to family, friends, neighbors, all peoples,
finally encompassing all creation until nothing is left unloved by us. Only then
can our love surpass its finite boundaries and blend back into the boundlessness
of God’s infinite love whence it came.

THIS WEEK'S W-O-W
WOW 3--July 29, 2005

Words Of Wisdom

Contact Art Anderson by email: art@artandersonspeaks.com

One night the stillness of this idyllic subdivision was shattered by a terrifying, convulsive
noise. The ground rumbled, homes crumbled, and part of a block caved in. Fire spewed
from the earth’s bowels. Noxious fumes hissed from newly formed crevices in the earth’s
surface. A putrid, nauseating stench filled the air.
Unbeknown to the inhabitants, the subdivision sat on an old rural landfill. Garbage, waste,
and dead things had been dumped, and then covered with earth. More rubbish, sludge,
and scum were piled on and again covered until there were many layers of rotting
refuse.
On the top crust, the homes, roads, and park were built. As methane gas formed from
decomposing rot, pressure kept building. Finally something gave; and, within minutes,
simple beauty was abruptly transformed into abject ugliness. No one suspected what was
festering beneath this pleasant, unpretentious subdivision.
Anger is like that. It lurks beneath an otherwise amiable surface only to erupt
unexpectedly. We wonder how outwardly good people can inwardly rankle with such bad
temper? That's why anger is called the "vice of the virtuous." But, deep down, angry
people aren't really virtuous at all. Their anger is symptomatic. It bespeaks an evil and
rancor seething far below.
Contrary to what pop psychologists say, anger is a foe, not a friend. It triggers wars,
divides nations, ruins careers, causes accidents, and destroys families. Worst of all, it
steals the bloom from youth. A simple angry word, a single act of rage, is enough to daunt
a child's dreams, wound his soul, and forever wilt his self-esteem. It may even put that
first twist of anger in his heart, and thereby bend the twig in a way the tree was never
meant to grow. Whosoever scandalizes a child, it would be better that a heavy millstone
be hung from his neck and he be cast into the sea.
We're too accepting of anger, too quick to excuse or justify it. We rely on silly slogans
like: "It's good to blow off steam." "Anger energizes you." Or, worst of all, "Even Jesus
got angry." He didn't, not even when he drove the money changers from the temple.
There's a difference between anger and, for want of a better word, “indignation.”. One
spews forth from a stewing pit of emotional swill, the other emanates from a just and
noble heart. One is sick, the other savvy.
Jesus saw corruption and iniquity in his Father's house and took immediate and effective
action to eliminate them. He was provoked to act and acted firmly and decisively, yet
didn't act in anger. But, because of his intensity, we attribute anger to him. That might
have been our reaction, but not his. His humanity never degraded his divinity. It's
important to understand this difference, but it's difficult because our language doesn't
clearly distinguish anger from indignation.
A hard-hitting response doesn't necessarily imply anger. Students of martial arts are taught
to respond defensively, even lethally if necessary, but always without anger because anger
disrupts concentration and disturbs the flow of energy. Mohammed A1i would
deliberately taunt and bait his opponents into becoming angry so that they'd make foolish
mistakes. Indignation, on the other hand, is deliberative, not impulsive; and, unlike anger
which often knows no boundaries, indignation is an evenly controlled and directed
response, calculated to achieve a desired objective and no more—e.g., ridding the Temple
of money changers.
Learning to act from indignation and never from anger empowers you to be effective in
getting the job done as Jesus did, or in overcoming adversity as Mohammed Ali did. This
effectiveness, in turn, puts you in a position of leadership. People look up to a man or
woman who can deal with difficult situations with measured control and the exertion of
no more force than is proper and necessary. Such a person is honorable because, in
righting a wrong, he or she does not rob from others their dignity, nor does he or she
injure innocent bystanders—e.g., children as casualties of their parents’ anger toward
each other.
You can be that person. Forsake anger. Whenever you feel tempted to anger, think about
that pleasant subdivision with all the decomposing rot beneath the surface. Anger is never
pretty or honorable.

"The Rot Beneath The Surface"

THIS WEEK'S W-O-W
WOW 4--September 17, 2005
(A delay between WOW 3 and 4 was due to unexpected major surgery, an adversity from which countless blessings are already flowing forth.)

Words Of Wisdom

Every few weeks, "Art Anderson Speaks" brings you a new W-O-W
to enrich your lives. Each W-O-W is drawn from the speeches,
books, or other materials prepared by Art Anderson.
A commentary follows each W-O-W to further clarify
its meaning and application to your life.

Art would be delighted to receive comments from you about any of
these W-O-W insights or to hear about any of your own.
Please write to him at art@artandersonspeaks.com

"Overcoming One Fear Can End All Fears"

COMMENTARY

Contact Art Anderson by email: art@artandersonspeaks.com

There is a man I know—let’s call him Frank—who had many fears.
   Frank was afraid of heights, afraid to fly, afraid of small spaces, afraid to
speak in front of groups, and afraid to voice his opinion because he might sound
foolish.
   But most of all, Frank was afraid of cancer. It was the one fear that dwarfed
all the rest. His mother had struggled with cancer and succumbed to it at a
relatively young age. Later in life his father was diagnosed with cancer. Frank
knew it was just a matter of time for him to get it, too.
   Frank was so troubled with the prospects of cancer that he twitched whenever
he heard the word. He wouldn’t think the word cancer, write it, or read it for fear
that doing so would set in motion the forces of cancer somewhere in his body.
Frank confided in me that, when he was younger, he wouldn’t date girls whose
astrological sign was Cancer.
   Frank trembled to think that a doctor would someday look him in the face and
say those most horrifying words of all: “You have cancer.” He knew he would
convulse internally and breakdown outwardly. And, like his mother, he would
struggle and die.
   As time went on, Frank got married. His wife and he had three children and
eventually moved to another town where Frank began a new career that was the
fulfillment of years of saving, striving, and dreaming. It kept him extremely busy,
but he always made plenty of time for his family, remembering the love and
attention he received from his parents.
   Frank’s business had grown to the point where he was finally able to make his
first acquisition. There was plenty to do to and a do-or-die deadline to meet.
For several weeks Frank had felt extremely tired and told himself he had just
been working too hard. But as the days passed he became more and more
exhausted and decided to see his family doctor who ran him through a series of
blood tests and other diagnostic procedures.
   Frank was two days away from meeting his deadline when the nurse called
and told him the test results were in and that the doctor wanted to see him the
next morning.
   What’s the rush, Frank wondered. “Please just ask the doctor to call in a
prescription to the pharmacy,” he said to the nurse, “and I’ll pick it up on the
way home.” But the nurse was persistent, so Frank made the appointment and
returned to his frantic work.
   Frank got to his office early the next morning to make up for the time he'd
have to spend at the doctor’s office. He figured he’d be sitting around in the
waiting room reading old US magazines as usual. But that didn’t happen this
time. When he arrived, the nurse took him directly into the doctor’s office. Frank
felt special. Perhaps they realized how valuable his time was, too, and not just
the doctor’s.
   The visit began with the usual cordialities about weather and families and
questions about work. But Frank was impatient and needed to get back, so he
broke the conversation with a question. “One of my friends said he had the same
kind of exhaustion and it turned out to be some kind of infection that got better
with antibiotics. Is that what you’ll be prescribing for me?”
   “No Frank,” the doctor said, looking him straight in the eyes. “I’m sorry, but
you have cancer.”
   Frank’s immediate response was (and I quote exactly): “Oh, shit. I don’t have
time for cancer now. What do I need to do to get rid of it?”
   His doctor asked if he wanted a second opinion. Frank declined. “I’m really
busy and I just need to be done with it.” His doctor told him he had already
conferred with several specialists and immediate surgery was recommended.
   “I can’t until after tomorrow. I’ve got a deadline to meet.”
   “By immediate,” his doctor said, “I mean anytime over the next couple of
weeks.”
   “How about the day after tomorrow?” Frank asked.
   “Yes, I can arrange for your hospital admission. More tests will be run, and
the specialists and surgeon will take it from there.”
   Frank got up, shook the doctor’s hand, and left to return to his office. On the
way back he was mumbling in his mind about what a pain in the butt this whole
thing was, and only then did it hit him: “I have cancer!”
   Panic set in. He pulled his car to the side of the road and stopped. His heart
was pounding. It was at this moment that Frank had a life-changing insight. In the
doctor’s office, cancer, the greatest of all his many fears, took only second place
to the importance of his work and the welfare to his family that would result.
Cancer was a fact, but it had no power in itself over him unless he chose to give
power to it . He firmly decided that he would not give cancer power in his life.
He could and would deal with it on his terms. Perhaps a stream of unseen
blessings might even be hidden somewhere beneath it.
   Frank pulled back onto the road and headed to his office, intent on making
tomorrow's do-or-die deadline and refuse to give cancer any sway over his
determination. As he became preoccupied in his preparations, he never thought
about his diagnosis. He had a deadline to meet, and he did. The acquisition was
successful. Frank felt exuberant.
   That night he and his family celebrated. The next morning he reported to the
hospital with his wife who stayed with him each day until his discharge.
The surgery was a success. Periodic testing would have to be done, but a
complete recovery was expected.
   After a few weeks, Frank was back at the office and began noticing something
strange. He gladly accepted invitations to speak before groups. He was not
hesitant to state his opinions. He had his secretary book flights, and he found
flying to be quite enjoyable. Heights and tight spaces were still a little iffy, but
they didn't paralyze him as they did before. All his petty phobias were gone now
that his greatest fear had been unmasked as a sham. Perhaps this was the
blessing hidden all along beneath the ailment that had been consuming his life
long before it actually afflicted him.
   This is a true story. Ponder it well. Cancer is real. There is no choice. Fears
are real, but there is a choice. We can let them paralyze our lives or we can face
and dismiss them for what they are. Someone once said that fears are the
maggots of the soul. They'll slowly devour us from the inside out . . . but, only if
we let them. We decide the power we give them.
   This does not mean abandoning caution in high places or prudence before
speaking our opinion, but it does mean keeping the maggots from nibbling away
our souls.

WOW #5

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