M.J. Rose

Do you ever wonder how we’ve found ourselves in the big messes we’re in as people and as a country? Apparently, the Why to all of this is that we’ve stopped being wise. The good news is that we don’t have to be brilliant to be wise, but the bad news is that without brilliance, wisdom isn’t enough.

From the TED talks –

“Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for “practical wisdom” as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.”

At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama issued eighteen rules for living. I think we could all use a refresher nearly 10 years later…

• Dalai Lama’s 18 rules for living
  Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
  When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
  Follow the three Rs:
  Respect for self
  Respect for others
  Responsibility for all your actions.
  Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
  Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
  Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
  When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
  Spend some time alone every day.
  Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
  Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
  Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
  A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
  In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
  Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
  Be gentle with the earth.
  Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
  Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
  Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

BIG NEWS

Fox orders ‘Past Life,’ another drama for next fall

Fox has added “Past Life,” another drama, to its fall roster.

Based on the novel “The Reincarnationist” by MJ Rose, the series uses the concept of reincarnation to solve present-day mysteries caused by past-life traumas.

Created by David Hudgins (“Friday Night Lights” and “Everwood)” the show stars Kelli Giddish (“Life on Mars”), and Nicholas Bishop (“Home and Away”), who are pictured; and Ravi Patel (“Transformers”) and Richard Schiff (“The West Wing.)”

Here’s more in the news!

Fox adds ‘Life’ to 2009-10 schedule
By CYNTHIA LITTLETON, MICHAEL SCHNEIDER (Variety.com)

Warner Bros. TV’s reincarnation-themed drama ‘Past Life’ drew a pickup from Fox Thursday.

Fox has added the Warner Bros. TV drama “Past Life” to its tally of 2009-10 season pickups as it preps for Monday’s upfront presentation in Gotham.

Reincarnation-themed drama about a psychologist and an ex-NYPD homicide detective who team up to help people solve past-life traumas and present-day crimes comes from scribe David Hudgins. Cast includes Kelli Giddish, Nicholas Bishop, Richard Schiff and Ravi Patel.

Net made it official with the studio Thursday afternoon. “Past Life” joins the comicbook-based fantasy “Human Target” and laffer “Sons of Tucson” on Fox’s authorized pickup list.