Evolutionary thought of the day:

Each interaction we have with another human ultimately affects millions of others living on earth, for generations to come. By affirming and lifting each other up, or degrading and bringing others down, the energy that you bring to an interaction with someone ultimately transfers in small part through that person into everyone they encounter. Thus simply in exchanging energy with one another (in body language, words, or actions), we effectively promote or degrade one-billionth of our status and purpose as a species, but spread that one-billionth of an idea into hundreds, thousands, and potentially millions/billions of souls. Hence, the great quote:

“Every action of my life touches on some chord that will vibrate into eternity.”

On another note, here are some great quotes from my current online reading adventure, “An Autobiography of a Yogi”

On miracles performed by people, as explained by early 20th century science:
“The different sensory stimuli to which man reacts—tactual, visual, gustatory, auditory, and olfactory—are produced by vibratory variations in electrons and protons. The vibrations in turn are regulated by “lifetrons,” subtle life forces or finer-than-atomic energies intelligently charged with the five distinctive sensory idea-substances.

Gandha Baba, tuning himself with the cosmic force by certain yogic practices, was able to guide the lifetrons to rearrange their vibratory structure and objectivize the desired result. His perfume, fruit and other miracles were actual materializations of mundane vibrations, and not inner sensations hypnotically produced.”

(I don’t know about “lifetrons,” but he’s on the right track…)

Also,
“Hypnotism is trespass into the territory of another’s consciousness.”

(Aha, my thoughts exactly! Maybe that’s why I have refused to let anyone hypnotize me!)

I was pleased to find that someone had already summarized and put into words my thoughts & experience with religion. I found these quotes today on Wikipedia, while learning about Buddhism (much to mother’s chagrin):

“Believe not because some old manuscripts are produced, believe not because it is your national belief, because you have been made to believe it from your childhood; but reason it all out, and after you have analyzed it, then, if you find that it will do good to one and all, believe it, live up to it, and help others to live up to it.”
~Swami Vivekananda

“Serenity of spirit and love for all sentient creation are enjoined by the Buddha. He does not speak of sin, but only of ignorance and foolishness, which could be cured by Enlightenment and Sympathy.”
~Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

“In my case strangely enough, it was not the love of science, nor the love of Nature – but an abstract idealisation, the belief in the value of the human spirit and the virtue of human endeavour and achievement (that motivates me). I am moved by the story of the Buddha’s great renunciation, of his search for truth, and of his final enlightment. It showed me that the capacity for renunciation in the pursuit of exalted aims is the very essence of human greatness.”
~Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman