[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fLUFw1p4wZxAylspvOEtqjC8m51qPkQ0TLt7sVm7ffKs":3,"$frUBAAliXT0_3fGe-cv0pwxaV-U4I2VeZ5dwP--JNyqM":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},189399,"Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick","C",10,null,"charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":118},[14,27,39,50,61,68,79,85,96,107],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2590393,"Christians and non-Christian voters alike have become far too comfortable slinging rocks at the expense of making any real political or social progress.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},5569017,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},17637,"alike",{"id":28,"quote_text":29,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":38},2590385,"Whether by a Mack truck or by heart failure or faulty lungs, death happens. But life isn't really just about avoiding death, is it? It's about living.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33],{"id":34,"tag":35},5569002,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},7010,"avoiding","**The Backstory**\nThis poignant reflection is from Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick's book \"I'm Dyslexic, So What?!\", a memoir that chronicles her life with pulmonary hypertension and her remarkable journey as an opera singer. Written during the latter stages of her illness, this quote encapsulates her unyielding spirit and redefinition of what it means to live.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nAt its core, this quote reveals the counter-intuitive truth that our existential focus is misplaced when we solely concentrate on avoiding death. The author challenges the conventional notion that life's purpose is about extending one's physical existence, instead highlighting the importance of embracing and truly experiencing life in its present form.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, acknowledge and let go of your fear of mortality, not as a means of ignoring it, but rather as an invitation to live more fully. By redirecting your energy from avoiding death to cultivating a deep appreciation for the beauty and complexity of life, you'll discover new meaning in your work, relationships, or creative pursuits.",{"id":40,"quote_text":41,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":42,"source":43,"quote_tag":44,"commentary":9},2590371,"I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but there is no scriptural or historical basis for December 25th actually being the day that Jesus was born.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[45],{"id":46,"tag":47},5568990,{"id":48,"tag_name":49},3583,"basis",{"id":51,"quote_text":52,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":53,"source":54,"quote_tag":55,"commentary":9},2590364,"Whether you're an opera singer, a legislator or customer service operator, there is a way that we can find common ground with our audience - be they young or old, Democrats or Republicans, rich or poor, religious or secular.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[56],{"id":57,"tag":58},5568981,{"id":59,"tag_name":60},19168,"audience",{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":67},2590355,"It doesn't matter what tradition you come from, what religion you have or don't, what culture you were brought up in or what God you ascribe to: Faith is worthwhile as it helps us to be kinder, more generous, more loving and forgiving people.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nCharity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, an American opera singer and writer, likely penned this quote as a reflection on her own spiritual journey. Born with pulmonary hypertension, Tillemann-Dick's life was marked by a relentless pursuit of art and faith in the face of adversity. Her experiences as a singer and advocate for organ donation likely influenced her views on the universal value of kindness and generosity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nAt first glance, this quote appears to be a heartfelt expression of the importance of faith. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a more nuanced message: that the essence of faith is not its dogma or doctrine, but its transformative power to shape our behavior and relationships. By emphasizing the commonalities of faith rather than its differences, Tillemann-Dick highlights the tension between the individual's personal convictions and the universal values they inspire.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset in your own life, try to separate the transcendent qualities of faith from its specific traditions and affiliations. By focusing on the ways in which faith fosters kindness, generosity, and love, you can cultivate a more inclusive and compassionate worldview that bridges cultural and religious divides.",{"id":69,"quote_text":70,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":71,"source":72,"quote_tag":73,"commentary":9},2590339,"If the only people we seek to impress are within our own ivory towers of artistic excellence or our hallowed institutions, we will find the audience is gone in 20 to 30 years. I find as I keep a broader audience in mind, I choose to sing and say more things I actually want to share and fewer things just for the sake of impressing others.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[74],{"id":75,"tag":76},5568957,{"id":77,"tag_name":78},43,"artistic",{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},2590327,"As artists, it's tempting to forget the audience's needs. Too often, we're self-centered and self-indulgent in what we share with the world. We're prideful, only showing what we deem as perfect or what we think our peers will respect.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":86,"quote_text":87,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":88,"source":89,"quote_tag":90,"commentary":9},2590298,"I, for one, am profoundly grateful to feel the hand of God at work in my life. But at the beginning and end of the day, when my default setting is to show kindness and love to others, I never regret it. And to me, that is what faith is all about.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[91],{"id":92,"tag":93},5568926,{"id":94,"tag_name":95},5683,"beginning",{"id":97,"quote_text":98,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":99,"source":100,"quote_tag":101,"commentary":9},2590278,"Perhaps we should worry less about judging people for being Mormon or Baptist or Muslim or gay or straight or black or white or Latino or by their religious or political brands and worry more about electing thoughtful, serious and ethical politicians on both sides of the political isle who are willing to work together for progress.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[102],{"id":103,"tag":104},5568904,{"id":105,"tag_name":106},34456,"baptist",{"id":108,"quote_text":109,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":110,"source":111,"quote_tag":112,"commentary":9},2590263,"To me, art's highest purpose is to entertain, to enlighten, to inspire, to evoke emotion and to change an audience in some way, big or small.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[113],{"id":114,"tag":115},5568880,{"id":116,"tag_name":117},41,"art",{"currentPage":119,"totalPages":119,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":8},1]