This is one of the quotes from Jim Morrison that I mentioned in yesterday's post. Today, I wanted to go over it in a bit more depth.
I think Morrison was referencing a way of thinking about life, or a certain perception- that your future is never guaranteed, therefore it's always uncertain. However, an end (while still uncertain, yes) can come at any time without warning... so it always seems far nearer than the hypothetical future. It's an interesting quote, if you re-read it a few times and take the time to genuinely think it through. I was taught from a very young age that the future is uncertain. In fact, one of the best lessons my dad has ever taught me is to never go to bed upset with someone, because you never know if either of you (or the world in and of itself) will make it through the night. The end is always near. There's no guarantee that tomorrow will ever come. I've carried this lesson with me through life, and it has led me to how I tend to think today... about not taking moments for granted and living in the moment and accepting life as what it is. If you go back to my post about my 5 life mottos, I actually talked briefly about how worrying about the future is pointless because it's not even guaranteed... and that worry can only result in you overthinking the future situation and making things worse for yourself. That aside, regretting the past is just as pointless because it can't be changed. I really think a lot of people have a hard time accepting that, and it's sad. In any case, I've strewn a bit from the quote I started with... but I think I've made my point. - Maddie
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"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." This is a quote by Anais Nin. Nin was an essayist and a polygamist, if you can believe it. She seems to have been a very loose character, even before taking a second husband. In either case, I am not here to write about her forgettable morals. Some people are better off forgotten, and I believe that Nin is one of those best forgotten, so if you are interested in her, look her up yourself. I'll waste no more of my time with her!
Now, as for her quote, I'd have to say its true. What is not true, though, is that phony experiences can be used in place of true courage. So many people nowadays go about accumulating experiences that are, for the most part, safe, yet are marketed as dangerous and exciting. Does a person really show courage by going on a roller coaster, or by bunge jumping? I would argue that the answer is no. People go out to do these experiences to show their courage, yet they are too afraid to tell anyone how they truly feel. Instead of having the courage to be themselves, they safely emulate styles they are told are rebellious. Have you noticed the large number of tattoos and piercings all around you now? Or how everyone now feels comfortable calling others names, just because they don't agree with what they feel is right? Real courage has nothing to do with any of that. Real courage has nothing to do with changing your style of dress or adornment to fit into a group. It has nothing to do with driving a fancy sports car, or causing trouble. Courage has everything to do with being yourself and treating everyone with a modicum of respect. Courage has to do with doing what you believe is right, even if it is an unpopular opinion. True courage will expand your life because you won't let fear hold you back from doing what you believe is right. True courage will allow you to talk to people regardless of what the group you hang around with thinks. And true courage will expand your life by allowing you to experience more of everything since you won't be hiding behind anyone else's ideals. True courage is peace over power and not just doing something because you can. It is doing what you can, without intentionally hurting anyone else around you. While Nin gave a nice quote above, and likely thought she was the embodiment of her quote, her actions hurt others (her first two husbands whom she cheated on) and actually diminished her and her works in my view. In the end, I think Nin was weak and a coward. And I really wish that a more courageous person had uttered those words. In your life, have the courage to lead by example. To say what you believe is true, but still have the tact to say it without hurting someone else just because you can. Courage comes in many forms. The best courage, in my opinion, is when you can be yourself, do what you like and not hurt others in the process. Have the courage to treat others how you would like to be treated. Don't feel that you have to wait to see how they treat you first. Show them how you want them to treat you by how you treat them! "Only the hand that erases can write the true thing.” I like this quote. Again, this quote lends itself to Buddhist thought and the way of Zen. In fact. it's almost a koan in and of itself!
Funny, this quote is by Meister Eckhart, a German theologian and philosopher who was tried for heresy by the Catholic church. In other words, he was very far from being a Buddhist! I am also fairly certain that his meaning for this quote was much different to the meaning I am going to give it. I view the quote as one of the steps toward gaining enlightenment. What is the true thing? It is nothing. And Everything. There is no past. There is no future. There is just the present. Although we all hope that we will live for a long time, there is no guarantee. All we have is the present. The now. In the end, we have our minds, and that's about it. We have what we are doing right now. And nothing else. Although there are alternatives to what I am doing right now, I am not doing them. Thus, they do not really exist anywhere but in my mind. And the potentials that those actions may produce, are only that. Potentials. The body is made up of a number of living cells. And yet we recognize ourselves as only one. If we lose a limb, it is detached from us, and withers and dies. Meanwhile the rest of us lumbers on. A little inconvenienced, but still alive and able to function. In the end, our possessions do not matter. We cannot take them with us. We spend all of our lives collecting this or that and actually saving it, expecting it to give us happiness. And yet, in the end, we all return to the source. Our survivors throw what remains away. And we return to the nothing, as if we were erased from history. "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” That's a quote by my favorite stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius. Marcus was brilliant. In fact, I will go so far as to say he has taught me more about living properly than anyone I can think of. It's not just me that sings his praises either. His major work, "Meditations" has existed for thousands of years and is still in print today.
I honestly believe that if more people read "Meditations" there would be less war and bloodshed in this world. In fact, his work is so important to me, that I am currently looking for two leather-bound copies of Meditations to give to my daughters when they are ready to leave home. The picture above has another of his quotes that I think everyone should have to read while they are in school. If you know someone who likes to think... do them a favor and get them a copy of this book. If they can get past the first few pages, then they will be reading for a lifetime! I keep a copy right near the side of my bed, and I like to read a couple of pages a night, right before I go to bed. To get back to his quote, I think it is direct and to the point and quite simple. Too many people want to argue about what is best... instead of doing what is best. To Marcus Aurelius, he didn't want to quibble about who was right or wrong or what was best for any one person. What he cared most about was that everyone worked toward their ideal of what a good man should be. Obviously he is right. It shouldn't matter to you (not really anyway) what I believe a good man should be and how he should act. What should matter to you, is that I am doing my best to be the best that I can. All of us have had different life experiences. I don't care whether you are brother and sister or husband and wife. None of us have experienced anything the exact same way as anyone else. We have all seen the world through our own experiences. Even so, We all have a basic idea of right and wrong and just and unjust. If we all worked toward living these ideals, the world would be that much better of a place! Since we all view things a little differently, we have courts to decide between those major differences. The best courts have juries decide those differences. Twelve people to act as the judgement for our society. When done properly, these twelve men can reach a consensus on what is just and what is not. The system breaks down when people can no longer decide what a good man is let alone try to be one. And THAT is where I believe we are right now. Too many people are not trying to be a "good" man (or woman). Instead, they only worry about their present circumstance and how they can best profit from it. A good man does not kill innocent people... although they may kill the unjust or guilty. When people rely too much on their society to figure out what is right or wrong, instead of on their own instincts, then we get into long periods of chaos. My advice: Read meditations. Think about what he is actually saying, and then try to live your life to the best of your abilities. There is so much in "Meditations" that is worth quoting. I will leave you with two last quotes. "Our life is what our thoughts make it." and "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” Live people! and be the best man that you can be! (Ladies, I use man but it can quite easily be woman! Don't get offended by me using the masculine. Instead take the advice for how it was meant.) Recently, I was reading a book by Greg Iles called The Footprints Of God. Now, before I go losing half of you thinking that this was a religious book I am going to review here, I would just like to say that it is not, and reviewing the book is not my intention. The book is actually about the development of artificial intelligence and its potential ramifications. While discussions about God do occur in the book, it is more in regards to philosophical debate. With that said, there was one passage in the book that I found very interesting, and I thought I would share it here. Before I quote the interesting passage, let me set the scene. In the book, the two main characters are travelling to Israel and are having a discussion on the plane. The one character has been used as a test subject for an MRI machine that is about 1000 times stronger than the ones currently in use. He, and the other test subjects have been suffering psychological effects. His are in the form of narcolepsy and vivid dreams. He is talking about a dream he had where he thought he had memories of being God, and he is having trouble relating man as he is, to his dream of God. The woman he is speaking to is a Jungian psychiatrist. The passage I am about to quote is her idea of why man is flawed, and why free choice often leads to unintended consequences. I found it very interesting. With that as a background, here is the passage. Hopefully, I have not cut too much of it out so that you at least get the gist of the argument. "I believe that to create means to make something that didn't exist before. If God is perfect, then the only way he can truly create is to make something separate from himself. So by definition, his creation must be imperfect. You see? If it were perfect, it would be God." "I believe that for human beings to be distinct from God, we must be able to make our own choices. Free will, right? And unless bad choices resulted in real pain, free will would have no meaning. That's why we have such evil in the world." Well, those are the parts that I found interesting. The two characters carried on their philosophical discussion for another five or ten pages, and a few other gems were nestled among the writing. I may paraphrase some of the thoughts in the next couple of paragraphs, but for the most part, those were the passages I wanted to highlight. In my mind, the above passages do go a long way towards explaining our world. Yet many people would say, "Well, what about instances where there was no clear choices made yet evil still happened. They point to people who die in natural disasters or childhood cancers as examples. I think part of the problem is that they are mistaking bad things that happen as evil. Also, many people look at natural things that happen and say "there was no reason for that, when in actuality, there is. As an example, when people die or lose their homes in flooding, it is often because they built their homes in a flood plain, or on a part of a beach where it may be above the line of a typical storm surge, but still within an area that gets impacted during extreme storm surges. In the case of illnesses, people can suffer from genetic disorders or due to dangerous materials in their environments. Two good examples of environmental factors would be workers who got sick due to their exposure to asbestos. Many ship builders, and factory workers have gotten sick over the years due to their exposure to that legal (at the time) product. Children who got lead poisoning from paint chips is another good example. The parents didn't knowingly put their children at risk... they didn't know any better! Although their is some evidence that paint manufacturers did know the risk, but made the paint anyway! A current example would be South African gold miners. There is a class action lawsuit taking place in that country concerning the care for miners who got tuberculosis and silicosis from inhaling rock particles while working in the mines. A personal example of a genetically caused disease is hemochromatosis. Although many people can be carriers of the gene, they may not be directly impacted from it. For a person to become ill from the genes, both the mother and the father had to be carriers of the genes. My wife was afflicted with hemochromatosis, because both of her parents were carriers. Meanwhile, her step sisters were not affected by it since they had a different father, and he was not a carrier. I guess what I am trying to say is that not everything that happens that is bad is evil. I think many agnositcs and atheists see this as being proof that there is no God, or that he is an unjust God, but I think that this may be lazy thinking on their part. The passage above goes a long way towards explaining the flaws, and our decisions can go along way towards explaining the rest. One final quote from the book. It is about facing evil head on. The character went on to quote three statements that made thoughts about western religions suspect. These were:
He then stated that you can logically reconcile any two of those statements, but not all three. Many Eastern religions believe that evil flows from God, and they do not try to blame some lesser figure, such as Satan.
That might be all well and good, but I think the topic them moves away from the existence of God and into the realm of thinking that God must fit the definition of any one religion. When man gets involved, there will always be flaws present... and that includes with their religious thoughts. After all is said and done, I don't think anyone can reliably describe God or his/her traits. For me, I believe there is a God, and I am happy to pray in my own way. At the same time, I believe that most religions can be a positive force for humanity. Which one is right and which ones are wrong, I can't truly say. No one can. I go to church on Sundays because I believe it is a positive action for my daughters. And that if they listen to what is being said, that they will eventually turn out to be honest, caring and empathetic people. That is why I go to church. In my own life, I try to live my faith. Hopefully, my daughters see that in me more than they see my flaws. I try to lead by example. To do that, I need to actually live my beliefs so that they have a good example of what I want them to become. That's about it for tonight. I hope these thoughts make you think a bit about your own beliefs and whether or not ou actually try to live them. Peace, empathy and kindness. It's the way I try to live. I'm severely not in the mood to write another post right now... but I want to give you readers SOMETHING before I leave for the weekend. So, instead of giving you my thoughts... I want you to give me yours. I'm leaving below 10 questions, and before you answer them blindly- think about them. Then, leave you answers in the comments below. I'll do a two-part post next week addressing my answers to these questions.
What's your philosophy in life? If you had known 5 years ago you would be where you are right now, would you have believed it? What's one thing you wish you could change about yourself... and why haven't you? Are you happy, or just a happy person? If you could alter the past without knowing the outcome, would you? Do you know what's best for yourself, or do you like to think you do? What's the toughest decision you've ever had to make? Are you a pessimist, an optimist, or a realist? What's on your bucket list? How many things have you completed? What is your worst regret? Earlier on today, I got into an interesting talk with a friend of mine about life. During this talk, he stated that he loved to prepare for things; to be prepared for life... and that it tended to cause him discomfort when he wasn't. I refuted his statement softly at the time; and told him to simply take life a day at a time and try not to let the bigger picture bother him... but I'd like to get a point across in this blog post.
You cannot prepare for life. You can try and try as hard as ever; but life will always find a way to completely screw you up. I know this firsthand. Now this isn't to say that you can't have goals, and make preparations to work towards those goals. Because that- that is possible. If you have a set goal, you can prepare for it. If you know something in advance, you can prepare for it. Life- all we know is that it is constant, and will continue to happen to us until we inevitably die. You can prepare for moments in life, but you can't prepare for life itself. I think that's all I'm really trying to say here- and I'm also trying to drill home my constant idea that worrying about the future will do nothing but cause you stress in the present and make life all that more uncomfortable for you. Take life as it comes to you; and set goals to work towards. That's the way to succeed. -- Maddie "Live to the point of tears" is a quote by Albert Camus. Albert was a philosopher and journalist, best known for opposing nihilism and helping to develop the philosophy known as absurdism. To tell you the truth, I don't know what to think of Camus> He was a socialist and a philanderer, and while he seems to have had some good ideas... I don't think he lived them. Instead, he just seemed to have paid lip service to them.
To get back to his quote, Camus held the position that life had inherent worth, even if it had no inherent meaning. He could not find meaning in life. But to him that was its beauty. His quote above is essentially saying live life to its fullest. Don't look for meaning, for you may be disappointed to find there was none. Instead, life went on in spite of the lack of meaning. And to Camus, that was its beauty. So many people relate tears to sadness, that they forget that tears happen with nearly all emotions. Happiness, anger, joy melancholy. Hell sometimes I just cry when I am thinking. What Camus is saying is to experience life to its fullest. The meaning of life is thus then different for everyone. There is no right or wrong. There is just life. And to experience it to its fullest is the only meaning one needs to find. The meaning in Camus' life was surely different than the meaning I find in mine, or you find in yours. While there may be similarities between the meanings in peoples' lives. Meaning is subjective to our experiences. And since we all experience things in different ways, its highly likely that the meaning of most emotionally loaded words will be different for us all. Live to the point of tears my friends. And enjoy the ride! "You have no need to travel anywhere. Journey within yourself." That is a quote by Rumi. So who is Rumi? A good question, and one I also asked myself. It ends up that Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet. I was a bit relieved to hear that! I thought he was going to be some old wasted hippy messiah or something.
No matter who Rumi was, I must say that I really do agree with his quote. While I will be the first to admit that I am not a world traveler, I have traveled throughout much of North America and I must say that there is nothing that I have seen that can match my imagination. Don't get me wrong, I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the places I have been... a small town in Mississippi, so far off the beaten path that railroad tracks run down the main street and shop keepers come out of the stores and chat with the train engineers as the train slowly rumbles down the street. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Peoria all surprised to the upside, as did Cincinnati, while Philly, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Dallas all seemed a little less special than I had imagined. To be honest, if I close my eyes for a moment I can picture beautiful landscapes of places I have never been. Amalgamations of places I have read about or pictures I have seen. So far, none of the places I have been can match the beauty I can perceive in my own imagination. Images are not the only thing you can explore in your mind. Your thoughts can also be examined. What do you think about when you are alone? I know that I oftentimes contemplate things that I normally won't talk about with most people. Furthermore, there are some things that just don't come up in normal everyday conversation. A wise man should know his own thoughts, that way he can better judge the thoughts of others. So, after saying all of that, does that mean that I am against traveling to new places? Not at all. All I am pointing out is that we all have things to explore within our own minds. While travel is nice, it is not necessary for a person to be well traveled to be a well rounded person. Know your mind, and the rest will follow. Travel if you can, but don't feel bad if you can't afford to travel often. "Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion." That's a quote by the Dalai Lama. I find this man to be like a modern-day Buddha. Honestly, you need to go and read some of this man's quotes! In fact, he credits the reading of Buddha for many of his own ideas.
The driving force behind the Dalai Lama is kindness. In fact, he has said "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." Could you imagine Donald Trump saying that? Or Hillary Clinton? Neither one of them could pull it off. And yet, the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of his people! It both amazes me, and gives me hope. Here are a few of his quotes that impress me.. in no particular order: "It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come." "There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." "When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength." "I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe." "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." "Sleep is the best meditation." There are just a few of his quotes, but I think it gives you a good idea about where he is coming from. That said, I think I will now take some of his advice. It is just after 12:30 in the morning. It would really make me happy to get some sleep right now. Since the purpose of our lives is to be happy, AND sleep is the best meditation, then I think that is what I'll do! Good night folks! The quote above comes from Marcus Aurelius; but I just used it due to a situation I was dragged into over the past few days. The actual topic I'd like to discuss in this blog post is the meaning of my karate school's bow; which is an open hand over a fist. The meaning of this bow (a traditional kenpo bow) is peace over power. Peace over power is also the motto of our school. Now, while this motto is definitely to be kept while in the dojo... it is also a great way to live life outside of the dojo. Below is a list of a few key points that are important to following the 'peace over power' code:
But yeah... essentially; I wanted to share that with readers today because I learned an invaluable lesson from my dad about this today; and that is the realization that it can be used in all aspects of life; not just in the dojo. Naturally; I knew this before my dad's help but I just wasn't applying it properly to the situation I was in. It's sometimes better to use neither peace nor power; but simply walk away from an issue to gain peace that you deserve. That's all I'll say. - Maddie (Thank you dad) This quote is honestly my favorite. I love it because I watch my friends holding themselves back constantly; especially recently. They keep giving up on themselves and others; and it hurts to watch. I find that the worst type of regret to watch is the regret caused by a broken friendship. When a friendship breaks and a person is too afraid to try fixing things; or DOES fix things but then has no idea how to continue being the same friend. I hate watching these situations because the solution is so simple.
Recently; one of my friends has been getting more regretful and depressed than usual due to past mistakes made with old friends. He has apologized for his mistakes; but like I mentioned above... doesn't know how to continue the friendship. He refuses to talk normally to either of the people and says that everything is always awkward. Now; while I say that I make things "awkward" a lot; it's more in a joking sense than anything else. Honestly; awkward is a state of mind that is different for every person. Much like love, hate, and any other emotional experience- it varies from person to person. So your definition of awkward may not even BE awkward to someone else. How we experience life and what we choose to do with the options given to us is what makes us unique. We can't see eye to eye on every single matter. It's impossible. And the worst thing you could possibly do to yourself is start thinking in a negative way when you're trying to make progress with someone else. Cross the line. It's worth the risk, trust me. - Maddie I was reading through some Marcus Aurelius quotes and I found a reference to "The Ruling Principle" and it got me to wondering. Aurelius mentioned it in passing... as if anyone who was reading his passage would know exactly what he was talking about. And yet, I didn't know what he meant by that phrase.
Well, I ended up looking it up on the internet to see whether or not I could at least get a hint about this important principle. There was a lot of writing on the subject. Much of it seemed to be by charlatans who wanted to reel you in with their thoughts on the principle, and then sell you something. Well, after reading through a couple of articles, I came up with the following points:
Some people believe they "have" a soul.I believe I am the soul. The difference is subtle, at the surface, yet the roots go deep. A person who thinks they "have" a soul must believe they are the body. The body is purely physical and finite. Whether they believe they have a soul or not, much of their thinking needs to be geared to the physical and those things that impact the body. . By acknowledging that you are the soul, you are aware that it is "you" doing the thinking and that you do it consciously. Your body is the vessel that holds the soul. When the body dies, the soul lives on. The difference is between finite and eternal thinking. The ruling principle, to me, means that I am in control of my body and thought processes. By ruling myself, I can control what happens to me better. I do things consciously and for reasons that I define... Not just because it feels good or is easy to do. I can also think rationally about what is happening around me and keep it in perspective. One interesting paragraph I read is below. The author talks about "true" impressions and then how we perceive them. He states that the perception happens in our mind, and that it is not necessarily always accurate. Read his example. He believes that we would be better off not adding value judgments to the things that we experience... or at a minimum, to be very careful about those judgement and to at least try to recognize that our judgments can distort the truth or at a minimum, change it. "“At every instant the objects and events in the world around us bombard us with impressions. As they do so they produce a phantasia, a mental impression. From this the mind generates a perception. But it may not be. It may be blurred, or it may include shadow images that distort or obscure the original. Chief among these are inappropriate value judgments: the designation as “good” or “evil” of things that in fact are neither good nor evil. For example, my impression that my house has just burned down is simply that—an impression or report conveyed to me by my senses about an event in the outside world. By contrast, my perception that my house has burned down and I have thereby suffered a terrible tragedy includes not only an impression, but also an interpretation imposed upon that initial impression by my powers of hypolepsis. It is by no means the only possible interpretation, and I am not obliged to accept it. I may be a good deal better off if I decline to do so. It is, in other words, not objects and events but the interpretations we place on them that are the problem. Our duty is therefore to exercise stringent control over the faculty of perception, with the aim of protecting our mind from error.” By having the ability to step outside ourselves and recognize that we are the soul and that we have a body, many of the authors believe that a people are better able to separate the real from their value judgments. By doing this, they are thus better able to act correctly to true information. Wow! I am really not sure if all of this stuff was really what Marcus Aurelius was pointing to. I have to admit that I have not yet read all of his Meditations. I am finding it by bits and pieces on the internet. Maybe, once I read the entire text, I will find some clue as to what he really meant. This post has rambled a bit tonight. Sorry. If any of you really have a clue as to what Aurelius was alluding to, leave me a comment or shoot me an email. I'd really love to know what he was alluding to. "Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it." That's another quote from Marcus Aurelius. I recently found a good website with tons of his quotes, so get ready for a lot of quotes by him. This guy was really enlightened! I wonder if he walked the walk?...Because he certainly can talk the talk!
Basically, the above quote is stating that you only live once. Since that is the case, you need to open yourself up to love and beauty. Life is short, we are here to love and to be loved. If you open yourself up to accept these things you will live a beautiful life. If you hold back because you are afraid of what people may say or think, then you will find that it is hard to experience these things, and that your life could end without you ever experiencing those things. In general, your days are numbered no matter what you want to read the quote as. I chose love and happiness. For others it might be some sort of duty, or to gain renown. The clock is ticking no matter what you think he was talking about. All I know, is that I prefer to be happy. I look for little things that make me happy. I also try to avoid things that make me unhappy. Note, seeking happiness and avoiding things that make you unhappy are not necessarily the same things. I actively try to ignore and avoid people who get on my nerves. At the same time, I try to surround myself with things that make me happy. A good cup of coffee, a drive through my area, some laughter with my daughters, a good book... I could go on and on. So, now that I rambled a bit, I guess I will get to the point. Do what you need to do to survive...but don't forget to schedule some time to do the things you like to do. Even better, make the things you have to do the things you like to do and you have the recipe for a very happy life. Way to go Marcus! With all of the quotes that I have read that have been attributed to you, I hope that you actually lived like you talked. Otherwise, it's silly to talk the talk if you won't try to walk the walk. Walk it like you talk it folks...That's a good way of finding happiness too! “To live happily is an inward power of the soul.” That is another quote by Marcus Aurelius. Personally, you hear a lot about Buddha, Confucius and Socrates, but none of them seem to hold a candle to Marcus Aurelius. If you have never read his Meditations, then you just don't know what you are missing. It is definitely worth reading some of this guy's thoughts!
This quote is simple and to the point. You don't get happiness from things, you receive it from your thoughts and how you perceive things. Have you ever chased a dream? If so, when you caught it, what did you find? I know for me, that once I got the item of my desire, my eye always turned to something else. Cars, stereos, properties, antiques. It didn't matter. I would set my sights on something, and once I achieved it, I would start looking for something else. It got to the point where I found that I was happiest when I was chasing something...striving for something. The happiness was in the journey, not the destination. In fact, I find I am most happy with the little things in my life. Reading a good book... joking around with my daughters... drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cold day. All of these things give me pleasure. Viewing the woods outside my back window or hearing an owl at night also bring happiness. I no longer look to possess happiness. Now, I just like to experience it in small doses on a daily basis. The satisfaction of a job well done. The pleasure I get in cleaning up my office or spending a moment with my daughters. I live in the moment... and live for the moment. Stop looking for the one thing that will give you happiness. Instead, start recognizing the little things that happen each day that already give you pleasure. Fill your life with these things and you will always be more happy than sad. Sure, I get my sad times and off days... just like everyone else. The trick is to minimize them. If you find yourself worried about something trivial, try to take a broader view of it. In twenty years will this matter? No, what about in five years? A week? Tomorrow? No? Then if it really doesn't have a large impact on your life, then why let it bring you down now? Find a solution for whatever bothers you and deal with it now. That way you can get back to enjoying your day. The power of happiness is within you. If you constantly look for it in possessions, then you will be perpetually unhappy. Enjoy the little things. Then, if something large happens, you will enjoy it all the more, and can file it away with what I hope will be a lifetime of good memories. I feel that this is a quote about perspective and how people choose to view the world. Some people choose to take everything and try to find a little good in it... others simply see it as a nuisance. This is a great metaphor and it's one I've never heard before, so I'd LIKE to try to expand on it. I've got a 30 minute car trip ahead of me, so let's see how I do!
At the same time... I feel like the quote doesn't need much explaining. As long as you know how to actually think and use metaphors.... there's not much to say. It's a view on life; plain and simple. Perhaps I should elaborate; yes? Okay. Some people choose to take a bad situation, and leave it bad. Some people even choose to take GOOD situations and make them shitty! These are the pessimists, the people who would rather take only the negative approach to things and just have completely horrible days. Then, there are the people who can take literally ANY situation and make something good of it. These people are optimists, who try to look on the bright side of everything and find some good in everything. While I find both pessimism and optimism interesting, I myself am more of a realist. I don't see things one way or another, just as they are. However, I do like to think that if I had to choose, I'd be more optimistic... I certainly don't see horrible things as a nuisance, just as another lesson to be learned at a minimum. What's your opinion? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Let me know. - Maddie "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." That, friends, is a quote from Winston Churchill.
Personally, I don't know what to think of old Winston. There are many things he said and did, that I can truly appreciate. There are other things that were reprehensible. I guess that makes him human, since we all have our good and bad moments. It's just that for most of us, our bad moments won't willfully cost other people their lives. Regardless of what you think of the man, I agree with the above quote. I sometimes think that people have either lost their minds or just don't understand economics, history, or property rights. To me, I believe every person has the right to decide what to do with their property...including their money. Socialism, on the other hand, seems to think that everyone is entitled to the sweat of your labor. And not just your labor, but anyone and everyone who is actually working to survive. If you, as an individual, want to give someone else a portion of your pay or property to help them live better, that is entirely up to you. On the other hand, no one has the right to tell other people what they have to do with their money...particularly in regards to charity. Yet Socialism isn't just about charity. It is about the trampling of one person's rights to improve the lot of another. Laws governing the treatment of organized labor is a case in point. So is socialized medicine and social security. Any time, one person's rights are put to the wayside by legislation to improve the lot of another, it is a travesty. In my mind, the United States has slowly turned into a socialist country. Most people are too ignorant to realize it. Very few have read the communist manifesto. If they had, they would see that many of the changes that the federal government has rammed through over the past 100 years are in actuality planks of the communist manifesto. Here is a link to a web page that explains the ten planks set out by Karl Marx. He wrote them in 1848 by the way. What I find amazing is that our country follows socialist policies, and most people walk around calling our country the land of the free! At the same time, when these socialist policies fail and create economic problems, The liberal newspapers scream about the failures of Capitalism! George Orwell wrote about doublethink in his famous novel "1984". If you haven't read it. You really should. It is a thought provoking read! Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" is also a good read, although it is very long and drags at times. Read these novels, and then look at our country and see if you see the parallels. These people were true visionaries. Well, there is my rant for today. Sorry about the subject matter, but on occasion, someone says something really stupid, and I can't hold myself back... and a rant is born! Have a good night! "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." That's another quote by Marcus Aurelius. I have said it before, but this guy truly was brilliant. If you have never read any of his stuff, you should google him and read some of his quotes.
There is just no beating around the bush with this guy. Take this quote for instance. His advice is simple. Be what you believe a man to be. Don't argue about it with anyone. Picture what a man should be in your eyes, and then do your best to live up to your own ideals. It is a brilliant solution for a thinking man. Unfortunately, there are so many people out there, who never think about such things. So many people seem to never think about honor, courage, or principles. Instead, they go through life always looking for the easy way out. They take their definition of a man from what they see on TV or in the movies. Sadly, many of the "men" portrayed on the silver screen nowadays are violent and abusive, not thoughtful and caring. In my opinion, you can't get your definition of a man through soundbites. Being a voyeur for 30 seconds at a clip is no way to become a man. Instead, you need to be exposed to people with principles and see how they interact with the world on a daily basis. A thirty-minute TV show just won't show you enough of what it means to be a man (or woman, for you ladies) so that you can become one yourself. By being a man, I don't mean just getting older. I know 50-year old men, who are only men since they grew older. Most of us can grow old. It does not mean we are men, or that we have grown wiser. Action speaks louder than words and louder than age. To me, real men are honest, have courage, and treat others as they themselves want to be treated. They have morals and treat everyone with a modicum of respect. At the same time, they are still prepared to defend themselves, their families, and their principles when the need arises. All said, don't waste your time arguing with people about what any man SHOULD be. Instead, try to live up to your own ideals and lead by example. "Do not spoil what you have, by desiring what you have not." That's a quote by Epicurus. For those of you who are not up on your ancient Greek philosophers, Epicurus is the founder of a school of philosophy called Epicureanism. For him, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life. To have peace, and freedom from fear, and the absence of pain. Sounds like my kind of guy! For those of you with a few minutes to spare, and like a good puzzle, look up the Epicurean paradox. Given its a paradox, it is certain to make you think! Which is a great exercise.
Anyway, back to the quote! Now that you have an idea about what drove Epicurus, you can see where he is coming from with this quote. Oddly enough, there are only a few fragments left from the more than 300 written works attributed to him. In fact, much of what we know of him come from other writers and his followers. I don't know about you, but when I desire something I don't have, it is usually because nothing I have will give me the same utility. I must say that I have never desired something so much that it spoiled for me what I already had. Instead, I usually find that I desire something to enhance what I already have. For many people though, they become obsessed with what they don't have, and therefore fail to enjoy what they do have. I think the best way to avoid this problem is to really know what makes you happy. So many people go through life searching for what will make them happy. They search through the acquisition of consumer goods. I will be much more desirable if I have ripped jeans, therefore I will find someone who loves me for me and be happy. Or, people with nose rings look so cool. If I had a nose ring, I would be considered cool too, and maybe people will accept me for who I am. In both cases, the person wants one thing, but mistakenly thinks that they will get it if they have a particular look or product. Our culture seems to celebrate people who are different, yet many instead want to be different in the same way. Think of tattoos, hair styles, jewelry, clothing, and accessories. How many times do you see people who look different than you, but similar to many other people you see. Are any of them really being different? Or are they just trying to fit in with a particular type of person, while alienating the rest? We look at people, the way they dress, or what they drive, or who they hang out with and we make assumptions about them. Every once in a while, we will get to meet one of these different (different than ourselves, anyway) people and get to view their humanity up close and personal. We get to talk to them in a setting away from "Their" group or "Our" group, and we realize that much of what we usually see is just a facade. Underneath, we are mainly the same. Yes, I realize that there are differences. It is just that the differences don't have to be so great, if we can look past the facade and see the real person underneath. Overall, their wants and needs are similar to ours. For me, I am happiest when I don't care what others think of me. I like to talk to people, and hopefully make them smile or laugh. I like to share my thoughts and knowledge. That is me. Underneath it all, I think that is everybody. We all want acceptance for who we are. So much so for some that they are willing to change who they are to gain acceptance for who they are from others. It is a sad, sad, game that they play. And the shame of it is, that many of them don't even realize that they are playing it. I guess what I am trying to say is, be true to yourself. When you stop trying to chase other people's approval, you will find that you will finally approve of yourself. Some "smart" people will never learn this lesson. Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest things to see. "What you are speaks so loud, I can hardly hear what you say.” That is a quote by Peter Kreeft. He is a professor of philosophy at Boston College, and the author of many books on Christian apologetics. In other words, books on creating a reasoned basis for christian faith. It's an interesting subject, but one I find many agnostics won't read.
Many people become agnostics because it is convenient for them not to believe. It is easier for them to take the stance that they don't believe, because then they are not obligated to stand up and defend every theory thrown at them by nonbelievers. Some people have a tough time saying "I don't know". So instead of saying I don't know to specific questions or statement thrown at them by nonbelievers, they just call themselves agnostic and say a general blanket I don't know. Saves a lot of uncomfortable conversations that way I guess. I am guilty of it too, to some extent. I am a catholic by birth, yet there are some things that I just don't understand about my own faith. Then, there are other things I DO understand, but just don't really agree with. In either case, it is rare I am going to argue with people about their beliefs. If they are not Catholic, that's fine. I judge people by their actions and not their beliefs...Or at least I try to. For my own part, I try to live my beliefs. I treat others as I would like to be treated. I try to treat people fairly and be friendly to everyone. I try to mind my own business and help people when I can. By living those parts of my faith I believe in, I try to be a good example of my faith. I try to let my actions speak for me. Whether or not people like me, is up to them. I don't worry about it. If I say I am going to do something, then I try to do my best to do it right. I try not to cut corners. I'd rather make people laugh than cry, and I try to help people when I can and give them a positive statement rather than negative thoughts. I try to be a good role model for my daughters and my friends. Hopefully I am. |
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