02 Feb Time
Time is a light from beyond the horizon making its way to here. Time is an echo making its way to somewhere. Time is a subtle breeze lulling us to sleep....
01 Feb David Foster Wallace
"There are two young fish swimming along who happen to meet an older fish. The older fish nods at them and says: ‘Morning boys, how’s the water?’ The two young fish swim on for a bit and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and asks: 'What the hell is water?'" Of the most basic things we are often oblivious. Yet, as we enter Act 3 of our lives, the transition, our appreciation of the most subtle things is enhanced. For example, an "ugly" formica kitchen surface, that we desperately want to replace with granite, is overwhelmingly beautiful when we envision ourselves dying in five minutes....
31 Jan Thomas Woodrow Wilson
"Any man who carries a hyphen about with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic whenever he gets ready." Theodore Roosevelt: "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all ...
30 Jan Confucius 6
“The one who would be in constant happiness must frequently change." Those who are happy are grateful for and make the best of whatever their circumstances. As the only constant in the universe is change, to always be happy we need frequently change as our circumstances change....
29 Jan Laser
According to Wikipedia, "A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The first laser was built in 1960, Lasers are used in optical disc drives, laser printers, barcode scanners, DNA sequencing instruments, fiber-optic, semiconducting chip manufacturing (photolithography), and free-space optical communication, laser surgery and skin treatments, cutting and welding materials, military and law enforcement devices for marking targets and measuring range and speed, and in laser lighting displays for entertainment." Clearly, a laser can do many extraordinary things relative to a flashlight. Yet, for making our way through a dark thicket, a flashlight is better. Likewise, those with a laser-sharp mind are best not deployed to solve simple tasks. For example, undoubtedly Albert Einstein was extraordinarily brilliant, yet forgot the basic concept of gravity (what goes up must go down) as he lost most of the money he received with his Noble Prize in the stock market in the 1920s....
27 Jan Etymology 1
According to Wikipedia "The word [analyI sis] comes from the Ancient Greek ἀνάλυσις (analysis, "a breaking-up" or "an untying;" from ana- "up, throughout" and lysis "a loosening")." Separately, Wikipedia states the word "bullshit" means nonsense and derives from the "word 'bull' [which] may have derived from the Old French bole meaning 'fraud, deceit'" However, perhaps "analysis' is rooted in the word "anal." At the dawn of humanity, humans were hunter-gatherers. In hunting for prey, hunters would follow the tracks of an animal and identify it and its proximity by analyzing its feces for freshness, form, texture, taste and smell. Thus, the first analysis was the examination of anal excrement. As civilization developed with the advent of farming, hunters tracking bison at times initially misidentified the feces of a rancher's bull as that of bison; bullshit, not the real thing they were seeking....
25 Jan Confucius 5
"To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.” We are often prisoners of our mind which, as its etymology, is our memory....
23 Jan Confucius 4
"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” Perhaps Confucius means that he who conquers his self is the mightiest warrior. The self is our identity that is manifested by our body, finite in time and space. When we conquer our self, we are nothing but one of infinite manifestations of the universe which is forever and endless. To conquer our self takes the greatest courage to overcome the fear that we will be nothing. But it takes little courage when we realize the obvious, sooner or later our self will be nothing....
22 Jan Mizuta Masahide
Since my house burned down I now own a better view of the rising moon Gratitude in all circumstances is an essential element of happiness....
20 Jan The Gene Of Happiness
I am blessed to be born with the gene of happiness. Naturally happy, I'm always grateful in all circumstances (as they could always be worse), optimistic that better times will come soon and free to experience the moment as it unfolds (free from the prison the mind creates with personal and collective stories and meanings). Moreover, I think everyone is happy. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone who has their basic animal needs satisfied (food, shelter, security, health and companionship) is not happy. When people are sad or angry, I think these feelings are very temporary. When they last long, I think they have a personality defect. For example, when I was a growing up, my father was often angry with me, screamed at me, placed curbs on my freedom and on rare occasions hit me. In fact, once my father screamed: "I wish you were never born." How did I feel? I felt that he loved me but had some personality issues that precluded him from expressing his love. With the gene of happiness, I love everyone and feel everyone loves me; if not now, then later. While I've been waiting for a long time for many to eventually love me, optimism keeps me feeling that eventually they will....