21 Sep

Posted at 00:36h in Observations

“If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded.” As reported in the Washington Post on September 1, 2020: "A committee reporting to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser has recommended renaming dozens of public schools, parks and government buildings in the nation’s capital — including those named for seven U.S. presidents [and Benjamin Franklin] — after studying the historical namesakes’ connections to slavery and oppression. The report drew a torrent of criticism, especially for its suggestion of adding plaques or other context to some of the most famed federal locales in the city, including the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. After a harsh rebuke from the White House, the Bowser administration removed the recommendations dealing with federal monuments on Tuesday evening. A White House statement called Bowser (D) 'the radically liberal mayor of Washington, D.C.' and said she 'ought to be ashamed for even suggesting' revisions to the marble monuments dedicated to presidents who were enslavers. 'President Donald J. Trump believes these places should be preserved, not torn down; respected, not hated; and passed on for generations to come.'" Politically correct renaming has been going on for some years. Maine, Vermont and New Mexico no longer celebrate Columbus Day. Instead, they celebrate Native Americans’ Day. ...

14 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

For Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five, life happens all at once; sequential time is a creation of mind and doesn't exist independent of mind. While our lives may happen all at once, we are a different person at each point in our lifetime story. We can choose to be any of these people at any circumstance in which we find ourselves. Our experience is a function of the choice we make....

11 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"Time is what keeps everything from happening at once."(1) The past is created by mind in the form of stories. Each story unfolds sequentially, within a timeline. The timeline rationalizes cause and effect as without the timeline the stories don't make sense. For example, when we tell the story of a cat's life, the cat cannot be simultaneously dead and alive. However, everything in the past happens all at once, the moment the mind creates it. Hence, the cat is alive and dead simultaneously.  The timeline is an illusion our mind creates as are our stories. In other words, our mind creates the past. The past doesn't exist independent of mind. As to the present, the true-present, it is simply nothingness with waves of light about. Our mind transforms the light into our reality, the past and its related stories. (1) From Quote Investigator: "There is no substantive evidence that Einstein wrote or spoke the statement above. It is listed within a section called “Probably Not By Einstein” in the comprehensive reference “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press."...

10 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"What's the difference between the heart and the mind?" Each heart is essentially the same. Each mind is unique. The heart connects us to others while the mind often separates us from others. The heart is fundamental to being alive; if it's not working neither are we. The mind distracts us from living as most of our experiences in life are in the context of our memories or karma. The heart is symbolic of compassion, connecting with others and trying to help them realize their potential. Our mind can lead us to wisdom, viewing the world through the perspective of others, but is often what separates us from others as we view others as different from ourselves. The mind is the foundation of the ego....

10 Sep

Posted at 01:01h in Observations

"Life is so much simpler when you lose the desire to think." Our mind is a great servant when we use it to learn from our experiences, simplifying the road forward.  However, the mind is a terrible master. When we desire its stimulation, we are its servant. Then, the road forward is not straightforward as the mind creates distractions, twisted thoughts and additional desires to control us....

09 Sep

Posted at 03:51h in Observations

"It's easier to choose between black and white than between shades of gray." Unlike black and white, the difference between shades of gray is difficult to remember. Hence, as our memories guide us in the choices we make, we gravitate to extreme, simplistic views....

07 Sep

Posted at 01:07h in Observations

There is only one mind to which we are all connected. Some of us connect via the same wavelength and understand each other. Others seem to us to be on the dark side of the moon (which is how we appear to them) and the connection is weak. But, regardless of how different we are, there is only one mind. Recognizing this opens us up to connecting with everyone....

06 Sep

Posted at 01:10h in Observations

"That's life." This past Sunday a photo was taken on the Upper West Side of Manhattan of a woman squatting, urinating and giving head to shirtless man. I spoke with several people about this incident; some, especially those  who lived nearby, thought it disgusting and others laughed. At a grocery store I frequent, I mentioned the incident to an older Palestinian man who works there tending to the fruits and vegetables.  His apathetic response: "That's life." I'm not sure if he meant that the incident is a reflection of the state of affairs in NYC or that he had an enlightened view of it as not a significant event, simply people performing bodily functions which made the scene nothing noteworthy. It's curious as to why some would find this incident disgusting. Clearly they have an abstract view of it; that it is the breaking of a taboo based on community or religious standards. As such, they should find it disgusting and do so. As to those who laugh about it, they view the scene as two people harmlessly enjoying themselves and juxtapose that view with the view of others who find it disgusting. It's funny that some people can see meanings in something meaningless. Interestingly, it seems that people living in the nearby vicinity of the incident are much more upset they those living elsewhere. From a far-enough distance, say the heavens, everything seems funny. Likewise, when and old fat woman slips on a banana peal, it looks funny until we realize she's our mother....

02 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

“In of the most striking patterns in yesterday’s [2018] election was years in the making: a major partisan divide between white voters with a college degree and those without one. According to exit polls, 61 percent of non-college-educated white voters cast their ballots for Republicans while just 45 percent of college-educated white voters did so. Meanwhile 53 percent of college-educated white voters cast their votes for Democrats compared with 37 percent of those without a degree. The diploma divide, as it’s often called, is...

01 Sep

Posted at 10:40h in Observations

In 1977 on a flight from NYC to Dallas, I sat next to a gentleman busy scribbling on his paperwork. Asked him what he was doing, he replied, "working out which bets I want to make" on some football games or horse races. We continued talking and he said he was a magazine writer but didn't mention his name as he felt I undoubtedly never heard of him. A couple of hours later, I asked him if anyone ever said he looked like Norman Mailer. He said, "Congratulations, it took you a while." I replied: "Someone has to be Norman Mailer and you're it; how is it being Norman Mailer, do you enjoy the role?" He replied: " Terrific role, really enjoying it." Mailer was a novelist, journalist, politician, essayist, playwright, film-maker, actor and painter; married six times; had nine children; numerous affairs; stabbed his wife; wrote 11 best-sellers; and cavorted with the glitterati. Yet, the man sitting next to me didn't seem to take his role too seriously. Maybe that's why he was Norman Mailer....