Wisdom, logic and children's education (#639)

There are two components to acquiring wisdom; knowledge and experience. It takes both for one to gain the perspective necessary to understand wisdom. Wisdom is a natural effect that allows us to see things in complexity. Seeing things in complexity is not all that is needed however, being able to analyze the complexity and it's options, then applying the correct option to the particular situation, is wisdom in action. How long it takes for wisdom to enter our lives is relative. Our overall outlook about the importance of being "wise" will have an influence on how early in life we may attain certain wisdoms. We are all highly capable of having wisdom in our lives if that is our prerogative. It really depends on our desire to be helpful, either to everyone or even just to ourselves. The hallmark identifier of wisdom, in a person, is an understanding of logic and how logic works. I have hoped that logic would be taught at the earliest ages. It's concepts are simple but profound and the sooner our minds are structured with logic as it's foundation, the more enlightened and wise we are able to become. The greatest opportunity for all of us to succeed in any endeavor is to be aware of our options as they arise. Here is where wisdom would be most effective as a tool of reasoning out decisions. Everything in life offers an opportunity to apply knowledge with experience. If logically, we would see this, then the gaining of wisdom could and should happen at a very young age. I am all for us having childhoods filled with adventure and fun, but being able to reason would also enhance our children's lives as well as give them the insight into how much enjoyment life offers.

The importance of distinction (#638)

As an individual who knows what it is like to be stereotyped by class and economics, I am well aware of allowing myself to be painted, or to take part in painting anyone, with a broad brush. The point of this post is that distinctions are what allow us to see our nuanced differences. We are all of some variety of something, however we are not all the same. It is important that we have our unusualness from each other because it gives us perspectives we would never see if we were all the same. How do we employ the learned behavior of becoming aware of differences? We allow ourselves to be conscious of every moment that happens. Nothing can be taken for granted. I have mentioned this before and it is always good to reiterate occasionally when something has real significance, that being the act of staying in the present. My life is lived out in real time and that real time is in constant flow. I also need to be in constant flow to match time. If I let my better and best instincts prevail at any given moment I am subconsciously keeping myself on the path I wish for myself. I don't exactly know how to draw a map of my destiny but I do know that it is paved with doing the right thing. I am not always able to do the right thing but not doing the right thing is less often to happen when I am consciously aware of the moments I am living. Some say "don't sweat the small stuff" but I say life is all about the small stuff. Every little action or thought that I participate in has a consequence. I know in my heart that nothing I think or do is hidden from the Universe. Therefore, I have a responsibility to myself and to existence to be the best example of what I can realistically be. I make that distinction and many others today as well.

Logic, intelligence and courtesy (#637)

Three very different dynamics instituted into the same conversation. How appropriate! No nonsense or personal attacks as a method for debate or argument, just a sense of willingness to communicate respectfully with facts and curiosity. The foundation of interaction between all human beings of any serious nature should include all three of these factors. How can this be done? An elevation of priority to teach ourselves basic communication protocol. We are hurting all life and the Universe we live in by not taking advantage of the reasoning, analyzing and concluding we all are capable of. I am not suggesting that we need to discuss serious subjects endlessly all the time. There should be humor and inconsequential banter as a means and method for establishing friendships and for defusing anger. What I am saying is that every opportunity we let slip away when we could have advanced is another setback in the evolution of our species and the care taking responsibilities we have over our planet and beyond. We only detract from our own possibilities. We humans are the greatest achievement known to existence that can be verified. However we have yet to coalesce this magnificent achievement into a cohesive and optimally functioning advantage. What is missing is the mindset as to how to do this. The protocol is simply defined, use logic, factual intelligence and knowledge with a constant and humbling respect for all thought. Logic and reasoning will glean out those thoughts that have honorable intent yet fall short of being absolutely inclusive. Nothing is holding us back from setting up a structure for us to communicate except the willingness to do so.

The honor of oneself (#636)

Whatever you do, do it well. It is rare that we all have the same equal start in life. Some will not have the advantages that others have. Despite the unequal beginning one has in life the quality of how life is lived and respected is something everyone has an equal chance to control. It is the lesson of how we can do what we do control that must be realized. I know that there will always be areas that I cannot affect, this is my reality. The areas that I can affect and even some that I don't know I am affecting are still contingent on my thoughts and actions. What I do is sense that my life has significance and act accordingly. Does my sense that my life is significant match reality? I am unsure, however not knowing is not an excuse to act any different than what I would do if I actually knew. That sounded confusing so let me say it this way, there are no excuses for me being any less than my best. I am a visual type of person at times and this is one of those times. I like to imagine that there is some super-natural force in the Universe that is watching us and evaluating what we are doing. Somewhat similar to an all powerful God. In this scenario of mine this power is watching my every move and I know that I am being watched. What this does for me is help to keep me focused on doing the best and most right thing at any given moment. I have essentially placed a sovereign over myself who understands my intent. We all find some way to deal with reality that allows us to maintain some semblance of what we think we should be. This is mine. All it does for me is everything. I am truly blessed by my own imposition of a figure who I wish to emulate. It brings me full circle to living in the honor I desire.

What will you do? (#635)

Every single life that has ever existed on this planet had/has the potential to leave a huge legacy that affects all of us. No thing exists to stop us if we are fortunate enough to follow our own path to completion while steering clear of any obstruction. Fate and destiny for sure play a role in all of our lives as well as serendipity, but that is something we all must contend with. It is not a reason to give up. What will you do? The question centers on our individual wills. How may I engage my will to action? What form may my will reflect? Is my will strong enough to carry me and it's purpose through the ever changing emotional experiences I may encounter? So many questions, but they all boil down to how powerful is my motivational drive or internal fortitude. I have mentioned strength as a pivotal component of succeeding in fulfilling some hope. Strength has the connotation with me as being endurance, to last beyond all the doubt, until resolution. We have the ability not to be lost as to some significant purpose. The sensations of the flesh can only sustain satisfaction for intermediate times and are not discouraged, however they are not encouraged to be the only paradigm worth existing for. We also have a mind that reasons, analyzes and concludes. The usage of this ability we are given must be applied toward worthy projects that forward progress for ourselves and our beloved offspring. So the question of "What will you do?" has a real significance to all of us. It implores us to be responsible to ourselves and our fellow beings in a way that reflects the best of what is, and as yet to be created, inside us.

My everyday awakening (#634)

What a perfect concept. Everyday I get to wake up and realize that I am alive and have a new day to spend. I did not pay for it or earn it or even bargain for it. It just comes to me free of charge. How much money would you pay to have a day of life? Is there any price you wouldn't pay? I can't think of one. How we get the idea that we need to charge for things that keep us alive sort of flies in the face of our actual creation. That is another point for another time. What I want to express is my passion for being alive. The true miracle that I do not take for granted is the moment I awake and know that I am still here in this existence. Normally, my forgetful mind will not register the fact that I am still alive when I wake up until I look in the mirror and see myself and then smile. No one is given a schedule for their life, unless a self-scheduled suicide is planned. In some cases illnesses may provide a time frame to some certainty but normally the moment is not ours to know. There are only three other ways to die, accident, homicide or natural causes. None of those three can be known by the deceased. That is why my point about awakening and feeling a sense of gratitude for the miracle of life is so positive. Nothing I have done or will do is deserving or gives me the privilege to expect I will be alive when the morning time for awakening comes around. I am humbled and thoughtfully courteous of my predicament such as it is. Never have I been so appreciative of the reality I live in. I cannot imagine another reality or dimension after death, other than the Heaven scenario, that is it's match. My dream world has greater hopes in it but again it is not possible without my real world, which was given to me for free.

Education leads to creativity (#633)

When the debate about whether we need to make available education to our citizens comes up I am often left scratching my head. It is similar to giving someone a loaf of bread and telling them to survive or giving them some seeds to grow a continuing crop of wheat in order to make an endless amount of bread and/or other wheat products. The distinction is clear. Think in the long term. The cost of spending on an education is repaid in the new intellectual vitality added to the society. The cost of not funding education is small but the effect of not doing so becomes a cost far greater in the lack of intellectual innovation. The dumbing down of our country only serves those who see inequality as an advantage. That mindset, sadly, is a mindset that promotes and perpetuates class distinctions between humans. It is archaic and an unenlightened way of thinking that serves the selfish natures of those who would allow it. We must all combat the parts of us that are denied compassion and curiosity. Those parts exist to destroy what good has accomplished. Instead of believing that we are different and only able to attain certain things based on some arbitrary concept, we must come to realize that we are all the same and worthy of fostering an intelligence within every one of us. Education at the highest levels must be open to and affordable for every citizen who can achieve it through study and desire. Having to have this conversation about the efficacy of providing education to our citizens should be a moot subject. However, there is a movement afoot to restrict learning based upon concepts that have their roots in the idea that we are not all equal. I would and will continue to advocate for the principles of our egalitarian society at every opportunity when this principle of equality is under attack.

The animals on this planet (#632)

The savagery of our past need not continue into our present and future. Technology, scientific discovery and philosophical maturation all lift us to new understandings and dependencies. Our old past ways of doing things must give way to innovation and practical change. Common sense dictates that paradigms of the past do not easily fit into the circumstances and situations of the present. In other words, new ideas for new realities. Today I want to discuss the animals that inhabit this planet alongside us. In the recent past we were dependent on animals for a variety of social and physical needs. We harvested animals for food. Consider this: They have a central nervous system and a cerebral cortex, which makes them sentient, able to think and feel sensations. Plainly put, they have the structure to evolve into an intelligent species. Granted it may take a very long time for this to happen but they are not a pre-packaged meal you find at the butcher counter in the store. They are living breathing animals, of which we are also classified as, who live and die at some calculable rate similar to us humans. I know that our evolution depended upon serving up our brother/sister animals as a way to survive. Although barbaric, it was of necessity as we understood necessity. The times have changed and the concept of eating our less developed brother/sister animals has become a choice rather than a necessity. This is where I draw the line with myself. In all conscious, I cannot logically argue for eating any animals anymore. Science has given us food products that sufficiently replace the need to eat animals for nutrition. It is all now down to the preference of taste and habit. I like to think that I am an evolving human. I take that mantle seriously. My heart and my soul cannot find the willingness to use the animals on this planet as a food source when other sources of food are better for me and available. It is a hallmark of the human species to look out for and care for our lesser brother/sister species. In the core of my being, I know that this is right.

To persevere beyond my frustrating limitations (#631)

I can't fly like a bird. I can't read your mind. I can't time travel. I have so many I can'ts that I am frustrated by my inabilities. Does this make me stop? No. The reason why is, it is something that I have come to accept, my own limitations. I know that I am not magical in the sense of being able to defy logic and physics. However, I am not bound to acquiesce in giving up my hopes and dreams of something yet not thought or discovered. As a realist, I am certainly aware of reality and it's properties. As a dreamer, I am certainly also aware of possibilities. I used to have the most outlandish and sensational dream life. Not so much anymore, but I took something from that experience. I used to think that reality was the vessel I needed so that I could live in my dream life. I would wake up from some dreams and actually be exhausted. I would spend my reality resting up so that when I went to sleep I would be well rested and ready for the most imaginative of adventures. This tells a lot about how my nature is. I feed on the concept of no boundaries. My life force is about knowing what I don't know and doing what I can't do. See where the frustration comes in? The punched ticket that is me in this life wants more. I will always want more, and I will never give in to not wanting more. I am also pragmatic in that what I want is not what I necessarily get. This is also how my mind works, if the Universe is an entity then it has a boundary. If so then it is encompassed in something, so what is the Universe within? Crazy but inquisitive. Anyway, life is a gas and I am the luckiest me alive.

Life takes a toll on us (#630)

Is your spirit beaten down so much that you can't feel the pride of being human? It seems that the responsibilities and restrictions we place upon ourselves is both positive and negative. That old saying about being unable to see the forest for the trees has real relevance to our society. We are so focused upon the best way to make the nuts and bolts of society work that we have lost sight of what it is to be alive. Life should be an experience of wonderment and discovery. We have made it more about just maintaining survival and competition. A healthy society will have little to no stress as it cares and manages it's citizens. We have to live in a society for safety and security from the expressions of our worst natures by our fellow citizens. This also requires us to have a system for activity and growth. It is understandable that we would need to commit to a process that requires a duty to perform. This duty to perform should have benefits that make fulfilling the duty more a pleasure and less a pain. That is the missing ingredient in our current system. We are evolving from a bundle of chaotic systems that have not survived the test of time. Our current system, here in the US, is unique in that it can adapt to unforeseen changes in the dynamic of our society as it ameliorates to scientific and philosophical advancements. Change is slow and life spans are short. It makes for an uneasy paradigm. As we continue to struggle to form a more perfect union here in the US, anxiety and frustration are often normal. I know we can do better than what we are doing, especially as it relates to caring for ourselves. Our spirits are strong and we will survive whatever comes at us, regardless of the weight of inaction.

Staying in the center of myself (#629)

What do I mean by staying in the center of myself? I am referring to the place inside my mind and soul where everything is calm and peaceful. The home of my life. It is the place where I am the most objective in my thought. Where I can be free of all anxiety and stress. It is the best that I am, which in comparison with anyone else is no better or worse, basically just me. Let me describe what happens when I am in the center of myself. I see all of the hope I have for life. I hear all the sounds that make up life, both in natural ways and in communicative ones. I feel all my emotions as they relate to whatever subject or object that is affecting me. I smell and taste with distinction because I am focused on the moment and all of it's offerings. I am who I am in the center of me. I can learn with the zeal I feel about all things that strike my curiosity. My innocence lives in my center. The wide-eyed wonder I began life with is stored there waiting for me to visit and pull it out again for usage. Everything that has the best of intent ready to be displayed for the good that can come from it is in the center of me. I know where I live the best in life. I need to stay there as much as possible. Life can be so distracting and unless I keep the determined focus of a man who loves the best within himself, I will not stay there long. Life is difficult to teach. It must be lived and all the myriad circumstances and situations that occur are not perfectly planned for. Thus, I must keep my mind fresh, strong and pointed in the correct direction. That direction is my center, my favorite sacred place.

The concept of toleration (#628)

Being an individual is not a license for being judgmental based upon personal beliefs. Nor is it a license to be judgmental based upon the fear of prejudice. Being an individual is the privilege to be accountable and responsible for one's own self, period. We have the honor of sharing this planet together with all other individuals and other species. As individuals, we have a duty to treat each other with the same respect and dignity we would wish to be treated ourselves. A list of concepts to define the ways we wish to be treated is partially based upon principles of fairness, courtesy and honesty, there are more noble principles we all could add, but you get my drift. I say a "duty" because our right to exist has only come through the process of birth. We all share this same process, so therefore, we are all uniquely granted the right to exist. As such, a duty to protect each other in a society based upon the two balancing principles of liberty and security, is inherently implied. There should be no debate as to the logic supplied here. If there is please make it in the comment section of this post. The equality we all share at the moment of birth should not be diluted through interactions and processes that are outside the better and best of our natures. Sadly, the better and best of our natures are not the goal or vision of many individuals who are in our society. Again, I will reiterate, there are two dominate human natures that exist within us at birth. Care for each other and wonder about what is all about us. I call it compassion and curiosity. When we stray from these two dominant traits, we then find that lesser or baser traits like intolerance are provided a breeding ground.

Writing to be heard (#627)

When I was a child I had no idea such a thing as writing a blog post on the Internet could be possible. Growing up in California on warm summer days reminds me of the times I would go outside and lean up against the side of one of the houses we lived in and read a book for half a day. I would go to the side of the house where there was little interaction other than just nature going about it's daily course. In my hands was a story printed upon pages and pages of paper. This was how I was able to free my imagination and follow the stories of adventure and honor. Of course there was the television but it was for family entertainment, with only three, then four channels available, so it was limited in what it offered me. The radio supplied music and sports teams to relish in but nothing much more. We had newspapers delivered to our domicile and that gave us mostly facts of daily living and statistics of business and sports. It was in the reading of books however that captured my imagination and allowed for the creative curiosity within me to expand. I have, since I have become older, accumulated many books of literature and of instructional natures. Recently, within the last several years, I have found this blog site and created my own blog. It is because of this blog that I get to write on a mostly daily basis. The importance of this is that my thoughts, which are wide and varied, have a forum for private and public dissemination. I am not a unique individual in any sense but I have always been driven to think and want to be heard. This blog provides this capacity for me. I am writing to be heard.

To be still and listen (#626)

Listening was something I did a lot of when I was young. It is not as much a part of my routine these days now that I am much older, but still, I do listen quite a bit. I have learned that with so much going on in the world I can never learn enough. What I do know and talk about has to be specific and remain focused. Mainly because I do not wish to waste anyones time with incomplete reasoning or my own time backtracking after discovering I was wrong in some concept or fact. I am human and I will make mistakes large and subtle. The key is to only generalize when I am talking about areas that are not my forte and to always include terms like, more likely, probably, mostly. What I do find interesting is the careful way I listen now. I give listening as much attention as I give speaking. It seems to work well since I am not in constant arguments that never move forward. There is also something I do very well these days as well, I admit when I am wrong and I double check myself when challenged instead of taking offense. A maturity thing I imagine. lol. Anyway, I am still quite passionate about my points of view but I funnel that passion into being objective about other possibilities. Pure logic is helpful but does not have the human element of intuition. Lately, it seems, I am growing comfortable with trying to devise arguments that help to support a better way of living life individually and in society. I have never been much of a personal pleasure seeker in the conventional sense, however, what I find as satisfying in my life now has more to do with intellectual considerations and less with the comfort ones. Listening is now something I treasure with gratitude. It is another tool for my mind to be able to assimilate things. It is a real pleasure.

Never give up (#625)

I know this so well yet at times I forget. It is so amazing that when I have kept up a vigil to attain some thing or to focus strongly toward a goal, I often achieve it. It is the times when I have spent days, months even years working at it that I sometimes forget all the previous work already applied and begin to lose hope for my aspirations. It is as if I am in a vacuum and all of a sudden all the air has gone out and I feel flat. It is at these times that I need some little reminder of the distance I have already traveled and I am back to feeling hopeful again. There are always things in life that occupy our minds and it is easy to get sidetracked about a goal when distractions are hovering. That is still no excuse for me. I have greater expectations of myself. Maybe that isn't the healthiest thing I should do for myself but regardless it seems to work in keeping my motivation strong. I know how short life is and I certainly do not want to waste any time not doing something I have a hope for. It is what makes me who I am. I need the spirit of whatever wonder in this world is happening to have a home within me. In other words, I am a creature of my greatest thoughts. Call it karma or serendipity or any other mystical whirligig. I have an energy to myself that demands that I stand strong and fast for the ideals or hopes I can imagine coming into realization. The fortitude is within me however, the ability to stay on point with it, is tough. I know though that it is in the staying fast that the eventual has a chance to come true. Some days are good and natural for enduring, other days must be ameliorated in whatever fashion I can solve just to remember the important things I have for myself. I may falter occasionally but not lose the will to never give up.

My regrets are less than my accomplishments (#624)

This is somewhat a strange topic for me to write about but it is what is on my mind. Recently I have been thinking about the different paths that were available to me when I was younger. Hindsight, as it were. I had a few talents, that if honed would have given me much satisfaction in perfecting. I remember what I was like though when I was younger. I was like a wild stallion, who had only the present and a curious nature to know many things. I was very undisciplined and liked it that way. Somehow I wish that I could have been more focused on a few things while still living out my wild ways. It was not that way, and the opportunities that I now think about are really just an illusion of what could have been. I am who I am and the influences that affected me have made me who I am. I regret sometimes that I did not do more but, I also relish the things that I did do, which would have been less possible under a more focused life. I made my choices. I am glad I did because the man I am today reflects the total sum of what my life experiences and my search for knowledge has formed. I suppose it is natural for anyone to stop in time, once in awhile, and take stock of themselves. There is an intelligence in doing so because keeping an overall view on one's progress helps to keep one on a desired track. Even if later the track ends up being one of a second doubt. There are many emotions that course through me on a day to day basis and the feeling of loss or disappointment are among them. That is fine as well since there is no perfect way for any of us to live our lives. We do the best we can and if staying in the present moment and doing the best thing that we can is all we can do, then wonderful.

What makes us strong (#623)

Our unquenchable spirit is what makes us strong. That curious nature within us that despite having to gather, any and all facts and theories, we persist toward a future concept of mastering our own lives within a system not of our own making. It is curious to know that we are in existence without a wit of knowledge of how it is that we are able to be born and die into this dimension. However, we do not stand on that intrigue, we muster forward with what we are able to think, create and build from what there is. We are indomitable. The Universe, inside and out is ours for the discovery. There are no limits to what we may find as there are no limits to keep us restrained from the act of finding. We will, over time, enhance the raw features of existence and make the necessary adjustments to be able to define, in our own minds, just what the time and space of existence is. Our mission is simple, advance and know. There is only science and physics to overcome. No greater being to keep us chained and used only for service. We are the unbridled, who have at our disposal all of our previous knowledge that has been forwarded to us in whatever manner we find. Our destinies are truly ours. What a magnificent concept to know that somehow, someway a species is centered in a way to determine it's own natural instinct to be curious and have only itself to organize for the possibilities. Truly, the scope of life and the surrounds of it are all within our grasp. I will always in my heart know the pride I feel for the privilege of being a human being.

Make-up for Thursday's post #622 (#622)

I was remiss yesterday in filing a post. This happened once before on the third day of the beginning of my blog, February, 2nd, 2009. I will now do what I did then, file a post hours after the 24 hour window. No excuse, well maybe one, I have had a head cold the last several days and that has been distracting. Regardless, here is my make-up post for yesterday. We must never allow ourselves to have our minds so set to an opinion or way of thinking that does not allow us to see what other possibilities may exist. It is a stubbornness that will fail us most assuredly. Think of our experience here in this reality this way, when we were young nothing made much sense and we were open to learning all we could to satisfy our curiosity. Nothing has really changed except time and how we see things. I know of no absolutes. Well, except death and taxes as the saying goes, however, I may have found a way to avoid taxes while we are alive, legally of course and for everyone, so maybe only death as an absolute. Who knows that may even be resolved in some future way. The point is though that everything is capable of changing. I hold a set of values that I operate my life from but the circumstances that life brings has a way of showing me that my values need to be malleable to fit the necessary need. I am not saying that the intent of the values I have, morph into something else, I am saying that no two circumstances have the exact same response based upon my values. I have to be open to the idea that my understandings are but temporary and continually need to be improved upon. "I can never stop learning", is my life long path. I accept that in time of question I go with the best I have but always with the knowledge that the best I have is not the best there is.

The beauty of humanity (#621)

Occasionally, not as often as should be, we get a chance to glimpse into what makes the human experience so special. As we endeavor, on this planet, to find our way through life, often we come upon circumstances which try our souls and give us insight into the true character of our species. Such is the moment now when 33 miners, who have been trapped underground for 70 days, are finally being released from their underworld captivity. Each man is being lifted up out of the grasp of the planet we call home, and is reunited with not only family and friends but with a keen sense of how glorious life can be when hope for continued life is revealed. We are at our best when we work to help each other against the forces that would separate us. It is uplifting for them and for us who are the bystanders wishing them to succeed. It is not just their triumph in surviving but it is humanities as well. Us humans know a good thing when we see it and feel it. The better and best of us is always coupled with our extending our hands out to one another. It is undeniable. When the last man is finally lifted out, hopefully, and we have moved on to the next "important" story, it would serve us well to try to remember how right the story of the 33 trapped Chilean miners made us feel when they were rescued. It is a hallmark of our abilities and instincts to care for ourselves through others. Yes, care for ourselves, through others. A paraphrased biblical quote comes to mind, "what you do for others you do for me." Never has this meant so much for 33 trapped Chilean miners. I know in myself that when I do an honorable thing for someone else it is as if I have done some great thing for myself.

I should take the day off (#620)

I should but I am not. I am suffering from a terrible head cold that has me weak and feeble minded. Yeah, the head cold has me feeble minded. lol. Anyway, even when I am not well I still have something to say. I am constantly trying to find things that can make our society better. Recently, I have been in conversation with some individuals who have helped me to think of a possible equalizer for how our society treats newborns. It occurred to me that being born in America should offer a child a part of the country he/she is born into. By starting a baby birth fund that would give every child upon birth the right to one million dollars. This way every child starts out on an even footing with every other child. What they make of their birth wealth only time will tell. Of course certain safeguards need to be developed to insure the birth wealth of the child until maturity but a logical path for this schedule certainly could be devised. Equality has been on my mind for most of my life. I have always wondered why we haven't gotten to some system of equality since it is the proven method for beginning anything of value. I see the baby birth fund being funded through the natural resources of our country and then eventually through the funds that are left behind by those who do not wish to give their wealth to charity or spend all their wealth before they die. What is essence I am proposing is no inheritance to be passed down from generation to generation. All must build their own life out of the equal start I am proposing. There are many problems associated with my "solution" but they are problems that can actually be resolved once the baby birth fund concept is accepted. Anyway, I am not feeling well and this has been my topic for the day. Please excuse me if I did not offer anything worthy of your time.

The practice of courtesy in my life (#619)

I am in an audition. I jokingly say this to describe how my thought process works. I am given many options to proceed with how I live my life. I know, first hand, many of these options since I have used them before. The audition part of what I am describing is how I should respond. For me, the first part of my life was used by me as a sort of trial run. I learned many lessons about how not to do things. lol. I also learned many things about how to do things and it is these things that I still carry with me. I have a good solid foundation to build on and build I am. If I had a thousand years I would still not have enough time to learn the things I want to learn now, let alone the things that keep cropping up in my life. I have so very little time left to gather as much knowledge while I am still alive. Keeping my mind open to all the new ideas and concepts that are continually being offered in new and varied forms, has me barely keeping even with current events. It is important to find a pathway that allows for the most learning possible in the most efficient amount of time. One very simple act of purpose on my part seems to have a tremendous amount of success. Being courteous. It is amazing how many problems would never arise if only the act of courtesy was employed by everyone. The depths of courtesy include, respect, humility and honor. The simple courteous act conveys all of these attributes. As I continue on the path of my life, turning over metaphorical stones so that I may know what is on the other side, I continue to find the best of what humanity is and how to use it to enlighten my life.

Understanding one another (#618)

Understanding one another often takes time and space. Over time, ideas start to become more "flushed" out and thereby more recognizable, and space, which allows us to walk away from a conversation, then pick it up later when our moods or priorities have changed. What is important is that we don't dismiss any idea on the basis of a first contact with it. Often it is difficult in a complex world to forward an ideal or concept that is foreign or requires action that is against our first impulse or behavioral pattern. Especially when convenience dictates a simpler way of accomplishing some solution. Fear also, should not be an inhibitor of exchange of ideas. Our evolution as a species has not arrived at some point in time where new ideas or combinations of older ideas cannot become a step forward in a more and more technological and sophisticated society. As the struggle continues for us, humanity, to find an equilibrium, we must communicate with each other in a discourse that allows for the free flow of ideas. Having the ability to argue points of thought with respect and dignity helps to inform those who may or should be following along to understand, and then hopefully contribute themselves. This is not an exercise in who is smarter or who is not, it is an exercise in moving humanity forward to improve the generations of humans that will be following us. What we can offer to the present and the future is what and how we come together with our thoughts. It is simply a duty on my part to be of the most benefit. I take my duty personally and hope that others will as well.

Take nothing for granted (#617)

The ease and comfort of assumption and expectation can lull me into a sense of false security in certain areas of my life. Some of the battles and victories I have attained in my personal and private life are not guaranteed for infinity. I must be on guard for their maintenance. It is fallacious thinking on my part to be moving forward without keeping an eye to the past. I must constantly remind myself that this existence is not something I have some great insight into. I have not figured out a process for living and maintaining my life to a certainty. Remaining humble and in awe of all things keeps my mind in the right focus for every day life. My life does consist of the past, present and future. Although the majority of my considerations are spent in the present, where they should be, I must also spend the necessary time looking back into the past as well as being guided by my hopes for the future. Again, I will say this, as in other previous posts, I am not owed anything, I am not deserving of anything. My sense of fairness, although sharp and evolved, carries no weight on the scales of just and right when the whole of the Universe is involved. I keep close to my mind and in my thoughts as well the fact that I am a guest here in existence, my presence is not a reward of some type, my presence is serendipitous at best. I am so truly humbled by my place in time and space with the human form I have, which has the conscious ability to rationalize along with others. How magnificent is life and how precious a gift it is. Take nothing for granted, absolutely!

The excitement of every day (#616)

I feel fortunate that every day I wake up and sit down with my coffee, I realize how happy I feel to be facing a new day. I get another chance to experience what is best about being human. The small, but significant excitement is within me and pushes the smile upon my face. Each day I get to start out this way. From then on it is up to me to keep it that way. Certainly, forces beyond me have influence in how my day goes but it is eventually up to me how I react to those things beyond my control. It is difficult throughout the day to keep my own thoughts in perspective let alone having to deal with the thoughts and actions expressed by others. However, nothing I, nor anyone else or the Universe does has any control over how I react. That is all mine and I get to choose. It has been difficult maturing to a position where I know none of what happens in this world is about me. It is about all things in the Universe, so I don't take much of anything personal. That is very important for me in that life is just life happening. I get to be a part of it all, good, bad and everything in between. Never do I want for any bad to happen, but it does. My focus is on what the good in my day may bring to action. I am forever an optimist concerning how things could be. It is because I know our natures are compassion and curiosity. What underlies our nature is a sense to care for one another and to wonder about our time and place here in the Universe. With foundations like these, I cannot help but to be hopefully optimistic. Thus, every day holds out the feeling of excitement for me.

How I better myself (#615)

It is so much easier for me to know what is wrong with me today than at anytime previously. If I see something that makes me angry or puts me in any kind of negative mood, I know that I have discovered something about me that I need to resolve. What I see outside me that bothers me is inversely proportional to what is inside me that needs to be addressed by me. It is a great way of recognizing the areas in my life that I continually need to grow from. Normally, I would have never come upon this way of thinking except that I have and logically it makes sense. I am involved with a self-help group and more often than not I am usually given the gift of some insight into who and what I am. This is one of those times. It is a simple thought yet so powerfully helpful in making me a better person. I have no problem today admitting that I am wrong. In fact I have no problem admitting that I don't know. If anything, I know today that I know very little. That is fine and well with me. It is honest and a great place to start from. I was under the illusion that I needed to be the wisest man possible, never admitting that I did not know an answer to any question. A psychologically damaging game I was playing with myself. It is amusing now that I feel so compelled to be honest about what I know or don't know. It is a release and a refreshingly soothing way to be. I find a peace about being honest about knowing little and letting people know that is really who I am. I am the guy who needs to know things, not pretend that I already do.

The reality of my youth and today (#614)

My immortal self is just a faint memory. My youth was deceived into believing that time was irrelevant and I would be able to live like there was no tomorrow. Well tomorrow is here and then some. The price I am paying for the punishing lifestyle I lived has come home to roost. It is amazing that I watch my steps today with care unlike my youth where I charged through life like a wild stallion. Now I am like the horse attached to the milk wagon slowly delivering the milk. There was nothing anyone could have said to me when I was young about how I needed to better care for myself for when I got older and needed to be in good physical shape. I would run and jump all day long as cavalier as the wind. My youth was for living with zest and zeal. My mindset was skewed toward the beauty and strength of my youthful vigor. I was godlike in my senses and attitudes. I was lean, but strong, I was analytical, yet out of control. I had so many varied attributes that I was immortal-like. All of this took place in my own little mind. The world I lived in was of my own making. The reality was that really no one was looking and admiring me, mostly they were curious and then moved on. My youth was such a mixed bag of many experiences that amounted to really very little. Regardless of the outcome of my youth, it was lived at a very fast pace. This fact has not served me well now that I am older and less resilient of mind and especially body. I am okay both physically and mentally, probably far superior mentally then at anytime in my life. However, the toll taken on my body by not throttling back my exuberance and daredevil attitude has left me with the outcome I experience now. If only I had been wise enough to see the cause and effect my choices throughout life have culminated in, I am sure I would have cared better for myself.

Keeping confidences (#613)

I have had the pleasure of living life and growing older with many people in my life. My guess is that because when we are young and inexperienced we tend to make foolish and illogical decisions that we ultimately learn from. The process of trial and error as we grow up is something we all venture into. What binds some if not most of us over long periods of time is how we respect these trial and error events. Many a foolish example can be made about me when I was young and learning through experience. The friends and family that are closest to me are the ones who recognize that my mistakes were "growing pains" and not intentional events to harm or hurt anyone. I look back on the things I have done and on the things others have done as well with the vision of hindsight. What we all have learned from our experiences have made us who we are today. Could we have found a better way to practice our learning? Of course, did we? No. All I know is that I would never hold anything, anyone has done, during their learning experiences against them. It is okay to smile once in awhile over some funny memory of someone's lesson but to be hurtful or thoughtless in recounting it would be wrong. We all have some baggage in our pasts that does not put us in a good light. That is inescapable. My friendships have endured by the fact of us keeping our confidences to ourselves. Life is hard enough without making it harder because of our naivete of the past. Making mistakes is part of life and how we handle those mistakes is what determines our character. Keeping confidences is just another aspect of respect that helps to build life-long relationships.

The exploration of our minds (#612)

This subject is one of possibilities. Never in my life have the decisions I make been so much a part of what I think. It is not only that, but my mind has been exploring the boundaries of accepted thought. There is an advantage and sense of security staying within the parameters of accepted thought, as one defines that, generally,  however, complacency is not a rationale I normally desire. I am the person who would never stop if I did not need to rest now and then. The causation of my need to think outside the box has to do with my age, getting a little wiser, and my desire to add something to reality before my time is up. Naturally, I don't wish to add anything that is incompetent or foolish, so the thinking continues. I have an advantage, somewhat, in that I have no ambition for myself. I only hope to be another cog in the wheel of seeing a better future for humanity and all life as we know and don't know it. What I have already learned and continue to learn helps me to stretch out premises and conclusions beyond their logic. In letting my imagination loose to free flow and recombine thoughts and images gives me a lot of chaos in my head but also occasionally allows me to see something in a different light. This little "game" going on inside my mind is how I am able to reinterpret simple and, occasionally, complex logical rationales into new formulations of reason. A wild style of brainstorming if you will. I am not clever enough to create new paradigms just through logic. I know and accept my limitations in this regard, however, knowing this, I am able to find a way to cleverly create despite my logical limitations. By continually exploring my mind I may, hopefully, accomplish a hope of mine.

Continue to learn (#611)

There are many words that have many meanings. When conversations get precise knowing the proper words to use becomes vital. Having time to understand language is important. Reading is good practice, especially if the material being read is informational in nature. Academics tend to write informational documents in precise language. Learning new words and what they mean is quite uplifting. I am of the school where now, learning is second nature to me. This world is so vast with perspectives and experiences, there is never going to be enough time to gather all this in. However, I will attempt to anyway. :) Within me is without a doubt a complete understanding that I know very little. Therefore, I have an appetite to learn. It is my curious nature, unrestrained by physical force and unfettered by lack of opportunity. As my time passes on, so does my recognition that I am on the downside of my existence here in this reality. So much to learn so little time. Why is learning important to me? I only know that my nature of curiosity demands it of me and I willingly follow.I don't question why I need to know things, I just quit resisting and started enjoying the new understandings. When I was younger, I did push learning away from me out of some sense that I was still young and wanted to enjoy the life of a young man. I was wrong to do that. I let many years go by being in a state of pleasure instead of a state of humility. I understand completely now how special life is and wanting to understand the specialness of it through thought is much more satisfying than the infrequent self-satisfying endeavors I embarked upon. For the rest of my life it will be curiosity in greater force with the goodwill I can bring to evidence through it.

A ray of hope (#610)

That is all I need. I am one of those people who hopes for the best but almost always gets less. That is okay with me since occasionally I get some little sliver of the sublime and in getting that little bit of perfection find the joy I hope for, if even for only a moment. I am one of those guys who looks at the worst life ever lived and if I do better than that then I have no room to complain. I do, once in awhile, complain but I soon become aware of it and stop acting so selfish. My life is a gift from someone not me. I have no right to complain about some wish I may have, regardless of how pure it may be. I am not the one who created all this, so I don't get to complain as if I did create all this. I do know this much, at times, my heart just sings with unbridled happiness. How much money would it take for me to buy for my heart, unbridled happiness? No amount exists. It can only come from hope realized. What a discovery I have made for me to live in my life. The secret to living is to hope for the best in life and actually have the patience for it to maybe come true. Because when it does, even in a small dose, nothing compares. I probably have spoken on the subject of hope more times than any other subject. It is not coincidental that the name of this blog is "Man of Hope". Hope is the single greatest imagining we can ever claim as our own. It has such power. For me, it generates such steady forward motion. I am a realist like I implied at the beginning of this post. I rarely get to have a hope realized. Regardless though, I will not stop to hope for that which is inside me or has made itself aware to me through others. If I have faith in anything at all it is in the joy of hope.

Is there other life in the Universe? (#609)

It would appear more likely with the discovery of a planet that is similar to Earth, Gliese 581g in the Libra constellation about 20 light years away. It has the necessary similarities to Earth to offer the possibility that it would be able to sustain life. We do not know this of course but the indicators are hopeful. What does this discovery mean? In essence it tells us that our planet Earth is not as unique as some would believe it to be. If another celestial body exists that has qualities that could allow for human habitation, then the concept of some type of organic growth on the Gliese 581g increases in probability. I tend to think in terms of our own planet as the boundary of what is in the Universe, but with this discovery the concept of life beyond us has now gained some credence with me. I have always known that it was possible for other life forms to exist, since I had no understanding of the nature of our Universe, but now my curiosity is piqued to another level of imagination. The last great frontier of the human evolution of knowledge is to be played out in the outer spaces of our Universe. I am excited and intrigued by this discovery. The human instinct to want to know is going full bore inside me and is ready for more information. Possibly our space telescopes can give further indications as to how this planet may be sustaining, if any, life forms. It is being able to think bigger and out beyond my own known knowledge that is so inspiring to me. This little discovery just expanded my way of thinking exponentially. What a gift this little discovery has become. The pure magic of life and the possibilities for more have captured me utterly.