Ways to live, ways to get on with life. From a location mid Atlantic but closer to Barbados than Madeira after 4 days of passage.
A collection of words picked up over years which somehow seem appropriate to me at least.
Self-discipline and perseverance always beat talent and giftedness. So capitalize on the gifts you’ve got to make the difference. The 20-20-20 formula could be effective – 20 mins to move – 20 mins to reflect – 20 mins to grow. And at 5AM (5AC the 5AM club) you are well placed to achieve a state of flow in your thinking, well if you can wake up that is!
Epicureanism encourages one to seek pleasure and avoid pain while always acting prudently and morally. There are no supernatural powers in epicureanism and there is no thought of afterlife either, but it is not a pessimistic philosophy, rather it encourages us to embrace the pleasures and wonders of the life we live. I’m
Ideas like the Libertarian philosophy see the most important part of a just society as the guarantee of freedom to every individual to live their lives according to their own rules, a presumption of liberty. Exclusive control of ones choices, actions and the body. No individual has the right to control peaceful activities of others. Deeply skeptical of government power, supreme value to the rights and freedoms of individuals. Spontaneous order such as free markets. The central philosophical issue is not individuality versus community but rather consent versus coercion. Thus libertarian’s see justice as respecting and preserving people’s freedom. The consequences arising from this have wide reaching political and economic significance, for example people cannot be stopped from managing their money freely. Laws that interfere with the free market violate the freedom of the individual and are thus unjust. Consequently libertarians speak out against taxes, social security contributions and public health insurance, which they consider inhibition or theft. Minimal government is key to the minimalization of social conflict, in other words the cause of social conflict is government and overbearing governance.
Lau Tzu – without law or compulsion, men would live in harmony.
Ray Kurzwell in his book, “The Singularity is Near”, considers the need for a new religion based on reverence for human consciousness and knowledge. As we witness more dramatic changes to human life with new technology this movement is likely to gain momentum. Support science over superstition and dogma, consider energy as the cause and effect of everything and that there can be personal good without gods.
When you turn towards the sunshine, shadows fall behind you. Helen Keller.
The seven greatest challenges in life are cynicism, compromise, disconnection, irrelevance, pride, burnout and emptiness. Regardless of where you are from, your job or your background, you are likely to be faced with one or more of these challenges before long. Luckily thee are ways to overcome them and make a difference in your community and to those who matter most to you.
The happiness of less property and less baggage means less stress and a lower costs lifestyle. Considering the needs or requirements of a chosen lifestyle means owning less rather than more, while relaxing more. The idea of being rather than having could be explained by considering differences in warm and cold climates where not only are possessions treated differently but meaning is different as well. A warmer climate can lead to lower stress as less is needed which allows time for more family and community engagement. Considering productivity though which is better? If the focus is more on being than doing, where time away from work is not considered laziness but healthy and productive. In our quest to acquire wealth we have perhaps forgotten that wealth should be a means to an end not the end goal. Accumulating wealth and pursuing self interest was once mainly seen as the way to exist but it became sanctioned as the only way and wealth was seen as the end itself. Prophetically Aristotle also worried about the insatiable nature of seeking wealth for it’s own sake. For a life centered around wealth, there is no telos, no final destination, there is simply more money to be had. Even today the human brain must balance happiness and motivation.
But love is more than a feeling, it’s a way of being. And true love is facing the emotional turmoil of life’s journey – all the discomfort and pain – hand in hand with a fellow traveler.
Baruch Spinoza – according to Spinoza, the emotional intensity of religious language accounts for religion’s popularity over philosophy and science. Spinoza believes that an allegorical interpretation of verse is in line with reason, but while god makes many appearances in the bible, he is not an anthropomorphic man, god is one with the processes of nature. Now I take this to mean that god is essentially nature and to understand nature and all of the processes means to discover science. So god is just another word for science and to discover science is therefore to discover god without the trappings and dogma of religious doctrines.
How to stay healthy – stay active but schedule active and passive activities in the optimum ratio. These include mindful observation, study using technology(radio, TV, internet), seminars, sleep, travel. Active activities include exercise, reading, travel, meeting with people, tourism, community projects. Ernie Zalinsky (How to retire happy healthy and free) says that retirement activities should be challenging, meaningful, satisfying and healthy. “Better to hunt in fields for health than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught”, John Dryden.
Victory and success – Nike goddess of victory, an emblem symbolic and simple. Churchill: “you ask what is our aim and I can answer in one word, victory, victory at all costs”
Retirement – maybe it is a time for the great search for knowledge, reading, studying, listening and talking. Taking part in conferences and passing on knowledge with experience. Fabius, the Roman General, “the art of winning a war was often found in avoiding head on battles”.
“Instead of joining society’s chorus, sing your own song”. Uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd, as declared by Dame Edith Sitwell, “eccentricity is not as some would believe a form of madness, it is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because the genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.”
Thoreau said, “it is better to live rich than to die rich.” and Krishnamurti, “to die rich is to have lived in vain”.
For centuries, philosophers have debated the role of the state in society. One group made up of thinkers like John Locke argued that individuals were born with certain rights, thus the state should exist to protect those rights and individual liberty. Another group led by Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that rights were conferred by the state so the state must provide for the common good.
Why do winners win? Professor Tim Noakes argues that there is a central governor that will not permit effort beyond a certain limit due to self protection of the organism. Samuele Marcora believes however that it is the balance of motivation and perceived effort that determines success of any individual, the scale of acceptable suffering by any individual determines success. Thus who can suffer the most will win or die trying.
Lately Nietzsche has resurfaced in my reading due is some part by Blinkest recent reads on philosophy and also a recent decision to go all in with Amazon Kindle Unlimited. As many books as you could possibly read for $8 a month. Anyway Nietzsche had a grasp of a real world where ideas could be turned into or were reflected in real life, I like that.
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