Life On A B-I7

Have we reached the apex of humanity or are we living in an ever changing cauldron of emotions and actions that tend to repeat without our taking particular note? Wise people resist the temptation to think this time things are different.

We should remember the “Ship of Theseus.” Athenians kept the ship battle ready for centuries. Gradually every board being replaced when necessary. In Japan there is a famous Shinto shrine that is completely replaced every 23 years. Our understanding of what something is cannot by definition be more than a snapshot. All is fluid.

We should remember the “Ship of Theseus.” Athenians kept the ship battle ready for centuries. Gradually over time every board was replaced.

In Japan a famous shrine is completely rebuilt every 23 years.

Our understanding of what something is cannot be defined by a snapshot. All is fluid yet permanence must be respected as an ideal, not as a physical reality.

What is duty?

Duty is performing the role that has been handed to you and doing it to the best of your ability.

What you should you trust? Your reputation? Your money? Your position? None of these.

You should trust your judgement. Cultivate solid judgement in all things. What requires sound judgement, the need to conquer the world or conquering the need to conquer the world.

Those that are too proud are eventually brought low. When the gods send evil, no one escapes. Life can change in an instant.

The notion that we reside in the center of the universe and the universe revolves around us is toxic to our souls.

We tend to view change as bad, just as we tend to desire stableness. Neither of these is good or bad in themselves.

What if the fate that we endure was prescribed for us like a doctor prescribes medicine. What then does that say about fate and how we should approach it?

Always display character. It may not serve you in the short term but it will always serve you in the long term.

We need each other. We must be there for each other and allow others to be there for us. This is the natural state of man. To deny this or worse, betray this truth, is a betrayal of our humanity.

Undesirable things will be visited on you at some point, of this you can be assured. As we have heard many times, what goes around comes around. Rest assured that those visiting harm on you are only hurting themselves. You can not be hurt unless you allow it.

Live a good life ruled by reason. Live in the now, not in the future.

Keep in mind your two highest priorities in life. Be a good person. Pursue an occupation that you love.

Ask yourself, “what is the best use of my limited time.” The answer to that will make you better at all things you do, in all your responsibilities.

Goodness can come to you, that is true. It is even better to find it within yourself.

No matter what you perceive your shortcomings to be, you have qualities that are beneficial to you and to others. Find them. Cultivate them.

Self-improvement is good but it should not be done for vanity’s sake. Do not confuse getting better for vane reasons with getting better to be the best person you can be.

Yesterday I became a paid subscriber to a Substack feed that I thought was good. In many ways it is a good one. But this morning I realized that it was probably a bit short on fact. (All Substacks are long on opinion.)

Opinion is fine. We all look for voices that agree with us, There is nothing wrong with that as long as we do two things: Listen for alternative voices to keep ourselves well balanced, and insist that what we do read is factual.

I found myself unsubscribing to this feed this morning, not because I didn’t like the opinion, but because it was not factual. Here is my post to the author

Do you know someone whose sole focus is making people recognize him? Tearing things down and remaking them in his own image. Starting wars simply because he can. Putting his name on currency, landmarks and public edifices. These things are of no importance. When that person is gone, he will not have any use for what people think of him. Instead of wasting time thinking about the opinions of other people, he should be focused on being the best he can be. If you are a bricklayer, be the best bricklayer you can be. If you are trusted with the leadership of your people, be the best leader you can be and focus on what is best for those who have entrusted you with that responsibility.

After my trip to India in late 2025, I started thinking about Buddhist Wisdom. It didn’t take long to realize that starting each day with a quiet period and writing would be beneficial. It has fulfilled my expectations. I see myself doing this for the rest of my life. Perhaps it will even make me a better writer at some point. Be that as it may, the quiet period which is really a time of reflection and meditation accompanied by writing, has become an important activity. What is even more satisfying is that it is slowly changing me. It is making me more patient and thoughtful. (I still have a bad habit of interrupting people when we are talking — I’m working on that too.)

I start each morning with a morning “prayer.” I hesitate to call this praying because everyone has a different idea what that means and what that should look like. Let me just say this is how I “introduce” my mind to the activity I am about to undertake.

If someone offends you, don’t wish them to be better, take action. Talk to them, they may not be aware of their insult.

If you can’t find it in yourself to speak up, you have no reason to be offended.

Another way of looking at a wrong that has been done to you is that the best revenge is to seek no revenge at all. Seeking revenge proves to the other person that they were justified in the first place. Do not give people that kind of power over you.

by Arthur C. Brooks

This is a great book. A lot to unpack. It’s a good book to own and read once a year. This is the sort of book that provides different insights as you age. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Along the lines of different insights as you age. If you are still in your working career, there’s great advice here, so to if you are retired. I am retired, so I was pleased to see that Brooks addressed my situation with the same energy and thoughtfulness that he did for the career oriented reader.

I pickled up this title at the library because I enjoy reading Arthur Brooks’ contributions to The Atlantic magazine. I consider myself a fairly happy fellow. I’ve been fortunate to find a fair bit of meaning in my life, for that I am grateful. Still, I wanted to see what Brooks had to say on the subject. Based on his recommendations, I find myself doing a number of things well. The things that add meaning and happiness to a life. One can always do more — and I intend to, but reading Arthur’s book has given me confidence I’m doing a lot of things well. So what are those things? This is a book review, not a confession. I encourage you to grab a copy and dig in like I did. I think you will find it rewarding.

Trump is receiving the Annual International Peace Prize at The Hague! What he doesn’t realize is that as soon as he appears there he is going to be arrested like a Venezuelan dictator and put on trial for war crimes. I’m hoping my ticket to attend arrives in the mail soon!