Words cannot be unsaid once spoken.
Spend time often meditating. Reflect on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the Universe.
“Cosmopolitanism” was first articulated by Marcus Aurelius. This is the notion that we are not only citizens of our local community and our country, but we are also citizens of the world. A concept lost to many people today.
Stilpo was Zeno’s teacher. He taught Zeno that to develop a strength that cannot be broken is to develop true strength. The only way you can loose true strength is if you give it up.
Beware of success. Don’t let success lead you to want more. It is better to have less and be thankful than to have more and need even more.
The problem with hemorrhoids is similar to “hanging chads.”
I never thought I would need to go into depth on this, and indeed I don’t. One final thought on this subject however: Politics and the people make for strange bed fellows, but also strange bathroom fellows
Control.
To put it simply control, is the one thing we control.
Do we look around us and see all the things that are out of our control, or do we look around us and focus on those things that we can control?
We should focus on those things we can control.
I picked this up my last time through Kanab. I love the little coffee shop / book store / sporting goods store there. For me it’s a must stop. The subtitle of the book, “Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World” caught my eye. I admit I’m not as well put together as I would like to be. The book was good, and I was happy to learn that I am already doing the practices that she recommends to increase one’s attention and presence in the world. (No brag, it’s actually not terribly complicated.) Here are the practices she recommends:
The point is do things that help you detach from media and the culture that demands so much of our attention. So much that we don’t have enough left for ourselves. She makes the point thoroughly (almost too thoroughly) and I’m happy to report I agree with her 100 percent.
I found this quote in Chole Dalton’s book “Raising Hare.”
Seton was not writing philosophy, but what he is saying is philosophical. Seton is expressing the notion, as was put forth by the Stoics, that logos i.e., reason, underpins all of nature. That animals are just as beholden to logos as are humans. In fact, there is no distinction between humans and animals other than by degree of separation when it comes to recognition of logos.
Robert Caro said: “Power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals.” We all recognize this and see it constantly in our daily lives. People with power often tend to wield it for their own benefit.
There is another attribute that can corrupt or reveal: Prosperity. Prosperity has the same potential effect as power. Prosperity can be financial or personal, in fact there are many types of prosperity. If we have the good fortune to prosper, we must remember not to let it change us. Strive to have the character that is strong and true even in good fortune.
It’s good to have goals. This morning when I was sitting quietly and breathing and letting my mind wander freely, I realized something out of the blue. It occurred to me that being able to sit cross-legged would be a wonderful goal to work toward.
The way I am built, I find the notion almost laughable. But now that I have taken the time to write this down, I feel more strongly about this desire than when it first came into my head.
It’s going to take awhile.
The Brahma Muhurta is the hour of the morning that is refered to as “The Creator’s Time.” This is the most creative time of the day and a good time for meditation. Brahma Muhurta is the 48 minute period (one Muhurta) that starts one hour and 36 minutes before sunrise. Since sunrise is dependent on one’s latitude and. longitude, Brahma Muhurta is slightly different each day. Brahma Muhurta starts a bit earlier each day until you read the summer equinox, then the Brahma Muhurta time starts to get a bit later each morning until you reach the winter equinox.
I have a page in my journal for each day. I have recorded sunrise for my location for each day and calculated the corresponding Brahma Muhurta time. I have written those times down in my journal. I look at the time the night before and plan my morning. I try and use that time for meditation and writing.
Below is my prayer to celebrate the new day during Brahma Muhurta.
Read a book as slowly as possible. Intentionally slow down. Focus on each word of each sentence. Think about how the sentence is structured, what the author wants you to take away from the sentence. What do you see that you would not have seen if you had read the words quickly.
I use these thoughts as focus for meditation. I repeat each of these slowly and ask how aligned I am with each of these. It’s useful to run through the list more than once, answers may differ as I delve deeper each time.