5th Down

Daily Quotes

2011-11-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. And if you roll a power of eight, you can slay the purple dragon.

Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts. At least, that’s what my wife says.

Connection, and Loss

2011-11-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

I connected again with an old girlfriend today. A girlfriend, from so long ago that "girlfriend" meant little more than mutual crush. She seems to be doing well, married with two kids.

I'm still coming to grips with the fact that children don't seem to be in the cards for me. Sometimes it seems that life is really just the process of coming to grips with loss. Loss of relationships, loss of people, loss of dreams we once held precious; all these things we lose. I suppose we could choose to view this in some sense of personal evolvement, that we are being stripped down to our essence, to the things that truly matter. Or, in the attitude I have increasingly taken as I grow older, it doesn't "mean" anything. It's just what happens.

A Creed to Live By

2011-11-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I have no parents; I make the heaven and earth my mother and
father.
I have no home; I make awareness my dwelling.
I have no life and death; I make the tides of breathing my life
and death.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my divine power.
I have no means; I make understanding my means.
I have no magic secrets; I make character my magic secret.
I have no body; I make endurance my body.
I have no eyes; I make the flash of lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make sensibility my ears.
I have no limbs; I make promptness my limbs.
I have no strategy; I make “unshadowed by thought” my strategy
I have no designs; I make “seizing opportunity by the forelock” my
design.
I have no miracles; I make right action my miracle.
I have no principles; I make adaptability to all circumstances my
principles.
I have no tactics; I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talents; I make ready wit my talent.
I have no friends; I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy; I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armor; I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.
I have no castle; I make immovable mind my castle.
I have no sword; I make absence of self my sword.

A samurai's creed, written around 1300 by an unnamed author. Via Chris
Corrigan

Quotes of the Day

2011-10-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

And since I've missed a few days...

I have lived eighty years of life and know nothing for it, but to be resigned and tell myself that flies are born to be eaten by spiders and man to be devoured by sorrow. Or, maybe it's flies to be devoured by sorrow and man to be eaten by...ah, hell. I don't know.

I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom. But I especially like Penthouse Letters.

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. Unless I'm busy, then all bets are off.

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd. I think.

Ice-cream is exquisite - what a pity it isn't illegal in Utah.

It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one. So, please untie the rope from around my neck.

It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce. Invest in chocolate.

Quote of the Day

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Common sense is not so common in politicians.

Quote of the Day

2011-10-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

Still "improving" on the French philosopher. But he was French, so improvements come easily!

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. I'm not sure what my mother-in-law gave. Probably a tie.

(mis)Quote of the Day

2011-10-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

More Voltaire:

God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best. This message brought to you by Winchester Repeating Arms.*

*Ironically, Voltaire himself was responding to a famous quote by Napoleon.

More Quotes

2011-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Still picking on Voltaire...

All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets, or the Bee Gees. Then they should be punished extra.

And another:

Business is the salt of life, which is why your job raises your blood pressure.

And, because I was occupied, and missed a couple of days...

Common sense is not so common in politicians.

Quote of the Day

2011-10-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to start giving a quote of the day. These will probably be famous quotes I've mangled, but some may be my own. Here's the first, given by Voltaire, and improved by me:

A witty saying proves nothing...even if penned by R.A. Heinlein.

And one more...

All men are born with a nose and ten fingers, but no one was born with a knowledge of God, or of peanut butter.

What We Think We Know

2011-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

I came to the conclusion that all of the opposite sex was crazy, and that the challenge was finding a crazy I could handle. But thinking I could handle anyone's crazy is silly.

Perpetual Truth

2010-08-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Life is change.

In Summation

2009-12-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

There is, ultimately, nothing.

Life's Length

2009-12-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

All we ever have is an instant.

OM MANI PADME HUM

2009-09-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is an explanation of the what is probably the most recognizable Mantra to Westerners.

Nature and Thought

2009-09-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

People don't change, but our thoughts about them do.

Carrying the load

2009-09-09T07:23:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to let go of the the past, but it's even harder to carry.

Psalm 30:5(b)

2009-08-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

The Biggest Chance

2009-08-23T09:24:00.001-07:00

Life is fragile, and death is a certainty. We weigh our options, and take chances. Refusing to take chances means fewer aches, pains, and breaks in the short term. But living this way is really just slow death. If we take no chances, we gain no rewards, and this is much greater tragedy than risking an untimely death.

Pose

2009-07-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Don't hate the beautiful.

Special, I'm Special

2009-07-25T18:19:00.002-07:00

My hostess is cooking corn bread and home fries with our dinner. Just because I like them. In the immensity of existence, perhaps it's silly that I feel so delighted, so loved and pampered at that.

But I do. And I'm thankful.

2009-07-25T18:19:00.001-07:00

Crunch

2009-07-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

"I killed a critter", Rob announced. He seemed somewhat proud of himself.

Oh, yeah? A mouse? A roach? I inquired.

"It was a little salamander thing."

My heart sank. That was a gecko. I tried not to clench my teeth. They eat bugs. They're good.

He said that its movement had scared him. Silly, ignorant people.

We're all ignorant of something, and react destructively in fear. True mastery of life can only come by overcoming fear.

A Stark Truth

2009-07-16T14:16:00.001-07:00

For some, regret comes an instant too late.

Glimmer

2009-07-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness- Eleanor Roosevelt.

Walking

2009-07-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

If I go far enough, maybe I'll end somewhere I want to be.

If I walk aimlessly, how can I expect to go anyplace I'd want?

On the Nature of Humanity

2009-07-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

People can change, but they usually don't.

Lavatory

2009-07-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Every Little Thing Counts.

Alcohol

2009-07-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

There is not enough alcohol in the world to relieve the pain of living. Seeking refuge in it cannot then be the answer.

Desperate Times

2009-07-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

If you still can find the funds for diet soda and cigarettes, and are still morbidly obese despite not having had a job for months, you haven't hit desperate yet.

The Numbers of Infinity

2009-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

While watching “Bones” this evening, I heard a quote from the title character. She said, “There is no singular event...infinity goes in both directions.” The first part of that statement is true*. The second should instead be “Infinity goes in all directions.”

*Actually, it's more true to say that every event is singular: it's the type of event that will reoccur.

Life, Worth Living

2009-06-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is about the fullness of existence. There are many things in life and the universe. They seem good or bad, but that is only our perception. Reality is, and we, or our genetic and cultural programming, choose how to view it.

Regardless, we are "inside our eyes". We are individually responsible for living the life we want to have. I have failed at this. I have made small, hesitant steps. I have done some things others in my family and friends have not dared to do, but I have not gone far enough. I have not been brave enough, true enough to myself. This changes now.

Thoreau said "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." I will go to the grave, as we all will. But I will make the most of that time. Don't expect a lot of philosophical whining here, as I have found that it is too easy to substitute talk for life. Just expect life, with the pedal held to the floor.