Ignore Others (from Sept 9th)

 "School, politics, sports, and games train us to compete against others. True rewards — wealth, knowledge, love, fitness, and equanimity — come from ignoring others and improving ourselves.”

Naval Ravikant

My thoughts: I know that there are lots of people who may not agree with the above quote, but the hate and anger that seem to be spreading globally are fueled by people blaming something outside themselves for any real or perceived injustice. Blame is a reaction to fear and it is not constructive. These are not the activities of someone who has a strong sense of self worth. If we think there are conspiracies that are out to destroy what we value then the answer is not to give it traction by making it a competition to who yells loudest, does the most damage or starts the biggest war. Who are the war heroes? They are the everyday people who know their values and live them. They are the Ghandis, Mandela's and MLK's who inspire people through their strength of belief, mind and purpose. They are not the people spewing vitriol and throwing stones. They are not the witch hunters. They are not the people pouring energy into their fears. They are the people who are living the best they can, trying to be the best they can in everyday life. They are the ones who open up hope and light for a better humanity. Imagine what this world would be like if all of us were focusing on improving ourselves and living our own values rather than needing to prove ourselves right and others wrong.

But how can we tell if we are improving ourselves if comparing ourselves to others doesn't give us the answer?? If we live in a competitive mindset we will always  be competing, and it is hard to be generous (even with ourselves) if we always need to do better than someone else. Hmmm, I have lots of thoughts lol but instead of another essay there are more quotes below

I had not heard of Naval Ravikant until I happened upon a reference to him last night, following some links after watching  Tim Ferriss: Smash fear, learn anything | TED Talk. Naval shares his wisdom for free, you can find access to at Almanack of Naval Ravikant (navalmanack.com)

More quotes by Naval Ravikant:
"Don't do things that you know are morally wrong. Not because someone is watching but because you are. Self esteem is just the reputation that you have with yourself."
"Cynicism is easy. Mimicry is easy. Optimistic contrarians are the rarest breed."
"Watch every thought. Always ask why am I having this thought?"
"Morality and ethics automatically emerge when we realize the long term consequences of our actions.”

More quotes by NR that I couldn't not share:
"If you see a get rich quick scheme, that’s someone else trying to get rich off of you."
"People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can't appreciate."

Cheers
Jeanne

Flat Earth (From Sept 16th)

 "In fact, it's Douggie's growing conviction that the greatest flaw of the species is its overwhelming tendency to mistake agreement for truth. Single biggest influence on what a body will or won’t believe is what nearby bodies broadcast over the public band. Get three people in the room and they’ll decide that the law of gravity is evil and should be rescinded because one of their uncles got shit-faced and fell off the roof.”

Richard Powers, The Overstory

My thoughts:

There are many definitions of science, but not one of them includes judgement on what is evil. The biggest instigator of learning is curiousity and the biggest obstacle is preconceived ideas and assumptions. Science is an exercise of intellect and methodology that is applied to advancing our understanding, which means it is a process. If we get stuck believing that what has been proven at a certain period of time is true we are limiting progress. The stronger we defend a "story" the more curious it should make us, and we should be curious in ways we aren't even aware of yet.

Yesterday afternoon I listened to four plus hours of the Halton Region Statutory Public Meeting on the latest Nelson Aggregate application to expand their quarry in Burlington. There were many impassioned pleas against the quarry expansion and a few that were for it. I don't envy the municipal and regional councilors having to try to make an unbiased decision on this application. 

One of my takeaways is that the presentations that were based on science and methodical research were startling in their impact on the rational of the applicant. For example: a justification for the application is based on an increased demand for aggregates for the expected growth in this area that will require building more roads, housing and infrastructure and that it is better for everyone and the environment if those aggregates come from a local source. I totally get this argument... and I assumed this meant the capacity of our existing quarries in the area would not be enough to support the growth... turns out some curious group did some investigating, into the records of the quarries themselves, and reported that none of the licensed aggregate extractors in the area is even close to reaching the limit of their licensed annual extractions while meeting current demand. 

No matter what side of the fence we are on for any issue we should not be afraid to examine our assumptions and be willing to stay curious and listen. Douggie's quote seems ridiculous... but ridiculous is in the eye of the beholder... or in the believer

Science definitions:

• the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
• Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.
• Scientific methodology includes the following:

1. Objective observation: Measurement and data (possibly although not necessarily using mathematics as a tool)
2. Evidence
3. Experiment and/or observation as benchmarks for testing hypotheses
4. Induction: reasoning to establish general rules or conclusions drawn from facts or examples
5. Repetition
6. Critical analysis
7. Verification and testing: critical exposure to scrutiny, peer review and assessment

Flat Earth ‘theory’ — why do some people think the Earth is flat? | Live Science

Members of the Flat Earth Society claim to believe the Earth is flat. Walking around on the planet's surface, it looks and feels flat, so they deem all evidence to the contrary, such as satellite photos of Earth as a sphere, to be fabrications of a "round Earth conspiracy" orchestrated by NASA and other government agencies.

Conspiracy theory psychology 

As inconceivable as their belief system seems, it doesn't really surprise experts. Karen Douglas, a psychologist at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom who studies the psychology of conspiracy theories, says flat-earthers' beliefs cohere with those of other conspiracy theorists she has studied.

"It seems to me that these people do generally believe that the Earth is flat. I'm not seeing anything that sounds as if they're just putting that idea out there for any other reason," Douglas told Live Science.
She said all conspiracy theories share a basic thrust: They present an alternative theory about an important issue or event, and construct an (often) vague explanation for why someone is covering up that "true" version of events. "One of the major points of appeal is that they explain a big event but often without going into details," she said. "A lot of the power lies in the fact that they are vague."
The self-assured way in which conspiracy theorists stick to their story imbues that story with special appeal. After all, flat-earthers are more adamant that the Earth is flat than most people are that the Earth is round (probably because the rest of us feel we have nothing to prove). "If you're faced with a minority viewpoint that is put forth in an intelligent, seemingly well-informed way, and when the proponents don't deviate from these strong opinions they have, they can be very influential. We call that minority influence," Douglas said.
In a study published online March 5, 2014, in the American Journal of Political Science, Eric Oliver and Tom Wood, political scientists at the University of Chicago, found that about half of Americans endorse at least one conspiracy theory, from the notion that 9/11 was an inside job to the JFK conspiracy. "Many people are willing to believe many ideas that are directly in contradiction to a dominant cultural narrative," Oliver told Live Science. He says conspiratorial belief stems from a human tendency to perceive unseen forces at work, known as magical thinking.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
Albert Camus

Action: To develop my curiousity muscle. I'm sure this could provide an irresistible opportunity for some friends to point out my assumptions, so if someone tells me that I'm making an assumption for the purpose of proving something they are making assumptions about, I am going to try to live the act of rebellion and remain free. This is not a competition, it is an exercise.

And I am very grateful for my dishwasher again!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!

Cheers
Jeanne

10,000 times (from Sept 23rd)

 “Time provides all of us with the opportunity to change, alter our belief system, and create new perspectives that challenge a person’s character and teach him or her how to become a happier and wiser person.”

Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

Show me a man who claims he is objective and I'll show you a man with illusions.
Henry R. Luce

An excerpt from the Financial Express review of the book Poor economics: A radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty

“We must arm ourselves with patience and wisdom and listen to the poor and what they want. This is the best way to avoid the trap of ignorance, ideology, and inertia on our side”, wrote Abhijit V Banerjee describing the main message of the book, which is the ‘Three Is' problem (ignorance, ideology, and inertia) of poverty trap. It often plagues the efforts which are supposed to alleviate poverty."

The authors of the aforementioned book, winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2019), have worked with the poor to cull information directly from them in dozens of countries across five continents for more than 15 years.

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
Bruce Lee

My thoughts;
I have been thinking of all the post mortems and blah blah about the Canadian Federal election on Monday. When I saw the reference on a quote to Dead Toad Scrolls I thought this sounded like an apt title for all this rehashing. Then I thought about the poor, maligned toad and how unfair it is to use anything from nature as a metaphor for our politics. In nature you eat or you are eaten. If you eat today you will be eaten tomorrow or the next day, possibly by a big predator, but for certain everything will  eventually be consumed by bacteria. There is no escaping, every living thing will eventually be some form of poop, and then fertilizer for the next creature that grows from it. 

Wait a minute here, maybe the rehashing is the bacterial process, but if so it seems like we have a long way to go before the fertilizer is used for anything productive. How many times do we hear the same things over and over?? The economy blah blah, the greedy rich blah blah, the unambitious poor who are so lazy they don't take advantage when aid is offered to them...

The 'three Is' problem seems prevalent in many of our ways of thinking today... 

Ideologies; what we believe to be true, keeps us thinking the same way. Imagine if things weren't judged on whether they fit in with an ideology in a government party, in religion, in culture, in business...

Ignorance; that we don't question to find out the meaning or source behind what we are told. It is so much easier to assume than to ask questions. Easier to be right than to say "I don't know". Imagine if we asked questions instead of thinking we know the solutions, instead of assuming everyone wants the same thing or has the same opportunities and needs.

Inertia; that lets us stay in our comfort zones and stay thinking the problems are too big and as an individual we don't make a difference so why not just accept our place and be content with jumping over puddles and never dive into the ocean. 

I think the first quote above describes the possibility. The second and third quotes describe the obstacles. The fourth quote actually gives us the work to do to make the first possible. We do not change in a day or in a thought. Hard work and many practice kicks are needed. 

My hero today is a friend who recently completed the physical challenge of bicycling 300 km, paddling across a lake and climbing to summit a demanding peak all in under 12 hours said that this was relatively easy because of all of the sweat that he put in during the training. He trained harder and in worse conditions than the actual challenge. 

 

How do we know something is impossible?? And if we are all going to be eaten by bacteria and turned into poop, why don't we aim to make that land in more fertile ground... oh dear, I lost that thought somewhere. 

PS      I had to google whether cremated ashes got decomposed by bacteria. I learned a new word; Cremains, and I learned a bunch of stuff like people store cremains in airtight urns and even in jewelry to make them last longer. I wonder if this is an analogy for the rehashing and why change in thinking is so slow...the poop process is slowed down and stays in the system way too long.

PPS   Spellcheck accepted cremains as a legit word (am I the only one to not have heard this??)

Cheers
Jeanne

Soul Shine

 I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

Duke Ellington

Its been raining here since I don't know when. Some gloomy days are made for blues

Cheers Jeanne

Let your soul shine

Better than sunshine
I know it's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
People now don't you mind
We all get this way sometimes
You got to let your soul shine
Shine till the break of day

Written by Warren Haynes (guitarist for Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule)

Listen to this version of Soul Shine by Beth Hart to get your morning going:-)

https://open.spotify.com/track/3yWl1F8mOIUwE7COOKN6O4?si=7de99fd806b841f3

3 Pines at Mary and Paul's

or 

Waiting, Watching and Wondering

First ever posting of my art! 

haha, my select readership of two, you will get subjected to my random creations now that I have discovered I like to draw and paint as well as write.

Thanks for reading:-)