The inspiration for paradoxical wisdom has its roots in the winsome wit of the gadfly of Athens...old Socrates. The one who chose to drink the Hemlock and die rather than live a lie.
Well, as it is written "it is appointed for each man to die but once" so who am I to say if he did not choose wisely:)
What is relevant here is that Socrates understood the limits of his own wisdom which paradoxically made him wise. And that is the point here. To accept that we don't know as much as we think we know. Mark Twain observed a few thousand years later that "the problem with most of us is we know too much that isn't so."
Not to complicate the issue of knowing with wisdom but knowing you are not wise makes you wise I surmise...at least in the paradoxically wise sense.
The key to living wisely is to live the paradox...of knowing yet not knowing. That is the essence of paradoxical wisdom. Test the riddle of the oracle at Delphi yourself....ask: "Am I wiser than Socrates?":) Who knows what you will discover.
Have fun...
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
I started this blog with high aspirations... to peel away the layers of BS that masquerade as truth. Mission not accomplished:)
The simple truth is most of us are just trying to survive the current uncertainty and prefer the familiar landscapes of comfort and certainty. Can't say I blame you. I like the familiar as well:) But I got this nagging feeling that the Matrix is realer than we thought and realer than we can think.
Too real perhaps, too scary to even contemplate for mere mortals so...I've decided to forgo my original highfalutin intentions and focus on the mundane affairs of this side of the Matrix:) Things like eating, sleeping and ...other creature comforts.
I'll begin with what I had for breakfast; Honey Nut Cheerios with organic milk and a supposed organic apple. I washed it down with a breakfast burrito from Jack in the Box...not!
This morning I chose the red package of Seattle's Best Organic House to wash away the sands of time. Mission accomplished. Comfortably ensconced in the illusion. Survival assured at least until lunch...when the battle for survival reemerges and I must once again choose the blue pill or face ultimate reality. God forbid that I should choose to wake-up! No, no, no! The blue pill for me please...with a piping hot cup of organic El Salvador.
That's the ticket!
PS The Red Pill sits in a jar by the door...which in case of a "real" emergency will be broken.
The simple truth is most of us are just trying to survive the current uncertainty and prefer the familiar landscapes of comfort and certainty. Can't say I blame you. I like the familiar as well:) But I got this nagging feeling that the Matrix is realer than we thought and realer than we can think.
Too real perhaps, too scary to even contemplate for mere mortals so...I've decided to forgo my original highfalutin intentions and focus on the mundane affairs of this side of the Matrix:) Things like eating, sleeping and ...other creature comforts.
I'll begin with what I had for breakfast; Honey Nut Cheerios with organic milk and a supposed organic apple. I washed it down with a breakfast burrito from Jack in the Box...not!
This morning I chose the red package of Seattle's Best Organic House to wash away the sands of time. Mission accomplished. Comfortably ensconced in the illusion. Survival assured at least until lunch...when the battle for survival reemerges and I must once again choose the blue pill or face ultimate reality. God forbid that I should choose to wake-up! No, no, no! The blue pill for me please...with a piping hot cup of organic El Salvador.
That's the ticket!
PS The Red Pill sits in a jar by the door...which in case of a "real" emergency will be broken.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
There is So Much Beauty in the World
There is so much beauty in the world. Yet we tend to take our attention elsewhere. Why?
I will not make a vain attempt to explain it. You and I both know we are distracted. Knowing this, what do we do about it? We create remedies for the distractions. Remedies born out of the same contracted energy that took our soulful eye off the prize which is our inherent love of beauty. Distractions to distract us from what we inherently don't want. Its crazy.
Yet there is so much beauty in the world. Its everywhere...and found in every moment. All we need do is open our hearts with gratitude...Where will you find it? Where will you look?
Look within...beauty is there waiting to be born! Look without...beauty is everywhere! Let those who have eyes see.
I'm reminded of this fact by the profound words of Lester Burnham the protagonist in the movie "American Beauty." As the movie draws to a close and Burnham's body lay cold and still on his kitchen table...Burnham narrates his own death and resurrection:
Lester Burnham: [narrating]" I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined our street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me...
but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude
for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday."
Beauty is everywhere. All we need do is remove the obstacles to our awareness of it. With the approach of Valentines Day, perhaps you will discover this beauty for yourself! Look within you own heart and awaken:)
I will not make a vain attempt to explain it. You and I both know we are distracted. Knowing this, what do we do about it? We create remedies for the distractions. Remedies born out of the same contracted energy that took our soulful eye off the prize which is our inherent love of beauty. Distractions to distract us from what we inherently don't want. Its crazy.
Yet there is so much beauty in the world. Its everywhere...and found in every moment. All we need do is open our hearts with gratitude...Where will you find it? Where will you look?
Look within...beauty is there waiting to be born! Look without...beauty is everywhere! Let those who have eyes see.
I'm reminded of this fact by the profound words of Lester Burnham the protagonist in the movie "American Beauty." As the movie draws to a close and Burnham's body lay cold and still on his kitchen table...Burnham narrates his own death and resurrection:
Lester Burnham: [narrating]" I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined our street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me...
but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude
for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday."
Beauty is everywhere. All we need do is remove the obstacles to our awareness of it. With the approach of Valentines Day, perhaps you will discover this beauty for yourself! Look within you own heart and awaken:)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Paradox of Change
We do what we do usually because we have already been "conditioned" to act and react in a particular way. Over time, "change" becomes more difficult as we become "comfortable" with our "habits" of being us. The process of developing new behaviors is "uncomfortable" as we move into adulthood even if they hold the promise of a better life.
The reality for the majority of us is that "change" will become more difficult over time. The challenge for us is to find both the willingness within us and the means to implement change that is both compelling and effective. We must discover within ourselves "change we can believe in."
This requires of us the ability to adapt over time to maximize our life experience. Conscious change and adaption is essential. I like the assertion made by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget:
Whether you agree with this assertion about intelligence or not, what is essential to keep in mind is that "adaption" aka the ability to "change" in a conscious way is an "intelligent" asset to have in our mental arsenal.
We are creatures of habit
This acquired pattern of behavior often occurs automatically and unconsciously. Over time we become "habituated" to "being" and "doing" in a pattern of behavior that we come to accept as "me."
These patterns of behavior are "embodied" in such a way as to ensure that the behavior will persist come hell or high-water. This fact is neither good nor bad, its just how it is. The challenge arises when decide to "alter our normal pattern of behavior."
The Good News
The good news is that our habits tend to make our lives easier.
1. They act as reliable shortcuts for "routine" tasks
2. They lay down "tracks" so that the mind has a "pattern" for the body to follow
3. They free the mind to consciously handle other matters
The Bad News
The bad news is that our habits once formed are hard to break. This is good news when our habits are serving our life needs successfully. Its bad news when we realize that some of our " habits" are getting in the way of living a successful life.
This "reality" of you is "creating" your life experiences. To change both your experiences and your outcomes requires that you be able to "disrupt the pattern" that is driving your current experience and replace it with a pattern that "embodies" the desired new behavior.
We must be willing to do what ever is necessary to "embody the change" and to temporarily "suffer" the discomforts that naturally arise when doing life "differently."
The Discomfort of Change
Any attempt to alter our "habitual pattern of behavior" will be met with some form of resistance and discomfort. The new pattern of behavior feels "uncomfortable" or awkward. It just doesn't "feel right." With the passage of time we tend to "identify" with our habits, and these patterns eventually become what we experience as "us." Changing us over time just "feels" wrong even if the change is "right.":)
What can we do about it?
Change "You" can Believe in
For us to actually "change", we must "break the habit" of our normal self. We must "disrupt the pattern" of how we do what we "normally" do.
How?
Real change, change you can see, change "you" can believe in can be achieved in a 3-step process:
1. Knowledge and awareness of a pattern of behavior you want to have
2. A set of instructions to apply this "knowledge" correctly
3. Feedback to help correct and adjust behavior to produce the desired outcome. This helps to match our "intentions" with our "actions" aka "behaviors."
We all want change to be easy. Sometimes it can feel that way. Usually its "uncomfortable." Knowing this in advance, it behooves us to find our own compelling reason for change...change "we" can believe in.
The reality for the majority of us is that "change" will become more difficult over time. The challenge for us is to find both the willingness within us and the means to implement change that is both compelling and effective. We must discover within ourselves "change we can believe in."
This requires of us the ability to adapt over time to maximize our life experience. Conscious change and adaption is essential. I like the assertion made by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget:
"Intelligence is an adaptation…To say that intelligence is a particular instance of biological adaptation is thus to suppose that it is essentially an organization and that its function is to structure the universe just as the organism structures its immediate environment"
Whether you agree with this assertion about intelligence or not, what is essential to keep in mind is that "adaption" aka the ability to "change" in a conscious way is an "intelligent" asset to have in our mental arsenal.
We are creatures of habit
This acquired pattern of behavior often occurs automatically and unconsciously. Over time we become "habituated" to "being" and "doing" in a pattern of behavior that we come to accept as "me."
These patterns of behavior are "embodied" in such a way as to ensure that the behavior will persist come hell or high-water. This fact is neither good nor bad, its just how it is. The challenge arises when decide to "alter our normal pattern of behavior."
The Good News
The good news is that our habits tend to make our lives easier.
1. They act as reliable shortcuts for "routine" tasks
2. They lay down "tracks" so that the mind has a "pattern" for the body to follow
3. They free the mind to consciously handle other matters
The Bad News
The bad news is that our habits once formed are hard to break. This is good news when our habits are serving our life needs successfully. Its bad news when we realize that some of our " habits" are getting in the way of living a successful life.
This "reality" of you is "creating" your life experiences. To change both your experiences and your outcomes requires that you be able to "disrupt the pattern" that is driving your current experience and replace it with a pattern that "embodies" the desired new behavior.
We must be willing to do what ever is necessary to "embody the change" and to temporarily "suffer" the discomforts that naturally arise when doing life "differently."
The Discomfort of Change
Any attempt to alter our "habitual pattern of behavior" will be met with some form of resistance and discomfort. The new pattern of behavior feels "uncomfortable" or awkward. It just doesn't "feel right." With the passage of time we tend to "identify" with our habits, and these patterns eventually become what we experience as "us." Changing us over time just "feels" wrong even if the change is "right.":)
What can we do about it?
Change "You" can Believe in
For us to actually "change", we must "break the habit" of our normal self. We must "disrupt the pattern" of how we do what we "normally" do.
How?
Real change, change you can see, change "you" can believe in can be achieved in a 3-step process:
1. Knowledge and awareness of a pattern of behavior you want to have
2. A set of instructions to apply this "knowledge" correctly
3. Feedback to help correct and adjust behavior to produce the desired outcome. This helps to match our "intentions" with our "actions" aka "behaviors."
We all want change to be easy. Sometimes it can feel that way. Usually its "uncomfortable." Knowing this in advance, it behooves us to find our own compelling reason for change...change "we" can believe in.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Action is Risky
All courses of action are risky. All. There is no risk free path. None. Some are less risky. Some are more.
The important point: Its better to do bold things.
Fortune favors the bold. History confirms it. Sure there are casualties along the way. So what. Life is risky business. Accept this fact and move on. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Better to have moved in the direction of your dreams.
As Henry David Thoreau observed, "if you will advance confidently in the direction of your dreams you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
In a word; Act! Act despite your fears. Act in favor of your dreams. Believe and have faith. The enemy within masquerading as fear roams unfettered until you decide to act. Action is the antidote to fear. Action reigns supreme.
One only becomes "real" at the point of action.
You must win the war with yourself and your unconscious fears before you can win the wars of the world outside you. Stop running away from the challenges which lay before you. They are opportunities in disguise. They are the very reason you were born. Face them and live. Develop the strength to do bold things not the strength to suffer.
Act.
"All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not avoiding danger but calculating risk and acting accordingly. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer."
Machiavelli - The Prince
The important point: Its better to do bold things.
Fortune favors the bold. History confirms it. Sure there are casualties along the way. So what. Life is risky business. Accept this fact and move on. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Better to have moved in the direction of your dreams.
As Henry David Thoreau observed, "if you will advance confidently in the direction of your dreams you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
In a word; Act! Act despite your fears. Act in favor of your dreams. Believe and have faith. The enemy within masquerading as fear roams unfettered until you decide to act. Action is the antidote to fear. Action reigns supreme.
One only becomes "real" at the point of action.
You must win the war with yourself and your unconscious fears before you can win the wars of the world outside you. Stop running away from the challenges which lay before you. They are opportunities in disguise. They are the very reason you were born. Face them and live. Develop the strength to do bold things not the strength to suffer.
Act.
"All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not avoiding danger but calculating risk and acting accordingly. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer."
Machiavelli - The Prince
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