Does Our Being Alive Matter?

Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it... What frustrates us and robs our lives of joy is this absence of meaning... Does our being alive matter?

Harold S. Kushner

It's "Still" A Magical World

The cover of my Calvin and Hobbes book. The title says it all.

What's Up With The Weather?

It been rather hot the whole morning that you dread going out of the office and then right when you're about to go home, the rain pours heavily. Flu has been rampant nowadays with this unpredictable weather pattern.

As a child, my parents would advise me to go out and have some sunshine. But now, even adults wouldn't like to stay out long under the sun. The sun's heat pierces the skin and it burns. In the morning right after I have taken my bath, I am already sweating. I used to feel refreshed after showering but now it's different with this weather.

There's been a lot of talk about climate change and I believe that it's already happening right now. Some of the "experts" argue that it's just part of nature's cycle and not made by the pollution contributed by man and their machines.

I have a question though, could we still repair the damage done or are we just minimizing it's effects? I was wondering how we could repair the hole in our ozone layer that's been damaged. What are the end result of the environmentally-friendly activities being developed?

The Most Agreeable Companion

The most agreeable of all companions is a simple, frank person, without any high pretensions to an oppressive greatness - one who loves life and understands the use of it; obliging at all hours; above all, of a golden temper and steadfast as an anchor. For such a one, we gladly exchange the greatest genius, the most brilliant, the profoundest thinker.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

It's Been Approved

Finally, I've just learned today that my request to apply has been approved with the help of the one who invited me. It's been a dilemma for me this couple of weeks because I was very interested in it but it need some higher approval.

Now, it's time for me to iron out the details and I hope that I will be accepted. The experience would be tremendous, however difficult it may be.

It's been a while now that I see myself as having no purpose in what I do. Maybe this will help me grow as a person and learn new abilities and improve my knowledge.

Maybe, just maybe, I will fin my purpose here.

You Can't Lose 'Em All!

We're all pretty familiar with Murphy's Law:
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Everything takes longer than you expect.
And if anything can go wrong - it will.
At the worst possible moment!

But what Murphy didn't tell us is that things won't always go wrong. If you keep trying, sooner or later, you will do the right thing at the right time and succeed surprising yourself to no end.

This is the value of determination and persistence. It works because each time you fail, you gain a little more insight into how many different ways things can go wrong allowing you to avoid the same mistake next time. Slowly but surely, the wrong options are eliminated and we find the road to success. There is nothing new to this process of success, it's just that many people don't want to accept it. The idea of failure scares the hell out of them. Their sensitive egos can't bear the thought of others finding out that like all human beings, they aren't likely to get it right on the first try. And that's the heart of the problem, that notion that somehow we have to get it right the first time, or we have failed and are somehow worth less because of it.

Fortunately, egos are very gullible. They don't want to hear the truth and will accept any pleasant sounding lie we care to feed them. This is called rationalization (or more commonly, making excuses). Since we can't change the nature of reality very significantly and hence Murphy's Law, perhaps a change in perspective can alleviate the depression and frustration that comes from apparent failure.

"Nothing is as easy as it looks." can be dealt with by not looking at things as being easy. Under the right conditions, any human being on earth could screw up almost anything. Who is always at their best and when are conditions ever ideal? The same goes for "Everything takes longer than you expect." for who can keep track of all the possible delays that can arise and compensate for them. Truth is we don't know how long anything will take, just how long we would like it to take. "And if anything can go wrong - it will." is just a reminder that we seldom see all the ways that things can work out and success elude us.

Life is like a stacked deck of cards, sometimes for us and sometimes against us. So do your best and if you succeed enjoy the results but take no credit. If you don't succeed, take no blame and keep on trying. You can't lose 'em all!

Roland F. Arms

The Uniqueness in the Unimpressive

Genius is recognizing the uniqueness in the unimpressive. It is looking at a homely caterpillar, an ordinary egg and a selfish infant, and seeing a butterfly, an eagle and a saint.

William Arthur Ward

Tomorrow Will be Our Independence Day

Let us salute the flag.

Enjoying Some Comedy

For about a week now, I've not been feeling well. Maybe it's a flu that is yet to come out fully. To pass on the time, for most of the day I have been listening or watching comedy series, films and stand-up comedy.

I've been listening the following stand-up comedy:

• Chris Rock - Bring in the Pain
• Steve Harvey
• Robin Williams - Live at the MET
• Eddie Murphy - Delirious
• The Original Kings of Comedy
• Bill Cosby - Himself

I've enjoyed listening to these stand-up comedies even if I've heard them already for a couple of times. If you could find a copy of these, try listening to them. A warning though, most of them include foul language except for Bill Cosby. Mr. Cosby's comedy is basically clean without the use of any offensive language.

Also, try The Aristocrats, if you can take it. It's about 100 comedians telling one dirty joke. This is not for everybody.

Laugh Out Loud.

Why We Fall In Love

We all want to fall in love. Why?
Because that experience makes us feel completely alive,
where every sense is heightened,
and every emotion is magnified.
Our everyday reality is shattered
and we are flying into the heavens.
It may only last a moment, an hour, or an afternoon,
but that doesn't diminish its value,
because we are left with memories
that we treasure for the rest of our lives.

from The Mirror Has Two Faces

False Modesty

Some men have an oblique way of expressing superiority by assuming an attitude of humility. But, as a great scientist observed about an aggressively diffident colleague: "He is not great enough to be that modest."

Sydney J. Harris