CDOQ

If humans are genetically programmed to reproduce, how do some people consciously choose not to have children?

Why do we realize the finite nature of life only when we’re closer to the end, and not in our youth?

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations reads like brief notes on hindu philosophy    Random excerpt from the book:  Your ability to control your thoughts - treat it with respect. It's all that protects your mind from false perceptions - false to your nature, and that of all rational beings. It's what makes thoughtfulness possible, and affection for other people, and submission to the divine. 

Although pursuing self-interest is required for survival, any meaning in life comes from pursuing anything but self-interest. 

The most interesting things in life cannot be reduced to equations. 

One who understands breathing understands life. 

Human lifespan continues to rise and the lifespan of everything humans use continues to decline. Is that sustainable?

"Strange as it may seem to us, the underlying concern of American capitalism in the late nineteenth century was the possibility of sufficiency. Just as Marx had envisioned a world where everyone would have enough for a decent life, American capitalists were worried that people would stop buying their goods once they had enough things to live comfortably. There seemed no obvious reason why someone would replace a piece of furniture or a coat or a set of crockery simply because it was old. This problem was solved in large part through the influence of Edward Bernays , a nephew of Sigmund Freud , and principle promoter of his ideas in America. Bernays was intrigued by Freud's view that people are bundles of emotion, passion, and desire, and that the real motive for human action is the satisfaction of deep-seated desires rather than rational calculation. Bernays saw that American companies needed to transform the way people thought about their purchases, so ...

Beauty of yoga lies in graceful transition through poses. 

1. Wealth without Work  2. Pleasure without Conscience  3. Science without Humanity  4. Knowledge without Character  5. Politics without Principle  6. Commerce without Morality  7. Worship without Sacrifice 

I just finished reading a fantastic book, Damn Right ! It is about the life of one of my heroes, Charlie Munger . Since the search of happiness is causing a lot of misery in the world, I am writing this post to share Munger's four simple practices for a happy life. In most cases, the best way to solve a problem is to invert it. So, looking at the problem in reverse, the four things that would ensure an unhappy life are:   1. Be unreliable  2. Learn everything from your own experience rather than learning from others 3. Give up trying after your first, second, or third reverse of fortune 4. Give in to fuzzy thinking  Munger further shares Johnny Carson's speech explaining three things a person should do to ensure a miserable life. These are:  1. Ingesting chemicals in an effort to alter mood or perception  2. Allowing oneself to indulge in envy 3. Wallow in resentment  If you just don't exhibit the Carson's ...

I buy fresh flowers every week. I see them blossom and die. They change form, smell, and the environment they are part of. Flowers remind me of beauty and temporariness of life. 

Thought, after all, is only a result and not the source. - Krishnamurti 

The world is facing a crisis of integrity. - Sylvia Edwards Davis 

Increasing literacy did not only mean the production of philosophical works. In 1130-36  Geoffrey of Monmouth assembled his History of the Kings of Britain , containing stories of King Arthur based on Celtic legend. A few decades later Chretien de Troyes used the same material to tell the story of Perceval , which linked the Arthurian romances to the search of Holy Grail. These stories captured and helped to create the culture of chivalry, of courtly love and Christian romance that became the ideal self-image of European nobility and gentry for centuries to come. The key elements of this literature were bravery as an ideal end in itself (the knights were not fighting to defend heir homeland but were going out to seek adventure), and the idealization of love between a man and a woman. In a clear urban alternative to boorishness of rural warrior barons, the restrictions of church literature, love became exquisitely refined, and was often adulterous- Lancelot , the principal hero o...

Manon offers good insights into human nature - desire, moral indecisiveness, and lack of self-awareness.

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. - Buddha  

I am amazed how 5,000+ year old ideas still influence my thinking. Do ideas become part of DNA and are passed on to the next generation? Is it related to my survival? Or, is it just the current society, which itself is influenced from the past, affecting my thinking? Or, is it what I want that creates a thinking bias that serves me?  Well, then why do I want what I want? If there is no past and no influence from the society, would I want the same things? And, why do I want anything? 

What is the goal of civilization? Does it have one? If it does, who decides what the goal is? 

Why do humans look for meaning in randomness of life? Does the fragrance of a flower have meaning? There is no meaning. It just is.