Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Standpointlessness
(Thought - Random)
J. Feibleman coins an unusual term 'standpointlessness," as an optimal trait of midlife. "Standpointlessness is not vacillating indecision which would hardly be a sign of maturity. Rather, it represents an ability to shift subjectivity at will to another person or object. Such a flexible person may indeed have strong convictions and commitments, but he or she is able to bracket or suspend personal motives in order to enter empathically into the thoughts and feelings of another. This ability corresponds to the polarity between attachment and separateness that Levinson notes as one of the tasks of midlife individuation. We are well aware of the extremes of separateness, manifest most profoundly in schizophrenia, as a tragic aberration in human development. But the artist's separateness, and yet emphatic identity with the subject points to the kind of flexible distance intended by Levinson.
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-from Eugene C. Bianchi
J. Feibleman coins an unusual term 'standpointlessness," as an optimal trait of midlife. "Standpointlessness is not vacillating indecision which would hardly be a sign of maturity. Rather, it represents an ability to shift subjectivity at will to another person or object. Such a flexible person may indeed have strong convictions and commitments, but he or she is able to bracket or suspend personal motives in order to enter empathically into the thoughts and feelings of another. This ability corresponds to the polarity between attachment and separateness that Levinson notes as one of the tasks of midlife individuation. We are well aware of the extremes of separateness, manifest most profoundly in schizophrenia, as a tragic aberration in human development. But the artist's separateness, and yet emphatic identity with the subject points to the kind of flexible distance intended by Levinson.
-----------------------------------------------------
-from Eugene C. Bianchi
Friday, June 17, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Indestructible Questions
(Thought - Random)
Do you sometimes ask, what is reality and what is mere surface
appearance? Is this material thing, this rock, real? Is the world of
physical things real, the world in which there are cows grazing
silently in a green field under a bright blue summer sky? Are the
city streets real, the shops and office buildings, the lines of cars and
buses, the people crowding the sidewalks, the huge metal planes
whizzing through gray cloudbanks overhead? Is the real only what
is physical, material, tangible? Is reality only particles of matter in
meaningless motion, ending in death, the death of the individual
person, and in the vast death of the solar system? Or is all this
physical reality only the surface, only what appears to the senses,
only illusion after all? Is reality to be found elsewhere - in the world
of the mind, in eternal truths such as the Golden Rule , or in
the wisdom and purpose of God?
--------------------------------------------
From Lavine's From Socrates to Sartre
Do you sometimes ask, what is reality and what is mere surface
appearance? Is this material thing, this rock, real? Is the world of
physical things real, the world in which there are cows grazing
silently in a green field under a bright blue summer sky? Are the
city streets real, the shops and office buildings, the lines of cars and
buses, the people crowding the sidewalks, the huge metal planes
whizzing through gray cloudbanks overhead? Is the real only what
is physical, material, tangible? Is reality only particles of matter in
meaningless motion, ending in death, the death of the individual
person, and in the vast death of the solar system? Or is all this
physical reality only the surface, only what appears to the senses,
only illusion after all? Is reality to be found elsewhere - in the world
of the mind, in eternal truths such as the Golden Rule , or in
the wisdom and purpose of God?
--------------------------------------------
From Lavine's From Socrates to Sartre
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Staying on top of the Water
(Thought-Random)
You're sinking! Something - a lot of things - seem to be pulling you down, down, deeper into the bottom of this water and you can't swim! Well, maybe you can but these things are certainly not allowing you to bring yourself to the surface!
I''m sure there'd be a lot of times you'd have questions and a lot of them unanswered. Like you couldn't figure out why your need for cash would make your good moods crash so hard. You see cash flowing all around you but not enough of it seems to land on your hands. While you probably don't fantasize having a lavish lifestyle, you insist that you still could use more money!
A lot of times, you'd see your life defined by fangs of dissatisfaction. You'd think your mind, your talents, your education just have gone wasted! You'd think everybody else's life was a success while yours was a drudge, uneventful, unexciting! And because everything in your life and how you lived your life seems to strangle you in reproach rather than brighten up your spirits as an inspiration as you'd probably want to, you feel you just can't shake off that gloom. And you're nearing that dangerous edge where you'd want to end it all!
Now hang on! Just hang on there for a minute and listen to me.
Are you sure money is an issue? Or are you thinking that money is what makes other people's lives better than yours? Well, it just might! But think this - these lives may not be as beautiful as they seem...or even wonderful as they claim. No one exists without serious loss, disappointment or burdens. And some of these might just be money-related. You might even be looking into somebody else's hard work and sacrifices as the cause and reason for such beauty and wonder. Would you be willing to pay the same price these lives got to where they are now?
What about checking out the entirety of the life you have behind you? Are you sure you're not leaving out the aspects of it that you really place value in like family and relationships? Can you really close your eyes to the real worth of the kindness, the loyalty, the sense of humor, and the love sent to your direction from friends and loved ones? Are you definitely certain that the range of your vision on life, - your life - is not overly selective and unfairly, drastically narrowed down?
While you're thinking all these, I suggest you calm your nerves somewhat and do what I, myself, try to do: meditate and exercise. While meditation used to be or originally was a way to deeper understand the spiritual and mystical aspects of life, it's present connotation is one of relaxation and stress reduction. It is said that a few minutes of meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. It is simple, inexpensive, and can be done wherever you are. And as such, meditation enhances both your physical and emotional well-being.
Exercise or physical activity, on the other hand, is said to stimulate brain chemicals that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than before you exercised. A work-out at the gym or a 30-minute walk does wonders: - you'll look better, feel better... it will boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Would Tai Chi interest you? Or if you enjoy exercising to music, why not join classes in a dance school! You might just love the Salsa or the Foxtrot, or both! Then do these on a regular basis. You'll find out that if you do both, - meditate and exercise - you should be able to savor the afterglow of such activities...... like I do!
Ah yes ....., I do understand how so difficult it is not to want for more. Somehow, I believe you. But believe me, that is true only, - at least - only until you realize that your own life is far richer than you thought, don't you think?
------------------------------------
.
..
You're sinking! Something - a lot of things - seem to be pulling you down, down, deeper into the bottom of this water and you can't swim! Well, maybe you can but these things are certainly not allowing you to bring yourself to the surface!
I''m sure there'd be a lot of times you'd have questions and a lot of them unanswered. Like you couldn't figure out why your need for cash would make your good moods crash so hard. You see cash flowing all around you but not enough of it seems to land on your hands. While you probably don't fantasize having a lavish lifestyle, you insist that you still could use more money!
A lot of times, you'd see your life defined by fangs of dissatisfaction. You'd think your mind, your talents, your education just have gone wasted! You'd think everybody else's life was a success while yours was a drudge, uneventful, unexciting! And because everything in your life and how you lived your life seems to strangle you in reproach rather than brighten up your spirits as an inspiration as you'd probably want to, you feel you just can't shake off that gloom. And you're nearing that dangerous edge where you'd want to end it all!
Now hang on! Just hang on there for a minute and listen to me.
Are you sure money is an issue? Or are you thinking that money is what makes other people's lives better than yours? Well, it just might! But think this - these lives may not be as beautiful as they seem...or even wonderful as they claim. No one exists without serious loss, disappointment or burdens. And some of these might just be money-related. You might even be looking into somebody else's hard work and sacrifices as the cause and reason for such beauty and wonder. Would you be willing to pay the same price these lives got to where they are now?
What about checking out the entirety of the life you have behind you? Are you sure you're not leaving out the aspects of it that you really place value in like family and relationships? Can you really close your eyes to the real worth of the kindness, the loyalty, the sense of humor, and the love sent to your direction from friends and loved ones? Are you definitely certain that the range of your vision on life, - your life - is not overly selective and unfairly, drastically narrowed down?
While you're thinking all these, I suggest you calm your nerves somewhat and do what I, myself, try to do: meditate and exercise. While meditation used to be or originally was a way to deeper understand the spiritual and mystical aspects of life, it's present connotation is one of relaxation and stress reduction. It is said that a few minutes of meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. It is simple, inexpensive, and can be done wherever you are. And as such, meditation enhances both your physical and emotional well-being.
Exercise or physical activity, on the other hand, is said to stimulate brain chemicals that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than before you exercised. A work-out at the gym or a 30-minute walk does wonders: - you'll look better, feel better... it will boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Would Tai Chi interest you? Or if you enjoy exercising to music, why not join classes in a dance school! You might just love the Salsa or the Foxtrot, or both! Then do these on a regular basis. You'll find out that if you do both, - meditate and exercise - you should be able to savor the afterglow of such activities...... like I do!
Ah yes ....., I do understand how so difficult it is not to want for more. Somehow, I believe you. But believe me, that is true only, - at least - only until you realize that your own life is far richer than you thought, don't you think?
------------------------------------
.
..
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