I read Alan Watts books when I was younger. Not sure if that's similar but probably same ballpark.
I read Alan Watts books when I was younger. Not sure if that's similar but probably same ballpark.
Originally Posted by Sting
I don't know anything about TNH unfortunately. But this is Watts:
Crap like that. And this.“But you cannot understand life and its mysteries as long as you try to grasp it. Indeed, you cannot grasp it, just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket. If you try to capture running water in a bucket, it is clear that you do not understand it and that you will always be disappointed, for in the bucket the water does not run. To “have” running water you must let go of it and let it run.”
― Alan W. Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity
Watts was a westerner who fell in love with eastern stuff like zen.“This, then, is the human problem: there is a price to be paid for every increase in consciousness. We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain. By remembering the past we can plan for the future. But the ability to plan for the future is offset by the "ability" to dread pain and to fear of the unknown. Furthermore, the growth of an acute sense of the past and future gives us a corresponding dim sense of the present. In other words, we seem to reach a point where the advantages of being conscious are outweighed by its disadvantages, where extreme sensitivity makes us unadaptable.”
Originally Posted by Sting
I always wondered what Watts was looking for. He dabbled in several religions.
Watts was pretty much an exclusively zen/taoist kind of dude. I have his Way of Zen book and it's really philosophical and dense. Thich Nhat Hanh is a pretty straightforward zen buddhist. I have a handful of his books and his talk with Oprah is my go to serenity.
Unfortunately Thich Nhat Hanh had a stroke recently and had been in a coma. He came out of the coma this month but is still dealing with the consequences of a stroke (not being able to talk, etc).
Anyway, he's a cool dude. I usually urge my Christian friends to have a gander at this book of his for insights into Christianity from a Buddhist perspective:
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Buddha-.../dp/159448239X
Luckily, his words will always be around.
I started reading that book and something threw me off. He talked about MLK being a pure, good man. He said he could see that as soon as he met MLK. I also think he was a pretty good person and accomplished a great deal. I think we need another MLK right now. What kind of threw me off, what was the deal with MLK and his rumored adultry? Did it really happen? Would that still make him a pure, good person. He talked MLK up like he was a saint. I get it that everyone isn't perfect. I can't remember the exact part of the book. I know it was toward the beginning. What did you think of that part?
TNH is an optimistic dude. I think he understand that people have flaws, but he saw in MLK a desire for peace and a willingness to fight for it through peaceful means. Since TNH lived and was subsequently kicked out of Vietnam, he likely noticed MLK's growing anti-Vietnam sentiments and appreciated him for that. Nevertheless, TNH likely wouldn't judge MLK based on his transgressions because all humans have them. As to whether or not TNH is aware of the extent of MLK's faults, who knows. But MLK acknowledged that he was a sinner pretty consistently, so perhaps his openness in that regard puts him in good standing. I personally think he is one of the greatest Americans despite his flaws. I would only call him a pure good man in that he fought the same battles many humans fight but was able to somehow get past his flaws in times where he felt it necessary to protest/stand up for people's rights and for the good of humanity and all of that jazz. He was a good man who desired equality and peace as much as a human could, and he did so while dealing with his own demons. He's a prime example of what it means to be human, I suppose.
But mostly I think TNH always found MLK's stance against the Vietnam War admirable, so that outweighed his flaws.
That's a good outlook on the situation. I'll need to finish that book. I have several of his ebooks, which I read much slower than paper and print. The first one I started reading is "Peace in every step". The pocket book is good when you have to wait somewhere, like at the doctor's office. His words have helped me a great deal in the past year or so.
Cat's Cradle - meh.
"Lexicon" by Max Barry - I could see this turning into a movie, along the lines of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's in the James Patterson candy realm, easy to read, grabs you--but not without some philosophical fodder (some of which was a bit condescending to me). The premise is interesting--a secret organization trains "poets" who are able to persuade (more like hypnotize) people by identifying their "psychographic segment" and saying obscure words that trigger a neurochemical reaction. A young girl from the streets becomes a prodigy then goes rogue when she falls in love, and small-scale zombie apocalypse ensues. Recommend as a summer read type book.
Originally Posted by Sting
I am into the 2nd game of thrones book Clash of Kings I think it is.
Finishing up Ready Player One. Man, I hope they do it justice if and when they make it a movie. Cool ass book.
Candy for 30-40 somethings who grew up in the 80's and loved arcades.
Originally Posted by Sting
The Great Debate; Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the birth of Right and Left by Yuval Levin
A fascinating book detailing the debate between Burke and Paine in the late 18th Century over political philosophy and the most beneficial course for a good government in promoting the well being and happiness of man. He believes that the root of all of our modern disputes over politics is to be found rooted in these two thinkers and their very divergent World views.
Levin is doing a pretty good job at trying to present both sides in as flattering a light as possible, which is a hard trick to accomplish. Levin also admits his own biases, which is refreshing. His contention is that these differences are real, they are profound, they remain current, and they continue to color all modern political disputes. He goes further and dismisses as naive the ideas that there aren't real and important issues at stake in partisan disputes, or that money is the driving force in these. I agree with both of those assertions.
“What fresh hell is this?”
"A man who picks a cat up by the tail learns something which he can learn in no other way." - Mark Twain
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