Re-aiming ourselves . . .
In Sol's day's mailbox after a cooling overnight rain in Okieland . . .
Biden’s resurrection of the liberal consensus of the years from 1933 to 1980 is illustrating that the economic problems in the country were the fault of Republican policies rather than of marginalized people. The extremism of those angry Republican footsoldiers is revealing that they are not the centrist Americans they have claimed to be. . .In the past, a democratic coalition has come together to reject such extremism. If it does so again, the Republican marriage of elites to street fighters will crumble, leaving room for the country to rebuild the relationship between citizens and the government. When a similar realignment happened in the 1930s under Democratic president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Republican Party had little choice but to follow. – Heather Cox Richardson
It takes a lot more patience, compassion, forgiveness, and love than aiming for some illusory perfection that usually cannot see its own faults. The only true perfection available to us is the honest acceptance of our imperfection. – Richard Rohr
The goal is not to fall in love with our sorrow, but to fall so in love with ourselves that we don’t prefer our joy over any other feeling. – Chelsea Harvey Garner
Birthday today: Called “the poet laureate of medicine,” neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks, was born on this day in 1933 London.
Every act of perception, is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination. . . .We speak not only to tell other people what we think, but to tell ourselves what we think. – Oliver Sacks
Almost Pooh's Tao
In a wet mailbox this Satyr's day in Okieland . . .
Truth is a pathless land. We cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. We can find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of the mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. . . .Enlightenment is an accident, but there are some activities that make us more accident prone. – J. Krishnamurti
We think that the earth is the earth and we are something outside of the earth. But in fact we are inside of the earth. Imagine that the earth is the tree and we are a leaf. The earth is not the environment, something outside of us that we need to care for. The earth is us. Taking care of the earth, we take care of ourselves. If we see the earth as only the environment, with ourselves in the center, then we only want to do something for the earth in order for us to survive. But that is not enough. That is a dualistic way of seeing. We have to practice looking at our planet not just as matter, but as a living and sentient being. . .when we look into the earth we see that it’s a very beautiful flower containing the presence of the whole universe. When we look into our own bodily formation, we are made of the same elements as the planet. It has made us. The earth and the universe are inside of us. – Thich Nhat Hanh
Wet Feet
The first step on the path
the wise among us
have walked before
begins in a dim awareness
that there must be
something more.
Many paths lead nowhere
yet are we told walk
we must until
standing still
we see the truth
beneath our feet.
The Watercourse Way.
Our feet.
Wet.
JB 11.16.20
A simple mantra for remembering the laws of nature: life is not personal, permanent, or perfect. – Ruth King
https://tricycle.org/article/ruth-king-black-and-buddhist/
An analogue without boundaries . . .
. . . just to purposefully mix metaphors. That said, here’s what popped out from Freya’s unbounded mailbox this still rainy Okieland morning:
Today marks the 136th anniversary of Marc Chagall's birth. The multidisciplinary artist – usually considered “modern primitive” but rather beyond category – was born in Liozna, near the city of 1887 Vitebsk (Belarus). Among his famous works is the magnificent stained glass “Peace Window” at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Speaking of artists, today is the birthday of Ringo Starr. The beyond-famous Beatles drummer was born on this day in 1940 Liverpool, England.
It is also the 116th anniversary of Robert Heinlein's birth. The futurist-novelist and author of Stranger in a Strange Land was born today in 1907 Butler, Missouri .
And... if you aren't tired of the discussion around AI... and particularly if you have some anxieties around the issues . . .
Recently, Open AI / Chat/GPT CEO Sam Altman, along with wisdom teacher, Jack Kornfield, discussed opportunities and challenges of AI, and the need for ethics and values as it develops. The session was moderated by Soren Gordhamer.
For an update on Chat/GPT5
And, here's a link to Chat/GPT's response to my question “What did Lao Tzu mean by his term The Watercourse Way?
Symbols have unique boundaries – an “A” is not a “B” for example. By joining boundaries in unique ways we get words such as the ones here which also have boundaries we call “meaning,” as they purport to the names of “things.” There is one word which has no boundaries, regardless of its appearance. That word is “compassion.” “Compassion is an action word with no boundaries.” – Prince
It's time we all reach out for something new
That means you too
You say you want a leader
But you can't seem to make up your mind
I think you better close it
And let me guide you to the purple rain
— Prince