Quote of The Day 12/31/12

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.

-Henry David Thoreau

Today's quote comes from one of America's greatest writers, Henry David Thoreau.  I chose this succinct and humorous quote in attempt to provide some levity for this typically grand and over-appreciated evening for festivities.  It is indeed New Year's Eve and many will be dressing to the nines and attempting an elegant introduction to the year of 2013.  But as this quote suggests, perhaps we do not need such frills and bells and whistles.  Let us enjoy our family and friends without the superficiality of fancy clothes.  Happy New Year everyone!

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is one of the most important figures in American history.  His writings and lectures have influenced countless many who have helped to shape our great nation's trajectory.  Thoreau was a lifelong abolitionist, his most famous works are the book Walden and his essay Civil Disobedience.  Considered by some to be an anarchist, Thoreau was a strong proponent for the improving of government.  He was also a very significant voice for early environmentalism.

Quote of The Day 12/30/12

Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without.

-Chuang Tzu

Today's quote comes from Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu, also known as Zhuangzi.  The quote itself is a simple message.  Essentially, Cuang Tzu's advice with this passage is to love oneself for what you are and deny your impulses to be something that you are not.  It is not an easy task for all to understand one's place in the world.  But with time, we must learn to recognize who we truly are and to embrace this identity with happiness and acceptance.  Simultaneously we must also recognize that which we are not.  Surely everyone must face desire and temptation to be something else for whatever superficial reason that invades the psyche.  And one should learn to stifle such urges.

Chuang Tzu (4th Century BC), aka Zhuangzi, was an ancient Chinese philosopher known for his writing of a work bearing the title of his namesake.  Living during the Warring States Period, embedded in the era of The Hundred Schools of Thought, Chuang Tzu is best known for his skeptical attitude.  He believed that life is limited while the potential knowledge to be absorbed is unlimited.  His philosophy is commonly considered an antecedent to Relativism.

Quote of The Day 12/29/12

 

When you can laugh at yourself, there is enlightenment.

-Shunryu Suzuki

 

Today's quote of the day is a creed that I believe can have a positive influence on anyone.  Especially those that have a tendency to take themselves too seriously.  We should all know at this point (if you happen to be older than eight) that we all make mistakes.  We all screw up here and there despite our best intentions.  Of course, there is fair reason to analyze our mishaps seriously and learn from them.  However, we need not be hung up forever on disappointments and to get beyond them we should laugh.  Ultimately, I paraphrase the quote as follows: When you can recognize the absurdity of your mistakes, you will understand that you are imperfect.  

 

Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971) was a Japanese Soto Zen monk who is heavily responsible for the popularization of Zen Buddhism in the United States.  Suzuki founded the San Francisco Zen Center which is one of the most significant and influential Zen organizations in the States.  it was incorporated by Suzuki and a group of his followers in 1962 and today it remains the largest Zen organization in the Western world.  Suzuki also wrote the very popular book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

Quote of The Day 12/28/12

-->

Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of a problem.

-Krishnamurti

I apologize for my failure to post a Quote of The Day for the past two days.  I was quite preoccupied with a lovely visit to upstate New York where there was a brief gathering of my relatives, many of whom I have not seen in years.  I promise to give you kind, dedicated readers some bonus Quotes of The Day in the very near future.

Anywho, today’s Quote of The Day is from Indian born “World Teacher”, Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986).  The quote is a bit esoteric and I find it slightly cryptic, for if one has a problem, surely one would naturally desire an answer to that problem.  It is only practical.  However, I believe the key words to this quote are “freedom from”.  It is our own selfishness that drives our desire for answers.  Whether the answer being searched for directly concerns the individual that desires said answer or relates to another, that desire is still spawned from one’s own psyche.  Thus, without desire for an answer, perhaps it is possible to see “problems” as they really are.  Not so much problems but experiences.

And now, imagine if problems existed without answers.  Imagine the concept of an answer had never been invented.  Well, obviously that would mean that problems would cease to be considered “problems” anymore.  And perhaps I have gone off the deep end on this one and my musing has become…. problematic? (Elbow to the ribs)

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in colonial India to a Telegu Brahmin family.  The affairs with which Krishnamurti was most concerned were meditation, human relationships, the natural temperament of the mind, psychological transformation, and radical revision of society.  Krishnamurti was a consistent proponent of the evolution of the human psyche and believed that such action could not be brought on by any outward influence such as religion, politics, or societal pressure.

Quote of The Day 12/25/12

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please."
-Mark Twain

Well, Happy Christmas to all that participate in such activities and of course Happy-Every-Holiday-Which-Falls-Around-The-Time-of-Christmas.  I'm feeling lazy today so I am going with something short and easy.  Today's quote is from Mark Twain (1835-1910), one of the most significant satirists to have graced humanity with his writing.  In this quote Twain explains, in reference to the sharing and dispersing of information, that one can alter facts to ones liking, but only after you have absorbed them properly.  The statement is undeniably cynical which keeps with Twain's affinity for dark humor.  

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Hannibal, Missouri; you may know as the famous 19th century author responsible for contributing such classics as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the canon of classic American literature.  Twain was intriguingly born when our Earth's sky was visited by Halley's Comet and subsequently passed away (at his own prediction) one day after its next appearance.  Freaky.