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Showing posts from July, 2016

Tolstoy, after Rousseau, on Knowledge and Wisdom

“Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one’s life. At present, people study useless sciences, but forget to study this, the most important knowledge.”

Inspired To Live, Or Die Trying

People who inspire me are the ones who stand on the border of their existence and whether they live or die, still find a way to triumph in their adversity. These people are both fictional or nonfictional, real and imagined. Favorite books, stories and movies (some books have been filmed): “The Revenant” “Lone Survivor”  “Castaway”  “To Build A Fire”  “Into The Wild” “Never Cry Wolf” “Robinson Crusoe”  “Alone” by Rear Admiral Richard Byrd “Island Of The Blue Dolphins”  "K2" Anything about Mount Everest  These people prove there is more to life than “arriving.” It’s the journey. There is something about digging in, getting a firm grasp and refusing to let go. My fitness journey has shown me that I am capable of much more than I’ve ever imagined and when I read of men and women who push themselves because they have no choice (or maybe they do), I am inspired to go further, faster, harder, longer. I’m just an old fat guy, but guess what--what started as 15 minutes

Who Do You See?

Whether at home or in your office, at your desk, in the gym, at the store--wherever you go--do you notice the people around you? Who do you see? Who do you see most? Husband? Wife? Child? One child more than another child? Friend? Co-worker? Who do you see most? Who do you notice? Do you notice people you know and people you don’t? Ok, so you notice everyone--who do you see? When I look across the street I see one guy trying to be his next door neighbor and I get sad. Look at that guy across the street, or the guy crossing the street. What do you notice about him? Sometimes I wish I were like Sherlock Holmes, who in a glance can find all he needs to know about a person. Give Holmes 14 seconds and he understands. Rarely he’s wrong, but what a skill to have! I think we’ve lost something, in the way we perceive. Too many filters. We’ve failed to notice. We notice people but fail to see them. People have matters on their heart and mind. They are happy or sad for a reason. They have a purp

Happy Independence Day!

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