Head-dibs

A peek into my some filled space in my journal.

I received word that one of my advisees has died of a cardiac incident while on a run with his wife. He was two years younger than me. He finished the last course of his program in December and was set to graduate with a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies this coming May. As our thoughts and prayers are with his family, let us not miss the opportunity to reflect and perhaps even prepare for our own passing by recognizing that, in the brevity of life, we must complete what is important. Let us waste no time entertaining ourselves to death but love fiercely, work well, and leaving as little as possible undone. "Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is one of those things which nature wills. For such as it is to be young and to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and to have teeth and beard and grey hairs, and to beget, and to be pregnant and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations which the seasons of your life bri...

"There are three areas [τόπος κοινός] of study, in which a person who is going to be good and noble must be trained. The first has to do with desires and aversions , so that he may never fail to get what he desires nor fall into what he would avoid. The second has to do with the impulse to act and not to act , and, in general, appropriate behavior; so that he may act in an orderly manner and after due consideration, and not carelessly. The third is concerned with freedom from deception and hasty judgement , and, in general, whatever is connected with the assent our minds gives to its perceptions. Of these areas, the chief and most urgent is the first which has to do with the passions, for strong emotions arise only when we fail in our desires and aversions."  (Epictetus, Discourses 3.2.1–2))

“If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgement about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgement now. But if anything in your own disposition gives you pain, who hinders you from correcting your opinion?" --Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"  8.47

"'About what am I now employing my own soul?' On every occasion I must ask myself this question, and inquire, what have I now in this part of me which they call the ruling principle? And whose soul have I now? That of a child, or of a young man, or of a feeble woman, or of a tyrant, or of a domestic animal, or of a wild beast? . . . ." "Such as are your constant thoughts, such will also be the character of your mind; for the soul is colored [dyed] by the thoughts." --Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 5 "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." (Proverbs 23:7)

"In every pain let this thought be present, that there is no dishonor in it, nor does it make the governing intelligence worse, for it does not damage the intelligence either so far as the intelligence is rational or so far as it is social. Indeed in the case of most pains let this remark of Epicurus aid thee, that pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting, if you bear in mind that it has its limits, and if you add nothing to it in imagination : and remember this too, that we do not perceive that many things which are disagreeable to us are the same as pain, such as excessive drowsiness, and the being scorched by heat, and the having no appetite. When then you are discontented about any of these things, say to thyself, that you are yielding to pain." --Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 7

“Do not disturb yourself by picturing your life as a whole; do not assemble in your mind the many and varied troubles which have come to you in the past and will come again in the future, but ask yourself with regard to every present difficulty: 'What is there in this that is unbearable and beyond endurance?' You would be ashamed to confess it! And then remind yourself that it is not the future or what has passed that afflicts you, but always the present, and the power of this is much diminished if you take it in isolation and call your mind to task if it thinks that it cannot stand up to it when taken on its own.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations ************ Currently Reading: 

Would you please take a quiet moment to quietly consider the following paragraph? Regardless of it's topic, would you commit to reading through to the very end? I'll make my point shortly thereafter.  "Think continually how many physicians are dead after often contracting their eyebrows over the sick; and how many astrologers after predicting with great pretensions the deaths of others; and how many philosophers after endless discourses on death or immortality; how many heroes after killing thousands; and how many tyrants who have used their power over men's lives with terrible insolence as if they were immortal; and how many cities are entirely dead, so to speak, Helice and Pompeii and Herculaneum, and others innumerable. Add to the reckoning all whom thou hast known, one after another. One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him: and all this in a short time. To conclude, always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are...

Celebrated "Schrodinger Day" today--the University was both open and closed. The whole state shut down for this dusting! Behold: the South Carolina Snowman! ht: MEpps

Every day I do a hard thing. Sometimes I re-do a hard thing I've done before in order to check my progression since the last time I did the hard thing. Of course what I am describing is rooted in my physical training. I don't call it "working out" because I have difficulty attaching a goal to the task, such as finishing. If I "work out" I can stop when I feel like it. But if I train, I must complete the task, no matter what. This means the hard thing I do is more than physical. It's mental. It's even emotional--just ask some who train with me. But nothing feels better in the world laying there on the floor, completely spent--the hard thing accomplished. That's why it's called "training." As a youngster I despised sports but loved music. In order to be the best musician I could be, I trained. I practiced. And I messed up--alot. Not sure how my parents endured the screeching, scratching junior high cellist in the other room (maybe ...

Ever had one of those days when it just can't be easy--it's just gotta be hard? Like the time you loaded the dishwasher, and dropping a fork into the basket, it bounced out. Not only did it bounce out of the basket but it flew up, ricocheted off the cup rack and then came to rest down into the bottom of the dishwasher, getting stuck somehow in the heating element. Or the time you opened the refrigerator and a jar of spaghetti sauce took a swan dive off the shelf and broke all over the floor? Days later you noticed a red spot on the ceiling and couldn't figure out how on earth . . .  . . . what is that? Spaghetti sauce? How in the Sam Hill did spaghetti sauce got all the way . . . up . . . there . . . ? Oh . . . Or the time you were working on a project in the garage and you dropped the last screw that somehow manages to be found under the couch in the living room? Ok that never happens, but when things go wrong--it might as well! Right? Anything's possible. A...

I learned a new word today. It's  ευσταθια (eustatheia). The basically means to go "steady." The range of meaning includes "good disposition; tranquility; stability; firmness; lead a quiet life; be at rest; be calm; stand firm." The process is simple: before us lays every opportunity to do right, to choose what is good. The centerpiece is how we chose to respond. The other day when driving into our neighborhood I noticed an excessive amount of water in my neighbor's driveway. It had been freezing temps outside, so I know she had not just washed her car though it was parked in the huge puddle. She never parks her car outside . . . I had not finished unloading my backpack when there came a knock at the door. It was my neighbor asking if I could come over and find where the water was coming from. I had not cleared my porch when I saw the water gushing out from under the eaves of the garage, shooting out the side of the garage from under the Hardi-p...

Crossings Community Church Christmas Concert.

Word, The First: The first word is "oiesis" which is difficult to translate from Greek to English. 500 years before Christ, Heraclitus used a form of the word to describe the kind of self thinking, self talk that leads to false thinking, self-deception. Much later, the word was generalized to include the idea of "false conception" in general. The Stoics pointed out how "oiesis" is responsible for up-ended lives, chaos. We like to use the word "dysfunction." Or we could call it what it is: "stinkin' thinkin'" “Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive them mad.” —Seneca Word, The Second: This year I have a word that I will keep ever before me, a word that gives direction.  This word keeps truth in the eye and ear.  This word marks the boundaries of what can and cannot be done. This word enables ...

(not to be confused with "Evaluate Your Life Day") Happy New Year! As is the practice of some (present company included), this is the time we resolve to do better, to be better. So we inflict upon ourselves demands that may or may not come to fruition in the long run. Don't get me wrong, having resolve is a discipline but to accomplish anything, a discipline must be learned before it is mastered. The primary difficulty for our culture is lack of discipline altogether. We want things NOW. So where do we go from here, right at the start of a new year? If you're not in the habit of making resolutions, don't start. If you like making resolutions, then make them. Whatever your habits are (unless they are bad--stop that), make your life. What you want or desire just might not come quickly so don't get discouraged with any setbacks or failures. Be a life-long learner and enjoy life. One suggestion? Sometime this year, plant something. Get some dirt, some...