Life On A B-I7

Shiva

I don’t pray to this statue of Shiva but I have great respect for what Shiva stands for. I keep this statue on my desk and will often meditate on the attributes that Shiva represents. I bought this when I was in India in late 2025. I didn’t fully understand the significance when I purchased it. After living with it for a while, I have come to appreciate all that this deity represents. There is no supreme god in Hinduism, but Shiva is worshipped as a supreme being in Shaivism. It is the attributes of Shiva that I find fascinating. Many of them are worth incorporating into my own life. (As far as humanly possible.)

Trident The Trident that Shiva is holding represents Shiva’s control over creation, preservation and destruction. The Trident also represents the three qunas: Past, present and future. Meditation on these is grounding.

Serpent The Serpent represents power over ego and desire. It also represents control over the primal forces of nature. While my control over natures forces is limited, I certainly can benefit from meditating about the role of ego and desire in my life.

Legs Crossed The meditative position, legs crossed, represents deep concentration, spiritual discipline, and transcendence of all things. Contemplating these in meditation brings one onto solid ground.

Third Eye The third eye (not clearly visible in this statue represents wisdom and insight. Looking for wisdom and insight is something we all should spend time doing whenever possible.

Ornaments The Ornaments represent the divine status of Shiva and the cosmic energy that Shiva possesses. The blue color represents Shiva’s ability to swallow poison, the ability to save the Universe, Shiva as protector of the Universe. Meditating with a desire to obtain these attributes is not the point. Meditating to look for ways to protect the Universe, that portion that we have within our control, is the point.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 180

Does someone hate you? Let’s hope not. If you find yourself in those shoes, it is better to respond with kindness than it is to respond in kind. If there is a chance to influence the hater, take it. If that is not an option, then accept that person as they are — never hate in return.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 179

It’s better to persevere than it is to get lucky. Anyone can get lucky. The truly great person achieves success through hard work, by prevailing over adversity and disappointment. It is also better to admire the hard working over those that achieved success via luck or unearned inheritance. There is a saying, “God favors fools.” That may be true, but who wants to be admired as a fool?

Change

There are two types of people in the world, those who look forward and those who look backward. Forward to a brighter future, backward to a past that was better than today.

I realize this is an oversimplification, but when you think about it, we are living in a time when the exceptions are few. This is the very nature of the polarized social climate that we live in today.

If you happen to be in the latter group, that’s fine, but indulge me for a moment if you will to consider how we got where we are today… We did not arrive here because of leadership that wanted to take us to an earlier time, we arrived where we are today because of leadership that looked forward to a brighter future. Can you honestly say that life in the 16th century, 15th century, 100 A.D., was better than it is today? I you consider that honestly, I think you have to conclude that looking forward is the very nature of man, and it is the capacity that allows us to evolve. It is to be pedantic, our future.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 178

If you have a philosophy that you choose to live by (Stoicism is one of many to choose from) that’s a good thing, but beware the temptation to think you understand that philosophy before you have had time to put it into daily practice. Just because you agree with a philosophy or feel attracted to it doesn’t mean you have a true understanding. Understanding only comes with time, learning, and practice. Beware the temptation to sound smart before you actually are.

Differences

Of course this is a weak metaphor. But if you examine the two municipalities carefully, I think it’s hard to deny this. Central Oregon is a marvelous place. Working man’s town (Redmond). Vacation/Retirement paradise (Bend). Kitschy cute tourist town (Sisters). Classic rural ghost town (Brothers). You really can’t go wrong here.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 177

There are two ways to approach desire. When desire is appropriate, address it with caution and be sure not to overindulge. When desire is inappropriate, ask for the strength to ignore it. In both cases, make desire a positive motivation, don’t allow it to become an obsession.

Parts of Speech - Pronouns

Pronouns take the place of nouns. “Her” is a pronoun, it takes the place of someone’s name, as in: Mary baked her pizza.

Common pronouns: I, you, he, she, them, they, we, us, him, her, and it.

An Antecedent is the word the pronoun is standing in for. A pronoun may or may not have an antecedent depending on the voice being used. “He showed the manager her report,” has no antecedent.

Tip: Pronouns must agree in gender and number (singular or plural) with their antecedents. Make sure your antecedents are clear or you will confuse your reader.

Here is some more pronoun trivia (more than you probably want to know):

1. Interrogative Pronouns ask questions.
2. Personal Pronouns come in three varieties, First Person, Second Person, and Third Person.
3. Demonstrative Pronouns tend to give direction or state ownership.
4. Relative Pronouns are Interrogative Pronouns that don’t ask a question.
5. Intensive/Reflexive Pronouns have “self” at the end of the word and refer back to the subject of the sentence.
6. Indefinite Pronouns are pronouns that are not one of the five types listed above (simply put).

Decision Making

I’m a big fan of David Brooks. His writing for The Atlantic is wonderful. He recently wrote a piece describing three decision making strategies. Here they are in a nutshell (in my words):

1. I’m smatter than you; I make decisions when I “feel them in my bones.”
2. I will make decisions based on analysis of facts and data.
3. I understand and can exercise the art of compromise.

Note: I’m sure you have noticed we are currently suffering a plague of bad decision making because strategy #1 is the prevailing methodology in use today by our administration in Washington D.C.

What David Brooks does so well is take a position and not only explain it, but do so in a fashion that is both erudite and also beautiful.

Of course the position I’m referring to here is his support of strategy #3. Before I share his words, which I am quoting because I could not improve upon them, let me set them up so they stand more firmly on their own.

Lord Halifax, the Anglo-Catholic reformer in late 17th Century England was often criticized as being a “Trimmer.” At the time, “a Trimmer” was a disparaging term used to describe someone with no clear course either for or against some position. The figure of speech is a reference to someone who trims the sails of a ship in order to capture the most favorable winds. Of course this is a common practice in sailing, but during Lord Halifax’s time the exercise of compromise in politics was considered anathema.

Here is why the exercise of compromise is so important. In David Brooks’ own words:

“The Trimmer understands that reality is more complicated than any single person can comprehend, and therefore he insists that no decision be taken until there has been a collision of diverse views. He maintains trust and communication with the broadest possible range of stakeholders but refuses to be owned by any of them. He governs through cooperation and compromise, not through domination and fear. His greatness comes in the art of holding his nation together, not in the exercise of arbitrary power. He perceives that if a leader loses the affection of his people, he can no longer govern except by threat of violence.”

It is my personal opinion that weak minded people (non-thinkers) prefer to follow people who use decision making strategy #1 because that makes life simpler for them and they don’t need to do any work on their own. I believe the smartest among us use decision making strategy #3 with input from people that fall into category #2.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 176

Avoid giving in to fear. Fear is a warning to be cautious and aware, not a signal to give up hope. The Stoics speak of the “Inner Citadel.” Our inner domain is our sanctuary. Fortune can affect us. Physical vulnerabilities may befall us. It is our inner sour, our inner fortress that sustains and supports us.

The Game Within the Game

_ There is little to be gained by getting angry. There is always something we can do to adjust our behavior to avoid becoming a victim of anger._

I play pickleball with a woman that always turns her back on the court when she walks back to the baseline to get ready for her next serve. She is completely oblivious to what is going on around her. When returning the ball to the serving court after a point, we all tend to pick up the ball and toss it, expecting the serving player to grab it on the way back to the baseline. Not so with this woman. It invariably rolls past her and now she has to walk an additional distance behind the baseline to retrieve the ball. This slows down play even more. It’s frustrating and I’ve seen other players get frustrated with this behavior. I’ve seen people tell her to pay attention but the comment seems to be lost on her. I’ve decided to take a different approach. I’ve turned this otherwise frustrating behavior into a game. When I pick up the ball I hold it in my hand until she is almost to the baseline, I then roll it slowly back to her and try and time it so the ball rolls up to her feet just seconds after she turns around to face her opponents. It’s almost as challenging as the game itself. I guess you could call that an example of the “game within the game.”

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 175

Avoid arrogance. Nothing is more unbecoming. Even the lowliest creatures can sense arrogance and will avoid it. If you want to be respected, if you want to be taken seriously then avoid arrogance at all cost. Let your actions speak for you. If you are questioned, answer from your heart, what you know to be true. Don’t give answers you think other people want you to give.

Happiness

How do you gauge the happiness of the human species — taken as a whole — now vs. 100, 200, 1,000, 4 million years ago? I’m not aware of any scientific study that has addressed that question (or possibly could). We know from recent studies that a greater percentage of the population is “unpartnered” than when the first study of this phenomenon was undertaken. What does this mean to our species? It has been recently postulated that in the last four million years of human evolution, two events have had a dramatic effect on the species perception of intimacy. The agricultural revolution and the internet revolution. Each of these watersheds, in their own way, have led us towards a decreased need for monogamous bonding and have (presumably) led to a decline in long term intimacy. This could potentially having a blow-back effect on reproductive trends.

Will the human race become extinct? Will a handful of people with the resources live forever and the rest of us die off? That is anybody’s guess. I think the real point here is happiness. Happiness will be the driving force which chooses our path as a species. Let us think about happiness and how important it is not only to our personal survival, but the survival of all of us.

National Security

Guess what? Socialism is good for National Security. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check back with me in 10 years. You’ll want to buy me a drink…

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 174

Think about surviving on less, so that when that day comes, you will be better prepared to accept it. This will help not just in the case of financial loss, but also in the case of physical or emotional loss. For these things are sure to befall us sooner or later.

Political Language

In George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language, he warns us:

“Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservative to anarchist — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”

This is as true today as it was in 1946. All people need to be aware of this propensity of politics, but there is even more to be aware of. With the increasing use of AI in all forms of human communication, this problem is only going to get worse. The species needs to be careful when it comes to speech in all forms, else we become little more than slaves to communication, rather than masters of it.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 173

Think about spending one day a month experiencing the worst fear you can imagine. That act alone can be preparation for any calamity that may befall you in the future.

Premeditatio Malorum

Latin for Premeditation of Evils.

It’s good to ask in advance what can go right about this plan? It’s also good to ask in advance what can possible go wrong about this plan? Unless you are able to see both sides of the coin, and in particular the latter, you aren’t allowing yourself a “Plan B.”

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 172

If you start a task and then begin to have second thoughts about it, ask yourself, “why am I doing this?” Don’t continue doing the task hoping the answer to that question will somehow reveal itself. Remember that quality is better than quantity. Steve Jobs understood that. It was his motivation for creating one of the most valuable companies in the world.

He once said, “a home run is better than two doubles.” He was partly correct. That is true in the business world, but in the world of baseball, he would not have been a good manager. Both a home run and two doubles score a run, but two doubles leaves a runner in scoring position.

TDOV

Happy International Transgender Day of Visibility. Today is internationally recognized as a day to celebrate transgender people, their accomplishments and the barriers they confront in many societies. Sadly, it seems to me, those barriers are greater in the United States than they should be. Perhaps our political climate (Trump, MAGA and their entourage of toadies) makes the discrimination more visible to us. Perhaps that discrimination has always been there, just not used as a political weapon like it is today. I hope that someday we will, all of us, even those mentioned above, wake up and look at one another through open and caring eyes.

To celebrate this day I’ve ordered a copy of “The Lilac People,” by Milo Todd. I will begin reading it as soon as it arrives. This is a novel about a trans man in WWII Germany and his struggle to survive first the Nazis then the Allies, all the while protecting the ones he loves.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 171

We must be willing to bear the consequences of the risks we take. Both the good risks and the bad risks. If we make a bad choice we must be humble about the consequences we will suffer. If we make a good choice we must be humble about our good fortune.

Prevarications

No President of the United States has ever lied to the American people more than has Donald Trump. If you wear a red hat you don’t have to believe me. It really doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. History will be the final arbiter and it is highly unlikely that history will not confirm that conclusion.

I find it ironic that the term “fake news” is shouted from the rooftops to deny something that has actually happened, while often explanations with no substance in reality are handed to excuse some decision or event. What is even more astonishing than this irony, is the fact that there is a large segment of the population that eats these statements up (both of them).

For those of you who may be curious: “Prevarication is the act of intentionally deviating from the truth, lying, or avoiding giving a direct answer in order to mislead.” That is the trifecta of deception.

Journaling

I’ve been journaling now for 5 years. A fair amount of that effort has not been published here — most actually. What you see here is not the only journaling that I do. I also have a paper journal that I enjoy writing in. Those pages are open only to me. I don’t think they would be of any real interest to anyone else, that is the real purpose. What you see here are thought that I think are of marginal value when it comes to sharing with the world. (YMMV.) When it comes to writing in my personal journal, I can honestly say it gives me great pleasure. Many great people have been journals. From Ancient Romans to some of our Founding Fathers, to great writers and scientists. That certainly makes me proud to say I journal, but that’s not the reason I do. I do it for peace of mind. I think it makes me a better person, calmer, more willing to listen. I marvel at that really. I think the reason is because journaling allows me to get rid of thoughts I might otherwise be carrying around inside my head. That fact makes it easier for me to listen to others, and more tolerant as well. This effect has been verified by scientific study, along with lots of other benefits. When you break it down, the simple reality is I enjoy the practice. It is fulfilling.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 170

You have the power to determine what your life means. Only you. Living in Wisdom Montana will not make you wise, only you can do that — and you can do that anytime, anywhere. Use reason, make good choices, that is your hidden power.

Parts of Speech - Nouns

A Noun is a person, place, thing, idea, or emotion. Of course we remember that from grade school, (But I learned just person, place, or thing.) The tricky ones might be ideas and emotions. Example: happiness, religion.

Most words that start with capital letters are nouns. You don’t have to be able to see it for it to be a noun. You cannot see ideas and emotions but they are still things.

There are five types of nouns.

1. Common
   Nouns that do not start with capital letters. happiness, boy, city

2. Proper
   Nouns that start with capital letters. California, Buddhism, Joe

3. Concrete
   Things you can see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.

4. Abstract
   Nouns that represent ideas or emotions. happiness, anger

5. Collective
   Nouns that represent a group of things without being plural. group, orchestra, audience, flock, herd (These can also be plurals.)

Most nouns can be counted.