Conscious..............................

Spinoza offered an analysis of psychology according to which the most pleasurable emotional states are those that are least affected by external factors.  To let oneself be cast down by things that are outside one's control, or even to be elated by them, is to lead a most unrewarding sort of life.  We can, however, take command of our thoughts, emotions and desires to some extent by bringing them under the sway of reason.  The way to do this is to uncover their causes, for by being conscious of what determines us to act in the way we do, we can transform our mental states into active expressions of ourselves rather than mere effects of our environment.

-Anthony Gottlieb,  The Dream Of Enlightenment:  The Rise Of Modern Philosophy

Unique versus generic...............

"The fool views himself as more unique and others more generic; the wise views himself as more generic and others more unique."

-Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Gone, but not forgotten..............

Dan Fogelberg.......................................................Dancing Shoes

And don't forget the sunshine.........

"Human vanity can best be served by a reminder that, whatever his accomplishments, his sophistication, his artistic pretension, man owes his very existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil — and the fact that it rains."

-as found here

Whither direction..........................?

Progress may have been all right once, but it went on too long;

-Ogden Nash, with this back story

Might seem counter-intuitive...................

.................................................but I'm believing this as true:

 "You follow rules to attain your freedom. You learn by rote so that you can live with abandonment."

-as extracted from here

It is not time to panic yet.................

.....................................but this is potentially devastating news.

The best advice for......................

.........................youngsters (of all ages, but especially our kids):

"settle down and commit to a sensible, long-term relationship with your money."

-source and back story is here

One of my life goals......................

....................................is to be near the front of the line when his full philosophy of life is published.  Just hoping for an autographed copy.

Fifty years ago.......................

Sonny & Cher...................................................The Beat Goes On

Gone, but not forgotten..................

Clarence Clemons................................sax solo from Jungleland

Can I get an Amen...............................?

.............................................................be like Bob and Sally.

Pretty sure............................

..................that the nice folks at Hallmark did not create this one:


Today we celebrate Working Naked Day.   Think I'm just going to work from home.

And he ruins my day......................

6.   Meetings are for actions. Not doughnuts.

-Nine more bits of rocket scientry here

Fifty years ago..............................

Petula Clark.........................................Don't Sleep In The Subway

But it is such hard work................

“I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.”

-Baruch Spinoza

The lessons of Vietnam....................

 "And the lesson that smart people can do something monumentally stupid is terribly important."

-Arnold Kling, penning this essay about war, consequences, and distrust of the "elites."  Recommended.

Gone, but not forgotten...............

Dobie Gray.........................................................................In Crowd

What is normal.............................?

This is where language plays a huge role, because words reflect how we think, and many argue they constrain how we think. “Normal” is a messy and imprecise word, and if you use it your thinking is likely also messy and imprecise. In most situations it is probably best just to avoid the word, and to think about what you really mean.

-Steven Novella, as cut-and-pasted from this blog post mulling over the subject of normal/deviant

For what it's worth, this blog has long supported the contention that normalcy is merely the psychosis of the majority.

The notion of stubborn incuriosity.....

To cultivate a stubborn incuriosity, you have to limit yourself to certain areas of knowledge. You cannot be totally greedy. You have to oblige yourself not to learn everything. Or else you will learn nothing. Culture in this sense is about knowing how to forget. Otherwise, one indeed becomes like Funes, who remembers all the leaves of the tree he saw thirty years ago. Discriminating what you want to learn and remember is critical from a cognitive standpoint.

-as lifted from this post at The Hammock Papers

Seeking unity..............................

"My biggest problem with modernity may lie in the growing separation of the ethical and the legal."

-Nassim Nicholas Taleb, as culled from here

Plenty tough enough...............

To know and love God, Spinoza insisted, does not require the performance of any ceremonies, nor belief in any supernatural dogmas, nor the acceptance of any allegedly historical narratives in the Bible.  It only requires "the practice of justice and love towards one's neighbor."

-Anthony Gottlieb,  The Dream Of Enlightenment:  The Rise of Modern Philosophy

This seems about right......................

Hot takes have replaced much of what used to constitute clear-headed analysis to the point that it’s nearly impossible to trust anyone to offer a reasonable approximation of what’s really happening.

Emotions are running extremely high. I don’t blame people for being emotional in these uncertain times. Emotions are what makes us human. But you have to pair emotion with reason if you ever wish to survive.

-Ben Carlson, as excerpted from here

Fifty years ago.............................

Tom Jones........................................Green, Green Grass Of Home

Opening paragraphs......................

     The factory floor at Nashville's United Records Pressing (URP) is a living, breathing dragon of a place.  In the relatively small, windowless warren of concrete rooms, twenty-two record presses hiss, cough, growl, grind, and ultimately spit out vinyl records of all genres, weights, colors, and sizes.  A Dave Matthews Band album is born right next to classic reissues from Primus, Pearl Jam, and the Wu-Tang Clan; chart toppers by Lana Del Rey; colored Iron Maiden collector's editions; a special release by Elvira "Mistress of the Dark"; and neo disco by Chromeo.  The place smells like hot metal, sour water, and the sweet poison tang of warm plastic.

-David Sax, The Revenge of Analog:  Real Things and Why They Matter

Doesn't feel that way today................

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Ohio..............

Gone, but not forgotten................

Levon Helm..................................................................Anna Lee

Fifty years ago.........................

Robert Knight......................................................Everlasting Love

Gone, but not forgotten........................

Bob Welch....................................................................Hypnotized

Fifty years ago............................

Johnny Rivers.........................................Baby I Need Your Lovin'

Gone, but not forgotten................

Joe South..........................................................Rose Garden

Fifty years ago.............................

James Brown...............................................................Cold Sweat



Much much longer version here

Gone, but not forgotten..................

Dave Brubeck (with his quartet)...................Blue Rondo a la Turk

I needed your love..........................

Nathaniel Rateliff.......................................I Need Never Get Old




Can we be there
Oh just think of the time
Thought of love so strange
Said you never knew
While I try my best
To cover our eyes
It's a common way to blame and hide the truth

I know that some will say
It matters but little babe
Ah but come on and mean it to me
I need it so bad

I needed to try
Needed to fall
I needed your love I'm burning away
I need never get old

Taking our time
Ah just standing in the rain
Meaning what you said
Ah and mean it to me
All of these lies
Oh and never again
Come on and say it now say it's a game

I know that some will say
It matters but little babe
Ah but come on and mean it to me
I need it so bad
Ah mean it to me
I need it so bad

I needed to try
Needed to fall
I needed your love I'm burning away
I need never get old

I said I needed to try
Needed to fall
I needed your love I'm burning away
I need never get old

I said I needed to try
Needed to fall now baby
I needed your love I'm burning away
I need never get old

I need never get old
I need never get old
I need never get old
I need never get old

It's that day again...........................

Hey Sweetie.........................

Fifty years ago......................

The Mamas and The Papas..............Dedicated To The One I Love

Yep..............................

      via