First tracks! Been walkin to work for about two months now. 2 miles in the crisp air and fresh snow.
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Morning commute →
Abandon all hope →
Less well known is Prometheus’ second gift. In Aeschylus’ “Prometheus Bound,” the chained Titan is pitilessly interrogated by the chorus. They ask him whether he gave human beings anything else. Yes, he says, “I stopped mortals from foreseeing doom.” How did you do that, they ask? His response is revealing: “I sowed in them blind hopes.”
~ Simon Critchley, from Abandon (Nearly) All Hope
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The distress of the privileged →
If you are one of the newly-visible others, this all sounds whiny compared to the problems you face every day. It’s tempting to blast through such privileged resistance with anger and insult.
Tempting, but also, I think, a mistake. The privileged are still privileged enough to foment a counter-revolution, if their frustrated sense of entitlement hardens.
So I think it’s worthwhile to spend a minute or two looking at the world from George Parker’s point of view: He’s a good 1950s TV father. He never set out to be the bad guy. He never meant to stifle his wife’s humanity or enforce a dull conformity on his kids. Nobody ever asked him whether the world should be black-and-white; it just was.
~ Doug Muder, from The Distress of the Privileged
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Everything is temporary →
Everything in life is temporary. So if things are going good, enjoy it because it won’t last forever. …and if things are going bad, don’t worry; It won’t last forever either.
~ unknown
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Pennsylvania winter →
We’re coming up on halfway through; After February, it’s all downhill to Spring. Here’s a couple shots I snapped while strolling around our neighborhood last year.
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Are we there yet? →
Ever since I started running a website about health and fitness, I’ve noticed a key difference between people who find long-term success with getting healthy and those who don’t. When dealing with people who will NOT find success, I feel like a parent on a road trip.
~ Steve Kamb, from «http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/02/20/are-we-there-yet/»
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What’s lost as handwriting fades →
Cursive or not, the benefits of writing by hand extend beyond childhood. For adults, typing may be a fast and efficient alternative to longhand, but that very efficiency may diminish our ability to process new information. Not only do we learn letters better when we commit them to memory through writing, memory and learning ability in general may benefit.
~ Maria Konnikova from, What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades
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The real American discipline problem →
I agree that America faces a major discipline problem, but I see the lack of discipline at the top: the bankers, the billionaires, the CEOs. Like Mike Rice, they’re out of control and need to face the consequences of their actions.
The Rice video was seen by Rutgers officials months ago, and their response was a wrist-slap: Rice was suspended for three games and told not to do it again. Isn’t that typical of how things go in America?
~ Doug Muder, from Mike Rice, Sean Hannity, and the Real American Discipline Problem
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How to be polite →
The practice of politeness is a collection of habits of mind and expression you do on a daily basis. You learn to say “thank you” because you are honestly grateful and “I’m sorry” because you honestly don’t want to contribute to the pain of the world. You learn to say “it’s ok” because you’re honestly forgiving and letting go of small things other people do wrong. This practice makes the rate of unproductive and acrimonious conversations go down, and the enemies you make are usually only the unavoidably unpleasant.
~ Quinn Norton, from How to be Polite… for Geeks
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Adjust the sails →
The pessimist complains about the wind;
~ William A. Ward
The optimist expects it to change;
The realist adjusts the sails.
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