Times Of Our Lives

Times Of Our Lives


My Pen Mates,

Because of recent rockfall events in Curry Village at Yosemite, and the subsequent closure of nearly a quarter of the heated cabins available during Winter time, our family tradition of trekking to the mountains to enjoy the season and skiing for the kids did not pan out this year. Perhaps if I tried to reserve early for those limited number of available units, things would still have pushed through. But then again, road conditions (access to the area is vigilantly controlled during winter) could still have affected the outcome.

Brings to mind the fate of mice and men. At each level of consciousness, each plans his existence according to its needs. Man operates, being more rational, more sophisticatedly compared to bare instinct that drives the mice. Over the years, I've learned to look at man's foibles as mere whimsy; that stripped of things desired rather than needed, man will experience misery and elation the same way as the simple creature. Circumstances oftentimes conspire to create these situations, but humans are more participative in manipulating those circumstances. How often have the observation been made about children having simple pleasures; that they enjoy playing with the box a toy came in with than the toy itself? How many times does one reminisce the past and long for those youthful days when worries were simple and times were "easy"?

It's not the clarity of hindsight or the effects of forgetfulness that give those memories glowing reminiscences; it was the relatively low number of complications which piles on over the years. We literally get lost in the cloud of our present, clouds we create incidental to our present travails. They are like smoke from the tailpipes which we constantly generate in pursuit of selfish ideals. No one can be happy in the present if that happiness is tethered to a future no one can reach.

That's why my morning walk with my wife and children was perhaps the best outing we've had this Holiday Season. Grace was sluggish getting up from the lingering effect of a stomach virus that sidelined her yesterday. Lucas wasn't thrilled about the prospect of a walk, having gone on-line already to play and chat. Angelica had to be coaxed out of bed, faced with the prospect of being left alone in the house, as Lauren was actually enthusiastic about bundling up to join us outdoors. Once out the door and after several intake of the cold December morning air, it was just a matter of getting warmed up. The hunched, hands-in-pockets silence soon gave way to little hops and swinging arms. The conversation picked-up after half a mile, and we went our merry way. Recalling childhood escapades with collecting tadpoles in jars, a flurry of questions ensued. Soon the kids were picking up rocks and pebbles, tossing them at trees, posts, and the river. Then a family of wild ducks swimming in a row downriver became central to conversation. We talked about getting haircuts, biting noses, Amazon.com, dead squirrels, places of birth, cracking rocks, and ended with a foot race home.

Short memory, but a great time in our lives. Exquisitely simple.

Thank God.

Mon

Comments on Conversations With God

Comments on Conversations With God

My Pen Mates,

"Beware of this Book - Oprah is pushing it!" the header goes. It is a well-intentioned attention grabber about the perils of a bestselling book, purportedly at odds with our faith's view of morality as described in the Good Book. To young readers, the article goes on to explain, it may present distortions on the notion of sin, forgiveness, human nature, and contextual assumptions on the relationship between religion and science.

Presented as spiritual/self-help reading, and sold in schools through the Scholastic Book Club, the concern here seems genuine. Perhaps children's minds will be exposed to contrasting views and affect their rationalization of man's relationship with God; there is an outward chance that opinions presented as facts may be confusing to the young and misguiding to their budding sense of morality. Besides, how many of us question the value and morals of materials our children read if it has gone through the filter of the school system?

Without subsuming my views and principles with choices the school system makes, I think it is an important step to allow certain materials to be made available to children of a certain age. By its title, I believe this book will be picked up by either more matured children who have had deeper exposure to literature, or those who seek deeper spiritual understanding to help shape and augment what they already know and are inclined to believe. Do I believe it's risky? So is changing lanes on the freeway. Not everyone is ready to drive, but those who are licensed can certainly benefit by changing lanes to get to their destinations with less delay. I think that's why roads in modern society have more than one lane --to allow travelers of varying driving habits and needs to share the same venue without inconveniencing each other.

I believe I am raising my children to learn by weighing facts and making decisions through original thought. I trust their ability to ask questions and that through trial and error, comparison and contrast, they can discern fact from fallacy, and form self-determined principles. This cannot happen if they are cloistered and constantly guarded against views contrary to popular norm or limited to what I can teach them. They cannot become just like me nor I want them to be. They have to develop, with my and my wife's guidance, their unique way of decision making. For what is learning but a constant seeking of truth? Kahlil Gibran in his work The Prophet said regarding children, that ......"you may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.".

Being the special beings that they are, their minds need to be nurtured. That doesn't happen by keeping them ignorant of beliefs inconsistent with their upbringing. If it is a question of whether I'll allow my children to read a book such as Conversations With God and its "risky" take on morality, or keeping it away from them to indulge my take on "truth", I will adopt the former. If I raised them right, then there should be no question about which direction they will pursue. In fact, if they are inclined to read it at thirteen, I'll feel an obligation to let them, for that's an opportunity for me to still be a part of the dialog. The book at that point might raise some confusing questions for them, and I'll be able to participate in digesting its message.

Ultimately, I believe that propagators of this email message have been co-opted by the media to increase awareness of the publication. By using the globally recognizable "Oprah" tag line, it's sure to get attention, get the notoriety it seeks, and generate book sales through discussion. It's a canny way to embed an idea, one reliably used in marketing. It has the same effect as me saying "don't think of an elephant...", and gets you thinking exactly that.

Mon

Ignorance's Conceit

Ignorance's Conceit

My Pen Mates,

"What you don't know won't hurt you"__ a familiar dismissive reply to disengage from unfamiliar factual evidence. It hurts neither the relater nor the purveyor of truth as it is essentially a sardonic way to drop a topic without injuring parties in a conversation. This is essentially a linguistic pass which I take to note a laziness or disinterest on the sayer's part, to look at the fact and consider it's merit.

Even the most simple (simplistic?) thinker possesses claim to the validity of their ideas; in arguments, everyone is apt to take a stand either according to principle or to distill truth through debate. In other words, we take pride in what we think, what we know, or what we think we know. In matters we do not understand or not inclined to understand we either open up to get educated or turn away because of distaste, disinterest, or boredom.

But could it also be that we are afraid to be confronted with a defect in our principles and norms? Might there be more weight to the maxim of old dogs learning new tricks and that we have willed our principles not to transcend the fence of our experience? I look at scholars and admire the way they pursue new ideas and diligently seek truths. One common thread among them is a lack of conceit when it comes to taking ownership of evidence leading to higher truths. To turn away a hypothesis without rigid review is to them a lost opportunity to illuminate, thus they are labeled open-minded and enlightened. For the rest of us going about blissfully, we bask in the sunshine of these luminaries; for within the lazy and ignorant, is a darkness brought about by pride and conceit.

Ignorance is no bliss. It is a choice to retreat from the endless cascade of opportunities to explore and learn about our environment and our relationships. It is a refusal to gain a meaningful relationship with truth, and an acceptance of weakness to face the challenges essential in its pursuit.

But then again, ignorance may mean normal blood pressure, insulin level, and no ulcers. Hogwash!__ unless there is evidence that ignorant people live longer.....

Mon

Written in 24

Written in 24

My Pen Mates,

With a nod to instant messaging and various other internet publication venues, I wish to harness individual thoughts and ideas by compiling original stories, fact or fiction, by independent authors, composed within a twenty-four hour period.

My goal is to determine the depth and breadth of literary exposition that can be gleaned from a writer within the time restriction. Given near universal access to publication through blogs, My Space, You Tube, Face Book, and the universal appeal of the sound bite culture that has co-opted our shortened attention span__ who can present a coherent, engaging, riveting story and still elicit critical acclaim? In other words, with spontaneous consumption, can there be commensurate production worthy of it? We demand so much in terms of content, presentation, and impact to engage our senses; the amount of work, research, and resources spent to get our attention has been pushing the limits of technology. Let's see what arduous skills it will take to come up with a piece, within this relatively short time span, that will find a place and consistently draw attention in this new culture.

Each composition must be a complete story on general topic, public reading ready format. Each full body of work cannot be so esoteric or obscene and must abide by accepted rules of grammar and syntax. In regards to composition period criteria, authors will adapt an honor system, guaranteeing that each work published was written and completed as posted within a twenty four hour period (taken to mean midnight-to-midnight of consecutive days).

As to number of words, a short story usually tops word count at 7,500. The most prolific writer can perhaps top 10,000; but it's not the length obviously, but the content. Though in a twenty four hour cycle, a good story should be no less than a thousand words to develop a proper beginning, plot line, and character development, brevity with gravitas bears more weight than a zine length short story or even a novelette that draws low readership.

Perhaps down the line, I can get a live webcam sponsor and screen capture capability to record writer activity in a host server. This helps reduce the burden of proof for entrants and authors as to compliance with composition parameters.

More brainstorming needed....

Mon

Paying It Forward

Paying It Forward

My Pen Mates,

I first heard this aphorism applied to, of all people, a surfing instructor. He was way past middle age, mild mannered, spoke softly with a hint of resignation, almost dismissive as if anything said to him is never news anymore. He's widely known, and people come a long ways to learn how to surf from him; he's even been featured on airline publications for his mastery of the waves. Physically, he's not much to behold. With the typical gut bulge, three day old stubble, lazy gait, and a perpetual tan bordering on leather, it's almost hard to imagine him in anything other than floral shorts with a surf board clipped to his side.

But he is a guru of his craft. His philosophy: I am good at what I do, if anyone wishes to learn to surf, I will do whatever I can to extend assistance regardless of the material reward. By his own account, he's not well-off financially; he's hobbled with a big alimony, he needs to pay his instructors, his down time is spent nursing fifteen year old surf boards for the next set of students to use. His surfing equipments are in decent shape but show their age. He operates from a minivan next to a SWAT type truck that holds all his equipment. He seems like a simple guy, befitting his philosophy.

And here I am reduced to reflecting what little light I can catch with my simple mind through my simple blog, wondering why I keep sliding back to the ennui brought on by the vagaries of daily living. I do wish to pay it forward, to skip the "do unto others" maxim and just keep on giving -- in hope that the recipient catches on and does the same. I have it in my heart to live like that, my constitution withholds no good deed from those who will be served by it. Yet I have not mastered the composure to look past the veil of life's nuances to focus on this truism. It's simple but hard, it's true but deceptively elusive, I need it but I'm finding it hard to want it.

After all, I am simple. I have not the grasp to hold this down pat. I'm good at reflection, and have a lot of work to do when it comes to execution. Perhaps one day I can turn into the surfer, with an ability to give and make people see what goodness can come from a calm soul.

Mon