Lessons and Thoughts about this and that; Principles

Altruism , not simply a nice sounding word, but rather good choice in the English language. From the Latin "alteri" which means "others"; therefore, the meaning of the thought of the interest of others first as opposed to the interest of mine own (altruism vs egoism.) It is interesting to note that every culture has a call for it, and though everyone calls for a different action perhaps, the intent seems to be the same: for us to learn to put other's needs ahead of ours. I am not going to argue the philosophical questioning of whether or not we are capable of true altruism but I am going to place it rather in a spectrum, with perfect altruism in one end and perfect egoism in the other and explore some ideas. Service , another great word, yet a bit more tricky as it derives from the latin "servire" which comes from "servus" which means "slave". Does that means that when we serve others we are is if we were their slaves? Yes,

I was taken by the concept of guilt the other day; one reads it in many places with views in favour and views against it. One hears the now common comment that guilt is that tool that religious people have used for centuries to keep others under their feet and oppression ; I have also heard guilt is parents favourite tool to keep kids obedient. It made me wonder if there is a consensus on this topic amongst different world views and walks of life. I recall being told that there should be no room for such horrible feeling as guilt; it made me question, if it exists why is it there and what is its usefulness if there is one? as otherwise nature or evolution should have got rid of it long ago if it wasn't useful, as most things that do not exist this day. Let us first define it and find its source then we can see its benefit or not, after all it has survived centuries of human life therefore it is one of those survival of the fittest characteristics I assume. Let's start b

What does fois gross, olives, opera, classic music and spirituality have in common?  It seems that they are all part of what we commonly call "acquired tastes", meaning the things that in order to enjoy them one has to learn to do so, as their delight does not come naturally per say.   Why is it that some people's nature seem to enjoy certain things and the next person others? can we all learn to enjoy this and that? can we share enjoyments or are they all personal? Is this another nature vs nurture type of scenarios? Or is this rather what distinguishes human beings? Perhaps at the core of it is personal what we enjoy naturally and what we choose to learn to enjoy by choice. The addict has learned to enjoy his addiction therefore the problem to get him out of it. Learning to enjoy something evidently is not always for the good of one self even, nor utilitarian in nature nor even good for our own survival. Some criminals are know to enjoy committing their crimes a

Recently I made the decision to revisit some old places, customs and very dear thoughts which led me to revisit even physically places where I find that comfort, that solace, where I feel recommitted to live my life according to the dictates of my own conscience; it is a great experience to revisit, reconnect and recommit, some call it even SMART goal setting which includes that outwardly commitment shared with others to help us along the way on our commitment to our goals. As I shared my joyful experience with a dear friend she asked me about the principle of "worthiness" and asked me if having prerequisites of certain standard called worthiness are rather exclusive and not inclusive as one would hope, she asked me if the concept of worthiness was rather a way to discriminate . I was shocked to say the least. I am grateful for friends that make me question my own believes, I am thrilled by those who ask questions as that is the only way to learn, to inquire, to have an

Who doesn't dream of that retirement view with a sandy beach, crystal sand on your toes and crystal water as we look at the ocean?; sitting on a hammock with a drink on the side? no worries, no responsibilities, nothing to think but to enjoy, you can add anything on top, a book, music, service, great food, a massage, anything your imagination can hold, all the way to arriving via helicopter or a private plane, jet skies, etc etc etc ... you get the point ... you might have seen it on a movie, or on some ad in a magazine or even closer in some friend's Facebook page lately. You might have actually enjoyed it already in your life during a vacation and dream and plan with going back to it. Is it possible to perpetuate it? realistic even? where do these dreams come from? because let's be honest most of us have them! can we really achieve them? are they so lofty that we should aim for them? or are they simply marketing strategies playing with our minds and desires? Let me

I am convinced that one of the main quests of humanity has to do with how we deal with separation ; at birth we are separated from our mothers womb and ever since it seems that we grow more and more separate, or independent as some may want to call it, yet this "growth" doesn't come free of its own issues, the ones of separation; I just saw a video of a newborn baby and his reaction towards separation from his mother: quiet as he could feel her touch as opposed to crying as he got separated from her to get cleaned, the nurse seem to simply test her theory with the proximity of the mother, the newborn, and its feeling of this separation; it worked like a clock. What is the meaning of this experience? what is this attachment that we feel since birth? He obviously had spent 9 months on the womb and feels and recognizes as safe and comfortable anything and anywhere where he can feel that heartbeat of his mother, and anything that is not that, creates that displeasure, that di