Lessons and Thoughts about this and that; Principles

Have you ever thought: I don't deserve to be treated this or that way? I didn't deserve this or that to happen to me? What about, even better, have a friend ever told you in the most loving manner, you do not deserve to be treated this or that way, or perhaps a, you deserve better? I am certain I have not only heard it from my friends but I have thought about it too when things haven't gone my way in more than one occasion. Was I right? did I have the right to feel I deserved differently? Am I entitled to a better treatment from others? I think I should be! wait a minute, am I? To get a better idea of where all these words came from and how we have come to inherit them and make them part of our daily vocabulary I had to go to the past a little. It seems that somewhere during the 12th century (give or take) the ruling class came up with this idea that the doings of certain courtesans, their devoted and extreme cases of service, will merit something special from them, th...

I had never thought of time as an allotted gift but I suppose that if we are to think that either in my genes or by God given will my days are counted, one can conclude that time is a very specific and measurable thing. On the spectrum of eternity one can also think that time (the time we are allotted to live on this earth, on this life, our day to day experiences) is but a portion of this continuum, a rather small portion but a finite portion nonetheless. If time is one of the assets I have been given with birth, what am I supposed to do with it? I purposely used the word asset to make the jump unto this idea of time as an asset. Is it time an asset? is it valuable? can it yield future value? Muslims believe time is a "amaanah" a trust rather, something given to us by the supreme creator in trust, something we are ought to respond for one day. Budhists call it either "ksana" or "kalpa" the units of measurement of such thing as time and that the reali...

What do Kung Fu, Yoga, and Salsa dancing have in common? 1. One could say to start that they are all of foreign origins. 2. They are very popular in North America nowadays. I want to talk about the concept of context here and I refer tho these cases just to illustrate my point, 1. The point that things exist originally within a context. 2. For things to be taken out of the context where they exist is a dangerous (not impossible) feat. 3. Understanding the context is extremely important in understanding the whole, the context is a crucial part of the "thing." 4. Some things cannot be separated of their context, otherwise they cease to be what they are and turn into something else rather or die (like fish taken out of the water) Darwin thought that species lived within a context and that the context of their lives (habitat) determined even their outward looks. As an example, the dark and light fur coloured mice he found in the Galapagos Island which fascina...

Dear Missie: I write to you this letter and post it publicly with the intent that it will be a repository and that you will always have it handy and read it if you may :) I am sure you have seen and read many of these letters from loving fathers to their daughters posted all over the internet already, all of them have something in common, an undying love, the love of us Dads for our daughters and our intent to say something to you our special little girls that will impact your lives, so bare with me. As you turn into a young woman the idea of being attracted to boys grows stronger and stronger within you, this is something natural and yet something you must recognize and work with in a very smart way so it works on your favour; just like any of our attributes, and even flaws, they all serve a purpose on our growing, on our progress, they all exist and are to be used in the proper context; the key is finding that context in which they should be used I suppose. Since you were ...

Whether one calls it ego, inner self, naf, aham, etc. the idea, the concept behind seems to be the same: 1. There is something inside our minds/hearts/souls that pulls, craves, self satisfaction, that concentrates on the self rather than on others. It is the selfish self (redundancy and all) if you may. 2. There is something else also inside our minds/hearts/souls that is more altruistic and in opposition to the other, the side that is compassionate, caring, loving of others. The concept of good vs evil inside us, yin and yang, id, ego and alter-ego, etc. It is not just that this opposition exists outside of us but rather that the conflict is inside, the battle is within; the balance to be achieved is not on the outside world but rather inside ourselves; a battle between selfishness and altruism, between my needs or the needs of others. The Judeo-Christian approach to inner peace comes from altruism, from closeness to the supreme being. As one draws closer to Him, one is m...

Yesterday at a university class a question arose regarding grades and the capacity rather of every student to obtain an A on the course. It got into an interesting discussion ranging from capability to discipline to probabilities; way too many variables for a simple question I thought. It ended up on truth and the capacity to learn for every individual in this world. My first thought was to clarify if we can all see and hear the same and therefore learn the same things ( I like simplifying things, yes). On one end of the spectrum it appears that not very human being can hear or see the same things; some due to age, circumstances, illness, etc cannot see nor hear nor learn the same things; and at the other end of the spectrum there are those who can hear, see and learn exceptionally well and therefore equally. In the middle, there are also those whom distractions won't allow them to see nor hear nor learn fully, again, circumstances. Can those circumstances be removed so we can ...

Years ago at one of my first university classes, the first in Economics for sure, I got on a heated disagreement with the professor teaching it, that would almost cost me to be expelled from the class. Years later I came to understand that the professor wasn't disagreeing with me but rather that for that specific basic class he taught I was asking questions that were not relevant. Furthermore I learned that there are different and opposing views to almost anything in life. The basics of one thought on Economics is the principle of scarcity, the idea that there are only limited resources and unlimited needs and wants, therefore the basis of these studies, how to work around that issue; the invisible hand takes over and regulates a free market economy or a dictator comes along and he decides on the other end of the spectrum and everything and anything in between is the study of Economics. I am overly simplifying of course but this is not an Economics class to say the least, so fo...

Throughout the history of humanity we have developed this fascination with "north". We have learned to read the stars, the sun, nature hints, all sort of methods to "direct" us where we want to go. It is evident that if we want to go somewhere one must "follow" a direction, as we won't get nowhere if: a. we don't have a final destination in mind and b. we don't follow the direction that points to that destination. Do all humans have an inner compass that moves us all towards the same point? Is this the so called "conscience"? or Enlightenment Path perhaps?  is this the Light of Christ?  A long time ago I took a road trip from Caracas, Venezuela, all the way south to Lima, Peru (that is near 3,000 Km once is all said and done). A series of bus after bus after bus after bus; very few well paved highways; a variety of foods, of people; plenty of uncomfortable nights sleeping on a non reclining seat, and lots of beautiful sig...

This should be an easy topic to write as I have been loved so much by so many people, so my comments are more from that experience. I do not claim to know anything, specially on this topic, but rather what idealistically speaking things are supposed to be, at least in my head, that's my disclaimer. What is love? is it that sweet, all empowering, overtaking feeling we get when we see each other? is it that "need" we feel to be close? is it that feeling of safety and comfort we feel as we hold each other? Or is it that strong and purposely made decision that we must make every day during those hard times? I think from what I understand that love as it pertains to a significant other has both of those ingredients, full of strong emotions, and yet filled with a constant decision to keep it alive, to not let that fire go off. On that note it is where I want to compare it to my experience with watching a group of boy scouts start a fire with only rocks, a bunch of wood...

It is ironic to be writing about this on a Friday night I suppose, as it is one of the preferred nights to party rather but here I go anyhow as it will be read on another day :) I grew up not drinking nor smoking nor using drugs as I was taught by my religion and parents; I always thought it was such an easy thing to do, to refrain myself from all of these substances. As I grew older I found myself still not ingesting any substance that would alter my state, including coffee (though I must admit to love the aroma of it as it brings memories of my beloved grandmother and the afternoon cafecitos that she shared with us kids after a mandatory nap).  Later on in life I found myself defending this concept, this idea of no substances left and right. As I moved to North America and got involved in the restaurant/bar business I even thought more and more about it. I had to defend more and more my position, I have even tasted some of it just to say I don't like it either (from a sim...

I have been reflecting lately, due in part to the desire to post something new on my blog and due in part to a class I am taking, about the subject of personal responsibility and human interaction. We are definitely not Robinson Crusoe’s that live in the island of Despair but any stretch of the imagination, quite the opposite, we live in very intricate societies, surrounded by many many circles of friends, family and associates.  It is the complexity of that human interaction what intrigues me. Are we “affected” by others? Do we “affect” others? If they and we do, to what extent is this effect?  Where is the line of personal responsibility drawn? Are we justified to act in certain way as a result of somebody’s behavior? Of as a result of their effect on us? or vice versa?  “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins …” claims an LDS article of faith; ... their own, not the neighbor’s, nor the provoker’s, nor the tempter’s, but our own sins...