Saturday, October 08, 2005
Pondering 'A Good Life'
We had visitors over last night and sat around a table with glasses, ice, cold water and single malt. Lots of discussion and stories led to the question: "How does one lead a good life here...today?" Here's the deal:- Power and politics are globalizing nastiness rapidly - US Militarism & deceipt, Islamic radicalism & murder, widespread African chaos, Chinese human rights abuses and so on...
- Poverty and inequality in achieving basic human needs continues to be the issue of our time (a billion of us live on less than $1 a day)
- The natural environment is being destroyed, altered, pillaged and overheated - by human need, greed and business interests.
- Religion and nationalism seem to be filling the planet with some sort of overheated gasses also - at least in their extreme versions.
- Nature is acting up all over (more dead in one Guatemalan village this week from Hurricane Stan than Katrina killed in Louisiana), earthquakes in Asia.
- Enjoy life and all the benefits I've got and don't spend too much time looking around - in fact, turn off the news, stop reading the paper... and only go to gardening or literary blogs. Put up some nice walls to make sure no one else gets at what I have.
- Become sad, depressed, angry and see the world through a lens that views pain, loss, the hopelessness. Rant away! (Open more single malt?)
- Look at the situation enough to understand it, don't get hung up on the negative, enjoy the gifts life offers... and live a life of kindness, tolerance and direct action in the things I believe in. As Gandhi said, "What you do may not matter, but you have to do it."
Comments:
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Can't you combine the last article of #2 with the whole of #3? I think you'll find it more entirely satisfactory.
Sometimes I wish I could close my eyes, because there's just SO much information coming from all directions, and it's overwhelming. But like you suggested, the thing is to enjoy the good gifts, and work to make sure that others can enjoy them too. Sign me up. Is the party BYOB, or do you have some brandy in the cupboard?
Sometimes I wish I could close my eyes, because there's just SO much information coming from all directions, and it's overwhelming. But like you suggested, the thing is to enjoy the good gifts, and work to make sure that others can enjoy them too. Sign me up. Is the party BYOB, or do you have some brandy in the cupboard?
I like your thinking Madcapmum! I'll provide the brandy anytime you and Chive can make it over this way.
Number two is definitely a trap to watch out for. I like number 3, personally. Number one is also known as "head up the arse syndrome." Hates it.
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