"Skepticism
is a resting place for human reason. Where it can reflect upon its
dogmatic wonderings. But it is no dwelling place for permanent
settlement. Simply to acquiesce in skepticism can never suffice to
overcome the restlessness of reason."
E. Kant
do desassossego
lidando com o desassossego...
"I have to issue a warning. And the warning is this: to read these books in this way, as an exercise in self knowledge. To read them in this way carries certain risks. Risks that are both personal and political. Risks that every student of political philosophy has known. These risks spring from the fact that philosophy teaches us and unsettles us by confronting us with what we already know. There's an irony. The difficulty of this course consists in the fact that it teaches what you already know. It works by taking what we know from familiar unquestioned settings and making it strange.
[...] "Philosophy estranges us from the familiar. Not by supplying new information, but by inviting and provoking a new way of seeing. But, and here's the risk, once the familiar turns strange, it's never quite the same again. Self knowledge is like lost innocence. However unsettling you find it, it can never be unthought or unknown. What makes this enterprise difficult, but also riveting, is that moral and political philosophy is a story and you don't know where the story will lead, but what you do know is that the story is about you. Those are the personal risks."
[...] "Philosophy distances us from conventions, from established assumptions and from settled beliefs. Those are the risks. Personal and political. And in the face of these risks there is skepticism."
E tu?
"A Isabel estava a ler um livro mas eu interrompi-a:
— Isabel, porque é que as pessoas falam?
Ela juntou os lábios como se fosse assobiar e depois respondeu devagar:
— Acho que, se as pessoas falam, é porque querem que as outras pessoas saibam o que elas pensam e sentem.
— Mas supõe que elas não querem que as outras pessoas saibam o que elas pensam e sentem — repliquei.
A Isabel pensou um bocadinho e depois concluiu:
—Então, talvez, deixem de falar."
Matthew Lipman, Pimpa
...
Some things are so dark that woe betide the light that shines on them
I swear to god I thought it was a sign
This shallow grave recedes with every darkened patch of sky
The withered, wearied features start resembling mine
And in the disparate clamour of the chaos that surrounds you
It's hard to know which of the voices that you hear
Are your own
Some things scar your heart so deeply that a howl is not enough
To adequately purge the soul of pain
Still you yearn for contact but the burden that you shoulder means
you'll never trust a living soul again
And in the disparate clamour of the chaos that surrounds you
It's hard to know which of the voices that you hear
Are your own
This is how it feels to be alone, just like we'll die alone
This is how it feels to be alone
This is how it feels to be alone
This is all that we can call our own
Dust flesh and bone
This is how it feels to be alone
Just like we'll die alone
I swear to god I thought it was a sign
This shallow grave recedes with every darkened patch of sky
The withered, wearied features start resembling mine
And in the disparate clamour of the chaos that surrounds you
It's hard to know which of the voices that you hear
Are your own
Some things scar your heart so deeply that a howl is not enough
To adequately purge the soul of pain
Still you yearn for contact but the burden that you shoulder means
you'll never trust a living soul again
And in the disparate clamour of the chaos that surrounds you
It's hard to know which of the voices that you hear
Are your own
This is how it feels to be alone, just like we'll die alone
This is how it feels to be alone
This is how it feels to be alone
This is all that we can call our own
Dust flesh and bone
This is how it feels to be alone
Just like we'll die alone
"O MAIOR DEFEITO DA RAÇA HUMANA É A NOSSA INCAPACIDADE PARA COMPREENDER A FUNÇÃO EXPONENCIAL."
“He cannot complain of a hard sentence, who is made master of his own fate.”
~ Johann Friedrich von Schiller
~ Johann Friedrich von Schiller
Para relações de duração superior a ... 10?... 20?... 30?... anos
"People don´t get married at the time of the wedding. When people really
get married, is when they realize they could get divorced, and decide
not to. [...] And that's a more realistic way to look at how marriages
survive, than to think that they're gonna be utopian, without conflict
or pain.
[...] I don't think that it's possible for two people to
live closer together for a life time without, at times, stepping on each
others toes and even worse."
Sobre James Gilligan
Why My Kids Are NOT the Center of My World
Wait, what did she say? Yeah, you read that right.
This blog post is a bit of a rant and it's a bit all over the place. My
kids are NOT the center of my world, and that's quite simply because
they aren't the center of any world, anywhere.
If you're feeling adventurous today, feel free to read on. I'll
forewarn you though, this post contains subject matter about which I
feel very strongly. As are most emotionally heated issues - I suppose
it's controversial. But hey, I feel how I feel and that's not going to
be changed.
The emotions that sparked this blog post were given a little bit of a
supercharge last evening. Hendrix was picking out what he wanted to
take to school for Show & Tell. He chose a little Imaginext action
figure - one that he's had for about two years now. With the action
figure comes a little yellow object. For the two years that he's had
this toy, that yellow object has always been a drill to him. He
gathered the action figure, the mask that goes with him, and the yellow
drill and proudly told me he'd chosen that for Show & Tell. Then,
you could see him thinking. And he promptly changed his mind and said
to me, "You know what, I better not take this. My teacher will probably
think it's a gun, and then I'll get in trouble," put the action figure
back, and chose something else.
I often think about the world my boys will grow up in. I often get
angry when I think about it. This particular situation just furthered
those emotions for me.
In completely selfish terms, bringing my boys into this world was such a
great decision - for me. They bring me so much joy, they fill my
heart, they make me happy. But I often question whether or not it was
the right decision for them. My boys are typical little boys. They
love to play guns. They love to play good guy versus bad guy. They
love to wrestle and be rowdy. That's the nature of little boys, as it
has been since the beginning of time.
How long will it be before their typical boy-ish behavior gets them
suspended from school? How long before they get suspended from
daycare??? How long will it be before one of them gets upset with a
friend, tells that friend to go away and leave them alone, and
subsequently gets labeled as a bully?
The mentality of our society in 2013 is nauseating to me, friends.
Many years ago, there was a time where young boys could run around with
their toy guns, killing the bad guys. You could take the toy guns away
from the little boys, and they'd find something else around them - a
stick, their fingers, etc - and pretend it was a gun. Today, those
little boys - if caught doing that - are labeled as threats, and
immediate action is taken to remove that threat from the group.
There was a time - not too long ago - when bullying was defined as
slamming someone up against a locker and stealing their lunch money.
There was a time when kids got called names and got picked on, and they
brushed it off and worked through it (ask me how I know this). Now, if
Sally calls Susie a bitch (please excuse my language if that offends
you), Susie's whole world crumbles around her, she contemplates suicide,
and this society encourages her to feel like her world truly has ended,
and she should feel entitled to a world-wide pity party. And
Sally - phew! She should be jailed! She should be thrown in juvenile
detention for acting like - gasp - a teenage girl acts.
Modern parenting and thinking makes me crazy. The young generations of
today (yes, I sound old. I realize I'm only 29 years old.) are being
taught that they shouldn't have to ever put up with anything doesn't
make their hearts feel like rainbow colored unicorns are running around
pooping skittles onto piles of marshmallows.
Modern parenting is creating a generation that's not going to be able to function in society.
Your child, who you cater to every need, who you shelter from all
things "evil." How will this child react when he or she grows into
adulthood? "Debbie" graduates from high school and goes to college.
She writes her first paper and meets with her professor about that paper
and the professor tells her that it's junk and it will get a failing
grade. How will Debbie cope with that if she's always been made to feel
that no one should ever make her feel sad, or criticize anything she
does?
"Donna" graduates from college and gets a job - you know, in the real
world. She has to work on a committee to come up with a marketing
plan. She shoots out an idea, and it gets immediately turned down.
What is she to do? Go home and cry because no one liked her idea? Quit
her job because she can't handle rejection?
Modern parents, who drop everything all the time to sit and play with
the child, who "needs attention," or drop what they're doing to help the
child the second he or she gets frustrated? How is Joey going to deal
with the fact that there won't be anyone in his adult life who's willing
to stop what they're doing, stop living their busy lives, to cater to
his every whim?
How do you think Billy is going to cope in the real world, when his boss
gives him a vague task to complete, and offers no helpful information
as to how to complete this task? Mr. Boss is certainly not going to
hold Billy's hand and help him through the task. Mr. Boss expects it to
be completed by Monday. How has Billy been prepared to use his
critical thinking and problem solving skills to be able to complete that
task? He hasn't.
I certainly hope that the title of this blog post is starting to make
sense. Parents who make their children the center of their universe are
not doing anyone any favors. Obviously, as parents, we love our
children more than anything. But dropping everything to cater to their
every need is only going to lead to a very rude awakening once they
enter the real world.
I'm not telling anyone how to parent, and I'm far from perfect myself.
But when my kids can't find something, I refuse to help them until
they've at least made a concerted effort to find it themselves. This
isn't being mean, it's teaching them to at least attempt to solve a
problem themselves before just giving up and asking for help.
When the TV gets turned off after the allotted time on the weekends, my
kids are instructed to go play together in their room. I love and miss
them during the work week, but I am not just a mom, I'm also Matt's
wife, I'm also Stephanie, and I also run our household. There are
things I have to get done, and my boys understand that. My children -
while Matt and I both spend time playing with them - understand that
the world doesn't begin and end with them. This allows them to find
ways to entertain themselves, it builds imagination, and it teaches them
to get along with each other without constant intervention.
We follow the rules and don't take toy guns or weapons to daycare. But
I'll be darned if my boys aren't allowed to be little boys when they're
at home. They have several toy guns and it's constantly a good guy vs.
bad guy battle in my house. I feel like this teaches them to do the
things they want to do, while respecting other's rules and regulations.
It also teaches them that there are differing opinions about things in
this world and that's ok. We can like and believe in the things we
want, while respecting that others may not agree with us.
My children are all but ignored when they ask for something without
using manners. They understand that when someone addresses or speaks to
them, they are to speak back. When we go out to eat, we don't take 5
electronic devices to keep them "entertained" for the 15 minutes we have
to wait for our food. If Hendrix is "bored" (and I use that term
loosely), then he can put on his jacket and go play outside.
I know of two gentleman who will be hurt emotionally, but who will be able to work through the hurt and carry on with life. I will cushion the emotional fall as much as a mom can, but I will not completely prevent it from happening. They will not expect whoever hurt them to be punished. Heck, I might even teach my children the power of forgiveness.
These two gentlemen will understand the value of hard work, and know that hard work is required to get where one wants to be in life.
They will, while understanding the need for caution, appreciate that not everyone out there is out to get them. Not everyone is out to do evil things.
These gentlemen will understand that there are about a gazillion people in this world. While they are incredibly special to me and my family, they are not special to the world. That probably sounds terrible, but people! It's the harsh truth, and it needs embraced!
I know that I can't change the mindset of modern parents. That's never been and never will be my goal. I just want to make sure that I raise my sons to grow into respectable men who can thrive and succeed, due to having been prepared to do so.
My kids are not the center of my world because I love them enough not to allow them to be.
Roubado aqui.
The Greek Perfection of Tragedy
"But it is important to recognize the crucial twist Jung's psychology
gave to the eminence of the gods. They have been interiorized into
pathology. Their myths live in our behaviors, irrepressibly demanding
recognition and observances. They bear new names borrowed from the text
books of psychiatry and abnormal psychology. Their refuge, no longer the
alter and temple fanum, the side of oracle and mystery cult, instead
they inhabit the interiority of the psyche, where they make themselves
very present indeed, as the powers in the background of the soul's
infirmities. Since the repressed returns in the strangely inventive form
of symptoms. After all, symptoms are extraordinary inventions. The gods
are indeed present, whether invoked or not, right on the corner of 42nd
street."
James Hillman
do outro lado do espelho
A morte, pensada.
Que nos faz espalhar bocados por aí.
Carne da alma.
A morte, 'the strange stranger'
Que, rindo-se das nossas inseguranças e vergonha,
Nos assombra e lembra que desta vida
Só a nossa solidão e as memórias e laços consolidados
Se reflectem na porta espelhada da última fronteira.
Lady, I will touch you with my mind
Lady, I will touch you with my mind.
Touch you and touch and touch
until you give
me suddenly a smile, shyly obscene
(lady I will
touch you with my mind.) Touch
you,that is all,
lightly and you utterly will become
with infinite ease
the poem which I do not write.
E. E. Cummings
touch you with my mind.) Touch
you,that is all,
lightly and you utterly will become
with infinite ease
the poem which I do not write.
E. E. Cummings
The price of honesty and truthfulness [to oneself]
Ah grandioso Bergman! Não tenho palavras.
Maravilhosamente dirigido por Liv Ullmann.
Cinematografia fabulosa.
Ambientes íntimos e belos.
e ... Bach
THERE IS NO META LANGUAGE
[I've got you under my skin]
"Waking up in the shadow of the unseen power of hyperobjects is like finding yourself in a David Lynch movie in which it becomes increasingly uncertain whether you are dreaming or awake. Humans are forced to confront phenomenological sincerity, the truth that ´there is no meta language'. [...] We have not traversed the curtain of illusion into a world of certainty. [...] As Laurie Anderson put in her song [...] 'What is behind the curtain?' THE PLAY OF ILLUSION AND CONCEALMENT IS A SYMPTOM OF REALITY. [...] The further into the Great Acceleration we go, the more we shall need to confront feelings of unreality."
Timothy Morton, Hyperobjects
We and they
Father and Mother, and Me, Sister and Auntie say All the people like us are We, And every one else is They. And They live over the sea, While We live over the way, But-would you believe it? --They look upon We As only a sort of They! We eat pork and beef With cow-horn-handled knives. They who gobble Their rice off a leaf, Are horrified out of Their lives; While they who live up a tree, And feast on grubs and clay, (Isn't it scandalous? ) look upon We As a simply disgusting They! We shoot birds with a gun. They stick lions with spears. Their full-dress is un-. We dress up to Our ears. They like Their friends for tea. We like Our friends to stay; And, after all that, They look upon We As an utterly ignorant They! We eat kitcheny food. We have doors that latch. They drink milk or blood, Under an open thatch. We have Doctors to fee. They have Wizards to pay. And (impudent heathen!) They look upon We As a quite impossible They! All good people agree, And all good people say, All nice people, like Us, are We And every one else is They: But if you cross over the sea, Instead of over the way, You may end by (think of it!) looking on We As only a sort of They!
