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And But Then…

It’s been a long time. At least it feels so to me. I’ve been dealing with the illness of others and the care and feeding (and hospital runs) for animals too. Everything quite came tumbling down. When I had the time I couldn’t generate the energy to come here. That’s odd too as I’d normally find this a place to hide out and indulge in contemplation as well as creation. A restorative thing.

But here we are, back at the self-appointed station. Walking through the mist as there’s no way of walking around it. Of course I don’t find this photo creepy at all. It’s beautiful and serene. It has the feel of places past, of lost centuries. A carriage could pass along here and it would be no surprise. If you look closely to the left, you’ll see someone sitting on a bench.

creepyPlaces
posted by Creepy Places
And then, here below is a photo of a barge going down the Mississippi at La Crosse.
laXtribPosted by La Crosse Tribune

There’s no connection between the upper and lower photos, I just like them both. And I’ve been away. It seems the right reason, yes?

When I was little we used to sit in the park (Riverside Park) and watch the barges go by.  This is a small one by some standards. In those days there was much more river traffic than there is now.

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Football

Yesterday’s game—Green Bay against Minnesota in Viking land—came to an awful end before it hardly began. Aaron Rodgers, our #12, suffered a broken right collar bone during the first quarter of the game. As he throws with his right arm, this is immensely worrying. There is a chance he might not be back for the rest of the season.

AaronRodgers left the game during the second series of the game after taking a hit from Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. It was a hard hit, though considered legal. He fell to his right and braced himself for the fall with his right arm. He was carted off the field and didn’t return. We lost the game, 23 to 10.

 

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Happy Birthday

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland on this day in 1854.
“It is silly of you, for there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
–from THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1890)
Can you imagine that poor man doing hard time in a 19th century prison? That poor, suffering man. No wonder when he returned to public life, having served his time, he was described as ruined. A wreck of a man in a ruined body. But of course Oscar suffered through it, dressed himself back up, and refused to hide. Endurance. Perhaps the greatest strength is to endure.
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Days of Birth

TODAY is Hannah Arendt’s Birthday … tomorrow it’s Nietzsche and Foucault … seems to me that makes this weekend one for celebrating. I don’t think we have to agree with one or the other, or any philosopher, in order to appreciate what they have brought to civilization and society. philMat

All photos/posters were posted by Philosophy Matters

The first piece below is Fritz (Nietzsche) and the second is Mike (Foucault)

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PhilMatsNietzscheFoucault

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Tao & Zen

taoZenTao & Zen

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”   ~Pema Chödrön

Buddhism has made such a smash into the daily lives of Americans. What was once a trickle of small proportions—Beats, aesthetes, and the curious, has become common place. Of course there are always those who feel threatened or diminished by what others do. Or feel that there is a pagan ritual involved with having a statue of the Buddha in a home.
Religion or philosophy, belief or practice, Buddhism is what you make it.
And no, the Buddha was not a god, nor did he claim to be one. And no, a statue of the Buddha in my home does not mean that I worship at the altar or an icon. And yes, one can be a Christian and still practice Buddhism.
Namaste, Pax, and Peace