I am sitting in front of the computer screen not knowing what I should write. Normally I have a good idea about what I want to say but today being a bit busy I have not been able to organise my thoughts to write a coherent blog post. But I need to maintain my goal of a minimum of 2 blog posts a week.
So I thought why not just sit and bang out a 500 or 600 word blog post and just say whatever is in my head at the moment.
Ok so I’ll start by telling you to visit the following link. It is an article written by Mark Manson, the bestselling author.
https://markmanson.net/life-purpose
I was so impressed by the article that I bought his book that has more than 33,000 reviews on Amazon and has a better than 4.5 star rating. I have read 90 pages and I am not regretting my purchase. It is good.
The above is not an affiliate link.
As you may have guessed if you are following my blog posts closely, I did not follow my own advice in buying this book. I have said earlier that one should not read self help books but instead read novels and the classics of literature, philosophy, spirituality or whatever subject you are interested in. If you have to read self help books read the classics of self help which were written more than 50 or 75 years ago and which have a track record of having helped people. That is why they are still in print.
But as Walt Whitman said – “I am vast. I contain multitudes. I contradict myself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said – “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds – adored by divines and prelates alike.” Shakespeare said – “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy.”
Ok so that’s 300 words done; hehe.
Another thing that is occupying my mind is how I can progress in my meditation practice. I need to cultivate detachment or equanimity. I practiced reminding myself of a concept that I had picked up in my above reading and the first time I did this I had a great meditation session. The second time it was back to square one. Oh well.
As the former POTUS Harry S. Truman said – “We’ll try this. If it works great. Otherwise we’ll try something else.” Or some similar words to that effect. I tried searching for Harry Truman quotes online but was not able to find the one I was looking for. If someone can point me at the exact quote I’ll be grateful.
Truman was probably one of the gutsiest presidents ever. He took the decision to nuke Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the second world war. He was not afraid to take responsibility. Another of his quotes which is my favourite is – “The buck stops here.” Meaning he would (as President) take the hard decisions that nobody else wanted to take responsibility for.
The decision to nuke Japan will remain one of the most controversial in history. Some of my acquaintances and family have strong views on this. But it is estimated that by ending the war as he did Truman saved the lives of 2 or 3 million soldiers (from both sides) who would otherwise have lost their lives in the invasion of Japan.
I am quite enjoying this actually – dispensing gyan. One of the wise men of ancient Greece was asked the question – “What is the easiest of all things? And his reply was – “To give advice.”
Giving general advice is the easiest thing in the world. However advice tailored to your situation is difficult and needs expertise and is valuable. This is the reason all of us go to a doctor when we are ill and pay him a healthy fee. This is also what the Buddha was supposed to have done with his disciples. He gave each of them a practice that was best suited to them.
It it may be a good idea to not over think and over research my blog posts and just write as the fancy takes me. I am quite happy with this article. I think it is one of my better ones.
Ok, it is more than 700 words done and I’ll end here. Hope you liked the article and please explore this site for more on Spirituality, Self Help and Politics. If you would like to contact me the link is below. Please also comment on the blog if you liked the article (or even if you didn’t). Feedback from my readers keeps me going.
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