mirages
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Post by mirages on Apr 24, 2015 0:43:25 GMT -5
And that ties in with a song I love (by Carrie Newcomer www.carrienewcomer.com/everything-is-everywhere/) called Breathe In Breathe Out: To live we learn what we love most, Embrace it all and hold it close. Breathe it in and breathe it out, let it go... To live is to love so many things, To fly on beautiful wax wings. Breathe it in and breathe it out, let it go... Breathe in, breathe out, let it go Breathe in, breathe out, let it, let it, let it go Breathe in, breathe out, let it go, let it go... I held anger like a coal, Burning hot but not let go, With the thought that I could throw it at someone. Such a hard lesson to learn, My own hand was what got burned. Breathe it in and breathe it out, let it go... Breathe in, breathe out, let it go Breathe in, breathe out, let it, let it, let it go Breathe in, breathe out, let it go, let it go... What is won is won What is done is done Let it go What is real is real What we feel we feel Then let it go I saw one candle in the night Become a thousand lights. Breathe it in and breathe it out, let it go... Life is fleeting this I know, Short and draped in marigolds. Breathe it in and breathe it out, let it go... Ahhh, the things Adam brings us through each other ... toramenor, thank you for reminding me of Carrie Newcomer again! And thank you, Adam, for making me check out Spotify so I could stream your single, because not only do I get to do that but I just searched for Carrie in Spotify and then have scads of her albums all the way back to 1991! I just stopped to listen to "Breathe In, Breathe Out," which is even more beautiful with music. (I spent this afternoon invigilating exams for students with disabilities at a local university and spent some time trying to "breathe in, breathe out" a bit of peace in the exam room for them. Ya never know -- can't hurt!)
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Post by mirages on Apr 23, 2015 15:55:28 GMT -5
I am a quote collector, and this reminded me of a lengthy conversation I had with a friend. It got a little heated on her part, and I sort of lost my ability to profer a clear case of what I was trying to say. Then I found this: and I think it is also reflected in the quote above from Liz Stanley and Sue Wise. Don't visit this thread often, but love the reasoned discourse. Hi, redpanda -- nice to see you! That's a good series of aphorisms and they make a good point. On the other hand, I was listening to a session Katie Hopkins did at Cambridge University recently and was powerfully struck by the reality that even if women do get to define what harassment is, we're no more a homogeneous block than are men or gay people. (Granted, Katie seems to be a law unto herself, but it was a bit of a wake-up call for me.) So in that case, who does get to do the defining? And wouldn't it be nice if we all just treated each other courteously as people and inquired about what did and didn't offend one another rather than making assumptions based on gender or race or orientation?
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Post by mirages on Apr 23, 2015 15:49:57 GMT -5
There is another kind of distress, the ability to hold paradox without attempting to resolve it, and the ability to sit with uncomfortable feelings of my own, that I'm getting better at, but it takes work. Or, rather, it takes not-work and not-distraction ... which is why the article author's comments about how we protect ourselves with information struck home to me. I guess all humans have their times of grappling with this stuff and their times of running from it, and we all have our different ways of running (which is one of the reasons I love Runnin' from TP so much ... we all have our drugs/distractions of choice to keep us from coming to terms with the uncomfortable). I wanted to come back to this, because of this one sentence you wrote "it takes not-work and not-distraction". Now I'm gonna sound like a book-seller or something, but you really need to read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuinn. In this novel, among other things, she describes a religion which is not a religion. The main thing about it is "I don't know", which is how you gain knowledge and insight - by actively practicing NOT knowing and NON-insight. It's like a philosophy with some mysticism in it. It sounds complicated but it makes a lot of sense in the context of the book. And it's like you said: it takes work to relax, or rather it takes not-work. Similarly, in the novel, those who practice these mystic techniques are actually learning not-work and not-distraction, which gives them exceptional focus and presence. This allows them some abilities, like foretelling the future, and so on - I don't want to give too much away (these are not spoilers, by the way, but if you do get around to reading it, it's more interesting when you don't know too much already). Sounds very Zen ... mind you, I'm currently reading Thomas Merton's "Mystics and Zen Masters," so it's not a big leap! I love the title, "Left Hand of Darkness" ... will look for that one after my kids and I finish the Earthsea trilogy -- I have read the first two books and am waiting for my kids to catch up before I read the third.
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Post by mirages on Apr 21, 2015 15:44:29 GMT -5
Thanks for that today, toramenor -- currently helping a friend research the right new medication for her multiple sclerosis which seems to have kicked into a higher gear, help my dad figure out if it's time to move to assisted living, and comfort a friend whose mother died suddenly on the weekend. "Breathe in, breathe out, let it go ..." is good advice. You know I was just joshin' about the song title/thread title coincidence, right? )
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Post by mirages on Apr 20, 2015 18:24:55 GMT -5
Nice article about gender identity.
Virginia Woolf on Why the Best Mind Is AndrogynousVirginia Woolf: Of course, Woolf uses the binary male/female, where I would perhaps put in a spectrum, but she makes great points and her insights are truly ahead of her time. I've always thought of her that she saw the world as it was and as it should have been, and that she felt the tragedy when the two did not coincide. toramenor, thank you for these rich posts! I've been away and then just plain distracted, so my apologies for not responding sooner. By the way, did you see on the track listing revealed today that Adam named a track on TOH after this thread? The two last posts share a common core, I think: the refusal to go black/white, either/or, "only one right answer" in our approach to life or a creative project. Something I have always loved about Adam was his refusal to judge and edit parts of himself (although he most certainly style-shifts, which is self-editing to some extent, but with a different intent) ... some of my favourite moments are when, on stage, he moves seamlessly from stomping alpha male rock god to a fabulous Miss Thang, and from either back to his self-amused boy next door rebel-with-a-smile home base. I've always loved the native American idea that gay people are twin-spirited -- we all are, but they more so, and drawing on those energies seem to produce a riot of creativity that is really delightful. I have also spent a lot of time thinking and reading about the value of breaking through to non-dual thinking in both philosophy and theology ... but I won't go there now. I ran across this bit of First Nations wisdom last fall and made a note of it on my phone -- just re-discovered it again this week, and while it's not in reference to creativity or nondual thinking, it also kind of is: Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the while I am being carried across the sky by beautiful clouds.
Ojibway proverb
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Post by mirages on Apr 7, 2015 20:25:14 GMT -5
ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR CELL PHONES, TABLETS, ETC, WITH LARGE TEXT THAT CAN BE READ BY SOMEONE WITH REALLY BAD CLOSEUP VISION WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
Loved the story about your dad still being able to dance well into his 80s, and the imageof the two of you dancing among the tables at a restaurant is heartwarming and charming! As for his vision and devices -- I am not familiar with the Kindle device (I use a Kindle app on my iPhone), so sorry I can't be more help with that. iPhones and iPads both allow you to select larger text size (Settings - General - Accessibility - Larger Text). However, this does not always make the text for toolbars and commands bigger. If he doesn't mind learning to navigate with three fingers rather than one for swiping, you can turn VoiceOver on (also in the Accessibility menu). It will read all the titles, toolbars and commands aloud -- it can drive you a little nuts, though, and navigation is clumsy. I tend to toggle VoiceOver on and off when needed -- toggle by pressing the Home button rapidly 3 times in a row, and turn it off the same way. Audible, as mentioned, is a great source of talking books, and there are also free apps with classic (past copyright) books read aloud by volunteers -- I've listened to "Moby Dick," "Walden Pond," "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius" and "Tale of Two Cities" for free on the Audiobooks app. I have no central vision, so know lots of tricks -- PM me if you have more questions.
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Post by mirages on Mar 8, 2015 20:15:31 GMT -5
To celebrate International Women's Day, here are some of my favourite quotes about gender equality: Feminism directly confronts the idea that one person or set of people [has] the right to impose definitions of reality on others. ~Liz Stanley and Sue Wise To tell a woman everything she may not do is to tell her what she can do. ~Spanish Proverb The only jobs for which no man is qualified are human incubators and wet nurse. Likewise, the only job for which no woman is or can be qualified is sperm donor. ~Wilma Scott Heide We've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters. ~Gloria Steinem A state that does not educate and train women is like a man who only trains his right arm. ~Jostein Gaarder I raise up my voice--not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back. ~Malala Yousafzai Clearly it's not easy for women in modern society, no matter where they live. We still have to go the extra mile to prove that we are equal to men. we have to work longer hours and make more sacrifices. And we must emotionally protect ourselves from unfair, often vicious attacks made on us via the male members of our family. ~Benazir Bhutto Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its battles have been for education, for the vote, for better working conditions, for safety in the streets, for child care, for social welfare, for rape crisis centres, women's refuges, reforms in the law. If someone says, 'Oh, I'm not a feminist', I ask, 'Why? What's your problem?' ~Dale Spender Thank you, toramenor! I especially like the Steinem, Gaarder and Spender quotes. Did you see the "Got a Lot Going On" video someone posted in the daily thread yesterday, with Aussi/NZ aboriginal youth? Same message, wonderful to see.
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Post by mirages on Mar 3, 2015 15:21:03 GMT -5
(I've read the first two books of Earthsea and am now introducing my kids to her on car trips via the Audible app) (but that's fantasy, not scifi, isn't it? there I go again ...). Like LeGuin says - science fiction simply uses a different set of metaphors (science, technology, future, space travel), which distinguish it from other fiction genres. Fantasy fiction's metaphors would be: magic and/or supernatural beings, magical objects, imaginary creatures, imaginary worlds. So, yes, Earthsea would be in the fantasy fiction genre. Most of LeGuin's novels, however, are science fiction and she is, I would say, responsible for putting the science fiction genre in the belles-lettres category (I mean, as fine art). Before her, scifi was widely considered crap literature (by critics I mean, not fans, of course). I think what she did for scifi was to show that it can be beautifully written, relevant and profound as much as any other genre. I want to read the whole quote again (and again) because she's making me think that perhaps it is actually not possible to lie ... that we always only ever end up telling the truth. Want to think more about that. But I love, love, love the depth and breadth of her conception of what she's doing. That's why I posted the entire thing, because it's an essay with so much dimension; she's explaining more than what she does as a science fiction writer - she is basically telling us how she sees writing, art, imagination, truth, the meaning of language. She always makes me want to read and re-read her writings, because her words are always meant to make you think and explore difficult but crucial ideas. (Incidentally, have you read Doris Lessing's scifi? I adore her other novels but think I should try Shikasta.) OK, first off, I'm citing insanity as my defense, or I must have had amnesia, or I'm actually an alien from another planet and don't know much about your earthly ways yet... but... I haven't read anything by Lessing... haven't even heard of her before you asked, and I googled her just now... So, now I'm going to go and hide in another planetary system, because I've just learned she won the Nobel Prize and is one of the greatest female novelists... wow...I mean, I really don't know what to say - I can't believe she completely stayed off my radar like that... Well, it's good to be awake now - so, I'll definitely put her novels on my to-read list. Thanks, mirages. Ah, hah! I knew it! You and the crab grass! No worries -- you've introduced me to lots of stuff that hadn't run across my path before (case in point -- you knew that clip of Nureyev with the lilies was from Giselle -- I didn't!), and Lessing does not get the attention she deserves. You know who else is like that? Annie Dillard. Won a Pullitzer, but even in North America (she's American), is almost unknown -- astonishes me. She's shudderingly good.
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Post by mirages on Mar 3, 2015 10:48:28 GMT -5
Ohhhh, thank you, toramenor ... that is marvelous strong meat first thing in the morning ... Shroedinger AND that amazing extended quote from LeGuin (I've read the first two books of Earthsea and am now introducing my kids to her on car trips via the Audible app) (but that's fantasy, not scifi, isn't it? there I go again ...). I want to read the whole quote again (and again) because she's making me think that perhaps it is actually not possible to lie ... that we always only ever end up telling the truth. Want to think more about that. But I love, love, love the depth and breadth of her conception of what she's doing. (Incidentally, have you read Doris Lessing's scifi? I adore her other novels but think I should try Shikasta.) This is much more pedestrian, but while reading the quote above I was reminded of one of the best things I've read about why some people write science fiction, by Philip K. Dick, who should know, in his introduction to anthology of his work in 1977: “I used to dig in the garden, and there isn’t anything fantastic or ultradimensional about crab grass...unless you are a sf writer, in which case, pretty soon you’re viewing crabgrass with suspicion. What are its real motives? And who sent it in the first place? The question I always found myself asking was, What is it really?”
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Post by mirages on Mar 2, 2015 19:25:04 GMT -5
How did I not know that February 26th was Tell a Fairy Tale Day??? www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/6-ways-to-celebrate-tell-a-fairy-tale-day/?lfAs a life-time lover of fairy tales, I feel guilty that I missed this celebration. But since we've already established that this After Hours thread exists in a time-zone of its own, maybe we can pretend it's still Fairy Tale Day.... I love this quote from Albert Einstein that they used in the article above: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales." I don't just love fairy tales - I collect them; they are the basis of most books/TV shows/movies that I read/watch; they are at the heart of my own writing - in other words, it all seems to come back to fairy tales. The art of storytelling, the fantasy, the exploration of different worlds, whether they be beautiful and magical, or harsh and gritty... they all seem to originate from fairy tales. Before I could even speak, my parents read me fairy tales. As soon as I could read, my go-to books were collections of fairy tales. As soon as they were on TV, I watched animated Disney fairy tales. As soon as I started buying my own books, I bought books of fairy tales, from any nation that I could find. (I'm not sure, but I think I have tales from about 50 nations from all over the world.) I've written a few fairy tales, as well. They're all a little too long to post here, though... So, instead, to celebrate Tell a Fairy Tale Day, I'll just share with you some of my all-time favourite tales. In no particular order: - Disney's Dumbo (I remember watching it multiple times as a little girl and sobbing like an insane person every time, but I always wanted to watch it again; my mom would be like: "But you know how you always cry and you know there's a happy ending", yet I was adamant: I had to watch it and I'd cry again anyway.) www.awn.com/sites/default/files/image/featured/1016959-disney-developing-live-action-dumbo-feature.jpg- Russian folk tales about Vasilisa the Beautiful also known as Vasilisa the Wise - this heroine is featured in many Russian stories: she is depicted as young, beautiful beyond belief, and wiser than anyone else - she doesn't wait to be rescued; instead, she accomplishes the most difficult tasks herself (a perfect role model for young girls) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasilisa_(name)- Andersen's The Ugly Duckling (the story ends with the duckling realising it's a beautiful swan - I mean, what is not to love about that message!) - the tale of Farhad and Shirin (not sure about the spelling) - an Uzbekistan fairy tale about "star-crossed" lovers (I discovered this little gem by accident a few years ago, when I happened to pass by a street-seller who had second-hand books on a blanket - and among them was a collection of fairy tales from Uzbekistan. I can't remember the exact price, but I didn't pay more than a dollar for it!) - and so many others, I can't list them all... but it would be a very diverse list... I like Chinese folk tales, there are some really interesting Polynesian and South American folk tales, and so on... Oh my gosh, I had exactly the same reaction when I read your first post: how could I not know that? I have a 13-year-old daughter who, more often than not when I come to say goodnight to her, is re-re-re-reading her battered old hard-cover copy of the original Grimm fairytales -- she'd have loved to celebrate Fairy Tale Day! I was not a huge fan of fairy tales as a child, but came at them with a vengeance as an adult, largely through Joseph Campbell's work. There's also a fabulous little tome by Frederich Buechner called "Telling the Truth: The Gospel in Tragedy, Comedy and Gairy Tale" that draws attention to the crucial aspect of fairy tales, which is transformation. He says the spiritual journey is supposed to go past fall / redemption / reconciliation motifs to transformation, and that our hearts long for it and fear it (suspecting how much it will cost), which explains our fascination with fairy tales. He also says that perhaps the reason we are drawn to the very dark side of fairy tales is because we so much to also believe the light, magical side. I'm going to look up the Vasilisa tale you mentioned, although my daughter may already have found it -- she, like you, is becoming a collector of fairy tales and seeks out stories from lots of other cultures and traditions. I also really liked the Story Telling Dice suggestion from the article link you provided ... my family will be going on a trip over spring break this year, so that might be a great way to spend some time together being creative. One of the friends we'll be traveling with recently emailed to offer to read to us all at night, too, and since she is a scifi fan, will probably draw from that genre -- I'm hoping for Orwell or Asimov, or maybe Stanislaw Lem. I'm not well-versed in scifi, though, so it'll be good to hear something out of my usual realm. I actually sometimes conflate scifi and fantasy genres ... maybe it's because in scifi science simply takes the place of magic? Thanks for bringing this over, and sorry again for having fallen into the time warp before answering!
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