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philosophy

wait without hope

In philosophy, quote, writers on 23 October 2008 with no comments

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love,
For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for […]

the truth

In Writing, personal, philosophy on 21 October 2008 with no comments

The most important thing you have, the one thing you want the most, its already in you.
I was writing tonight, and not just writing, writing without effort, writing without thought. Writing from some place in me that just needed to sit down and put it down on paper. Its been a while since I wasn’t […]

goodbye to all that

In Uncategorized, neuva york, personal, philosophy, quote, writers on 8 October 2008 with no comments

I’ve recently met a new and interesting character, living quite literally on the other side of the world, over discussions about youth and city living. She directed me to Joan Didion’s essay “Goodbye to All That” which I’ve excerpted here, not the best or most striking portion but the part I related to the most. […]

the prophet: on joy & sorrow

In found things, philosophy, poetry, quote, writers on 16 June 2008 with 2 comments

Then a woman said, “Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.”
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that hold […]

the prophet: on love

In found things, philosophy, poetry, quote on 16 June 2008 with no comments

Then said Almitra, “Speak to us of Love.”
And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said:
When love beckons to you follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among […]

The Universe: planetarium reflections

In philosophy, quote on 13 March 2008 with no comments

I know I steal a lot from Whiskey River. Trust me, I don’t want to but I can’t help myself. Their quotes are so amazingly relevant that I can’t help but think to myself, so and so has to read this. So please do us both a favor, add it to your reader.
This one particularly […]

Mudita and the Pursuit of Happiness

In Events, culture, personal, philosophy, writers on 5 January 2008 with 1 comment

This past week I met a buddhist writer and the founder of a meditation center, named James Baraz. We talked casually about writing with all the distractions from modern technology and he encouraged me to come to a talk he was giving at the NY Insight Center about “Awakening Joy” a course that he […]

Pleasure, Reason and Vulnerability

In personal, philosophy on 27 September 2007 with 3 comments

So I was thinking about Freud and the pleasure principle (and subsequently the reality principle), all creatures will naturally gravitate toward things that cause them pleasure and avoid things that cause them pain. The reality principle says that once people begin to learn about life or reality, they still seek pleasure but in the manner […]