01 Where are we better off? What do we want? How can we maximize our profits and minimize our losses? What’s in it for us? These are not the questions. What is happening here and now? What needs to happen in response? What does this situation call for? What can we do about that withContinue reading “June 23, 2021”
Author Archives: jimwdollar
June 22, 2021
01 We can organize our life mathematically, logically, reasonably, rationally, inorganically, imposing order from the top down and from the outside in. And, we can organize our life inorganically, irrationally, unreasonably, naturally, following the order from the bottom up and from the inside out. We can lay out our life by the book. Setting goalsContinue reading “June 22, 2021”
June 21, 2021
01 When have you heard anything from the church–any church– that you haven’t heard before? The old Taoists knew 4,000 years ago that playing favorites and holding grudges is no way to be godly. Why would anyone think it would be heavenly to hang out with a god like that? Why does God have toContinue reading “June 21, 2021”
June 20, 2021
01 It is all useless, pointless, hopeless, meaningless, futile, stupid and absurd– and coming to a very bad end: We all are going to die! And. How we live in the meantime makes all the difference. Our place is to shoulder the burden of the truth of our situation and bear it in the strengthContinue reading “June 20, 2021”
June 19, 2021
01 “Judge not” doesn’t mean “Don’t know what’s what.” It means “Don’t find fault.” “Don’t demean, condemn, belittle, dismiss, reject, abhor…” Distinguishing, recognizing, discerning… are necessary aspects of finding our way. If one house is as good as another who knows where they would sleep at night, or take shelter, or shut out the world?Continue reading “June 19, 2021”
June 18, 2021
01 The Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump crowd cannot tolerate anyone who doesn’t see/think the way they do. They have only contempt, ridicule and disdain for those not like them. And that is the one characteristic preventing the realization and implementation of mutually beneficial ways of living together. They cannot enjoy life thinking thatContinue reading “June 18, 2021”
June 17, 2021
01 Each of us has our own talents, interests, specialties, daemon (sounds like “diamond”), gifts, genius, knacks, shtick, proclivities, nature, virtues, trajectory, path, etc. and our adventure is finding and being who we are. The culture and social order are allied against us with their “Thou Shalts” and “Thou Shalt Nots,” and we have toContinue reading “June 17, 2021”
June 16, 2021
01 Henri Bergson talked about “élan vital” (in 1907) being the vital force moving us through our life to what matters most, to what means the most, to us. It is a magnetic force that pulls our heart past 10,000 “not its” to IT. It is like falling in love, though it might be aContinue reading “June 16, 2021”
June 15, 2021
01 Imbalance and disharmony are the signs of the times. When it is all useless, pointless, hopeless, meaningless, futile and absurd, what do you do? The next thing! As it needs to be done! When it needs to be done! And then, the thing after that! And, care about the things you care about– anyway,Continue reading “June 15, 2021”
June 14, 2021
01 The person, real or fictional, with whom I identify, and in whom I see myself reflected “to a Tee,” is Tevya in The Fiddler on the Roof. Tevya IS the fiddler on the roof– trying to maintain his balance and harmony, and stay in tune with what he is doing and what needs toContinue reading “June 14, 2021”
June 13, 2021
01 Take everything to The Silence, sitting quietly, watching, listening, for what arises, emerges, dawns, occurs, beckons, calls, directs, compels, urges, nudges… out of The Silence. Allow The Silence to guide your boat on its path through the sea. You could do a lot worse, and it would be difficult to do any better. TheContinue reading “June 13, 2021”
June 12, 2021
01 Friedrich Nietzsche said that mature people are “a wheel rolling out of its own center.” I prefer the image of a gyroscope turning out of its own center, maintaining its balance and harmony through chaos, tsunami, hurricane, earthquake, devastation and the complete loss of everything. The person who is mature in this respect hasContinue reading “June 12, 2021”