There is more to life than simply increasing its speed. | |
— Mahatma Gandhi | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | Still Crazy After All These Years… |
2019 | 20 / 20 Foresight |
He Knew Damned Well… | |
2018 | Be Someone’s Kindling |
2017 | When The Moment Comes |
2016 | Changed Clothes Lately? |
2015 | Like Stone |
2014 | Resistance Is Futile |
2013 | Subtle Humor |
To Look Behind Green Eyes | |
2012 | The Path Is Endless |
2011 | Happy MLK, Jr Day!!! |
A Factor Of Ten | |
Better Late Than Never? | |
Whoops! | |
Acceptable Beginnings | |
Slow Progress | |
Useful Confrontation | |
When Phenomena Are Different | |
Creative Avoidance | |
Thinking | |
Fast And Flexible | |
Surrender Certainty | |
Techniques | |
Vive La Difference | |
Destiny | |
Completeness | |
Art | |
Posts Tagged ‘On the Meaning of Life’
Just Chillin’… Why?
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Life, Mahatma Gandhi, On the Meaning of Life, Philosophy, Quotes, Speed on January 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Go Deeper
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged Dr. Richard P. Feynman, On Learning, On the Meaning of Life, Philosophy, Quotes on November 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. | |
― Richard Feynman | |
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On This Day In: | |
2014 | Intentional Mapping |
2013 | The Sweet Path |
2012 | Living Free And Abolition |
Morning Wood | |
2011 | I Resemble That Remark |
A Trip To The Library
Posted in 2015 Book Review, Book Review, Faith, Philosophy, Reviews, tagged 2015 Book Review, Faith, Hermann Hesse, On the Meaning of Life, Philosophy, The Journey To The East - book review on July 19, 2015| Leave a Comment »
“The Journey To The East” — book review | |
Today’s book review is for a book I finished last Saturday (July 11th), but never got around to posting about. The book is: “The Journey To The East” (1956©), written by Hermann Hesse. The book is supposedly autobiographically written by an un-named character “H. H.”, but as Hesse has written other books with main characters who share his initials, the intent seems to be to not make this novel personally semi-autobiographical. “H. H.” is a member of a secret “League” which exists to assist its members in understanding life (via shared personal experiences) and in advancing civilization (via the creation of a vast library containing all of human knowledge). | |
The group on the journey with H. H. fails to reach their destination and the individual members lose faith in the League, with each other, and with themselves. The author (H. H.), spends a good part of the rest of his life living as a “failure” and then decides to make himself whole by writing a book about the journey. The problem is he can’t remember the specific details of his trip. He seeks out a friend who’s advise is the find one of the other participants from his trip (Leo the servant) and to seek his (Leo’s) recollections. Leo is not receptive at first and then he lets H. H. have access to the League’s library – which contains the sum of human knowledge, including entries about every single person (living or dead). | |
The journey to the East seems to be a metaphor for growing up, or more precisely, for going on a vision quest to seek the meaning of life. The trip to the “East” is a trip to discover yourself and the realization from that discovery (for H. H.) is that the meaning of life is service to others. Thus, “East” is not a direction of travel. It is a destination. Your “home”. | |
The novel is very short (120 pages) and can be read in a couple of hours. It is a simple narrative told by the principal and is done in very straight forward language – so it’s easy to read. I found the book interesting for a number of reasons. The two main ones were (are): 1) the book created a reinforcing memory of a scene in the movie “Interstellar” where the main character is in a four dimensional representation of a library (actually behind a bookshelf in a bedroom); and, 2) because there are a lot of pseudo-Christian messages sprinkled throughout the book. The meaning of life being service to others is just one of many such messages. | |
So, final recommendation: Strong recommendation. The book is short, easy to read and promotes thought for the reader about what is the purpose of life. It worked for me… | |
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On This Day In: | |
2014 | Pass The Soul |
2013 | Zapping Music And Art |
2012 | Not Quite Fantastic |
That Kid Is Back | |
2011 | Wolves At The Door |
2010 | I’m Feeling Patriotic… (Well, more than usual, anyway.) |
Beating the Heat… | |
A Real Fight
Posted in My Journal, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged My Journal, On the Meaning of Life, Philosophy, Quotes, William James on August 3, 2014| 2 Comments »
If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will. | |
— William James | |
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On This Day In: | |
2013 | Unravelling |
2012 | I Resolve |
2011 | Practice, Practice, Practice |
2009 | Phoenix Trip (July ’09) |
Live, Then, As If…
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged André Maurois, On Death, On Life, On Life After Death, On the Meaning of Life, Philosophy, Quotes, Will Durant on November 10, 2013| 4 Comments »
What shall we know of our death? Either the soul is immortal and we shall not die, or it perishes with the flesh and we shall not know that we are dead. Live, then, as if you were eternal, and do not believe that your life has changed merely because it seems proved that the Earth is empty. You do not live in the Earth, you live in yourself. | |
— André Maurois | |
Quoted by Will Durant | |
From his book: “On the Meaning of Life“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2012 | Still Trying |
2011 | Not Deserving |