Why, me of course!
Silly question.

After all, I am the only person that I am reasonably sure do exist.
All the rest of you are merely neuronal activity resulting from sensory input to my brain.
Aren't you?

Yes: Sol - a wise soul.
 
Hi Sol, how are you?

There are deeper laws than this.

Whenever I feel sad or depressed, fearful, ashamed, exhausted or despairing, I've learned how to pick myself up and renew my hope.

There are deeper laws than this and death is not the end.

Everything happens for a reason and will eventually be for the best. If you can trust this and "let go, let God", all will be well. In fact, all IS well, but sometimes that is very hard to remember and accept.

But there are deeper laws than this, that we may not comprehend.

In troubled times, when I'm down and lonely, when there are no one I can turn to, I turn inside for a while, or I find inspiration, hope and motivation from good books, good people and my good friend nature.

There are deeper laws than this.

Just remembering this is sometimes enough to make joy bubble up inside me. I may feel lonesome and uncertain about the future, but then I remember that it's not so bad after all. In the end, it's all a matter of perspective.

You look your monster right in the eye and say: "Hey, let's party!"

...and say: "Hey, let's party!"

:)

Have a great day, week, life, eternity!

Just as an ant colony consisting of 'dumb' ants exhibits complex, self-organizing behaviour that is reminiscent of consciousness, and just as the brain, composed of singular 'dumb' neurons produces (or rather is host to) human consciousness, there might be next levels of consciousness on a planetary scale, made up of the behaviour of 6 billion people + all other ecosystems...

Just a thought.

What do you think?

Not that I've actually won anything lately. Not as such. 
Not officially.

But I made a goal. I worked hard to reach it. And I did reach it.
That makes me a winner in my book anyway. :)

It is worth noting though, that it's not so much actually accomplishing the task that makes the effort worthwhile, it's the effort itself, the process. For me, the satisfaction of reaching the goal quickly wears off, what is left is what I've gained from the process. So does that mean that the goal in itself is not important? Well, I've found that to do anything more complex than picking my nose, I need focus. Without focus it takes forever to accomplish anything. And a goal is like a magnet attracting attention, enabling me to stay focused on the task at hand. Most things worth doing require a certain amount of hard work, but without a well-defined goal I find it difficult to focus the energy and enthusiasm required to go through with it. Still, if I don't enjoy the process, no goal is worth reaching, I think.

And I've noticed one more thing. Being a quiet and modest person (no, really!), I'm not one to brag about my achievements. Quite the opposite in fact: It seems I usually downplay my triumphs and successes ("Oh, it was no big deal"). The reason has been, perhaps, an unclear idea that subduing the ego would make me more altruistic, understanding, empathic. Or maybe I've been concerned that people would dislike me if I was too preoccupied with myself, and so I went to the other extreme. Hmm... Anyway, it seems that if I have a genuine interest in sharing my 'stuff', people appear to have a genuine interest in listening! Imagine that! :)

The point of all this, if there is one, seems to be that the Ego is not neccessarily just a Bad Guy, one to get rid of at all costs, but someone which it is wise to know and cooperate with if we are to accomplish anything. And that's one of the reasons we came here, right?

--
PS! My goal was a very mundane one: Finishing a 170 km cycling road race in less than 5 hours. I used 4 hours 46 minutes.

Wanderer7 posted a blog entry on how boredom can be warning sign that you are 'off track' and function as a catalyst for change.

That's true.

In my case, incessant boredom in my work situation has made me take a one year (unpaid) leave so I can do what I really want to do (or at least find out what that is!) - starting only 4 weeks from now. Yay! I'm glad I have the possibility to do that.

But I won't just be sitting on Cafe Aura, sipping cappuchinos, I do plan to work a bit. Not as a programmer though, unless on my own projects :). I have already signed a contract to translate a book on Chinese astrology from English to Norwegian, and maybe I'll start a tai chi / zhan zhuang class in January. And I'll definetely spend a lot of time reading, writing, meditating, hiking, bicycling, speedskating ...... and maybe start building a low impact woodland home (I'd love to do that, but need some cheerful co-builders! Anyone?)

Oh, and I recently passed my driver's exam, and I am now (officially) qualified to move heavy steal boxes at high speeds :).

Have you ever thought about what a miracle it is to be able to see?
Have you ever considered what it would be like to loose your eyesight?

Two days ago, I suddenly lost the use of my peripherial vision and most of my sharp vision. My sight was limited to a tunnel right in front of me and I could not read text on the computer screen or in books etc. It happened just like that - *snap* - like a bolt out of the blue. At first it was just irritating, but then fear set in: What if my sight never returns?

Luckily it did (after about half an hour), and for that I am SO grateful!!! But it made me realize how much most of us depend on a good eyesight, and how much we take it for granted. Had my sight not been restored (thank you! thank you! thank you!!!), I would have had to give up most of what I like do.

I am so grateful I can see!

Main stream media has a huge responsibility. A responsibility that is not formalized like it is in governmental power structures, and therefore the responsibility and requirements for self-justice is actually greater. So it is sad to see that some journalists think that they are critical if only they manage to focus as negatively as possible on an issue. And the saddest thing is that it almost never are those with power and influence that are in the spotlight when they have been naughty... Even though here in Norway we are far from 'American standards' when it comes to press ethics (I hope), it's not like we have a free press, at least not in the sense that rich and poor guys get the same treatment.

About negative news: It is of course possible to be critical without being negative. But the fact is that main stream media is full of negative news that has little or no bearing on our lives, that does not provide objective information which might be of use to make an informed opinion on an issue and that we have no possibility to do anything with anyway. Negative news, perhaps particularly in the areas of terrorism, crime and disease, does nothing but generate fear, and the consequences for society and individuals are immense. But fear is a very useful tool for those who wish to manipulate the masses, shown blatantly in the (so far) last American oil-war. Media, even here in 'innocent' little Norway, runs the risk of being useful idiots for groups with their own agendas, agendas which they do not intend to share with the masses.

On a personal level it is a fact that what you focus on has a tendency to occur more frequently. If you worry too much about diseases, there is a signinficantly increased probability that you will get ill compared to someone with a more normal attitude towards health. And the same is actually the case for crime. And, surprise, surprise, I've heard that terrorist-paranoid USA experiences a lot more terrorism against Americans than before 9/11.

So what are positive news? Well, there's actually plenty, but they're not so easy to find. For some reason positive news don't sell as well as the latest gossip about Paris Hilton or the latest transfer of some sports-millionaire who nobody will remember in five years. It could be fun to elaborate on the socio-psychological reasons for this, but, well, perhaps some other time.

So, yes, main stream media carries a huge responsibility. I wonder whether they are really conscious about it. Because if they really are, we are all in big trouble...

No, I didn't write that, but I wish I did. Isn't it a beautiful phrase?
And there's a photo to go with it as well:



No, I don't know the girl either, but there's sheer joy for you!
Tess is the daugther of Patti Digh, whose blog is here and I hope she doesn't mind me ripping of her blog entry like this.

Wonderful, yes?