To get moving in your Blue Zone, try some of my replacement comments on Dan Buettner’s tips.
Craft a personal mission statement. I modified the statement attributed to Ben Franklin, “Happy, Healthy, Wise and Wealthy” to “Content, Vigorous, Forethoughtful, and Enough.“
Find a partner. My companion and I have, for thirty-nine years, transitioned through many strange and wonderful experiences, and I go to sleep every night with a heartfelt smile. I cannot see a smile on her face during the night, but I do feel her warmth and care.
Learn something new. I see so many new things every day that I intentionally put my gaze down when I am going somewhere important, or I get so distracted with interesting new things that I will be late.
The 7 Sages of Greece mosaic was found in 1897 where it was buried at Pompeii in 79 AD by a Mt. Vesuvius eruption.
What were the 7 Sages seeking? Was it wisdom or reaching across the known world into the unknown? Or was it how to live a good life by fixing gross flaws in their relationship with the reality they were immersed in?
208 kilometers north of Pompeii, the Pantheon was under construction. The people of that time were certainly using their minds, efforts, and artistic abilities to do magnificent things.
The Pantheon in Rome has nearly two thousand years in service and is thought to have been completed in AD 126.
Were those people seeking to fix gross flaws or build magnificent things as close to eternal as the stones they were made of? And the question becomes,
“If they can do those wonderful things, we can too! Can’t we?”
But first! I searched my site for, “avoid being stupid.” and found on July 7, 2020 the material below. It is a better statement than I could write tonight. So I will quote it in its full splendor.
By reading and following one of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) suggestions I have almost arrived at my eighty-fifth year in excellent health. “You must become an old man in good time (in your youth) if you wish to be an old man long.” I remember modifying that statement slightly to create my New Year’s Resolution back in about 1968 to “My goal this year is not to be smart but to avoid being stupid.”
That idea was expressed back in Berkeley during the riotous 1960s when the opportunities there for being very stupid were easily achieved. I never did anything illegal personally, but I stood right beside people who did. For example, I alone stood right beside a guy that was pouring kerosene into the Berkeley Bank of America, and then tossing lit paper matches into the unseen puddle on the floor. He had lit and tossed about five matches in and hadn’t succeeded in starting a fire. I asked him why he was doing it, and he said, “The media wouldn’t pay any attention unless clearly violent things were done.” This was the day after the Bank of America in Santa Barbara was burned during a demonstration. I remember thinking that this guy wasn’t a very well-prepared arsonist because had he lit the package of matches and thrown the whole thing in, it would have accomplished his goal. At that exact moment, the police charged down Telegraph Avenue probably having seen what was happening. I departed in haste. That wasn’t the only improper event I witnessed up close during my time of “Not being stupid.”
Without really intending to be there I was exactly at the dead center of many events during my now rather long lifetime. When I found the link above about the burning of the B of A, I realized it was after my making that sensible New Year’s Resolution. So much for resolutions.
Okay, I have been more successful than I expected at personal survival and have tried many times and many ways to promote humanity’s survival. So far so good, even though I can’t be certain about any of it. These last few months I have posted principles on how to survive the Covid personally and for humanity to accommodate the Covid pandemic more easily, but none of it has proceeded beyond my blog posts. This pandemic might kill five percent of humans, but that isn’t an existential risk for humanity, although it would be for vast numbers of individuals. Humanity, even with Covid nibbling away at us individual humans, will soon exceed eight billion people, and that is four times as many people living as when I entered the world in 1935.
In other words … and it’s hard to say it … things are just fine, except for my personal pain. Apparently, I slept in an improper position last night because all day I have had a sharp pain in my neck when I lift my head to its normal position. Writing this post is filled with some pain because I must lift my head a bit to look at the screen. The pain seems to be resolving itself, but I won’t be sleeping face down with my head cocked to the side tonight.
Sometimes, even though I try to avoid being stupid, I fail.
Another proof of my failings in this category of “avoid being stupid.” was when Wendy Northecote, the creator of “The Darwin Awards,” gave me one.
Being honest with oneself seems like it would be the default state of the mind. We must be honest with ourselves if we are to perceive the reality of the world around us accurately and thus to relate properly to what it is telling us.
Once in the 1960’s when I was still doing New Year’s Resolutions, I chose … “My goal this year is not to be smarter but to avoid being stupider!” All the same, in March 2009 I got a Darwin Award from Wendy Northcutt for my many failures to save humanity, which would include myself.
Charles Scamahorn of Earthark gets a Darwin Award sticker from Wendy Northcutt
I have worn this award on a black long-sleeve T-shirt a couple of times when it seemed appropriate.
Yesterday, Debbie and I were having a discussion about our electric oven and whether the button signage on the face of it was labeled incorrectly. The top button reads BAKE, and the one immediately below it reads BROIL. We argue, in a comic way, about words a lot, and I said the manufacturer had reverse-labeled those buttons. To prove my point, I pushed the bottom button and lightly touched the top coil, expecting that it would take a few seconds to warm up if it meant what it claimed: BROIL. Unfortunately for me, it was hot but not glowing by the time my finger got there. Ouch! Those things heat up quickly. I ran some cold water on my finger within a few seconds, and it barely got pink. I found this from How stuff works:
In baking, you are trying to heat food by surrounding the food with hot air.
In broiling, you are trying to heat food using infrared radiation.
Thus, broiling is done with glowing hot elements at the top; by my standard, I won the argument but burnt my finger. The button on the top should be labeled “broil.”
Sometimes,even when you are right, you still get burned. So, foresee safe ways to test your assumptions before doing something stupid.
To get moving in your Blue Zone, try some of my replacement comments on Dan’s tips.
Buy a case of high-quality red wine.
We buy a couple of bottles of wine occasionally, which generally sit around for a month or more before we drink them. The hesitancy arises because a bottle is far more than we want, so it takes a couple of days to drink one. Perhaps if it were of higher quality, we would drink more, but I doubt it.
Treat yourself to a “Happy Hour.”
My “Happy Hour.” is my midday meal with Debbie. Occasionally, we do share a glass of wine or beer. At least once a month, we go to a restaurant, and there we always share a glass of wine or a beer. Because we have only a few places we eat out, the people there treat us as family, and we have some conversations.
Also, I have a happy hour, actually two, every Thursday morning with some friends where we discuss everything with candor and a drink.
Take it easy.
My doctors and interviewers at the VA (Veterans Administration medical-service) always ask their patients if they drink. I always say yes, but they are shocked when I say, “Every day.” This is accurate, but my drink alone is always a sip from a bottle of Scotch whisky, about a teaspoon. Never more! I find it very refreshing to just savor the flavor for as long as it lasts.
List the top twenty definitions of truth and their authors and dates.
Compiling a list of the “top twenty” definitions of truth is subjective, as truth has been a central topic in philosophy, theology, and science with numerous interpretations. However, I can provide you with some significant definitions and concepts of truth from various thinkers throughout history:
Aristotle (384-322 BC): Correspondence theory of truth – Truth is when “things are as they are said to be.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): Conformity between the intellect and the thing – Truth is the adequation of things and the intellect.
René Descartes (1596-1650): Truth as clear and distinct perceptions – What is perceived clearly and distinctly is true.
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677): A statement is true if it agrees with reality.
John Locke (1632-1704): Truth is the correct arrangement of ideas which correspond with their objects.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): Coherence theory of truth – Truth is the consistency and coherence of our concepts with each other.
G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831): Truth is the whole, or the unity of the diverse.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): Perspectivism – Truths are illusions of which we have forgotten they are illusions.
William James (1842-1910): Pragmatic theory of truth – Truth is what is useful to believe.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970): Truth is a property of beliefs and statements which mirrors, or corresponds to, the actual state of affairs.
Alfred Tarski (1901-1983): Semantic theory of truth – A statement is true if it corresponds to the facts or reality it represents.
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951): Early philosophy – Picture theory of truth; Later philosophy – Truth as a function of language games within forms of life.
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976): Truth as unconcealment, or the revelation of being.
Karl Popper (1902-1994): Correspondence theory and falsifiability – A theory is true if it withstands attempts of refutation.
Richard Rorty (1931-2007): Neopragmatism – Truth is what our peers will let us get away with saying.
Michael Foucault (1926-1984): Truth is linked to systems of power and cannot be understood outside of a framework of societal constructs.
Jürgen Habermas (1929-): Consensus theory of truth – Truth is what is agreed upon in an ideal speech situation.
Donald Davidson (1917-2003): Coherence theory – Truth is a matter of coherence within a web of beliefs.
Hilary Putnam (1926-2016): Internal realism – Truth is what rational inquiry done right would lead us to believe.
Saul Kripke (1940-): Causal theory of reference – Truth in terms of causal connections to the things the words or concepts refer to.
These definitions span across different philosophical traditions and time periods, reflecting the complex and evolving nature of the concept of truth.
What are the most famous responses to the question, “What is truth?” Who asked that question, and who answered it, in what year.
ChatGPT
The question “What is truth?” is famously attributed to Pontius Pilate in the context of the trial of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Christian New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of John (John 18:38). This event is believed to have occurred around 33 AD. The question has since become a philosophical inquiry into the nature of truth itself.
Over the centuries, various philosophers, theologians, and intellectuals have offered their perspectives on this question. Some of the most notable responses include:
Aristotle’s Correspondence Theory of Truth: Aristotle, a Greek philosopher (384-322 BC), proposed that truth is what corresponds to reality. He believed that statements are true if they correspond to the way things actually are.
Thomas Aquinas’ Adaptation of Aristotle’s Theory: The medieval theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) adapted Aristotle’s views, integrating them with Christian theology. He argued that truth is the adequation of things and intellect.
Immanuel Kant’s Philosophical Perspective: The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) approached truth through a critical philosophy lens, proposing that our understanding of truth is shaped by both our sensory experiences and the innate structures of our minds.
Friedrich Nietzsche’s Perspectivism: Nietzsche (1844-1900), a German philosopher, proposed that “truths” are mere interpretations, shaped by individual perspectives and societal constructs.
Pragmatic Theory of Truth by William James: American philosopher William James (1842-1910) argued in the late 19th century that truth is what is useful to believe. According to his pragmatic theory, a statement is true if it works satisfactorily in the broadest sense.
Bertrand Russell’s Logical Positivism: The British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) emphasized the role of logic and language in understanding truth, aligning with the logical positivist movement which held that meaningful statements are either empirically verifiable or logically necessary.
Each of these responses has contributed to the rich and varied philosophical discourse on the nature of truth, reflecting different eras’ intellectual climates and cultural contexts.
I am most comfortable with Aristotle’s Theory of Truth when statements are true if they correspond to how things are. According to William James, truth is helpful to believe, and a statement is true if it works satisfactorily in the broadest sense. The other theories presented here have qualities that set an abstraction between reality and the human usefulness of the concept being used in the situation where truth is being sought.
The financial pundits on the web say there will be a financial crisis before August this year. Some say it will be worse than 1929, and most say it will be worse than 2009. Those guys are looking at financial indicators; without any of those, experts I have watched have mentioned the impact of AI. However, the people leading innovations in AI are saying it is already disruptive and that it is out of their control and will get much worse before humanity learns to cope with its effects. One of the primary concerns is that AI will put many categories of successful people out of their jobs. For example, a lawyer using AI will be more than twice as efficient as one who doesn’t use it. Thus, half of that occupation will become superfluous. There will be compounding effects of categories of people losing their income, like being unable to make payments on their car, which will be repossessed. And unable to pay their mortgage or their rent, and thus become threatened with becoming homeless. With many people not working, businesses that depend on public spending will be making less money and will be forced to lay off retail workers. Of course, people not buying stuff means that stuff won’t be manufactured, and the economy will slow down. The point is that these things are all tied together, and everything will slow down. That will stress many people, and these stressed people will stop trusting the economy, the government, and others. The feeling of mistrust will become widespread, and everyone will feel worse. When people feel bad, they don’t spend money, and things worsen. What can we do to protect ourselves? Get totally out of debt! If you must rent, move into the cheapest room you can find while it is still available. The worst thing possible is to buy a new car on a long-term loan. Pay off your credit cards!
A couple of months ago, after a half hour with the meditation group in the fireplace library of the UU, I walked down to the labyrinth for a brief walk and talk, with the stones. I’ve done that about half the Sundays before the service begins this year. It was a brisk morning with intermittent fairweather clouds, and the sun was still low when I paused at the entrance to pose my question. The week before, my question had been, “How do you see me?” As I slowly walked along and looked at each stone, they all answered, “You are so temporary!”
I accept the fact that in a million years, I and every vestige of my ever-being will totally have vanished. However, most of those stones will have moved around a bit, and most will be under the soil but still so similar to their present form as to be recognizable; furthermore, that may be true not only in a million years, a thousand, and probably even a hundred, and possibly a single year.
My question that more recent Sunday was, “How do you feel today?” The earlier question received the same answer from each stone, but this time, every stone had a unique answer, and it was expressed in its visual appearance. Some were frost-covered, moist, and dry; some in the sunshine were glittering, and some in the shade were muted, but everyone presented themselves as unique and beautiful in their current state! It was my most magical moment of the year.
I went up to the service and arrived just as an enthusiastic song was beginning, and the human tone was so opposite to my delightful feeling from the magic of the stones that I was still feeling. I immediately walked out. I attended a few more times after that, but those moments were the beginning of the end of seven decades of UU.
To get moving in your Blue Zone, try some of my comments on these tips.
Serve and store. Learn how much you need to eat by serving your food onto your plate and bowl in the kitchen, putting the food away, and transferring your meal into your dining area. After a few days, you will be a good judge of how much you need to eat in that meal.
Make food look bigger. This can be done by adding plenty of vegetables to the calorie portion of the meal.
Use small vessels. By using small serving vessels, you can adjust your perception to better fit what you need.
Make snacking a hassle. Hide leftovers from a meal in the refrigerator or behind closed pantry doors. If you like, put fruits and vegetables into nice bowls for display, but always keep candy and deserts out of sight.
Buy smaller packages. Shopping at Costco can be a disaster because they package their things in huge quantities. So, when you get home, pour small quantities into small containers and refill them as needed.
Give yourself a daily reminder. Weigh yourself every morning as part of your wake-up routine. It will help to motivate yourself to move toward your ideal weight. Do a little research on what that weight might be. As a starting point, choose a weight from your early twenties when you felt the best.
Eat more slowly. Eating with other people helps you eat more slowly because you get involved in the conversation and can pace yourself with talking and eating.
Focus on food. If eating alone, don’t watch TV, and when watching TV in the evening for entertainment, avoid having drinks and goodies to munch on.
Have a seat. Make a habit of always sitting down when you eat, and make a point of enjoying your food. Have a full glass of water handy, and have some before and along with your meal. Also, rinse your teeth after by gently swishing the water between them, especially if you end up with a sugary dessert.
Eat early. To maintain a healthy body, eat early in the day and totally avoid anything caloric within six hours of going to bed. That will automatically give you a long enough period of fasting to let your body find its ideal weight.
One of the curious things about my strange sickness last Friday was that my color vision improved, and everything is still more vivid. That is in addition to the vast improvement in visual sharpness after last year’s insertion of new retinal lenses for cataract cloudiness. That was a fantastic and unexpected improvement because, during daylight, I felt that I was seeing perfectly.
This new event seemed to be triggered by my taking an overdose of spicy foods on an empty stomach to do an annual clean-out of the bad microbiome that collects in one’s intestines. My conclusion after searching the internet was that I had stripped out the intestinal lining, and stuff leaked through to my intestinal wall into my bloodstream. I had a terrific reaction, with a temperature of 101.6 of which one of the effects was some sort of psychedelic reaction in my brain and/or eyes. But if it were like an LSD event, it would have gone away in a day or less, but this vivid vision is still shockingly present six days later.
I just look around at anything, and it is vivid! This vividness isn’t like ramping up the vivid setting of a camera, where too much of that adjustment will make the light colors all go fully white, and the shadows go full black. The effect is full range without any washing out of subtleties, and the subtleties are, in fact, emphasized.
I am really enjoying this experience, while it lasts!
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