Category Archives: Philosophy

PROMPT: Longevity

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What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

As long as I’m of sound mind and capable body, I’m fine with it, but not at any cost. I’d rather shuffle off this mortal coil than drag out the suffering of immobility and / or dementia.

I think Atul Gawande’s “Being Mortal” is good required reading. Among other things, he talks about the smoke and mirrors of our species’s increased lifespan. (i.e. increased lifespan, yes, but too often at the cost of diminished quality of life through those additional years.)

PROMPT: Differently

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What could you do differently?

Literally, everything. That’s the gift and curse of being human.

The Tao of the Traveler [Lyric Poem]

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With a pack on my back,
 I lurched out of the known.
 Would I ever be back?
 Or go where I was blown?

Who can know where they'll land?
 Maybe on a distant shore?
 Or amid desert sands?
 Or mountains? Or next door?

That's the joy of a life;
 One can end up anywhere.
 Embrace chaos sans strife,
 And you'll live a life that's rare.

PROMPT: Billboard

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If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

“If you think there’s a Hell, you’re already there.”

I think it works on two levels… at least.

PROMPT: Future Past

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Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I spend the most time trying to figure out how to live mostly in the present. The past is dead and the future is unknowable, so I might as well settle into this moment.

BOOKS: “Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings: The Manga Edition” art by Koji Kondo; trans. by Makiko Itoh

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Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Manga Edition: Japan's Legendary Book on Samurai Military StrategyMiyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings: The Manga Edition: Japan’s Legendary Book on Samurai Military Strategy by Miyamoto Musashi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

Release Date: April 30, 2024

As readers may suspect, this isn’t simply a graphically illustrated edition of The Book of Five Rings. That book, being written as an instructional manual, doesn’t lend itself to a literal manga adaptation. Rather, this work is a graphic novelization that puts Musashi’s strategic masterwork into a narrative context. While it does share many strategic and philosophical ideas from The Book of Five Rings, it’s more a telling of the story of how the manual came to be and how it was transmitted out into the world. It tells this story primarily by exploring how Musashi came to have three apprentices, and how he went about teaching them the lessons encapsulated in the manual. It also delves into Musashi’s most famous duel, the Ganryū-jima battle against Sasaki Kojirō, an event that formed a turning point in Musashi’s life.

I found this manga to be engrossing and highly readable. It is well worth reading, even if one has read one or more translations of The Book of Five Rings. The translation of ideas seemed clear and consistent with my understanding of Musashi’s worldview. I’d highly recommend this manga for readers interested in the history of martial arts, biographies of intriguing individuals, as well as strategic and philosophical ideas.

View all my reviews

PROMPT: Political Views

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How have your political views changed over time?

While pretty much the same place on the spectrum, they have softened with the realization that abstract principles may have value for understanding, but for a system of governance to work it must be in tune with human nature ( which is far too messy for dogmatic principles.) In short, my political views have become more pragmatic.

Most importantly, I have come to believe that the governance we get comes of a dialectical battle of ideas, and – therefore – a wide diversity of views in the fray is beneficial. Far from wishing our political opponents would go away, we should hope they force us to do our best by putting their best argument out there in the most astute and persuasive way. It will always be messy, with some cover hog temporarily stealing the warmth, but ultimately it’s better (less bleak and cold) than sleeping alone.

It does require sound and strong rule of law, select depoliticized domains (i.e. the military and judiciary,) a willingness of people to accept that ideas they hate can only be defeated by engagement and persuasion (not by silencing or canceling – i.e. intellectual courage is essential,) but it will yield something better (if often messier) than any political ideology.

PROMPT: Write Space

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You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?

Just a small, quiet room with a window for day and a light for the night. Minimalist. The less to distract, the better.

PROMPT: Creative

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How are you creative?

By nudging letters into words, words into lines, and then dancing the mess into something that sings. By trying to tune into the Great Spontaneous.

PROMPT: Character

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Are you a good judge of character?

I’m good at judging who IS a character, but probably not so much a judge of who HAS character. People are demonstrably overestimative of their ability to draw conclusions about other people’s internal characteristics. (I cite as an example that study about interview subjects asked to hold either warm or cold coffee in the hand they would use to shake interviewer’s hands.) So, I’m probably better than people who think they are good at it, while still not being good at it.