Category Archives: Philosophy of Life

PROMPT: Mantra or Philosophy

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What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?

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First, I don’t have a mantra. While I believe Transcendental Meditation to be a fine approach, other meditative techniques have resonated with me more on a personal level. Unless by “mantra” one is looking for a soundbite that encapsulates the entirety of one’s philosophical thinking — which I also do not have. (At least not a stable one.) Philosophically, I am a Traveler (or, identically – I would argue, a Student.) Epistemologically, this requires a humility about what can and can’t know (though, admittedly, not necessarily humility — generally speaking,) a willingness to empty one’s cup to allow for consideration of new information, and an openness to adopting foreign and unfamiliar ideas where they prove useful.

PROMPT: Genie

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The genie grants you a wish. What is it?

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Oh no, I read the myth of Midas, I’m not falling for that one.

FIVE WISE LINES [September 2026]

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Luck, diligence, spontaneity, and inspiration
are all needed to write a poem.

Mary oliver; A Poetry Handbook

…above all let us never accept as cause for what we do not comprehend something we comprehend even less.

Marquis de sade; Juliette

…wise people don’t tell us what to do;
they start by witnessing our story.

david brooks; How to know a person

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,
but to those who can see it coming and jump aside. Like a frog evading a shillelagh in a midnight marsh.

Hunter s. thompson; The Rum Diary

We do not see things as they are,
we see them as we are.

Anaïs Nin

PROMPT: Business

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If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?

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A “Human Skills for Humans School” that teaches all the important competencies that have been left out of an educational system that is 75% about making the workers of yesterday and 25% about making citizens, but which doesn’t care a whit about building emotional intelligence, self-confidence, natural setting problem solving, movement skills, creativity, primitive living, combat skills for a robot apocalypse, etc. Those worker bee skills are already starting to show their obsolescence and are very likely to continue to do so at an accelerating rate.

The bad news is that AGI and robots are sure to do almost all productive tasks better than humans by the end of the century. The good news is that we have plenty of room to be grow as a species.

PROMPT: Life Hacks

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What are some life hacks that you practice?

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As far as I’ve seen of so-called “life hacks” they seem to mostly be inelegant solutions for problems that either: a.) already have more reliable and tested solutions, or b.) are needlessly complicated / exaggerated to suggest they need a solution when they really don’t. The whole “life hack” industry seems to be people sitting around trying to figure out how to go viral by creating the illusion of cleverness. It is not Wú Wéi.

PROMPT: Karma

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Do you believe in karma?

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As a general principle about how acting selflessly and as a force for good tends to help one find one’s way, YES. As a clockwork cause-and-effect accounting of one’s life activities, NO. In fact, in the latter sense, I believe the idea has quite a dark side that is frequently overlooked.

PROMPT: Like Home

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a place you visited that felt like home?
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My bar for a place to feel like home is that I don’t have to think every time about where I will eat or do my laundry. So, I’ve had this a number of times in a number of countries in which I had access to a kitchen(ette) and a washing machine.

PROMPT: Earlier in Life

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Daily writing prompt
What’s one thing you wish you had started doing earlier in life?
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Simplifying… and juggling.

BOOK: “The Tao of Bill Murray” by Gavin Edwards

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The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party CrashingThe Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing by Gavin Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher site – Penguin Random House

This book lays out Bill Murray’s philosophy of life as revealed by his quirky, daring, and spontaneous approach to living. Much has been made of the influence of the mystic philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff on Murray’s thinking. This background is discussed a little in Edwards’ book, but mostly this is a book that uses anecdotes from Bill Murray’s life to make a case for a philosophy of life that involves spontaneity, generosity, service, and connection. (Furthermore, it’s not clear to what degree Gurdjieff influenced Murray’s thinking, versus Gurdjieff’s ideas appealing to Murray because of the way the comedic actor already experienced the world.)

The author organizes the book around what he calls “The Ten Principles of Bill,” a set of ideas that Edwards argues can be seen cutting across Murray’s working and non-working life (and most of the stories are from his interactions with everyday people in everyday [but often unexpected] settings, and not from Murray’s acting work.)

I found this book to be highly readable and illuminating. The stories are funny but also offer a distinct approach to experiencing the world. I’d highly recommend this book for those interested in living a more spontaneous and rewarding life, or just those who like Bill Murray.

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PROMPT: Best Advice

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Daily writing prompt
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
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Change your relationship to sensation.

Feel it all but stop assigning it meaning and value judgements.