the moon is hazy;
whether it’s the clouds or
my mind, I can’t say.
Hazy Moon [Haiku]
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Tag Archives: mind
PROMPT: Happy
When are you most happy?
When I allow myself to be. Hope you weren’t looking for an answer like, “Wednesdays between 4 and 7 pm.”
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Skittish Dreams [Free Verse]
I don't remember my dreams --
not in the middle of the night
and not in the morning.
But, sometimes, I catch a glimpse
at a random instant:
composing a poem,
reflecting on a passage
from a book,
eating a cracker...
But my dreams are like
frightened animals,
turning my attention
directly upon them,
makes them skitter off...,
vanishing into the thicket.
My dreams vanish like they
were never really there,
and I am left wondering
just what I saw.
The harder I try to remember,
the more severely I scrub
my mental hard drive,
purging all shapes and motions,
until my recollection is nothing
but a vague residue of feeling.
I don't KNOW that it was a dream.
I couldn't swear to it.
All I know is that it's an image
that I can't tie to my waking life,
can't tie to any person, place,
or thing I know to be real.
(And, often enough, it's an image
that couldn't exist in the real world.)
I couldn't remember it as a dream,
but - somehow - I intensely FEEL
that it was a dream,
but the Dream is deep down in its hole,
shaking like a critter that
was almost snatched up by
a monster too awful to
contemplate....
and, somehow, I am that monster.
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Electric World [Lyric Poem]
A raw electric sizzle
that riffles through my brain
makes me feel the rhythmic sway
of a lumbering train.
And I can hear the click-clack
of rolling down the line,
and all of it transpires deep
inside my weary mind.
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Desert Delirium [Lyric Poem]
The waves are crashing on the shore, and I am crawling up the beach. The pounding surf sounds like a roar as I am fleeing water's reach. Don't let it take me, I beseech! Don't give the beast a second chance. It had a turn, but now 's in breach. It's met the bounds of its expanse. And I hear no drums of ghost dance to summon it up onto land. I twist my head to take a glance, and all I see is endless sand.
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PROMPT: Should Know
What’s something you believe everyone should know.
At the risk of mixed metaphor and cliche: how to walk a mile in another person’s shoes while keeping in mind that no one is the villain of his or her own story.
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PROMPT: Kid at Heart
What does it mean to be a kid at heart?
The capacity to see humor in flatulence, even when it’s your own.
Oh, wait, maybe I’m thinking of a “kid at fart.”
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PROMPT: Lazy Days
Rested. Definitely. I believe one has to think of rest and recovery as part of the process of living. If one thinks of it as just wasting time between “doing things,” then one isn’t going to get the most out of body and mind.
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Lion Mind [Haiku]
the lion looks cross,
but, perhaps, it’s just a mask.
who knows the lion’s mind?
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BOOKS: Travels with Epicurus by Daniel Klein
Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life by Daniel KleinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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With the wave of renewed interest in Philosophies of Life lately, it’s nice to see a book that puts Epicurus at the fore. In a number of ways, I believe Epicurus was the most advanced of Ancient Greek philosophers, and yet he doesn’t get much attention compared to Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. (In part this is because the vast majority of Epicurus’s writings were lost, and in part it’s because little-“e” epicureanism [i.e. being culinarily hedonistic] has become much more familiar to people than big-“E” Epicureanism [i.e. a materialist philosophy that values pleasure, but not in so hedonistic way as to lose sight of virtue and the countervailing costs of pursing pleasure.] While adjectival forms have done a number on Cynicism and Stoicism as well, the former is – for all intents and purposes – dead and the latter has become much more well-known to present-day people from a pile of podcasts, books, and vlogs.)
I should point out that Klein doesn’t solely focus on the philosophy of Epicurus, he also tells readers what other schools of philosophy teach us about how to age well (and to not turn into a curmudgeon) — most notably: Buddhism, Stoicism, and Existentialism. That said, it’s fair to call Epicureanism the backbone of this book.
One who reads the title might wonder whether this is a pop philosophy book on aging or a travelogue. It’s definitely both, but the philosophy part dominates. I would call it 70/30 pop philosophy to travelogue (maybe 65/35.) The book uses the individuals Klein interacts with on Hydra (and elsewhere in Greece) as examples of how people age well, and in the process shows the reader [textually] a beautiful part of the world. But the core of the book is about philosophy as it pertains to such topics as play, perception of time, idleness, and changing views of spirituality.
I will warn the reader that, while the book offers many great thoughts for a philosophy of aging well, I didn’t agree with everything in the book. Klein contrasts his philosophy for living well into old age and for adapting one’s life to changing roles to the people he calls the “forever young” crowd. I wouldn’t put myself in the “forever young” category as I don’t believe I’m grasping at youth and all its blessings and pains. However, I suspect Klein would put me in that group because I work out intensely, watch what I eat / manage my vices, and am trying to work things so that my heart explodes while I’m still physically and mentally capable — i.e. before I become decrepit or senile. My point is, I’m not sure Klein’s dichotomy is that useful or reflective of reality, and that being health-conscious should necessarily be contrasted with enjoying the pleasures of age. [Truth be told, I’d say the biggest driver for people being more health-conscious into old age is seeing earlier generations live longer, but with a decreased quality of life through that period of increased longevity — See: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande.]
Still, overall, the book is quite readable and offers much excellent food for thought, and I’d recommend it for anyone who is interested in moving into advanced age in a way that isn’t misery filled.
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