Tag Archives: perspective

FIVE WISE LINES [June 2025]

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…we should not be too confident in our belief of anything.

cicero; tusculan disputations

No matter what plans you make,
no matter what you acquire,
the thief will enter from the unguarded side.
Be occupied, then, with what you really value
and let the thief take something less.

Rumi; Mathnawi II

Very little is needed to make a happy life;
it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Marcus aurelius; Meditations

I possess, but I am not possessed by her;
since the best thing is to possess pleasures
without being their slave,
not to be devoid of pleasures.

aristippus [according to Diogenes laertius in
lives of the eminent philosophers]

Do not fear the gods.
Do not fear death.
What is good is easy to attain.
What is painful is easy to endure.

philodemus; Herculaneum papyrus
[Often referred to as the four cures of epicurus]

Hillview [Haiku]

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from the hill that overlooks the city, 
  hustle-bustle isn't seen.

Modest Sun [Haiku]

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rising sun looms
 at first sight; but shrinks
  on second glance.

PROMPT: Perspective

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Daily writing prompt
How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?
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I’m getting more at ease with Death by the day. In a broader sense, it’s progressively easier to not get worked up over the everchanging and unpredictable nature of the world.

“Water Dragon Chant” by Ge Changgeng [w/ Audio]

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A screen of cloud veils the mountain,
 And cold monkeys squawk from green pines.
 Fungi abound, but seeds dormant,
 Searching for sprouts -- alas, in vain.
 Somewhere near there's a fairy cave
 Where flutes and lutes are often played.
 Its Way is overgrown with moss,
 And the old stone gate yields no clue.
 Where have all the fairy folk gone?

Looking back, there's an endless plain
 Where flowers fall like streaming tears.
 It's easy to grow old; Where is
 the messenger to bring some news?
 To tell who the Golden Phoenix charms?
 Waking from a deep, restless dream
 What remains are blooms on the stream.

“Of the Surface of Things” by Wallace Stevens [w/ Audio]

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I

In my room, the world is beyond my
   understanding;
 But when I walk I see that it consists of three or
  four
       hills and a cloud.

II

From my balcony, I survey the yellow air,
 Reading where I have written,
 "The spring is like a belle undressing."

III

The gold tree is blue,
 The singer has pulled his cloak over his head.
 The moon is in the folds of the cloak.

“A Needle’s Eye” by William Butler Yeats [w/ Audio]

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All the stream that's roaring by
   Came out of a needle's eye;
 Things unborn, things that are gone,
    From needle's eye still goad it on.

PROMPT: Good At

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Daily writing prompt
Share five things you’re good at.
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1.) Changing my mind. This wouldn’t be noteworthy except that there seems to be a stigma attached to adults changing their minds about a thing (even in the face of new, better, or first -time information.) It’s considered “wishy-washy.”

2.) Learning. I love learning and I devote a lot of time to it. Beyond youth, a skill for it requires a capacity for what Shunryu Suzuki called “beginner’s mind” — a state a lot of people seem to run from, rather than toward.

3.) Adopting another’s point of view. Truth be told, I wouldn’t really say I’m good at this, but the bar is quite low.

4.) Operating my body.

5.) Going the places that scare me.

NOTE: I thought I was better at humility, but the fact that I’m willing to answer the question speaks to the contrary.

Blue Sky Perspective [Lyric Poem]

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What ancient tower sits
 Under the patch of blue...
 Exposed by tearing clouds
 To give a boundless view.

Well, however ancient
 And however stately,
 I view it with less awe,
 Or even quite sedately.

For it's a babe below
 The ever-spreading sky;
 Its edges - broad and tall -
 Exaggerate -- They lie!

Days of Wonder [Lyric Poem]

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Some say they miss days of wonder,
   But I think I see their blunder.
 Those thrilling days, they never left;
   It's something of one's soul, bereft.
 That fatal flaw of lacking awe
   Is from not seeing, cause you saw.