I had set my heart on shadows and followed a lie

Our enemies can often correct our faults by their disparagement, just as the flattery of friends can corrupt us

Let this be a warning, so that none of us may ascribe it to our own doing if we find that others, whose ways we wish to see reformed, are corrected by the words we speak

It was misery to feel myself so weak a victim of these human emotions, although we cannot escape them, since they are the natural lot of mankind, and so I had the added sorrow of being grieved by my own feelings, so that I was tormented by a twofold agony

philosophy

Philosophy

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

history

History

writing

Reading & Writing

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book IX

Men even procure for themselves the pleasure of this life by means of pain, not unexpected pain which comes upon them uninvited, but pain which they deliberately induce for themselves

It remained silent and afraid, for as much as the loss of life itself it feared the stanching of the flow of habit, by which it was wasting away to death

I was beside myself with madness that would bring me sanity. I was dying a death that would bring me life. I knew the evil that was in me, but the good that was soon to be born in me I did not know

The mind commands the hand to move and is so readily obeyed that the order can scarcely be distinguished from its execution. Yet the mind is mind and the hand is part of the body. But when the mind commands the mind to make an act of will, these two are one and the same and yet the order is not obeyed

I probed the hidden depths of my soul and wrung its pitiful secrets from it, and when I mustered them all before the eyes of my heart, a great storm broke within me, bringing with it a great deluge of tears

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book VIII

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Do each and every thing so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say how well you’re doing it.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

Martin Luther King Jr.: Excellence and Greatness Are Habits

Racism isn't just individual prejudice; it’s embedded in institutions and daily interactions.

Racism is systemic

Recognizing privilege is the first step to addressing inequality.

Privilege blinds us to others’ struggles.

True understanding comes from listening and reflecting on biases.

Empathy and Accountability

Standing up against injustice, even in personal and professional spaces, requires courage.

Courage to Confront

Small actions can lead to significant change.

The Power of Choices

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult explores racism, privilege, and justice through the story of Ruth Jefferson, a Black nurse accused of a crime by a white supremacist. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and challenges readers to confront their biases.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning page-turner with richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race Look for Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name, available now! “[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book.”—Booklist (starred review) Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene? Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong. With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn’t offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game. Praise for Small Great Things “Small Great Things is the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written. . . . It will challenge her readers . . . [and] expand our cultural conversation about race and prejudice.”—The Washington Post “A novel that puts its finger on the very pulse of the nation that we live in today . . . a fantastic read from beginning to end, as can always be expected from Picoult, this novel maintains a steady, page-turning pace that makes it hard for readers to put down.”—San Francisco Book Review

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

mindfulness

Mindfulness

education

Learning & Education

books

Books

Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things

If I did anything against my will, it seemed to me to be something which happened to me rather than something which I did, and I looked upon it not as a fault, but as a punishment

If our fear is unfounded, it is itself an evil, because it stabs and wrongs our hearts for nothing. In fact the evil is all the greater if we are afraid when there is nothing to fear. Therefore, either there is evil and we fear it, or the fear itself is evil

If a man made a great many predictions, several of them would later prove to be true, but he could not know it at the time and would only hit upon them by chance, simply by opening his mouth to speak

It was made clear to me also that even those things which are subject to decay are good

For corruption is harmful, but unless it diminished what is good, it could do no harm. The conclusion then must be either that corruption does no harm — which is not possible; or that everything which is corrupted is deprived of good — which is beyond doubt. But if they are deprived of all good, they will not exist at all

Falsehood is nothing but the supposed existence of something which has no being

For I had no begun to wish to be thought wise. I was full of self-esteem, which was a punishment of my own making

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book VII

Philosophy is the art of asking questions that have no answers, then arguing about the answers you don't have. It's like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall—entertaining, messy, and ultimately, you're left wondering what the point was. But hey, at least it gives you something profound to ponder while you're waiting for your coffee to brew.

It All Starts With A Question..

Philosophy is the systematic study of the fundamental nature of reality, existence, and knowledge. It involves critical reflection on questions about the universe, human life, ethics, logic, and the nature of thought itself. Essentially, it's the discipline that asks the big "why" and "how" questions about everything, encouraging us to examine our assumptions, beliefs, and the world around us.

Jokes Aside..

"History is Philosophy teaching by examples.”

Philosophy has three primary areas<ul><li>metaphysics </li><li>epistemology</li><li>ethics</li></ul>

The Big Three

<ul><li>Concerned with the nature of reality</li><li>Questions about time, space, and the relationship between mind and matter.</li><li>Questions like, “What is the world made of?”</li><li>Interested? Check out Plato’s republic</li></ul>

Metaphysics

“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher; and philosophy begins in wonder.”

<ul><li>Focuses on origin, scope, and nature of knowledge.</li><li>Asks, how do we know what we know?</li><li>A search for justification of beliefs.</li><li>Join the search with Hume, Descartes, and Bertrand Russell. </li></ul>

Epistemology

“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.”

<ul><li>Deals with morality, values, and conduct.</li><li>hat is right and what is wrong?</li><li>What does it mean to live a good life?</li></ul>Learn more with Simone de Beauvoir, Kant, and Nietzsche.

Ethics

I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. I want this adventure that is the context of my life to go on without end.

Dive into philosophy to unlock the mysteries of existence, challenge your deepest assumptions, and enrich your understanding of the world. It's not just an academic pursuit; it's a lifelong journey that sharpens your mind, broadens your perspective, and empowers you to live more thoughtfully and intentionally.

So, Get On With It!

I wanna get philosophical 🎶

My ambitions had placed a load of misery on my shoulders and the further I carried it the heavier it became, but the only purpose of all the efforts we made was to reach the goal of peaceful happiness

I was eaten away with anxiety, but also because he had earned his wine by wishing good day to passers-by while I was trying to feed my pride by telling lies

If, by chance, fortune smiled upon me, I was too disheartened to seize it, for it would take to flight just as my hand was ready to close upon it

Life is a misery and I do not know when death may come

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book VI

We were alike deceivers and deceived in all our different aims and ambitions

He was my companion in error and I was utterly lost without him

My heart grew somber with grief, and wherever I looked I saw only death

To her, the well-loved man whom she had lost was better and more real than the shadowy being in whom I would have her trust. Tears alone were sweet to me, for in my heart’s desire they had taken the place of my friend

I simply grieved and wept, for I was heartbroken and had lost my joy. Or is weeping, too, a bitter thing, becoming a pleasure only when the things we once enjoyed turn loathsome and only as long as our dislike for them remains

I lived in misery, like every man whose soul is tethered by the love of things that cannot last and then is agonized to lose them. Only then does he realize the sorry state his is in, and was in even before his loss. In such a state was I at that time, as I wept bitter tears and found my only consolation in their very bitterness

Perhaps this, too, is why I shrank from death, for fear that one whom I had loved so well might then be wholly dead

Time never stand still, nor does it idly pass by it out effect upon our feelings or fail to work its wonders on the mind

For whence had that former sorrow so easily penetrated to the quick, but that I had pour out my soul upon the dust, in loving one who must die

They can kindle a blaze to melt our hearts and weld them into ome

Not all reach old age, but all alike must die

But enthusiasm in one man will kindle the same fire in another, for we admire the person whose praises we hear only if we believe that they are sincerely uttered — in other words that the person who utters them genuinely admires the man whom he praises

We can see from this that the soul is weak and helpless unless it clings to the firm rock of truth. Men give voice to their opinions, but they are only opinions, like so many puffs of wind that waft the soul hither and thither and make it veer and turn. The light is clouded over and the truth cannot be seen, although it is there before our eyes

I loved the peace that virtue brings and hated the discord that comes of vice. From this I concluded that in goodness there was unity, but in evil disunion of some kind

Crimes against other men are committed when the emotions, which spur us to action, are corrupt and rise in revolt without control. Sins of self-indulgence are committed when the soul fails to govern the impulses from which it derives bodily pleasure. In the same way, if the rational mind is corrupt, mistaken ideas and false beliefs will poison life

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book IV

We'd be immortal if we weren't forced to make choices

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Maurensig uses chess as a symbolic battlefield, where moves reflect life’s moral and ethical dilemmas.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The game’s strategic nature highlights the calculated justice and inevitable consequences of one’s actions.</li></ul>

The Chessboard as a Metaphor for Life

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The narrative unfolds as a tale of long-delayed justice executed with precision.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The protagonist’s journey underscores the idea that punishment can be exacted long after the crime.</li></ul>

Punishment Deferred, Justice Served

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Maurensig presents characters whose guilt and motivations remain ambiguous, reflecting the complexities of moral judgment.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">This ambiguity forces readers to question traditional notions of justice and culpability.</li></ul>

Moral Ambiguity and Guilt

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The book contrasts personal vengeance with the pursuit of justice, blurring the lines between the two.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">It raises the question: can revenge ever truly be just?</li></ul>

Vengeance vs. Justice

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The story illustrates how unresolved past actions cast long shadows over the present.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Characters cannot escape the consequences of their choices, emphasizing the enduring impact of guilt.</li></ul>

The Weight of the Past

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Just as in chess, Maurensig suggests that justice requires strategy, patience, and foresight.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The narrative’s structure mirrors a well-played game, where every move leads to an inevitable checkmate</li></ul>

The Role of Strategy in Justice

Paolo Maurensig’s The Lüneburg Variation intertwines chess and life, exploring themes of justice, guilt, and delayed punishment. Through a tale of strategic revenge and moral ambiguity, the book emphasizes that past actions inevitably shape the present. Its profound narrative highlights the complexity of justice and the inescapable burden of guilt.

"Not since White Knights of Reykjavik, George Steiner's riveting account of the 1972 world championship match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, has a writer demonstrated such stunning insight into the nurturing madness that compels chess play at the master level." - Publishers Weekly At the opening of this amazing fiction from Paolo Maurensig, The Luneburg Variation, a cadaver is discovered, the body of a wealthy businessman from Vienna, apparently a suicide without plausible motivation. Next to the body is a chessboard made of rags with buttons for pieces whose positions on the board may hold the only clue. As the plot of this passionately colored, coolly controlled thriller unfolds, we meet two chess players—one a clever, persecuted Jew, the other a ruthless, persecuting German—who have faced each other many times before and played for stakes that are nothing less than life itself.

strategy

Strategy

Paolo Maurensig

The Luneburg Variation

The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you

But, dust and ashes though I am, let me appeal to your pity, since it is you in your mercy that I speak, not to a man, who would simply laugh at me

Why do we continually hear people say, even nowadays, ‘Leave him alone and let him do it. He is not yet baptized’? Yet when the health of the body is at stake, no one says ‘Let him get worse. He is not yet cured.’

What a person does against his will is not to his own credit, even if what he does is good in itself

For this is what you have ordained and so it is with us, that every soul that sins brings its own punishment upon it

I was flesh and blood, no better than a breath of wind that passes by and never returns

We learn better in a free spirit of curiosity than under fear and compulsion

For offerings can be made to those birds of prey, the fallen angels, in more ways than one

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book I

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