Happiness

We think that if we behave in the right way, then happiness will be bestowed upon us as a reward.

Instead, happiness is a skill that needs practice to be strengthened. If we sit around waiting for God, fate or some kind of karmic system to deliver it to us, we could be waiting a very long time.

And even if by some bizarre chance it is dropped in our laps, we won't be skilled and practiced enough to make the most of it.

Now and Forever

If you can enjoy the now, you can enjoy eternity

The Role of Government

Is the role of government to protect ordinary people against the might of big business, or to protect big business against the might of ordinary people?

Status and validation

People crave status and validation.

Population control

The eco-friendly way of coping with over-population of parasites or any species, is to introduce natural predators to keep them under control: wolves to keep deer populations down, ladybirds for greenfly; lobsters for sea-urchins etc.

Does this mean the best way to keep the human population under control would be to introduce predators?

Happiness

"I've decided to make you happier," said Maggie while we were watching TV.

"How?" I asked

"I'll be more obedient," she replied.

My, how we laughed...

Provision

My fear lies not in what we have at the present, but what I may fail to provide in the future.

Shape up

If you're not in a social circle or a love triangle, then you must be square, man.

Overheard

"You can't be a Messiah without getting crucified"

The price of art

The price is an integral part of any artwork as it will affect the way you view it

Little Chef

You're never pleasanty surprised at a Little Chef.

Endless

"The list is endless!"

"It goes on forever?"

"No, we lost the last page..."

Which is it?

Nature, Nurture or Nietzsche?

Education

"Education is a system of imposed ignorance"
Naom Chomsky

Display

There are many birds that go through elaborate display rituals in order to attract a female to mate with.

However, being brightly coloured and drawing attention to yourself also attracts predators and increases your chance of being eaten.

What if something similar had to happen to humans?

I'm sure there's a short story idea in there somewhere...

Superhero

The Incredible Aging Man!
Every day he ages by 24 hours!

The direction of light and sound

If you moved backwards in time, would you see or hear anything, as light and sound would always be travelling away from you?

A social act

"Even when an illness is organic, being sick is a social act."
JJ Brumberg

Designing...

Rather than designing clothes for women, it appears the fashion industry designs women for clothes.

Time is money

We know from the business world that Time = Money

We also know that Time is connected to and Distance and Speed (Velocity) (T=D/V)

And we know from Einstein's famous equation (E=MC2) that Speed and Energy are connected to Mass.

So somewhere out there, there should be a scientific formula which will convert our excess fat into dollars.

Scared of change

Most people will consistently choose unhappiness over uncertainty.

Craving the hard stuff

"Here ya go, mate, I've got you yer poetry. It's a bit rough, I admit - it's been cut with doggerel, but it should see you through the night. If anyone asks, you ain't seen me, right?"

We don't 'get over it'

When someone really close to us dies, part of us shatters into many pieces.

We don't recover or heal, in the sense of ultimately returning to our former selves. Instead we have to build a new self; a slightly different self; a self which can find a way to survive in this life without the loved one.

We don't ever "get over it" - we become someone else - someone for whom the loss is now a part of who we are

Be Careful What You Wish For

If we suddenly got what we wished for, without warning, we would most probably be caught out and make a mess of it.

So if the genie ever was to gives us our one wish, it would be better to wish for the ability to make it come true, rather than to have our greatest desire thrust upon us without preparation.

Can't Fail Business Idea

embarrassyourkids.com - a place for disgruntled parents to upload pictures of their teenage kids as babies piddling in the bath, or aged 5, dressed in dodgy clothes with unfashionable haircuts

When you're self employed

"What are you working on?"

"It's called 'The Animal Philosophers'!"

"And what's it about?"

"Well, I thought I'd try and introduce philosophy to children in a friendly format, so I've created a bunch of fluffy animal characters who will talk about philosophical concepts in the style of particular philosophers. So far I have Aristotle the bunny, Socrates the tortoise, Descartes the Hare, Kierkegaard the lemming, Neitsche the headgehog and Sartre the frog."

"And you think this is marketable?"

"Can't fail. I'll be a millionaire by next year!"

Cause

What triggered our illnesses might not necessarily be what’s keeping them going.

Introduction

I have numerous notebooks and an even greater number of scraps of paper with thoughts and ideas scribbled on them. Each collection of words hastily written in case I forgot them; desperately recorded to remind me later of that moment of insight.

Some of them are barely a few words; some are a few paragraphs; some are quotes that created an explosion in my head when I read them; some were written 20 years ago; some were written more recently; some are more or less complete; most are starting points waiting to be fleshed out and developed.

Unfortunately, they induce a sense of guilty responsibility. I can't throw them out - each one was written with the hope and expectation it would prove useful - and yet, they pile up, cluttering desktops, shelves and any number of random spaces.

This, then, is my solution. I have decided to place them all online, probably one a day on average, so I can search through them if I want to.

Whether I ever will is less important than the feeling that I could, should the fancy take me.

If anything here triggers ideas for you, then good for you. Probably. Unless you have the same problem as me...