"The first Degree of Folly, is to conceit one’s self wise; the second to profess it; the third to despise Counsel." - Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard's Almanak)
The very thought of finding modern truth in ancient wisdom came alive in my mind after I read Jonathan Haidt's 'Happiness Hypothesis'. In the book, Mr Haidt examines ten ancient ideas which have been tested and qualified by modern science. He then extracts lessons that still apply in our modern lives.
The author states that the overwhelming availability and abundance of wisdom undermines the quality of our engagement in life. This book is worth reading, and has been highlighted in The Walkabout in a previous post. The introduction and several chapter summaries are available for free download.
Whenever I spend an hour or two with senior citizens in my neighborhood, I usually consider that time precious. Their take on life and its attendant issues may seem at first glance a bit out of fashion. They however have had the advantage of time, having lived through it all and seen times change. They may not have adapted their thinking, but their opinion surely does count.
That said, we may want to look back at the truths that still hold true regardless of how much has changed. Having an attitude that acknowledges and accommodates the notion that change does not necessarily invalidate the past puts us in a position of advantage - living in modern times, with history according us valuable life lessons.
Traditional practices, ancient sayings... even old people may well be representative of a past we feel we no longer need. They however have a place in our lives , giving us insights we can reflect on and wisdom that still holds true.
These are the things that define our heritage, that help us cherish the days gone by, ancient wisdom that we can invariably rely on in our daily lives.
"Step by step, heart to heart, left right left We all fall down like toy soldiers Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win But the battle wages on for toy soldiers." - Eminem (Like Toy Soldiers)
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A Time of Crisis
Reading news articles yesterday, I realized just how many things need our urgent attention.
Faced with the above and innumerable other crises, we need to rise up and upon realizing that many things have gone pretty wrong, get down to sorting the mess out.
In his Inauguration address, US President Barack Obama spoke words I can never forget, words that are both challenging and inspirational. He said:
...when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.
...in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter...
Fire on the Mountain
Many musicians have tried to highlight the social ills that bedevil our society, and the following song by Asa is so profound, that upon keenly listening to the words, you might wonder where you've been as many bad things happened all around you.
Be edified:
FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN By Asa
CHORUS There is fire on the mountain And nobody seems to be on the run Oh there is fire on the mountain top And no one is a-running
VERSE 1 I wake up in the morning Tell you what I see on my TV screen I see the blood of an innocent child And everybody's watching
Now am looking out my window And what do I see I see an army of a soldier man marching across the street
Hey Mr soldier man Tomorrow is the day you go to war But you are fighting for another man's cause And you don't even know him
What did he say to make you so blind To your conscience and reason Could it be love for your country Or for the gun you use in killing
REPEAT CHORUS
Hey Mr Lover man Can I get a chance to talk to you Cause you are fooling with a dead man's corpse And you don't know what you do
So you say you have a lover And you love her like no other So you buy her a diamond That someone has died on Don't you think there's something wrong with this
Tell me who's responsible For what we teach our children Is it the internet Or the stars on television Why oh why Why oh why oh
So little Lucy turns sixteen And like the movie she's been seeing She has a lover in her daddy She can't tell nobody Till she makes the evening news
REPEAT CHORUS
On day the river will over flow And there'll be no where for us to go And we will run, run Wishing we had put out the fire
REPEAT CHORUS (till fade)
The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Asa. They appear here for educational and personal use only.
So, are you still not bothered?
Ponder the above lyrics to Fire on the Mountain, and honestly ask yourself if you are among the many who remain unconcerned, those who choose not to be bothered by whatever ills are happening all around us.
If we each do a little more, we all do a lot more. The time is now to do the needful.
Robert Wright gave the following talk during the TED Global Conference in Monterey, California in 2006.
In what he kept referring to as an "upbeat talk", Robert Wright explains "non-zero-sumness"—the network of linked fortunes and cooperation that has guided our evolution to this point—and how we can use it to help save humanity today.
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