Wax Philosophical

Dalai Lama Quote on What Surprised Him About Humanity

Alex — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:45:33 +0000

Can’t say I’m the biggest Dalai Lama fan, but I just read this and it hit me like a lightning bolt.

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

“Man.
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Powerful stuff.

A little re-branding

Alex — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:21:23 +0000

To all SM subscribers, Spiritual Mind will now be going by Wax Philosophical. It reflects the change from talking only about spirituality, to including all the other areas that make life sweet.

Deepak Chopra Quickie Anti-stress Meditation

Alex — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:07:26 +0000

A quickie little 5-min meditation with Deepak to help you chill out during your hectic day. Obviously, there are a huge variety of much longer and more in-depth meditations you can practice, but this seemed like a short useful one you can do at your desk without too much prep. Enjoy.

Update 7/27/11 – Whoops… I had “mediation” in a couple of places which made some readers think Deepak got into the legal field. Though I’m sure he’d make a calm and pleasant lawyer, sort of like an Indian Matlock.

Carl Sagan Discusses Humanity and View of the World

Alex — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:01:16 +0000

In this short 2 min clip, Sagan discusses how humans have evolved as a society, but how we still have dangerous traits that put our world in peril. He’s optimistic that humanity might make a change, but is uncertain. He discusses the benefits of seeing the planet from space, seeing it as a delicate orb, without borders. Love this guy, shame we lost him so early.

Parable of Two Wolves

Alex — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:52:18 +0000

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson
about a battle that goes on inside all people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two
wolves that dwell inside each and everyone of us.

“One is Evil.
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority,
lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good.
It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,
kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for
a minute, and then asked his grandfather:

“Which wolf will win ?”

The old Cherokee simply replied:
“The one you feed.”

One little, old blog post got 100,000 pageviews

Alex — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:13:22 +0000

This one little blog post from a year ago crashed my server yesterday

This little quote speaks to so many people, just as it spoke to me when I first saw it. Hmm, I’d been so busy with starting my business, and miscellaneous family planning, that I’d ignored this special place (SpiritualMind) where I’d share thoughts and exchange ideas with great people.

It’s hard sometimes to make time even for those things that give you a lot of pleasure. I’m not sure why that is. Is the pressure of everyday life overwhelming that basic pleasurable need? Is it a fear of pursuing a passion? Not sure.

This huge traffic surprise jump-started me a little. I’m hoping to pick things up with the blog again soon, and I’ll share some of the trials and tribulations from the last year or so.

With love, Alex

The Singularity Debate

Alex — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:53:46 +0000

Fascinating discussion on Singularity, the Brain and Consciousness. Enjoy!

Alan Watts Explains “Prickles & Goo”

Alex — Fri, 07 May 2010 04:36:55 +0000

Here’s a great short clip animated by South Park co-creator Matt Stone. Love this stuff. Enjoy!

VIDEO

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave (in claymation)

Alex — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:57:31 +0000

Very short interesting 3 minute vid illustrating Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.

From Wikipedia:

Plato imagines a group of people who have lived chained in a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to seeing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

WATCH VIDEO:

Nice View On Life

Alex — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:49:11 +0000

Nice View On Life.