Category Archives: Life and Meaning

Book Review, Life and Meaning, Psychology, Religion

MUSINGS FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2018

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“Practice at any stage is just being who we are at that moment.  It’s not a question of being good or bad, or better or worse.” – From the book of Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck

Wow!!  This is my 14th post this year and that is saying a lot for me.  I hope that I am getting better at this and not boring you dear reader too much.  I like writing a blog and I am trying to make it a habit.  Funny how “BAD” habits come much more easily than the ones  you want to incorporate as good habits….  Well…. They seem to come a lot harder!! What is that about??  LOL- I did find  a book this summer that helps with this.  A book by the author Stephen Guise.

Stephen gives us a strategy to help develop habits that we want for lasting change.  I think that we do some of these behaviors already but because we don’t have a systematic way of doing them we don’t get lasting or consistent results.  In writing the book Stephen tells his own story of how he came to this realization and helps you to see how it can work for you.  From the book:  “A mini habit is a very small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day; a mini habit’s “too small to fail” nature makes it weightless, deceptively powerful, and a superior habit building strategy.”  He goes on to explain that the problem is not with you.  It is your strategy.  And this is where the trouble begins in trying to achieve a goal.  I first listened to this book as an audio book and was so impressed with its simplicity and message that I bought the paper back version so that I could read it again and to have for easy reference.  This is a down side of audio books – no easy reference.  You can find the book at Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-ebook/dp/B00HGKNBDK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1533228099&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=mini+habits&psc=1

On a different note.  I did see in the news that the Attorney General of the United States – Jeff Scession created what he calls a “Religious Liberty Task Force.” The idea I guess is to protect religious freedoms.  But I am wondering whose religious freedoms and if your flavor of religious mythology does not go with my flavor of religious mythology does that give you the right to discriminate against me?  I believe that the quote from Rachana Desai Martin hits it on the head.  And this will be “Interesting” to see how this plays out in the future.

“This is just another in a long line of thinly veiled attempts by this administration to sanction discrimination in health care, often to the detriment to the health and rights of women, the LGBTQ community and other communities,” said Rachana Desai Martin, a federal policy advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights.

I have come to believe that all religion is mythology.  People try to say that there is a difference but I think Joseph Campbell was right – “They are one and the same.”

 

I remember watching a lecture by him and he was talking about the “biggest religion on earth” and that got my attention because it was not what you thought it was going to be.  He stated, if I remember right, by saying that all religion is mythology.  And the “one mythology” that all cultures on earth believe in, all cultures accept, and the only one that has ever come true??  Then he pauses and keeps you in suspense for a moment…  He finally states:  “It is Science Fiction.”  And I am thinking What??  He then goes on to explain how SF is all mythology – it is all made up in the minds of men and women, just like religion.  The only difference is that all cultures at some point have practiced it, still believe in it and most of all, it occasionally comes true.  Every thing that we take for granted in the world today, from the technological to the social,  was once just a thought in someone’s mind.  Again you might be thinking What??  It does take a little time to get your head around it.  The first thing is to come to the realization that SF covers everything in life.  From the Scientific to the Social, not just Robots and Spaceships, but all of the human condition.  SF is the world’s largest and greatest unrecognized religion.  Oh well, interesting idea when you start to think about it.

You can find lots and lots of books on Amazon that touch on this thought.

Well I think that this is going to be it for me.  It has been a good week running but still a lot of smoke in the area from California wildfires.  I guess it could always be worse. So, until next time.  Adios Amigos!!  And I hope to see you out there!!

Exercise, Family, Life and Meaning, Meditations, Prius Hybrid, Psychology, Thankfulness

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 29TH, JULY 2018

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“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius

Well…. has this been another good week??  I guess they can’t all be good weeks…. Or can they??  That is a good question.  Everyday that I am able to get up and do the things that are important to me and others is a great day.  So, if that has occurred on a majority of the weekdays then I believe it has been a very good week.  Life is good and I cannot complain too much is something that I write in a journal each day and it never gets old.  I think that it is a good reminder in a way that things could be so much worse.  I believe that most of the limits, problems, boundaries that we find in our lives are self-created.  And it is in how we use our minds that helps us to navigate these self-created issues.  One of the first things that I do each day is to try and remind myself how great it is to just be alive.

Afternoon bike ride this week along the Poudre Trail.

I think that we all have the tendency to look beyond ourselves to try and find “something or someone” to help us to be happier or to blame, but reality is that you and only you have the power to make yourself free.  It is not “out there” it is within you and only you.  For me I am still learning this lesson, but the first step was the “realization” that it is only you.  And that starts with the mind….

“Only a Buddha can realize a Buddha” – From Mountain Record of Zen Talks by John Daido Loori.

 

 

On a different note, by the end of this week we are close to the 4-month mark of using the new car.  A Toyota Prius Prime, a gas / electric hybrid.  I think that we are at 5000 miles already.  And all I can say is WOW!!  The efficiency of the vehicle cannot be over stated.  In the last month Janet has been driving it to work, around town errands, AND we have put ZERO gas in it.  The last time we filled it up with gas was coming back from vacation June 26th.  I believe that was just West of Laramie, Wyoming on I-80.

Work for Janet is here in town as are the errands.  So, she charges the battery every second day or so and voilà – no gas needed!!  Cleaner air, decreased dependence on foreign oil, fewer issues with resource extraction, and a much cleaner environment.  In my humble opinion there is no reason to ROLL BACK any gas mileage requirements.  Every car coming out in the next few years should all be Hybrids or a the very least “Gas – Hybrids.”  Yes, the power grid would need to be upgraded, but that is all achievable with current technology and would provide thousands and thousands job.  Every new home should be required to have solar power installed to help in this endeavor.  And rebates on Solar for homeowners with existing homes.  If you can give millions to the oil and gas industry in subsidies then you can gradually shift that money to the homeowner to help install solar power.

The “CAT DOOR” charger!!  LOL

Running this week has been a little bit limited due to work on replacing a roof/deck over the garage.  But it still has been good.  I am lucky to live in an area in Fort Collins that has great trail access.  One of my most convenient and favorite running trails is the Powerline trail.  The trail is composted of a hard path surface but also a side by side soft path dirt surface.  Very nice for those of us that prefer to run on dirt trails.  The other great thing that I have come to enjoy about it are what I call trail apples.  Someone years ago, planted about 20 apple trees along a section of this trail.  They are small but very flavorful.  Everything from tart to sweet and this time of year they are really starting to ripen.  So, it is a kind of treat to run this trail,  pause and pick a handful to eat and continue running.

Deck and Roof replacement!  It will be nice when finally done.

Trail Apples!!  Lol

I did not get to run the Never Summer 100k this weekend due to unavoidable work issues.  (Could not get the time off) So I will concentrate all my effort on doing the Run Rabbit Run 100 in September.  I have never run 100 miles before and I am anxious and curious to see how that feels.

I hope that everyone had a great week and in saying this I want to send you all a little loving kindness for the week to come:   May you be free from danger.  May you be happy.  May you be healthy.  May you live with ease.

Until next weekend – Adios amigos!!

Friends, Life and Meaning, Thankfulness

MUSING FOR FRIDAY, JULY 20TH, 2018

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“Each moment in time we have it all, even when we think we don’t.”  Melody Beattie

 

Well it has been a good week again…  Dang what can I say this has not been just a good week but a good month so far.  I would like to say that the weather and air quality has been perfect but that would not  be the truth.  It has been a little too hot and the Ozone and Particulate matter from the fires and automobile exhaust has  made quite a mess of things if you like to be outdoors.  I think that would be the only fly in the ointment so to speak.  And I guess if that is all that it is then things really have not been too bad.   I have been putting in some running miles and it has been a little difficult because of the heat.  A little too hot for my taste.  But good “hot weather” training.  You never know what you will find in an Ultra, especially a mountain Ultra.  Could be cold, just right or sometimes blazing hot.  So, this “hot weather training” is a good idea.  But not a favorite one!!  LOL

In order to get away from the heat on the Front Range, I have been doing some running up in the Rawah Wilderness Area.  It is an area about 65 miles West of Fort Collins.  The total acreage is about 76,000 acres.  All siting at 8500 feet to well over 13,000 feet.  Lots of mountain lakes and about 80 to 90 miles of hiking or running trails.  This was the first Wilderness that I ever camped in when we moved to Colorado in 1987.  Almost 31 year ago.  When I look at the picture below of me and my friend Greg it just does not seem that long ago, but dang it will be 31 years this November?!  I was 25 years old in that picture.  Where did the time go?  Crazy!!

1987 and I had hair!!  We went on to do 4 more camping trips in the same area over the years.  With the last one being in 1992.  This was a trip that I looked forward to each year usually around October.  Fortunately, I kept a picture from each one.  Always in the Rawah’s with good friends.

1989 Pictured left to right – Herb, Chip, Myself and Greg

1990 Pictured left to right – Standing Chip, Greg and Herb. Kneeling – Myself.

1991 Pictured left to right – Standing Chip, Herb, Greg, Dan and Mitch.  Kneeling – Myself.

1992 Pictured left to right – standing Bill, Mel, Dan, Greg. Kneeling Herb, Myself, and Chip

Funny how things change, I do not remember the reasons why we quit doing them.  But we did.  I am not upset that we stopped doing them, I am just glad that they occurred, very thankful!!

A wise person once told me, situations like this are what you call “moments in time” and need to be viewed as such.   Fleeting, transitory, ephemeral, brief moments.  And that in and of themselves makes them special.   When I look back at these pictures, I realize that is what they were.  Just special moments in time. They happened so quick…..

Well that is about it for me this week.  Take care and have fun out there.  Go do a hike or run in the Rawah’s!!   Maybe I will see you on the trails!!

 

 

 

 

 

Life and Meaning, Psychology, Vacation

MUSINGS FOR TUESDAY 3RD, JULY 2018

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“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”  –  Socrates
“Hope is the expectation that something outside of ourselves, or someone external, is going to come to our rescue and we will live happily ever after.”  –  Dr. Robert Anthony

Well it has been a good week.  Nice to be back from vacation.  Very nice indeed.  Northern Colorado is a great place to live, to call home.  And that is a very good thing to say.  I realize that I am lucky to be able to live in a place like this.  And after this last vacation, I have a new appreciation for it.  Things are not always “greener” on the other side as the old saying goes.

Before going on vacation, I came across this quote by Seth Godin and it really hit home.  When Janet and I were planning our road trip there was part of me that did not want to leave or to take the time away from what I was already doing.  So, this quote got me to thinking.  Have I created a life that I don’t need to escape from?  Is my life situation so good that it is like being on vacation?  Good questions!

So I asked and what did I find??  I came to the conclusion that my life is closer to this ideal of Seth’s than I realized.  It is not perfect by no means but it is close.  And I really don’t have a firm idea of how I got here?  That is the crazy part.  I feel like I am in the song from the Talking Heads: “Once in a Lifetime” asking myself “How did I get here.”  LOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsSpAOD6K8

I can tell you that my life has not always felt this way.  There was a time that the feeling for the need to escape was very real.  Palpable  in fact.  It has only been in the last couple of years, in reflection, that this craving has subsided….  Maybe it was the keeping of a journal or the practice of meditation or a combination of both??  I don’t know.   But I have come to the realization that  we all should ask ourselves these questions.   What is the famous quote by Plato or Socrates:  “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

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Doing a “google” search of vacation images, it was not hard to come up with many that had to do with escaping your current life, even if it was only for a moment….  And until till I came across Seth’s quote I probably would not have thought anything about it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that travel is great, even essential to personal growth and development.  To see and be with family.  To experience sounds and sensations that are new and foreign.   So, I encourage you to take that vacation.  To fully enjoy your time away.

But when you get back, ask yourself are you escaping from something?  What is it?  How could you change things so this might not be the case in the future?  It makes me wonder if we as employers and employees have created a work  environment, a culture, a way of life that is much more toxic than we realize.  That it became normal to “need” that escape?  And is it just part of the “Capitalistic – Consumeristic Society” that we live in.  Has it gotten totally out of control?  Always have to have something new?  Go someplace different?  Spend, spend, spend and more spending…To keep up with the proverbial “Jones” so to speak?

The above one by Budge Travel looks good on the surface but in a sneaky sort of way.  “Say, we are not escaping??  What are you talking about??  Just don’t let life escape you!!  You would not want to miss out!!!”  Wow…  Now that is some marketing!!

So, in this short blog I hope that I have spurred you to ask those questions and to look for the answers.  I am not really sure what they are for me.  But I am asking myself the questions.  And I think that will make all the difference.

Well that is about it for me this week.   Have a Happy and safe Forth of July and I will see you next week.

Dinning, Exercise, Life and Meaning, Psychology, Quad Rock 50, Religion

Musings for Friday 4th, May 2018

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Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.

Joseph Campbell

It has been another good week. Cathryn and Janet both had Birthday’s this past week. Cathryn turned 20 and Janet turned 57. Or as she likes to call it…she has reached “Level 57”. I think that is pretty funny. Myself at the moment, I have reached “Level 56”. When you say it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad. Like you’re in some kind of video game and the object is to reach the highest level. LOL. Now that is funny.

The restaurant for Cathryn’s Birthday is called Café Vino and I would recommend as very good. It is in Fort Collins. Check out their web site at: http://cafevino.com/

The one that we went to for Janet’s Birthday is in Windsor and is called Chimney Park. And it is very good too but has a little different ambiance. Café Vino is a little more relaxed in my opinion and Chimney Park is something I consider more formal. The difference in food quality is minuscule. There are things I can get at Café Vino but not at Chimney Park and vice versa. Of note there is a better beer selection at Café Vino. For me it really comes down to what I am hungry for and whether I want to drive to Windsor or not. The web site for Chimney Park: http://www.chimneypark.com/

My suggestion is check out the menus online and decide from there. I don’t think you will be disappointed by either.

 

On a different note, I have been watching a video series called the “Human Universe.” It is hosted by Physics Professor Brian Cox and it is on Curiosity Stream. The link for the web site: http://curisotystream.com

The series is composed of 5 one hours shows and are listed as follows:
1. Ape-man – Spaceman
2. Why Are We Here?
3. Are We Alone?
4. A Place In Time And Space
5. What Is Our Future?

It was filmed in 2014, so it is about 4 years old, still fairly recent in the scheme of things. They are all pretty good. But the second one raised a few questions. From the closing scenes of the second show:

“If the Theory of Inflation is correct it explains how our universe appeared apparently from nothing. And it also strongly suggests that there is not just our universe but a vast number, perhaps even an infinity of them.”
“We have known for a long time that we are infinitesimal specks in a vast universe, but now the suggestion is that we are infinitesimal specks in a vast infinity of universes.”
“Our current best theory for the origin of the universe, backed up by experimental evidence, suggest that there are an infinite number of universes. An infinite number of copies of you and me and the existence of the whole thing is inevitable, no purpose, nothing special, you are because you have to be.”

 

Now I don’t know about you, but damn that gives me chills just thinking about it. If this was to be proven at some point. It would be a radical change in our cosmology. “An infinite number of copies of you and me and the existence of the whole thing is inevitable, no purpose, nothing special, you are because you have to be.” Wow! Watching this film series reminded me of the quote that I placed at the start of this blog by Joseph Campbell.

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”

I think that the quote fits in very nicely with the above idea of an infinite number of universes. The Universe does not need a purpose to exist. We do not need a meaning to act. The actions that we do, give us the meaning. And you don’t need to have some kind of “mystical being” overseeing it all. The quality of our world is made better by US. We are our own validation, we are our own authority. The power to make the world a better place or not resides in us. Again, Wow! A little scary, and to some degree liberating. Definitely something to ponder……

OK, OK enough of the soapbox for now. The film series is a good one to watch. Here is a trailer from the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF53SrCIQRI&list=PLrBWchMkYBlD6Dg53t3KGdx2AonTwo_Zq&index=6&t=0s

Last but not least just a quick note about training for the Quad Rock 50. In a nut shell it is going well. No injuries so far this year. And I feel pretty good after a 20-mile training run, as if I could continue on without too much difficulty. I believe this to be a good thing.
I am lucky to live where I do. First it is Colorado, second it is Fort Collins, and third the city of Fort Collins has had a great open space and trail program for about 40 plus years. A few blocks from where I live I can pick up a trail called the Powerline Trail that connects with the trail system in Loveland and to the trail system in Fort Collins. Truly I can get in a very long run just from the house with what I call minimal traffic interference, except for one road crossing. The section of the Powerline trail that I like to use most for running is a 5-mile dirt section next to the concrete path. I have nick named it the treadmill. It is useable in almost any weather, 150’ of elevation gain or loss and it is very close. I think that it beats running in the basement with the TV on hands down expect in the most inclement weather. Well that is it for me. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Powerline Trail looking North

Powerline Trail looking South towards Loveland. Lots and lots of crab apple trees in this section.

Life and Meaning, Psychology

FRIDAY 5TH, JUNE 2015

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“LIFE HAS NO MEANING. EACH OF US HAS MEANING AND WE BRING IT TO LIFE. IT IS A WASTE TO BE ASKING THE QUESTION WHEN YOU ARE THE ANSWER” – Joseph Campbell

 

“I DON’T BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE AS MUCH AS THEY ARE LOOKING FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ALIVE” – Joseph Campbell

 

“PARTICIPATE JOYFULLY IN THE SORROWS OF THE WORLD. WE CANNOT CURE THE WORLD OF SORROWS, BUT WE CAN CHOOSE TO LIVE IN JOY” – Joseph Campbell

 


I have waited to the end of the week to get busy on this and I was really not sure what to put down. I was drawing a blank and having trouble getting motivated when I saw this quote while reading Friday afternoon and decided to look it up. It seemed familiar and sure enough it was by a favorite author of mine – Joseph Campbell. In the process of rereading some of his quotes I found a few more that I like. I guess I can start here to see where this might go? I am familiar with JC’s books called “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” and the “Hero’s Journey.” Excellent reading by the way if you want to explore some deep thought provoking concepts. So when I saw the first quote about life not having any meaning my curiosity was stirred. What was Joseph Campbell talking about? What did he mean “Life has no meaning.” That is a good question. I guess it means that life just is. But as humans we want to add control and meaning by a higher power. We want to think that there is some grand plan to it all. To explain the bad things. The fantastic and fortuitous things. The terrible things. But in reality there is no control, there is no meaning outside of us. We bring the meaning to life. As individuals and in mass, we create it. We give it meaning, we create the control. Because outside of that there is nothing.

Thinking about this strikes a chord with me. I am sure that there are people in the world that have their lives turn out just like they had planned. But I am not one of those. If I could go back in time and know what I know now. Wow, there would be so many things that I would change or do differently. But that is not how it works. When I was a lot younger I thought that there was a grand plan for me and I just needed to discover it, work harder, do better? But what I have come to realize is that there is no grand plan. It was just made up as I went along and continues to be. Choose this path and not that one, turn right and not left, work at this job, not that one, etc.… I so wanted to believe that there was some higher authority that in all the cosmos, had my best interest in mind. That what happened to me or did not happen to me was all part of a game plan. Wow, writing this down I cannot believe how naïve I was. To think this. Could it have been a fear of taking control and responsibility for my own life? Could it all relate back to fear, fear of failure, fear of death, fear of making the wrong decisions in life? Just fear? Maybe none of this matters? Is it all random out there in the cosmos? This thing that we call “life” has no meaning – we bring the meaning, we bring the control, we bring the experience.

The pictures this week are from Lory State Park and Horsetooth Mountain Park. The rain had let up a little bit and it was a great day to get out on the trails. The top two pictures show the wide valley area between Lory and Horsetooth. As you can tell the sun was out at this time and everything was verdant green. Just beautiful. The top picture was looking south towards Horsetooth and the middle picture was looking north towards Lory. The bottom picture is from the top of Towers Road in Horsetooth. I think I have posted a similar picture before. But I am always awed when I get to the top to look west and see Meeker and Longs Peak. As you can tell there is still a lot of snow for the first week of June. Well I think that is going to be it for me this week. Take care and hope to see you out on the trails.