"There is in each of us an ancient force that takes and an ancient force that gives. A man finds little difficulty facing that place within himself where the taking force dwells, but it’s almost impossible for him to see into the giving force without changing into something other than man. For a woman, the situation is reversed. ... These things are so ancient within us that they're ground into each separate cell of our bodies. We're shaped by such forces. You can say to yourself, 'Yes, I see how such a thing may be.' But when you look inward and confront the raw force of your own life unshielded, you see your peril. You see that this could overwhelm you. The greatest peril to the Giver is the force that takes. The greatest peril to the Taker is the force that gives. It's as easy to be overwhelmed by giving as by taking."

~Paul Muad'Dib Excerpt from the novel "Dune"

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Lupita Nyong'o
 

My daughter and I were talking today about the damage parents do, wether we want to or not, and she told me about this poem. I think it is so good:

This Be The Verse

BY PHILIP LARKIN

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.


Philip Larkin, “This Be the Verse” from Collected Poems. Used by permission of The Society of Authors as the Literary Representative of the Estate of Philip Larkin.

Source: Collected Poems (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2001)

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178055

Antonio Gramsci's doctrine of Hegemony:

The rule of one class over another is not dependent on economic or physical power alone,
but on persuading the ruled to accept a system of beliefs belonging to the ruling class (James Joll, UK, 1977).

“In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.” ― Isaac Asimov

A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it: It just blooms.

(Unknown)

If you look at how our society and culture shape personal development,
I believe you will agree with the following conclusion: there is a conspiracy at work in our society aimed at alienating you from your true self. The alienation from your true self begins at birth.

Many well-intentioned parents are encouraged to place their infant on a feeding schedule. The child is fed when the plan dictates, not when the child's biology requires. If a child needs to cry or rage, he or she is often discouraged from such displays because of the parent's social or personal discomfort. At school, the active child must learn to repress his or her excitement and assimilate into the passive learning environment that characterizes most educational approaches today. We are cajoled, manipulated, and sometimes coddled away from our core self in order to fit some idea of what society says we should be. We are conditioned to fit into the social norm, which too often means fragmenting and splitting ourselves into pieces so we can gain social approval. Some social critics have referred to this conditioning as creating a hypnotic trance. We are asleep, dreaming we are awake.

We have contributed to our problem by buying into these myths. We are simultaneously victims and perpetrators of this psychological crime. We disown many important and vital parts of ourselves to fit in and be what we think we should be. We collude with society and our parents and join the fatal conspiracy. We become as much to blame as our parents, well-intentioned caregivers, grandparents, teachers, mentors, lovers, spouses, colleagues, and bosses. We alienate our true self over and over again, often to the point where our true self is unrecognizable. We don't know our self except through the roles that we play.



~Allen Berger, Ph.D.

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"Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees"

~Stonewall Jackson

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' Always get married in the morning. That way if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted the whole day."

Mickey Rooney

"Dick Clark really didn't make rock 'n roll safe for America, as many people think."

Annette Funicello

" The truth is that the only time I'm happy is when I'm doing absolutely nothing. I don't understand people who like to work and talk about it like it was some sort of goddamn duty. Doing nothing feel like floating on warm water to me. Delightful, perfect.”

Ava Gardner

"“Deep down, I'm pretty superficial.”

--- Ava Gardner


One of my all time favourite quotes by anyone...including Lincoln, Gandhi and Shakespeare.

"Consciousness even in my sleep changes primary colors," ~ Czesláw Milösz (1963).

There are three kinds of people on Earth:
Those who make things happen.
Those who watch things happen.
Those who ask what happened?
-Unknown

"Politics in the true sense, have to do with the prosperity, peace and security of the people."


* Henry Ford *

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” *Henry Ford*