I am reading a book called The Passionate State of Mind by Eric Hoffer published in the 1950s. The back says this book demonstrates again his neat, 17th century-style brooding on 20th century problems. This has put me in a philosophical mood today and I will share some of my favorites of his 'broodings'.
#5 - It is strange how the moment we have reason to be dissatisfied with ourselves we are set upon by a pack of insistent clamorous desires. Is desire somehow an expression of the centrifugal force that tears and pulls us away from an undesirable self? A gain in self-esteem usually reduces the pull of the appetites, while a crisis in self-esteem is likely to cause a weakening or a complete breakdown of self-discipline. Asceticism is sometimes a deliberate effort to reverse a reaction in the chemistry of our soul: by suppressing desire we try to rebuild and bolster self-esteem
#18 - We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.
#49 - It is a talent of the weak to persuade themselves that they suffer for something when they suffer from something; that they are showing the way when they are running away; that they see the light when they feel the heat; that they are chosen when they are shunned.
#61 - The weakness of a soul is proportionate to the number of truths that must be kept from it.
#100 - The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves. It is not love of self but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict our world.
Have a great and thoughtful day!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Meat Free Day Last Friday
I was excited to hear about the Meat Free Day last Friday. Since I am a vegan, this would not be difficult for me, but since I am, I wanted to celebrate! My husband and I met for lunch at our favorite vegan restaurant. I had soup, sandwich and dessert and he had waffles with fruit and real maple syrup. We didn't have noisemakers or banners or T-shirts, but just sat in the table by the sunny window, listened to the cool tunes playing and had a great time. Hope everyone had a great Meat Free Day. I have been thinking about my relationship with food lately and realized that since my reasons for being a vegan are more than just animal cruelty, even if there were no more factory farms and animals we eat were treated more humanely, I would still be a vegan. I guess all the cows and pigs and chickens would be pets or just roam wild like the horses on that island in the South. I think reading Thoreau has a lot to do with it. Eating animal products is so messy, dirty and prone to bacteria growth. When I think about this particular aspect alone, I can't imagine ever eating meat again. It gives me something to believe in - and support. I thank my daughter for showing me the light - in her own quiet way, she changes the world. Go Veg!!!!!!!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Vegan Report on a Trip
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Trip to Canada
Went to a major city in Canada to visit a family member. Had a weekend of ups and downs in visiting our interesting neighbor to the North. First bump in the road (won't go into details) but at the border, had to go to "THE BUILDING" for interrogation and was mildly threatened with arrest. Wow - what happened to the friendly country I used to know!!!! It was all eventually straightened out and we made it to our destination. We spent the remaining part of the first day helping our loved one move from one apt to another. The process was stressful, but well-executed and ultimately successful. That night we visited downtown and looked for a vegan restaurant. The one we tried to get in had a 1 hour and 1/2 WAIT. YAY for a place that a vegan restaurant needs a reservation. (unfortunately for us) But we found a Mexican restaurant right down the street where our waitress turned out to be a vegan and steered us to the right stuff on the menu. There were 4 of us - 2 vegans and 1 semi-vegan and 1 carnivore. Since the menu had something for everyone and we got a chance to laugh, relax and visit - great fun. The next day we went back downtown to a funky marketplace sort of place - it was cold, but the sun was beaming down on us. We found a real vegan restaurant (see foto for sign outside the cafe). I had a sweet potato and millet curry with tons of other veggies and spices. So delicious!!!! Canada is back in my good graces - it won me over once again with it's diversity, laid back friendliness and unique architecture.
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