A mere friend will agree with you, but a real friend will argue.

Posted on 16 April 2011 by philosiblog

A mere friend will agree with you, but a real friend will argue. – Russian Proverb

Do you have the integrity to remind your friend that they are trying to quit smoking, or will you go with the flow?

What does that mean?
As an aside, this is also listed as an Assyrian Proverb.

It means just what it says, that a mere friend will simply agree with you.  A true friend will stand their ground and let you know what they think of your action or plan.

If you are going to do something stupid or dangerous, the true friend should do what it takes to help you understand why you are being an idiot, jerk or fool.  The mere friend, or “yes man,” will simply agree without any consideration of what the consequences of their friend’s actions might be.

Why is integrity important? Continue reading →

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I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

Posted on 15 April 2011 by philosiblog

I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work. – Plato

Part of the Pike's Peak Hill Climb, where a wrong turn can result in steep drops. Hard work and no accidents, 100 miles per hour sideways in gravel. Take that, Death!

What does that mean?
I have also seen this quote attributed to Thomas Edison, but I think Plato said it first.

Most of us have done something interesting, even spectacular, on accident.  But few ever do something worthwhile without some planning and intent.  Most things that would be categorized as “worth doing” would be moderately complex and non-trivial.

I don’t think doing the laundry would count.  Same with painting the house.  Nor would starring in a video submitted to a “funniest home video” TV show or to You-Tube.

Why is work (hard work) important? Continue reading →

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Million dollar ideas are a dime a dozen. The determination to see the idea through is what’s priceless.

Posted on 14 April 2011 by philosiblog

Million dollar ideas are a dime a dozen. The determination to see the idea through is what’s priceless. – Robert Dieffenbach

Leonardo da Vinci had the idea, but not the technology. It takes less time and money than a pilot's license and there are groups all over the world to help you get started.

What does that mean?
To me, this says that there are lots of great ideas out there.  And not just any ideas, Million Dollar ideas.  Really good ideas.  Lots of them, all over the place.  However, very few are actually carried through to completion, and that’s what is makes it worth-wile.  The ability, determination and perseverance necessary to see an idea through to completion is where the true power is.

Why is perseverance important? Continue reading →

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Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

Posted on 13 April 2011 by philosiblog

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. – John Wooden

To me, this guy looks like he says "It doesn't matter, I will not be stopped" when things go wrong. What is your attitude?

What does that mean?
Is the glass half empty or half full?  Do you cry and complain about how things worked out, or do you play the hand you are dealt to the best of your ability?  To me, this saying says to take what you get and work it to the best of your ability.  That is the way to get ahead.

You can have the results you want, if you are willing to take what you get and make the most of it.  You might not get what you want exactly when you want it, but you will definitely get it ahead of the person who doesn’t work as hard, as diligently, or with as much focus.  It’s all about your attitude towards life.

Why is attitude important? Continue reading →

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There are plenty of acquaintances in the world; but very few real friends.

Posted on 12 April 2011 by philosiblog

There are plenty of acquaintances in the world; but very few real friends. – Chinese Proverb

Why are we friends? Let me count the ways...

What does that mean?
This saying goes back to the definition of “friend” vs that of “acquaintances.”  And, despite the existence of a textbook definition, everyone has a personal definition, which will differ slightly from person to person.

At thefreedictionary.com, a friend is defined as “A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.”  An acquaintance is defined as “knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.”

In this post, I will talk mostly about a friendship between two people, but if you think of a group of people as a bunch of person-to-person connections, it is easier to describe.  It also allows you to discuss the problems in a group, where one person is friends with everyone but one person.  Have you ever seen this dynamic in a group?  In the worst case, you end up with sub groups with a few members in common.

Why is friendship important? Continue reading →

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Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

Posted on 11 April 2011 by philosiblog

Beware the barrenness of a busy life. – Socrates

Baby has it figured out. Take the time to smell the roses.

What does that mean?
To me, this saying has real meaning.  I tend to be overly busy, with too many projects working at the same time.  It’s kind of like the saying about taking time to smell the roses.  If you’re too busy, you don’t see as much of the beauty we walk through.  We all need time to relax and unwind, to de-stress, to decompress, to chill or whatever metaphor is currently the preferred way to express the classic “rest & relaxation.”

Why is relaxation important? Continue reading →

Posted in calm, flexibility, imagination, laughter, relaxation, simplicity | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Announcement

Posted on 10 April 2011 by philosiblog

Sorry.  I will not be posting anything worthwhile today.  I will be back tomorrow and be working on rebuilding my backlog again.  Thanks!

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If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Posted on 9 April 2011 by philosiblog

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. – Albert Einstein

This is one way to explain why the sun rises and sets to a young child. Kepler's law and orbital dynamics can wait a few more years.

What does that mean?
To me, it talks about the straight forward answer.  E=mc2.  Simple, elegant and still holding true over a century later.  Some less esoteric examples?  Water flows downhill : gravity.  Hot air rises : density.  Light going through a glass of water bends : refraction.

The flip side has also been seen in classrooms across the face of the planet and throughout history.  Someone is called on to answer a question, but they don’t understand the subject very well.  Some seem to be prepared to ramble on for hours, hoping to stumble across a suitable answer.  You’ve seen this before, haven’t you?  You might even have been that poor person, yourself.  I know I have been, on occasion.

Why is simplicity important? Continue reading →

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Sometimes it is more important to discover what one cannot do than what one can do.

Posted on 8 April 2011 by philosiblog

Sometimes it is more important to discover what one cannot do than what one can do. – Lin Yutang

Are your piano skills worthy of a Stienway and a stage?

What does that mean?
To me, this is about where your talents are and where they are not.  No matter how badly you want to play the piano at Carnegie Hall, if the best you can do is “chopsticks,” you need to find another outlet.

When looking at the infinite possibilities of the distant future, you need to know what can and cannot be done, so that you can map out the best path from where you are to where you want to go.

Why is self-knowledge important? Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, clarity, desire, flexibility, perseverance, self knowledge | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.

Posted on 7 April 2011 by philosiblog

Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true. – Yogi Berra

Are you like the boy who cried wolf, telling nothing but lies?

What does that mean?
I love this guy, he has a problem with thinking so much faster than he speaks, and sometimes crossing his wires.  I have the same problem, but not to the same extent as he does (or at least I don’t have reporters following me around to document all of my Malaprops, which is almost the same thing).  For those who don’t know, Malaprops are named after Mrs. Malaprop, a character in The Rivals, a play by Richard Sheridan, and derive from the French & Latin mal (bad, negating) & apropos (appropriate) and defined by thefreedictionary.com as “the unintentional misuse of a word.”

I think he was trying to say something like “half the stuff they say about me isn’t true” and “they lie half the time” then smashed them together.  In either case, he was not happy about something someone said about him.  Some people get upset at lies told about them, others shrug them off, at least for a while.  But if you have good character, and are known to have good character, then the lies are harder to believe.  There will always be detractors, people who will believe the worst just because they don’t like you.  Learn to live with it.

Why is character important? Continue reading →

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What happens to a man is less significant than what happens within him.

Posted on 6 April 2011 by philosiblog

What happens to a man is less significant than what happens within him. – Louis L. Mann

Does your life feel gloomy or barren? Is it you, or your attitude that is in need of adjustment?

What does that mean?
To me, it talks about the trials and tribulations that happen in life.  So much “stuff” happens to you.  Some of what has happened to you has been wonderful, and some of it was significantly less than wonderful.  However, what happens inside you when life throws “stuff” at you, that is what is important.  How you react to life’s trials and tribulations, how you deal with it in your very core, that is where the true significance is found.

Please note that some people take the word “man” to be exclusive of women.  I most emphatically do not subscribe to that theory.  The words man and mankind have been inclusive for centuries, and I continue to believe in that interpretation.  While using the he/she format will help boost the word count of the blog, I find it distracting and redundant.

Why is attitude important? Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, attitude, emotion, growth, judgement, setting an example | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

God gave us burdens, also shoulders.

Posted on 5 April 2011 by philosiblog

God gave us burdens, also shoulders. – Yiddish Proverbs

These probably match the faces of my chess buddy and I the very first time I beat him.

What does that mean?
To me, this speaks about our luck, our fate, our destiny, our karma or whatever other term you want to use.  We all have things we’d rather not have to do, but that seems to be our lot in life.  But it also says we have shoulders, the place we carry burdens.  We can only hope that our shoulders can rise to meet the burden.  It speaks, in a word, to perseverance.  To keep going, despite life’s crushing load.  To bear the unbearable sorrow.

Personally, I believe that nothing is placed in our path that is insurmountable.  You may believe otherwise, but if you do, I think it is more a difference in definitions than you might think.

Why is perseverance important? Continue reading →

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Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life.

Posted on 4 April 2011 by philosiblog

Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. – Golda Meir

What can you start doing today that will lead you to happiness, for the rest of your life?

A longer version of the quote:

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”

What does that mean?
Well, in the end, you’re all you’ve got.  You’ll spend more time with yourself than with anyone else (unless you happen to be conjoined).  Might as well be someone you like, right?  To me, the longer version of the quote asks you to trust yourself, to believe in your abilities.

The quote then implores you to change the things you don’t like about yourself and become someone you would be happy to be – for the rest of your life.  It goes on to seek within yourself those seemingly small ideas and inspirations, and to grow them into the things that will define you as you move forward.

Why is personal growth important? Continue reading →

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Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.

Posted on 3 April 2011 by philosiblog

Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others. – Plato

"That nice man is holding the door for us" It used to be both a good action and normal behavior. What can you do to inspire good actions in others?

What does that mean?
To me, this quote is about leading by doing.  Do good deeds.  In doing so, repeatedly, we begin to strengthen ourselves.  The strength will be from both the repetition of doing (like building a muscle), and by habituation (it will be your natural course of action).

It also prompts us, in slightly different words, to be a good example. It implies that we should practice doing good actions until they are habituated and part of the core of our being. From that, you will inspire others to do the same.  Or, in a very concise form, set an example.

Why is setting an example important? Continue reading →

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When we are motivated by wisdom and compassion, the results of our actions benefit everyone.

Posted on 2 April 2011 by philosiblog

When we are motivated by wisdom and compassion, the results of our actions benefit everyone… – Dalai Lama

I have one of these. Low noise, low pollution, good workout. These three are beneficial for everyone, but it's not good for large lawns.

What does that mean?
To me, this is fairly straight forward.  When we act from a place of compassion, with wisdom as our guide, it is very hard to do something that doesn’t also benefit others.  In other words, when our motivations are pure, not only do we help ourselves, but our actions will also help others, even if that is not directly part of the plan.

I use the word pure here to mean without the taint of greed or selfishness.  It was used as a line from a longer letter, talking about humanity and the impact on the Earth, and how continued greed and insensitivity could lead to serious problems.

Why are our motivations important? Continue reading →

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