Futurelawyer

Why You Want To Live In The Present Moment - Mindfulness

The Thought Police Expand Their Reach

You are now no longer just responsible for having opinions that others reject. You are also responsible for the opinions of anyone you share a room with. What happens when you are in a football stadium, oh politically correct ideologues?

#Forgetthepast - On Throwback Thursday, Remember To Forget The Past

While going through old memories and photographs, it can be a pleasure to remember lost loved ones, and have a piece of their lives through their social media posts. But, we must always remember to forget the past, in the sense that it impairs our ability to live and love and enjoy the present. Every time I find myself smiling, or frowning, or crying, or laughing about something in my past, I look at the rings on my fingers, both of which are inscribed "Memento Mori". We will die, and others may or may not remember us. My wish for them is that they remember to forget me, and live happily each day.

"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it."

• William C. Durant (1861 - 1947)
  American Manufacturer, Founder of General Motors         

Welcome To The New Year, Where Everything Old Is New Again.

Execupundit.com: The Perfect First Paragraph for Every New Year. Execupundit gets it. Why do we always wish that the New Year will be different from the old year? Why do we believe that we have the power to change future events? Let's stop thinking about how to change the new year, and concentrate on what we can control: today.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

- From A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

Life got you down? Has Fate brought you pain and sorrow and sadness? Look on the bright side. 

 

It's New Year's Eve - Just Another Day In The Neighborhood

We really will find any way to party, won't we? Tomorrow may be the beginning of another year; but, it isn't the end of the world, no matter what somebody tells you. Today is the only day we need to worry about; because, it is the only day in which we have control over how we live? Will we worry about a future that we may not have? Or, will we laugh, pray, love and enjoy the day we have.

Humans Doing Useless, Counterproductive Things.

Why is it that we always want what we don't have? Why do we mourn lost loves, lost loved ones, and those who have left us? Why do we pine after what was never ours in the first place? It is not rational to expect that our loved ones will live forever, or even that they will outlive us. It is only rational to make the most of the time we have.

“So should it be with persons; if you kiss your child, or brother, or friend . . . you must remind yourself that you love a mortal, and that nothing that you love is your very own; it is given you for the moment, not forever nor inseparably, but like a fig or a bunch of grapes at the appointed season of the year, and if you long for it in winter you are a fool. So too if you long for your son or your friend, when it is not given you to have him, know that you are longing for a fig in winter time.” – Epictetus

 

 

 

 

Get Up And Get Busy

Sometimes, it is hard to get busy and do the useful thing during the holidays. However, as I age, the definition of useful gets broader.

To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate
the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man's life.

-- T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) American Poet

Marie Kondo Is Wrong

Execupundit.com: The Kondo Temptation. If I have taught you anything, grasshopper, it is that control in this world is not possible. Michael Wade has it right. Marie Kondo and her army of neat freaks seem to think that they will be happier if they organize their physical world into a minimalist version of an all white room in which nothing is out of place, lying on the floor, or hidden under a pile of paper. The human need for control is one of the biggest killers of time and happiness I can think of. We marry someone ten years younger in a vain attempt to control who dies first. Then, they die. We spend decades at a job we hate, because it is expected, and we fear what will happen if we leave. Then, we die. If fate is anything, it is unpredictable. So, Michael, I disagree with Marie Kondo; but, I also disagree with your compromise position, that balance is necessary or desirable. Life is messy. Don't clean it up. Go with the flow. You will be happier.

Merry Christmas - But See It For What It Is And Is Not

Some Stoic End of the Year Thoughts %u2013 RyanHoliday.net. We seem to be wrapped up in the gluttony of modern Xmas, don't we? Lavish gifts, too much food, and other excesses, all dressed up in a hypocritical display of caring for others less fortunate. But, shouldn't we care about the less fortunate all the time? We all are aware of those who pretend to care about others; but, are more interested in their own vainglory and greed. Look at the Xmas celebration like a demonstration of the joy of life and living; but, recognize that it isn't life itself. It isn't maudlin to see the death of the Xmas tree in your living room as a reminder of life, and its momentary nature. Look around you at the persons who make your life worth living. Remember those who have gone away. Hug the ones you love, and who love you. They are what Christmas is about. Two philosophers were born in the same year, in different parts of the globe: Jesus and Seneca. While they approached life and living differently, the similarities are remarkable. We Christians believe that Jesus Christ was right when he preached that the only reason for life was to love one another. Seneca advised to choose someone to mirror whose life you admire. In both cases, look at what is in front of you and near you. That is what is important. Nothing far away is as important. Don't decorate your tree like this; but, always remember that this Xmas may be your last. What is under the tree isn't important. Who is sitting next to it is. Have a great Xmas Day.