The Meaning of Life

[chaz wyman]

Many people read the psalms and think that they are inspiring.
To me they are not so really because a motive coming often is: God will keep me safe and make my enemies perish. This is not uplifting.

Zarathustra´s chants are not better. I tried them many times and was not uplifted by them.

Shakespeare is supposed to be inspiring, his sonnets for example. He was at least a positive man, as shown in the colourful film "Shakespeare in love".

The last resort would be ... to write something good for oneself oneself.
I tried in Italian, a prayer to my guardian angel, starting with the words:

Angelo, amico mio, raggiungi mi, mi sento sola.

Today in the tram I made a variation of this line addressing myself to Mr Baricco whose essays I currently read:

Alessandro, amico mio, spiegamelo, ...


What literature or poetry lifts you up?

I certainly go for Shakespeare, with the proviso that I acknowledge the time in which he was writing. I have to say that, he, more than any other seem to find issues about the human condition that are eternal and universal more than most. But not everything he writes is any longer relevant. I find almost nothing worthy in the Bible.

[duszek]

Do you mean that you understand Shakespeare´s old English and read him in order to become more serene and optimistic ?

Or did you read S. the last time when you were at school and after that
"Never more, never more" ... ?

Are there any books which provide wellness for the soul ?
Which one could read in slow motion and thus inhale like a medecine ?

[reasonvemotion]

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” — Martin Luther King Jr

[chaz wyman]

Do you mean that you understand Shakespeare´s old English and read him in order to become more serene and optimistic ?

I always try to mean exactly what I say. I did not say that and did not mean it. But there is a serenity to S. But no, I rarely read him, except the sonnets. S wrote plays and these were intended to be seen, therefore I see his plays as often as I can. I like to get at least two or three a year.

Or did you read S. the last time when you were at school and after that
"Never more, never more" ... ?

I did not encounter him at school. Although I now have a good education, my school years were not very good.

Are there any books which provide wellness for the soul ?
Which one could read in slow motion and thus inhale like a medecine ?

There are no such books in particular. Book reading is good for the spirit generally, but is find books that try to manipulate or steer the "soul" seem disingenuous. ANy good read in which I find myself taking the same path as the author is good. It does not matter where you go , as long as it is somewhere out of yourself.

[reasonvemotion]

Hafiz. One of my favorite Persian poets.

For those who are unfamiliar, take a moment .........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNR3rzaYUA


As Friedrich Nietzsche has said of Hafiz: “Bist aller Trunkenen Trunkenheit/ wozu, wozu dir-Wein? (the intoxication of all intoxication you are/what need do you have to ask for wine?)”

[chaz wyman]

Hafiz. One of my favorite Persian poets.

For those who are unfamiliar, take a moment .........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNR3rzaYUA


As Friedrich Nietzsche has said of Hafiz: “Bist aller Trunkenen Trunkenheit/ wozu, wozu dir-Wein? (the intoxication of all intoxication you are/what need do you have to ask for wine?)”

All religious people volunteer to be tethered to the priest class
Religion is the school of easy answers to those that find it to hard to think for themselves and wish to indulge in subservience, and servility.

[duszek]

Let me explain a little more:

romantic sentimental novels, best-sellers, are NOT wellness for the soul. Or not for MY soul, to be precise.

My best so far, but I am still looking for more:

E. M. Forster
M. Proust
Stefan Klein (writes about time, not a novel, his nice personality gets expressed in his book that I read at the moment)
Plato´s dialogues as translated by Tom Griffith

Baricco is too critical and too resentful about the world around him.

It is the gentleness of the writer or author which makes his work a piece of wellness for the reader´s soul.

[Bernard]

'The Prophet' by Gibran is the best of all, and that's backed up by its popularity over nearly eight decades. Its deeply religious but has no religious affiliations. Its good to be religious.

[reasonvemotion]

reasonvemotion wrote:

Hafiz. One of my favorite Persian poets.

For those who are unfamiliar, take a moment .........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNR3rzaYUA


As Friedrich Nietzsche has said of Hafiz: “Bist aller Trunkenen Trunkenheit/ wozu, wozu dir-Wein? (the intoxication of all intoxication you are/what need do you have to ask for wine?)”

C.W. wrote:

All religious people volunteer to be tethered to the priest class
Religion is the school of easy answers to those that find it to hard to think for themselves and wish to indulge in subservience, and servility.

You play it safe. You have two passports to two countries. You love Shakespeare, you reject your own religion of being Jewish, (too contraversial), you follow all the prescribed philosophers, say the "right" words, tell yourself you are far more intelligent than the rest of us. I bet you carry an umbrella with you at all times. You must be, right? Yes? You reject God, religion. You dont even know what I am talking about, when I showed you that Nietzche understood and loved Hafiz. A man who falls off a Harley motorcycle doing less than 10 mph should not own one. LOL

Accept who you are. A conservative man. Who plays on the safe side of the street. Well that is ok for some. It becomes a problem when they live in denial of this fact.

When Nietzche encountered Hafiz's poems he wrote "O Hafiz, you have created a tavern of philosophy greater than any worldly palace. In it you provided a wine of grace and word beyond the capacity of the world to drink. The highest pinnacle of any mount is but a sign of your greatness and the unfathomable depth of any vortex is just a mark of your perfection, and the excellence of your word."

Why would a man who professes to not believe in God write this.

It seems doubtful you have read, or understood Hafiz, yet still write an opinion of it, in total ignorance.

Nietzche praised Hafiz's divine mockery and his spirital legacy.



If You Don't Stop That, by Hafiz


I used to live in

A cramped house with confusion

And pain.


But then I met the Friend

And started getting drunk

And singing all

Night.


Confusion and Pain

Started acting nasty,

Making threats,

With talk like this,


"If you don't stop 'that' -

All that fun -


We're

Leaving."

[chaz wyman]

'The Prophet' by Gibran is the best of all, and that's backed up by its popularity over nearly eight decades. Its deeply religious but has no religious affiliations. Its good to be religious.

You are wrong. It cannot be 'religious' and not be affiliated. I can be spiritual perhaps, engaged with human feeling and emotion. But being religious is by definition the notion of being bound or attached to a creed and dogma.

[chaz wyman]

C.W. wrote:

All religious people volunteer to be tethered to the priest class
Religion is the school of easy answers to those that find it to hard to think for themselves and wish to indulge in subservience, and servility.

You play it safe. You have two passports to two countries.

You don't know what you are talking about. You need to stop listening the the local neighbourhood moron.


You love Shakespeare, you reject your own religion of being Jewish, (too contraversial),

I do not have a religion. I think you'd be better of speaking of yourself, and not trying to comment on other people of whom you are ignorant.

you follow all the prescribed philosophers,

Name one!

say the "right" words, tell yourself you are far more intelligent than the rest of us.

That comment is self reflective. If you feel that way maybe you feel that you are not as smart as you want to be.

I bet you carry an umbrella with you at all times.

I do not own one.

You must be, right? Yes?

No there are some things I know nothing about.

You reject God, religion. You dont even know what I am talking about, when I showed you that Nietzche understood and loved Hafiz. A man who falls off a Harley motorcycle doing less than 10 mph should not own one. LOL

ANyone can suffer from a binding brake which caused the accident.

Accept who you are. A conservative man. Who plays on the safe side of the street. Well that is ok for some. It becomes a problem when they live in denial of this fact.

Like I said above you don't know what the fuck you are talking about.


Nietzche praised Hafiz's divine mockery and his spirital legacy.

`I don't give a rat's arse about your view on Hafiz. I stick by my comment. Maybe you just failed to read the symbolism?


[/quote]

[reasonvemotion]

[chaz wyman]

That is not an adequate response for your insulting post.

[reasonvemotion]

In answer to your retort.

C.W.

`I don't give a rat's arse about your view on Hafiz. I stick by my comment.

Pride and vanity, a curse for all.


I think your answer above sums it up.

[chaz wyman]

In answer to your retort.

C.W.

`I don't give a rat's arse about your view on Hafiz. I stick by my comment.

Pride and vanity, a curse for all.


I think your answer above sums it up.

People might seem vain when faced with unwarranted insults.
Look to yourself for pride and vanity.
How is a love of Shakespeare such a bad thing?