There is a very famous Taoist story – I love it tremendously. The story is about an old Taoist farmer whose horse ran away:
...That evening the neighbors gathered to commiserate with him since this was such bad luck. He said, "Maybe."
The next day the horse returned, but brought with it six wild horses, and the neighbors came exclaiming at the good fortune. He said, "Maybe."
And then the following day, his son tried to saddle and ride one of the wild horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. Again the neighbors came to offer their sympathy for the misfortune. He said, "Maybe."
The day after that, conscription officers came to the village to seize young men for the army, but because of the broken leg the farmer's son was rejected. When the neighbors came in to say how fortunate everything had turned out, he said, "Maybe."
This is the attitude of a man who understands what is accidental and what is essential. The accidental is always 'maybe'; it is a 'perhaps'. You cannot be certain about it, you need not be certain about it. People who become certain about the accidental are going to be frustrated sooner or later; their certainty is going to create much frustration for them. Their certainty will create expectations,
and they cannot be fulfilled – because the universe is not there to fulfill your expectations. It has its own destiny. It is moving towards its own goal. It does not care about your private goals...
--Osho
A Sudden Clash of Thunder, ch. 3
04 August 2011
20 June 2011
As High as a Kite <>S
What to say about today.. as I take a deep breath and prepare myself to reflect, there is a calm stream that flows through my mind. I made a conscious decision today not to let a fncking catastrophe take away my good hard-earned energy! Follamenow!
Check it, I enjoyed a nice cup of water (with ice, chilled...ah yeeah) in a rather large blue container. Cluttered at the desk, I knocked over the frozen flood upon my lovely MacBook Pro. Dismayed as I was I looked not back in time where the dumbass who knocked over my cup sat playing video games, no! No, I rather chose to use my mind, the power of my brain, heart, breath, sight, sound and overall sensation that I call being.
Something changed. I thought, intuitively, critically, and found a solution realized by my only computer, which is my laptop, to be lost with a new replacement that goes for $2000 should an answer not appear before this problem.
First thought, think of options.
A. Can I fix the problem.
Popped off the keys, patted the tray down. Hopefully when the computer turns back on everything will be ok. No. Keyboard is glitchy.
B. Buy a new laptop.
I could juggle some cash but that would be betting on money I don't have. Plus, I'd rather not discard the computer completely because apparently all works fine outside of the now defunct
keyboard.
C. Purchase an external keyboard.
Bought a Microsoft Deluxe Ergonomic USB Keyboard for $49.99 (still less than an Apple USB Keyboard...whyIoughtta!!).
D. Check available financing options in purchasing a new Apple MacBook Pro.
The original in discussion is a 2007 15" MacBook Pro. Weighing pros and cons brought me to this...
It is better to find a way to work with what already exists. Should I hurry to buy the future then I am sure to waste. A cheaper investment would be the Microsoft Keyboard over a new laptop. If I have a choice, then I should consider 'all' available options so as to maximize the usage and availability of resources (namely all of the components that go into producing, packaging, and delivering a new laptop; aluminum, silicon, glass, carbon, etc.).
In some small way I feel like I actually did my part today. No one forced me. It was a natural feeling that I can honestly say I hadn't considered before. My computer still functions as I type on my now comfortable ergonomic keyboard :) ...and smile.
Good night ~~,
Check it, I enjoyed a nice cup of water (with ice, chilled...ah yeeah) in a rather large blue container. Cluttered at the desk, I knocked over the frozen flood upon my lovely MacBook Pro. Dismayed as I was I looked not back in time where the dumbass who knocked over my cup sat playing video games, no! No, I rather chose to use my mind, the power of my brain, heart, breath, sight, sound and overall sensation that I call being.
Something changed. I thought, intuitively, critically, and found a solution realized by my only computer, which is my laptop, to be lost with a new replacement that goes for $2000 should an answer not appear before this problem.
First thought, think of options.
A. Can I fix the problem.
Popped off the keys, patted the tray down. Hopefully when the computer turns back on everything will be ok. No. Keyboard is glitchy.
B. Buy a new laptop.
I could juggle some cash but that would be betting on money I don't have. Plus, I'd rather not discard the computer completely because apparently all works fine outside of the now defunct
keyboard.
C. Purchase an external keyboard.
Bought a Microsoft Deluxe Ergonomic USB Keyboard for $49.99 (still less than an Apple USB Keyboard...whyIoughtta!!).
D. Check available financing options in purchasing a new Apple MacBook Pro.
The original in discussion is a 2007 15" MacBook Pro. Weighing pros and cons brought me to this...
It is better to find a way to work with what already exists. Should I hurry to buy the future then I am sure to waste. A cheaper investment would be the Microsoft Keyboard over a new laptop. If I have a choice, then I should consider 'all' available options so as to maximize the usage and availability of resources (namely all of the components that go into producing, packaging, and delivering a new laptop; aluminum, silicon, glass, carbon, etc.).
In some small way I feel like I actually did my part today. No one forced me. It was a natural feeling that I can honestly say I hadn't considered before. My computer still functions as I type on my now comfortable ergonomic keyboard :) ...and smile.
Good night ~~,
16 June 2011
With Each Breath...
Today's two-hour yoga/meditation released many tension stations throughout my body. The combination between physical connection and mental state has placed me in a complete awakening with my being. The subtle chime music layered in the background with the addition of candlelight, has brought me into peace. This interconnected feeling brings me to a point where the universe makes perfect sense to me. Without thought. Without ideas. Mindfulness as it is meant to be experienced.
The Wilderness has awoken an old soul within me that is reminded of the many curious opportunities the world holds in its discovery. Every leaf that falls before my eyes. Each gust of wind as it pushes my back. All moments come to rest in a single experience. My breath. The growl of my internal workings. All comes to be what is all.
...Life.
The Wilderness has awoken an old soul within me that is reminded of the many curious opportunities the world holds in its discovery. Every leaf that falls before my eyes. Each gust of wind as it pushes my back. All moments come to rest in a single experience. My breath. The growl of my internal workings. All comes to be what is all.
...Life.
22 May 2011
STOP USING PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!!
For all of us, going through our typical day and staying hydrated is an important part of staying alive. Water is such a necessity that without it we would have roughly 3 days to live. Once considered a commonwealth resource, water has now become a privatized multi-billion dollar industry which is conveniently bottled into plastic polymers. The only problem is that not only are plastic bottles highly disruptive to our endocrine and reproductive systems (Sax 2010), but they are also consuming landfills and being dispersed out into the environment. Below is a graph from the EPA of the municipal waste stream from 1960-2009. It is clear that plastics are, by far, occupying the most amount of space because of their low recyclability rate.
(Click on images for higher resolution)
Often times you will see companies tout their products having "up to 30% plant-based, 100% recyclable bottle" and "30-50% less plastic". This is a very misleading promotion as the amount of plastic bottles recycled have, in fact, increased over the years BUT compared to the amount that is STILL manufactured from virgin material there is no comparison. It seems unethical for companies to continue advertising their products in such a way that you would feel 'less' guilty about buying them.
(Image shows total plastic stream, around 30% of water bottles are recycled)
Don't believe me? Let's walk through the process of where that bottle goes once you throw it into your 'recycling bin'.
First, a truck comes to your curbside and collects the combined materials (your aluminum cans, plastic bottles, paper, etc.) out of your bin and carries them to a MRF (pronounced 'merf', Materials Recovery Facility). You may hear this called a "recycling center" but that is not true as no actual 'recycling' is taking place. Once it arrives it dumps everything out onto an open area where forklifts compile everything for people to throw on a conveyor belt.
Once on the conveyor belt, it travels upward where people up top separate everything by hand, by material type, and drop the materials below with a trap door.
Once down below everything is then bundled into 'bales' and loaded onto a big rig destined for whomever bids for the materials out in the open market.
So what's my point about plastic bottles?
Well, because of plastics' difficult recyclability, the only buyers for those materials are in China. Back in 2008-09, the docks of Long Beach had tons and tons of plastics that China could not buy. They sat there with no destination.
Here is a 1 1/2 minute clip explaining China's process.
Also, the melting point of plastic is very close to that of water and it can easily be burnt and rendered useless. Because of the myriad of chemicals that go into that very bottle you have in your hand, contaminants easily disrupt an entire batch from being recycled.
So what can you possibly do? Well, for starters you can switch like I have to a more sustainable solution. MySigg and Klean Kanteen (clickable links) are great ways to stylishly incorporate re-usable solutions into your everyday habit of drinking water. I have to say, not only have I saved myself an exorbitant amount of money in water bottle purchasing, but I've made a tremendous difference in my contribution to the waste stream.
Consider this as well in your consumption habits. Most, and I MEAN most, municipalities do not have appropriate infrastructure in place to handle our consumption habits. The recycling industry is still in its nascent of integrating how we consume and discard waste. Our world of consumption is built upon convenience and thus we have taken short cuts in many of our day-to-day habits. Remember when a hard day's work gave a feeling of meaning and purpose? Wouldn't one think that with all of this convenience our lives should be better spent making the world a better place? It doesn't really seem that way when you consider that we have become somewhat lethargic and complacent with all of the negative externalities associated with our behavior. How many plastic cups do you see used in bars and clubs? Talk about an exponential process of waste!
We are not bad people, we just have bad habits. Like any addict, it takes an inner strength to change and that very change, no matter the size, is significant!
(Click on images for higher resolution)
Often times you will see companies tout their products having "up to 30% plant-based, 100% recyclable bottle" and "30-50% less plastic". This is a very misleading promotion as the amount of plastic bottles recycled have, in fact, increased over the years BUT compared to the amount that is STILL manufactured from virgin material there is no comparison. It seems unethical for companies to continue advertising their products in such a way that you would feel 'less' guilty about buying them.
(Image shows total plastic stream, around 30% of water bottles are recycled)
Don't believe me? Let's walk through the process of where that bottle goes once you throw it into your 'recycling bin'.
First, a truck comes to your curbside and collects the combined materials (your aluminum cans, plastic bottles, paper, etc.) out of your bin and carries them to a MRF (pronounced 'merf', Materials Recovery Facility). You may hear this called a "recycling center" but that is not true as no actual 'recycling' is taking place. Once it arrives it dumps everything out onto an open area where forklifts compile everything for people to throw on a conveyor belt.
Once on the conveyor belt, it travels upward where people up top separate everything by hand, by material type, and drop the materials below with a trap door.
Once down below everything is then bundled into 'bales' and loaded onto a big rig destined for whomever bids for the materials out in the open market.
So what's my point about plastic bottles?
Well, because of plastics' difficult recyclability, the only buyers for those materials are in China. Back in 2008-09, the docks of Long Beach had tons and tons of plastics that China could not buy. They sat there with no destination.
Here is a 1 1/2 minute clip explaining China's process.
Also, the melting point of plastic is very close to that of water and it can easily be burnt and rendered useless. Because of the myriad of chemicals that go into that very bottle you have in your hand, contaminants easily disrupt an entire batch from being recycled.
So what can you possibly do? Well, for starters you can switch like I have to a more sustainable solution. MySigg and Klean Kanteen (clickable links) are great ways to stylishly incorporate re-usable solutions into your everyday habit of drinking water. I have to say, not only have I saved myself an exorbitant amount of money in water bottle purchasing, but I've made a tremendous difference in my contribution to the waste stream.
Consider this as well in your consumption habits. Most, and I MEAN most, municipalities do not have appropriate infrastructure in place to handle our consumption habits. The recycling industry is still in its nascent of integrating how we consume and discard waste. Our world of consumption is built upon convenience and thus we have taken short cuts in many of our day-to-day habits. Remember when a hard day's work gave a feeling of meaning and purpose? Wouldn't one think that with all of this convenience our lives should be better spent making the world a better place? It doesn't really seem that way when you consider that we have become somewhat lethargic and complacent with all of the negative externalities associated with our behavior. How many plastic cups do you see used in bars and clubs? Talk about an exponential process of waste!
We are not bad people, we just have bad habits. Like any addict, it takes an inner strength to change and that very change, no matter the size, is significant!
Sax, L. "Environmental Health Perspectives: Polyethylene Terephthalate May Yield Endocrine Disruptors." Environmental Health Perspectives: Monthly Journal of Peer-Reviewed Research and News on the Impact of the Environment on Human Health. N.p., 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 May 2011. .
24 February 2011
Strange days
Today has been a strange day. The kind of day that makes someone listen a little closer to the wind. The kind of day that makes you feel the hunger in your belly a little more. Why in the mix of it all does the faint cold air bring such emptiness and fulfillment. I start to question the things I know and begin to feel free somehow in the process. Free of having to have an answer for everything. Free of all that inhibits me.
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