Death lives eternal, as life lives on;
Stark and dark as life shines bright,
Eternal to nourish when life dwindles to oblivion,
Only the hidden side to the coin, unseen.
Fear not. Fight till the end.
Remove regrets that entangle the soul,
A life fulfilled in motion, let thy will not bend.
Memories maketh man, not the bowl.
A beautiful quote about the transience and purpose of things in nature.
One learns that the world, though made, is yet being made. That this is still the morning of creation. That mountains, long conceived, are now being born, brought to light by the glaciers, channels traced for coming rivers, basins hollowed for lakes.
– John Muir, Travels in Alaska
Undulating waves relentlessly pristine
Turquoise blue surrounds, a warm embrace surging;
Reef thriving beneath, blue skies above shine
A vacation this anniversary year eloquently fitting.
Fun with snorkels and catamaran previews,
Pools and the sun, scorching flesh and skins;
If the darkened tan can recite stories,
This would be a tale worth living again.
Ten years pass, in a new place crossed,
Turbulent the move, calm the water always;
Soft and supple, a lofty dream bless’d
She is my World, Ecstasy, for all my days.
Three years hence, a new dawn bright
Rudra the dancer, let love begin.
Tall stands the roarer, radiating energy with sight
Continents conquered and countries within.
The young physicist’s quest to prove the theories of Ernst Mach.
As a perennial student of everything around me, it is important to remember Feynman’s thoughts, and take it to heart every day. More so when you have a little neutron willing to grasp, and absorb all that comes her way. So for posterity, and to remind myself, here is what I think teaching and learning should be about.
Question what you read in a book, and that you learn from others. Articulate to yourself in a language that you understand, and correlate them with your experiences that make you uniquely you.
Fear not to question what is read,
Or that taught by others merit;
Entwine knowledge with experience,
to render thee from within.
Doubt can be a marvelous learning tool, if applied right. Do not fear it, embrace it, and remove it through a better understanding of the world around you.
Doubt thy learned truths, without doubting thyself;
Fear not, live with it, a tool,
Refine thoughts and visions of a fool.
Think for yourself, analyze the problems, and explore the universe as it is, for it offers answers to every question conceivable. We either are only short sighted (often), or not experienced enough to visualize it just yet.
Truth remains vivid for those who can see
Thought drives action, focus and let it free.
Make mistakes, be not afraid. Mistakes teach far more valuable lessons if you are willing to recover, and continue the search again. No action in this universe happens without making its lessons available for those who ask.
Be obedient, to the master that teaches absolute truth
No teacher greater, past fallacies accounted
Recover, learn to move without satisfaction.
When you understand how something ticks, teach it to someone who does not. Humanity and knowledge learned is transient, and is propagated/refined faster in the collective. And often, teaching someone else improves the self understanding undoubtedly.
Absolute truth is pure delusion;
Iteration inevitable my fierce child,
Instill thy thought, truth version,
Purify self experience, propagate philosophy.
Searching for oneself is an ongoing journey of a lifetime. Life is what happens in between.
– Unknown. Some movie or a series watched in a half asleep state.
Feynman always says it best.
I also believe in being unsatisfied with one’s life, and being in constant doubt of every thesis I come across to explain nature around me. It’s what keeps one moving, evolving, without stagnation. The Universe is what it is. We are but observers of this cosmic dance, and such a beautiful show must be watched without prejudice, and with a child’s awe and curiosity.
A stern and level headed quote by the man of Physics on expectations and assumptions.
I have no responsibility to live up to what others expect of me. That’s their mistake, not my failing.
– Richard Feynman
Creatures in the dark, fumbling through naked truth
Such emphasis on transient sorrows leaves ties stranded;
Mercurial thoughts can offer no solace, what can soothe ?
A reflection in hindsight vivid, memory branded.
Be water, flow with joy, bend on a whim and a will,
Neither shape nor form, binds frame,
Without color or odor, energy be Nil,
Sannyasi, and an artist did once lay their claim.
Well written and a nice weekend read. Philosophy, in my opinion, is an all encompassing search for the reasons driving action, the science behind our so called evolved mind and the never ending quest to understand the ways of the universe. Yes it is science. And it is abstract. I would like to think there is a reason why one of the highest forms of scientific degrees is called a `PhD’. I could talk more about the topic but read the article and develop your own philosophy that makes sense to you.
“In the life of a man, his time is but a moment, his being an incessant flux, his senses a dim rushlight, his body a prey of worms, his soul an unquiet eddy, his fortune dark, and his fame doubtful. In short, all that is of the body is as coursing waters, all that is of the soul as dreams and vapours; like a warfare, a brief sojourning in an alien land; and after repute, oblivion. Where, then, can man find the power to guide and guard his steps? In one thing and one alone: Philosophy.”
~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations