Thursday 12 October 2006

Thoughts for the Day



Thoughts for the Day
We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at
a truth we find bitter.
- Diderot



A “man” doesn't begin to attain wisdom until he recognizes that he is no
longer indispensable.
~ Richard E. Byrd

It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which
those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much
afraid of pain that they shut themselves up like clams in a shell and, giving
out nothing, receive nothing and therefore shrink until life is a mere living
death.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

At all times, day by day, we have to continue fighting for freedom of
religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from want — for these are things
that must be gained in peace as well as in war.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

So much for the pearls of wisdom.
It is actually quite tiring – the thinking involved when you ponder on thoughts of
others, whether true to your ideas. At times you tend to wonder how it is that man
actually goes through life all the happier, in total ignorance of “self” and the
complex philosophies of life, based on ideas that shaped the evolution of
mankind.
Well, what can one say, except that ignorance is definitely Bliss. I do find myself
wishing at times that I belonged among the “ignorant” - would have found myself
married, working a regular job at a regular place, leading a regular life .............
hmmmmmmmm, how nice.
When I read the Screwtape Letters ( C. S. Lewis ), what I gather is that it was
knowledge that the “dark forces of evil” targeted to enforce ignorance – to
“educate man into imbecility”, and create confusion in the minds so that one does
not see the blurred line between them. With the information overload that we are
faced with, it is small wonder that getting the right message across to the relevant
party, is quite an arduous task.

It isn't the knowledge that creates this problem, but rather the abuse of little
knowledge of specifics, with which self-declared “little geniuses” are born every
day. Humility appears to be a dying virtue in todays world.
Those who actually promote pride and ignorance, through flattery apparently are
better off in their “marketing” of their wares. Whoever preaches humility in any
form, are doomed to fail. Flattery – “boost to the ego”, is the most effective tool to
sell any product, as long as the lie comes with the style that flatters the senses.