Nothingness, Being, Life, Thanksgiving

By George Palczynski (November 2017)


Parade, Don Li-Leger

 

 

“Thou must now at last perceive of what universe thou art now a part, and of
what administrator of the universe thy existence is an efflux.”

Marcus Aurelius, The Thoughts of Marcus AureliusRoman Emperor

 

 

 

Of course, few give consideration the conclusion that dogs the trail of such bantering observations . . . but some do—to dire consequences.

 

The rise is not piffling.

 

Sorry, You Lose

 

 

Giacomo Casanova (to his landlord Dr. Gozzi—a priest)

 

The ancients chime in:
 

Parmenides (Greek philosopher)

 

Aristotle quips on Parmenides:
 

 

Apparently Not
 

Thesis: The Absolute is Pure Being

Antithesis: The Absolute is Nothing

Synthesis: The Absolute is Becoming

 


 


The New Atlas

 

Though man is not the creator—there being no need of one—he is the reconstructionist of evolutionary chance gone awry. The random walks of evolution were without clear purpose at origination. Yet, following the byways, the trails, and the micro adaptations made sense. It was at this juncture that man became enamored of playing GOD, what with micro adaptations being within his wheelhouse. What reckless, random, evolution had made come to pass, man could fine-tune to a clockwork and a paradigm. All matter of things would be brought to heel, climate, ocean levels, humans, and human nature, down to (up to?) human contentiousness. With the genome mapped and the synapses of the brain having had their purpose accounted for . . . oh my . . . what man has now in store for man. If God had flubbed it—utopia—man would give it breath.

 

Through The Glass Darkly
 

Let us consult with a Monsieur Blaise Pascal about being/life. He seems in a black bile mood. From his Pensées:
 

Section II: The Misery of Man without God:

and

Section III: On the Necessity of the Wager:

and

Section VI: The Philosophers:

Section VII: Morality and Doctrine:

Grrrrrrrrrr.

 

But for most of his adult life, Pascal was beset with poor health and illness. Life skews outlook.

 

Blackly
 

and

 

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

Outlook skews life.

 

Arcanely
 

 

To overthink thinking is not a sign of mental or spiritual health. Most modern philosophers are mad . . . or mad.

 

‘la vie en rose’… yes? Context and contrast are the pinnacle from which all things should be viewed.

 

The difference is the difference between light and dark. The man of faith desponds of the present life for the joy of the resurrected glorified life. The man of reason commits himself to despair for the entire temporality of a brief sentience, all the while flagellating himself to illogic. Who would determine a thing be built safely on a foundation of unyielding despair? A crazy man? A man who hated life but was too great a coward to loose a tight grip on it?

 

What’s It All About

 


 

My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it—all idealism is mendacity in the face of what is necessary . . . but love it.

 

Benefit the man the doubt and take him at his words.

 

If you can look at life in whatever dire circumstance and judge one life worthy and another an encumbrance or burden you have missed entirely the point of Life.

 

 

 

_______________________

George Palczynski is a student of Life without certificate or degree or expertise in any field. He claims only some knowledge in most everything and complete knowledge in nothing, making him generally smart but particularly stupid. Make of that your own speculation. He is content with the arrangement.

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