Man, the bravest of animals, and the one most accustomed to suffering, does not repudiate suffering as such;
he desires it, he even seeks it out, provided he is shown a meaning for it, a purpose of suffering.
The meaninglessness of suffering, not suffering itself, was the curse that lay over mankind so far.
In life man commits himself and draws his own portrait, outside of which there is nothing.
No doubt this thought may seem harsh to someone who has not made a success of his life.
But on the other hand, it helps people to understand that reality alone counts,
and that dreams, expectations and hopes only serve to define a man
as a broken dream, aborted hopes, and futile expectations
When we are afraid, we pull back from life.
When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance.
We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections.
If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create.
Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.
that we are simply the means of expression of something else;
that when we think we are ourselves, we are simply the victims of a delusion
Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.
I have read and heard many attempts at a systematic account of it, from materialism and theosophy to the Christian system or that of Kant, and I have always felt that they were much too simple.
I suspect that there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamed of, or can be dreamed of, in any philosophy.
That is the reason why I have no philosophy myself, and must be my excuse for dreaming
either there will be ground to stand on,
or you will be given wings to fly.
Oxygen is the human body's fuel.
It powers our brains, organs, and bodily tissues.
Without a proper supply, our bodies can't function.
Our brains, hearts, and kidneys can only tolerate a lack of oxygen for a limited time before their cells begin to die:
about five minutes for the brain,
about thirty for the heart and kidneys.
When a patient loses oxygen, doctors know the clock is ticking.
When a patient codes or loses their airway, a doctor's first priority is to get oxygen flowing.
a limited time before damage sets in, so spring into action.
But in life, time limits aren't as clear.
It can be hard to gauge whether it's better to hurry up or take things slow.
We don't always know how much time we have before the clock runs out on opportunity.
Often, we can't even be sure if our time's passed.
All we can do is cease the present.
It can be hard to gauge whether it's better to hurry up or take things slow.
We don't always know how much time we have before the clock runs out on opportunity.
Often, we can't even be sure if our time's passed.
All we can do is cease the present.
The idea that the brain can convince the body that a fake treatment is the real thing is called the placebo effect.
The brain anticipates an outcome and then communicates it to the body.
And the body responds as if a medication were given when all that was given was a sugar pill.
Studies have found that under the right circumstances, a placebo can have up to a 72% cure rate, making it just as effective as certain medications.
So, the lie becomes the truth.
It has been proven that what you believe can sometimes determine the state of your health.
So it goes to follow that it can also sometimes determine the state of your life.
And what you believe can change on a dime.
What you believe is right,
what you believe is wrong,
what you believe you want,
what you believe you need,
what you believe you are capable of doing,
what you believe is a sign,
what you believe the sign means,
what you believe you deserve.
So, if you want to change your life, change your mind.
And try not to wait too long.
For decades, if we wanted to see inside the brain, we had to inject air into the patient's spinal column.
It was painful. It was described as torture.
Then in 1971, a British engineer changed everything when he performed the first CT scan.
And for the first time, we could see what was happening inside the brain.
It was painless, convenient, and an absolute game-changer.
But just because we could now see inside a person's brain, doesn't mean we know what it's thinking.
Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic.
If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realistic view of life and the world.
It looks at things objectively (yathābhūtam).
It does not falsely lull you into living in a fool's paradise,
nor does it frighten and agonize you with all kinds of imaginary fears and sins.
It tells you exactly and objectively what you are and what the world around you is,
and shows you the way to perfect freedom, peace, tranquility and happiness.
'It is my bad luck that this has happened to me.'
No, you should rather say:
'It is my good luck that, although this has happened to me,
I can bear it without pain,
neither crushed by the present
nor fearful of the future.'
Because such a thing could have happened to any man,
but not every man could have borne it without pain.
So why see more misfortune in the event
than good fortune in your ability to bear it?”
Thou wast all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine —
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine;
All wreathed around about with flowers,
And the flowers they all were mine.
But the dream it could not last,
And the star of life did rise
Only to be overcast,
A voice from out the Future cries,
“Onward!” while o'er the Past
My spirit hovering lies.
Like the murmur of the solemn seas
To sands on the sea-shore,
A voice is whispering unto me,
“The day is past”; and never more
Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle soar.
And all mine hours are trances,
And all my nights are dreams
Of where thy dark eye glances,
And where thy footstep gleams,
In the maze of flashing dances,
By the slow Italian streams.
Thou wast that all to me, love,For which my soul did pine—A green isle in the sea, love,A fountain and a shrine,All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,And all the flowers were mine.Ah, dream too bright to last!Ah, starry Hope! that didst ariseBut to be overcast!A voice from out the Future cries,“On! on!”—but o’er the Past(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering liesMute, motionless, aghast!For, alas! alas! with meThe light of Life is o’er!No more—no more—no more—(Such language holds the solemn seaTo the sands upon the shore)Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,Or the stricken eagle soar!And all my days are trances,And all my nightly dreamsAre where thy grey eye glances,And where thy footstep gleams—In what ethereal dances,By what eternal streams.
I always wondered if that was real.
If someone I cared about was hurt or trapped, would my instincts kick in?
Would I know what to do?
Would I lift the car?
Jump in front of the bullet?
Would I be able to beat somebody senseless?
I like to think I would.
When someone you love is in physical danger, finding the strength you need to save them is easy.
But sometimes the threat isn't physical.
Sometimes, it goes deeper, in which case, no instincts can save you.
No superhuman strength, no adrenaline rush.
You can't power your way out of the crashing car.
All you can do is sit and wait and wish things were different.
Transplant surgeons typically transport donor organs by carefully packing them on ice and racing as fast as they can to the recipient.
The organ can only survive a certain amount of time until it's placed into its new body. At best, the heart and lungs only have six hours.
But recently, scientists have developed machines that can improve these odds. Essentially, certain organs can now travel in a box that continuously perfuses them with nutrients, preserving their viability.
This innovation has allowed us to increase the number of organs available for transplantation.
And for over 100.000 people who are currently waiting for an organ, it's a chance at a new life.
When you get a new organ, you spend your life on medications designed to suppress your immune system so that your body won't reject it. But at least you have a life to spend and a body to medicate.
Second chances can feel like an insult if you can't get over what you lost the first time around.
Or they can feel like a miracle, like a hard-fought victory.
A chance to live the life you've always wanted.
Studies show that doctors who report signs of burnout have enlarged amygdalas, the area in the brain that regulates fear and aggression.
But burnout isn't an academic exercise. It's an all-consuming, systemic condition. It's your entire body sending you one clear message. Something has to change and it has to change now.
Put simply, burnout comes from a deep imbalance. Too much stress with too few rewards.
You're exhausted. Depleted. You no longer have patience, pleasure, or serotonin.
This is the end.
Unless you turn it into something else and find your path to recovery.
Pick the pieces you want from your life and find a new way forward.
A recent study found that marriage actually has health benefits.
Married people live longer, have fewer strokes, and fewer heart attacks than people who are single.
Happily, there are other studies that tell us the real truth about the health benefits of marriage, which is that the benefits have nothing to do with marriage at all.
Because those studies have shown that staying in an unhappy marriage is the worst thing you can do for your health and your children.
So better health is a direct result of healthy relationships.
You don't need a spouse, you just need someone you can trust. You need someone you can talk to. You need someone who will celebrate your wins and grieve your losses. You need someone who can forgive you.
You need someone who will show up, no questions asked, and walk with you through every unexpected twist and turn life throws your way.
We define ourselves by our actions,
but it doesn't mean we have to live by that definition.
We can change our own story.
We can refuse to accept the way people define us.
We can work like hell to escape a bad reputation, only to wonder if we succeeded.
It can be hard to shake the mistakes of the past. They'll always come back to haunt us.
But one thing we never do. We don't stop. We don't quit.
We get up and rejoin the fight
A great tree develops over time and can tell stories not only those of happiness, but also those that contain pain from what it has seen over the years, and as a result is the wise ancient tree that it is today.
As the seasons change, the tree naturally goes through changes as well:
where the leaves turn yellow and orange in the fall,
falling by the Winter,
returning in the Spring,
and with full set of new leafs by the Summer.
Love is no different in that there will be times when we are fully naked in the Winter, and left to wonder about Spring when it seemed so easy to love,
yet the wise tree knows that no winter will last forever
no matter how cold it may be.
Pale amber sunlight falls across
The reddening October trees,
That hardly sway before a breeze
As soft as summer: summer's loss
Seems little, dear! on days like these.
Let misty autumn be our part!
The twilight of the year is sweet:
Where shadow and the darkness meet
Our love, a twilight of the heart
Eludes a little time's deceit.
Are we not better and at home
In dreamful Autumn, we who deem
No harvest joy is worth a dream?
A little while and night shall come,
A little while, then, let us dream.
Beyond the pearled horizons lie
Winter and night: awaiting these
We garner this poor hour of ease,
Until love turn from us and die
Beneath the drear November trees
The skies they were ashen and sober;
The leaves they were crisped and sere --
The leaves they were withering and sere;
It was night in the lonesome October
Of my most immemorial year:
https://vassago-vassago.blogspot.com/2010/04/ulalume.html
I have been younger in October than in all the months of spring.
There is no season as vibrant as fall. The sky, the leaves, and the landscape together create a symphony of colors. When you appreciate the things around you, you will find that you already have the most precious things in the world. A grateful heart will guide you to discover more wonders in life.
October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen.
In the entire circle of the year there are no days so delightful as those of a fine October… – no days so calm, so tenderly solemn, and with such a reverent meekness in the air.
Listen! the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!
October, here’s to you. Here’s to the heady aroma of the frost-kissed apples, the winey smell of ripened grapes, the wild-as-the-wind smell of hickory nuts, and the nostalgic whiff of that first wood smoke.
October is the month for painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting.
October is its sunset sky;
November the later twilight.
October arrives in a swirl of fragrant blue leaf smoke, the sweetness of slightly frosted MacIntosh apples, and little hard acorns falling.
There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings as now in October.
things to love about October
Crystal clear sky
Fallen leaves
Horror movies
Pumpkin spice latte
Halloween
Trick or Treat
