Philosophy of Life?

[pegkerr]

cakmpls here continues a meme she got from chronicpaint, who asked people to post about what they believe. cakmpls pointed to a nice video clip of Elton John playing "Circle of Life," saying that pretty much comes closest to hers. She also mentioned her daughter's R's answer, which she came up with when she was 14: "Watch your back, watch your heart, and don't be a dumb-ass." Which I think is pretty fabulous philosophy, too, and a good indication of why I admire cakmpls and her husband J. as parents. They've raised great and wise kids.

You may remember a post I did awhile ago:

As I was making my breakfast this morning I had the KSJN Morning Show on, and the song "Nature Boy" started playing.

After listening for a moment, I stepped out into living room, where Fiona was playing a computer game and Rob was talking to Delia, who was sitting on his lap.

"May I have your attention for a moment?" I said. My family looked up at me expectantly. "I just wanted to say that I think that this song has it right. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." I went over and kissed Delia on the top of her head. "If you take anything from what your parents teach you, remember that."

"That's a pretty good rule," said Rob.

It's worth asking again. If you boiled it all down, what would you say under the title "This I Believe" ? Both, perhaps, as something you'd like to pass on as a parent, and more generally, as a guiding philosophy of life?

???

Comments

[cesario.livejournal.com]

If you boiled it all down, what would you say under the title "This I Believe."

I wind up asking myself this every time I hear that show on the radio. I've been trying to figure it out ever since my traumatic divorce from Christianity when I was 18. I'm afraid the answer still might be "I have no idea". It's better than "I don't believe in anything" which is almost the first thing that springs to mind.

Actually, I think I'll use this one. It's from Pippin: "it's smarter to be lucky than it's lucky to be smart."

:-D

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

"Don't hurt each other, and clean up your mess." -- John McCutcheon's version of "All I needed to know I learned in kindergarten."

The other candidate is my .signature:
"Be well, do good work, and keep in touch." -- Garrison Keillor's signoff in The Writer's Almanac.

[Oops; reversed it first time.]
[Oops again; I am reminded of why I am home sick. Can't think. Migraine will get me.]

[corinnethewise.livejournal.com]

This is something I learned from an excellent professor.

The first step in ethics is to remember that other people exist, and that they matter.

I have pretty much tried to live my life by doing that.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

The thing about loving and being loved in return, wonderful though it is, is there's such an insuperable amount of luck in finding the people with whom that will work that I'm a little uneasy thinking of it as entirely learnable.

"Anything for a weird life" and "Be excellent to each other" are approaches that have worked surprisingly well for being so easily compacted into so small a space. Don't have a similarly pithy one for making the effort to communicate, though, and I would not mind one.

In some ways these rather old entries of mine (analytic of my worldview's basics, descriptive/inspirational quotations) touch on this between them about as well as anything I have said since, I think.

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

There is more room for hope and love and kindness in what is dirty and broken than in what is new and clean and shiny.

[pokeystar.livejournal.com]

You never stop learning.

Take responsibility for your actions.

Think before acting.

If you can't talk about it, you're not ready for it.

[(Anonymous)]

everybody comes with a story.

[(Anonymous)]

Find your bliss.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". You just can't go wrong with the Golden Rule. Besides, if every single person followed it, there'd be world peace and no hunger, I'd bet on it.

I also think a lot of the fist verse of the Serenity Prayer. I think it's useful for everyone, not just people in recovery. Not to mention it has a great story behind it. The author's original version goes like this:


God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

[shandra.livejournal.com]

This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man.

[abstract-me.livejournal.com]

Something Jim Henson once said to his children has always rang true to me: "Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling... Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it."

[emerdavid.livejournal.com]

If you get to the Piggly Wiggly, you've gone too far.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Words to live by.