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Tag Archives: Montaigne
6. Use Little Tricks
Every mystery or philosophical tradition from the beginning of time has invented mechanisms to help adherents pay attention to the right things, or stop paying attention to the wrong things. I’ve always been fascinated by Zen koans, Sufi teaching stories, … Continue reading
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Tagged awareness, knowledge, mind games, Montaigne, religion, tricks
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10. Wake From the Sleep of Habit
I suppose one could take this advice two different ways: to wake from the sleep of habit, but also to wake from the habit of sleep. That is for the former, to be aware of everything you do by rote, … Continue reading
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Tagged attention, awareness, balance, Ben Franklin, habit, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Montaigne, Shakespeare, sleep
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11. Live temperately
Most people I know, when they think of temperance, imagine crowds of people, mostly women, protesting the sale and consumption of hard liquor – usually proceeding and following the passage and repeal of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, which prohibited production, … Continue reading
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Tagged Dalai Lama, Franklin, moderation, Montaigne, My Life Around Art, Saint-Exupery, temperance, warm-heartedness
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5. Survive love and loss (part 1)
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross said, “The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life … Continue reading
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Tagged Boston, death, loss, memoirs, Memphis, Montaigne, My Life Around Art
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4. Read a lot, forget most of what you read, and be slow-witted
I think it goes without saying that my life has been full of books. But reading goes beyond literature, doesn’t it? Newspapers, magazines, comic books, bumper stickers, cereal boxes, email, blog posts, novels, short stories, poetry, music scores, instruction manuals, … Continue reading
14. See the world
In my life, I’ve met a large number of people who have lived and traveled no more than 50 or 100 miles from their birthplace. To me, this gives modern people no advantage over generations and ancestors past who did, … Continue reading
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Tagged culture, Montaigne, My Life Around Art, perceptions, travel
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3. Be born
Everyone that I know was at one point born – so far as I know, all joking about hatching in the desert sun under the watchful eyes of vultures aside. I am no exception. The facts are readily verifiable: at … Continue reading
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Tagged birth, life, Montaigne, music, My Life Around Art, perceptions, rebirth, religion
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