Discover Something New #8 - Thoughts and Questions

One good thing that has come from this week off is a new idea for the newsletter, but I'll talk about that in a moment. I do want to tell you that the most notable thing that happened to me this week was being in a pretty serious car accident. I say “serious” just because it was pretty dramatic, but no one was hurt even a little bit. A friend was driving me home in his car at about 3:00 in the morning, and we were driving on West Lindo Ave., which is a narrow street with a dry river on one side. On a turn the back tire went onto the side of the road a little, and since it was loose dirt it provided no traction, and when my friend tried to compensate with the front we lost control and drove over the side of the road, into a 10 foot drop, landing on a large bush and a fallen log. The log actually stopped us from rolling about twice as far down, but it also turned the car over so the car was completely on its side. We had to carefully climb out the top through the passenger side door, and then climbed out of the ditch. It's pretty amazing that neither of us were hurt. We sat on the side of the road looking down at the car for a while, in various levels of shock, and then walked to my house. I'd never experienced something like that, and I doubt I'll ever forget it. But if you must have an accident, this was probably the best way to do it! No injuries, no damage beyond the car itself, no one else involved, etc. Could have been much worse very easily!
Something like that always makes you think, though. And that's part of my new idea for the newsletter. I've also had some great conversations with people this week, with some great ideas, and I'd like to share those. So, I'm introducing two new categories for the newsletter: “On A Personal Note,” and “Question of the Week.” The first one will be one item a week, and it will be just something that I was thinking about or experiencing that week. The second will be a question for all of you, sometimes a silly question and sometimes serious, to get your opinion on certain things. Since this newsletter is going out to 8 different countries around the world, I think it could be very interesting to learn how different or similar we really are. When I have time then I'll write about the answers you send in the next week's newsletter. I think these will keep the newsletter interesting and not just about facts. So usually I'll have one “Personal Note” and one “Question” and five “Discover Something New” items, but this week I'm going to use only the new categories, just to give you some ideas and because I had a lot of ideas this week. Let me know what you think, and enjoy!
-C

Discover Something New Every Day
Sunday: We usually think that “The Best” is most threatened by “The Bad.” But that's not true. The most deadly thing for “The Best” is “The Good.” No one says that TV, Computer Game, Sports, Shopping, Money, Fame, Success, Knowledge, or Pleasure of any kind is “Bad,” but when “The Good” keeps us away from “The Best,” then they are deadly.

Monday: Even if you drive off a 10 foot ledge and crash into bushes and logs, it doesn't mean that the airbags will come out. In my experience the best way to protect yourself is to close your eyes as tight as possible, scream as loud as you can, and focus on not wetting your pants.

Tuesday: At some point in life everyone must decide what is more important: what is done THROUGH their life, or what is done IN themselves. What is more important to you, what you DO, or who you ARE? Of course they are very similar, and often it is the same thing, but not always. Being able to control your projection of self does not change who you are, and being able to change who you are doesn't mean you will seem any different on the outside. Sooner or later, the DO and BE parts of you will clash, and then you must decide which one is more valuable to you.

Wednesday: One of the few things that has not changed in human existence since the beginning, and I think never will change, is the unpredictability of death. Despite all our hospitals, medicine, technology, health-food, and safe habitats, despite the fact that we can live a hundred years and often be completely free of pain, is death less sudden than in the stone age? Death can arrive with just as much suddenness and shock as ever before. In many ways our efforts to control death has provided more opportunities for shock. Our cars, buildings, airplanes, needles, operations, medical schools, police, restaurants, domestic animals, bug-spray, genetic engineering, microscopes, all the things we have created to make ourselves more comfortable and make life more secure, these things do not make death less surprising, only more shocking and unexpected when it comes, because we really thought we were safe. Death is just as present, just as shocking, and just as in control as ever, and the only thing that has changed is that we've convinced ourselves that it isn't true.

Thursday: There's a funny thing about time: there's always more than enough time, or way too little, but never just enough. Think of how many times you hear people say “Hurry, There's no time!” or “Don't worry, there's plenty of time!” compared to how many times you've heard “There's just the right amount of time”! It seems that time, or at least the way we handle time, is not very balanced at all.

Friday: Question: Isn't it true that everyone in the world likes cookies? Have you ever known any human being who did not like eating warm, fresh, home-made cookies? If so, please tell me!

Saturday: Question: I'm trying to understand if materialism is so strong in the West because we want thing more than other people, or just because we have more opportunity to get things. Do all people want “stuff”? Have you ever met a person who did not have some desire for material possessions? Please tell me about them!