[Closed] Books

This week I was thinking of making a book tree. You know a tree like a family tree.
You read a book and that one leads you to another book or even more different books. And so on.
I started but it didn't work of course, because there are more things that make you read books than only books, so where to put those?

Anyway, I am now reading a funny and interesting book The Tao Is Silent by Smullyan. Funny guy. And taoism is interesting. It is what it is. There is just nature. And everything is part of nature. And by nature I mean really all there is.

Aside from explaining taoism related to anecdotes and quotes, he also clears up differences between typical western ways of thinking and eastern ways of thinking. And the dialogue Is God A Taoist? is classic. Very interesting piece about free will and determinism.

Another chapter that interests me personally is about the dilemma: accepting who you are or trying to make yourself a better person.

Another chapter is about being a mirror of the universe (reminds me of Indra's net...). He then talks about social phenomena like how people who judge you reflect their own personality on you and the other way: how you behave differently with different people and things like that.

I like philosophy but sometimes the ratio tires me. I like logic but sometimes logic makes no sense at all. Life is just life, it is what it is! Taoism is like the ultimate trust in life. And even trust is too judging, it's just life.

Interesting little book for people interested in philosophy and life view. It's entertaining.

I suddenly remember something else from that chapter. Question for you all:

Do what you like or like what you do?

If you can learn the second one, there will be less need for the first one...

I don't want to say too much about it yet, because I put up a poll on Facebook. Curious what people will vote!

Smullyan says something like that as well, except he reasons that when you force yourself to like what you do, it won't be just 'what you do' anymore, it would be a forced doing.

I think he means by 'things you do' things you'd do naturally, as in a flow and perhaps as 'what you like naturally'.

No one answered my poll.
Facebook can be a lonely place. Everyone just posting their own stuff...

Man, I wish I had some funny crazy excentrics in my life such as Raymond Smulllyan! I read a few more chapters (the chapters are really short, 1-3 pages) and I laugh my ass off.

Michael 'Lincoln Lawyer' Connelly wrote a series of books about Harry Bosch a L.A. homicide investigator. This one is called "The Narrows" about a killer called the poet. Not a great read but enough of an interest to keep me turning the pages.
Tom

Interesting post, D. And I understand what you say.

I had been thinking about deleting my account too. It was in June when my seven weeks vacation started. I thought 'Shall I delete it or invest some more in it?' I didn't do much with facebook back then, so it was either.

Although I can think of many principal reasons not to use facebook, I decided to update my account a little and search for more people to add. It brings good things and less good things. I try to manage it in a way that I only benefit from the good things.

I do not want facebook on my mobile, because the mobile is on 24/7 for calls of course. I look on facebook only when I'm on the laptop and I don't have automatic log in, so I really decide to go there, log in, look at updates or what I want, then I log out. (weird psychological difference between automatic log in and manual log in, isn't it?)

I block people whose posts annoy me. That does not mean I don't like these people! I just don't want their updates. Even if they are friends or family, when I don't like what they put up, I block their updates.

I only use facebook for sharing positive things. Like music, art, books, etc. I do not use facebook to post each state of mind I go through during the day and I do not post everything my children do or say!! Actually, I don't post anything about my family, except some pictures once in a while.

I found that it's interesting to follow some people that led me to more interesting things such as websites, music, books, whatever. There are some Dutch comedians I like to follow who post updates related to their work. I also discovered a wonderful sci-fi and fantasy artist Bob Eggleton who is on Facebook and posts a lot of his sketches and paintings and posts a lot in general. Some things are personal but I like his updates about his art. Then there is the music sharing like the MainTitles group. I don't post there often, but I read the posts and it has brought me good music and new stuff to discover. The same goes for the interviews and such posted recently on the Zimmer page for instance.

My profile is limited and I don't share many personal things. I like to follow some colleagues, it's nice to get to know them better and you have more things to talk about when you walk in on monday morning actually.

About real life contact, you know, I know it's important, but since a while I'm so tired of it. I just enjoy being at home and read or listen to music and spend time with the family. I think it will come back and then of course I will say 'I knew that this would be nice!' but for now... I only enjoy talking to my mother and sister. And there are people from my education/training years ago that I really loved, but they live everywhere and I'm not sure it is called friends... They were what I would imagine when I think of friends that would fit me.

I talked to my sister about this a while ago. We have the same social... thing. I think I have an irrealistic idea of friendship. Dreaming of people that would be a bit like me and would be nice friends. But that's an illusion. The real friends are in front of me but I just don't see it. I'm easily annoyed or bored by people, but that is because I don't give them a chance. I know how it works, but it's hard to change myself. Also, the better you are at chatting about nothing, the easier it is to make friends, that's how I often feel. Chat chat chat or you will be without friends. Makes sense because how can you find people who dont like that 'like myself and don't want to be found? And this stupid idea of mine that friends have to be alike. It doesn't have to be that way, I know, but I often feel very lonely when spending time with friends. Perhaps I don't give my whole self (I'm actually pretty sure that is the problem, I don't show myself and do not ask people any questions like 'how are you?' ). And it seems like I close up more each year.

Hm, will I end up as a bearded hermit after all? We always joke about that, about me living somewhere in a little shed al by myself with just my books and music, whahaha.


(and to Dutchies, yes, I also read Stine Jensen's Echte vrienden )

I think I pretend I'm OK with it but I know I'm not. I'm not ashamed to say that I often feel lonely. Many people are though.


I read and think and write a lot about friendship. It is fascinating. What interests me is the chatty society we live in. If you talk, you are heard, obviously. So, if you don't like talking, you're sort of handicapped in a way.

Another weird thing: I've always felt more comfortable with older people than with people my own age. I also feel more comfortable with men than women. I often have a feeling I haven't met the right persons yet. But I know that's not true or there is no such thing as the right person to be a friend. It's the other way around: there is just a person and then you invest in it and it will become a friend. I know it works like that. Then why can't I just do it?

What you say is very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

No, but funnily it'll look exactly like a white tiger.



Yes. Odd, that, as it's a problem ever more widely spread (with more people getting older and socially isolated; with social media insinuating themselves to the level of face-to-face meetings while still missing massive, essential elements; with an ever decreasing reliability on social circles due to an ever greater emphasis on the individual).



True.
It's even more complicated than that, as so much of verbal communication centers around formality and social roles ("meaningless" chit chat. I KNOW it serves a purpose and I DO understand that, but it ALWAYS annoys the F*CK out of me....and I know SO many people who seem to be LIVING talking like that ALL the time! )

But if you don't like to talk AT ALL, definitely you have many challenges in an occidental society.
We rely SO much on words to define our social interaction that even I would be hard pressed to think of any valid alternatives!



Generally it works like that.
On the other hand the "emotional" connection certainly does happen.
I didn't have to work at becoming friends with my best friends.

However over time I found I do need to work at remaining friends!
(Distance, changed life styles, work pressure and time are great dividers!).
And it does annoy me when all the work comes from one side. ...and at the same time I realise at times I haven't been the most communicative person either. Always with good reasons, but at some point that really doesn't matter any more, does it?

What I found, Bregje, is that for me it's so much easier to talk to people when I myself feel happy with myself (or at least content ) And this is also very connected to "keeping in practice"! Simply going out and talking to people at work, school, hobbies. Just, you know, normal (as in "accepted") social interaction. What you exude, you often get back. But I'm not sure this pertains to you at all: you seem so active in all facets of life!

A familiar physical context may help, but it's the social context -the interaction with the people- that prevails.
And let's not forget the added burden of being a hostess: is everyone having a good time? Did I spend enough attention to everyone? Did everyone have enough to eat/drink? Ughhh...

You know what I would like? Pen pals. Like in the old days. Because I love writing!

I also love to read published letters between people like philosophers. Writing letters to eachother, is so much fun! I really love writing, I even wrote something about writing, how my thoughts flow directly to the paper (or screen, OK), instead of talking where they have to pass all kind of physical and social obstacles.

Sometimes I wonder about the future, if we will be able to communicate without physical presence. I can write faster than I think. No, I mean I write better than I talk. I tend to think I will be able to share much more that way. On the other hand, our physical presence is a huge part of who we are. So which way of communication will make me fully express myself in my entire being? If shyness is part of me and it will disappear when the physical context will disappear, will it be fully me then?

That was what my writing was about, in short.

I'm not complaining but doesn't this thread have to do with books? Isn't this the thread for facebook?
http://www.maintitles.net/forum/discuss … /facebook/

I'm still into reading the Micheal 'Lincoln Lawyer' Connelly and his Harry Bosch character.
Tom

Hmmmm, so wouldn't you enjoy reading plays?
Just an idea?