The Unknown Philosopher

My friends often call me a pessimist, but the truth is I am always expecting the unexpected.  We can never be sure what tomorrow has in store for us because in a moment things can change in our lives. I am always very attentive to this 'philosophy', and rarely like to plan things in advance. And very often when I do, something always comes up...  If I say to somebody 'I will see you tomorrow' how do I know I will? I quite often say 'god willing'. This is not a way of copping out, or putting the blame on someone else; but rather a way of accepting that some things are beyond our control, and they are.  I often think about the Maddie case in the Algarve. How many times did the McCann's interrogate themselves as to why, on that night, did they leave their children alone?  When something happens to us we often think of the alternatives and how things might have been if we'd have done things differently. Just that one moment that changed everything. So what a...

Hoje sempre fui a feira e conseguir ganhar 32 €, é o melhor que consegui até agora. Será que a minha sorte está a mudar. Para a proxima vez vou levar a guitarra, pode ser que seja discoberta e me torne uma grande estrela... A feira é realizada perto do Estádio novo, Parque das Cidades, Faro/Loulé ( foi construido para o Euro 2000 e não sei quantos, o tempo passa depressa!) no primeiro e terceiro Domingo do mês, todos os meses. Está a ficar gira.

Espero iniciar um grupo de discussão no Museu de São Brás de Alportel, sobre Deus, filosofia e mais. Estava indecisa, em que língua é que devia fazer, mas já decidi que vou fazer em Português. Os Portugueses , pelo menos, os que conheço são profundos. Um amigo, Hugo está sempre a profundar as coisas, farta-se de ler, e não é uma pessoa com grande educação, é motivado só nesse sentido. Temos sempre conversas interessantes . Ele emprestou -me o livro do José Rodrigues dos Santos, Fórmula de Deus. Tenho que o ler e ainda tenho outro para ler também que uma amiga me emprestou , The God Delusion por Richard Dawkins . Amanhã vou fazer uma feira de Ladra (se Deus Quiser) e tenho que me levantar cedo, talvez vou aproveitar a feira para ler o livro!

Before I went to see the Lama I looked for some information about Buddhism. Strangely enough it doesn't seem to be a 'static' religion, what I mean is that it seems to change according to different 'sects' with varying beliefs. The basic idea is, as "Earl" put it (My Name is Earl) 'Do good things and good things happen'. This certainly is a good philosophy. It has been long proved that being positive can produce excellent results; Dale Carnegie’s best selling book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” stressed that being positive was a definite winner. People like positive people. If you are negative, people will cross over the other side of the road to avoid you! They believe that we have the power to change our lives. Another golden rule is not to harm any living thing, whether animal, mineral or vegetable. (I had a list I can’t seem to find now!) Meditation is also a must. I still have questions though. The Lama said that w...

I was sitting in the car waiting for the children to come out of school when a thought occured to me. I was thinking about evolution. I don't really believe that we came from apes. I recon things may have evolved gradually, but not in the sense that Darwin taught. But then suddenly I had another thought. According to evolution we should reach perfection eventually, right? This planet seems a little far from perfect. Mentally the planet has not evolved. Wars have come and gone ever since the beginning of time, and continue. In effect mankind is still an infant, somehow trapped in this constant circle. I suddenly had the notion that evolution, acording to the laws of survival of the fittest etc, could eventualy bring forth the perfect being. right? It would probably be hermaphradite, to assure constant reproduction, It would also be strong and clever, it would have to be to survive. Would it then be correct to assume that God himself was the first ever being to evolve ? Could he hav...

I had rather a busy week, I don't know where the time goes. It all has to do with perception I suppose. The more busy we are the quicker time seems to pass. On the other hand, if you are held up at traffic lights and are late for an important meeting, two minutes can seem like a life time! Perception. I actually don't like waiting for anything, whether it be in queues or doctor's surgeries, but what I have learned is if you occupy youself some way or another, time inevitably, does seem to pass by quicker. There are other times we don't seem to have enough hours in the day. Time is a concept only really know to humans, in the traditional sense that is. I mean dogs never seem to be worrying about it! There was a white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, but that was just fiction (wans't it?) He was late for an important date. Time alters as we get further away from our planet. At the end of space, maybe it ceases to exist altogether. Somehow becomes timeless. My son descri...

This morning I was looking out of my kitchen window and a thought came to me, as I looked at the trees and the flowers. Sometimes it can be hard for me to imagine that once I never existed. It sounds like a kind of selfish idea but it is rather profound. For example, when we tell younger siblings stories of events that took place before their birth, they find it hard to grasp; the fact that once upon a time they didn't existe! Existence is to a point a state of consciousness, although it also goes beyond. Before we were born the world was already in existence. We can see and feel things in our lifetime. We exist. This is why many people are saddened at the prospect of death, because life continues even after we stop existing. This can be very painful. Man in this life tends to become trapped with in his own consciousness, he cannot seem to see beyond his own lifespan. Very often not paying much attention to present actions; such as pollution for example. Many of today's politic...

It is amazing how sometimes we just can't seem to move forward, like those weird dreams where we are running without getting anywhere. Whenever I seem to plan stuff, something else always happens. (As John Lennon once said 'life is what happens when we are busy planning other things') Last Friday I had arranged to go to an Acoustic Evening, a few people gathering together and having an acoustic jam session, I know it doesn't sound that funky. I have never been before I thought that I could give it a try. (I really like singing and I am looking for a guitarist and thought that it might have been a good opportunity) On the Thursday my husband decided that he was going away for the weekend with a friend. (again) SO I had to cancel Friday. Couldn't leave the kids alone, and they would have got bored if I had taken them. So that plan went out the window. We had a pretty quiet weekend, got some films from the DVD shop and I honestly can't remember much else. On Monday...

I today that the Dalai Lama is considering his resignation. I never knew that a spiritual leader could resign. It is not like he was voted into power, so how then can he resign? Surely this would cause the problem to escalate. As a the Spiritual leader of Tibet shouldn't he be in Tibetand not in exile? The whole thing doesn't seem right to me. I suppose if he would have stayed there, he would have been killed and become a martir. Better a live dog than a dead lion. (note I am not calling the Dalai Lama a dog, it is just an expression, for arguments sake I could say..better a live spiritual leader than a dead one..) If he did resign surely his people would feel like he had abandoned them. Of course the western worldwill probably not intervene. China has a huge expanding economy and contributes to much of the 'toys' we have in the west. Here in Portugal the Chinese don't even pay tax, it is a special agreement. It always all boils down to money in the end. As I wrote...

How many people go to therapy at some point in their lives? It is strange thing. I mean how can anybody say that they understand us? To understand someone else is complicated. We can only really understand within our own understanding. How can someone tell us that they know our subconscious better than we do? I sometimes have doubts about the 'subconscious'. Does it really exist? I think maybe often the subconscious is mistaken for 'habit'. A person may always react a certain way through habit. Is a habit then the subconscious? The subconscious is the conscious, hidden. Hidden on purpose. When in therapy, maybe the patient just starts to 'open up', starts to confide in someone, thus is able to tell their darkest secrets.Sometimes maybe they can't, or don't want to. It is certainly interesting. But, depends always on the patient. Some patients may find therapy rewarding and feel that it opens doors and changes their perspective a little. People can get st...

It has happened to all of us. That morning when you are running late, and the kids seem to take forever to get ready, you may even have an important meeting. You get in the car turn the key, and nothing happens. That tiny moment can change your whole day, depending on your circumstances. Mine aren't too good.I live in the country and there are no bus services nearby, so without a car, one is basically up a certain creek without a certain implement. As I, Thursday morning with the car I had just bought. I called the man who sold it to me he said he would come straight away. I even called a friend to help, which is not really like me, I really don't like to bother people. They are all busy enough (but I happened to know that this particular person was free. ) The man turned up at the same time as my friends. He said he would return later and resolve the simple problem of a loose wire. I went with my friends and was able to take my eldest son to school and have a coffee with them....