Sunday

Kay is coming in today, and we will get our groceries tomorrow. Remember, we are on a irregular schedule, with Kay celebrating Thanksgiving with her family. ... ... Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz on music: "An unconscious exercise in arithmetic in which the mind does not know it is counting." ... Schopenhauer: "It has always been said that music is the language of feeling and of passion, just as words are the language of reason." ... Aristotle: "How is it that rhythms and melodies, although only sound, resemble states of the soul?" [Arthur Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Representation" (Tr. E. F. J. Payne)] ... ... A hate letter was sent to a number of mosques in California: “There’s a new sheriff in town — President Donald Trump. He’s going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he’s going to start with you Muslims. He’s going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews.” [Huff Post] ... ... Oooh, a little backlash against the practical philosophy of mindfulness (of living entirely in the moment, the moment as everything). Ruth Whippman writes, 'So does the moment really deserve its many accolades? It is a philosophy likely to be more rewarding for those whose lives contain more privileged moments than grinding, humiliating or exhausting ones. Those for whom a given moment is more likely to be “sun-dappled yoga pose” than “hour 11 manning the deep-fat fryer.”' [NYT] I don't know. I tend to find some emotional value in focusing hard on what is before me immediately. On the other hand, it is true that it is not the key to happiness, assuming happiness even exists beyond the odd euphoric moment. Still, when your emotions and thoughts seem to be running chaotically and fruitlessly, it is not a bad move to stop, even count your breaths for a while, and just listen. You will often hear birds singing. ... ... The New York Times tweets, "The American wealthy are about to enjoy a giant back-to-the-1980s party, hosted by Donald Trump." I hope the working-class white people will be happy. Well, I suppose they at least will get the joy of being openly racist, and thus enjoy an enrichment of social status in that. ... ... Schopenhauer: "The absence of satisfaction is suffering; the empty longing for a new desire is languor, boredom." ... ... I didn't think I'd be returning to Solitaire. I figured that it would be better just to stare out the window for a couple of minutes and look at the passing world rather than order cards on a computer screen. But I guess games exist for a reason. The obsessive focus they call forth must scratch a cognitive itch. Of course, it can also be said that games make time seem to fly by, but that is one of my concerns about playing games: do I really want to let time fly by? That is my life we are talking about.