Philosophy in a Nutshell
Thoughts to Ponder
by
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1 The saga of a conqueror is but a pin-prick of the whole story. The individual suffering of countless victims is the real tale. It is the part most often forgotten or skimmed over, but only it carries the impact necessary to dissuade future generations of folly. It is our adoration of large figures that hides the history that hurts; the history that can do some good. * 2 There are so many unhappy people in the world. Their ailment is that they do not recognize beauty, only the accoutrements of the superficial; wealth, power, and praise. Beauty fosters gratitude and appreciation, life’s premium emotions. * 3 For the masses, power is the most respected achievement. It is also the one that people most suffer from. * 4 Every moment of every day has the freshness of a beginning; the moment before having been forgotten and forgiven. * 5 At death, that ultimate "come as you are party," it is not important what we did, but what we are, that counts. I have been wondering about Jesus and what he had to go through to become that man talking about the meek and the poor. I bet he didn't arrive all ready to go. I think he had many mistakes to overcome and trials to endure before he could preach with such power. In the bible it mentioned that he said two things when he was on the cross; "Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?" and "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do." The former represents his humanness, and the latter his divinity; two statements; two worlds. So it is with us; it is how we end up, not our history that tells the tale. This gives me hope. * 6 The echoes from the great minds of the past, united in one voice, cannot be snuffed out by the bellowing of modern tyrants. Hitler burned books by Plato, but Plato is still alive and chanting the truth in full chorus with the rest of God's servants. Hitler is silent; his message having brought hate and evil. * 7 Nature, in its kind mechanical way, has provided each of us a whole set of buffers in which to avoid seeing ourselves. When we do something not consistent with our image of ourselves, we quickly buffer the event. For instance, if we just made a mistake at work, we will offer one of a series of excuses; "I didn't get much sleep last night," or, "Joe didn't tell me that." If the buffer works, we don't have to face the reality that we made a dumb mistake. However, if the transgression is of large proportions, a buffer might not cover the problem and we will have the distinct displeasure of having to see ourselves as we are, or were, at that moment. Pain and inner discomfort are the result of such a vision. It is conscience, and painful though it may be, it is a gift nonpareil from God; to suffer ourselves for ourselves, sans buffers, is high place and the stuff from which angels are made. Of course, we have to use it to understand ourselves and become more humble. Otherwise it is a waste. I think it was Emerson who said that that God only gives us trials for our own education and/or protection. * 8 An emotional wound needs time to heal, but it won't heal if we keep picking at the scab. If another person was party to the incident, they need to heal also and the best way to help them is by being non-judgmental and just loving them as best we can. This is hard to keep caring for and loving a wild and wounded soul, but be the turtle; consistency pays in the end. * 9 I think it is a fact of life that nobody knows what anything means, but everybody thinks they do. I am constantly fooled by events and what they mean. It keeps me off balance an in awe. As an experiment, try to figure out what a selection of events mean; a new person in the office, a promotion, an accident, and such. After you have mentally recorded your expectations, watch what unfolds. You will probably discover that an event is both the beginning of a long string of linked events and the end of another string of events. Not only this, but each event along either string will have a variety of interpretations and meanings, depending on the view. Sometimes I muse about the world made up of billions of these strings, running amok, events crashing into one another, causing all manner of havoc, and starting other strings to add to the confusion. Of course, this is only a part of the universe which is constantly on the move; atoms to galaxies buzzing in eternal rush. * 10 Chaos is a misnomer. We think of it as unpredictable confusion that makes no sense. On the contrary, chaos has great significance, but not at our level. At a higher and deeper level, where we can see with perspective, everything is pattern and beauty. In a brace of storm clouds, one cloud is in a random location, having no meaning by itself, but viewed as a part of a whole, it fits to perfection.
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About the Book
This little book is a powerful synthesis of one man’s foray into the unknown world of the spirit. He has been collecting his thoughts in notebooks and scraps of paper for many years. He decided to put them all together and publish them so others could share in a profound awakening of a soul, and perhaps serve as an impetus to begin their own trek to immortality. "If I could dispense only one gift to a friend, it would be curiosity. This then would enliven my friend like no other prize I could bestow." The ideas here reflect an uncommon sincerity and depth of understanding that reminds one of Epictetus. Ron is ever the prophet, seeing into the vast present and reporting back that all can be well if one would give up vanity and foster an inner life in its place. Ron Lancaster’s last thought is a sum well worth noting: "In summation, what is required is to try to stay in the present as much as possible and out of imagination. With that comes the responsibility to become as decent a person as you can, eschewing vanity and pomp, and encouraging humility and love. If you make every effort in this direction, you will be delighted by what happens to you and everyone around you. You and they will gleam from an invisible halo. And the world will be a better place."
About the Author
Ron Lancaster is a professional storyteller and teacher whose life has centered on the puzzle of life. He felt early that there is something behind this masquerade of madness called the human race. He says that nothing made sense until he began reading the ancient masters, Plato, Seneca, and Epictetus. They too wrestled with the same ideas and came to profound conclusions about the human condition. Ron has learned great lessons from them, as well as a host of others like Shakespeare, Montaigne, Ouspensky, and Emerson. Ron has done many things in his life, including working as a comedian, owning a bookstore and several nightclubs, driving a cab, and teaching special education in high school. During all of this, his main concern has been living a virtuous life and being present to the beauty that is his everyday companion.