Aesop

                                                            Aesop on the Auction Block at Ephesus

                         "Aesop was standing between an orator and a singer .  A prospective buyer was the Lydian philosopher, Xantus .  Xantus asked the orator what he could do--- 'Anything' was his answer .   He asked the same question of the singer--- 'Everything' came the reply.   Finally Xantus got around to Aesop and asked him what he could do --- 'Nothing' said Aesop .  'Nothing' repeated Xantus disbelievingly .   'One of my companions',  said Aesop, 'says he can do anything and the other says he can do everything, that leaves me with nothing' .

                           "Xantus liked Aesop's answer and asked, ' If I buy you will you promise to be good and honest ?'  'I'll be that whether you buy me or not', said Aesop .  'Will you promise not to run away?'  'Did you ever hear of a bird in a cage tell his master he intended to escape ?'

                                                    Quoted by Dick Gregory in his NO MORE LIES .

                                                           Tare Forward and Keep the Faith 

*** Just so you know Aesop is pronounced   E  sow  as in the porcine sow .

                            

                                                                  

Cato the Elder

                                                           We, as a Civilization, need Models .  Below is one of my Most Intense .

                                              Plutarch writing of Cato the Elder (Priscus) [a Roman] .

                            "What was even more remarkable was that he followed the same habits, not merely while he was young and full of ambition, but even when he was old and gray-headed and had served as Consul and celebrated a Triumph, and that he continued, like some Champion Athlete, to observe the rules of his Training and maintain his SEL-DISCIPLINE to the end .

                             "... he would rather do what was right and go unrewarded than do wrong and go unpunished, and that he was prepared to forgive everyone's mistakes except his own ."

                                       I LOVE this MAN  and I LOVE Plutarch for his Observations .

                                                                     

                                                  

                               

Is not trump a 'great' man ?

                                                            What follows is from Han Yu .

                             "With the great men of the present day, however, things are quite different .   They make the most searching demands on others, but are sparing in what they ask of themselves.  In consequence others have become most reluctant to do good, while from themselves the great men obtain little.   Before they have acquired any skill, they say, 'I am good at this, and this is quite enough' .  Before they have obtained any ability, they say, 'I can do this, and this is quite enough' .  They impose on other men without and upon their own hearts within .  Before they have made even the smallest advance, they give up. Does this not show that they are very sparing in what they ask of themselves ?

                                                             Han Yu continues :

                           "But in dealing with other men, they say, 'He may be good at this, but that is no reason to commend his character', or, 'He may be able to do this, but that is no reason to commend his services'.   they pick one shortcoming to the exclusion of TEN merits .   They search into a man's Past and take no account of what he is NOW .   Their only fear is that other men may gain a reputation .  Is this not to make the most searching demands of others ?

                            " In fact, it may be said that they fail to apply even ordinary standards to themselves, but demand from others those of a SAGE .  How can they have Self-Respect ?   Such conduct has its root an source :  and these are laziness and JEALOUSY .   Laziness prevents their own development; Jealousy makes them dread development in others" .

                                             2 words :   Assholes be assholes .

Arete

                                                           I had thought to continue yesterday's travels that we may find Corruption and its Consequences--- I am not of that Mind this morning, I felt that it would be too negative and substantially dour , so  I changed my Mind .   

                               I want Planetarians to retain their focus of attention on the Individual, since it is the Individual that is the Model of the Empire, that is, according to the Ancient Chinese, with whom I am affected .  However, it is NOT the Chinese that I call upon to describe the Ultimate Individual, it is the Ancient Greeks and the Blind Poet, Homer specifically .   

                              Previously I have introduced the concept of "Arete" [ R-ray-tay ] to my General Readers, I reintroduce here .  Arete is not simply "Virtue", it is better defined as "Excellence", that is, PERSONAL Excellence .

                              What follows is from H.D.F. Kitto and his The Greeks .    "Arete implies a Respect for Wholeness or The Oneness of Life, and a consequent DISLIKE of Specialization {and 'specialists'}.   It implies a CONTEMPT for efficiency--- or rather, a much higher ides of efficiency :  and efficiency which exists not in one department of Life, but Life itself . 

                             Further :   "If Arete is used in the context of a Man, it will connote Excellence in which a man can be Excellent--- MORALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, PHYSICALLY, PRACTICALLY .   Thus the Hero of the Odyssey is a great fighter, a wily schemer, a ready speaker, a man of stout Heart and broad Wisdom who knows that he must endure without too much complaining what the gods send; and he can both build and sail a boat, drive a furrow as straight as anyone, beat a young braggart at throwing the discus, challenge the Phaecian youth at Boxing, Wrestling or Running ;  flay, skin, cut up and cook an ox, and be moved to tears by song .   He is, in fact, an Excellent 'All-Rounder and he has surpassing Arete."

((( All caps, boldface, and italics are mine)))  { }  indicate my internal dialogue 

Digging Deep

                                                           The BEST Definition of Karma in Biblical Form is punishingly revealing ;  Karma is     "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" .      "It don't get no better" .   

                                I submit that History IS  Future,  the Study of History IS the Study of Future .    Seeds sown in the Past have grown and they have yielded the "Fruits and Vegetables" of Present Day Harvest---unsurprisingly many of them have been found to be Poisonous .    

                               It gets worse .   I mentioned Roman Senators that if they were to be transported to their Future OUR Present, they would "fit rite in" .   "IT" begs the question, Has Humankind EVOLVED ?    Has Human NATURE  Evolved ?????   

                                 Consider .

                                                       Tare Forward and Keep the Faith 

The Garden of Stephen

                                                            We are living in the Future, of course it isn't OUR Future but it IS the Future of HITLER.   We are living in a Future that Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans could never have imagined, yet if one or two Roman Senators were transported to our Time THEY WOULD FEEL QUITE AT HOME such is the Nature of Present Day Politics .   If HITLER were to be transported to our Now you gotta believe HE'D BE THRILLED .   Killing HITLER DID NOT KILL HITLERISM, he HAS SURVIVED.  The Jews killed Jesus, but look what happened, TWO THOUSAND YEARS LATER, He is ALIVE and some would say FLOURISHING .   Christianity is the NUMBER ONE Religion on EARTH, [second is Islam, third is Hinduism] .   

                               I use to think that if I used a Venn diagram it would help us grasp the nature of "Just Now", the present MOMENT.  These days I'm not so sure .  Indeed, I feel as if the Future CANNOT be assigned to a Venn diagram because when you look hard, the Future can exist ONLY as an abstract mental construct .  Indeed, it is  IMAGINATION  that generates the concept  of  Future .  I don't like it, never have .   

                               We believe that IN THE FUTURE there will be Peace on Earth --- Really ????  How ?

                               The Past is like a Garden, as far as I see it .   If the Past has planted seeds of Peace, then Peace can be harvested .  If the Past has planted HITLERISM, then HITLERISM WILL BE THE HARVEST .   You can see it rite ?

Future Corruption

                                                           There are 2 Problems that need Confrontation, the recognition of "The Future" and Human Corruption .   Elsewhere I have written that Islam steadfastly REJECTS ---> ANY "Future" because the further one gets from Mohammed's Teachings the more CORRUPT Islam becomes .   Straight up you can see the Dilemma that 'the Future' contains--- without the POWER of the Future, Military Defense is IMPOSSIBLE .   Muslims CANNOT  Deny the Power of 'the Future' but in the same breath they RENOUNCE ANY Future  that carries them away from the Prophet and His Teachings .  Even the word >conflicted< isn't enough to qualify this state of Concern and Distress that is experience by even ordinary Muslims let alone ITS Religious Sanhedrin and that of the Military .   

                             Christianity fares no better especially Catholicism, whose only Objective is to maintain MASCULINE control over the Teachings and PREVENT Women from ascending into its hierarchy, which to those of us who KNOW that it was WOMEN who Preserved Jesus' Teaching IN THEIR HOMES by holding what was to be known as "Masses" for the Believers, has become a Silent OUTRAGE .   

                             I do not know enough about Hinduism and Its view of the Future .  I regret not familiarizing myself with the Vedic Texts -- but Hindu's have yet to start a World War so, I mean, there's THAT .