Bad Choices

Originally posted by HandyAndy
I can resist anything but a good book. 🙂

My next book will be 'Wolf Hall' (Thomas Cromwell) by Hilary Mantel - hard to resist.

Originally posted by lolof
My next book will be 'Wolf Hall' (Thomas Cromwell) by Hilary Mantel - hard to resist.

Should be fun. Isn't it part of a trilogy.

Originally posted by HandyAndy
Should be fun. Isn't it part of a trilogy.

Maybe it is - it was what they had in our library.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby ........................................................................... [0] [2]
Bad Choices

Bad choices limit future options: on the chessboard; for each of us individually and for our families;
for the villages or towns or cities and countries in which we live. Yes? Maybe? No? Your thoughts.

Apparently there are two invisible people who decided I made a bad choice in choosing the original post.

Originally posted by Seitse
Yes, I hate it when people use their car horns indiscriminately. Loud music? I don't mind much, as long as it is a nice tune (no heavy metal for example), but when there are annoying, "unnatural" noises, I feel that both the person creating it made a bad decision as well as me, for not running away from it.

It reminds me of a time when I was walking by a cons ...[text shortened]... r, I could pick the next bus stop instead of this one.

Overall, I see where you're coming from, b

Seitse, I like your contemplative reflections. They bring to mind Socrates' "The unexamined life is not worth living."

"I've always been fascinated by Socrates' bold statement that "The unexamined life is not worth living." He doesn't mince words. He doesn't say that the unexamined life is "less meaningful than it could be" or "one of many possible responses to human existence." He simply and clearly says it's not even worth living.

Why does he make such strong, unequivocal statement?

Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow toward greater understanding of our true nature unless we take the time to examine and reflect upon our life. As another philosopher, Santayana, observed, "He who does not remember the past is condemned to repeat it."

Examining our life reveals patterns of behavior. Deeper contemplation yields understanding of the subconscious programming, the powerful mental software that runs our life. Unless we become aware of these patterns, much of our life
is unconscious repetition..."

"We all have blind spots. Sometimes when I examine a chronic problem in my life, I have that unsettling feeling that I must be missing something, but I can't quite see what it is. We try to examine ourselves, but none of us can see our own back side (our "shadow" ).

That's why Socrates' method of self-examination included an essential element that became known as "Socratic" dialogue. Dialoguing with a close friend, a spouse, a skilled psychotherapist or spiritual adviser helps reveal those blind spots we cannot see by ourselves.

Our society discourages self-awareness with a weekly cycle of working and consuming that keeps us too busy to slow down for self-reflection. Consumer capitalism's game plan prefers an unaware and vaguely dissatisfied populace that tries to fill the emptiness inside with shiny new products.

It's a radical act to stop and contemplate your life. But according to Socrates, it's the only game that really matters."
By Robert Gerzon http://www.consciousearth.us/socrates-unexamined-life.html

Originally posted by HandyAndy
Should be fun. Isn't it part of a trilogy.

You are right - Wolf Hall is the first part of a trilogy by Hilary Mantel about the Tudor time in England seen from Thomas Cromwell's perspective.The novel was awarded with the Booker price, as was the second part, Bring Up the Bodies.

Bad choice: Don José, soldier leaving his childhood sweetheart Michaela for Carmen the gipsy girl, in Georges Bizet's tragic opera 'Carmen'.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Seitse, I like your contemplative reflections. They bring to mind Socrates' "The unexamined life is not worth living."

"I've always been fascinated by Socrates' bold statement that "The unexamined life is not worth living." He doesn't mince words. He doesn't say that the unexamined life is "less meaningful than it could be" or "one of many possible ...[text shortened]... t really matters."
By Robert Gerzon http://www.consciousearth.us/socrates-unexamined-life.html

Dear old Socrates wouldn't have copied and pasted someone else's words to replace his own.

Originally posted by HandyAndy
Dear old Socrates wouldn't have copied and pasted someone else's words to replace his own.

"Socrates left no writings of his own, thus our awareness of his teachings comes primarily from a few ancient authors who referred to him in their own works..." http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Socrates

uks sakes... all the same old. 😀

Edit: yes, I can type pretty well now. 😉

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
"Socrates left no writings of his own, thus our awareness of his teachings comes primarily from a few ancient authors who referred to him in their own works..." http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Socrates

Primarily from Plato, Bobby. And he didn't copy and paste either.

Originally posted by mikelom
uks sakes... all the same old. 😀

Edit: yes, I can type pretty well now. 😉

Four months away from these public forums: a warm welcome home, Mikelom! You've been a Red Hot Pawn Member since 16 Aug '05, almost nine years (two more than my good choice in July, 2007 which created the opportunity of meeting you).

Originally posted by lolof
Bad choice: Don José, soldier leaving his childhood sweetheart Michaela for Carmen the gipsy girl, in Georges Bizet's tragic opera 'Carmen'.

Great example, lolof. Do you enjoy the music of Carmen?

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Great example, lolof. Do you enjoy the music of Carmen?

Yes, I do - it's one of my favourite operas. I especially apprecate this aria:

YouTube

Jonas Kaufmann " La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" Scala 2009

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Apparently there are two invisible people who decided I made a bad choice in choosing the original post.

When you're out there examining yourself, Bobby, do you ever talk to invisible people?

Do you have a personal opinion on bad choices, or do we have to find it in Wikipedia?