Affirmation of life is the spiritual act by which man ceases to live thoughtlessly and begins to devote himself to his life with reverence in order to give it true value. — Albert Schweitzer
Chapada Diamantina National Park, Brazil - via Wikimedia Commons
Information overload
One reason we can find it hard to listen to our own signals is that we’re deafened by a bombardment of messages from the outside world. This is increasingly true in the age of the internet and social media.
The problem I’m interested in here isn’t their ability, it’s that there are simply too many of them. We evolved to survive and thrive in mobile tribes in which there would be a small number of people we could learn from. Today there are thousands of voices we can tune into in an instant, each one confident, informed and apparently useful – and often insisting that the expert you’ve just been listening to, who seemed just as sure of themselves, is actually completely wrong.
Sometimes, simply reading the advice of experts can have negative consequences if we are not secure enough in who we are and the life choices that we are making.
“Nothing important comes into being overnight; even grapes and figs need time to ripen. If you say that you want a fig now, I will tell you to be patient. First, you must allow the tree to flower, then put forth fruit; then you have to wait until the fruit is ripe." – Epictetus
Queen's song "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" strikes a chord with the universal experience of nostalgia, reflecting on youth, love, and memories. Written by Roger Taylor, it took on new meaning when Freddie Mercury recorded it while battling AIDS. The song serves as a gentle yet piercing reminder of mortality and the moments that define us.
Queen - These Are The Days Of Our Lives ]
Sometimes I get to feelin' I was back in the old days, long ago
When we were kids, when we were young
Things seemed so perfect, you know?
The days were endless, we were crazy, we were young
The sun was always shinin', we just lived for fun
Sometimes it seems like lately, I just don't know
The rest of my life's been just a show
[Chorus]
Those were the days of our lives
The bad things in life were so few
Those days are all gone now, but one thing is true
When I look and I find I still love you
[Verse 2]
You can't turn back the clock, you can't turn back the tide
Ain't that a shame?
Ooh, I'd like to go back one time on a roller coaster ride
When life was just a game
No use in sittin' and thinkin' on what you did
When you can lay back and enjoy it through your kids
Sometimes it seems like lately, I just don't know
Better sit back and go with the flow
[Chorus]
'Cause these are the days of our lives
They've flown in the swiftness of time
These days are all gone now, but some things remain
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's chokin', how? Everybody's jokin' now
The clock's run out, time's up, over, blaow
Snap back to reality, ope, there goes gravity
Ope, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so mad
But he won't give up that easy, no, he won't have it
He knows his whole back's to these ropes, it don't matter
He's dope, he knows that, but he's broke, he's so stagnant
He knows when he goes back to this mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again, yo, this old rhapsody
Better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him
[Chorus]
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You bette
Lose Yourself is a song by Eminem that expresses the emotions and challenges of pursuing a rap career. The song is the theme song for the film 8 Mile, which is based on Eminem's own life story. The song is about having one shot and being able to take it, despite the fear and doubt that may arise. The song also reflects Eminem's determination to overcome his obstacles and achieve his dreams.
Carpe Diem
All in all, “Lose Yourself” is truly an inspirational song. Owing to this, the lyrics do nothing but motivate and inspire listeners. They encourage listeners to lose themselves in the moment and endeavor not to miss the golden opportunities that life presents them with.
In the eternal battle against procrastination, here are some tips to help you overcome it:
Set Clear Goals: Break down tasks into smaller, manageable steps. It’s easier to start on something small than to tackle a huge project all at once.
Create a Schedule: Plan your day and stick to it. Allocate specific times for work and breaks to maintain a balance.
Remove Distractions: Identify what typically distracts you (social media, TV, etc.) and find ways to minimize these interruptions while you work.
Prioritize Tasks: Focus on the most important tasks first. Sometimes starting with what’s most daunting can make everything else seem easier.
Use the Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. Repeat this cycle four times, then take a longer break. This helps maintain focus and reduces burnout.
Find Motivation: Remind yourself of the reasons why you need to complete the task. Visualizing the end result can sometimes provide the push you need.
Reward Yourself: Give yourself small rewards for completing tasks. It can be something simple like a treat or a short break.
Stay Positive: Don’t beat yourself up for procrastinating. Instead, acknowledge it and focus on making progress from that point forward.
Seek Support: Sometimes, talking about your challenges with a friend or a mentor can provide new insights and encouragement.
Remember, it's all about building new habits and being kind to yourself during the process. You’ve got this!
Feel free to share if there's a specific task you're struggling with, and we can brainstorm more targeted strategies.
“A goal is a dream with a deadline” means that to increase the chances of achieving a dream you need to assign a deadline to it. You also need to get clear on what your dream looks like, so you can turn it into a goal, and then develop a specific plan for that goal.
Warren Buffett: "I tell students ... if they just learn to communicate better — both in writing and in person — they increase their value at least 50%."
"If you can't communicate with somebody, it's like winking at a girl in the dark. Nothing happens."
The age of Homo technicus could generate profound intellectual advances and solutions to our gravest problems. But first we need to ensure that it doesn’t kill us off.
Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit
By Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Craig Mundie
In his final book, the late Henry Kissinger joins forces with two leading technologists to mount “a profound exploration” (Walter Isaacson) of the epochal challenges and opportunities presented by the revolution in Artificial Intelligence: a breakthrough that dramatically empowers people in all walks of life while also raising urgent questions about the future of humanity.
As it absorbs data, gains agency, and intermediates between humans and reality, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will help us to address enormous crises, from climate change to geopolitical conflicts to income inequality. It might well solve some of the greatest mysteries of our universe and elevate the human spirit to unimaginable heights. But it will also pose challenges on a scale and of an intensity that we have never seen—usurping our power of independent judgment and action, testing our relationship with the divine, and perhaps even spurring a new phase in human evolution.
The last book of elder statesman Henry Kissinger, written with technologists Craig Mundie and Eric Schmidt, Genesis charts a course between blind faith and unjustified fear as it outlines an effective strategy for navigating the age of AI.
Bob Dylan - Visions of Johanna (Official Audio) 4.2M views · Mar. 11, 2019 YouTube · BobDylanVEVO Lyrics
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks When you're trying to be so quiet? We sit here stranded though we're all doing our best to deny it And Louise holds a handful of rain tempting you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft In this room the heat pipes just cough The country music station plays soft But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover, so entwined And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind
In the empty lot where the ladies play Blind man's bluff with the key chain And the all-night girls They whisper of escapades out on the D-train We can hear the night-watch man click his flashlight Ask himself if it's him or them that's insane
Louise, she's alright, she's just near She's delicate and seems like the mirror But she just makes it all to concise and too clear That Johanna's not here
The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place
And now little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously And when bringing her name up, he speaks of a farewell kiss to me He's sure got a lot of gall to be so useless and all Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
Oh, how can I explain, it's so hard to get on? And these visions of Johanna, they've kept me up past the dawn
Inside the museums infinity goes up on trial Voices echo, "This is what salvation must be like after a while" But Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze When the jelly-faced women all sneeze Hear the one with the mustache say "Jeez, I can't find my knees"
Both jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel
The peddler now speaks to the countess Who's pretending to care for him Saying, "Name me someone that's not a parasite And I'll go out and say a prayer for him" But like Louise always says, "You can't look at much, can you man as she herself prepares for him?"
And Madonna, she still has not showed We see this empty cage now corrode Where her cape of the stage once had flowed The fiddler, he now steps to the road He writes, "Everything's been returned which was owed" On the back of the fish truck that loads while my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain
Songwriters: Bob Dylan For non-commercial use only.
