I have been reading "Essential Readings" of Thích Nhất Hạnh. I have been reading a lot of eastern texts like this one over the last six months, and so most of the ideas in the book have been pretty redundant for me. However, the middle chunk has blown me away. He discusses the Buddhist concept of "emptiness," which I have failed to understand for a long time. But he uses wonderfully understandable language, and I feel like I finally have a meaningful understanding of some concepts I have been struggling with for a while.

Wie schön! Hast du die Deutsche teile selbst geschrieben, oder ist das eine Anspielung?

I've been enjoying high-tempo, hard sound of Run the Jewels lately.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFejWCokwV9SBQqcDfmb9SMDbYpSCIN7x

Also the new AWOL Nation album has a very different sound from the last, but I really like it.

I love trying to imagining having been alive as a self-aware, perceptive tree for that long and having witnessed the dawn of civilization to present. My mother has always said that she hopes she can be reincarnated as a giant sequoias tree.

Hey there! Lebowski is one of my favorite films (hence my username). I've read diverse interpretations on it here and there, and I even wrote a research paper on it last year for a writing class. I'm always excited to read new takes on the movie. Do you by any chance have links to other good reads that you've come across?

My first real kiss was in the small patch of woods that stands behind the subdivision in which I grew up. It was trick or treat in 8th grade, and I was with a group of friends. I was dressed up as a homeless guy, and she was a stick figure (all black body suit and glow-in-dark tubing stuff attached).

That little patch of woods is full of memories, actually. It was the neighborhood's go-to spot to do anything you didn't want your parents to see or find out about. We built fires, smoked our first joints, made out, etc. I suspect any day now they'll bulldoze it to squeeze in more houses.

OK great

Congrats! I loved:

  "Sometimes this is it like fishes,
   Still and often"

I think some white people watch Selma and The Help and they're like "Well that was awful! That was truly, truly awful! Thank god it's not like that any more!"

I agree completely. Movies like that are great, but I often think more white people should be exposed to films that force them (us, in my case) to face the present situation of racial divisions in American and say, "Well shit. Things might be better, but they certainly aren't great, and maybe I should be doing a little more about that." Because, you're right, it's too easy to have that ridiculous "Good thing we aren't racist anymore" mentality. But usually the movies that shed light on the current problems are things like documentaries, and don't get as much attention. I'm thinking of films like The House I live in, which isn't strictly about race, but certainly has a lot to do with it. I can't think of other examples right now.

So you totally didn't expect this but I think I needed to rant about Selma. Sorry :)

I'm interested in the conversation that ended in

it is not my duty to throw myself under the bus, to fuck myself over, simply because I enjoy privileges others don't. Which I agree. I am no good, to myself, to society, or to the causes I support, if I allow the system to beat me up simply because it beats up others and I disagree with that violence.

I don't need media to make me feel bad.

I used to be such a big fan of movies, music, TV shows that made me "feel bad," but it seems like I just can't stomach it much anymore. I know what reality is like, and I'm pretty empathetic. Movies like that can just be too much! I saw Selma because my girlfriend really wanted to. It was a well-done film, but I too walked out of the theater feeling abused.

I've been there.

When I'm run down and demotivated, I plan exactly what I'm going to do the next day to turn my mentality around. For me, a sense of accomplishment and productivity is essential in getting my mind right again. First I make a list of what I'm going to do. What needs done? Does the house need cleaned? Does laundry need done? Do bills need paid or do you have an assignment to finish? I need to physically write a list. Then I'll set my alarm and wake up early (this is important, because sleeping in makes the lethargy worse) the next day, have a strong cup of coffee with breakfast, and work out. Then, like 8bit said, I often meditate after a shower. Tackle the day! Start with easy stuff to get your momentum going. Take the trash out, do the dishes, and as you go, cross them off your list. Keep going until your list is done, and reward yourself at the end of the day with something- a movie, a beer, some time with friends. You'll feel like you earned it instead of like you're using it to escape time and obligations.

Wowzers I liked this! Especially

   Sleepy riverain across the pane
   In sheets of folded liquid fain
   Resolve

Yeah! The author is very, very articulate and able to express complex states of mind in clear, accessible language. The book also includes a thorough guide to the actual physical practice of meditation, which I found extremely useful. For anyone interested, an online version of the book (It's an older edition, a little different from the one you could buy) can be found here.

Ok I see the distinction you're making between being a reformer and imposing will on others. That makes a lot of sense.

I'm pointing out that if you like comics, go to a comics store. If you want to open a comics store, open a comics store. But don't open a comics store because you want to buy comics. Stores are a lot of work.

Let's be clear - I'm not advocating "never change things."

I dunno. I'm frankly appalled that a flippant three sentence comment in response to the question "should you move or create your ideal community" has me painted as some sort of jim crow apologist. Feelin' awfully mutey this morning.

Huh. I was just looking for some clarity there. Racial division was the first example that came to mind, I had no intention of painting you as a "Jim Crow apologist..." Mute away I suppose if I've so terribly offended, and you've taken it so personally, but that was not what I had in mind.

I'd like to both receive and pass on books! I think one book apiece sounds perfect to start.

English was my favorite subject in school as a young kid, but mostly because I didn't mind reading and always got an A. When I was 14, I read Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five," and overnight I found myself starving for comparable literature, bouncing with excitement at my discovery, and babbling about the book to anyone who would listen. Nothing had ever made me feel so deeply before. I felt as though Vonnegut had reached out, listened to, and understood my insecurities, questions, worries, and the burgeoning 14-year-old interest in the human condition and complex problems like war. Then he reaffirmed what I'd been feeling and commiserated with the rest, all while leaving a bitter-sweet laugh on my lips. Somehow that book made me feel like I did have a place in the universe and in humanity, that I wasn't alone, and that science fiction could be meaningful. He was my first favorite author, and I've since read nearly everything he's ever written. I even have a tattoo of the "Cat's Cradle" cover art on my back. It's my favorite Vonnegut book.

Anyway, Vonnegut sparked a true love for prose and, a few years later, a passion for poetry as well. Now I'm 21 years old and almost done with a degree in English Lit. I'm going to be a teacher, and, hopefully, I'll be able to instill some of my passion in students, and show them what books have to offer.

They're my favorite beers as well! But that isn't the point of the article! The point is that while hoppy beer is great, it's important to appreciate the diversity of craft beer, rather than ignoring everything that isn't tailored to the hops-lovers. By focusing so heavily on hoppy craft beers, the community alienates anyone who prefers less bitter beer, and who might otherwise be a fan.

I should read that book. These are the things I idly wonder about. I knew those three facts, and that's what I'm talking about. Something's got to give, right?? Or will we all just end up really educated and really broke? I like that you mentioned the parents not understanding the magnitude of fuckedness. I constantly feel disconnected from a generation doesn't understand or even believe in the validity of the bleak prospects that millennials face.

the future of higher ed is bright but there's a bloodbath coming before we get there.

This is something I keep hearing, and it scares the hell out of me. I'm glad the future is bright, but I'm wondering what will happen to the students, parents, teachers, and whoever else gets caught in the crossfire. I've no doubt that large groups of people are going to get really screwed. I'm also in the last two years of my 5-year program. When I finish, I'll actually be going into education. I guess I should keep tabs more closely on all this, huh?

I love the article you shared. I feel as though if you replaced the nicknames for the populations of the respective generations in the article, if could be taken word-for-word as a gripe about millenials. I'm not really upset, but that's probably because my parents are more than understanding of the situation, and, regardless, I'm personally in an excellent spot and don't have a lot to be worried about. I'm very lucky and grateful for these things. I know many of my peers are much more frustrated.

This article actually really raised my hackles. It made me quite upset! I don't think Wampole has the right idea at all!

I spend a lot of time with groups of "hipsters," my classmate and friends, and I myself tread a line somewhere between mainstream and what she condescendingly calls ironic. These people whom she claims revel in their irony and apathy so much that they lack the sincerity to accomplish anything or cause meaningful progress and movement are some of the most impassioned people I know. They are the activists who march, speak, write, and engage in the community. I've watched them affect legislation and change how certain things are run. A group of dedicated, ragtag hipsters, through persistent and organized activism and pressure, persuaded our fossil-fuel-gobbling university to formally commit to green energy and renewable resources. That is tangible change.

These same hipsters work tirelessly on political campaigns that they believe in. They support local initiatives to make the community a better place through community gardens, bike-friendly roads and laws, and volunteer work. They consume the news, poetry, literature, and philosophy at an astonishing rate, and they asses these things critically in important, engaging discourse! They support local artists and business, they have real jobs, they vote, they are upstanding members of the community.

They may spend hours rummaging in thrift stores for old flannels, scarves, goofy hats, sweaters from the nineties, and crew necks with ironic prints on them. They may have vinyl record collections more impressive than my father's. They write in leather-bound notebooks, and may be coffee and beer aficionados, but I'll be damned if they aren't the most sincere and passionate citizens I know.

I can't speak with conviction about why hipsters prize nostalgic clothing and materials so much, or why irony is so much their trend, but I can say with certainty that Wampole has it dead wrong. I think she is too alienated from these people. She is making unfounded assumptions about them and- ironically- basing many of them on appearance. Maybe she needs to spend more time coffee shops getting to know these folks.

They totally still happen. Rave culture, EDM, and the use of drugs like MDMA (Molly) and ecstasy is wildly popular in many circles. I've never been to a real rave, but I hear a lot about them from a close friend who is deep into the culture- glow stringing, poi, the drugs, the music, the fashion, all of it. I suppose you just have to know where to look- not that I do- but be assured they're certainly still going on. This is in the Midwestern USA I'm talking about.

I spent the summer in Germany, and I'd say raves are at least- if not more- alive in Europe than they are here. My classmates stumbled upon a particularly sketchy and disconcerting warehouse about twenty minutes from the city in an isolated rural area that hosts raves almost every weekend where people go and party from Friday night to Sunday afternoon without stopping. That was near Dresden. When we were in Amsterdam, there was a huge rave going on that weekend. We saw people all over the placed dressed to attend- and with the drugs that are often associated at such events.

  Es ist alles eitel- Andreas Gryphius

  Du siehst, wohin du siehst, nur Eitelkeit auf Erden.
  Was dieser heute baut, reißt jener morgen ein:
  Wo jetzt noch Städte stehn, wird eine Wiese sein,
  Auf der ein Schäferskind wird spielen mit den Herden. 

  Was jetzt noch prächtig blüht, soll bald zertreten werden.
  Was jetzt so pocht und trotzt, ist morgen Asch’ und Bein,
  Nichts ist, das ewig sei, kein Erz, kein Marmorstein.
  Jetzt lacht das Glück uns an, bald donnern die Beschwerden. 

  Der hohen Taten Ruhm muss wie ein Traum vergehn.
  Soll denn das Spiel der Zeit, der leichte Mensch, bestehn?
  Ach! Was ist alles dies, was wir für köstlich achten,  

  Als schlechte Nichtigkeit, als Schatten, Staub und Wind;
  Als eine Wiesenblum’, die man nicht wieder find’t.
  Noch will, was ewig ist, kein einzig Mensch betrachten!

Awesome! I love this guy. This is my favorite of his songs and studio performances. I wish all his music would be released in this format; I like it so much more than the album versions.

I can be extremely inflexible due to anxiety.

I'm with you on this one. I often have entire days ruined by one irrational source of anxiety like this that I can't seem to shake. what's the deal with that?

“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting...but no good reason to ever hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty hates with you, too. Where's evil? It's that large part of every man that wants to hate without limit, that wants to hate with God on its side. It's that part of every man that finds all kinds of ugliness so attractive....it's that part of an imbecile that punishes and vilifies and makes war gladly.”

-Kurt Vonnegut's "Mother Night"

Another snippet of Vonnegut as I work my way through all of his work :p

This is such a cool idea. I see more uses for it though. I live in a large city that is, unfortunately, fairly unfriendly toward commuter cyclists and cyclists in general. There are almost no bike lanes at all, and the ones that exist are small and dangerous . The drivers on main roads drive recklessly around cyclists, leaving as little room as possible. Despite the fact that it's illegal to cycle on the sidewalks, many drivers with no sense of how to share the road aggressively and maliciously cry out indignantly to demand that even the most careful and law-abiding cyclists "ride on the fucking sidewalk." Because of this, I often have to go to great lengths to plan my routes downtown and to popular areas carefully to avoid both busy roads and bad neighborhoods. Google maps never actually offers useful suggestions, but suggests routes that take me to the least bike-friendly roads.

The software in this article sounds ideal. It would map out directions through less crowded and probably less car-centric areas. The potential here to make bike commuting in large, metropolitan, non-bike-friendly areas more pleasant is huge!

It felt biased to me. I scored in the lower left, which I think is very accurate. However, I felt like the questions were worded in a way that made right-leaning answers sound stupid. It seemed to encourage left-leaning answers. Maybe I'm crazy though.

I'm on the same page as you with language poetry. I'd hate to be one of those people who declares that this or that isn't art or holds no value, but...man. The wool hat video just seems so...silly! I feel embarrassed that I've studied that poem it in the same class that I've studied George Herbert and Thom Gunn.

Yeah, absolutely! I had not realized how much meaning and careful writing I was missing by listening mostly passively to many artists. When I sat down and slowly and deliberately did close readings of songs, I found all sorts of new pleasure in artists that I have been listening to for years. I found that many writers employed lots of poetic devices, recurring images, symbolism, intricate metaphors, double meanings, clever word play, recurring images, and poetic tropes. There were even some that seemed to be very conscious of form, using enjambment and following patters in meter. Some artists have particularly cryptic lyrics, like Alt J and even The National, and I had previously not bothered to dig through them. But I found it very rewarding to discover deeper-than-surface-level content in the lyrics, and I feel that I get more out of the songs this way. Though I'll admit, I often neglect to be so deliberate, as it is often hard to find the time and motivation to sit down and pour over song lyrics.

At the same time, I found that some of my favorite artists have rather shallow lyrics that don't hold up well under a close reading. That's OK. Their music isn't worse, their lyrics just seek to accomplish something different than the lyrics of artists who write extremely consciously.

Kid A was certainly challenging. Our instructor said that she personally thinks Kid A was written to be read and approached like language poetry

From the Russian perspective, this does not need to be explained. It is simply what life is. We don’t have to explain why creatures desire to be alive. Life is an end in itself. And if what being alive actually consists of is having powers—to run, jump, fight, fly through the air—then surely the exercise of such powers as an end in itself does not have to be explained either. It’s just an extension of the same principle.

That's such a fun idea. This article was lengthy but it was a really great read! Thanks for sharing!

I liked it particularly because I've recently been struggling with ideas about how hard one should work-how ragged I should run myself. Is it worth it? What's the point if I'm not having much fun or enjoying myself? Will it really pay off later, or is it an endless cycle that I'm going to live out forever and regret some day? This resonated with my nicely and put a nice evolutionary spin on such pondering.

Holy cow this is just too much. Thanks for sharing it!