There are wildfires.
On Greenland.
In the permafrost.
Which is supposed to be frozen.
(Hence the perma-)
…
…
This is not good folks.
Archive for August, 2017
Wonder Wednesday
August 16, 2017so do they come striding through,
marching down a line,
on paws so soft,
and bodies fierce,
bristling with eagerness,
to greet another day,
as roaring beauties,
aflame in the savannah
photo by Torie Hilley
Philosophy Tuesday
August 15, 2017A couple of years ago, during a mindfulness and meditation panel I was co-leading, one of the participants raised their hand:
“If attachment, so suggests Buddhism, is the root of all dis-ease… well, how do you know when you are attached to something?”
Hmmm. That was a good one. It can be fabulous and very empowering in life to be committed to something, but at what point can we tell its crossed beyond a commitment into an attachment?
I paused for a moment to let this percolate.
“I’d say that… if you find yourself righteously hot, fixated, uncontrollably going on about something, and you’re gripped by it… then it’s probably an attachment. There’s a visceral component to it, one of those ones that defies neat and accurate description but if you let yourself be sensitive to it you get to know that grip. Actually, you can probably think back to a time when something was said or done or you learned that just had you react with such recoil and fury that seemed to come out of nowhere… well, bingo, that’s the feeling, that visceral reaction. There’s something there beyond just a commitment.
And this is really good to notice, not only because attachments can cause us such distress, but because it robs us of our freedom and, perhaps counter-intuitively, kills our performance and our power. It also means that maybe we should check that commitment, because I’ll bet ya if we have that reaction we’re actually attached to something other than what we’re saying we are committed to. And if our authentic self wants us to embrace that commitment, authentically, then we’re going to want to deal with that inauthentic hidden attachment.
Once we’re out of the grip of attachment, we are free to play and be who we truly want to be.”
A great question that had me distinguish something for myself that day.
Architecture Monday
August 14, 2017
There’s something quite arresting about this house, in even this one photo. The sun is certainly one reason why, gleaming off the smooth white polished and plastered walls (from locally sourced lime and salt) to bathe the interior in a sensuous glow… but for me it’s the way that smooth and polished plaster plays off the rough block construction that form the walls and columns, and even more so along the rough groin vaulting of the roof. Against the strong uniform background the shadows and textures really pop, and the different patterns and surfaces make for a tableau of visual delights. Even the stairs and floor are finely honed, adding their contrast between the silky and the coarse.
Even better is this is an adaptive reuse, made from a former lamp-oil mill built in the 17th century. It does what adaptive reuse does best, letting the rugged form speak of its time and place while carrying it forward with a new use and new insertions.
Nicely done. Ludovica + Roberto PalombaSerafini House by Palomba Serafini Associati
Wonder Wednesday
August 9, 2017
Wow wow WOW, this is an absolutely fabulous painting of the Secret of NIMH.
“Courage of the heart is very rare.
The stone has a power when it’s there.“
Art by Lothlenan
Philosophy Tuesday
August 8, 2017One of the greatest things to learn as a human being,
I assert,
is the ability to be with yourself.
And to that I mean really just be with yourself.
You.
And your internal state.
No music.
No movies.
No conversation.
No email.
No task or goal or game.
No distractions.
No interruptions.
Maybe walking alone, maybe sitting, maybe lying down in bed,
But just you, walking with, sitting with, lying with, whatever comes up for you.
It isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do;
And it is, very much, something that needs to be learned.
(And the earlier you are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn it,
the better,
Because if not, woah.
It’s like learning to walk when your thirty.
Every fall is going to hurt so much more,
And the discouragement will be so much worse.)
But it is vital.
Because in that space,
you,
we,
learn to,
be still
to observe
to listen
to know ourselves
and therefore to know others
to open up
to connect
to feel all our feels
to be at one with ourselves
and at one with the world around us
and to live in all of these worlds
simultaneously.
From that space,
comes birthed,
agency
creativity
awareness
emotional integrity
we learn to hear our authentic selves
and we learn to let go our inauthentic narration.
It is from here,
that we construct ourselves
design who we will be in the world
give voice to our genuine character
and step out into the world
well adjusted
well equipped
with peace of mind
and a full heart.
When we,
you,
can be with yourself,
you can be with whatever life brings
when it life’s all over you.
You can be,
just be,
no matter the circumstances.
And in every moment,
you get to be,
how,
and who,
you want to be.
Architecture Monday
August 7, 2017.jpg)
I just find this one really nifty. An auditorium/stadium/community centre made pretty much entirely out of bamboo and a thatched roof. And it’s gorgeous. Arches upon arches upon truss-like-arches, going back as far as the eye can see. Openings in the roof plane like an unfolding lotus flower casts light inward, highlighting the evocative structure even as it provides illumination. Walls, balconies, stage, also all made of bamboo, held together by woven ropes.
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Lovely. Locally sourced, naturally harvested, nothing but borax salt for treatment, full of natural light and ventilation, and a delight to experience both inside and out. Great stuff.
Bamboo Sports Hall at the Panyaden International School by Chiangmai Life Construction
