Best Of

I was just having a discussion with a good friend about meaning in life, and she held that for her learning and development held more meaning than proving one’s capability through overcoming challenges. For me that hasn’t been true, if I look at my life the things I was most proud of, that lent me the most confidence, they were creating things of beauty and accomplishing difficult things.

I think that meaning ends up in one’s life automatically, as long as you follow your heart. I find that not listening to the mind but listening to the heart is an art, it’s like finding the silence inside even amidst noisy surroundings, a knack. I haven’t always been equally good at it but most of my best decisions have come from that space.

I said yesterday to my dad, if I have a regret it is that I didn’t make it happen when you proposed that we should go on a tour to Egypt together to see the antiquities a couple of years ago. That may still happen, I held it out for him that if he becomes well enough we will go and do it with the two of us. It’s difficult but I think my mother will be alright with being on her own for a couple of weeks if we arrange the right support for her. And that immediately felt like the right thing to do.

Generally I can only find my emotions and the voice of inspiration that comes from my heart when I’m quiet inside.

@person said:

half of people reject it out of hand

I need to rephrase. Only like 10%-20% of the population is either far left or far right that are probably engaged enough to have that reaction. The 60%-80% in the middle are better able to take things as they are. The megaphone of social media makes it seem more extreme as it lets the loudest take control of the narrative. But that in turn creates an increasing polarization.

I used to wonder why so many people held Right Wing positions directly and overtly detrimental to themselves and their families. Then I was unitentionally exposed the one-sided flood of attack ads and deliberte disinformation and misinformation with no room, no space allowed foe any counter arguments or contrary (to the rt wing) messaging of any kind. It waa both a shock and an awakening. It explains much about why people keep voting for candidates and issues that only harm them and never help them.
Almost all of this (in the US) traces back directly to Ronald Regan abolishing the Fairness Docrtine in which the FCC required the holders of broadcast licences "both to present controversial issues ofpublic importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints."
The Right Wing was poised to pounce upon that removal and, with Mr Murdock in the lead, did just that. The Moderates ad te Left were caught competely unprepared, were overwhelmed, and have been playing catch up ever since.

I can't seem to re-find a good source, and am too lazy to dedicate more time to it... From what I've read about the NASA budget cuts, they are more drastic in the realm of non-manned programs than manned missions. Regarding actual science, probes and telescopes are the main thing, while manned spaceflight is more of a vanity project.

I guess that if you're serious about cutting state spending, the NASA budget is on the table, fine. However, personally, I would cut it the other way around, slash the manned spaceflight program, keep the probes and telescopes that do most of the actual science.

Just my view.