Looking for a Rufous

A Brief Deja-vu

I recently listened to two of Arthur C. Clarke’s books, 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey, which was published posthumously in 2012. Clarke died in 2008. What an amazing intellect Clarke had. I remember going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in my hippie days. Wow! I saw the movie in a Cinerama theatre, huge screen with surround sound. What a sensory experience Clarke and Stanley Kubrick created using what was then new technology. The part of the movie where they were entering Jupiter’s atmosphere with all the colors streaming by and the amazing soundtrack was mind-boggling.

Did Clarke have all the answers? It’s interesting that he did have at least some of the answers. Many of the “fictional” concepts he wrote about, such as interstellar space travel, turned out later to be scientifically achievable.

Bottom Line

I really don’t have all the answers, at least not on the same scale as Arthur C. Clarke. If I did, I could have passed the Calculus course in college, many years ago when I was a Chemical Engineering major (ironically I loved Chemistry). As a result of having to take Calculus, I decided to change majors to a much less technical field, Journalism. It was a good choice for me. Notice I said “for me”. Reminds me of that scene in City Slickers, another good movie, where Mitch (Billy Crystal) and Curly (Jack Palance) were having a deep conversation. Check it out.

So, no matter what advice I give you, no matter how astute, genius-level, or just plain old practical advice, it’s up to you to decide what to do with the advice. Personally, I like it when people give me good advice.

Proverbs 18:2: A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.

A Few of My Own Answers

You may want to try some of these.

• Don’t Worry, Be Happy – From a previous blog, a picture of one of my hats.

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. (Maria Robinson)

• Respond, Don’t React (from a book by Dan Harris, 10% Happier)

• Stay healthy – exercise, eat sensibly, especially now during Covid.

• Read good books regularly, not just non-fiction for information, but fiction for entertainment. Some of my favorites (audio books) are C.J. Box, William Kent Krueger (currently listening to Mercy Falls), and Craig Johnson (Longmire series).

• Meditate – It’s surprisingly easy to integrate it into your regular routine, and it has many benefits. I’m planning to do a new blog on practical applications of meditation, admittedly inspired by Dan Harris’s book and other good books on the subject.

• Politics – I hesitate to even bring up the topic and won’t be giving you advice, no way, Jose, on political issues and events. You’re on your own.

That’s it until next time.