Live and Let Live
This issue is about the expansion of human consciousness, about compassion, and internal moral Systems.
In this issue we’re learning about Elon Musk’s take on the expansion of human consciousness, about the death of Nanda Devi Unsoeld, and about Goenka’s trans-religious teaching on happiness, liberation and compassion. And finally, in a new article we’re discovering our internal moral system and learn how to know and act on what is right for us.
✨ Sparks
🎬 YouTube Video: Elon Musk's Legendary Commencement Speech
Elon Musk telling the story about his entrepreneurial journey. Here’re two thoughts that stand out for me:
I was trying to figure out what does it all mean, like what’s the purpose of things, and I came to the conclusion that if we can advance the knowledge of the world, if we can do things that expand the scope and scale of consciousness, then we’re better able to ask the right questions and become more enlightened and that’s really the only way forward.
Even though you can show that something works on paper and the calculations are very clear, until you actually have the physical object and they can drive it, it doesn’t really sink in for people. [...] If you’re going to create a company, the first thing you should try to do is create a working prototype. Everything looks great on PowerPoint. You can make anything work on PowerPoint but if you have an actual demonstration article, even if it’s in primitive form, that’s much more effective for convincing people.
📝 Article: The Himalayan Tragedy That Forever Changed Mountaineering
Story about the death of Nanda Devi Unsoeld, daughter of legendary alpinist Willi Unsoeld, during the 1976 ascent of the Indian peak she was named after. See how we limit ourselves with concern, doubts and fear, although only the forces of nature can show us our limits and transcend death into blissful acceptance in the face of exploring and expressing our purpose.
Death is not too high a price to pay for a life fully lived.
Svati Kirsten Narula
🎬 YouTube Video: S.N. Goenka Speech at the U.N. Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders
Powerful speech by Satya Narayana Goenka, highly acclaimed teacher of the Buddha’s path to liberation, about finding peace and bringing it to the world by practicing to know oneself.
Religion is not for dividing people, it is for uniting people. [...] So much has been said about conversion. For conversion and against conversion. I am for conversion, I am not against conversion. But conversion not from one organized religion to another organized religion. No. Conversion from misery to happiness. Conversion from bondage to liberation. Conversion from cruelty to compassion.
🆕 New Content
📝 Article: How To Know And Do What Is Right
You abandoned your ability to fully trust your own truth to know and do what is right. Reassess external dogma and reclaim your integrity.
Ferdinand Kutschker
🙏🏻 Gratitude Journal
One of the most powerful daily practices to liberate yourself from mental downward spirals is to bring the things to your attention that you are grateful for.
- I am grateful for the specific size of planet Earth, making us exactly as heavy as we need to be to incentivize us to strive for greater comfort through challenge rather than laziness.
- I am grateful for the advancements of the internet that provide us with the entirety of mankind’s knowledge at the press of a button.
- I am grateful for life’s constant change, which we can always deny and resist but never evade.
What are you grateful for?
💡 This Week’s Wisdom
A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most perfect prayer.
From Minna Von Barnhelm or, The Soldier’s Fortune by GOTTHOLD EPHRAIM LESSING.
Captured and resurfaced using the phenomenal Kindle reader.
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