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Arthur Schopenhauer was born on this day in 1788. Who you say?Don't look at me like that. Mine is just the kind of mind that remembers these sort of things.
He was the German philosopher known for his atheistic pessimism {maybe the two go together?} and for his philosophical clarity. One of the things he wrote that sticks with me is :
'Reading is equivalent to thinking with someone else's head.' And if that allows us to think outside the box of our own perspective, is that such a bad thing?
Another historical note : Today in 899, Arnulf of Carinthia was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Formosus in Rome. But his rival, Lambert of Spoleto, kept the throne anyway. I bet Bush would have loved to have repeated that bit of history.
What did Edward Kennedy say? "Frankly, I don't mind not being president. I just mind that someone else is."
And because I'm a Science Fiction/Fantasy writer, I know the following :
Every morning since its construction in the 13th century B.C, the first rays of sunlight would on this day to illuminate the innermost shrine of the temple to --
cue the spooky music --
the Sun god Amon-Re at Abu Simbel, Egypt. Strange footnote :
because of their remote location the temples were unknown until their discovery in 1813. They were first explored in 1817. All I can say is that somebody sure had no sense of curiosity. Or maybe there was a -- again cue the spooky music -- a curse.
Hey, I'm a writer. I think like that.
I'm listening to "Born" by OVER THE RHINE. I'm getting ancient.
This innovative band favorite of mine is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The leader, Linford Detweiler, recently did an interview with Stereo Subversion where he says he recently has started composing songs based upon his reflections of this band's long life :
"What have you done for the last 20 years? Did any of it really matter? Why are we still doing this? What are we doing with our lives?"
Good questions for all of us to ponder. Check out their website : http://www.overtherhine.com/ Just don't tell Linford I think his wife, Karin Bergquist, still has a sexy voice.
Really; it took people that long to notice the pyramids? Wow.
ReplyDeleteThat was a nice song :) Are you giving up on the girl from Night Wish? I can still be in lust with the keyboardist, yes?
Here's hoping you had a safe and sane Halloween Roland :)
.......dhole
Hi Roland .. thanks for the bits of history - I enjoyed those .. the Pyramids would have been on the main road!!!
ReplyDeleteYears ago before the winds changed .. when the Sahara had water - and it had/has lots of it .. there's a library city - that just keeps it's head out of the sand .. the solar winds and thus our own global winds, trade winds, prevailing winds etc - they've all altered the earth's landscape hugely.
So those pyramids would have been on a trade route in ancient times .. just lost along the time frame of life ..
Science usually has an answer - just imagination can be so much more fun .. and who knows re the spooks et al!!
20 years is a speck and I can't say I've made much obvious impact .. but no doubt left my mark along the way, which will be totally unrecognisable in a few decades.
Cheers and enjoy your week .. Hilary
Donna :
ReplyDeleteStill at work : a 12 hour day so Haloween was mostly trick for me! And I still have a crush on Tarja, but then I still have a crush on Cate Blanchett, too!
Thanks for dropping in on my cyber home and caring enough to chat for awhile. I have to go do blood runs now! Sigh. Roland
Hilary :
Unknown to the modern world, while known to ancient times -- story of the adventures of Indiana Jones, right!
And don't downplay your own impact. A kind word given to the right person can have awesome consequences! Thanks for visiting and chatting, Roland
I Love that quote up to about reading and thinking, it is so true and that's why it's important to read!
ReplyDeleteI don't like to think about the last 20 years. No matter what, I will always feel I haven't accomplished enough.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what took so long for someone to discover Abu Simbel, I do know, however, tht the sphinx has been all but buried by sand more than once over the centuries. The desert likes to play hide and seek with things.
J.A. :
ReplyDeleteWasn't that a great quote about reading? We gain so much when we read, dipping our thougts into the minds of others, don't we?
Wendy :
The desert, like life, plays hide and seek with us, covering up important details with the sands of stress. And I think none of us are a good judge of what influnece we have been in our daily walks down the dusty paths of life. Roland
Hi Roland - I had to look to find out the information from my notes - the town is Chinguetti - see Wikipedia .. it's not long .. but mentions the trans-Saharan trade routes, the broad savannah the area was once .. before the sand dunes started encroaching .. the sand dunes move .. and they do - quite extraordinary to see - which I did in Namibia ..
ReplyDeleteCheers had to finish with the info .. hope you can get some well earned sleep now? Hilary
I've never heard of this German philosopher but I must admit, he sounds pretty wise.
ReplyDeleteHilary :
ReplyDeleteThat had to have outstanding to have the shifting sand dunes in Nambia. Thanks for helping me with the background. Alas, I've had little sleep, now I have to start all over again in minutes! Rats. I need to sell the movie rights to one of my novels! LOL. Roland
Heather :
ReplyDeleteGood to see you here. I have rather an arcane trove of philosophical and historical info scattered across the attic of my mind! Good of you to visit and stay to chat! Roland
...in the grand scheme of things, twenty years is but a blink. In that span of time however, my kids will have graduated, matured to adulthood, and set off on their own journey, making their mark in this troublesome world of ours...
ReplyDeleteTwenty years...hang on for the ride ;)
El
Elliot :
ReplyDeleteYes, to a Redwood, 20 years is a blink. Sadly, we are not Redwoods, although some days I feel as dense as one!
I believe that if we truly breathe each breath, savor each sensation, treasure the beauty of the moment, the years will take care of themselves, Roland