I'm a goofy guy who likes to learn about the world around him. (After all, if you can't laugh at the world and have fun, what have you really learned?) When I encounter a new thing, I strive to view it from as many different perspectives as possible. Learning in this way generally helps me to intuit new information quickly and the ways in which others might view the same information.Rather than addressing the results of a problem in any given situation, I prefer to examine root causes in order to understand why things happen the way they tend to do or why people tend to make the choices they make. Not feeling any information should be exclusive I've found myself very interested in education and pedagogy. I constantly seek new ways to express traditional ideas. I believe if you've stumbled onto something good, you should share with others around you. Only when all members of a society have access to similar information can that society be educated. Education shouldn't be something that's gleaned simply through scholastic endeavor (though it may). Learning should come through experience, searching, and from one another. One of the greatest gifts anyone can give is knowledge.
Constantly seeking balance within often leads me to external sources. I enjoy the experience of travel and exploration, discovering new places both domestic and foreign. Along with discovering new places, I enjoy meeting new people in order to gain new perspective and perhaps, in some small but meaningful way, to help another person along.
I've been described as having an extremely calm disposition, but having passion about life and fully engaged with those around me.
Other things...
I like people who have depth to their character. I hate shallow conversations. While I don't enjoy small talk, I'll go through the motions in order to seek out something below the surface. I'm drawn to others who are passionate about living.
I'm currently going where life takes me. "Be as water. Be formless. If water is in a cup it becomes the cup. If water is in a vase it becomes the vase. Water is always adapting to its surroundings." At this point, it's brought me to a rafting outpost in Mountain Rest, South Carolina working as a cook. I'm enjoying my time here, but it will end eventually, and I'll move onto other things.
I'm a fan of Japanese haiku. You'll occasionally find changing haikus here. (Not mine. Usually grabbed from an online source.)
The crow has flown away:
swaying in the evening sun,
a leafless tree.
I also enjoy reading about theology and comparative religion. Below are selected quotes by Paul Tillich.
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.
I find Chinese and Eastern philosophy to be very intriguing. You'll occasionally find references to something from Chinese philosophy/thinking quoted in my profile. What will seem strange to most is that my interest in Chinese philosophy came from Bruce Lee, who is most well known for martial arts films. Lesser known was the fact that Bruce Lee was a modern Chinese philosopher who used Jeet Kune Do to express his life philosophy.
"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
"I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude."
And some random quotes...
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself."
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Cheers!
About this Top Friends do-dad: If you don't appear in my "Top Friends" list, have no worries. I'll rotate friends in and out of this list periodically. I'm apt to say these lists are silly. I have, however, found a number of interesting folks through other friends' "Top Friends" lists. Feeling that all my friends are interesting in their own way, and wishing to connect people, I'll periodically switch friends in and out of my "Top" list.
