Monday is another gift of pleasant weather and sunlight. I cannot be certain of what the day holds for me, though I have the usual short list of matters to be addressed. With good fortune each dimension, the work will be received as an opportunity to “do some good.” It’s as if the universe smiles on occasion that circumstances are harmonious with my effort. Let’s see what develops.

Well I am back again at Starbucks. A four hour interlude of pouring over two Excel sheets, since I needed to add records that I had somehow omitted with my initial attempt. Friends are indispensable for a quick proofread, as my mind numbs, seems as molasses after four hours of maximizing and minimizing screens, switching between files, etc., etc.. There are always holes, what I have missed. Spreadsheets, that ubiquitous form of modern drudgery since just before the turn of the century… Efficiency increases but so does the scale of what must be managed (wrangled) to a net gain of zero!

I am reading a book by Charles Taylor, a Canadian philosopher, The Ethics of Authenticity. Taylor writes, – to come alongside the children of the new millennium. First he seeks to understand the impetus deriving from hyper mobility, from information profusion, from the chasm of wealth/power obtaining in liberal democratic societies – to fashion a one-of-a-kind self. “Be true to thine own self” is our rule of thumb communicated in multiple ways.

Here’s an example: I favor Starbucks as an environment overtly supporting conviviality, where the odds of discovering a thoughtful stranger are better than the garden center at Home Depot. What are the pitfalls, and what are the commendable features of striving to be true to yourself? Are odds favorable for the self-fulfillment philosophy, for the arc of a satisfying life? What are the prospects under the circumstances that obtain? No one knows. But Taylor has thought about it at length.

Taylor makes this observation:

This culture puts great emphasis on relationship in the intimate sphere, especially love relationships. These are seen to be the prime loci of self-exploration and self-discovery and among the most important forms of self-fulfillment.

And

On the intimate level, we can see how much an original identity needs and is vulnerable to the recognition given or withheld by significant others. It is not surprising that in the culture of authenticity, relationship are seen a key loci of self-discovery and self-confirmation. Love relationships are not important just because of the general emphasis in modern culture on the fulfilments of ordinary life. They are also crucial because they are the crucibles of inwardly generated identity.

Here is a dance track that I like. The title is What Is Love by Haddaway. I love the syncopated beat, a mimic of the rhythms of the earth, of the cosmos. The refrain is direct. Is it a plea, or is it a prayer offered in the face of near hopeless odds?

There is an old Buddhist proverb that I remember. “You cannot pick up only one end of the stick.”

Close relation between two human beings entail infinite dissimilarities that compel mutual adjustment, a rough (good-enough) recognition of difference. Or not. Insist on pleasure, deny discomfort, to refuse pain,… Well then…

Oh, I don’t know, what can I do?
What else can I say, it’s up to you
I know we’re one, just me and you
I can’t go on

What is love?
Oh, baby, don’t hurt me
Don’t hurt me no more
What is love?
Oh, baby, don’t hurt me
Don’t hurt me no more