I'm currently reading "The Great Influenza" by John M. Barry. It's mind-boggling that the influenza pandemic killed more people around 1918 than WW1, which was one of the deadliest wars in history. No one on Earth was safe. Tragically, there was such a shortage of doctors, nurses and resources, that many died unnecessarily. Misinformation was rampant, false hopes were spread and appropriate measures by authorities were taken too late or not at all. All this makes me wonder, whether the overreaction by governments regarding covid19 wasn't an overreaction at all, but prudent precaution, at least in the beginning. It's a tough question. I don't want authorities to infringe on my freedoms, but in light of the devastating death tolls and conditions in 1918, it might have been the right thing to enforce lock-downs. According to Barry those villages, towns and states, which did impose restrictions, escaped unscathed.

#health #influenza #pandemic #covid

Good stuff...thanks for the information. I'll do some more research on it. The Singapore project is probably the network school I mentioned earlier. I'm looking forward to see how this one will evolve.

Interesting! It's true that sometimes there are no alternatives, especially if you don't have the means.

Is the BTB island you mention, the new network school from nostr:npub1xeejes6lu4scttcmzytq5wfad3e6rljpmhc3snqs89xz3jjavfasnuz3mx, which starts in a couple of days or another project?

Thought provoking observation from Rick Rubin about the educational system and its consequences:

"As children, few of us are taught to understand and prioritize our feelings. For the most part, the educational system doesn't ask us to access our sensitivity, but to be obedient. To do what is expected. Our natural independent spirit is tamed. Free thought is constrained. There is a set of rules and expectations put upon us that is not about exploring who we are or what we're capable of. The system is not here for our benefit. It holds us back as individuals to support its own continued existence."

Can we break free from the damage that has been done or is it irreparable? Can we at least protect our children from it?

#wisdom #goodlife #education #freedom

Leo Tolstoy encourages us to embrace the small joys in life:

"We often refuse to participate in the innocent joy of life because we are too busy with something we feel we have to do. We should accept these moments, because the sweet and joyful game is sometimes more important and necessary than most other things. Very often the business which busy people claim to be doing is not important at all, and sometimes it would be better left undone."

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

I love the concept of radical responsibility. It's so empowering! 💪 Here's Marie Forleo's take:

"You are 100 percent responsible for your life. You are responsible for what you believe, how you feel, and how you behave. In fact, lasting happiness can only come when you take 100 percent responsibility for yourself."

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

Kevin Kelly's advice for speaking is to filter your words through these three gates before you speak:

-) At the 1. gate ask: Is this true?

-) At the 2. gate ask: Is it necessary?

-) At the 3. gate ask: Is it kind?

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"Opportunities are grains of sand. They slide right past drooping fingers, but an active palm can gather whatever is within reach and shape it into a little castle. It is the act of engaging with the material that gives it shape." -- James Clear

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"The secret of happiness? Enjoy small pleasures." -- Samuel Smiles

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"Many people strive for efficient lives, where no hour is wasted. But an overlooked skill that doesn't get enough attention is the idea that wasting time can be a great thing." -- Morgan Housel

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"Gratitude is the intention to count your blessings every day, every minute, while avoiding, whenever possible, the belief that you need or deserve different circumstances." -- Timothy Miller

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"That was the year, my twenty-eighth, when I was discovering that not all of the promises would be kept, that some things are in fact irrevocable and that it had counted after all, every evasion and every procrastination, every mistake, every word, all of it." -- Joan Didion

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." -- Corrie ten Boom

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

Wise words by Leo Tolstoy, I wish more people would adhere to them during this election year. It seems like truth and simplicity are increasingly hard to find.

"Words can unite people. Therefore, try to speak very clearly, and tell only the truth, for nothing can unite people more than truth and simplicity."

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"I am a series of small victories and large defeats and I am as amazed as any other that I have gotten from there to here." -- Charles Bukowski

Sometimes it can feel like you are walking backwards, but it is all part of the winding path of life. You never know where the "perceived" setbacks will lead you.

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

Hilarious, if it wasn't true and a recipe for disaster:

"The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt." -- Bertrand Russell

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

GM. Sometimes waking up to the rising sun and marvelling at the gorgeous sky is enough to know it'll be a good day no matter what.

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

"Nothing elevates a person higher than taking responsibility for their mistakes. If you mess up, fess up. It's astounding how powerful this ownership is." -- Kevin Kelly

#wisdom #goodlife

James Clear on the importance of embracing uncomfortable moments:

"One of the great mistakes in life is suffering for years because you didn't want to feel foolish for five minutes.

-) You don't want to apologize, so you let a relationship deteriorate.

-) You're scared of the sting of rejection, so you don't ask for what you want.

-) You fear people will say your idea is dumb, so you never start the business.

Nobody likes feeling foolish, but the feeling fades quickly. The willingness to endure five minutes of discomfort turns out to be a meaningful dividing line in life."

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife

You don't have to be a meditator to find this observation by Jane Hirshield useful and true:

"Zen pretty much comes down to three things - everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention."

#wisdom #spirituality #philosophy #goodlife