Wednesday, December 27, 2006

22. Autobiography in Five Chapters

1.
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost . . .
I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

2.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

3.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in . . . it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

4.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

5.
I walk down another street.


Original Source: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
My Source: The Wickedly Wise Web (WWW).

Friday, December 08, 2006

21. Sorites paradox

One grain of sand isn't a heap. So, if you start with a heap and start taking out one grain of sand at a time, when does it stop being a heap?
This happens to be the famous Sorites paradox!



Metaphysically speaking, if you take out all that you think constitutes/completes you, one attribute at a time, then who do you end up with?