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December 28, 2007
In the old times people studied law in order to defend justice; nowadays they study law in order to steal.
In most cases when people try to justify their shortcomings by saying - "I'm only a human and not a saint"- it's the devil in them that's talking.
Posted by amin at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2007
Psalm 27 - my favorite so far…
“I have a fear of dying alone.” Even at the moment of death people want to be distracted! As though one can be anything but alone when one dies.
Posted by amin at 12:59 AM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2007
I fell in love with Wittgenstein before even reading a sentence by him. It was the July of 2003. I had gone to London for Maryam’s wedding. One evening, in a bookstore in Chelsea, I came upon his face and that gaze in his deep eyes. And that was enough for me. I hesitate calling him a “philosopher”. His greatness surpasses the term. Emerson is certainly right when he says, "a philosopher must be more than a philosopher." These days most philosophers are bright but not deep. Wittgenstein is immensely profound.
Posted by amin at 2:20 PM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2007
There is a great difference between philosophical and spiritual wisdom. Socrates is right: philosophically speaking you are wise when you realize that you know nothing. But spiritually speaking, you are wise when you realize that you are nothing. The first is about "knowledge", the second about "being". Therefore, a philosophy is good which leads you to the place where you become aware of your own nothingness. After this realization one should let go of philosophy, otherwise it becomes "an intellectual masturbation." Philosophy is about discovery; spirituality about creation. A spiritual person is the one who confesses his own nothingness and acknowledges the Perfection of the Divine. Where the philosopher is busy trying to discover this insight intellectually, the saint strives to create his life divine.
Posted by amin at 9:34 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2007
"As things stand now, I am going to be a writer. I’m not sure that I’m going to be a good one or even a self-supporting one, but until the dark thumb of fate presses me to the dust and says, ‘you are nothing’, I will be a writer." Hunter Thompson wrote these lines years before he became a writer. I'm going through the same thing that he probably went through. He chose to fight and won. Will I?
Posted by amin at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
December 4, 2007
Watched an interview with Sydney Lumet on Charlie Rose. He's so full of himself and has an unjustifiable ego. His personality for some reason reminds me of Bergman. He also took himself too seriously and his interviews are so full of "I" and "me". But at least there was some greatness in Bergman. What I like about Godard, Kiarostami, Scorsese, and Woody Allen is their humbleness. One must be serious but not take himself too seriously.
Read some of Chekhov's short stories. He's a good writer but lacks Dostoevsky's psychological insights and philosophical depth. The Student is a masterpiece. I also like Ward Number Six and The Lady with the Little Dog.
Posted by amin at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 3, 2007
I feel strange. A vague whisper is telling me that something unexpected is about to happen. I can't tell if it's good or not...
Posted by amin at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)