Unicorns, Darwin and Freud

I have recently picked up the book 'Darwin's Worms', by Adam Phillips detailing his thoughts on Darwin and Freud. The following words stood out to me:

'Darwin and Freud, as we shall see, are notably skeptical about what was once called the 'perfectibility' of Man. Indeed, for both of them we are the animals who seem to suffer, above all, from our ideals. Indeed, it is part of the moral gist of their work not merely that we use our ideals to deny, to over-protect ourselves from, reality; but that these ideals- of redemption, of cure, of progress, of absolute knowledge, of pure goodness- are refuges that stop us living in the world as it is and finding out what it is like, and therefore what we could be like in it. Darwin and Freud, that is to say, give us their versions of reality-that they call nature, and by implication human nature- in order to persuade us to reconsider our hopes for ourselves.

We have been looking, they suggest, in the wrong place, for the wrong thing; spellbound by ideas of progress and self knowledge only to discover not that, as we already knew, such things were difficult and demanding, but that they quite literally didn't exist, and didn't give us the kinds of lives we wanted. That we might have been hunting for unicorns when our energies might have been better spent. That the one pleasure we have denied ourselves is the please of reality (what Freud called the 'reality principle' wasn't merely- or solely-the enemy of pleasure but its guarantor).'

Ann Patchett Interview

A good interview with Ann Patchett. Some lovely words to take note of:

"I think it's brain chemistry, I'm a positive, cheerful person and I think it is absolutely the luck of the draw. I think the life I have had has come largely from the chemicals in my head. I see my life as good and I think a lot of times if you see your life as good then that's how it turns out."

Smelling an e-book

The discussion continues, also though prices over the production of books and download costs of e-books largely differ; I am STILL not convinced.

A book has that amazing new/old smell to it, also a book is a book, and that is all. That is the beauty of it. Where as with an e-book; technology is always developing and an e-book now won't be the same kind in ten years time.

At least I know where I stand with a book. $4 production costs momentarily, though an investment. With e-books money will be going out all the time for more and more development expenditures-I get tired of always having to upgrade.

Library and Book Debate

Returning to the discussion over the irreplaceable factors of books:

'...through books...Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people — people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book."'

One lunchtime I noticed a guy holding a Kindle, and it just looked so stiff. It would not rest on his leg properly, he had to carefully balance it whilst eating his lunch. Books make people and people make books.

Familiar words

Several lines from my latest read:

'It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways mean you've lost them forever.'
Your Erroneous Zones. Dr Wayne W.Dyer. 1977

Perfect timing for a book

Recently I have began reading a book. It's funny how you have something in your hands for ages but only do you start using it, reading it, when you begin to take note of what's in front of you.

I found some poignant quotes, some of which I agree massively with and some of which I find a little extreme and very hard to empathise with, yet I know that is just me and my being at this current time. I think it necessary to list the quotes, I'm sure I will build discussion relating to some of them in the near future.

'Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that what have you had?...What one loses one loses, make no mistake about that.. The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have...Live!'
1903. Henry James The Ambassadors.

Words such as these I find are always good to return to when one is in doubt, angst, worry about something. I like to be reminded as one gets a bit lost sometimes and overwhelmed with many choice ahead. The most apparent thing I have realised recently is that, well, it is all in my hands. The book I read demonstrates how everything is about choice, and that what we feel isn't just because, it is because we choose to feel it. I suppose that without realising it, we feel a particular emotion in order to get a result. This I feel is when I talk and think about moments when I have only realised what was happening within myself, after particular choices or changes have occurred. The answer sometimes is always so simple, so 'in your face' at the time. I think most just hold onto a lot of stress and angst at the same time so the possible and clear decision becomes very, very clouded. 

I find myself in a large position of choice right now. Whether to go with what feels right, though scared about the outcome. Too much weighing back and forth is occurring right now for me and I think that is the biggest problem. Where is all the stress coming from? I know I said I wouldn't talk in riddles but here I feel best to express without mentioning true events, just in case... I feel like one answer is so clear yet all the fear is linked to it as well. But why?! Why not just go for it? I wonder how long one, or people in general can believe in patience. Yo-Yo-ing I can't cope with anymore. But the ultimate argument is-am I just creating this all myself? As the book says, we chose how we feel and it just doesn't happen. Part of me just wants to be, so perhaps am I causing all self angst in order to drive self to go for what I want, for what I want to achieve-in the form of self motivation. Though I fear that is just the thing, am I thinking clearly enough to make the right decision. What if it is made and consequences show it wasn't the right decision?! Can we go back? However the outcome, we can only go forwards, once the decision is made all is out of our hands. All one can do is say what one feels and accept the outcome, regardless. We don't know unless we ask, say, mention. TALK!

A good example is fear. When one fears it spurs self to act impulsively. For me, well I wasn't happy with where I was living. So. Boom, job search, LONDON. I had to move out of HOME. I have always been furiously independent and once you move away from home (as student) it feels so weird to go back. It's like going back ten years and becoming 8 years old again. Fear spurred me onto searching for a job, and I found one. The move commenced and so did happy times. Fear=job search=move=happy me. So, could you say I choose to feel fear as that encouraged me to look for jobs? However, couldn't you argue that one could choose in this situation to not be stressed, and not to be unhappy, therefore I could have done the same task in searching for a job but just let it 'be' more. I could have done exactly the same task, felt less stress towards it, yet come out with the same outcome?! I would like Dr Wayne W. Dyer to answer that.

The extinction of books

Recently I have been reading about the discussion of the survival of libraries and bookshops. I found the following article a somewhat, cute approach to keeping the covers of tales and facts we love, alive.

The fashion of fiction and facts will always lead to a new trend, whether it's e-books or representing stories we love in a different form. I have also read a quote recently, relating how a book will always become adaptable to its reader, yet an e-book cannot adjust to its owner. I personally enjoy the feel of a paper book, I think most of us spend time infront of a computer screen or on our phones. Though we may still be using the same part of our bodies to concentrate with, books provide a different feel, light and image compared to a technical one. Paper feels like an escape from technology, as much as it is reliable also-I am sure we all experience times when we like to cut ourselves off from the world. When we go on holiday it is nice to have that feeling in leaving our phones switched off. If e-books and phone apps became the majority, this pleasure wouldn't exist any longer.