If you are happy every single day, how can you know happiness? How can you know anything, except through its differences? Admittedly, Pascal wasn’t much into happiness, but he knew a few things about human misery and greatness. « La grandeur de l’homme est grande en ce qu’il se connaît misérable ; un arbre ne se connaît pas misérable. C’est donc être misérable que de (se) connaître misérable, mais c’est être grand que de connaître qu’on est misérable. » “The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be miserable; a tree does not know itself to be miserable. It is therefore being miserable to know one(self) to be miserable; but it is also being great to know that one is miserable.” —Blaise Pascal, Pensées, Lafuma 114 / Brunschvicg 397 « Toutes ces misères-là même prouvent sa grandeur. Ce sont misères de grand seigneur. Misères d’un roi dépossédé. » “All these same miseries prove man’s greatness. They are the miseries of a great lord. Miseries of a deposed king.” —Blaise Pascal, Pensées, Lafuma 116 / Brunschvicg 398
>If you are happy every single day, how can you know happiness?
a) the same goes for "if you unhappy and scared to die every day "
b) no one was talking about being happy every day. the conversation was about being happy to live, to wake up every day.
as for the "The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be miserable"
it is great quote. without such literary dramatization and labeling it with greatness it called self awareness, which many not really great or smart people posses naturally.
and I know that Pascal means "to be miserable" not in day to day sense, but in the universal sense. Just trying to project it on day to day life. You can be aware that mankind is miserable and be happy every day, I think.(how did we get into this discussion again? I thought it was about giving and donating.)
(реплика самому себе)(забавно и, наверное, немного нелепо смотрится со стороны троица русскоязычных лжеюзеров, спорящая о жизни и смерти на английском. Какого согласия можно достичь в таком сложном, глобальном вопросе, да ещё и дискутируя на чужом языке? Видимо, суть вопроса втуне, подсознательно для каждого из троих давно решена и акцептирована, но спор продолжается – как символ "я спорю, значит, я жив" = "я жив, пока я спорю" об ужасе неизбежной смерти на чуждом моей ментальности языке - чтобы абстрагироваться от страха)
Я не расцениваю какую-либо язычность, как качество, определяющее личность. Язык суть скорее преграда для мысли. Чем больше думать и меньше сочинять, тем скорее любой спор закончится единогласием.
the conversation was about being happy to live, to wake up every day.
The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you? God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair; I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do To you and me, so take the lively air, And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know. What falls away is always. And is near. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I learn by going where I have to go.
—Theodore Roethke, 1953
A genial hereditary drunk, Roethke succumbed to a heart attack in a swimming pool at the age of 55.
thx for the poem. i liked the refrain funny fact that this swimming pool became zen rock garden
also, below you were talking about shorten life expectancy of gay. I found out(read research somewhere) that the same is true for single man. none of which concerns me as death itself. i like to read about love more nowdays.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-09-04 05:51 pm (UTC)« La grandeur de l’homme est grande en ce qu’il se connaît misérable ; un arbre ne se connaît pas misérable. C’est donc être misérable que de (se) connaître misérable, mais c’est être grand que de connaître qu’on est misérable. »
“The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be miserable; a tree does not know itself to be miserable. It is therefore being miserable to know one(self) to be miserable; but it is also being great to know that one is miserable.”
—Blaise Pascal, Pensées, Lafuma 114 / Brunschvicg 397
« Toutes ces misères-là même prouvent sa grandeur. Ce sont misères de grand seigneur. Misères d’un roi dépossédé. »
“All these same miseries prove man’s greatness. They are the miseries of a great lord. Miseries of a deposed king.”
—Blaise Pascal, Pensées, Lafuma 116 / Brunschvicg 398
no subject
Date: 2009-09-04 06:02 pm (UTC)a) the same goes for "if you unhappy and scared to die every day "
b) no one was talking about being happy every day. the conversation was about being happy to live, to wake up every day.
as for the
"The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be miserable"
it is great quote. without such literary dramatization and labeling it with greatness it called self awareness, which many not really great or smart people posses naturally.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-04 06:06 pm (UTC)You can be aware that mankind is miserable and be happy every day, I think.(how did we get into this discussion again? I thought it was about giving and donating.)
Cogito ergo sum
Date: 2009-09-05 12:23 am (UTC)Re: Cogito ergo sum
Date: 2009-09-05 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-06 10:39 am (UTC)The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me, so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
—Theodore Roethke, 1953
A genial hereditary drunk, Roethke succumbed to a heart attack in a swimming pool at the age of 55.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-06 05:21 pm (UTC)i liked the refrain
funny fact that this swimming pool became zen rock garden
also, below you were talking about shorten life expectancy of gay. I found out(read research somewhere) that the same is true for single man. none of which concerns me as death itself. i like to read about love more nowdays.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 02:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 06:31 am (UTC)thx again. didn't know dylan thomas at all.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-06 08:11 pm (UTC)"I feel my fate in what I cannot fear."
"I learn by going where I have to go."
Уровень и качество Вашей аргументации,такт и блестящая эрудиция доставили мне огромное интеллектуальное наслаждение.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 02:45 am (UTC)