Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation by George Washington - PART II -

 It's been a while since I last published the first TEN RULES. Behold! I give thee the next TEN to discuss among friends, relatives, colleagues or even in a pop-up stand... Wouldn't THAT be nice?

11. Shift not yourself in the sight of others nor gnaw your nails.

12. Shake not the head, feet, or legs roll not the eyes lift not one eyebrow higher than the other wry not the mouth, and bedew no mans face with your spittle, by approaching too near him when you speak.

13. Kill no vermin as fleas, lice ticks in the sight of others, if you see any filth or thick spittle put your foot dexterously upon it if it be upon the cloths of your companions, put it off privately, and if it be upon your own cloths return thanks to him who puts it off.

14. Turn not your back to others especially in speaking, jog not the table or desk on which another reads or writes, lean not upon any one.

15. Keep your nails clean and short, also your hands and teeth clean yet without showing any great concern for them.

16. Do not puff up the cheeks, loll not out the tongue rub the hands, or beard, thrust out the lips, or bite them or keep the lips too open or too close.

17. Be no flatterer, neither play with any that delights not to be played withal.

18. Read no letters, books, or papers in company but when there is a necessity for the doing of it you must ask leave: come not near the books or writings of another so as to read them unless desired or give your opinion of them unasked also look not nigh when another is writing a letter.

19. Let your countenance be pleasant but in serious matters somewhat grave.

20. The gestures of the body must be suited to the discourse you are upon.

So, what do you think of this set?? Is it getting outlandish, is it reasonable? Would you impose any of these rules upon yourselves or others?

Let's discuss!

:)

Happy Teacher's Day :)

Today we celebrate this special day in my country and while pondering on something to say trying not to sound repetitive every year, I came across this wonderful article entitled: 10 Rules for Students & Teachers Created by Sister Corita Kent, and Popularized by John Cage

I would love to comment on each one of them but it would take too long so I'll just post them below. I hope you find them as insightful and entertaining as I have and I'd love to know your thoughts about them as well. 

RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for a while.

RULE TWO: General duties of a student: Pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.

RULE THREE: General duties of a teacher: Pull everything out of your students.

RULE FOUR: Consider everything an experiment.

RULE FIVE: Be self-disciplined: this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

RULE SIX: Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only make.

RULE SEVEN: The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.

RULE EIGHT: Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.

RULE NINE: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.

RULE TEN: We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.

HINTS: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything. It might come in handy later.

Source: Open Culture

A Potus Life - an impromptu story created by Belu and written by myself :)

 🌱 A Potus Life 🌱

Hey world! 🌎 

We were talking in class when we came up with this idea of having a "Potus week off" but, what does that mean you may ask? 🤔

Well, the idea is getting one week off not working, nor studying; not socializing, not doing any other thing than sitting on the couch, moving your arms in a “waving potus” style (that is optional, but essential too, I mean, you’re a potus, duh)

And maybe we were asking: where does this idea come from? (If you’re not asking that, we really have no idea why you are still reading 💁) The truth is that we are tired of EVERYTHING. We are going through a pandemic, we are still working and still living in South America… I MEAN… RIGHT? You catch my drift? 

Initially, this was an idea for a blog, but while we were writing we noticed that this SHOULD and WOULD be a decree. Therefore, now we need your help. You could be part of this too by signing this petition *insert future change.org link* 📝

“Because deep within our hearts we are all potuses faking an active life” 💚🌱

✨ Belu - Geek and Modern Philosopher. ✨

Thank you for reading.

International Day of Friendship

 Let's start by stating what the UN explains about this special day: 

"The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities." 

(International Day of Friendship | United Nations)

I found out about this a few years ago and when I learned of its significance I thought it was a wonderful initiative to spread among friends, colleagues and people you get to know on a daily basis.

I mean, it gets you thinking: "what is FRIENDSHIP to you?" I myself have not had many wonderful experiences with it for a while until I started asserting myself and being grateful for the people I have come to know as my second family.

What's more, being an avid reader - curious about almost anything and everything - I came across this wonderful article written by Maria Popova on her blog "Brain Pickings" - a seriously good blog, I highly recommend you give it a read some time. She had published it under the heading: "The Science and Philosophy of Friendship" and I couldn't help but delve into it and...oh, what a treat! Who better to explain, analyse and comment on friendship than the exquisite Aristotle, right? 

I'll leave you with the link below and I hope you enjoy reading and learning from it as much as I did:

LESSONS FROM ARISTOTLE ON THE ART OF CONNECTION

 Have a wonderful week ahead and I'll write again soon.

“One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.”- Euripides -

 

Jupiter and His Mighty Company: a wonderful Old Greek Story turned into a Sleep Story

 Well, hello everyone!! 

It's been a while since I last posted here but to tell you the truth I was not feeling particularly inspired. I think we can all agree we've all been there, right? Especially in this time and age going through a painful pandemic such as this one.

On this occasion, I bring to you another SLEEP STORY curated by Calm App that has helped me go to Dreamland time and again 😴😴😴

I hope it can help you travel to a different time and place and escape this sometimes harsh reality we are living in. 

You can read the story here: JUPITER AND HIS MIGHTY COMPANY

If you want to immerse in the sleep experience, try listening to the story here: JUPITER AND HIS MIGHTY COMPANY or download Calm App on your mobiles.

This is the second SLEEP STORY I post in a series I am going to be posting from time to time. I hope you enjoy reading and listening to them as much as I do and if you ever get to listen until the very end, let me know! I keep falling asleep before it finishes.

Much love to you all!

Be safe and we'll read each other soon 😜

Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation by George Washington - PART I -

A couple of days ago I read a headline on Twitter referring to George Washington and I immediately thought of his incredible booklet. I had seen it for the first time at a friend's house a while back and I couldn't help but get it the time I visited New York for the first time in July 2017.

We can all do with some Decency and Civility in our daily life. What do you reckon?

I thought of publishing these rules periodically and what better way to start than by quoting the Introduction:

"George Washington, the father of our country, exhibited notable manners throughout his life. 

Diligence in social matters was common practice in decent society the world over, during his lifetime. At the age of 14, George Washington wrote down 110 rules under the title "Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation". These rules were drawn from an English translation of a French book of maxims and were intended to polish manners, keep alive the best affections of the heart, impress the obligation of moral virtues, teach how to treat others in social relations, and above all, inculcate the practice of a perfect self-control."

Now, the first ten Rules transcribed below:

1. Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect, to those that are present.
2. When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered.
3. Show nothing to your friend that may affright him.
4. In the presence of others sing not to yourself with a humming noise, nor drum with your fingers or feet.
5. If you cough, sneeze, sigh, or yawn, do it not loud but privately; and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.

--------------------------------------------------

    6. Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop.

 

   7. Put not off your cloths in the presence of others, nor go out your chamber half dressed. 

    8. At play and at fire its good manners to give place to the last comer, and affect not to speak louder than ordinary.

 

   9. Spit not in the fire, nor stoop low before it neither put your hands into the flames to warm them, nor set your feet upon the fire especially if there be meat before it.

 

  10. When you sit down, keep your feet firm and even, without putting one on the other or crossing them. 

It would be a nice experiment to try them out for ten days, right? Are you up for the challenge? Let me know :)

See you soon for the next ten!!

UMWELT

Continuing with the sequence of amazing quotes taken from the FX show "LEGION", I 

want to share this one next. I will not go into any introduction other than this one and I will 

let you develop your own arguments and come to your own conclusions - if any.

I'm just fascinated by it - as with every other Narration taken from this show. 

Enjoy!

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

"Chapter 4: UMWELT"

A wise man once said: "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go 

away." For the tick, reality is a product of temperature and butyric acid. Its perception of 

the world is its reality. The bloodhound has 200 million scent receptors. Its perception of 

the world is based fundamentally on smell. A dog doesn't reason. A tick never thinks 

about the universe in any way separate from its biological interactions with the universe. 

Human beings, on the other hand... Imagine a boy. From a young age, he is taught wrong. 

Human beings are the only animal that forms ideas about their world. We perceive it not 

through our bodies but through our minds. We must agree on what is real. Because of this, 

we are the only animal on Earth that goes mad.

                            💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

- All You Need is Love -

 Yep, it's the Beatles' song 💗💗💗

Nope, I'm not going to post the video or the lyrics. 

It's a prompt to write about LOVE and what it means to each and every one of us. Some believe they find love when they meet their significant other. Others don't believe in it at all. Whatever it means to you, however you decide to feel about it... LOVE is always there:

In literature, in music, in works of art.

In family, in friends, in couples, in strangers.

At home, at work, at school, at a hotel.

No matter how you define it, how you celebrate it or not, it is always current: explicitly or implicitly.

I use the excuse of St. Valentine's Day approaching to remind myself and everyone around me that no matter how you live your life, if you love yourself first and the people around you - whoever they are - the empowering feeling of strength that arises within you will allow you to achieve whatever you want in the moment you least expect it.

Some time ago, I posted a well-known folk story ["Love (is Blind) and Madness (walks with it)]. In this opportunity, I want to share a wonderful reflection by Alan Watts entitled "Falling Into Love" taken from the movie H.E.R. starring Joaquim Phoenix. 

Click the link:

ALAN WATTS - FALLING INTO LOVE

ALAN WATTS - FALLING INTO LOVE (without background music)

"SO WE COME TO THE STRANGE CONCLUSION THAT IN MADNESS LIES SANITY"

💕💕💕 Enjoy yourselves and Happy Valentine's Day! 💕💕💕

"It's time for civil disobedience. It's time to REBEL."

Happy New Year, dearly beloved!

I truly hope you have had a peaceful and joyful  brand new start. My idea for the first post is to kickstart by making people aware of one of the most urgent and impending crisis we are still facing which is: CLIMATE CRISIS.

I've never taken much consideration in the matter until last year when I decided to start doing something about it, however small. Since the beginning of full lockdown last March I started recycling. I know it's not much, it's not new and it's not life saving but for me it has proven to be very therapeutic. I've become more self-aware of what I eat, the containers I use and the ones I buy and how to start reducing the amount of plastic in my house among other measures.

Another issue that made me be more conscious about it is the outstanding speech Greta Thunberg gave at UN and it became so popular and so alarming at the same time that when one of my favourite bands decided to give music to it and make it the starting track in their latest album, I knew I needed to take action in any way possible.

I'm going to leave you with the music video and the full text of the speech in case you want to read and/or listen to it with instrumental background.

FULL TEXT: Click HERE

INSTRUMENTAL VIDEO with SPEECH: Click HERE

REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE.

"How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and other Christmas stories

We have reached a wonderful time of the year... Christmas Time. Many countries celebrate Christmas in many different ways but with one common goal: spread joy, light and love by decorating their houses, businesses, streets, trees and everything you can imagine.

It's a time of year where people come together and help each other out. There are no boundaries between them. Having all of these thoughts and images floating in my mind along with beautiful songs I thought it could be a nice idea to share some of my most beloved Christmas stories. 

I'll be posting one per day for the next 10 days. There is no ranking involved just my wish to share and spread some hope, laughter, love and peace to anyone who wants to read or listen to them.

I'll start things off with a CLASSIC children's story: 

❦❦❦ DAY 1: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here: 

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (WITHOUT IMAGES)

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (WITH POEM PICTURES)

Or read along below:

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

Enjoy! See you later, alligator!

❦❦❦ DAY 2: THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING

Or read along below:

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING

Enjoy! After a while, crocodile! 🐊

❦❦❦ DAY 3: A CHRISTMAS CAROL ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - LISTEN AND READ

Or read along below:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - READ ONLINE

Enjoy! Gotta go, Buffalo! 🐃

❦❦❦ DAY 4: THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER - LISTEN AND READ

Or read along below:

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER - READ ONLINE

Enjoy! See you soon, Raccoon! 🦝

❦❦❦ DAY 5: RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Or read along below:

RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Enjoy! Be sweet, Parakeet! ❤

❦❦❦ DAY 6: 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the poem here:

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (read by Michael Bublé)

Or read along below:

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Enjoy! Take care, Polar Bear! 🐻

❦❦❦ DAY 7: MOTHER CHRISTMAS ❦❦❦

Read it online:

MOTHER CHRISTMAS

Enjoy! In a shake, Grater Snake! 🐍

❦❦❦ DAY 8: THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER (read by Chrissy Metz) 

Or read along below:

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER

Enjoy! Hit the road, Happy Toad! 🐸

❦❦❦ DAY 9: THE POLAR EXPRESS ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

THE POLAR EXPRESS (read by Liam Neeson)

Or read along below:

THE POLAR EXPRESS (don't mind the "Narrators")

Enjoy! Can't stay, Blue Jay! 🐦

❦❦❦ DAY 10: AULD LANG SYNE ❦❦❦

You have the option of listening to the story here:

AULD LANG SYNE 

Or read along below:

AULD LANG SYNE

Enjoy! Bye Bye, Butterfly! 🦋

"1917" brought me here.

These are the first words I wrote in the comments of a YouTube video when I finally 

managed to find part of the first verse of the poem Schofield recited to the baby at night. 

I was absolutely gobsmacked with the poem, his voice, the whole scene and the entire 

movie of course.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. I leave you with the entire original poem and 

the video link to the beautiful movie scene.

My recommendation when it comes to poems, sonnets, rhymes and limericks is to read 

them ALOUD in order to play with the intonation in your voice, the pacing of it and for the 

sake of the language in itself.

THE JUMBLIES - by Edward Lear

1917 Scene - Schofield Talks To Baby

Enjoy!