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A Lesson on Love

February 15, 2021 By paulosophia in Religion, Spirituality Tags: my life, philosophy, relationships, religion

« Are you a hack-of-all-trades, too?

Stuff I Write About

education (1) family (6) for the children (13) my life (155) parenting (90) philosophy (28) politics (131) relationships (43) religion (118) spirituality (76) spiritually (1) teens (45)

About Me

Former U.S. House of Representatives candidate. Writer. CEO advocate for children of neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Politics junkie. Chess geek. INTP. Enneagram 5w4. Mediterranean cook. Beer and Hymns bassist. UCLA. Philosophy.

Most Popular

  • My “I Decided To Starve Myself” Diet.
  • LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQRSTUVWTF?
  • I Let My Son Go To Camp Flog Gnaw.
  • Making America White Again
  • When Christian Leaders Went Mean
  • About
  • Coming Out Of The Closet On The Limits Of Faith
  • You Will Not Sway Me.
  • Church And What Silo Do You Live in?
  • Do Teenagers Need Adult Supervision?

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paulosophia
I have #COVID19. For me, fever, chills, aches, a s I have #COVID19. For me, fever, chills, aches, a scratchy cough. Fatigue. Whenever I grow grim about my mind do to little inconvenient illnesses like cold or flu or COVID-19, I always think of the relativity of pain. Yes, this virus has killed 500,000 in the US alone. God be with their families in their grief. But instead of wallowing of my 3-on-a-scale-of 1-to-10-pain, I fixate my mind on young children with terminal cancer or those living with trigeminal neuralgia or kyphoscoliosis or Cluster headaches or any of the countless terminal illnesses known to man. Not to mention those suffering from something perhaps worse — crippling mental illness. Also severe epileptic seizures. Perhaps worst of all: children locked in homes with abusive parents. We hear their stories often — thrown against walls, locked in closets, sold for sex. While sniffling here in bed with my Advil and Tylenol and hot teas, ready for deployment at the slightest tinge of discomfort, I recal the Holocaust and Auchuwitz. I read Wiesel’s Night again, yesterday. Imagine (as if that’s possible) the real pain of those brutalized by tyrants like Stalin — left to freeze and starve and die, by the millions. And those under Adi Amin and Mao Zedong or Gengis Khan. Or even today, this trial endured on Egyptian cotton and down pillows, compared to the Uger slaves in Western China, or those in Myanmar. In the U.S. — sure we all suffer in our own U.S. kind of ways. But if we look at our pain and suffering in context — relative to those with other insidious illnesses, those living in countries torn by human rights abuse, or just a cursory look back at our history — this ain't as bad as we sometimes make it. It rarely is. #paulosophia
“Self — always transitory.” Thank you @carl “Self — always transitory.” Thank you @carlyhp. Watching you grow and flourish over the years makes this all the more special. ______________________________ #paulosophia #art #quote #self #selfie #painting
You are smarter and wiser than you realize. So lis You are smarter and wiser than you realize. So listen to your core, and shun all those trendy thoughts. #paulosophia #wisdom
First time here meeting with a new administration. First time here meeting with a new administration. And assured that countless civil servants, despite which party holds power, care. I know some — deeply devoted to their work, smart, professional, caring. Despite swarms of uniformed National Guards (everywhere, in our nation’s capital, protecting us from...us) I believe better days lie ahead. 🇺🇸 #paulosophia
Travel perk. #paulosophia #noglasses Travel perk. #paulosophia #noglasses
I’ve been in the tundra of Chicago (swipe left) I’ve been in the tundra of Chicago (swipe left) and now freeze in New York (swipe left again). Our minds (or brains for my physicalist friends) — complex and weird. As I sit down for dinner now — after a shower in my hotel, solely for the sake of warming my core — I recall a solo retreat to Death Valley. Around 6 years ago. This cold in my bones activated that memory (however one would define a memory, to my physicalist friends) of that silent retreat to the heat, where temperatures soared well into triple digits. I found this shot as I reminisced, as #iphone allows access to photos, based on location. You just look at the map and press on the dot and, voila. I like big, cold, cities, but might prefer rural, austere, deserts. #paulosophi #travel #deathvalley #writersofinstagram #chicago #newyork #philosophy #physicalism
Ordinary people, doing extraordinary things. What Ordinary people, doing extraordinary things. What an honor meeting another @__forthechildren chapter Director, Nancy. Three hundred talented and selfless FTC leaders around the country and world, leading 20,000 of our volunteers who give over two million hours a year to mentoring, guiding, encouraging, fostering, adopting — loving — children who have been abandoned. Sign the pledge to help us help children. Link in profile. #saints #forthechildren
Rows and floes of angel hair And ice cream castles Rows and floes of angel hair And ice cream castles in the air And feather canyons everywhere I've looked at clouds that way But now they only block the sun They rain and snow on everyone So many things I would have done But clouds got in my way I've looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down, and still somehow It's cloud illusions I recall I really don't know clouds at all #jonimitchell #paulosophia #clouds #pictureoftheday
Instagram post 18138084790177143 Instagram post 18138084790177143
What does love look like? It has the hands to help What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” - Augustine of Hippo, Confessions #paulosophia #augustine #love
Last night, an ahi dish with white beans and fenne Last night, an ahi dish with white beans and fennel of all things (fresh and roasted seeds). Beautiful. #paulosophia #food #foodporn @shuncutlery
That time I spent hours listening to our directors That time I spent hours listening to our directors from Namibia, in Sydney. www.forthrchildten.org @__forthechildren
Jesus’ party was not some “wide tent” for bi Jesus’ party was not some “wide tent” for bigots and racists and haters. It was a big tent for minorities, the poor, outsiders, sinners. #paulosophia #immigration #refugeeswelcome
One more ❤️❤️ One more ❤️❤️
Today I will spend time with my #Leica. I still ba Today I will spend time with my #Leica. I still barely know how to use it (not enough time learn), how to utilize natural light (not enough time to learn), how to capture the right blend of uniformity amidst variety (not enough time to learn), who to shoot (nobody willing). For no other reason than nine lives lore, I can find myself wishing to be a cat. Why? How else to pursue the nagging passions? In trying to cram them into this one, earthly, life, like today I'm  Paul-the-photographer, the result is the quintessential jack of all trades, master of none. Paul, the hack-of-all-trades. Fact  is, I specialize at exactly nothing, other than the specialty of little bit of this and little bit of that. Nine lives Paul, no doubt, would be posting today  of the limitations of having only nine lives. If I had to choose today? Most likely: #1 Photographer: more of humanity than nature, in the Annie Liebobitz realm. #2 Revolutionary: Going  all-in like  Jesus (more than anyone else) and MLK and Gandhi and Bob Dylan and Harriet Tubman and Wittgenstein and Saint Francis and Bonhoeffer and Luther and Céaser Chávez.  (Please visit forthechildren.org to sign the pledge and help me on this one.) #3 Botanist/zoologist: Because Albert Schweitzer. #4 Philosopher: In the spirit of Aristotle. My BA and MA helped greatly, but only almost scratched the surface of understanding metaphysics, epistemology, logic, aesthetics, ethics. #5 Geologist: I know almost nothing about how the earth is composed nor how plate tectonics work, and that bugs me. #6 Gypsy: A full-time observer. Just to travel to and from, to lick the globe, minus the encumbrances of money, schedules, social pressures to be "responsible." #7 Cook: Not a chef — a farmer who spends as much time attending to the ingredients (soil, sun, water, freshness) as much as the cooking part. #8 Historian: Not sure which era nor region. Eighty-one lives wouldn't be enough to satisfy my craving to learn about all those people from all those places during all those times. #9 Musician: I play bass (decently), guitar (average at best), trumpet and piano (below average at best). #10 Writer #paulosophia
Finally. ❤️❤️ Finally. ❤️❤️
Lucy. ❤️ Lucy. ❤️
PAULOSOPHIA BLOG: THE MOMENTS THEY MURDERED MY GOD PAULOSOPHIA BLOG: THE MOMENTS THEY MURDERED MY GOD ⠀⠀ On that September morning, I walked the Krakow cobblestone streets in near-freezing air at 5:30 a.m. to grab a bus to Auschwitz. I had pulled an all-nighter but not by choice. The reality of visiting that infamous “place.” I don’t remember the ride but I arrived. The tour guide, a blonde woman in her 50s — speaking perfect English with a thick Polish accent, languid in reciting the blisteringly-morbid data to a dozen tourists who wouldn’t dare utter a word. I had read the books, watched the documentaries, ingested every frame of Schindler’s list, countless times. But there is something about a place. As the helpless prisoners arrived, young children, the elderly, and those with illnesses were separated. A guard would point to the left or the right. One direction meant to the “showers,” which pumped deadly Zyklon-B poison gas into the chambers. I kept my mouth open for hours — a dropped jaw allowed me to cry and breathe, simultaneously... ⠀⠀ (Full post in profile) #paulosophia #holocaustremembranceday #holocaust #writersofinstagram #xenophobia
#paulosophia #food #foodporn 🇮🇹 #paulosophia #food #foodporn 🇮🇹
Lucy. #catsofinstagram #paulosophia Lucy. #catsofinstagram #paulosophia
Always, sometimes, grill your romaine. #paulosophi Always, sometimes, grill your romaine. #paulosophia #foodporn
I do not remember Wednesday's in January quite lik I do not remember Wednesday's in January quite like this. #InaugurationDay #wednesdaysjanuary2021
Young people are everything. ⠀⠀ “For there i Young people are everything. ⠀⠀ “For there is always light. If only we are brave to see it. If only if we are brave enough to be it.” 🙌🏾 ⠀⠀ #amandagorman #inagurationday2021🇺🇸
Finally 🙌🏾🇺🇸 Finally 🙌🏾🇺🇸
Yes, I'm a white, educated, Christian, male. So wh Yes, I'm a white, educated, Christian, male. So what understanding could I have about racism, or anti-semitism, or sexual harassment — or any kind of discrimination? Ultimately, none. It's all theory. On that note, I studied normative ethics in my 30s and 40s (when I received a BA and MA in philosophy). I've had a painting of Lincoln hanging in my office for 20 years. I bought it from my friend @bradfordjsalamon. And my parents, each of them — I heard their stories. Dad, a Mexican, remembers the "No Mexican" signs, right here in The OC. Mom, being a Roman Catholic and an Italian immigrant in the 1950s — no bueno. But, again, it's all theory. It's #MLK Day today. Grateful Ronald Reagan made it a national holiday. Happy to see all the posts and quotes on social media. But most white white, educated, Christian, males (who hold the handles of  power in politics and business), like me, can't truly understand. Whites can't understand racism. See the problem? This post won't move the needle. I guess I post because I feel it's my duty. There are massive problems surrounding racism today, and they only got worse on January 6 when (predominately white men) sacked the capital wearing Auschwitz t-shirts and waving Confederate flags. I read a book recently called "White Fragility." (Written by a while lady.) She wrote, "For those of us who work to raise the racial consciousness of whites, simply getting whites to acknowledge that our race gives us advantages is a major effort. The defensiveness, denial, and resistance are deep.”  She's so right. In the end, more and more these days, with a little help from my friends, I look away from politics, and look to Jesus. He understood. He was a refugee from the wrong neighborhood, hanging out with all the wrong people. And he wasn't martyred on behalf of those like me with privilege, but those with none. As much as I might try, I can't understand. See the problem?
After the war they immigrated here. Like millions After the war they immigrated here. Like millions of Italians. Nonno. Nonna. Uncle Carlo. Uncle Tony. Uncle Phil. Mom. ⠀⠀ They had no money. It was the 1950s. They were labeled "Enemies of the state." Because, the conspiracy theory in those days — the Pope was trying to infiltrate the United States government. ⠀⠀ Far too many Grapes of Wrath stories to tell here about Mussolini and arriving at Ellis Island with nowhere to go — odd jobs in Los Angeles. Being called “wops” by the whites. But whatever it took to make ends meet and live the American dream, which they did. ⠀⠀ I come from fighting stock. ⠀⠀ Uncle Carlo died in a car accident in Los Angeles, before Mom and Dad married. Nonna died when I was 18. I drove to to tell Nonno at their home. He couldnt bring himself to the hospital. He sat sobbing in his chair. With and 8x10 photo of Nonna, pressed against his chest . She was an angel. Nonno married an Italian woman years later named Jenny. She passed years after a happy two decades of love. Then Nonno died. Then Uncle Tony, a couple of years ago. ⠀⠀ Now it's Mom and Uncle Phil. But Mom is languishing in the spartan skilled nursing facility. Haven't seen her since February. ⠀⠀ Uncle Phil turned 87 today. I just got off the phone with him. Thick accent. Always loud and funny and cocky — full of life. ⠀⠀ “I love you, Uncle Phil, talk to you soon.” ⠀⠀ “I love you too, Paulie.” ⠀⠀ This is a photo from July. I visited him and my amazing @teal_fighter (Aunt Terri) and my cousin, Phil Jr., in Pheonix. Uncle Phil cooked (evidently for hours) all from scratch, as my people do, pizza, pasta, roasted bell peppers, bread, salad. ⠀⠀ I am proudly half Italian. And half Mexican, though we are predominately Spanish. Though I appear quite white, I'm 100% Latin. ⠀⠀ I love my family, both sides. I love the culture. I love Uncle Phil. Talking to him reminded me of Mom. ⠀⠀ She was an angel. 🇮🇹 _________________________________ #immigrants #paulosophia #writersofinstagram #family #food #love #italian
Science may provide the most useful way to organiz Science may provide the most useful way to organize empirical, reproducible data, but its power to do so is predicated on its inability to grasp the most central aspects of human life: hope, fear, love, hate, beauty, envy, honor, weakness, striving, suffering, virtue. ⠀⠀ Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air _________________________________ #paulosophia #paulkalanithi #science #truth #philosophy #metaphysics #love #hope #fear #writersofinstagram #selfie #book
Twenty-thousand soldiers. In our nation’s capita Twenty-thousand soldiers. In our nation’s capital. Protecting our American elected officials... from American terrorists... 2021 makes 2020 look like milquetoast. #paulosophia
"Foster children are some of the most vulnerable p "Foster children are some of the most vulnerable population to sex trafficking." -Dr. Becca C. Johnson⁠ ⁠ ⠀⠀ Tomorrow We wear blue #forthechildren. Please help spread awareness by wearing blue and sharing it on social media. ⁠ ⠀⠀ Learn more with the link in bio. ⁠ ⠀⠀ National Human Trafficking Hotline: ⁠ (888)373-7888 _______________________________ #humanrights #humantraffickingawarenessmonth #humantrafficking #sextraffickingawareness #sextrafficking #family #love #instagood #mother #mom #parent
PAULOSOPHIA BLOG POST: SOME JUST DIE — WHAT ALBE PAULOSOPHIA BLOG POST: SOME JUST DIE — WHAT ALBERT TOLD ME ABOUT COVID-19 (link to full post in profile) ⠀⠀ ...So I rolled up. His golden retriever, Maddy, rushed me. She just wanted attention. ⠀⠀ “Hello, Albert, how are things at work?” ⠀⠀ Albert is soft-spoken. He doesn’t talk much. And when he does, he gives really short answers, always with a smile. ⠀⠀ This is a summary of what Albert just said about COVID-19. ⠀⠀ “Well…” ⠀⠀ I prodded: “I read that there shortage of beds in Southern California hospitals.” ⠀⠀ “We are treating people in the waiting room. We are having to send people with other conditions home. There’s no room.” ⠀⠀ I inquire more. “Are most of those come in elderly, or with preexisting conditions?” ⠀⠀ “Some of them, yes.” ⠀⠀ Then he added something. For those of you that think #COVID-19 is some kind of hoax or exaggeration, please pay attention. This really just happened; I just came inside to memorialize what an ER doctor just told me. ⠀⠀ “Some just die. There’s no way we can predict it. Younger people. What appeared to be very healthy people.”
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