Thoughts: Occurrences That Interrupted a Rambling Life

Contents

Thoughts

Random Thoughts

Expanded Thoughts

Poetry

Humor

Appendix

Preface

Raised by a father who was born and bred in Aberdeenshire Scotland I was not privy to many of his experiences. Though not a dour Scot by any means (he had a great sense of humor and an extensive vocabulary) it was not often that he spoke of his life which began in 1889. He led an exciting life; however, to pry stories from him was difficult.

This group of writings may be of interest to close friends, but it is intended for my children and grandchildren. They are raw, unpolished, and in many cases unfinished, but they should accomplish their purpose…namely to give some insights into some of my thoughts and philosophy. This is not an ego exercise nor is it an autobiography, but rather an attempt to give my offspring a peek into what made one of their antecedents tick—something I found difficult with my own father. In scanning these Thoughts I notice that many deal with religious observations. I care little if these bother you… remember these were my Thoughts.

Since these thoughts are generally unedited and thrown together in a haphazard manner there will no doubt be typographical as well as grammatical errors. Rather than print several individual copies of this material for my children ( a time consuming effort as one can readily imagine since the Sierra Club has posted my picture as one who has polluted the earth with children and Planned Parenthood has me on their wanted list) I find it more efficient to bunch them into this consolidation.

From time to time thoughts as well as small rhymed poems are jotted down; consequently, a small volume such as this will never be up to date.

Jack Fraser—2011

Thoughts

A worthy life

If I hate; I lose the ability to see truth.

If I’m envious; I lose perspective.

If I’m slothful; I lose conceptual thinking.

If I lie; I lose self-respect.

If I cheat; I lose the enjoyment of what I gain.

If I doubt myself; I lose my sense of direction.

If I refuse to trust; I lose an abundant life.

If I love; I gain all the above.

-JFF-

Faith

As life is a work in progress… so is faith.

As muscles need exercise to become strong… so does faith.

As wine needs aging to gain quality… so does faith.

As steel needs to be put under fire to provide its strength… so does faith.

As charity without commitment loses its significance… so it is with faith.

-JFF-

Knowledge, Understanding,

and Wisdom

Knowledge . . . a thread.

Understanding . . . a fabric comprised of these many threads.

Wisdom . . . the ability to see this fabric as a tapestry.

-JFF-

Life

Integrity

Integrity, like cream, rises to the top

Happiness

Happiness is joy effervesced.

Manners

Good manners are culture’s grease.

-JFF-

Numbers

With billions of creatures

And billions of stars

Just one Eternity

And only one Czar

-JFF-

Opinions

If you take a stand on something for which you would not bet your life… it is only an opinion.

If you talk the talk, but fail to walk the walk . . . it is only an opinion.

If you center your life on religion and espouse its tenets, but fail to manifest it in works… it is only an opinion.

The greatest premise of the greatest philosopher… is only an opinion.

Prophesies, politics, physical beauty, anger and hate, most of our outlooks… are only opinions.

The empirical knowledge you personally gain throughout life… is not an opinion

-JFF-

The four pillars of happiness

Love, Generosity, Laughter, and Humility.

Love without restraint

Generosity without expectation of requital

Laughter without malice

Humility… this you cannot generate—it is a gift that comes with appreciation for life.

-JFF-

The luck of the draw

When you see the sun come up;

When you hear laughter;

When you speak with your children and grandchildren;

When you hear great classical music;

When you enjoy the company of friends—both human and animal;

When you’re able to spend time lost in a good book;

 . . . realize that your problems are small and, indeed, rather than drawing the short straw in life, you have drawn the longest.

-JFF-

To Build a Fire

To build a fire the beginning structure must be planned.

A fire needs encouragement—it needs air… sometimes the air must be forced into it.

A fire must sometimes be shaken up in order to make it burn with intensity.

Dirty wood makes a dirty fire… clean wood burns brightly.

A fire can seemingly go out; but hidden embers smoldering among ashes can cause it to once again come to life.

A small piece of kindling can ignite a conflagration

Dark smoke can impede the success of a fire; however, once combustion occurs the black smoke is consumed by the flames… finally the fire burns brightly.

There is difficulty in getting green wood to burn. Successful fires come from seasoned wood.

A log lying in a horizontal position will burn slowly and throw less heat than a log that is pointed upward.

Old ashes accumulated during its burning can hinder and smother a fire.

The Custodian of the fire will encourage its success.

A fire must finally be allowed to burn out.

. . . as with fire, so it is with each human life.

-JFF-

Random Thoughts

Very little can be said or thought that hasn’t been said or thought before.

These are my thoughts . . . not meant to be profound, but ones,

nevertheless, that have occurred to a curious mind.

Thoughts from one who now watches the parade

Pursuit of knowledge

Knowing everything—besides being impossible—would take from the spice of living… the excitement of the search would be gone.

Keeping score

What hurts you affects me; what makes you happy also gives me joy. To me there is no differentiation between your work and my work… there is no score to keep.

Life’s act

We are not as we appear to others or even to ourselves. There is a difference between attitude and behavior… Life is posturing.

Simplicity

The answer to the most complex questions is simple; yet simplicity itself is the hardest thing to achieve.

I have a home

When all of life’s disappointments, successes, pride, greed, etc. get in the way; remember that there is a place away from this confusion. I have a home. Let this thought permeate everything I do and say.

A workable dichotomy

Serve God with boldness and humility.

A worthwhile conviction

A moral conviction that you hold to be right is a persuasion to which it is worth giving your life.

Inverse proportions

1) Your degree of conceit is inversely proportionate to your ability to understand.

2) Your inability to resist temptation is inversely proportionate to your age.

(Perhaps the older you get the less there is to tempt)

When in Rome… .

If you don’t know how to comport yourself in societies alien to you, the best advice is to close your mouth. This will verify the adage that silence is golden.

Your silence will ironically give the impression that still waters run deep.

(A smile or two also helps)

Make a fool of yourself

Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself.

In this world of pomposity and self-aggrandizement there seem to be only a few who do not take themselves seriously.

An act of self-deprecation can put a pin in the balloons of others bound with stilted egos and self-centered opinions, and serve to loosen these bonds In essence it can be considered an act of self-sacrificial generosity.

Acts of foolishness have the sobering effect of throwing cold water on an environment where false pride and self-esteem dominate.

There are fools who are simply foolish, and there are fools who possess wisdom.

(Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise… .)

The Parade

You learn more by watching the parade than by participating in it.

During life you may have had the opportunity to lead the procession— later in life you’ll be on the sidelines catching the candy thrown from the floats.

Take heart! Although you’ll be an anonymous bystander, you’ll finally be in a position to see the Big Picture.

Pride:

As pride is eliminated (and understood) one begins to see and understand things that previously were hidden. A new world opens.

Realization:

That point where you finally realize that you will never know everything—whether it be the natural sciences or metaphysics (where I believe the more profound knowledge lies).  . . . that point where humility begins and the accumulation of knowledge is accompanied by understanding.

The Loner vs. Community

Although one can display the social graces and perform in society, he can still be a loner. The lip service he tenders can be a ploy that gives him acceptance and allows him mobility within the group.

Is there a danger in being a nonconformist—marching to one’s inner drummer? Does this nonconformity keep one from experiencing the love and the supportive strength that is often the concomitant of human fellowship? More importantly, does this attitude also preclude one from a personal and loving relationship with God?

The bottom line seems to be the question of love. Is love the foundation of joy?

Is it the ultimate answer to knowledge? (see George MacDonald’s thoughts) . . . If it is, can the loner possess this love? Can his love be construed as a love that expresses itself in an unconventional manner (eg. the practice of Cistercianmonks)?—or is his attitude selfish and inimical to a relationship with both men and God?

[For answers to these questions look into the lives of Kierkgaard, Spinoza, etc.—It might be advisable to question the reasons, motives, and compelling forces that occupy the loner’s mind. My guess is that some loners could possibly have a deeper appreciation of reality as well as love.]

Measurement of Success

In the final judgment men don’t determine whose life was successful  . . . your success in this world is measured by God’s yardstick

Incorrect Assumption

It is a mistake to assume that others have your values. One often deludes himself in believing his explanations and statements are understood by others—especially when the other parties have a similar background and education.

The complexities of life preclude the cloning of values—there is no exact duplication. A father who expects that his children will understand his behavior because they come from the same piece of cloth is a victim of specious reasoning. The DNA relationship provides only a pattern; not a finished product. No matter how close the genetic relationship, we all have a personal drummer to which we march.

Recall

Confused minds can be compared to worn-out typewriter ribbons—the thoughts come through  . . . they just don’t reproduce clearly.

The simple

God is good. He makes his ways known to anyone who will listen. It seems that a disproportionate number of simple people take time to listen. There is a value in the simple life that can be considered a gift.

Openness

Academicians often suspect the validity of statements made by those who cannot express themselves in the jargon of psychologists or scientists. Mystical subjects, in particular, are treated condescendingly with the respect awarded to the Great Unwashed.

Until they pull their heads out of their respective keisters, these piddling scholars will miss input that could add to their data.

Knowledge vs rote

Learning by rote is useless unless the meaning of the subject can be understood and expressed in words other than those which were memorized.

Impressions

Be impressed with one who speaks with understanding rather than one who spouts knowledge.

Self- disparagement

By blindly accepting the conclusions of the great thinkers we are, in a sense, crippling our own abilities to create and analyze—we are short-circuiting our own native abilities to think inductively.

It is important to remember that these individuals, alive or dead, suffer from some of the same foibles that plague us—they are all humans who put on their pants one leg at a time.

It is only by using a mind free of axioms—a tabula rasa- that true original thought can be generated. It is quite possible that original thought may come to the same conclusions as those derived by the great ones, but no one will have the satisfaction of knowing this until he does his own thinking.

Was Spinoza’s concept of a sole causative substance a reasonable premise?—Does Wittgenstein’s or Ayer’s logical positivism have any merit? Maybe, or maybe not. The excitement comes from conclusions generated by original thinking.

Fame

Fame: A result of chance or manipulation… The greatest in all fields often live and die unknown.

Contrariness

Take a contrary attitude to all you read; if you can’t support your position, the subject may have merit.

Laughter

Is life so serious that one cannot find humor? Having the ability to laugh at oneself—whether it be a self-induced reaction or the result of someone else’s observation—provides the grease that allows one to glide over many rough edges of life. ( Lord Chesterfield missed the boat.)

Wisdom

Wisdom is achieved when the most complex understandings can be reduced to simple concepts.

The more simple one’s life, the greater the capacity to hold wisdom.

Overcoming pride

There’s no easy method to overcome pride. One can begin, however, to stand aside. look and listen to himself. In the story that he is telling; the experience he is relating; the quip meant to be funny or cynical— how important is his role?

Faults

Can anyone find a fault in another person that is not, in some way, found in himself?

One may not have committed murder, adultery, etc.; but has he harbored rage, jealousy, lust, etc.? Faults in others are found, in a lesser or greater extent, in ourselves—it is only a matter of degrees. Who is eligible to cast the first stone?

The slow times

Life is mostly routine—even boring at times. The highlights and excitement account

for a very small percentage of one’s existence.

It is the slow times, however, that provide the time for thinking and the development of values.

Forgiveness

Forgiving others necessitates letting go… freeing yourself from the bonds of your own ego.

Track records don’t count

Memories of the past are short. No matter what you were at one time—intellectually, socially, creatively—most people only consider what you are today.

Laurels wither.

Children

In writing to children that you haven’t seen for long periods of time beware of the tendency to speak to them as they were; not as they now might be… you could end up sounding like an old fuddy-duddy.

The two classes

As knowledge is growing exponentially people are being categorized as either educated or uneducated. Since comprehension of all knowledge is impossible, the educated survive in the material world by specialization.

Specialization, indeed, seems to be the key to success in the business world—general knowledge no longer commands high entry salaries for those leaving the universities. A disproportionate number of the so-called entrepreneurs are also versed in specialized areas.

Those who fail to acquire a specialty are fast becoming members of the great unwashed—the uneducated.

The specialization trend has become so pervasive as to affect the curriculum of our traditional seats of learning. In order to acquire funding and enrollment, the universities are bowing to the insidious demands of business by adding specialized subjects and eliminating courses in the humanities.

Without sounding undue alarm, a rereading of Huxley’s Brave New World may be indicated.

The academic’s art of self-defense

To protect and perpetuate itself the world of academe has devised standards and erected