Ride The Lifetrain w/Chuckie

Welcome back aboard the Train!  It’s Tuesday so you know we have to look at some tips!

History notes that there have been a great many philosophers.  At the end of this post we can look at a list of what some historians would say are ten of the greatest.

As I wrote this piece I quickly realized that most would not proceed to the end of the article to see what history will note as “THE GREATEST” philosopher of ALL time, CHUCK-KRA!!   …uh…that would be me.  Wait!  Keep reading (and stop laughing! ).  When I die I want some historians, say one hundred years from now to find this blog and say…”WOW!”  what a great mind this negroid Homo sapien had!  He truly was one of the great thinkers of his time!

Even as a child I held court to many on Tuesday’s espousing my deep thinking, one of a kind philosophy.  Sometimes I lectured in beautiful settings provided by nature as seen here.  On this day I left the audience with this “DEEP” thought:

“He who hath itchy booty…will soon have stinky finger!”    …Chuck-Kra

What some historians say are the top ten (…until they read my stuff)!

1. John Locke – The most important thinker of modern politics is the most directly responsible for Thomas Jefferson’s rhetoric in the Declaration of Independence, and the rhetoric in the U. S. Constitution.
2. Epicurus – Epicurus has gotten a bit of an unfair reputation over the centuries as a teacher of self-indulgence and excess delight. He was soundly criticized by a lot of Christian polemicists (those who make war against all thought but Christian thought), especially during the Middle Ages, because he was thought to be an atheist, whose principles for a happy life were passed down to this famous set of statements: “Don’t fear god; don’t worry about death; what is good is easy to get; what is terrible is easy to endure.”
3. Zeno of Citium – You may not be as familiar with him as with most of the others on this list, but Zeno founded the school of Stoicism. Stoicism comes from the Greek “stoa,” which is a roofed colonnade, especially that of the Poikile, which was a cloistered piazza on the north side of the Athenian marketplace, in the 3rd Century BC. Stoicism is based on the idea that anything which causes us to suffer in life is actually an error in our judgment, and that we should always have absolute control over our emotions. Rage, elation, depression are all simple flaws in a person’s reason, and thus, we are only emotionally weak when we allow ourselves to be. Put another way, the world is what we make of it.
4. Avicenna – His full name is Ab? ?Al? al-?usayn ibn ?Abd All?h ibn S?n?, the last two words of which were Latinized into the more common form in Western history. He lived in the Persian Empire from c. 980 AD to 1037. The Dark Ages were not so dark. Aside from his stature as a philosopher, he was also the world’s preeminent physician during his life. His two most well known works today are The Book of Healing (which has nothing to do with physical medicine) and The Canon of Medicine, which was his compilation of all known medical knowledge at that time.
5. Thomas Aquinas – Thomas will forever be remembered as the guy who supposedly proved the existence of God by arguing that the Universe had to have been created by something, since everything in existence has a beginning and an end. This is now referred to as the “First Cause” argument, and all philosophers after Thomas have wrestled with proving or disproving the theory. He actually based it on the notion of “?? ?????????? ?????,” of #1. The Greek means “one who moves while not moving” – or “the unmoved mover”.
6. Confucius – Master Kong Qiu, as his name translates from Chinese, lived from 551 to 479 BC, and remains the most important single philosopher in Eastern history. He espoused significant principles of ethics and politics, in a time when the Greeks were espousing the same things. We think of democracy as a Greek invention, a Western idea, but Confucius wrote in his Analects that “the best government is one that rules through ‘rites’ and the people’s natural morality, rather than by using bribery and coercion. This may sound obvious to us today, but he wrote it in the early 500s to late 400s BC. It is the same principle of democracy that the Greeks argued for and developed: the people’s morality is in charge; therefore, rule by the people.
7. Rene Descartes – Descartes lived from 1596 to 1650, and today he is referred to as “the Father of Modern Philosophy.” He created analytical geometry, based on his now immortal Cartesian coordinate system, immortal in the sense that we are all taught it in school, and that it is still perfectly up-to-date in almost all branches of mathematics. Analytical geometry is the study of geometry using algebra and the Cartesian coordinate system. He discovered the laws of refraction and reflection. He also invented the superscript notation still used today to indicate the powers of exponents.
8. Paul of Tarsus – The wild card of this list, but give him fair consideration. Paul accomplished more with the few letters we have of his, to various churches in Asia Minor, Israel and Rome, than any other mortal person in the Bible, except Jesus himself. Jesus founded Christianity. But without Paul, the religion would have died in a few hundred years at best, or remained too insular to invite the entire world into its faith, as Jesus wanted.
9. Plato – Plato lived from c. 428 to c. 348 BC, and founded the Western world’s first school of higher education, the Academy of Athens. Almost all of Western philosophy can be traced back to Plato, who was taught by Socrates, and preserved through his own writings, some of Socrates’s ideas. If Socrates wrote anything down, it has not survived directly. Plato and Xenophon, another of his students, recounted a lot of his teachings, as did the playwright Aristophanes.
10. Aristotle – Aristotle topped another of this lister’s lists, heading the category of philosophy, so his rank on this one is not entirely surprising. But consider that Aristotle is the first to have written systems by which to understand and criticize everything from pure logic to ethics, politics, literature, even science. He theorized that there are four “causes”, or qualities, of any thing in existence: the material cause, which is what the subject is made of; the formal cause, or the arrangement of the subject’s material; the effective cause, the creator of the thing; and the final cause, which is the purpose for which a subject exists.

Here they are…

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Hope the weekend is off to a GR8 start.  :-)

Today’s post is re-posted in memory of one my favorite NFL players, Junior Seau, and in hopes that those contemplating suicide or encountering anyone with suicidal thoughts will find inspiration from this article to seek help.  Now, while I never met the man, I always enjoyed seeing him play [like a LION!!!] and the things I read like (CLICK), seemed consistent in that he was a very funny and cool human being.

Rabbit trail (side note)… Depression and suicidal thoughts can hit anyone, anytime.  While I never really considered it, understanding that Jesus is sufficient for all my needs, there were times when I thought I understood why someone would choose to leave this earth.  …more: Most men are defined by their work and their ability to provide.  My moment came about 14 years ago during my first marriage.  I was laid off from Nextel when they merged with Sprint and downsized.  The day I had to face my ex with this news, was the day I would’ve preferred death…really.  So, no one is exempt.  Keep this in mind.  A true testimony came out of this and i became a much better and stronger Christian as a result.  I choose to be an open book sometimes…as embarrassing as it may be…I choose to share with hopes of helping at the risk of allowing you the reader to know that …well…I just ain’t not superman…LOL!   …Hey maybe my tombstone will read…“He won’t not SUPERMAN…but he did try to help!”

Anyway, getting back on track here.  I sat down with the Doc to discuss suicide.  Join us for the conversation.

Chuckie: Hey Doctor of the Mind type woman of virtue, tell me before we start How are you gurl?
Dr.Dee: I’m doing just fine, I always choose to see the glass as half full, so whatever is going on, God has it under control!

Chuckie: Preach Gurl!  Watch-out now we gon have some “CHUCH” if we not careful!

Chuckie: Doc, I recently read that although we might think that more people would tend to commit suicide in the dark days of winter, in fact, the peak seasons for suicides happen to be early spring and early autumn. Further, that in the United States, suicides for both men and women peak in April and May, while suicides in women alone show a rise in September and October. Why should there be such seasonal variation?
Dr.Dee: That is a question that many have tried to answer, and the answers folks come up with depend largely on what specific research questions they ask, and how they actually study the problem. From what I can tell, though, much suicidal behavior depends on the kinds of opportunities that are available during certain times of the year. For instance, drownings and jumping off bridges and such would be more likely to occur during the warmer months, because opportunities exist to do those things. You don’t get much of that when its freezing cold outside. Also, those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, depression that occurs during the winter months, are probably beginning to come out of it and are gaining more energy as the days get longer. One of the most dangerous times for a depressed person is when they are coming out of the depression. The energy level is increased but that depressive thinking may still be present. Others have hypothesized about hormonal fluctuations, and meteorological phenomena. One thing we know, though, is that there are seasonal fluctuations in suicides, and they are universal depending on the hemisphere one happens to live in. one hemisphere shows the reverse pattern as the other.

Chuckie: Does the production of testosterone and estrogen and the accompanying changes in these systems have anything to do with mood, particularly in a person with affective illness.
DrDee: Yes,  some have hypothesized that hormonal changes can contribute.

Chuckie: Can one suicide trigger other suicides. Even though suicide of course is not like the flu, can suicide be contagious, like one suicide of one person possibly encourage copy cats?
DrDee: Well, yes and no. One person’s suicide can certainly end up being the first of a few more, but generally, a publicized suicide will not cause someone who was not thinking of it to begin with, to go ahead and kill themselves. Usually a copy-cat suicide is someone who was thinking about it already, and just took courage to go through with it after hearing about another person doing the same. In a few cases, you might have someone suicidal who wasn’t actually depressed, but had some other mental disorder that caused them to somehow “envy” for lack of a better word, the attention the other person got for killing themselves. They may commit suicide just because they are thinking they could get that kind of attention, too.

Chuckie: Do people who experience mixed states–fluctuating between depression and mania or hypomania–become most at risk for suicide. (Again, because they have the energy, while a severely depressed person might be too lethargic to end his/her life.)
Dr.Dee: Chuckie, anyone who has problems with deep depression can be at “most risk” for suicide. Yes, people with bipolar disorder can be at risk, but usually when a person is manic, they are not depressed, and when they are depressed, they are not manic. It can happen, but that’s not the norm. Manic people, however, can be impulsive people, and that also increases the risk of suicide.

Chuckie: Is this a somewhat factual statement that worldwide there are more deaths due to suicide than to accidents, homicides, and war combined.
Dr.Dee: Well, according to the World Health Organization statistics for 2001, in developed countries you had about 500, 000 suicides and about 670,000 car accidents. Homicides and war were not on the top ten list. For developing countries, suicide was not on the top ten list either. More deaths, worldwide, are due to illnesses of various kinds. In developing countries, almost 3million people died of HIV/AIDS, and in developing countries, 3.5 million died of Ischaemic Heart Disease alone. The other thing you need to keep in mind is that suicide rates vary according to age groups. So while suicide rates as cause of death for young kids is very low, suicides for young adults and for elderly white males is much higher.

Chuckie: Suicidal individuals often talk about suicide directly or indirectly using statements like, “My family would be better off without me.” Is this factual in that they might talk as if they are saying goodbye or going away, and may arrange to put their affairs in order. And, are the following signs of contemplating suicide which might include giving away articles they value, paying off debts or changing a will.  If so, what other signs should one be on the look-out for?
Dr.Dee: Sometimes people give warning signs like you mention above, but a significant number of actual suicides never leave any warning signs. They just do it. So looking for signs of depression is important, and asking the person if they are thinking about suicide is just as important.

Chuckie: Last question Doc which deviates from our topic, suicide.  I have a friend who is about to die of terminal illness (true story).  Having only recently found out, she has not told her husband or children.  Of course her discussion with me centered around how to do this.  Can you help me/her with this one? Trust me, this is one question I wish I did not have to call upon you for.
Dr.Dee: Chuckie that really depends on the person you are talking about, and the nature of her relationship with her husband, and the age of the children, etc. We dealt some with this during an earlier interview, and those recommendations will hopefully be helpful. She may want to have someone with her as she broaches the subject. She may want to do this with the doctor present, so the medical questions that her husband will surely have, can be answered. She may decide she is most comfortable writing about it, and handing it to her husband to read in her presence. The ways to share this kind of information are as varied as the individuals who have to share it. Having support, having a source of medical information, even having clergy present, should she so desire, or doing it in a therapists office, can be options. Its important, though, that she try to be as honest as she can, and that she allow the other person to react or respond in his or her own way. Expect tears or anger or shock and numbness. All of these are normal responses to truly horrible news.

Chuckie: Epictetus (Greek Stoic philosopher) once said that He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. One of the things I truly rejoice over is your have an office here on the train and allowing us to visit you each week, so my pretty little frain, let me close this week, not with a joke but, with a simple note of appreciation for your time and wisdom.  Love ya Doc.
Dr.Dee: Thanks, Chuckie!

Roll Credits…

I know each Monday we espouse about the virtues of making Monday’s Merry. I know that the below is for someone today (and perhaps tomorrow). So, please check out the story below, consider passing it on or letting someone you know who might need this, have them come here, to the Train.

And oh yeah, as per LiFeTrain protocol, Monday’s are never blue…they are Merry…so “Merry Monday”.

Three trees were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, ‘Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would seethe beauty.’ Then the second tree said, ‘Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.’

Finally the third tree said, ‘I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.’

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.

When one came to the first tree he said, ‘This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter,’ and he began cutting it down.

The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree the woodsman said, ‘This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.’ The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, ‘I don’t need anything special from my tree, so I’ll take this one’, and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in thefeed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said ‘Peace’ and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don’t seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don’t always know what God’s plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Please stop by the Church today for an excellent message:

Everyone experiences guilt now and then, but for some people, it’s a constant companion. Many times, they can’t even identify a specific reason for feeling blameworthy, but a sense of condemnation robs them of joy, assurance, and confidence. Discover the root of your guilt and find freedom and peace in the forgiveness of Christ.

CLICK