2012.09.06 07:00 - Ennui and enlightenment

The Guardian for this meeting was Storm Nordwind. The comments are by Storm Nordwind.

Being a gimp.

Storm Nordwind: Good morning GimpGirl :)
Eliza Madrigal: ah... lol.. forgot my tag :) interesting group
Eliza Madrigal: And, Morning :)
Storm Nordwind: Some art program, yes?
Eliza Madrigal: not at all... it is a group of women with disabilities in SL
Storm Nordwind: Oh I see
Eliza Madrigal: some are artists, but these ladies are pretty cheeky as you can tell by the tag :)
Storm Nordwind: I can see. :) So, in this case, nothing to do with the GNU Image Manipulation Program.
Eliza Madrigal: not in this case :)

Being a fan.

Eliza Madrigal: How have you been doing, Storm?
Storm Nordwind: Fairly well thank you. Being a sports fan for the first time in my life. In a kind of detached way, watching myself enjoy it but not get attached to it. :)
Eliza Madrigal: Olympics, or... what sort of sport?
Storm Nordwind: Well the Olympics were interesting, especially the need to avoid the US televizing and get a direct feed from the BBC. But no, I meant football!
Eliza Madrigal: American football has caught your attention? wow
Storm Nordwind: In common with most Europeans, I had a disdainful view of American football, especially its stop-go nature. I now see the latter as its strength. And I've found it far more exciting and enjoyable than soccer. Much to my lasting surprise.
Alfred Kelberry: hi
Storm Nordwind: Avast!
Alfred Kelberry: avast antivirus
--BELL--
Eliza Madrigal: I used to enjoy the feeling of being at live football stadium games a lot when younger - the energy, but find soccer more captivating to watch as a game
Alfred Kelberry: ah, storm is telling a rosy story of his sudden love of american football :)
Storm Nordwind: All my stories of love are rosy Alfred
Storm Nordwind: Good morning Riddle
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Alfred and Riddle :)
Riddle Sideways: Hi Storm, Pirate and Eliza

Capturing your heart.

Alfred Kelberry: it's nice when things do not cease to surprise or capture your heart later in life
Alfred Kelberry: mr riddle
Riddle Sideways: nice when old dogs learn new tricks?
Storm Nordwind: Remarrying, I can vouch for that Alfred
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Alfred Kelberry: :)

Openness and wonder.

Storm Nordwind: Actually it's not a new trick. It's the same old trick: that of having openness and wonder.
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Alfred Kelberry: i do find however myself less... prone to surprise as i grow older
Storm Nordwind: A jaded pirate? ;)
Alfred Kelberry: with a loving heart though :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Alfred Kelberry: a long way to go for jadeness, but it does concern me a little
Eliza Madrigal: slippery slopes
Storm Nordwind sees jadedness in others, not himself thankfully
Alfred Kelberry: it may be a curse of knowledge...
Storm Nordwind: How so Alfred?
Eliza Madrigal: so perhaps intentional cultivation of wonder is in order :)
Storm Nordwind: Is it not a case or "The more you know, the more there is to know"?
Riddle Sideways: yep
Riddle Sideways: to both
Storm Nordwind smiles
Eliza Madrigal: Morning Bruce :)
Storm Nordwind waves to Brice
Riddle Sideways: how often typing 'yep' to one and another statement has preceded
Storm Nordwind: or Bruce
Bruce Mowbray: Good morning, everyone!
Riddle Sideways: Hi bruce
Eliza Madrigal: nice when what falls into the net also fits, Riddle? :)
Alfred Kelberry: storm: well, when you're little, every thing on your path is a surprise and you're in awe at subtle wonders. then you learn how things work, gain experience, seen that and this, your educated guesses are more successful and things seem less... colorful than before :)
Storm Nordwind: I still find everything a surprise. :)
Alfred Kelberry: you're an enlightened one :)
Alfred Kelberry: i'm a mere mortal
Storm Nordwind: I know, but I still like to share my joy :)

A mother's glasses.

Eliza Madrigal: have been watching my son... a few years ago taking things so seriously, even though also funny and interesting, but hm... as he gets older I feel he is having more room for both the complexity and wonder
Eliza Madrigal: of course... may be mother-lensed glasses :)
Storm Nordwind: Nothing wrong with those glasses Eliza!
Eliza Madrigal: :) am honored to wear them
Riddle Sideways: rosy glasses
Storm Nordwind: Not so much rosy and they shade out the sh... er... stuff not worthy of distracting one's attention ;)
Alfred Kelberry: storm, it isn't to say that nothing surprises me. but less so when i was 18.
Eliza Madrigal: haha... well not let it cover the lens entirely anyway
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Eliza Madrigal: fertilizer
Eliza Madrigal: :)
--BELL--

18yo.

Eliza Madrigal: what was 18yo Alfred like?
Riddle Sideways: oh dear
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Storm Nordwind: In fact would we recognize the 18yo Alfred?
Bruce Mowbray: Gotta get outside for a walk with my 13-year-old doggie before the heat of the day sets in.
Storm Nordwind: I guess the 18yo Alfred didn't talk much ;)
Bruce Mowbray: Bye for now, folks.
Storm Nordwind: Bye Bruce!
Riddle Sideways: bye by
Eliza Madrigal: :) bye for now Bruce
Riddle Sideways: an 18yo doggie is old
Riddle Sideways: an 18yo avatar is probably 8-bit
Storm Nordwind: hehe!
Eliza Madrigal giggles
Riddle Sideways: of what use would 'recognizing' an Alfred in a differnet time zone
Riddle Sideways: would that be locking what we think of an Alfred
Riddle Sideways: eliminating surprize
Storm Nordwind: Not necessarily
Storm Nordwind: Things you recognize can still surprise you
Storm Nordwind: Either by what they say or do, or what they change and become
Riddle Sideways: yes, a Dm chord still surprises
Storm Nordwind: Or they can disguise themselves (with a different root note!) and reveal themselves in a "Tada!"
Alfred Kelberry: storm, i would think so :)
Eliza Madrigal: quite moving --> "things you recognize can still surprise you."
Eliza Madrigal: practice of a lifetime
Riddle Sideways: profunditit
Storm Nordwind: Expectations can dull wonder
Riddle Sideways: profundity in the common
Alfred Kelberry: eliza, 18 yo... i think very much like an average 18 yo is - wild, hunger for experience :)
--BELL--
Eliza Madrigal: :)

Ennui and enlightenment.

Eliza Madrigal thinking about disillusionment from 'knowledge'
Storm Nordwind: That can happen at any time. "Why bother? What's the point? What's it all for?"
Alfred Kelberry: i don't think it's knowledge per se... i think it's us in the end
Eliza Madrigal nods
Alfred Kelberry: i find knowledge awesomely rewarding... both financially and emotionally :)
Eliza Madrigal: it is increasingly more challenging perhaps, as one gets older and takes responsibiity for what they know... working with where they can and seemingly cannot
Storm Nordwind: I suspect ennui and enlightenment won't coexist. ;)
Alfred Kelberry: ennui - nice one :)
Alfred Kelberry: there, acquired new knowledge :)
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Storm Nordwind: Wonder-ful
Eliza Madrigal: >ding< powered up
Storm Nordwind: haha!
Storm Nordwind: You are now level... er... I don't know... something awesome I'm sure ;)
Eliza Madrigal giggles
Riddle Sideways: Word-play

Gravity.

Alfred Kelberry: eliza, responsibility is an important factor in surprise awareness
Storm Nordwind: perhaps the ability to wonder and be surprised is linked with humility?
Alfred Kelberry: somewhat
Riddle Sideways: dogs are very linked to wonder and surprise
Eliza Madrigal: which may include some sense of hm gravity of awareness, though that's a strange term
Eliza Madrigal: :)) True, Riddle
Storm Nordwind: I have awareness of gravity. Will that do? ;)
Eliza Madrigal: :)) yeah...
Storm Nordwind: Or is that just my annoying playfulness, not taking things seriously enough? :)
Eliza Madrigal: dogs are linked to loyalty too.... that feeling of perpetual "wow you're here"
Storm Nordwind: "Wuff you're here"
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Alfred Kelberry: storm, is it what having sense of humor called now? :)
Storm Nordwind: yes, if you were my boss in engineering
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eliza Madrigal: Thanks Storm, Riddle, Boxy - have to dash :)

Being surprised.

Alfred Kelberry: storm, that actually would be a very interesting experiment :)
Alfred Kelberry: eliza, be good girl :)
Storm Nordwind: Bye Eliza!
Eliza Madrigal: thanks for this playful session
Eliza Madrigal: bye!
--BELL--
Riddle Sideways: must go too, bye.
Storm Nordwind waves
Storm Nordwind: What's the experiment Alfred?
Alfred Kelberry: me your boss in engineering :)
Storm Nordwind: Now that would be a surprise. Another lifetime maybe ;)
Alfred Kelberry: sadly, we only live once
Storm Nordwind: You're sure of that of course
Alfred Kelberry: no, but i operate with the data i have
Storm Nordwind: And make extrapolated pronouncements on the data you have ;)
Alfred Kelberry: it is out of scope of both our existence and proof. nowhere to extrapolate to.
Alfred Kelberry: i would however be pleasantly surprised if it turns out to be true :)
Storm Nordwind: Some people claim they would be unpleasantly surprised.
Alfred Kelberry: how so?
Storm Nordwind: They believe that they have many lives, that life brings suffering, and that the only way out of that suffering is to get off the wheel of repeated lives. They call this "liberation".
Alfred Kelberry: oh... you mean buddhists?
Storm Nordwind: I believe many Buddhists are of that opinion yes
Alfred Kelberry: well, it's their belief
Alfred Kelberry: i rather enjoy my life here on the planet earth
Storm Nordwind: All the time? Great!

Ups and downs.

Alfred Kelberry: there are ups and downs, as always :)
Storm Nordwind: I'm sorry to hear that old friend.
Alfred Kelberry: do you not think it's natural to fluctuate? subtle impurities?
Storm Nordwind: Natural but not essential. And are the fluctuations only above the axis, or do they cross it?
--BELL--
Alfred Kelberry: they cross :)
Storm Nordwind: Again, that's not mandatory. there are many natural states of being.
Alfred Kelberry: none of them go unchanged
Storm Nordwind: To be specific: it is possible to be happy all the time. That is a natural state. And yes there may be changes, fluctuations between happy and very happy! :)
Alfred Kelberry: haha
Alfred Kelberry: ok, how about a divorce?
Storm Nordwind: Crossing the axis to unhappy is optional - not one I wish to take thank you!
Alfred Kelberry: no one wishes for that, but we can hardly help it when certain negative events present themselves
Storm Nordwind: You want a divorce? But we're not even married yet! ;)
Storm Nordwind: if we wish to, we can learn ways of approaching life that make us less susceptible to negative events
Alfred Kelberry: i think they're also necessary those negative experiences. it is how we distinguish happy from sad.
Storm Nordwind: If i were cynical, I might suggest that that was just a justification for failure to be happy! ;)
Alfred Kelberry: :)
Alfred Kelberry: if you only experience one state, what is it the difference for you?
Storm Nordwind: Micro-fluctuations
Alfred Kelberry: happy ones?
Storm Nordwind: Joy in every moment brings its differences
Alfred Kelberry: woosh! the train car has just passed us
Alfred Kelberry: ok, on that joyful note, i'll be off for dinner
Alfred Kelberry: thank you for the company
Storm Nordwind: Bon appetit :)
Storm Nordwind smiles
Storm Nordwind waves