The Fine Art of Navel Gazing

Frayda, the millionairess I knew from 2003 to 2006, died this day in 2006 around 6:30 a.m. No amount of money could stop the pancreatic cancer.

Excerpt from Conquest of Abundance....

The crucial judgment on a life is not about the philosophy or theology that the person claimed to follow, but the kind of life that he actually lived. In his acclaimed autobiography "killing time", Feyerabend says: "It seems to me that love and friendship play a central role and without them even the noblest achievements and the most fundamental principles remain pale, empty and dangerous".

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feyerabend/#TenWondYearEighBerkZuri

Feyerabend complains that the ideas of reason and rationality are “ambiguous and never clearly explained” (Farewell To Reason, p. 10); they are deified hangovers from autocratic times which no longer have any content but whose “halo of excellence” (ibid.) clings to them and lends them spurious respectability:

[R]ationalism has no identifiable content and reason no recognizable agenda over and above the principles of the party that happens to have appropriated its name. All it does now is to lend class to the general drive towards monotony. It is time to disengage Reason from this drive and, as it has been thoroughly compromised by the association, to bid it farewell. (FTR, p. 13).

Interestingly, he was, in terms of philosophical perspective, compared to Bruce Lee.

Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living

"Since he himself would not wholly accept any particular style of martial art or philosophy, Bruce encouraged his students not to accept, without question, his teachings. His main message was to keep one's mind, attitude, and senses pliable and receptive, and, at the same time, develop the ability to think correctly. This process of inquiry, debate, and practice would lead not only to knowledge of one's physical strengths and weaknesses but also to the discovery of basic truths that allow one to grow toward a state of harmonious unity of spirit, mind, and body." — Linda Lee Cadwell, from her preface

"I thought Bruce was a brilliant, fine philosopher about everyday living. He was very much into finding out who he was. His comment to people was 'Know yourself.' The good head that he acquired was through his knowing himself. He and I used to have great long discussions about that. No matter what you do in life, if you don't know yourself, you're never going to be able to appreciate anything in life. That, I think, is today's mark of a good human being—to know yourself." — Steve McQueen

I'd add: If you are continuing to grow mentally, emotionally, then knowing one's self is an ever-changing event.

As a polyamorist, I've valued my relationships above all else. They helped me grow in ways I never could have imagined. And each time I thought I'd NOW done everything that could be done in bed, another would appear to show me a whole new dimension.

The joy of love-imbued orgasm is the highest. My deepest gratitude and undying love to each of you.

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