Abbott Family Blog » Brief

Support for the Technical Support

Kyle Abbott — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:29:06 +0000

You’re gaining credibility… but in the opposite direction.
—A frustrated Kyle, addressing Mama who had him walk from his computer to hers to help her find a computer file… which was right in front of her.

[Humor Alert: it's supposed to look like I'm banging my head against the wall!]

The challenge of helping the technologically challenged...

Gardener’s Wisdom, Vol. 182

Luke Abbott — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:42:32 +0000

A weed in time, saves nine. —Papa

Subtle Hints

Kyle Abbott — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:04:14 +0000

When somebody ever says, “I will leave the matter in your . . . capable hands.” You can bet for certain that they think you will screw up “the matter” and will immediately tattle to the boss afterwards in hopes of getting a promotion.

Sainthood

Kyle Abbott — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:31:34 +0000

I always thought of myself as a saint…
—Luke [taken totally out of context but humorous all the same]

Words of the Wise

Kyle Abbott — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:39:49 +0000

Vocalized words are a waste of time. If a speaker’s words are important to him, let that man carve those words on a mountain, where he will at least attract sightseers to bring in some revenue for the state. —A famous, dead, unknown poet.

Be Where Now?

carl — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:56:39 +0000

The admonition to ‘be here now’ is kind of silly in a way. Everyone is ‘always here now’. In fact, that is part of our problem is it not? Well, being ‘always here now’ is not the problem, but rather, we desire more from ‘now’ than ‘now’ has to offer. What ‘now’ has to offer is either not enough, or it’s too much.. or so our mind’s imagination tells us.

—Carl

(And now, back to your regularly-scheduled blog.)

What is Taoism? One sentence…

Luke Abbott — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:00:23 +0000

Hmm…well, I don’t know what it is, but I know what it isn’t.
—Luke

Not a bad description, I must say.

Going too far…

Luke Abbott — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:49:21 +0000

If I had my way, the Eternal Flame would only light up when somebody walked by… —Kyle, on energy-efficiency

Peace on Earth?

carl — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:55:23 +0000

When? Now? It’s all in the eye of the beholder isn’t it? In fact our idealistic yearning for physical peace on earth is largely as symptom of our lack of inner peace. And ironically, the worldly chaos and wars we have is also a symptom of that inner disconnection we feel. The human by-path is that we think and feel we can resolve this through deeds and action.

—Carl

Learning to Be… or Not to Be?

carl — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:54:54 +0000

We can’t learn to be who we are not, nor unlearn to be who we are. The only path is to learn who we are. Knowing who we are, our ‘original nature’, allows us to make the most of life with a minimum of wasted energy and time. I heard someone say recently, “don’t push the river, it’ll flow by itself.” I’d rephrase that a little, “We need not push the river, it’ll flow by itself”. Ruthlessly knowing our needs and fears helps with this by helping us know the benefit of resorting to no action.

The Folly of Fun

carl — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:28:47 +0000

The innate drive to have ‘fun’ is one of nature’s most effective hoodwinks. This drive allows man to catch a fish as it bites down on the bait seeking a moment of ‘fun’. Fun (pleasure) is also beneficial. If the fish didn’t enjoy the fun of eating it wouldn’t seek the food it needs to survive; the drive to have fun is balanced in nature. Not so in us! We carry with us thoughts of fun – desire – which tips the balance and we go after bait more than necessary. And the result is suffering, as Buddha pointed out. Thus, be extremely wary of wanting to have fun if you wish to live to be a wise old fish.

Words Smell!

carl — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:44:26 +0000

Words smell? Well not exactly. But, there is a clear similarity between odors and words. Simply put, words are to humans as odors are to dogs. And the same applies to beliefs. In the biological sense of things belief take place in our most developed organ – the brain. The olfactory sense of reality in dogs is the same, functionally speaking. Beliefs, rites, and rituals in our species serves as ‘odors’ in the larger social sense just as actual odors do in many (most or all?) social animals, e.g., rats, dogs, ants, etc. Need I say more? I think not. I’d just ‘stink’ up the place.