Category Archives: philosophy

03 /11/11 Earthquake in Japan

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I was enjoying a Tokyo restaurant with Shiro when the seat began to sway and shake — my first earthquake. (Actually I’d slept through a couple in the past.)

“That was nothing, he told me. … Happens all the time.”

… the Great East Japan Earthquake (東日本大震災) … Friday, 11 March 2011 … was the most powerful known earthquake ever to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900.

One minute before the earthquake was felt in Tokyo, the Earthquake Early Warning system … sent out warnings of impending strong shaking to millions. It is believed that the early warning by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) saved many lives. …

… A 400 km (250 mi) stretch of coastline dropped vertically by 0.6 m (2.0 ft), allowing the tsunami to travel farther and faster onto land …

Earthquakes are scary. One woman told me she ran out into her yard and hugged the biggest tree.

But the damage was mostly caused by the tidal wave. Over 230,000 vehicles were destroyed. More than 90% of the deaths were from drowning. Here’s a glimpse of what happened in one coastal town.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Life is short. Be thankful every day you have without earthquake. Especially if you live near a fault line.

And don’t forget the people in Japan.

thank you Risshō Kōsei Kai

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One of my first gymnastics coaches, Shiro Tanaka, invited me to attend a Buddhist English language festival in Tokyo hosted by the International Buddhist Congregation, a division of Rissho Kosei-kai. IBC offers an English language service every Sunday.

Here’s the Great Sacred Hall, only one building of what’s almost a small city in their Tokyo Headquarters.

Though I have studied the Buddha, I didn’t know much about Japanese Buddhism. The RKK teachings are not as strict as what’s practiced in Thailand, by comparison, more welcoming to lay people.

“Buddhism for Today”

We stayed at the excellent Pilgrimage Hall residence. Pilgrims.

Here’s a statue of co-founder Nikkyo Niwano (1906–1999). He’s remembered for his interfaith work, his calls for global peace and disarmament.

… As of 2010 there are over 240 churches and centers in 20 countries. Membership currently stands at 6.5 million members, with the majority living in Japan. …

All good. Shiro feels the organization should have more Canadian members, though.

A special thanks to Reverend Suzuki who gave me a personal summing up of the RKK teachings.

See more photos of our two days at RKK with the IBC.

Steve Jobs – the crazy one

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Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

A lot of people like best his 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech. (VIDEO)

It’s a simple, humble, narrative-driven speech, touching on his adoption, his decision to drop out of Reed College, getting fired from and then returning to Apple, and being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004

t.c moore – Artist

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My cousin t.c moore is an Artist and instructor out of Petaluma, California. She’s just launched a website showcasing her work.

… Using an array of natural materials, particularly nature’s detritus – horse hair, hoof clippings, wood shavings, teeth, egg shells, feathers, spider webs – I create work which celebrates the organic unity of all living things. My work is inspired by the Biophilia hypothesis, a term coined by E.O. Wilson which states that humans as a species have a universal love for the natural world. I feel we suffer from “nature deficit disorder” and one goal for my work is to translate my feelings of wonder and awe of the materials, cycles and processes of nature. …

Check her Portfolio online.

Rick McCharles – outstanding in his field

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I’m pretty much the very best in the world in my field. :)

I’m finishing up Idaho Expedition Race. Flying to Vancouver Thursday for the BC Gymnastics Congress. From there back to Calgary the following week. I’ve got to stay one step ahead of the competition in my field.

… What is it I do, again?

in defense of Ayn Rand

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“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.

One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.

The other, of course, involves orcs.”

- Attributed to Paul Krugman.

Atlas Shrugged had that effect on me.

… explores a dystopian United States where leading innovators, ranging from industrialists to artists, refuse to be exploited by society.

The protagonist, Dagny Taggart, sees society collapse around her as the government increasingly asserts control over all industry (including Taggart Transcontinental, the once mighty transcontinental railroad for which she serves as the Vice President of Operations), while society’s most productive citizens, led by the mysterious John Galt, progressively disappear. …

I’ve given Atlas Shrugged to a number of teens. It’s an important book …

Kids need to learn that all men are not created equal, rather that all men should have equal opportunity.

Kids need to learn that we should promote and encourage greatness.

Kids need to learn that authority organizations can ruin their lives ... OK, they already know that.

Now I find myself defending Ayn Rand alongside fans as odious as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. That does hurt.

The new Ayn Rand movie adaptation Atlas Shrugged Part 1 got nuked and ridiculed on the Slate Culture Gabfest audiocast.

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

I’m going to see it. Unfortunately the producer of the Ayn Rand adaptation said:

… that he is reconsidering his plans to make Parts 2 and 3 because of scathing reviews and flagging box office returns for the film.

“Critics, you won,” …

I hope he joins Gault and makes the two sequels.

Rick’s END OF THE WORLD poems

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Back in High School we were very worried about Nuclear War. I even recall missing school, taking the bus downtown to an anti-Nuke Rally.

(We ended up at Jaffee’s comic book store and the pool hall.)

Here are a couple of my first poems:

____________

The many people I have known
Were scattered in that blast and blown
Up to the sky and on beyond,
Up to the God that looked and yawned
And turned away, not the other cheek,
But turned away the mild and meek,
The good, the bad, the young and old;
He turned away the strong and bold,
The rich, the poor, the black the white,
All were equal in His vast sight.
They stood together in a crowd.
He shock His fist and spoke aloud.
“I want no part of you damn men,
I’ll simply go and start again.”
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quite remarkable
indeed they are
and finished in less than a week
they say
it really is amazing what modern Science can do
these days
i know what you mean
imitations so identical like that
they are good
very good
perfect in fact
at least right now
but they say that they are created in Our own image
exactly
no
maybe someday
when they are filled perhaps
but not now
i wish i could start over too

____________

I wrote those in 1973-74, a Language Arts option High School class. Teacher Ms Gloria Dalton.

Voluntary Simplicity – Burning Down the House

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Rob Paradis’ house burned down. He and his wife were devastated.

… Soon after, however, they felt oddly relieved. This was a chance for renewal. A fresh start.

My personal philosophy over the past 20yrs is Voluntary Simplicity. … :

Do more with less.
- Bucky Fuller

Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness.
- John Ruskin

He who knows he has enough is rich.
- Lao-tzu

… Nod now in sage agreement

Yet, embarrassingly, I’ve had for decades a garbage dump of STUFF in storage.

piled HIGH and DEEP

Finally, I’ve burned down my own house, … or about 60% of it.

I shed possessions in these categories:

• paper
• clothing
• STUFF
• electronics

I’ll never get on the TV show Hoarders, now.

Most difficult to donate to charity was clothing. Though I’m not a nostalgic person, I was nearly brought to tears dumping a t-shirt I hadn’t worn since High School.

What about YOU. … Ready to do some ‘Spring Cleaning’ at your place?

P.S.

… Dana will be pleased to hear that my “Underwear Box” survived the fire. (But it’s been combined into the “Underwear / Socks Box”.)