(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Itzl Alert Network: Tuesday, 5th of September, 2023: A reading list. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-04 I am always thinking about philosophy, and how to live my philosophy, and how to express it, and my many sources of my philosophy. And, in what ways do I need to improve my philosophy? We all need to improve, so they say. As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at, to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off Daily Kos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on Daily Kos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care! IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news! This is our current schedule of regular IAN diary writers: Monday: Youffraita Tuesday: bigjacbigjacbigjac Wednesday: Pam from Calif Thursday: art ah zen Friday: FloridaSNMOM Saturday: FloridaSNDad Sunday: loggersbrat The little dog is named Itzl. I recently got to thinking, that so much literature is well past any copyright, and free to read online. In this diary, I will post links and quotes to some literature I feel may be important. Some of these I have read, a lot, carefully. Some I read once, years ago, and recall very little. Some I have barely glanced at. I will post the links and quotes, to stimulate myself to read more, and if anyone else reading this is likewise inspired, all the better. First, I will post my current philosophy, or at least one way to say it: I must keep myself: physically healthy and strong financially healthy and strong emotionally healthy and strong To do that third one, I must: work, every day, on chores that give me a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done interact, every day, with family, friends (such as you, my Itzl friends) and neighbors. Now, I will post links and quotes to certain literature that contributed to my philosophy, plus links and quotes to very well-respected literature, that might teach me even more. The Boy Scout Oath: www.usscouts.org/... On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. Do you see the connection? I was a Boy Scout, back in the late sixties and early seventies. After Tonia died, and left me thinking about what I needed to do, to take care of myself, in the face of grief and depression, I adapted the Boy Scout oath to my current situation. Also, reading so much here at Daily Kos, about our government, and about our Constitution, I keep coming back to the very important point, one of the main reasons our Constitution was written: constitution.congress.gov/… We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Every item on that “In order to” list, every item, ultimately, is for this one item: promote the general Welfare That is it. That is the reason for everything we do, the reason for my philosophy, the reason for all the literature I am posting about here. The way our government promotes the general welfare, is here, in Article One, Section 8: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States Taxes. That is the job of our government, to lay and collect taxes, and to use that money, to promote the general welfare. Tax money (including taxes I paid for 46 years) gives me my Social Security direct deposit, and my Medicare and Medicaid. That is why the politicians, usually labeled Democratic, who suggest and propose more taxes, as in, new kinds of taxes, or an increase of existing taxes, are trying to promote the general welfare, as our Constitution says we must. The next source for my philosophy is this: www.biblehub.com/… The Bible. But first, let me take a short detour. I often mention that I am an atheist. Someone on the internet, a while back, pointed out that “atheist” only says what I am not. So, what am I? americanhumanist.org/… Seems to me, I am a humanist: Humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature’s integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner. I have not yet carefully studied this Humanist Manifesto. But that quote seems to say, “Promote the general welfare.” Go to the link, and read the whole thing, if you wish. It is pretty short. I plan to read it carefully, myself. Maybe I should write a book report on that, like in school. Ha! Now, back to the Bible: Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3: www.biblehub.com/… Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? Satisfaction of a job well done. Go back to my philosophy near the top. That is what I work for, every day. Such as, the satisfaction I am getting from writing and posting this diary! My favorite Bible story, to illustrate all the points in my philosophy, is the story of the prodigal son: Luke, Chapter 15: biblehub.com/… And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. The young man in the story, after heading out for grand adventures, realized that in order to take care of himself, he should go back to his father’s farm. And, that family, and their hired servants, worked together, to promote the general welfare, for everyone on that farm. One more Bible quote, to show how an Old Testament prophet gave wisdom, Jesus repeated that wisdom, RuPaul says something even smarter than Jesus, and Robert Baden-Powell wrote words even wiser: www.biblehub.com/… And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. Sorry to post such long quotes, when my main point is: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But this whole conversation emphasizes that some of these words were considered the greatest wisdom of all time, at least up to that point in history. Then we have RuPaul: www.youtube.com/… And remember: If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? During his very popular show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, he said that phrase, a lot. I mean, all the time. Seems as if Jesus, and those of his times, just presumed, without any question, that everyone absolutely loves themselves. RuPaul brings up the point, that we must make certain that we love ourselves. Otherwise, we will fail to love others. Then, Robert Baden-Powell wrote the Boy Scout Oath. I will post it again here, so you will not need to scroll back up: On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. Then, my adaptation, again, so you don’t have to scroll back up: I must keep myself: physically healthy and strong financially healthy and strong emotionally healthy and strong To do that third one, I must: work, every day, on chores that give me a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done interact, every day, with family, friends (such as you, my Itzl friends) and neighbors. I could stop here, but I want to post links and quotes for 4 more pieces of literature. Some of those who hate anyone labeled Democratic, might call us Communists. If you ever have a conversation with anyone using the term, communist, you might ask them if they ever read the Communist Manifesto: www.marxists.org/… 1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. 3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance. 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 5. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly. 6. Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State. 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally inaccordance with a common plan. 8. Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. 9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country. 10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, &c, &c. Okay, a graduated income tax. Free education for all children in public schools. Sounds like promoting the general welfare, with taxes. Yes, this list of ideas eliminates capitalism. That part seems radical to me and to Joe Biden, who likes to say, “I’m a capitalist!” But, overall, the goal is all the same, preached from the Bible, the Constitution, Communism, RuPaul, Boy Scouts, and me. The goal is happiness, avoiding depression. After all, even though I have not ever been close to suicide, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Okay, 3 more items of literature. Because Judaism is older than Christianity or Islam, I thought I should post this: The Torah: www.shalomhaverim.org/… Torah -תורה - means "instruction'' or ''teaching''. The Torah, or Jewish Written Law, consists of the five books of the Hebrew Bible - known more commonly to non-Jews as the "Old Testament" - that were given by G-d to Moses on Mount Sinai and include within them all of the biblical laws of Judaism. The Torah is also known as the Chumash, Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses. I had some idea that was true, but this is the first time I actually looked it up, to see. www.shalomhaverim.org/… 1:1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'arets. בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ 1:2 The earth was without form and empty, with darkness on the face of the depths, but God's spirit moved on the water's surface. Veha'arets hayetah tohu vavohu vechoshech al-peney tehom veruach Elohim merachefet al-peney hamayim. וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃ 1:3 God said, 'There shall be light,' and light came into existence. Vayomer Elohim yehi-or vayehi-or. וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃ Okay, I should explore further, looking at verses important to me, and comparing this version to others, to see if I can learn anything. Now, let us take a look at the Quran: www.clearquran.com/… 1. In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. 3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4. Master of the Day of Judgment. 5. It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6. Guide us to the straight path. 7. The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. I read a little bit of the Quran, years ago. I should take a deeper dive, soon. The world has one billion Muslims. Maybe I should read a little bit of what they are reading. One last book: cup.columbia.edu/.… Written by a number of authors over a stretch of centuries, The Thousand and One Nights depicts a burgeoning, urban Islamic culture in all its variety and complexity. I read part of The Thousand and One Nights many years ago, as a child. That above link and quote is a brief explanation of what kind of book it is. Here is the book itself: www.gutenberg.org/… Tale of the Bull and the Ass. Know, O my daughter, that there was once a merchant who owned much money and many men, and who was rich in cattle and camels; he had also a wife and family and he dwelt in the country, being experienced in husbandry and devoted to agriculture. Now Allah Most High had endowed him with understanding the tongues of beasts and birds of every kind, but under pain of death if he divulged the gift to any. So he kept it secret for very fear. He had in his cow house a Bull and an Ass each tethered in his own stall one hard by the other. As the merchant was sitting near hand one day with his servants and his children were playing about him, he heard the Bull say to the Ass, "Hail and health to thee O Father of Waking! for that thou enjoyest rest and good ministering; all under thee is clean swept and fresh sprinkled; men wait upon thee and feed thee, and thy provaunt is sifted barley and thy drink pure spring water, while I (unhappy creature!) am led forth in the middle of the night, when they set on my neck the plough and a something called Yoke; and I tire at cleaving the earth from dawn of day till set of sun. I am forced to do more than I can and to bear all manner of ill treatment from night to night; after which they take me back with my sides torn, my neck flayed, my legs aching and mine eyelids sored with tears. Then they shut me up in the byre and throw me beans and crushed straw, mixed with dirt and chaff; and I lie in dung and filth and foul stinks through the livelong night. But thou art ever in a place swept and sprinkled and cleansed, and thou art always lying at ease, save when it happens (and seldom enough!) that the master hath some business, when he mounts thee and rides thee to town and returns with thee forthright. So it happens that I am toiling and distrest while thou takest thine ease and thy rest; thou sleepest while I am sleepless; I hunger still while thou eatest thy fill, and I win contempt while thou winnest good will." When the Bull ceased speaking, the Ass turned towards him and said, "O Broad o' Brow, O thou lost one! he lied not who dubbed thee Bull head, for thou, O father of a Bull, hast neither forethought nor contrivance; thou art the simplest of simpletons, and thou knowest naught of good advisers. Hast thou not heard the saying of the wise:— For others these hardships and labours I bear * And theirs is the pleasure and mine is the care; As the bleacher who blacketh his brow in the sun * To whiten the raiment which other men wear. A lot like Charlotte’s Web. Talking farm animals. Okay, I will quit here. Scrolling down this whole diary takes about 19 strokes of my “Page Down” button. Anyway, I hope this whole project was not too long, not too boring. Take care of yourselves, and each other. And eat muffins. Hugs! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/4/2191508/-Itzl-Alert-Network-Tuesday-5th-of-September-2023-A-reading-list Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/