Mr. Muddle's Befuddled Universe

Loose-Leaf Living: First Steps

Everyday empiricism for everyone

Notions:

Tides rise and fall.

Notes:

Creating a Mess!

My backyard is ugly! It wasn't always a disaster. Once it was emerald green grass and sparkling flowers from stem to stern. Looked like a page out of House and Garden. Unfortunately time, hard luck, and weak fortitude gradually got the best of the backyard. The whole thing eventually went to shambles and brambles. But that's the way of the world, nothing lasts forever. Death makes life possible. Destruction is part of the creative process. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Took one look at the shambles `n' brambles and commenced moanin', ``Oh, woe's me."

I sat right there for two nights, an' a day, just b'moanin', and b'wailin' to get all out to no end. I was a no 'count grumbler and mumbler, fur shure, the way I carried on. Finally, I gives up, and goes inside on the second morning. I decided my moanin' and wailin' wasn't doin' no good no way. Plus I had to pee a lake.

The short of it is this, we hired a crew to get the backyard all shipshape again. It's not like before, but it's Ok. Can't always have everything, I guess.

People say accept what you got. Be happy! See the sunny side. Smile! Well, that ain't always so easy. It's hard not to take hard times hard. But there is a point when you do have to get up and pull yourself up by your own self and that's usually when your bladder's full.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Notebook section: Humdrum
Status: Active/Trashed.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Loose-Leaf Living: First Steps

Everyday empiricism for everyone

Notion:

Our world is what it is.

Notes:

Everything changes

Once our world was flat. Now it's a big rock flying though space. Our world has come a long way. I wonder how far it can go?

Perhaps one day humans will travel from planet to planet, and our world will be a multi-planet, or even a multi-galaxy world. Humans might even discover other universes, or even other dimensions, with sentient beings capable of communicating with us. Wouldn't it be cool to literally live in a multidimensional world?

On the other hand, say an individual is taken prisoner, and put in solitary confinement. Additionally, the only human contact is the voices of various guards that change over the years. In this case the prisoner's world is limited to the cell and the prisoner's imagination. (This is pretty basic Zen stuff, I guess. I learned about it from the Life TV show on NBC starring Damian Lewis. The show costars Sarah Shahi. Her name is my mantra.)

So our world has come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. I hope we go somewhere good, and don't go flat again.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Notebook section: Sagacious.
Status: Active/Trashed.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Loose-Leaf Living: First Steps

Everyday empiricism for everyone

Notion:

We live in our world.

Notes:

Welcome to my World

I've lived all over the place. Too many places. Well, not too many places, too many moves. After the last move, I said, ``I'm putting down roots right here, right now! I ain't movin' again." That's how I became a Californian.

California is the focal point of my world. California gives me a unique world view by clouding the horizon with the thick haze of Props 13 and 8. But I'm not the only one. For example, right this minute, the the California legislature is proposing Utah be swapped for Mexico.

Before California there was North Carolina, Virginia, The Beltway, and Michigan. Early on in my life I even had mini-stints in New York and New Jersey.

All these states have been part of my world, and my world has been in a state ever since.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Notebook section: Sagacious.
Status: Active/Trashed.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Loose-Leaf Living: First Steps

Everyday empiricism for everyone

Notion:

You can always find something.

Notes:

If it's not one thing, it's another

We have been promised that if we seek, we will find; but if we go out looking, we are bound to find something — anything, even if it's not exactly what we initially sought.

The empiricist is not satisfied with just finding something, the empiricist wants to find the ``right" thing. The trick then for the empiricist is threefold: (1) to know what to look for, (2) to know where to look, and (3) to be able to tell when the ``thing" has been found.

Successfully finding what is sought is one of the empiricist's most challenging and satisfying jobs. (We will spend more time on this subject in later essays.)

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Notebook section: Humdrum.
Status: Active/Trashed.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Loose-Leaf Living: First Steps

Everyday empiricism for everyone

Notion:

Start where you are.

Notes:

Life's not a 100 Yard Dash!

Life is not like a 100 yard dash where we all start at the same time, and more or less end up at the finish line together. We do not begin life with the blast of a starter pistol, nor do we end life by dashing across a finish line.

In life our arrivals and exits are staggered. Each of us must begin at our own beginning, and proceed from there.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Notebook section: Humdrum.
Status: Active/Trashed.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Loose-Leaf Living: First Steps

Everyday empiricism for everyone

Notion:

I'm not perfect, just forgetful.

Notes:

Fake it, `til you make it

This is the first sentence. but it's not my thesis. I don't have a thesis. Nobody's perfect!

That's not the best essay opening, but no time to diddle daddle (this will be short, short). Life waits for no man. Sometimes you just have to grab the bull by the tail, and make hay, while the shoe flies. So throw caution in the bin, and belly-roll to the top of the peeps. Like Mikey says, ``Just glue it!"

Now this is the point then, with empiricism everyone knows first efforts are going to be mucked up, so where's the pressure? Do our best then, and relax. Mess ups? (Fix `em! Try anyway.) Triumphs? (Relish them.) So, live and learn; literally.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Notebook section: Humdrum.
Status: Active/Trashed.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Loose-Leaf Notion

Loose-Leaf Living:
Everyday empiricism for everyone

God works in mysterious metaphors.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Notebook section: Picayune.
Status: Active/Trashed.
Notes: I originally wrote this statement in response to a comment made by a Stumbleupon acquaintance.

After my acquaintance, Baghy, had visited a Chat with God Online website. she reported having the following conversation with the online God:

God: Hello! What is your name?
Baghy: Don't you know already?
God: Perhaps. Do Not You Know, nice to meet you! Are you a man or a woman?
Baghy: 90% women, 10% man
God: Do you want to continue talking about Lizards?

After reading this conversation, I wrote, ``God works in mysterious metaphors."*

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Technorati Tags: philosophy,
religion, ethics

Loose-Leaf Notion

Loose-Leaf Living:
Everyday empiricism for everyone

Accept nothing on faith.

Notions must pass the tests of time, logic, and experience before being accepted as true.

Notebook section: Sagacious.
Status: Active/Trashed.
Notes:  .

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Technorati Tags: philosophy,
religion, ethics

Loose-Leaf Living: Tim's Notebook

Everyday empiricism for everyone

What's Loose-Leaf Living?

Loose-Leaf Living is pop-philosophy loosely based on scientific methodology (that is, empiricism), and it attempts to apply this methodology to everyday life. In other words, it encourages people to  base their choices on what works, rather than on what fits into some ideology or religion (but it's not anti-religion).

Loose-Leaf Living uses the metaphors of a loose-leaf notebook and a waste basket. Everyone would have their own loose-leaf notebook, and as they traveled through their life, each person would write ``notions" (that is, observations about life) on a sheet of paper, and then put the paper into the notebook. Because it is a loose-leaf notebook, the sheets of paper can be taken out, and organized. Some sheets can even be discarded into the waste basket, if time and experience show that a notion is false. Loose-Leaf Notebooks would change over time. We would keep notions that stood the test of time and experience. We could either revise or discard the rest.

At this point in time, I see a typical Loose-Leaf Living Notebook being dividing into three main sections: Sagacious, Humdrum, and Picayune. The Sagacious section would be for your best ideas and statements regarding your core values. The Humdrum section would be for observations about everyday life; things you want to remember. The Picayune section would be to list your loves, your likes, and your pet peeves. (You may wish to change the section names, or add sections. Do what works for you.)

In the future I will further discuss my initial vision of Loose-Leaf Living, but in this write up I will focus on my own Loose-Leaf Living Notebook.

Tim's Loose-Leaf Living Notebook (L3N)
List of Notions

I am just starting my notebook, so I only have a few notions listed. Over time I expect to add notions, and also revise and delete some. In other words, my Loose-Leaf Living Notebook (L3N) will always be a work in progress — just like my life.

My own L3N contains my personal beliefs, preferences, and observations. I do not expect anyone to agree with the statements contained within (that is, listed below); however, I do hope they have some entertainment value.

Sagacious

• Accept nothing on faith.
• The question of the existence of gods is separate from the question of the existence of sentient life in other dimensions.
• The question of the existence of places such as Heaven and Hell is separate from the question of the existence of an afterlife.
• All gods known to mankind are birthed from the the imagination of men and women; however there may be a being (or beings), which mankind would deem God-like.

Humdrum

• I believe in love at first sight.
• I believe in love everlasting.
• I believe hate breeds hate.

Picayune

• Coffee should be served hot and black just like God intended.
• Moderation in all things, except caffeine and free dessert.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
© 2009 TSNull

Technorati Tags: philosophy,
religion, ethics

Loose-Leaf Notion

``A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."*

Clever quips are to wisdom what pebbles are to mountains.

— Stocker Null
Loose-Leaf Living
(c) 2008 TSNull

* This statement has been attributed to both Confucius and Lao Tzu.

Technorati Tags: philosophy, religion, ethics