[Mathematics] is security. Certainty. Truth. Beauty. Insight. Structure. Architecture. I see mathematics, the part of human knowledge that I call mathematics, as one thing—one great, glorious thing. Whether it is differential topology, or functional analysis, or homological algebra, it is all one thing. ... They are intimately interconnected, they are all facets of the same thing. That interconnection, that architecture, is secure truth and is beauty. That's what mathematics is to me.
The most interesting of the classic movie genres to me are the indigenous ones: the Western, which was born on the Frontier, the Gangster Film, which originated in the East Coast cities, and the Musical, which was spawned by Broadway. They remind me of jazz: they allowed for endless, increasingly complex, sometimes perverse variations. When these variations were played by the masters, they reflected the changing times; they gave you fascinating insights into American culture and the American psyche.
There's a value in that space - rent, overhead, staffing costs, etc. - that has to be paid back by a certain number of inventory turns per month. In other words, the onesies and twosies waste space. However, when that space doesn't cost anything, suddenly you can look at those infrequent sellers again, and they begin to have value. This was the insight that led to Amazon, Netflix, and all the other companies I was talking to.
Along with the concept of American Dream runs the notion that every man and woman is entitled to an opinion and to one vote, no matter how ridiculous that opinion might be or how uninformed the vote. It could be that the Borderer Presbyterian tradition of "stand up and say your rightful piece" contributed to the American notion that our gut-level but uninformed opinions are some sort of unvarnished foundational political truths. I have been told that this is because we redneck working-class Scots Irish suffer from what psychiatrists call "no insight".Consequently, we will never agree with anyone outside our zone of ignorance because our belligerent Borderer pride insists on the right to be dangerously wrong about everything while telling those who are more educated to "bite my ass!
Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to being present. There is no "performance." There is just this moment. We are not trying to improve or to get anywhere else. We are not even running after special insights or visions. Nor are we forcing ourselves to be non-judgmental, calm, or relaxed. And we are certainly not promoting self-consciousness or indulging in self-preoccupation. Rather, we are simply inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intentino to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and now.Of course, with continued practice and the right kind of firm yet gentle effort, calmness and mindfulness and equanimity develop and deepen on their own, out of your commitment to dwell in stillness and to observe without reacting and judging. Realizatinos and insights, profound experiences of stillness and joy, do come. But it would be incorrect to say that we are practicing to make these experiences happen or that having more of them is better than having fewer of them.
“Blair understands its customers, offering exactly the merchandise mix they want paired with excellent service and affordable prices the same insights that keep it the oldest continually listed, publicly traded company on the American Stock Exchange. By launching its affiliate program with Share Results, Blair gains access to a large online sales force that will help to expand its core customer base and continue to serve its customers better.”
“I like Morrie a lot. Like him, I'm a teacher and I'm also Jewish. For some in the academic world, sociology is not considered to be a rigorous science. That may be true, but Morrie must have been a very charismatic guy even if he wasn't the deepest of thinkers. The genius of his insights and how he refined the things he learned in life and passed them along are really what this story is all about.”
“I am excited about expanding our insurance operations and moving into niches we see as less volatile during a competitive market cycle. Our experience in delivering service provided us insight into opportunities that will help grow our insurance business. We spent considerable time and effort developing our strategy and the relationships necessary to begin this growth initiative and are confident that we will be very successful over time.”
“A number of companies and esteemed individuals have stepped up to sponsor and mentor our student teams from the FIRST kick off on January 7 until now. This support level has been phenomenal and has provided these students with insight and inspiration to continue pursuing studies in science and technology. This support combined with the public's interest will make the Boston Regional a success and encourage other students to create their own teams for next year.”
“Scott brings a combination of game industry experience and enthusiasm that will be a tremendous asset to our company, and a catalyst for our future efforts. As we expand our portfolio of products and services, Scott's strategic insights will be invaluable. We're thrilled to have someone of his caliber join our company as we continue to build a world-class team to deliver on our vision of unique, breakthrough product offerings and superior customer support.”