How to Build a Stronger Ego(ˈēgō)

By Steve Pavlina

There’s a notion(ˈnōSHən) that’s been spread(spred) around the spiritual(ˈspiriCHo͞oəl) side of the self-help field that suggests one of our primary(ˈprīm(ə)rē,ˈprīˌmerē) aims in life should be ego-less enlightenment(enˈlītnmənt), a state where we achieve near-perfect inner peace, where we’re one with everything but attached(əˈtaCHt) to nothing, and where nothing in the physical(ˈfizikəl) world can knock(näk) us off balance(ˈbaləns).

This creates some personal challenges for me because whenever I write about anything remotely spiritual in nature (and sometimes even when I don’t), some readers assume I’m one of the guys promoting(prəˈmōt) this same sort of ideal(īˈdē(ə)l). Then they question why my behavior doesn’t seem consistent with it.

My behavior isn’t consistent with the pursuit(pərˈso͞ot) of ego-less enlightenment because I have no interest in that path. If other people find value in it, that’s their choice, but I find other paths of development to be much more practical(ˈpraktikəl) and fulfilling(fo͝olˈfiliNG), both for myself and for others I’ve observed over the years.

Do you really want to kill your ego?

Do you even want to weaken it?

In this case I’m using the word ego to refer to your physical world identity(īˈdentitē), mainly your personality(ˌpərsəˈnalitē) and sense of self. I’m not referring to ego in the sense of being arrogant(ˈarəgənt), such as when people say, “So-and-so has a big ego.”

Many spiritual seekers claim(klām) it’s wise to weaken the ego as much as possible. The ones who really go all out with this idea give away all their possessions(pəˈzeSHən), shave(SHāv) their heads, and spend their days meditating(ˈmedəˌtāt) and doing chores(CHôr), striving(strīv) to burn away any last bits of attachment to their previous(ˈprēvēəs) identities.

But most people who claim to pursue this path have mixed feelings about it, so they hold themselves in a state of limbo(ˈlimbō). They can’t get themselves to progress on the ego-empowering path, so they don’t take strong steps to advance in their careers(kəˈri(ə)r) or make much more money — that would be too ego-based for their spiritual beliefs.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/01/how-to-build-a-stronger-ego/

You Are My Sunshine

by Elizabeth Mitchell

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You’ll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don’t take my sunshine away

The other night dear

When I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

When I awoke dear

I was mistaken

So I hung my head and cried

我想要找回这些文章的原始日期

我有一批文件，需要获取他们的原始创建日期。
可以通过stats获取到

但是它们是在不同的电脑上创建的，提交到了github上。
可以通过git log获取到提交记录

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!#/bin/bash
/* insert front_matter according to git commit log */
dir_list=./*.md
for i in $dir_list; do
    title=$(head -1 "$i")
    git_gmt=$(git log -1 --date=iso --pretty=%ad "$i")
    gmt_created=${git_gmt:0:19}
    front_matter="title: \"$title\"\ndate: \"$gmt_created\"\ncategories:\n- English\ntags:\n- English\n---\n"
    sed -i "1 i $front_matter" $i
done

Why you shouldn’t try to be a morning person

By Amanda(əmandə) Ruggeri

We’ve all heard it before: to be successful, get out of bed early. After all, Apple CEO Tim Cook gets up at 3:45am, Fiat(fiət) CEO Sergio(sərjio) Marchionne(mərkioni) at 3:30am and Richard(ˈriCHərd) Branson(ˈbransən) at 5:45am – and, as we know, “the early bird catches the worm(wərm).”

But just because some successful people wake up early, does that mean it’s a trait(trāt) most of them share? And if the idea of having exercised(ˈeksərˌsīz), planned your day, eaten breakfast(ˈbrekfəst), visualised(ˈviZH(ə)wəˌlīz) and done one task before 8am makes you want to roll over and hit snooze(sno͞oz) ’til next Saturday(-dē,ˈsatərˌdā), are you really doomed(do͞omd) to a less successful life?

For about half of us, this isn’t really an issue(ˈiSHo͞o). It’s estimated that some 50% of the population isn’t really morning or evening-oriented(ˈôrēˌənt), but somewhere in the middle.

Roughly(ˈrəflē) one in four of us, though, tend(tend) more toward bright(brīt)-eyed early risers(ˈrīzər), and another one in four are night owls(oul). For them, the effects can go beyond falling asleep in front of the TV at 10pm or being chronically(ˈkrɒnək(ə)li) late for work. Research shows that morning versus(-səz,ˈvərsəs) evening types show a classic(ˈklasik) left-brain(brān) versus right-brain division(diˈviZHən): more analytical(ˌanlˈitikəl) and cooperative(kōˈäp(ə)rətiv) versus more imaginative(iˈmaj(ə)nətiv) and individualistic(ˌindivijo͞oəˈlistik).

Numerous studies have found that morning people are more persistent(pərˈsistənt), self-directed and agreeable(əˈgrēəbəl). They set higher goals for themselves, plan for the future more and have a better sense of well-being. And compared to night owls, they’re less likely to be depressed(diˈprest), drink or smoke.

Although morning types may achieve more academically(ˌakəˈdemik), night owls tend to perform better on measures(ˈmeZHər) of memory, processing speed and cognitive(ˈkägnətiv) ability, even when they have to perform those tasks in the morning. Night-time people are also more open to new experiences(ikˈspi(ə)rēəns) and seek them out more. They may be more creative(krēˈātiv) (although not always). And contrary to the maxim(ˈmaksim) (‘healthy, wealthy and wise(wīz)’), one study showed that night owls are as healthy and wise as morning types – and a little bit wealthier(ˈwelTHē).

…
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20171114-why-you-shouldnt-try-to-be-a-morning-person

‘Revamp(rēˈvamp) and Restoration(ˌrestəˈrāSHən)’ review: Elton John(jän) and Bernie Taupin reinterpreted(ˌrē-inˈtərprət)

By Glenn Gamboa

When Elton John announced his upcoming retirement(riˈtīrmənt), he said he wanted to go out with a bang, not a whimper(ˈ(h)wimpər). As if there were any doubt(dout).

In addition to the intense(inˈtens) three-year farewell(ferˈwel) tour(to͝or), John also planned to leave fans with new looks at his work. The first of those new interpretations(inˌtərpriˈtāSHən) arrive(əˈrīv) in a pair of new albums(ˈalbəm) — “Revamp,” which finds pop acts such as Lady Gaga and Coldplay taking on his catalog(-ˌäg,ˈkatlˌôg), and “Restoration” (Universal(ˌyo͞onəˈvərsəl)), where country greats such as Miranda(məˈrandə) Lambert and Chris Stapleton find inspiration(ˌinspəˈrāSHən) from him and songwriting partner(ˈpärtnər) Bernie Taupin.

Miley Cyrus(ˈsīrəs), who has stepped into John’s platform-heeled boots to push the boundaries of pop culture(ˈkəlCHər), appears on both albums. And her versions of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” on “Revamp,” and “The Bitch Is Back” on “Restoration,” show the possibilities and challenges(ˈCHalənj) for the artists on both sets. When she takes risks, as she does at the beginning of “Don’t Let the Sun,” it is stunning(ˈstəniNG). When she moves closer to John’s original(əˈrijənl), she ends up paling(pāl) by comparison(kəmˈparəsən).

…
https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/restoration-and-revamp-elton-john-review-1.17861107

‘This is the future of aging’: Senior(ˈsēnyər) co-housing communities(kəˈmyo͞onitē
) provide alternatives(ôlˈtərnətiv)

By Janis Mara

If Carmel(kärˈmel) Hara, 86, gets sick(sik), there are a host of neighbors(ˈnābər) in her Oakland(ˈōklənd) building ready to bring her soup(so͞op). If she wants company, there’s a common room with a library and a kitchen, and she puts in several hours a week helping to run the management office.

Hara is part of a growing local and national(ˈnaSHənəl) trend — senior co-housing.

She lives at Phoenix(ˈfēniks) Commons, a 41-unit senior co-housing community in Oakland’s Jingletown arts district(ˈdistrikt), at 340 29th Ave.(avenue ˈavəˌn(y)o͞o), that opened in March 2016. Located right next to the Park Street Bridge, the four-story(ˈstôrē) condo(ˈkändō) complex is touted(tout,to͞o) as the first co-housing community formally(ˈfôrməlē) dedicated(ˈdediˌkātid) to seniors in the East Bay.

Co-housing — defined as private(ˈprīvit) homes clustered(ˈkləstərd) around shared space with a group of people committed to being a community — is an established(iˈstabliSHt) phenomenon(-nən,fəˈnäməˌnän) in the East Bay. Co-housing specifically for those over the age of 55 is relatively(ˈrelətivlē) new, however.

“I wanted to age in place in my community,” said Hara, who has lived in the Bay Area since 1952. “Here I have people who care about me and still have my own home, my own kitchen.”

…
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2018/03/07/future-aging-senior-co-housing-communities-provide-alternatives

Moving for Good

By Derek Sivers

You are the way you are because of what you’ve experienced(ikˈspi(ə)rēəns).

Your country, family, town, random circumstances(-stəns,ˈsərkəmˌstans), and friends shaped the way you think. If you grew up on the other side of the world, you would have a different set of values and thought(THôt) patterns.

But if you keep experiencing the same things, your mind keeps its same patterns. Same input, same response. Your brain(brān), which was once curious(ˈkyo͝orēəs) and growing, gets fixed into deep habits. Your values and opinions(əˈpinyən) harden(ˈhärdn) and resist(riˈzist) change. If you don’t flex(fleks), you lose your flexibility(ˌfleksəˈbilətē).

You only really learn when you’re surprised(sə(r)ˈprīzd). Unless you’re surprised, everything is fitting into your existing thought patterns. So to get smarter, you need to get surprised, think in new ways, and deeply understand different perspectives(pərˈspektiv).

With effort, you could do this from the comforts of home. But the most effective(iˈfektiv) way to shake things up is to move across the world. Pick a place that’s most unlike what you know, and go.

This keeps you in a learning mindset. Previously(ˈprēvēəslē) mindless habits, like buying groceries(ˈgrōs(ə)rē), now keep your mind open, alert(əˈlərt), and noticing new things. New arrivals(əˈrīvəl) in a culture often notice what the locals don’t. (Fish don’t know they’re in water.)

Don’t think of yourself as visiting. Say that you’ve moved here, and mean it. Commit. Immerse(iˈmərs). Go native.

Form deep friendships with locals. Ask lots of questions. Ask them to explain things, and show you how it’s done. When they state(stāt) a fact, ask how they know. When they state an opinion, ask for examples.

At first, their values and methods will feel wrong. You’ll feel the urge(ərj) to tell them how it could be better. (Meaning: more like what you know.) But try to understand a perspective(pərˈspektiv) where they are right, and you are wrong. Eventually you’ll realize that your beliefs were not correct(kəˈrekt) — they were just the quaint(kwānt) local culture of where you grew up. You are a product of your environment.

Every country has a shared and working philosophy(fəˈläsəfē). Dive(dīv) in and really try to understand it. This is one of the best things you can do for your brain. Stay immersed(iˈmərs) at least(lēst) until you feel yourself saying “we” instead of “they”.

Then, if you want to keep your brain actively learning and growing forever, keep moving across the world and immersing like this for the rest of your life.

(I wrote this for Tynan’s new book “Forever Nomad(ˈnōˌmad)”, so please buy his book if you like this subject.)

https://sivers.org/mfg

three eternities(iˈtərnitē)

past, future, present(priˈzent,ˈprezənt)

By Henry H. Walker

three eternities still pull at me:
the past sirens(ˈsīrən) story and memory to draw(drô) me back—nostalgia(näˈstaljə,nə-),
the future intrigues(ɪnˈtriɡ) me and the sureness of death can haunt me—
the world without me,
the present holds me in the moment,
and I can lose the sense of where I’ve been,
of where I might go, of anticipation(anˌtisəˈpāSHən) and consequence,

at our best we hold those three eternities with equal(ˈēkwəl) measure(ˈmeZHər),
a triangle(ˈtrīˌaNGgəl) is the most stable(ˈstābəl) of shape,
an equilateral(ˌekwə-,ˌēkwəˈlatərəl) triangle is the best,
but each line knows itself to be the longer, and better,

our challenge(ˈCHalənj) is to hold the whole,
and know each truth as true.

http://henryspoetry.blogspot.sg/2018/04/three-eternities.html

Fake(fāk) Meat Might Feed Your Dog and Save the Planet(ˈplanit)

A startup is looking to transform the pet food industry with vegan(ˈvejən,ˈvēgən) kibble(ˈkibəl) straight(strāt) from the lab. Your dinner table could be next.

By Larissa(ləˈrisə) Zimberoff

In America’s food-obsessed(əbˈses) landscape, the quickest route to a new idea is to look for something already being done—and then make it vegan. Wild(wīld) Earth Inc.(iNGk), a startup based in Berkeley(ˈbərklē), California(-nēə,ˌkaləˈfôrnyə), is doing that to pet food with lab-created proteins(ˈprōˌtēn). Translated, that means fake meat for Fido(ˈfīdō).

The stakes(stāk) are far from small potatoes(pəˈtātō). Sixty-eight percent of Americans own four-legged friends, a paw-dropping 184 million dogs and cats to be precise(priˈsīs). To feed this mass of tail-wagging(wag) companions(kəmˈpanyən), we spend almost $30 billion annually(ˈanyo͞oəlē). Pet food—predominantly(priˈdämənəntlē) animal-meat products—represents(ˌrepriˈzent) as much as 30 percent of all meat consumption(kənˈsəm(p)SHən) in America.

According to a first-of-its-kind study on how that sweet blond(bländ) lab on your kitchen(ˈkiCHən) floor(flôr) impacts the environment, UCLA professor(prəˈfesər) Gregory Okin writes that if American pets were to establish(iˈstabliSH) a sovereign(ˈsäv(ə)rən) nation, it would rank fifth in global meat consumption. This nation of pooches(po͞oCH) and kitties consumes about 19 percent as many calories as humans, but because their diets(ˈdī-it) are higher in protein(ˈprōˌtēn), their total animal-derived(diˈrīv) calorie intake amounts to about 33 percent that of humans.

“If you’re feeding your large dog the same as you, your dog is eating more meat than you are,” said Dr. Cailin Heinze, a Tufts(təft) faculty(ˈfakəltē) member and board-certified veterinary(ˈvet(ə)rəˌnerē) nutritionist(n(y)o͞oˈtriSH(ə)nist
). Food consumption by dogs and cats is responsible for releasing(riˈlēs) up to 64 million tons of greenhouse gases every year. Developing fake meat for pets may help put a dent(dent) in that, as well as the use of water and land needed to breed all that livestock(ˈlīvˌstäk). In doing so, the industry might pave(pāv) the way toward replacing all the real meat in your fridge(frij), too.

…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/how-fake-meat-might-feed-your-dog-and-save-the-planet

Calm(kä(l)m) Practices

By Leo Babauta

When things are falling apart, when things don’t go your way, in addition to reminding yourself that things are No Big Deal … there are some practices you might try out:

Get in touch with the difficulty. We usually want to get away from the difficulty, to have the stress(stres) and pain(pān) end, to find peace(pēs). This usually results in greater difficulty and unhappiness with the situation(ˌsiCHo͞oˈāSHən). Instead, we can get in touch with the feeling of stress, with the pain or fear or anger or irritation(ˌiriˈtāSHən) that we’re feeling. That means dropping into the physical(ˈfizikəl) feeling in your body, which is nothing to panic(ˈpanik) about. It’s just a feeling in the present moment, and you can stay with it, with courage(ˈkə-rij,ˈkərij). This is a transformative practice, and I highly recommend(ˌrekəˈmend) you practice it as often as you can during the day.

Get bigger than yourself. When we’re stressed or frustrated(ˈfrəsˌtrātid), it’s because we’re trapped(trap) in our own small, self-centered(ˈsentərd) point of view. We want what we want, and we are unhappy when we don’t get it. If we can get beyond this limited viewpoint, all of a sudden we have some spaciousness(ˈspāSHəs). Things don’t seem so closed in and dire(dīr). We can see the bigger picture, see things from other people’s viewpoints, see that there is more than just what we’re seeing and what we want. This bigger view is usually pretty(ˈpritē) calming. When you’re getting bothered, try stepping outside yourself and seeing things from the point of view of others, or a bird’s-eye view.

Connect with the peace at the center. After doing the above two practices, there’s a deeper one: find the place inside yourself that is completely(kəmˈplētlē) at peace. It’s the center of the storm, where nothing is going crazy, where it feels like there’s an eternal(iˈtərnl) truth — that you are deeply connected to everything else. This can take awhile(əˈ(h)wīl) to find, so practice. Once you find this unshakable(ˌənˈSHākəbəl) connection, it doesn’t matter what’s happening around you — it’s there.

You can practice all of these, one after the other, or just pick one and practice it every day for a week or two. You’ll find calm. It will be exquisite(ekˈskwizit,ˈekskwizit).

https://zenhabits.net/becalm/