Gamestorming – Brainstorming

In terms of making decisions one can quickly become overwhelmed, at any one time, by the volume of information flooding into ones mind. This is no fun! Especially when a step really does need to be made. For example: To move, or not to move? Send the children to this school, or the other school? Register with this doctor, or that doctor? To go into hospital, or sweat it out at home? Often one can have several impending decisions all competing for attention. With the consequence that even one small step becomes almost impossible.

It would seem that Benjamin Franklin, no less, devised his own practical, and possibly fun, solution for weighing up the pro’s and con’s of taking a particular step. Potentially multiple steps. What he devised for himself is now being talked about as gamestorming. I think I will give it a try.

When these difficult Cases occur, they are difficult chiefly because while we have them under Consideration all the Reasons pro and con are not present to the Mind at the same time; but sometimes one Set present themselves, and at other times another, the first being out of Sight. Hence the various Purposes or Inclinations that alternately prevail, and the Uncertainty that perplexes us.
Benjamin Franklin, described by him in a 1772 letter to Joseph Priestley.

Gamestorming Blog- Pro/Con List

The Flu

In the background of my mind is a women, two women actually. One is in hospital and the other one should be, strictly speaking. They had flu and now have pneumonia. Around them their families and friends gather. Let us gather too. Gather for all the many who struggle to get air into their lungs this night, struggle to survive.

Noble Sweetness

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A kind care package came for me from somebody recently returned from a tour in Japan. One of the items was this chocolate biscuit. English translation reads, special chocolate with noble sweetness.

Translations can make you smile. Years ago we had some traveling altar boxes sent to us at Shasta from Japan. They were free sample items and included incense. The translation on the packet went something like, You are/will be like the peppermint wind!

And even when we are all speaking the same language what is said can be enhanced, embellished, changed and otherwise translated into interesting new forms. But not malicious. For the most part, we hear, we enhance then mercifully we forget.

Sometimes of course one can take what is said, or written, personally. It helps to remember that most likely the intention was not to hurt the reader or listener. Perhaps good at such times to remember noble sweetness even when the taste is bitter.

Many thanks for the package from Canada where they are having a huge amount of snow. In Edmonton anyway.

Potential Unrealised

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December sunrise

Light goes with darkness.
Darkness enfolds light.
We think we want light
and not darkness.
What’s wrong
with darkness?

Is it because we cannot see
whats coming.
Because it holds scary stuff
coming to get us?
Holds mystery
we can’t fathom?

Perhaps
potential unrealised?

Perhaps.

Hat tip to Kaspa over there in the Purple Clouds for his post: Finding your ‘true self’, or realizing ‘no-self’?