Aphorisms '23

 Compiled over a period of time...

* No one is as loyal as good music.

* Government is an association of politicians that perpetuate violence to the rest; the leaders I prefer are those those that would diminish the reach of government and hence the extent of violence.  There are no such politicians.  

* Baby boomers pursued the ideal through engagement, Gen Xers the interesting through exploration,  Millenials social justice through indignation.  

* One is not free to choose one’s philosophy.  One’s condition gives a set from which to choose.  The cards that are dealt in life suit certain philosophies.  Thus one’s way of thinking about existence is also based on chance.  

* It's a mistake to think a financial cushion is needed before exploring true passions.  

* Love can only be talked about through metaphors.

* Nada obligado es gustoso.

* The preferred philosophers are those that seem to develop the reader's own original thoughts.

* The reason people can’t live for centuries is due to ailments of the deceived heart.  Because to live is to love, and if you love you’ll be betrayed.  

* The suffering of betrayal will age a person more than any vice. 

* One shouldn’t shy away from failure.  They are more interesting.  I reckon that at the end of life one will be more satisfied at the failures achieved after trying, than of the safe paths taken.  The utility of action is multiplied by the risk taken, if risk is one the utility is x, if risk is two, the utility will be 2x, and son on.  And this is not conjecture.  This is observable in professional athletes.  Glory is attained after taking great risk.  Life is also like this.  Only by putting your limitations to the test can you find out your true self.  

* As he (I) constantly thought about pursuing to reclaim the lost love, it became clear that he was in a constant battle for authenticity.  While the relationship had previously been unambiguous in its beauty, it now afforded him with the struggle between yielding to the enduring affection for the woman, or to the rationality of respecting the virtues he held dear.  The strategy for this was to lure the women into speaking her truth, but she never did.  

* A person who has come back from the brink of suicide is the best suited to appreciate the absurdity of life.   

* The fixation on avoiding epigonism has resulted in mediocre art.  

* I cannot feel in life.  I must have art do aid me.  

* If one can understand Beethoven, one can understand life!

* New York is Philadelphia on steroids.

* If Beethoven's music is philosophical, the arietta of the 32nd sonata is the revelation of absurdism.