eu\daimon\ia
image – Keri Smith
some of the ancient greek philosophers called the point of life: eudaimonia. it’s commonly translated as happiness but i believe a more accurate translation would be fittingness: how well your actions match your gifts, match who you are. – from ‘walking on water’ by derrick jensen
art (by day/light) and sleep (by night/dark) as re\set.. to fittingness/undisturbed ecosystem
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To be nobody but myself-in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make me somebody else-means to fight the hardest battle any human can fight, and never stop fighting. ~ e.e. cummings
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Imagine eudaimonia (happiness/fittingness rather than fitting/getting in) as credential – value that matters.
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[most of the following from ch 5 of Chris Mercogliano‘s In Defense of Childhood – the wildness within]
The Romans had their own version of the daimon, the genius. Their term has fared much better down through the ages: in English, it still means exactly the same thing it once means in Latin, an attendant spirit. The daimon, on the other hand, made a 180-degree turn somewhere along the way, shifting from a beneficent (albeit double-edged) presence to its contemporary English definition: demon. The daimon’s linguistic descent into hell warrants a closer look because its redefinition goes straight to the heart of why I felt compelled to write this book.
Roman – genius: a sort of protector – akin to a guardian angel
The daimon: wild, unpredictable, out of control – inner forces that urges on the soul and is the fulfiller of the choices
The Greek word for happiness is eudaimonia – a well pleased daimon. However, the notion that the key to a good life is to live in harmony with one’s passions and follow an inner rather than an outer guide didn’t sit too well with early Christian theologians. As far as they were concerned, we are all guided by and external God with a single master plan.
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In old age the emphasis shifts from doing to being, and our civilization, which is lost in doing, know nothing of being. It asks: being? What do you do with it? – Echart Tolle
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It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. — Harry Truman
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Charles on londonreal dec 2013:
The Most Important Message For A 20 Year Old (any age)
eudaimonia.. fittingness… the thing you can’t not do – there is never nothing going on
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quote from share via Amy:
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brown belonging law: the opposite of belonging.. is fitting in.. true belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are.. it requires you to be who you are.. and that’s vulnerable.. –Brené Brown
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be you. 