We’re All Monastics(məˈnastik) Now

By Leo Babauta

My Zen teacher Susan recently told a group of her students at the end of a Zen meditation retreat(rəˈtrēt), “We’re all monastics now.”

In this global pandemic(panˈdemik), we’re in an era(ˈerə,ˈi(ə)rə) of isolation(ˌīsəˈlāSHən), retreat. We’re also in an era of heightened(ˈhītn) uncertainty.

This can be a terrible thing, and drive us to loneliness and distraction … or it can be a time of practice, reflection, and deepening.

We can choose to see ourselves as monks(məNGk) deepening into the stillness of a monastery(ˈmänəˌsterē).

It’s our choice.

If you’re staying home these days, it can be a time of endless Internet distractions … or you can open to the opportunity to use the beautiful solitude for meditation, reading, writing, contemplation(ˌkäntəmˈplāSHən), journaling. It can be a time of practice.

If you’re feeling the anxiety of the moment, it can be a time of near breakdown and freneticism(frəˈnedək(ə)zm) … or it can be a moment to slow down and be still. Practice mindfully with whatever feelings are coming up.

You can go to the latest memes(mēm) and viral(ˈvīrəl) videos (which are fun!) … or you can find a text and study it.

You can get caught up in frustration with how others are acting during this crisis(ˈkrīsis) … or you can practice opening in compassion(kəmˈpaSHən), with compassion meditations.

This is a great opportunity to deepen into mindfulness and practice, to learn to face head-on the uncertainty and fears that arise(əˈrīz) in us, and to connect to the humanity((h)yo͞oˈmanədē) going through this rather than disconnect from them.

We’re all monastics now — how will we use this time?

https://zenhabits.net/monastics/

Serena(sərinə) Williams(ˈwilyəmz) among stars to compete(kəmˈpēt) in Mario Tennis(ˈtenəs) tournament(ˈto͝or-,ˈtərnəmənt)

Serena Williams, Naomi(niōmi) Osaka and Maria(mərēə) Sharapova are among the tennis stars who will compete in a live-streamed tournament of Mario Tennis Aces(ās).

Top tennis players will partner with celebrities(səˈlebrədē) and play as characters from the game on Nintendo Switch.

E-sports have surged(sərj) in popularity as the Covid-19 pandemic(panˈdemik) has forced the cancelation of live events.

Facebook Gaming will stream the event. The social media giant(ˈjīənt) is making a push into hosting online gaming.

…

With live sports on hold due to lockdown and social distancing requirements, players and leagues(lēg) have turned to online gaming as a way to keep fans engaged(enˈgājd).

The Premier(prēˈm(y)i(ə)r,ˈprēmēər,ˈprēˌmi(ə)r) League, Formula(ˈfôrmyələ) 1 and the National Basketball Association have all hosted e-sports competitions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52481838

Creative communication

By Derek Sivers

The way you communicate with people is part of your art.

For people who have never heard your music, it’s the start of your art!

If you make depressing(dəˈpresiNG) music, send your fans a dark black announcement that’s depressing just to look at.

If you are an “in-your-face country-metal(ˈmedl)-speedpunk(spēd pəNGk)” artist, have the guts to call a potential booking agent and scream(skrēm), “Listen you crazy dirtbag(ˈdərtˌbag)! Book me or I explode! Waaaaaah!!” If they like that introduction, you’ve found a good match.

Set the tone(tōn). Pull in those people who love that kind of thing. Proudly alienate(ˈālyə-,ˈālēəˌnāt) those that don’t.

There’s a minimalist(ˈminəmələst) classical music composer whose emails to me are always just one provocative(prəˈväkədiv) thought. Like when I posted something online about being an introvert(ˈintrəˌvərt), he emailed me just one sentence: “Are we not ever-changing, both gradually(ˈɡrajo͞oəlē) and per situation?” That’s it. No greeting or closing or manners in-between. His communication style always makes me smile, and reminds me of his music.

The gentle new-age artist always calls me “sweetie(ˈswēdē)” and reminds me to nourish(ˈnəriSH) my soul.

The surf(sərf)-music artist always uses the Hawaiian(həˈwīən) greetings “aloha(əˈlōˌhä)” and “mahalo(ˈmäˌhälō)” when he emails, along with other surfer slang(slaNG).

The rebellious(rəˈbelyəs) punk never calls me by my name, but instead just says, “Hey sellout(ˈselˌout).”

Be different. Show who you are.

It gives people’s lives more variety, too.

…
https://sivers.org/reach

Review of “Jaws”

By Roger Ebert

“You’re going to need a bigger boat.”

So the police(pəˈlēs) chief(CHēf) famously(ˈfāməslē) informs the shark hunter, right after the first brief appearance of the man-eater in “Jaws(jô).” It’s not simply a splendid(ˈsplendəd) line of dialogue(ˈdīəˌläg), it’s an example of Steven Spielberg’s strategy all through the film, where the shark is more talked about than seen(sēn), and seen more in terms of its actions than in the flesh(fleSH). There is a story that when producers Richard Zanuck(ˈzanək) and David Brown first approached Spielberg with an offer to direct the film of Peter Benchley’s(ˈbenCHlē) best seller, he said he would do it on one condition: that the shark not be seen for the first hour. Viewing the movie’s 25th anniversary(ˌanəˈvərsərē) DVD, I was surprised to realize how little the shark is seen at all.

In keeping the Great White offscreen, Spielberg was employing a strategy used by Alfred(ˈalfrəd) Hitchcock throughout his career. “A bomb(bäm) is under the table, and it explodes(ikˈsplōd): That is surprise,” said Hitchcock. “The bomb is under the table but it does not explode: That is suspense(səˈspens).” Spielberg leaves the shark under the table for most of the movie. And many of its manifestations(-ˌfesˈtāSHən,ˌmanəfəˈstāSHən) in the later part of the film are at second hand: We don’t see the shark but the results of his actions. The payoff is one of the most effective thrillers(ˈTHrilər) ever made.

The movie takes place over the Fourth of July weekend on Amity(ˈamədē) Island, a tourist resort that feeds off the dollars of its visitors. A famous opening sequence(ˈsēkwəns) establishes(əˈstabliSH) the presence(ˈprezəns) of a man-eating shark in the coastal(ˈkōstəl) waters; a girl goes swimming by moonlight and is dragged under, screaming. All evidence points to a shark, but Mayor(ˈmāər) Vaughn (Murray(ˈmərē) Hamilton(ˈhaməltən)) doesn’t want to scare(ske(ə)r) away tourists, and orders Brody (Roy(roi) Scheider), the police chief, to keep the beaches open. “If people can’t swim here, they’ll be glad to swim in the beaches of Cape(kāp) Cod(käd), the Hamptons(ˈham(p)tənz), Long Island,” the mayor tells Brody, who spits(spit) back: “That doesn’t mean we have to serve them up a smorgasbord(ˈsmôrgəsˌbôrd).” But the mayor strides(strīd) on the beach wearing a sport coat and tie, encouraging people to go into the water. They do, with predictable(prəˈdiktəb(ə)l) results.

…
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-jaws-1975

community within the distancing

distancing away from each other

By Henry H. Walker

social distancing is not just physical space between us,
it is the off putting weirdness of Zoom interactions,
those rectangular(rekˈtaNGgyələr) boxes,
windows into where the other person is physically,
but eyes don’t meet eyes,
and it’s hard to read the other’s feelings,
hard to get past how distracted the visual(ˈviZHo͞oəl) says the other person is,
the smile and nodding head help a bit to build the connection,
though other problems abound:
poor lighting so it can be hard to even see one another,
poor connection so it can be hard to hear each other,
let alone the distance of those who resist(rəˈzist) sharing their face onscreen,
retreating(rəˈtrēt) into their anxieties or the distraction of multi-tasking,

building community at school is a wonder
that calls for many hands and many faces working together,
touching each other with the eyes and with the self,

I joy and despair as I watch and feel all of us
craving(ˈkrāviNG) the psychic(ˈsīkik) touch of another and another,
while denied the physical touch and proximity(präkˈsimədē)
that help the pieces find each other,
when they can then click together into a whole,
in which many become one.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2020/05/community-within-distancing.html

Being Too Quiet

By Steve Pavlina

When I was younger, I was conditioned to yield(yēld) to authority(əˈTHôrədē). Go to school. Go to church. Obey(ōˈbā) the parents.

One of the most common commands was: Be quiet. Hush. Pipe(pīp) down. Silence is a virtue(ˈvərCHo͞o). Children should be seen and not heard.

So I learned to stay quiet – about problems, about desires, about feelings. I developed a rich inner world, but supposedly it wasn’t meant to be shared. My thoughts were to be kept mostly to myself.

On the positive side, that made me more self-reliant(rəˈlīənt). But it also ensured that I didn’t get to experience what I wanted, as the wants and the communication both got suppressed under a blanket(ˈblaNGkət) of silence.

It took a long time to learn that it was okay to communicate about needs, desires, and feelings. As I got older, I found people encouraging me to open up and share more, such as friends in college. That was difficult to do though. I wasn’t used to it. When people wanted to know more about me, it felt like they were shining a burning spotlight into my soul. I couldn’t go there, so I shared various masks instead. I kept people at a safe distance.

But this left me stuck inside my own thought bubble(ˈbəbəl) with no way to break free from it. Because I couldn’t talk about what I felt, needed, and wanted, no one could help me make improvements. Even if people offered support, it was misguided because they didn’t really know what I wanted. They had to guess, and their guesses were wrong.

As I began making a long-term investment in personal development, I read lots of books and listened to many audio programs. I liked it when other people shared their stories, goals, ambitions(amˈbiSHən), mistakes, and feelings. Every now and then, I’d come across something that struck(strək) me as really honest and authentic(ôˈTHentik). And I silently thought to myself, I could never do that.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2020/04/being-too-quiet/

ESPN to air marble(ˈmärbəl) racing(ˈrāsiNG), cherry(ˈCHerē) pit(pit) spitting(spit) and more weird sports this weekend

By Allen Kim

Got plans this weekend? Odds(ädz) are you don’t – most Americans are staying home – but no worries. ESPN has plenty(ˈplen(t)ē) of action to keep you entertained(ˌentərˈtān).

The sports network is bringing back “ESPN8: The Ocho” this Saturday with a promised(ˈpräməs) 11 hours of rarely(ˈre(ə)rlē) seen action.

Inspired by the movie “Dodgeball(ˈdäjbôl): A True Underdog Story,” which introduced the idea of a channel packed full of weird sports that typically don’t get broadcast on television(ˈteləˌviZHən), ESPN8 will air a mix of marble racing, robot fighting and cherry pit spitting beginning at high noon.

Saturday will mark the fifth time the faux(fō)-network gets on the air.

The network will begin with a live look at Thor(THôr) Bjornsson, better known as “The Mountain” from “Game of Thrones(THrōn),” as he attempts to deadlift a world-record 1,104 pounds. From there it’ll smoothly transition into arm wrestling(ˈres(ə)liNG), hamburger eating, stone skipping, Putt(pət) Putt, a marble run and something called “Slippery(ˈslipərē) Stairs(ste(ə)r).”

…
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/01/us/espn-ocho-spt-trnd/index.html

How to Be a Hell Yes to Life

By Leo Babauta

…

Think about everything you complain about. Everything that makes you want to go, “Ugh.” Everything that makes you feel discomfort, want to avoid, want to exit(ˈeɡzət, ˈeksət). Everything ugly(ˈəglē), angry, negative.

Now imagine that you could be open to all of it.

You could be in a room of people you normally dislike, and be compassionate(kəmˈpaSHənət) with them. See their beauty and power. Love them, just as they are.

Love every experience, every moment, just as it is.

What if you could be a Hell(hel) Yes to everything? What would that change for you?

That doesn’t mean that you don’t fight against injustice(inˈjəstəs), or try to help those who are suffering. You don’t have to love injustice — but you can love the people who are suffering, even those whose suffering causes them to commit terrible injustices. You can be compassionate toward everyone, and love their hearts, even if you don’t agree with their actions or beliefs.

What if you could be a Hell Yes to all of the difficult things in life: your scariest(ˈske(ə)rē) project, the hardest tasks, the most boring moments?

The practice is to face everything, and to open up to it. To see the beauty in the moment, even in the parts you normally reject or dislike.

To love the parts of yourself that you usually want to change. To love everything.

Be a Hell Yes to life. In my experience, it becomes a Hell Yes to you in return.

https://zenhabits.net/hellya/

Is it the end of travel as we know it? Should it be?

By David Gillett

Will this be the end to our travels?

Nothing could have been further from my mind as I rubbed(rəb) elbows(ˈelˌbō) last May 1 in a crush(krəSH) of college scarves(skärvz), ball(bôl) gowns(goun) and grungy(ˈɡrənjē) hoodies(ˈho͝odē) in Oxford(ˈäksfərd), England. The dawn(dän,dôn) gathering below(bəˈlō) the Magdalen(ˌmaɡdaˈlēn) Tower, which attracted nearly 20,000 people, has been a tradition since Elizabethan(əˌlizəˈbēTH(ə)n) times.

There was a silly(ˈsilē), edge-of-sanity(ˈsanədē) smell to it all: Lunacy(ˈlo͞onəsē) amidst(əˈmidst) the quadrangles(ˈkwäˌdraNGgəl) of one of the world’s most prestigious(preˈstējəs, preˈstijəs) universities, bleary(ˈbli(ə)rē) eyed students drinking champagne(SHamˈpān) at sunrise, tiny kids dressed like fairies(ˈferē), ruddy(ˈrədē)-faced men in green who break out into Morris(ˈmôris) folk dancing in the streets. It all made sense in a strange way … the Mad Hatter would have loved it. He might have even been there.

But that was a year ago, in an age that seems a millennium(məˈlenēəm) removed from where we are today.

Attending a sunrise street party seems like a death wish. Oxford has no monopoly(məˈnäpəlē) on shutdowns of course. The heaving(ˈhēviNG) throngs(THräNG,THrôNG) have drained(drān) from Venice(ˈvenəs), like a bloodletting(ˈblədˌlediNG) from the poster child of tourist(ˈto͝orəst) overload. Times Square(skwe(ə)r) echoes(ˈekō) to the footfalls of the NYPD on the lookout for careless congregators. In London, a sober(ˈsōbər) quiet envelops(enˈveləp) Piccadilly(pikəˈdilē) Circus(ˈsərkəs), massive(ˈmasiv) digital signs shouting a mute(myo͞ot) warning(ˈwôrniNG) to a lonely street cleaner in a face mask.

For travellers, questions smoulder(ˈsmōldər) in the background behind the more pressing concerns(kənˈsərn) of ventilator(ˈventəˌlātər) shortages(ˈSHôrtij) and daily death tallies(ˈtalē): Can things plummet(ˈpləmət) so drastically(ˈdrastəklē) and yet pick up again when the danger fades(fād)? Will we ever travel again?

Perhaps that question needs some reframing(rēˈfrām): “Will we ever travel in the same way again?”

With the pause button pushed, there is an opportunity for a reset, a chance to rethink why we travel and how to do it better.

…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-is-it-the-end-of-travel-as-we-know-it-should-it-be/

This man posts a daily ‘bad dad joke’ in his front yard(yärd). People groan(grōn), but they love it.

By Allison Klein

Maryland’s(ˈmerələnd) stay-at-home covid-19 order has been stressful for Ann and Tom Schruben, self-employed workers who live in Kensington(ˈkenziNGtən) with their 11-year-old daughter.

Ann noticed her husband was a little grumpy(ˈgrəmpē). He’s generally a cheerful(ˈCHi(ə)rfəl) guy who likes to crack(krak) jokes and puns(pən).

In fact, their daughter, Darcy, had given him a book of “exceptionally bad dad jokes” as a Christmas present.

When Ann heard a friend in Ohio(ōˈhī-ō) was posting a daily joke in front of her house, she told Tom he should do the same thing. Tom resisted(rəˈzist). Then, about two weeks ago, he grabbed a whiteboard and wrote at the top “BAD DAD JOKES.” He scrawled(skrôl) in purple(ˈpərpəl) ink:

“Hold on — I have something in my shoe! I’m pretty sure it’s a foot.”

At 8 a.m. on April 17, he set the whiteboard near the footpath in front of his house and waited inside his screened-in porch(pôrCH) to see if anyone reacted. Nothing. A few hours later, he heard a chuckle(ˈCHəkəl) from outside.

“Once he got his first laugh, it was so satisfying to him,” said Ann, a landscape designer.

…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/this-man-posts-a-daily-bad-dad-joke-in-his-front-yard-people-groan-but-they-love-it/ar-BB13z66l