The French philosopher, Rene Descartes, famously found a statement that nobody could doubt: “I think, therefore I am.”  But can you always choose what you think about?  If it’s about something egotistical or sexual, the mind will choose its topic itself.

To be able to choose is to be able to rule oneself, and that is a prized ability.  We’ve met people so attractive that we invariably turn our thoughts to them.  Don’t do it if you’re a married man.  What, are you looking for, trouble?  You even mention that person and wow, the fireworks explode.  And hey, the Lord said be faithful, even in thought.

You can’t find better advice than the Bible.  What, you consult the stars?  Which one, Mars?

“Have you forgiven that teacher who hit you yet?”

“Never.”

And the teacher had written a letter to him, asking for that.  This was in a school that permitted corporal punishment.

We say the most beautiful prayer ever written, the “Our Father,” and scarcely pay attention to what we’re saying.

The prayer was composed in about 32 AD by a young Jewish man who preached in the hills of Galilee.  My friend has said that prayer, but he doesn’t see where he fits into that equation.  I can see the modern emphasis on mindfulness, because so many of us need it.

One thing this pandemic reminds me of: I might die — soon. My mortality has never been more real. Do I have some unsaid things about and to a companion of my life, my wife? And that even longer companion, my God? The things I say to that last companion are not personal, so here goes.

I’ll start with some questions. What can I do with the unachieved goals of my life? I know they didn’t offend you, but I made some big presentations, the later ones on my own, and, I think, fell short. What if I tackled something too big for me? Do you still hold me responsible?

I so want to bring friends with me into your kingdom, called heaven. But some are bent on another path. What do I do? Some of them think, despite QM (Quantum Mechanics), that what I say is real, is not real. How do I prove that it is real? They don’t understand QM.

He was one of the cheeriest persons I knew.  He greeted me with an infectious smile and gladly set to work.  He was part of a house-cleaning team that my wife had to hire when she got too old for the work.  But they had to let him go.

Unfortunately, though he could dust and mop furiously, he was what my Yiddish-speaking friends call a klutz—things would break unpredictably in his hands.  We had an unconventional light switch, a room-darkener; it broke when he dusted it.  He happily found a job in construction.  Not much you can break mixing cement.

There is something for all of us in this universe.  The laws of physics can even be understood by the simple—what goes up must come down.  But some of the gifts the Lord gives out benefit everybody through the gift-giver.  Thank you, father and mother of the Wright brothers.

I think Western Civilization is definitely either on the upswing or at its peak.  Look at the response to the coronavirus.  The nation with the highest number of cases also had the highest number of tests, and I presume, recoveries (USA).  Not to be ignored are the 100 doctors in Italy who gave their lives for their patients.  And there are other signs of heroism or achievement.

I see a reluctance in the general population to inflict pain on others.  Couples are getting married later, divorce is going down, and abortion is less popular as a solution.  There seems to be more philanthropy, and even though they like to talk about it, celebrities are actually doing benefits.

True, there will always be those who refute the trend and live lives of evil.  They are not going to be mentioned here, lest that destroy what is not theirs.