George Orwell's essay "Why I Write"

George Orwell's essay "Why I Write" offers profound insights into the motivations and principles that underpin meaningful writing. Here are five key lessons we can learn from it:

 * Writing Often Stems from a Sense of Injustice and a Desire for Change (Political Purpose): Orwell states that his starting point is "always a feeling of partisanship, a sense of injustice." He argues that in an age like his (and arguably, our own), it's nearly impossible to avoid writing about such things. This highlights the power of writing as a tool for social commentary, exposing lies, and advocating for a better world.

 * Clear Thinking is Essential for Clear Writing: Orwell emphasizes the crucial link between thought and language. He believed that "if one gets rid of bad habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step toward political regeneration." This underscores the importance of precision and honesty in language to foster clear understanding and combat obfuscation.

 * Aesthetic Enthusiasm Plays a Role, Even in Political Writing: While driven by political purpose, Orwell also acknowledges the "aesthetic enthusiasm" – the pleasure in the sound, rhythm, and arrangement of words. This reminds us that even writing with a strong message can and should strive for beauty and engaging prose.

 * Egoism and the Desire for Recognition are Inherent Motivations: Orwell candidly admits to "sheer egoism" as a driving force, the desire to seem clever, be talked about, and be remembered. Acknowledging this less noble but very human motivation can lead to a more honest understanding of why writers write and perhaps temper its negative aspects with a commitment to truth and clarity.

 * Sincerity and Truthfulness are Paramount: Orwell's commitment to writing what he truly believed, even if unpopular, is a powerful lesson. He strived for honesty and to avoid clichés and meaningless language. This emphasizes the ethical responsibility of a writer to be truthful and to communicate with integrity.

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In essence, "Why I Write" encourages writers to be aware of their motivations, to strive for clarity and precision in their language, to engage with the world around them, and to write with sincerity and a sense of purpose.

The Mystery of Longevity

I bought this little book in Los Angeles Chinatown in the 1970s. It represents a study conducted in China regarding the habits of individuals who had lived to be eighty to over a hundred years old. There are many interesting examples and a lot of diversity in behaviors leading to a long, happy and healthy life.

None of the behaviors involved anything close to what a modern western person with money might do to increase their longevity, as you might suspect. In every example these people would be considered poor and only have access to very basic lifestyle choices.

What was most interesting is what these hundreds of people had in common. Yes, tai chi and chi gong were in the mix, but there were more common behaviors. Number one was gardening. If gardening wasn't possible, having plants or fresh flowers in the house was next. Doing the same things at the same time everyday was another common factor, as was being with friends, often.

What I found so interesting at the time was the expectation that one was supposed to improve in every way as one aged.Getting older was considered an opportunity, not a sentence of infirmity and lack of ability.

I took the message of that little book to heart. Life offers us nearly everything we need to become interested, healthy and capable throughout our lives, and most of those things are easily accessible. Life isn't a trap that requires an expensive or exotic way through. 

Professor Cheng once said " The best reason to practice tai chi is so that by the time you figure out what life is about, you'll have some health to enjoy it." Of course there are many other components to health and well being, and tai chi can serve an immensely important role along with other daily behaviors that are easily accessible.

Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

There are books you pick up casually, and there are books that grip you before you even turn the first page. Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza was one of the latter for me. I first came across it during a conversation with a friend who swore it had changed the way they viewed their own mind and body. Their enthusiasm was contagious, but what really piqued my curiosity was their claim that the book bridges science and mysticism in a way that isn’t just philosophical—it’s practical. 

I’ve always been drawn to books that challenge the limits of what we believe is possible, but I was also skeptical. Was this just another self-help book wrapped in pseudo-science, or did it actually offer something tangible? 

That question drove me to read it. What I found was a perspective-shifting, deeply thought-provoking guide that pushed me to reconsider the potential of my own mind. Here are eight lessons that stood out to me—lessons that Dr. Dispenza delivers so convincingly that they become difficult to ignore.

1. You Are Not Stuck—Your Brain Can Rewire Itself: I’ve always believed that people can change, but this book took that idea to a whole new level. Dispenza explains neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to reorganize itself—so clearly that it’s impossible to keep making excuses about being “wired” a certain way. He presents scientific evidence showing how thought patterns literally reshape neural pathways. The most striking part? He argues that if you keep living in the emotions of your past, you keep recreating the same future. That hit me hard. How often do we stay trapped in cycles of stress, fear, or doubt simply because our brain is conditioned to expect them? But the hopeful part is that by consciously choosing new thoughts and feelings, we can actually rewire ourselves for a different reality.

2. The Present Moment is Where Your Power Lies: Dispenza makes a compelling case that we are often mentally stuck in either the past or the future. We wake up thinking about yesterday’s struggles or tomorrow’s worries, and in doing so, we give away our ability to create something new. The way he puts it is almost confrontational: If you’re always emotionally living in memories of the past, you’re just reliving the same story, not creating a new one. His solution? Meditation and mindfulness—not as trendy buzzwords, but as actual techniques to pull your awareness back to the present. I found this lesson particularly powerful because it forced me to ask: How much of my life have I actually been present for? And the answer wasn’t comforting.

3. Your Thoughts Create Your Reality: This isn’t just some “law of attraction” idea—Dispenza backs it with science. He explains how thoughts generate electrical signals in the brain, which in turn influence the body’s chemistry and, ultimately, the experiences we attract. What struck me most was his breakdown of how our thoughts aren’t just passive ideas but active forces shaping our biology. If we constantly think about stress, our body releases stress hormones. If we think about gratitude, our body releases healing chemicals. That made me realize how often we unknowingly program ourselves for the exact experiences we want to avoid.

4. Your Heart and Mind Need to Be in Sync: Dispenza introduces the idea of “heart coherence,” explaining how our heart and brain communicate in a way that can either create harmony or inner chaos. If our thoughts are anxious but our hearts long for peace, we create internal conflict. He describes how meditation and intentional breathing can bring these two into sync, creating a state where healing and transformation happen naturally. What blew me away was his claim that this coherence actually changes our electromagnetic field, influencing the people and environment around us.

5. The Future You Want Already Exists—You Just Have to Step Into It: One of the most intriguing ideas in the book is that time isn’t linear the way we think it is. Dispenza argues that every possible version of our life already exists in the quantum field, and by aligning our energy with the version we want, we can actually manifest it. This isn’t just about visualization—it’s about feeling as if you already have what you desire. The science behind it is complex, but the takeaway is simple: If you think and feel like the person who already has what you want, you increase the chances of becoming that person.

6. Your Body Believes Your Mind—Even When It’s Not “Real”: One of the most mind-blowing experiments Dispenza shares is how people who simply imagined doing bicep exercises actually increased muscle strength—without lifting a single weight. That alone was enough to change the way I viewed the power of the mind over the body. If the brain doesn’t distinguish between real and vividly imagined experiences, then what we focus on mentally has actual physical consequences. That made me wonder: What has my mind been training my body to believe?

7. Meditation is Not Just for Relaxation—It’s a Portal to Transformation: Before reading this book, I saw meditation as a stress-relief tool. Dispenza presents it as something much bigger: a gateway to rewiring the subconscious, healing the body, and accessing deeper levels of consciousness. He shares stories of people who overcame chronic illnesses through meditation alone. The skeptic in me wanted to question it, but the sheer number of cases—and the scientific studies he references—made it hard to dismiss.

8. You Are More Powerful Than You’ve Been Taught: The overarching theme of Becoming Supernatural is that we are capable of far more than we believe. Dispenza challenges the traditional notion that we are victims of circumstance, biology, or fate. He argues that we are, in fact, creators of our reality. The book left me with a sense of responsibility: If my life isn’t where I want it to be, how much of that is because I haven’t fully stepped into my power? And if I change the way I think, feel, and act—how much of my reality could I reshape?

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