Books

On Curiosity

Oceanic sound Families gather around
Kids splashing Waves crashing.
Sun warming Clouds crawling.
Independence Day – Celebrating
Constitution needs understanding.

“I have rights” is assertive.
“I have obligations”-new portal,
“The Lost Symbol” ascending
Find inner temple – 33 steps connecting.
“Google is not a synonym for research.”
Knowledge from history, thought –
Will it fade or surge?
Gold, art, astrology, stars-
Sacrifice, escape, hiding scars;
Father, don’t offer wisdom or money-
“As above, so below”
Acceptance is a never-ending journey.
Toward eternal glow.
See any missing pieces?
Light-…-life or just breathing.

Alexander Pushkin – Clueless Curious
-“Tell me what’s in the news!” –
-“Nothing to inspire anyone’s muse!”
-“Why so stubborn, snobbish & stern?
You know something important,
Don’t be taciturn!”
-“The only thing I know is that You’re a fool,
But this is not new … Bored mind can be cruel.”
Curiosity cures
Get a clue – search for the truth not news
Find the source of your fountain of youth.

https://www.best-poems.net/poem/curious-by-alexander-pushkin.html

On “The Matrix”

Books, Poetry

Waking up or going to sleep
Which “reality,” you think, is more deep?
What a full mind can see is minimum
In the world of ad infinitum.
Empty mind – more opportunities to mine!
Once the question is asked
There is no way to reverse the past.
The answer is a choice:
The blue pill – nodding to forget;
The red pill – unable to ignore
Just go and get!

Waiting for the Oracle
To Affirm You (your self-imposed limitations only obstacle).
The best sage will not open the cage.
The only message: “Look to Give [. . .] To Someone Greater Than you!”
Knowledge can’t be forced.
Like “Falling in Love” emerges with no need to be endorsed. What “is” will be born –
Release comfort for uncertainty and
The higher call. Sacrifice? Not really, truth to be told.

On “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh

Books, Poetry, Reviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9UtuWfs3U

The Essential Discipline:
Have you thought about
Time as one – without ticking.
We think about “giving” time to another
To simply check-in?
The other person may be your mirror–
What makes Your life to have the true meaning?
Through shared time, you have your “real life” triggered!
Your “time” is not simply been given–
In fact, it may have just been truly lived in…

Don’t wash the dishes in a hurry;
Don’t wash to have them sit, just to be cleaner;
Don’t wash to have them ready for some meal;
Wash dishes to wash dishes like dancing one, two, three.

Don’t be a hostage to the future–
For when the time will come to host tea
Instead of sipping – your mind will be slipping;
You will not cherish your teacup’s grip;
There will be no flavor on your lips;
You will not taste if savory or sweet;
But simply have wishes of clean dishes…

Living in the future is a curse–
Never satisfied.
Not bigger purse not even more time
Can summon the fleeting universe!
The Sutra of Mindfulness
Allows for Cosmic Vastness
Take hold of own consciousness!

On Chess & Joel Johnson, the Best Coach

Books, Poetry

Chess players – do not like to mess with their brain,
To preserve its purity for the best game-
The game itself is the addiction-
Mind’s hunger eliminates all restrictions.
Playing for hours, no stopping point-
Something about beating opponents
To advance to a higher fame.

One great coach, 7 chess masters
Grew up in rough town fighting gangsters.
Protecting brothers, cold, not easy for those kids
or their mothers
Broken wrists – need the reputation of a guy,
You do not want to mess with,
Be athletic, protect, not just standby.

Why chess? Love of winning
Thank you, YMCA, for letting kids enjoy seeing
Their way into complexities of chess moves-
Learning new language, mysterious rules,
One heck of a coach made is so much more cool!
So many tools:
forks, pins, double attacks, discovered attacks…
Confusing opponent with novel combat,
Decoding patterns, so many comebacks
Throwing wrenches in familiar tracks.

Being smashed by those stronger than you-
Gives certain pleasure to a special few;
Learning to give up pieces to gain tempo-
Emulating computers won’t give one winning angle.

First tournament – what’s the clock, notation?
So many kids, movement, rotation?
1300 rating – still not a clue
1800 rating – still much to discover, still much is new
What’s the secret – discipline, focus!
Learning from mistakes
That’s all it takes.

No piece is favorite, no hocus pocus.
Not even “The Queen”-
Sacrifice everyone
If needed to win!

Chess coaching could be tough,
Kids leave when the summer rolls
Need to make sure, have funds to last…
Started sharing games’ analysis,
Writing books – building legacy – that’s enough!

Three things to success
Easy to address:

Family support – more of it, not less
Intelligence is next
Followed by drive, no rest.

Helping students to break through chess plateaus,
Exploit preconceived notions;
Send an adverse army on a false quest!
Move aimlessly, than bring out a threat –
Win on time – the master could design this and that.

Queen with a Knight over Queen with a Bishop
Because a pair needs different strengths
To cover all angles, squares, bring the game to completion.

Do not castle upfront – the king in the middle,
Leaves options open as to hiding priceless moments –
Keep them guessing is the ambition.
Always come from behind
Always new surprise
Always stay kind, calm – never mind-

“I’ll be back” is the motto of persistence.
Joel Johnson – you are the best –
Thank you for your awesome greatness.

On Thinking Like a Monk

Books

Plant trees under whose shade you don’t plan to sit.
The first thing to learn is how to breathe.
Understand our identity is wrapped up in what others think of us.
We are buried in nonessentials.
Saying whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want is not freedom. Real freedom is not feeling the need to speak it.
The grass is greener where you water it.
The austerity of speech protects energies, agitating others’ mind is rarely worthwhile.
The desire to save others is ego driven.
Do not let your own needs shape what you give ’em.
Real freedom is letting go of things not wanted.
You become lost when you define yourself by what’s surrounding.
Curious about others’ misfortunes – checkmates your chances; take pleasure in others’ successes – enter sources of abundances.
On fear: practice moves over and over to expand your comfort zone.
Fear is engine, guide, your guru; walking into your fear gives you new you.
The cause of fear: attachment. The cure for fear: detachment.
We are all the lucky vacationers enjoying our stay in Hotel Earth.

On Confirmation Bias

Books, Reviews

Confirmation bias-Stop limiting us
Good advice number one:
Take data in
No conclusions to begin
The reason is simple
While errors per se are not evil
Missing hidden doors
Leading to new worlds
That’s what happens if too nimble
Nothing wrong with a prance
But best used when you dance
Instant satisfaction
From finding an answer
Without need for reflection
Welcomes, Self-serving expectations
Plus future corrections, retractions
Followed by humble pie indigestion
Garbage in – garbage out
Allow your data to simmer
Get hot, even spicy
Before ready to go out
Set the stage for it nicely

Good advice number two:
Upon finding some gap
Do not step into a trap
Thinking everyone is full of crap
Must remain hopeful
The other’s intent was noble
Enjoy the mystery
Come up with at least
Three working theories
X, Y, Z hypotheses released
During brainstorming feast
Error rate decreased

Good advice number three:
You are not alone in this spree
Check with your colleague
Take your set of assumptions
For your peer consumption
If they agree, this gives some guarantee
Disagree – more testing before setting free

Good advice number four:
Look for a prize
Have yourself surprised
Confirmation bias is only strong
When you never prove yourself to be wrong
Nothing wrong with finding wrong
Just wrong if wrong continues to go along

Good advice number five:
Always strive to seek low and high
Zero in, zero out
Read your findings backwards and then aloud

Circle back to check
Finally, done with investigating
Was the error checkmated?
Things added up?
Yes, good play, good game
Everyone is better, no blame
More victories for another day!

https://www.babson.edu/academics/executive-education/babson-insight/finance-and-accounting/auditors-pitfall-five-ways-to-overcome-confirmation-bias/