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Quotes

Reading Between the Lines – Rumi

By Nick Lee

rumi

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

― Rumi

The quote by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi is a profound meditation on the nature of love and the human condition. It suggests that the key to experiencing love lies not in pursuing it externally, but rather in confronting and dismantling the internal obstacles that prevent us from embracing it fully.

Rumi was a Sufi mystic whose writings often explored themes of love, spirituality, and the search for unity with the divine. In this quote, he challenges the notion that love is something to be sought or attained from outside oneself. Instead, he posits that love is an innate human capacity, a fundamental aspect of our being that is always present within us.

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Art

Art Uncovered: ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ by Vincent van Gogh

By Nick Lee

At Eternity's Gate

Vincent van Gogh’s painting “At Eternity’s Gate”, also known as “Sorrowing Old Man”, was completed in 1890 just weeks before his tragic death. The work is often seen as a meditation on the artist’s own struggles with mental illness, poverty and feelings of failure at the end of his life.

The painting depicts a solitary figure, head bowed and face buried in his hands, sitting in a simple wooden chair. The man’s posture exudes despair and exhaustion. His clothes are plain and worn, suggesting a life of hardship. The background is empty and undefined, further emphasizing the figure’s isolation and disconnection from the world around him.

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Photo

Photo of the Day

By Nick Lee

south korean plastic surgery

Many Chinese medical tourists who go to South Korea for inexpensive and high quality plastic surgery have difficulty re-entering China due to their passports photos not matching their new face post op.

According to Korean sites, some Korean hospitals are now issuing a “plastic surgery certificate” at the request of overseas visitors. Customs officials, of course, are strict about making sure people match the mugs in their passports. These certificates can supposedly help make clearing immigration go smoother so officials don’t have to call hospitals to confirm procedures.

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Art

Art Uncovered – ‘The Taking of Christ’ by Caravaggio

By Nick Lee

The Taking of Christ

Caravaggio’s “The Taking of Christ” stands as one of the most powerful and intense depictions of betrayal and human emotion in Western art. Painted in 1602 for the Roman nobleman Ciriaco Mattei, this masterpiece captures the moment of Judas Iscariot’s treachery as he betrays Jesus with a kiss. Through dramatic lighting, emotional depth, and intricate composition, Caravaggio transforms this biblical scene into a visceral exploration of human frailty and divine sacrifice.

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Photo

Photo of the Day

By Nick Lee

A literacy test given to black voters in the 1960s

A literacy test given to black voters in the 1960s

In the 1960s, many Southern states in the United States employed literacy tests as a means to disenfranchise black voters. These tests were designed to be intentionally difficult and subjective, with the goal of preventing African Americans from exercising their right to vote. The tests were often administered in a discriminatory manner, with white voters being given easier versions or being exempt altogether.

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Photo

Photo of the Day

By Nick Lee

Knocker-Uppers

“Knocker-Uppers” – People who had the job of waking up workers during the Industrial Revolution, often by shooting dry peas from a pea shooter at their windows.

The role of the knocker-upper, a vital figure in British industrial towns, highlights the pre-digital solutions to everyday challenges before the widespread adoption of alarm clocks. These individuals were tasked with ensuring workers woke up in time for their shifts, particularly in northern mill towns and areas like London’s docks, where irregular hours were the norm due to fluctuating tides. Using a variety of tools from long sticks to pea shooters, knocker-uppers would tap on windows, efficiently rousing only those who paid for their services without disturbing others.

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Reading Between the Lines – ‘Tao Te Ching’

By Nick Lee

Tao Te Ching

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

This quote from Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching” highlights essential Taoist principles of authenticity, contentment, and non-competitiveness, reflecting a deeper philosophical perspective on personal conduct and social harmony.

The quote emphasizes the virtue of being content with oneself, advocating for a state of acceptance and peace with one’s own nature and circumstances. This state of contentment means not seeking external validation through comparison with others or through competition. Lao Tzu suggests that true respect from others comes not from trying to be superior or different but from being genuinely oneself, embracing one’s true nature without the pretense of external achievements or comparisons.

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Photo

Photo of the Day

By Nick Lee

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, 1945

Imagine, if you will, an eight-square-mile inferno, an island so fiercely contested that it seemed as though the very gates of hell had opened. Iwo Jima was not merely a battle; it was a grinding, relentless slog. The Marines knew the importance of this speck in the ocean—vital for airfields to support the bombing of Japan. But so did the Japanese, entrenched in a labyrinth of caves and tunnels, prepared to fight to the last man.

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