Recommended Film

Ambitudo a Mortis is not in the business of endorsements. However, a very well made documentary, titled A Map for Saturday, has proved itself worthy of one. The film is a documentary, by Brook Silva-Braga, on leaving his bourgeois job to journey across the world. You can find out more on the website: amapforsaturday.com

Democracy, Republics

The United States of America federal government breakdown:
100 Senators
435 Congressmen
9 Supreme Court Justices
1 President
TOTAL: 545
The United States of America Population:
300,000,000
(The President is indirectly elected, he in turn appoints Justices.)

Göring

"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. ...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

The Discontent

"Whenever men are not obliged to fight from necessity, they fight from ambition; which is so powerful in human breasts, that it never leaves them no matter to what rank they rise. The reason is that nature has so created men that they are able to desire everything but are not able to attain everything: so that the desire being always greater than the acquisition, there results discontent with the possession and little satisfaction to themselves from it."
[Niccolo Machiavelli]

Flames

One small flame can start miles of wildfires. Overestimate your enemy, but never underestimate yourself.

Featured Painting

Crucifixion by the Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali.

Rule of Law

An unjust law is no law at all, said Augustine. All of us, then, have a duty to resist them. By not doing so we cause an inheritance of the misunderstanding of law to persist. In this type of system, it is not long before the concept of Justice is lost in the minds of individuals forever.

Discord

Although owing to the envy inherent in man's nature it has always been no less dangerous to discover new ways and methods than to set off in search of new seas and unknown lands because most men are much more ready to belittle than to praise another's action, none the less, impelled by the natural desire I have always had to labor, regardless of anything, on that which I believe to be for the common benefit of all, I have decided to enter upon a new way, as yet untrodden by anyone else. And, even if it entails a tiresome and difficult task, it may yet reward me in that there are those who will look kindly on the purpose of these my labors. And if my poor ability, my limited experience of current affairs, my feeble knowledge of history, should render my efforts imperfect and of little worth, they may none the less point the way for another of greater ability, capacity for analysis, and judgment, who will achieve my ambition; which if it does not earn me praise, should not earn me reproaches.


Time Begins
-Ambitudo a Mortis-

Journeys

Life is a journey, it is important to not only recognize this concept as a cliche or ideal, but as an actual truth. One must be willing to take the first steps of their journey, without influence, without fear, and without any regret.

Ideas

The world is an idea. Reality and ideas are not polar, but one and the same.

Accountability

Humans have made their own world, and still refuse the responsibility for it.
Always remember responsibility for your actions right or wrong; accountability through introspection are the keys to virtue.

Gorgias

1. Nothing exists;
2. Even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and
3. Even if something could be known about it, knowledge about it can't be communicated to others.

Featured Painting

Napoleon Crossing the Alps,
by Jacques-Louis David.

Judgments

When one judges a person, it is not merely an assumption or an observation. It is a judgment about the person's Being, who they are in their absolute singularity, and with judgments come consequences. If one must make judgments, it should be done so with certainty, for the risk of not doing so is too great.

Holy

We have killed every person who has appeared in the world to tell us the Truth. Men say they love humanity, but once they see a man, once seeing the man's face for the first time; he hates him and despises him. And so, when man sees this other man for the first time, he instantly realizes how much he hates him, so much so that he must kill him. Man does not want to see the face of the other man. He wants to love humanity. But when that other man shows his face, and forces the man to look, he sees and realizes he has never loved humanity, he has never loved the world. And the man can not take it, he must believe what he has been told, the man who's face he has first seen must be lying to him, he won't stop lying, and he must quiet him. So the man must kill him, he must kill him so he may love humanity.

The Want

Seek what you truly want, not what others want; or, what others tell you you should want. There will always be another thing to want, and in that case you will never be content.

Featured Poem

This time an Ancient one by the Roman poet Horace.

Leuconoe, don't ask — it's dangerous to know —
what end the gods will give me or you. Don't play with Babylonian
fortune-telling either. Better just deal with whatever comes your way.
Whether you'll see several more winters or whether the last one
Jupiter gives you is the one even now pelting the rocks on the shore with the waves
of the Tyrrhenian sea — be smart, drink your wine. Scale back your long hopes
to a short period. Even as we speak, envious time
is running away from us. Seize the day, trusting little in the future.

Dogs and Men

"There's nothing funny in nature, however funny it may seem to man with his prejudices. If dogs could reason and criticize us they'd be sure to find just as much that would be funny to them, if not far more, in the social relations of men, their masters-far more, indeed. I repeat that, because I am convinced that there is far more foolishness among us."
-Fyodor Dostoevsky

Love?

An interesting video of the Philosopher Jacques Derrida speaking on one of the eternal questions.

A Thought

The world is made up of facts; our language of beliefs.

New Year

A message for this New Year. One should never set goals merely because one cycle is at an end and another is beginning. Goals should be always growing, always changing, and each day must be a step in reaching them. The trivialities of this world must always be ignored and the eyes must always be focused on the things which are truly there. Therefore, I believe it to be true that any goal made because of any sort of consequence, for any sort of personal gain, is worthless. Seek the things because they must be, because you have no other choice than to seek them, because it is right to do so in its own rightness. I hope everyone a good New Year.
-The Author
[ambitudo.a.mortis@gmail.com]

Posted Reading

There is always something to be learned from nearly everyone around you. One must always be ready to listen not only to oneself, but more importantly to others.

Here are the Commentaries of Julius Caesar:

Download Here

History

Knowledge of History is not only knowledge of the world, it is the knowledge of the soul, and the knowledge of everything. History is the World as itself.

Words

Freedom is secured not by the fulfillment of desire, but by the removal of desire.

On Violence

To rule out violence in the seeking of freedom is cowardice. Those who ask us to respond to violence with non-violence are asking us to go against the Natural. If freedom is Just, those seeking it could never commit violence unjustly. The non-violence movement is a Conditioning Mechanism instituted by those in power.
True freedom is attained by any means necessary.

Philosopher to Know:

Soren Kierkegaard.

Featured Painting

Is by Caravaggio.

Featured Poem

The Featured Poem is by Thomas Hardy.

DRUMMER HODGE

I

They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest

Uncoffined - just as found:

His landmark is a kopje-crest

That breaks the veldt around;

And foreign constellations west

Each night above his mound.

II

Young Hodge the Drummer never knew -

Fresh from his Wessex home -

The meaning of the broad Karoo,

The Bush, the dusty loam,

And why uprose to nightly view

Strange stars amid the gloam.

III

Yet portion of that unknown plain

Will Hodge forever be;

His homely Northern breast and brain

Grow to some Southern tree,

And strange-eyed constellations reign

His stars eternally.

A Cool Book

The Kingdom of God is Within You
by Leo Tolstoy.


Download

You

Say what you think, repeating others means nothing.