>>> SELF REFLECTION <<<

________________________________________________________________________DIARY, 31 March 2026___________

A WARM WELCOME

In this forum, I would like to record the thoughts that come to mind during my journey
here with you. Thoughts, that may simply fade away, but which are also, at times, quite
revealing. When put into words, they often serve as a form of Self-Reflection for me and
shed light on various aspects ... bring new perspectives.

I suspect that every reasonably alert global citizen has such thoughts from time to time,
and of course these may also be put into words and shared here, if YOU like.


THANK YOU
michael

______________________________________________________________DIARY, 1 April 2026___________

Even friends hurt each other from time to time. This is simply a consequence
of the fact that they are completely open with one another and do not weigh
every word in their arguments. Mutual respect does not depend on them
agreeing on every single point. There simply has to be a shared fascination
with one another that transforms all existing differences into a ‘buffet of
possibilities’.

It requires a great deal of skill, experience, patience and a willingness to
transform existing differences into a coherent whole. In the process, two
very different elements can merge. The result is something that could only
have been brought about by this interplay. The wooden box shown above,
crafted entirely by hand, is one such result.


I am constantly brimming with the wildest ideas, and I realise many of them
entirely on my own. However, it is also a magnificent experience to bring
ideas to life with another person or even a group of people.

The box is made of yew wood and the lid was crafted from small pieces of
end grain. Normally, we saw a tree trunk lengthways. However, it is also
possible to use the cross-section, which reveals the tree’s growth rings.
This naturally produces completely different patterns. The problem is
that these surfaces are extremely hard and can, under certain circum-
stances, ‘strip’ the blades of the plane. This little Box is not just extremly
beautiful, it is also mirror of an relationship between to totally different
human beings.

Creating this wonderful box took quite a bit of work and it is still asking
for some smoothing here and there from time to time. Wood has its own
charakter and stays never quite the same. So, it is in need of attention.

In many ways this is a parable for our friendships in life.

michael


P.S. Most of the wood-work was made by Christines Husband. Our friendship
is at least as challenging as creating Artworks out of an idea is. But, life is a
process of permanant changing and it is far more exciting to walk the path
with a friend....

_____________________________________________________________Shattered Dreams________

I don’t think telly is to blame for people, WE, getting dumber and dumber.
We can not even blame soap operas for our misery! Men break women’s
hearts and women break men’s hearts. That is indeed one simple part
of the truth.

I have never owned a telly, but I do have a lovely big HD Monitor and
I am going to watch *Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress* on
it now....
_________________________________________________________________________ 3 April 2026

_____________________________________________________________FUTURE ________

Ideas, beliefs, people, relationships, friendships... it is in
the nature of things that the old must die to make room
for the new.

The extent to which we embrace this transforming process
determines whether the future is worth striving for or not.
Just 'new' does not make it right and worth it....

________________________________________________________________ 4 April 2026

_____________________________________________________SWEET & BITTER________

The SELF has a wonderful sweet taste. When we love or
'are-in-love', we look straight into our own self. Refined
sugar is sweet too, but no substitute for it! Far too often
we try to avoid 'bitter'.

Work and decision-making take place in the liver and
gallbladder. To cope with food and life, we need lots
of bitter substances,... for protection, digestion.

Nature is Wise: Wild-honey is always bittersweet....😋😛

________________________________________________________________ 5 April 2026

Daily Grind

Time and again,
I have all sorts of flashes of inspiration and interesting dreams.
I rarely manage to remember them. When I reflect on them in bed,
I often find myself locked back inside my ‘EGO-building’
-- can not help but only think ‘from-the-inside-out’.

🌹
c.

Can not help but only think...

...the solution to all the problems we see in the world around
us begins with letting go of ALL JUDGEMENT. The wise people
I have had the privilege of meeting along my path have smiled
at this point and added, that it is good to apply this to one’s
own problems as well.

_____________________________________________________DIARY, 13 April 2026______

...you could not get further from the truth if you think, I am
writing about someone else. All that Nonsense & Delusion
was experienced by me. Apparent rejections of someone
are nothing more than admissions of my own behaviour.

Cold facts ... from a very intense and long life.

THANK YOU

.....and, please allow to say that:
If we accept these "cold facts" in the way,
that we go in inner confrontation with us,
we can gain personal development.

I thank you!

__________________________________________________________________DIARY, 15 April 2026______

...as I understand it today, life is something like an ocean. You’re only
truly part of it, truly incarnated, once you leave the shallows – and
naturally, that will bring with it intense experiences.

Like the ocean, life can be incredibly gentle and lovely... but quite
honestly, that really isn’t the be-all and end-all. Perhaps we are
here to learn and to realise, that we must experience EVERYTHING?

How, for example, can you understand someone who has lost a
loved one if you only ever engage with what is supposedly beautiful?

Or, what about passion? Yes, passion creates the framework for hurt.
Completely exclude it because of that? What a cruelly boring notion.

I see where the ship takes me; sometimes that is on rough waters, sometimes on calm waters.

__________________________________________________________________DIARY, 17 April 2026______

We are told that the ego must be transcended. Reality, of course,
looks quite different. No matter where we look, everywhere we
see imbalances created by the ego(maniac). Perhaps it is time for
a somewhat more nuanced perspective? Must one not at least
‘have’ something first -- in order to transcend it?

On the other hand... even if you succeed in inflating your ego,
infecting others with it, and perhaps manage to build a small
empire, you will always remain nothing more than a tiny grain
of sand, capable only of controlling a small stretch of sandy
beach.

When you have realised your true self, you will recognise that
the entire universe is your body and is sustained by love and
compassion.