Paul Monaco .com

Never underestimate the value of doing nothing. Hmm.. value of nothing? That’s deep…. reminds me of the cannabis induced discussions I used to have in my younger days.

So, for some reason beginning last weekend the urge to stay home on a Tuesday (yea.. Tuesday) started and became progressively stronger right into Monday afternoon until finally I reasoned that it’s almost August and up until this point I have only taken one vacation day.. which was really a sick day but I felt too guilty to call in sick since I thought I wasn’t really all that sick but that’s another post.

It’s amazing how good I feel today after that break! Reflecting on the day and trying to decipher exactly why it felts so good I concluded that it wasn’t what I did, but simply that I didn’t plan it that made it so good! Those of your that know me well are aware of my obsession with planning my day which this time I did not do. Once I made the commitment to taking the day off I completely cleared off that day from my schedule and just went to bed when I felt like it… woke up when I felt like it.. and pretty much just wasted the entire day playing The Sims Online, ordering take-out and sitting around in my underwear. (Yes, I said my underwear!)

Yea, I’ve been a bit lax in posting here for a little while… I launched a new website called tsoSTAR.com which is a fun tabloid styled online newspaper for the popular MMORPG called The Sims Online, perhaps you’ve heard of it?

I’ve been noticing that this site was starting to become more and more dominated by TSO related articles that I thought it was time to let it out on its own and I feel the events of the online world probably have an individual audience that isn’t necessarily interesting in my day to day rants.

Please enjoy my new site, your comments are always welcome!

p.s. - I’m looking for writers to help with the new site!!!!

Global warming… a topic that often gets me into trouble with the circle I associate with but I really believe it’s just a catch phrase that caught on and the “in vogue” thing to save the planet from.

Specifically looking at warming trends, I think our impact on that aspect of the environment is insignificant compared to natural causes, and in our haste to save the planet we’re not necessarily making all the right decisions. (Do we really want to jump into replacing all our benign incandescents lamps with mercury filled fluorescents?)

That said however, we don’t want to be stupid. As a Buddhist I am all to aware of the simultaneity of cause and effect. How every action we take (or don’t take) has an immediate effect on our environment today and into the future. We should always be aware of our actions and make every effort to not pollute and otherwise have negative effects on our environment. Not in the name of the politically correct buzzword of the day but in the name of simply doing the right thing.

If we simply look at the health of the planet as a whole and stop worrying about only a small aspect of it (like global warming) then we can together make a much greater impact and cross more party lines.

As a Buddhist I am especially aware of my environment and the direct and immediate effect it has on us. Lately I’ve been thinking about the modest 2-bedroom 2-bath townhouse that I rent and thought for one person this is really a lot of space. Of course when I moved in here it was almost too small. With my wife, a dog and three cats I could almost argue the need for a larger space, especially when we entertained guests.

But now it’s just me and my one cat. I’ve been reluctant to move since I’ve been here for so long not only have I grown very comfortable here but also the rent is pretty low considering its size. But as I said, all this space is simply a waste and not economical use of the space. A young couple just starting out could really use this space.

Besides, even though heat is included in the rent it’s a shame to use all that oil to heat a space that’s nearly four times what I need.

So, on that thought I’m going to at least casually look for a new place. In my casual browsing so far, I’ve taken a like to small studio / loft styled apartments in the city. City living is bar far so much more efficient and generally greener then taking up obscene quantities of space and heating / air-conditioning huge homes in the suburbs and rural areas. It’s such a waste.

More to come I’m sure.

There is no need for you to compare yourself with others but instead strive powerfully and cheerfully to develop your state of life, aiming to improve yourself each day. From that struggle will bloom noble flowers of mission, flowers of happiness that are yours and yours alone. Shine as you are, live true to yourself and advance in your own unique way. - Daisaku Ikeda

As I read an article in this months Living Buddhism, this particular passage catches my minds eye. It was not long ago prior to discovering this Buddhism that while on a technical endeavor I could not get out of this thought process. Constantly seeking out what those considered to be on top and attempting to emulate them. Some of these tactics proved useful, while others seemed to have no or negative effects. In the end, at best I could only achieve the ‘almost as good as’ status and never best in my own rights.

The philosophy of Many in Body, One in Mind allows us to to all work towards common goals (One in Mind) while maintaining our own unique individuality (Many in Body). It is the Many in Body, that generates this great strength.

I recently was able to put the individuality aspects of this into play. As many of you know my latest recreational passion is playing The Sims Online. One of the biggest rewards of the game is to establish a popular property with many visitors and to hold a top spot in the games ranking system. Of course I couldn’t help but observe what other top houses are doing and try to out-do them. Fortunately I was able to catch myself before I completely ruined the game for myself and now between the six characters I play I have enough diversity to really keep things interesting for me and to occasionally stir the pot a bit for the other players.

It was important for me to write this thought down as I have seen myself have faint urges to repeat my misguided ways. Now though, I do have an elementary grasp of the Mystic Law and can modify my plans to utilize it for the greater good and hopefully use it to for the propagation of good (kosen rufu). I realize I am still very new to the practice (November 2006) and still have much to learn and I hope these exercises will help me better my understanding of Nichiren Buddhism as practiced by the Soka Gakkai.