William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life

William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, Oxford, 2009.

When the the term "philosophy" is mentioned, most people think of something abstract and complicated, in the realm of pure thought, not relevant to everyday life. In fact, philosophy can and should be applied to life. People who live an "examined life" and think about the way they think and behave can benefit from formulating and applying a consistent philosophy of life.

This book describes a philosophy of life close to the way I think and live, the Stoic philosophy. I have sometimes been called a Stoic, as a compliment. Since this is the way I live, I would obviously recommend both this book and the lifestyle it advocates to others. No background in philosophy is required, and the writing is clear and aimed at the general public. Readers approaching Stoicism with an open mind, without prejudice, will be able to improve their experience of life.

The author has studied the ancient Stoics and derived from their writings lessons that can be applied in any society. Some of these lessons may be familiar to modern readers. For example, Chapter Five, "The Dichotomy of Control: On Becoming Invincible", discusses the Stoic technique of not placing emotions on things beyond our control. This will remind readers of the famous AA  serenity prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference". This seems to be such a good guideline to life that I wish everyone would adopt it, though of course that is beyond my control...

Chapter Four, "Negative Visualization: What's the Worst That Can Happen?" is also something I have practised. I have learned to make my own adaptation to this, however, since pure negative visualization tends to feed my anxiety. Instead, I use this technique to nurture my gratitude for the things I have in my life, by imagining no longer having them. I also believe I am strong enough to handle loss and hardship better than others because I don't take anything for granted.

Readers of this book may find some of the advice to be obvious, part of how they already live, while other parts may touch a nerve, indicating areas of their life they still need to work on. One of the joys of life is the constant learning and development we can experience. All it takes is awareness, honesty, and a conscious, deliberate effort to improve. The benefits are well worth it.

Why I'm not going to my high school reunion

Today members of my year at high school are having a 25-year reunion. I was invited, but decided I didn't want to attend.

First of all, I don't remember many people who were in my year at high school. I have kept in touch with two of my close friends, but apart from that, I hardly ever remember anyone or anything from my high school years. The reunion organizers sent me the year photo (see above), and I looked at the faces. Most of them didn't trigger any recollections at all. Since the first names are only initials, in many cases I don't even remember their names. I assume that the impression I made on others was similarly slight.

It seems to me that the emotions and behaviours raised by a reunion would be largely negative, and reflecting a sort of competitiveness I dislike. People would engage in showing off, judging, comparing, in some cases perhaps insulting each other, while in other cases people would be tempted to lie and to distort their life stories in an attempt to gain respect. I don't think such an event would encourage people to be authentic.

At the time, I was part of this group of people, for better or worse, and this was an arbitrary grouping based on place of residence. We usually have to associate with people we share some context with (school, work, etc.), and these are not necessarily the people we would choose as friends. Now, 25 years later, I don't see why most of these people would be anything more than strangers, with no relevance to my current life. If I have to spend time meeting a group of strangers, it would be more worthwhile, in my opinion, for this to happen in a setting where we would have something in common in the present or some shared future.

For me the past has only a limited impact on my present life. I remember what I consider important from it, but I don't have a strong emotional connection to people and events from long ago. Many philosophies and spiritual practices urge people to "be in the moment", and it seems to me that excessive nostalgia contradicts this idea.

Haifa International Flower Exhibition

Yesterday we visited the Haifa International Flower Exhibition held all this Passover week in the Hecht Park by the beach. A flower exhibition used to be an annual event in Haifa for many years, but this is the first time one has been held in 19 years.

At the beginning of the week the media reported that the exhibition was so popular that the queues were very long and people started demanding their money back. We went there knowing that we wouldn't get to see everything, and expecting it to be a bit crowded, even on the day before last of the exhibition. The organizers of this event (and others in Israel) have much to learn from other countries. I have visited theme parks and tourist attractions in England, for example, where the flow of visitors was much better managed. However, the organizers deserve credit for encouraging people to park in three parking lots near the southern entrance to Haifa and then providing shuttle buses between the exhibition and the parking lots. This worked efficiently, and I hope such systems will be more widely used in Israel.

The exhibition consisted of nine large domes with differently themed flower installations. We were able to see four of them, and seeing how long we would have had to queue for the others, we decided that four was enough.

The first dome we visited was called "The World of the Senses", and inside it were displays of aromatic and exotic flowers, including orchids and bird of paradise, in small tents people had to enter to experience. It was almost impossible to get close to these tents, partly due to so many people trying to be photographed surrounded by flowers, so we didn't stay long in this dome and moved on to the next one.

Next we visited a dome called "The World of Fantasy". This dome was decorated with giant model flowers and contained some tulips and other flowers. Here the flowers were arranged alongside paths, so it was easier to see and photograph them and the visitors moved through more easily than in the previous dome.

The next dome was "The World of Water", and had flowers arranged inside model ships or standing in bottles, and there were decorations of giant fish. In one area there were soap bubbles floating above the flowers to provide an underwater atmosphere. Some of the displays were impressive, but it was difficult to capture good photographs due to the lighting.

Next we visited "The Land of the Rising Sun", a Japanese themed dome. As expected, the flowers here were arranged tastefully in a minimalistic style, with decorations such as origami birds and a model temple. After the classical music played in the previous domes, here the music was Japanese, which contributed to the atmosphere more than the previous musical selections had.

Having visited these four domes, we wandered around the park. We saw the flower market, and enjoyed the flowers growing in the park as well as some outdoor flower displays that were part of the exhibition. The weather was pleasant, and spring is the ideal time of year for this event.

I hope that next year this event will be better planned. If the organizers can learn something from this year's experience and from overseas attractions, the renewal of this Haifa tradition could be a great annual success.

My parents' wedding photos, 1968

As part of my new project scanning family photographs, I decided to start with my parents' wedding photos.

The wedding of my mother, Carol Evans, and my father, John Glucker, took place at a registry office in Fareham (UK) on July 6, 1968. It was attended by my mother's relatives and some friends. My father's Israeli relatives were unable to come over for the wedding, but my parents visited them here on their honeymoon shortly afterwards.

These photos were taken by my grandfather, John Evans. The first two are set in the garden of the restaurant in Fareham where they had the reception, and the rest are in my grandparents' garden in Waterlooville.

The final photo features my great-grandmother Dora Tilley, along with the young relatives, from left to right: my mother's cousins Simon and Stuart Tilley, her brothers Andrew, Jonathan, and Adrian, and her nephew Alexander (Sandy) Britain (the oldest of my cousins).

ITA 2012 Conference

This week I attended the tenth annual conference of the Israel Translators Association, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem.

The conference this year had four parallel tracks, instead of three in previous years, and as a result, every participant could only attend about a quarter of the lectures. Sometimes it was difficult to decide which track to attend.

As always, the first day contained workshops, which I did not attend this year.

Day Two (February 14, 2012) started with a plenary session. The first speaker was Dov Gordon, who explained how to focus our marketing message on solving the customer's problems and achieving the results they want. Next, Dan Almagor discussed translating for the stage. He explained that unlike a written text, a stage translation has to be immediately understood because the audience may lose concentration. He gave a brief review of translating into Hebrew throughout the ages, and expressed his opinion in support of new translations of plays every few years, to adapt them to current language and culture.

Next I heard Prof. Miriam Shlesinger describe the role of interpreters in determining the fate of asylum seekers. She based her talk on letters by a lawyer representing an asylum seeker, complaining about the interpreters who translated the hearings, displayed an insufficient understanding of the relevant language and culture, and misrepresented what the asylum seeker was saying. This is another case where officials do not understand that not every person who can speak two languages is capable of serving as an interpreter. It also raised the question of how neutral an interpreter should be.

Inga Michaeli spoke about various issues in literary translation, such as finding equivalents to foreign names that would have similar associations in the target language, and expressing the different literary registers and idiosyncratic styles of fictional characters in the different cultural context of the target language.

After lunch, Leah Gniwesch gave an inspiring talk about taking control of our emotions and our reactions to external events as a key to happiness. The language we use can form our reality, and so being conscious of using empowering and positive words can help create and maintain a productive world view. I have heard many life coaches, and this talk resonated most strongly with my personal beliefs and practices.

Leah Aharoni spoke about the potential benefits of doing voluntary translating work for non-profits. This can provide professional and personal satisfaction, work experience, and even help find paid work. Of course, the translator must set clear boundaries regarding the quantity and frequency of work undertaken.

Day Three (February 15, 2012) started with a plenary session by Dr. Tsuriel Rashi about the Pashkevilim (wall posters) as a form of communication in the Ultra-Orthodox community. These posters deal mainly with ideological struggles, and often contain a mixture of Hebrew, Yiddish, and Aramaic, often with many acronyms. Next, Robert Lederman told us about computer vision syndrome, a subject of great relevance, given that a majority of the audience admitted to sitting opposite a computer screen for six hours a day or more. He recommended taking a break every 20 minutes, and spending 20 seconds focusing on an object at least 20 feet (six meters) away.

Prof. Miriam Shlesinger and Prof. Rachel Weissbrod introduced an interesting project initiated by The Lewis Carroll Society of North America, in which translation scholars from 114 languages submit an essay, a bibliography, and a back translation, to provide an overview of translations and versions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in each language. In each case, the back translation should include a passage from the earliest and the most recent translation into that language. The earliest Hebrew translation was by L. Siman (1923), and turned Alice into a Jewish character. The most recent translation was by Rina Litvin (1997).

Orna Raz discussed the character of the translator in the book A Season in the West by Piers Paul Read. The translator served as a gatekeeper, determining the fate of the author, and attempted to bridge the cultural gap.

Galia Hirsch talked about the use of forms of address in different languages and cultures, such as languages where the plural form is used to show respect (tu and vous in French), and the difference between English, where people are often addressed by name or other terms, and Hebrew where the tendency is not to use addresses very much.

Yael Sela Shapiro explained how to find work with Israeli publishers, for beginners who hope to become literary translators into Hebrew.

My general impression is that this was one of the best conferences so far. Everything was run professionally, and even when there were schedule changes, this did not create chaos. I learned from previous conferences that there is a limit to how many lectures I can take in, so I did not attend all the sessions available on both days.

I look forward to next year's conference, and hope that some of the lectures I missed will be offered as part of the ITA's program of monthly events!

Other blog posts about the conference, in Hebrew:

Tzviya Levin ; Tzviya Levin & Stephen Rifkind ; Yael Cahane ; Yael Sela Shapiro ; Inga Michaeli.

And in English:

Stephen Rifkind; Nina Rimon Davis.

Month of Letters Challenge

Readers of this blog will know that I have participated in the NaNoWriMo challenge, which involved writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

I have decided to participate in a new challenge, the Month of Letters challenge, which requires participants to write 24 letters and send them by mail during February.

I have a long history of writing letters. I started corresponding with penpals as a teenager, and during my teens and twenties I was in touch with 20 or more penpals at any given time, in many different countries.

Before the Internet, communicating by mail was normal. Airmail letters took about 5-10 days to reach their destination. I remember the daily thrill of seeing what had arrived in my letter box. Letters also sometimes contained photos, postcards, and "friendship books", little stapled booklets in which penpals wrote their addresses and interests and passed them on, hoping to receive letters from similar people. This primitive form of social networking was quite effective, for the time.

Of course, writing letters was a good excuse to buy pretty writing paper, stickers, rubber stamps, and coloured pens. At that time, my handwriting was much better than it is now. Later, when I started using a computer, I learned how to insert images into the text, and printed letters on coloured paper.

As time wore on, I lost contact with most of my penpals, and stayed in touch only with the few who were my closest friends. In recent years, I have renewed contact with a few of them through Facebook. I have been fortunate to meet a few of my penpals when they came to Israel or when I visited their country.

I have been thinking about this recently, with a growing awareness of the differences between my way of life when I was younger and today's online lifestyle. So when I found out about this challenge, it appealed to me.

I will spend February writing (well, typing) letters to my current penpals, and also to a few friends and relatives. There is an art to writing a good letter, and while it is possible to do this in an email, the tendency is to keep emails short. In some cases, my main contact with my penpals in recent years has been reading each other's Facebook status updates and blogs. I want to rediscover the experience of writing and sending "real" letters, and hope to receive some replies from my friends as well.

Good luck to all participants!

How to never get bored

It always surprises me when someone claims to be bored. This just doesn't happen to me. I learned early on to avoid boredom. Being bored is a state of feeling frustrated with whatever is happening around you, and wishing you were doing something else. It is a great waste of time and energy, and worst of all, it is self-inflicted. My father always says: "There are no boring things, only bored people".

Boredom is often expressed by children, but I think it exists in all age groups. It is never too late to acquire the ability to prevent boredom. This can enrich anyone's life, and requires no external equipment.

Being bored is a state of mind you can learn to prevent, using combinations of three basic mental skills: imagination, observation, and curiosity. In the following examples, I will show how you can harness these innate abilities to avoid boredom.

First, imagine a situation where you are supposed to be concentrating on something: a class, a lecture, a presentation, a conversation. If you find yourself becoming bored, this means you are not engaging with the speaker or with the subject. Since you are supposed to be concentrating, the solution here is to find ways to spark your curiosity. Think about the subject matter, and try to find questions about it that interest you. If circumstances allow, ask these questions and turn the situation towards your own areas of interest. If you can't ask questions, keep them in mind, and try to find the answers in what the speaker is saying, or make a mental note to investigate further later on. If the speaker is not appealing, try imagining a more interesting personality saying the same words. Imagine the speaker as a charismatic orator enthusiastically addressing an excited audience. Or pretend you have to be the speaker, and visualize yourself giving the lecture or teaching the class.

Conversations are always a good opportunity for learning to see the world from someone else's point of view. If they are interested in something you find boring, ask yourself what it is about their lives that makes this interesting or important to them. Perhaps that will help you become interested in the subject, or at least see other people in a different light. It may even help develop empathy.

Another situation that often brings about boredom and frustration is having a long wait for something. This situation is ideal for developing your observation skills. Where you are waiting, there are usually other people, often complete strangers. Each one of these people has a complete life story. Try to guess what their lives could be like, based on clues they give you, such as their appearance, clothing, body language, and perhaps overheard conversations. The combination of observation and imagination allows endless speculation about strangers we see.

Sometimes the situation can set the scene for specific imaginative games. When I was stuck at a European airport for several hours due to a delayed flight, I tried to guess the nationality and destination of individuals and groups without hearing the language they were speaking. It was quite difficult!

Public transport always allows you to speculate about the purpose of people's journeys. Are they on their way to work, to school, to visit friends, or perhaps they are going on vacation? Maybe they have to visit someone in hospital or are in need of medical treatment themselves?

If you find it difficult or uncomfortable to look at people, or don't want to appear to be staring, close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you. Try to imagine what the people you can hear look like, and work out things about them just from the sound of their voices and from whatever conversation fragments you can catch.

People often get bored when they are alone. If you find yourself alone, perhaps without the external stimulation that observation can provide, you can always turn to pure imagination. Your mind contains endless entertainment possibilities. First of all, if you like music, you can play back in your mind any piece of music you listen to regularly. You can probably remember every word and every quirk of the vocalist's tone of voice. In the same way, you can recall the plot of every book you have read and every film or series you have watched. Using these memories, if you like, you can mash up and remix music and stories, creating new versions of your own in your mind. Try combining different musical styles, or different plot elements.

Even without using these memories, you can create new imaginary scenes to occupy your mind while you wait. Picture yourself or any other person you know, real or fictional, in a particular place or situation. What would it be like to walk along the beach, or go on safari, or run a marathon? Try creating an imaginary setting - your dream home perhaps, or a beautiful garden, or an ideal holiday location.

Sometimes people feel bored because they enjoy excitement and need new thrills all the time. In cases such as these, the solution can be to develop an exciting internal imaginary life. Pretend you are a spy, seeking secret information, trying to avoid getting caught. Or maybe you are a time traveller from the past or future, investigating our current way of life. These methods combine curiosity with imagination and observation by granting our mundane experiences another, more interesting, secret meaning.

I would be interested to hear other people's suggestions for overcoming boredom using only mental skills.