…However there’s a catch…I am changing up the format, I’m no longer going to reinterpret the quotes…I will leave that entirely up to you.
But, what I am going to do is comment on the quotes…(pretty much what I was already doing). My goal is to get people to think more deeply about life by introducing them to quotes that they normally would not be exposed to…fair enough, right?

Word!

(Cue creepy organ music!)

1). “I think that in human evolution it has never been as necessary to have this substance LSD. It is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be.” -Albert Hofmann

Albert Hofmann was the man who first synthesized LSD-25 and accidentally ingested it causing one hell of a trip(on his bike ride home). He and others believed that LSD could be used in a clinical setting to re-imprint/correct certain personality traits and disorders. Do not be fooled by the popular culture of the 1960′s that tarnished the scientific aspect and benefits found in LSD or other psychedelics.

2).”The constant assertion of belief is an indication of fear.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti

Mormons?… Haha…I kid…I kid…
No but really, this is a neat quote cause it shows that someone who is constantly having to reassure himself and others by asserting something is trying to stave off some sort of fear, otherwise there would be no need for such repetition.

3).”Those who have never tried electronic communication may not be aware of what a “social skill” really is. One social skill that must be learned, is that other people have points of view that are not only different, but *threatening*, to your own. In turn, your opinions may be threatening to others. There is nothing wrong with this. Your beliefs need not be hidden behind a facade, as happens with face-to-face conversation. Not everybody in the world is a bosom buddy, but you can still have a meaningful conversation with them. The person who cannot do this lacks in social skills.” -Nick Szabo

I really admire this quote! It deals with the modern free-flowing information medium known as the Internet. This can be applied toward life itself when dealing with other people. We all have certain beliefs and opinions, we all recognize this, yet we still get heated when we hear something that doesn’t sit well with our belief system. We need to teach our children a certain level of understanding, otherwise our species may never progress as a whole. We should try and alienate ourselves from thinking that our beliefs are RIGHT. Other people’s ideals and belief’s are true to that individual even if they are entirely far fetched and do not fit into your REALITY TUNNEL. The next time someone says something that you do not believe in, do not belittle that person or act as if your belief is the only belief that is correct. Instead try and understand why that person may have that particular belief. Ask questions that will help you understand better. We will all benefit from this!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Ego

Welcoteme to the 2nd installment of the Interpret This! series, brought to you by your ‘single-serving’ narrator, Ego, from HalfassBackwards.com

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1). “There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti

Learning doesn’t stop when formal education ends, life is a constant learning process. Take every situation you encounter as a learning experience. Tell yourself  “I can’t fail, I can only learn and grow!” Learn from other people’s mistakes!

2). “A myth is an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the world.” -Allan Watts

Just think about the time the first ‘humans’ began to question their existence, and all of the weird explanations/rationalizations that were made, and then finally settled upon. The more popular ones were taught and passed down from generation to generation. Consider what I just typed when pondering the subject of religion and spirituality.

3). “A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?” -Albert Einstein

I ask myself this one all the time, but I keep deciding that neither seems to be true, we’re all crazy to a certain extent. Humans controlling humans, creating fear, starting wars, and enabling ignorance to persist. Trying to answer such a question clouds the mind.

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Now wasn’t that fun?
Care to make your own interpretation?

-Ego

Word!

This might become an ongoing post topic, because I find it fun and enlightening to re-interpret some one’s words, and have comment participation with readers.

Although, history shows us how dangerous interpretations can be… =)

I will be listing 3 quotes by well-known and even unknown authors, public figures, and artists.
Then I will give my own Halfass interpretation of each quote.
I encourage all who read this post to pick one or all of the quotes and then give their own interpretation.
Have fun!

Here goes…

1. “Intelligence is the capacity to receive, decode and transmit information efficiently. Stupidity is blockage of this process at any point. Bigotry, ideologies etc. block the ability to receive; robotic reality-tunnels block the ability to decode or integrate new signals; censorship blocks transmission.” -Robert Anton Wilson
   • I believe R.A.W. hit the nail on the head with this quote.
     For me I see it as his way of showing/explaining how/why many people in this world are blindly following faiths and ideologies. He was big on getting people to wake up and think for themselves.
     To understand this quote you need to cast aside everything you’ve ever learned and then ask and apply this question to everything about yourself, “Why did I learn that? or How did I come about believing this?” Once you do this you can start to see that you’re view points are not always entirely yours.

   • For example, when you’re born you are completely faithless(neutral), your parents will eventually pass on to you their faith/values/morals and knowledge.
     More often then not this happens when your curious little brain begin to question things in life. You might ask your parents a simple question such as, “Why is the sky blue?” Perhaps then your parents would answer “Because God made it that way.” or maybe you’ll get a more honest answer such as “I don’t know.” And BINGO! Instant faith…
     
   • Anyways my point is that you are not brought into this world believing in anything.
     Once you start to age your brain begins storing information and learning begins.

   • A RECAP(in my words): Once an individual places faith on any one subject or thing, intelligence ceases to exist in that area, unless of course that individual begins to question his/her own faith in that area, then and only then does intelligence persist. Uncertainty is bliss!
     
2. “The first problem for all of us, men, and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” -Gloria Steinem
   
   • We focus so much on learning and education in a literal sense, yet ‘we’ pay very little attention to the unconscious learning and/or social conditioning/programming brought about from our environment, parents, public/private schooling, and basic day-to-day interaction with one another. Understanding oneself is the key to positive interaction with the universe as a whole.
     
3. “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” – George Washington
   • Every man is fallible in the face of greed! (In my opinion, don’t trust anyone wearing a suit!)
     When lots of green paper with dead presidents on them are involved, the honest intention, whether it was there to begin with, is cast aside.
   • Anyone remember Gov. Rod Blagojevich and that famous Senate seat?

What say you?

-Ego