“Кусурлия, Хаирлия!”

(Who has a flaw is a lucky one.)

Bulgarian old saying.

Misanthrope met Philanthrope and they greeted each other.

He said: How are you doing my fellow?

If I remember correctly, we were classmates sitting on the same bench.

Well, my wife died and as my needs shrunk, I distributed my belongings to my brothers and sisters.

They quarreled about who would get the bigger part, became jealous and hated each other, me inclusive.

Thus, the family split up and now I am living alone in a small wooden hut in the forest.

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that!

Well, you shouldn’t!

I have a background in natural sciences and woods and fields are extremely generous to me.

I am happy this way!

What about you?

Well, I became dentist and gathered a whole bunch of money, but I kept it all for myself.

I have a big family and many friends who all appreciate me a lot.

But I prefer solitude, I go to the countryside and pretend to gather mushrooms and herbs on long walks, and I am happy this way.

After a short talk, they greeted each other eagerly and separated, deciding to take the same way on and off.

Disaster or success, success and disaster

We are all afraid of first and would like to charm the success fee.

In reality, we probably need first to find the key to second.

Isn’t there a saying that hardship forges the personality?

As to reality, our lives are a chain of both.

We cannot choose beforehand!

It is out of our reach and grasp…

Remaining in one of those is never for long – Panta Rei, Panta Rei!

Foes or friends, friends and foes

Those change so frequently roles during our living! 

Hardships chastise and strengthen us when they do not crush us.

Severity has been for long time advocated for its educative value.

Easy life on the other hand destroys good habits and manners.

Our destiny is ironed by both…

Decay or fresh, fresh and decay

In matter of nutrition, we all prefer fresh food.

This is by no way everywhere in wildlife.

Predators do not neglect old food, that is decaying one.

The tiger thus hides his prey in the bushes for several days.

Sharks are scavengers of seas, eating mostly long forgotten carcasses.

Indeed, wild animals have no other way to avoid flesh near to one’s own.

The result is sharks living several hundred years.

As to us, humans, we cook our food and store it in fridges.

But since several decades some diseases are peaking all over the world.

Especially autoimmune disorders and neoplasia!

Is there something wrong with our strategy?

Our ancestors were not neglecting some food with fungus on it and they were storing a lot in vinegar.

Our professor in Mycology in Geneva, Gaston Turian was mentioning in his lectures the positive effects on health of molded rye bread.

In some valleys in the USA authorities report the longest life expectancy, over 100 years, owing to high consumption of vinegar.

Lat one is nothing else than the result of decay of apples or grapes…

Sauerkraut is well known all over the Globe since the time of Genghis Khan.

In my homeland we prepare for winter so-called Turshiya, which is vegetables prepared in vinegar and sugar and salt.

Yoghurt is now widespread and can be bought everywhere on the planet.

It is nothing else than decaying milk.

Fermented cheese, originally French specialty is also in similarity well known.

We can mention also beer, but this list is by no way exhaustive.

Frenche population has enjoyed longest life expectancy in Europe for decades owing to its nutritional regime.

Pain or comfort, comfort and pain

We all have the tendency to always choose comfort and neglect pain.

But how many times does such strategy lead to mishaps?

In elderly people, once in a bed means invalid forever!

In the training community there is a saying, which you may know:

No pain, no gain!

How many times we hear about a colleague who just retired falls ill and dies.

Everyday activity entertains and oils the machine. 

A daily walk is recommended in all textbooks of medicine.

A bit of discomfort contributes to health…

Egoism and altruism

As a child I read a book describing one of the characters as a healthy egoist.

As I was young, I was pretty puzzled, which I am still a bit today.

Probably, the author was considering that there are exceptions to everything, as most extreme egoists turn with time insane, which seldom happens to altruists.

But, to go straight to the point, you can experiment with it yourself, and judge easily.

Engaging in selfish thoughts makes you sick after a while.

And thus, encouraging also altruistic ones improve our general health and make happier.

Lazy or industrious

There is a Bulgarian saying which states:

Teach the lazy one to work and he will teach you intelligence.

How many times we discover the straight way is not the easiest!

Once intellectual work was considered light.

Nowadays plenty of Universities teach all sorts of domains in millions of patterns.

Many are saying that robotics would overtake a huge number of jobs, but this had been already thoroughly discussed a century ago and nobody knows what future reserves.

For sure, there will be always need of heavy manual workers and intellectual ones, as no machine can invent human genius.

Old or young

When I am young, I dream of being old and when I grow old, I wish I were young.

These are not simple feelings of unsatisfaction or jumping mood.

Inexperienced in the body, we are old by soul.

Used up in our physique, we feel still the same person by mind.

Hatred and love, love or hatred

Whether willing or unwilling, we encounter those on every step.

Choosing one or the other fails frequently as a matter of fact.

Jealousy turns easily second to first.

Carmen of Bizet speaks it aloud and all History is a testimony to it.

Sexuality turns the odds sometimes in the reverse direction.

Those are like the two surfaces of a sword, the one scrapes, while the second can polish.

Our intelligence is here frequently failing!

Stupidity and intelligence, intelligence or stupidity

There is probably more stupidity in our intelligence than we are accustomed to thinking.

Perhaps, the other way round, there is also more intelligence in stupidity.

Every action is handled by our subjective measure!

Ignorance and knowledge mingle in this waste basket.

If we choose invariably the second, we finish as a fool.

Keep it simple, stupid!

– Keeps all its meaning…

Fear and courage, courage or fear

Both belong to our personality and help us advance on our lifepath.

Choosing one or the other makes you being considered by observers as a chick or courageous only on superficial grounds in a given situation.

There is indeed a deeper meaning in most situations escaping to spectators.

As for ourselves, we do know little about every topic.

In one situation the task might be overwhelming for our possibilities and thus engaging in it can be neck breaking.

On the other hand, if we never do it, we never learn more precisely our limits.

Disease or health, health and disease

Do you remember, many years ago you came to my office holding an envelope, and you told me to write on a sheet of paper what I wished most.

Then I opened your envelope and I found the same word inside: Health!

I laughed and gave you money, because I supposed that was the purpose of your visit.

Now, I am old and sick and doctors cannot cure me.

In hospitals I met many patients, some more unfortunate than myself.

Now, I feel glad having met my fellow sufferers and humanity has got a new sense for me.

If you propose me the same game now, I will probably write: Nothing!

It seems to me I have seen everything in this wide world and gone the whole turnabout of its Merry-go-round.

Rich and poor

Hello, I haven’t seen you since a long time.

Yeah, several decades I gather.

What are you doing?

Well, I am doing extremely well!

I am very rich.

Multibillionaire you can say.

This whole part of the city belongs to me and I can buy much more if I want.

Oh, I am very pleased to hear that, but I asked you what you are doing, as it’s a long time we haven’t met.

Well, I am an entrepreneur.

I am excessively busy making my belongings fructify.

What about you?

Well, I have few belongings and you would probably say “poor boy”.

I am stranding along the countryside without any task, but in my dreams I feel as if I own the whole world…

The proud and the modest

I succeeded so well in my life!

I did so many things, politics, enterprises, even broadcasting and sports…

Wow, I did not know about that.

Oh, yes.

If people had recognized fully my talent, capacity and achievements, they would have had elected me in a central place in the government, president, or something…

And I would have made the whole population happy!

What about you?

Well, I became an electrician and have been working as employee for big societies.

 Now I am also retired, but I am happy with my life…

Stoicean met epicurean

He fell in love with her joyous character.

She was saying:

It is important to make things which you would like when you would like.

There are so many good things in this world.

Life is so beautiful!

He was saying:

Life is so hard!

Clenching teeth helps.

She found his persistence courageous.

She fell in love with him.

She would say:

You love so much suffering.

He would answer:

A bit of suffering belongs to life. 

If you do not love the first, you cannot love the second.

Caring for her children she was clenching teeth.

With retirement he was enjoying life.