About – janie-and-john

John and I share a journey having both lost our partners to cancer but this is not a blog about grief. It is about new beginnings.

We are oil and water; on paper, we really should not work; I left a state school with 5 O’levels whereas John had a private education and studied at Cambridge. John is the calm foil to my slightly chaotic personality. but it works! We have found happiness after a truly devastating time and are determined to enjoy our time together as we create, travel and write, creating new memories.

Some new text.

Janie

Our Philosophy

Part of what I bring to our relationship is logical and rational thinking. I have always planned my life (plans frequently change, although there is nothing wrong in that!).

My personal philosophy of life has always given me a basis for peace and direction. My philosophy is rooted in the acceptance of science and totally non-religious (not that some religions don't have concepts we can't borrow). If we accept that the universe we live in is finite, and even more so our solar system as a habitable place (even if as a species humanity survives long enough to have to de-camp to Mars and then Jupiter as our star becomes a red giant in about 5 billion years time) then each individual human should live with humility as nothing in the long run matters. So in the short term what can we do which gives meaning to our life? This can only be our actions which effect other people, other inhabitants of this planet and the general well-being of the planet. We should all be stoics and treat all people equally and our actions should be measured against the goals of increasing the sum totally of pleasure and happiness in the world and reducing the sum total of pain and suffering in the world of, primarily, people but also other inhabitants of this planet.

My biggest bug-bear is drifting through life, we only have one life and it is short so we must pack in as much as we can whilst respecting the above philosophy which gives a purpose to our short lives.

John Stuart Mill's inaugural address to the University of St Andrews on the 2nd January 1867 is so relevant in today's world.

“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”

and previously he made this statement which I completely concur with:

“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”

John Stuart Mills 1863

John