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On This Memorial Day

here and elsewhere where the memories of soldiers linger

“Threes” by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) 

I was a boy when I heard three red words 
a thousand Frenchmen died in the streets 
for: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—I asked 
why men die for words.

I was older; men with mustaches, sideburns, 
lilacs, told me the high golden words are: 
Mother, Home, and Heaven—other older men with 
face decorations said: God, Duty, Immortality 
—they sang these threes slow from deep lungs.

Years ticked off their say-so on the great clocks 
of doom and damnation, soup, and nuts: meteors flashed 
their say-so: and out of great Russia came three 
dusky syllables workmen took guns and went out to die 
for: Bread, Peace, Land.

And I met a marine of the U.S.A., a leatherneck with a girl on his knee 
for a memory in ports circling the earth and he said: Tell me how to say 
three things and I always get by—gimme a plate of ham and eggs--how 
much—and—do you love me, kid? 

Organizing Threes

Information scientists tell us we use concepts, schemas and scripts, and personal theories to organize and store knowledge.  Looking at the library of knowledge that is Threes, we can conclude that Threes can be catalogued as:

Threes of detection: such as Newton’s laws, the Fibonacci series, and the theory of relativity.  They invite discovery. 

Threes of invention: such as the unifying concept of the Holy Trinity, commercial messages to sell, and comedy to entertain us.  They suggest structure.

Threes of convention: to promote conformity and compliance such as plumb, level and square, the three-light traffic signal, and “do not lie, cheat or steal.”  They provide standards. 

We think in threes.  We remember in threes.  We communicate in threes.  The amazing thread of threes runs distinctly, delicately and sometimes subtly through the fabric of ancient, classical and modern society. 

from Threes, Chapter 1, “The Wonder of Threes ”  

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle: The Big Three in Greek Philosophy

Much of Western philosophy finds its basis in the thoughts and teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. You can't begin a study of world philosophy without talking about the Big Three ancient Greek philosophers.

Socrates: Athens' street-corner philosopher

Socrates was the big-city philosopher in ancient Athens. Accused and convicted of corrupting the youth, his only real crime was embarrassing and irritating a number of important people. His punishment was death.

Famous quote: "The unexamined life is not worth living."

Plato: The philosopher who would be king

Plato became an enthusiastic and talented student of Socrates and wrote famous dialogues featuring his teacher verbally grappling with opponents. He believed in the pre-existence and immortality of the soul, holding that life is nothing more than the imprisonment of the soul in a body. In addition to the physical world, there is a heavenly realm of greater reality consisting in Forms, Ideals, or Ideas (such as Equality, Justice, Humanity, and so on).

As his crowning achievement: He wrote a famous treatise (The Republic) on the ideal society, in which he expressed the thought that a philosopher, of all people, who should be king (big surprise!).

Aristotle: A long walk to the Golden Mean

Aristotle was Plato's best student. He went on to become the very well-paid tutor of Alexander the Great—probably the highest paid philosopher in history. Aristotle started his own philosophical school when he was 50 years old. Although he lived only ten more years, he produced nearly a thousand books and pamphlets, only a few of which have survived.

A key theme in Aristotle's thought is that happiness is the goal of life. The founder of logical theory, Aristotle believed that the greatest human endeavor is the use of reason in theoretical activity. One of his best known ideas was his conception of "The Golden Mean”—"avoid extremes," the counsel of moderation in all things.

See http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/socrates-plato-and-aristotle-the-big-three-in-gree.html

The Big Three Nutrients for Better Health

By Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D.

To function, the human body needs the nutrients in food. Your digestive system breaks down what you eat and delivers the nutrients via the bloodstream to cells throughout your body. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are key nutrients we obtain from food, along with fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals.

But what exactly are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and why are they so important? Let’s take a closer look at each one:

Carbohydrates are sugars and starches found in foods like vegetables, fruit, cereal, sugar, pasta, bread, rice, and beans. Often called carbs, they are the body’s primary fuel source. One key to healthy eating is understanding the difference between favorable carbs (vegetables and fruits) and unfavorable carbs (sugar, candy, cookies, pies, cakes, and refined foods like white rice).

Fats, like carbohydrates, have unfairly acquired a bad reputation. Fats are essential to good health, and it’s not an overstatement to say we cannot live without them. Like carbohydrates, fats provide energy, and some fats are better for us than others. Our bodies cannot produce essential fatty acids (EFAs), so we must obtain them from food or supplements containing omega-3s and omega-6s. I’ll explain these in more detail shortly.

Protein is an essential nutrient found in every cell of the body. Your body requires a steady supply of protein to create new cells and repair old ones. In addition, protein helps to regulate many bodily functions, playing various roles, such as enzymes and hormones responsible for certain chemical reactions. Protein can also yield energy during a shortage of fats and carbs.