The Love that moves the sun and the other stars

🌟 Beyond Human Limits – Unlike Hell and Purgatory, Paradiso explores concepts beyond mortal comprehension.🔺 Faith Over Reason – Beatrice replaces Virgil, symbolizing the need for divine wisdom over human intellect.💡 Rising Toward Perfection – Dante ascends through celestial spheres, each representing a higher state of virtue.

The Ascent to Divine Understanding

💖 God is the Ultimate Light – The closer souls get to God, the more they are illuminated by divine love. 🔥 Love as Motion – The heavens move in harmony with divine love, guiding all things toward their destined place. 🌅 True Happiness Lies in God – Souls in Paradiso experience eternal joy by aligning with divine will.

The Nature of Divine Love

☁ Not All Saints Are Equal – Souls reside in different spheres, not by divine favoritism, but by their earthly merits. 🛤 Progress Through Understanding – The journey through the spheres symbolizes moral and intellectual growth. 🔆 Unity in Diversity – Even in Heaven, different virtues and roles create a harmonious cosmic order.

The Spheres of Heaven: Levels of Virtue

⚖ Perfect Justice Exists – Unlike the flawed justice of Earth, divine justice is absolute and fair.🔄 Sin is a Misalignment – Those in Heaven have purified their wills, making them naturally align with God's plan.🌈 Heaven’s Order is Not Restrictive – Every soul finds complete joy in its assigned place, knowing it is where they belong.– Unlike the flawed justice of Earth, divine justice is absolute and fair.

The Vision of Divine Justice

👀 Beyond Words – Dante struggles to describe the final vision, as divine truth surpasses human language.🌞 God as the Eternal Light – Dante sees the divine essence as a blinding, infinite radiance.🔄 The Unity of All Things – In God, Dante perceives the interconnectedness of the universe and all creation.

The Beatific Vision: Seeing God Face to Face

🛤 From Darkness to Light – Dante’s journey from Hell to Heaven mirrors the soul’s journey toward enlightenment.🔗 The Role of Free Will – True joy comes from choosing to align with divine love rather than being forced.✨ Paradise is the Ultimate Harmony – The vision of God represents perfect order, love, and eternal peace.

The Journey’s Ultimate Lesson

Dante’s Paradiso follows his ascent through the celestial spheres, guided by Beatrice, toward divine enlightenment. He encounters souls perfected by virtue, explores the nature of divine justice, and experiences the Beatific Vision. The journey culminates in the ultimate revelation—God as the eternal light, unity, and source of all love.

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Philosophy

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Religion & Spirituality

history

History

mindfulness

Mindfulness

Dante's Paradiso

For ye were not createdto lead the life of stupid animals,but manliness and knowledge to pursue

⚫ Lost in the Dark Wood – Dante's journey begins in confusion and despair, symbolizing a soul lost in sin.👣 Guided by Reason – The poet Virgil represents human reason, leading Dante through Hell’s depths.🔥 Hell as Consequence – Each sinner’s punishment is a reflection of their earthly crimes, reinforcing divine justice.

The Descent into Darkness: A Journey Through Sin

⚖ "Abandon All Hope" – The gates of Hell warn that justice is absolute and inescapable.♾ Punishment Fits the Crime – Dante’s Hell operates on contrapasso, where sinners suffer fitting retributions.👑 The Unrepentant Fall – Even kings, popes, and warriors suffer eternal torment for their misdeeds.

The Power of Divine Justice

🧊 Frozen in Sin – Unlike fire, the lowest level of Hell is an icy wasteland for traitors.🐍 Lucifer’s Eternal Torment – The Devil himself is trapped, forever chewing on history’s worst traitors: Judas, Brutus, and Cassius.💀 Betrayal is the Ultimate Sin – Dante places treachery, not violence, at the bottom of moral corruption.

The Role of Betrayal: The Deepest Circle

🛤 Every Path Matters – The journey through Hell reflects the consequences of unchecked desires and actions.🌍 Evil is Everywhere – The sinners in Inferno aren’t monsters; they were once ordinary people who made fatal choices.🔄 A Warning for the Living – Dante’s descent isn’t just about punishment but about learning how to avoid damnation.

The Weight of Moral Choices

🐆 The Leopard of Fraud – Deception and lies are among the gravest sins in Dante’s world.🦁 The Lion of Pride – Unchecked ambition and arrogance lead souls to ruin.🐺 The She-Wolf of Greed – Insatiable desire for power and wealth drives people to moral decay.

Symbolism of the Three Beasts

🚪 Hell is Just the Beginning – Inferno is the first step in Dante’s larger journey toward enlightenment.🔗 Suffering as Purification – Witnessing Hell forces Dante to confront his own weaknesses.🌅 A Path to Paradise – The final goal is not just escaping Hell, but reaching true understanding and divine love.

The Journey Towards Redemption

Dante’s Inferno is a journey through the nine circles of Hell, where sinners suffer divine justice through fitting punishments. Guided by Virgil, Dante encounters historical and mythical figures, witnessing the consequences of sin. The epic serves as both a moral warning and a path toward redemption and enlightenment.

meditation

Meditation

Dante's Inferno

Accept everything just the way it is.

Do not fear death.

Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.

Do not regret what you have done.

Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.

Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.

You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.

If you wish to control others you must first control yourself.

You can only fight the way you practice.

There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within.

Master Life with Timeless Samurai Strategy Insights

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Personal Development

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Motivation & Inspiration

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Habits

10 Insightful Quotes by Miyamoto Musashi

But in eternity nothing moves into the past: all is present. Time, on the other hand, is never all present at once. The past is always driven on by the future, the future always follows on the heels of the past, and both the past and the future have their beginning and their end in the eternal present

So we must not say that the past was long, because we shall not be able to find anything in it that could be long, for the simple reason that once it becomes the past it ceases to be

When we describe the past correctly, it is not past facts which are drawn on t of our memories but only words based on our memory-pictures of those facts, because when they happened, they left an impression on our minds, by means of our sense-perception

The future, then, is not yet; it is not at all; and if it is not at all, it cannot possibly be seen. But it can be foretold from things which are present, because they exist now and can therefore be seen

Our use of words is generally inaccurate and seldom completely correct, but our meaning is recognized none the less

The past increases in proportion as the future diminishes, until the future is entirely absorbed and the whole becomes past

So it is not future time that is long, but a long future is a long expectation of the future; and past is not long, because it does not exist, but a long past is a long remembrance of the past

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Reading & Writing

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book XI

As for the other things in life, the more we weep for them, the less they merit our tears, and the fewer tears we shed for them, the more we ought to weep for them

It is simply that the memory captures their images with astonishing speed and stores them away in its wonderful system of compartments, ready to produce them again in just as wonderful a way when we remember them

I can be glad to remember sorrow that is over and done with and sorry to remember happiness that has come to an end

Yet, however it may be, and in whatever inexplicable and incomprehensible way it happens, I am certain that I remember forgetfulness, even though forgetfulness obliterates all that we remember

We do not say that we have found what was lost unless we recognize it, and we cannot recognize it unless we remember it. It was only lost to sight, not to the memory

For we do not entirely forget what we remember that we have forgotten. If we had completely forgotten it, we should not even be able to look for what was lost

The remembrance of past joy makes me sad

No one can say that he has no experience of joy, and this is why he finds it in his memory and recognizes it when he hears the phrase ‘a state of happiness’

For though he may rejoice in his power of endurance, he would prefer that there should be nothing for him to endure

It is curiosity, too, which causes men to turn to sorcery in the effort to obtain knowledge for the same perverted purpsoe

The human tongue is a furnace in which the temper of our souls is daily tried

For our love of praise leads us to court the good opinion of others and hoard it for our personal glorification

Confessions of Saint Augustine Book X

Thomas Hobbes begins Leviathan by arguing that human life is nothing more than the mechanical movement of arms and legs, just as any machine with artificial life functions. He extends this idea to human creations, including art and governance, describing the state also known as the commonwealth or the great Leviathan as an "artificial man."

The Artificial Man

Hobbes starts with the most basic ideas about human beings, focusing on human thoughts, which he describes as representations or appearances of real objects. These representations arise when an external object presses upon one of the human senses, triggering nerve signals that send messages to the brain. The brain then processes these messages as sensations sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Of Sense and Imagination

Since objects are always in motion, constantly exerting pressure on our senses, humans experience a continuous stream of thoughts and impressions. However, Hobbes distinguishes between the object itself and the image it creates in the mind.Hobbes contrasts his view with that of Aristotle, who argued that vision and hearing are caused by "visible" and "audible species" that depend on the appearance of an object rather than the object itself. According to Hobbes, when a person stops perceiving an object, an image of it remains in their mind, which he calls imagination.

Over time, these images fade, turning into memory, and having multiple memories of different things leads to experience. Since imagination, memory, and experience are all rooted in human sensory perception, no thought or concept can ever be infinite. While Hobbes acknowledges that God's power is infinite, he argues that this only means it cannot be fully understood by humans.

In the state of nature, all people are equal. However, when two individuals desire the same thing, they become enemies, seeking to destroy one another. Since nature lacks a mechanism for resolving disputes, people exist in a state of constant conflict, where they must fight for survival and respect. Without a central authority, life is marked by continual warfare.

Of the Natural Condition of Mankind

Life in the state of nature is nasty, brutish, and short

To escape this chaos, people are drawn toward certain agreements, which Hobbes calls the laws of nature. These laws, given by God, state that every person has the right to protect their life by any means necessary. However, they also emphasize the pursuit of peace whenever possible.The only way to ensure peace is for individuals to give up their right to self-preservation through violence and transfer that right to someone else via a contract. The laws of nature dictate that promises must be kept unless both parties agree to dissolve them.

To solve this problem, people create commonwealths, forming a society under a unified power. This arrangement is based on a contract where individuals surrender their right to self-preservation to a single person or group, known as the sovereign. The purpose of a commonwealth is to protect its people from harm and ensure their happiness. The sovereign wields absolute power, which cannot be taken away or divided. A ruler cannot be accused of wrongdoing by their subjects, nor can they be punished for any perceived injustices. The sovereign alone determines what is necessary to maintain peace.

Of the Causes, Generation, and Definition of a Commonwealth

Hobbes identifies three types of commonwealths: monarchies, aristocracies, and democracies.In a monarchy, sovereign power rests with one person; in an aristocracy, it is held by a small group; and in a democracy, it belongs to the people as a whole.Since a commonwealth can only take one of these three forms, Hobbes argues that the strength of a government depends on its structure, rather than the number of people within it. Each form of government has advantages and disadvantages, but Hobbes believes monarchy is the best.

Of the Different Forms of Commonwealth

A sovereign may appoint officials to help govern the commonwealth, but no officer can ever hold more power than the sovereign. Any attempt to divide or weaken the sovereign’s power threatens to return society to the state of nature, where war is inevitable. As long as the commonwealth remains intact, subjects must obey their ruler. If the sovereign is captured in war and voluntarily surrenders power, the people must follow the new ruler. However, if the sovereign resists and refuses to relinquish power, the subjects remain bound to their original ruler.

A sovereign has the right to punish subjects who disobey the law, and the fear of punishment must outweigh any perceived benefit of breaking it. The destruction of a commonwealth often results from a ruler’s willingness to accept a diminished authority.People may deny their ruler’s power out of ignorance or for personal gain, but the consequence is always the same: the weakening of sovereignty undermines the very purpose of a commonwealth. Thus, people must respect their sovereign as long as doing so does not violate divine law or the laws of nature.

Of the Rights of Sovereigns and the Limits of Obedience

People learn about divine laws through natural reason (a gift from God), revelation, or miracles. In a Christian commonwealth, individuals believe in God’s spiritual authority, but this does not require them to abandon reason and common sense. Christian commonwealths depend on sacred texts that outline moral and civil laws, and in some societies, these religious rules are incorporated into the legal system. Despite uncertainties about the authorship of holy scripture, these texts are regarded as God's word and hold significant influence over Christian communities.

To understand Hobbes’s argument fully, he explains the biblical concepts of "body" and "spirit." In scripture, these are referred to as corporeal and incorporeal substances. A body occupies space and has mass, while a spirit, like a ghost, is intangible. According to Hobbes, calling something “incorporeal” contradicts common meanings, as nothing can be both incorporeal and have a body. When the Bible refers to "the spirit of God" being present in the air or in people, Hobbes interprets this metaphorically as faith, rather than as a literal part of God’s body inhabiting another being.

Of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness

Hobbes also criticizes the misconception that God’s kingdom is identical to the Christian church. Instead, he argues that God’s kingdom exists wherever there is a contract between God and his people, such as the covenant between God and the Israelites. God made agreements with Adam in the Garden of Eden and later with Moses, making the Israelites God’s chosen people. However, since these covenants no longer exist in their original form, God's kingdom cannot be fully realized until Christ’s second coming, when he will establish his rule on earth or in heaven through a new contract.

Until Judgment Day, no single religious authority holds universal power over Christians only God and individual rulers have authority. Because sovereignty cannot be divided, Hobbes rejects the idea that one Christian leader, such as the Pope in Rome, can claim power over Christians in other commonwealths. This would diminish the authority of local rulers and weaken the stability of their governments. He argues that true salvation does not require submission to any earthly religious authority but instead depends on sincere faith in Christ.

The apostles instructed their followers to obey human rulers in all matters, even if those laws conflicted with God's law. In the end, God expects people to follow their earthly sovereign until Christ returns, at which point the saved will enter into a new covenant as Christ’s subjects. Hobbes concludes Leviathan by arguing that the misinterpretation of scripture fueled by Aristotle’s flawed philosophy and the Catholic Church’s desire for political authority has plunged the commonwealth into a "kingdom of darkness." His book, therefore, seeks to reveal these errors and correct them.

Full summary of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, from 1651, is one of the first and most influential arguments towards social contract. Written in the midst of the English Civil War, it concerns the structure of government and society and argues for strong central governance and the rule of an absolute sovereign as the way to avoid civil war and chaos.

Understand yourself and those around you.

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Psychology

books

Books

politics

Politics

Thomas Hobbes

Leviathan

Democracy, a system of government where power is vested in the people, has evolved over thousands of years, from ancient civilizations to modern political structures.

What It Is…

The origins of democracy can be traced back to ancient Greece, particularly in Athens around the 5th century BCE. Athenian democracy was a direct form, where free male citizens could participate in decision-making, including the selection of officials and the passing of laws. This early form laid the groundwork for the idea of collective governance, but it was limited to a small portion of the population, excluding women, slaves, and non-citizens.

Early Democracy…

The concept of democracy spread throughout the ancient world, it reached the Roman Republic started the ideology of representative democracy. Roman citizens could elect leaders and participate in government decisions, though the power was held by an elite class. This model would later inspire the development of modern representative systems.

Rome…

After the fall of the Roman Empire, feudalism dominated Europe for centuries, and democratic ideals were largely suppressed. However, during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, philosophers such as John Locke and Montesquieu revived the ideas of individual liberty, equality, and the separation of powers, which significantly influenced the development of modern democracy.

The Great Thinkers…

The American Revolution (1776) and the French Revolution (1789) marked key turning points, introducing the concept of popular sovereignty and establishing republics where the people had the power to choose their leaders. The American Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights, enshrined democratic principles such as freedom of speech and the right to vote. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the expansion of democracy across the globe, with suffrage extending to women and marginalized groups, and decolonization bringing democratic ideals to new nations. Today, democracy remains an evolving idea.

Revolutions And Now…

A democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Politics and Democracy: What it is and it how we got here.

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

You are the closest I’ll ever come to magic.

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours.

You are my heart, my life, my one and only thought.

I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.

You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.

Whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.

I look at you and see the rest of my life in front of my eyes.

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

Romance and words go hand in hand, and the right quote can capture the depth of your emotions. Here are some romantic quotes to make your Valentine’s heart flutter:

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Love & Relationships

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Entertainment

Romantic Valentine’s Day Quotes

Our knowledge of any past event is always incomplete, probably inaccurate, beclouded by ambivalent evidence and biased historians, and perhaps distorted by our own patriotic or religious partisanship.“Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice.”

“The historian always oversimplifies, and hastily selects a manageable minority of facts and faces out of a crowd of souls and events whose multitudinous complexity he can never quite embrace or comprehend.” Again, our conclusions from the past to the future are made more hazardous than ever by the acceleration of change.

War is one of the constants of history, and has not diminished with civilization or democracy. We have acknowledged war as at present the ultimate form of competition and natural selection in the human species.“Polemos pater panton” said Heracleitus; war, or competition, is the father of all things, the potent source of ideas, inventions, institutions, and states. Peace is an unstable equilibrium, which can be preserved only by acknowledged supremacy or equal power.

The causes of war are the same as the causes of competition among individuals: acquisitiveness, pugnacity, and pride; the desire for food, land, materials, fuels, mastery.

Since inequality grows in an expanding economy, a society may find itself divided between a cultured minority and a majority of men and women too unfortunate by nature or circumstance to inherit or develop standards of excellence and taste. As this majority grows it acts as a cultural drag upon the minority; its ways of speech, dress, recreation, feeling, judgment, and thought spread upward, and internal barbarization by the majority is part of the price that the minority pays for its control of educational and economic opportunity.

We must not demand of progress that it should be continuous or universal. Obviously there are retrogressions, just as there are periods of failure, fatigue, and rest in a developing individual; if the present stage is an advance in control of the environment, progress is real.

A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant. With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.

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Society, Arts & Culture

William James Durant was a prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for the 11-volume The Story of Civilization, written in collaboration with his wife Ariel and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for his book, The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926, which was considered "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy."They were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1967 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

Will Durant

Ariel Durant is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Ariel Durant has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Ariel Durant's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Ariel Durant

The Lessons of History

Edmund Burke writes to a young French reporter named Depont, asking for his thoughts on the revolutionary events unfolding in France. Burke expresses his strong opposition to the French Revolution and the Revolution Society, which collaborates with France’s National Assembly to spread revolutionary ideas to England.

Introduction

Burke begins his critique by addressing a sermon delivered by the dissenting preacher and political radical Richard Price. In his sermon, Price argues that the English people have the right to choose their own governors, remove them for misconduct, and create a government for themselves, drawing inspiration from the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Richard Price interpreted the Glorious Revolution in his book A Discourse on the Love of Our Country (1789) as a victory for the principles of liberty, democracy, and the people's right to choose their rulers.

Richard Price’s Sermon

Burke strongly disagrees with Price’s interpretation of the Glorious Revolution. He argues that the Declaration of Rights that followed it did not establish these supposed rights. Instead of determining how England’s rulers would be chosen, the declaration secured a clear line of Protestant succession as a safeguard for English freedoms.

Burke’s Interpretation of the Glorious Revolution

The leaders of the Glorious Revolution instituted regular parliamentary meetings, not as a blueprint for future uprisings, but as a defense of rights already outlined in the Magna Carta. Their actions were meant to preserve existing liberties, not to create an entirely new system of government.

Burke criticizes the French Revolution as an impulsive and reckless rebellion against an illegitimate monarchy, severing France from its historical and cultural roots. While he does not entirely dismiss the idea of natural rights, he argues that they are not a sufficient foundation for government.

The French Revolution

Instead, he believes government is a product of human wisdom, designed to address human needs based on a deep understanding of human nature and history, rather than abstract theories. He warns that an obsession with vague rights can cause people to lose sight of actual individuals and instead become mesmerized by the spectacle of change.

To illustrate his concerns, Burke recounts the attack on Versailles on October 6, 1789, when troops forced the king and queen to flee to Paris against their will. He portrays Queen Marie Antoinette in a sympathetic light, lamenting the erosion of honor and loyalty in France. He argues that the victory of the "Rights of Man" has made it more difficult for people to discern right from wrong.

Our patience will achieve more than force

Burke contrasts England’s respect for its long-held traditions and moral intuitions with France’s growing interest in radical deism and atheism. He emphasizes that England sees faith as the foundation of society, while France is abandoning these principles. Furthermore, he asserts that government should be regarded as a protector of society and moral order, not as an institution to be disrespected or overthrown.

Religious and Moral Decay in France

Burke questions whether the French Revolution was even necessary, pointing out that most French politicians in 1789 sought reform rather than full-scale revolution. While he acknowledges the problems within the monarchy, aristocracy, and church, he argues that none of these justified the creation of a "despotic democracy."Despotic democrary refers to a system where democratic structures exist, but power is exercised in an authoritarian or oppressive manner.

Questioning the Necessity of Revolution

He criticizes the revolutionaries for manipulating history, such as reviving memories of past religious persecution to incite hatred against innocent people in the present, including clergymen who have done nothing wrong.

Historical Manipulation

In his detailed analysis of France’s institutions, Burke argues that the new lawmakers in the National Assembly are too ambitious and lack the wisdom and patience required for careful reform. Examining their actions across various sectors including legislation, governance, the military, the courts, and the financial system, he concludes that they are incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities.

Critic of Revolutionary Policies and National Assembly

For example, the National Assembly’s decision to redraw the map of France into equal-sized districts for representation has worsened inequality rather than alleviating it. The already fragile French economy is likely to collapse, as it relies too heavily on seizing land from the church. Meanwhile, the army’s internal discipline has deteriorated, making it incapable of maintaining order or commanding respect.

Burke concludes by advising France to follow Britain’s model. He reiterates that change should be aimed at protecting existing freedoms while respecting ancestral traditions. In other words, France should pursue gradual reform rather than radical revolution.

Conclusion and Advice to France

Although he does not expect to change Depont’s mind, (Charles-Jean Francois Depont.) he urges him to reflect on Burke’s arguments, which are based on years of experience and careful observation. He warns that the French commonwealth may one day find itself in need of such wisdom.

Full Summary of Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke

This new and up-to-date edition of a book that has been central to political philosophy, history, and revolutionary thought for two hundred years offers readers a dire warning of the consequences that follow the mismanagement of change. Written for a generation presented with challenges of terrible proportions--the Industrial, American, and French Revolutions, to name the most obvious--Burke's Reflections of the Revolution in France displays an acute awareness of how high political stakes can be, as well as a keen ability to set contemporary problems within a wider context of political theory.

Edmund Burke (III)

Reflections on the Revolution in France

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