Monthly Archives: October 2011

Like that, but different…..

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Ffolkes,
Due to circumstances that are completely within my control, I have  lot to do today, so I will be using the old format for this morning’s offering, with just a short intro, and then some mighty fine virtual food for thought. Between fighting off depression, scratching for change, and juggling creditors, I have neglected my homework, which only hurts me, so there ya go. I sleep a lot, probably because when I’m asleep, I feel more in control of my life. Pitiful, isn’t it? Ah well, life is Change, and this situation too shall pass in time. I’ve procrastinated almost as far as I can with the homework, though I’m sure I’ll come up with at least one or two ways to put it off before I actually get to it. I’m creative in that respect, if in no other…….anywho, here are today’s Pearls, all of which can be found in Category “Finest Kind Stuff”………

“To be “matter of fact” about the world is to blunder into fantasy…. and dull fantasy at that, as the real world is strange and wonderful.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“All the knowledge in the world is not wisdom”. — Albert Einstein

“Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great spiritual power. We know this because they are capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can’t see them.” — Steve Eley
(Sound familiar? Has a certain Tea Party ring to it, no?…..)

You ‘d scarce expect one of my age
To speak in public on the stage;
And if I chance to fall below
Demosthenes or Cicero,
Don’t view me with a critic’s eye,
But pass my imperfections by.
Large streams from little fountains flow,
Tall oaks from little acorns grow.
— David Everett (1769-1813)
— Lines written for a School Declamation

The wages of sin are high but you get your money’s worth.

“Please come home with me…  I have Tylenol!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Well, there you go, Ollie, another fine mess…..and in Technicolor too!  Y’all take care out there…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Equipped with unregistered tweezers…..

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Ffolkes,
I was right about the new format, and wrong as well, just like in real life! It does eliminate the search for subject matter, but tends to lead to ranting, or just plain old rambling, an occupational hazard for me. Oh well, can’t have everything, and who wants it easy all the time? Onward…..

“His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools:  the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans – and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, ‘You can’t trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there’s nothing you can do about it, so let’s have a drink.'” — Terry Pratchett, ‘Small Gods’

Laughter is probably my favorite part of Life; I can’t think of a single time in my life when laughter was unwelcome. Conversely, I can think of any number of times when it was not only welcome, but life-saving, or at the very least life-preserving. In its way it also affirms life; it lets you know that you are alive, and that life is good. The sound of a child’s laughter can bring a smile to the grimmest curmudgeon, and the laughter of a beautiful woman can be either joyous, or cruel. Laughing is our best defense against the tyranny of repressive thought; it can bring a tyrant to his knees, for tyranny lives in fear of ridicule. Laughter cannot cure pain, but can ease it, and make it more bearable. In its way, laughter prolongs life, actually reversing many of the effects of time. When laughter is in our lives, everything is more colorful; vision is more acute, hearing, touch, smell, all are more acute when under its influence. And when it is long absent from us, the world turns dreary, and washed of all color. Without laughter, our lives become drudgery, merely a time to survive, in silence and despair.

The Universe is one huge joke, and the punch line has yet to come. We can spend our lives in black and white, trudging along the dusty road of Time with head hanging down and steps heavy as sorrow. Or, we can look for the brighter side of Life, and laugh at ourselves and everything around us, marching ahead with eyes up and seeking new vistas, hopeful for the dawn of each new day. Your choice…..

“If you look at life one way, there is always cause for alarm.” — Elizabeth Bowen

When I read this quote, I was immediately reminded of St. Francis of Assisi’s famous quote, “Beware the man of one book.” It also occurred to me that this would be a perfect slogan for the any of  the Republican candidates who have spent the last few months flailing around the country, sowing ignorance and discord by the bucket. It is a perfect description of their entire campaign, wherein they attempt to turn any question from a reporter into an opportunity to get their own personal talking points out into the public eye, without ever giving a substantive answer to the original query. Global warming? Just a theory…. Abortion? NIMBY….Gay marriage? They’re sick and need treatment…. Torturing prisoners? It’s the American way….. The 99%/1% wealth distribution? “It’s your own fault you’re not rich!”….. Trillion-dollar a day wars in two countries? “We’ll just cut service to the elderly and the educational system…”  Every time one of them opens up their mouth, more insane drivel pours out, and I have to go wash my ears again…..

The worst part of this situation? To me it is the scary fact that there are millions of people in this country who not only fall for this bullshite, but actively support these sociopathic assholes, thinking they’re just the bee’s knee’s. It scares me to distraction when I think of how many uneducated, deliberately ignorant folks live in this country, and how easily they are led into voting for people who not only don’t respect them, but laugh at them as they carry their moneybags to the bank. It’s very disheartening……but it’s like the Firesign Theater said, “Yes, living in today’s complex world of the Future IS much like having a hive of bees living in your head. But….there they are!”……and here are the Republocrats…..deal with it….. if we don’t deal with it pretty soon, the species Australopithecus will join the dodo in the ranks of failed organisms on Planet Earth….here is a short poem that would make a good epitaph, should that occur….

And the wind shall say, Here were decent, godless people
their only monument the asphalt road
and a thousand lost golf balls.
— T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

I usually do three, but these went a bit long, so for today, I will bid thee adieu…….y’all take care out there…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Daisy Oats & Lazy Boats….

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Ffolkes,
Good morning, and welcome to my little corner of the Big Blue Room, such as it is…..

“Much of what sophisticates loftily refer to as the “complexity” of the real world is in fact the inconsistency in their own minds.” — Thomas Sowell

There is still a lot of controversy among philosophers, who live for just that reason, i.e., to discuss at length whatever small differences of opinion they may find. The controversy to which I refer deals with the nature of Reality, and its degree of complexity. Mr. Sowell above chimes in with his two cents to argue in favor of simplicity, saying the universe, or ‘real world’ is less complex than some would have us believe, due to their own preconceived misconceptions, of which I am sure Mr. Sowell does not suffer. (NOT!) Other philosophers might tell us that Reality is very complex, far too complex for our puny minds to comprehend without their first giving us their interpretation of that complexity. And, as always, the true answer to such a question is somewhere in the middle of these two camps of alleged thought.


Truth, for some reason probably tied into the nature of that Reality we try to understand, almost always will fall right in the middle of two opposing theories that attempt to ascertain its exact parameters. It is absolutely pitiless in its unconcern with whatever set of rules we may try to develop that reflect what we believe to be its nature. Nor will it care if those rules are wrong; it will merely squash like a little bug whomever tries to use them. Most often, when people try to make rules about Reality, we get punched in the figurative nose, a surefire method for establishing a parameter.


What do I think? I think that it is best not to define Reality, but rather just to take it at face value. Sometimes it is horrendously complex, and I will feel overwhelmed with trying to sort out all the little pieces of whatever I’ve encountered. Other times, it is ridiculously simple, so simple we think it is too easy, and feel a sense of unease, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. So, in my mind, it is best to not try to hard to understand, but rather learn to accept without understanding. It tends to cause less bloodshed that way……

I’m going to disconnect your brain.

Brain disconnection sounds pretty scary, but in actuality it is a very valuable ability to possess. That sounds somewhat dubious, I’m sure, but is accurate nonetheless, and I’m gonna tell you why. You see, the mind is housed in the brain, and we may thus say it is connected to it directly. The mind, however, is not simply connected to the brain; by virtue of our senses, it is also connected to Reality, the outside world, the Big Blue Room. (For the uninitiated, the Big Blue Room is everything outside the computer room.) This connection is monitored by whatever part of the mind (which has many layers, and can multi-task endlessly) we choose, using a set of rules we develop over our formative years. These rules, fashioned by that part of the mind that reasons, determine how successful we are in dealing with whatever Reality throws at us. For different activities and situations, there are different sets of rules, all figured out in the subconscious, which sees all, hears all, and thinks about it a lot, using a variety of thought patterns and intuitive guesswork to ascertain which rules are useful, and which are not in responding to the current challenge from Reality.


By disconnecting the brain, then, we mean that the connection to the outside world is suspended, as is the conscious mind, and the subconscious mind then is free to act without restraint, processing Reality in order to render it either acceptable, or manipulable through application of pertinent rules. Zen philosophy has promulgated this ability to ‘disconnect’, even having a word to describe the state of mind one assumes when our mind enters the disconnect modality. The word is zazen, and means the state of mind one enters when One with Reality. Western civilization calls this experience an epiphany, a moment when one experiences true Reality, and understands all. The difference between the two cultures, East and West, is best shown in this comparative analysis; to the Western mind, this mind state occurs randomly, whereas Zen philosophy teaches that zazen can be induced by meditation and deep thought.

    Regardless of whether one believes it can be induced, or merely accepted when encountered, is immaterial; the knowledge is there, available to those who would find it of use. Being able to induce this state of deep understanding within ourselves can be seen then, as an extremely valuable skill to develop……

Some people drive as if turn signals were an option.

Hey, if I can’t use this forum to complain about those things in life that just burn my ass, what is it good for, right? Right…..driving around on the roads today is very different than it was when I first began driving back in 1966. In that era, we were just beginning to get an inkling of how city driving would change in the next few years, turning from mildly congested traffic to continual and frequent gridlock. Unfortunately, as the number of cars on the road has grown, the use of driving techniques we were all taught to make the roads safe for all have slowly disappeared from use. The use of turn signals, or more accurately the disuse of turn signals, is probably the most ubiquitous of these sadly missing habits. The practice of not paying any attention to other drivers on the road extends even into the police, who are by far the worst offenders in this category of bad habits. These days, I feel a big surprise when I see a police vehicle, or anyone else for that matter, give a correct signal of a lane change, or to turn a corner. Not signaling has become de rigeur; nobody bothers with it anymore, except me, and I do it mainly out of irritation. So few people signal anymore, it is almost annoying when they do, because I can’t trust that they didn’t mean it, or trust that they will actually do what they are signaling they will do. Driving in today’s world is becoming one long irritation after another, as the ‘Entitled Ones’ scurry around in their Escalades, Beemers, and Mercedes, completely ignoring everyone else on the road.  Hmph! Now I feel grumpy. I’m gonna go flip some driver the bird……

And just so I don’t carry that grumpiness any further into the day, we will call a halt, even though I could carry on in this vein for another thousand words easily…..So….y’all take care out there……

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid
Dozer

Kowabunga!

If you sing, it will hum….

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Ffolkes,
Good morning…..let us be off into the world of words…..

Our real self, the soul, is immortal. We may sleep for a little while in that change called death, but we can never be destroyed. We exist, and that existence is eternal. The wave comes to the shore, and then goes back to the sea; it is not lost.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian sadhi, or holy man. He was a teacher of yoga and philosophy, beloved around the entire world. He wrote the book “Autobiography of a Yogi”, which is held to be responsible for bringing the practice of meditation to the Western world. Now, yesterday, or perhaps the one before, I included here a quote from one of the Indian holy books written before the advent of Christ, in approximately 300 B.C. If you were to hold the two quotes together, it would be very difficult to tell whether or not they came from the same piece, or at least the same school of thought. But there are over two thousand years between the appearance of the first, and the writing of the second. To me, this is one of the major reasons that I often prefer the approach of the older religions to the questions of Life that they try to answer.

Compared to most Christian, or Muslim writings, the passages from the Bhagavad Gita, the Dhammapada, and the older Hindu tomes written first in Sanskrit, all show a much greater understanding of how the universe works, without having to resort to the creation of one deity, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and all-seeing (it says so right here on the label), who strangely enough, resembles most an old Jewish patriarch, and who oddly enough has the behavioral characteristics of a jealous and spiteful little boy. That whole batch of stories in the Old Testament about the prophets like Job, and Lot, are like reading a soap opera with deus ex machinae. It’s the sort of story that first drove me away from Christian teachings, which proclaim to be merciful, but have been perverted to rationalize prejudice and racism, to more logical, evidence based philosophies that encourage diversity and reason.  I’ve never looked back, and thus am not a pillar of salt…..

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.  It is it’s natural manure.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William S. Smith, Paris, Nov.  13, 1787

In the past few years, since the advent of Homeland Insecurity, I have watched the more conservative elements of our society pull back, just like a tortoise who sees danger, and retreats into his hopefully impervious shell. And at the creation of each new regulation to curtail one of our liberties, I have watched with somber regard, ashamed of my country. We were attacked on 9/11/01, yes. But why? Has anyone ever stopped to ask that question? Well yes, some did, and they were shouted down as being unpatriotic. Apparently, holding fast to the liberties provided for us by Mr. Jefferson, et al, has become an unpatriotic act.
It is unpatriotic for me to object to having my private information and home privacy invaded and curtailed. It is supposedly unpatriotic to object out loud to any of the measures taken; the pundits will scream their tiny little heads off, using every fear of the unknown that they can come up with to frighten and distract the public. I recently put out in one of my pieces the concept of another American Revolution. I pointed out that the men and women who fought against English rule in the late 1700’s did so because they wanted to govern themselves, to “pursue happiness” according to their own rules, rather than living with rules and taxes laid upon them by people who were only interested in profits and power.
Today, we are living under the same sort of oppression; the people who are elected in this country run for the office not because they are public-spirited, but because it is the best way to achieve power over others. I cannot think of one single elected representative that did not lie to the public to obtain office, nor can I come up with a name of one who didn’t continue to lie once elected. It’s pathetic how stupid the general public has become, so focused on the details of living that they can’t spare the intellectual energy to question their beloved ruling class. I’m not sure anymore that there are any Americans left who believe in what Tom Jefferson said above; they’d all rather just kick back and watch hockey, or complain the beer’s too warm……..

Freedom is just a hallucination created by a pathological lack of paranoia. (Scary, if true…..)

I think I’ve chosen poorly this morning, which isn’t surprising. I had a lot to say about this when I first picked it, but I can see that most of the subject was covered above. It might be amusing to try to go humorous with it, but I’m not in the mood today for that; too much sheer anger built up against the forces of Dark, aka Ann Coulter, Karl Rove, Bush I or II, or any of the other crop of folks who prefer to keep the public in a state of constant turmoil, in order to distract them from what they are actually doing. It is hard for me to accept the whole “water-boarding” controversy, because I had assumed that our leaders were people of integrity, not hypocrisy. Torture, to my way of thinking, the act of cowards, who believe that the end justifies the means in all cases; it doesn’t fit with my image of how a free man functions. Cowards who live in constant fear that someone will really see what a coward they are, who will say or do anything to maintain their own little kingdom of influence. Sometimes the end CAN justify the means, but not most of the time. Most of the time, it merely serves as a way to comfort their innate insecurity, and keep them from assuming either guilt, or responsibility for the actions.
This could go on forever; I have a lot of powerful emotion behind these ideas, and could sit here all day, taking shots at the talking heads. But, I do have other stuff to get done today, so I’ll leave it here. Feel free to comment, positively or otherwise; dialog is always welcome here. In the meantime, y’all take care out there…..

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes,

I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Closely watched, it withers…..

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Ffolkes,
Things just never work out exactly according to plan, do they?……

Although a man may wear fine clothing, if he lives peacefully; and is good, self-possessed, has faith and is pure; and if he does not hurt any living being, he is a holy man… — The Dhammapada (c. B.C. 300)

The Dhammapada was written in India a very long time ago. In it one will find any number of concepts somewhat foreign to the Occidental mind. (Yes, you have one..) I like this one, because it puts religion second, behind reality. According to most western religions, the dogma is put before reality, and must be accepted as real in spite of evidence to the contrary. One’s actions are less important than one’s motivation for performing the act, and that, to me, is just plain old-fashioned bullshit. Reality is what counts; I don’t care why someone does what they do. Such knowledge is only relevant if I am to manipulate them, and matters not at all to the recipient of the act. A beggar doesn’t care why you give him bread, nor does a foe care why you are trying to hit them. They only care for their own self-interest, as do we all. An act of charity is one that ennobles the one acting, whether they are acting from good or evil; the act itself is the determining factor, not the feeling behind it. One performing an act of charity should not wish to be praised for it; otherwise it is merely another way to serve one’s own interest, and is no charity at all…..

“I can stand brute force but brute reason is quite unbearable.” — Oscar Wilde

I identify with Oscar in a lot of areas, mostly I think because he was, as I am, a dilettante by nature, and only worked because of the dictates of necessity. This sentiment is pure Oscar, for he believed, as do I, that life on one’s own terms is preferable to having to live by the rules of society, and that doing so in style is its own reward. The mind can be used as a club, to beat ideas into submission, or it can be used as a scalpel, to neatly excise tainted or unnecessary ideas with simplicity and elegance. So it becomes, as always, a matte of choice as to how to approach Life. One can approach it as a battle to be won, or as a puzzle to be solved. Both ways have their advantages and disadvantages, but to me, the approach that makes use of reason and logic will always be my preferred choice…….

He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxom foe he sought
Till rested he by the tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought
— _Jabberwocky_, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” — Willie Wonka…… Poetry, especially epic poetry, is a challenging format for our minds. Information is not always clearly stated; concepts are distorted, or merely alluded to, and most people, myself included, find it a challenge to interpret the poet’s meaning, to drag it from obscurity to clarity. But poetry can also stimulate a part of us that we don’t frequently keep in the forefront of our consciousness, a part that is connected to Beauty, and Truth, that is stimulated by the structure and cadence of the poet’s words, that reacts with great favor to the capriciousness and silliness that permeates work such as the piece above.  When you read it, it not only sounds good to the ear, and to the mind, but actually engenders feelings in the reader, feelings that add strength to the overall effect of the piece, and increase the sense of enjoyment, if not always to the understanding of the concepts presented. Sometimes, it just feels good to read nonsense, without worrying about understanding it……

Another day, another notch in the post…..it’s been real…….y’all take care out there……

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The last one putting, turn out the lights….

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Ffolkes,
Gird your grid for a big one, ffolkes……

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; Change your leaves, leave intact your roots.” — Victor Hugo

This particular inclusion represents what is, to my mind, an absolutely perfect example of what makes a good Pearl of Virtual Wisdom*. (See below)  Fifteen words, none complex, put together in a simple way to present an idea, a concept that is far more profound than the simplicity of its structure might imply. No extra adjectives to suggest passion or unnecessary emotion, while still heeding the need for it as motivation. Good advice, almost a corollary of the Golden Rule, one that goes one step further, to include the possibility and promise of Change. In Peruaosophy, we learned axiom #2: “The nature of the Universe is Change.  Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.” Even if we hold this to be only mostly true, it still makes the above concept an excellent approach to coping with the vicissitudes that Life provides with such humorous regularity. Including Mssr. Hugo’s idea in one’s toolbag of coping skills is an excellent defense against becoming the butt of Reality’s daily joke…..

“Always make allowances for the “duh” factor.”

I don’t know who provided this little gem, as attribution was not included where I found it. But it fits right in with the previous paragraph re: Reality as a slippery ratchet, at least in respect of what I like to think of as the defense against the dark arts for Real…with the dark arts standing as metaphor for the tendency of the Universe to change the rules on us in the blink of an eye. Being flexible and able to deal with change can act as a buffer when Reality plays one of its little jokes on us, allowing us to keep clarity of mind in the midst of chaos. This line refers to those times when we must use or be potentially affected by the actions of others, not all of whom can be relied upon to have the same skill set that we ourselves may possess. This line, again in one short line, reminds us that not everyone is the same, and there will always be some bozo who will, through no particular fault of their own beyond simple ignorance, be the cause of events that are catastrophic from our point of view. The ability to plan ahead, to make allowances for those ripples in the smooth functioning of our lives, and be flexible, and creative enough to disallow any negative side effects, is a tool that everyone should have at hand……

“Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat  are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.” — Dame Edith Sitwell

I love this one….I hadn’t heard this one, though I’ve seen other witticisms from the grand Dame Edith, and she always has a unique way of viewing, and expressing, the perceptions of society common to all of us. This one I like because I like to consider myself somewhat eccentric; in fact, I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t enjoy the feeling of being different than most folks. (That’s folks, not ffolkes. I’ll explain the difference later. For now, suffice it to know that ffolkes is a small subset of folks…..) Where was I? Oh….there I am….Since I can in no way claim to be any kind of aristocrat, being at minimum 30 or 40 generations away from any royalty in the family, I guess that means I’m a genius, at least by Lady Sitwell’s paradigm.  All I can say is, if that is true, then being a genius isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I will say, however, that I do share the listed characteristics  of a genius, to wit: I don’t give a damn about what other people think of me, or of what I say, or do. I make my decisions of how to behave before the court of Reality, and I stand by those decisions, regardless of what anybody else thinks. That isn’t to say I’m adverse to criticism; I’ll listen to what folks have to say. But if they can’t show me where I’m wrong, well, too bad, so sad, who’s next? As I’ve said before, I look at all comments made to me; those I can agree with, I smile, and respond with respect and gratitude. Those who are unjustly, or ignorantly critical of my work are listened to with a degree of respect concomitant with my estimation of the critic’s competence to make the comment. If they are right, then I will cheerfully admit it, and change accordingly. But if they are wrong, they will be cheerfully ignored. Forever……

Well, this is certainly late today; it’s almost 5 PM. That’s what happens when I have to be up and out of the house by 0800, & don’t get to this until almost 4. But, it’s done, and I think it’s done well. You are free to think so, or not, as is your preference. Hopefully, it got at least one chuckle out of you, or one moment of introspection, or an “oh yeah, I know what you mean”….if not, well there is always tomorrow….Y’all take care out there….

*Pearls of Virtual Wisdom are not by any means to be construed as, or to be used as Real Wisdom. Any attempts to use them as such are the complete responsibility of the reader; the author makes no claims of infallibility, and will bear no guilt if Reality slaps you for trying to use this information inappropriately.

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Gnome, gnome on the strange….

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Ffolkes,
Today’s blog is late for a good reason. About an hour ago, I had 3 teeth pulled out of my head. I didn’t get up early enough for this process, so it has been postponed. For that reason, we have gone back to the former format, with a relatively short introduction, and some damned fine quotes. I don’t have it in me right now for much creativity so, what you see is what you get…..

Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio.
It is when I struggle to be brief ithat I become obscure.) — Horace, from Ars Poetica

It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.  It is by the Coca-Cola that the thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning.  It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.

On a day in which you give someone chocolate you do nothing of greater significance.

And as we stand on the edge of darkness
Let our chant fill the void
That others may know
In the land of the night
The ship of the sun
Is drawn by
The grateful dead.
— Tibetan “Book of the Dead” ca. 4000 BC.

“One who is plenteously provided for from within needs but little from without.” — Goethe

“Intemperate speech is a distinctive characteristic of man. Hotheads blow off and release destructive energy in the process. They shout and rave, exaggerating weaknesses, magnifying error, viewing with alarm. So it has been from the beginning; and so it will be throughout time.
The framers of the constitution knew human nature as well as we do. They too had lived in dangerous days; they too knew the suffocating influence  of orthodoxy and standardized thought. They weighed the compulsions for the restrained speech and thought against the abuses of liberty. They chose liberty.” — Justice William O. Douglas

That’s all for today….I’m going to go lie down and stop bleeding now. Y’all take care out there…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid
Dozer

Kowabunga!

Broken promises with fresh pie….

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Ffolkes,
Through a film of excruciating pain, he writes…..

True freedom is the release from pain.–Unknown

Another little tagline on pain….”Pain is our least favorite, and best, teacher.”  I’m sure most of us have had some experience with physical pain. Women who are mothers speak of the pain of childbirth, supposedly like no other. I cannot judge that, having no point of reference with which to compare. But I will say this; even the pain of giving birth cannot be any worse than a badly infected tooth. On a scale of 10, it feels like about 12. There is no escape; breathing makes it worsen, and we can’t stop breathing. The entire right side of the face is sore and tender, and any inhaled cold air is like a shot of electricity right into the nerve. It throbs, and every heartbeat brings a new surge of pain.


Having an old back injury, I’ve been dealing with continuous pain now for about 16 years. My doctor treats the pain with Norco, a double dose of Vicodin in one pill. When the back pain is bad, even the Norco can be ineffective. But for the most part, as long as I pay attention to the teacher, I can operate normally. But when the tooth pain is added in, it is not as efficient. It’s as if I wasn’t taking anything at all; the tooth pain just starts growing, and blows right past the Vicodin stop sign. The pain grows and grows until I feel like screaming and tearing out my hair (as if I had any extra to lose at this point). It won’t stop, and it won’t go away. The only way to deal with it is deep meditation, where one can completely shut out the external and internal stimuli. But that can be a hard state to get into when your nerve-endings are all screaming at you in a crescendo of pain.


Then the moment arrives…..the extra medication finally hits the blood, and the pain begins to recede at long last. The feeling that is engendered at that moment can only be described as one of exquisitely fulfilling relief. The entire system gives a huge SIGH as the muscles in the body begin to relax and the tension of fighting the pain is reduced. When the pain is severe, there is a roaring in the ears, the sound of your world crashing down around you as the pain takes over. But when the pain recedes, it grows quiet. It is almost orgasmic in the sense of release that comes when the pain is no longer in control, and with the brain’s amazing power of selective memory, it is as if it never were. That feeling is freedom. Pain is oppressive, and the release from its clutches is as sweet as honey on homemade bread. More on this subject on another day…..

“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

It’s probably too early in the week to start on politics, but as time passes, we grow ever nearer the Presidential electoral farce that is acted out every four years, and this particular event in 2012 promises to reach for new heights of asininity. The tagline states a premise that is unfortunate, but all too true. Those of the public who are caring, reasonable, honest, and intelligent will once more be subjected to a series of complaints, lies, accusations, lies, assertions rooted in ignorance, lies, promises, and more lies, all intended to convince us that we should choose the perpetrator to be the one to lie to us for the next four years. And therein lies the conundrum we face…..


If we don’t vote, then the people who get elected are put in office by those people who believe the lies, and we have no say in the matter, and no right to complain, only the right to feel smug about being right. But if we vote, then we are falling into the category of fools who believe whatever a talking head tells them, and complaining only adds confusion and controversy to an already unstable scenario. But rest assured, no matter who is voted in, they are NOT looking out for your interests; they are looking after their own.


So, you may ask, how do we fix it? Hell, I don’t know, at least not offhand, and I probably shouldn’t suggest the old system get thrown out if I don’t have anything in mind to replace it with. But my patience with the whole system is growing less with each passing year, and with each new atrocity promulgated by the deliberate ignorance of our beloved ruling class. I have suggested before that it may be time for the Second Revolutionary War for the people who live in this country, and I won’t withdraw that idea. We fought against an oppressive government in the late 1700’s, for the right to determine our own destiny without the interference of a corrupt governing body. It seems to me that the folks we have been sending to D.C.  are just as oppressive as George II, taxing without any input, and legislating us until we bleed. So, are we lesser men than our forefathers? Or will we stand up for the few freedoms we still possess? Only time will tell……

“Do we know much about women? Do we? We don’t. We know when they’re happy, we know when they’re crying, we know when they’re pissed off. We just don’t know what order those are gonna come at us.” — Evan Davis

I love women. All women. Tall, short, thick, thin, doesn’t matter much. Just a look of intelligence and humor in the eyes is enough for me to be interested. This love for women is probably a characteristic of the survival instinct, an essential feature of guaranteeing the future of the species. Regardless, it is a part of my nature that I have no problem accepting, being both genetically and educationally disposed toward creating a family. I have goals for my self, that have nothing to do with other folks, even women, at least not directly. But all of those goals assume, or at least approve of, the presence at my side of a distaff companion, a partner, a lover, a friend.


Now, in my later years, I find myself living without a companion, an uncommon state of affairs for me. And one that I hope will not continue forever. However, I am finding it to be a kind of relaxing vacation from the everyday effort needed to maintain a relationship with a woman. The above tagline is pretty accurate, as far as it goes. I’m almost 61, and I can’t say I understand women any better now than I did when I was 11. Even though I’ve spent a good portion of those 50 years in the company of women, the limits described by the tagline continue to hold true. But, that is part of the charm, for me. Life with a woman is never boring, and if it ever gets to a point where it is, I would suggest extreme vigilance, ’cause the other shoe is about to drop……but even then, it’s not going to bore you. As unfathomable as they are, I wouldn’t want it any other way, because the unpredictability of their nature is what makes them so fascinating to me……

Well, ffolkes, that’s enough narcissism for one day…..let me know if you like, or don’t like, the new format, ‘kay? Kay! Thanks….y’all take care out there…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Fun with feathers…..

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3

Ffolkes,
We’ll begin today with one of my all time favorite quotes…..

“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful.  He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful.  Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either.  But if he wants to, I say let him!” — Mark Twain

The first time I read this, years ago, it brought a huge smile to my face, a huge laugh, and one more piece of evidence that Mr. Clemens was more than just an author of good books. There are numerous websites that feature quotations by Mark Twain, with varying formats for finding the one you want, but going to a different website for each quote isn’t an efficient use of time, so I generally use what I find in my own secret pools, where I know the oyster beds well, and I know I’ll find just the right Pearl.


Now, obviously, Mr. Twain wasn’t talking about actually holding a cat by the tail; anyone who knows cats is aware of a cat’s reaction to having its tail grabbed, i.e., instant attack with all teeth and claws. Knowing this, no normally intelligent person would use this method of cat transport, so the immediate thing that comes to mind is that he (Mr. Twain) is not really talking about carrying an actual cat, he is referring to crisis situations in general, and how to deal with them. “He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful”……what a wonderful, tongue-in-cheek turn of phrase, to describe how one should approach a crisis, and how to describe the mind-set that will assist in resolving the crisis. The humorous light in which Mr. Clemens viewed the world was on full when he wrote this little maxim, and I find it to be one of great value in developing an attitude that allows one to take any crisis in stride, thereby removing one particular kind of fear from our lives. It is indeed a valuable tool that provides protection against fear…..

“Viewed from the summit of reason, all life looks like a malignant disease and the world like a madhouse.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The day this was written, Johann definitely woke up with his crankypants on…..it may have the advantage of being true, but  I find it to be a flawed view to hold as a final belief. The flaw lies in the subjective, and somewhat snobbish nature of the quotation; superiority is claimed by the ascent to the summit of reason, and that reasoning is given as the evidence of the truth of the statement. But not everyone reasons using the same methods; there are many different ways to view something, all of which are subjective. Grandiose descriptive pronouns (‘malignant, madhouse’) don’t provide evidence of anything but the author’s own prejudices, and reason cannot be considered logical when based on prejudice.


Now, in some fashion, I have to agree with Goethe’s conclusion; I, too, have looked at the world and seen nothing but madness in every direction. And I, too, was filled with anguish at the state of the world’s affairs. But my experience in that world has taught me that negative prejudice is NOT the best way to approach living in the world in some sort of comfort. Assuming the negative stance actually can be easily shown to produce negative results, and I’ve found that a positive approach is much more effective in achieving the desired results. It’s too easy to find the bad; it is harder, but much more satisfying to concentrate on finding the good……

A friend is one who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

I wish this had come with attribution. It’s such a beautiful thought, I would like to have known the person who first said it. I suppose, since it exists, someone had to be the first one, and the people who knew, or know, them were lucky indeed. It takes a special kind of outlook to find the true nature of an idea, and express it in a way that not only gives the information contained, but provides beauty in the way the information is presented. I am of the opinion that this is the mark of a poet, and poets should be exalted in society. It is they who turn our eyes away from consensual reality, to show us another version, another view, another, better way to live.


To avoid confusion, (or maybe to increase it, who knows?), I tend to lump poets and authors of prose into one group, and use only one term, calling them all poets. This is to me, very simple; poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, it doesn’t have to be in cadence, and it doesn’t have to follow any particular form. All it must do is communicate ideas, and whether the ideas are simple or complex, their accuracy and efficiency  in communicating those ideas is the point. So whether one writes poems, or writes short stories, the only required characteristic is truth, in all its myriad of guises.


And as for friends, all I have to say is to treasure them. A true friend is truly the greatest gift we can receive from the universe, and should never be taken for granted. I give thanks every day; I don’t have a multitude of friends, but the ones I have are the best…..

Th…th..th…that’s all ffolkes! Y’all take care out there…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Platitudes, attitudes, and fortified pillows…..

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4

Ffolkes,
Once all the bugs are eliminated, I believe I am going to enjoy the new format here. So let’s dive right in…..

“We have a presidential election coming up. And I think the big problem, of course, is someone will win.” — Barry Crimmins

I have previously written many diatribes on the subject of politics, and more specifically, on politicians. While I have no particular problem with the first, I have a number of reasons for mistrusting the latter. And unfortunately, we have put ourselves into a situation where no matter who we elect, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Bozoid, they are going to gleefully start lining their pockets, because they are not acting in your best interests. Why? That one is easy; they all lie to us. Every politician has a single characteristic they share with all their peers, and that is the willingness to say ANYTHING to get elected. I regard it as a given that they all do this, and it won’t change until we, the voting public, the great unwashed masses make the first change by holding another American Revolution, and toss them all out on their cheating, lying asses. That’s right, I am suggesting we stop voting. Just say no to their chicanery. Indicate your displeasure with all politicians by shunning them.


Anyone who WANTS the power over others that elected office brings is, by evidence of their very interest in acquiring that power, completely insane. It isn’t mentally or emotionally healthy to need that kind of control over others, and indicates a person whose sole purpose in life is to satisfy their own interests, aka sociopathic. It’s a very passive-aggressive way for them to express their disdain for all the ignorant voters who continue to buy into their bullshite; first they lie to get into office, then they are free to cheat and steal from the public treasury, as long as they cheat and steal for the benefit of their own constituency while they’re about it.

     Our forefathers fought a war to obtain the rights we supposedly enjoy, a war that began because the people here were tired of being governed by people who had no interest in their welfare. Well, here we are again, folks, back in the same boat as in 1760, being oppressed by the very people who are supposed to be protecting us from that very thing. And I say it is time to put a stop to it…. what do you think?….feel free to comment, because this is one I will enjoy discussing in more depth…..

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

I enjoy a lot of what Johann von Goethe wrote, and regard him as one of the clearest thinkers of his time, or any other. I don’t always agree with him; he tends a bit toward conservatism in some areas, but those ideas are straightforward in their inconsistency, and generally can be discounted as cultural prejudice, as he lived in a quite repressive era in terms of human rights. But for the most part, he had a clever mind and a powerful writing style, consistent with the Teutonic roots of his modes of thought, and possessed a very deep insight into human nature.


I like this quote, both for its insight, and for its depth of compassion. We are all familiar with the Golden Rule; it is a phrase common to ALL cultures, and could be considered as the basis for all the laws made by humans to regulate their interactions with one another. In that light, this becomes a corollary aphorism to that rule, a corollary that points the way to a life well-lived. Treating others with the respect and dignity we desire for ourselves is taken one step further on the path to enlightenment, by leading one into right action. When we help others, we improve ourselves, and everyone is better for it…..

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that ‘s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
— Lord Byron (1788-1824)
— Hebrew Melodies, She walks in Beauty

As yet, I’m a bit uncertain as to how to approach the discussion of a poem, or excerpt from a poem, without making it seem either pretentious or emotionally labile. What I do know is that each poem is the world-view of another person, condensed from its seemingly infinite size into more palatable portions, that yet connect the spirit of the reader to the greater design. I first looked at the selected piece from Lord Byron because of the subtitle, “She walks in Beauty”. It reminded me of the common farewell phrase spoken by the Navajo tribes, uttered when parting company with another member of the tribe, or anyone else for that matter. The phrase, ‘Ya teh hey’, loosely translates as ‘Walk in Beauty’ expressed as a wish, i.e., ‘may you walk in beauty’.

     Then I read the poem itself, and my mind was transported to India, where the goddess of the night, Ratra, is worshiped by devotees of Hinduism, as she has been for several thousand years. You’ve seen the words of Lord Byron here before; I particularly enjoy his view of the world, and his unique way of stringing words together in a logical, yet beautiful style. “Thus mellow’d to that tender light, Which Heaven to gaudy day denies”  Is that not perfect? A multitude of layers, a fountain of emotion, joy and gratitude, and much more, made plain in two lines. I don’t know if the ability to make and enjoy poetry has any significance from an evolutionary standpoint, unless you count the unlimited power of imagination, so necessary to making poetry, and so essential to us in creating  Beauty, both real and imagined…….

Well, two down now, and I like it! Until tomorrow, ya teh hay! And….y’all take care out there….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid

Kowabunga!