Monthly Archives: November 2011

Fading signs of superficial interest

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Ffolkes,
Though I arise to meet the day with polite interest, it does not always return the favor. Makes me want to start the day with a rant, so have a care this morning; these Pearls may be a bit surly……
“What happens if a big asteroid hits Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad.” — Dave Barry

Global warming, along with dissolution of the ozone layer, has caused a dramatic increase in serious weather extremes all over the world, and the evidence that these events are being caused by pollution that mankind has created is overwhelming. There is no doubt whatsoever in the minds of 99.9% of the world’s leading scientists that this is the case; the only naysayers have direct ties to religious organizations, who care not about the evidence. And unfortunately, there are still politicians out there who are so tightly tied to the money they receive from big oil companies, car manufacturers, and industrialists, as well as being influenced by their religious fundamentalism, that they profess their doubts that the evidence is correct, or label it as unproven theory. They are so intent on hiding their heads in the sand, in order to continue lining their pockets, they will say anything to delay the imposition of any restrictions on their right to pollute. They have no thought for the future, beyond how they can turn it to their purposes. The concept of giving up their profit is so foreign to them, they cannot even put it aside to confront their own impending demise, preferring the ostrich’s patented method to altruism, or even realism. I can see much conflict in the coming years, as the folks who want to keep on living begin to fight it out with those who would merrily send us all to hell…….

“It’s the RINSE CYCLE!!  They’ve ALL IGNORED the RINSE CYCLE!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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Poets go from bad to verse.

And punsters should all go straight to jail, without passing Go, and without collecting $200. Sorry, couldn’t help it……next time I put one this sad out there, feel free to throw rotten fruit……

[Clear the throat]
Oh freddled gruntbuggly
Thy micturations are to me
As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee

Groop I implore thee
my foonting turlingdromes
And hooptiously drangle me
with crinkly thy blindlewurdles,

Or I will rend thee In the gobberwarts
With my blurglecruncheon, see if I don’t! — The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I rest my case…..
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“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” — Albert Einstein

If Albert were still with us, I’m afraid he would be shaking his head in wonder and disappointment at the sorry state to which mankind has brought itself. Like petty children, the powers that be in the world continue to run around chasing after the almighty dollar, completely ignoring how their actions are killing us all. They don’t care, about other people, or even themselves; it isn’t possible for any creature to act so much against their own interests unless they are in a state of complete denial regarding any input they receive that is not to their benefit. If it won’t sell, they won’t buy it, and the rest of us will pay the price. How much more are you willing to put up with? As for myself, I am done with their intransigence in the face of reality, and will be spending all my not inconsiderable talents to poking fun at their idiotic pronouncements, and calling them out for their perpetual lies…..
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“When an old person dies, a library is lost.” — Tommy Swann

My mom’s library closed about a month ago. Using that language to say it will hopefully keep me from breaking down as I type, as it is slightly less pointed than other expressions might be. But it’s hard to accept that I can’t call her any more when I forget a relative’s birthday, or to ask which of her great-great grandkids was the latest addition to the tribe. She passed away not too long after her 90th birthday this year, and the pain not only hasn’t passed, but comes up to grab me at odd times; it’s hard on the equilibrium to say the least. But I like this quote, because it is a reminder that we should value the lives and experiences of our elders; they have a lot of untapped knowledge and experience that anyone younger cannot possibly know of. It should always be treasured, for you never know when they will be gone……
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Happy who in his verse can gently steer
From grave to light, from pleasant to severe.
— Nicholas Boileau-Despreaux (1636-1711)
— The Art of Poetry, Canto i, Line 75

This is the goal. This is what I’m shooting for every time I sit down to write. I want to write so well that the reader forgets he/she is reading; the words become reality. With the proper care, and enough heart, what I write should bring the reader into my world, to feel what I feel; I want them to hurt as much as I, and to experience even more joy.

Having tried my hand at poetry many times in the past, I tend to stick to prose. It may not be much better, but it is much more suited to my writing skills. Fortunately, I find that there is no shortage of poets to be found on the internet, many of whom really impress me with their work. I can always sublimate my urge to create poetry into enjoyment of consuming it; it always lends some inspirational tones to what I may compose myself. That can only be a good thing……
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Some mornings I just want to keep going, and going, and…..and could easily spend half the day right here, finding and commenting on brilliant little snippets of literature. And since I have no other pressing commitments, I could conceivably do so. But then I’d have too many episodes finished ahead of time, and these morning gurgitations (they ARE original, for the most part, thus not re-gu….etc) would lose some of their freshness. It might also lead to increased proofing, the bane of all writers, so we’ll just call it a day, and go out into the Big Blue Room for awhile….y’all take care out there…..
—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid
Dozer

Kowabunga!

Beleaguered by faceless minions….

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Ffolkes,
Morning brings such sweet sorrow……oh, wait. Sorry, just a little pre-coffee dsylexia….let us begin the dance….

ASS, n.  A public singer with a good voice but no ear.  In Virginia City, Nevada, he is called the Washoe Canary, in Dakota, the Senator, and everywhere the Donkey.  The animal is widely and variously celebrated in the literature, art and religion of every age and country; no other so engages and fires the human imagination as this noble vertebrate.  Indeed, it is doubted by some (Ramasilus, _lib. II., De Clem._, and C. Stantatus, _De Temperamente_) if it is not a god; and as such we know it was worshiped by the Etruscans, and, if we may believe Macrobious, by the Cupasians also.  Of the only two animals admitted into the Mahometan Paradise along with the souls of men, the ass that carried Balaam is one, the dog of the Seven Sleepers the other.  This is no small distinction.  From what has been written about this beast might be compiled a library of great splendor and magnitude, rivaling that of the Shakespearean cult, and that which clusters about the Bible.  It may be said, generally, that all literature is more or less Asinine.

“Hail, holy Ass!” the squiring angels sing;
“Priest of Unreason, and of Discords King!”
Great co-Creator, let Thy glory shine:
God made all else, the Mule, the Mule is thine!”
G.J.
— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

A few days ago, I came across an article reviewing this book, The Devil’s Dictionary, which is being reprinted and released for consumption. When I started creating these Pearls, over ten years ago, I would occasionally come across one of the definitions from the book, in some pretty odd places. But the quotes were always witty, fun, and beautifully satiric in the way they poked fun at society and mankind. I had no idea at first that it was first published in the mid-1800’s, because most of what I had seen was excruciatingly accurate in its critical observations on government and politics, as well as less prominent subjects as the Ass. Combining wit, poetry, and wonderfully tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, it remains as valid today as the day it was first released. I don’t use too many of the definitions I find, as they usually are of the sort that would outshine whatever I could write about them, so I usually save them for occasions such as this, when the quotes can stand alone, or provide a clear subject for my dissection. I’m going to go buy me a copy of the book myself once it hits the bookstores; it will be a valuable, and well-thumbed, addition to my library…..
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What Congress means by ethics is best explained by the tailor’s story: “Suppose I sell a suit to a young man for $200.  He tells me that his family is footing the bill and that if I give him a receipt for $400 to give to his parents, he will pay me $100 on the side. The question of ethics is: Do I keep the extra $100 myself, or do I tell my partner and split it with him?”

Even though there was no attribution with this, I had to include it, just because there is very little to add. As a parable it is priceless, producing just the right amount of derisive snicker. As a metaphor, it is even more perfect, as all that is needed to make it congruent with reality is to add about 5 or 6 zeros after the digits, and it would easily be taken as a factual statement as it applies to our current crop of Congressati. 

It continues to amaze, and depress me how willingly the public buys into the nonsensical garbage these politicians throw out there into the public arena. There are new stories every day that give proof of how much our beloved ruling class is stealing from us, but the public continues to ignore every instance of a new lie, and keeps falling for the same old lies. It isn’t necessary for me to list here just how many of our public officials are engaged in this constant pilfering; you can open up any newspaper for that. And it is doubtful that my cries for help will be acknowledged, just as if I were a tree falling in an unoccupied forest…….but just because nobody hears, doesn’t make it any less true…..
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EXCESS, n.  In morals, an indulgence that enforces by appropriate penalties the law of moderation.

Hail, high Excess — especially in wine,
To thee in worship do I bend the knee
Who preach abstemiousness unto me —
My skull thy pulpit, as my paunch thy shrine.
Precept on precept, aye, and line on line,
Could ne’er persuade so sweetly to agree
With reason as thy touch, exact and free,
Upon my forehead and along my spine.
At thy command eschewing pleasure’s cup,
With the hot grape I warm no more my wit;
When on thy stool of penitence I sit
I’m quite converted, for I can’t get up.
Ungrateful he who afterward would falter
To make new sacrifices at thine altar!

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

It has been said that an important key to living well is to practice moderation in all things. There is a lot of evidence to support this notion, and the infamous SAGOPM (Self-appointed guardians of public morality) would have us believe that it is sinful to behave otherwise. But what these notorious busybodies forget in their zealous efforts to make everyone believe as they do, is that the concept also implies that even moderation should be practiced moderately.

There is a lot to be said in favor of every once in a while letting it all go, and spending some time at the outer limits of human experience, rather than always pulling back from the edge. There is a lot to be learned from pushing the envelope, and none of it can be learned by habitually avoiding the possibility of danger, or even just the possibility of embarrassment. It’s kind of like learning how to hit a curve ball from a major league pitcher; it can’t be done if you never step up to the plate. Sometimes, to learn the important stuff, you gotta let it all hang out……
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Art is long, and time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still like muffled drums are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
— Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882)
— A Psalm of Life

Somewhat broody, with a heavy air, beautifully spare. This is my favorite type of poem, even though I believe it is merely one scansion from a larger piece. The structure of the lines and the consistency of the rhymes lends itself well to the progression of ideas being presented. Though I can’t completely agree with some of the intended point it espouses, I can also find no fault in the manner of expression. I am reminded by this of the reason I don’t spend a lot of time reading Woodie, i.e., too sober for my taste. Great, brilliant poetry, but often rather saddening, or otherwise depressive. I admire the technique a lot, even though the ideas are not what I would prefer…….just goes to show, one can learn from anything; even a negative is an answer of sorts…….
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That is probably enough for one day. I wouldn’t want to go overboard this early, water’s too cold…..Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The Forgotten Art of Juggling Cats…..

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Ffolkes,
But, he asked himself, what if…….?……

“Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.” — Thomas a Kempis

One might think, if one were so inclined, that Mr. Kempis has delivered just another worn-out maxim to an uninterested, apathetic audience; the structure alone is pompous enough to turn off the most sober of readers. One could also say that it sounds like something I might say, were I so inclined; in this they would be correct. I am not currently so inclined, but I will admit that it does resemble my somewhat top-heavy, sturdy style of expression. And the message is certainly one I can get behind, as it mirrors my own mostly-serene existence, which I see as a direct result of not giving a s__t about what other folk’s think I should be, or do, or take, or give, or any other preposition not of my own choosing.

Sure, like everyone, I observe the laws of custom, but with a slight difference from most folks. I observe the laws of custom, as long as they do not in any way produce a conflict with my own moral/ethical position. If they do, well, tough. I don’t need to be praised for doing what I believe to be right; that just leads one to a swelled ego, which makes for difficult relations when it bumps into other egos. Nor do I need to be chastised or blamed because my actions don’t meet someone else’s notions of what is correct or appropriate. Mrs. Grundy, the little old busybody who lives next door and sits in judgment of everything she sees as she peers out her windows, is not welcome in my world……
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“And what is good, Phaedrus, and what is not good, Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?” — R. Pirsig

Another statement to put in the Obvious category….of course we don’t need anyone else to tell us what is good or bad. Those common but essential antonyms are entirely subjective judgments. One may accept and believe a proposition as being one or the other from what they are told, but the ultimate decision for each of us gets made inside our own head, not someone else’s. Lots of folks don’t like to think; but, like any other part of the human body, the brain requires exercise to achieve its full potential. So those who are too lazy, or too lacking in self-control (aka self-esteem) to regularly put their mind to work become accustomed to letting other folks do their thinking for them. It’s just easier, and most folks are so tired by the end of their day from struggling to survive in this complex, fast-paced world, they don’t want anything more than a cold-adult beverage and some mindless recreation.

Another time we’ll explore this concept in more depth, but for now let it suffice to say that this societal tendency, to allow others to decide what is right or wrong, has led us to the brink of societal collapse. The reins of the team pulling humanity’s wagon are in the hands of people who are, a) not going to allow anyone one else to have the reins, and b) going to make the decisions about right and wrong according to THEIR OWN self-interests, not anyone else’s. These choices are not going to help us; they will only guarantee that our species will pass into history sooner, rather than later…..
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Some people have a way about them that seems to say: If I have only one life to live, let me live it as a jerk.

We all have someone who we are convinced are assholes, (I thought and thought about what word to use here, and this one just says it too precisely to not be used, just because it is considered vulgar or ‘dirty’), people who spend their entire lives making other people uncomfortable because they hate themselves. We all have a list of folks who would be on this list……here’s my current top ten choices for inclusion on the list of people or organizations we would all be better off without having to be subjected to their drivel on a daily basis…..

Rush Limbaugh–Proud Misogynist. The champion of deliberate ignorance, lifetime sufferer of FIMD (Foot in Mouth Disease).

Ann Coulter– Rush’s female clone. Sounds smarter & has better make-up artist, but in reality just has more money and a better spell-checker….

Arnold Schwarzenegger– A clone of Ronald Reagan, but without a USC degree. (Though he did marry well…..and proceeded to cheat on her with the housekeeper….)

Madonna–An icon dedicated to the gods of ambition, makes a mockery of virtue and honesty.

Barney–Don’t get me started on this insidious little nightmare…..even kids find him creepy. If our species ever comes to resemble this creature, I’ll start the nuclear war myself…..

Okay, only five, but I’ll stop there, as the list kept growing the more I considered the parameters. Easier than I thought, and a list more populated than I had hoped, ‘cuz it’s probably not too good for my karma to focus on negativity……
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How dieth the wise man? As the fool.

Death is the great equalizer….all of us, of every creed or color, will die, and it won’t matter at all whether we die rich and miserable, or poor and happy. It won’t matter whether we are well-esteemed or reviled in the eyes of our fellows, or whether we want to or not, we are all going to eventually travel that road. It’s rather humbling when I stop to think about it; hell, not just humbling, but downright terrifying. The greatest unknown is our final destiny, and our fate afterward is the ultimate question. But it is not only humbling and scary, it is also a comfort, providing us with one more very strong reason to embrace living, for as the Scots are wont to say, you’ll be a long time dead….

You may be a king
Or a little street sweeper,
But sooner or later
You’ll dance with the reaper. — Reaper Rap
(Grim Reaper, “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey”)
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A thing of beauty is a joy forever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.
— John Keats (1795-1821)
— Endymion, Book i

Seventeen words. One rhyme. And an expression of the joys of perception and memory that would take many hundreds of words to fully describe in prose. I’ve always wanted to be a poet; seeing the universe in such a way that it lends itself to poetic expression is, to me, one of humanities most precious gifts.  But, my attempts to produce poems generally fall well short of the level of quality or expertise that I would feel comfortable showing to the world at large, so I mostly stick to prose.

I do enjoy creating what I call ‘poetic prose’, a sort of free form style wherein the images created by the words are so powerful and elegant that it might be construed as poetry, and give the same feeling upon reading it…..I guess I can just be glad that since the world’s human population is now over 7 billion, even if the percentage is small, it still makes for a lot of poets. The more we have, the better chances we have to survive, I think….. straightforward prose doesn’t seem to be getting the pertinent information out into the public consciousness. The people need poets to lead the way to a new way of thinking, about life, the universe, and our place in it…..and they need them to do that soon…..
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There you have it. Another fine mess, but at least you don’t have to wipe anything up….y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Myths of ancient warrior kings….

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Ffolkes,
Since my appreciation of the obvious is keen, I’m aware today is Sunday. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. It’s Sunday…..since finding a coherent thought doesn’t seem to be on this morning’s agenda, we’ll just dive in and see if the cold water can work its magic…..

A lawyer and a pope died on the same day, and both went to heaven. When the pope noticed that the lawyer had a larger mansion, he questioned Saint Peter about the allocation of rewards.  The justification was “Well, we’ve had 265 popes up here, but this is the FIRST lawyer!”

I have to confess, when I read this for the first time, I laughed so hard I got hiccups. It gives the world’s most perfect joke (**see below) a good run for its title, even though the whole idea of lawyer jokes is one more sad commentary on how humans can pervert a good idea. The jokes, while they take their humor from the frequent human experience of getting shafted by the kingdom of Law and its knights, fail to take into account the fairly significant number of lawyers out there who actually perform their function with compassion, and a sense of altruism. There are those in the legal field who make it their goal to assist normal folks in obtaining justice from our legal system, guiding them through the tortuously complex legal maze. But there are far too many other lawyers whose sole purpose is to find more billable hours, regardless of their client’s ability to pay, or whether or not they are guilty or innocent. To them, its all a game, one which they are the only ones who know the rules, and they use the needs of normal people to find justice to fuel their own avaricious ambitions. It’s unfortunate, perhaps, that the good lawyers get tarred with the same brush as their less moral colleagues. But, for my money, there is no better way to deal with bullies (for that is what they are, the same kids out on the school playgrounds who tortured other kids for their lunch money, grown up to hide behind the law, but continuing the same behavioral pattern) than to laugh at them. Even the most evil of men are afraid of being laughed at, and justly so……

**In a recent world-wide poll, researchers asked people to vote for the funniest joke ever told. The winner was this…. The 911 operator received a call: “My buddy and I are out hunting, and he accidentally got shot. He looks like he’s dead; what should I do?” The operator says, “The first thing to do is to make sure he is really dead….” The guy says, “OK!” and rushes away from the phone. The operator hears a gunshot, and after a short moment the guy comes back on the line, “okay, now what?”…..
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‘”Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” — Walt Kelly, Potluck Pogo

I suppose one might say that this principle is the driving force behind this entire process of gathering, collating, and creating Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. At least, that is my primary focus of intent. I look at the world, and I am dismayed; my entire life I have watched as our society rushes ever closer to oblivion, with each and every person alive heedless of the part they are playing in their own impending demise. Those of us who struggle to bring our brethren into knowledge of the very real danger of not paying attention, of choosing deliberate ignorance over rational thought, are forced into the admission that it may too late. There may not be enough time, before everything falls apart completely, for humans to come to their senses, and stop the madness of our mindless march to extinction. In spite of the overwhelming evidence that pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a historically unprecedented rate is causing ecological changes that will eventually kill us, the average American is worried that they might not have enough money next month to drive their 5mi/gallon SUV down to Florida to visit Disney World. This is just how the one percenters want it; they don’t want anything that cuts their profit margin to be allowed into the public consciousness. And they, with their money to protect them, don’t believe that they will die along with the rest of us. Pogo’s observation above tells us why it is happening, to all of us…….the Grim Reaper doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, he just wants his dance with each of us…..
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“The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood at this moment.” — Tagore

I have a wish….I wish that every human alive today could experience what Tagore has described for us. Whether one can agree with his world-view or not, the sheer beauty of his expression draws the reader into acceptance. I am unfamiliar with Tagore, so I cannot say for certain if their background is Oriental or Occidental, or even if they are male or female. But not knowing takes nothing away from this litany. Seeking this state, of oneness with the whole universe, is the goal of every living creature, whether they are aware of it or not. All of our human behaviors, as grandly outrageous as the spectrum may be, are all formulated within us for the purpose of finding this connection to…hell, we’ll just go with the most obvious word….the Force. The Force, as described in the Star Wars anthology, exists as a part of reality, and our knowledge of it is the connection we seek, whether we know it or not. It is where we came from, and where we will eventually return, and all our actions on this plane of existence have their basis in the need in us to find and maintain that connection to everything…..
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Oft in the stilly night,
Ere slumber’s chain has bound me,
Fond memory brings the light
Of other days around me;
The smiles, the tears,
Of boyhood’s years,
The words of love then spoken;
The eyes that shone
Now dimmed and gone,
The cheerful hearts now broken.
— Thomas Moore (1779-1852) — Oft in the Stilly Night

I don’t know whether other folks are like me, but when I find a poem that grabs my attention, I experience a giddy delight, just for a moment. It’s like the cadence, or the meaning, or something about the piece echoes in my soul as if it had always been there, and I get that odd, deja vu-like sense of “oh, there it is! I found it!” It’s probably why I spend so much time at looking for good pieces of it, trying to re-create that feeling of serendipity, and its companion, joy.  Each of us is alone here, inside our own head, and how we choose to find our sense of basic happiness is important, if only to ourselves. Some folks like music, some like tennis. I like to read, and poetry is one of my favorite methods of making myself happy. If I don’t, who will?……
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“When a man’s knowledge is deep, he speaks well of an enemy. Instead of seeking revenge, he extends unexpected generosity.  He turns insult into humor, … and astonishes his adversary who finds no reason not to trust him.” — Baltasar Gracian

Sometimes it is uncanny how a powerful idea insinuates itself into the public awareness. The concept proposed here by Mssr. Gracian is one of those powerful concepts, one that can apply itself to individuals, and to governments as well. It is the same concept as demonstrated in the Christian tale of Jesus of Nazareth, the same as in the ancient Hindu writings regarding Krishna, and the same as the precepts of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, where it is said, “The surest way to defeat your enemy is to turn him into an ally.” This principle, of seeking connection rather than controversy, choosing negotiation over dogmatic intransigence, echoes through the annals of history. It is unfortunate in the extreme that in today’s world, none of the world’s leaders seem to be aware of this, though history has proven it to be the most effective, efficient solution to conflict, with longer-lasting results than any other course of action. SIGH……I’m SO disappointed…….

Well, I’ve dragged just about all the angst out as can be dealt with in one sitting, so we will now return you to your regularly scheduled program…. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer at play..

Kowabunga!

Merciless penguins patrol the perimeter…

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Ffolkes,
Reluctantly, I am awake. That may be the extent of my involvement with the day….only time will tell…..

“Be what you is, ’cause if you is what you ain’t, then you ain’t what you is.” — Satchel Paige

Get it? Got it? Good….one learns to pay attention when some people speak. Satchel Paige pitched in the major leagues well into what was believed to be his fifties, and was still getting folks out more often than not. I say what was believed to be his fifties because nobody, including Satchel, had any real idea of when he was born. But his hair was grey and sparse, so it was estimated then to give a ballpark figure (sorry, couldn’t resist). I say anybody who can still be active and competent at that age has stuff worth paying attention to, and this one certainly fits that description….
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“A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.” — William Wordsworth

That’s me, to a T. Ever wandering, without a map, or even a nap, but never lost.  Searching for lights in the darkness, content to be alone, but never lonely. Feeding the elephant’s child an all-you-can-eat buffet, and loving every minute. Of course, those minutes alternate with my bouts of severe depression, but hey, who wants to be a bummer on such a nice morning? Not me….
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“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.” — Garrison Keillor

So THAT’S what happened! Mr. Keillor’s popularity has apparently put us all in  very delicate position. I had not realized that what was wrong in the world could be so simply explained, but this is the only one I’ve come across that makes any sense. This attitude of denial has become entrenched in every level of human interaction in this country, and the world, for that matter, and the effects are obvious. Economy out of control; overpopulation, war on two or more fronts; societal breakdown, global warming, rampant greed, all are present and accounted for in today’s culture, and are rapidly growing  to a size that will push us the rest of the way to extinction. Which, given our stupidity, arrogance, and undeserved sense of entitlement, is right where we belong. It’s getting pretty scary out there in the Big Blue Room, ffolkes……
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“The truth is what is; what should be is a dirty lie.” — Lenny Bruce

Trust Lenny to give the straight line; he suffered no fools, gladly or otherwise. His clarity of vision and deeply sardonic wit were, naturally, somewhat unpopular with the straight and narrow among us, and to the beloved ruling class, he was anathema.  But the truth will out in the end, and we were lucky enough to have him around as one of society’s most vocal critics for quite some time (though, like all the best, he died young…). This could be described as a paraphrase of a notion like overpopulation, which happened yesterday, though everyone thinks it won’t happen until tomorrow. That notion can be most simply stated as, “the American Dream has officially become a nightmare”.

It isn’t possible anymore for just anyone to become President; you have to start with access to well over a million dollars, or you won’t even be considered. Consider my position as an example; all my life I’ve worked hard to get ahead, so I could enjoy my declining years without stress, something with which I am far too familiar. I’m intelligent, work hard, and keep my nose clean for the most part. And I’m struggling, just like probably more than half of this country, just to get by; forget travel, or hobbies, or even just eating out, because they’re not in the budget. Ah, shit! I’m getting more worked up the more I think about this subject, so I’m going to make one more statement, then move on. The American Dream is a lie, perpetrated by the 1% upon the rest of us to distract us and keep us busy trying to emulate their success, never realizing that it just ain’t gonna happen……there’s no profit in it…..

“If voting could change the system it would be illegal.  If not voting could change the system it would be illegal.” — Schroedinger’s Cat
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Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
— Gus Kahn, Dream A Little Dream of Me

Poetry and music are to life as is chocolate to peanut butter, and the world would be a sadder place than it is if we didn’t have it. But, we do, so all will be well. No profound thoughts or meaningful truism’s here, just wanted to include something a bit on the lighter side. It tends to wear on the soul trying to make sense out of all the nonsense we experience, and I just needed a bit of fresh air, so to speak…..
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Well, the weather outside looks fine; we’ll see if that is so after putting away my rose-colored glasses….y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Your eggnog is on fire…

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Ffolkes,
I hope everyone had a peaceful and gratifying Thanksgiving holiday; now it’s time for turkey sandwiches! Best part of the whole deal, for my money…..

Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls must dive below.
— John Dryden (1631-1700) — All for Love, Prologue

Eureka! After months and months of searching, I finally found this couplet, which stands as my modus operandi, the vision statement for this entire undertaking, to wit: the creation of Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. I’ve always known the poem existed, but had not come across it in years.  I am proud and happy to serve it up this morning to lead off Black Friday, with a bit less frenzy than what is taking place right now in malls, Walmarts, and Target stores all across the country, as all the little well-trained consumers storm the well-stocked shops for Christmas bargains. Jesus, in whose honor they are, ostensibly, committing mayhem upon each other, well, he watches and weeps……Since it is only the day after Thanksgiving, I will spare you my yearly Christmas rant for the present. Too early in the day to get all worked up at the hypocrisy of the season….more later on this….
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The very purpose of the First Amendment is to foreclose public authority from assuming a guardianship of the public mind … because the forefathers did not trust government to separate the truth from the false. — Thomas v. Collins, 323 US 516 (1945)

Perhaps the nicest thing I can think of to say regarding this court ruling is to point out that our founding fathers could easily have left this out of our system of law. But, their experiences in dealing with the English throne taught them well, and they had no faith that those in power would honor the truth, and built some protection into the primary formation of the democracy they envisioned. I must applaud their foresight, because as can be seen by the modern political scenario, there is not one politician out there who has any interest in the truth, unless it will buy votes. Even when they do speak literal truth, it is a virtual guarantee that that truth will be denied once the election is over. We must be vigilant, because those who would limit our freedom are hard at work, campaigning to fool the most folks into believing their BS, and rubbing their hands together in glee, thinking of how rich and powerful they will become, once they have sold their lies enough times…..
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“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” — Buddha

Examining the Buddha’s statements can be confusing to a mind more accustomed to Western modes of thought, until one learns to put aside the cultural imperatives and look only at the bare truth or falseness of a statement. In doing so here, we find a far-reaching profundity that is not apparent at first look. Endurance implies conflict; to endure, one must first identify what it is we are to face with our virgin courage. Only if the experience becomes painful, or frightening, or overwhelmingly complex do we face the need to endure these experiences; if they cause no discomfort, no endurance is required. But when life presents us with difficulties, knowing one can always live through it, with the right thoughts leading us into right actions, is a valuable gift indeed. The ability to endure is one of the primary characteristics of the ancient sages, who lived “like ice on the verge of melting”…….
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“Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.” — Lao-Tzu

Water……we are 90%(+/-) water; it’s a basic part of our organism, and knowing all one can about its characteristics can only help us to understand ourselves, and our relationship to the world around us. It is a common mediation practice to envision in the mind a pool of still water, and attempt to merge with that absolute stillness, until reaching a point of merging with that serenity. A rushing stream of water can also provide a meditative focus, as can floating & dreaming in a pool, or merely considering the various properties of water that make it a unique substance, like no other in the universe, and worthy of our interest.


One of the most important aspects of water to consider is this: water can exist in all three possible forms in the universe; solid, liquid, or gaseous. And in all three states, it retains its integrity of being; it is water still, with all its facets present in each. No matter if it is solid as ice, gaseous as steam, or refreshingly liquid as its ordinary state, it is still just water, at a different temperature. Water is also indestructible. It cannot be destroyed by any means known to mankind, it can only be made to change forms from liquid to gas, or gas to liquid, or solid to either one of the others. Pretty cool, yes? So, trying to be like water is an occupation worthy of our efforts; even if we only come to understand it better, it’s a good thing. I myself enjoy meditating on the image of a stream of rushing water, until I get to the point where I am the water wearing down a rock, day by day, eon by eon, until the pool comes to resemble my innermost fantasy, a Mount Rushmore sized bust of Bozo the Clown……
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And never, ever cut a deal with a dragon.

I have enough respect for my audience that I won’t try to embellish this one; it is a patently obvious truth, and advice only a BIG fool ignores, generally to his everlasting regret. Anyone who would do so probably also votes the straight party ticket.  It’s just not a good policy, not at all, at all…..
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All in all, not a bad morning’s work. I will tempt fate no further, and send this on its way…. y’all take care out there…..

—

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

Kowabunga!

Metaphorical marmosets in mufti….

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Ffolkes,
So here’s the deal…..yesterday when I went diving in search of pearls, I came across the material you will find below. I have no idea how it happened, but the poems I found all pointed toward the same compass point, and when I strung them together, they made a fine little story, a metaphor for the life of a Man. So today’s Pearl is all Poetry (minus a small portion, included merely as free hints). This is all you get today, as it burned up all my creative juices stretching points to create this poetic ramble…..but fear not, it also has given me a plethora of new ideas, which you will find in future episodes….. remember, these all lead you to a point, so let the mind flow with it, and you’ll get a nice little charge out of it at the finish……

Who says in verse what others say in prose.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
— Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace, Epistle i, Book ii, Line 202

“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” — Yun-Men

“Families, when a child is born
Want it to be intelligent.
I, through intelligence,
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he will crown a tranquil life
By becoming a Cabinet Minister
— Su Tung-p’o

And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be,–
I care for nobody, No. not I,
If no one cares for me.
— Isaac Bickerstaff (1735-1787)
— Love in a Village, Act i, Sc. 2

Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight,
And burned is Apollo’s laurel bough,
That sometime grew within this learned man.
— Christopher Marlowe (1565-1593) — Faustus

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow in the morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
— T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

“How does the poet speak to men with power, but by being still more a man than they?” — Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) — Burns, Edinburgh Review, 1828

Order is heaven’s first law; and this confessed,
Some are, and must be, greater than the rest,
More rich, more wise; but who infers from hence
That such are happier, shocks all common sense.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 49

Careful, Mister.  Old Zeke is liable to fire that sucker up!

Feel free to send your comments (which will all receive a response), kudos (gratefully accepted), or criticisms (cheerfully ignored) with a SASEmail. In the meantime, y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Unraveling a Gordian knot…..

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Ffolkes,
Burgeoning clouds of thought, building, simmering, promises and threats, climbing, until, at last, lightning bursts forth, followed closely by thunder, pushing aside the tenuous air, as the fire streaks to earth…….morning, ffolkes….
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“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.” — Tom Robbins

One might assume that since I am a believer in the scientific method, that magic would be something I don’t believe. In that, as with most assumptions we make, they would be in error. I do believe what Arthur C. Clarke had to say on the matter (as well as Heinlein, and others), which is, “Any scientific principle or action that is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.” And the converse is true as well, but we aren’t going there today; too much to do. But I will reiterate the point, to wit: understanding the universe is our purpose. It’s why we are here; it is our task as rational, presumably intelligent creatures to do our utmost to determine how the universe works, and to learn how to make that knowledge a boon to life, not just ours, but every living creature that exists. Unfortunately, most of humankind doesn’t even know this purpose, and the rest are too busy screwing the rest of us over, and don’t have the time for altruism……SIGH…..
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Grief tears his heart, and drives him to and fro
In all the raging impotence of woe.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Iliad of Homer, Book xxii, Line 526

No real compelling message here; I just thought it was a good example of how poetry can take human experience and condense it into two simple lines of simple words. All of the power of our rage, our grief is implied, and felt in this little couplet; we, or at least I, can visualize ourselves in that position easily, and reading this brings the feelings right back into the forefront of the mind, as if it were happening now rather than in the past. The power of poetry continues to amaze……
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“The difference between a misfortune and a calamity?   If Gladstone (insert name of qualified idiot here) fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune.  But if someone dragged him out again, it would be a calamity.” — Ascribed to Benjamin Disraeli, c. 1867

I like this little insult; it is cruel, witty, and just as pertinent today as it was 144 years ago….all you need to do is fill in the name of whomever you please from the list of public figures we see in the news each day. So far, I’ve plugged in 17 names myself, and found it to be accurate and funny for each one. Goes to show that a sharp wit never grows dull…….
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Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.

I came across this little daisy chain of ideas during a recent dive, and harvested it with no real idea of where to use it. It is a very logical progression of ideas, and seems very profound. But in further reflection I see what it is that struck me about it, i.e., it’s TOO logical a progression to really reflect reality. True Reality isn’t logical, at least not as a general rule. Reality has to account for many things that defy logic, and as such is pretty flexible, and unpredictably labile. While sentences such as this one may seem like a handy train of ideas to give one an understanding of how people grow or change, it actually decreases true understanding. The very logic that holds it together also implies that it is incomplete in its’ descriptive powers, and can possibly lead to misunderstanding and controversy……
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IDIOT, n.  A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling.  The Idiot’s activity is not confined to any special field of thought or action, but “pervades and regulates the whole.”  He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable.  He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

No comment is needed here; this says it all. And needless also to say, the IDIOT tribe has survived unto today, and continues to influence mankind more than is warranted. All you can do is all you can do, so stay alert and be ready to protect yourself and your loved ones from the next wave of stupidity to wash over society……
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“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.” — Lily Tomlin

Lily’s humor is always deeper than it seems at first glance. I’m considering having this one put on my headstone…… y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Partial hydrogenation, beloved by kings….

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Ffolkes,
Awake, by the rush of creation, bold, and gravid with possibility. Still alive, still standing, bowed and bloody, yet upright, the dawning day pulls us into the stream of time, once more to garnish existence as if a flower. Let us be on, ever to seek, seldom to find……

“The Meaning Of Life: The reason that we’re all here is that it was too crowded where we were supposed to go.” — Steven Wright

You gotta love Steven Wright. He has the type of mind that perceives a radically different universe than the one you and I inhabit most of the time. He shares this characteristic with a couple other cartoonists, such as Gary Larson, who creates “The Far Side”.

Actually, one of Larson’s ‘toons remains my favorite answer to the question of the meaning of life. At the peak of a mountain, the holy sadhi sits. A young seeker crouches at his feet, and awaits the bestowing of wisdom with bated breath. Hearing the question “Why are we here?” he answers, “We were purchased on credit, never paid for, and are being returned one by one.” Perfect! Just the right amount of mustard…..
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The love of praise, howe’er conceal’d by art,
Reigns more or less, and glows in ev’ry heart.
— Edward Young (1684-1765)
— Love of Fame, Satire i, Line 51

One of the most misunderstood human needs is our need for the approval of others. Yet it stands as one of the most powerful motivations that we humans provide ourselves with to stimulate us to act. Many, or even most, people rationalize their need as some other, more ennobling characteristic, such as gratitude, or noblesse oblige, or almost anything, rather than admit that what other’s think of us makes any difference. We all pretend that we stand alone, and don’t need other people to make our way, while at the same time, our insecurities and unnamed fears are propelling us to actions that will garner approval.


What I would like to point out is this…..the need for approval from your mates is okay. It is a characteristic that lends itself to creating bonds between the members of your core peer group, your tribe, as it were. These bonds make the group stronger, and more able to survive. We all know that teams of people working together are capable of just about anything, whereas  our solitary efforts are limited by our capabilities in acting alone. It’s a powerful part of our makeup, this need for each other, and reaches into every corner of our lives, making us behave in ways that promote closeness, and there is really no need to dress it up in another robe. Just accept your place in society, and don’t sweat the small stuff……
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“Government corruption will always be reported in the past tense.  — The Watergate Principle

My initial reaction to this was to think to myself, “well, of course it is!”. It is a foregone conclusion that it will be reported in the past tense, for the same reason that when you are looking for something lost, it is ALWAYS in the last place you look. It really yanks my chain when people write stuff like this, and put it out there as if it were the answer to life, the universe, and everything, or at least a profound truism and one of the building blocks of reality.

But the concept described is so obvious to me, that I wonder how the author manages to feed themselves without getting food all over the table. You can only report government corruption as an event that has already taken place; if it hadn’t taken place, there wouldn’t be anything to report, now would there? And people wonder why everything’s going to hell…..
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Insanity is expecting different results from repeating the same behavior.

I believe that I have finally found some level ground on which to stand when considering the activities taking place around the country in those states that are having primary elections for the Republican presidential nomination. Having come to terms with my despair at the antics of the circus’ participants, I can now view the whole scene as the farce that it is, and no longer feel compelled to rant over the latest jaw-dropping statement from one of the candidates.

This clarity of vision was achieved by taking the above statement into account, and applying it to the political arena. Take even a cursory look at the shenanigans that are written up each day in the papers, and view them with this definition in mind. You will see, without the slightest effort, how they are all just out there, throwing stuff up into the air to see what reaction it will have, and then doing it all over again when it doesn’t have the effect they expect or desire. They are bringing up stuff that even Reagan, the century’s worst president, wouldn’t have considered, as being, you guessed it, insane…..what is scary is there are a lot of folks out there in the public who buy into this circus, and don’t even get to hear the calliope…….
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“If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl.” — H. L. Mencken

No big deal here….I just thought this would be a good epitaph for a gravestone……
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“What I like is when you’re looking and thinking and looking and thinking…  and suddenly you wake up.” — Hobbes

Hobbes (and his creator, Bill W.)  will probably go down in history as one of the most profound thinkers of our time. He has a dry, sharp wit, a keen appreciation of the obvious AND the obscure, and an elegant world-view, rife with oddities and alternate perceptions. It is really a shame that he is just a stuffed tiger, and will never be allowed to run for president……

That’s enough for one day; I should get started on something more productive, but I promised my mother I would’nt always do what I should, except on Thursdays…….y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A slathering of the tribes….

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Ffolkes,


“Top of the morning to ya!” “…and the rest of the day to you!”  Cheerful buggers, those Irish…..but what can you expect of folks who drink tea in the morning instead of coffee? (which makes me wonder….do Irish hackers drink caffeinated tea?). Let’s be off into the realm of reason, or a reasonable facsimile thereof…..

“All cruelty springs from weakness.’ — Seneca

Little needs to be said regarding this quote; it is pretty well complete just as it is, and far be it from me to take away from that. I will remind y’all though, it IS a good thing to remember once in awhile, as it helps explain a lot of the stuff that we see on the campaign trail coming out of the mouths of the ‘candidates’…..
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“Although war is cruel and brutal, it is also dangerous and stupid.”  — Yakko Warner

Yakko, for the uninitiated, is a very odd creature. He resembles Felix the Cat physically, with some minor differences. They have the same wildly insane look about the eyes, though. His voice, when he troubles to use his own, sounds kind of like Ringo Starr pretending to be high on life.

With his sister Dot, and brother (blank mind space), he performs cartoon mayhem on Saturdays on the Warner Bros. Cartoon show. The writers, as with many new cartoons, write their dialog with adults in mind, often with broad caricature or obscure innuendo, and Yakko seems to get most of the Zinger lines, that poke fun at society, politics, or whatever. I really like the line above, as it typifies the kind of gentle propaganda that gets shoved in alongside the other cartoon nonsense, teaching them to question reality and authority. THAT is a good thing……
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“What is wrong with us?” “It is in the air we breathe. The things we do. The things we say. Our books.  Our papers. Our theater. Our movies. Our radio and television. The way we behave. The interests we have. The values we fix.” “We are, on the average, rich beyond the dreams of kings of old. Yet something is not there that should be — something we once had.” — Louis Seltzer, Cleveland Press editor, 1952.

There is a lot of this kind of attitude going around, both in newsprint and online. Someone with half a coherent thought begins or ends their treatise with a lament about “the good old days”. I always feel as if I should take them aside and chastise them thoroughly for such nonsensical talk, but they never listen, and I’m tired of hiring lawyers to keep from spending jail time for clocking some fool. What is it about regular people that makes it impossible for them to accept reality just the way it is, and not always wish for better times?

Okay, sure, maybe society was simpler, and easier to deal with back in the g.o.d.’s, but that is somewhat overbalanced by having to walk through the snow to another building to use the commode. And sure, we were better people then, right? Wrong…people throughout history have always pretty much been a__holes, but back then there wasn’t a world-wide network of news outlets reporting every evil deed they can find, because that’s what people want to read about (or so they tell us).


There were no ‘good old days’. They’ve always been exactly the same as they are today. But we humans think there has to be something missing, or something wrong with today, because we are not self-aware, or able to confront reality without the protection of their rose-colored glasses. This lack of courage regarding the nature of reality is one of several insidious little characteristics of the human species that eventually will take us to the end of the road we are on, to extinction. All because we are unwilling to accept what is, without wishing it was not…..well, that and a lot of avarice…..
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Here in my heart, I am Helen;
I’m Aspasia and Hero, at least.
I’m Judith, and Jael, and Madame de Stael;
I’m Salome, moon of the East.

Here in my soul I am Sappho;
Lady Hamilton am I, as well.
In me Recamier vies with Kitty O’Shea,
With Dido, and Eve, and poor Nell.

I’m all of the glamorous ladies
At whose beckoning history shook.
But you are a man, and see only my pan,
So I stay at home with a book.
— Dorothy Parker

Dear Dorothy….she had such a fine mind, but was never able to get past the mental chains wrapped upon her by a society that had no chance of understanding her. She spent a great portion of her life, it seems to me, using her mental skills to fight in the trenches of the War between the Sexes. Her wit, such as demonstrated above, was sharp, and she wielded it with great style and panache.

But I can’t help feeling that the world would have seen a much deeper, more productive output from her pen if she had been able to set aside her resentment at how women were treated during the early 20th century. As it is, her acerbic wit was most likely an instrumental factor in the suffrage movement, encouraging women to think for themselves, and to push back against the repressive mores of the time. Whether Ms. Parker would have been happier living today is too hard to tell…..we can just be thankful for what she did leave as her legacy.
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Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises.  The truth depends on, and is only arrived at by a legitimate deduction from all the facts which are truly material.

This little truism is more important than it seems, as it highlights a part of the reasoning process that is often left out by those whose agenda is not limited to scientific truth. It appears to me that every single politician alive uses the first half of this idea, and leaves out the second part, or using it only to puff up some otherwise irrelevant fact, making it seem more important than it is.

Here’s a tip: next speech you listen to from one of the candidates, check to see if their facts, when put together, actually supports or justifies the rest of their assertion. I’m betting, (and I’ll bet big…) that you will find that the facts don’t support their ideas, or their facts aren’t facts, but assumptions or erroneous interpretations of actual facts. But these pseudo-factual assertions they make sound so real! And guess what? They are….almost….real. But, almost doesn’t count in communication……nothing counts except the truth…..

Enough folderol for one morning. It’s a Monday, and my Judeo-Christian upbringing is pushing at me to be productive. You  know, the old “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop” and similar nonsense. My usual reaction to this ancient tape that runs through my head is to rebel, and spend the day doing absolutely nothing. Hmmm….. that actually sounds good. I think I’ll do that…..meanwhile, y’all take care out there….

 

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!