Alternate methods of removing recalcitrant pianists….

Posted on December 31, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Many years ago, even before I got married & raised kids, I had already made it a habit to never go out on New Year’s Eve. It always seemed a sucker’s bet to me, and I never had all that great a time at any parties I attended. I took the attitude of “I don’t go our when all the amateurs are out” and would stay home & celebrate the new year fairly quietly. It’s kind of like when Harry Truman said “I never got in trouble over what I never said.” For me, New Year’s Eve was when I never had a problem I didn’t cause myself, by over-consumption of alcohol. I have no regrets about that, intending as I do to continue the policy tonight, and every other New Year’s I have left in me. I don’t believe I’m missing much, as I also don’t get terribly wrapped up in the holiday frenzy anyway, and everybody out on the streets is either drunk, partially drunk, or insanely cheery about the passing of another day. Far as I can tell, on every January 1 in my life, the sun came up just like it did yesterday, and as it will tomorrow. The times between hold the only differences, and we are the ones who determine how that boat floats…….let’s get on with the fun…..
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A few random thoughts on the meaning of insanity, and by implication, sanity…….all came from one dive. Pearl after pearl on the same subject kept presenting itself for my perusal, so after a few, I just gave up & collected them. So here they are, all with a bit to say about those among us who perceive reality from a whole different place than you or me…..

‘What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art.’ — Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), Reminiscences

If sanity were dollars I’d be bankrupt.

“I come from a long line of Southern psychotics and an environment where madness is currency and conversation is blood sport.” — Elizabeth Ashley

According to figures from the Justice Department, the average rapist serves only 5.2 years on jail, and the average murderer serves only 8.6 years. By contrast, the average time served for possession of LSD is 10.1 years, and many Americans are serving mandatory minimum sentences of 20 to 25 years for possession or sale of marijuana.
(Insanity comes in many guises…. your choice as to which is real, and which is delusion….)

Avoid reality at all costs!

And who (in time) knows whither we may vent
The treasure of our tongue? To what strange shores
This gain of our best glory shall be sent
T’ enrich unknowing nations with our stores?
What worlds in the yet unformed Occident
May come refin’d with th’ accents that are ours?
— Samuel Daniel (1562-1619) — Musophilus, Stanza 163
(Psychosis is rooted in fear, and fear also assumes many masks…..)

I feel like one
Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.
— Thomas Moore (1779-1852) — Oft in the Stilly Night
(An accurate description of the onset of depression…..)

Why ask me? I’m just visiting reality.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program…..
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To get people to think they are thinking begets friendship, whereas actually to make people think begets resentment. There is no level so low to which people will not stoop, even honorable people, to avoid the difficulty of thinking.

So true, so true…..it fascinates me at times, this reluctance on the part of most folks to using the one and only evolutionary advantage they possess over other creatures. Compared to other animals, we’re not particularly fast, nor very strong, and our teeth and nails are not very good weapons compared to those of a domestic cat, for just one example. We need to wear clothing to protect ourselves from our own planet’s weather extremes. We rely on other species for our sustenance, being unable to create it ourselves.

In the final analysis, we’re pretty fragile, physically speaking; even a soft blow administered to the correct point can cause death. Hell, our bodies have more than one design flaw; how about how our food and air processing facilities? They cross each other at a critical junction, at the throat, and frequently cause problems that can have mortal consequences. Our elimination process and sexual organs also cross paths, in a manner of speaking; the outlet for the former is right next to the points of ingress and egress of the latter, depending on gender. From a strictly engineering viewpoint, it’s not a very good design.

It’s clear that there is little chance of humans ever dominating on the basis of physical characteristics; most animals are much better equipped for that. Our mind, our imagination, our perception of more than merely physical energy in the universe, these are our advantages over other creatures. We have the ability to remember the past in the present, and use those memories to extrapolate the future.

This is an incredible evolutionary leap, one that allows humans to readily turn their perceptions of how things work into tools that enable us to alter reality to suit our wishes. We can’t really fight our way out of a paper bag, and our defenses against predators is weak in comparison to other animals. But the power of our minds is sufficient to neutralize all physical and environmental advantages of the other inhabitants, and gives mankind the means to not merely survive, but to thrive and dominate.

So, the question remains: why are so many people so averse to using their minds? Well, I don’t know, for sure. I could make some guesses, and they might even be accurate. But it really doesn’t matter, because the only creature who can cause us to change ourselves, is ourselves. Nobody can make us do anything we don’t want to do. Most folks learn the power of the word “No” at a young age (age 2 is customary for most folks), and become so enamored with it, it becomes their default position for anything that is, or even appears to be, ‘difficult’. Sad, but true…..and wishing won’t make it go away. I can only wish I were smart enough to figure out how to get folks to see the light, before its too late, and the bulb burns out for good…..
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When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway,
The post of honor is a private station.
— Joseph Addison (1672-1719) — Cato, Act iv, Sc. 4

Aye, ’tis a lonely station as well. I find it very rare to meet anyone today who places any credence in the concept of honorable behavior. If acting honorably is considered at all, it is well after avarice, pride, bigotry, ignorance, or self-interest is used as a first attempt. I find very few people I meet who live honorably; too many shortcuts used to obtain their desires, too many times ignoring evil, thereby encouraging it. Too may times people make their decisions on how to act toward others by first considering their own self-interests, never considering whether or not the other person has, or is even entitled to the same. Most interactions between people have become a contest to see who can manipulate the other into giving them their desires, regardless of consequence, or the ripple effect.

People just don’t seem to care anymore about other people. They wander through their lives in controversy, never knowing that they are their own worst enemy. Sometimes, it’s enough to make me pull my hair out, and for me at this stage, that’s not a good thing; what I have is long, but there is less and less of it every day.

Ah well, maybe I’ll completely retire, and stop paying attention to anything. No phone, no TV, maybe a little music. The radio news is probably not too toxic in small doses, and there’s always the option of making use of the On/Off switch…… SIGH……I’ve been an optimist for most of my life. It’s getting really tough to maintain a positive outlook, in the face of the mounting evidence that we are in a cultural stage best described by Robert Heinlein when he called these the “Crazy Years”, a time when the news resembles a self-edited periodical produced by the mentally ill…..Entropy is rising, and chaos is near, I’m afraid…..stay alert out there…….

“Better contraceptives will control population only if people will use them. A nuclear holocaust can be prevented only if the conditions under which nations make war can be changed. The environment will continue to deteriorate until pollution practices are abandoned. We need to make vast changes in human behavior.” — B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity
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I’ve had this dialogue more than once; how ’bout you?

It: Can I ask you a question?
Me: You just did.
It: Ok, can I ask you two questions?
Me: You just did.
It: Ok, can I ask you another question after this one?
Me: You’ve already asked three questions without permission, why bother asking for the fourth?
— Michael Constant

Funny, isn’t it? How some folks believe they are entitled to “just a moment of your time.” I’ve had the above conversation, or one like it, on several occasions in my life, and each time my astonishment grows. If a person, in trying to be friendly and/or helpful, gives up their moments on every occasion asked, they are willingly enslaving themselves. Once one has the reputation of being the “go to guy” or “the ask her, she’ll know, or she’ll do it girl” they may as well forge and wear their own collar. Duty, which is the only valid reason for which a man acts, can a burden, yes. But it is a burden that is willingly shouldered, because the honorable man chooses his duty; no one may do it for him. Once chosen, duty will be fulfilled. But the choice is purely subjective.

However, this doesn’t stop other folks from trying to get us to do what they want, and they will use lies, innuendo, shame, defamation, guilt, or whatever manipulative tool they think they need, to get us to do their bidding. If one is not firm and self-reliant, they will find themselves never having enough time to meet their own needs, busy as they are with the needs of others. Best all-around to just stop them in the beginning, making it clear that one will make one’s own choices, and will not give up their time without good cause, as judged by themselves, and no other……
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If I don’t drive around the park,
I’m pretty sure to make my mark.
If I’m in bed each night by ten,
I may get back my looks again.
If I abstain from fun and such,
I’ll probably amount to much;
But I shall stay the way I am,
Because I do not give a damn. — Dorothy Parker

I don’t really have a lot to say here. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorite people from the early 20th century. She was a semi-militant feminist in a time when it was still unfashionable, a description that is perhaps due more to her unique personality than to any cause. She was herself, period. She refused to be anyone else, and was not afraid to say so in no uncertain terms, and with undeniable elegance and style. She had a rapier wit, and used it unsparingly on the rich, famous, and whomever else she felt needed a dose of it. I’m glad she lived, and glad to have knowledge of so great a spirit as inspiration…..
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I must say again I like this new format for the POVW (Pearls of Virtual Wisdom); it gives me more to write/rant about than the old way. I guess that’s a good thing. If nothing else, it’s caused an increased output, and that’s good. I’ve finally figured out the best way for me to make a little money at this, and hopefully can gain a little breathing space in the constant war with the economy. The only drawback I’ve noted so far is a tendency to ramble on and on……I’m writing about what I believe in, so the passion is coming out with it, increasing quantity at the minimum. I’m working hard to maintain the quality……hope I’m doing okay at it……any who, that’s enough for one morning. Y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Splendid specimens, sir….do they wiggle?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
We go now, in search of cognitive dissonance… heavily armed with oodles of insouciance, and eager to wage war with words. Let us then take a foray into the day, spreading the contagious joy of living……

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
— Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882) — A Psalm of Life

Alrighty then, let’s have at it……
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“With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.” — Picard, ST:TNG, quoting a fictional judge, The Drumhead

One doesn’t often find profundity in Picard’s words, though he has one of the best voices for delivering such gems. This one seems timely, considering that we Americans just watched quietly as Congress passed another version of the Anti-Bill of Rights (aka, the Homeland Security Act), abridging even more of our Constitutionally guaranteed liberties. I find it reprehensible that the fear of terrorism that followed the attacks on 9/11 was used to justify an attack on the Constitution, and even fanned into flames, by the very people who are supposed to protect the liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights.

We no longer have the right to freely assemble to protest, unless we meet stringent regulations. Our telephone conversations are being monitored, both land-line and cell, for key phrases that would indicate terrorist activity. This law alone has caused a number of illegal arrests, which were made possible by the easing of the restrictions on police when performing searches. They now have the right to invade your home, just because they “suspect” terrorist activity. Racial and cultural profiling is rampant, and long-time citizens of this country are being harassed and vilified, just because they are Muslim, or “appear to be” Muslim.

What I’m saying here isn’t paranoia speaking. The incidents I’ve mentioned are all documented in the news. What disturbs me the most about the whole situation is that the American public isn’t protesting at all, not about what is important. Yes, it is the 99% who are perpetrating all these incidents of oppression, but that is normal; they’ve always done whatever they could get away with in their single-minded pursuit of most of the money in our pockets. The real danger lies in what they are doing to our basic liberties as outlined in the Bill of Rights.

They are accomplishing all this without censure, without oversight, and without conscience. I can only hope that enough people like me can shout it out loudly enough, and often enough, that the sheep out there masquerading as adult humans will become afraid of the correct enemy, to wit: those attempting to erode our rights. These are not necessarily the rich, though they are paying for it; these are the hired gunslingers of the rich, placed in power by virtue of the almighty dollar and their gift of Lies…….

“If a lie is repeated often enough all the dumb jackasses in the world not only get to believe it, they even swear by it.” — B.B. Franklin

“There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise.” — Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

and, lastly…..

“Any hack can safely rail away at foreign powers beyond the sea; but a good writer is a critic of the society he lives in.” — Edward Abbey
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Hmph! Seriousness. Hmph! Sobriety. A Jedi craves them not.

A limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I’ve seen
So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

If humanity has any hope at all, it rests in those parts of our nature that are often only seen in times of crisis. Courage. Loyalty. Compassion. Love. Creativity. Imagination. Introspection. Will. These are our finest qualities, the parts of us that are always in in harmony with the universe, and represent possibly our final hope for redemption.

In today’s complex world of the future, (thanks, Firesign Theater) we are bearing witness to the increasingly obvious symptoms of decay and dissolution exhibited by modern culture. Divisiveness in public affairs. Imminent economic turmoil caused by severe inequity across the board. Global warming and severe climatological changes caused by pollution of the air, land, and sea. Erosion of human rights. Threatening species extinctions occurring continuously. Damage to the bottom of the food chain, which will have effects that ripple and spread all the way to the top of the pyramid, ie., us.

The evidence for all of this is overwhelming, and the theoretical conclusions are approaching certainty; this planet, and the species that exist today, are what we like to call “one sick puppy”, and the prognosis for recovery is guarded and uncertain; death is very nearly certain without treatment of the causes, not the symptoms. At this point, its not a good bet…..

I’ll bet when you started on this little section, you thought it would be funny. Just goes to show how far you can trust words, doesn’t it? Even when the one speaking is on your side, as I am, you can never tell from outward appearances just what may lie hidden under the surface. It could be, as it is here, with the intent of contrasting and illuminating a desired point, a lesson, as it were. Or it could be that all that is going on here is another attempt to fool you into doing something you don’t necessarily agree with; this too, should be a familiar experience, as that is the most commonplace gift we receive from our beloved ruling class. What I’d like you to take from this, is a renewed attitude of personal responsibility for what we say and do; none of us will be free, if we do not free ourselves…….okay, here’s a little humor…..

“Truth … never comes into the world, but like a Bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her forth.” — John Milton (1608-1674) (which throws light on the tradition of killing the messenger….)
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“Being frustrated is disagreeable, but the real disasters in life begin when you get what you want.” — Irving Kristol

This being the case, it points out another disturbing issue regarding our political choices today. Obviously, it is our preference (what we want) that only those who are the most skillful liars are allowed the opportunity to lie to the public at large, a privilege befitting their exalted position as a member of the beloved ruling class. After all, we vote for them, don’t we? Every time there is an election, both parties sally forth with their distorted truths and distractions, all cleverly designed to deflect attention from what is actually happening, which is a contest to see whose particular set of untruths is given precedence until the next election. Then we get to do it all again, whether anything good or bad has happened, or not happened.

It all seems a bit silly, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it make you feel just the slightest bit of embarrassment at not only bending over, but for willingly supplying the lubricant for the perversions to which these…people… are subjecting us? Sometimes, I get so ashamed, I refuse to even leave the house on election day, for fear I’ll snap, and start haranguing prospective voters as they wander in to cast their programmed responses, telling them they were all going to hell in a handbasket, just as if I were a preacher, or a politician, or someone of that ilk…..
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“If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 21

It may have come to your attention that this seems to be a recurring theme here at Gigoid’s Folly. And you would be right in that. I’m scared, folks, and I don’t care who knows it (it just makes me more dangerous, not less). I’m scared to death that the degree of ignorance at work today in society is going to push us all into the path of the bulldozer of Extinction. I didn’t have children because I wanted to see them die, wallowing in the filth with which we have fouled our nest, choking on the air that is becoming thicker and more foul with each passing second. (Don’t believe me? follow this link to see just how fast we are killing ourselves…. http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldclock/ ) It’s getting to the point where I can see the muck in the air; look across a valley sometime, and see how much detail you can see across the way. In most of the world today, you would be lucky to be able to determine colors, but not shapes.

I reiterate. I’m scared. And I am monumentally pissed off, as well! Deliberately ignorant assholes are constantly filling the airwaves with the most egregious bullshite I’ve ever heard, and as an American who has witnessed election politics all my life, that is some pretty fancy doo doo. What right do these ignoramuses have that allows them to spew their fear and loathing all over the rest of us? And how long is the general public going to allow this kind of self-destructive behavior in the people who are supposed to be protecting and nurturing our growth? It’s already gone on far too long, and I sense that change is in the air…..kind of smells like gunpowder in the morning air, doesn’t it?……
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How happy is he born or taught,
That serveth not another’s will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — The Character of a Happy Life

Eureka! I have found the epitaph for my headstone, should I ever need one. This is me all over……this is not to say I’m perfect, far from it. But this is my picture of the ideal me, the prototypical me, from which all other possible me’s take their substance. It’s the kind of person I strive to be, even when I’m not. Even though I cannot yet spend all my time comfortably ensconced in the contented glow of this state of mind, I find it to be a most worthwhile goal for me to pursue. I shall go now and do so……
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That went well, I think. It would no doubt be best now for me to stop doing this, and go do something else. One nice thing about both retirement, and freelance writing, and that is getting to make your own schedule, without having to worry about anyone or anything other than one’s own whimsy. We all could use a bit more whimsy in Life, wouldn’t you say? Y’all take care out there…..

P.S. I’m once again writing for Examiner.com, as the Oakland Examiner for Social Issues. You can find all my articles for them by following this link. Page hits and clicks on advertisements are how I get paid, so feel free to come back often. I hope you enjoy reading my work there as much as I enjoy creating it…..

http://www.examiner.com/social-issues-in-oakland/ned-moore

Thanks again, and carpe that old diem!…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Salsa requires rhythm, and tight shoes……

Posted on December 29, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Gather ye round, children, and I will tell you a tale. We speak here today of days gone by, with love for memory, and hope for tomorrow. This tale is one of loss, and hope, and love, and fear. It is a tale of two humans, strong and brave, and the day they met……in the shadow of the future… Listen now, as the tale begins……
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“Life is full of surprises when you’re up th’ stream of consciousness without a paddle…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Having been in this position a number of times over the years, I can attest that Zippy hit this nail squarely on the head, driving it home with one swift blow. What I particularly like about this is that Zippy has shown us how to assimilate and accept our position when we find ourselves this far out of touch with our GPS, and how to best react to having fallen prey to our own foolishness. Long story short; this is the way it is, so either learn to keep the paddle in the canoe, learn how to make paddles from almost anything, or learn to enjoy new scenery.

All of us, or at least all of us who can admit to having made a mistake without going through all sort of contortions, have found ourselves in this body of water at one time or another. How long we stay there is entirely up to us. Many folks spend a day or two whining about it before they’ll condescend to admit they need help, then wait to be rescued. Others enter the state of Denial, where nothing is anybody’s fault, and I’m not lost anyway. These folks will spend an inordinate amount of time justifying why they aren’t looking for a new paddle, then borrow one from their neighbor, and never return it. Still others will maintain that this was where they intended to go in the first place, and insist that they are to be put ashore and left alone, so they can walk back to civilization without being seen. And a very few will look around, chuckle at their own ineptitude, and proceed to fashion a paddle out of nearby vegetation.

The difference between all of these folks is one of attitude. One can accept reality and deal, or one can fear it, and spend all their time finding ways to avoid dealing. So, when people tell me they think my attitude stinks, I just say to them, “I don’t have an attitude problem–it’s supposed to be like this.”, smile gently, and go merrily on my way……
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“There appears to be irrefutable evidence that the mere fact of overcrowding induces violence.” — Harvey Wheeler

Several days ago, I wrote a couple of paragraphs about overpopulation, wherein I made reference to experiments on rats that had been conducted that, in summary, concluded this exact point, to wit: overcrowding induces violence. Those experiments have also been performed with humans, and other animals, as the subjects, and all of them show the same characteristic when under the stress of overpopulation. Normal species behavioral patterns become disrupted, and unpredictability becomes the norm. Unfortunately, the word “irrefutable” continues to be called into question by fundamentalist religious mavens, political pundits on the extreme Right, and the usual complement of fat cats who believe they are immune to the problems afflicting the rest of society.

It’s not clear to me just why these folks prefer to bury their heads in the sand over this issue; it’s not as if the proponents of the concept are not willing to listen to argument, or adjust the theory in light of evidence. But those who would deny these “facts” will not listen, or even discuss, any alternative viewpoints, convinced as they are of their own infallibility. At least the rest of us can always say that we tried to share the Truth with them; we just can’t make them believe it…….
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Eat less and chew well.
Ride less and walk often.
Have fewer clothes and launder often.
Worry less and work harder.
Waste less time, and continue to learn.
Talk less and listen more.
Frown less and laugh often.
Speak less and act more.
Blame less and praise others.
Take less and give a hundred times over.
— Kenzo Futagi, describing the secrets of life.
— He lived well over a hundred years.

I like this for its simplicity. And for the valuable information shared by this gentleman, to which his age lends an air of credibility, proving its pertinence by evidence of his longevity. One could do worse than to take this and try to make it part of their own outlook on life. It’s pretty obvious that it can’t hurt…….
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I’m not sure, but he seems to be inordinately fond of beetles.
— J.B.S. Haldane, — when asked what has the study of biology had taught him about the Creator

— WHY GOD WILL NEVER GET TENURE AT ANY UNIVERSITY

1. Only published one book.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. He did not publish it in referenced journals.
5. Some doubt He even wrote it Himself.
6. He is not known for His cooperative work.
7. Sure, He created the world, but what has He done lately?
8. He did not get permission from any review board to work with human subjects.
9. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning all the subjects.
10. When sample subjects do not behave as predicted, He deletes the whole sample.
11. He rarely comes to class-just tells His students to read the Book.
12. It is rumored that He sometimes lets His Son teach the class.
13. Although He only has 10 requirements, His students often fail His tests.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountain top.
— faculty members at Kansas State University — instructors at Allen County Community College

Not being one to gild a lily……onward….
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Happiness is a state of mind. Not happy? Change your mind.

I’ve studied a lot of different religions and philosophies during my lifetime, and have naturally come to some conclusions about what I’ve learned. One of them is this: almost all religions and philosophies have points of similarity, where the beliefs of one are echoed in the other. This is one of those ideas that all espouse, and can be recognized by the very simplicity that lends it infinite depth. This is such a basic concept that its subtlety makes it difficult to comprehend. “Not happy? Change your mind.” How brilliantly simple this is! So simple it’s hard to assimilate.

Like all of the most profound truths, this concept is so simple that it appears complex. But it is one of the most powerful of all the tools we humans possess, a strong ally in our struggle to achieve contentment and inner peace in life; utterly simple, and utterly powerful. The ability to change ourselves is in reality the only real power we have in this world; the ability to do so allows us the freedom of choice, in a universe that is completely indifferent to our comfort, or to any of our needs. With this power, we can avoid a lot of pain and anguish in life, the kind of pain that comes with being forced into a certain pattern of behavior by the demands of reality. Instead, we can assume control of how we feel, and how we react to difficulties in our lives. It’s good to have some kind of feeling of control over our own fate; it’s not something that is included in the package we are issued at birth……
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“… not picked from the leaves of any author, but bred amongst the weeds and tares of mine own brain.”– Thomas Browne

“An ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), As You Like It — Act v, Sc. 4

Today’s Pearls of Virtual Wisdom were inspected by the quality control committee in my brain, and found to be acceptable for publication. The two quotes above these lines are your guarantee that all of the comments herein were created in my own feverish little collection of grey matter; the universe at large takes no responsibility for any consequences resulting from the consumption of these concepts, and urges you to read with caution. Ideas can be dangerous in the hands of the wicked or the ignorant among us…..always consult a professional before ingesting any information with which you are unfamiliar.

“Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.” — Calvin

Enough tom-foolery for one morning. I’m gonna go see what kind of trouble I can get into today. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Whiskey for breakfast, misery for lunch….

Posted on December 28, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Hoy, yo soy una tabula raza. Y cuando you escribo, es muy dificil. Pero, tambien soy un brujo, y la realidad es mi amigo. Andalé! Vamanos!……. Pop! Okay, whew! Thought I’d be stuck in Spanish all day; it’s all because last night I had a dream about my first real trip to Mexico, many years ago, when my partner in crime and I rode the train from Mexicali to Mazatlan, a brutal 30 hour ride. We found out an important piece of information on that trip.

Mexican beer won’t get you drunk, no matter how fast you consume it. It’s a decent way to stay hydrated, but that’s all. If not kept cool, it starts to taste somewhat like badger piss, though I’m only familiar with that on a hearsay level. Sure won’t give a buzz, though; it’s only about 1% alcohol. We forgot, it’s a Catholic country, and still rooted in the last century, minus one, in a cultural sense. Ah well, ’twas alright; we just spent the entire week with whiskey instead of beer. Jack is Jack, no matter where he travels……. Oh, I was wrong yesterday…..I didn’t lose my mind; it’s here somewhere. It’s just that due to intense mind fog all thoughts have been grounded.

Okay, I’m ready…..let’s rock…..
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“The common folk have many sayings, all about it being darkest before the dawn and clouds with silver linings and suchlike. We in the magical trade like to express our opinions of these matters somewhat differently. A lifetime of experience will have taught the average sorcerer that no matter how hopeless the situation seems, no matter how painful and fraught with danger his options may be, no matter how close he may be to an indescribably hideous death and perhaps even eternal damnation, still, the good wizard knows, it can always get worse.” — The Teachings of Ebenezum, Vol. XLVI (General Introduction)

Yesterday, one of the outstanding readers who have stumbled upon this blog sent me a comment. It was somewhat long and involved, but perhaps the best part was when he oh-so-gently chastised me for lacking faith in the goodness of human nature, and rightly so. My recent rantings have been somewhat critical of our beloved ruling class, and others, and he noted that it is entirely possible that they are merely living up to the expectations placed on them by virtue of being in the public eye, rather than exhibiting any malice aforethought.

I am compelled to agree with him, at least to an extent. It is easy to become TOO negative, and I probably stepped a couple paces over that line lately. But I also have to point out that, regardless of how tongue-in-cheek the above statements may be, they are accurate as to the basic message given in the final line. It can always get worse, and if Murphy is anywhere about, you can count on it…..I suppose all we can do is what we’ve always done, throughout history, and that is to keep your clothes, spell books, and weapons where you can find them in the dark…..
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You could say I’d lost my faith in our politicians.

But it was a small loss, considering there wasn’t much there to begin with…..I’d be willing to have a bit more faith in them, if even one of them would stop consistently lying to me. Note I said consistently; I’m adult enough to realize that, being what they are, they have to lie. If they could just learn to not lie EVERY time they open their mouths, we could reach some kind of compromise agreement. But they don’t seem to want, or seem not to be able, to do that, so I’ll just have to go on wallowing in my disbelief. That way, I’m not disappointed so often……. My mind ain’t so open that just anything can crawl right in.

“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” — Paulo Freire
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‘You can’t go home again if home is a place you’ve never been.”– Ursula K Leguin

Sad it is that too many people in our society, of all ages, know exactly what this means, from cruel experience. Society has always had its poor and homeless, and repeated explorations into the reasons for it have all been inconclusive, for they all get to the same point and lose coherent credibility. When the vagaries and complexities of human nature are brought into the equation, the sheer number of variables makes the equation unsolvable.

In other words, nobody knows for sure why society arranges itself as it does. We just don’t know enough for certain to be able to say with any high degree of confidence, “THIS is why this is so”. Thus, any and all attempts at solution to the problem have been ineffective at best. We live in a nation with more natural resources than all but a handful of countries around the world, but we still have a small but significant percentage of our population who don’t know whether they will eat today, or whether they will sleep indoors tonight. I can’t say I’m any smarter than anyone else who has looked at this issue; I don’t claim to have any magic bullets. But I can feel compassion, and I can wish……..
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“I once wanted to save the world. Now I just want to leave the room with dignity.” — Lotus Weinstock

Boy if this ain’t the truth! I can’t really add anything to this; it’s a relatively perfect observation of how our attitudes change over time. I’m just glad that dignity is still the goal. I should probably be glad that my self-expectations haven’t devolved any further, to where all I want is for it all to end. It will take a lot more pain and anguish before I even look in that direction, much less consider going there…….I’m glad to be obstinate, in this instance at least…… besides, if I aim any lower, I risk being hit myself, by a ricochet…..
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“If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it if you have love, compassion, and tolerance. The clear truth of a person’s love of God is if that person genuinely shows love to fellow human beings.” — Dalai Lama

Here we have some plain common sense, in the guise of eternal wisdom. I like to think that even the most dogmatic religious devotee, of any religion, would agree with this concept. It’s difficult to object when it matches so closely the most basic beliefs of almost every sect. Though proponents of each world-view may differ greatly on the shape and nature of what they worship, none would deny that love, compassion, and tolerance are lessons taught by all of them in their study and contemplation of human nature and its niche in the scheme of things. In every face with which God is seen by Man, one may see these three attributes written clearly on their visage. If we have any redeeming feature written on the slate of our souls, love for one’s fellow man would be that characteristic…..

“[…] For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner […] on an unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. […] That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to understand that.” — Carl Sagan
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The only thing that makes a democracy work is the force of morality. If all that is in place is the force of law, you have a police state. The force of morality always comes from a deep belief that you are accountable for all your own choices — even those that aren’t discovered or punished by law. It is the force of morality that lets us focus on what we share working together to make a better society.” — Callan Williams

I don’t think I need to add anything to this statement either. It pretty well matches my own take on the subject, which is rooted in the concept of taking personal responsibility for one’s actions. Too many people in today’s society have never even been exposed to this concept, and to expect them to be able to live up to it is unrealistic at best. Moral action requires more than simply having an impulse toward right action; it requires that one find the courage to then act upon those impulses. Not everyone has that moral courage, as it is hard work to get to the point of understanding it and making it a part of one’s set of behavioral guidelines. Very hard work, and most folks honestly don’t have it in them to make the effort. That is a shame, to be sure; modern life would be a lot different if this morality was more common, and I can’t help but think those kinds of changes would be a good thing…..
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Well, I’d better stop here. I’ve already said more than I intended when I sat down; I guess that’s par for this course. Time now to go out and see what the day holds……y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Virtual reality caught on tape…..

Posted on December 27, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
In my wildest, most disturbing dreams, I never thought the world would come to this juncture. We stand once again at a fork in the road ahead. Down one road lies extinction; it’s actually the road we are on now, but we have come to the last possible exit, onto a road that continues on into the future, bright with promise. On this road, humanity has new forms of transport, sustainable and clean. The air is clear, the ocean is blue, and all the creatures who share this planet have been welcomed into the circle of Life, wherein we now reside. Everyone is treated the same, and there are no more distinctions drawn between one man and the next. Resources are husbanded and shared equally, and economic manipulation is a dim memory.

Sounds pretty nice, eh? I think so too. I’m just not terribly convinced that the rest of humanity is going to come down that road with those of us who take it. I’d much rather we all went together, but I refuse to choose to continue on the road we have been traveling, just as I refuse to consider killing myself. It’s all so clear to me, I have a hard time understanding why others cannot see what I am seeing. If we don’t stop what we’re doing, we’re going to pay the consequences; that’s not a guess, not a theory. It’s truth. I hope y’all can deal with it….

I think I lost my mind. Please watch where you step.
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You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come;
Knock as you please, there ‘s nobody at home.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Epigram

A gen’rous heart repairs a sland’rous tongue.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Odyssey of Homer, Book viii, Line 432

Pope, living and writing in the 17th & 18th centuries, was apparently channeling Homer Simpson, 300 years in the future….. Doh! Even wonderful poetry can be turned into low humor; here is solid proof. These two short pieces of pieces were just irresistible, as they immediately brought to mind a clear image of Homer slapping his head. See, I can be whimsical!…..
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“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.” — Josh Billings

“I’m a man of my word. In the end, that’s all there is really….” — Avon

Tough to argue with these; they both are basic elements of my own philosophy. It’s a shame, really, that society in general doesn’t buy into this more. Strong, silent men are in short supply in today’s world, and the twin pillars that hold up our culture, Duty and Honor, have fallen into sporadic use at best. Not enough children are being raised under the moral aegis these concepts provide, and the results are as predictable as they are ugly. Too many young men and women are reaching the age of reason with no inner strength, no strong morals to guide their way; rather than cloaking themselves in honor and duty, they are approaching life armed only with an imagination whose scope has been severely limited by their moral shortcomings. It can be a tough world out there, and it’s only going to get tougher at time goes on, unless society can find a way to shore up the shaky underpinnings of our culture, before it’s too late to try…..

“Cowardice” and “self-respect” have largely disappeared from public discourse. In their place we are offered “self-esteem” as the bellwether of success and a proxy for dignity. “Self-respect” implies that one recognizes standards, and judges oneself worthy by the degree to which one lives up to them. “Self-esteem” simply means that one feels good about oneself. “Dignity” used to refer to the self-mastery and fortitude with which a person conducted himself in the face of life’s vicissitudes and the boorish behavior of others. Now, judging by campus speech codes, dignity requires that we never encounter a discouraging word and that others be coerced into acting respectfully, evidently on the assumption that we are powerless to prevent our degradation if exposed to the demeaning behavior of others. These are signposts proclaiming the insubstantiality (sic) of our character, proclaiming the hollowness of our souls.” — Jeffrey R. Snyder, Fall 1993 _The Public Interest
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A crucifix? Oy vey, have you got the wrong vampire!

In my diving for pearls, over the years I’ve gone past this one several times (sometimes the randomness generator doesn’t quite live up to its’ name), and have just smiled and gone on. But today, for some reason, I finally got it…….and it’s fucking hilarious! What I wouldn’t do to see this character in an episode of Twilight (though I have to confess I’ve never watched it), or Buffy, the Vampire Slayer! They could call him Simon, pretender to the throne of Satan, master of Guilt, who bores his victims into a stupor, leaving them at mercy to his dark secret, a fetish for the blood of sons and daughters of mothers of the Tribe. If nothing else, the media frenzy in the religious world would be fun to watch….. You may be asking yourself, is nothing sacred? All I can answer is, “Nope.”………
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“The very emphasis of the commandment: Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in ours.” — Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Siggy had his moments of clarity amid the nonsense of a lot of his assertions exhibited. This is one of them. Part of what makes a man civilized is to be able to accept this part of his nature, and deal with it in the only honorable fashion; each morning a man must awake and make a conscious decision that, “Today, I will not kill.”, and then abide by it as best he can. Nothing else will work as well, and though it takes no small amount of courage to keep his word, a man of honor will do so, no matter the cost.

I think one of the most disheartening aspects of today’s culture is the lack of honor most people exhibit. When I was brought up, in the 1950’s, it seems like everyone believed in the concept of Honor, and it was just assumed that one could expect others to behave in light of that. As time has passed, I have seen the concept fall further out of favor, and further out of the public consciousness with each passing year, with selfishness and avarice having assumed the central position in most folk’s attitudes. SIGH……I really do miss it……
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“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” — Bertrand Russell, Autobiography

These are wonderful sentiments, and I can only hope that when I die, I can have put on my headstone some indication that I had fulfilled all three of these passions. The ability to share love, the passion for learning, and compassion for the weak and troubled are the highest expressions of the human spirit, and pursuit of them is an honorable task to take up as one’s Duty. No man could ever hope for a more fulfilling existence, acting in service to those he loves, which includes all living creatures. One can only wish that this attitude was more prevalent in society at large; we might have avoided some of the troubles we’re having. No sense crying over spilled dairy products though…..you just have to hang on to your hope…..
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Now I understand how the little piece I found yesterday fits in to the puzzle. Not to replace the sig, but rather to join it……..yay, me….y’all take care out there….

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….
—

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Look, Nancy, it’s a pregnant Paradox!

Posted on December 26, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
People often ask me, “Why am I asking all these things?” The answer is simple. It distracts me from thinking about all the scary stuff wandering around in my head. It also keeps me from doing nothing but sit around and plot a world-takeover, a life-long dream of mine. It’s not easy you know, being a megalomaniac. People are always out to get me…..

Enough fooling around….I am a bit saddened today. Yesterday, one of the Pearl Drops (those lucky few to whom this email is sent each morning) opted out, due to annoyance at my politics. I’m not upset that someone disagrees with me; I’m disappointed because I didn’t make it clear enough that my opinions aren’t written in stone. Yes, I express myself forcefully; it goes along with believing in what I’m writing, and from being a triple Scorpio. But I never intend for anyone reading it to think they would not be welcome if they wish to believe differently, and to say so. In fact, I would enjoy the dialogue, for that is what makes the true democratic process function the best.

If anyone has something to say, then say it. Holding it in and letting resentment build never ends well. I know I take the risk of being misunderstood, or even reviled, when I start to rant on politics, and I don’t at all mind some spirited argument; it’s very cleansing. But it’s disheartening when someone who believes differently doesn’t have the courage of their convictions; at least not enough to speak up and say so in a public forum …….let’s go on to something more uplifting……

“A witty saying proves nothing.” — Voltaire

“I always have a quotation for everything– it saves original thinking.” — Dorothy Sayers
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Inadmissible: Not competent to be considered. Said of certain kinds of testimony which juries are supposed to be unfit to be entrusted with, and which judges, therefore, rule out, even of proceedings before themselves alone. Hearsay evidence is inadmissible because the person quoted was unsworn and is not before the court for examination; yet most momentous actions, military, political, commercial and of every other kind, are daily undertaken on hearsay evidence. There is no religion in the world that has any other basis than hearsay evidence. Revelation is hearsay evidence; that the Scriptures are the word of God we have only the testimony of men long dead whose identity is not clearly established and who are not known to have been sworn in any sense. Under the rules of evidence as they now exist in this country, no single assertion in the Bible has in its support any evidence admissible in a court of law…

“But as records of courts of justice are admissible, it can easily be proved that powerful and malevolent magicians once existed and were a scourge to mankind. The evidence (including confession) upon which certain women were convicted of witchcraft and executed was without a flaw; it is still unimpeachable. The judges’ decisions based on it were sound in logic and in law. Nothing in any existing court was ever more thoroughly proved than the charges of witchcraft and sorcery for which so many suffered death. If there were no witches , human testimony and human reason are alike destitute of value.” — Ambrose Bierce “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Truly, a fine exercise of logic and pure reasoning……nothing to add, except to remind you to take this, like everything else, with a grain or two of salt, before you decide whether or not it is Truth…..
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(to The Caissons Go Rolling Along)
Scratch the disks, dump the core,        Shut it down, pull the plug
Roll the tapes across the floor,           Give the core an extra tug
And the system is going to crash.        And the system is going to crash.
Teletypes smashed to bits.                     Mem’ry cards, one and all,
Give the scopes some nasty hits          Toss out halfway down the hall
And the system is going to crash.           And the system is going to crash.
And we’ve also found                              Just flip one switch
When you turn the power down,             And the lights will cease to twitch
You turn the disk readers into trash.     And the tape drives will crumble in a flash.
Oh, it’s so much fun,                               When the CPU
Now the CPU won’t run                        Can print nothing out but foo,
And the system is going to crash.        The system is going to crash.

— unknown genius poet/hacker

This may not be poetry in the classical sense, though it does fulfill all the technical requirements. I don’t much care how good it may be technically; it’s damn good, whatever it is. I previously printed a poem, whose author escapes me at this moment, that was structurally identical to this, with 3 poems in one. The left column stands alone, as does the right column. Together, they form another complete poem/song, and in doing so have earned my undying admiration……
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LaForge: “On the other hand, I remember everything about the time I got my first pet, a Cirkacian cat. I was eight. I remember how funny-looking he was, I remember how excited I was. It was if it happened yesterday.”
Data: “Perhaps you remember the pleasant memories and forget the unpleasant ones.”
LaForge: “No, sometimes the bad memories can be the most intense of all.”
Data: “It would seem there is no predictable pattern to human memory.”
LaForge: “‘It would seem’.”
— “Violations”, Stardate 45429.3

Memory is a fascinating subject. I’m considered to have a pretty good memory, and it has always served me well, especially when I discovered an important clue to how it functions in humans. You see, I’ve found memory to be just about completely dependent on our will. Think about this; almost everyone I’ve spoken to about this has the same experience. When something is important to you to remember, you will do so. If you don’t particularly care one way or another, your memory may be fuzzy. And if it is something your unconscious mind disagrees with, you will probably not find it when you go looking for it. In other words, memory in humans is almost 100% selective, and the selective criteria are different in each person.

The bottom line is this: if it is important to you, you will remember. Thus, having a good memory can be accomplished very simply. Just make everything you perceive important. Program your mind (which in reality is nothing more than a biological computer) to believe that everything you hear, everything you see, taste, smell, or touch is important to you. If you are persistent, it will become a habit, and you’ll find those memories you wanted were there all along. This little idea has helped me immensely all my life; I applied the attitude toward what I read, beginning at a young age, and now have almost eidetic memory for the printed word; I can often remember where on each page a particular phrase is located, and whether the page is on the left or right side of the open book. This shortens research time greatly.

So, if you’d like to remember the anniversaries, birthdays, and seminal events without fail and without stress, then give this a try. It’s not easy at times; the mind is lazy and requires motivation. If you need motivation, think of the expression on the face of your significant other when you give them their gift on the correct day. In the words of the commercial….priceless……
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I’m a little leery of discussing politics today, but can’t see myself giving in to fear or disillusionment without a fight, so I’ll compromise, and let the quotes speak for me today. These all go together, and would normally form the nucleus of an examination of whatever is currently biting my ass in the political news…….

“The public demands certainties; it must be told definitely and a bit raucously that this is true and that is false. But there are no certainties.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956), “Prejudice”

“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom. For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

“If you wants to get elected president, you’ve got to think up some memorable homily so’s school kids can be pestered into memorizin’ it, even if they don’t know what it means.” — Walt Kelly, The Pogo Party

TRAITOR (n.): A person winning an argument with a liberal.

COMMUNIST (n.): A person winning an argument with a conservative.

That’s probably enough to make the point…….if it isn’t clear, just dump it all in and let it percolate; it’ll come to you…..
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I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’ve caught poetry.

I care not, Fortune, what you me deny:
You cannot rob me of free Nature’s grace,
You cannot shut the windows of the sky
Through which Aurora shows her brightening face;
You cannot bar my constant feet to trace
The woods and lawns, by living stream, at eve:
Let health my nerves and finer fibres brace,
And I their toys to the great children leave:
Of fancy, reason, virtue, naught can me bereave.
— James Thomson (1700-1748)
— The Castle of Indolence, Canto ii, Stanza 3

That should take care of that; better than garlic……

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DISCLAIMER: “Any resemblance between the above views and those of my employer, my terminal, or the view out my window are purely coincidental. Any resemblance between the above and my own views is non-deterministic. The question of the existence of views in the absence of anyone to hold them is left as an exercise for the reader. The question of the existence of the reader is left as an exercise for the second god coefficient. (A discussion of non-orthogonal, non-integral polytheism is beyond the scope of this article.)’ — Ralph Jennings

Well, I guess that’s enough fussing for one day. I’m thinking of substituting this for the lines now in my sig file; what do you think of it?

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Close in sentiment I think, but not good enough. We’ll stick with what we’ve got……y’all take care out there…..
—

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Taking the long road home…..

Posted on December 25, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I would guess that any gentle readers out there today will expect some sort of comment here on Christmas. Okay, here it is. It’s Christmas Day. Have a great time, and share whatever joy you receive; it will recreate itself in the one with whom you share. Today is a good day for that sort of activity, and I support that wholeheartedly. Whatever your preferred belief system may be, or not be, I wish you peace, and prosperity, and life without fear…….

In keeping with the spirit of tolerance during the holiday season, I’ll try to keep it light and short today. There’ll be a couple extras, because I believe Instructions for Life #1, which says, “Always give more than is expected, and do it cheerfully.” So there you have it…..or more accurately, here we go….hang on tight!…..
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And though Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” Charles Dickens

Therefore, those whose sense of self is Home are logically the possessors of very strong magic, which is often mistaken for Faith, or Fate, but in reality is Knowledge, and Will. Whether one believes in an entity powerful enough to create universes, or accepts their perceptions which provide evidence of another explanation for the nature of reality, one has to be grateful that both ideologies include the existence of coffee ice cream with caramel swirls, simple summertime dresses on beautiful young women, chocolate, puppies, and kittens.

I can truthfully, and thankfully, say that I have experienced all of these in one day, on more than one occasion. Of course, on some of those days, it was peach sherbet, exotic evening gowns on older women, chocolate, puppies, and a romantic fire. No matter. Each one possesses the power to create in us that ineffable surety that all is right with the world, so who needs the guilt involved in worrying about why they exist? Just have a good time staying Home…..
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There are places I remember
all my life, though some have changed,
some forever, not for better,
some have gone and some remain.

All these places had their moments
with lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living.
In my life I’ve loved them all.– the Beatles

Once I was asked to describe my life in six words. I thought for only a moment before it came to me; Looked for Love, Found It Everywhere. The best part of this, in my mind, is that it’s pretty much true. Not to say I haven’t known or met any assholes, or others of the ilk in my time. But, for the most part, I’ve found that if one leaves oneself open to it, love will enter, and make itself at home. Not always comfortably, and not always without turmoil, but always welcome, love has graced my life each time we meet.

Yes, there are a lot of fools and assholes out there, and they make life difficult at times, what with their misplaced sense of entitlement, and their ubiquitous negativity. They’re out there too, but one learns to deal with them, or suffers accordingly; I prefer to deal. I’ve found that just a few moments with them, reading from the Book of Righteousness, with gusto, and they begin to walk a path that is straighter and not as wide…..you gotta love ’em, they’re just so bloody ignorant that it takes some persuasion to make them more amenable to human interaction….which is pretty cool, once one learns how to relate to others without always trying to maintain the upper hand, or manipulate for personal profit. Most folks are pretty nice people, down in their heart of hearts; we all need to give each other a chance to allow that to show to the outside world……
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“As he said in Machiavel, omnes eodem patre nati, Adam’s sons, conceived all and born in sin, etc. “We are by nature all as one, all alike, if you see us naked; let us wear theirs and they our clothes, and what is the difference?” — Robert Burton – The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part ii, Sect. 2, Memb. 2

OMG, can you just visualize Newt Gingrich nude, standing in classic hunter’s pose, with his foot on the piled corpses of child workers, smoking a big cigar and wearing a bigger grin, and a rifle with a scope balanced on his hip? I almost donated my dinner to the porcelain throne when this unfortunate image formed in my mind…….talk about scaring yourself!

But if we can get past the oh-so-frightening images such a concept brings with it, we see the veracity of the Burton’s assertion. What is the difference between one man and the next? As related, we are all as one, with the same basic structure and function. To my way of thinking, what makes the difference between people is their Will, or their Won’t. People mostly choose one or the other at an early age, and stick with it throughout their lives.

What’s your choice? Will you live with honor, dignity, and compassion? Or won’t you face the world, instead pulling back and observing from afar, never to join with others without pain and effort. The choice a person makes is completely their own, and responsibility for the consequences rests solely upon the one who chooses. Choose well……
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In a literature class, the students were given an assignment to write a short story involving all the important ingredients – Nobility, Emotion, Sex, Religion and Mystery. One student allegedly handed in the following story: My god! cried the duchess. I’m pregnant. Who did it?

No profound thinking here; I just thought it was clever, and deeper than it seems. The young person who came up with this little gem is most likely be writing best sellers now……and deservedly so……
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“Capitalism did not arise because capitalists stole the land, but because it was more efficient than feudalism. It will perish because it is not merely less efficient than socialism, but actually self-destructive.” — J. B. S. Haldane

One can only hope that in its’ death throes, capitalism doesn’t thrash about so severely that the negative effects on the survivors cannot be overcome. Can’t bring myself to be very optimistic, considering the severe objections most human institutions have to dying. They tend to fight tooth and nail to hang on to any vestige of their former glory, never knowing or being able admit to their own fatal flaw. The flaw? Capitalism requires constant growth and movement; like a shark, if growth and forward motion stops, it begins to drown, and feed upon itself, crashing and burning quickly.

But capitalists believe there will always be new markets, selling new products, and there will always be more resources to create the products to be consumed by those markets. But the sad fact is, the available resources are not infinite, and will not support continuous unchecked growth; they are finite, and once they are gone, they won’t be back. This simple reality is that resources are essential to the functioning of any society, but only if their finite restrictions are observed, and if they are regarded as precious enough to be husbanded and cared for in sustainable cyclical processes, that encourage and enable the resources to be renewed as needed, and no more. Capitalism cannot do that…..
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Will Rogers never met Rush Limbaugh.

I’m pretty sure I would give serious money to be around to see those two meet. Can you imagine if both were on Twitter? It would be truly inspiring, I think, to see how Mr. Rogers would have reacted to some of Rush’s more egregious statements. As a matter of fact, I believe I will make it a project, to research material from both, and find appropriate selected statements on the same, or similar person, event, idea, whatever. I’m sure I can find some doozies…(is that word still legal? does anybody still understand it?) Okay, I can find some fine examples….no, too tame. I can find some flat out funny stuff. That’ll do for now. Actually, we’ll just amend it to, I can find some. Good enough…..look for that on a website near you soon!….
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And yet, as angels in some brighter dreams
Call to the soul when man doth sleep,
So some strange thoughts transcend our wonted themes,
And into glory peep.
— Henry Vaughan (1621-1695)
— They are all gone

As I’ve said before, I love poetry, and only wish I had the ability to create it well. I can do it, but it always comes out stiff, and without spark. I would dearly love to be able to put words together in such a way that they arrow straight into the heart of the reader, and taking the mind on a fantastic trip through fields of esoterica, inspiring and fulfilling as it pleases. Alas, it is not within me to do so. Fortunately, there are a lot of folks out there who can, and do write it well; they all have my complete admiration, and my gratitude for existing…….I like this one for its imagery, and its’ potent depths…..all in four short lines. Amazing!…..
___________________________________

“While my BRAINPAN is being refused service in BURGER KING, Jesuit priests are DATING CAREER DIPLOMATS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Good grief, this is tragic! Something must be done! Hand me that copy of the Who’s Who, and call the A Team! They’re the only ones who can save the damsel in distress/the oppressed townfolk/the old buddy’s daughter’s brave but outnumbered boyfriend’s charity/all life as we know it (choose one), without ever drawing a single drop of blood, or striking any living creature at all with any of their 20,000 rounds fired! Oh, and they’ll build a tank to use while they’re at it; we can always use it later to visit our Congressman in Washington D.C. Next week, we can watch the reruns with a bunch of popcorn drenched in cholesterol-free butter……
___________________________________

That’s probably enough for one morning. I do have to watch myself, as I’ll tend to just keep going, and going, and going……when I get into the Zone, time and the outside world fade away. Lots of new projects going on at my house, so I’d best get started on the rest of the day, holiday or no. It’s been real, and y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Life, Death, and Six Inch Stiletto Heels…..

Posted on December 24, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Just so it’s clear…..I’m not an atheist, per se, at least, not in the classical sense of the word. I do hold beliefs regarding the subject of divinity and spirituality, but they bear no great resemblance to those espoused by any organized faith, and I don’t normally discuss them with anyone. It just causes arguments. I am not a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Unitarian, or a Buddhist, or any other of the virtually countless ‘isms’ people have come up with to try to understand those parts of the universe that we do not comprehend. I’ve read the holy books of most of the major faiths; Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, the Bibles of several different Christian sects , the Tao Teh Ching, the I Ching, and any other related material I could find. Not that I made a complete heavy study of each, but I learned enough to be able to draw comparisons, and judge the validity of each (which I admit, is purely subjective. But then, isn’t any religious belief purely subjective? Why yes, I do believe it is…..).

It just now occurred to me that maybe, for all these centuries that we have sought to explain what we do not understand, we have been looking at things from the wrong perspective, at least in terms of intelligence, and its value being so great, that man considers himself greater than “lower” forms of life. The attitude that we are the pinnacle of creation is obvious in almost every approach taken by philosophers and scientists to explaining why things are as they are. Since we do not have the ability to create worlds (yet), or stars (yet), or universes (yet?), we attribute the state of things as we know them to creatures of vast wisdom and power, as “far above us as we are above bacteria or amoeba.” How often have you heard the last part? Isn’t that part of any definition of a god, or even God, by whatever name one calls him/her/them/it?

But what if the amoeba was God? Amoeba are the most ancient form of life of which we are aware, utilizing the simplest means of reproduction available (as far as WE know anyway…), and essential to the formation of other life. Perhaps the entire bacterial level is God’s nervous system, and the amoeba are the thoughts of God. And as other forms of life evolved, maybe each entered another part of the symbiotic whole that is life, non-life, energy, matter, and non-matter, all of which must be present in order for our universe to manifest itself. Which makes our viewpoint completely backwards; we are the bottom of creation, not the top. Every other part of the universe, and almost every animal and creature on our planet we know of, except ourselves and our vaunted intelligence, are functioning according to their place in Nature because they have no need to do anything else. Our intelligence is generally accepted to be that which makes us ‘better’ than the rest of creation, a convenient word to describe something that may not have been created, but might just happen to be the way it is, because it wants to be….so far we haven’t done too well at learning how to be at one with the rest of creation; quite the opposite as a general rule…..

Hmmm…..well, I guess that’s one way to look at it…… at least with this credo, there’s no guilt, no shame, no incentives, and no rewards, other than self-respect……
___________________________________
— Things We Can Learn from a Dog

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp, and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
18. No matter how often you are criticized, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.

There is nothing I need to add to this; it’s just fine the way it is. If there is any creature on this planet that might really be the physical manifestation of Jesus Christ, it would be a dog, for sure. Probably a border collie, they’re pretty smart…..
___________________________________

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now, here is indeed deep insight into human nature! One must respect MLKII, not merely because of his integrity and commitment to a higher purpose, but because he did so when there was no expectation of success or reward. Even those who disagreed with him (a group I am not part of, thankfully) learned to respect him, even as they reviled his positions. And this particular statement is one that applies to all human behavior and interaction. Much of the current world-wide troubles stem from this principle’s veracity; in too many corners of the world, people are oppressed, held down at the behest of tyrannical leadership in the name of either religion, geography, or sheer human avarice, unable to speak for fear of reprisal. But, eventually, one of them does speak out, and is heard by those in thrall with him. One man, or woman, showing the bravery to fight for their freedom, can inspire a million others; when that happens, change happens. It is well to remember that it takes only one person to act with courage and honor to change the world. But that one person must speak out when they witness, or are are victimized by the cruelty and rapaciousness of those who prey on their fellow men…… It is then a good thing, for all of us, to find opportunities to………practice acts of random kindness and senseless beauty, and be brave in the face of evil…..
___________________________________

“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD)
— Socrates, xiv

Discouraging, isn’t it? This concept has been part of mankind’s legacy of wisdom for AT LEAST 1900 years, and we are still struggling with the war between good and evil, knowledge and ignorance. If one is the type who is easily discouraged in the face of difficult problems, this would definitely be a major obstacle to finding a solution. I think the part of this issue that is particularly hard to accept is that a lot of people enjoy their ignorance, and resist any attempts at education, or for that matter, any type of change, either in what they think, or what they do. Today’s culture is, sadly, infused with a sense of entitlement by far too many people regarding their actions and thoughts. They believe that what they want, no matter how destructive or indifferent to the rights of others, is owed to them by the universe. It is this sense of entitlement, promulgated and reinforced by religious organizations, that is the root cause of most of the problems we face as a species, to wit: pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, extreme climate change, and most significantly, the economic disparity so glaringly obvious it’s pasted all over the news on a daily basis. I’m still a tiny bit optimistic, but it’s getting hard to maintain any positive energy about this issue, and I wish that I were smart enough to be able to come up with something in the way of a solution. How to accomplish change in others has always been a mystery. The changes we need now are all internal, proprietary to each individual human, and the changes must be initiated by them, or they won’t be real, and we’ll continue down this road to perdition, instead of to redemption……___________________________________

I confess that I love Pooh and have never seen Beavis and Butthead.

Well, maybe I’ve seen a couple minutes of the two bozos; it took no longer than that to notice that watching it was killing brain cells. I haven’t bothered to watch again. Nothing I saw was at all attractive to my taste, so continuing to watch would have merely annoyed me, and caused arguments with my kids, who were fortunately old enough not to take the show seriously. The very existence of the show could arguably be considered as proof of the arguments presented in the section prior to this one. It could be considered one more manipulative attempt at mind-control by the PTB, deadening otherwise normal people’s sensitivity and intelligence by overexposure to deep ignorance. It’s not an unusual tactic; television is the perfect medium for distributing propaganda, disguised as comedy, or as dramatic, pseudo-intellectual thrillers. Why do you think cop shows are so popular? In reply, I will refer you to the quote above by Diogenes Lertius, via Socrates…..the battle goes on, with ignorance leading on points, which, of course, were awarded by default, due to lack of protest on the part of the normals……
___________________________________

I can’t say I’ve lacked for anything to say today, can I? I’ve done you a small favor, by only having four sections today, rather than the customary five. I did so because I wrote so much in the introduction that I am now getting fatigued, though I’ve only been up about an hour and a quarter. It would probably be best if I just stop now, before I cannot…….y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Launched with dignity and pomp…..

Posted on December 23, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Ambivalence is never a good thing, and feeling it immediately upon awakening is, in the words of Gen X, totally bogus. I much prefer a sense of purpose and investment; it just makes the day go better. But I suppose it’s another test, and I’m supposed to get up and find a way to work around the lack of drive. I can do it, it’s merely a matter of focus; it’s just that the ambivalence makes it hard to work up any enthusiasm for anything. And enthusiasm is what makes things work, providing us with the energy to follow through. Well, sitting around complaining about won’t get anything done, so let’s dive right in……SPLASH…….
___________________________________

“Our congressmen are the finest body of men money can buy.” — Morey Amsterdam (written for Will Rogers)

“I used to be amused. Now I’m just disgusted.” I didn’t write the previous sentence, but feel I can claim it as my own, as it describes my attitude perfectly, and was given without attribution. So I don’t know who said it, but he must have been channeling me, because it’s exactly how I feel. I thought when Obama was elected in 2008 that things had a chance to get a little better. I’m old enough to know that it’s difficult for any president to get anything done these days; the party that didn’t elect him spends too much time blocking any attempt at reform, and in general throwing up obstacles to getting anything done, much less anything useful.

But it’s gotten worse out there. The Republicans have offered no compromise at all, and have spent four years trying to find a chink in the President’s armor. But what they don’t realize (thank goodness) is that the harder they try to besmirch the office, the more absurd and pathetic they appear to the voters. Of the 8 or 9 candidates running for the Republican nomination, all but one of them has already shown the voting public more than enough foolishness and false information to have them voting Democrat. I just hope they don’t catch on to what they’re doing to themselves until November of next year……
___________________________________

The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror.
It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing.
It receives but does not keep.
— Chuang Tzu

I will be honest with you; the way things are going today, it’s the only hope I have…..I was going to open a discussion of this subtle concept, for it is an important step in realizing one’s true nature, and is helpful in getting us through times of turmoil. But honesty compels me to admit that today, I just don’t have enough subtlety to carry it off. I think today might be a good one to just stay indoors and try to avoid contact with other people; I’m uncertain as to what may happen, and it’s probably best for all for me to pull into my shell for a day. No need to go out and bring my nasty attitude to bear on the outside world. It’s never a good outcome when I do, and I can only be glad now for all 61 years I have under my belt, that have taught me that foresight is invaluable in the search for tranquility……
___________________________________

“People who don’t Think probably don’t have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that’s blown into their heads by mistake.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

And the world now has an unlimited supply, thanks to gas and electric clothes dryers…..we’re going to need a large supply to fill 7 billion empty heads….. according to new evidence gathered by the National Speculative Science Foundation, dryer fluff makes an excellent filler for anyone who prefers watching reruns of “Charmed” to actual participation in physical activity with other humans.

If anyone reading this thinks that this is foolishness, think again…..I’ve mentioned previously about how the average IQ is falling in direct proportion to the growth of population, and how it is not a guess, and not a joke; it is a proven scientific and mathematical fact. In coming years, we will all be dealing with the effects of this, as our own inability to control our impulses continues to bring us incrementally closer to extinction, while our ability to deal with it creatively reduces itself at an ever growing rate.

I have reached a point where I just don’t know what we will do, as a species. My intelligence tells me that there is very little hope for mankind, not without some major changes that I don’t see happening. My heart, meanwhile, grieves for the promise our species brings to the universe, and for the possible beauty that we are able to create out of our imagination, beauty that will never be seen, because we will be gone…..and we don’t have a return ticket…….
___________________________________

Hell hath no fury like a vested interest masquerading as a moral principle.

I could spend a lot of time on this subject; goodness knows I do so already. But this one is so easy, I had to bring it in. It’s easy because the news today, for the last four months, and until the election next November is and will be filled with perfectly obvious examples of this very idea. We have, at last count, seven people in the news every day campaigning for the Republican nomination; of that seven, at least five have already given notice that they are fully invested in carrying out their campaigns based on the above concept.

They have a vested interest in keeping voters in the dark regarding their true motivation (i.e. to steal at will, while exercising power over others to their benefit only) while claiming to be of such a bent as to be attractive to the faith-based voting populace. They spout off about the evil rampant today because there’s a “nigger in the woodpile” (i.e. a black President), going on to cast doubt on proven scientific facts (which privately they probably agree with), and call it patriotism. It’s enough to make a sane man go out and buy a gun…….and don’t forget the ammunition….there’s plenty of targets…..
___________________________________

“You doubted Me, God tells the Lawgiver [Moses], But I forgave you that doubt. You doubted your own self and failed to believe in your own powers as a leader, and I forgave you that also. But you lost faith in these people and doubted the divine possibilities of Human Nature. THIS loss of faith makes it impossible for you to enter the Promised Land. — The Midrash

Now, THIS really pisses me off! I’m unaware of what the Midrash might be, but it’s immaterial at this point. If this is really how the Christian God thinks, then as far as I’m concerned, his devotees are welcome to Him.. Such BULLSHIT! This is like handing a loaded gun to a five year old, telling him to be careful not to point it at anyone, and sending him out to play with his friends. Then you get pissed at the kid because he shoots the dog. I have seen more evidence of intelligence and compassion from Nazi skinheads, who are currently in the lead for the “dumbest shits on the planet” award, just ahead of the Republican candidates currently spewing their venom on TV.

How can anyone bear to bring themselves to believe in an omnipotent god, who for some reason was not omnipotent enough to leave out the need to kill that is so much part of our nature? I’m not buying it, unless God is just a Spoiled Little Boy who made us this way, just to watch us torment ourselves, as we continually fail to meet impossible standards. Which, come to think of it, makes as much sense as what the Episcopalians and the 700 Club are dishing out.

I want no part of a God who would set up the world the way it has been done. If you’re going to assume some intelligent design, then how do you explain the fact that just about every characteristic of a human sets itself at odds with the rest of creation? It is not intelligent to create a creature as complex and volatile as a human, imbue us with a religious mandate to lord it over all the other creatures on the planet, and yet leave out any sort of ability to learn how to control themselves, subsequently blaming the predictably ugly results on the humans who were only living up to the nature they were given.

I’m sorry folks, but you just can’t have it both ways. Either things are not created, but evolved to this stage, and chaos rules the bottom line. Or you can buy into creationism, and completely ignore the flaws present in the creation. How can a perfect God create such imperfect people? The answer is, he didn’t. There is no he, no she, as we understand it, sitting up in the sky on a throne of gold, messing with our heads.

There may indeed be creatures in this vast universe who are as far beyond us as we are beyond the amoeba (though, come to think of it, amoeba are immortal, you know. Does that mean they’re better than us, or is Death just our reward for having lived in torment?). But if there are any such enlightened entities, they aren’t very interested in us, and won’t be until we can, A) demonstrate some kind of ability to keep from killing each other, and B) be able to carry on a rational dialogue without giving in to the urge to pull out a gun. In short, we need to grow up and act like adults. Not much hope of that in the near future, I’m afraid…..

“It [the Bible] is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies. ” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910) — Letters from the Earth (1905-1909)
___________________________________

There!….that should cause some comments. I should know better than to write about politics and religion on the same day. It always brings out my tendency to rant…..but, hey, somebody’s got to do it, eh? Why not me?…… Sorry there’s no poetry today; couldn’t find anything appropriate that fit. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Hey! This cue ball isn’t round!…

Posted on December 22, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Hello…..I’m trying to find myself. Has anyone seen me lately? So frustrating; I just set myself down yesterday, and when I got up, I wasn’t there anymore. I hate when this happens. It just throws a monkey wrench into my works, and I have to spend an unknown period of wasted time looking for myself in all the places I hide. This time, I think I must have come up with a new place, because I’m not in any of the old places. Oh well, for today, we’ll just have to go on without me. You go ahead, I’ll catch up…..
___________________________________

Women, cats, and golf; man was not meant to understand these things.

If this isn’t true, it should be. I can attest in all three areas that trying to understand any of them is fruitless. Golf, for me, isn’t a terribly big issue; I didn’t take it up until I was almost 40, so I don’t feel bad that knowledge of its deep magic may never be mine. Cats, in my opinion, are also unpredictable in their interactions. Cats were worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt, and they have never forgotten; it shows in their disdain for any mere human rules. And women! Boy, like any man my age, I could spend days recounting how many ways women have shown me that anything I think I know about them is ridiculously, pathetically useless in figuring out how to deal with them. No matter how well one knows a woman, they can change at the drop of a name, and exhibit characteristics we’ve never seen before, anywhere or when. It is a wise man indeed who keeps this knowledge in the forefront of awareness in his dealing with women; it’s the only chance we have of emerging from the contact unscathed. But, you know what? For all three of them, I wouldn’t have it any other way…..because it just makes them more attractive as a goal to know that bringing out the best in each will be challenging. And challenges, met with courage and wit, make us stronger, and feel more alive…..
___________________________________

“Yesterday I saw a chicken crossing the road. I asked it why. It told me it was none of my business.” — Steven Wright

Steven Wright’s may be the strangest mind ever produced by humans. I love the way his vision distorts the reality that the rest of us normally perceive, twisting it into some of the oddest configurations anyone has ever seen, and each is more hilarious than the last. When I used the old format for Pearls, at least once a year, I’d collect several of his jokes to present in a group, just because it was a great way to break rhythm, and it was always one of the best received productions of the year.

His genius lies, I think, in the way he can make ordinary life appear to be 180 degrees from where it actually is, and still make us see it as normal. The contrast between what he sees as normal, and our own, is what produces the laughter, just as if you had walked into a door and were forced to laugh at yourself. I’m just glad that he is alive now, and giving the world his unique take; it’s good to know that since he’s near my age, I’ll have had his humor to help me get through for almost my entire life. That’s a good thing; one can never have too many sources to help us laugh, even if, and especially if, it is at ourselves…..
___________________________________

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” — Confucius

“He who does neither is eligible to join the crowd as a Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2012.” — gigoid

Although there are moments, when I’m reading some new report on the latest verbal bomb from the Republican gallery of fools, that I despair for the race, I have to admit it’s really handy for us writers. Every day, sometimes several times, we are presented with a huge bounty of material by these folks, who seem to not only have the habit of shooting themselves in the foot, but seem to enjoy it, and, at best, are using it as a campaign tactic to draw attention. There isn’t even any need to go deep to look for stuff the politicos would rather you didn’t know, because they have taken it upon themselves to offer that information in their own statements, made obvious by their loquaciousness on certain subjects, and their reluctance to speak on others. It’s almost as if they are printing up pictures of themselves with arrows pointing to their most vulnerable points.

I really don’t understand how so many obviously unqualified and downright idiotic people ever got the notion that they could possibly do this. The only thing I can come up with is that they are completely out of touch with any sort of objective information, and have determined that their own subjective judgments are sufficient reason to qualify them for the Presidency. In other words, they are delusional, as that word is defined as “continuing to hold as truth information that has been proven false.” Now, do we really want anyone who suffers from delusional thinking to be the one holding the button that launches the nuclear holocaust? I don’ know about you, but I would give that question a resounding “NO!”…..and not feel a whit of guilt…..
___________________________________

“The world is full of burled and gnarly knobs on which you can hang a metaphysical system. If you must.” — Edward Abbey

Here then is a logical mind. My evidence? His reluctance to impose an invented set of rules on a world that resists any such restraint is, in my mind, eminently sensible. Why do we have to make up stuff to try to explain how the universe functions? What quality does our curiosity have that compels us to seek out some kind of system to help us to deal with reality that simply exists, as it is, no ups, no extras needed? Humans seem to want some kind of order to their existence, and for some reason, can’t seem to come to terms with things the way they are. They seem to need to apply their own set of prejudices to the world, an impulse stemming from some unknown inner compulsion that has held back the tide of human progress for just about our entire history.

My own opinion is that human nature, being what it is, noted way back in the old days, that a man with no principles can manipulate other people through their own set of behavioral rules. By balancing a friendly, smiling face with a completely sociopathic conscience, they have been able to keep most of mankind in thrall ever since we first started farming and coming together in cities to trade. And they continue today to blithely steal and rob from us without compunction, and without consequence. As a matter of fact the news of late has been full of evidence of their millennial-long hold over the rest of humanity. We (the gullible masses, as identified in 1935 by H. L. Mencken, who coined the word ‘the booboisie’) have even given them a name; we now call them the 1%.

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.” — Albert Einstein

The battle lines for Armageddon have been drawn, and the combatants have chosen their sides; the war is coming, and I wouldn’t do a thing to stop it, because freeing ourselves from the people who live for power is our only hope for survival as a species. The 1% probably believes that they will be the only survivors of a world-wide catastrophe, and odds are, they may be right. But I’ll be damned if I’ll go without putting up an epic fight, for my life, and my liberty……

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Walt Kelly (in POGO)
___________________________________

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.
— Emily Dickinson

We’ve all heard the question, in some form or another, “if you could talk to anyone in history for an hour, to whom would you ask to speak?”. Well, I’d want to talk to Emily……maybe it makes me strange (which is okay, and not entirely untrue), but I’d really like to be able to spend some time absorbing her world-view. According to reports she was rather reclusive, so it might be a struggle to get her to agree, but she is still the one I’d ask for. Having always wished I could be a better poet, I hold close to my heart the hope (as described so eloquently above) that by sharing space and thoughts with her for a time, perhaps some piece of her talent would transfer to my soul. SIGH…..one can always hope…..
___________________________________

Today’s effort was just that…an effort. But, I’m glad to say I was up to the challenge, at least in a manner of speaking. Which when you think of it, about all I have to offer is my manner of speaking. Thus, having given of all I have, I shall bid thee adieu……y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Monthly Archives: December 2011

Alternate methods of removing recalcitrant pianists….

Splendid specimens, sir….do they wiggle?

Salsa requires rhythm, and tight shoes……

Whiskey for breakfast, misery for lunch….

Virtual reality caught on tape…..

Look, Nancy, it’s a pregnant Paradox!

Taking the long road home…..

Life, Death, and Six Inch Stiletto Heels…..

Launched with dignity and pomp…..

Hey! This cue ball isn’t round!…

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