Monthly Archives: December 2012

Rooms full of attenuated pilgrims….

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Ffolkes,
Most blogs you’ll visit today will be talking about the day, since it is New Year’s Eve. There will be all sorts of lists, of course, of the most significant events, pictures, ideas, stories, etc. of the past year, as well as speculation and predictions about the upcoming one. Some folks will share their New Year’s resolutions with us, while some will give their reasons for not making them…. All quite predictable, ultimately, and typical of the human need to acknowledge the passage of time with celebratory festivities, and relatively useless discussion of things that can no longer be changed, because they are now in the past . Here at ECR, though, we laugh at such folly….. It’s just another day to us, and another opportunity for Murphy to show his ugly face….

Exploring consensual reality means more than just talking about what people see as real; it means being real, and learning to accept the reality of others, while at the same time rejecting all those realities that are harmful in some way. It means speaking up against all the cruelty and evil that we see, refusing to join the masses who try to ignore what they cannot understand, and therefore, fear. It means exposing those who live their lives without regard for anyone else. It means taking responsibility for one’s own actions, and insisting that others do the same. It means, to me, that even though there is little hope of changing human nature at this late date, a small chance exists that we can survive, provided we learn to embrace ALL of life with honest regard, and can find a way to bring out the best in human nature, rather than allowing the worst to run rampant…..

And that, pompous as it is, is ALL we will say about the future, or the past year, for the time being. Everyone else will, I’m sure, cover that adequately, and it would be a waste of my time to add to what is already a massive outpouring of material to read. I’d much rather provide something a bit different, and shall endeavor to do so, post haste….. Sorry, once pomposity sets in, it’s hard to put down…..

Today’s first pearl is a pretty big one, and fairly deep, in some respects; it’s been growing now for a couple of days, actually, since the first part occurred to me. It’s certainly not a typical article or subject, in that it is somewhat less than tolerant of moral weakness than some might say is warranted; no matter, I’m my own harshest critic, now that I’m not married anymore. If I start being easy on myself in this, it would just spread to other areas of my experience, and that’s not going to happen. Even though I don’t always agree with the logic of societal mores, there is something to be said about the old saw, about how taking the first step toward evil deeds can lead to more of the same, until one has lost the way back to decency. One has to draw the line somewhere….

Enough meandering…. I had intended to be much more artistic this morning…. Alas, though Frank and Earnest remain present, Art seems to have taken a leave of absence…. Ah well, such is life in paradise on a foggy, cold, final day of the year. It seems our only alternative is to begin the Beguine, in a manner of speaking…. Shall we Pearl?……
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Forgiveness. How does a person without faith in a higher power obtain this boon? Certainly not from themselves…. I know, if I have done something for which I feel the need, or desire, to be forgiven, then I most likely don’t deserve it, and refuse to give in to self-indulgence. According to the preachers, God forgives all, but damn me if I can see any reason to do so, no matter how ‘merciful’ he/she/it might be. How can anyone expect moral behavior, if even our most grievous sins are forgiven? Because of the promise of reward for compliance, or threat of punishment for refusal to conform? I agree with Albert Einstein, that any such philosophy is not realistic, and certainly not moral…..

“In his private heart no man much respects himself.” — Mark Twain

All of us, without exception, have things we hide inside ourselves, secrets that nobody else will ever be told. Whether it is a memory of an act one is not proud of, or a bit of severe foolishness, or something so shameful that to share it would be to become a pariah, all of us humans have secrets. I would guess that almost all of them are akin to what is described in the first paragraph, to wit: acts that need forgiveness, but do not deserve it. I believe that this may be a method by which one can tell another person’s outlook on religion, for almost all religions are based on this principle, of divine forgiveness. Even though we may do things in life that are unforgivable, the gods, or God, for the monotheistic among us, are so merciful, that they will do so, if you but acknowledge their divinity, and admit they are your higher power…..

It’s a good deal, all in all, if one buys it. Myself, I’m a bit sanguine about it, since I only have the word of the preachers that it is so; there is no real evidence to be found that supports the theory, and the scientist in me wants at least a little bit of proof before accepting something as truth. I’m not going to buy anything just on someone else’s word, or assertion of truth; I’ve been alive long enough to know that doing things like that can only lead to losing something, if only the advantage of self-respect.

“His ignorance covers the world like a blanket, and there’s scarcely a hole in it anywhere.” — Mark Twain

Wait, I thought we were talking about religion, not the last Republican President….. Sorry, couldn’t resist…. Any who, it all comes back to the basic idea of how we view reality, in terms of the concept of God, or a power greater than ourselves, that is responsible somehow for everything that exists, and thus, for us. By giving away that responsibility, I think, we are showing our own cowardice; I’m not willing to do that, not without more compelling evidence than hearsay.

I’m not blind to the other evidence that many religionists claim as being proof of God and his will; I’ve burst into tears myself at the sight of a particularly vivid sunrise, without knowing why, other than the beauty of it was so arrestingly powerful. I’ve seen good things happen everywhere, in human interaction, and in Nature. I’ve witnessed what priests like to call “grace”, and will admit that such events are not explainable by ordinary means. I’ve also witnessed the other side of existence, where human nature turns dark and cruel, while Nature reveals its own complete indifference for human suffering, and cannot accept that the same entity would dare to assume, or want responsibility for such a wicked universe, even if the balance of good and evil is maintained by the presence of the other.

That assumption is purely human, and thus does not qualify, in my mind, as evidence of divinity in the form of God, by any of the visions held by any of the churches of Mankind. Unless, of course, one goes beyond doctrine, into philosophy, where the above contradictions do not apply, or can be explained by one further assumption. That assumption is a hard one for most humans, as it involves taking responsibility for EVERYTHING that they do, and for everything that happens to them. (Yep, that’s a paraphrase of the basic principle of Karma…) In other words, as Robert Heinlein put it so aptly in Stranger In a Strange Land, “Thou art God.”  I know, it’s blasphemous, but, hey, been there, done that, let’s get past it…. It is the only explanation that fits ALL the facts in evidence, and even if a bit grandiose, really isn’t, because we are, after all, just a bunch of bozos on the bus.

Being God, though, would be a really boring job, the way the job descriptions in all the churches read, and I don’t think I want to take that on, particularly. It may be the only way I can find any forgiveness for those things I’ve done in my long life of which I am not proud, but, since I don’t feel that I SHOULD be forgiven for them, I think I’ll just accept the responsibility, along with the consequence, a certain lessening of my self-esteem, and try to act in the future in ways that won’t make me feel that way…. It really isn’t hard to be good, in reality, as long as you care…. The problem is, not enough people care, or even think about stuff like this….. Me, I can’t help myself…… Caring, to me, is what being human is about; those who don’t care aren’t fully human, and won’t be until they do…..

“I am covered with pure vegetable oil and I am writing a best seller!”  — Zippy the Pinhead
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A Mountain Revelry

To wash and rinse our souls of their age-old sorrows,
We drained a hundred jugs of wine.
A splendid night it was . . . .
In the clear moonlight we were loath to go to bed,
But at last drunkenness overtook us;
And we laid ourselves down on the empty mountain,
The earth for pillow, and the great heaven for coverlet.

Li Po
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“William Shakespeare: Never did any author precipitate himself from such heights of thought to so low expressions, as he often does. He is the very Janus of poets; he wears, almost everywhere, two faces: and you have scarce begun to admire the one, e’er you despise the other.” — John Dryden

At last…. corroboration from an historical figure, one with quite a reputation for intelligence and clarity of thought and expression. It is heartening, and satisfying, to know that there are others in the world who share my opinion of the great majority of Shakespeare’s work. If you’ve been coming to this blog for long, you’ll have seen previous entries detailing how little enthusiasm I have for Will’s writing. He was damn prolific, for sure, and did write some nice stuff. Most of it, however, quite frankly should be shit-piled, as barely comprehensible nonsense, written by a man with an excellent advertising manager, and mediocre talent.

Since I insist on proof of any assertion, I give you the following  quotes from various works by Will…. if you can make heads or tails of them, please let me know…. I have about four or five pages of quotes like these of his, all of which stretch the meaning of the word “obscure”….

I were better to be eaten to death with a rust than to be scoured to nothing with perpetual motion.  — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Henry IV — Act i, Sc. 2

“To the latter end of a fray and the beginning of a feast
Fits a dull fighter and a keen guest.”

— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Henry IV — Act iv, Sc. 2

“My fate cries out,
And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion’s nerve.”

— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet — Act i, Sc. 4

“Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein.”  — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Richard III — Act iv, Sc. 2

“Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy.” — William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Act III, scene ii

Even taking into account the Middle English, it’s all a crock, as far as I can see…. If y’all fell differently, feel free to comment…. My opinions are flexible, and able to be influenced by rational debate…. I hope…..
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It will have to do…. It’s got a lot of work in it, or, at least, a lot of effort and thought, but, somehow, it seems incomplete. I have yet to pick a poem, but that isn’t it. I can’t quite focus on the reason why it feels like that…. Ah well, c’est la vie, n’est pas? I guess if that is all he can do, Murphy will settle for a bit of feeling unsettled for no good reason….. gotta love that ol’ unspecified diffuse anxiety, otherwise known as general malaise, and so familiar to all of us with PTSD. It seems to always be hovering, just out of sight, ready to slide in without us noticing, until we find ourselves looking through glasses that are not rose colored, but rather, lenses through which the world looks grey and dispirited…. I hope the sun comes out later…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Just another well-planned wardrobe malfunction….

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6

Ffolkes,
Having survived the nightly battle with my pillows, I awoke pretty early today, with no real story or discussion in mind, but lots of eagerness to begin writing. Now, I’m wondering why I bothered, as I’m sitting here staring at the blank screen, without a single word coming to mind. It seemed to take forever just to formulate that first sentence….. which is kind of surprising, actually. As I lay in bed this morning, just before getting up, several story beginnings were vying for attention in my head; now, they’re acting like virgins at a biker bar, bashful and reticent, and refusing to come out of the ladies room…..

Of course, none of the story lines would be allowed in a ladies room, even in a biker bar, so the analogy isn’t really accurate, but you get the picture. I don’t like to think that this reluctance to be written has anything to do with Murphy; as yet he hasn’t shown that kind of influence INSIDE my head, just in the outer world. But, it could be my own foolishness fussing with me, copying Murphy’s techniques; that is a scary thought, itself, and I sincerely hope it isn’t the case. I don’t think so, but, what with all the quotes from Zippy running around in there, one never knows for sure….. and, when under the influence of his darker side, Pooh can be pretty tricky, in a nasty sort of way…..

At this point, there isn’t any way to check which is the correct supposition, so we’ll use our normal method of dealing with odd stuff around here, and just ignore it until it either goes away, or fixes itself. It seems to work for me….. even if I have to clean the walls more often than most ffolkes do….. I’m just happy that modern cleaning solutions are effective at removing blood stains from almost any surface; otherwise, the landlord would NOT be a happy camper….. and neither would I be….

Okay, that’s probably enough. Since I was unable to come up with a literary opening, having to settle instead for more inane babbling on my part, the normal course of events around here would lead us into the primary sections of the Pearl in question, via the dive into Smart Bee’s massive database of wisdom and humor. And so it shall be today…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“History is a lie commonly agreed upon.” — Nietzsche

I often wonder how the future will view these times, it being a given that the fabric of our society is based primarily on lies and/or delusions.* Which ones will stand the test of time, and end up in the books as being the one everyone agrees upon? It has also been said that history is always  written by the winners, and that seems to me to be fairly close to the real truth of the matter. It would be a bit more acceptable to me if it weren’t so bloody predictable, and that there was at least a small chance that the events we experience would be reported truthfully. Alas, I am not hopeful that will ever be the case…..

* (Note the use of the technique of the positively stated assertion, using the assumption of its truth as proven, the same as exemplified in ALL religious doctrines as the basis for their truth and relativity…. Just thought I’d make it clear, that this is real, serious stuff….   🙂   ….)

In all honesty, I’m not convinced that we, as a species, will have much of a future. Given the current state of the environment, I can’t see us lasting more than a couple hundred years more, without some major changes to society, changes that are not imminent, or even under consideration. When I first started this blog, over a year ago, I posted a link, to a World Clock at Poodwaddle.com ( I love the human imagination!…..). You can find that clock here:  http://www.poodwaddlecom/clocks/worldclock/     This clock has a number of faces, one of which shows exactly how much CO and CO2, along with unnatural amounts of other toxic substances, are being pumped into the atmosphere every second, by industrial and manufacturing facilities, and by cars and other vehicles.

I am a scientist, first. I chose the path of the scientist in my youth, before my tenth birthday, before the warrior’s path I chose later. In essence, scientists ARE warriors, and vice versa, as battling the universe requires study to be effective, and acquiring knowledge requires the curiosity and courage of a warrior, in order to find, and face, Truth. Each path, or persona, complements the other, and, in my time, have led me on a journey of great beauty and wonder. This journey, though, is in danger of being ended before its time, by the asininity of the human race….

There are some scientists who believe that humans do not have the power to harm the planet, and the danger is not as great as others, and the evidence, might indicate. In one respect, they are right…. I don’t think the planet itself is in danger from what we are doing, though I’m sure it is suffering pain from the symptoms we’ve managed to saddle it with in our time. No, our activities, such as polluting the air and water, wasting resources, and killing the other creatures we live with indiscriminately, only endanger us, and the other life forms on the planet. Once we are gone, the planet will easily clean itself of the trash we deposited everywhere, and move on to the next evolutionary step in the parade of Time.

“Where man walks the earth hurts.” — Smart Bee

Many years ago, I used to believe in the ingenuity of scientists, to overcome the technological difficulties we’ve created, and find a way to keep us alive, perhaps by colonizing space, and leaving Earth behind. But, the figures don’t lie, and the figures say we don’t have the time to fool around waiting for space travel to solve the problems we have. By the time we could achieve any kind of significant progress there, we would be forced to live in domes, and wear protective gear to go outside them, to walk on the surface of our own world. That is if there are enough remaining resources to build the domes, and to power them sufficiently to survive.

The other possible solution is for the ruling classes of our species to come to their senses, to reverse their moral compasses, and start acting in the best interests of everyone, instead of just themselves. The whole problem with pollution we have today exists solely because the ruling classes, the people who control all the resources, don’t have any moral compass, or, choose to deliberately ignore its demands. They choose to deliberately structure society in their own favor, so that they have the power and control over what occurs, while the rest of us try to survive on what they don’t want. It is the same picture that history has drawn for all the millenia since we came out of the caves to live in cities, and the 1% of mankind who is in control is not interested in helping anyone else, unless and until they have secured their own….

Even the lies we agree upon in history show this to be true, so I don’t think there is a huge chance that we will see any changes before it is too late for it to matter. I just don’t see those in the beloved ruling class all of a sudden reversing the entire course of the history they’ve chosen to allow to happen; it is not in their nature to be altruistic to even a small degree. We are either going to have to rise up and throw them out on their asses, or suffer an ignominious death, when the air we can no longer breathe begins to choke us as we walk down the street toward our destiny….. which at this point, leads only to a coffin…..

“I can’t decide which WRONG TURN to make first!! I wonder if BOB GUCCIONE has these problems!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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Absence

I have scarcely left you
When you go in me, crystalline,
Or trembling,
Or uneasy, wounded by me
Or overwhelmed with love, as
when your eyes
Close upon the gift of life
That without cease I give you.

My love,
We have found each other
Thirsty and we have
Drunk up all the water and the
Blood,
We found each other
Hungry
And we bit each other
As fire bites,
Leaving wounds in us.

But wait for me,
Keep for me your sweetness.
I will give you too
A rose.

Pablo Neruda
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So, there I was, cruising through Smart Bee, and the following quotes popped up, not in this order, but, enough so that the picture they make together is relatively clear. It is merely a reiteration of a theme common to this blog, and needs no significant explanation in order for almost anyone to enjoy…. If the meaning isn’t clear, well, that’s okay, too…. Each of the quotes is good, simple stuff (hmm…. that word, again….), the stuff of which real, not virtual, wisdom is made. And, the crown of potential achievement offered by the overall view of reality that these show is virtually unlimited….

Whew! That’s quite a lot to ask of a few simple aphorisms, but, it’s just the kind of guy I am, I guess…. I just want everyone to be happy, that’s all…. (actually, Aristotle said, approximately, “He who tries to be friends with all, is friend to none.”) Well, maybe that’s a bit presumptuous…. but, I do want everyone to use what they have between their ears, and I’m not talking about their fabulous hair…. In any case, I think this makes a good pearl, so good, it WILL be on the Quiz, should we ever have one…..

“The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists.  That is why they invented Hell.” — Bertrand Russell

“Being good at being stupid doesn’t count.” — Smart Bee

“Such is the human race.  Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party didn’t miss the boat.” — Mark Twain

“I give up, what is the meaning of life?” — Smart Bee

“For several years more I maintained public relations with the Almighty. But privately, I ceased to associate with him.” — Jean-Paul Sartre

“I have partaken of the Great Banquet of Life.  What I need now is the Great Alka-Seltzer of Life.” — Smart Bee

See? As I said, numerous times before, it’s all in the wrist….. and, timing is everything.  TTFN….. (ta ta for now…)
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SIGH…. another attack of whimsy there at the end, but, all in all, not too bad, I think. Actually, after going back over it to edit and proof, it’s better than not bad, by a few notches, at least. Once again, it has reached that point of doneness that qualifies it for publication, and I’m glad. It was pretty hard work, in spots…. At any rate, as I said, it’s done, so, I’m off to a spot to publish….

The library is out, so coffee shop is in; the email Pearl Drops should be happy, they’ll get their morning nonsense right in their inbox….. I know, I’m making an unwarranted assumption that seeing my Pearls makes them happy, but, hey, what else do you think keeps this going but my ego? Or, at least, the assumption of an ego…. Whatever…. I’ve now lost all credibility, I’m sure, so I may as well take your leave, before I do any further damage…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

Kowabunga!

Patently, it won’t fly straight….

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5

Ffolkes,
Oh, gosh….. it’s happening again. Of course, if I had the vaguest idea of what it was, I could probably figure out how to keep it from happening. Since I don’t even have a vague clue, it will have to run its course….. and who knows the consequences better than I? Well, maybe someone who actually knew what they were talking about might know better, but I haven’t found anyone like that, either. I suppose Murphy thinks he’s cool or something, for having foisted it upon me once more, but he is still the world’s biggest asshole, and you can tell him I said so…. After all these years of suffering at his hands, he don’t scare me none…. I can take it…..

Now, if you are confused by the above paragraph, then my work here is done….. No, really, there’s no point to it, or in it, or even near it. It’s just that I noticed that Murphy seems to make my intro section, at least for a mention, just about every day. He certainly appears on my tag cloud every day, as being one of the subjects under discussion in the Pearl for the day….. That is not necessarily something I wish to be, but, it’s like that hive of bees living in my head….. there they are. So, I figured, today, I’ll just get his mention out of the way in paragraph one, and be done with it. I should have known, he would be there to force me into further mention, stretching his influence to another paragraph or two….. and, yep, here he is, in number two, with more needed to be said.

Murphy’s bottom line is this: If something CAN go wrong, it WILL go wrong. The not so obvious, but no less true corollary is : If there is a chance of more than one thing going wrong, the one that happens will be the one that will cause the most damage. There are, of course, many more corollaries and codicils to the basic law, and all of them hammer home the same theme, i.e., you are not in charge of the universe, so get used to it…… I know, that’s a bit harsh, but, it’s true, nonetheless. I didn’t write it, you know, I just point it out….

Maybe if he would leave me be occasionally, I wouldn’t feel so compelled to disrespect him in print so often. But, NOOOOOOOO, he can’t even let me go a single day without registering his presence somehow, generally within moments of my waking up. It’s as if he had a grudge against me for something I’ve done that annoyed him, but, damn me if I know what it might have been. He doesn’t seem interested in letting me know what it was, or is, that I’ve done, or do, so there isn’t much I can do about it, beyond sucking it up and getting on with the day. Which is probably what I should do now, as this damned intro section is getting out of hand again…. Damn! When I began, I had no intention of putting out four or five paragraphs on this, but, here I am in the fourth one, and no signs of slowing down are noted…..

I would guess the only solution now is to just dump this where it is, and go for the morning dive. What the hell, it can’t be any more ridiculous than this is getting to be, eh? It’s enough to give one pause, in considering how the upcoming new year is going to go, given Murphy’s ubiquitous attentions. Brrr, that makes me shiver…. I think I’ll just go on now, and not even go there…. Three days to the New Year is close enough for me, thanks….. Shall we Pearl?

“Whatever it is, it won’t work.” — Smart Bee
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Here is a very, very old school pearl…. Back in 1998 or so, when I first started creating the P’sOVW, there was only one quote included in the daily email, with a few short comments. In essence, I tried to pick quotes that could stand alone, and give the Gentle Reader a nudge in some valuable direction. Over the years, the process has grown to the stage of development you now see here on a daily basis. Who’s to say whether it is an improvement? Only me, and I’m not sure….

Any who, I found this one hanging around Smart Bee, and it stopped me in my tracks…. It is a perfect pearl…. By that, I mean it is, all by itself, worthy of contemplation, and assimilation into one’s world view, by virtue of its depth and veracity…. If you cannot see that, just let the phrase sort of float around in your head a while, and I think you’ll begin to understand….. If not, well, there are more pearls below….

“Truth is an empty room.” — Smart Bee
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I have a Bird in spring
Which for myself doth sing —
The spring decoys.
And as the summer nears —
And as the rose appears,
Robin is gone

Yet I do not repine
Knowing that Bird of mine
Though flown —
Learneth beyond the sea
Melody new for me
And will return.

Faster in a safer hand
Held in a truer Land
Are mine –
And though they now depart,
Tell I my doubting heart
They’re thine.

In a serener Bright
In a more golden light
I see
Each little doubt and fear,
Each little discord here
Removed.

The will I not repine,
Knowing that Bird of mine
Though flown
Shall in a distant tree
Bright melody for me
Return.

~~ Emily Dickinson
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“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

Perhaps Rainer Maria is right, for living without love is often followed by giving up, and death from loneliness. Other, more dark emotions, such as rage, anger, or desire for revenge may give reason to carry on without love, but not for long. These destructive passions will eat up a soul from within if carried for long, as we all have reason to know, from history, and too often, from experience.

When we are in love, we have a purpose for all that we do, and our lifetime of preparation is only then fulfilled. When love goes, or fails to thrive and flourish, for whatever reasons, we lose that sense of purpose, and feel pain as only the bereft can know. Though I have always given my own love freely, I have felt such betrayal myself, all too many times. I cannot explain it, as I’ve never given any of the women with whom I’ve been involved any reason to doubt my love, my fidelity, or my willingness to be flexible. Honor was, apparently, not enough to add to love to make it indispensable…..

“Of all the agonies of life, that which is most poignant and harrowing- that which for the most time annihilates reason and leaves our whole organization one lacerated, mangled heart- is the conviction that we have been deceived where we placed all the trust of love.” — Bulwer

This gets a big, “fer sure!” from me…. Nothing hurts more than love betrayed, and I can say this from personal experience, as can most of us. Ah well, love is a big subject, and I could spend a long time finding quotes, and commenting on them, without ever fully completing the task of understanding love, or understanding what it means to us humans.

In fact, I find myself now lost, with no place to take this pearl that will work to increase my, or your, understanding of the matter. It affects us all, on a very personal level, of course, but each in a different manner, and thus can only be shared with difficulty. Since I’ve lost the thread of what I was searching for, I’ll leave you with some verse on the subject, and leave this discussion in limbo, where it may or may not find its way back to reality….

Amor, ch’al cor gentil ratto s’apprende,
prese costui de la bella persona
che mi fu tolta; e ‘l modo ancor m’offende.
Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona,
mi prese del costui piacer si` forte,
che, come vedi, ancor non m’abbandona.
Amor condusse noi ad una morte.

Love, which is quickly kindled in a gentle heart,
seized this one for the fair form
that was taken from me-and the way of it affects me still.
Love, which absolves no loved one from loving,
seized me so strongly with delight in him,
that, as you see, it does not leave me even now.
Love brought us to one death.

— Dante, La Divina Commedia: Inferno V, vv. 100-106
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I have to say, this is one of the strangest Pearls I’ve done in a while….. Choppy and incomplete is how it feels, though I’ve put in a lot of work to get it where it is. I can honestly say it isn’t the best of all possible Pearls; it isn’t even in the top 50%. But, it has that ineffable characteristic of all good Pearls, to wit: it is done.

It’s probably just as well nobody pays me to do any of this, as that might encourage me….. Not that I need encouragement to continue doing the only thing that is keeping me sane, but, it had to be said…. Perhaps if I was getting paid, I’d have a little shame, but, since I’m not, I think I can get away with it…. as long as y’all don’t blow the whistle on me……  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Simple, yet complex patterns of mist…..

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3

Ffolkes,
Herein lies the last reference to the rigmarole that plagued this site last week, causing me to miss two posts, and creating massive confusion regarding the shape of reality. I have assumed control once more, and there should be no more problems of that nature again. (Until, and unless, Murphy decides to take a hand….. which means it is a matter of when, not whether….)

You may be interested to note that I was able to accomplish my task without loss of life, or reputation, on anyone’s part, which may be a new record. This Pearl, to be posted on 12/28/12, is actually to be written on that date, mostly, and from this point on, the Pearls will be correctly aligned according to real time once more. It’s been a struggle, but it’s done, and I am glad…. I hope y’all suffered no inconveniences during the restructuring process, and no lapses of dignity took place in your absence…..

I only say that because dignity is often in short supply around here…. when we can find any at all. That’s okay, though, because I pretty much gave up on dignity when I hit 62; it’s too much effort, for no tangible reward. I know, that’s awfully American of me, but I’ll have you know that I too can be lazy and ignorant, if I so choose. In the case of dignity, I’ll take the cash, thank you….. Nobody wears dignity anymore, anyway; you won’t find it anywhere in the public arena, or pinned to suits, or worn by statesmen, because there aren’t any. The politicos are all busy trying to out-macho each other, with the public in the middle of the battleground, taking all the hits…. and they’re not worried about their dignity, when they have to worry about whether or not they can eat…..

Perhaps the intro section isn’t the best place for these political mini-rants…. I should expand and develop them into full fledged rants, and I believe from now on I shall do so. Since the election, little has gone on in the political arena, beyond the tax vote that has everyone up in arms, so I’ve not taken the time to put into politics, but, enough is brewing that it needs to be brought out into the light, so people can have the opportunity to throw stuff at it…..

So, look for a few political rants in the coming days of the new year, as I find stuff to discuss; I doubt it will take long to find something sneaky and underhanded that is going on in Washington, since those words tend to define the nature of most of Congress, and everyone in the White House….. Well, Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog belonging to the Obamas probably isn’t TOO sneaky….. But…. he IS a dog, so…. it’s in his nature to bury a bone or two, in a hidden spot….

For today, I am happy to return to fresh material, that I search for, and find, this morning, then write my reaction to what I find. Too much keeps building up in my head when I get too much written ahead of time; it’s uncomfortable and confusing. Maybe now, that poem that has been lurking in the back of my head will be able to find its way out soon. Maybe today, maybe later…….  don’t know, don’t care, because I don’t put ANY type of pressure on my poetry, such as a deadline; I’m too afraid it will stop happening altogether. Ah well, c’est la vie…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“A desire not to butt into other people’s business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom… and the other twenty percent isn’t very important.” “You butt into other people’s business.  All the time.” “Who said I was wise?  I’m a professional bad example.  You can learn a lot by watching me.”  — Jubal Harshaw, in Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein

I would guesstimate that more than 90% of everything I believe about life and the world has its roots in this book by Robert Heinlein, based on the comments of Jubal Harshaw, one of the book’s main characters. Jubal managed to have something to say about just about everything in human culture, and had his own distinct opinion on all of it. Of course, these reflected Heinlein’s own beliefs, but we weren’t supposed to think about that at the time, and had no real effect on anything other than Bob and his friends. The rest of us just appreciated his ironic sense of humor, and the common sense he displayed in such an entertaining fashion.

Medicine, psychology, memory, society, culture, custom, religion and theosophy, politics and political theory, philosophy, military history and structure, strategy, tactics, literature, writing, circuses, carnivals, astronomy, space travel, telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, weaponry, and a host of other subjects…… Every one of these subjects is part of the story Heinlein weaves, as he creates a figure who embraces the entirety of human culture and history, and attempts to change mankind in a way that can help us to overcome those parts of our nature that are giving us problems, and eventually will lead to our demise as a species. This book, Heinlein’s magnus opus, is his attempt to show humanity the way to save ourselves from our own stupidity and ignorance…..

Sadly, Heinlein is aware also that our fatal flaw is just that…. fatal. His protagonist, Michael Valentine Smith, who offers humanity the salvation of personal revelation, and of personal responsibility, is, in the end, killed by a mob of unbelievers, becoming the same sort of religious martyr as Jesus Christ, with, as Heinlein so aptly shows, the same probable chances of success, i.e., none…. Nothing of what Jesus taught humanity has been incorporated into society; anyone who says it has is delusional. Humanity not only has NOT adopted the philosophy of that great Jewish reformist, but has utterly rejected it, and belittled it, by perverting its precepts, twisting them to suit their own agenda, and acting in ways that are diametrically opposite to what Jesus was teaching.

I defy anyone to provide evidence that what I just said is not true, and invite them to present it here, so it can be discussed. The teachings of Jesus Christ have been corrupted by preachers and priests, politicians, corporate masters, and every other human who desires power over others. The rules of flexibility and love for fellow men that he taught have been turned into obedience to authority, and submission to temporal rulers, as those who wish to control society twist the words, and mangle the concepts that were intended to help in another way.

“Jesus only told half the story. The truth *will* set you free.  But, first it’s going to piss you off.” — Solomon Short

I don’t know about y’all, but I think, even if it does piss me off, I’ll take the truth…..
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The poem I feel percolating in my head apparently isn’t ready, so you’ll have to settle for one of the classics today….. I say ‘settle’ though I know there is no ‘settle’ necessary, or indicated….. Whatever…. enjoy!

Bright Star

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art–
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors–
No–yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever–or else swoon to death.

John Keats
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“I was making donuts and now I’m on a bus!” — Zippy the Pinhead

In most cases, I find that Zippy’s pronouncements fit for the closing comment in many pearls; it is rare that I use one as the springboard for discussion. In this case, I’m making an exception…..

Everything that comes out of Zippy’s mouth is, of course, a metaphor for some part of reality; his brain exists on a separate plane from that which is occupied by the rest of us. From that viewpoint, the above makes perfect sense, and describes a typical realization that comes to us on those occasions when we are in the process of changing….. something. Anything…. The question for us to try to answer is, “Did you remember to bring the donuts on the bus?”…..

Yes, of course I know I’m spewing nonsense….. but, like with Zippy, much of the time, it is nonsense for the ages, for it hides some pretty powerful truth. Zippy tells us here, in his inimitable way, that we are all subject to change, and can only cope with those made by the universe around us by learning to accept what happens without becoming unhinged. When one finds oneself on a bus, one must either forget the donuts, or bag ’em up and bring them along….. As Epictetus said so well, “Freedom and happiness begin with a clear understanding of one principle. Some things are within your control. And some things are not.”

What Epictetus forgot to include is the admonition to learn which things are within our control, and which are not. I find it helpful in this case to remember the three most basic rules of magic, to wit: “1) and 3) are the same: Do what is necessary, and no more; the key to successful magic, then, is lesson number 2), Learn what is necessary” Simple, logical, powerful, these rules are valuable not only for practicing magic, but for normal life, as well. Not all of us have Zippy’s naturally insane outlook, so dealing with an insane world can be, in a word, stressful, and rules such as these are very handy in coping with whatever is thrown at us by life…..

“Here is the world, sound as a nut, perfect, not the smallest piece of chaos left, never a stitch nor an end, not a mark of haste, or botching, or second thought; but the theory of the world is a thing of shreds and patches.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1845)
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Well, it’s a bit clunky, and hard to steer, but it seems stable in the water, and it floats, which is the primary requirement, so it will have to do, as I can’t delay getting this out any longer. Still a week or so to go until I can get internet service here at home. Fortunately, I was gifted at Christmas by one of my treasured friends; I’m flush enough today to go to the coffee shop, so those of y’all on the email list will finally get a Pearl in the mail. In terms of having good people as friends, I am indeed a rich man….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Some crumbled eggshells will help clarify it….

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Portions of today’s Pearl were written beginning on 12/24/12, with contributions made each day thereafter. Hence the somewhat confused style of address, in terms of the relative time, and the time of writing….. I know, the explanation is just as confusing as the act….. but, it is required by law, so what are ya gonna do?….. Buena suerte, as they say in Mexico…..

Ffolkes,
Okay, I am thoroughly confused, but, hey, nothing new there…. I am writing now in complete limbo, in terms of knowing precisely where in the universe I am, relative to time and, consequently, space. I see that the date is correct…. it IS the 25th of December today, and I have two Pearls almost finished, ready to post as soon as they have a poem inserted into the second section, and I complete the third section of the second Pearl. While the rest of the world is busy with the commercial crap of which today is the culmination, I’ll be here, busily ignoring the whole thing, as I have no means to participate in the commercial frenzy at all. And, since I spend a great deal of time dissecting the Christian religion for its inherent inconsistencies, and aspects of covert manipulation for self-interest, it would probably be a bit hypocritical, anyway, for me to get too involved in it.

I do enjoy the positive emotional spirit that seems to come with the season, but the whole idea is pretty sick, given its origin. Are they celebrating the birth of Jesus (which was actually sometime in the spring, from what historical records can tell us….), or the gruesome death to which he was put (which took place in March, or thereabouts….)?

Either way,  I don’t see how it all translates into a commercial frenzy over the giving of gifts, other than as an obvious ploy to garner more money from an unsuspecting public, to line the pockets of the clergy and bankers. In that sense, I KNOW why all the bankers are smiling this time of year….. and it isn’t because they’re filled with the spirit of Christmas, or the urge to give…..

Christmas has, by the efforts of the bankers, with the complete cooperation of the clergy, become a societal frenzy of marketing and consumerism at its worst; the sheer ugliness of the whole idea makes the urge to say “Bah, humbug!” completely understandable. To take the work and honorable acts of a true reformer and twist it to suit the agenda of the business class is just that…. UGLY!

Not only is it ugly due to the efforts of the clergy and bankers to turn it into a carnival rather than a holy ceremony, but, the general populace falls right into the act, buying and spending much more than they can afford, just to keep up appearances, never once considering how hypocritical it is, or how far from the teachings of Christ it wanders to spend money in his name…..

Ah well, such is the perversity of mankind…. All I can do is avoid the whole scenario as much as possible, and just get through the day without getting depressed at all the futility….. That task, not getting depressed, is currently Job One around here, as the state department of Social Services continues to drag out my disability claim just as far as it can, and I’m getting very tired of living in poverty, watching as the assholes in the government take serious shots at my retirement system.

I cannot accurately tell you how angry I am at Obama, and any other of the politicians who are trying to make cuts to Social Security…. I’ve been pumping money into that system for almost fifty years, and now that I need it, they’re trying to take it away…. If there was ever a reason to get angry, this is it, and they had best watch their step, or I may loosen my hold on my self-control, and allow my darker side to determine what I’ll do…. Whatever that action might entail, it is guaranteed to be unpalatable to anyone who is involved in the attacks on MY retirement…..

Well, having mini-ranted to a sufficient degree, I think I’d best move on to another section. I’m a bit discombobulated, as I’ve already indicated, so the actual writing process today is sort of hit and miss. But, a dive into the database should clear things up, and if nothing else, will give me a chance to clear my head, after having filled it with angst against the machine….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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The following piece has been around for a long time, and garnered a lot of different opinions regarding its content, and overall validity as an important set of ideas. Some say it is too soft and sentimental, accusing the author of looking at life through rose colored glasses, as it were. And, in one sense they are correct. Being a no-longer in the closet romantic, I choose to believe there is nothing wrong in that, or to think that such sentimentality has no place in a discussion of reality. The world is hard enough, without our feeling the need to make that characteristic immutable by adding our own hardness; a bit of sentimentality is welcome, if it doesn’t include refusing to accept the demanding nature of real life…..

I first came across the Desiderata when I was in college, and, having never seen it before, was suitably impressed.  I’ve been re-introduced to it many times over the years, and always find something I’ve forgotten, as there are many lessons herein, lessons that life itself teaches us in its own way, and it is good to hear reminders of what we may already know, but often forget. All of these statements are good advice, and I can personally attest to the fact that, if followed with honesty, these principles allow one to live with dignity and honor….. If you feel it’s a bit sappy for your taste, well, that’s okay, just skip on by, and go on wallowing in grumpiness…… not a thing wrong with that…..    🙂

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself.  Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.  And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

— Max Ehrman (1872-1945) – “Desiderata” (1927)
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POETRY, n.  A form of expression peculiar to the Land beyond the Magazines. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

So Does Everybody Else, Only Not So Much

O all ye exorcizers come and exorcize now, and ye clergymen draw nigh and clerge, For I wish to be purged of an urge. It is an irksome urge, compounded of nettles and glue, And it is turning all my friends back into acquaintances, and all my acquaintances into people who look the other way when I heave into view. It is an indication that my mental buttery is butterless and my mental larder lardless, And it consists not of “Stop me if you’ve heard this one,” but of “I know you’ve heard this one because I told it to you myself, but I’m going to tell it to you again regardless,” Yes I fear I am living beyond my mental means. When I realize that it is not only anecdotes that I reiterate but what is far worse, summaries of radio programs and descriptions of cartoons in newspapers and magazines. I want to resist but I cannot resist recounting the bright sayings of celebrities that everybody already is familiar with every word of; I want to refrain but cannot refrain from telling the same audience on two successive evenings the same little snatches of domestic gossip about people I used to know that they have never heard of. When I remember some titillating episode of my childhood I figure that if it’s worth narrating once it’s worth narrating twice, in spite of lackluster eyes and dropping jaws, And indeed I have now worked my way backward from titillating episodes in my own childhood to titillating episodes in the childhood of my parents or even my parents-in-laws, And what really turns my corpuscles to ice, I carry around clippings and read them to people twice. And I know what I am doing while I am doing it and I don’t want to do it but I can’t help doing it and I am just another Ancient Mariner, And the prospects for my future social life couldn’t possibly be barrener. Did I tell you that the prospects for my future social life couldn’t be barrener?

Ogden Nash
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“Become what you are.” — Buddha

When we are born, we are exactly who and what we are, because we don’t know how to be anything else. As we grow, we learn to interact with the world around us, learning first how to communicate our wants and needs, later applying this knowledge to further our interests in dealing with others on a social level. Communication, part perception and part expression, teaches us to add layers to our persona, incrementally increasing our isolation from our true self, unless we can maintain the awareness of self carried since birth. That self is constantly under attack by the outer world, as we are molded and manipulated by the demands made on us by our environment for conformity to custom. In this short, powerful phrase, Buddha once again identifies our most central task as humans, to be true to one’s inner nature.

“Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is.” — Albert Camus

Albert touches here on the basic root problem for a great many humans, as the refusal to which he refers causes men to make choices based on self-interest rather than taking a wider world-view. Choosing expediency over altruism always, of course, leads to acting immorally, which describes the general demeanor of the beloved ruling class  pretty accurately, all in all, doesn’t it? Sometimes, I wonder why they even bother to lie anymore, as it doesn’t seem to matter much to most folks whether they do or not; they get away with it either way…..

“An assertion produces a stronger effect than an argument, at least among the majority of mankind. That is why public speakers seek to hammer home their party’s arguments with assertions.” — F. Nietzsche, _Human, All too Human_

This tendency on the part of man, to be gullible (What else can you call it, when someone is swayed in favor of one argument over another, simply due to its connection to a confident assertion?….. I call it gullible….), would, I suppose, explain the phenomenon of the repeated success of the beloved ruling class in lying to the public without significant consequence. Another apt description would somehow describe mental laziness, or unwillingness to exercise one’s ability to reason, in favor of passive acquiescence with another’s ideas, for that is what I see most often among the ignorant masses. The same majority of mankind, of whom Nietzsche speaks, possesses this personal characteristic, as an augmentation of the tendency he mentions, to accept assertion as provenance.

“I have seen these EGG EXTENDERS in my Supermarket….  I have read the INSTRUCTIONS….” — Zippy the Pinhead

WHAT, you may ask, does THAT have to do with Buddha, Camus, or Nietzsche, in a high-brow discussion of human nature, and its flaws? Well, to be honest, I am not entirely sure what my sub-, or un-, conscious mind was doing when it made me copy and paste that here….. but, I have a strange feeling that it is the right pearl… Let me think a moment, or perhaps overnight….

Aha! Got it!….. We know already that everything Zippy says is a powerful metaphor for reality, so the phrase, “Assertion as provenance”, is Zippy-speak for EGG EXTENDERS! Wait, that’s backwards…. EGG EXTENDERS is Zippy-speak for “Assertion, etc….” Since he has read the instructions, which came, no doubt, with a perfect assertion of its superior nature over eggs, he is therefore immune to the immorality that is so prevalent in our erstwhile superiors…. There, how’s that for some slippery slope thinking, under pressure? Pretty slick, I’d say….

So,  the next time some politician makes a confident assertion in a speech, think of Zippy, and the egg extenders, and you’ll be reminded to take what is being said with a shit load of salt….. It’s a handy little item to have in one’s mental files, for those occasions when we can’t avoid listening to such stuff (there’s that word again….)…..

“…and I get on my knees and pray, we don’t get fooled again.” — Pete Townshend
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“A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again, (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal – Panama!” — Guy L. Steele.

The above is included only because it is the longest palindrome I’ve ever seen, and as such, deserves a bit of admiration for the sheer stubbornness it took to figure it out, and complete it, before someone found out, and made Mr. Steele go do something more constructive….. Fascinating, as Spock might say…. In retrospect, the palindrome is just odd enough to fit in with the rest of today’s effort, so…. it stays…..

Well, it’s done, and that is the best I can say for it, I think. I’m still pretty confused, but tomorrow will re-assert control over the process. What that entails is somewhat gross, in spots, so I will spare the Gentle Reader any further exposure to the necessary actions, and just go on as if none of it had ever happened. People are good at that sort of pretending, as is obvious after every election….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Patterns in the dust say otherwise…..

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Ffolkes,
My schedule of posting is all screwed up…. First, I missed a day from rain. Today, the day I am writing this, is Christmas Day, one which I have worked very hard to both ignore, and to reach, and is another day I will be unable to post again, as there are no buses, the library is closed, and it is too far to walk to the nearest Wi-Fi spot (at Starbucks, about a mile and a half away)…. In addition, even though I wasn’t able to post on two days, I still wrote a complete Pearl for them. Now, I’m sitting on two days worth of material, and losing track of what goes where, and in what tense I should be speaking…. In the words of our dark little bear of little brains, Winnie the Pooh, “Bother!”…..

I don’t believe I’ve ever had this much material done ahead of time. Two complete Pearls ( each minus only a poem, generally supplied by a couple moments with Google and Poemhunter.com…), and another entire day to get through until I can post any of it. Today might be a good day to do some editing of past Pearls, to see if I can combine any of them into a salable book. Sounds like a plan….

Or, maybe I’ll spend some time in trance, and see if I can come up with a couple more original poems to go with these two almost finished products. The shout-out I wrote to Congress from us seniors was a pretty good one, I thought, especially the last quatrain and couplet; I thought they had a certain panache, that pleases me…. and they certainly were an accurate demonstration of the average senior’s feelings about the government just now, as they are making concerted attacks on Social Security, even as I write. I’m not going to start another rant in the intro, but, it sure pisses me off, that is for sure and for certain….. Makes me want to go up to Barack, and Congress, and read to them from the Book of Righteousness….

In lieu of that, I suggest we get on with this Pearl…. Basically, it is done, so that is merely a matter of filling in a poem, proof-reading the results, and it’s good to go. Since I don’t have anything further I can add at this point, I’ll abandon you here, and leave it to the format of the following Pearl to lead you where you need to go….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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In order to counter at least some of the saccharine in the air this time of year, it is good now and again to take the time to take a few unsolicited shots at targets who, by dint of their absence, cannot defend themselves…. Great fun for this slow-news time of year. Besides, my usual choices for such targets have no defense anyway, as they are continually assuming indefensible positions in a public venue. Here is an old-school pearl with some random  thoughts on my absolute favorite group of erstwhile clowns, those at which I most prefer to shoot darts of shame…. the creepy, dangerous kind who infest the halls and streets of Washington D.C., and numerous state capitals…..

“Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.”– Henry Clay (1777-1852) — Speech at Ashland, Ky., March 1829
(This one seems to have been overlooked, or at least ignored, for the most part, for the last 171 years…..)

“Imagine, if you will, that I am an idiot. Then, imagine that I am also a Congressman. But, alas, I repeat myself.” — Mark Twain

De la peau de lion l’ane s’etant vetu
Etoit craint partout a la ronde.
(Dressed in the lion’s skin, the ass spread terror far and wide.) — Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695)
(Think about it….)

CONSUL, n.  In American politics, a person who, having failed to secure and office from the people, is given one by the Administration, on condition that he leave the country. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

A successful American spends more supporting the government than a family. — Smart Bee

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)
(This is especially true for politics, but remains valid for preachers, as well….)

“Since when is “public safety” the root password to the Constitution?” — C. D. Tavares

I find myself having to assert some control at this point. My feelings of anger at the government’s cupidity are rather raw this morning, and I find myself continuing my search for sharp, pointed sticks with which to poke, despite having already found a sufficient number to complete a pearl. The meaning is beginning to lose coherence, and adding more will only further confuse the issue, so we’ll go on to the final section, to compose some soothing prose…. Just remember, ffolkes, preachers, priests, imams, presidents, senators, judges, bankers, CEO’s….. none of these folks are looking out for your interests, nor will they ever do so, as they are too busy looking out for their own. It would be a good thing to keep it in mind, for your own protection…..

“If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?” — Will Rogers (1879-1935)
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A poet is a kind of liar who always speaks the truth. — Smart Bee

A child said, What is the grass?

A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full
hands;
How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what it
is any more than he.

I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful
green stuff woven.

Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,
A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropped,
Bearing the owner’s name someway in the corners, that we
may see and remark, and say Whose?

Or I guess the grass is itself a child. . . .the produced babe
of the vegetation.

Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic,
And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow
zones,
Growing among black folks as among white,
Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the
same, I receive them the same.

And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.

Tenderly will I use you curling grass,
It may be you transpire from the breasts of young men,
It may be if I had known them I would have loved them;
It may be you are from old people and from women, and
from offspring taken soon out of their mother’s laps,
And here you are the mother’s laps.

This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old
mothers,
Darker than the colorless beards of old men,
Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths.

O I perceive after all so many uttering tongues!
And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths
for nothing.

I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men
and women,
And the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring
taken soon out of their laps.

What do you think has become of the young and old men?
What do you think has become of the women and
children?

They are alive and well somewhere;
The smallest sprouts show there is really no death,
And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait
at the end to arrest it,
And ceased the moment life appeared.

All goes onward and outward. . . .and nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and
luckier.

Walt Whitman
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“Silence can be the biggest lie of all.  We have a responsibility to speak up; and whenever the occasion calls for it, we have a responsibility to raise bloody hell.” — Herbert Block

I’ve been looking at this pearl for a week, turning it over in my mind. I think, after due consideration, I can honestly say I have lived up to this responsibility quite well, at least in the past two years. Though my audience is not quite as large as I might hope for, I have faithfully accosted that audience with my own words of what I believe to be truth, truths that needs to be declared loudly, and often. Motivated partly by self-interest (relieving the stress of holding my thoughts in….), partly by a sense of humanity, and partly by patriotism. Outrage often supplies the emotional force behind my arguments, when my compassion is aroused, or when my sense of justice is affronted…..

My only wish is that I would be preaching to the choir, in the sense that the subjects about which I write are offensive to others, as well. In fact, I would love to see more people like myself shouting out their own outrage at the shenanigans of those in power in society. Those same beloved ruling class members have only themselves to blame if they become targets for criticism; their own actions are responsible for that. Mind you, I regard them to be insane, as a group, anyway, for their perverse desire to wield power over the affairs of others, and the most effective way to stop their depredations is to bring them into the light of public scrutiny, where society’s moral compass may be applied to redirect them into more socially acceptable, and socially beneficial, activities….

Sadly, I’m intelligent enough to read the writing on the wall, which says the beloved ruling class is never going to allow anything, or anyone, to take from them the riches and privileges they hold so tightly as their due. They have control of all the media, and the governments, and the banks, and the churches, and that control enables them to do just exactly as they please, hoarding all the resources available for themselves and their own purposes, leaving the dregs of whatever is left for the rest of us….

“And it shall come to pass that idiots shall roam the earth, and morons shall rule the masses.” — Smart Bee

I think it was Nostradamus who made this prediction; maybe not, though. Regardless of who said it, it is certainly apt. There are moments when even I, who have long known and understood the depths of human stupidity, am amazed and appalled by what somebody says, or does, right out in public where their idiocy is on display for all to see….. Even more, I am continually astounded at the depths of stupidity shown by the general public by their acceptance, and tacit approval, of the lies told to them every day by their erstwhile leaders.

Many millions of people recently voted for Obama, because it seemed clear, by his own words, that he would do all he could to protect seniors, Social Security, and Medicare. Now, at the first hint of opposition to one of his pet projects, he turns completely around on that promise, offering up massive cuts to the SS program over the next 20 years, cuts that would cripple the program, and send millions of seniors, like me, into poverty….. I find this to be not merely mendacious, but cruelly reprehensible, as well as morally indefensible. This kind of thing MUST be stopped, and the people responsible MUST be held responsible for their lies….

“Let honor be as strong to us an obligation as necessity is to others.” — Pliny the Elder

This is the ONLY solution to the problem, ffolkes…. In today’s society, our beloved ruling class has learned that it can act according to expediency, by claiming it as necessity, without any lasting consequences for them, and the public lets them do it. Only when honor replaces expediency can we hope to see society begin to function in the best interests of all; until that happens, only the power-hungry will be served in that respect. I cannot see how it will happen at all, unless the majority of humanity can put aside its blinders, and start calling a spade a spade…. which, historically, has never happened…. That is, after all, why we are in this mess in the first place….
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Hmm….. not too shabby, all in all. I’ll take it…. wrap it up and send it over to my hotel, would you? Thanks…..

I’ve always wanted to say that….. Now that is out of the way, I suppose I should try to repair some of this time confusion created by yesterday’s rain delay; if only I had a vague idea of where to start!…… Ah well, fudge it…. it will just have to settle itself, as it always does, given the time…… I’m outta here for today, ffolkes…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Credit given where due….

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Ffolkes,
Yesterday, it rained all day, hard, in the area where I live. A higher degree of pain than usual, with concomitant stiffness, meant I didn’t have it in me to walk the seven and a half blocks to the library in the rain, and I can’t afford the coffee shop this late in the month…. besides, it’s also over three long blocks away, with the same walk back UP the hill afterward, all in the rain. No thanks…. If I had tried either one, I’d be in bed still, come the New Year…. Also, no thanks…. Unhappily, this means my postings are a day behind, proving once again I am mostly human…… I’ve never been able to quite get it all right….

No worries, though… I decided I’m not going to stress about it; I just came back, fired the computer back up, and proceeded to write this little pre-disclaimer to maintain some clarity. I don’t think any of what is below is time-sensitive, particularly, so it will still be relevant…. and, who knows? I might even get the poem I feel percolating to drip down before I get to a posting point tomorrow, which, now, is today….. At any rate, this is a pretty decent Pearl, I think, so….. enjoy…..

Ffolkes,
I know full well why I am not a success. Wait…. Okay, that’s wrong. I know full well why I AM a success…. Wait…. Okay, that’s wrong, too…

Alright, this is the right way to start….

Most folks in the mainstream would NOT call me successful, I suppose, though I know full well I am. The reason for this discrepancy is a different understanding of the definition of the word itself, along with a somewhat different idea of what determines that definition. To the average person in our world, successful means rich in money or property; you aren’t even in the ball park if you don’t own two cars and four TVs to go with your house and boat. This, as mentioned, differs widely from my own idea of what makes a person successful, as mine has nothing whatever to do with gelt…..

I am rich in friends. I am rich in my children. And, I am rich beyond the dreams of avarice in my mind, which is all I ever wanted. When I was very young, before the age of 10, I remember hearing the phrase “If you want a life full of trouble, fill your house with treasure.” I thought about that, decided that it sounded perfectly logical, and made up my mind there and then to never make the seeking of money, or things, an important goal in my life. There are far greater riches to be found in any random Mark Twain story than in any bank, and this I believe, implicitly…..

Oh, sure, it’s nice to not have to struggle financially, and I’m smart enough that I’ve never before had to struggle as I am today with money issues. Once, back in my early twenties, I went without work for a couple of months, and it was tough for a few weeks, but then I found a job, and all was well…. The rest of the time I’ve spent just enough effort to make enough to take care of myself, and my family, once I started it, and never felt any need for more. I can’t say I’ve felt deprived, at all, for not having experienced more in the way of the rich lifestyle, as I have had all I ever wanted…..

So, in that sense, I’ve always been extremely successful, for I have always done exactly as I wished to do, and been successful at attaining all I wanted. And, I can truthfully say, I have never had a moment of worry or anguish over being threatened with, or experiencing, being robbed. It’s easy, when you know there is nothing about which to worry, for there isn’t enough to tempt any robbers. It makes for a quite serene lifestyle, all in all…..

The other side of this coin under discussion is that I simply don’t give a crap about what others think, and never have….. Maybe it’s a gift, I don’t know, but I’ve never felt that what anyone else thought about ME had any bearing on what I was to do, or think. It just never occurred to me to let what anyone else said have that kind of influence over me…… It’s always been relatively easy for me to say “f___ you” to anyone (figuratively, of course….) when they try to tell me what I SHOULD do or think….. Gift or curse, I don’t care, it works for me….

Well, now, I was going somewhere with all this bilge water; where could that have been? Ah, yes…. the fucking feds & staties….. Sorry, when I write their names, the “fuck” is mandatory; that’s the law. Since the California State Department of Social Services has decided to draw out the time during which they can fuck with me about my own money, I am once again consigned to the confines of financial purgatory. They decided, because I mentioned a word they hadn’t heard before, (to wit: diverticulosis), they decided they’d better send me to another doctor about it, thus extending the process another three or four months, minimum. This puts me right back into limbo, where I’ve languished now for close to two years…. By the time these guys finish dicking around with my case, I’ll be eligible for my regular SS, at age 66, four years from now…. Bloody Assholes!….

I could rant about it for a long time, but this intro is already past the standards set for normalcy around here, so I’d best let it go for now….. Suffice it to say, I am once again NOT A HAPPY CAMPER! Wish me luck with my patience, please, I’m going to need it….. For now, I’m going to go for a dive, to try to take my mind to some other point in the universe, where things aren’t quite so dreary and depressing as they are around here just now…. Thank goodness for books and literature, they’ve saved me all my life, and continue to do so now….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Anyone who isn’t confused doesn’t really know what’s going on.” — Edward R. Murrow

To Mr. Murrow’s assertion, in today’s world, I would add, “Anyone who isn’t worried, isn’t paying attention.” I saw in the news yesterday that the President has offered up Social Security as a sacrifice to the Republicans in the Congress, to bribe them into signing some other tax bill. I can’t say it surprises me, as I have said all along that I don’t trust the President, any more than I trust any office holder in this country. But, given his most recent statements during the election run-up, I’m concerned that he is already turning what he said at that time into a lie; he promised, then, to protect senior citizens, and Social Security, and Medicare, from the depredations of the conservatives. To start abrogating his duties before he is even sworn in is not a good, or hopeful, sign for the future.

This particular threat is a serious one; the cuts proposed would have a very deleterious effect on my income, and that of every senior under the aegis of SS. One article claimed it could decrease the average senior’s yearly income by more than $3000, and possibly more over the next ten years. This, without any doubt whatsoever, is a reprehensible idea, and the person(s) responsible should be taken out an shot, without ceremony or delay. These politicians seem to think that the money that is in SS is theirs, when in fact, it belongs to me, and those like me, who have been pouring a percentage of our pay into it for our entire lives. It is NOT theirs, nor should it be thought of as even public money. It belongs to the people who put it there, and should be protected from the rapacious assholes who can’t stand the idea of anyone having something they don’t control….

ROBBER, n.  A candid man of affairs.  It is related of Voltaire that one night he and some traveling companion lodged at a wayside inn. The surroundings were suggestive, and after supper they agreed to tell robber stories in turn.  “Once there was a Farmer-General of the Revenues.”  Saying nothing more, he was encouraged to continue.  “That,” he said, “is the story.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Thomas Jefferson, in certain of his writings to other patriots, mentioned the danger to the Republic from corporations, bankers, and preachers. He was particularly clear-sighted in this respect, and saw that once the legislators had voted themselves the power to control the treasury, both the income and output, the public would be in danger of continuous, and ongoing theft of public funds. He stated this many times, but, did anyone listen? Not enough of the right people, apparently, because everything he feared has come to pass.

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” — H. L. Mencken

The legislature in today’s modern world is completely under the financial influence and control of the banks and corporations, aided by the preachers’ continuing repression/distraction of the public, to confuse the issue, and help obfuscate their actions, hiding them from public view. Anyone who does not believe this to be true is under that same influence, and should be referred back to our original statement above, i.e., you don’t really know what’s going on…… or, you are not paying attention…..

Now that Barack no longer has to worry about re-election, he can begin to show his truer colors, and screw the rest of us in the process. I told you all a while back; NO POLITICIAN can be fully trusted, either to tell the truth, or to act in the public’s interests, for they all suffer from the same issue of moral failure, and that is that they WANT to be in power.

“Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on them [public offices], a rottenness begins in his conduct.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), 1799

That desire, to have power over others, is a mental disorder, plain and simple. It is insane, both in my mind, and in scientific terms, to want to control other people like that. Even if the desire is motivated by what could be termed a moral impulse, the urge to help, the actual wielding of the power is corrupting, and soon overcomes any leftover morality, in favor of expedience.

Call the White House, and the Senate. Write them. Email them. Tell them we aren’t going to stand for this flip-flop from the President, and let them know that the true power really still does reside with the people. If we don’t, we may all end up regretting we ever listened to them….. again…..

“A statesman is a politician who places himself at the service of the nation.  A politician is a statesman who places the nation at his service.” — Georges Pompidou

As far as I can see, there are no statesmen alive today, only politicians….
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And, as in uffish thought he stood
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame
Came wiffling through the tulgey wood
And burbled as it came
— _Jabberwocky_, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)

If it isn’t clear to y’all by now, I love nonsense. For me, it provides the balance so necessary to a harmonious existence, as the rest of reality is so often dreary, grim-faced, and sober. (see section one, above, for clear evidence of this assertion….) And, since poetry makes anything in words better, nonsensical poetry is sheer joy for me….. It doesn’t get any better than the above, which will provide adequate balance for whatever I find and choose to go in the latter half of this section…. so, enjoy, both the poetry, and the contrasting styles…..

To Congress, with Love

Politicos don’t care much ’bout seniors and their ilk,
except for their money, I thinks;
Though they talk as if they’d cozen them in silk,
what they actually do, it stinks.

“The banks are failing, we can’t allow that!”,
steal from the aged, that’s their plan.
“Their life’s ending, that’s plainly where they’re at,”
lie shamelessly, because they can.

Maybe just once, if we all act together,
it couldn’t miss.
Right on their shoes, no matter the weather,
take careful aim, and piss.

Why the hell not?
It’s worth a shot!

~~ gigoid

Well, gosh, who knew that was in there?…..
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“Just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you!” — Smart Bee

Last week, or maybe earlier, another blogger and I were both ID’d as being a bit paranoid, (self-identified, I might add) because we happen to believe at least some of the conspiracy rumors continually floating around the internet. Each of us took comfort from the above sentiment, knowing it to be 100% true, and have mutual agreement in that belief. He seems to be pretty tech-savvy, posting a lot of different types of media on his blog, so he must have similar knowledge as I of computers, and the functions of which current technology is capable. This knowledge, along with a deep understanding of human nature, is the root cause for our paranoia, and, it’s justification…..

“No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.” — Aristotle

The little laptop computer upon which I type to create these Pearls of Virtual Wisdom is an amazing machine, and fairly representative of what is available to the public these days. It has, quite simply, more computing power in it than was present in the ENTIRE WORLD when the first laptop was on the design boards, when I got my first clunky 386. What this simple fact(oid) implies is this: the government, and its supporters, the bankers, corporations, and churches, has available for their use, enough computing power to record EVERY piece of communication, of EVERY type, created each day in the ENTIRE WORLD. Along with that capability, to monitor ALL communications, it has the capability of mining that huge amount of data for significant words, phrases, and patterns that will inform them of anyone, anywhere, who is speaking in a way that is potentially against their interests.

Yep…. every single piece of published communication, via phone, internet, TV, radio, or any other form of media by which humans communicate, is vulnerable to being overheard by those in the beloved ruling class…. Allow me to assure you, the reasons for which they want this information have nothing to do with YOUR rights, or YOUR interests, nor are they going to tell you, either that they are doing it, or how often, or where, or anything about it.  In many public places, with cameras and recording devices, it is possible for them to overhear even the words we speak to each other face to face. If they wish, they can even concentrate technology on a single spot, (such as your car, your living room, or kitchen…..), and listen to every word spoken there, even if they are not within miles of the place. There is, by published report, no place left on Earth where technology cannot penetrate, to listen to what is being spoken, given the opportunity, and the time to employ the needed technology.

So, my friend and I are well aware that what we write and publish here online is perfectly available to those who care about such matters, and they WILL be listening to what EVERYONE is saying, even, or, perhaps especially, us. Since I have a tendency to rant against the very people who are listening, I doubt that my name is missing from several lists of theirs. In fact, I’d be surprised if it was missing from those lists…. if it is, they’re not paying attention…..   🙂

As I’ve said before ffolkes, be alert; the world needs all the lerts it can get. You are being watched, and listened to, whether you choose to believe it or not, so it would behoove you to, perhaps, take that into account. Please, don’t fall into that, “oh, you’re just being paranoid,” attitude, or the “well, if I don’t say anything wrong, they can’t get me,” fallacy…. One of the primary characteristics of those with the power-mongering gene is a certain irrationality that is inherent in their make-up…. They have an unfortunate tendency to act on belief and faith, not on fact, so their actions, while fairly predictable, are somewhat irrationally chosen, and don’t necessarily make any sense to those of us who use our minds for other things than reclining upon…. Remember, as Lazarus Long advises, “Always cut the cards.”…..

I have read and understood the above.  X ______________________
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Today’s effort certainly doesn’t lack for original material….. It’s understandable, to me; I’ve got a lot of stuff to say, no viable, compelling  reason not to say it, and plenty of good reasons to do so. (“Stuff” being my most versatile word…. such flexibility of meaning!…..) Having said a lot of it, I’ll leave thee be to pursue thy own ends, for the nonce. You can’t say fairer than that….. Oh, yeah, happy holidays, I guess….

Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Formerly from the circular file….

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Ffolkes,
Oh, joy…..0245 AM, and depression strikes. Wide awake, in pain and anguish, and hating every moment. Well, I guess that first sip of coffee wasn’t so bad….. but it sure would be nice to be able to sleep without interruption…. I can see how this would tend to wear one’s defenses down after a while, so it’s a good thing, I suppose, that I’m not the suicidal sort…. Too selfish & cowardly for me, thanks anyway….

I know why I’m up now…. My patience took a big hit yesterday, when I found an email from my lawyer in my inbox, informing me that SS is sending me to yet another medical exam, and getting X-rays of my back…. like they don’t have any already. This, of course, promises to add another 12 weeks, minimum, to the time before a decision is made. They KNOW that I have PTSD, but they insist on dragging this whole thing out, making it worse every day. I’m nearly at a point where I will have to assume enemy action (1st time, happenstance; 2nd time, coincidence; 3rd time, enemy action….), and take countermeasures….. which NOBODY will enjoy….

Was that a vague enough threat? I’d never really hurt anyone, you know, not deliberately. I say such things for the release, and once said, the urge to commit homicidal acts is generally dissipated. It’s a parallel effect to swearing, which, as we all know, can release a lot of tension merely by the expression of certain words in a forceful manner. But, in these days of paranoia over terrorists, one must walk a narrow line between release and offense….. and cops notoriously have no sense of humor…..

I’m not sure right now just what I’m going to do…. I mean, I know I have to wait again, because shooting at them won’t help. It might get them to move faster, but also might prejudice my case a bit (ya think?) if they figure out it’s me. I’m pretty frigging tired of pinching pennies to eat, and these psyche symptoms of my deeper anguish are getting a bit obtrusive. It’s tough to be out there, looking for love, with tears running down my face, and fear in my heart….. one can’t present a very attractive image in that state…. and who wants to kiss a mustache with snot all over it?

Now that I’ve thoroughly disgusted y’all with that image, I’d most likely be getting on with the day’s dive for pearls. I’m not going to try to predict what kind of pearls may get engendered, as that would be foolish AND stupid, not to mention dumb….. But, I will warn you to handle them with care today, as you never know what they might do after I let them loose…. keep a tight grip!….  Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Unknowingly, we plow the dust of stars, blown about us by the wind, and drink the universe in a glass of rain.” — Ihab Hassan

What a beautiful line! I wasn’t sure when I saved it last night just what kind of pearl it would make, but it creates such a beautiful image in the mind, I couldn’t resist. I suppose it makes a fine contrast to how I feel just now, and as such, can be used to demonstrate how our attitudes are under our control, if we but choose to assume it…..

I feel like shit, emotionally, for various reasons, and that is reflected in my attitude toward the day; I don’t want to face it. I’d like to be able to just turn it all off, and go visit a friend somewhere far away. But, being stuck here, waiting for relief from my financial limitations, keeps me on the edge of depression, as well as keeping me in place…. If only for the time it takes to read, and contemplate this line, beauty takes over, and my thoughts and attitude undergo a marked change for the better. All it takes is a reminder of what we always have as creatures of this reality, our potential for grace.

“Grace”. Interesting word, that…. I like what it implies, the feeling of being connected to the universe, and enjoying that tie for the joy it can bring. To live in grace means to act rightly, surrounding oneself with beauty, and increasing the joy in life by living it well, passionately, with compassion and humility. I can understand how religious folks would seek to receive such from the practice of their faith, though I can’t agree with them about exactly where grace comes from. They seem to believe that it is something given to them, when in reality, it is something they have to learn to give, and can only be found inside themselves.

“The supreme irony of life is hardly anyone ever gets out of it alive.” — Robert Heinlein

Perspective…. the proper perspective can be hard to find, and it is good when such can be provided for us by a simple phrase, like this one, and the first one, above. The first phrase tells us to remember there are two sides to life, and only one side is inherently painful. This quote, from the Grand Master, is a reminder to SEEK perspective, and is one nobody should ever lose track of, as it is universally applicable. One may, at least temporarily, find ways to avoid paying taxes, but there is no avoiding death…. none.

Mere contemplation of our own death is a sure way to gain perspective. It may not always be the most amenable, or comfortable perspective, but it is the most truthful that can be acquired, without exception. Nothing will ground us better than thinking about our own demise, as there is no room for anything but truth when dealing with the whole concept. Anything less than the truth just fails to compute….. Not the most comforting line of thought, unless one has learned not to fear death, but, who is ever very successful at that? I mean, that’s why there are so many different religions out there, all offering their own way of dealing with that fear…. they’re just not very good at it. Well, not very truthful, anyway….

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” — W. W. Zeige

I’m not sure whether I can truthfully classify this as a pearl. The criteria for that decision  are pretty loose, all in all, so it will fit in that respect. But, I do rather like to make some valid point, and this one doesn’t seem to have one I can find offhand. We humans spend a lot of our mental energy on stuff like this, which may be a clue as to the whole problem of the inability of so many of us to cope with reality without some kind of crutch, or without letting someone else do our thinking for us. That isn’t a danger for me, thank goodness, but most of humanity seems to fall into that pattern, and that, in itself, presents me with perspective issues, as mine differs radically from most everyone in the mainstream of society.

Oh, there are a lot more ffolkes such as myself out there; WordPress is proof enough of that. But, the major percentage of the population of this country generally prefers not to have to exercise their mental muscles any more than is absolutely necessary. Whether the inertial momentum that is built up by such a large percentage is amenable to adjustment remains to be seen, and all we can do is our best, to spread the virus of rational thought as far as we can….. “You’re our only hope, Obi-wan!”……

“I feel better about world problems now!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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Here’s a treat… Two of the world’s best, ever, each with a link to the entire piece, for those with the time and inclination to absorb all of it….. Enjoy!

The Moving Finger writes; and having writ,
Moves on; nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

— Omar Khayyam (died c.1133) — Rubaiyat, Stanza lxxi

Link: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-rubaiyat-of-omar-khayyam/
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A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 15

Link: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/an-essay-on-criticism/
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I’m feeling a bit muddled…. discombobulated…. fuzzy…. sluggish between the ears. I suppose it isn’t entirely surprising, given the time of night, or morning, whichever you prefer; either is accurate at 0425 AM. (Yes, I realize writing the time thus is oxymoronic, if not merely redundant…. some folks don’t comprehend military time, so I do it for clarity…. I’m just that kind of guy….) I’ve got pearls ready, chosen yesterday and saved for use whenever, so, of course, my brain isn’t capable of dealing with them adequately….. Now I’ll have to dive deeper, to find a pearl or two to augment this group, and bring some kind of form to this nebulous mass…. ‘Scuse me, I’ll be back….

In the words of Neville Longbottom, “That went well…” Two very fine additions to round out the first three, and we’re good to go; I couldn’t be prouder. I suppose if I had written these myself, I could feel a bit more so, but, I’ll just bask in the reflected glory, and be content, knowing I’ve done my part to decrease entropy at least a small bit……

“Knowledge is the antidote of fear.” — Emerson

“Any culture which in the interests of efficiency or in the name of some political or religious dogma, seeks to standardize the human individual commits an outrage against man’s biological nature.” — Charles A. Reich, THE GREENING OF AMERICA

“Of all the benefits that virtue confers upon us, the contempt of death is one of the greatest.” — Montaigne (1533-1592)

“Life without learning is death.” — Cicero

“Hypotheses are not to be multiplied without necessity.” — Occam’s Razor

See? As I’ve said before, it’s all in the wrist. Oh, and, of course, timing is everything…..  Ta, then…..
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Even after taking the time to edit, and proof, once, this Pearl is done, and it is still an hour and twenty minutes before the earliest I ever get up these days. Translated, that means it is now 0455 AM here in California, and even the classical music DJ is still on the night-time programming schedule. What to do now just became a critical issue, one I’ll have to go deal with personally, I suppose. Ah well, for such an out-of-sequence kind of deal, this didn’t turn out too badly, and it has that ineffable quality of “doneness” that I especially appreciate…. (No, “doneness” is NOT a word, according to Spell Checker…. what’s your point? You know what I meant…. and, since there is no such thing as a dumb question, don’t fret, no worries…. Besides, this is the end, so we can waste as much time as I want….)   Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

A valid reason to stay exfoliated….

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Ffolkes,
Reason be damned, and rhyming can go hang; it’s time again to ramble…. As  I sat down to begin this morning, two opening scenarios paraded across my inner eye, beginnings for new story ideas. One was pretty good, and would make an excellent opening for a J.D. Robb novel about Eve Dallas and Roarke…. The other was okay, but was basically a rewrite of one I’ve done previously, to a slightly different plot line (different planet, different culture, same basic societal upheaval and heroism in the face of cataclysm…. you know, the usual literary hack stuff….)….

Both, however, failed to meet one of today’s requirements, to wit: it must practically write itself, because I’m just not up to it today…. I decided, in my sleep, that I’ve been way too intense lately, taking everything too seriously, and generally giving myself a hard time, by railing against reality, and its stubborn refusal to give me what I desire….. Bloody a__holes…..  Ah, hell….. It’s hard to get angry at reality, since it isn’t an entity we can attack verbally, or physically, not if we expect any reaction, anyway. In fact, we cannot attack it at all. It’s just too much more than we are, in a universal importance kind of way; our ability to affect the way things happen in life is nowhere in the same vicinity as the immutable nature of reality, other than in our imagination. On the scale of cosmic significance, reality trumps just about anything I can come up with…..

“Reality can be hazardous to your health.” — Smart Bee

Perhaps our imagination is the problem; that would make sense, as it is also our strongest asset in dealing with the universe at large, and nothing comes without a price in reality, not even the use of our given tools and characteristics. We imagine how we would like things to be, and when reality does not bother to match what we imagine, the disappointment we feel also becomes real, if not justifiable to our feelings…… Aha! I’ve accidentally uttered the magic word!….. Now I feel really stupid….

Feelings….. I forgot all about feelings. (D’oh!…..) I see it all, now…. It isn’t our imagination that gives us such a difficult time with what reality gives us to deal with, it is our feelings about what we must do that are the problem. Well, that makes much more sense…. What was I thinking?…..

Sheesh, I can’t believe I took myself, and y’all, on a three paragraph trip into nonsense, all because it was too early for me to be using my mind. I forgot to mention it was 0545 AM when I started writing today, and no matter how alert and awake I may have felt, I can see now that I had no business trying to philosophize so early…. Good grief! If I wasn’t such a hypocrite, I’d say I should be taken out and shot…. but, I will accept that derogatory title if I must, as I am ever so allergic to brass cartridges traveling at high velocity in my vicinity, especially if on a vector coinciding with my personal space….

I suppose that I’ve once again left myself with no alternative but to get on with the usual stuff that goes on around here, to wit: diving for pearls. Given my recent ramblings in this section, I’m considering eliminating the introduction, or imposing a limit of one paragraph before beginning the dives each morning. Perhaps not; I’m pretty wishy-washy about that stuff and this blog; I try not to change what works, and much of what I do is sort of an unconscious set of actions anyway, so I don’t pay a lot of attention to it sometimes. And now I really AM rambling, so….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Mind is the one and only creative power. All attempts to account for creation from any other standpoint are futile… Our most important study, then, is our own consciousness. — Charles Fillmore, “Christian Healing”

“???”

As nearly as I can describe, using the keyboard, this was my immediate response to the above. Three query marks appeared in my inner eye, just as you see them here, surrounded by what I can only say looked like a thought balloon such as you’d see in a comic book. I also must point out that neither the questions, nor the image by which my mind indicated its bemusement, surprised me, somehow, though they certainly should have, since I’ve never, to this point in my life, had anything cause me to respond with an instant immersion into comic-speak….

I guess my reaction is explainable as justified by the contrast between what is said in the statement, and the title of the piece from which it came. For the life of me, I cannot figure out whether the author is being facetious, serious, or merely using the idea as context in some way that isn’t clear with the statements standing alone. As it stands, the statements are perfectly rational, and, as such, could be said to be perfectly antithetical to the precepts of Christianity that I know, and certainly to the precepts of any of the sects that would be involved in mystical healing of imagined flaws in the human soul (Original Sin). Well, I guess that could be any of them, so, that won’t wash, exactly….. but, I’m still confused, as identifying Mind as the “only creative power” seems to go against everything Christians assume about divinity, and creation, unless I’ve missed something important over the last 60 years…..

“There are scores of thousands of sects who are ready at a moment’s notice to reveal the will of God on every possible subject.” — Smart Bee

Bah, humbug! Now I’m going to have to track down this article, or book, or whatever it is, and see the whole thing to get the perspective I need to figure this out. My curiosity won’t let me do anything else…. Besides, once I do get an idea of what the author was doing when he made this assertion, I’ll have a better idea of how to point the ensuing rant. If I go with what I have now, I’ll probably end up making all sorts of contextual assumptions that could be entirely false, and completely ruin any hope of future respect for my opinions, especially from myself, as I should know better than to assume anything about context from just one assertion.

To be continued, after a suitable interval to consult with Google, and subsequent sources…. And besides, even as simple and easy as it is, ranting on the Christians today is more than I want to get into…. Call me lazy, call me irresponsible, call me irresistible,  just don’t call me late for lunch…..

“Toes, knees, NIPPLES.  Toes, knees, nipples, KNUCKLES… Nipples, dimples, knuckles, NICKLES, wrinkles, pimples!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Nipples, knuckles, and nickles….. Genius! Sheer genius!….. And toes, too!….
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An Old Man, Snoring….

Winter arrives with gusts of wind and rain,
clover spreads green amongst the hedges.
Urban gardens quiver, and dream of spring again,
gargoyles stoically crouch on corniced ledges.

Umbrellas sprout over heads shrouded and hatted,
dotting the sidewalks in colorful profusion.
Urban denizens pose sketches, framed and matted,
adding casual beauty to fill the illusion.

Hissing tires, swishing along with the wipers
join nature’s orchestra smoothly, as percussion.
Dripping gutters sound gong tones, true pipers,
a sudden roar of wind hushes all discussion.

Dreams of summer heat form the crux of desire
as winter chills our souls from without.
Sitting in warmth, gazing into an imaginary fire;
content to know spring will come, no doubt.

~~ gigoid
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It is Friday…. I mention this only to point out that the day of the week only has two points of interest for me; hours of operation at the library are different every day, and the bus schedules are different on weekends. Other than that, my only interest in what day it is has to do with whether or not there is a possibility of mail. This lack of pressure about what is required for any particular day is one of the real perks of being retired, one that is seldom mentioned in all that I’ve seen and read on the subject, despite its real significance. I really enjoy the sensation of being in total control of my own time, with no other entity in the world who decides for me what I am to do at any particular moment…. It is a luxury that we do not appreciate when we are not retired, as we almost never experience it…..

Such freedom of time is limited, of course, by other considerations, but those are all connected to personal issues, not to reality’s issues. It is this freedom that allows me the time to create this blog every day, a task to which I dutifully cling as my lifeline to sanity. I guess that the years of work, during which my time was extremely tightly scheduled, for reasons associated with what others wanted/expected of me, created a need for some organization of that time, in order to feel some degree of control that is generally necessitated by conditions from the outside world. So, I try to do my writing when I am most able to do so, physically, which means first thing in the morning…..

None of this really has any point, other than to illustrate that I’m a lucky guy, for one with so many issues to deal with; I am both beset upon by reality, and rewarded by it immensely….. Now, if only I could get reality to hand over some of what is mine, I’d be set….. In the meantime, I needed a pearl, and all I could find were these little gems from a variety of sources, all of which, taken together, make a pretty fair set of principles on which to base one’s life, and one’s attitudes about life….. I’d say anyone who was true to all of these would be considered an asset to whatever part of society he or she inhabited…. Abondanza!……

“I would rather suffer defeat than have cause to be ashamed of victory.” — Quintus Curtius

“It is not the one with many possessions who is rich, but the one who has no needs.” — Philoxenos

“When we look at a rock what we are seeing is not the rock, but the effect of the rock upon us.” — Bertrand Russell

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

“Most people seem to think that trampling individual rights is OK if it is “for the good of society as a whole.”  However, society is but a large number
of individuals, and how can harming the individual parts better the whole?” — Andrew Ford, forda@agcs.com

“But if a man happens to find himself … he has a mansion which he can inhabit with dignity all the days of his life.” — Google says….

“I should have been a plumber.” — Albert Einstein

I think, without irony, life would be pretty dull….. Don’t you?…..
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Since I can’t seem to find a perfect pearl to finish with…. one more try…..  Well, not perfect, perhaps, but close. Bonus points if you can figure out which one it is (hint: It’s not the last one in line, from Albert, though his is one of my favorites….)….. Okay, I’m done. I’ve been playing around in my head now for almost three hours, while the rest of the world is waking up. I’m going to go shower up to face the day, then maybe go back to bed until time to catch the bus to the library….. Just kidding, but, hey, I can if I want to, so, who knows?…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

 

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

 

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Sodden reflections of ancient grandeur….

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Ffolkes,
It is always easy to give in, to give up…. Even those of us who make an effort to maintain honor and dignity in life, can find ourselves far too often in a position where life will be made easier, in a sense, by giving in to some kind of action that is less honorable than another, or less dignified, at least. For example, I’m sitting here, just allowing my mind to wander, and tears begin to form, along with a stray thought about how hard it is to get by while waiting for my SS money to start. The tears, while all-too familiar these days, are NOT welcome; I’m tired of seeing myself as broken, no matter how broken I am in reality…..

In this instance, giving in means crying because I am so tired of being unable to create much of any quality of life beyond the most basic standards. It also means accepting the weakness of spirit that is implied by the tears, that broken quality so common to those who have been grievously injured in some way. I’m not sure what it looks like from the other side, but from the inside, it is not a good feeling to feel fragile and vulnerable, especially for a big, strong man, who has always been seen as, and regarded himself as, a pillar of strength, both physically, and mentally. All my life I was a superior athlete, and a leader among my peers, intellectually and socially; now I am a recluse, living with constant pain and worry, wondering if my food will stretch to the end of the month, and weeping because I can’t buy anything for my kids for Christmas…..

This blog, and the writing of it, is what has kept me relatively sane for the past year plus that I’ve been writing on WordPress (over 560 posts now, and over 16,000 visitors…. way cool, that….). (Well, I have to add, my sanity has received a lot of bolster and support from my friends, in which I am rich…. as it includes some rather excellent people I’ve met here on WordPress, as well as my life-long friends….without them, I would truly be alone….)

Writing here affords me an area of expression that provides the stress relief I so require, and I am sure that if I had not been able to do this, I would most likely be in jail, and somebody would be dead who wasn’t scheduled to be so….. You see, there are just so many logical targets….. but, once again, that is a form of giving in, and I’m reluctant to do so any more than I already do….. Besides, I’m so broke, I can’t afford a gun, so I’d have to use a knife, and it’s so messy…. Quiet, but messy….

Bah! This is all twaddle, isn’t it? I would guess that it is okay for me to use my own feelings as a springboard to begin, but, to some extent, it almost feels like the very giving in of which I am speaking, a cheap way to find subject matter, to be sure. To me, though, it feels as if I’m being overly sentimental and weak…. and, to some degree, I am. But, I’ll be damned if I’ll feel bad about it….

I spent a lot of years feeling bad about the fact that I felt bad (it sounds a bit confusing, I know…. think about being on the inside of that thought….). One who is injured as I was tends to feel unworthy; first, for allowing the injury to occur, and then for being no longer useful for the purpose being served. It doesn’t matter at all that what was done, was done by necessity, or that it was done correctly, and well; the very fact of being injured is enough to outweigh any logical viewpoints. I’ve learned, for the most part, to not give in to that feeling, as it really isn’t a true feeling; it is one we are taught to feel, by those corporate masters who would have us work on, oblivious….guilt isn’t a natural response, it is taught….

Now, however, those unwanted feelings sneak up on me, like this, in the mornings when I am not yet alert, and send me off into an emotional morass that takes a while to dissipate. This morning, it has taken, what?…. Damn near seven paragraphs written before I feel like I’ve regained some equilibrium…. That is simply too much, and I’m putting a stop to it here and now….. Of course, my sub-conscious mind is rather stiff-necked and stubborn, and my decision may have no effect whatsoever on future outbreaks of angst in the early morning…. but, I must make an effort to control my own mind, or what is the point of having one?….. Shall we Pearl?……

“..  hubub, hubub, HUBUB, hubub, hubub, hubub, HUBUB, hubub, hubub, hubub.” — Zippy the Pinhead

(I knew a man once, in reality, whose entire vocabulary consisted of exactly this word, in almost exactly this cadence….. except when he got really upset, then he’d look you in the eye, and say “bastard”, as he took a desultory punch at your nose…. I loved him, dearly…. His existence, while inconceivable to the rest of us, was extremely simplified, and comfortable to him, and, in my view, was not an unreasonable response to a world he did not comprehend, a world in which he lived every moment in fear…..)
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Here is a short trio of pearls, old school style, to indicate a certain point (which, as always, is left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader….). Please note, for later reference, the roller coaster characteristics of the path from the beginning to the conclusion…. Taking notes will not be necessary, or graded….

“A little experience often upsets a lot of theory.” — Cadman

“If the King’s English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me!” — Ma Ferguson, Governor of Texas (circa 1920)

“Life is always like high school. Which is interesting, because high school is nothing like life.” — Jon Carroll, SF Chronicle, November 17, 1995.

Hmm….. this is interesting. I’ve noticed previously that Pearls often would take on a completely different meaning if presented in a slightly different order, on those occasions when more than one pearl is used to make a point. At times, the conclusion may be different, while other times may cause the conclusion to remain valid, while the road taken to get to that validity traveled through a different country.

This is kind of like that, except that it is so flexible, I believe it would change its face and clothing no matter which way the three quotes are ordered. In this case, I have merely inverted the order of presentation, to find that the meaning stays the same, relatively, while the path does not….

“Life is always like high school. Which is interesting, because high school is nothing like life.” — Jon Carroll, SF Chronicle, November 17, 1995.

“If the King’s English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me!” — Ma Ferguson, Governor of Texas (circa 1920)

“A little experience often upsets a lot of theory.” — Cadman

Same idea, basically, but it got there on a Segway, not a roller coaster….. I really do love the English language; it is so amenable to torture….. and as an inanimate entity, has no feelings to offend, nor blood to spill…. Well, I guess, given my heavy-handed writing techniques, some blood is unavoidable, but, it cleans up well with a bit of cold water and salt…..

“It is not a fish until it is on the bank.” — Irish Proverb
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Always a hedonist, I have opted today to go with one of my all-time favorite poems….

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

~~ Shel Silverstein
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“Beware the lightning that lurketh in the undischarged capacitor, lest it cause thee to bounce upon thy buttocks in a most untechnician-like manner.” — The First Commandment for Technicians

“Is the printer plugged into the wall power socket? Is the plug wire from the wall plugged into the back of the printer?” — The First Two Questions for the Printer Help Desk Technician

“Did you try to reboot the computer?” — The First Level Help Desk Question

There are many, many more rules, of course, in the technical world, rules whose existence is necessitated by the power and scope of human stupidity. The first one above is, naturally, a corollary of Murphy’s Law of Scientific Endeavor, and one that all those of a geekish nature learn very early in life.

The second and third are indicative of my own experiences as the Computer Technician for a tax business, a large franchise with a number of offices in various cities in the region they served. I installed their networks and tax software, did trouble-shooting for the office computers and systems, set up classrooms for tax classes for taxpayers, and for new employees during the tax season. Essentially, I was their one-person Help Desk, on call for emergencies to any office. Great fun, but hard work, as they weren’t exactly the most well-trained set of managers I’d ever encountered…. but, that’s another story….

“Work thou not on energized equipment, for if thou dost, thy fellow workers will surely buy beers for thy widow and console her in other ways.” — The Seventh Commandment for Technicians

I’ve included this one, just because Smart Bee gave it to me so soon after finding the first one, above; I hadn’t known the Commandments had been codified, and didn’t know they, the Commandments, were there in Smart Bee’s database. Each, of course, is suitable as a starting point for a pearl, and together, they can provide some quality moments of laughter at the foibles of human nature we all share.

The second Help Desk question, re: the printer, is drawn from real life experience, which I obtained one time on a call to the office in V___, California. They were unable to tell me why their network printer would not print any of their files over the phone, so I had to go to the office physically to troubleshoot the unknown issue….

Upon arriving, I walked to the printer, to check if it was plugged in to the wall, and that other machines plugged into the same plug were functioning, as I would with any trouble shooting visit. All good….. I then walked over to the printer, where I found the other end of the wire leading to the plug. It was only halfway plugged into the printer, thus would NOT have supplied any power, but looked okay upon cursory examination. Problem fixed, for as soon as I pushed the plug all the way onto the receptor, the machine fired up and started printing out all of the files it had been sent….. thus certifying the veracity of Lazarus Long’s admonition, to wit: “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”

The saving grace behind our tendency toward bozoid acts of sheer stupidity, is that it also provides us with unending supplies of laughter, at ourselves, and at this crazy world in which we live, or, in some cases, merely spend time. As the Firesign Theater noted in their performance, “I think we’re all Bozos on this bus…..”

None of us, no matter how smart, or competent, or lucky, ever escapes completely from Murphy’s influence, and there is always a reason to laugh at ourselves, if we have the grace of spirit to understand the humorous facets of our own nature. ‘Tis an old Irish proverb that tells us, “There’s no better medicine than a long sleep and a hearty laugh.” Or, it might have been, “a hearty laugh, and a long sleep.” I forget…. so sue me. Oh, crap, that tears it!….

See? Now, my own bozoid tendencies have erupted, and I’m displaying my own proof of my assertions…. Okay, I’m done… quit it. Stop laughing now, I’m done, see?  Never mind, I’ll just go away now, having completely lost all continuity, and probably, all credibility….

🙂
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It is probably a good thing that I am beginning to regard the passage of just one day as a significant victory of principle. Or, perhaps it would be clearer and more accurate to say the passage of one day without a) snapping, to the point of giving in to illegal, if entirely justifiable, homicidal urges, b) starving, or c) crying without warning or reason, can be regarded as such a victory.

In which case, I’ve already lost today, on record, so there’s no point in getting all weirded out for the rest of the day…. Here ’tis, damn near 10:00 AM, and I’ve completed today’s Pearl, not without struggle, I admit, but, completely ready to join the “done” category….. Therefore, I shall now cease rambling on, without rhyme, or reason……  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!