If I’m able to sleep after the shakes have passed, all is fairly well; often, that doesn’t happen, as the process of finding ways to distract myself from the jitters, plus distractions from the pain that’s always nearby, will often wake me up so I can’t return to the arms of Morpheus…. who wouldn’t hold me, anyway, as I’m too shaky & grumpy….

Which is where y’all have the dubious distinction of finding me today…. I’m going to issue a warning, to have a care today. I’m in a really rotten mood, and I can’t seem to find any reason in me to be nice…. If I did, I’d toss it in somebody’s face. In fact, I’m going to have Luigi take y’all on to the oyster beds, while I go consume some marginally legal drugs, to see if I can find a bit of peace inside somewhere…. I’ll meet y’all down the road apiece, if I can shake this off…… If not, well, too fucking bad….. Get ’em outta here, Lou, while there’s still time….

Shall we Pearl?….

“There’s no easy quick way out, we’re gonna have to live through our whole lives, win, lose, or draw.” — Walt Kelly

Oh, what a perfect opening line for a rant…. Too bad I’m in such a snarky mood; I’m even too pissed off at the world at large to rant well…. Oh, there’s plenty of emotion available…. So much, I can’t afford to let it out, lest it shoot the wounded, and attack the white flag; I’m afraid any ranting I do today would leave too many open wounds and dead bodies to make it practical. Here’s one from the archives that will have to do…..

From 4/13/2013:

“Custom does often reason overrule and only serves for reason to the fool.” — John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

This aphorism is one that I think most people would accept as true, at least part of the time. It also points up what I see as a basic flaw in human nature, a characteristic that everyone possesses, and few overmaster. It has to do with our core beliefs, and the attitude we assume as our method of perception, the orientation of our world-view, as it were. We all perceive what is out there in the universe, but we are not capable, at this time, of understanding, or even noting, all that is there to be perceived, as we are limited to what we can see, hear, feel, touch, taste, or deduce, in our immediate vicinity…. We don’t yet know how to include the input of anything not in our physical presence, other than vicariously (via TV, radio, books, etc…..).

We do, however perceive what we are near, and what we do with those perceptions is what determines how the events of our lives will proceed. What is more, each one of us perceives all of this IN A DIFFERENT WAY…..  Two people can look at the same article, or event, and see two entirely different things; just ask them….. We use the same senses, the same KIND of brains to process the data, at the same time to observe the same event, yet the interpretation of those events will vary, by as many degrees as there are people perceiving them. This unique ability, to process data in a completely new and different way from anyone else’s method, is, as might be guessed, both a blessing, and a curse….. It is the latter that concerns me today…..

In order to coexist in the same place and time, people have learned to accept certain perceptions as being identical, for the purposes of communication, e.g., everyone knows what “fire” is, and knows not to touch it barehanded…. (Note: in a way, this blog is all about the process of such communications…. we explore the reality that is consensual, that we all agree to deal with as being the same for all of us…..) This is the blessing it gives, the opportunity to increase understanding, to allow people to work in tandem, making both much more capable, making two more than just one plus one….. This is a very useful tool in the real world, and has helped our species achieve the degree of civilization we now enjoy….

But, the other side of this characteristic has an equal part in our destiny, and may in fact be the more important of the two, in the ultimate sense….. You see, we are all herd animals, and desire the approval and company of our peers; without it, we suffer, much more than we even know. It is not “human” to remain alone too long…. Oh, there is nothing wrong with solitude, and much great thought is achieved when one is not distracted by others….. On the other hand, a human who is alone for too long becomes a pale imitation of his/her true self, without the presence of other minds to test his/her theories, to discuss and share their feelings and accomplishments, to vent their frustrations, to experience love….. Without these things, our spirits become small, and lose their moral compass, leaving us adrift in a reality that seems dark, and dangerous….

This dependence on custom (which I define as the total construct of human society, the set of rules and regulations, all unwritten, by which all of us shape our behavior in respect to each other…..) is so strong that, as the aphorism states, one becomes willing to set reason aside, in order to keep and maintain our feeling of having a place in society. We will assume whatever mask that society demands, at times, in order to not have to wear a mask of our own devising, one that we do not find comfortable…. This is the curse of which I spoke….

You see, there are a number of people who have no compunctions whatsoever in using this human characteristic to their own ends….. They don’t believe in any of the crap they spew, but will say or do anything to make sure that others do, because this is how they control the general populace… They spread their lies, fast and often, until they are believed…. these lies promulgate fear amongst the uneducated and timid, who then demand that “something be done!” by those in charge…. which is exactly what those people wanted, for they can now proceed to further fan the flames of fear, while surreptitiously looting the public treasury to make it seem as if they are doing something constructive…. “Hey, they’re stealing our oil! Let’s spend a few billion to bomb the crap out of them so we can keep driving SUV’s, with great cup holders!”

Oh well, I guess that’s all the rant I’ve got in me today…. It’s kind of mild I know, but I was trying to be scholarly, rather than controversial and accusatory…. I think I’ve succeeded in that, but, it doesn’t quite give the same thrill and/or release as a good, nasty rant, with some great name-calling… Well, I can always call them assholes, because, hey, it fits, and it’s easy to type…. Any who, I’ll stop now, right on the edge of illumination, and allow the Gentle Reader to follow the train of my thought to its obvious conclusion…. For those too busy, or too lazy to do so, I’ll summarize….

Don’t listen to what anyone else says, not about YOUR perceptions. And, for sure, kick the asses of anyone who tries to convince you of their integrity in an elected capacity, or any position of authority…. A lot of people, on every level of society, are just trying to control you for their own purposes, and deserve any ass-kicking that comes their way…. Be like a cat…. cats don’t give a SHIT what anybody thinks, they just are….. No apologies, no fuss, just leave me alone, because I’m busy being a cat….. This is good advice, so, listen up, I’m trying to do you a favor…..   😆

“We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him.” — Michel Eyquem de Montaigne _Essays_, bk. III, ch. 11 [1595]

From 4/12/2013:

Time now for an old school pearl, harlequin style…. Don’t fret if that makes no sense to you, it’s just the way things go around here….. Today’s group of pearls all have something in common, but, it really doesn’t matter, because the point of it all is too weird to even vocalize. Just enjoy them for their relevance in a world gone mad….

“One is not idle because one is absorbed.  There is both visible and invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil.  To think is to do.” — Victor Hugo

“Forget the cake, go for the icing.” — from Observations on Life From Children

“..  bleakness….  desolation….  plastic forks…” — Zippy the Pinhead

“and what i want to know is how do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death” — ee cummings, Buffalo Bill

“When I was five years old, my mother used to tell me that happiness was the key to Life. When I went to school, they asked me to write down what I would like to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand Life.” — John Lennon

Just so you know, the above is one of the finest seven star pearls I’ve ever created, I think….. Mark it down…. you were here when it was first made…. fresh from the wilds of inner space…..

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I did it. It’s done, and I don’t care at all what it looks like, feels like, or hell, I don’t care if it shimmies like my sister Kate. It’s done, so, it stays…. I’m outta here, too, before I say something I’ll later regret….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I’m still free of incarceration….