Ffolkes,
~~ Calvin (“Calvin and Hobbes”) ~~
The Globe Theater, London
Hajime…. ‘Tis morning again. Some would say, at this age, each day upright is a victory. I can almost agree, but for the simple fact it isn’t my preference to always think of Life as a battle, though, because of our nature, battling comes easily to mind; we’re pretty vicious animals, in the final analysis. I don’t even feel any need to try to justify such a statement; just watch any group of two-year olds play together without adults to moderate their actions; then, I’d agree with the idea of battling life as an appropriate description. Alternately, watch the fucking news, or, read the Bible for a while in the Old Testament…. either is filled with war and violence toward each other….
Thus, having ranted in one paragraph, there won’t be any real need to do so below; just as well. I’m suffering an ethical issue myself. This morning I found Leelu playing with a wolf spider, I think. It was a black color, but, though it didn’t LOOK like a BW, rather than chance Leelu getting stung/bitten, even by a wolf spider (not enough poison to hurt, but, their mandibles aren’t very clean & wounds from them can infect easily) I killed the spider, as I couldn’t get at it with a glass to capture it.
Now, I am really feeling bad, guilty & miserable, for having killed a totally innocent creature, when I COULD have found a way to capture and release it outside, which is how I generally deal with spiders…. Hell, I’ve admired spiders since I was a kid, reading Spiderman, and wishing I could jump 20 times my height, or lift a car with one hand…. not ever counting the silk they make….
I’m sure I’ll get over it, but, as I get older, apparently, my heart is opening further to the world’s suffering, adding to it brings no balance…. Ah, well, another ounce to my karmic burden added; no complaints, I earned it….
All that said, I’ll wipe my tears away, and get on with today’s mess…. Not all of it may be fresh today, but, we’ll see how it goes…. No ups, no extras, no tricks today…. We’re off to the oyster beds, now….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Be honest with yourself until the end of your life. Then listen to the slow movement of the Schubert Quintet and kick the bucket.” — Nathan Milstein
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Image from 8tracks.com via Google Images
Since we’ve been exploring/playing the blues lately, a friend suggested this most excellent bridge musician…. I say bridge because he was one of the first musicians to blend the style of blues to the new ‘rock and roll’ being played in the early 1950’s, influenced heavily by the blues, especially as played in New Orleans (ref: think Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, etc…. both followed Bo’s example into the newer style….. Actually, I’m not positive who came first, but, does it really matter? All of them were pioneers, so who cares who scaled the mountain first, except the one who did?….. I just enjoy the results…..) Unless you hate music, you WILL enjoy this one….
Bo Diddley
Live with Ron Wood 1987
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than in their particular observations.
~~ Niccolo Machiavelli ~~
“Surely every human being ought to attain to the dignity of the unit. Surely it is worth while to be one, and to feel that the census of the universe would be incomplete without counting you. Surely there is grandeur in knowing that in the realm of thought you are without a chain; that you have the right to explore all heights and all depths; that there are no walls or fences, or prohibited places, or sacred corners in all the vast expanse of thought; that your intellect owes no allegiance to any being, human or divine; that you hold all in fee, and upon no condition, and by no tenure, whatsoever; that in the world of mind you are relieved from all personal dictation, and from the ignorant tyranny of majorities. Surely it is worth something to feel that there are no priests, no popes, no parties, no governments, no kings, no gods, to whom your intellect can be compelled to pay a reluctant homage. Surely it is a joy to know that all the cruel ingenuity of bigotry can devise no prison, no dungeon, no cell in which for one instant to confine a thought; that ideas cannot be dislocated by racks, nor crushed in iron boots, nor burned with fire. Surely it is sublime to think that the brain is a castle, and that within its curious bastions and winding halls the soul, in spite of all worlds and all beings, is the supreme sovereign of itself.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), “The Free Soul”
You know, I was going to rant, using these two statements as a jumping off point; now, upon looking at them, together they form a perfect coin with two sides of the same issue, from a certain point of view. The first old insight from The Prince gives a logical reason for the human inability to form a society without falling into war or conquest…. The second offers a 180º view of humankind, offering, in a sense, a way out of the ancient fallibility we embrace so easily, due to our animal nature, which we have never learned to integrate with our intelligence without allowing it to pervert our moral/ethical behavior….
We allow feelings, generated by the fearful monkey unconscious mind, to dictate the immense power of imagination, turning it to the mechanics of war and violence to achieve our ends, without ever applying our intelligence rationally on a societal level….
And, that’s all there is to say about that… The first tells us how we got here; the second gives/offers us a way out of this suffering, miserable existence, into a more peaceful, rational, ethical society. It’s our choice, but, then, it always has been….
gigoid has spoken.
So be it.
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“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”
So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.
Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.
Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.
Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.
Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.
Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.
~~ gigoid ~~
— 8/30/2014 —
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Image from zulgobang.blogspot.com via Google Images
Today’s final pearl is possibly the strangest I’ve ever created. The process of selecting the included thoughts was much the same as when I write poetry, to wit: mostly unconscious, and, completely without my input, to any real degree. The pearls you see were presented in exactly the order in which I found them; I don’t see any reason to alter the order, as I don’t understand, yet, exactly what it says, in the larger sense, usually obvious with most pearls….
The picture is one that showed up on Google when I searched for “free images of randomness”, so, I can’t explain that choice either. It just seems to fit…. I don’t know, why don’t y’all peruse the group, and let me know if you come up with any thoughts….
“Any ordinary man can surround himself with two thousand books and thenceforth have at least one place in the world in which it is possible to be happy.” — Augustine Birrell
“Become who you are.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
“The majority of mankind is lazy-minded, incurious, absorbed in vanities and tepid in emotion, and is therefore incapable of either much doubt or much faith.” — TS Eliot
“My mind is not for rent to any god or gov’t.” — Smart Bee, channeling gigoid again
“You know the day destroys the nights. Night divides the day.” — The Doors
“Everything is simpler than you think and at the same time more complex than you imagine.” — Goethe
“As a general rule, if you want to get at the truth –hear both sides and believe neither.” — Josh Billings
“Breaks balance out. The sun don’t shine on the same ol’ dog’s ass every day.” — Darrell Royal
“Reach high, for the stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” — Pamela Vaull Starr
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It’s done, and a damn good thing, too. Without going into any details, let us merely say, my remarks above were more relevant than I knew, re: victory over the day. On that cryptic, yet insightful note, I shall bid thee adieu, until I can throw another such piece o’crap together…. That, of course, will be posted tomorrow, hopefully around the same time, but, at least 24 hours from now…. See y’all then, fate be willing….
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid, the dubious
The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.
PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.
“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch
À bientôt, mon cherí….
gigoid 
You gotta what you gotta do, I say!
Leelu comes first and better be safe than sorry.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/9f/0a/84/9f0a84c8bd80809383fcbc84f7cef424.gif.
True enough, though if the spider hadn’t been moving so fast for a hiding place, I’d have taken the time to grab a glass and a piece of paper, the best method to capture them, and release them outside…. They, too, deserve to live their lives without fear of some huge beast hitting them with a shoe, turning them into a tiny frisbee….
There has been ENOUGH killing; we need to just STOP!!! Just because it is in our nature to do so does not give us the right to do so….
It’s a tough ethical question; this time, TIME forced my hand. I don’t have to like it….
“All you can do is all you can do.” — gigoid
Sometimes, all we can do isn’t enough to keep us from unethical decisions… That’s where, in my mind, the universe has placed Karma, for us to remain mindful of our nature, and, our duty to other forms of life….
Deep subject…. Thanks for the great comment, and, the .gif… That’s a beautiful arachnid….
gigoid, the dubious
😎
I am so so so sorry but I am totally laughing my head off!
‘S okay…. I will too, once the guilt wears off…. It IS funny for a huge predator, such as myself, to feel guilt over squashing a spider….
But, then, spiders are our friends; they eat flies, for which I have absolutely NO use…
*grin*
gigoid
*grin*
LOL!
Perfect, and, not far from the truth… They, like ants, can carry several times their own body weight!
Their segmented legs act like springs to help them leap so far, and run what would be a speed of 200 mph if they were the size of a human… Watch them one time, run across from one wall to another, and time it… Then, figure out how FAR it was compared to their size…. Wicked fast….
Amazing creatures….
g, td
OH YEAH!
Being selective as to what you remember
This is exactly what I needed to hear
Now I can go about my business and not think I’m losing what ever mind I have left
Which in comparison could be less or could be more
Depending which theory you refer to
Great post
Remember when you point the finger at some one there are 3 pointing back at you
As always Sheldon
Thanks, my friend; I’m glad you enjoyed today’s mess… and, if I can provide anyone with even a moment of peace they didn’t have, I can feel I’ve been successful, in showing my love….
Let ’em point; I ain’t shy, or fearful of any man… only a couple women of my acquaintance, who are FAR more dangerous than any man, especially if they’ve learned to think as an enlightened human can…. In fact, I often laugh out loud, just imagining some pathetic male, such as a President, or a Senator, or anyone of their ilk, coming up against these two women…. It would be fun to watch….
Choice of what to perceive, and, what to accept as real out of them, is the ONLY actual power over Reality we have. To me, it’s all that simple, and far more complex than we can believe, as Goethe pointed out….
Have a peaceful and happy holiday season, ami
gigoid, the dubious
full of thoughts on you many priceless pearls, they are most thought provoking today….
I was wandering in a moment of my great escape for a few days and stopped by to wish you a very Merry Christmas….( i didn’t realize your were 85, your energy feels my younger,though the soul feels of one who has lived many lifetimes in this one moment, I will be 60 in a few days, surprised the hell out of me to think of it LOLs, but then I guess time does come to ones attention sooner or later 🙂 )
I liked your poem….as well as your thoughts….I do wander in when I have a moment of being free on reality, maybe one day my life will be of balance of sorts and I can find words again
anyway…I hope you are doing well in your neck of the woods….and as the Eve of Christmas is upon us I hope you have a night of peace, don’t forget at midnight the animals speak in our human language….listen 🙂
Take Care …You Matter Ned
Blessings….
maryrose
i really should proof read my replies before I click…
I see I said 85, not 65 ….so if my intuition is in sync then you know you have at least 20 years more at least ….
my only excuse is my eyes are tired ..yep thats my story and i’m stickin to it
(hope i didn’t offend you )
always…just me
I repeat, LOL!
😆
:0 have a wonderful evening Gigoid
I am off to salad on chipotle potato soup,I am waiting to see if the clouds move so the moon comes through, I am house-sitting this Christmas Eve for my daughter…I am enjoying the peace and quiet …
done rambling 🙂
just me a.k.a maryrose
🙂
Ah, Lady MaryRose…. I am, indeed, happy you stopped by…. I get notified of your posts, and I’ve missed seeing them….
Thanks for you kind words… but, I have to do this, first…
LOL!
I’m afraid 85 was a typo…. I’m actually 65, as of November 1… I must have missed that when I posted it…. So, though your words assume a fallacious fact, I truly appreciate the thoughts you shared… I can only hope I still have the energy I have now, which is, thankfully, improving all the time, now I’ve given up on the current AMA medical model, by kicking ALL my doctors to the curb. I’ve simply gone back to what I KNOW to be true, medically, and ignore the pills and crap food they want us to take/eat…
I lost the 75 lbs that were slowly killing me, and now, I need NO pills at all…. I treat all my various health issues with cannabinoids, which are a natural part of our healing system; our own bodies make the same substances that are in the marijuana plant in high concentration, as part of our own body’s system of healing itself….
It’s very nice to see you, and, I’m glad my ‘stuff’ still makes you smile here and there…. Warm fuzzy inside, you know?….
I hope your own holiday season has, and is, going well, and that you have a joyous Christmas, with lots of eggnog, complete with good brandy….
😉
You are, and have been, one of my favorite friends here on WP for about four years now, and, are one of the people I truly love….
“Love is that condition wherein the happiness of another is essential to your own.” — Robert Heinlein
I’ve always thought that was the best definition, because it covers it all…
Since I am 65, I decided to never miss a chance to tell each of those I do love, so, in farewell, for the moment, I will say,
Love,
Ned, aka gigoid….
🙂
i will be back to respond 🙂
Reverence for Nature..
wheRe a spider is seen as an
‘important person’ too.. ah.. refreshing
it is to see and feel that.. now.. as there is
surely not enough reverence these days
for the rest of Nature.. as folks breeze
through their metallic and plastic lives..
rarely touching the gRains of Earth
between tHeir toes of Love..
And this reminds me of the noble Wolf..
who when domesticated will get angry at humans..
but when free and wild in Nature rarely bothers humans..
and of course in the past where lambs are easy prey.. they
become the evil one.. but sure they are just doing tHeir job for survival..
As the Wolf Spider does as well to make a living.. and yes.. it also reminds
me of ‘Dracula’ too.. and what we will do for the price of Love.. as sure Love
is important to die for and kill when absolutely necessary.. as history shows
is the sad reality of human life too.. so many nows away
from eye to eye of Peace and Love.. yes.. in reference
to the Newest ‘Dracula’ movie on the big screen..
where Dracula is willing to lose his soul
for the one’s he loves..
after already
being
a fearless
and ferocious
human soldier
for the Love of
Country and Family
wHere wars are won
for Love and Freedom
instead of Material items
like Oil and fake Gods alone..
away from Nature as God ALLONE..
To the smallest of creatures the eYes of balance..
the bees of pollination and the food of life.. with dragon
flies of beauty and meek roaches who are often hated
the most.. still inheriting the earth from millions of years ago..
now… with humans only a speck of dust in history
yes.. on this planet now.. in a relative way…
But still we all share that point of origin..
or origins.. or whatever comes before..
so truly if we are in the know and feel of Unity..
there is no separation.. where a Spider’s life is
no less important than any other grain of sand
that holds the feet of us secure as earth…
Just to be pArt of it..
makes it all worth it to me friend..
Just to move.. connect.. and create.. with
all these creature comforts happily and
fiercely provided by the ‘drones’ of life..
makes all of us birds.. bees..
and grains of sand..
fortunate
to be
here now..
where truly this
is perhaps.. the best
of all UniVerse heavens
for those who experience that
way of human existence on this
terrestrial plane for now.. and for those
of us who have lived or seen real human
hell.. the gratitude for the blesSinGs shaRing
is both priceless and worth shArinG.. from the
Life of the Wolf Spider.. to the big Wolves oF life..
my friend.. and Happy LiGht with Truth Holidays
to ya.. alWays now my friend in the gift of Now as
ultimate
human
present..
Yes.. Peace and
Love to ya friend..
and Best New
wishes alWays
NOW.. as NEW..:)
Saw this last night, just as I was shutting down for the night… All fresh this morning…
Thank you my friend; that was a truly beautiful poem/visual/spiritual response… The flow of your words matched the visual flow perfectly, painting a picture anyone with wit can see…. Also matched were the concepts/ideas/songs you sang….
Thanks…. I hope your midnight Mass brought you joy, and hope your holy day today is joyous…. I’m pretty sure it will be; you and Katie seem to be pretty good at, not to mention insistent on, obeying the ancient injunction to wit:, “Carpe Diem”…..
Love, peace, & happiness be yours, brother and sister mine…
gigoid
SMiLes.. my friend..
thEre is a saying of YOLO..
You Only Live Once.. and of
course seize the day.. Carpe Diem..
iN my mind/feeling of mind and body
balanCinG SoUl.. therE iS only YOLN..
You Only Live Now and Seize the Now..
as Holynows.. giving the present of Holynows..
in the free verse form of PoeTry.. Prose.. and Dance
iN trUly.. A SonG of mY SoUL expresSinG SpiRit Now
of emoTioNS Free wherever Now takes me next.. give
me three feet to spiral the pArts of my body free in mind
and body balance and in that Relative Free WiLL.. Bio-
feedback bRings.. along with lifting music of modern
humans iN all of what modern technology bRings
liGht and Truth of my mindful awareness climbing
higher and higher in a Peaceful Loving way..
wheRE no now is same as the one before..
with Valleys and Mountains of human
experience only to come different now..
theRe is truly not only infinity
above to skies that never end
as stars.. tHere is truly that
infinity as well.. iN
our neurons in their
connections.. in the Vagal Nerve
that carries feelings from Brain to Gut
that some folks metaphor as Kundalini Serpent..
receptors all throughout our human body in what
might be termed an infinite potential for connections
of metaphor of FEELING human Chakras from
top of head to bottom of toes.. to arms.. to
fingers above so below.. inside.. outside..
all around.. truly we human animals
are a reflection of the Universe as
Nature as Metaphor for God as well..
and we can either expand and spiral
around the calm center bliss of us..
or fall into the deep abyss that can
be a human Black Hole Sun..
but sure that Black Hole
Sun.. once experienced..
can be the inspiration
that spirals us
higher than ever before..
truly we are the cosmos unto itself..
as the great philosopher/scientist Carl
Sagan suggests.. and on my class ring
from the three college degrees i earned
in Health Science.. Anthropology.. and
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary that
only gained me access into the working
world in a Military Bowling Center.. for
the one class i had in computer
science as the Bowling Alley world
then is gaining computers.. and needing
that knowledge greatly from folks in College
as well.. to pass out shoes to dirty feet as one
of the most humble jobs of all that i did for almost
two decade as responsibilities increased.. Yes.. on
my ring is the quote from our University of West Florida
humble logo.. and motto of “Build thee more Stately Mansions”
from Oliver Wendall Holmes.. where this humble sea creature
spends its life building a shell that in form will mirror the Milky
Way that is our bigger home above so below.. So yes.. my
friend.. i continue to build my Nautilus Shell so
after i am cremated a work of Art like that shell
will be left behind.. for anyone who cares to
discover it.. no less free of cost.. than
digging through the sediments of
the Earth and finding a Shell of the
Galaxy my friend.. aLL i kNow is the
truly free human spirit.. when now more
fully moving.. connecting.. and creating..
is a work of Art and REAL magic.. that
continues to make the greaTest Nautilus
Shell.. that is becoming the Google Shell now..
and i feel fortunate and blessed to add a verse to
this new technological form of Human Multi-verses
holding hands together.. as long as servers live..
in my humble part as part of the whole my friend..
ever growing.. ever expanding.. no longer held
back by those who might Love their Black Hole
Suns more than expanding stars of eYes and
feeling.. and yes.. i do type around 130 words
a minute when properly focused.. and read one
of my longest posts in a few minutes.. but sure
this Nautilus knows and feels no word of quit now
AS less than Holynows.. smiles.. not many people
can handle all of what i can do.. it is a blesSinG to
come across those who do.. and i for one.. will be
unstoppable as long as i believe in now.. my friend..
see ya later.. in Novel ways of Now.. haha! literAlly too..;)
🙂
YouR SonGs make me SMILE….
They also make me glad I learned to speed-read, and retain what I read….
To all that, all I CaN say is: right fucking on….
See ya later on, I am sure; we are now part of the same karras , a Greek word, for a circle of connected souls, part of the same tapestry of Life as made by the Fates, from threads spun by Clotho, sewn by Lachesis, and cut by Atropos…. the circle is never broken, only some of the threads are snipped, as Atropos decides…..
whoever she was….
😉
Happy, happy joy, joy….
See ya….
Ned, aka gigoid
😎
I’m glad I came to visit
Bo Diddley guitar is quite the site
Never saw a square before
Hope all is well
As always Sheldon