Ffolkes,
not only to be a martyr, but to be a fool.
~~ G. K. Chesterton, “Heretics”, 1905 ~~
Irish Gull w/attitude, Galway
Hajime…. This morning, it isn’t morning. Well, actually, it is, when you will see this, in my time zone, anyway. The time in your own may well be different, but, for convenience, we’ll go with morning. Especially since it’s actually yesterday, and you’re reading this courtesy the power of the Tardis, which delivered it to this time, per instructions, sometime in either the past, or the future; I have a hard time deciphering that manual page. All I know is, the post will end up in the right place, at the right time, just as if the Doctor himself were in the house, and, at the controls.
Now we’ve begun the day appropriately, with a fair bit of nonsense and fantasy, why don’t we try something more, oh, cerebral? Hmm… perhaps that isn’t the best idea…. I think, as Calvin once remarked, my cerebellum just fused, when confronted with an arithmetic conundrum from his teacher. So, yep, cerebral is out. How about a bit of comedy? Ah, I see. The obvious attempts already made have turned y’all a bit green; maybe I should open this window over here…. Oops. Forgot, pressurized cabins shouldn’t be opened in flight. Better not. Last time I forgot, half the seats went flying out in the suction, with Gentle Readers still attached….
Okay, I’ll stop. It must be too early for this sort of playfulness; perhaps it’s from not having my third cuppa until AFTER I got up. But, it could be the shoes. We’ll never know now, because I’m making an executive decision, and getting us all the hell out of here, before I hurt myself, or anybody else, in my thrashing about…. Actually, that’s the easy part; this part is harder than it looks….. Watch this….
Shall we Pearl?….
into the knowledge of all existing things
and all obscure secrets.”
~~ Ahmes the Scribe (17th cent. B.C.) ~~
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Image from Pinterest.com via Google Images
Donovan Leitch, who performed using his given name only, was, in many ways, the most influential musician of his era. A legendary songwriter, excellent guitarist/musician, and, a model of the ideals by which my generation had become enamored during the famous/infamous 60’s. He influenced me, and many others of my age, to embrace openness, honesty to self and others, and, the concept of humanity as a whole living together in love and peace. It’s idealistic, and romantic, and, it’s still represents a way of living with which I can find no argument as having value…..
This video is of a live show from 2012, after he finally was elected to the R&R Hall of Fame…. The sound quality isn’t the best, and, his voice isn’t quite as strong as it once was, but, you can always go listen to one of the albums to hear that….. You gotta love this man, for he has shared all his love with the world, in his music…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. I will, for sure, and, why not?…. What’s not to like, eh?….
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********************************
While searching through the archives yesterday, looking for something else entirely, I came across this piece, from almost three years ago. It made me laugh, so, rather than ranting about shit, again, which I can’t currently change, I’ll subject y’all to some sarcasm/sardonicism re: our old friends, the Dogma Dogs, and be done with it…. I’ve changed the formatting a bit, to match my current style, and, corrected a couple grammatical errors I found. I hope you enjoy it; I did, writing it, and, reading it again….. But, then, perhaps I’m prejudiced in the matter….
From 1/30/3013:
it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight
for a black cat that isn’t there.
Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.”
~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~
I had an idea, but it went away…. They do that sometimes. The idea was connected somehow to this quote from Bob Heinlein, and, as might be expected, was intended to serve as the springboard for yet another episode of raking Christianity, and/or religious institutions in general, over the proverbial coals. Since the clever concept I had thought of originally has deserted me, I have absolutely no idea of where to go with this…. I mean, it’s a simple enough matter to turn it into a rant; I have no problem coming up with a newly sharpened stick to poke at the priesthood whenever needed, or merely wished for. But, having bellied up to that bar already this week, I hadn’t intended to go there…. Let’s see what happens now….
While I am firmly convinced that this makes as much sense to me as it does to read in the Bible from, oh, say, the Book of Leviticus, or even Genesis, I am not sure it will make a proper ranting platform. I mean, it IS as easily proved as any of the real stuff in the Bible, and certainly holds the same amount of logic to its assertions. But, somehow, it just isn’t SERIOUS enough to soothe the ranting urge… No, we’ll just have to keep looking….
but one dares not do so,
because they bite.”
~~ Vladimir Lenin ~~
Ah, now THAT is a sentiment I can get behind. It shows deep insight into human nature, and in a small way, says something about how that nature is self-destructive. A fine little aphorism, but, not really suited for ranting, as it is so true and complete in itself….. We’ll keep looking….
Not that we CARE or anything.”
~~ Smart Bee ~~
Aha! Now, that’s the kind of pearl that can start off a grand rant! It’s a perfect perversion of the Christian insistence on keeping their believers buried deeply in ignorance and fear, and ironic enough to please the most discriminating of critics. I love the ending line; it’s just so….. Christian! At least, by every measure I’ve ever seen, it is…. Now, there are Christians out there, I’m certain, who will take some offense at that, but, I would ask them to stop a moment and think…. There, there, now, darlings, I know it hurts, but it will get better the more you do it….
and the cleverness of the few.”
~~ Stendhal ~~
See? I don’t discriminate!…. Now that your mind is loosened up a bit, so you won’t strain it, consider this…. In the Christian world, once one has been granted admittance to the group, becoming a member of the Church, how much effort do those members make to become better people? How much do they actually use the precepts of their dogma to influence their behavior BEFORE they act? How many of them actually try to weave the teachings of Jesus into the fabric of their lives?…. My own observations tell me the number is pretty small, compared to the whole…..
Christians make a big fuss about making sure it is understood how compassionate and forgiving Jesus is/was, as he meant for all his followers to be; then they go and drop bombs on a bunch of short brown people, because those people aren’t Christian…. Oh, the stories and fantasies given in justification always point to some other reason, but the bottom line is, because those other people are “heathens”, they aren’t entitled to any of that compassion or forgiveness. Only their co-members are entitled to consideration as something other than dirt…..
What often makes me the angriest, when I see this behavior, is the outrage expressed by those self-appointed Chosen Ones when their entitlement is challenged, in pieces such as this one. The entire weight of the Church is often called into play to respond to any criticisms leveled against it in public, much like a dragon protects its stolen gold, reacting with fire and destruction to any perceived threats. It pisses me off because their manipulation of others, and their stated wish to be of service, is all based on LIES and hypocrisy, delivered with a smarmy smile that just says to me, “Snake!”, and makes me want to look around for a shovel to pound it with….
If an article in a newspaper that is critical of the Church is widely read, there will be, guaranteed, a fire-storm of heated responses from the Church’s mouthpieces, all heaping abuse, and accusations of discrimination against the critics. The making of such accusations is the typical, almost knee-jerk response of the Church whenever it is called to task for its shortcomings; they learned long ago that the best way to distract the membership from the truth of any criticisms is to make their own false accusations in return, but louder, and for a longer time…. They know that any lie, repeated loudly and repeatedly, will be accepted as truth, especially by their members, who are already predisposed (read: brainwashed…) to believe whatever the preachers/priests tell them….
until the light of our spirits is smothered.”
~~– Deng Ming-Dao ~~
I’ve given up arguing with the faithful; it’s a pastime that is endlessly amusing, but, ultimately, saddening. Kind of like the frustration of wrestling with a pig; you just get dirty, and the pig likes it….. It is hard for me to watch people continually make the choice to be ignorant, to be cowards, afraid to face the universe on its own terms: it is even more frustrating to see them consistently tell others what they should think, and how they should live, based solely on their own standards.
Trying to get most folks to see reason is much like banging one’s forehead against a brick wall…. not terribly amusing, and the blood is hard on one’s clothing, as well as the insult to the forehead….. Since I’m not a fool, I have ceased trying to get them to see beyond their own misapprehensions, and just use what I see as fodder for these posts….. Less frustrating, to be sure, if no less depressing….
I seem to have ranted myself into a corner again; I don’t see a way to continue this without becoming either vitriolic, or boring (some might say “more” boring…. all I can say to them is “thptttttt!”….); I’d guess it’s probably too late to avoid being rude. Since there is still some ways to go before we can call it a day, I think I’ll close this off, and go in search of an appropriate poem for the day…. As a final word of caution and warning, in the unending struggle against ignorance, let me leave you with these….
mankind would be no more justified
in silencing that one person than he,
if he had the power,
would be justified in silencing mankind.”
~~ John Stuart Mill ~~
“All a man can betray is his conscience.”
~~ Joseph Conrad ~~
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Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.
Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.
Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.
Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.
~~ gigoid ~~
5/13/2013
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Pooh and the Buddha Nature
*********
“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain,
and you Think of Things,
you find sometimes that a Thing
which seemed very Thingish inside you
is quite different when it gets out into the open
and has other people looking at it.”
~~ A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner ~~
*********
“They are too green,” he said,
“and only good for fools.”
~~ J. de La Fontaine ~~
~~ The Fox and the Grapes, Book iii, Fable 11 ~~
*********
Our characters are the result of our conduct.
~~ Aristotle ~~
*********
“Virtue is but heroic bravery,
to do the thing thought to be true,
in spite of all enemies of flesh or spirit,
in despite of all temptations or menaces.”
~~ Albert Pike (1809-1891) ~~
*********
“If we attend continually and promptly
to the little that we can do,
we shall ere long be surprised
to find how little remains that we cannot do.”
~~ Samuel Butler ~~
*********
A gentleman does things no gentleman should do
in a way only a gentleman can.”
~~ Luigi Barzini ~~
*********
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum:
“I think that I think,
therefore I think that I am.”
~~ Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary” ~~
*********
When Po-chang was asked about seeking for the Buddha nature:
“It’s much like riding an ox in search of the ox”
~~ Zen koan from Po-chang ~~
*********
“In the dark time
will there also be singing?”
“Yes, there will be singing
about the dark time.”
~~ Bertolt Brecht ~~
*********
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Done, and, in Tardis time. Funny how that works…. Rather than prattle any further, I’ll play nice, & simply bid thee adieu, until another day, most likely tomorrow, given a fair wind and a rising tide…. See y’all then, fer sure…
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 
Sunshine Superman and Atlantis….exquisite….acid days he was something amazing…LOL chuq
Aye, he was/is a special artist… The rendition of Universal Soldier still has the power to affect…. and, would make a good song to motivate the masses today….
Of course, the song fails to make the distinction which DOES exist, to wit: a warrior is not always a soldier… I am a warrior, but, have never been a soldier, under command… A true warrior always decides for himself what is worth fighting for, or against…
But, the common man doesn’t realize the distinction, so, ’tis a better lesson the way it is….
gigoid
Exactly…..there have been many soldiers that were not warriors…..and many have blogs professing war….they piss me off…….chuq
SMiLes.. n0w
i neither fear
football..
politics..
or
religion..
as they
are all tribal
sports.. the clothing
worn is all that changes..
Meanwhile.. God is the
Spectators N0W..
the Field/Church/
Capitals
and
the observer
affect/effect of
players
ALL
iN
ONe
PLAY
of Sport
in short..
ThErE iS NO
ESCAPE.. SMILES
AGAIN.. i make the
best of ALLTHATIS
WITHOUT
FEAR..
WTF
FTW..
’cause none
of this exists
as me when
i WiN
aGAin
and
just
say
WT
FRED..
And God
smiles
laughs
wInks
just
iN
case
iN
p
o
iN
t..:)
Clever lad…. Sometimes it takes me a bit to find your reference point, especially when it isn’t from what I wrote today… I figure you were watching Sunday football, and it clicked when you read one of my lines….If not, well, it’s still cleverly done… and, as always, a good song to dance to….
IF, and that’s a HUGE if, from where I sit, there is a God, I would bet He does have a sense of humor…. so, he’d like what I write, I think. I can’t imagine an omnipotent being getting too worked up over an honest difference of opinion, do you? Of course not…
😉
gigoid
SMiLES.. my friend.. gigoid.. actuAlly my words
are inspired by your words here
per the non-sense of religion
away from Nature..
All humans are
born to the God
of Nature until
concepts of human
lies for subjugation.. control
through illusory fears and false
promises replace the God
of Nature as Idols..
yes.. words are
no less tools
as idols
than
guns
and
roses..
and pArt of
Nature too AS
God of Nature too..
as extension of Us..
but of course they are
not ALLTHATIS AS GOD
BOTH KNOWN AND UNKNOWN..
and is it any surprise to know and feel
that God lives within.. i mean duh.. yeah..
Nature is pArt of us too.. but that is where
the main resource in lies of psychopathic
heARtless leaning folks starts from
the get go of the agricultural
age.. leisure means
sitting still and
thinking
about the
past and the
future more than
the present forAge
for survival.. in moving
connecting.. and creating
to make the ends meat
meet in stomaches
together alive now
then.. and when
the grain
gets
stored.. the lies
of separate from
the God of Nature
becomes easier to believe
as we grow farther from other
animals.. that breathe and bleed
no different than us and yes..
FEEL AS WELL..
FOR THE DRIVE
TO LIVE..
and oh goodness
after that.. written words..
collective intelligence and
more idols of words.. tools..
like clothes that become more
important than human skin.. and
then.. we become text on a screen
while flesh sits a slow rot.. and the
rest is yes.. recorded history
and God in us dies a
slow cold
death
in what
it even means
to move.. connect
and create as the God
of Nature manifest as us
will feel.. and sense the world
around us.. and not just in idols
of cold
hard
shells
of text..
hmm.. it doesn’t take
a rocket scientist or
a priest to see and
feel God..
just a sentient
being moreover
with emotions
and senses
more
than
words..
but of course..
the only way back
for some will be words
first.. one at a time.. as
the liGht and Life within
comes back
alive
again..
as a real
resurrection of
being born again
with eyes and
ears
and
skin
of feet
that connect
once more with
the Sand of GOD..
wheRe there are no
sands of time.. just
the now
of
LIFE..
not surprising really
that human sees God
as human.. it’s the only
way we see.. the only
problem is when we
cannot see more
than what
we are
as pArt
of all
the ART
of Nature
as GOD..
and are
at least humble
enough to understand
that there is no such thing
as an only son of God.. or
a last prophet.. or the one
to come who will
do it all
alone
in
human
skin.. the blanket
of Nature aka God
covers all seen.. heard..
felt and all the rest.. it’s
the common sense
we are born
with
to understand
this with no lies..
but of course then
comes human words
and lies recorded to
take
us away
from the
Face of God
that is Nature
usallthatisasrestofALLASGOD..
But sure.. once again.. there is
the human tribal instinct that
naturally defends territory..
subsistence resources..
and reproductive controls..
so yes.. there will always
be human strife
of politics.. religion
and football.. as long
as there is US.. but
soccer is still
a better
sport in
my opinion
as well as now
as God iS as a Free
Beach too..
with US..
my friend..
the Gospel of Thomas
expresses a Pantheist
God but also still
a tribal
one
with
sword
and hate
of family ideals
from before.. it too.. iS
PaRtly old and antiquated
my friend.. and those of
us who are not afraid of
Truth and LiGht can
see through
the lies
in a heArtbeat
sAMe as US as GOD..
with yes.. sMiLes..
laughs
and
WInks..
as what beauty
can be dreams
of God as manifest
as Nature
iN
Human
Nature..
a gift of Art and Love
or yes.. a Nightmare
as weapons of strife
and hate..
i’ll
take the
Love and Art
and run with that
from NOWON..
with the clear
understanding
that strife and
hate will always
be here.. as long
as we are only
flesh and blood
humans..
and that
is what
we kNow
AND FEEL
at least
for now
my friend
with Hope and
Love for chanGinG
what we can can to LiGht
and
Truth..
as Wisdom..
a Found
a
TioN
of what
we Just do and LOVE..
in Victory as ‘Nike’ shows..
barefeET too.. wITh stronger feat..:)
Oh and by the way..
my favorite from the
Gospel of Thomas
is
Verse 37..
37) His disciples said to him, “When will you be visible to us,
and when shall we behold you?”
He said, “When you strip naked without being ashamed, and
take your garments and put them under your feet like little
children and tread upon them, then you will see the child of the
Living, and you will not be afraid.”
Man that is so profound
and easy for
Yellow
Boy
and me
to see and
feel.. as we
fly free in yellow fur and if
Yellow Boy doesn’t
feel and know
it.. it
don’t
belong
to God..
as Free as Nature
unclothed
my
friend..
in US..
as all of
culture
from words recorded
then and now as real
and fabricated as spun
lies..
of
cultural
clothes..
that i for
one tread on
always now
to simply be FREE
as the living ONE WITHIN
OUTSIDE.. BELOW.. SO
ABOVE.. ALL AROUND
NOW JUST NOW NOW
A L L T H A T I S N O W..:)
*Smile*… Fred, you’re a wonder….
I’m pretty sure there are few in this world who can understand you, either in person, or in your words on screen…. I guess I’m one of them, for I can only agree with all you just wrote, with a few minor exceptions due only to the simple fact we are two people with two sets of perception; seeing things all the same isn’t at all possible, or, necessary for understanding….
Plus, I’m probably one of few who can read as fast as you type….
*grin*
I’ll be in Florida eventually, with my cat… She isn’t ready to travel yet, but, when she is, I’ll be off on the road again, and I can’t wait to dance on the beach with you…. or, even in Kohl’s…. I gave up shy long ago….
😉
‘Til then,
Love
Happy to call you both friend….
gigoid, still the dubious….
😎
SMiLes to you.. as well my friend.. There iS a SonG by Katy Perry that becomes more of my story as life goes on.. ET.. But most ironically.. i am from here..;)
Fred, mon ami,
I know another autistic person, a woman, who is, without a doubt, the most intelligent, accomplished person I have met, or heard of. She is a savant, as you are, in every field she has dabbled in; math (she’s a programmer/coder/superuser), literature (wrote her first book at age two; now publishes her own, up to a dozen plus books, as well as publishing for others, from beginning to end), and, just for fun in life, is raising her fourth autistic child…
I firmly believe autistic people who live today are a mutation of human stock, an attempt to provide even more capability to the mind, to help us to understand the universe better. But, these people are so sensitive, perceptively, the world is too much to handle all at once, so, they build walls, to protect themselves…. She, my other friend, broke through the walls as a baby, deciding to just bull her way into reality; as a result, she seems superhuman at times. She is so intuitive about people, she actually reads thoughts, under the surface of consciousness, and drags the perception up to where she can use them to help the other person….
The conditions you have experienced may just be your own system’s way of achieving the balance to arrive where you are today; a hard way to adjust to reality so it is less painful to experience, but, as you note, it got you where you are….
Once enough of these people with ‘extra’ perceptive abilities have learned to reach out into Reality, they will help those who have not been able to do so, and the human species just MIGHT have a chance to carry on past our own foolishness, to take ourselves into Space beyond Earth, where our destiny, I believe, has always lain….
Maybe I’m wrong, but, if so, it won’t be the first, or last time; in this matter, I doubt, quite seriously, I AM wrong…. Humans need to take the next evolutionary step, which is a development of the mind, rather than merely using the power of our imagination to fulfill our ego’s wants. Being able to think, to truly USE our minds, can only lead to greater ethical control over our egos…. which, now, is our only hope of surviving the foolishness of which I spoke….
Love, brother….
gigoid
True.. And thanks.. My friend..:)
Jesus said:
The foxes have their dens
and the birds have their nest,
but the Son of man has no place
to lay his head and to rest.
In the Thomas Gospel which was translated out of the Coptic it also said
‘That the kingdom of heaven is within, ‘in’ you.
Nice bird, sez who?
😉
Re: Jesus’ words…. Sez who? Sounds like Thomas’ version might be closer to the actual… but, since J spoke Aramaic, which nobody alive speaks, or knows, who can say what he really DID say? Regardless, you’re correct about the location of paradise….
😉
As for the bird, sez I….. the photographer caught a great shot…. I’m surprised the bird didn’t attack right after the photo was taken… He/she looks very irritated, doesn’t she/he?
😉
gigoid
What Christ said is always not what Jesus said..It is not always easy to be sure of right interpretation…he spoke Aramaic and some texts are in Greek…words do not always match…In Aramaic there is something called the potential present,which changes the structure of the sentence:the kingdom of heaven isn’t within you …it is …about…to be within you…there is dispute about this….in the Thomas gospel which was translated out of Coptic, says definitely,unquestionably that the kingdom of heaven is within …in…you…it also says that the kingdom of the Father is spread over the earth and men do not see it…..which is in fact a Buddhist notion…that the Mother light is universal and we are excluding it from our own experience…
simple really…grin
Aye, delusions are often simpler than they seem, but, yet, more complex than is imagined… as noted by Goethe….
😉