Ffolkes,
~~ Abraham Lincoln ~~
As the day begins, wet and cold, I sit to try once more to make sense of a world gone mad, right before my eyes…. It seems even those with the most rational perceptions cannot bring order to the chaos sought so strongly by those ruled by fear and illusion, and the world climbs ever closer to a summit from which the only way down is a long fall. To maintain one’s own center is becoming increasingly difficult, when even those whom we believed to be rational are showing signs of falling prey to fear….
Doing this, organizing my life to include time to think, to write, to try to bring some of the order in my own mind out into reality, where it might be of some help to others…. But, even this self-therapy, to try to deal with my own inner demons, is getting hard to do each day, given the demands we place upon ourselves to live a certain way, to walk our chosen path….
I have met some wonderful people, people who give me hope there are enough with minds capable of resisting the craziness to, perhaps, make a difference….. It is only my own experience, and the propensity for human nature to assert its most base desires, which I have seen become the status quo for the average man, that demonstrates how small my hope must be; we humans don’t seem to WANT to know our own nature, unless by doing so we can fulfill that nature’s desires…
It’s always chancy when I become introspective first thing in the morning; I’m not sure my brain is functioning quite smoothly enough for such delicate work…. But, it’s done, and it’s real, so fuck it. The rest of today’s Pearl is done, so, I’m going to let this fly, so we can get on with it…. Perhaps, if I can work it, I’ll actually get something else done today…. Time will tell, I suppose…. it always does. For now, let’s go see what I dragged out of my head yesterday, and late last night, as I could not sleep well, due to a visit from our old friend, pain…. may it rot in deepest hell….
Shall we Pearl?….
~~ Mark Twain ~~
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
With more than four hours of classical music, by the acknowledged genius of Wolfgang himself, how can one not be productive? Even Leelu likes Wolfie…. Trust me, she’s picky….
The Best of Mozart
Violin Sonatas
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The Art of War
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
Apparent fear is a product of courage.
Apparent vulnerability is a product of possession.
Control or disorder is a matter of Analysis.
Courage or fear is a matter of Direction.
Possession or vulnerability is a matter of Positioning.”
~~ Sun Tzu “The Art of War,” translation by R.L. Wing ~~
Yesterday, a friend sent a link to a very thorough exploration of one of the many organizations in the world attempting to force the rest of the world to adopt their own ideas, and laws; essentially, these people, like all of their ilk in every OTHER organization which tries to do the same, want everyone to submit to THEIR will, and their idea of how the world should be…. This, of course, is insanity. It is also why War has been the primary pastime of the human race almost since our species created a verbal language.
The words of Sun Tzu, therefore, take on new meaning, for they do not apply simply to war, but, also, to life. Human life can easily be viewed as one long war, a constant struggle to BE, while every other human is engaged in the same battle, with themselves…. It is little wonder this becomes our modus operandi for dealing with each other; conflict is a part of our nature, along with violence, fear, anger, kindness, compassion, and, the impetus driving it all, our imagination/intelligence, a product of our perceptive abilities, and the ability of our brains to process large amounts of sensory perceptions, then applying the imagination to organize and enhance it.
If one views their Self as the general of an army of one, the precepts included in the Art of War can be applied to both our internal struggle for selfhood, and, the outer struggle to maintain that self in a dangerous, complex world, inhabited by many of our kind, all of whom are as dangerous as we ourselves, though, not quite as dangerous as the Universe; we just tend to think so, due to the unlimited scope of our imagination…. Perception, we tend to forget, is not always Reality…. especially when our imagination is involved.
Having been made aware of this at a young age, I’ve been able, mostly, to place myself into advantageous positions, avoiding many of the struggles I observe others encounter. It has also made me aware of the absolutely essential piece of self-knowledge essential to any ‘victory’, which is to understand one’s own personal responsibility for their own security in life. Henry David Thoreau once said, “There is no method or system which can replace the necessity for remaining ever alert.” This is implicit in the Art of War, every line is imbued with the assumption of this necessity. We can never place that responsibility in the hands of another, not truly.
What did Sun Tzu place first? Analysis, which in the Self is the process of learning, and education. By these we learn Direction, given by knowledge and experience. With these tools, fear disappears, and courage becomes not just possible, but, necessary and right. With courage and knowledge, we lose our vulnerability, becoming in possession of the center of our being, which can only be affected with our consent. In real life, this means we cannot be terrified, no matter the issue presented to us by the universe, or other people, either of which can afford danger when misunderstood, or, when left to its own devices.
Having wandered into some rather esoteric territory, I’ll not bore us all with any further lamentations. With the above in mind, today’s world becomes, if not less complex, perhaps more understandable. That, I can hope, is the first step to losing fear, which is the beginning of much of the difficulty in life experienced by all of humanity. When we learn, and find the courage to confront fear, letting it pass without submitting to its irrationality, we become able to accept the universe on its terms, without losing our own Self….. Terror of imagined consequences is thus defeated before it begins….
plunge them in a deadly situation, and they will then live.
When people fall into danger,
they are then able to strive for victory.”
~~ Sun Tzu ~~
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If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.
Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.
Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.
Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.
Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/22/2013
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Death/Life
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“After the first death, there is no other.”
~~ Dylan Thomas ~~
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“It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
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“Kindness is more important than wisdom,
and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”
~~ Theodore Isaac Rubin ~~
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Do not confuse ‘duty’ with what other people expect of you;
they are utterly different.
Duty is a debt you owe to yourself
to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily.
Paying that debt can entail anything
from years of patient work
to instant willingness to die.
Difficult it may be,
but the reward is self-respect.
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
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“If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.”
~~ Latin Proverb ~~
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“We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.”
~~ John Webster ~~
*********
“Truth is an empty room.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“May you never know hunger
May you love with a full heart
The light burn in your eyes
May the fire be your friend
And the sea rock you gently
May the moon light your way
Till the wind sets you free”
~~ Shriekback, “Cradle Song” ~~
*********
“Do not stand by my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am a diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning hush.
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there… I did not die.”
~~ Prayer of the Makah Indians ~~
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Well, I was right; it’s done, Being so, today, is serendipitous, indeed, as the portents foretell an ‘interesting’ time ahead…. I’m hoping that means we’ll see a bit of progress for rationality in the world at large, thought my hope is tempered with some trepidation. Ah, well, what is life, but a long, delicious ambiguity, eh? Enough for one day; see y’all tomorrow, if I decide to stay on this path…..
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 
Lovely thoughts…and a lovely cat too…I guess happiness is what you make of it..
Thanks, glad you enjoyed today’s mess… Re: happiness… It coitanly is!…. It’s why they say it’s the journey, not the destination, where your happiness is found….
gigoid
Fear Sucks..
Not Being able
to smiles sucks
too.. but some
folks are
even
afraid to
smile.. i learned
that early.. here in
red state.. ‘Modern
Christian Land’ of
patriarchy in the
early 70’s..
where there
was still Free
Love of the 60’s
revolution lingering..
and so much resistance
in red state areas.. as we
see today.. but in fact.. then..
my area was blue state
and it was the red
state folks state
of mind that
eventually
won that
battle here
now to the tune
of around 90% of
what is consensus
at the polling sites
that say red and
only red this way..
But the methods used to
make that happen were certainly
cruel then.. as any boy who smiled
in Middle School halls or city Parks
was literally told by bigger bully
boys.. THAT IS NOT ALLOWED
IN A THREATENING TONE..
or you are the F word and
not not Fred.. and yeah..
which sure.. is all F’ed up
in any real terms..
humanity..
that goes on..
now.. as the closed minded
ways of fear.. repression of
pro-social emotions.. and
all stuff related to hate..
is losing the battle..
and the stakes
ARE SO HIGH..
that even the ‘once
person’ so easy to hate
for being the symbol of
Big money.. is now a hero
of the almighty dollar.. in the
eyes of Red state views.. but no,,
it’s not hard to understand really as
it is human nature that some humans
are born more fearful.. less open minded
and control is all that reduces their anxious
states of mind.. where others are born fear
free.. roving.. moving.. open minded.. smiling..
Loving.. with open arms to the world around them
and that is most often reinforced and assured
survival when the parent’s ways are the
same in Unconditional open-minded
liberal ways of freedom thinking
and feeling about other humans
and the rest of Nature AKA
God and US free..
But alas.. as always
in insanely large human
groups known as cities and
such as that.. order is required..
with rules.. and laws or anarchy will
be the result as humans are still evolving
for relatively small villages where like the
TV show “Cheers”.. ‘everyone knows
your name’.. and one’s name
is just another norm
of culture
where folks
take the gifts of others
and most give more than
they take from Nature ALL…
which is so far far out of balance
now.. as most all of us take more than
we give back to Nature ALL.. as any
spaceship sees.. or stars of skies..
with these aided eYes of stars..
as the earth is pock marked
and eaten away from
the cancer of
human
culture..
where culture
is either or a virus
and cancer that humans
working out of balance are
creating on this earth as we
speak.. but anyway.. some of
us see it from ground level
and there is enough
of it now..
to make
a ManiFestO
of it almost
everynow..
like i am
doing
here..
now..
hehe..
OH FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION.. THE INTERNET..
SO MANY AVENUES TO GET A
MANIFESTO MULTIPLIED BY HUNDREDS
OUT.. where no longer are guns and bombs
required to
get the
attention
of more
than one
hermit in a shed…
The INTERNET is both a
curse and gift.. as ‘sit’ takes flesh
and blood connections away.. yet
it provides so many alternative ways
of giving and taking.. without harming
the flesh and blood
in the real
world
here..
but yes.. psychological
pain.. can hurt as much..
so one must develop a rather
thick skin.. to really say and feel
what’s on their mind and heart online
without getting burnt.. in ways of being human..
And after my own long term stay in severe pain..
anxiety.. alexithymia.. depression.. anhedonia..
panic attacks.. PTSD.. yes.. generally speaking
all the products of severe unrelenting fight
or flight fear.. and stress for years of
work and culture related crap..
along with the crap of
religious oppression
and repression
of human
nature
including
senses..
emotions..
and sensuality
from a very young
age.. when strong enough
to come back recovered i faced
my fears head on.. and illustrated
them publicly so no one would ever
be able to bring me down.. WitH
the fears i myself inStilled
as me…
Adventure therapy
is a new therapy for PTSD..
one of the most severe fear
related diseases.. of the
mind and body out of
balance..
and it dam
sure works
as my netherworld
art.. and public dance
proves in my life for sure..
my greatest fears of life..
are nothing now.. as i actually
enjoy what used to scare me the
most.. oh the way to fearless is
paved with
adventure
and courAGE
my friend.. and
at 55.. for what would
terrify most males my age..
is only a feather of deLiGht to me..
lots of work to
get here..
but all the
practice makes
life real and fearless
now.. and when fear is gone..
all gone.. amazing stuff happens
in human potential.. it’s a hot air balloon
that suddenly
finds
all the
air it ever
needs to
float now.. HiGHER..
and yes.. your words
and the words you bRinG
here are very inspiRinG..
friend gigoid..
that can most
definitely with
me be measured
by the volume and
intensity of my response..
liGht bRinGs liGht my
friend and
that is what
i inTend
to spRead.. Truth’s
liGHT.. morENOW..:)
I’ll get back to this; I read it, but, on my way out again. Morning stuff.
It’s a tough row to hoe. this life stuff…
😉
gigoid
SMiLed.. My friend.. As alWays.. one step and one word at a now..:)
“With Open Arms To The World Around Them”
caught my eye….smile
v.imp to spread truth’s light…
remind me of glow worms in the night…
I swallow them….
grin
i think anything that glows
is cool.. but ‘they’ are often
considered toxic.. including
me.. fireflies are my favorite..;)
I think it is v.important to pay your debt to your inner demons by making friends with them…
Inner demons are in fact your friends……
Leelu is part Siamese is she?
At least half, & the other half is Tortoiseshell Calico…Loyal & picky….
😉
Sweet!