Ffolkes,

“Look to the essence of a thing,

whether it be a point of doctrine, of practice,or of interpretation.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, viii, 22 ~~

Typical foggy/hazy day in SF….

Hajime…. For two days now, I’ve been engaged in pursuing my lifelong quest for truth; unfortunately, my search often leads me to places where, not only have I previously been there, but, left for good reason, even if those places were deep in my own soul. In truth, it is becoming increasingly clear that the truth resides there, as it does for each of us, though our culture and its demands upon us tends to attempt to deny this simple truth. We all have a tendency to play fast and loose with our connection to what is real, believing, deep in our innermost ego, we can alter Reality itself by the power of our imagination.

 
Reality, of course, is not so inclined, which leaves us living, much of the time, in a state of conflict with the world around us, and, as a reflection of this tension, in conflict with ourselves. As might be surmised, this often leaves us in a confused state of mind, which is not the most efficacious method for dealing with what is real. In my own case, this has led me to a point in life where the motivation to continue to struggle becomes difficult to find, much less employ to any advantage. In short, I just can’t find it in me to give much of a crap about what is happening in the world; there just doesn’t seem to be any good reason to do so. As you might imagine, this is not a particularly comfortable, or comforting, state of mind in which to dwell….

 
Over the past two days, since falling into the well of depression, I’ve managed to cobble together the elements of a Pearl for today; if I can continue a bit longer, I’ll even manage to post it. I’ve done this, not for any logical or identifiable reason, but, simply because, for my own sanity, it’s what I do. This is how I organize & codify my thoughts, and carry out the process of evaluating my thoughts in the light of reality; the process helps me to stay in a relatively stable frame of mind. Without it, I get even more depressed; expression of what we feel is critical for us humans. We get blocked up, mentally, when we try to shut ourselves off from such expression. So, I write, not to share, but, to vent….

 
Now I’ve shared my inner conflict, to little advantage, I’m sure, I’m going to go post this, knowing full well it won’t mean anything much to anyone but me. I can’t seem to get on with any other business until I do, so, that’s what I’m gonna do. So be it. There will be no tricks, no ups, & no extras today; all there is are these pearls, and my own sense of angst, set free….. Let’s quit fooling around, then, shall we, & get on with it….

 
Shall we Pearl?

 

“What embitters the world is not excess of criticism,but an absence of self-criticism.”
~~ G. K. Chesterton, Sidelights on New London and Newer New York ~~

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Yep. The original Hot Tuna…. Enjoy! In case you’d forgotten, or never knew, these guys can PLAY!…..

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Hot Tuna Live, 3/4/88Fillmore Auditorium

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Banishing demons….

Endless nights lead inexorably into endless days
while the battle for peace rages.
Lost arts find new meaning used in new ways;
to burn, yearn, and turn all the new pages.

Darkness falls heavily on bowed shoulders, contrite;
fireworks travel fast in nervous tissue.
The pace is kept, clean, but, never erudite;
such a pale tale of ancient issue.

Peering in terror down long, long halls of night
brings only confusion, destitute in sorrow.
Cannot time become our enemy, eager to fight
on the side which may never see tomorrow?

The longing gaze of passion, for reason to live,
must fall ever more faithfully into sedition,
else the clinging visions we claim to give,
shall not prevent reaching inevitable perdition.

Rising up, clarity of purpose shines the light of day
upon such a desolate landscape of absent release.
There is no escape, no furthering of the way.
Time never knows how to grant peace.

~~ gigoid ~~

11/23/2015

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Naked Pearls

Notes on Life at Large….

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“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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“It is important to do what you don’t know how to do.
It is important to see your skills
as keeping you from learning what is deepest and most mysterious.
If you know how to focus, unfocus.
If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos.”

~~ Carlos Casteneda ~~

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“If you want to build a ship,
don’t drum up people together to collect wood
and don’t assign them tasks and work,
but rather teach them
to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”

~~ Antoine de Saint Exupery ~~

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“There’s no reality except the one contained within us.
That’s why so many people live an unreal life.
They take images outside them for reality
and never allow the world within them to assert itself.”

~~ Hermann Hesse ~~

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“Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

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“One does what one is;
one becomes what one does.”

~~ Robert Musil, c. 1930 ~~

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Let us endeavour to live that when we come to die
even the undertaker will be sorry.”

~~ Mark Twain, from Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894)~~

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There you have it, such as it is. I’ve got nothing else to say, so, I won’t say it. I’ll see y’all in a day, or maybe two. Be well, be safe, & be real. That’s all you can really do, ultimately, & that is something we all have to live with. Ta, then, luvs….

Y’all take care out there,
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….