I woke up in a foul mood, without apparent cause, at least none I’m willing to discuss. Here’s a decent sublimation, to get me to tomorrow, when, perhaps, the universe will be less troublesome to an old curmudgeon…. See ya….
Okay, so maybe it’s not always the best way to begin…. I like it, though, if only for the degree of irony in the final line…. It probably doesn’t help soothe the minds of whatever readers may have ventured into today’s mess, but, dammit, this is ECR, and we won’t be pulling our punches for anybody! Not in THIS lifetime, even if it’s the only one we get this time (which is how it is beginning to appear….).
Life is too short, and too hard, to waste any time being hypocritical, especially when there has been enough trouble from that sector, (religion), historically, to last us, for as long as we want to hold a grudge…. Personally, I plan on holding it for a LONG time…. and, I LIKE looking myself in the eye every morning in the mirror….
Today’s exploration of reality must be pursued in real time; I have a number of things to do out in the Big Blue Room, & didn’t manage to get a Pearl done before morning arrived… Here’s a pretty decent Pearl from a couple years ago, to fill in for today. It’s got some decent ranting in it, so, it should get you through your morning coffee with some dispatch. I’ll be back tomorrow, all fresh…. or, as fresh as I can make it. See y’all then; be good to each other….
You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.” ~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~
“Did someone say “walk”?”
The dogs belong to a photographer in England. She rescued all three dogs, and now takes pictures of them together, and separately, from a unique viewpoint; I found this, along with a number of other excellent photos, on the web site of the London Daily Telegraph…. I love the pictures, which she uses to demonstrate a number of emotions or issues of a humorous nature…. If you have a chance, check them out some time… I forgot to take down the name, of either the dogs, or the photographer, but, Google will find the picture, if it is plugged in, just like it will find words….
Now that the housekeeping has been completed, we could go on to something more compelling, or intense, but…
Good morrow…. I’m very late getting up, as I went out last night with my two kids, where we had great fun, watching my six-foot four, 210 lb. son annihilate a “burger challenge” by eating 10 1/3 lb. burgers in 15 minutes, thus earning a t-shirt, and a tummy bulge….. At any rate, it’s way too late to put together enough to post, without excessive cheating, so, we’ll cheat all the way, with a blast from the past. Here is a pretty good one from late in 2012… Enjoy, ffolkes; I’ll be back tomorrow morning, with a fresh Pearl for your perusal…. See ya….
Ffolkes, I’m not sure I can do this….. not this way. I’m sitting on a complete Pearl, you see. The one that was completed for posting on the 13th has not made it to the Net, as I haven’t figured out yet whether it will work to edit the old post, or just add a new one with that material….. The title I came up with on the 13th was certainly one of the best I’ve done… “Despite the disaster, yak butter was still on the menu….” Brilliant, if I do say so myself, as it tells a whole story all by itself, without any supportive material; I don’t know about y’all, but I get a mental vision of some poor sap in a dingy kitchen, struggling to chop vegetables, as he worries about the price of yak butter…. perhaps not quite Hemingway, but, maybe Raymond Chandler?…. Okay, Steven King…
“Philosophy, means, first, doubt;
and afterwards the consciousness of what knowledge means,
the consciousness of uncertainty and of ignorance,
the consciousness of limit, shade, degree, possibility.
The ordinary man doubts nothing and suspects nothing.”
~~ Henri Frederick Amiel ~~
Galway’s Spanish Arch ~~ Irish Football Cup Finals Week
Hajime…. At this point, I’m throwing in the towel. I’ve searched the outer limits of my entire head, & found nothing worth putting down here to begin today’s Pearl, other than the mild complaint you now see. The rest of the material today is almost ready, mostly, but, with the lack of anything remotely coherent material I’m finding, it may not be simple to complete. I guess we’ll see, won’t we? I hate to leave it so much up to chance, as that gives Murphy too much opportunity; since there’s no other choice, I’ll have to risk it…..
In order to deal with this in a manner approaching, if not sanity, at least some relevance, I’ll once again cut off this intro section, pretty much at the root, to get us moving onward. Hell, any movement at all will be a victory today. I’m going to forgo using Tardis Toys, or literary tricks today. Instead, I’ll just dump you right here, and get on with what else must be done to finish. Ruthlessness, though not my best thing, is getting easier; so much so, I can do this, without any guilt whatsoever…..
Shall we Pearl?….
“Auribus teneo lupum.”
[I hold a wolf by the ears.]
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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Today’s music is a bit eclectic; there are probably only a few old Deadheads out there who will appreciate it fully. However, regardless of anyone’s prejudices about certain genres, this is good stuff, full of jazz/rock improvisations by two of the best….. I hope you enjoy it, as I know I will….
********************************
Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia Live at the Keystone, 1974
Yesterday, I came across the quote you see below, from a Roman philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero. For some reason, it struck me forcibly, whereupon the text you see between the quotes that follow streamed out of me in about two minutes. I then realized the other quotes you will find, which I had been collecting for the next rant I had in mind, had all just been verified as useful, and needed to be included. To augment, and make it clearer, I’ve added some text to the original, which can be seen, sans quotes, on my Facebook Timeline, as I posted the whole thing right after writing it.
In one sense, at least, this is a definitive rant for me; it covers about all I have come to realize about Life in today’s insane world, in one way or another. I can’t say it is the most compelling, or even the best I’ve ever done, but, it’s all me, and it’s all, as far as I know, the absolute truth as I see it. The quotes you see should provide some verification of my thoughts, as they indicate others have walked the same path in their own minds. I hope you enjoy it, and can find something in it to assist you in your own journey through this mad, wonderful world of beauty and pain…..
“Honor is the reward of virtue.” — Cicero
Sadly, in today’s world, honor is not valued as much as money, or almost anything money will buy. This, in and of itself, is at the core of the issues we face as a society, for without honor, there is no justice.
The saddest part is that money doesn’t actually exist, except in our own estimation. We have become insane, in our pursuit of an illusion.
“And that inverted Bowl they call the Sky,
Whereunder crawling coop’d we live and die,
Lift not your hands to It for help – for It
As impotently rolls as you or I.”
Omar Khayyam/Edward Fitzgerald, The Rubaiyat ~~
But, then, we are encouraged in that particular delusion by the support of another illusory set of principles, to wit, religions, which all base their beliefs on unreasoning faith in an imaginary supernatural figure, thus dividing, and conquering, the true strength of the human spirit.
“Obsessed by a fairy tale,
we spend our lives searching
for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.”
~~ Eugene O’Neill ~~
Add in the third illusion, that humans require a government to exist, and the nature of humanity has voluntarily assumed the mantle of mental slavery.
“Until philosophers are kings … cities will never cease from ill, nor the human race.”
~~ Plato ~~
Pursuing the agenda of money, religion, and government has led this nation, and this world, down a path of self-destruction, and none of us have anyone to blame but our own lack of willingness to face reality, as it exists.
We don’t need any of those three delusions, folks. We can deal with each other without them, if we use our true nature. We need clean air, clean water, and good, fresh food. And, we need each other, and every other living creature who is a part of this ecosystem….
That’s all we need. We don’t need a business, or a preacher, or an elected official to tell us what we need, either. All we need is each other.
“It is in the shelter of each other that people live.”
~~Irish proverb ~~
*****
“All you need is love.”
~~ John Lennon/ Paul McCartney & the lads~~
That’s all. Had to get that off my chest, as an antidote to all the foolishness, despair, and insanity I see each day in the news….
********************************
Premises, premises….
Tricked, I stumble, and I fall
dreaming, through an abandoned palace.
Frightened and wary, unheard my call
fading into memory, no cup, no argent chalice.
The people, crushed, cry out to be freed
asking only to take part, or travel.
Nascent oaths spotlight such bursting need
fed by treachery, deep from our well.
Only the wicked shall find their way blocked
justice seeks them, snug in their hole.
Faint praises never touched, but naked, stalked
singing no gospel, no soul, no rock and roll.
Only the promised will remember the way
from unforgiven trails of sorrow.
To live life, and give death no sway,
saving grace for our only tomorrow.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/19/2014
********************************
Five Naked Pearls
*****
“Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think,
but thousands can think for one who can see.
To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion – all in one.”
~~ John Ruskin ~~
*****
“How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!”
~~ Alexander Pope — The Odyssey of Homer, Book xiii, Line 375 ~~
*****
A monk said to Joshu,
“Your stone bridge is widely renowned,
but coming here I find only a heap of rocks.”
Joshu said, “You see only the stones and not the bridge.”
The monk said, “What is the bridge?”
Joshu said, “What do you think we are walking on?”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
*****
“During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed
a whole succession of technological revolutions.
But none of them has done away with
the need for character in the individual
or for the ability to think.”
~~ Bernard M. Baruch ~~
*****
Learning builds daily accumulation,
but the practice of Tao builds daily simplification.
Simplify and simplify, until all contamination
from relative, contradictory thinking is eliminated.
Then one does nothing,
yet nothing is left undone.
One who wins the world does so by not meddling with it.
One who meddles with the world loses it.”
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~
~~ Tao Teh Ching ~~
*****
********************************
I am going to be human now, and issue a certificate of denial. It’s not my fault. Actually, it is, but, it’s done, so I figured I’d make the attempt. Oh, well. This one is going into the books, though I doubt seriously it will ever reach any milestones of legitimacy. What that means, stripped of all the BS, is, we’re done. Or, rather, it’s done. Oh, fuck it, I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can’t talk myself out of it…. Odds are good on that, guaranteed…. See ya….
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.
I overslept by a lot. I’m grumpy. The cat ate my homework. Here’s a re-blog, from a couple years ago, to sublimate for today. I’ll be back tomorrow, when I’ve crawled out of the abyss….
“All anger arises from obstructed desire.” — Bhagavad Gita
If, in the interests of full and complete examination, these two ideas may be considered to both be true, we find ourselves, in at least one very real sense, in possession of a key ingredient of real happiness, and true inner peace, or peace of mind, however one wishes to describe it. I find it interesting to note that, even though both of these ideas come from different religious doctrines, at different times in history, while from basically the same relative part of the world…. Yet, history itself, given the violent nature of most of it, seems to indicate that practically no one pays any attention to either of them, at…
“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.”
~~ Albert Camus ~~
Casual Beauty
Hajime…. As some of y’all may know, the word at the beginning of this line, and blog, is a Japanese word, meaning, “Begin”. It is used as the start for all Japanese martial arts matches; it’s use here means exactly the same as it does to each of the opponents, to wit: “Ready or not, let’s dance.” Sort of. At any rate, I like to use it to bring myself into the focused state of mind necessary to write with any skill. Not that my skills are all that highly developed, but, the presence of mind is always helpful. Besides, it works.
That said, my state of mind today is what I’d call fatalistic, in the sense I don’t give a rat’s shiny ass about much of anything. Not sure where this feeling came from, unless it’s a reaction to the last two weeks of fighting off my inner demons. Whatever it is, it’s put me in a mood, one which doesn’t lend itself to rational exposition In fact, I would characterize the way I feel as relatively homicidal, but, that’s just me; I like to give things their proper name. In terms of today’s Pearl, that translates to what is best described as diddly-squat. In short, I’m not creating a Pearl today, and that’s just the way it is. We’ll all have to deal with it for at least 24 more hours, because, at the end of this intro, I’m done for today.
I’ll be back, hopefully by tomorrow morning. But, no promises, as I am currently unsure as to how may of these demons there are to vanquish before I can think about any sort of recreational writing. I’m planning on putting together enough to post tomorrow morning, but, as noted, I am not promising that, for I won’t promise anything I may not be able to do. So be it.
See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Who knows? I might even have something rational to say. There’s always a first time for everything. See ya….
Shall we Pearl?…. Well, no, actually, we shall not….
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark;
the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
~~ Plato ~~
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.
Currently, the reality around here is filled with bad/evils, not to mention a lack of balance so keenly desired. Here is a Pearl from a day somewhat less stressful, with some fun to relate. If naught else, it gets me to tomorrow, when a fresh Pearl will show its face, for sure. Hope springs eternal, yes? Y’all take care, & we’ll see you on the flip side….
I’m fully cognizant of the advantages of staying busy, and it’s true that life tastes better in big bites (thanks, Lazarus…). Both of these contentions are proven, with numerous incidents available as evidence of their veracity…. What isn’t so obvious is the reason I’m writing this paragraph, since the point I intended to make just flew out the window, honking querulously at me as it flew away…. I can’t say I’m terribly disappointed, aside from the damage it has done to this intro already, before I even get a decent start…. In fact, I’m going to try again…
Well, I’d try again, but, it seems that isn’t going to work either…. Every time I turn around, in my head, to find a new starting point, these little glitches keep popping up…. such as this time, when I reached for the keyboard to begin, only to be struck with a…
It’s a Sunday, isn’t it? I have stuff, all of which needs done asap, even though sleep once again managed to elude me for much of the night. In order to try to meet reality’s demands, I’m re-blogging this decent Pearl from 2013. I will be back tomorrow, presumably. Time will tell…. Wish me luck, ffolkes; I’ll need it today….
Powerful visions often pass through my mind, generally on their way somewhere else, thus making them merely an annoyance, rather than a joy. Such is life in reality, where we seldom get a proper chance to do just as we would like, even though we adjust and flex both our efforts, and our desires, in the quest to achieve whatever it is we are seeking to accomplish. This is because reality is like an amoeba, always changing shape and character, right before us, with nothing we possess that can affect it one way or another before it changes. All we have is the ability to change our minds, which, to those of us who study reality, is our most valuable tool….
This ability is the one saving grace we have in the face of reality, so it is a good idea to train it well. If not used, and…
It seems the recovery process takes longer the older one gets; who knew? I collapsed, essentially, for most of yesterday, & didn’t get much done for this morning’s post. Hence, another dip into the archives. I’ll be back tomorrow, hopefully back on schedule, and track. For today, here’s a pretty deep & wide Pearl from a few years ago, pre-Social Security. I hope you enjoy it….
Ffolkes,
Typically….. Whoa! Wait a minute, here…. Well, hell……That word, “typically”, should NOT be where it is, and is, for a fact, one of those words that is programmed to trip my alarms, as it is on the list to never be used on this blog, when used in reference to myself….. Typical, normal, average, any word that resembles these has no application to my personality, or my life, for that matter, so I try not to use them at all when I’m talking about me. Of course, I also try not to use words of overt praise very often, as it might tend to swell my head, and my hat wouldn’t fit….. can’t have that…..
What most disturbs me about seeing the word there at the outset, is imagining what I might have had in mind for it to say. Whatever it was, it’s gone now; no trace anywhere…
Having survived my trip, I return, to find myself constrained by age-related BS to re-blog today’s post. I shall return on the morrow, fresh as I can make it, given the materials at hand…. I hope you enjoy this one, from a bit over four years ago, when the Pearls looked a bit different than today…. Abondanza!
Ffolkes,
Round and round and round it goes…. and what we find here we’ll never know. Thankfully, too…. It goes to show that one can never tell just exactly what the universe might be up to when we aren’t paying attention, because it sure is always a surprise to me. And that is just the way I like it, for the most part.
Oh, there is that part of me that enjoys, and even craves, routine and known limits. Life is much safer, and less dangerous when well organized and maintained on a schedule. But, it can also get boring, which is not allowed in this version of reality. I decided long ago that to admit boredom is to admit being tired of my own head, and what is going on in there, and I will not permit that to take place. Not going to happen on my watch, nope…
gigoid 