Of course, I do have an advantage; the powers of a Time Lord come in quite handy, several times (hah!) a day. But, naturally, those are only a small matter of invested time (hah!) to acquire, right? Anyone with the correct time (hah!), and the available time (hah!), with a natural curiosity, and the strong flexibility of mind necessary to handle the ambiguity involved, can learn the necessary skills and techniques. Believe me, if you’d met some of the other Time Lords, you wouldn’t feel so impressed with the ability, or as reluctant to believe in your own powers….

You see, it’s all revolves around one simple factor, one everyone knows, yet, doesn’t really believe. Most simply put, Thou Art God…. Or, if you prefer, God Thou Art…. Heck, even Art, you’re God, too….  all same same. That’s it. You see, we all have the power of imagination, (almost) every single one of us; this is something no one will deny…. I say ‘almost’, of course, to indicate there are SOME people who choose to demonstrate a complete unwillingness to use it, or respect it, or acknowledge its true power, but, hey, to each their own….

Whether those folks, or you, believe it or not, your imagination gives you the same power as any god you can think of…. (The proof thereof is reserved for a discussion later on, at another time (hah!)…. Until such time (hah!), it may also be used as an exercise for the Gentle Reader….). Time, therefore, becomes, like memory, a matter of volition; it only exists in our consciousness so everything doesn’t happen at once. Sort of a filing system for the limited physical envelopes we inhabit, the actual machine (biologically expressed) in which our minds and consciousness are housed; it makes it easier to find what we need at any given moment of time (hah!)….

Okay, I’ll have pity now (hah!)…. Obviously, I could do this all day (hah!) (okay, that’s the last one…); what else are powers for, if not to use? Especially when I get to mess about with somebody’s sense of reality…. Makes it all worthwhile somehow….. Maybe I need an ethical tuneup?….. Nah! I just need to get on with this whatever-it-is, which, since I’ve begun, I have to finish… You start, you finish, that’s it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Anger a dragon not, as you are tasty & go well with Brie.” — Elvish Dragon humor

From 11/11/2012:

“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.” — Albert Einstein

It may have come to your attention I tend to speak, or write, in a manner that indicates I know what is Truth, and what is Knowledge, and my opinion is certain. And, in this, you’d be correct; my self-confidence is pretty healthy…. I would like to point out,  however, the laughter of the gods rings in my ears a lot….. just like it does almost every second that a politician speaks. I, however, can hear the laughter, and make adjustments accordingly, per the dictates of reality. They don’t hear it at all….. Of course, they already know that what they are saying is a lie (they are, after all, politicians; it’s what they do….), and, thus, wouldn’t admit it if they did hear it…..

One reason for my confidence, aside from a perfectly normal, loving set of parents (can’t stress enough how important that is in allowing kids to grow up feeling good about themselves….), is that I am smarter than your average bear, AND, can prove it. See, almost everyone feels like they are better than average; it amazes me how some of them can come to that conclusion, but it’s true. Ask any number of people you like to tell you if they are average, or above average, or below…. I will bet you serious money that almost every one of the ones you ask will say they are above average. Yet, arithmetic will deny that assertion, as it is purely impossible for ALL of them to be so endowed….. Those of us who ARE above average usually will question our own level of expertise, if only to verify our own position on the scale, because we know for a FACT that AT LEAST half of the people are below average. That is, after all, the definition of average….

It is an unfortunate fact that being below average tends to cause resentment toward those who are not; this is a root cause of may of our society’s ills, though not one easily considered, by those above, or below the line. None of us, gifted, average, or mundane, are comfortable with the differences between is in our perceptive abilities; it doesn’t seem fair, and part of our nature rebels at that, silly as it is, considering the nature of reality. But, it is so, and there is naught to be done about the simple fact that some ffolkes are smarter than others. It doesn’t mean they are better, nor does it mean they are stronger, or more fit to survive. As one great philosopher, whose name escapes me right now, has said, “There is no evidence yet to be seen that intelligence has any survival value.” (I THINK it was Arthur C. Clarke…. but might have been someone else…. I’ll let you know when it comes to me, or Smart Bee shows it to me again…. it doesn’t really matter, it’s still the truth…..)

“To a Europe exhausted by nearly two centuries of religious wars, [Isaac] Newton’s works were first and foremost a message about God; that He did not behave in a capricious or arbitrary fashion, in response to either His will or human prayer, but in accordance with absolute, unwavering, and humanly discoverable laws of nature which governed him and all his works. He had become the infinitely perfect Clock-Maker, his works fathomable by the human mind.” — Forrest MacDonald

As I’ve made abundantly clear previously, I don’t believe in God…. well, that isn’t entirely accurate. Let’s just say that the God that religions all  describe seems to me to be too much like a cranky, dyspeptic old man, and not enough like a god, to suit my perceptions of reality. But, let us suppose that a God did create Man, and ask ourselves why He would create such a nature, giving us such variable characteristics, knowing the problems to which it would inevitably lead? I’ve spent a great deal of my life having to hide my intelligence from most of those I meet, since revealing it always produces the aforementioned resentment. This has given me an idea of the answer to that question…. at least, a possible one.

“Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything.” — Aesop (620-560 B.C.)

We exist, in the mind of God, as a species. Individuals are less important in defining the nature of Man than is the entire species, yet it is our individuality that makes us each what we are. So, it suggests to me that there is some purpose to this bell curve on which all of our abilities can be shown to exist. That purpose, to my mind, is this; none of us, quick of mind, or slow-witted, is very well suited to survive on this planet. Other animals are faster, stronger, more dangerous, and show a greater ability to deal with their environment than do we. So, why are we given intelligence, since it doesn’t seem to serve much purpose, in any manner that will help to ensure our survival as a species?

Well, it seems to me that a God, one with the kind of sense of humor and irony that I would think would be well-developed in such an entity, would think it a grand jest to make us learn to depend on each other. In order for mankind to survive, we will ALL need to be involved…. and that means that the resentments we each may engender in the others must be set aside, and we must learn to appreciate the qualities we have as individuals in order to achieve the kind of harmony that such a God would insist upon in a creature of His devising. What a grand joke it is, too! The smarts can’t make it without the dumbs, and vice-versa, and the necessary changes in attitude to achieve such harmony are essential, if we are to achieve our potential as a species….

“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?” — Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), Sign of Four

Just an idea, but, I think it makes sense…. it certainly makes more sense than the divisive, elitist crap that most religions serve up. People aren’t special just because they believe in a particular version of God, or a particular church, or anything. They only become special when they put aside all that sort of disharmonious claptrap, and try to understand, and learn to appreciate, those qualities in others that really count, such as loyalty, honesty, bravery, tolerance, and a willingness to see the best in our fellow man….

When someone comes up with a vision of a God who makes loving our fellows MORE important than loving Him, or for goodness sake, worshiping Him, then maybe I’ll consider adopting it as part of my world-view. Alas, the men who run the churches (and they’re all men, too…. what’s up with that? Sounds like another subject to explore some day…..) only want us to agree with them, because it gives them power over us. You see, preachers are merely politicians in the larval stage…. and we all know what THEY want, don’t we? Yep……

“I think he’s a few pipes short of a church organ.” — Smart Bee

Note from 2015: As to the final pearl, maybe, maybe not…. It could be his organ has extra pipes, which allows him to joyously play complex melodies most folks can’t/don’t want to hear…. As a friend is fond of saying, “odds are good”…..

Fortunately, I was, because it turned out to be one of the finest 11 star pearls I’ve ever put together. It’s got some new quotes, some old quotes, and one from SB, all of which together make one damn fine recipe for a good life, well lived…. Well, I think so….

“The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. The Professor at the Breakfast-Table

“Bow to no patron’s insolence. Rely on no frail hopes; in freedom live and die.” — Seneca

“From the errors of others a wise man corrects his own.” — Publius Syrus

“Those who talk about the future are scoundrels.  It is the present that matters.” — Smart Bee

“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.” — Carl Sagan

“Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind as of opening the mouth is to close it again on something solid.” — G. K. Chesterton

“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” — Abraham Lincoln

“How you do anything is how you do everything. — Zen proverb

Well, it’s pretty clear to me, and I’m glad I figured it out…. You are too, you just don’t know it…. I suggest you don’t think too much about that; it could cause undue stress to our relationship….

Yes, it’s sardonicism… so, sue me. I think it’s hilarious, but, then, the joke’s on me, isn’t it?…. That part shouldn’t require any thought….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whenever a new poem leaks out, it’s a good day, regardless of any other events which may or may not have taken place…. To ensure leaving on a high note, we’ll accomplish that little chore right here, and, right now…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Wild horses, ya know?….