Ffolkes,
~~ Hobbes ~~
Old and new….
Hajime…. Approximately 17 months ago, I began what might be called a forced march, given little choice but to work toward a more healthy lifestyle, as my habits, formed over years of neglect on my part to walk the warrior’s path, were literally killing me, with the full cooperation of the modern medical model. Over that period of time, I spent a very long time in physical hell, suffering from the elimination of a pain medication to which I had been addicted by the doctors in whose care I placed my health. Without assigning any blame other than to myself, and my own lack of mindfulness, I can now say I’ve reached a milestone in the journey, one which indicates reaching a long-sought-for degree of balance.
Simply, last night, I slept, without any aids, for eight solid hours, without enough pain to wake me. I’m up, and in good status, relatively speaking, without any major pain, or other fatiguing factors to begin the day. It tells me my body chemistry and mental state has achieved some balance, and it’s about damn time. Whether or not this will make a big difference in Pearls remains to be seen, but, if nothing else, the physical effort is definitely on board to be less troublesome, and that’s a good thing….
There, I’ve related enough personal bs to fill the intro adequately for our purpose, so, I think I’ll just go with the flow that shows, and get on with the rest of the mess we have to put together today. The only questions to be answered now are whether or not I have a fresh rant in me, and whether or not Smart Bee will cooperate well enough to put together an old-school pearl. Time, as always, will tell; it can’t seem to keep quiet….but, I digress. We, that’s y’all, and I, are leaving, and, we’re doing that right now….
Shall we Pearl?
so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal yes.
~~ Chris Stevens, Late night DJ, “Northern Exposure” ~~
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Today’s music will be purely to satisfy my own wishes; naturally, that means some excellent guitar music. I was going to go with Clapton, or one of the other rock virtuosos, but, we’ll go with classical guitar, instead, to soothe the savage breasts we all have in the mornings…. Enjoy!….
Classical Guitar
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I’d hoped to rant this morning, as I’ve more than enough built-up angst to fuel a good one. But, time constraints and my own sense of urgency have killed that idea for today, so, here is a pretty neat little discussion from 2012 that will do nicely…. Enjoy!….
From 9/10/2012:
“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” — Confucius
Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether a quote attributed to Confucius was actually uttered by him; there are a lot of people out there who consider themselves funny, and they use his name without any by-your-leave. This one, though, has the “look and feel” of his philosophy, as he was often concerned with virtue, and the effect of that virtue on society….. Around here, we always go by the theory that, “if it waddles like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
This idea, regardless of its accuracy, (and it is very accurate…. trust me….) is one that many people would never consider, since those same many people never use introspection or self-inquiry to judge their own actions. Mostly they don’t think at all, of course, as is the habit of the major percentage of humans, but in this especially, the greater portion of mankind never even thinks about whether their actions are virtuous or not. They simply don’t care what their own motivation consists of, preferring to treat the universe as their own little plaything, insisting that reality bend itself to their viewpoint.
“If we are not stupid or insincere when we say that the good or ill of man lies within his own will, and that all beside is nothing to us, why are we still troubled?” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxv
Reality, naturally, takes umbrage at such behavior, and will generally furnish such fools sufficient trouble to keep them alert, if not actually awake and aware. In that sense, reality is self-adjusting. But no matter how many times some folks get stepped on, they never can figure out that their own actions are what brought them to the point they currently inhabit. I often wonder how some folks reach the age of consent, much less the age of reason; their lack of ability to reason would seem to me to be terminal in the short run. But, our society, in the process of advancing beyond the cave dweller stage, protects such fools, and their stupidity is rewarded, rather than punished. In such cases, my wonder at how they reached the age they possess turns to regret, that they reached the age of reproduction….
“Since everything in life is but an experience perfect in being what it is, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.” — Long Chen Pa
Using this principle, I laugh all the damn time, it seems. But, sadly, the world does not laugh with me…. That’s okay, though, for I have hope that things will eventually shake down into some sort of intelligent order. Call me crazy, but that hope does exist…. even though I know it is a relatively futile hope…. Is there any other kind?…..
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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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Our final old-school pearl turned out rather well, considering I gave SB the lead on picking out the entries. I’d say it’s a message on how to live one’s life with some dignity and peace, but, that’s just me…. Y’all tell me if you see it differently…. Or, just enjoy some pieces of eternal human wisdom, such as they are….
“The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject but man only.” — Thomas Hobbes
“It isn’t easy being green.” — Kermit
“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book
“The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.” — Anais Nin
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein
“Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.” — Og Mandino
“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right actions arises by itself?” — Lao Tzu
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It’s done, and it’s good. Well, for me, it’s good; for y’all, it will naturally depend on from whence you began your journey, and your own inner state. That, of course, is a given. But, regardless of how much I fool around here, or try to pad things here at the end, it’s still the end, and we’re done, so, I should probably think about getting us out of here. Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck in a loop, and can’t seem to stop typing…. Oh, well, let’s use a Tardis Toy, which will bring us directly to where all of us need to be…. That’s what a Tardis does, you know…. See ya….
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 