“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!”
~~ (The Beatles) I Am The Walrus ~~
A well-earned rest….
Hajime…. Apparently, the muse responsible for stimulating my creativity didn’t get the memo. I’m now capable of sitting long enough to do a bit of writing, but, can she be found? No. I’m pretty sure she got sidetracked by Murphy, who delights in seeing me experience frustration; he probably talked her into a week in Mexico, or somewhere else far away from wherever I’m sitting. Now, here I am, once again staring blankly at a screen covered in a vast white plain of fear, wondering what the hell I’m going to do now…..
Ah, well, so be it. I refuse categorically to go back to tricks, or traps, or nonsense, or even Piffle, to fill up this intro section; don’t ask me why. Not that I wouldn’t tell you, but, we’d be here forever trying to justify that which cannot be justified. But, then, reality doesn’t much care about justification; we humans are the only ones who seem to put any credence in it. But, I digress, as usual…
Screw it, he said, with feeling. Let’s just get on with it, since there isn’t a lot to get to. The poem I’m gestating isn’t ready, apparently, so, we’ll all have to make do with the handful of pearls I found, & be happy with that. Since there is now hope for more time to write, I’ll show a bit of faith in the process, (unnatural as it may be, for me), & hope for more in the near future… For now, let’s just do this….
Shall we pearl?….
“The only people for me are the mad ones,
the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,
desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing,
but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars…”
~~ Jack Kerouac, “On the Road” ~~
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Naked Pearls
Finding the center…
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“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”
~~ Seneca ~~
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“”I say that a man must be certain of his morality
for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.”
~~ G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, 8/4/06 ~
*******
“The question was put to him, what hope is;
and his answer was, “The dream of a waking man.”
~~ Diogenes Laertius — Aristotle, xi ~~
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“Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way in the answer.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
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“All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
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Well, ffolkes, there you have it. A classic style Pearl, short, sweet, but complete. I hold out hope for the future, so, let’s go out and find it, shall we? I’ll be back to try this again, perhaps with a bit more to say. One may hope, after all…. 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.
~~ Bill, or Ted, in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure ~~
Idyllic Dreams
Hajime…. There is hope. Enough to warrant some cautious optimism, anyway. Rather than jinx any such positive outcome, I won’t speak of it, but, it needed to be acknowledged, if only to assuage my own angst. Also, to avoid any accusations of preferential treatment, I’ll go one step further, and deny it all if confronted. Will that do? I hope so, because it’s the best I’ve got.
Sad, eh? Oh, well. I’m still a bit surprised at being able to sit this long, but, rather than let that tempt me into trying to go all rational, I’ll just use the emotional advantage it gives me, in a sympathetic sense, to claim exemption for the intro for today. In essence, it’s really not an issue, though the bureaucrats would have us believe otherwise; we’ll let them believe whatever they wish, as it won’t alter any of the material chosen for this Pearl. In fact, it won’t alter ANY portion of Reality. It never does, but, we try to ignore that.
Okay, I’m a bit out of practice at Piffle, it’s clear. I think we’d best just get on with this, before it goes rancid. Tell you what, let’s just pretend none of this happened, and all will be well. Well, as well as it can be, given the state of affairs now extant. Ah, screw it, we’re outta here, ffolkes, before it all submits to the demands of entropy.
Shall we pearl?….
“Another of his sayings was, that education was the best viaticum of old age.”
~~ Diogenes Laertius — Aristotle, xi ~~
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Naked Pearls
Oddly Enough….
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“Be prepared to go mad with fixed rule and method.”
~~ Horace ~~
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“You must look into people, as well as at them.”
~~ Lord Chesterfield ~~
*******
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees,
under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
~~ Nelson Henderson ~~
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“And furthermore, my bowling average is unimpeachable!!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
“Some people never find it
Some only pretend, but me
I just want to live happily ever after
Every now and then”
~~ Jimmy Buffet ~~
*******
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Yesterday was much like this, so, it seems appropriate….
Blue chameleon
It’s hot today, with chances of pain & rain.
So it says on the news.
Guess there’s nothing to do again
unless it’s sing the blues.
The blues are gettin’ old, though.
So I say, & I should know.
I been singin’ the bloody songs, y’know?
For what seems a long row to hoe.
S’pose it could get better someday.
I’ve heard that tune before.
Always seemed out of tune anyway;
I ain’t waitin’ any more.
Bang those drums & kick the cans.
May as well raise some hell.
Clang together some old pots & pans;
It hides the little voices so well.
Never worry, don’t you fear at all.
We’ve got certificates of note.
Bureaucratic protections, officially small.
Non carborundum illegitimi, he wrote.
Time, and circumstance, wrote me today.
It came in the daily mail from home.
It said I shouldn’t write unless I say
you’ll be charged for the distance you roam.
~~ gigoid ~~
5/28/2016
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Not too shabby, for what it is. I’ll take it, and run. I’ll also issue the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back, hopefully tomorrow, to try again. Hmm… maybe, if I decided to define WHAT I’m trying for, it might work better. Have to check that out. For now, 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 sometimes think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability.”
~~ Oscar Wilde ~~
The bar at the Old Swan, London
Hajime…. Testing…. Can you hear me now? Oh, good. As is patently obvious by now, I’m posting very late. Thank SB again; it took forever to come up with the little material I managed to put together. Even so, it’s pretty esoteric; to avoid any difficulties with the philosophy police, let’s not make any rash assumptions today regarding relevance, or even coherence. Instead, I’ll just trust the new process to make everything work out alright. I know, that’s a bit presumptuous. Guess who doesn’t care? Right….
Shall we pearl?….
Cato said, “I had rather men should ask why my statue is not set up, than why it is.”
~~ Plutarch — Political Precepts ~~
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Naked Pearls
Esoterica
*******
“I’m sitting on my SPEED QUEEN.. To me, it’s ENJOYABLE..
I’m WARM.. I’m VIBRATORY..”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
“No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
*******
“In the carriages of the past you can’t go anywhere.”
~~ Maxim Gorky ~~
*******
“We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them.”
~~ Titus Livius ~~
*******
“Nothing is worth more than this day.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
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And there you have it, ffolkes. The latest in a long series of expositions on Life…. sort of. Whatever these are, you’ll most likely see another one tomorrow, provided nobody catches me at it first…. See y’all then; fair warning….
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.
“It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority.
By definition, there are already enough people to do that.”
~~ G. H. Hardy ~~
Random Kirk ~~ Greenock, Scotland
Hajime…. Evolution is an implacable process, regardless of what point on the scale at which one resides. Those who have the most experience in observing the process, as we all must, from the inside, have no distinct advantage over those brand new to its principles of reality based requirements, otherwise known as parameters. In short, age is no defense against the universe; the laws which regulate its operation are equally applicable to the young, the old, and the foolish. Go figure, eh?
During this most recent vacation from blogging, I’ve been forced to read more, stand more, and write less, as the time needed to transfer my thoughts onscreen has been too much to tolerate. This morning seems to have brought me a bit of space, hence this intro section, composed while I am able….
This inability to spend any consistent time at writing continues; what you see above is from two days ago. As is patently clear by now, it’s making it hard to keep the material from looking and feeling weird to me, chopped up & rustic, rather than smooth and elegant. Of course, elegance is a goal for which I often shoot, but, seldom hit; it sounds good though, doesn’t it?
The above, in retrospect, teaches me this; things will have to change, if I intend to continue blogging. How those changes look has yet to be discovered. For now, we’ll go with what I’ve managed to put together, and, hope for the best…. Without further discussion, we’ll go do that now….
Shall we pearl?….
“I leapt headlong into the sea,
and thereby have become better acquainted
with the soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks,
than if I had stayed upon the green shore,
and piped a silly song, and took tea and comfortable advice.”
~~ John Keats ~~
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Having listened to this concerto many times, I can attest it is perfectly suited for reading with blogs…. So, enjoy!…..
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W.A. Mozart Concerto for Flute & Harp
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“All warfare is based on deception.”
~~ Sun Tzu (ca. 500 BC) ~~
For more than three weeks now, I’ve been unable to sit long enough to write. Moreover, it isn’t looking as if that is ever going to change; if it does, it won’t be soon. This acknowledgment of reality is hard for me, but, inescapable. Not being able to vent is, without doubt, a serious conundrum, about which I haven’t a clue as how to fix; the building pressure is becoming dangerous, & not just to me. Critical mass is approaching, and nobody likes nuclear explosions….
The quote you see above from The Art of War is, in many ways, always a good place to begin a rant, yet, I am unable to take advantage long enough to put anything together, thanks to the onset of excruciating pain after about three minutes of sitting, requiring me to get up, & move about until it passes, or, worse, to lie down until the pain is manageable. It’s making a serious dent in my serenity, to be sure. It is also making it necessary to once again transform Pearls of Virtual Wisdom into a new, or, rather, old configuration….
“He knew that insofar as one denies what is, one is possessed by what is not, the compulsions, the fantasies, the terrors that flock to fill the void.” — Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Lathe of Heaven”
I cannot deny the pain; I must adjust. So, long story short, from this day forward, until further notice, the Pearls you see will resemble the first one published here; an introductory statement or two, followed by the day’s selection of pearls for your edification and glad consumption. Until my condition allows me to sit long enough to actually compose, that’s about all I can promise to get done. It’s not up to the standards I’ve since adopted, but, those standards no longer apply.
Otherwise, I would have to stop writing completely; I’m not ready to give that up, nor am I willing to give up the people I’ve met here, who have become like family…. So, I’ll be around, if less often, and less copiously…. All you can do is all you can do, as we know….
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s introspective, and hope y’all will continue to drop in now & again to say howdy, or just enjoy the pearls. For the nonce, that will have to do, for all of us….
gigoid has spoken….. So be it….
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A Seasonal Approach
Absolute stillness grips a frozen field,
anticipating dawn with such patient yield
morning burgeoning in dark winter’s hold
brings promise of tales yet to be told.
Lengthening days of pale sun unto night
slowly tell of time’s subversive flight
bringing such original songs of natural fire
with melodies complex in casual attire.
The months are certain they will always win
it is just the way it has always been.
None may argue, nor yet slow life down
Nor dim the eternal beauty of nature’s gown.
Winter evolves from fall into spring,
sending flocks and hearts ever awing.
Summer follows suit, t’other way ’round
Spring into fall, often without a sound.
Life is meant to be lived, beginning to end
choices abound, and change can be a friend.
Yielding with grace to reality’s compelling ploy
fills our plain existence with clean, honest joy.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/26/2012
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Naked Pearls
Notes on Life at Large
*******
“Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*******
“It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes,
rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
*******
“Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty.”
~~ Ancient Hippie proverb ~~
*******
“Really to see the sun rise or go down every day…would preserve us sane forever.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*******
“Good enough is never good enough.”
~~ AB Guthrie ~~
*******
“Kindness is more important than wisdom,
and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”
~~ Theodore Isaac Rubin ~~
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Well, it took two weeks to put this together, but, it’s done. Hopefully, with the changes in format I’m planning, more Pearls will be forthcoming. Our elegant invention, Time, will tell, I’m sure. Since I’m nearing my three-minute limit, I’m going to end this & go post, before I am unable to do so, again. I WILL be back; that’s a promise, which is never made lightly. Hopefully, I’ll also be able to go surfing soon, to make up for all the time I’ve lost visiting my friends’ blogs…. For now, we’ll take our leave, with our usual caveat, to wit: even reality has to take a breath now and then. Whatever that means…. See ya, ffolkes….
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.
Hajime…. Having been assaulted in my sleep by a small, fur-bearing extortionist, to the point of meltdown before I was even awake, I sit to write, only to find myself with no inspiration whatsoever. In fact, a complete meltdown remains a definite possibility for the rest of the day, I’d say. I can’t say why I’m so fragile this morning, but, hey, that’s PTSD for ya. A lot of generals, and armies, could take lessons from PTSD, regarding stealth; it seems to be masterful at sneak attacks….
Since finding something in my head about which to write seems futile, I think I’ll skip the intro altogether, giving it up as a bad investment of time. I can’t see it getting much better than what you’ve already seen, although the possibility of getting worse doesn’t seem out of the realm. In fact, I can feel it getting away from me the longer I type. In the interests of saving face, and time, I’ll end this now, before it gets to a point from which I cannot save it. I’m not sure what the regulations say about that, but, it probably fits into the rudeness category, if naught else….
Rather than risk relatively undeserved rudeness, I’ll go on. You’ll probably see some archived material below; fresh stuff probably isn’t on the agenda for today. But, that also means no further whining, so, it all balances out. Let’s see what I can find to make this semi-okay, or, at minimum, inoffensive…. Oh, wait. Too late for that, and it’s against policy. Oh, well. We’ll see what we can do….
Shall we pearl?….
“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction
that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide;
that he must take himself for better or worse as his portion;
that though the wide universe is full of good,
no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him
but through his toil bestowed
on that plot of ground which is given him to till.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance ~~
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Naturally, since I’m in default production mode, you, and I, get classical music for today’s selection. I hope you enjoy it; I intend to do so myself….
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Classical Music
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“It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes, rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.” — Aristotle
As I predicted in the intro, we’re hitting the archives. The following is one of the longest, and harshest rants I’ve written. It’s a subject about which I feel strongly, so, since I have nothing today of my own, here is something from my past…
From 8/20/2014:
This is a long rant, ffolkes…. When I start on this particular subject, I have a hard time stopping…. this time, to the tune of over 2500 words…. I figured I should give fair warning; this is not an easy rant to read, nor will it give any quarter to those it targets as the evil protagonists…. If you don’t feel up to it, then you can skip it…. However, this is an extremely important subject, to me, so, I’m asking you to take the time to read it, think about it, and maybe pass it on…. This needs to change, for sure, and for certain…. I’ve even given it a title, in case I decide to publish it alone, elsewhere….
A True Plague upon Our Houses….
In which we take issue with those who would call themselves Men, having none of the qualities of a Man…..
“Resolved, that the women of this nation in 1876, have greater cause for discontent, rebellion and revolution than the men of 1776.” — Susan B. Anthony
As we know now, 1976 has come, and gone, along with 1776, and 1876; yet, the oppression and ongoing abuse of women continues, unabated and unchecked, in spite of any progress shown by society, which would be thanks to Ms. Anthony, and others, for having instigated, and overcome a number of the legal challenges involved in securing full rights for women, efforts resulting in SOME legislation that SEEMED to make some needed changes, not the least of which was voting rights…
In too many ways, unfortunately, things are worse, due to the ubiquitous attitudes, of misogyny and unreasoning fear of sexuality, which is so ingrained in both the male, and female members of society, there are few who even acknowledge the issue, unless pressed…. at which time, they generally become either defensive, feign indignation, or go into active denial…. This fear, based on ignorance, of course, is complicated by religious attitudes heaped upon men and women from birth, which only encourage such ignorance, in favor of dogma….. Now, 40 years into the next hundred years since the beginning of the women’s movement in America, the same can be said to be absolutely true….. Nothing below the surface has changed at all….
“You, you, you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t traumatize women with sexual intercourse. I should know, I’m a medieval doctor, I own a mansion and a yacht.” — excerpted from the AMA manual of advice for teens and newlyweds, 1910, 1926, 1933, 1947, 1955, and, every year since then, without changing a word….
Okay, so, it’s not really there…. but, it certainly would be, if they could get away with it…. and, is definitely there, in place, in the ingrained prejudices of virtually every male doctor alive…. This idiocy is an example of the attitudes of which I’m speaking; the hidden, slyly perverted belief that women are no more than the sum of the misguided and totally false characterizations placed on them by men, who insist on perpetuating the false image of women, in general and as individuals, as weak, feeble-minded, emotional, sex-crazed, or frigid, selfish creatures concerned only with using their beauty and sex to control men….
These claims are, of course, completely untrue in reality, but, the unreasoning, innate fear of their own sexuality, and the fear of being controlled by women, that permeates male attitudes, causes them all, or mostly all, to believe all of it, true or not… Thus, as the quote below from former President Jimmy C. notes, this belief in a full set of delusions, falsely accusing women of evil intent, is used to justify all of the pervasive objectification, abuse, and oppression of women throughout history, continuing today, no matter how much anyone says to the contrary….
Jimmy Carter sez:
He would know, wouldn’t he?…..
Below this paragraph, I am placing a link, to the web site/blog of a woman who rescued herself from sexual slavery; there is no other term that fits. She was forced, at a young age, to become a prostitute, and spent most of her childhood and teen years trapped in the sex trade…. Her experiences should never happen to anyone; when I read her writing, it takes ALL of my control to keep from jumping up, buying weapons, and going hunting, for human males…. I get so angry it wouldn’t even matter to me WHICH males I started wasting; all bear equal guilt, from at least one point of view…. Otherwise, why would the rest of us, we males who do NOT wish to oppress our species’ mates, ALLOW this to take place? How can we know of this, and not act?
Lack of honor is the only answer that occurs to me; there are not enough men, it seems, with sufficient honor to stem the tide of idiocy, gross perversion, and lack of moral fiber that infuses the greatest portion of humanity’s male members…. I would guesstimate that 98% of all males never even THINK about the issue of how women have been oppressed throughout history; most are perfectly happy to enjoy the lack of responsibility that such moral and ethical blindness allows; we are, as a species, after all, lazy by nature…. (Nothing wrong with lazy, as long as it’s not a way of life, but a tool, to make one look for smarter ways to do things….) But, to allow that laziness to act as an excuse for not acting in this respect, can only indicate a complete lack of what I call HONOR…..
This may sound like a harsh accusation; to that charge I say: Yes, it is and so fucking what? It’s a harsh world, and what men have been doing to women for millennia….. not years, not centuries, MILFUCKINGLENNIA, PEOPLE! No exaggeration or hyperbole is necessary or, in my case, desired….
Listen up, all of you men out there, because I am talking to YOU!…. It IS harsh, and I make the accusation without apology, because, I must in all honesty include myself in the group of those who have not done all they could to see the issue addressed; if it is never addressed, it can never be resolved…. I’ve done more than many, perhaps, and I do acknowledge the seriousness and urgency of the issue…. but, I, too, am guilty of NOT doing enough…. S’okay, it just makes me madder, & more determined to keep writing about this….
You see, the whole issue illustrates one small, but, critical facet of human nature that is part and parcel with those other character flaws in us which are leading us merrily down the road to hell, blithely wishing we had a bigger handbasket….. This tendency on the part of human males, to abandon honor and ethical behavior, in favor of allowing their fears and misapprehensions rule them, for our ENTIRE history, has held us back, from becoming all we have the potential to be, as rational creatures with an understanding and appreciation for what is good and beautiful in life.
Instead, we have witnessed, over those thousands and thousands of years, virtually unending wars, conflicts, slavery, abuse of women and children, or anyone considered weak and unable to defend their rights. We have seen people learn to use lying, cheating, aggressiveness, and self-interest as their primary tools for obtaining the resources needed to live, and to hoard what they have taken, by right or threat of force; this process is, in today’s world, considered to be a blueprint for successful living, with the ultimate goal in life being the fulfillment of one’s own personal goals and desires, at the cost of whatever it may take to wrest it from other people, and the world at large….
“Get it while you can!” Do unto others before they do unto you.” Bigger is better!” “One nation under God!” (It would be more honest if they just said what they REALLY believe which is, “As a Christian, I have more rights than anyone who isn’t….”)
Okay, so the last line, in parentheses, is one most people will only say under their breath; you can be sure, though, that every “Christian” alive believes they are the elite of the species, the only ones with the true answers…. This, you see, naturally gives them all a completely unwarranted and false sense of entitlement, one that really annoys the rest of us, who haven’t fallen under the spell of that particular delusion, and couldn’t care less who they think they are…. I GUARANTEE, even if there WERE a God, such as the figment they seem to believe in, I’m pretty sure, as an omnipotent entity, She wouldn’t want to have anything to do with such idiotic wastes of sperm….
Ooh! That was harsh, too, wasn’t it? Oh well… Again, I have to say, so fucking what? If people insist on showing their lack of intelligence in public, they are fair game for anyone who cares to come along and poke holes in their lack of logic, and/or foolishly naive belief in delusions that someone taught them before they could defend their own minds…. It isn’t my problem if they are offended; that is their own reaction, for which THEY bear ALL the responsibility….
I welcome dialogue, and will listen to any argument, as long as it is evidence based…. However, don’t even think about coming at me with something that has nothing more to verify its veracity than “ispe dixit”…. You will regret it to your dying day….. And, so will I, for I am not really mean, or cruel by nature; I just can’t abide people acting as if being stupid is better than ANYTHING else; it isn’t, and wishing won’t make it so…. But, it’s better to put such folks out of their misery, before their ignorance can spread to others….
Men and women are in this together, ffolkes; neither sex can possibly survive without the other, and why would anyone wish to? But, the way things are going now, if we don’t figure out, soon, how to take care of each other, instead of being at odds all the damn time (as all the people who spread jokes about the “war between men and women” keep yelling about, thus keeping the divisiveness alive, and actively harmful….), we will surely reach the point, in the not so very distant future, when our insistence on making the worst of our differences will result in the only possible ultimate end, to wit: our own extinction as a failed species.
The abuse of women, and anyone else; war; sales of drugs and/or arms; and the relative insanity of the divisive elitism as acted out by all organized religions….. All of these blights and plagues upon the spirit and growth of Man, carried out for thousands of years by those in our species who refuse to embrace any sort of beliefs that do not serve their own ends alone, all spring from one source in human nature; the expression of that negativity in our spirit has held sway since the beginnings of recorded history……
It is that part of our inner selves which compels us to use our innate talents for violence, treachery, and selfishness, using them to take advantage of others for our own benefit, using fear, and the threat of reward or punishment to control others, the use of which has led us to the impending threat of doom we face in coming days…. In order to survive, human nature MUST change…. Hmm…. not terribly good odds, I should guess….
I wish I had the ultimate answer; I wish I knew just the right words, and could say “THIS, THIS, and THIS…. just do that, and we’ll all be okay….” I don’t have them, though, any more than anyone else has had so far…. The worst part is, I know what needs to be done; but, due to the fact that I can only make changes to myself, I can’t just DO it, or even just SAY it…. It has to come from all of us, or it won’t work at all….
SIGH…. Damn if I know what to do…. I guess I’ll just go out, shoot a couple of pimps, and call it a day….. Oh, and if those pimps happen to be wearing a uniform of some sort, you may count on them being fully guilty as charged, with sentence carried out according to the dictates of justice…. in spite of any loud noises they might make to the contrary. Any noise they make in these situations is merely an automatic defense against the insistence on them taking responsibility for their actions….
Any lawyers who may try to involve themselves may try to make us feel differently, but, we can discuss that later, right? (We can decide what to do about them when we figure out where to dispose of the bodies….) For the moment, my day will be over, and justice done; it’s all I need to get to sleep….. especially knowing the women freed by my good aim will have the choice and opportunity to start the process of changing out of their slave clothes, into something a bit more free, and of their own choice….
Well, we all have our fantasies, right? Now, the trick is to remove all the above from the realm of speculation and imagination, and make it so, in Reality…. I guess we’ll see how it goes, eh?…. Later, ffolkes, & remember…. Free our sisters, and we free ourselves….
This took a long time to write, because it’s important to me…. Hence, I took a long time to pick a closing pearl, one that had the right feel to it, to express the depth of emotion involved, while still giving a nod to importance of addressing the issue’s less palatable aspects, such as the way women having to live in today’s world, or any world we have seen, are consistently, often brutally, abused, made to feel secondary, and at the very least, completely misunderstood, by their own alleged mates.
I am speaking of men who, in the final analysis, are failing their own species, not to mention failing to understand the concept, or to comprehend the importance, of such old-fashioned words as honor, compassion, and duty…. any one of which requires much more strength than any sort of aggressiveness, or shows of physical prowess…. Such behaviors are those of a child, based on fear, a child who never grew out of being selfish and/or afraid of girls, (i.e., afraid of their own sexuality, and of women’s….), refusing to grow up and truly BE a man…..
We need each other, men and women; nature’s other creatures have shown us how it is supposed to work, using the blueprint of nature’s design…. Each gender of a species is made to contribute certain characteristics to the solving of the puzzle of living, in concert with their opposite half, with the caveat being the simple FACT, that neither can survive, one without the other. Both are needed for the species to prosper, and grow…… It’s a shame there are so many men in the world who are so afraid of themselves, and of women, they can’t learn to act as men….
Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream:
The Genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.
— William Shakespeare ~~
Julius Caesar — Act ii, Sc. 1
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Between what I see and what I say
Between what I say and what I keep silent
Between what I keep silent and what I dream
Between what I dream and what I forget:
Poetry.
~~ Octavio Paz (1914-1998) ~~
*******
Shot in the dark….
Nothing old will do
to soothe such internal fire;
only new haiku.
Infernal chaos
bites with vicious teeth of steel.
Starts the day poorly.
Routines fill an hour
seeking a sort of balance.
Not easily found.
To bring serenity
is a task for a lifetime.
Today’s morning chore.
Five times seventeen
seems to have brought me some peace.
Counting words for hope.
~~ gigoid ~~
7/25/2016
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Naked Pearls
A path to freedom…
*******
“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge;
and one only evil, namely, ignorance.”
~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Socrates, xiv ~~
*******
“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.”
~~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ~~
*******
“Before you can be creative, you must be courageous.
Creativity is the destination, but courage is the journey.”
~~ Joey Reiman ~~
*******
“To be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough;
the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.”
~~ Descartes ~~
*******
“The aim of life is to live,
and to live means to be aware,
joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.”
~~ Henry Miller ~~
*******
“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years,
and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.”
~~ Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950 ~~
*******
“When I speak to you about myself,
I am speaking to you about yourself.
How is it you don’t see that?”
~~ Victor Hugo ~~
*******
********************************
The mere fact this is done should be recorded in the Book. But, it probably won’t be, and, that’s okay. It’s done, so, I win. For now. To maintain my record at that, I will warn y’all now, I’ll try again tomorrow, without any claims as to any sort of improvement, or even change. All I know is, I have to try. See y’all then, provided the meltdown has been averted, once again….
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.
Hajime…. Let me assure you; living with a familiar isn’t always a smooth ride through Life. Without getting into superfluous details, let’s just say we had a domestic crisis of some proportion upon first arising today, & let it go. It’s over now, and all is again peaceful between us, so I can get on with the less mundane aspects of my morning routine. Naturally, the delay has set us back, so the scramble to get it done has now entered White Rabbit mode. One part is done, but, the rest will be…. well, it will be the rest.
I’m not even going to try to fool anyone today. I am not a professional, though I do have some investment in producing quality material. I do this simply to keep myself from falling prey to my own dark side, which threatens to force its way out into action mode, with only one purpose, to destroy. It works fairly well; I have yet to break my personal vow to NOT kill. I will admit, there are moments I don’t know why I keep myself from doing so, for there are many who deserve to die. But, I promised my mom I’d do all I could to keep from allowing nature to take a natural course…. So far, so good.
But, I digress. We’re here to get us down the page, not to get chatty or philosophical, which belongs further down. Who knows? What happens next is still pretty well unplanned, so, y’all could see damn near anything. In fact, let’s get started, before I get any stranger, okay? I can feel things morphing as I type, so, we’d best get on with it, before reality makes a fool of us, yet again….
Shall we pearl?….
“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
While looking for music yesterday, I came across this concert from two of the best musicians in the business. The video picture isn’t great, but, the sound is excellent, which is fine with me…. Enjoy!…..
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Garcia & Grisman Live in Concert
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“In the words of Shankarachaya,
“All impossible things can be made possible
save the bringing of the fool’s mind to the point of truth.”
~~ Hazrat Inayat Khan (Sufi writer) ~~
Since the quote you see leading off this section is so versatile, it can stay, though I did not use it for a fresh piece. It leads into the following material, which is from the archives, quite nicely, and will do for today’s off-the-cuff format…. Besides, it’s all still relevant, sadly, even though parts of it are almost four years old…. Enjoy!….
From 1/11/2015:
On December 6 of 2012, the Pearl I wrote turned out pretty well, with two pretty good mini-rants on two subjects. Given the recent spate of killings by police, in this country alone, this outburst is particularly relevant. I don’t think it’s necessary to reiterate my belief the world is over-militarized, whether by local police, or large national police organizations, or military institutions on a national level….
But, then, it is well to remember, the making and selling of arms, and all of the other weapons of war and destruction, IS the oldest, largest, most lucrative business on this planet, a fact of which all governments, all large religious institutions, and all multi-national corporations are fully aware, as evidenced by their uniform complicity, in allowing it to continue to furnish the means by which Man’s insane avarice for power is expressed, endlessly….
From 12/6/2012:
“Who will protect the public when the police violate the law?” — Ramsey Clark
Here is a question that is particularly relevant in today’s society. In my time on this sad little ball of mud, I have studied the various parts that make up our culture, and the police, due to their ubiquitous nature, have always been right there at the forefront of my observations. We all have our stories of how we have had to deal with police in various circumstances, not all of which show them in their best light. In fact, next to lawyers, police officers are probably the most reviled members of society, as well as one of the most admired. There are good reasons to support both views…..
I cannot say that my knowledge of ALL policemen is complete; I don’t know them all. But my observations over the years have indicated that at least half of those who enter the field do so out of a desire to have power over others, rather than an impulse to be of service. It is easy to spot these folks…. They’re the ones who never signal a turn in their cars, and are always moving at a speed greater than the posted limit. They assume that the laws that govern the populace are not applicable to them, and act accordingly. They enter any situation with the attitude that “might is right”, and attempt to intimidate anyone who tries to usurp or question their authority. They don’t serve as policemen to keep the peace, but to control the beasts….. two entirely different goals.
I find myself at this point to be in the beginning stages of a rant; this subject is one that frustrates me a lot, as I believe that the police should be offering themselves as an example of honorable, lawful behavior. Many of them do so, but a large number are no more concerned with serving and protecting than they are in consuming donuts without sprinkles. Due to circumstances well within my control, I’m not in the mood for ranting this morning, so I’m going to let this go without further comment.
Suffice it to say that society needs to consider the question asked above by Mr. Clark, and take a hard, realistic look at the requirements needed to procure police officers who are of the proper frame of mind to assume the responsibilities involved in public protection. It seems to me that psychological testing of potential officers would be a good place to start; perhaps some of those who go into the field for their own purposes might not be given such power, if they could be winnowed out in the testing process…… Perhaps then we would begin to see the police set the example for the rest of society, rather than proving to be one of the problems we need to solve…..
“The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)
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Dreaming, I wait….
In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.
Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.
Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.
Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.
Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.
When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.
Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/18/2013
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Our final pearl is also from the archives, simply because SB decided not to cooperate with our high-speed demands for a quick group. On the same day as the rant we used today, the old-school pearl was also a good one, so, we are using it here again today. Go figure, eh? As noted, it’s a good one, so, try to pay attention; you’re almost done…. *grin*
From 1/11/2015:
This is what I’d call a prototypical pearl, which is of a variety which makes it plain life isn’t as simple as it seems, yet, provides us with all we need to understand any complexity, if we are open to developing a character of honor, dignity, and courage, tempered by kindness, and its outgrowth, compassion….
“Life is a struggle with the obvious. We have been so blinkered with expectations or so blinded with choices that seeing and accepting the obvious becomes rare and courageous.” — Callan Williams
“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” — Buddha (B.C. 568-488)
“Man is a religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) — The Damned Human Race
“Determine never to be idle…It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” — Thomas Jefferson
“Character is much easier kept than recovered.” — Thomas Paine
“Of all the benefits that virtue confers upon us, the contempt of death is one of the greatest.” — Montaigne (1533-1592)
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
********************************
Okay, I did it. I cheated, badly, but, it’s done, so, who cares? Not me, and, not you, because, hey, you’re done, too. I’ll just take this moment to issue our usual warning, to wit: See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Nobody seems willing to try to stop me, so, what the hell…. Why not? It certainly can’t make anything worse than it already seems to be….
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.
It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.
~~ Epicurus ~~
Perfectly imperfect….
Hajime…. We humans do tend to become attached to our routines. This can make the process of evolution somewhat uncomfortable, unless we practice the art of dealing with change phlegmatically, rather than passionately. Our egos get in our way enough; it’s a good thing to work on our reactions ahead of when they become part of reality, for the meeting of imagination and reality can be fraught with danger and chaotic emotions. Best to learn control before it is needed so desperately, as is often the case when reality strikes….
Since the reasons for such an opening are extremely fresh, and, thus, still volatile, I won’t attempt to explain. Suffice it to say, for our purposes here, I managed to avoid a complete meltdown long enough to complete today’s Pearl, such as it is. It ain’t Ibsen, but, it’s legit. Since I’m pretty certain I can’t do any better by keeping at it any longer, I’ll forgo my usual blather and/or nonsense, in favor of another ruthlessly short intro. It seems to work out fairly well when I do get ruthless, so, we’ll go with it today, just for form. I like it, sometimes, because I get to do this….
Shall we pearl?….
After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
~~ Albus Dumbledore ~~
~~ J.K. Rowling, The Man with Two Faces ~~
~~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ~~
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Though not obviously, I am running late; that means we go with our default today. Not only did we spend no time thinking about it, the collection you get is the very first one listed, just so I didn’t have to spend any further time looking. Fortunately, it looks like a good one, so, please, enjoy!….
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Classical Music
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********************************
We’re going back to the archives this morning, simply because I’m lazy, and a little late; a typically human reaction, to be sure. Nonetheless, it’s also reality, so, we’ll all have to deal with it. Here is a piece from a couple years ago, with a little discussion of, well, me….
From 4/19/2014:
:GIGO: /gi:’goh/ [acronym] 1. `Garbage In, Garbage Out’ — usually said in response to {luser}s who complain that a program didn’t “do the right thing” when given imperfect input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data. 2. `Garbage In, Gospel Out’: this more recent expansion is a sardonic comment on the tendency human beings have to put excessive trust in `computerized’ data. — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423
Many years ago, I adopted the user name gigoid, taking it from the above definition, and adding an “id” for, of course, identification purposes; with that suffix, I am assured of human status, i.e. hominid, humanoid, etc. I chose this acronym because it is the perfect reminder of the basic integrity that is built into all computers, i.e., they can only do what we tell them to do, and cannot lie. Thus, if our results are wrong, the error lies in our input, not in the computer; this automatically cuts in half the number of places to look for the problem. I like to think that my awareness of this principle characteristic is what has allowed me to use computers without suffering many of the common difficulties such as crashes, freezes, and blue screens of death. Only once have I ever encountered one of those on my own computer, and that was the result of a virus my defenses missed… my fault, of course, I hadn’t updated soon enough…
Oh, I’ve encountered that famous blue screen before, when I worked as a computer tech back in the late 90’s, setting up LAN’s and office systems for H&R Block…. a significant percentage of machines were dead soon after coming out of the factory box. But, on my own computers, I am very careful never to break any of the basic rules that govern those kinds of mishaps…. and I owe it all to a wise choice of user name…. Well, it’s fun to think about it that way anyway….
So, who is gigoid? Well, if you’ve hung about this blog site for long, I’ve certainly given y’all enough of my inner workings to look at, in my rants, and in my old school pearls, as well as in my poetry, which is quite revealing, to me….. but, then, if it wasn’t, I most likely couldn’t write it…. Any who, to give the short answer to that question, I’ll post below some pearls that give insight into what I believe to be true, and how I try to live…. Like any weak human, I don’t always succeed at being as moral or ethical as I can be, but, I do try, and I do feel pangs of regret when I don’t, so cut me some slack, eh? Just kidding…. What I am is all what I am, though I’m not Popeye…. and these pearls are what I see in the mirror…..
“They are able because they think they are able.” — Virgil
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle
“An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly.” — E. P. Whipple
It is my firm belief that it is a mistake to hold firm beliefs. — Smart Bee
Computers can never replace human stupidity. — Smart Bee
“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.
But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants “just a few minutes of your time, please — this won’t take long.” Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No – and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. (This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don’t do it because it is “expected” of you.) ”
— Lazarus Long, from Time Enough for Love, by Robert Heinlein
“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?” — Zippy the Pinhead
Well, that’s enough about me…. Hope this helps clear up any confusion, and if not, well, hey, life goes on…. all we can do is all we can do, and no more….
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Unheralded Sagacity…
To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.
Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.
Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.
No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.
Illumination…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/17/2013
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Naked Pearls
Random Thoughts
*******
“Iyam what Iyam.”
~~ Popeye ~~
*******
“The worst fear is the fear of living.”
~~ Theodore Rosevelt ~~
*******
“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;
it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.”
~~ Alice M. Swaim ~~
*******
“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life.
I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy
– I mean that if you are happy you will be good.”
~~ Bertrand Russell ~~
*******
“Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist.
It is just like the roads across the earth.
For actually there were no roads to begin with,
but when many people pass one way a road is made.”
~~ Lu Hsun ~~
*******
“It is not the one with many possessions who is rich,
but the one who has no needs.”
~~ Philoxenos ~~
*******
“Dogs like us, we ain’t such dogs as we think we are.”
~~ Ernest Borgnine ~~
*******
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Today’s Pearl has been brought to you through the auspices of ego-driven need, supported by the echoes of madness which drive my bus. In the further interests of time-management, I shall bid thee adieu, until tomorrow, when I’ll make another attempt at rationality, whether it’s advisable, or not. Advice is usually worth what one pays for it, so, we’ll go for broke without it. See y’all then, should the Space/Time Continuum continue to cooperate….
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.
“Ignorance doesn’t kill you, but it makes you sweat a lot.”
~~ Haitian proverb ~~
Did you say ‘chase paper’?….
Hajime…. I’m posting very late again today, but, not for any bad reason. On the contrary, it’s been a fine morning. I would share it, but, it’s still too intimate an experience to do so; I’m greedy sometimes, & want to savor it for a time. The time I spent will, eventually, be a big part of my personal cache of memories, in the folder simply labeled “joy”. Can’t say exactly why ’tis so, but, gift horse, right? Don’t want to examine it too closely….
Rather than torture all of us by trying to create some grandiose, compelling intro today, I’ll make these two paragraphs do as a sublimation for the real thing. I doubt seriously y’all will miss it, any more than will I. We also will not be discussing any of the personal quirks, and/or mental issues which would tend to complicate matters in the normal course of events. Of course, around here, there is no such thing as a normal course of events, but, we won’t talk about that, either. Instead, we’ll just do this….
Today’s musical selection features an Irish artist, a fiddler, who currently plays with the Celtic Woman group. I’ve seen the group on stage a couple of times; each time, this woman’s performance, for me, made the show as special as it was. Quite simply, her performance is infectiously joyous, sharing her own pleasure at playing her music to such a degree it is tangible…. I hope you enjoy it….
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Celtic Woman
Máiréad – Granuaile’s Dance
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“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
*******
“No slave is ever freed, save he freeth himself.”
~~ Bob Marley, paraphrased ~~
Today’s rant is self-directed, as it should be, given the opening quotes…. Enjoy! Oh, and, keep an open mind on this one; you’ll need it….
From 5/6/2015:
Dubiousity, Redux
In the virtual world, I call myself gigoid, the dubious, for specific reasons…. Rather than use my own words to delineate/describe those reasons, here are some of them, in the form of pearls, (naturally….), as collected by Smart Bee, just as an exercise…. It turned out to be a nice, eleven-star pearl, all centered around the concept of doubt as a function of wisdom…. It seems I’m not the only person in history to put my faith in doubt, rather than the other way around, so to speak…. There are a lot of big names here, and, I only went through the first half of the collection….
Pay particular heed today, ffolkes; these little bits of shiny stuff are more subtly important, to you, than you may realize…. Oh, and, ALL of this will be on your final Quiz…. Don’t blame me, I didn’t make it up….
Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Brahma ~~
“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
“A lizard ran out on a rock and looked up, listening no doubt to the sounding of the spheres. And what a dandy fellow! the right toss of a chin for you and swirl of a tail! If men were as much men as lizards are lizards they’d be worth looking at.” — D. H. Lawrence (1928)
“Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can rarely survive in the face of doubt.” — Robert Lindner
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition but certainty is an absurd one.” — Voltaire
Modest doubt is call’d
The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches
To the bottom of the worst.
~~ William Shakespeare ~~
~~ Troilus and Cressida — Act ii, Sc. 2 ~~
Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom. — Smart Bee
“Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt.” — Bergen Evans, The Natural History of Nonsense (1946)
“If you understand, or if you don’t. If you believe, or if you doubt. There is a universal justice and the eyes of truth are always watching.” — Enigma
“Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in their readiness to doubt.” — H. L. Mencken
My guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
deceived me into thinking I had something to protect.
Good and bad I defined these terms, quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then;
I’m younger than that now.
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
Ah, yes, indeed…. I AM younger than that now….. so, there will be more on this subject later…. Ta, then….
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Retrospective, defined in folly….
Yesterday
I wrote a poem.
It bled out of my head,
like I’d been struck with
an axe,
right through the artery,
in the neck,
spraying blood around
everywhere,
like a pulsing garden hose….
It hurt, at first,
then came the feeling,
of quick relief,
of timeless beauty,
of pain avenged,
of lust aroused,
of outrage aflame,
of deep compassion,
of endless empathy,
of truest love….
Now it’s gone, cast away
like pearls before twine.
(Grin…)
You thought
I was going to call you
a pig,
didn’t you?
Hah!
Well, you’re not.
You’re a person.
I know, because
you’re reading this poem…
if that’s what it is.
I think it is,
so,
maybe it is.
Or, maybe,
it will be,
someday, when it
grows up,
and learns to rhyme.
Whew…
Just in time…..
That’s all.
Reality often sucks wind,
y’know?
S’okay, though….
It keeps us busy,
and out of some of the
mischief,
so much part
of our
nature.
We all can do
only what we
do.
Or, don’t.
Two sides, one coin.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/1/2014
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Naked Pearls
Not so obvious truths….
*********
“I think, therefore I am… dangerous, that is…”
~~ Master Bee ~~
*********
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
~~ Anais Nin ~~
*********
“Do what you love.
Know your own bone;
gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.”
~~ Thoreau ~~
*********
“A man cannot speak but he judges himself…
no man thoroughly understands a truth
until he has contended against it.”
~~ Emerson ~~
*********
“In walking, just walk.
In sitting, just sit.
Above all, don’t wobble.”
~~ Yun-Men ~~
*********
“Really to see the sun rise or go down every day…
would preserve us sane forever.”
~~ Thoreau ~~
*********
“… as sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul…”
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions,
that they exist in the present,
which is what there is and all there is.”
~~ Alan Watts ~~
*********
“If it had been a bear it would have bit you.”
~~ Jonathan Swift — Polite Conversation, Dialogue i”
*********
********************************
Did it. Down, dirty, done. Moreover, got nothin’ left to say, so, I’ll just say, see y’all tomorrow. I’m as certain of that as I am of anything in the world…. Fair warning, I’d say….
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.
“You cannot do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Acting cute….
Hajime…. In the Golden Age of Science Fiction, an author named A. E. Van Vogt wrote books which were, and are, quite popular among aficionados of the genre, whether new, or old, such as myself. Personally, I had read half a small town library full of it, along with my other reading, by the time I graduated from high school, and moved away to attend UC Berkeley, in 1968. Of them, three in particular are in my mind today, as I sit to begin today’s Pearl.
The three books are titled, “The Voyage of the Space Beagle”, “The Weapon Shops of Isher”. and, “The World of Null-A”. Each of them, for me contains a certain idea, or set of ideas, which were, and are, embedded in my world-view, either as basic data/information to be considered in all transactions with reality, or regularly used as a means of ordering my own thoughts for optimal possibilities for positive results, meaning, I will be comfortable with whatever takes place. After all comfort is what we humans are seeking, in the final analysis… It might be more accurate to say we wish to not be uncomfortable. which we do not enjoy, and will go to extreme efforts to avoid.
By this time, you will, no doubt (given my sobriquet, you should realize how significant it is for me to say that….), be wondering just what the hell is going on here, with good reason. I claim to be honest, so, what the hell, I’ll be honest. I’m drunk. Soused might be closer to the exact degree, but, drunk gives y’all the correct flavor of my status. In actuality, the flavor is honey; Jim Beam Honey to be precise. Damn good stuff. I find it to have a flavor requiring no chaser, as well as a pleasantly slow onset of inebriation, enabling the sort of loquacity you are currently witnessing, as I type merrily along, knowing full well I will have to re-read it in the morning, to make sure there isn’t anything too, well, drunk, to make it unworthy of posting.
Of course, if that happens, you’ll never know, will you? Wonderful thing, delete buttons. Okay, where was I? Oh, right. A. E. Van Vogt….. So, to be succinct….
In the “Space Beagle”, the concept of a new field of science, named Nexism, was outlined. The concept was based on the idea of everything in the universe being connected, which, when properly understood, can lead to understanding of how human perceptions can be manipulated, through the connections to the real world, of which most of us humans are not aware. A short example: emotions, such as unreasoning fear, can be stimulated by the application of subsonic sounds, combined with semi-audible propaganda, in conjunction with visual stimuli in strobe pulses.
In the Weapons Shops of Isher, the concept of resisting overwhelming force, in a strategic, tactical sense, was explored through a story which is an obvious metaphor for modern culture. It approached the idea from unusual direction, which of itself taught the lesson to be learned….. This has led me to my recent thoughts and ideas regarding low-tech solutions to high-tech weaponry, with some success, I might add.
Last, The World of Null-A, which refers to a world based on a concept of Non-Aristotelean progression of thought, moving outside the boundaries of order, to the inclusion of chaos. In all three books, the primary story line is fascinating enough to make the extraordinary seem common, making it easier to comprehend without reaction.
Here is where we get to the punch-line. It’s really too bad I’m now at the point where I must either pull this together into a point, or go to bed….. Here is the point. Or, points. All these books, in the world of metaphor, were speaking about human nature, and how that nature is, has, and can act in reality, whether to its advantage, or detriment. All our flaws, as well as all our talents and characteristics of extraordinary capability, are shown in a realistic, in full acknowledgment of our weaknesses, and celebration of our strengths. As such, they fit very well into my own predilection for a universe in which it is possible to be all we are able to be…. and, not in a US Army sort of way…..
Pretty grandiose, eh? Oh, well, chalk it up to the whiskey, if you wish. I certainly did. Hey, it got us to this point on the page, with what turned out to be a rather entertaining little piece of blather. In case y’all didn’t catch the transition, it’s morning, I’m no longer inebriated, & after reading the above, I can honestly say, I won’t be trying to write while drunk any more. While it ain’t bad, and, by gosh there isn’t a single typo I can find, it’s not exactly the finest piece of mental acrobatics of my career. Go figure, right?
Ah, well, such is life in the blogosphere; you never know quite what you might find. Today, you found an epic Pearl, so, why don’t we get on with the slow, by getting it on the toad…..
Shall we pearl?….
“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful.
He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful.
Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either.
But if he wants to, I say let him!”
Today’s musical selection is a compilation of most of this artist’s recorded songs, which comprises her body of work, as she passed away several years ago…. Outside California, she isn’t too well known, I think; here, she is an iconic figure, representing what I believe to be the best of folk music….. A voice like a clear bell, and all the compassion and love in the world come through in every word she sings…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it doesn’t get any better….
********************************
Kate Wolf
********************************
********************************
********************************
“Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its one sure defense.”
~~ Mark Twain, Notebook, 1888 ~~
Today we have a graphic example of what Mr. Twain spoke of so eloquently in the above quote. I often forget to use humor in my ranting, yet it remains our greatest weapon to use against those who would treat the rest of the species as prey. Laughing at them is much more effective than any thousand words of indictment….. Nobody in our time was better at this than George Carlin, so, for today, you get George, instead of me, ranting…. Try to enjoy, let yourself laugh as necessary, and think about it all, for it’s all true as the day is long….. In a few appropriate spots, I have added a pearl or three, to help the thought processed move in the right direction….
Also, at the end of the section, you will find a link, to the site of a friend, where he has put together some excellent memes regarding modern life which I found to be perfectly rational, and good to see. Go check it out, and listen particularly to what is said in the final meme, from an unexpected source….
“A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility”
~~ Aristotle ~~
“It could probably be shown by facts and figures
that there is no distinctly native American criminal class
except Congress.”
~~ Mark Twain Following the Equator (1897) ~~
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”
.
~~ William Shakespeare, “Henry VI”, Part IV ~~
Here is a poem I wrote last year, while living in Hell…. Don’t know why, but, it seems like the right choice for today’s mess….
Infidelia
There’s a certain
panache,
almost a feeling of
glory,
one feels
upon returning
from
Hell
to
Purgatory.
Or,
so those say,
who say those
sorts of things,
I guess.
I don’t know,
for sure.
I didn’t go
there.
I only went
to
Hell.
I only live
in
Purgatory.
But,
I like it.
Right now,
anyway.
Other times,
not
so much.
It’s not bad,
if I don’t
think.
Sigh.
Too bad.
I
do.
~~ gigoid ~~
11/17/2015.
********************************
Naked Pearls
Classic Notes on the Process of Living
*******
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
~~ Semisonic’s “Closing Time” ~~
*******
“The best way out is always through.”
~~ Robert Frost ~~
*******
“I never like to think of the future. It comes soon enough.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
*******
“But what am I?
An infant crying in the night:
An infant crying for the light,
And with no language but a cry.”
~~ Alfred Tennyson — In Memoriam, liv, Stanza 5 ~~
*******
“Do you agree?” — Blake
“Do I have a choice?” — Avon
“Yes” — Blake
“Then I agree” — Avon
*******
“If a man insisted always on being serious,
and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation,
he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
~~ Herodotus ~~
*******
“For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
~~ Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” ~~
*******
********************************
Done. I was a bit unsure if it would ever get this far, apparently, like with most of our fears, without good reason. I could explore that, but, I’ll be good, so I can persuade one or two of y’all to come back tomorrow, when I’ll give this another shot. Until then, let’s all try to be good to each other, okay? Okay! See y’all on the flip side, as we used to say downtown….
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.
“Why should I add to my troubles by facing reality?”
~~ Realistic Bee ~~
A rose for Carole….
Hajime…. What a night! There I was, sleeping peacefully as I ever do, when, at about 0130 AM, I was rudely awakened, by an extremely off-key young woman, seemingly five feet outside my window, warbling an unrecognizable tune at the top of her voice, in a bathroom (you can tell by the echo in the sound…). The screeching went on for quite a long while, repeating the same line over and over, just loud enough to keep me awake, getting more wound up with every repetition. I eventually had to bang on the wall, to let the neighbor know they’d awakened me, whereupon it finally stopped…. only to start again at 0230!
I finally got them to stop, but, by the time they did, it was 0300, so I got up to begin my day…. That lasted until 0400, when my eyes began to droop…. whereupon, I returned to bed, thoroughly confusing Leelu. Since I was thoroughly grumped, I didn’t care, and she’ll get over it, just as I will get over the angst I feel from not getting my chosen duty done at the time I am accustomed to finishing it. I’m going to be very late, and don’t care at all. Not bad, eh? I can only hope my unconscious mind isn’t sitting on a surprise for later; it will do that occasionally, dumping me in a deep hole, out of nowhere, just because it can….
The Pearl you’ll see was mostly done, anyway, as I actually found some ‘muse’ time yesterday afternoon. Lucky me, I guess. And, hopefully, lucky you. I suppose both of us will find out below, won’t we? Since I really don’t have much going yet, having disrupted my coffee intake severely, I’ll end this intro, here and now, so we can make a valid attempt to get back on track. Wish me luck; I’ll need it…. While I’m looking for it, I suggest we go finish the rest of this mess…. and, we’ll do it like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The most pathetic person in the world
is a person who has sight
but has no vision.”
~~ Helen Keller ~~
********************************
Playing For Change
By now, this organization should need no introduction. They make music for peace. That’s all you need to know, except that you should support their work, by donating what you can afford to their music schools, and by purchasing the CD’s & DVD’s of the performances they sell to keep the schools going…. Who else do you know who is working for peace in this world? I can’t think of very many, so, please, give them what you can…. Thanks, from me, and from all the children in their schools…
If there is anyone in history with whom I identify, it is Aristotle. By that, I mean, he is, of all those people of whom I’ve read about throughout my life, (a lot, trust me….), he is the one I think comes closest to having a philosophy of life with which I most closely agree. This isn’t to say his attitudes and/or beliefs are the same as my own; there is a large gap of time between us. If no two people in the same time can truly be the same, the same must be understood to apply to two people who lived at least 2500 years apart in time.
That said, the impression I get of Aristotle’s philosophy can best be expressed by relating my own, for, in my own mind, if in no other, there are too many points of congruence to deny the connection. I first codified this in 1985. The first time I sent it anywhere for anyone to see, via email, was in 1997, while living in Sonoma, California, a married father of two teens, living the life of any such human male in modern America, struggling to maintain my sanity while pursuing a dream that ceased to exist many years ago.
I carved out a study in the back of the garage, thought about my life, and all I’d read. The conclusion I came to was, “If Aristotle, Plato, Sartre, and all the rest can do it, why can’t I?” So, I did. The following, with one axiom added over the intervening years, is exactly what I wrote:
Peruaosophy
The wisdom of pearls…
(The world is my oyster; which way to the pearls?)
Axioms
1) I think am; that’s close enough.
2) The nature of the Universe is Change.
Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm.
If you have a p problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.
3) Thou art God, you know. Let’s do lunch
.
4) Excellence is its own reward.
5) Girls think differently. So do boys. Don’t fight it.
6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And god so loved the world, she said, “Quit whining!”
7) Do your Duty. Respect Life. Honor the Truth. Share your Love.
8) Go back. Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.
~~ gigoid ~~
At this point, it may occur to some Gentle Readers, for example, “What a crock!” In response, I can only say, not only is that a trifle harsh, but, incredibly short-sighted. However, rather than creating self-fulfilling imaginary conflicts in my head, I’ll take a few moments to explain just how it could be a mistake to assume there is no merit in this exercise of my imagination, as expressed by my experience in reality. Oh, and, I will add, for those who might have forgotten how things work here at ECR, never forget the power of the Metaphorse….
Did you catch it? Do you see how that works? Now, we have a multitude of directions in which to take this treatise. I can dissect the axioms, individually. I can discuss the entire group, in relation to what is not said, and how that relates to my opinions of current world events. Or, I could try to explain the term, “Metaphorse”, for anyone who needs it, and/or, the amusement of those who do not. Since I’ve already taken up a lot of your time, to get us this far, let’s do it the long way, and try them all, at once, okay? Okay!
Never mind; I wouldn’t do that. Well, not to y’all; I might do it to an enemy, or, to anyone who wants to be. But, for today, I’ll just say I’ll try to remember to get back to all this, because, hey, fresh rants, right? For now, I’ll just answer any immediate thoughts anyone may have regarding the above assertions in the comments, and get on with the rest of the mess for today, thus ensuring we all live through this, to see which of the fascinating above-mentioned exploration may be first to launch our mutual melding of minds. Let’s go read a poem….
********************************
Penance, Made Simple
After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.
Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.
Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.
Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.
Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/23/2012
********************************
“If you begin the day with love in your heart, peace in your nerves, and truth in your mind, you not only benefit by their presence but also bring them to others, to your family and friends, and to all those whose destiny draws across your path that day.” — Ancient Human Wisdom
Two things. First; when I attribute a quote in this manner, it is because I cannot find ANY source that can lay claim to it. I’ve found, in my experience, this means it has been around so long, it is considered basic knowledge for humans, and always has been so… Second: You know what? I don’t think today’s final section needs anything further, at all. This is enough, all by itself. So be it.
********************************
Since the last section cut itself short, it’s done. Very late, but, done. I’ll take it. To ensure it gets posted in a relatively timely fashion, this is all you get. I will, as always, return tomorrow, though, given today’s disruption, I won’t try to predict exactly when that may occur. Just know, it will happen; as far as I can, I guarantee it…. See ya, ffolkes….
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 