“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs
that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head. -“
~~ Pooh in Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne ~~
The bar at Shelbourne Public House, Cork, Ireland…
I missed posting again for another day, but, it (mostly) wasn’t my fault. Smart Bee, my database of quotes, was acting a bit fractious, & it took until late in the afternoon before I assembled sufficient pearls to make up the final section. As they say across the pond, c’est la vie, amis; or, as they say downtown, too bad, so sad. Or, more aptly, as I have been known to say, so be it. At this juncture, I’m just happy it’s done, even if I still have yet to write anything resembling a rant, or discussion of anything more than the immediate needs of the moment. And, right there, it’s another ‘so be it’…..
In fact, I’m going to continue in the current vein, & just get on with the posting process, before I lose either my nerve, or the prevailing wind. ‘Tis simple enough to accomplish, as you may or may not know. All I have to do is this….
Shall we Pearl?
“For a man can lose neither the past nor the future;
for how can one take from him that which is not his?
So remember these two points:
first, that each thing is of like form from everlasting
and comes round again in its cycle,
and that it signifies not whether a man shall look upon the same things
for a hundred years or two hundred, or for an infinity of time;
second, that the longest lived and the shortest lived man,
when they come to die, lose one and the same thing.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, ii, 14 ~~
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Celtic Symbol
This is one of my default musical choices, to which I generally retreat two or three times per week, to listen to while puttering, or working at something constructive (a rare occasion, admittedly… SIGH). It always serves to give me the best chance to think…. well, I think it does. I hope you enjoy it as well…
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Illusory Time
Viewed from askance, the river is long;
deep, uncompromisingly intent, swift and strong.
In duality, perception creates our only reality;
such faux metaphoric paradox enforces mutability.
By two we perceive, both zero, and one;
digital, binary, on or off, such fun.
Separate, melded, we exist, knowing not what we know
ego, striving to be solitary, looking above, seeing below.
Furiously asleep, cultural anomaly claims a victim of choice;
validly unconscious, nobody speaks, nary a voice.
Potential escapees stir in dreams, fighting to wake,
until taking the wheel, for their own bloody sake.
Pots boil in due time, when the fire’s hot,
time exists to our advantage; or, not.
The solitary warrior, head bent in pain,
fights on, with, or without gain.
Night fell, day after day it persisted;
of those who knew, none showed any care, or resisted
Angels, ministers, none had any defense, nor grace;
all that remains is a face.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/22/2016
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Naked Pearls
Ponderous points….
*******
“Any idiot can face a crisis.
It’s this day-to-day living that wears you out.”
~~ Anton Checkov ~~
********
“All our decisions are made
in a state of mind
that is not going to last.”
~~ Marcel Proust ~~
********
“If you think you’re free, there’s no escape possible.”
~~ Baba Ram Dass ~~
********
“We shall never cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
~~ T. S. Eliot ~~
********
“In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly.
But compared to the great Way,
heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow.
Only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.”
~~ Lu Yen (fl. 800 A.D.) ~~
********
“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision
for the limits of the world.”
~~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~~
********
“Around existence twine,
(Oh, bridge that hangs across the gorge!)
ropes of twisted vine.”
~~ Basho ~~
********
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See? That didn’t hurt at all, did it? What’s more, it may have even been beneficial, in some abstruse fashion. Rather than dwell upon what cannot be altered, or even fully defined, let us move on to the rest of this fairly fine morning, just as if we had some silly reason to do so. I shall try to post again soon; I may even write something more than the usual drivel. As it always does, time will tell, the blabbermouth…. Y’all be well, happy as you may be, and, for goodness sake, be as strange as you can be; it really is your best defense against the world’s own version of strange,…. 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.
~~ The Firesign Theatre, from the album of the same name ~~
Blooming in thyme…
Hajime…. Having, with an unexpected degree of success, completed the elements of today’s Pearl, I sat down to begin writing the introduction. After ten minutes, with any number of false starts, I’ve decided to just begin writing, & let my brain catch up whenever it can. It gets like this, quite frequently, it seems, trying to compose a new, interesting bit of literature every damn day. Not that I’m complaining; the process, successful or not, is what has kept me relatively sane for the past six or more years. No, just reporting the facts, ffolkes, because I’ve got nothing else to go with today.
Now, I can treat you to some nonsense; the way I feel today, it could be rather amusing, if only to note how awful it turns out. Or, I could get philosophic, & regale y’all with tales of virtue & glory. That one, however, is well beyond anything I could do just now, so, we’ll keep looking. I could, if I had no sense at all, try to convince you I planned it this way, but, that seems too futile, even for me on days such as this. I guess, all things considered, I’ll just have to resort to the recently acquired ruthlessness I’ve found so useful, just to keep from frustrating myself, and, y’all, any further than I have already.
Fortunately, that one is pretty simple to apply, especially at this point, when I’ve set the stage, so to speak, so precisely. In fact, so precisely, I can tell you, without fear of contradiction, we’ve arrived at that juncture most efficacious for our purpose. What juncture, you ask? This one….
Shall we Pearl?
“Hope is the denial of reality.
It is the carrot dangled before the draft horse
to keep him plodding along in a vain attempt to reach it.
I say we remove the carrot and walk forward with open eyes.”
Yesterday, I selected the piano concertos of Mozart to provide some reading/study music. Today, I have chosen to select another set of music from a single classical composer, to wit: Camille Saint-Saëns. He was an extremely prolific composer, yet, everything I’ve ever heard of his shows the same brilliance. Works for me…. Enjoy, ffolkes….
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Camille Saint-Saëns
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Adjectives of Quality ~~ Bloody Friday
A baleful lump of ironic introspection
sits upon my shoulder today
leaving traces of fey reflection
with a smattering of true dismay.
Resistance may be futile, many have said,
belief didn’t necessarily follow.
Abnegation of fear marks all bills paid,
leaving such empty threats hollow.
Symbolic courage never sleeps so deeply
as when delusion holds sway.
Bartered virtue, sold far too cheaply,
stands in shame, until honor fades away.
Too many culprits exist to count just one;
all of us bear obvious blame.
Evil is as evil does, only, when it’s done,
it begins again, all same-same.
Nobody seems to care enough to deny the lies.
Ignorant fear rules humanity’s masses.
When evil passes unremarked, innocence dies;
silence equals guilt, leaving only hope’s ashes.
Reality screams; tales of terror unfold,
flames fanned with purposeful malice,
insidious dangers hide beneath atrocity untold
as Gaia weeps into an empty chalice.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/3/2015
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Naked Pearls
Reality can bite….
*******
“Of all lies, art is the least untrue.”
~~ Gustave Flaubert ~~
*******
“Reality is that which,
when you stop believing in it,
doesn’t go away.”
~~ Philip K. Dick ~~
*******
“Before you can build a house,
you must first believe
that the bricks are in fact bricks.”
~~ Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow.”
~~ Emile Zola ~~
*******
“A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.”
~~ Michael de Montaigne — Essays, Book i, Chap. xxxviii, Of Solitude ~~
*******
“You can never get rid of what is part of you, even if you throw it away.”
~~ Goethe ~~
*******
“The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
***************************************
Well, there you have it, such as it is. I’m going to continue to use the ruthless tool, simply because I STILL don’t have much to say. I guess what awaits me in the rest of the day is distracting me; I just want to get done, & get out there to play with the mundanes. I’ll give in to my own lobbying, by bringing this to a rather abrupt close. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; remember…. be as strange as you can possibly be…. It’s our best defense against much of what gets tossed at us each day….
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.
“Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth
that around every circle another can be drawn;
that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning,
and under every deep a lower deep opens.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Perfectly imperfect, or, imperfectly perfect?
Hajime…. Given the late start today, (hidden in the sands of time, to prevent any possibility of derailment), this came out rather well. Good music, a brand new poem, of sorts, & a damn fine set of pearls for the old-school section, for my purpose, made it shine brighter than I usually see this time of day. Since there’s nothing more to add to it, I think I’ll be really, really ruthless today. What does that mean? Well, it means, just this….
Shall we Pearl?
“You cannot face it steadily, but this thing’s for sure,
That time is no healer: the patient is no longer here.”
~~ T.S. Eliot ~~
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A friend posted this album yesterday, so, I’m stealing it for today’s Pearl, as it’s also two things: One, it’s one of the best albums, ever. Second, it’s always been a favorite of mine. Works for me. Y’all enjoy, now, y’hear?….
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Bloomfield, Kooper, & Stills Super Sessions
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Just The Way It Is….
The truth is, you know; it all exists,
just the way it is.
More , we are part of that.
Wow.
We humans mimic reality,
just the way it is.
A mirror of exquisite clarity,
we dance, laughing as we weep.
Born whole, knowing how,
just the way it is.
Distracted with trust, we learn,
to filter, to deny.
Opposites attract; why?
Just the way it is.
Nature comes in twos,
named zero, and, one.
Fate vies with choice;
just the way it is.
fate calls the game,
we cut the cards.
Belief cripples, doubt frees us;
just the way it is.
The first thing a principle does,
is kill someone.
It all falls apart, too;
just the way it is.
Entropy battles death
eternally moving, eternally still.
In reality, we always get a choice;
just the way it is.
Act, or not, as we perceive;
then pay the price.
Reality’s nature exists, in duality;
just the way it is.
Like it, or not,
pain and joy is just the way it is.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/28/2017
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Naked Pearls
Watch that last step….
*******
“Really to see the sun rise or go down every day…
would preserve us sane forever.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*******
“Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?”
~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~
*******
“A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants.”
~~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“A grave, wherever found, preaches a short and pithy sermon to the soul.”
~~ Hawthorne ~~
*******
“What is left when honour is lost?”
~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 265 ~~
*******
“…and remember you’re a Man, not just god,
and for you there aren’t and never will be any easy answers,
only questions, and no reasons,
only causes, and no meaning,
only intelligence, and no destination
and no kindly magic smiling down from above,
and no fires to goad you from below,
only Yourself and the Universe and what you make
out of the interface between the two equals.”
~~ Keith Laumer, “Night of Delusions” ~~
*******
“Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Some poems rhyme
But this one doesn’t.”
~~ Sassy Bee ~~
*******
***************************************
Well, there you have it; I don’t think, on short notice such as this, I can do it any better than that. Rather than test that assertion against reality, I’ll drop y’all here, like the proverbial hot starch. I will, however, be back, hopefully by tomorrow, with yet another attempt to get it right as right can be. Y’all be mindful, y’hear?….
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.
“We never reflect how pleasant it is to ask for nothing.”
~~ Seneca ~~
Leelu, Dispossessed….
Hajime…. Though the crisis at Lake Oroville’s Dam has receded to precautionary warnings, and the level of the dam’s reservoir has dropped to manageable levels, it continues to rain here in northern California, to the delight of sea birds & other aquatic creatures, and the chagrin of all the spoiled, self-centered denizens of the human culture, most of whom begin whining after one day of such weather. People are getting testy from the lack of sunshine, it seems, though, personally, I enjoy a spot of rainy weather. That’s due to experience, though, which most folks find hard to assimilate into their thinking apparatus….. but, that’s a tale for another day….
For the nonce, let it suffice to say, it’s wet here. The Pearl you’ll find below is what today’s culture would call a ‘mash-up’, consisting, as it does, of the various parts of other, older Pearls, with a bit of original smarm from yours truly thrown in to distract anyone from any uncomfortable questions, or, noticing anything off. Hey, it works like a charm for the government flunkies who infest the airwaves with their BS, to distract the public from what they’re doing in those back offices & darkened conference rooms; why can’t it work for me? No reason, I think, since humans are so adept at NOT thinking; you’d think we’d find something better to do with all this grey matter we’re wasting, but, no…. we just carry it around from toilet to toilet, moving water from place to place while we dither….
If you couldn’t tell, I’m feeling a bit snarky today; it should work well for me when I start working on the huge ‘discussion’ in my temp files. However, to keep it from getting too sticky here, (it tends to get tacky after it sits a while….), I think I’ll just mention the construction alterations I’ve used today, & get on with it….. Most of what you see below was stolen, from a Pearl first posted in mid-2012. The poem is from that date, as is the final section’s old school entry. This is simply to save time, (Smart Bee went on strike again….), and energy, which can be better utilized later today for a walk out in the storm. So be it, he said, grimly. He also said, watch this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Hope is the fawning traitor of the mind,
which, while it cozens with a color’d friendship
robs us of our best virtue-resolution.”
~~ Lee ~~
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French composer Camille Saint-Saens
Today’s musical selection is a two hour collection of violin concertos from this man’s work, which I use a lot to provide myself with music, by which to write. I hope it soothes today, as you read the mess I’ve put together….
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Violin Concertos Camile Saint-Saëns
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I Speak Not
I speak not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name;
There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame;
But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart
The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart.
Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace,
Were those hours – can their joy or their bitterness cease?
We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, –
We will part, we will fly to – unite it again!
Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt!
Forgive me, adored one! – forsake if thou wilt;
But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased,
And man shall not break it – whatever thou may’st.
And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee,
This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be;
And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet,
With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet.
One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love,
Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove.
And the heartless may wonder at all I resign –
Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine.
~~ George Gordon, Lord Byron ~~
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Today’s final section is, again, graced with the material used in the Pearl posted on 7/13/2012; it carries a flavor tease, of a part of the massive ‘rant’ I’m working on in my spare moments… I hope you enjoy this little group of pokes, targeting one of humanity’s most persistent delusions….
From July, 2013:
Here then is an old-school pearl…. Strung together, each of these distinct ideas blend to become one scathing exposé of society today…. Just what that exposé consists of is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..
“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts
“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
“What do you mean, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” *YOU* are the free lunch!” — Solomon Short
On a sidewalk near Portland State University someone wrote `Trust Jesus’, and someone else wrote `But Cut the Cards’. — Smart Bee
Those Jesus Freaks
Well, they’re friendly but
The shit they believe
Has got their minds all shut.
— Frank Zappa, “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing”
“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote
and last, but certainly not least….
“Apes evolved from Creationists!” — Smart Bee
Well, there you have it…. perhaps a bit less scathing than sardonic, but attractively presented, if nothing else, eh? Don’t forget to offer a cut to the player on your right before you deal the cards ….
🙂
********************************
Hmm… well, it seems to have worked; my efforts, despite their randomness, got me here to the final, closing section, without much hesitation, otherwise known as ‘dithering’, and, more importantly, with sanity, if not completely intact, at least still present. That, in itself, is worthy of celebration; too bad I don’t have any champagne. Since I don’t, I guess I’ll just finish this off, & call it a day. While that may be more rational than the alternative, we’re not choosing to do so for any rational reason. No, sirree, Bob; we’re doing it cuz we’re done to a turn. Rather than stick around, chancing awkward questions or comments, I’ll just say, see y’all later, & hope for the best. Besides, I’ll be back, eventually; maybe it will all make sense, one day. Until then, be strange…. it’s cool out there….
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 is the soil in which belief in miracles grows.”
~~ Robert Green Ingersoll ~~
How magicats can see in the dark….
Hajime…. Fortunately, I don’t think it will explode. That’s a good thing, right? If it had, neither of us would be here, reading this, just as if we had some purpose for doing so. Now, since the universe doesn’t care, one way, or the other, (neither do I, but, that’s another story…), I’ve made the only logical decision, which is, most simply, to keep on keepin’ on, no matter what anyone says. So, there…
Some of our Gentle Readers may already recognize what is happening here. You see, they’ve seen me in this state before; pale, sweaty, anxious, yet, firmly committed to creating a Pearl worthy of your consideration. They already know what to expect, and, most likely, came prepared for just such an eventuality. The rest of y’all, having no clue as to what might happen, have, no doubt, already found ample reason to bolt; let me caution you against any such reckless reactionism. When you arrived, the defensive shields allowed you to enter; they’re not so sanguine about letting people leave, so don’t. You wouldn’t enjoy the experience, of that you may be sure.
But, don’t worry; as long as you keep reading, & make no sudden moves, you’ll be fine. Besides, they only shoot rubber bullets, which leave a mark, but, theoretically, won’t kill you. That’s handy, isn’t it? It’s also by design; if you’re dead, you can’t read. And, we hate hauling bodies out so early in the day; the trash won’t get picked up until tomorrow, & the smell…. well, let’s not go there, okay?
By this point, you have probably realized, you’ll get no sense out of me today. I’ve come to the same realization, & though it pricks my conscience a bit to give up before actually saying anything, it would be best to get on with the rest of today’s mess, before reality steps in to sink us all. As the blog administrator, I am allowed to do, or say, whatever it takes to get it done, even if it causes environmental, or ergonomic damage. Since I can’t afford any more outlay for damages, without annoying the lawyers no end, I’ll just do this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Learning maketh young men temperate,
is the comfort of old age,
standing for wealth with poverty,
and serving as an ornament to riches.”
~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) ~~
*grin* Well, one may hope it does; hope is free….
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I figured to use classical music today, but, couldn’t decide what type we should choose, to soothe what are. by now, a number of savage breasts. To settle the issue with a bit of elegance, we’ll go with the complete symphonies of Wolfie Mozart, just because we can…. Abondanza!….
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Complete Symphonies
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In a place somewhere inside my head, there are new poems being constructed; the process generally takes place without conscious involvement from me; when they’re done, they leak out in their own way. But, none are near ready, & I’m tired of recycling, so, today, I will retreat, without shame, to one of my favorite poets… Enjoy!….
The Blue Jay
No brigadier throughout the year
So civic as the jay.
A neighbor and a warrior too,
With shrill felicity
Pursuing winds that censure us
A February day,
The brother of the universe
Was never blown away.
The snow and he are intimate;
I ‘ve often seen them play
When heaven looked upon us all
With such severity,
I felt apology were due
To an insulted sky,
Whose pompous frown was nutriment
To their temerity.
The pillow of this daring head
Is pungent evergreens;
His larder — terse and militant —
Unknown, refreshing things;
His character a tonic,
His future a dispute;
Unfair an immortality
That leaves this neighbor out.
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
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Naked Pearls
“In uffish thought, he stood….”
*******
“Indeed, what is there that does not appear marvelous
when it comes to our knowledge for the first time?”
~~ Pliny the Elder — Natural History, Book vii, Sect. 6 ~~
*******
“Before you can build a house,
you must first believe
that the bricks are in fact bricks.”
~~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat:
but in the evolution of real knowledge,
it marks the first step in progress toward victory.”
“” Alfred North Whitehead “”
*******
“It is common sense to take a method and try it.
If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.
But above all, try something.”
~~ Franklin D. Roosevelt ~~
*******
“Arouse the mind without resting it on anything.”
~~ Diamond Sutra ~~
*******
“I take a simple view of life: keep your eyes open and get on with it.”
~~ Laurence Olivier ~~
*******
“I don’t have a weird sense of humor.
Your reality is just weird.”
~~ gigoid ~~
*******
********************************
Today’s Pearl has been brought to you through the auspices of the human imagination; any failure to acknowledge the rights of Reality are strictly forbidden. You may, however, choose to forget you chose to stop in today, without penalty. Normally, you would suffer the agony of extreme ambiguity, but, we made a special deal with the prosecuting demon, so, all’s well that ends well. Now, all we have to do it end it, if I can ever find the right… Oh, there it is. Okay. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when I’ll try to find a bit of rationality to share. Doesn’t seem to be any to be had, today. Stay strange, ffolkes; it’s getting pretty real out there….
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.
“No evil is greater than indifference toward evil.”
~~ Sagacious Bee ~~
I know it’s in here….
Hajime…. That was close. I hate to lie, & came damn close to having done so to my Gentle Readers, had I not come up with this idea for a Pearl at the last moment. It would be tres chic for me to relate the details; it would also be foolish to do so, lest it be taken seriously. There’s nothing serious here at all today, even if it may appear that way. Oh, it’s all reasonably coherent; there just isn’t much of it. This is a direct result of getting officially old today, as hinted at yesterday….
Yep, I’m 66 now, a mere one tenth of the Age of the Beast, but, not an insignificant point of progress. A lot of what is taking place in my life is a hard row to hoe, but, having been raised right, hard work doesn’t scare me. Nor is it particularly scary to contemplate nearing the end of my time here. In fact, it’s rather exciting to think about, in a certain respect; the final adventure, with complete and utter uncertainty as to what will happen, can be considered the ultimate puzzle, which is what our brains do best, even if we don’t know it. And, now, I’m starting to babble….
That will happen when one really hasn’t much to say, other than, what you see is what you get. I’ve got an old-school pearl for you, with five odd inclusions that add up to a good idea to remember/discover. You’ll see. And I shall be as intended, out somewhere in the BBR, stirring up trouble for the machine, if I can manage it. If not, well, a nap sounds good, too. I’ll see if I have time to put together something for tomorrow, maybe. Then, again, maybe not. Time will tell, I suppose; it always does. For now, let’s get this done, and be on our way…. Don’t worry, there isn’t much of it, so, you won’t have to think very long….
Shall we pearl?….
“In the dark colony of night, when I consider man’s magnificent capacity
for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness,
and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps,
I seem to hear the muffled cries
of all the words in all the books with covers closed.”
~~ Leo Rosten ~~
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Naked Pearls
Random Notes on Life At Large
*******
“Weird is part of the job.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
*******
“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”
~~ Charlie Chaplin ~~
*******
“What is reason?
Knowledge informed by sympathy,
intelligence in the arms of love.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
Truth that has merely been learned is like an artificial limb,
a false tooth, a waxen nose;
it adheres to us only because it is put on.
But truth acquired by thought of our own is like a natural limb;
it alone really belongs to us.”
~~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“What do you think has become of the young and old men?
And what do you think has become of the women and children?
They are alive and well somewhere.
The smallest sprout shows there is really no death.
And if ever there was it led forward life,
and does not wait at the end to arrest it,
And ceas’d the moment life appear’d.
All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.”
~~ Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself” ~~
*******
********************************
Once again, I’ve managed to get it done, though without any claims as to quality. It’s there, and that’s the most we can say of it. I will say, for what it is, it ain’t bad. I suppose we can think of it as one on which we may attempt to improve. For now, I’m gonna go practice my curmudgeon, and old fart skills on some unsuspecting denizens of the BBR. It’ll be fun… for me. As for y’all, you be well, and happy as you may….. I’ll be back, eventually….
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.
“The mountain remains unmoved at seeming defeat by the mist.”
~~ Rabindranath Tagore ~~
Laocoön and His Sons
Image from Wikipedia via Google Images
Hajime…. Putting this Pearl together has taken me about two weeks, mostly waiting for parts of me to heal sufficiently to type. During much of this period, it seems my life was ‘farmed out’ by Murphy, to Eris, that ancient nemesis of the Greeks. Who is Eris? Ah, you know her, even if you don’t…. Allow me to elucidate….
“:Eris: /e’ris/ n. The Greek goddess of Chaos, Discord, Confusion, and Things You Know Not Of; her name was latinized to Discordia and she was worshiped by that name in Rome. Not a very friendly deity in the Classical original, she was reinvented as a more benign personification of creative anarchy starting in 1959 by the adherents of {Discordianism} and has since been a semi-serious subject of veneration in several `fringe’ cultures, including hackerdom. See {Discordianism}, {Church of the SubGenius}. — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423
As may be surmised, it’s been different around here. Enough so it’s given me some new epiphanies to assimilate into my personal files, some of which are quite penetrating in their effects. Of course, they’re only of value if I take them in, so, we’ll see how that goes, eh? In the meantime, I have for you today a complete five part Pearl, with old-school galore, some great music/entertainment, a relevant exploration of modern times, and, a pretty decent poem…. I’m happy with it, so, y’all, in spite of any possible trepidation, will be happy with it, too, should you make it all the way to the rather distant end. To save us all a bit ot time, we’ll get right to that, okay? Okay….
Shall we pearl?….
“A wise man,
recognizing that the world is but an illusion,
does not act as if it is real,
so he escapes the suffering.”
~~ Buddha ~~
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Pearl
We lost Pearl in 1970. Though with us for only a short while, her spirit shone bright. A friend’s blog acknowledged her passing, which showed some synchronicity, as I had already decided she was just right for this Pearl. Here is a live performance, one of only a few we have to see on You Tube. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do….
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********************************
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As this Pearl evolved, it grew. Go figure. In the process, I decided to make it epic enough to be able to stop ranting altogether. It’s a manifesto, so to speak, of all I think is real, and true for today’s world. I don’t need to keep beating a horse that’s not coming back alive, so, this may be the very last one. It’s pretty complete, I think. You tell me….
“As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.”
~~ Josh Billings ~~
I suppose it is fortunate, for me, writing requires enough focus of attention to distract me from a lot of perceptive stimuli from external, or even internal sources. In short, I can concentrate sufficiently I don’t mind the 96º heat, as long as I’m perched within five feet of my only fan. I also can keep from thinking about pain, in my shoulders, hips, and back, or my hunger, from dieting, or any of the other silly little things we use to keep from actually thinking about stuff we don’t want to face, or deal with, or are painfully uncomfortable. That makes this act one of survival, as well as one requiring some rather merciless honesty, self- and, otherwise; without it, I don’t believe it will be worth it.
I am exceedingly weary of living in a culture/society which is based on deception, exemplifying what I believe to be the worst part of human nature, i.e. the ability to put our humanity aside to pursue our personal gain or agenda. To a small extent, we do it naturally, as a survival tool. However, in a larger sense, most of us don’t always base life on our own agenda; we feel connected to, and responsible to the rest of humanity. But, those who do choose self over species, as their primary focus of living, throughout history, have been allowed to order our society, based on false information and deception.
At this point, I feel I should explain my assertions, which are, in essence, three. My observations and study have led me to realize these three concepts, held to be true by the great majority of humanity, are all false in their basic assumptions of reality. This allows a distance between what is real, and what is seen to be real. This basic disconnection from true perception, in my mind, is what has caused most of the trouble and misery our species’ history has experienced for more than ten thousand years. The three concepts to which I refer are religion, money, and government.
Intermezzo:
At this point in this exploration, it becomes clear I have bitten off quite a bit more than can be adequately addressed in a single attempt, no matter how clear, or solid the connection between the three relevant elements. In truth, nobody will much care, anyway, but, that is irrelevant, as well. What remains relevant, to me, in essence, is to relate just how I think these three ideas/concepts/delusions have kept humanity from achieving our potential, and, in the process, the potential of our entire world. Together, given the nature of the human beast, the potential godhead, these three ideas have provided the means for our complete undoing, as a species, and, as a viable form of life.
I guess that’s a bit depressing, isn’t it? Okay, I’ll stop for now. I was going to stop ranting altogether, but, perhaps such an assertion would be premature. For now, let us go on, to this…..
During the research period while composing this, the following extensive collection of old-school pearls was amassed. Let this suffice for any further indictment of the three villains of human history. Besides, this just shows, I’m not the only one who has had second thoughts about all the bullshit we’ve been fed from the cradle. I’ve put them into three categories, for simple clarity…. Enjoy, ffolkes.
And, please. Think about it all, will you? Thanks….
*****
“In the beginning Man created God; and in the image of Man created he him.”
~~ Ian Anderson ~~
~~ Jethro Tull, Aqualung ~~
“The mistake began when God was created in a male image. Of course, women would see Him that way, but men should have been gentlemen enough, remembering their mothers, to make God a woman! But the God of Gods–the Boss–has always been a man. That makes life so perverted, and death so unnatural. We should have imagined life as created in the birth-pain of God the Mother. Then we would understand why we, Her children, have inherited pain, for we would know that our life’s rhythm beats from Her great heart, torn with the agony of love and birth. And we would feel that death meant reunion with Her, a passing back into Her substance, blood of Her blood again, peace of Her peace! Now wouldn’t that be more logical and satisfying than having God a male whose chest thunders with egotism and is too hard for tired heads and thoroughly comfortless?” — Eugene O’Neill, “Strange Interlude” [1928], Act II
“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.” — Bertrand Russell
“Any system of religion which has anything in it which offends the mind of a child cannot be a true system.” — Thomas Paine
“Some foolish men declare that a Creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected. If God created the world, where was He before creation? How could God have made the world without any raw material? If you say He made this first, and then the world, you are faced with an endless regression … Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is, without beginning and end.” — The Mahapurana, Jinasena
“God is an invention of Man.
So the nature of God is only a shallow mystery.
The deep mystery is the nature of Man.”
~~ Nanrei Kobori, — late Abbot of the Temple of the Shining Dragon, Kyoto, Japan ~~
*****
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
“The value of money has an objective regulator only when it is linked to a real commodity, like gold, itself requiring the cost of human labor to be produced. By comparison, the value of inconvertible paper money has no objective regulator, its marginal cost of production being nearly zero.” — Lewis E. Lehrman (See? Nothing real… Only what we agree to hold so….)
“As far as I’m concerned, if something is so complicated that you can’t explain it in 10 seconds, then it’s probably not worth knowing anyway.” — Calvin
“I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna-fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock.” — Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
“What do they call a comedian who doesn’t get any laughs? A philosopher.” — Phil Proctor
*****
“Power, like a desolating pestilence,
Pollutes whate’er it touches…”
~~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~~
“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman
“Every nation ridicules other nations, and all are right.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.” — Giordano Bruno (1548- burned at the stake, 1600)
“As formerly we suffered from crimes, so now we suffer from laws.” — Tacitus
“He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and
ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” — Albert Einstein
“In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.” — Bertrand Russell
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I am working on a poem, which seems to be leaking out in a chaotic fashion; it looks good, though, so we’ll let it play out as it pleases. Here’s one that fits, today, and often. Especially when it is followed by an old-school pearl that carries its title…. Keep reading….
Notes of process and program…
Poems, alas, don’t chase through my head,
bumping and pushing each other like brothers at dinner.
They’re more ripped out of my innards, instead.
Time and circumstance reveal no ultimate winner.
Simmering and bubbling near my unconscious mind
these maddening rhymes blind me sans glimmer.
Building until bursting as if to be dined and wined,
the remaining denizens appear much slimmer.
Fiery visions retain such glorious fatal dimension,
in retrospect, yet fail to leave a permanent scar,
until blessed, or cursed, with focused attention,
singing, crying, bleeding, fast as a movie star.
Pretty soon can’t be soon enough, she said
to a chameleon colored thief bathed in moonlight.
Fancy candles in stripes of blue, gold, and red
foster honest dreams in shades of white.
Passage to daylight is problematic, at best:
beastly ghosts of insomniacs cast no shadow.
Even judges with robes can pass the wrong test
while the rest of us go with what we know.
~~ gigoid ~~
1/3/2013
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Naked Pearls
“Notes Of Process And Program…”
*********
“It seems like once people grow up, they have no idea what’s cool.”
~~ Calvin & Hobbes ~~
*********
“We must beware of whatever insights we have into ourselves.
Our self-knowledge annoys and paralyzes our daimon
– this is where we should look for the reason Socrates wrote nothing.”
~~ E.M. Cioran ~~
*********
“”Human beings are perhaps never more frightening
than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.”
~~ Laurens Van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958) ~~
*********
“Be prepared to go mad with fixed rule and method.”
~~ Horace (65-8 B.C.) ~~
*********
“Honor isn’t about making the right choices.
It’s about dealing with the consequences.”
~~ Midori Koto~~
*********
“Reality is in the eye of the beholder.”
~~ The Keeper, from Stargate ~~
*********
“When I was a lark, I sang;
when I was a worm, I devoured.”
~~ Theodore Roethke ~~
*********
“I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll go home now.”
~~ Forrest Gump ~~
*********
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Well, ffolkes. There you have it. Not only do you have it, but, you’ve got ALL of it. I don’t believe I can do this any better, but, what the hell? I’ll be back again to try. Could take a bit of time, but, it seems the wait might be worth the effort. See y’all tomorrow, as long as the sun comes up….. Pretty good odds, 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.
” The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards”
~~ Alexander Jablokov, “The Place of No Shadows” ~~
Natural Symmetry/Balance
Hajime….. All of us, during our lives, must learn to live with disappointment; it’s one of our most important tasks. For example, yesterday, I said I would have a new Pearl ready, one worth reading. Well, that isn’t happening…. Oh, I’ve created a Pearl, but, as to its worth, I cannot be certain enough to say it is worth reading. I did, of course, and I’m still standing, so, we know it’s not toxic; whether it reaches the level of literature we’ve come to expect is another matter, one you may take up with your legal team, if you have one. My team says, bring it on….
Hah! I don’t have a legal team, and neither do you, since none of y’all are corporate snakeheads, to the best of my knowledge. But, it was fun to say it, so, let it be, will ya? Good. Now I can use this little device the Doctor recommended for today’s use. It’s a bit hard on the Space/Time Continuum, but, that’s getting so ragged, nobody should notice until its too late…. Hmm…. Kinda sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Oh, gosh, look at the time!…. We’re outta here, ffolkes, or the Time Lords will revoke my certificate of usage for the Tardis…. Hang on, this one is a bit bumpy in spots….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
~~ Plato, The Republic. Book II. 377B ~~
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We are going with classical, simply to save time…. It’s what I listen to, anyway, most of the time, so, it provides a similar ambiance for reading as it does for when I write…. Enjoy!….
Time constraints, and a recalcitrant database, kept me from having a fresh rant; here is a piece from the archives to fill in the gap thus created…. Enjoy!….
From 3/24/2013:
“And here, poor fool, with all my lore
I stand no wiser than before.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
“This instant is thine; the next is in the womb of futurity, and thou knowest not what it may bring forth; maturity of the unborn is in the keeping of the Law. Each future state is that thou has created in the present.” — Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375)
“The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.” — Joan Borysenko
Living life well is a subjective goal, and, as such, whether or not it we are successful in reaching the goal is purely a subjective judgment. This kind of judgment requires introspection, which makes it somewhat of a conundrum for many people, as their skills at that particular activity are severely limited from disuse. Very few people today spend much time in self-examination, from what I can see. If they did, they sure wouldn’t act the way they do, or dress the way they are, or carry on such a foolish, self-destructive course of living….
“The study of the errors into which great minds have fallen in the pursuit of truth can never be uninstructive. . . No man is so wise but that he may learn some wisdom from his past errors, either of thought or action, and no society has made such advances as to be capable of no improvement from the retrospect of its past folly and credulity.” — Charles Mackay
Introspection, however, requires both honesty and ruthlessness, in being able to recognize those things within us that are not of value, and to remove them from our persona. As such, it is what most folks would term as “hard” or “difficult”, and they will avoid it at all cost, laziness being a rather common human trait. It is much simpler, and easier, to just take what all the powers that be, (otherwise known as either the beloved ruling class, or those most heinous of criminal manipulators, preachers/priests), are selling as moral standards, and use them, regardless of whether or not they are truly moral or not…. and I assure you, mostly, they are not….
“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
I often feel like Goethe, in what he stated above, as I believe myself to be one of the few who actually do use introspection on a regular basis. I believe this because, if other folks were using this process, the world would look a lot different. Women would feel safe walking the streets; old folks would feel cared for; gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals would not suffer discrimination for their orientation; racism would be dead, and religion would join mythology as a piece of mankind’s past, rather than its current status as our jailer/executioner…..
“Being good at being stupid doesn’t count.” — Smart Bee
All of these societal problems (bigotry, racism, discrimination, slavery, entitlement, misogyny, etc. )arise from the attitude of elitism held by those individuals among us who never look within, to see just how ugly their inner selves have become, from using the sick, twisted elitism as preached by the modern religious and political leaders. We, as a species, cannot afford to listen any more to the Judeo-Christian (note: add Talmudic, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, etc…. gigoid, 3/24/13) ethic as propounded by the beloved ruling class; this kind of entitlement and aggrandizement has led us to the very brink of extinction, as we continue to treat the planet as our toy, instead of as our home. We cannot keep pouring millions of tons of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere and expect nothing to happen, because what WILL happen is already happening…. our weather is changing, and not in a good way…. the planet is warming up, and when it is warm enough, the ice at the poles will melt, and everything on Earth will feel the effects….
“The faith in which I was brought up assured me that I was better than other people: I was saved, they were damned … Our hymns were loaded with arrogance–self-congratulation on how cozy we were with the Almighty and what a high opinion he had of us, what hell everybody else would catch come judgment day.” — Robert A. Heinlein
As Akhenaton pointed out over 3000 years ago, what we do in the present will determine how the future will be. What our species is doing now will guarantee that most of us won’t be around to see what happens in that future, because we will be dead within a hundred years, or less, if things don’t begin to change TODAY…. Since it is unlikely that will happen, well, we may as well take the advice given to many school children in the 50’s, in learning to deal with an atomic blast…. to wit: bend over and kiss your ass goodbye…. I hate to be so cynical, but, introspection requires honesty, so….
“You were s’posed to laugh!” — Zippy the Pinhead
********************************
I know I’m in the now, if only…..
Oh, there it is again, fiddle faddle;
Begone, I said, vamoose, skedaddle!
It looked at me as if I were insane:
Scoffed, it did, filled me with pain.
Where does it come from?
Where does it live?
I’d stick out my thumb,
if I had more to give.
If only, should, would, could it be?
It went away again, this time free.
It will be back again, this I know;
or I’m wrong, and it won’t show.
Who cares?
Who hears?
Such goings on wobble the sphere,
I wish it wouldn’t do that here.
I’ve been wrong before…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/19/2013
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Our final pearl today is a simple, seven-star old-school pearl, which speaks of a life lived well….
“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will be the greatest enemy.” — Bhagavad Gita (c. B.C. 400)
“Because of our routines we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure.” — Maya Angelou
“Failure to understand reality is not reality’s fault.” — Bill Henneman
“It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” — Albus Dumbledore — J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets”
“Courage is the ladder on which all other virtues mount.” — Clare Booth Luce
“To him who is in fear, everything rustles.” Sophocles
“Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.” — Buddha
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Okay. I have fulfilled my duty. So be it…. I shall not burden y’all with any further nonsense, or sense, but, shall take my leave forthwith, until tomorrow, when we’ll try again…. We now return to our regularly scheduled cat-pampering…..
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.
“Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.”
~~ Pythagoras (BC 582-507) ~~
Triple Full Moon Over Vallejo
G’day…. Given the state of my life over the past month or two, it’s rather nice to feel even a moment of hope, even one based on what may or may not be an omen of things to come….. Ooh, I like that, it’s wonderfully obscure, yet gives a sense of intimacy that encourages further interest. More good omen material…. Omens of good have been sadly infrequent of late, so, twice in one paragraph, even if both are completely unidentified, is, well, a good sign….
It may have to do with the relief of being back online, at home, though the mere presence of relief indicates a dependency I’m not sure I entirely can be comfortable with. Nonetheless, it’s nice not having to go drink somebody else’s coffee to get posted. It’ll sure make sticking to the diet easier, too; way too many pastries lately have taken up the entire morning’s calorie count, leaving me starving until dinner time. Ah well, I’m a sucker for a blueberry muffin, what can I say?
Okay, enough innocent chatter; it’s not really our style anyway. We’re gonna go Pearl now ffolkes. I’ve been waiting too long to do this from home, again, so, I’m a bit impatient (Could you tell?…). In fact, so impatient, we’re skipping all the usual folderol, in favor of just getting on with it…. How does that look? Like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“When you said “HEAVILY FORESTED” it reminded me of an overdue CLEANING BILL.. Don’t you SEE? O’Grogan SWALLOWED a VALUABLE COIN COLLECTION and HAD to murder the ONLY MAN who KNEW!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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Weird Al
Image from riverfrontimes.com via Google Images
Here’s another artist who needs no introduction; all that is required is to enjoy!….
“If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns.”
~~- Edward Abbey ~~
Mr. Abbey, with this short statement, nails my opinion on gun control right on the bloody head. My entire objection to the fools who cry out to “take away the guns” from everyone, (so, what, this will ensure nobody will ever die? Right….), is exactly the point he makes. None of the advocates of disallowing citizens to own guns seem to think about this point; do they really believe the government will give up THEIR guns? Really? I’d be really interested to hear from which planet they came to visit us here on Earth?….
Of course, most Earthlings have trouble bumping neurons together; it’s not just an immigrant problem…. Most earthlings, for some unknown reason, choose, soon after birth, to stop using their brain as a tool for making their life better, choosing instead to use it merely to transport their ass from one toilet to another…. I am often amazed at how many people, who are of an age to reproduce, seemingly can’t formulate a complete sentence, unless it has the word “fries” in it, or, have yet to learn the actions involved in tying their shoes. And, please, let us not begin to discuss how many lost brain cells it takes to follow the current street style of wearing one’s pants around the thighs rather than the waist, necessitating the use of one hand just to hold them up….
But, then, that’s just how the elite want the public to be; distracted and stupid. These asininnies want the average person so busy trying to just maintain their current place in life they have no time to inspect all the ways they are being controlled by their own ignorance, and their inability to use their imagination to see beyond their immediate needs…. Our world-wide society has three characteristics which, to me, indicate just how sick it is…. The belief that Mankind was made by a god…. By accepting this sort of belief, one’s mind is left open to other false truths, which allow the perfect vehicle for manipulation of behavior by those who do not believe, but, play the part for the reward of power over others, and a complete lack of personal responsibility for how others are affected by their acts.
Second, this belief in a delusion allowed the predatory members to convince everyone that money actually exists, and has some sort of real power over reality…. This, of course, is ridiculous. Money is simply an idea, a way to organize barter, by placing an artificial value on a person’s time and effort, when, in fact, it has only the value we give it. It is only important because we believe it to be, not because of any inherent real value…. This idea, though, is probably too complex for those who have given up the right to think, and operate totally on the theory of doing whatever is the most expedient….
Then, for the final insult to our humanity, the concept of government as a beneficial facet of society, to ensure the ‘safety’ of all, is thrust upon these unsuspecting fools, who are already primed to believe anything someone in a ‘position of authority’ (preacher, teacher, policeman, elected official, etc…. bureaucrats and sycophants, all…) tells them to believe…. That’s the whole problem, right there, in a nutshell…. If you believe the first false idea, the rest of them form the remaining cords of their slave collars…. and, the saddest part is, most of them never even know they’re slaves at all…
I could, no doubt, carry on in this vein for a long time; there are a thousand examples in daily life of how the average person has no clue as to how easily they are controlled by the forces who wish to have power over others…. But, I’m getting tired, and, am well aware most of those who will read this are NOT part of those who can be controlled; they don’t end up here very often, somehow…. If they do, they don’t talk much…. For the rest of us, I’ll show some pity, and finish off with a 13 star pearl with as many indictments, and examples of how things got the way they are…. Enjoy!….
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“In morals, what begins in fear usually ends in wickedness; in religion, what begins in fear usually ends in fanaticism. Fear, either as a principle or a motive, is the beginning of all evil.” — Mrs. Jameson
“No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed, must begin in blood, whatever the answer afterward. If history teaches anything, it teaches that” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)
“These PRESERVES should be FORCE-FED to PENTAGON OFFICIALS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
“The amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry, no idol is more debasing.” — Andrew Carnegie
“The missionaries go forth to Christianize the savages–as if the savages weren’t dangerous enough already.” — Edward Abbey
“Ignorance is the soil in which belief in miracles grows.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)
“Our safety, our liberty depends on preserving the Constitution of the United States as our fathers made it inviolate. The people of the US are the rightful masters both Congress and the courts – Not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution” — Abraham Lincoln
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” — Denis Diderot in “Dithrambe sur la fete de rois”
“Have in readiness this saying of Solon, “But we will not give up our virtue in exchange for their wealth.” — Plutarch — How to profit by our Enemies
DEBT, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slave- driver.
As, pent in an aquarium, the troutlet
Swims round and round his tank to find an outlet,
Pressing his nose against the glass that holds him,
Nor ever sees the prison that enfolds him;
So the poor debtor, seeing naught around him,
Yet feels the narrow limits that impound him,
Grieves at his debt and studies to evade it,
And finds at last he might as well have paid it.~~ Barlow S. Vode~~
— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
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Future Shocked:
Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.
Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.
Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.
We all weep now…..
~~ gigoid ~~
Written 7/22/2013.
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An odd little pearl, with seven excellent statements to help us find some meaning in Life. Of course, if you’ve already found meaning that works for you, you don’t have to do it again…. Those are the rules…. I think. Anyway, enjoy!….
“The value of passion, like fire, is judged finally by the amount of warmth and light it creates. Fanatics, like forest fires, burn bright but destroy all in their path that is tender and green. To be useful, fire must be confined. To live passionately, we must develop discipline; to love powerfully, we must forge bonds of commitment. Passion is inseparable from compassion.” — Sam Keen
“You can’t get wet from the word ‘water’.” — Alan Watts
“To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.” — Plutarch
“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does; just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, ix, 16
“Truth that has merely been learned is like an artificial limb, a false tooth, a waxen nose; it adheres to us only because it is put on. But truth acquired by thought of our own is like a natural limb; it alone really belongs to us.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
“As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct him and the latter take him to task.” — Diogenes
“If you don’t laugh at all, you’ve missed the point. If you only laugh, you’ve missed your chance for illumination.” — Robert Anton Wilson
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Since I’m back online a day before I’d thought to be, I’ll end this here, in the proper spot, and get it posted. This also means I’ll be back tomorrow, unless something historically compelling, like a revolution, gets in the way….. See ya then, ffolkes; count on it….
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.
~~ John Greenleaf Whittier, Maud Muller, st. 53 ~~
Sunset on Mars
Image by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
Good morning…. Technically, I suppose, it’s still night; the decision making process in the mind, as to which word is appropriate, tends to blur at bit at 2 AM. I’ve slept. and now I’m up, so it must be morning. Anything more complicated than that, I don’t believe I could quite comprehend just now. Hell, it took me almost 55 minutes to come up with a title; that process is just about as randomly easy as it gets around here. The title doesn’t even need to make sense, yet, it took me that long to decide on the proper combination of words; even with that, I’m not positive it’s right…. I would imagine all of this is less than compelling literature, but, what are ya gonna do when the old mind is a vast plain of emptiness?
Ah, well, fuck it. Let’s party….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Apollo, the God of light, of reason, of proportion, harmony, number — Apollo blinds those who press too close in worship. Don’t look straight at the sun. Go into a dark bar and have a beer with Dionysus, every now and then.” — U.K. LeGuin
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Image from britannica.com via Google Images
Something a bit raucous, and light-hearted is required, I think…. Ah, perfect!…. The hour I spent each week watching this man’s show are all included in my favorite childhood memories…. I consider Red to be one of the funniest men who ever lived, though he tended to be a bit of a putz when it came to his political humor; he was definitely a blind patriot…. But, he came up with some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen, and can be forgiven any such flaws…. Anyone who comes up with a character named Klem Kadiddlehopper is okay by me….
I began a rant this morning, since I had so much time; it didn’t gel in time, so, I’m filling in with a pretty good rant from last year…. It fulfills my daily duty to speak out, for sure….
From 4/5/2014:
The shadowy corporate snakeheads, (“snakeheads” is my newest shortcut name for the 1%,the rich and powerful who control the money and resources of this planet…. I use it because it is the English translation of the Chinese word for “slaver”, human traffickers who who dupe, or kidnap men, women, and children selling them into prostitution and/or slavery…. Thus, it becomes the perfect word to come after “corporate” when referring to one of those assholes….), who control the world, in their campaign to secure their position as the rulers of humanity, influenced the Shrubs enough during their terms in office that the Supreme Court justices they picked to replace dead judges were all their conservative buddies, all of whom are comfortably in the pockets of those self-same corporations. This, of course, has allowed the assholes who bought them to make even further inroads on our rights as individual citizens, by establishing the rights of corporations as superior to the rights of an individual….
A couple years ago, this led to the Citizens United decision, which gave the money-grubbers the opportunity to spend even more money on influencing politicians and elections, by forming giant Political Action Committees, where they could funnel millions of dollars into holding organizations, where it could be used for influencing elections, and to bribe congressional lawmakers…. That decision is a big part of how the Republican Party has managed to pass so many conservative laws in states around the nation, such as anti-abortion laws, and voting regulations which allow them to manipulate themselves into office, by providing obstacles which prevent the supporters of those who oppose them from voting….
Yesterday that decision was reinforced by yet another decision eroding our protection against corruption, a decision which removed most of the limits on how much money an individual can contribute, thus giving rich, avaricious, corrupt billionaires more say in Congress than the average citizen can match, allowing even more money to find a direct route into the Congressional pockets…. Below are two articles, from two sources, to offer a slightly different viewpoint (insofar as the media CAN be even-handed in their reporting….), just so we’re not limiting ourselves to one view…. C’mon back when you’re done, for what discussion may follow….
I’m pissed…. I’m so pissed, all I feel like doing is sitting here typing obscene names to call those assholes, in Texas (where Jr. lives….), Maryland (I think that’s where Shrub, Sr. lives…), and Washington D.C, at the courthouse, (where the Supremes hang out….)…. My next feeling, which somehow reminds me very much of sheer, unadulterated rage, is one that may just prompt me to go out, find a gun store, giving in to the urge buy the guns I’ve been considering…. Don’t worry, I won’t forget the ammunition…. I may have been a practicing pacifist for a long time, but, mostly, at least in terms of personal survival, that was just a pose to get the draft board off my back…. I have no issue with the use of force in support of what I believe is right…
For today, though, I’ll give myself some slack, which will give you some relief, from having to listen to my ranting over stuff we can’t change…. At least, nothing will change without resorting to drastic measures, in which most ffolkes are unwilling to engage, lest they risk increasing their karmic burden…. I figure it this way…. If we DON’T give up our insistence on non-violence, we are all going to die….. that is for sure and for certain, if things don’t change very soon….
That means there won’t be any next reincarnation, not on this planet, because it won’t have us; we are being evicted from this plane of existence… So, I don’t have to worry about coming back as in a form with less karmic status, as we won’t be coming back HERE at all…. Our energy configuration will just have to find some other reality to inhabit, because Mother Earth isn’t likely to rent to us again…. We’re too hard on the property….
Ah, the hell with it…. I’m pissed…. or did I say that already? Okay, I’m done…. Since I’m not organized or coherent enough to produce a true rant (I don’t consider this loud complaint a rant…. not enough reasoning, or quite enough structure….), I’ll fall back on another old-school pearl to close this out for the day….. I’ll bet you’re cheering inside, right?…. Okay, then, here, have it your way….
“Ignorance doesn’t kill you, but it makes you sweat a lot.” — Haitian proverb
“Faboo!, Would you like to see me make bubbles with my spit?” — Wakko Warner
OCCIDENT, n. The part of the world lying west (or east) of the Orient. It is largely inhabited by Christians, a powerful sub-tribe of the Hypocrites, whose principal industries are murder and cheating, which they are pleased to call “war” and “commerce.” These, also, are the principal industries of the Orient. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
“There’s nothing wrong with you a shotgun blast to the face couldn’t fix.” — Smart Bee, from gigoid’s political fantasy files
— Bother! said Pooh, as he rolled another joint for the President.
“And took for truth the test of ridicule.” — George Crabbe (1754-1832) — Tales of the Hall, Book viii, The Sisters
“Every nation ridicules other nations, and all are right.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
Perfect…. I have only one thing left to say, to wit:
“There are two intelligent responses to contemporary Western civilization: laughter and despair. You’ll note I’m not laughing.” — gigoid
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Premises, premises….
Tricked, I stumble, and I fall
dreaming, through an abandoned palace.
Frightened and wary, unheard my call
fading into memory, no cup, no argent chalice.
The people, crushed, cry out to be freed
asking only to take part, or travel.
Nascent oaths spotlight such bursting need
fed by treachery, deep from our well.
Only the wicked shall find their way blocked
justice seeks them, snug in their hole.
Faint praises never touched, but naked, stalked
singing no gospel, no soul, no rock and roll.
Only the promised will remember the way
from unforgiven trails of sorrow.
To live life, and give death no sway,
saving grace for our only tomorrow.
~~ gigoid ~~
Written in 2012, rediscovered 12/19/2014.
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SB continues its campaign of terror, having now shown me the same 50 quotes about a hundred times in a row…. This means today’s final old-school pearl will have to come from the archives, too…. SIGH. One might think this process was starting to get away from me, if there was any evidence it was ever under control…. Enjoy, ffolkes; all you can do is all you can do….
From 8/12/2014:
As I noted somewhere above, I’m a bit late today, so this last section will be put together as fast as I can do it; this may lead to an unforeseen result, so, be warned…. This pearl may be like no other…. It is essentially parameter-free, as well as, most likely, judgment impaired…. Oh, well, at least I’m not getting paid for any of this….
“I do not distinguish by the eye, but by the mind, which is the proper judge of the man.” — Seneca (8 BC) — On a Happy Life, 2, (L’Estrange’s Abstract, Chap, i.)
“Old men are dangerous; it does not matter to them what is going to happen to the world.” — George Bernard Shaw
“There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit.” — Alexander Pope
“I like people better than principles, and I like people with no principles better than anything else in the world.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
“No matter how hard you throw a dead fish in the water, it still won’t swim.” — Smart Bee
“Fortune is not satisfied with inflicting one calamity.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 274
“I’ve got an IDEA!! Why don’t I STARE at you so HARD, you forget your SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
I gotta say, that went well….
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Trusting in the process has gotten me this far, so, there’s no sense now in turning back. Now, all I need to do is get it posted, and I can get on with a day beginning five hours ahead of the rest of the world…. SIGH…. Ah well, so much for planning. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, damn it!….
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 