Hard lessons….

Ffolkes,

“Appearances often are deceiving.”

~~ Aesop (620-560 B.C.) ~~

Ensenada plus 035

Southern view from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico…

Hajime…. Well, here we are, ffolkes, sitting, once again, to compose an opening statement for the latest version of sane craziness we call Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, aka, gigoid’s Folly. For nearly six years, up to about six months ago, I posted an average of 1500 words/day, with the specific purpose of ridding my own inner self of the dross and drivel that tends to build up over time, during my personal dream quest, otherwise known as living large in the real world, or, more commonly, life as we know it….

Approximately six months ago, physical issues related to aging (gracefully is a word not yet applicable to the process, sadly…), caused a change in both the paradigm, and the process, all of which is a complicated way to say I stopped posting as much, and stopped feeling guilty for having done so. The events I’ve experienced while re-encountering the Big Blue Room have been, quite simply, compellingly interesting enough to have completely shattered my consistency at posting, without even giving me a single quiver of angst. I suppose, were I to try to analyze the why’s & wherefore’s, I’d go back to being relatively insane, which, while not necessarily an unfamiliar hardship, still is not my preferred state of mind. Hmm… Gee, is that too complicated? Probably… But, it’s relatively accurate, and, did take up an entire paragraph, so, we’ll let it stand, and not worry about any sort of relevance….

That isn’t to say I don’t try to be relevant; it’s just not a habit I care to let solidify. Reality is far too fluid to expect it to fit into any of my, (or anyone’s, for that matter…), preconceived notions of how it should go. And, that is as it should be. If we knew too much of the future, we’d probably end up even crazier than we already are, and I don’t think Reality would hold up very well. Well, in truth, WE are what probably wouldn’t hold up, not that we ever have done so. I guess that’s as good a statement of how it all works as anything else I’ve encountered, so, perhaps we’ll just leave this train of thought right here in the station, and go walkabout instead….

Having thus arrived at a logical jumping off point, I shall leave this where it has collapsed, & just get on with what I’ve managed to cobble together in the past eight days, since my last fresh post…. The next time I return, I promise to have a NEW poem; the one that’s been leaking out for the past two months is finally beginning to gel, so, I’ll do my best to get it done for a couple days from now. For the nonce, let’s see what there is below to help us get on with this, before we start sliding down the slippery slope….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us
to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.”

~~ Charles William Dement ~~

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clapton

I have been listening to the music played by this man for virtually my entire life. Beginning in 1963, with the original Yardbirds, his virtuosity with the guitar has been the benchmark for any and all aspiring guitarists to reach. The video I’ve included today is his latest work, from January of this year, and shows exactly why he has always been, and continues to be the best of the best…. Enjoy!….

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Eric Clapton Live
2018

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Comedy_Tragedy

Augmentation: Inner Aye

Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.

Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.

Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.

Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.

Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.

Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/2/2016

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pearls_3

Naked Pearls

Strangely congruent….

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“One does what one is;
one becomes what one does.”

~~ Robert Musil, c. 1930 ~~

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“Men are used as they use others.”

~~ Pilpay (or Bidpai), “The King who became Just’, Chap. ii, Fable ix ~~

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“The most important thing
that parents can teach their children
is how to get along without them.”

~~ Frank A. Clark ~~

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“I like reality. It tastes of bread.”

~~ Jean Anouilh ~~

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“It matters not how long you live, but how well.”

~~ Publius Syrus, Maxim 829 ~~

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“To fear love is to fear life,
and those who fear life are already three parts dead.”

~~ Bertrand Russell,” Marriage and Morals” ~~

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“It is good to live and learn.”

~~ Miguel de Cervantes, “Don Quixote”, Part ii, Book iii, Chap. xxxii ~~

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As he read over the words produced, the old man shook his head, slowly, with a small, sardonic smile. “Pathetic drabble”, he muttered. “But, it’ll have to do….” With some reluctance, but, a sense of renewed purpose, he slowly typed the last few lines, vowing to himself the next time would be different. With that small victory clutched tightly to his chest, he waves, and shouts, “See y’all in a day or two!”…. Be well, and happy as you may, 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, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Kowabunga!

À bientôt, mon cherí….


			

Mayo, peanut butter, & pickles… Yum!….

Ffolkes,

“One’s mind is like a knife.

If you don’t sharpen it, it gets rusty.”

~~ Nien Cheng ~~

dumb lion

Doh! NOT Downwind, Leo! You’re supposed to stalk upwind!

Image of Dumbest Lion in Africa from UK Guardian Animal Pictures of the Week

Good morrow, Gentle Reader…. Not to worry; today’s intro is being returned to its most efficient format…. Watch and learn….

Shall we Pearl?

“Don’t teach your children what to think; just teach them to think.” — Tannenbaum

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free-vector-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail_080696_monty-python-and-the-holy-grail

Image from 4vecter.com via Google Images

    As I sat to think of a video for today, I had an inspiration, stimulated by a random thought. I had thought to use videos today for the ranting section, so, in this section, I thought to go with something a bit silly…. When I thought of what group, or character might fit the bill, only one name came to the surface… I wrote the name dutifully into the proper area, and will now proceed to go find the proper video to give y’all a proper taste of the group of characters who have laid claim to the word “Silly”, to such good effect, they are the first to come to mind…. I give you the inventors of the Silly Walk, the legendary British Improvisational Group…. Monty Python….. I’ve started y’all off with their opus magnum, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in the full movie version… Plenty of other choices to see by visiting the You Tube page link below….


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Monty Python

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Dont keep calm

    Today’s ranting section will be a bit different…. I always like to try new stuff, so, here is a video rant, using the almost perfect mini-rants (though, in reality, they’re not so mini….) by John Oliver, on his weekly show, Last Week with John Oliver…. To cover the subject completely, I decided to include a rant against four groups of Asininnies, to wit: Corporate snakeheads (Wealth Gap), Myrmidons, (Police Militarization), Poly Pundits (Elected Judges), and, Spies and Lies (Government Surveillance). Each one will also provide any number of other fine mini-rants to choose from, by visiting the You Tube page where the video lives…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s bound to be an improvement over listening to me rant….


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Government Surveillance

https://youtu.be/XEVlyP4_11M

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Police Militarization

https://youtu.be/KUdHIatS36A

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Emily-Dickinson

    Last posted on 6/22/2013, this is a somber poem, but, has always been a favorite of mine…. The author, naturally, needs no introduction….

There’s a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.

Heavenly hurt it gives us;
We can find no scar,
But internal difference
Where the meanings, are.

None may teach it anything,
‘T is the seal, despair, —
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the air.

When it comes, the landscape listens,
Shadows hold their breath;
When it goes, ‘t is like the distance
On the look of death.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~


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About Hopi Indian Symbols

    The old-school pearl for today turned out to be a fairly good one. Parameters were set for more silliness, with a side of good advice on Life at Large…. This is what happened…. Enjoy! Oh, and, take notes. Some of this will be on the Quiz….

“Once when Phocion had delivered an opinion which pleased the people,… he turned to his friend and said, “Have I not unawares spoken some mischievous thing or other?” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Phocion

“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.” — Charles William Dement

“The universe is intractably squiggly.” — Charles Suhor

“The silence depressed me. it wasn’t the silence of silence that bothered me; it was my own silence.” — Sylvia Plath

“It’s a good idea to obey all the rules when you’re young just so you’ll have the strength to break them when you’re old.” — Mark Twain

“The wisest man is generally he who thinks himself the least so.” — Boileau

“You may not be responsible for falling down, but you are for getting back up.” — Smart Bee

” What then in the last resort are the truths of mankind? — They are the _irrefutable_ errors of mankind.” — Nietzsche

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

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I’ll take it. I have to, it’s mine. That being said, I’m outta here…. Two and three-quarter days to lift-off, and the details are in the devil. Whatever that means…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if only in your dreams…..

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, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


One sure thing we know for certain about Life…. it’s always fatal….

Ffolkes,

“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.” — Charles William Dement

Wandering through endless halls of wondrous elegance, with classical paintings adorning the walls, and chandeliers providing brilliant light to bring out the beauty of the surroundings. I try to avoid bumping into any of the what seems like millions of people, all naked from the waist up, but wearing slacks, skirts, shorts, etc. with shoes…. A few even wore hats, though we were indoors…. All very odd looking, but, not at all off-putting, except, perhaps, for the gang-bangers, whose sagging pants and sideways cap are as stupid-looking in dreams as they are on the streets….. Everyone was dancing, to an old waltz, familiar, but just out of memory’s reach….

I knew somehow, (as we always seem to know, in our dreams…) if I could just find one person, all the others would be okay, and no harm would come to them…. but, as it usually goes in dreams, I didn’t know who I was to look for…. I also knew that, if they didn’t dance, they’d never be given back their shirt tops, coats, and/or their blouses; why the dancing was supposed to kept their hopes alive, I have no clue….. As I moved from one massive ballroom to the next, the haunting, melancholy music that had been playing changed to a rag-time tune, whereupon all the half-dressed, frenetic dancers began jumping around in something that resembled the Charleston…..

This went on for hours, it seemed, until I turned in my sleep, and a stab of pain in my back woke me up, bringing me out of the dream, and into full awareness…. All in all, it was one of the strangest dreams I’ve ever had…. That is actually saying a lot, because my dreams, when I remember them at all, are ALWAYS strange…. I once asked the psychiatrist I was seeing, when I was off work due to the incident that shattered the last remnants of my sanity, why my dreams were so infrequent, and yet so strange when they came…. He said nobody understands dreams, and I was just lucky I didn’t dream more often….

I believed him, this time, without having to perform any further research into dreams, as I had done that already, when I was in high school… In our sophomore English class, the teacher assigned us to write a term research paper, college style, due at the end of the year…. He taught us how to do that type of paper, then let us go to whatever libraries we wished to use for our research….

The subject I chose was Telepathy, Dreams, and Paranormal Activity, which, though actually too large a subject, worked out well for one so unpracticed at the paper’s method of construction…. It gave me enough range of subject matter that the length of the paper (A minimum of 25 full pages, with footnotes and bibliography… the whole nine yards….) became moot; there was PLENTY of material to choose from…. at the University of California, Berkeley’s main library…

This was because I talked my father into driving me to Berkeley, to the UC there, so I could use their main library, which gave me a LOT of books to pick from, as well as extensive help from the librarians…. I used the reasoning that I would be able to look around the campus with him for living spaces and resources, as I had made up my mind, even in my sophomore year, that UCB was going to be my school…. I had known that ever since I learned that they had the best reputation in astronomy and sciences degrees in the world, along with a few others such as MIT, Cal Tech, Stanford, and a very few others…. I figured, why not go for the BEST?….

To bring us back toward some kind of rational end point here in the present, I’ll merely say that I already knew a lot about the subject of dreams, or, at least, more than most people, so it wasn’t really a surprise to hear a well-educated psychiatrist admit to ignorance in the field…. Since the medical pundits DON’T claim to possess a lot of knowledge about how the brain works, especially in sleeping mode, I really asked for rhetorical purposes, to see if he could perhaps shed some light….

Alas, no; I still wonder why my dreams are so infrequent… I suppose their infrequency is a factor in why they are so vivid in my memory, as they certainly create an impression on my unconscious mind…. Oh well, this is one of those things we can’t do anything about, so, I’ll take the advice of Epictetus, and not worry about it….

I will also note at this point that we shot right past the legal minimum for an intro, so we’re good to go for today… We even have enough coffee on board to make anything I write more coherent…. Glory Be!….. I think, maybe, y’all had best fasten those belts, tight, and hang on, because this could be quite a ride…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“I don’t think it would have all got me down quite so much if just once in a while- just once in a while- there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn’t, it’s just a disgusting waste of time.” — J.D. Salinger, Franny & Zooey
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I’ve made an executive decision regarding the format of today’s Pearl…. I’m tired of ranting every day, and I’m positive ffolkes are tired of me ranting every day about the same stuff, relevant as it may be…. Anything gets old after a time, and it isn’t as if I were writing short, easy pieces…. No, I have to go all verbose, and saddle my poor readers with seemingly greater portions of angst every day…. “BASTA!”, he cried…. “Enough! Let them eat cake!”

Okay, well, no cake, but what I WILL do is create TWO old-school pearls to go along with the most excellent poem I found for this morning’s missive…. For those of my Gentle Readers who come by often, it will be what I’m sure will be a most welcome change, as well as a little break for me, and my arthritic fingers… In this first pearl, let’s see what Smart Bee can come up with when I ask for quotes about Asininnies, and their jobs…. (e.g., doctors, lawyers, judges, police, etc…. you know, the Asininnies…)

“A thing either is what it appears to be; or it is not, but yet appears to be; or it is, but does not appear to be; or it is not, and does not appear to be.” — Epictetus

“A physician, after he had felt the pulse of Pausanias, and considered his constitution, saying, “He ails nothing,” “It is because, sir,” he replied, “I use none of your physic.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Pausanias the Son of Phistoanax

“He is running for Congress … Do you know why he will be elected? Because all the gun owners will vote for him. Why will they vote for him? Because  he is against any new law which will require registration of firearms. He claims that if there is a war, we might be invaded by Communists. And we will all need guns. With nuts like that in Congress, it could happen.” — Larry Siegel

“Of the various executive abilities, no one excited more anxious concern than that of placing the interests of our fellow-citizens in the hands of honest men, with understanding sufficient for their stations.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) — Letter to Elias Shipman and others of New Haven, July 12, 1801

“There is no happiness where there is no wisdom.” — Sophocles

“As the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on Christian religion…” — Joel Barlow (1754-1812) — Treaty with Tripoli (signed 1797)

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

I couldn’t have said it better myself….
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Today’s poem is from an author who is new to me…. I like the rhyming in this poem; it reminds me of more than one of my own poems, in that respect…. I also enjoyed the sense of metaphor, and the use of imagery that uses such metaphor to make it’s point…. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did….

The Alchemist in the City

My window shews the travelling clouds,
Leaves spent, new seasons, alter’d sky,
The making and the melting crowds:
The whole world passes; I stand by.

They do not waste their meted hours,
But men and masters plan and build:
I see the crowning of their towers,
And happy promises fulfill’d.

And I – perhaps if my intent
Could count on prediluvian age,
The labours I should then have spent
Might so attain their heritage,

But now before the pot can glow
With not to be discover’d gold,
At length the bellows shall not blow,
The furnace shall at last be cold.

Yet it is now too late to heal
The incapable and cumbrous shame
Which makes me when with men I deal
More powerless than the blind or lame.

No, I should love the city less
Even than this my thankless lore;
But I desire the wilderness
Or weeded landslips of the shore.

I walk my breezy belvedere
To watch the low or levant sun,
I see the city pigeons veer,
I mark the tower swallows run

Between the tower-top and the ground
Below me in the bearing air;
Then find in the horizon-round
One spot and hunger to be there.

And then I hate the most that lore
That holds no promise of success;
Then sweetest seems the houseless shore,
Then free and kind the wilderness,

Or ancient mounds that cover bones,
Or rocks where rockdoves do repair
And trees of terebinth and stones
And silence and a gulf of air.

There on a long and squared height
After the sunset I would lie,
And pierce the yellow waxen light
With free long looking, ere I die.

~~ Gerard Manley Hopkins  ~~

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Okay, so…. Lately, I’ve been bringing up old religirants from the archives, since I seem to have covered most of the bases at various times in the past…. It saves me time and energy, and the rants I’ve revived were all still valid in terms of what they bespoke…..

Bully for me, but, in the long run, boring for y’all…. So…. Here is a link to another of Mark Morford’s brilliant takes on religious dogma, and the stranglehold with which it has gripped the throat of humanity for thousands of years…. After the link, I’ve created another old-school pearl, which will focus on those deluded asininnies who insist on sharing their ignorance with everyone else….. or else….

http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/03/04/how-to-sucker-a-billion-christians/

“Yeah, God is dead, he laughed himself to death.” — Smart Bee

“Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists.  Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.” — Isaac Asimov

(Which is the very reason it is superior to religion as a means of understanding the Universe, AS IT IS, without the unnecessary inclusion of supernatural forces to control our destiny…. thus, handily relieving us of all responsibility for our own actions…. Nice scam, eh?….)

“Science has proof without any certainty.  Creationists have certainty without any proof.” — Ashley Montague

“There is nothing so stupid or dangerous or painful that people won’t eagerly do it, if by doing it they will make others believe they are better or stronger or more honorable.” — Jason Worthing (Orson Scott Card, “The Worthing Chronicle”)

(This concept includes going along with a delusion so one will be accepted as part of the flock….)

“Humility is a virtue all preach, none practice, and yet everybody is content to hear. The master thinks it good doctrine for his servant, the laity for the clergy, and the clergy for the laity.” — John Selden (1584-1654) — Humility

“I figure that if God actually does exist, He’s big enough to understand an honest difference of opinion.”  – Isaac Asimov

“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.” — Demosthenes
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A perfect Pearl is one that fulfills all of the rules and regulations in my mind for how a blog with my name on it, user- or real-, OUGHT to be…. Those rules and regs, of course, are somewhat amorphous, but, they DO exist….

Today’s Pearl may just be one of them, if I’m any judge, and, who better? Except, of course, you, my Gentle Readers…. If you enjoyed today’s effort more than usual, please feel free to leave a comment, & let me know… I’ll enter that data into the records, along with my own for today, which will give us…. GASP, why, look at that!  It’s a consensus!….. Right here on Exploring Consensual Reality!….

Hmmph….. Riiiight…. See ya……

🙂

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid the dubious

dozer3

Professional bibliographers needed for fiesta….

Ffolkes,
Forgetting, even for a moment, that I am “blessed”, is a dangerous pastime. I realize there is, ostensibly, a certain panache attached to someone who is singled out by natural icons for special attention and celebrity, but I’d give my right arm and three toes to have been passed over by Murphy for this particular honor. The fuckface just won’t leave me alone, and I’m getting damn sick of it, let me tell you…. and, no, I don’t think ‘fuckface’  is too harsh, or too vulgar, in this instance….. the asshole……

Okay, okay, I’ll calm down, and stop the vulgarity, at least for the nonce….. (I love those old-fashioned words…) It’s just so bloody frustrating to try to accomplish anything with him hanging about, sticking out his foot, or just pointing and laughing, to distract and annoy me. You’d think that he’d been hired by the corporate masters to slow me down in my ranting, but, with my pitiful following, I can’t see why they’d waste the money on hiring the best, when they could probably fuss with me much more cheaply…. Hell, all they’d have to do is continue to have SS dance and delay my case even more than they already have done; it would piss me off royally, more than I already am, and certainly affect my ability to write….

Of course, they’ll never stop me entirely, not as long as I have a breath, and connection to the internet; no way I’m going to shut up now. As I’ve said previously, I spent about 60 years keeping my mouth shut about all this stuff, to avoid controversy, and I’m done with that now. In fact, the more controversy, the better, to my mind, as it can only lead to more people hearing about what I’m saying, and more people becoming disenchanted with the PTB, and the BRC…. which is my ultimate goal…..

It will be an interesting matter, actually, to see what will happen…. Should I gain enough followers for my blog to become influential in society, how much would be allowed before they came to shut me down?….. I guarantee, my words will be dangerous enough to them to prompt a response; the question is how much danger they’re willing to endure….

Ah well, I can only hope for that kind of influence; it isn’t going to happen tonight, nor will it happen tomorrow…. But, I’ll keep on keepin’ on, and I’ll keep on taking shots at the entrenched assholes who are killing us, until it either does some good, or I am unable, for whatever reason, to keep writing…. Any such reason would be most likely provided by the BRC and PTB, as I can’t think of anything I might do that would be able to do that, at least, not without enemy action….

It’s all moot at this point, but, hey, once again, just blathering about it has filled up the intro section… It sort of happened on the sly today, as I didn’t even notice until just now that we were approaching enough bulk to consider it a wrap…. I guess I’ll take it…. It isn’t the most thrilling, or the most gripping introduction I’ve seen, or written, for that matter, but, like the Pearls themselves, it grows more attractive as it approaches completion…. I’m a sucker for something that is “done”….. Besides, I’m getting a bit bored with this one, so…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.” — Lily Tomlin

This is one of many statements of its type, some from Miss Lily, some from other comedians and social philosophers, all of whom are special to me…. They are special because they poke fun at society in the mildest way, but with clarity that is belied by their apparent simplicity and obvious humor. It is easy for a lot of folks to dismiss little gems like this, as being unimportant, or less than serious, just because it speaks with tongue in cheek… Nothing could be further from the truth, as this statement is absolute gospel to a large percentage of the adult population of this country….

“Reality is for those people who can’t handle drugs.” — George Carlin
(My attribution here might be incorrect, but, George inspired the line, if he didn’t write it himself….)

Here is another line from the revolution that happened back in the 60’s and 70’s, and it points up a very definitive difference between those folks who spend their time in the mainstream of society, and those who exist at the extremes, in this case, in what is generally conceived to be on the Left end of the scale…. Those who inhabit the other end of the political spectrum tend to rely on alcohol to blunt the effects of Reality on the brain, rather than what are dismissed by them as recreational drugs, such as marijuana, psilocybin, mescaline, etc.  In some ways, you can get a good idea of the philosophies themselves by looking at how they approach the subject of drugs and alcohol, and by the differing methods of enhancing life with them….

Those who rely on alcohol are those who prefer to NOT know the truth, about anything. It seems to me that the physical effects of alcohol parallel exactly the way these folks look at life…. When under the influence of alcohol, one’s senses are depressed, and it is much harder to see the truth than at other times…. and that is the way they like it…. With consumption of alcohol, the hearing decreases, judgment is impaired, vision blurs, sense of touch is lessened, and fine muscle control is compromised, pretty much in that order of occurrence. It is the same each time, but with continued regular consumption, a certain tolerance is developed, a tolerance that slightly mitigates the effects, but certainly does not keep them from happening.

Those who use drugs to enhance or adjust their view don’t deny the truth, but they want it to be all prettied up for them in some way, so it isn’t so harsh and ugly…. Most of the effects of the drugs are in the mind, with some notable exceptions;  the perceptions of all the senses are not depressed, but altered in some way, usually personal to the user, in physical response to the chemical in the drug that causes the cognitive alterations.  Either way, whether with drugs, or with alcohol, perception of the truth is what ultimately suffers, which is what the proponents of both ends of the spectrum tend to forget, or deny….

“Have you ever wondered if taxation without representation was cheaper?” — Smart Bee

I have…. It is and it isn’t, and we are witnessing that phenomenon right now….. This may be why many people have such a hard time with reality; when one becomes aware of just how screwed up things are, and how much lying, cheating, and stealing is going on right before our eyes, it is rather daunting to take in all at once, so people do as they’ve always done, and slip into massive denial of the truth, preferring to just ignore the evidence that is slapping them upside the head….

One time, I actually sat down to do the math on the above question, and what I found was surprising…. Neither way works…. There just isn’t any logical way to govern people, and make it either profitable, or even reasonably cheap…. Well, not as long as the lying, cheating, and stealing is part of the equation, anyway….

“The word “dog” does not bite,” — William James

Boy, if that isn’t the truth…. but, try to convince the general public of that….. It is one of the basic issues to be considered when speaking to the public, one that the BRC and PTB members all know very well, as it is their chief weapon in controlling the populace…. Most folks don’t think…. when they do, it causes them pain, so they tend to let someone else do it for them, and just go along in blissful ignorance, accepting whatever they’re told without a clue. They never consider that the word itself is not the thing it describes; even worse, they don’t care to know….. It is the simplest thing in the world for the Beloved Ruling Class to fool the public, because they actively participate, with apparent glee, in their own debasement….

“As a matter of cold fact, a lot of people have no use for you because they can’t use you.”  — Smart Bee

Sometimes, I’m not sure which disgusts me more…. the callous disregard for others that is the defining characteristic of all politicians and preachers, or the deliberately blind, fawning ignorance of those who refuse to become fully human, use their minds, and take responsibility for their own life…. To my way of thinking, both are deserving of every bit of trouble that reality can give them, just for their intransigence…. otherwise known as rampant stubbornness, or more simply, massive stupidity….

I’m being deliberately offensive this morning, as I’m sick and tired of how the general public refuses to wake up and smell the gunpowder, and I don’t really care if it hurts someone’s feelings. Anyone who disagrees with my assessment is free to offer up their own take on the matter, and I’ll give it equal time for discussion…. but, if what I’ve said hurts feelings, then apparently what I’ve said strikes just a little too close to the truth for comfort, and I would suggest that the person take a look at that before setting themselves up for embarrassment, by trying to argue without a leg upon which to stand….

In the past year and a half, I’ve written thousands and thousands of words trying to wake people up to how much they are giving away by refusing to think. It is my greatest hope that what I have to say may have some small effect on the world, an effect that might in some way contribute to our chances of surviving our own foolishness. I’m afraid my hope is, sadly, rather slim, but, I am not ready to quit my campaign, nor to change tactics. I’ll keep on poking at the BRC, and the priestly hierarchies, and every other enemy of mankind (for that is how I see them….) for as long as I can, and hope for the best….

“One of the greatest advantages in the world is enjoyed by the person who says and insists that they are telling the truth, when in fact, they are telling the truth.” — Smart Bee
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Getting There

How far is it?
How far is it now?
The gigantic gorilla interior
Of the wheels move, they appall me —-
The terrible brains
Of Krupp, black muzzles
Revolving, the sound
Punching out Absence! Like cannon.
It is Russia I have to get across, it is some was or other.
I am dragging my body
Quietly through the straw of the boxcars.
Now is the time for bribery.
What do wheels eat, these wheels
Fixed to their arcs like gods,
The silver leash of the will ——
Inexorable. And their pride!
All the gods know destinations.
I am a letter in this slot!
I fly to a name, two eyes.
Will there be fire, will there be bread?
Here there is such mud.
It is a trainstop, the nurses
Undergoing the faucet water, its veils, veils in a nunnery,
Touching their wounded,
The men the blood still pumps forward,
Legs, arms piled outside
The tent of unending cries ——
A hospital of dolls.
And the men, what is left of the men
Pumped ahead by these pistons, this blood
Into the next mile,
The next hour ——
Dynasty of broken arrows!

How far is it?
There is mud on my feet,
Thick, red and slipping. It is Adam’s side,
This earth I rise from, and I in agony.
I cannot undo myself, and the train is steaming.
Steaming and breathing, its teeth
Ready to roll, like a devil’s.
There is a minute at the end of it
A minute, a dewdrop.
How far is it?
It is so small
The place I am getting to, why are there these obstacles ——
The body of this woman,
Charred skirts and deathmask
Mourned by religious figures, by garlanded children.
And now detonations ——
Thunder and guns.
The fire’s between us.
Is there no place
Turning and turning in the middle air,
Untouchable and untouchable.
The train is dragging itself, it is screaming ——
An animal
Insane for the destination,
The bloodspot,
The face at the end of the flare.
I shall bury the wounded like pupas,
I shall count and bury the dead.
Let their souls writhe in like dew,
Incense in my track.
The carriages rock, they are cradles.
And I, stepping from this skin
Of old bandages, boredoms, old faces

Step up to you from the black car of Lethe,
Pure as a baby.

~~ Sylvia Plath
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“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane  every night of our lives.” — Charles William Dement

I used this a few days ago, and have since had some thoughts on the subject that fit right in with the sentiment this expresses. It begins with my own experience with dreams, which, I believe, is not typical, at least in some respects….. I’d get something to nibble on, if I were you, this could take a while to explore, in order to give it the treatment it deserves as one of our (our=humans..) least understood characteristics….

In high school, for a paper I was required to write for English class, I chose the subject of Telepathy, Dreaming, and Paranormal Activity in Humans…. which turned out to be far too massive a subject for one college-style, 20-page research paper, as I found literally thousands of pages of documented material on each of those sub-categories. So, I trimmed it down to a paper on Dreams and Dreaming, and became familiar with the latest research and information available on the subject in 1966.

Though trimmed down, there was still a great deal of information on dreaming to be found, and it was all quite fascinating, especially as dreams had been a subject I had always avoided, for reasons I wasn’t aware of until later, when I learned more about how to look inside myself at things I didn’t wish to see….. BRRRTP! EHHH! BEEP! BEEP!….. Shut that off!….. Side issue, side issue! Warning! Too much extraneous information ….. Sorry, that isn’t relevant, and my interior editing function went off…. Okay, where was I?…. Ah….

What I discovered in my research led me to the conclusion that dreams are one of our most powerful defenses against the real world, and are instrumental in mitigating the deleterious effects dealing with all of its demands can cause, in spite of our best effort and intent. As stated above, we immerse ourselves in the random, undisciplined maelstrom of insanity that is dreaming, every night, in order to resolve the feelings we have engendered in ourselves about what we’ve seen and done. This immersion allows us to process all the unresolved issues our minds have created, and face each new day with a fresh outlook, as sanely as we can….

When we don’t dream, or our sleep is disrupted, by physical or environmental intercession, we become less sane. Nervous, easily distracted, with senses alert for any danger, the world we see around us assumes a fearful aspect, and we fall even deeper in the clutches of our own despair. This has been demonstrated time and again, both in laboratory experiments, and in real life. I think everyone can relate to the feeling of waking up after a night of disturbed sleep, and understand, at least a bit, how difficult it can be to face the day when one is already tired and depressed. It is a completely different experience than awaking full of energy, and a sunny outlook, one that nobody wishes to repeat…..

I’ve been working at completing this pearl for days now, and can’t seem to find the thread that will bring it to a close, or even to a more productive line of reasoning…. When I first started it, I had a good idea of how it should go, but, in trying to get things done, it got lost in the shuffle… But, I have this…. In our dreams, our imagination is at its finest, and we are treated to the sheer joyous power of it nightly, when it fills our sleeping minds with image after image that seemingly makes no sense, but has an underlying piece of reality in it that connects to our spirit, and allows us to accept what in the real world we would never even see….

That power is so great that, without any conscious effort on our part, our daily stress and angst is processed, and resolved, at least to the point where it will not trouble our conscious mind the following day. Instead, we start the day fresh, and are better equipped, mentally and emotionally, to deal with whatever new issues the universe presents for our entertainment. Without being able to dream, we start the day on edge, nervous, and filled with unspecified dread of what may happen, all with no identifiable reason.

Another day, I’ll go into another aspect of dreaming, one that ties into our creativity…. It is safe to say that dreaming is an integral part of what I do each morning when I sit down to write these Pearls, both in its value in giving my mind the surcease from care it requires, and in the very process of creation itself, when I attempt to connect to that part of the imagination that dreaming uses naturally, to send us into the realms of madness each night…. Bringing that into the real light of day is truly a wondrous event, and one I seek continuously…..

“I found the answer . . . but forgot the question.” — Smart Bee
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As this Pearl evolved, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out…. After going back over it, however, after a couple of tune-ups, I think it came out rather well, all things considered. Well enough to let it fly, at the very least…. I’m not going to even think about how it might go over, as that always turns out to be a waste of time, as is most speculation on the future… Before I start to babble again, I’ll let y’all get back to whatever you were up to until now, hopefully with a smile on your face, and a song in your heart….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..


Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

Lying to politicians for fun and profit….

Ffolkes,
We all can agree on certain things, I think, such as the sun is likely to come up in the morning, or water is pretty wet; there isn’t a lot of argument when someone makes an assertion along those lines. But, make a statement about just about anything that isn’t an accepted part of Consensual Reality, and you will get arguments from all sides…. That is just human nature, I think, and not something that needs to be changed, as it stems from our natural curiosity, and I’m all about encouraging people to doubt, especially if it has to do with interpreting Reality. That entity, as we all know, can be a slippery, elusive subject to pin down in a precise manner…..

Now, at this point in this morning’s effort, you are probably asking yourself, “What the hell is he babbling about now?” And you’d be right to do so, because I haven’t a clue…. That’s right, that entire paragraph is null and void, as far as having any connection to the Real Reality we all cohabit. I started out with a thought in mind, but it had disappeared before I got to “water is pretty wet”, so I just sort of faked it, letting the words flow out just as if they had any real meaning. What can I say, it’s a gift….

Y’all might be getting a bit worried at this stage in the proceedings, that it could be dangerous to hang around long enough to read the rest, but you couldn’t be more wrong…. I’ve spent a lot of time, effort, and money, (well, maybe not much money….), to ensure that everything on this blog is true and complete, to the best of my knowledge, and safety is one of our bywords.

I’ll have you know that, in spite of the radical nature of what we often discuss here, no reader has ever been injured, either by, or because of the content, and no reader has ever hurt themselves while reading it. Well, there was that one guy, who fell out of his chair, laughing at a picture, & banged up his elbow, but he doesn’t count, as he wasn’t wearing his seat belt, and no bandages were called for….

So, have no fear…. everything here at Exploring Consensual Reality is designed with your safety in mind…. unless, of course, one considers that the BRC could conceivably take offense to some of our content, and come to discuss the matter in their own inimitable fashion, i.e., with guns and tanks. In that case, each of you is authorized to take whatever action you see fit, up to and including the use of arms, to protect yourselves.

I’m pretty sure that right now, I’m too small potatoes for the powers that be to worry much over my writing… Not until I’ve got several million readers egging me on to even more radical suggestions, and more scathing criticisms of the actions of our Beloved Ruling Class, will they bother to try to shut me up…..

Oops…. ranting early again… Sorry, it’s getting to be a habit. It’s a good thing I’m not an addictive personality, or it could get to be obsessive. Some might say that producing this blog on a daily basis is obsessive, but, they don’t say that where I can hear them, knowing I’ll hurt them, a lot…..

No, really, ffolkes, all kidding aside, it’s probably the best thing if we just get into the water, and get on with today’s dive for pearls. In looking back over this intro section, I am firmly convinced that very little else has a chance of saving this one…. Shall we Pearl?…..

“Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.” — Pythagoras (BC 582-507)
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“The first riddle I ever heard, one familiar to almost every Jewish child, was propounded to me by my father:

“What is it that hangs on the wall, is green, wet — and whistles?”
I knit my brow and thought and thought, and in final perplexity gave up.
“A herring,” said my father.
“A herring,” I echoed.  “A herring doesn’t hang on the wall!”
“So hang it there.”
“But a herring isn’t green!” I protested.
“Paint it.”
“But a herring isn’t wet.”
“If it’s just painted it’s still wet.”
“But — ” I sputtered, summoning all my outrage, “a herring doesn’t whistle!!”
“Right, ” smiled my father.  “I just put that in to make it hard.”

— Leo Rosten, “The Joys of Yiddish”

When I first read this, it teased out a goodly chuckle at the silliness of the exchange, and the fine irony of the father’s riddle. But, I wasn’t sure it would make a good pearl, based as it is on systematic cultural delusions, until I realized it doesn’t have to confine itself to that standard in order to be useful…..

As I’ve demonstrated amply in previous posts, I’m not a big fan of most organized religions; mostly I regard them as examples of mass delusional outbreaks, that everyone buys into because they’re too embarrassed to admit it’s all a bunch of bilge water, solely designed to take advantage of the constituents. Well, that, and mental laziness, meaning it’s easier to let others do the thinking for you….

I can see, however, how this particular little story is adaptable;  if one doesn’t consider the dogmatic implications of any of it, it becomes more of a valid lesson in how to approach reality, and a lesson in human cupidity….. It teaches the lad several important things about his father, his culture, and ultimately, encourages the use of imagination….

The final line is my favorite part, and is a perfect metaphor for how we can expect the world at large to treat us, at least from a societal standpoint….. How we can deal with individuals within that society is also implied, though it doesn’t go so far as to explain why they act as they do…. In fact, the lesson there is that other people AREN’T to be trusted fully, as they tend to lie, for whatever reason, and finding the truth can be problematic at best…..

The Jewish culture tends to pride itself on its long history as an institution, and to tout how much suffering they have had to endure at the hands of the intolerant and the ignorant over the centuries. This long history of struggle has imbued their mindset with deep pessimism, to a large degree, and a great many of their aphorisms, maxims, and quotes tend to reflect that lack of trust in the rest of humanity, promoting the idea of isolating and maintaining their own culture.

I suppose that attitude has served them well, to protect them against ideological immersion in other cultures, preserving their own proprietary prejudices from merging with the others. Whether that is a good thing, or not, remains to be seen, at least on the larger stage of the entire panorama of human existence.

If little else can be determined by such a long history of cultural isolation, by choice, it at least provides the rest of us with some pretty amusing tales and stories, and a chuckle or two at their twisted wisdom, such as it is…..

“Once upon a time, four AMPHIBIOUS HOG CALLERS attacked a family of DEFENSELESS, SENSITIVE COIN COLLECTORS and brought DOWN their PROPERTY VALUES!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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Just for fun….

Roses for Noses

I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….

I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst…..

I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor,  but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind.

We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
and there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows.

There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face.

Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop.

My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid

“A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu.” — William Stafford
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Over time, I’ve found the most powerful pearls are composed of five random quotes, chosen by my unconscious mind in a process I’ve yet to understand, or even evaluate, fearing it would burst the bubble of whatever makes it work so well…. This pearl is a perfect example of that category, and all in all, contains some pretty damn good advice on how to live life with honor and dignity, as well as joy.

The final conclusion to be reached on the path I’ve laid out is, naturally, left for the Gentle Reader to find at the end of the journey…. No worries, kids, it’s not a long trip…. good luck!…. And don’t forget to stay on the path; our rescue dogs are on their vacation this week….

“We lie about the truth, that’s what ruins us here. And do you know why we lie about the truth? Not because we like to, but because we are scared to death of it. If we looked the truth in the eye nine out of ten of us would run to the graveyard and demand to be buried at once.” — Babbaluche the cobbler

“Accepting your limitations makes you humble. The limitations themselves make you an idiot.” — Dan Goodman

“When I’m not thank’d at all, I’m thank’d enough; I’ve done my duty, and I’ve done no more.” — Henry Fielding (1707-1754) — Tom Thumb the Great, Act i, Sc. 3

“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane  every night of our lives.” — Charles William Dement

“The most utterly lost of all days, is that in which you have not once laughed.” — Chamfort
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There is a lot to be said for perseverance; without it, today’s Pearl would have been canceled hours ago. Of course, I may be confusing perseverance with blind stubbornness, but, the end result is the same, so we’ll go with what we have…. At least I got that poem out; it has apparently been quietly waiting to get its chance at the keyboard, as it flowed out yesterday in about 20 minutes or so…. very cathartic, let me tell you….

I’ve proofed, and polished what little shine was there to be brought out, as well as I can, under the circumstances (don’t ask….), which, fortunately, brings us to the desired point, where I get to say, “It’s done.”

Yay…..  I’ll try not to let my enthusiasm splash on you…. I think I’m just depressed, because now I have to go deal with the Real Reality, out there in the Big Blue Room, and for today, at least, the tide is carrying me out to sea, away from the safe harbor of my room…. Ah well, I’m a big boy, I can handle it….   Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..


Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3