Tag Archives: Commander Montgomery Scott

Mmmm…. soft! Is it plucky, too?….

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Ffolkes,

I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it,
Time in hours, days, years,
Driv’n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov’d; in which the world
And all her train were hurl’d.

 ~~ Henry Vaughan ~~

~~ The World ~~

rover-curiosity-mars-self-portraitSelf Portrait of Curiosity, the Mars Rover, on its search for signs of life on The Red Planet


Down here in The Holler, we been havin’ some fowl weather…. Now, before y’all go & figure I’m just some iggorant hick, let me explain…. Most places, they get some hard rains, they say it’s been rainin’ cats & dogs, right? Well, t’other night, it was rainin’ hard all right, but, ’tweren’t no cats nor dogs comin’ down…. It was chickens! Actually, chicken gizzards! Beautiful, juicy, chicken livers, hearts, necks, & kidneys. Not only was they fallin’, right out o’the sky, but, they was fully cooked! Boy, we was havin’ a BALL that night, nukin’ ’em up in the microwave with some spicy BBQ….. beaudacious! Them necks boiled down just fine, for a big ol’ pot o’ chicken & dumplin’s….  We’re hopin’ next week maybe it’ll rain some beef ribs, and we kin have us a real party!….

Okay, enuff, er, enough of the hillbilly crap. I couldn’t think of anything else, and now, I’m really sorry…. But, it’s done, and we can just forget it. Please?

Sadly, that does leave us here, halfway started, but, nowhere to go. I could go in just about any direction now; the smooth start part of this is already been ditched for the nonsense above. Now I find myself reading over it, and actually editing, to give it more of a hick sound, as if it needed it… I must have had too much sleep. I don’t believe I’ve had this much sleep, three days in a row, for years. An average of five hours a night for those nights, has cleared my head quite a bit, though the effect on the pain itself is minimal; only the strength to fight it is replenished…. But, that is indeed better than the alternative, and I’ll take it….

It almost makes me wish I didn’t have so much of today’s post already done; it would be cool to see how well I could rant, with all this energy…. But, it’s already done, during my little pieces of peace during the day, when I am able to distract myself enough to sit and write. Oh well, I can spend that time proofing & editing, to buff and polish this until it shines…. Well, as much as they ever do so….

I think, before I wander into an area of discussion from which we can’t remove ourselves, we’ll bring this to a close…. Ah, there’s the signal from the pilot, anyway…. I’ve managed to blather long enough today to actually reach one of the scheduled entry points, where there is plenty of room to maneuver, and no danger of any ambush by the locals; it makes for a smoother dive, all around. So, if y’all would kindly hang on, we’ll be going in in just a moment…. Enjoy the dive, ffolkes, I did my best today to make if fun, and/or stimulating…. and, if not, well, at least it’s better than Good Morning, America, right?…. Well, I think so….

Shall we Pearl?

“Diogenes said once to a person who was showing him a dial, “It is a very useful thing to save a man from being too late for supper.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Menedemus, iii

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A few years ago, while surfing the web, I saw a video, which showed a cat and an owl, playing together. They had obviously, by the evidence of the video, been friends for years; watching the video is an excellent lesson in how easy it is for creatures to learn to get along, a lesson far too many people in this world never learn…. Here is that video, or, in this case, videos, as the one that plays first should go right into the next, showing a record of how they met, became friends, and learned how to live in harmony…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is one of those GOOD stories, that make up, a little, for all the crap we have to see every day….


The Beginnings – How Fum & Gebra met

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The Anti-trafficking Movement Needs Survivor Voices: Why Are We Ignored?


“Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an ‘inconvenience.’   We have opted instead  for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy.  We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there.” — Frank Zappa

For a few days now, I’ve been moving this link down the list of material to be covered in a rant. Patently, I found it on my friend Lou’s site, where one may always find a new, and/or different take on the subjects one sees in the mainstream news, with a heavy leaning toward the latest in conspiracy theories, UFO sightings, spiritualism, Zen Buddhism, science, myth, and any number of other subjects, all of interest, especially to someone with my expansive list of interests, all of which is/are found at one time or another on his site…. (Pardon the “is/are”, I couldn’t, and still can’t seem to figure out which of the pronouns the verb should agree with…. SIGH, another clue I need to SIMPLIFY….)

This particular article gives a rather excellent viewpoint, which many people might not have considered in the wake of recent news from around the world, with all of the insanity that seems to be exploding, everywhere…. You should read it, then we’ll talk….

http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/14/exclusive-terror-attack-in-ukraine-world-outraged-je-suis-donbass/#comment-145798

“It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.” — Goethe

It took me a long time to find the real truth about the current President. He is one of the most skilled politicians (liars) ever to hold that august office, so skilled, he is hard to pin down on those occasions when he does make the error of getting caught at lying, either saying what he didn’t mean to say, or, being exposed, and having to respond. Otherwise, he has developed the incredibly subtle skill, discussed in works by Twain, Heinlein, and, I’m sure, many others, of being able to hide his lies behind the actual truth. The skill lies in being able to shut up at the correct moment, then not speaking again, to allow the listeners to make their own (erroneous) assumptions about what was NOT said…. In other words, he tells a small part of the truth, in a way that leaves room to make excuses later, then shuts up….

But, we see now, since the exposition by Edward Snowden of the scope of what is NOT being told to the American public, it is patently clear how he has maintained the public’s belief in his essential truthfulness, which is a COMPLETE lie. His administration has prosecuted more journalists and private citizens for leaking information they consider secret than any other in our nation’s history, by a factor of 10…. This is not speculation, or information new to me; I saw this in print many months ago in the mainstream press…. though, in a small article, with no follow-up, ever….

The author of the above article shows clearly how this applies to current life on this planet, and gives us a fairly accurate idea, I think, of the scope of the problem…. He also uses what I would call an old school pearl to illustrate his points, most excellently, using a number of pearls used previously on this blog…. It is, I admit, as good a pearl as any I’ve ever done…. I won’t try to match his group; it was nearly perfect, as far as I could see. But, I will end with one last illustration of how it all strikes me….

“Politicians aren’t born, they are excreted.” — Cicero

Trust me. I know. Thousand don’t, and look at them now….

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Here is one of mine we haven’t seen for a while… It’s not bad, all things considered. I hope you enjoy it….

Off the proverbial cuff….

I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.

You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.

No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.

Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?

Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.

~~ gigoid ~~


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This is a very special pearl; it’s too long a story for this section, which is already long enough, but, take my word, they don’t often come out like this…. Too bad, too… Just follow the bouncing ideas, ffolkes, and you’ll get to a nice, warm fuzzy, strangely enough….

For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress.
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
It is never too late to start doing what is right.
Never.

~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~~


“In the arena of human life the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action.” — Aristotle, Nicomachen Ethics (4th c. BC)

“We write our own destiny:  we become what we do.” — Madame Chiang Kai-Shek

“Without followers, evil cannot spread.” — Spock, “And The Children Shall Lead”, stardate 5029.5

“He who hurries can not walk with dignity.’ — Chinese Proverb

“There is nothing so arrogant as ignorance.” — Erasmus

“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.)

“Cato requested old men not to add the disgrace of wickedness to old age, which was accompanied with many other evils.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Roman Apophthegms, Cato the Elder

“One who is to enjoy the purity of both body and mind walks the path to enlightenment, breaking the net of selfish, impure thoughts and evil desires. He who is calm in mind acquires peacefulness and thus is able to cultivate his mind day and night with more diligence.” — Buddha (B.C. 568-488)

“A wide-eyed, innocent UNICORN, poised delicately in a MEADOW filled with LILACS, LOLLIPOPS & small CHILDREN at the HUSH of twilight??” — Zippy the Pinhead

“It is in the shelter of each other that people live.”

~~ Irish proverb ~~


Oops! Sorry, Zippy slipped his restraints again…. But, you know, it almost fits; he tries hard, bless his pointy little head…. (Well, okay it’s a pointy  BIG head, but we don’t want to hurt his feelings, do we? No….) I think we’ll let it stay, and just finish with a proper ending quote, if SB is willing to cooperate once more… Ah, yes, this will do nicely; so nicely, I believe I’ll center it, to create a bit of symmetry, and move this paragraph out of the way…. Or, as they would say in the nearest bureaucratic institution, see the above….

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“Captain! That’s all she’s got! The warp engines canno’ take no more!” — Commander Montgomery Scott, Stardate 2695.2, 2243.5, 2350.0, and a host of other dates….

At this point in today’s narrative, I know exactly how Mr. Scott feels; fortunately, the strain on our warp engines may now cease, and Mr. Scott and the engine crew can stand down, because, we’re done. Lest y’all think this is merely a shallow boast, intended to tease you into thinking we are finished, allow me to say this…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if the world lasts that long…. It’s looking a bit chancy out there in the BBR…..

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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
An Andorean warrior, curiously in mufti, stares in wonder….

			
						

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Ffolkes,


One technique I’ve developed, in the past two-plus years of writing this blog, has to do with this introductory section, which, if you’ve more than one time logged in to read here, you are aware the intro has long been my nemesis, so far as consistency goes…. Nothing I’ve been able to come up with has ever struck me as the one sure way to go, so, every morning, I sit and stare at the blank white screen, filled with as much ignorance as I ever allow myself to experience, in regards to what the hell to put there to fill up the vast void of white that confronts me, here, and in my nightmares….


Now, consistency, as you also may know, is NOT one of our watchwords; one of history’s great minds once told us that it is not necessarily a good thing, defining it as merely a concern of those with no real genius in them (“the hobgoblin of tiny minds” I think was the phrase used…. and, I forget, whether it was GB Shaw, or GK Chesterton, or exactly who first said it…. It was one of those eighteenth or nineteenth century Brit lit icons…. 


It will come to me, whereupon I’ll insert it into the narrative, probably in some parentheses, as here….. I know how y’all love it when I editorialize in the middle of stuff….).  Where was I? Oh, right, consistency…


Since it doesn’t concern us overly, I’ve never worried about achieving it to any significant degree, at least, not here…. There ARE parts of my life where I’m very consistent, but, nobody really cares much how well I can cook, or tie my shoes, so, it’s not really an issue for me…. except here…. Oh, I don’t really CARE if I’m consistent; I just want it to be uniformly good, or readable, or whatever adjective you choose to say I like people to like what I write…. If they get either a chuckle, or a random thought about morality, ethics, or compassionate love for others,  out of what I produce, well, I’m good with that….


If they don’t, I do try to give folks, and ffolkes, every opportunity to object, or to disagree, or to otherwise express their thoughts and/or feelings about what I’ve written….. Since that’s true, and the ball’s in their court, I feel as if I’ve done all I can do…. 


That, as you are well aware, is something in which I firmly believe, i.e., “All you can do is all you can do”, so, I feel as if I’m pretty well entitled to be guilt-free, at least in that respect…. Of course, there are always those who might disagree with that assessment, but, for those misguided few, we have a special procedure, involving large plastic anal probes, and a number of excitable young primates borrowed from a local zoo…


Ooh, that’s nasty! It might be good at this point to remind y’all about today’s special offer…. Today, and today only, we will be offering each and every participant in this…. well, whatever it is… each one in attendance, whether recently buffed or polished, will be supplied with their very own portion of whoop-ass, and the opportunity to let it out on a real, actual, dyed-in-the-wool politician, which we have taken the trouble to capture and sedate, so you won’t even have to tie them down to whoop on them…. Each one is fresh from a recent press conference, so you know they’ve been lying; thus, no guilt necessary for putting them through your personal wringer….


Okay, I’m done now…. I’m relatively awake, have consumed sufficient coffee that homicide is no longer an issue, and ready to move on to another form of personal torture…. I can’t say that today’s intro comes up to the standard set yesterday (that was a good one, I thought….), but, hey, it’s got six paragraphs, or more, so, it’s legal, and that, as you know, is all I really care about…. In fact, having thus completed the obligatory number of references, we can now do this….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Damage control is easy. Reading Klingon — that’s hard.” — Commander Montgomery Scott, Star Trek IV, The Search for Spock


(It was Ralph Waldo, the Emerson, and the quote says, precisely: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”  And, yes, I was totally wrong about the author’s nationality, though not the time period….)


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


I am beset today by the onset of heat; the temperature here on the coast is supposed to go into the nineties this afternoon, and I’m NOT looking forward to it at all. I’m no longer the young stud I used to be, and can’t seem to tolerate the heat like I could in my younger days…. I used to go to Arizona in the summertime, when in my teens; if California wasn’t hot enough for me, I liked to go visit my uncle, in Tempe, spending time wandering around the desert, dodging snakes and Indian spirits, & soaking in the rays…


Now, these days, I don’t tolerate it well when it gets above 85º F, or so, and it’s supposed to hit 94 today. My intention is to either sit in a cool tub all afternoon, or go somewhere air-conditioned, and pretend to be interested in whatever is going on there…. for as long as necessary to avoid getting sweaty and/or miserable….


At this point, you may be asking yourself, “what does this have to do with a Pearl?” The answer to that would be, “not much”, but, enough…. It means that I’m not going to rant in this section, as I can’t find it in me to do so this morning…. It is already warmer than I like, so, I’m going to get this Pearl done as quickly as I can, so I can go seek out cooler pastures for the day…. Hence, the following seven-star pearl, sans parameters, our fastest product, construction-wise…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it should be a good one….


“Sometimes I think I understand everything… Then I regain consciousness.” — Smart Bee


“So very difficult a matter is it to trace and find out the truth of anything by history.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Pericles


—-> If you cut here, you’ll ruin your monitor. <—-


“Everything is in a state of metamorphosis. Thou thyself art in everlasting change and in corruption to correspond; so is the whole universe.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 19


“As the tempest and the thunder affect not the sun or the stars, but spend their fury on stones and trees below; so injuries ascend not to the Soul of the great, but waste themselves on such as are those who offer them.” — Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375)


“The longer I live the more I see that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains that I have so humbly taken to verify my notions have only wasted my time.” — George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)


“Always tell the truth–if you want to make trouble.” — Smart Bee


See? Told ya….. (It’s all in the wrist….)


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


I found this poem in Smart Bee, hanging around in prose format…. I really like it, so, I tried to break it down into its poetic frames, or verses, but, I’m not sure I got it the way Rainer intended it to be when he wrote it… If you feel it should be different, feel free to leave a comment, showing how you’d do it; I’m sure somebody can do it better, and I’ve tried long enough… Enjoy, please, it’s a good one, even if the cadence or structure is a bit off…..




Again, Again!


 Again, again, even if we know the countryside of love, 

and the  tiny churchyard with its names mourning, 

and the chasm, more and more silent, terrifying, 

into which the others dropped:  

we walk out together anyway beneath the ancient trees, 

we lie down again, again, 

among the flowers, and face the sky.


 — Rainer Maria Rilke ~~


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This Pearl has turned on me a bit…. it’s taken me almost two full hours to get this far, and I haven’t ranted at all. Not only that, but, I still don’t have a clue as to what should go here…. I’m not filled with enough angst to produce anything worthwhile in the way of a rant, nor do I really want to let Smart Bee loose again; it might get the wrong idea…. What to do, what to do…. I know, I’ll take a short break, and see what comes up when I return…..


I’m back, and I’ll bet you never even noticed I was gone, did ya?… S’okay, I didn’t expect to be that long, but, got busy spending money online…. more’s the pity… Any who, I decided to go with an older rant, from a couple of years ago, about one of my favorite subjects, to wit: human intelligence, and/or the glaring lack thereof in today’s world…. Enjoy!….


From 6/26/2012:


IDIOT, n.  A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling.  The Idiot’s activity is not confined to any special field of thought or action, but “pervades and regulates the whole.”  He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable.  He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


When I picked out this pearl, I had intended to write a piece exploring human intelligence. However, my brain had a different plan, and all of the thoughts that I had marshaled to use went into the wind, poof, gone….. Since I’m feeling a bit lazy today, I’m keeping the pearl, and writing something about it anyway, so there….


Ranting about human stupidity is an endless challenge; there is so much of it to pick from that the choosing becomes harder than the actual writing. Every day’s news brings more examples of how dumb folks can be, and finding just one that is acceptable is merely a matter of deciding which is the better choice from a humorous view, or a serious view, or whatever viewpoint from which we will write. I’ve yet to see a single day when there weren’t at least four or five instances of stories that illustrate how talented people are at finding new ways to show how stupid they really are…..


“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” — Lazarus Long


We’ve all seen this one, I think; if not this one by Robert Heinlein, then one from another author or philosopher. It’s a pretty common theme, after all. Often, examples can be found on the front pages, especially during election years. But the back pages also carry numerous examples, taken from real life…. such as this one….


Back when I was attending the University of Utah, The Daily Utah Chronicle ran a joke ad for a debate between Phil Donahue and Whiskers the Lamb. Over 30 people showed up.  (what they were expecting, God only knows.) — Smart Bee


In order to further prove my point, here is an example taken from today’s news….


http://www.fark.com/comments/7182500  


This link leads to a very short article from Yahoo news, and is a perfect example of how the world is going mad, step by step….. I’m not even going to comment on the article, as it’s already too hard to think about it without laughing at the absurdity of the whole issue…..


Okay, I think my point is proved. The human race is pretty stupid, and getting stupider all the time. Sure, we’ve got men in space, we’ve raised the average age to 72 with medical advances, we’ve been to the moon. But we also are still making war on each other. We still abuse animals, and women, and children, and any thing else that is weaker, and will stand still. We are still killing ourselves, and denying that it is even happening. 


My only hope at this point is for something to happen to change human nature, to turn us away from this path we’ve chosen to walk. I hope it will happen, but I’m afraid the power of stupidity may just be greater than the power of hope….


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


Well, there you have it, such as it may be…. I’m certainly not going to do it again, at least, not until tomorrow, when I flog myself once again. to get up at this ungodly hour, while my frail old body has a modicum of use left in it, and do this all over, but, different… I hope. Until that time, I bid thee adieu….




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


Dozer





		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
In the mall of the fountain Ming….

			
						

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Ffolkes,

Picture, if you will, a man…. his head is bowed, as he sends his thousand-yard stare into the ground, every line of his figure speaking of inner turmoil and emotional pain. He rocks back on his heels, his head flown back, uttering a cry of absolute anguish to the heavens…. “I’m a fucking idiot!” A huge voice comes out of the sky, and says, “I know….”


Now, if you can extend your imagination just a tad further, placing an image of my face on the man…. Yep, that’s me…. the f__ing idiot. (Why hide the curse now? I dunno, just felt like the thing to do…. Leave me alone, I’m writing on instinct here….) Just one more bozo on the bus, without the advantage of the horn or the big shoes…. and not a squirting flower in sight! SIGH…. it’s a sad day, ffolkes, for sure….


What’s all the fuss about, you ask? Who knows?…. No, actually, this is all just putting myself through the wringer for the dumb-ass move I made yesterday…. I was reading the Pearl from yesterday, and noted that my rant spoke to a certain issue, which I glibly described as “global warming and overpopulation”, whereupon, just as if I knew what I was talking about, I proceeded to speak about climate change….


Now, climate change is indeed an issue of note, and it IS connected directly to the issue of global warming… but, neither is directly connected to overpopulation, which was NOT the issue whereof I intended to speak…. Any who, it should have read “global warming and climate change” which is what the POTUS was addressing; overpopulation, while a serious issue, is not the same thing, and should not have been anywhere near the discussion at the time….. 


Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa…. consider that I’ve said that six times, just like the priest would want me to do…. Besides, what can we do now about population control? Hand out more condoms? Doesn’t seem to be working too well at this point, so maybe we should re-think that particular issue, eh?


Well, the intro isn’t the place to worry about that kind of stuff…. though, it has yet to be determined exactly what kind of stuff DOES go into an intro around here… That particular item seems to change its shape every day, as I go through new and exciting (hopefully) formats and scenarios in my search for the ultimate opening. My random approach doesn’t seem very effective in finding same, but, hey, it keeps me off the streets in the morning, so, bonus….


I’m now certain I’ve piddled around long enough to call it a wrap on this intro section, but, even if I weren’t, I’d stop here, as I’m completely out of ideas about where to go with it….. Heading out for the daily dive seems like the best solution all around…. Shall we Pearl?…..


“Capt’n! The spellchecker kinna take this abuse!” — Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott


“Dew knot trussed yore spell chequer two fined awl yore mistakes.” — Brendan Hills

__________________________________


Smart Bee is having a tough morning, pearl-wise; I can’t seem to find a single worthy quote…. so, I’m going to fall back on my vast repertoire of Past Pearls, which I try not to abuse by using too often. In fact, I think this is only the second time in almost two years I’ve done so…. Any who, this particular pearl is a tough one… I wrote it last July, on the third of that month, and it remains as valid today as it was then…. Perhaps more so, as the situation has changed not at all, nor will it, until people start to realize the extent of the problem…. I won’t say “enjoy”, as you won’t…. I will say, “listen up, please”…..


“I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.” — Chang-tzu, Taoist


So, as it turns out, I am a coward. What I mean by that is, when it comes to emotional pain, I will go through all sorts of contortions to avoid it. I will distract myself, I’ll deny, I’ll forget…. all time-tested methods of putting something unpleasant aside. I can say in my own defense that a) I’ve already experienced enough turmoil in my life, and don’t need more, and b) I have yet to start lying to myself about being a coward in this area…..


How does the butterfly koan apply? That’s for me to know, and you to figure out…. No, really, sorry, I didn’t mean that, just fooling around. It applies because the world exists in duality; we perceive that universe by defining and evaluating those dualities according to their relation to each other (light/dark, etc.) as well as according to our own preconceptions and/or preferences. Sometimes what we perceive is clear and readily defined, while at other times, one can make no “heads or tails” of what we see, hear, taste, smell, or feel. And sometimes, the perceptions are just so powerful that we cannot easily deal with what we are perceiving, so we retreat from them. Or I do, anyway….


Now, my cowardice in this respect is, perhaps, justifiable. I put myself through a lot of hard times during certain periods in my life, and the emotional toll was heavy. I am now more in balance, but the feelings and thoughts I had can come back in full force, at unexpected moments… Such is the case when I read about the sex trade, and think about how many of my sisters in the world are still being abused, physically and mentally, by the misogynistic assholes that perpetrate the atrocities so prevalent in that trade.


I have previously re-blogged several articles from blog sites written by women who have survived, and left, the sex trade. The stories they tell, and the insights they have come to have, are incredibly powerful, and wrenching to the emotions. It is a rare thing for me to be able to stop myself from crying after reading the first paragraph, and it can take me ten minutes to read a two page article, as I have to stop and compose myself before returning to the story being related. I am always astounded by the strength of mind it took for them to get where they are, and I grieve for the pain and misery they still must contend with, as survivors of Hell, burdened with PTSD (my old friend….).


Reading their stories also has the effect on me of wanting to buy a gun, and start eliminating some of the traffickers from the planet. This urge arises out of my anger and guilt, for it is males who perpetrate the  atrocities, and I am ashamed of how low others of my gender can sink. But, alas, until I CAN afford to buy one, that little dream will have to wait…..


All I can do is to try to make people aware of the extent of the problem, by directing them to the stories told by the women who have lived through that Hell, with re-blogs and pearls such as this one. That is why I say I’ve been a coward, because my mind cravenly hid the awareness that connects to the outrage I feel when I get started on this issue, not being brave enough to put my emotions up on that higher level….and used the technical glitch I’ve been having with WordPress as an excuse (I’m currently unable to connect to any other WP sites if I’m signed in… I just get sent to a blank page while the browser falls into an infinite loop….).


Hence this somewhat dispassionate discussion of the issue. I’ve managed to get through this without bursting into tears, so I’ll consider myself lucky, and make myself a promise to re-blog for them as soon as I can get there to do so…. and I’ll not let myself chicken out…. This is an issue that will not go away; we men will never be free until we free our sisters from this bondage….


To read some of these articles yourself, use the WordPress search function to find these three sites, by blog titles….  Diary of A Dublin Call Girl; rmott62- Are We Not Human?; and Stella Mar, a Manhattan Call Girl…. All three have powerful messages that need to be spread around the planet….

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For some reason, this just seemed to fit…. not that I have any intent of checking out of this hotel anytime soon…. But, it kind of goes along with the other material…. It’s a bit long, but I know that won’t scare any of MY readers…. Any who, please enjoy a bit of the classics….


A Poet’s Epitaph


Art thou a Statist in the van

Of public conflicts trained and bred?

–First learn to love one living man;

‘Then’ may’st thou think upon the dead.


A Lawyer art thou?–draw not nigh!

Go, carry to some fitter place

The keenness of that practised eye,

The hardness of that sallow face.


Art thou a Man of purple cheer?

A rosy Man, right plump to see?

Approach; yet, Doctor, not too near,

This grave no cushion is for thee.


Or art thou one of gallant pride,

A Soldier and no man of chaff?

Welcome!–but lay thy sword aside,

And lean upon a peasant’s staff.


Physician art thou? one, all eyes,

Philosopher! a fingering slave,

One that would peep and botanise

Upon his mother’s grave?


Wrapt closely in thy sensual fleece,

O turn aside,–and take, I pray,

That he below may rest in peace,

Thy ever-dwindling soul, away!


A Moralist perchance appears;

Led, Heaven knows how! to this poor sod:

And he has neither eyes nor ears;

Himself his world, and his own God;


One to whose smooth-rubbed soul can cling

Nor form, nor feeling, great or small;

A reasoning, self-sufficing thing,

An intellectual All-in-all!


Shut close the door; press down the latch;

Sleep in thy intellectual crust;

Nor lose ten tickings of thy watch

Near this unprofitable dust.


But who is He, with modest looks,

And clad in homely russet brown?

He murmurs near the running brooks

A music sweeter than their own.


He is retired as noontide dew,

Or fountain in a noon-day grove;

And you must love him, ere to you

He will seem worthy of your love.


The outward shows of sky and earth,

Of hill and valley, he has viewed;

And impulses of deeper birth

Have come to him in solitude.


In common things that round us lie

Some random truths he can impart,–

The harvest of a quiet eye

That broods and sleeps on his own heart.


But he is weak; both Man and Boy,

Hath been an idler in the land;

Contented if he might enjoy

The things which others understand.


–Come hither in thy hour of strength;

Come, weak as is a breaking wave!

Here stretch thy body at full length;

Or build thy house upon this grave.


~~ William Wordsworth

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In keeping with today’s theme, I’m re-printing here  a pearl, part of a five-section pearl, from when I was even more prolific than now. This one is from a Pearl I posted on March 24, 2012…. It’s got a little bit of everything in it…. enjoy!


Here are a few historical observations on our preferred form of public entertainment……


“Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.” — Plato, The Republic. Book VIII. 558


“Democracy is more cruel than wars or tyrants.” — Seneca, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium CIV, c. 63


“Termiter’s argument that God is His own grandmother generated a surprising amount of controversy among Church leaders, who on the one hand considered the argument unsupported by scripture but on the other hand were unwilling to risk offending God’s grandmother.” — Len Cool, American Pie

(Okay, it’s not political, but, hey, funny, right?….) (and kind of appropriate, if I stop to think about it…..)

(kind of sounds similar to the current controversy over creationism and evolution….)


“I contemplate with sovereign reverence the act of the whole American people  which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” — Thomas Jefferson, to the Danbury (Connecticut) Baptist Association in 1802

(Whoops! How’d he get in here?….)


Man is a religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight.” — Mark Twain — The Damned Human Race

(Okay, okay…. busted!  Religion and politics seem to have merged in my mind this morning…. funny how that happens…. but it still fits the category, so, deal….)


and, on a final note, let’s combine the two previously revealed (reviled?) culprits in one fine, almost-a-limerick plea for mercy….


Dear Lord, observe this bended knee

This visage meek and humble,

And hear this confidential plea

Voiced in reverent mumble:

Give me Shylock, give me Fagin

But O God spare me Ronald Reagan!


— Ansel Adams


If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money?  (Sorry, couldn’t resist…. I’m done for now…..)


See? Not everything from the past is old and grey and useless…. sometimes it’s new, black and white, and useless….

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So, you may have noted that today’s Pearl contained very little new material…. This is due to necessity, which dictates I take a trip to Kaiser this morning, so, I opted to produce a Pearl out of the past, since I’ve got so much material, not even I have any idea just how much there is to choose from… but, it’s a LOT!


So, to save some time, I raided the past…. Deal with it, is all I can suggest…. As I look back over what I’ve done today, I find it hangs together pretty well…. I’m keeping it, as it fits my needs perfectly…. As we are all humans here, you will naturally expect me to act in a self-serving manner, so, it won’t surprise you to be escorted out briskly, now that I’m done with you…. See ya….  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