Tag Archives: George Linley

Alone with brazen pastries….

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Ffolkes,
I started to write about retirement this morning, and how the system screws with us over our own money, but it turned into a bitch-fest, and I really don’t feel like going there, so I deleted those two paragraphs, and am starting over….. much better….

I’m barely awake yet, and I was already getting all worked up over the fat cats in Congress and the government organizations that eat all our money for their perks (such as subsidized healthcare and retirement, at our expense….). It is getting all-too-easy to rant on the subject, I’m afraid…. all I have to do is think about it, and my fists clench up, along with my jaw, and I start looking for something at which to spew….

Such instant angst is counter-productive, when it arises so quickly; it tends to cause spew before thought, which may be satisfying from a cathartic viewpoint, but seldom lends itself to good writing. I’ll often find myself three paragraphs deep in a rant, with no place to take it to finish it off; if one wishes to reach a destination, one must plan a route there first….. The first and only thing on one’s mind at those moments is to shoot, shoot, and shoot again, not particularly caring how many times one hits the target, as long as we can get it to duck, or produce some reaction.

Ah me, t’is all moot, anyway, as I’m not going there just now. It would be too easy, and at the same time, too depressing to think about stuff like that so early in the day…. Instead, we’ll just dive into the WWW for a few pearls, and see if we can’t find something a bit more productive to talk over….. sound good? Okay, then, let’s be off to Pearl…..
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“In boxing they have the “undisputed heavyweight champion.” Well, if it’s undisputed what’s all the fighting about? Undisputed means everybody  agrees. Some guys are getting beat up pretty badly over something apparently we all agree on.” — George Carlin

SIGH…. I miss George. Don’t you miss George? I do, a lot. Nobody could impale the dignity of the government like he could, effortlessly. With either a dead-pan face, or a sly, knowing grin, he could pull anyone along with him into his world, where wickedly accurate social commentary was commonplace, generally skewering the reputation of some public figure or institution that definitely deserved it.

There are truly only a few human souls that could approach the stature that his genius grew into; his body of work will someday be the subject of complete college courses on social history, I am certain. I’m also certain that we will never see his like again, more’s the pity….

“It’s not that we don’t have enough scoundrels to curse; it’s that we don’t have enough good men to curse them.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 3/14/08
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“One of the inadequate preparations being young allows is that you are not prepared for the time when you will be old.” — Smart Bee


In this case, who cares? My only thought was to wonder just exactly was going through both of their minds just then…. though knowing that couldn’t make it any less funny or cute…. found on Facebook….
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Tho’ lost to sight, to mem’ry dear        / Thou ever wilt remain;
One only hope my heart can cheer,–       / The hope to meet again.
Oh fondly on the past I dwell,            / And oft recall those hours
When, wand’ring down the shady dell,      / We gathered the wild-flowers.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight,   / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,      / To mem’ry thou art dear.
Oft in the tranquil hour of night,        / When stars illume the sky,
I gaze upon each orb of light,            / And wish that thou wert by.
I think upon that happy time,             / That time so fondly lov’d,
When last we heard the sweet bells chime, / As thro’ the fields we rov’d.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight,   / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,      / To mem’ry thou art dear.
— George Linley (1798-1865) — Song

I’m pretty sure I’ve included this triple verse poem before, but I can’t help it; I love these! So, just enjoy it for it’s creativity and competence, and we’ll move on….
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“In search of cognitive dissonance…” — Smart Bee

Perfect! I’ve been searching for just this concept, oddly enough. It is the perfect accompanying phrase to go along with “Exploring Consensual Reality” I believe… let’s try it out….

“Exploring consensual reality, in search of cognitive dissonance….”   Yep, it works just fine… and I think it will be a clearer indication of what I try to accomplish here every day than just the initial part. I do explore reality as I see it, but much of what I end up examining can be put in the realm of dissonance more easily than it can in any other category.

Of course, that may merely be an effect of the observation process; there is certainly more dissonance than harmony out there to be observed in society. Perhaps it will help me to look more closely at events, to seek out the harmony that I know must be hidden somewhere…. perhaps not.

On second reflection, however, I don’t believe I’ll make the change to the title of this blog, at least not now…. For one thing, I’m not sure I want to go in to that part of the Dashboard today, to try to figure out how to make the change in the Appearance tab. And for another, perhaps it is concentrating too hard on just one side of the coin. I already tend to look at things with a cynical eye, and searching directly for dissonance could conceivably become habitual.

There…. not bad, eh? Four paragraphs of waffling, all over a non-event prompted by someone’s randomly sardonic wit. Does this mean I’m a writer? Or does it mean I should go back to bed? Tough questions…. neither of which is particularly crucial to the day. I suppose I should just let this die a natural death, and get on with the remaining bits of drivel….
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Okay…. I’m going to be a bit narcissistic here… Below is my philosophy… I mention it occasionally, but have not posted it here since last year (I think)…. any who, this is what I developed about 25 years ago, when I thought to myself, “Hey, if Plato, Sartre, and Descartes can have one, why not me?” So, here is my take on Life and All That Stuff….

Peruaosophy
Or
The wisdom of pearls…
(The world is my oyster; which way to the pearls?)

Axioms

1)  I think I am; that’s close enough.

2) The nature of the Universe is Change.
Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm.
If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.

3) Thou art God, you know.  Let’s do lunch.

4) Excellence is its’ own reward.

5) Girls think differently.  So do boys.  Don’t fight it.

6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And God so loved the world, He said, “Quit whining!”

7) Do your Duty.   Respect Life.   Honor the Truth.   Share your Love.

8)  Go back.  Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.

gigoid

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein
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After some serious threats of falling into complete disarray, today’s effort has come to a satisfactory state, and may even fly; it’s a bit ungainly, but so is a bumblebee, and they do fine…. It doesn’t matter now, anyway, as it is done, and I’m not going to do it over after so much blood, sweat, and coffee…. I did manage to avoid subjects that might make me cry today, easy as that is these days of active PTSD…. ah well, t’is done, and all will be well in the end, it is said… Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Massive portions of pomegranate Jell-O….

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Ffolkes,
I realize it’s a dangerous habit, but I was thinking……but it wasn’t any fun, so I woke up, and decided to start early on today’s Pearl. Whether that was a good or bad decision will depend, I suppose, on what transpires from this moment on. Let’s see where today’s selections take us, shall we?……
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“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” — Paul Simon

I have heard it said that Paul Simon is considered to be the greatest living American song writer; some of those reports claimed that he was the one to make that statement. I don’t know if that part of it is true, but I have to agree with whoever said it, as his poetry, and the  music he creates to surround it, is far superior to just about anyone else’s that I can think of just now. The line above is a perfect example of why his arrogance can be overlooked; it can be set aside because what is said is true. Doesn’t make him into a nice fella, but as far as I’m concerned, arrogance is only misplaced if it can’t be backed up with action. You don’t have to like a genius to recognize his talent; it just makes them more amenable to public consumption. In this case, the music he created with Art Garfunkel remains to this day the best material ever produced by a male duo. Hell, just the few albums they made together would have been enough to guarantee the immortality of fame, but the fact that he continues to write, and get better, is a big bonus for the rest of humanity.

One of the characteristics of Simon’s poetry is one shared by all the best poets, and that is how accurately it reflects reality. This one line makes such obvious sense, one wonders why they hadn’t thought of it before, just in that way. Every man (and woman) is guilty of censoring what they hear; anyone who claims that they do not is lying, plain and simple. It’s actually part of that set of skills we have left over from when we lived in caves and wore skins; it used to be very important to be able to focus concentration to hear only a certain set of sounds that indicated game (whether prey or predator) was in the vicinity.

    Such discrimination was an advantage in those circumstances, but in the modern world, it becomes a handicap, rather than an asset, because it limits ones perceptions, not always to our benefit. Taking in as much information as we can is now a more important skill than tuning out parts of what we hear; these days people can’t afford to ignore certain types of data, because it can come back later to bite. It’s more important now to take in all the information, and use it to decide how to act; we can no longer afford to reject any of it…..
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“Taking drugs in the 60s, I tried to reach Nirvana, But all I ever got were re-runs of The Mickey Mouse Club.” — Rev. Jim

I lived through the 60’s myself. Since I consider myself to be a pretty honest guy, I’ll admit to having done my share of experimentation with drugs, and cannot consider the experience with any regret, as it taught me many important lessons, about reality, self-control, and living life my own way. My own experiences with drugs were probably fairly typical for the time; I smoked a lot of pot, hash when available, drank beer and/or wine regularly, though more moderately than the typical college male, and tried out a couple of hallucinogenics, such as mescaline and LSD. Actually, I took acid because I wanted to see God, and one time, the last time, I did see God…….he told me to quit dropping acid and get on with life…..


That joke is older than I am, for sure…..and in reality was the entire purpose of this section. I was going to string it out even further, telling old hippie myths and superstitions, and generally creating a virtual image of the time. But I decided otherwise when I started to write, so this is all you get…..sort of…onward to the next dimension…..

“I refuse to be intimidated by reality anymore.  What is reality? Nothing but a collective hunch.” — Lily Tomlin
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“If one inquires why the American tradition is so strong against any connection of State and Church, why it dreads even the rudiments of religious teaching in state-maintained schools, the immediate and superficial answer is not far to seek…. The cause lay largely in the diversity and vitality of the various denominations, each fairly sure that, with a fair field and no favor, it could make its own way; and each animated by a jealous fear that, if any connection of State and Church were permitted, some rival denomination would get an unfair advantage.” — John Dewey (1859-1953), American philosopher, — from “Democracy in the Schools”, 1908

Funny how this particular interpretation of history is not the same as the one they taught us in school. The religious denominations mentioned above have had enough influence over government that they were able to get a different, less petty rationalization of why they were so adamant about the separation of the two parts of society that contend for authority, and for our support. According to what we were taught, the colonists fought for freedom partly because they had been oppressed by the government in the past; so the Puritans came to America to find religious freedom. At least that is what we are told……

The more complete truth, as expressed here by Mr. Dewey, somehow got left out of the classes I took in school; it is only in the more advanced regions of university-level study that differences in what is true and what is taught begin to come to light. The powers that be in the religious sectors of society don’t care if you know the truth by that time, because they are confident that they have indoctrinated enough of the populace that their influence in directing public opinion remains complete. And by the time one learns about all the lies we are brought up with, they are already educated enough to see how little chance there is of changing the way things are. As long as children are brought up with the lies that cement their position, there is little hope of change. You can’t fight against an enemy you’re never taught to fear, especially when the ones who are caring for you are as ignorant of truth as a babe in a manger……..
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Tho’ lost to sight, to mem’ry dear  / Thou ever wilt remain;
One only hope my heart can cheer,–   / The hope to meet again.
Oh fondly on the past I dwell,            / And oft recall those hours
When, wand’ring down the shady dell, / We gathered the wild-flowers.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight, / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,      / To mem’ry thou art dear.
Oft in the tranquil hour of night,        / When stars illume the sky,
I gaze upon each orb of light,            / And wish that thou wert by.
I think upon that happy time,             / That time so fondly lov’d,
When last we heard the sweet bells chime, / As thro’ the fields we rov’d.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight, / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,   / To mem’ry thou art dear.
— George Linley (1798-1865) — Song

I am in awe of this…..three poems in one. If you read down the left column, the poem is complete and beautiful. Read down the right column, and the same is true. Then, read each line with two phrases, and treat the whole as one poem; that poem too is complete and beautiful as ever could be. I don’t have any witty comments about this….all I can say is “WOW!”……..I am impressed…..
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“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” — Robert A. Heinlein

I have seen a poster that has on it about a hundred or so statements defining love. It is such a huge, all-encompassing emotion, that figures so heavily in almost all our actions, that attempting to accurately define it in a simple way is an extreme challenge. In my humble opinion (IMHO), this is the best of all of them. It covers all the bases as far as I can tell, and yet still implies the depth of such commitment with a deft turn of phrasing, and an excellent choice of words. “Essential to our own,” is the determining factor, and the one that shows us how our need to ensure the happiness and well-being of those whom we love is the strongest, most enduring of all human emotions…..and the best part of this particular statement? After he says what is needed, it’s done. No ups, no extras, just the facts ma’am…….perfect!
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Coming to the end of this kind of surprised me; I guess I really got into it……let’s see if we can translate that focus into something productive. It looks like it’s going to be a nice day outside, maybe I’ll try to get some sun today, though it will probably shock my system something fierce….I reckon my enthusiasm for physical exertion has been left behind me on the trail somewhere, and it’s too late to go back & look for it. Oh well….. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!