Tag Archives: Inspiration

Breaking fast with Nimrods….

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Ffolkes,
When I awoke this morning, little did I know that destiny had plans for me, and they weren’t the kind of plans that would send me into ecstatic paroxysms of joy….. As I stepped into my slippers, I could hear the front door opening. Curious, I walked out of the bedroom, only to see my Inspiration look up, start in panic, and shoot out the door at a dead run.

Without thinking, I broke out after him, hoping I could catch him before I ran out of juice. Fortunately, I was able to catch him by the hood of his sweatshirt near the front gate, and hauled him back to the house, cursing and spitting at me. I threw him into the corner & told him to pipe down; only then was I able to pour a cup of coffee, and try to catch my breath….

Once the coffee hit, I asked my Inspiration what the morning race was all about, but he was just sulking, staring at the wall. Since it was obvious that he won’t be worth anything today, I sat down to just start this in a modified Joyce voice, using events as they occurred to create today’s intro.

It’s sort of cheating, but not really, as it does stretch my skills to try to make it at least slightly interesting, and it saves the time and energy it would take to talk my Inspiration out of his snit. So, we will just get on with it, and dive into the primary activity of this blog…. shall we Pearl?…..
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A wise man once said …”I don’t know.” — (Very) Smart Bee

Three little words. Three very powerful little words. “I don’t know.” Many people seem to believe that there is something inherently wrong about using this phrase. They can’t seem to bring themselves to admit that they don’t have all the answers, and will spout all sorts of nonsense in trying to avoid using these three words. I’m not certain just why they are like that, I only know that it is true, as it happens all the time.

Apparently these folks believe that admitting to ignorance of a subject makes them stupid, by association, I guess. So, they will lie, or deny, or distract, or make something up, to cover up the fact that they don’t know something, rather than take the time to learn what they need to know. It’s a very childish reaction, but seems to be one that most adults aren’t willing to give up….

“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.” — Dalai Lama

In reality, “I don’t know” doesn’t mean one is stupid; it only means you don’t know, and admitting you don’t know is the necessary first step in learning ANYTHING. Our society places a high value on people who know the answers, and conversely, stigmatize ignorance, making it difficult for anyone to admit to it.

It’s one of those Catch-22 issues of which people are so fond; if you already know, then you are lionized, if you don’t, you are reviled. So, people, not wanting to be reviled, refuse to admit their lack of knowledge, opting to either ignore or deny the need for it, or devalue the questions, thus devaluing the answers.

Ignorance can be cured.  Stupid is forever. — Smart Bee

In order to get past the stigma, one must, quite simply, grow up. It isn’t a mature reaction to allow ignorance to flourish in order to avoid stigma; an adult learns to ignore such criticism as being irrelevant to the need to learn. Of course, as a rule, most folks in society aren’t mature, as they have been indoctrinated from an early age to cultivate immaturity, to surrender their will and thoughts to the beloved ruling class, who prefer a constituency that is as ignorant as possible, the better to maintain control. They don’t WANT a mature society, they want one that is easily manipulable, and the ignorant are far easier to manipulate than the educated…..

So, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”; it’s okay to say, as long as you use the lack of knowledge as a motivation to learn what is needed. Besides, for all those married men out there, “I don’t know” is indubitably the best response you can give to ANY question from your wife; it’s the only response with which no fault may be found or placed. Any other response is liable to be ill-received, and we all know what happens then….  Take it from me, in those cases, pleading ignorance is the BEST answer you can give….
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“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T. S. Eliot

Am was

am was. are leaves few this. is these a or
scratchily over which of earth dragged once
-ful leaf. & were who skies clutch an of poor
how colding hereless. air theres what immense
live without every dancing. singless on-
ly a child’s eyes float silently down
more than two those that and that noing our
gone snow gone
yours mine.
We’re
alive and shall be:cities may overflow(am
was) assassinating whole grassblades, five
ideas can swallow a man; three words im
-prison a woman for all her now: but we’ve
such freedom such intense digestion so
much greenness only dying makes us grow

E. E. Cummings

A perfect example by Cummings of what Eliot was expressing…. enjoy!

Poets go from bard to verse. — Smart Bee (Sorry, really, it won’t happen again….)
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    I’m not adding anything to this, as it states its message perfectly well all by itself. It also acts as a nice little finish to the discussion above…. Viva la raza!…..
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Now, some might say that using two pieces of art is cheating, but I must disagree, as they both are adequate pearls on their own merit. As part of a larger Pearl, they fit quite well, so, as with any criticism with which I disagree, it will be cheerfully ignored…. Both pictures were found on Facebook….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A fight for four pies….

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Ffolkes,
Blood poured down my face from the gash above the eye, annoying but not yet blinding. I slapped a surgiskin patch on it to keep it clean, and keep the blood out of my visor, and wondered how I would live down giving myself the only injury in a live engagement…. I spied a helmet peeking over the fence across the courtyard of the abandoned building, and squeezed off a couple of quick rounds in the general area to let them know I wasn’t asleep.

Now I’m really mad; listening to the DI dress me down for banging my own head on the lander door wasn’t what I had anticipated for my return to quarters after the exercise. I had hoped to catch some extra Z’s, as I’d been boning for the psych strategy test tomorrow, but my clumsiness had ensured a visit to a smarmy, sarcastic medic, followed by the opportunity to hear the dulcet tones of Sergeant O’Brien in full chewing mode……

Enough…. I’m tired of O’Brien, and he hasn’t opened his mouth yet…. Goes to show I shouldn’t let myself write before going to bed…. it always comes out strange when I look at it in the morning…. Either that, or I need to finish one of these little stories when I write it. Oh, I hate when I get all logical on myself….. I’ve had fun before. This isn’t it.

This is getting me nowhere, so I’m going to just get on with this morning’s dive…. Pearling sounds safer than anything else I can think of right now, so…. off we go, then…..
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“Evolution is as much a fact as the earth turning on its axis and going around the sun.  At one time this was called the Copernican theory; but, when evidence for a theory becomes so overwhelming that no informed person can doubt it, it is customary for scientists to call it a fact.  That all present life descended from earlier forms, over vast stretches of geologic time, is as firmly established as Copernican cosmology.  Biologists differ only with respect to theories about how the process operates.” — Martin Gardner, “Irving Kristol and the Facts of Life”, — The Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. XII No. 2, ppg. 128-131

Although this is a very clear, concise statement of facts, it fails to account for one piece of evidence that, while seemingly contradictory, actually is proof of its overall relevance. This is the mathematical certainty that the average intelligence of the species is declining over time; I’ve presented this proof previously, and so will not go over it in its entirety now. But, like with the evidence of the Copernican theory, it has been firmly established, so we must, as a species, find some way to overcome our own intransigence.

Our own competence at killing other life forms has propelled our species to the top of the food chain, at least by all appearances. In doing so, we have removed many of the challenges to our survival that had been a check on how fast we increased our numbers. The removal of these limiting factors has allowed us to breed without restraint, which is why we have negated the normal laws, and applied the special laws of peripheral relevance that are dumbing us down.

We breed so fast that reality can’t kill us fast enough for us to get smarter; the number of lower intelligence members of the species has grown to the point where the number of births far outstrips the number of deaths, and the process continues to spiral down, down, down, toward the bottom of the gene pool….

So, if it seems to you that things are getting crazier, and that more stupid stuff keeps happening all the time, don’t panic…. you are right. It IS much crazier than before, and stupid stuff will continue to happen, right up until our species’ name gets called to board the train for extinction… the same train we have sent thousands of other species on to their demise…. SIGH…..

“No matter how cynical you get, it’s impossible to keep up.” — Lily Tomlin
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Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. — Mark Twain

One of Mark Twain’s most attractive features as a writer was his grasp of common sense. Here is an idea that all of us know instinctively is true; all of us have observed, at one time or another in our lives, just how powerful laughter can be when used against evil.

This is knowledge so ubiquitous that it has been overlooked in today’s political world, and is not used nearly enough to suit me. I think we should, instead of criticizing and degrading folks like Mitt, and Newt, and others of their political ilk, we should just greet everything they say with a burst of sheer delighted laughter, and just point a finger while howling and holding our stomach. I think it would do wonders….

Imagine, if you would, a large room full of average American folks, in their everyday dress, sitting quietly in their chairs,waiting for their hero to come smile and talk to them, just as if they mattered. Instead of hecklers, placed throughout the crowd at strategic points, are people with a well-developed sense of humor, who will proceed to laugh uproariously whenever the candidate makes some outrageous statement, which usually doesn’t take long….

I think, with good timing and the right lines, we could eliminate quite a few of these bozos, embarrassing them so heavily they’ll never show their face in public again…. Well, we can hope, can’t we?  And if nothing else, laughter is good for the soul, so they say…. Let’s see if it can’t be useful in creating a new political landscape, shall we? Personally, I look forward to applying this technique in the coming months leading up to November…..
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Inner State

Bereft, mind empty
none remains real or true
The page is alone.

gigoid

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The text above is from “Dune” by Frank Herbert; the image was found on Facebook. If you try repeating this to yourself when afraid, you will find that it is quite effective, not in reducing fear, but in getting past the fear. I speak from experience in this, having first read this when I was in my teens, and then used it innumerable times in my work with the mentally ill…. Most simply put, it works….
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If you are not the poet, perhaps you can be the poem. — Smart Bee

It has happened…. I couldn’t find a suitable pearl, in just under two hours of searching. I was thorough, I think. I visited two different websites, and checked out a number of categories at each, all to no avail. I’ve developed a callous on my index finger from hitting the “next” button on my database of quotes, and keep seeing the ones I’ve used in the last few days. Naturally, since I used Shakespeare as a subject just yesterday, a good 40% of what I was forced to go through was more crap from his quill…. Murphy at work….

So, we have an unprecedented event today… I’m giving up until tomorrow…. What I have already done will have to do….. Disgusted I am, but resigned as well….
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So be it. I’m not going to consider this a loss; I’m going to think of it as an evolution. That way it will be a challenge, and I can approach it just like any other logical problem. Of course, that’s no guarantee of success, but will serve for the nonce to get on with the day. Considering how the first four hours have gone, it promises to be interesting, in all the senses of the word…. 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!