Ffolkes,
~~ Murphy’s Paradox ~~
My routine seems to have altered itself to some degree; I find myself up a bit late again, having slept about an hour beyond my ordinary time to arise. This, of course, isn’t anything particularly new, or exciting, but, hey, something has to come first, right? Besides, for our purposes today, the opening quote from Murphy, which is a truism hard for many to accept, when taken together with the oh-so-poignant picture of the dancing bears of Grateful Dead fame, forms a most pleasant aspect, of deep wisdom, and snarky humor, that just gets me right in the old brisket….
But, that’s just me, and we all know I’m a bit odd, if not off, so, we’ll let that go by the wayside, where it will do the most good, and get on with the creation of today’s mess…. As usual in these cases, you may find some replacement text in some of the sections below, as I harvest from the archives to fulfill the tasks of today with the efforts of yesterday…. It works for me, and it’s all been tested for relevance and truth, so, you have no reason to worry that you won’t get your money’s worth….. and I don’t want to hear anything about having to pay at all….
The price you’re being charged, to wit: zero, has been scientifically determined to represent the EXACT worth of these Pearls, and is certified by the National Curmudgeons Bureau as a necessary part of your morning intellectual diet…. Plus, where else will you find all this, PLUS a toy in every box? Nowhere, that’s where….
On that note, I think I’ll use some of my new-found skills at ruthless decision-making, to take us on down to the first section, where you’ll find today’s video link and player, hopefully (Sometimes, and I wish I knew why, it doesn’t work as it should…. SIGH, I hate being ignorant of ANYTHING….)…. This should make the transition to the rant and poetry a bit smoother, if not any more savory. We’re working on that, in our research labs, but, not much progress so far…. Time will tell… At any rate, our insertion point is approaching rapidly, and a darn good thing, as my hands are getting more numb with each letter typed…. Watch your heads, ffolkes, this looks like a sharp turn…..
Shall we Pearl?
“You’re all insane and trying to steal my magic bag.” — Smart Bee
Really, ffolkes, I found it in SB…. it isn’t mine. I know better, because nobody can steal a magic bag. Everybody knows that…. It’s magic, right? Nobody but the owner can see it….
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Today’s video selection link leads to Part 1 of a most excellent adaptation of a book, a murder mystery written by Dorothy L. Sayers during the first half of the twentieth century…. This version is in five parts, each of which makes an excellent hour (approximately) of superior entertainment, with Ian Carmichael in the role of Lord Peter Wimsey, the aristocrat detective, in a plot where Lord Peter’s brother, the Duke of Denver, stands accused of murdering their sister’s fiancé…. The last part, number 5, is a masterwork of the genre, with all the plot’s questions answered in elegant, satisfying fashion…. Enjoy!…
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Since I’m late, and not really in ranting mode, here is an alternative set of short discussions, all semi-connected to each other, from the archives….
From 12/27/2011:
Ffolkes,
In my wildest, most disturbing dreams, I never thought the world would come to this juncture. We stand once again at a fork in the road ahead. Down one road lies extinction; it’s actually the road we are on now, but we have come to the last possible exit, onto a road that continues on into the future, bright with promise. On this road, humanity has new forms of transport, sustainable and clean. The air is clear, the ocean is blue, and all the creatures who share this planet have been welcomed into the circle of Life, wherein we now reside. Everyone is treated the same, and there are no more distinctions drawn between one man and the next. Resources are husbanded and shared equally, and economic manipulation is a dim memory.
Sounds pretty nice, eh? I think so too. I’m just not terribly convinced that the rest of humanity is going to come down that road with those of us who take it. I’d much rather we all went together, but I refuse to choose to continue on the road we have been traveling, just as I refuse to consider killing myself. It’s all so clear to me, I have a hard time understanding why others cannot see what I am seeing. If we don’t stop what we’re doing, we’re going to pay the consequences; that’s not a guess, not a theory. It’s truth. I hope y’all can deal with it….
I think I lost my mind. Please watch where you step.
——————
“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.” — Josh Billings
“I’m a man of my word. In the end, that’s all there is really….” — Avon
Tough to argue with these; they both are basic elements of my own philosophy. It’s a shame, really, that society in general doesn’t buy into this more. Strong, silent men are in short supply in today’s world, and the twin pillars that hold up our culture, Duty and Honor, have fallen into sporadic use at best. Not enough children are being raised under the moral aegis these concepts provide, and the results are as predictable as they are ugly.
Too many young men and women are reaching the age of reason with no inner strength, no strong morals to guide their way; rather than cloaking themselves in honor and duty, they are approaching life armed only with an imagination whose scope has been severely limited by their moral shortcomings. It can be a tough world out there, and it’s only going to get tougher at time goes on, unless society can find a way to shore up the shaky underpinnings of our culture, before it’s too late to try…..
“Cowardice” and “self-respect” have largely disappeared from public discourse. In their place we are offered “self-esteem” as the bellwether of success and a proxy for dignity. “Self-respect” implies that one recognizes standards, and judges oneself worthy by the degree to which one lives up to them. “Self-esteem” simply means that one feels good about oneself. “Dignity” used to refer to the self-mastery and fortitude with which a person conducted himself in the face of life’s vicissitudes and the boorish behavior of others. Now, judging by campus speech codes, dignity requires that we never encounter a discouraging word and that others be coerced into acting respectfully, evidently on the assumption that we are powerless to prevent our degradation if exposed to the demeaning behavior of others. These are signposts proclaiming the insubstantiality (sic) of our character, proclaiming the hollowness of our souls.” — Jeffrey R. Snyder, Fall 1993 _The Public Interest
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“The very emphasis of the commandment: Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in ours.” — Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Siggy had his moments of clarity amid the nonsense of a lot of his assertions exhibit. This is one of them. Part of what makes a man civilized is to be able to accept this part of his nature, and deal with it in the only honorable fashion; each morning a man must awake and make a conscious decision that, “Today, I will not kill.”, and then abide by it as best he can. Nothing else will work as well, and though it takes no small amount of courage to keep his word, a man of honor will do so, no matter the cost.
I think one of the most disheartening aspects of today’s culture is the lack of honor most people exhibit. When I was brought up, in the 1950’s, it seems like everyone believed in the concept of Honor; it was assumed one could expect others to behave in light of that. As time has passed, I have seen the concept fall further and further out of the public consciousness with each passing year, and selfishness and avarice have assumed the central position in most folk’s attitudes. SIGH……I really do miss it……
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“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” — Bertrand Russell, Autobiography
These are wonderful sentiments, and I can only hope that when I die, I can have put on my headstone some indication that I had fulfilled all three of these passions. The ability to share love, the passion for learning, and compassion for the weak and troubled are the highest expressions of the human spirit, and pursuit of them is an honorable task to take up as one’s Duty.
No man could ever hope for a more fulfilling existence, acting in service to those he loves, which includes all living creatures. One can only wish that this attitude was more prevalent in society at large; we might have avoided some of the troubles we’re having. No sense crying over spilled dairy products though…..you just have to hang on to your hope…..
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From March of 2012, one of my better efforts…..
Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound
Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.
Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.
Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.
Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.
~~ gigoid ~~
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Well. Smart Bee seems to have something up its butt; it gave me the first six pearls for this section, quite nicely, and reasonably quickly…. It then decided to play nasty, refusing to cough up the final entry (not final in order of placement, but, in finally found…) in spite of three re-boots…. But, I killed that little rebellion with a bit of harsh decision making, and a bit of applied guilt, always a fan favorite…. Anyway, here ’tis, such as ’tis…. a good pearl for introspection, I’d say….
“Dreams are real while they last. Can we say more of life?” — Havelock Ellis
“We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.” — Kahlil Gibran
“Don’t need to be born again – Did it right the 1st time.” — gigoid, Wednesday 1969
“To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu
“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha
“Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger and we will make not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free.” — Lennon & McCartney
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Aside from a bit of pique from Smart Bee, this went fairly well…. In fact, it went well enough, I’m going to go with it, as is, trusting to luck, and the gods of grammar, to see me through without too many errors…. Fat chance, of course, but, I’ve always been a bit more optimistic than not…. Besides, now it’s done, and I’m outta here…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….
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
PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.
À bientôt, mon cherí….
gigoid 