Swatches of unconsecrated plaid….

Posted on December 14, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Okay, okay, I’m up, no need to yell……what? Who’s there? Oh, it’s y’all…..well, since I’m up…….I suppose I should get started….
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“The real money is in starting your own religion.” — L. Ron Hubbard

Back in the late 1920’s or 30’s, I’m uncertain which, L. Ron Hubbard and Robert A. Heinlein were both cadets at Annapolis, the Navy’s officer training facility. They were friends, of a sort, and later in life would carry on a semi-friendly competition, to see whose work of science fiction would sell better. Although Heinlein usually won (his style of writing was more palatable to the general reading audience than Hubbard’s), Hubbard also created a large body of work, most of which, though somewhat out there on the fringes of space, were engaging and powerful stories. Though he never achieved the status that his friend did in the SF field, he still has a large following of fans who believe him to be the best, and they have some arguable points.

Dianetics, the so-called religion of Christian Scientists, is based on a book that L. Ron Hubbard wrote. He wrote it, had it published, and then sat back and watched it become far more popular than anything else he had published. The Christian Scientists now have chapters all over the world, with several million devotees who are convinced that it is the road to salvation and eternal peace. It is, to say the least, the best practical joke ever played on the unsuspecting human race, and the longest lasting as well.

You see, Hubbard wrote the book as a joke, He proposed the above statement to Bob Heinlein, and when Heinlein expressed his skepticism, Hubbard made the claim that he could make up his own religion, and people would flock to it. Heinlein dared him to try, and the result was the book, Dianetics. The book succeeded far beyond Hubbard’s expectations, and he was still laughing on the day he died, laughing that none of the folks who bought into it could see the obvious chicanery…..

You see, he left a very obvious clue in the structure of the book, a clue that immediately throws the entire book into the realm of fantasy. Science, by definition, is about measuring the universe, and to measure, one needs mathematics. In the entire book, there is not one mathematical principle, and no other evidence of any scientific method. The entire philosophy was a mental exercise, sheer intellectual masturbation, produced by a creative genius out of the fabric of his own mind, for the single purpose of pulling the wool over people’s eyes. It has succeeded beyond any expectation, and I think it’s hilarious……
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“It’s like brother Nietzsche said–being human is a complicated gig, so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal yes.

Yes! Howl it loud! And leave the guilt at home…..”life tastes better in big bites” (Lazarus Long) Too many folks get caught up in the everyday drudgery that afflicts most of us in this culture, and in doing so, forget to take the time to nourish the spirit. A moment of two of play, laughing with a friend, splurging on that special blouse, just some kind of reward to yourself for putting up with all the demands made on us by everyday life, and not losing control enough to start biting people. (If I haven’t said it before, that’s a tough one for me; when I get worked up, it makes me want to bite somebody bad….) Not doing so is a good thing, and justifies a little pampering and self-indulgence. Life is tough enough, and trying to get through it without letting off some steam now and again is a fool’s game. And you can’t win if you don’t play…..
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Given a conflict, Murphy’s law supersedes Newton’s.

Murphy, that playful, grinning SOB, besides being an a__h__, is unfortunately a manifestation of one of our universe’s general laws, to wit: Entropy. He represents that power of chaos that permeates every molecule in existence, and provides the balance to the general orderliness of reality. His presence at every human interaction, and every human action, for that matter, is ubiquitous, and keeps us from ever getting completely comfortable in our skins, never knowing when the other shoe will drop. It gets to be a real pain after a while, especially when, like with me, Murphy takes a personal interest in our activities, and follows me around just waiting for the right moment to drop a load of manure on my head (figuratively speaking, of course….). He particularly loves it when I sit down to play solitaire, as it seems his greatest delight is to stack the decks so I lose, but only after ten minutes of trying to uncover that last king, or even longer trying to find an ace to play. I think it’s because he knows I don’t like him much, but hey, that’s not gonna change, so I guess both of us will just have to get used to it……and that’s the name of that tune……
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“Humankind cannot stand very much reality.” — T.S. Eliot

This is probably why most humans spend so much of their time foolishly trying to deny reality, or change it into something more like what they want or expect. I think most, if not all, people are unhappy with their lot in life, at least in the respect that they wish to make changes that will enable them to be more comfortable. What they seldom realize is that all their efforts are for naught; reality changes to suit itself, according to the precepts of natural law, and any changes we humans make are ephemeral, temporary at best, and completely useless for the most part. So, these folks have a tendency to ignore or deny reality, and then can never understand why they never seem to get anywhere. They have no notion of where they are going, so that is where they end up, once again disappointed and confused, a state all too familiar to most folks…..Accepting reality, and working within its constraints, is a much surer way to obtain at least some of what we want in life…….and less frustrating for sure…..
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Each time that Americans hold another election, about the only thing they learn is that they did not learn much from the last election.

Politics, necessary evil that it is, has been in the control of the wickedly avaricious for a number of years now. There is no longer any possible way for a normal, middle class person to be elected to any of the higher offices in our government. It takes a minimum of 5 or 10 million dollars just to think about entering the fray, and that is before money gets collected from supporters. That is the ‘ante up’ amount that qualifies one to be allowed to be considered.

So what does this mean for those of us not in the ‘ruling class’? It means that the only power we have left to us is in our vote, and only about a third of Americans can usually work up the interest to bother voting at all. In the election prior to this last one, the Shrub’s second stolen term, the figures worked out to show that he was elected with a mere 15% of the American voters choosing to give him their vote. That means we chose our leader (superficially) by letting about 5-10% of our population determine who will lead the rest of us. Pretty scary, eh?

But it’s not going to change, at least not until more than just myself, and a few like-minded miscreants, want to make a radical change, and take back the power and freedom that we have let slip away. And since I can’t seem to find any of the others who feel this way, I guess I’ll just have to do as I always do…..stay alert, and be ready to jump, because things are going to get pretty nasty our there, when all of the chaos and entropy we have been attempting to ignore rushes in and sends us down the same road as the dinosaurs, and the Dodo bird…..
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Well, gosh, I feel like I just got started, and here I am done. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. The weather out in the Big Blue Room looks pretty cold and blustery; we’re deep into fall now, and winter’s just down the street. It’s a good day for being indoors, and a good day to be thankful for having the wherewithal to be able to stay indoors, out of the inclement weather. There are a lot of our fellow humans out there who don’t have that luxury…….y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Infinitely sad portraits of wounded ballerinas…..

Posted on December 13, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Inspiration has decided it needs a break, I guess; can’t seem to find it anywhere. There are a number of ways I can deal with this lack of anything coherent to write; it’s happened before, and I’ve been compelled to find several workarounds that can fill the gap if needed. I keep them in the big freezer out in the garage, so they are always nice and fresh, once I thaw them out in the Nuclear Oven. And they are quite tasty, too!…..
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I’m surprised there aren’t more solipsists!

I feel pretty stupid right now…..I know what the word ‘solipsism’ means, but when I came across this little gem I must have stared at it in complete bafflement for a full minute. It wasn’t funny, that I could see, because according to the definition, there can only be one solipsist; any others are a figment of their imagination. If we attempt to consider the concept of how figments of my imagination could in turn make me a figment of their own, well, all I can say is don’t try this alone. I almost fell into an infinite deductive loop, and could have been stuck there for millenia. But as I came out of the fog that trying to make sense of this concept had put me in, I started laughing, as it made perfect sense. If you don’t see it, I can’t help you; the humor lies in a part of us that isn’t shared with others. You must see it yourself, or it will never be funny, merely an unsolvable paradox……good hunting!
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“Where principle is involved, be deaf to expediency.” — James Webb

I read this, considered it, and decided that it is excellent advice. But I also see that there are many, many people who will, for whatever reason, give up their principles at the drop of a cliche, if that choice benefits them in the short term. What is even more depressing, though, is that a very large number of people like this are what we call “elected officials”, and every time one of them compromises their principles for the sake of expediency, more money flies out of our pockets and into theirs.

I have come to the (relatively) obvious conclusion, that this lack of principle is so common, that it could be accurately stated that our government operates on no principles whatsoever, other than those that promote avarice, ambition, and indifference to the effect of their actions on others. In short, we have elected an entire army of sociopaths, who love nothing better than laughing while exerting their power over those who elected them, while calmly stealing with both hands from the public treasury. But then, we listen to their lies, and keep electing them……why is that? Are we a nation of masochists? I just don’t get it……

If all the good people were clever;
And all clever people were good,
The world would be nicer than ever
We thought that it possibly could.
— Elizabeth Wordsworth — Good and Clever
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Why are we all put here to suffer and die?

Such a plaintive little lament! Whoever wrote this had lost his way, for sure and for certain, and I hope they find their way back to the more traveled roads soon. See, he (I use ‘he’ merely for the sake of convention; it could just as easily be a ‘she’) is only considering half of the real situation. Yes, we suffer, and we die; we also live, and know joy. This person has lost his touch because he is not considering both sides of how people perceive Reality.

How would he know he is alive, if he had not once been dead? How would he know he suffers, if he has not experienced joy? How do we perceive? In duality, of course. All five of our perceptive senses utilize this duality to accomplish their purpose, which is to make us aware of the world around us. Touch registers hard/soft, cool/hot, dry/wet, etc. We smell according to the absence or presence of molecules in what we breathe in. We hear by discriminating the absence and/or presence of waves of vibrations in the air. We taste by registering the character of molecules of substances enter the mouth; savory/sour, sweet/salty, soft/hard, hot/cold (seem familiar? you’ll learn why just ahead). And we see by noting and interpreting the absence/presence, structure/formlessness of light waves, a form of electromagnetic energy.

Thus we see that all of our perceptive routes are extensions of the sense of touch. Some part of the outside world must encounter one of our receptive orifices in order for us to identify it, and determine our response to the stimulus. It becomes clear that in order for us to know suffering, we must also know how to be joyous. In order for us to live, and live well, we must eventually die. By focusing more on the joyful experiences, and less on the painful, we can know a much more serene way of life……

“Clay is molded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. … Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.” — Lao Tze
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“Now I’ll give YOU something to believe. I’m just one hundred and one, five months and a day.” “I can’t believe THAT!” said Alice. “Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.” Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one CAN’T believe in impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” — Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass”

I’ve heard it said, and happen to agree, that the brain is like a muscle; in order for it to function at peak capacity, it must be regularly exercised in a vigorous manner. If it is not thus maintained, it becomes slow, soft, and actually a danger to its composite self; slow reactions and lack of speed makes for easy roadkill in this day & age. No way a couch potato is going to outrun a Camaro….. more often you end up as mashed potatoes. (BTW, for the former VP under Bush; the rule for this word is actually quite easy to learn and remember. If there is only one, it’s a potato. If there are two or more, they are potatoes. Easy, eh?)

Where was I? Oh, yeah, brain is like muscles….all I really wanted to say on this subject is that what the Queen suggests is a good thing. Believing six impossible things before breakfast could be likened to the creation of this Pearl every morning; it is what I do in lieu of jumping jacks and crunchies. And the coolest part is, I don’t get all sweaty and winded (well, except when I start ranting…..).

My point here is merely this….. Use your mind. It was designed for hard use, and though there are limits; it is pretty much unbreakable when used properly, no mater how hard the subject matter. Not using it is real and present danger, to yourself, and all of those around you. Especially small children, who may inadvertently learn the bad habit of not exercising their minds.

This doesn’t even get into speaking of the very dangerous effect this lack of will and imagination is having on Society; it is precisely this problem that leads folks to deny global warming, to ignore air pollution, even while they are coughing and rubbing their eyes from the smog. It is this attitude that allows the beloved ruling class to manipulate and make fools of the great unwashed masses, who sit and watch their giant-screen satellite TV to see and hear the latest version of what they should be thinking, packaged in bright colors, with shiny ribbons and balloons. Balloons are always good; who wouldn’t believe what they were told by someone who gives them balloons?…….
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After you’ve done a thing the same way for two years look it over carefully. After five years look at it with suspicion and after ten years throw it away and start all over again. — unknown

The two quotes included here were both found to be without attribution, so I don’t know who to thank for them. The conceptual area between the two ideas is a perfect description of the evolutionary history of these Pearls of Virtual Wisdom.

When I first started sending out these emails many moons ago, they consisted of only a few lines of introductory material, followed by a quote from a historical figure, and that was it. After a couple of years, my need to write grew, and with it the Pearls grew as well. They kept growing until sometimes, including two or three paragraphs was standard for the intro, followed by four to six Pearls, with the Pearls often telling a story to punctuate what was discussed (or ranted) in the introductory remarks.

This format is how they existed up to a month or so ago. At that time, having run very nearly out of material already present in my head to put into the intro, I instead began commenting on each Pearl individually. This has been, for me, a wonderful change, and I hope y’all are enjoying it as well. I get a much wider opportunity to explore whatever interests me (which can be just about anything), but have to learn to keep the writing spare enough for a morning read. A lot of folks may not want to take in this much stuff over breakfast, so I’m trying to keep it short enough to meet that criterion. In looking back over today’s work, it seems to have gotten away from me a tad…..SIGH. I just can’t please everybody, which is okay, ‘cuz I wouldn’t want to be thought of as such a wimp. I write it, you read it, and we’ll call it square, eh?…….and please feel free to comment at any time. All emails get answered; sometimes it can take a day or two, but never very long…….

I haven’t a clue as to how my story will end. But that’s all right. When you set out on a journey and night covers the road, you don’t conclude that the road has vanished. And how else could we discover the stars? — unknown
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Otay, that’s it…..a bit over the top this morning, but hey, change is good, right? Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Sublime moments of perfect peace….

Posted on December 12, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I have, in past Pearls, frequently pulled my own covers, and admitted my tendency toward procrastination. I won’t go further down that road today, but I have several items of mail that need to be answered soon, and I’ve put them off long enough. Even we procrastinators must eventually buckle down and do the work; we just like to leave it until the deadline is looming, having come to know that our best work is done when crowded for time. I know it drives other folks nuts, but that is just a bonus; it’s not something I count on when I set out to wait. It’s just how folks who are slaves to the clock tend to react when someone has no investment in the same neurosis. I can’t help it that it bothers them; it’s their problem, not mine. As long as I get the work done in an acceptable fashion (i.e. completed), no one has the right to decide for me when I’m going to do it. So there!…..
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Why lose we life in anxious cares,
To lay in hoards for future years?
Can these, when tortur’d by disease,
Cheer our sick hearts, or purchase ease?
Can these prolong one gasp of breath,
Or calm the troubled hour of death?
— Gay (1688-1732), Fables

This is good advice. One of my favorite authors said it like this, “More people have worried themselves to death than ever died from being shot.” The power of human imagination allows us, to a certain extent, to predict future events, based on our perceptions, and our knowledge of past events. But this power is too strong for some people; the things they imagine happening frighten them, and they react to this fear as if it were real, already an accomplished fact. These people allow their fear to dictate how they respond to the outer world, with all its formidable complexity, often going in to full retreat from reality in order to avoid the situation. They fear not only the events which they believe MIGHT happen, but they also fear their own ability to deal with what they fear. And they are correct in that assumption, for as long as a person allows their fear to dictate what they will or will not do, then they are living in a prison of their own making……and will stay there until they face the final fear we all have to face in the end……
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“Give, expecting nothing thereof” — St. Thomas Aquinas

See, now this is the kind of thing that just sets me off……the sentiment herein defined is, to my way of thinking, the highest form of expression of one’s true humanity. When we are acting with our only motivation one of help and succor to a fellow being, it is acting in perfect harmony with the universe. When we help another, without expectation of reward, we are showing the finest state of being possible in this plane of existence.

If we can assume that this concept is true, THAT is what pisses me off. See, the first thing that comes to my mind in considering whether others think the same or not, is that every religion that mankind has created is based primarily on a concept that is diametrically opposed to the notion that man has the ability to act morally on his own. What do I mean by that? Well, all religions are based on the concept that in order to get to Heaven, or achieve Nirvana, or leave the Cycle of Reincarnation by achieving illumination, then one must give of themselves to the church, and accept the church’s version of reality.

If one examines that principle, what do we see? People are being lured into accepting whatever the church, or monk, or priest says, and following the precepts they provide, all for the sake of being included in the category of the saved. How is that not deceitful? The religious and political pundits would have us expect reward for right action, when the Truth is that our actions are purified by the choice, not by the act itself. When we act in service, we are being human, in the finest sense of the word; when we act in expectation of a reward, we drag our spirit down into the dirt…….which is where those that would have power over others would have us. Whether they are of a political or religious bent, they want us confused, disoriented, and afraid; people in that state are much easier to manipulate…….
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“Don’t try to have the last word. You might get it.” — Lazarus Long

This is more good advice, of which you will find a lot attributed to this character. Lazarus Long, for the uninitiated, is a character in a number of stories written by Robert A. Heinlein, the Grand Master of Science Fiction. The stories were part of a series he created to describe an “alternate future history” of the United States, one he formulated out of his own imagination. The stories cover a period of about 2200 years, from about 1912 onward. Lazarus Long was reputedly born in 1912, and he lived for the entire period of history covered in the books. This made him “The Senior”, the oldest surviving human in the year 4154, or thereabouts.

In that lifetime, he acquired a lot of knowledge, and a number of his aphorisms can be found in a compilation titled “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long”, which is included in its entirety in the book “Time Enough For Love”. The Notebook is filled with excellent advice for achieving a happy, joyful life filled with love, all codified and organized out of Heinlein’s amazing imagination. If you get the time, and the inclination, try to find a copy of the book, and read the Notebooks. It’s well worth the time and effort……

Oh, fear not in a world like this,
And thou shalt know erelong,–
Know how sublime a thing it is
To suffer and be strong.
— Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882) — The Light of Stars
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I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain
There’s more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line.
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine.
— the Indigo Girls, Closer to Fine

I really don’t feel like I need to say much about this. IMHO, it’s a very fine example how brilliantly strong poetry can be melded with excellent music to become even brighter and stronger. Beautiful metaphor, powerful structure, and compelling music make this song something special, and I’m just glad I was alive to hear it…….gotta love the Indigo Girls…..brains, talent, beauty, they’ve got it all……
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“The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), What Is Man? (1906)

Intelligence and imagination are our most powerful tools in the survival game. The bottom line is that having these characteristics gives us a greater number of possible actions for any situation or query; we have more available options for potential behaviors than most of the other creatures with whom we share this planet. So, in essence, when faced with a need, question, or situation, our imagination gives us more choices from which to pick our response. In the above, Mr. Clemens points out our failure to use this ability to its full potential.

The CHOICE is the point; though we have more available choices, we often tend to pick the one that is helpful only to ourselves, and at the cost of someone else’s misfortune. Dogs, cats, etc. are all limited in their choices to what is programmed in their nature; they don’t have the ability to choose their response. The fact that we do, and still choose to pick the least ethical path, is a dark stain upon our nature……which s why I mostly like dogs and cats more than most humans……
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Well, it’s been an interesting morning. Let us hope that the interest remains palatable; too often ‘interesting’ ends up being ‘chaotic’, or even ‘depressive.’ Whatever happens, remember to make the right choices, and be happy that you have choices at all….. Y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Having risen, the Phoenix grabs a taxi…..

Posted on December 11, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
So, I was walking down the street the other day, and I came to a point where the street began to fade away. All around me, fog began to collect, swirling and hazing the air, cloaking the trees, fences, and houses with an insubstantial veil, until they disappeared altogether. The wind had died, and all was silent as the grave. Behind me, I heard a slow, eerie, almost liquid scraping noise, as if a large slug were crawling down the sidewalk. I turned slowly, straining my eyes into the fog, trying to make out what was coming out of the mist. As I gazed, a shape began to take form, materializing before me as if created from the very air. The form slowly took shape, and then firmed, and became clear….. it had happened. Our world would never be the same, for the prophecy had been true. At last, it had come……and forever more the world would know know the grace that flows from the healing hands of the Quirky Demon of Happiness, that underworld superstar known to all and sundry as Phil, the half-brother (same father, different mother) of Alice, patroness and protector of short-order cooks and tarbenders, er, bartenders…….
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The pursuit of power is the quest for the unattainable by the unphilosophical though the tactics of the unspeakable.

“If Jesus came back today, and saw what was going on in his name, he’d never stop throwing up.” — Max Von Sydow’s character in Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters

There are two taglines here, placed next to each other to form a picture in the mind. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but the political scene in this country in the last couple of months has been a delightfully chaotic circus, a veritable fountain of idiotic proclamations, deliberate (and inadvertent) expressions of absolute ignorance, and scary predictions of what would change, should any of the currently frenzied candidates make it to the Presidency. It makes it very easy to come up with stuff to write about, but as it progresses, my sense of sadness, and dismay, grow ever stronger. These people keep saying and doing things that make it perfectly clear that if they were elected, this country would be hastened down the destructive path we’ve been on at an even faster rate of deterioration than is already taking place.

Just recently we’ve been informed that one of the women candidates feels it is just fine & dandy to separate children from their parents, who happen to be illegal immigrants, who have been in this country for 25 years, doing the jobs no American will take, by forcibly sending the parents back to Mexico, or to wherever they came from. Another one wants to get rid of my Social Security retirement benefits, so they can put more money into the pockets of the big drug companies and health management organizations. Another one thinks it is okay to raise the taxes on the poverty level and middle classes, while ensuring a large tax break for the rich. And all of them are spouting bald-faced lies on a daily basis, all documented in the media, and all ignored by the ignorant fools who support these power-hungry sycophants, who will say anything to achieve their ends, because they know that no one will call them on it.

It seems to escape the public in general, but we have created a society where our leaders lie to us continuously. Why? Because there are no consequences for lying. The lies are ignored, or at most commented upon regarding their strategic effects. It pisses me off, big time…..so I’d better go on to the next Pearl, before I start another rant…..easy to do in this atmosphere…..
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“Ignorance is never out of style. It was in fashion yesterday, it is the rage today, and it will set the pace tomorrow.”– Franklin K. Dane

When I first decided to include this little truism, I didn’t realize that the previous Pearl would end up discussing the same subject. It would not be terribly difficult to comment again, as I see this as the single greatest factor in determining whether or not our species is going to survive.

Probably only a few scientists know how grim the situation really is, and they keep putting that message out for public consumption to the best of their abilities. The problem is, it is the ignorant who are already in charge. The leaders of not just our country, but most of the countries in the world, are under the control of people who have no interest whatsoever in confronting the issues of climate change, global warming, air pollution, or destruction of the food chain.

They refuse to place any credence in what they’ve been told, because none of it will help them in meeting their goals of continued domination of the lower classes, and increased wealth for the privileged few. It’s not a pretty picture, but it isn’t going to change until those in society who are NOT ignorant find the courage to confront the powers that be, and force them to change their ways…..I don’t see it happening, unfortunately, but I can always hope, can’t I?……
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“There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.” — Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645)

In other literary works, I have heard this concept expressed in different ways, but the essential message is the same, to wit: Timing is Everything. Knowing when to strike, or when to block, when to move, and when to be still, are essential pieces of knowledge, critical to the smooth operation of any activity. The warrior needs a strong sense of timing, for the correct application of skill at the correct time preserves life, and protects from injury. Timing a block incorrectly can lead to pain, injury, or death. For the business person, knowing when to sell, and when to buy, can determine whether a business thrives or fails. To a chef, it is extremely important to be able to distinguish the correct timing. For example, when pan frying shellfish, it is essential to know when to remove the item from the heat. If it is cooked one second too long, it becomes rubbery, difficult to chew, and devoid of flavor. If removed too soon, the fish are also tough, and have little flavor. The window of opportunity is only open for less than a minute, so one must be alert and focused to achieve the desired result. I guess it’s just one more lesson from Mother Nature about staying awake, and paying attention to what is happening around you…..
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I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you- Nobody- Too?
Then there’s a pair of us?
Don’t tell! they’d advertise-you know!
How dreary-to be- Somebody!
How public-like a Frog-
To tell one’s name-the livelong June-
To an admiring Bog!
— Emily Dickinson

Yesterday, the 10th of December, was Emily Dickinson’s birthday. I wouldn’t have known that offhand, but it was all over the Net. One article I read was by an English professor, who has traveled all over the world to share and discuss her knowledge and insight into this amazing woman. In her travels, she has found that this poem had preceded her to a great many places. The message of the poem, and the insight into human nature, had caught the minds and imagination of anyone who read it. Even when translated, people can understand the power of what she wrote to express her own inner thoughts, feelings, and fears. They seem to identify with the poem very closely, and it becomes clear that this desire for independence, for personal conviction, the need to be Somebody, is universal to the human spirit. She was able to tap into the common thread of experience, and the commonality of the human spirit, and express it so that anyone can understand. Sheer genius, to my way of thinking……Happy Birthday, Emily!…..thanks for being…..
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Women are great! Every man should own one!!!!!

Before you go off, ranting and railing at how sexist I am, let me explain why this is here…..I found it in my tagline data base, and was struck at how incongruous it seemed next to the relatively common sense wisdom of the other entries. I am happy to say that when I saw it, I didn’t smile, even though the structure of the joke makes it hard not to, no matter what entity name is placed into the sentence. But I realized also just how sick it really is; it indicates an attitude, a set of personal rules that are anything but well-considered.

An attitude like this is usually passed on by a parent, or parents, before a man has the ability to reason; it poisons the child’s mindset before they have any defense against it, and they never feel any need to take the belief out and examine it for its relative merit. Hell, most of the folks who would live by this concept don’t think at all; they just operate on auto-pilot, letting all the stupid shit they were taught as a kid dictate how they behave.

Which brings me finally to the point. People who would laugh at this kind of humor are people to be avoided, for the most part; either that or shot. Unfortunately, shooting them creates too much confusion, and can conceivably lead to undesired outcomes. (a better way to say “might end up in a world of shit!”) Besides, shooting them gets added to YOUR Karmic burden, and you could end up in your next life as a frog……one that would not turn into a prince, no matter how many times it got kissed by a princess….
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It’s a good thing I started putting in these lines to separate each discussion; I think if they weren’t there, I would tend to just keep on going, typing away without a care in the world, blithely ignoring the frantic gestures from the rest of the world to try to get me to cease and desist. But since I did, I’ll stop here….. y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

The Infamous Coupe De Ville Siege…..

Posted on December 10, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Whatever possessed me to have me up at this hour is bogus, dudes and dudettes, but I guess we’ll just go with the flow….probably not a good idea to start before I have some coffee, though. I’ll be back….. Okay, I’m back…..let’s dive in….
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“A map of the world without Utopia is not worth glancing at.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900

A lot of people will tell you that there is no such thing as perfection, that it only exists as a concept, but has no physical reality. They will challenge you to point out something that is perfect, and delight in pointing out the flaws of anything you might come up with. But there is an answer that will shut them up, and it’s always available for pointing. Just lift your hand, put a smile on your face, and point right at their heart…..and say to them, “There you are. A perfect example of imperfection…..” Then duck, and run quickly out of weapon range, because the reaction can be somewhat explosive. People who are acting superior don’t much like it when you make them look and feel ridiculous…. but it’s their own fault, for exhibiting their stupidity in public, eh?

There is a Utopia. There is perfection. It exists. If it doesn’t, where did the concept come from? We don’t just make up words for stuff that doesn’t concern us; the words we use have a meaning. The meaning may change over time, but the concept it describes does not cease to exist because the meaning changes a bit to reflect the passage of time. And the word ‘perfect’ has a meaning that is clear in everyone’s mind; I can’t think of anyone over the age of oh, five or six, who couldn’t supply an accurate, or at least adequate, definition of perfection when asked. So if they know what it is, how can it not exist? Don’t worry, it does…..there’s just a lot of folks who don’t like to use their brain long enough to realize that. It won’t hurt them, it just keeps them from growing, and is mildly annoying to the rest of us…….who are busy trying to find our own version of Perfection…..
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“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.” — Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

This is merely a paraphrase of the old saw, “Ignorance is bliss”; it is not an idea original to this gentleman. Of course, I can only assume he is a gentleman, though there are some indications he may not be entitled to lay claim to that label. I’ve always been suspicious of people who spell or pronounce their names oddly, and this guy, or his parents, definitely entered the ‘odd’ category when they stopped writing his first two names before they finished. Now, instead of (phonetically) Jorj Kristofer, we have Gayorg Kreestoff. But then, I suppose the latter does trip off the tongue with a bit more panache, and does fit better with the surname. The whole thing is pretty silly, if you want my opinion (and what else are you here for?).

At any rate, dressing up this statement in fancier words doesn’t add anything to the concept, or make it more palatable, or easy to understand. It is not a tremendously complicated idea, and the simplistic version has more chance of being understood by those whose minds move at a different pace, and swim in shallower waters. Here are a couple other thoughts on this subject; ask yourself if you agree, or feel otherwise. Feel free to write back and let me know. It might be nice to have some dialogue…..and will save some of my monologue for other occasions….

Ignorance is not always Bliss!
(More accurately, ignorance is only blissful for the ignorant themselves; it drives the rest of us batty!)

Ignorance is bliss, but it will NEVER replace sex.
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“Note how good you feel after you have encouraged someone else. No other argument is necessary to suggest that (one should) never miss the opportunity to give encouragement.” — George Adams

This is something that any competent parent of small children can verify, as it is one of the strongest teaching tools we have for helping our young charges to grow up to become independent, competent individuals. The good feeling we get is our own reward for right action; it’s more proof that our nature as humans is best expressed, and is most powerful, when we are serving others.

Of course it feels good; it’s a act that the entire universe silently applauds, because it flows gently along with the universal current, taking nothing away, only adding to the supply of communal harmony. And it is the kind of act that replicates itself; when the one who was encouraged observes someone else struggling, they will give to that person what they received from you. Thus we see that good deeds never actually stop happening; they create ripples, that begin other ripples, that carry the good feelings that are created right along with them, becoming stronger with each repetition. It’s what we philosophers like to call a win-win proposition…..when we are allowed out of our cages to speak, that is…..
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Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Romeo and Juliet — Act ii, Sc. 2

First, let me say that I’m not Willie’s biggest fan. Oh, I give him his props; he is arguably the best author of his, or any other age, as well as one of the most prolific. But, being somewhat lacking in the area of Middle English slang, reading his work takes on a different perspective, and I get bogged down trying to struggle through the admittedly beautiful, but hardly transparent language he used. I have a hard time reading it, as I have to stop frequently to puzzle out his meaning before I can go on with the story. But he was indeed incredibly talented at painting wonderful pictures of his time’s culture, using an incredibly extravagant number of words, strung together with great beauty. And he did it a lot….

I’ve included this couplet from Romeo and Juliet, mostly because it is what I consider to be a ‘perfect’ example of the art of poetry. (see above) Perfect rhyme, perfect cadence, perfect illumination. “Sweet sorrow”. What a wonderful pair of words to have found each other in his play! Everyone alive has felt just that, no explanation necessary. These are words of such power that they still carry the same sense of rightness today, the same emotional content, as they did when they were written. He wrote these lines so well, that the couplet has been preserved through over four hundred years by word of mouth, not by being transcribed to paper; even people who are completely illiterate have heard these lines; even as non-readers, they know who wrote them, and most even know the play it is from. Now THAT is is some powerful poetry……
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“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao

I like this one from Master Deng because of it’s apparent simplicity. I say apparent because there is much more to it than just the surface meaning of the words. But the words themselves form a powerful lesson, one that can affect one’s entire outlook. Maintaining clarity of mind in the midst of chaos or emotional storm is a valuable tool. As expressed above, it allows one to see further, to be open to more possibilities. And when doing so, maintaining self-control becomes another valuable tool, aiding us in avoiding apathy, helping us to refrain from investing emotional energy into our response to whatever situation we encounter.

All things change in time, sorrow becomes joy, joy becomes sorrow; this knowledge gives one the security of not falling into an emotional morass when the world sends trouble our way. And you may rest assured that it will……
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That’ll do, I believe…..another day to play with, one more day to grow…. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Massive portions of pomegranate Jell-O….

Posted on December 9, 2011 by gigoid

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!

Brown Apple Betty for President….

Posted on December 7, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I’m up, but I don’t think I’d like to commit myself beyond that. My brain is mushy this morning, and I don’t really feel up to making it work very hard yet. Too much payday stress yesterday; I really do hate money……..So, instead of commenting on each selection, I will merely gather a group of excellent Pearls, that will stand alone today, and work their magic in their own inimitable style. Remember to keep an open mind; trying to assimilate some of these without one could cause serious injury, and I am not liable for that, should you choose to ignore this precautionary step…….be especially cautious with the quote from Thoreau; the mental images it could create if you are unprepared could sear your eyeballs shut permanently….

Though man a thinking being is defined,
Few use the grand prerogative of mind.
How few think justly of the thinking few!
How many never think, who think they do!
— Jane Taylor (1783-1824)
— Essays in Rhyme, (On Morals and Manners, Prejudice, ) Essay i, Stanza 45

“The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody’s fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind.” — Katherine Mansfield (I can only wish that my mind would assume these dimensions…..)

Calvin: People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.
Hobbes: Isn’t your pants’ zipper supposed to be in the front?
–(Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes”)

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” — Anne Bradstreet

“It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.” — Henry David Thoreau

The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
And in the way our differences combine to create meaning and beauty. — Dr. Miranda Jones and Spock, — “Is There in Truth No Beauty?,” stardate 5630.8

“As a candidate for national elective office the most dangerous thing you can do is say something during the campaign that the people might remember.” — Eugene McCarthy

What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man’s job?
If you do not remember this, You will get lost,
No matter how intelligent you are. It is the great secret.
— Lao Tzu
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I hope you have enjoyed today’s missive; at least you didn’t have to put up with a large portion of my drivel. See, silver linings everywhere!….. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Grilled cracker crumbs with a pilsner….

Posted on December 6, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Fantasy plot lines and silly rhymes; aggravating whistles with serious, delirious moments of clarity at odd times. This is how my mind works when searching for a subject line each morning. It’s a strange little process, (which fits right in), but it seems to work fairly well; there is always a subject line, isn’t there?……
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“I have noticed that nothing I have never said ever did me any harm.” — Calvin Coolidge

This is a correction message…..awhile back, I was discussing a subject nearby, and happened use a paraphrase of this sentiment, and proceeded to attribute it to Harry Truman. I should have checked my memory, because it wasn’t Harry, but one of my other twentieth century favorite Presidents, Calvin C. It does sound like something Harry would have said, though……no comments needed, by the way. This is one of those that doesn’t require it. Just pay attention…..
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“Meet the new boss, just the same as the old boss.” — Pete Townshend

That’s one of the problems with bosses, you know. They tend to resemble one another after awhile; I guess having power over others just isn’t a good thing for people’s souls. Most bosses I’ve had in this category were unjustifiably convinced of their own infallibility, and tended to look upon their job site as their own little kingdom, subject only to their whim. I can’t explain why it happens, but it does; almost everyone who enters into a position of authority becomes dogmatic, and a defender of the status quo, instead of becoming a leader, always alert for change and willing to compromise with rationality. Bosses who know they are working for their underlings, not the other way around, are few and far between…..
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It’s like brother Nietzsche said–being human is a complicated gig, so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal yes.

This sounds like it’s from Ken Kesey, or another of the Merry Pranksters, the iconic group of authors, poets, and musical artists in the early 1960’s who were the forerunners of the Hippie movement that grew out of the Beatnik culture in the fifties. Old hipsters like Shel Silverstein and Alan Ginsberg, Neal Cassidy, Jack Kerouac, Mountain Woman, and a host of transient companions wrote revolutionary music, revolutionary literature, and carried on a lifestyle deliberately crafted to annoy the ‘squares’, all intended to create an atmosphere of change in American society.

The spirit of challenge to authority, the spirit that brought our forefathers to the point of revolution, was revived in America’s youth, and continues today, in such events as the recent Occupy Wall Street protests. It may pull my covers to say so, but I’m glad the spirit of revolution is still alive in this country; we’re going to need all we can get of it in the next few years to bring to bear on the problems created by those in our society who would rather suffer abridgments to their personal liberty, maintaining an oppressive status quo, than take the more challenging, but less safe, path to the future……
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“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

All I can add to this is…..(Big SIGH…) Me too!…….Amen, my brother! The protection this part of the Constitution affords to the individual is, and has been, invaluable in maintaining our personal liberties. This protection is under serious attack just now, as the rich and powerful in society continue to seek to erode those liberties in the name of security from our enemies. Stay alert ffolkes, because those who would have us all live under one set of rules (theirs) have tunnel vision, and cannot see any other possible outcome than the one that feeds into their deliberate ignorance.
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1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. — Instructions for life

I love lists. They add so much order, and humor, to life. I wish I could find the entire list from which this was excerpted; it would be interesting, to say the least. I’ve found several of these Instruction, scattered about the tagline database I have, and they are always like this one; simply wonderful, and oh, so handy to use. Some, like this one, call for going beyond the effort that most folks make in their quest to ‘get by’ in life, but most are just good little snippets of wise advice.

I like two things about this particular Instruction. First, it is first. This idea is the basis for the concept of ‘paying it forward’, the realization that by doing good now, without expectation of reward, good will be with us in the future. Making this a habit has far-reaching effects, not limited to one’s self, but to all with whom they interact. People only reach their full potential as human beings when they are acting in service to others; no one seems to know why this is so, but the countless instances of proof that can be seen all around us every day, and throughout history, completely corroborate the validity of the concept. And it is a powerful antidote to the evil we see each day, as the fearful and the ignorant wage the ageless battle between the dark and the light. It deserves to be put first…..

Secondly, I like the attitude it promotes. Cheerful, friendly service to others doesn’t just make them feel better, but is just as fulfilling for the perpetrator. The more one follows this practice, the more their whole life will improve. Relationships with relatives, friends, and strangers are stronger, and more enduring. Job performance improves, which improves one’s financial and social status, and sense of comfort. There’s just no downside to following this principle; it costs nothing, and the return on investment is astronomical…..
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I’m always a bit surprised these days when I come to the end of another Pearl; it seems like I could keep writing forever. But, got important stuff to take care of today, and I’d best be at it. Y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

A particular quality of light….

Posted on December 5, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I’m feeling a bit curmudgeonly this morning; I’m down to instant coffee until I can get to a store, and having to drink this nasty stuff has me close to biting myself in irritation. Fortunately, one of my friends is coming by, and will be bringing coffee with him. One of the advantages of advanced years is the improvement in forethought skills; we knew he was coming over today, and arranged to have him pick some up on the way. Too bad it doesn’t improve the flavor of this instant crap…….
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Deal with others as thou wouldst thyself be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee hereafter. — _The Mahabharata_, c. 800 B. C. (Sounds suspiciously like the Golden Rule to me)

“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” — Sun Tzu (fl. c. BC 500)

As the same fire assumes different shapes when it consumes objects differing in shape, so does the one Self take the shape of every creature in whom he is present. — Upanishads (c. B.C. 800) (Metaphysical logic, as sound as it gets….)

“Nothing endures but change.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.) (Obviously, Heraclitus was no stranger to Reality….)

All of the above statements were recorded (on paper or other form of tablet; t’was all they had then) prior to the birth of Christ, the seminal date upon which our calendar is based. It is fascinating to me to read these, which were all written about 2500-3000 years ago, and to reflect on how little apparent progress has been made in advancing human thought and behavior. The above remnants of the culture of the time clearly indicates an ability to reason that surpasses, or at minimum, equals the best of today’s philosophers. As an example of just how far we have come, or not come, to be more accurate, here is an example of how one of the most revered leaders in recent history, a man known as the Great Communicator, felt about ecological issues in general…..

“A tree is a tree. How many more do you need to look at?” — Ronald W. Reagan, 1966

Kind of scary, isn’t it?………
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“Do not settle for less than the best your own excellence can command.” — Anne McCaffrey

I identify closely with this; it parallels Axiom #4 of my own philosophy, Peruaosophy, which reads “Excellence is its own reward.” This has been one of the guiding principles of my life, though I do occasionally encounter some resistance from the outside world in trying to achieve it. For some reason, it seems to make other folks feel nervous and threatened, and sometimes even antagonistic. I don’t worry too much over that; I figure its their problem, not mine, and paying too much attention to what other folks think or feel about what I do just encourages them to think its okay, when it is not. Its merely a distraction, and unfortunately, a potentially hazardous one, should my detractors turn from the relative confusion of a simple lack of understanding, to the dangerous rage of ignorant fear and loathing. But one of the more important skills that is learned by the process of seeking excellence is the ability to see a broader perspective, and plan for unexpected dangers during the process of sharing one’s excellence with the world. Forethought is a good thing…..(oooo, deja vu all over again….)
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JABBERWOCKY

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And thou hast slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
— Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass”

No comments here, I just like this a lot; reading it makes me happy…….it can work for you, too, if you like!…….
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Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And without sneering teach the rest to sneer;
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
— Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, Prologue to the Satires, Line 201

For some reason, probably buried somewhere deep in my unconscious mind, when I read this I was struck by a mental image of the last couple of Republican debates, which I must admit have provided us all with a wonderfully comic sideshow, complete with outrageous statements, vicious lying and in-fighting amongst the candidates, curiously obscure positions, and dubious economics. It’s been great, and provides tons of material to write about. But it also gets too easy to forget the seriousness that lurks behind the silly false fronts that they all throw up to keep people from knowing their true agendas; each of those people is serious about their desire to assume the mantle of power in this country, and each of them would be a greater disaster than the others. Take your pick; if any of them come even close to getting into office, I’ll be heading for the farthest place I can find to duck and cover…….any one of them would accelerate the already out of control rush toward extinction, and would create messes that may never be cleaned up…..
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He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life’s pleasures is like a blacksmith’s bellows – he breathes but does not live. — Sanskrit Proverb

I hereby pronounce this to be good. We hear the same message a lot of different ways, so it is good to see a new way of expressing such an essential point, one that fully embraces the meaning of, and behind, the words used. So much so, that it really doesn’t need any embellishment from me, so I will merely say……engage, examine, evaluate, and effect a change in your life. You’ll like it….trust me……
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Well it took a bit of effort, but it all came out well, I think. It’s certainly good enough for a retired dilettante, and I should know….. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Grep that snazzy peripheral!

Posted on December 4, 2011 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Softly, softly the lashes fall
Gently against her fair cheek
Happy dreams come to enthrall
and Morpheus’ chamber to seek.

Now you know why I don’t write poetry. I can make it rhyme, and the cadence isn’t bad. But it just isn’t very good stuff, is it? S’okay, I’m good with it. There are a great many things that I do well, so not being able to compose poetry very well isn’t the end of the world. But I sure wish I could……sigh…..
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“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” — Aristotle

In the past few weeks, I’ve made a few forays into discussing religion, and have probably upset some of my more devout readers. I will apologize if I have offended; however, I do not apologize for my opinions, such as they are. Religions have done a lot of good work throughout history, having always taken the side of the poor, and provided them with succor. But they have, in their own way, impeded the progress of mankind equally as much as they have done good deeds.

My primary argument with most of them is due to the sense of entitlement they give their followers, that sense of being different, and somehow better, than the rest of the universe. All of the Christian sects, and the Muslims, and for that matter, Hindus as well, tell their devotees that they are the “Children of God”, that we are the princes of creation, and have dominion over the rest of this planet’s inhabitants. This sense of entitlement is entirely false, and mankind is never going to grow up and look at the universe as an adult until they can throw that false belief aside, and assume a place alongside other life-forms, instead of over them.

Our intelligence was not given to us for OUR benefit only. I believe that we are to use it to understand more of the universe, and learn how to improve the quality of life for all creatures, not just ourselves. I think, if there is a God, an attitude of benevolence and generosity toward other life forms would be more along the lines of what he would like to see, rather than an attitude of belligerent, prideful entitlement that is completely unjustified…..
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How happy is he born or taught,
That serveth not another’s will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639)
— The Character of a Happy Life

There, now, see the difference? Here are four lines, just like mine above. The rhyme and scansion are the same, but this one is just so much better! The technique completely eludes my grasp of understanding; I feel foolish and humbled yet again, by the power of the poet’s quill…..the message here isn’t too shabby either. Independence, strength, integrity, honesty, all the best qualities of a man are praised here, and in a manner that makes it attractive to hear, to see, and to contemplate. Boy, I’d almost be willing to deal with the Devil to be able to do that; fortunately, I don’t think even he wants my soul. It’s been out in the real world too long, and isn’t very shiny anymore…..
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“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful until it became risky.” — C.S. Lewis _The Screwtape Letters_

Although it seems obvious once defined, this concept is a subtle one, and one that most people will never even stop to consider. Analyzing one’s own actions is an activity that most folks just don’t care to pursue, and analyzing the motivation for those actions is even more foreign to their mindset. Most folks just go through life reacting to whatever happens in their vicinity, using their ingrained belief system to formulate a response that is designed to be beneficial to themselves, without ever taking into consideration any of the considerations or needs that other folks might have, that might have a bearing on their own lives. And so each man trudges on through the halls of reality, oblivious to reason, experiencing a series of stimuli, offering in return actions that are generated completely from a stock of pre-prepared responses to any situation, without ever understanding why they act as they do.

This predominant pattern of behavior among humans is a large part of why things are going to hell in a hurry. People have no idea of why they act as they do, and thus have no real control over it; they have no chance to apply any of the above mentioned virtuous actions, because they do not know that they can. Courage never comes into play, because they are reacting, not acting, and the presence or absence of virtue dooms the action to mere appeasement, rather than productive progress. The saddest part is that 99.9% of the people alive on this planet are in the group of folks who act without thought, and will spin their wheels in the same place for all time……I believe this would be an appropriate epitaph for Mankind: I prefer to stay where I am, thank you……..

“For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality. And the solution has been knowledge, self- discipline, and virtue. But for the contemporary mindset the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of man.” — C.S. Lewis “The Abolition of Man”
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Limericks are art forms complex,
Their topics run chiefly to sex.
They usually have virgins,
And masculine urgin’s,
And other erotic effects.

Punning is to prose as limericks are to poetry. I love them both; does that make me strange? Or merely stranger? I also like Haiku, which is the one form of poetry at which I can claim a small expertise, having created some decent ones in my time (I AM 61 years old, so using the infinite monkeys w/typewriters = Shakespeare assumption, not too surprising). Perhaps Haiku would be in the de-literalized zone between a pun and a limerick; they are capable of great beauty, but lend themselves well to the silly, too.

Some time back, a local radio station announcer challenged his listeners to complete a certain literary query, which was: If you described your whole life in six words, which words would they be? Of course, there were some witty, some profound, and some downright silly answers, but I like the one that I came up with for myself (as did the announcer, as he gave it on air). My life could be described this way….. Looked for love, found it everywhere….. Pretty nifty, eh? I suppose it leaves a lot out, considering the amount of drama I’ve been unfortunate enough to encounter over the course of my years. But it gives the primary thrust, because all I’ve ever wanted was to love, and to be loved; everything else is just what I do to stay busy when I am not so fortunate as to be involved in a committed relationship. My kids, the product of my marriage of 23 years, are my proudest accomplishment; they are both honest, forthright, and caring, compassionate human beings. They have their share of drama as well, but are living their lives well, if not always comfortably. In the final analysis, I am content with my how my life has progressed, and its not over by a long shot, so that’s something, eh?…….
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“I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant.” — H. L. Mencken

I believe the same as Mr. Mencken does, which makes, to my count, about eight of us now. It’s a start. Now all we have to do is get just one of the newest crop of potential world leaders to adopt this as their code of ethics, and their motivation for change. I know, I know, pipe dream, but a nice one, don’t you think?

“It’s easy to tell when a politician is lying. Watch his lips. If they move, he’s lying.” — Charles Lyall

I also know that you’ve heard this one before, and not applied just to politicians. They just happen to be the most egregious examples. I’ve only included it here because it’s the best expression of one my reasons for the ongoing argument I’m trying to provoke with our beloved ruling class. This statement doesn’t require any more proof; it is thoroughly documented in every major news outlet around the world every day.

The media’s coverage of the political arena in the last few days has been truly and amazingly oblivious to its own shortfalls. One series of articles was focused on discussing how much a current presidential candidate had been unchallenged for an obvious lie in an advertisement, editing a sound bite from the President to change its context. The media let the whole issue slide with merely a discussion that it was doing so, without ever going back to make an issue of it with the candidate. It was, and remains, an act of unaccountable cowardice on the part of the media, and I am ever more reluctant to confer on them any trust that what they report is either meaningful or accurate. A self-serving act of lying by omission, and it goes unnoticed by the public at large. 235 years ago, there were men living in this country who would have fought to eradicate any ties with such a society as quickly and as forcefully as they did with the English society of the time……

“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts

Alan has nailed it again. This is what we are now witnessing in our culture today. The religious fundamentalist sector of the Christian milieu is working very hard to force the rest of society to abide by their narrow set of principles, and crying foul at any disagreement. Far too many of the current political crop of wannabes are committed to the concept of ‘Dominion’ (see the Huffington Post from yesterday to see the comments made in that respect by an aide to one of the candidates), which would set the code of white Judeo-Christian values as the standard of law. They are serious, folks, and their ignorance is spreading.

I would advise everyone I know to stay alert to the news, because the day may come in the very near future when it will be time to jump quickly to avoid becoming a slave…….I only wish I were being humorous, but I don’t see much hope of avoiding major catastrophe of some sort in the next decade or two, as the minions of darkness and fear will set themselves against the seekers of the light and knowledge, with liberty as the spoils of the conflict……have a care!
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Well, I can’t think of anything I could write that would depress myself any more, so I’ll stop here, and hope I haven’t driven everyone away with my oppressive subject matter. I didn’t intend to get so deeply into the darkness, but I’m pretty afraid these days. Afraid that the darkness is winning, and I want to do all I can to keep dragging their secrets out into the light of day where they can be opposed more effectively. The powers that be may turn us all into automatons, but I’ll be damned if I will make it easy for them….. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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Tag Archives: Life

Swatches of unconsecrated plaid….

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Having risen, the Phoenix grabs a taxi…..

The Infamous Coupe De Ville Siege…..

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A particular quality of light….

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