Hajime…. and good morning. Today is one of the few days to which I pay any particular attention, as it is the anniversary of my advent upon this planet. Yep, I’m 67 years old today, & happy to be so. Sadly, one of the disadvantages of achieving such a relatively advanced age has assumed prominence in my attention, with a physical issue that is annoying, as it precludes getting any writing done. Suffice it to say, I cannot sit for very long right now, without HAVING to change position to either upright, or supine. In short, sitting is NOT my friend right now, & I have yet to find a comfortable or efficient way to use my computer while standing, or lying down…. SIGH….
I said I’d post today, though, so, post I will. The only difference is, this short bit is all the time I have; I can’t continue, so, I’m going to post as quickly as possible, & go about dealing with the physical issue as best I may. You may ask, how will I do that? Trust me on this; you don’t want to know. In fact, just hang on, because we’re goin’ in hot again….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The hour is striking so close above me,
so clear and sharp,
that all my senses ring with it.
I feel it now: there’s a power in me
to grasp and give shape to my world.
I know that nothing has ever been real
without my beholding it.
All becoming has needed me.
My looking ripens things
and they come toward me, to meet and be met.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke, from “Book of Hours” ~~
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As I said, quick and simple. Here is a compilation I listen to often, as it is good for study, for contemplation, for reading…. It’s pretty versatile in allowing one to do good work, or relax, or whatever suits them…. Enjoy….
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Best of Mozart
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Confidentially Paranoid
Only when the bright sunlight of dreams draws nigh
can the dark glass of reality factor true value..
Destiny’s horses run in fear as time goes dry,
for grappling with fate in such traitorous venue.
In pallid costumes made of graven cast-off tales,
fallen angels and demons show the measure of faith.
No sad transactions should escape these well-marked trails,
no angry relatives cast insults to a sedentary wraith.
Meaning can always hide in literal cold intent,
yet show mere facets of honor to perishable youth.
Sincere contentions leave with sorrowful bent,
while bastardly arguments fill in poorly for the truth.
Gone are moments filled with florid blasts of rhyme
left to molder on the shoulders of unreasonable hope.
Only courage can save these measures of unspoken time
to gather new issues, powerfully broad, painful in scope.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/25/2015
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Naked Pearls
Remember….
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“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, –that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
~~ John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
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“There are no accidents whatsoever in the universe.”
~~ Baba Ram Dass ~~
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“Run, romp and play daily.”
~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~
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“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary,
you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.”
~~ Lin-Chi ~~
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“Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future.
What might have been and what is all point to the same end,
that which is always present.”
~~ T.S. Eliot, “Burnt Norton” ~~
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“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.”
~~ Louis L’Amour, “Ride the Dark Trail” ~~
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“And those who were seen dancing
were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
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I can tell I’ve been sitting too long already, so, that, and this, is all you get, ffolkes. I’ll be back as soon as I can, & hopefully, I’ll still have a reader or two left…. Be well, & happy as you may be….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Two bridges, one strait….(the Carquinez, if you must know…)
Hajime…. In my defense, there are reasons for being so late, as well as for my recent inconsistency in posting. Since going into detail would be both indulgent, and pandering, I’ll skip all that, & just go with ‘there are reasons’…. So be it. All the proper elements of a complete Pearl are in place; it’s all fresh, though not particularly so, since all but the final section includes previously used sources of material. The final, old-school pearl is a good one, though, with some rather telling metaphoric sarcasm shaping the conclusion to be inferred. I like it, and so will you….
Not only am I late in posting today, I’m in a rather strange mood, even for me. It feels as if anything I write could turn on me, should I, even for an instant, lose track of my balance, which, though solidly embedded, nonetheless seems delicate. To head off any outbursts of sanity before they occur, we’ll cut this intro short, so as to maintain the illusion we’ve worked so hard to establish, that of a mind in control of itself, if only for this moment in time. In that vein, I appeal to your sense of compassion, or empathy, whichever works best, to allow some leeway before judging us too harshly. If, for some reason, your own sense of balance is shaky, well, try harder…. I’ve done, as is my wont, all I can do, & that, as you know, is all one can do.
Shall we Pearl?….
“To lead the people, walk behind them.”
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~
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French composer Camille Saint-Saens
In the relatively recent past, I’ve experienced a number of times when my anger… no, my rage… has gotten the better of me, thanks to a combination of physical issues aggravating PTSD symptoms, so generously provided by my broken mind, as a result of past choices in work. Without going into superfluous detail, let’s just say, the music of this man, Camille Saint-Saëns, has helped me to find my way back to some balance more than any other music, save perhaps Bonnie’s, or Eric’s (if I have to include surnames, y’all haven’t been paying attention sufficiently….). In any case, it always hits the right notes, so, please, enjoy….
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Camille Saint-Saëns Symphonies
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Early Observations
Until I knew there was more,
I wanted to know God.
They said he was a nice guy,
and would let me live forever.
All I had to do, they said,
was live my life for Him,
always living by scripture
cleaving only to his Way.
But, everyone I saw in church,
acted different at home.
Living wild, cussin’ and fussin’,
nobody lived like they said.
Still, I tried to be like Jesus,
he was sort of cool.
He never hurt nobody
and walked on the right path.
‘Course they killed him for that,
they couldn’t stand his example.
Turned him into a martyr,
hid his real words among their own.
Then I found the Buddha,
and met Lao Tzu at the gate.
They saw things real different,
showed me how to see straight.
Right thought, and right action
replace blind obedience and faith.
Reality becomes manageable,
fear retreats, the universe expands.
Brother John said it pretty well,
“Imagine there’s no heaven,
it’s easy if you try.”
Sounds like he knew why.
Day to day, life is grand,
we walk in eternal beauty.
Open your eyes and hearts,
find yourself already immortal.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/12/2013
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Naked Pearls
A metaphoric précis of Human History….
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“Yes, many primitive people still believe this myth…
But in today’s technical vastness of the future,
we can guess that surely things were much different.”
~~ The Firesign Theater ~~
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“One never realizes
how much and how little he knows
until he starts talking.”
~~ Louis L’Amour ~~
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“Ancient custom has the force of law.”
~~ Wise Bee ~~
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“When the need arises — and it does —
you must be able to shoot your own dog.
Don’t farm it out —
that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse.”
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
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“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
~~ Anais Nin ~~
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“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.”
~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~
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“Ward, I’m worried about the Beaver.”
~~ June Cleaver ~~
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I’ve checked to make sure, & all the parts are where they’re supposed to be; on a morning such as this, that’s more than merely satisfying, moving right past that into edifying, as well as encouraging. I’ll take it, and run. See y’all next time, whenever that may be; it’s too iffy today to make a prediction. I’ll shoot for tomorrow, & with a bit of luck & perseverance, we’ll see y’all then. Be well, be alert, be strange, and…. well, you know the rest…. Don’t worry; if you don’t, reality will provide you with clues…. so, pay attention!….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion;
it is easy in solitude to live after our own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Mount Tamalpais from the northern SF Bay….
Hajime…. My journey into the depths of the machine yesterday turned into the expected nightmare, in which it seemed reality was determined to furnish me with numerous assaults upon my sensibilities, testing my resolve, as well as my control, both of which proved to be sufficient, if only just, to prevent leaving any corpses behind me as I wended my way across the desolate landscape, in a desperate search to find one redeemable instant of time. No luck there; this travesty of our former democratic republic’s process of finding justice is as broken as the rest of our society; I witnessed nothing to indicate that “justice” was the goal of any of it.
Added to the apparent lack of intelligent purpose in which they insist on pursuing, my physical issues decided to chime in, making it essentially impossible for me to participate with any degree of comfort, much less any ability to maintain my cool; fortunately, a compassionate drone used some bureaucratic expertise to excuse me for the day, which is the good news. The bad news is, it was merely postponed to a later date, so, I must contemplate having to do this again in a month, unless I can talk my doctor into writing a letter to get me out of it…. SIGH… I suppose, given the potentially disastrous outcomes that were both possible, and, showing strong odds of occurring, the way it came out is more good news. The bad part is having to deal with it again later…. Life in Dystopia, I guess…
I was so morose by the time I finished dealing with all that, I decided to blow off the rest of the day, then went out & treated myself to a good meal at a good restaurant, complete with cocktails & wine…. It helped, but, has complicated this morning’s agenda with the resultant hangover…. Go figure, eh? Ah well, ’twas well worth it….
All the above, though it wanders about in much confusion, was pointing to this instant in time, where I inform y’all of having to rather ruthlessly trim today’s (semi-) complete Pearl, into the abbreviated version you will find below. In fact, all you’ll see today are the pearls I collected for the old school section, and the two most excellent examples you found atop and at bottom of this section…. In fact, the closing pearl for this intro makes a rather accurate assessment of my day yesterday, so, at least we have that to hold onto as something positive to note… It ain’t much, but, it don’t take much to make me happy…. In my current state, I’ll take it….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens.”
[Against stupidity the very gods contend in vain.]
~~ Friedrich Schiller, “The Maid of Orleans”, Act iii, Sc. 6 ~~
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Naked Pearls
“As it is written….”
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“A single event can awaken within us
a stranger totally unknown to us.
To live is to be slowly born.”
~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~
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“And can you teach me to how to dance real slow?”
~~ Don McLean, “American Pie” ~~
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“The world is what it is, no less and no more,
and therein lies its entire and sufficient meaning.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
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“Change can be exhilarating, joyous, liberating.
But it can also be terrifying,
because, in a deeper sense,
you are questioning your very identity and sense of value.
But take the risk.
It’s worth it.”
~~ Dee Hock ~~
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“Do not seek death; death will find you.
But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment.”
~~ Dag Hammarskjold ~~
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“If I don’t meet you no more in this world
Then I’ll see you in the next one.
Don’t be late”
~~ Jimi Hendrix ~~
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“There will come a time when you think everything is finished.
That will be the beginning.”
~~ Louis L’Amour ~~~
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Considering the multitudinous handicaps with which I saddled myself today, I’m pretty stoked at just getting this done, which it is. Done, I mean. In fact, it’s so done, I’m outta here, so I can pull it together enough to, maybe, get another one done for tomorrow. Odds on that are running about even, so, we’ll see how it goes. I hope y’all had, and have, a better day than described above… I guess that wouldn’t take much, would it? Okay, so, I also hope you have a day you can enjoy…. Me, I’m goin’ back to bed awhile…. then, we’ll see what reality has to offer up for today…. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. One would think, by this age, I’d know better. I had planned to…. well, it doesn’t matter, now, because the plan is defunct. Rather than bemoan the loss, I choose to ignore it altogether, & just get on with it. We’ll do this instead…. Yesterday was a wash; we had our first day of heat this year, & though it only got up a bit above 90º F, it was enough to drain all energy, & keep me prostrate in front of my little, life-saving fan. I didn’t surf, I didn’t FB, I didn’t do, at all. I breathed, & endured, emulating my cat, who spent the day supine in the coolest spots in the house. Desert creatures like us know that in such weather, the key to surviving is to move as little as possible…. so, that’s what we did.
This, sadly, didn’t help get this Pearl done for today; I was compelled to slam it together this morning, in fashion best described as ‘willy-nilly’. Not that this is anything out of the ordinary, or particularly surprising, but, I figure honesty is always the best policy, so, I’m just telling y’all the facts, so you won’t expect any surprises (Ha!….), or, for that matter, anything at all. What you see, today, is what you get. Moreover, all the evidence I can find of late tells me the ruthless methods I’ve been using here in the intro have nothing but a positive effect on the overall product, so, we’re going to use just a bit more of it, simply because we can…. Oops, there’s that damn royal ‘we’ again…. Shit.
Oh, well, too late now. In order to fulfill my prediction, I have to do this, which, may seem a bit harshly premature, but, nonetheless, is what we have today, so, deal with it. At this point, you may ask, “what the hell is he talking about now?” Well, let me tell ya….
Shall we Pearl?
“What you see is from outside yourself,
and may come, or not, but is beyond your control.
But your fear is yours, and yours alone,
like your voice, or your fingers, or your memory,
and therefore yours to control.
If you feel powerless over your fear,
you have not yet admitted that it is yours,
to do with as you will.”
~~ Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Stormqueen” ~~
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I’d planned to put a collection of classical music here today, but, came across this iconic piece from Antonio Vivaldi, The Red Priest, as I searched. It’s one of my favorites, as well as one of the best-known, finest pieces of music ever written, by acclamation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, every time I hear it…..
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The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi
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Measures of Intent
Hell is never far away; it slips in, then out,
like a ninja, bent on stealth and death.
Living metamorphoses, in the space of a breath,
sordid entropy fills us, within, and without.
Tide turns again; back and forth it tumbles,
like those little wind up toys, yet never stays.
All our efforts, all our silly little ways,
disappear like seaweed, as sanity crumbles.
The duality of reality in which we are firmly caught,
seems to inhabit every part of our natural selves.
Nothing is ever still, nor can it be placed on shelves;
we are dark, and light; balance must be taught.
Life is lived only one moment at a time,
past and future have no power to alter this at all.
We can choose to fly, or choose to fall;
finding truth, and beauty, can never be a crime.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/14/2015
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Naked Pearls
Subtle esoterica…
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“Sight is a faculty; seeing is an art.”
~~ George Perkins Marsh ~~
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“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.”
~~ Louis L’Amour, “Ride the Dark Trail” ~~
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“Even a single hair casts its shadow.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 228 ~~
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“I’m not a teacher
only a fellow traveller of whom you asked the way.
I pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as of you.”
~~ George Bernard Shaw, “Getting Married,” 1908~~
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“It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out,
it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“Truth is. Belief is not required.”
~~ Gerry Roston ~~
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“How he lies in his rights of a man!
Death has done all death can.
And absorbed in the new life he leads,
He recks not, he heeds
Nor his wrong nor my vengeance; both strike
On his senses alike,
And are lost in the solemn and strange
Surprise of the change.”
~~ Robert Browning, “After” ~~
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Gosh…. it’s done. How did that happen? Ah, I see. Okay, so be it. I am not sure just how this came to be, but, you know what they say about them silly gift horses, & all….. I’ll try again, & do better; I promise. Well, I promise to make the effort, hopefully tomorrow. But, if not, well, so be that. Until I do see y’all again, be well, be happy, & stay fucking alert, cuz you need to these days…. Ta, then….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“There will come a time when you think everything is finished.
That will be the beginning.”
~~ Louis L’Amour ~~
La Montaña del Diablo….
Hajime…. Some folks, (as opposed to ffolkes….), might see this blog, & think the creation of what they see isn’t particularly difficult to come up with each day. They are, as you might imagine, living in a dream world, of their own making; it certainly has no relation to the reality I face every morning, when I sit down, coffee at hand, but, without anything resembling coherent thought, or for that matter, a reasonable degree of sanity, making its presence known anywhere inside my head. Generally, what is happening there has a stronger likeness to chaotic confusion. The ffolkes who consistently patronize the Daily Mess we call Pearls of Virtual Wisdom are quite aware of this, having witnessed it any number of times. They know better, having explored Reality with us numerous times, and know just how slippery is that slope at this time of day.
However, to demonstrate any awareness of the type of reader who may stumble upon our efforts is tacky, not to mention fraught with ambiguity so great, it sweats bullets. It also tends to cause a ripple in the narrative we so carefully construct; it’s hard to merge the concept of insane prattle with the sort of prose the reading public expects. Plus, it doesn’t do to allow any awareness of such distinctions into the thought process needed to create worthwhile literature; they can affect the outcome outrageously, turning it away from snarky wit to pedantic whining. Go figure….
Thus, we’ll take another path, one I’ve discovered works quite well to distract both the regular readers who drop in, and those who may be less familiar with the relative lack of structure so prevalent in our daily ramblings. It’s not particularly complex; hell, it’s damn simple, if you’re watching closely. It is also, however, quite tricky to pull off, as the timing is critical. So critical, there are times it sneaks up on ME, like today, when all I have left to do is this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Fear teaches us in the most graphic terms just what it is we value.”
~~ Limon ~~
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Go figure, eh? As I did not relate above, distracting myself with literary tricks, I am late getting started, which always tends to put me in a place I don’t particularly enjoy, where guilt jostles the elbow of panic, all because of my damned sense of duty to self. Music such as this will usually sort me out, so, that’s why it is my default choice. I’m old, I’m grumpy, and I don’t like having to deal with either of those states. Let’s see if the choice today will fill the bill…. I’ll go with the man considered both the father of modern classical guitar, and, by many, the best to ever play it…. Andres Segovia….
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Classical Guitar Music Dedication ~ Andrès Segovia
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Savory
Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.
Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.
Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.
Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.
Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only when we lose our fear.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/9/2013
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Naked Pearls
Points to ponder….
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“He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxom foe he sought
Till rested he by the tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought”
~~ “Jabberwocky”, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) ~~
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“Patience, and shuffle the cards.”
~~ Miguel de Cervantes ~~
~~ Don Quixote, Part ii, Book iii, Chap. xxiii ~~
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“Without fear there would be no courage.”
~~ Robert Puller ~~
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“Man is not the creature of circumstances.
Circumstances are the creatures of men.”
~~ Benjamin Disraeli (Earl Beaconsfield)~~
~~ Vivian Grey, Book vi, Chap. vii ~~
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“It is only when we forget all our learning that we being to know.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
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“It is the ability to choose which makes us human.”
~~ Madeleine L’Engle (Walking on Water) ~~
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“So what else is new?”
~~ Walter Cronkite ~~
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I’ve done it, haven’t I? I’ve finished another Pearl, just in time to keep myself from falling into the abyss, which abides, ever near, calling me in a siren’s voice, to join the demons who wait for me there…. But, that’s a story for another day; today, I’m free, to find my inner balance out in the real world, away from the darkness which dogs my existence when I stay too long in my mind. Clearly, I will be back tomorrow; I have a feeling I’ll need to do this again, to keep the demons chained…. It’s not a threat; it’s just the way it is…. See y’all then, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“What men really want is not knowledge but certainty.”
~~ Bertrand Russell ~~
gigoid leaving his mark in Beijing, 2004….
Hajime…. To answer any untoward remarks before they occur, yes, my hair was short. In fact, this picture shows how I looked about a week after the very last haircut I got; I haven’t cut it since. The picture was taken during a short trip to China, where I tried, without notable success, to secure a job teaching English in their schools for a year, under contract. However, I mis-prepared, and was unable to secure a position before my savings got too small to stay….
I did spend 10 days in the capitol of China, where I met, and made some great friends, a couple of whom still communicate occasionally. This photo was taken by one of the other teachers seeking jobs, with whom I stayed, in a bar in some random alley, called hutongs, in which much of the street and night life takes place. This particular hutong was lined with about 20 or 30 bars, all with different themes of music and/or decor, to attract tourists and their Chinese fans, all of whom want to practice their English. There is a rather extensive community of expatriates and traveling young people who also tend to gather there, to mingle and find someone with whom to speak their own language
A bit of history is always good, right? So we are told, anyway. Good morrow, ffolkes. I am up, tired and late, again, but, have a Pearl to post, so, all will eventually be well. Well, it will be, if Leelu and I can come to terms today. She’s being a bit rude this morning; can’t say why. She’ll get over it, as will I, if I can get this done. To help with that, I’ll use the old red-tape scissors on the intro, & get us on our way without any further BS, or nonsense, or, well, anything at all…. It’s actually pretty easy, and works like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and
from others to take an example for himself.”
Today I felt like hearing a ‘voice’. This lady’s voice is, quite simply, the best of my generation….. This is her 75th birthday celebration, which, naturally, she celebrated on stage, in New York. Enjoy, ffolkes; she’s the best…..
I’m still recovering from my trip, thanks to my advanced years, all of which seem to continually catch me unawares…. Here is a discussion from the archives, to sublimate today’s angst….. Enjoy!….
From 1/27/2013:
“Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way.” — Native American Proverb (Blackfoot)
Right! What a wonderful pearl! Not only is it short and sweet, it’s just packed with insight and implied wisdom…. In my mind, when I read it, I get a vision of a fireworks fountain, spewing light and beauty into the air, in blazing, colorful sparks…. A bit fanciful, but that’s the impression I got upon seeing it the first time…. You see, I’ve been thinking a lot of late, about Death vs. Life, due most likely to the fact that my own time to face that specter is approaching, seemingly ever more rapidly, as it tends to do later in our lives. When we look back over the time we’ve had on this Earth, the time left seems so short….
But, it isn’t really any shorter, nor, I’ve come to believe, is there anything to fear from Death’s approach. We all get to live just one day at a time…. Nay, not even so much…. we live one moment at a time, and we can’t make it go faster, or slow it down. So, worrying about what might happen in the future is a waste of the moment, and not worth the effort of doing so. In addition, I’ve come to the conclusion that what happens after Death comes for us isn’t anything to fret over, either, because, logically, death is merely a transition phase, from one level of perception to another, with the other being a reality for which we do not possess the ability to perceive, lacking some organ, or some mental awareness that is needed to do so…..
There is no evidence at all that consciousness, as we understand it, persists on this level of reality after the body has died. On the other hand, there is also no evidence at all that it does not continue to exist, on some other level that we are not aware of; add to this the simple fact that in our universe, according to physical laws, energy, in ALL of its forms, cannot be destroyed, only changed in form. The Law of the Conservation of Energy has been proven many times, and is not a matter for dispute. When one considers consciousness, i.e., the MIND, as a form of energy, it makes perfect sense to assume that it changes forms when we die, but is not destroyed. It is the only logical answer, as far as I can see….
The wise women and men of the Blackfoot tribe apparently were aware of this, as well as being aware that the universe exists as a duality, with each characteristic of reality having its opposite complement, that defines and proves its very existence. We see the world in these opposites, so it is very easy to be fooled into thinking that what we see is the true nature of that reality…. but, it isn’t, because those two opposites are all part of the same grand scheme of things, and cannot be separated, not in reality…. only in our minds, where we separate them in order to comprehend them….
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” — Murphy, courtesy of Smart Bee
Why does he do that? Why wait until I’ve spouted off for almost a thousand words before dropping these little bombs? Ah well, fuck him, and his bloody white horse! Everything I said above is the absolute truth, in my mind, so Murphy can just go f__k himself. Even though this aphorism is also true as the day is long, I don’t think I’ve gone so far astray that it applies… so, in spite of the Irish asshole, we’ll push on….
I have yet to discern any reason that can logically, or even speculatively, answer the question of why we don’t remember any of the time we’ve spent dead, or whatever it’s called when we’re busy not living on this plane of existence. You know, before you were born? And after we die? All of that is a long time, and since it is logical to assume the energy that makes up our consciousness is still in existence when we aren’t alive, in the classic sense, then it is also logical to assume that our minds are busy doing….. something else.
What that may be, well, your guess is as good as mine…. But, some folks’ guesses aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on…. I doubt seriously that the typical version of Heaven is a likely scenario, nor is Hell…. I regard those as just the unscrupulous concepts created by the BRC and/or priestly hierarchies to try to control the populace, not having any basis, or evidence to support them, in reality. In fact, there is ample evidence that shows otherwise, if one is open to perceiving it….. I figure what Robert Heinlein said once is the best way to look at it, “There’s no evidence that says we live after death; there is also no evidence saying we don’t. Soon enough, you will know, so why worry about it now?” (That may be slightly paraphrased, but the idea is precisely accurate….)
Ah well, this subject, due to its nature, is one that we, or I, could ramble on about all day, and, from the looks of things, almost have done so. Life and Death are popular subjects, understandably enough, and since we all are experts, there’s no lack of stuff to read about it; everybody’s talking, as Glenn Campbell said. But, since we have the rest of this Pearl to finish, I guess I’ll let this go for now….. Just keep in mind, ffolkes, Death isn’t anything to fear, because, if nothing else, Life itself is proof of our continued existence after it is gone…. Think about it….
“The adventure is over. Everything gets over, and nothing is ever enough. Except the part you carry with you.” — E. L. Konigsburg
“One never realizes how much and how little he knows until he starts talking.” — Louis L’Amour
********************************
Confidentially Paranoid
Only when the bright sunlight of dreams draws nigh
can the dark glass of reality factor true value..
Destiny’s horses run in fear as time goes dry,
for grappling with fate in such traitorous venue.
In pallid costumes made of graven cast-off tales,
fallen angels and demons show the measure of faith.
No sad transactions should escape these well-marked trails,
no angry relatives cast insults to a sedentary wraith.
Meaning can always hide in literal cold intent,
yet show mere facets of honor to perishable youth.
Sincere contentions leave with sorrowful bent,
while bastardly arguments fill in poorly for the truth.
Gone are moments filled with florid blasts of rhyme
left to moulder on the shoulders of unreasonable hope.
Only courage can save these measures of unspoken time
to gather new issues, powerfully broad, painful in scope.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/25/2015
********************************
Our final pearl today requires a bit of explanation. Well, more of an apology, really, but, we’ll go with the former, for dignity’s sake. These pearls all picked themselves; I had nothing to do with the choices. I found myself in an old, familiar state, wherein I cruise through the database, and let my hand on the mouse have free rein, connected only to my unconscious mind. The results are generally fairly subtle, but, this one reaches for new heights of obscurity. That’s fine with me; that always makes it a challenge to figure out the final conclusion, especially given the simple fact there isn’t always one to figure out. Sometimes, the mountain is just a mountain…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this one’s quite a ride….
Serendipity is where you find it….
*********
“The cold wind that blows before and after time.”
~~ T.S. Eliot ~~
*********
“If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd,
take a look back every now and then
to make sure it’s still there.”
~~ The Cowboy’s Guide to Life ~~
*********
The head thinks,
the hands labor, but it’s
the heart that laughs.
~~ Liz Curtis Higgs ~~
*********
I postpone death
by living,
by suffering,
by error,
by risking,
by giving,
by losing.
~~ Anais Nin ~~
*********
“It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another;
it is one damn thing over and over.”
~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay ~~
*********
“Dharma: What is the greatest mystery of all?
Yudishthira: That each day, death walks the earth,
and we continue to live as though we were immortal.”
~~ The Bhagvad Gita ~~
*********
“Forward goes the vanguard of the lunatic fringe,
tickling the death clowns of normality.”
I did it. I wasn’t entirely confident it would get done, but, after a short conversation with a friend in Europe, and some minor scuffles with Leelu, it’s finished, at least to the point I’m done with trying to get it to look any better. Once again, we’ll trust the process, and go post what we have. I will try again, as is my wont. Moreover, I’ll do that, and be back tomorrow; habits die hard. See y’all in the morning, ffolkes; I seem to have little choice in the matter….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Who well lives, long lives; for this age of ours
Should not be numbered by years, daies, and hours.”
~~ Du Bartas (1544-1590) ~~
~~ Divine Weekes and Workes, Second Week, Fourth Day, Book ii ~~
Gorse overlooking Glasgow/Greenock Bay, Scotland
Hajime…. Full of jitters, but, game, he sits to write once more, bereft of all peace, mired in darkness and pain. Little does it matter, yet, the demons gnawing at his vital organs allow no rest, no break from the anxiety, diffuse and intangible. The hours of the night just passed, sleeping, only to awaken confused, and afraid, to escape the amorphous dreams, veiled by the dense fog of fear, unnamed, join hands with the day, promising endless, pointless forays into anger, or pain. Thus begins another day, insane….
Good morrow, ffolkes…. I feel better now, having purged, to a small degree, some of the crap I’m fighting to get the hell out of my head. The PTSD which continues to occasionally grace my life with its unwelcome presence, is rather insidious at times, slowly building, without giving advance notice, until it strikes, with full force, usually by filling me with a strong, diffuse anxiety, which, though I know it to be false, is nonetheless disconcerting to experience….
This is generally followed by a period of flashbacks, to some of the more violent incidents in which I was involved over an 11+ year period in my twenties and thirties, culminating in a full-blown rage, the result of the final memory to be brought up, wherein I stepped over the body of a friend to control the asshole who killed him. The rage is from knowing I acted professionally, and did not give in to the desire to throttle the man myself, more’s the pity. If I had, I might be in jail, but, I wouldn’t feel so bad about it…. maybe.
I’m relating all this because it might help to explain my recent absences, and, give y’all notice there may be more to come; I seem to be winning the battle to regain my balance, but, it’s taking longer than usual…. While this is going on, the Pearls tend to suffer; thankfully, I’ve done so many of them, there’s plenty of stuff to recycle, most of which is decent enough to fly by my standards…. But, it also means I don’t get out & interact as much as I prefer, or, as much as I think is deserved. So, please bear with me; it won’t be long, and I’ll be as full of blarney and chutzpah as ever, and things will get back to, well, not normal, cuz we don’t go there, but, more predictable, anyway….
All that said, to our usual little purpose, other than sheer honesty, we’ll get on with the rest of today’s mess, without further blather. In fact, I’ve got a new trick. Watch this…..
Shall we Pearl?….
“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.”
Today, I feel like listening to a great voice, to provide a beacon for me to follow, back to sanity….. This woman’s voice has always had the quality of a siren’s call, for me, so, it will do nicely….. It’s sad she can no longer sing, due to Parkinson’s Disease; fortunately, she has a large body of work as a legacy….. Enjoy, ffolkes; Linda is/was an iconic figure in my youth, and remains a favorite….
“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”
~~ The Beatles ~~
Although the lads from Liverpool provided me with a perfect opening for a rant, I just don’t have it in me today. While searching for an appropriate filler, I came across the following, which is the intro section from a Pearl I posted in early 2014. I copied it, then shut the program, before remembering to find out exactly which day it came from, but, it’s pretty general, anyway, so, it really doesn’t matter. Here then is the intro of which I speak, which is more of a rant, anyway….. I’ve followed it with one excellent pearl which seems to fit, right after Zippy’s comment…. Enjoy!
From the archives in 2014:
Finding just the right words for an opening statement, after repeated attempts to do just that, for what is now getting close to 3 years, can frequently become, not merely a conundrum, but a chronic pain in the ass, at least until Reality steps in to lend a hand…. which it did today….
Just as I sat down to begin, I noted a light playing on the wall of the house across the street, a spot-light moving along, until it found and highlighted a tall, hooded figure skulking on the porch…. The light, which was coming from a police squad car at the corner, pinned the hooded figure, and apparently issued instructions I couldn’t hear, as the figure froze, put up its hands, and walked slowly out to the street, where two police officers met him, frisked, him, handcuffed him, and took him away in their car….
The entire scenario took about one and a half minutes to take place, start to finish, though, afterward, they sat in the car for quite a while, probably running the Unsub for priors, and starting the paperwork for whatever charges they were arresting him, obviously to include trespassing…. It wasn’t overly dramatic, or a particularly gripping scene, but, it isn’t every morning I get to witness crime being fought, and defeated, right here on my street…. It almost makes me feel safe….. Well, that would probably be stretching the truth farther than is good for it, so, I’ll take it back, and just say it was interesting to watch….
At least it didn’t turn into another Rodney King episode…. I’m not sure I can figure out yet how to work the video capture on my new smart phone, so, that’s probably a good thing, as I didn’t have the expertise to be able to film it, whereupon it would have become another in a long series of acts of egregious violence from police upon relatively undeserving victims that DIDN’T slide through the public’s awareness…. Oh yes, it happens…. In fact, NOT hearing about bad things happens, I would wager, far many more times than ever get reported, or captured on film, or digitally, on somebody’s phone, in the modern world….. It has always been so, it’s just not something people like to talk about, or admit…
That, by the way, is something I’ve never understood…. the reluctance of many people to report unethical actions by public servants like police, or firemen…. It’s as if people accept the sense of entitlement that often goes with such service, and automatically, and unquestioningly, give the privileges and perks that so many officers take as their due, without any real justification, other than their own power of authority…. which, in my mind, should produce the exact opposite effect…. It should make the person who holds any such position humble, and grateful, not make them feel powerful, and special, and deserving of all honor, merely for holding a certain kind of job….
However, if I start going into all that, I’ll get all worked up, as I already am, and begin to rant….. Since we’re just getting to the end of the intro, it wouldn’t be appropriate to start one now, so I’ll let that go, for discussion at another time…. or not, who cares? There’s always a new example to pick from, with the police…. The institution, as it exists now in our society, attracts the very worst sort of asshole to its ranks, men, and women, who are only there because it gives them the wherewithal, and the excuse, to be bullies, to assert their authority over others at every opportunity…. THAT type of personality is drawn irresistibly to police work, as it offers them the perfect outlet for their aggressive natures….
Ah well, I guess it’s only natural, but, that doesn’t make it right, or acceptable, in my book…. It does, however, make it enough material written to form the nucleus of an intro, which, after all, is what we were up to….. In fact, I’m going to go ahead, and just drop you here, so I can get on with stuff…. I think you can find the next section without my help…. I’m gonna go dive…..
Shall we Pearl?…..
“I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.” — Dr. Albert Hoffman
(I am forced to comment on this: While I am in complete agreement with the good Doctor on this matter, I fail to see how his uplifting, accurate, totally cool expression of what is needed for us to survive will convince a single person to take it up as truth, or how it will get people to make the necessary changes in human nature…. Telling people that they need to “feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.” is going to lose everyone who hears it…. In fact, it is such an off-putting, airhead kind of statement, I’d wager that, in spite of the fact that this is absolute truth, and will help people to save themselves from a certain death, nobody is going to hear it, because they automatically turned off their ears as soon as they heard the words “spiritual crisis”, followed by “spheres of Western industrial society”, and “world view”…. That kind of New Age babble-speak will shut off most folk’s heads in a New York minute….. Too bad, ‘cuz its’ totally true….)
“FUN is never having to say you’re SUSHI!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
” When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago,
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow?”
~~ Rush, A Farewell to Kings ~~
********************************
I know I’m in the now, if only…..
Oh, there it is again, fiddle faddle;
Begone, I said, vamoose, skedaddle!
It looked at me as if I were insane:
Scoffed, it did, filled me with pain.
Where does it come from?
Where does it live?
I’d stick out my thumb,
if I had more to give.
If only, should, would, could it be?
It went away again, this time free.
It will be back again, this I know;
or I’m wrong, and it won’t show.
Who cares?
Who hears?
Such goings on wobble the sphere,
I wish it wouldn’t do that here.
I’ve been wrong before…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/19/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Perspicacity
*******
“I love to doubt as well as know.”
~~ Dante ~~
*******
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
~~ Aldous Huxley ~~
*******
“Furious activity is no substitute for understanding.”
~~ H. H. Williams ~~
*******
“Ignorance is not bliss — it’s oblivion.”
~~ Phillip Wylie ~~
*******
” I can believe anything, provided it is incredible.”
~~ Oscar Wilde ~~
*******
“Only the half-mad are wholly alive.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“It isn’t easy being green.”
~~ Kermit ~~
*******
********************************
I did it, though I really can’t say exactly how it got done. That’s fine with me, as I’ve learned to trust the process, even with the recent change in my routine, when the upgrade to my email browser forced me to remove one complete step of the process, moving it to another time slot. Since to say more on that would only devolved into geek-speak, we’ll let it go, in favor of a hearty, if somewhat insane farewell. I’ll be back, tomorrow, ffolkes, should I find the proper coordinates for the island of sanity….. or, not. Ta, then….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Other than the fact I’ve been up now for six days, there’s no really good reason not to do this. Therefore, I’ll do it. I won’t, however, make any claims as to quality, or, for that matter, quantity. It’s here, it’s done, deal with it. I have to, so, you may as well. I’m also damn tired of coming up with new shit for this intro, so, fuck it. Let’s do this…..
Shall we Pearl?….
“It is the edge and temper of the blade that make a good sword, not the richness of the scabbard; and so it is not money or possessions that make man considerable, but his virtue.” — Seneca
********************************
Antonio Vivaldi Image from 8tracks.com via Google Images
Today’s musical selection is, without doubt, my favorite single piece of classical music. When I worked the night shift, this concerto got me through more hours than any other piece… Enjoy!….
I’ve a fresh rant brewing, but, ’twasn’t done, and, besides, it’s been a tough night. I’ll sublimate, again, with a nice little discussion from the archives. Enjoy!….
From 4/17/2013:
“A thing is not proved because no one has ever questioned it…. Skepticism is the first step towards truth.” — Smart Bee
As I was cruising through Smart Bee this morning, looking for inspiration for section 3, I came across this little gem, unattributed. It sounds like it could have come from a number of different philosophers, all of whom are noted for their wisdom and perspicacity (another great word….). It is also a part of the human flaw that has contributed to many of the problems we face as a society, and as a species.
Actually, it might be more accurate to say that the lack of this in humans is part of the flaw; most people one talks to would not agree with this idea, as stated. In fact, it is directly opposed to the educational premises of many cultures, especially those heavily influenced by religions, such as those in Mexico, Central and South America, where Catholicism is a powerful factor in society, and in the governing of that society. India, and much of the Eastern Hemisphere, too, have societies that are heavily influenced by religion, though with more participant sects than is true in the Western Hemisphere; Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, to name a few, are always a contributing factor in the political events that have shaped history.
“The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G Gaia
As a result of this influence, many people tend to reject skepticism, as it doesn’t fit in with what they have been taught, which is to never question anything told to them by persons in positions of authority. Churches tend to encourage this sort of attitude, as their outrageous claims of divinity, and supernatural events performed by their deities, do not stand up well to scrutiny by an objective eye. The leaders of the churches thus play right into the hands of the Beloved Ruling Class, as they counsel their flocks to obey worldly, temporal authority as readily as they are conditioned to obey the secular variety…..
“I just stepped on a factoid!” – Zippy the Pinhead
Thankfully, not all of humanity is defenseless against this sort of conditioning. There are many ffolkes out there who don’t buy into the sort of psychological blackmail being promulgated by the preachers, priests, imams, and shamans of all shapes and sizes around the world, and a large number of them seem to end up blogging, right here on WordPress…. So, I end up preaching to the choir pretty often. But, that’s okay, too, because I know that occasionally, one of those folks who do believe in what they are told, without any questions or doubts, will read this, and, if nothing else, will think about what I’ve said…. Who knows, maybe I’ll go viral, and the whole world will remember that WE ALL ARE GODS?”…… (Remember? Axiom # 3…. “Thou art God, you know…. Let’s do lunch….)
“Youth of today! Join me in a mass rally for traditional mental attitudes!” — Zippy the Pinhead
I suppose that’s a note from my subconscious, to let me know I’ve gone far enough off the rails for now, and should let these good people get on with their lives, rather than wandering around in mine…. Goodness knows where we’ll end up…. So, anyway, just remember to cultivate your sense of doubt, your “crap detector”, as it were, and never, ever take anything “on authority”, without tangible proof…. You’ll find Life to be less confusing that way; certainly, it makes it a lot easier to look yourself in the mirror in the morning…..
“This is patently absurd; but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.” — Bertrand Russell
********************************
Accentuated Lessons
Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.
Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.
Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.
Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.
Peace lies within, always…..
~~ gigoid ~~
Written 9/27/2012.
********************************
A slightly recalcitrant SB finally gave up a closing pearl for this one, an event it’s been putting off for twenty-some hours. I think it came out well; the final result makes the wait worthwhile for me. Enjoy, ffolkes….
“I must invent my own philosophical systems, or else be enslaved by other mens'” — William H. Blake
“I’m the one who’s got to die when its time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” — Jimi Hendrix
“Is consciousness just a special form of hallucination?” — Frank Herbert
“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. ravel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.” — Louis L’Amour, Ride the Dark Trail
“How could the drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life. Then, even the holiest of words are only words.” — Deng Ming-Dao
I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it,
Time in hours, days, years,
Driv’n by the spheres
like a vast shadow mov’d; in which the world
And all her train were hurl’d.
~~ Henry Vaughan ~~
~~ The World ~~
********************************
This one is another testament to stubbornness, as much as anything else. Nonetheless, it’s done, and that’s all I care about. Especially at almost 2 AM. I guess I’ll go get it posted, and see if maybe I can fall out for an hour…. Fat chance. I will, however, be back tomorrow, regardless of whether or not Fate allows me to gather Morpheus’s boon to my breast….. Who needs sleep? Apparently, not me….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Ffolkes,
Invariably, when I’m up at 0530, my mind turns to mush, or, more accurately, is mushy upon arising at that early hour….. Since I’m fond of oatmeal, this state isn’t all that unpleasant…. just slow. The addition of some butter, brown sugar, and a little bit of milk, in a figurative sense, puts me right into the correct mood for Pearling, so, all I have to do now is decide where I can find any such metaphorical condiments at this hour…. Real ones, sure, they’re right there in the kitchen, but, metaphor is a bit hard to come by so early in the day. I suppose I’m going to have to go out and milk the metaphorical cow…..
Ouch…. Well, that’s what happens when I try to write before consuming any coffee…. Milk the metaphorical cow, indeed! I walked away from that paragraph, to go get the coffee, and take a moment for morning worship, 😉 then saw that phrase when I got back. Imagine my chagrin, which, albeit strong, wasn’t enough to make me delete it… I’m leaving it there as an object lesson in humility, (or maybe that’s a lesson in abject humility….), and as a reminder to never try to compose anything before focus has been achieved, or at least courted….. Silly ass…. Someone so accustomed to the kind attentions of Murphy should know better than to tempt him with such foolishness…..
Now that I’ve come to my senses, as close as I dare approach at this hour, I find myself at somewhat of a loss to know where to go from here…. Three paragraphs in, and confusion is already rampant; it could end up being one of THOSE days, in which case, I might as well just go back to bed now. It’s too bad, really, that I’m such a moralist; it makes it hard to slough off when I want to hide from reality. Try as I might, I can’t bring myself to duck when reality swings at me; I’ll throw up a block, if I can, but ducking is cowardly, it seems to me, so I just stand there and take the first shot. I’m tough, though, and I can usually get right back up…..
Since my upbringing seems to have cornered me into finishing today’s Pearl before giving up, I guess we should get to it. It’s been great of late, now that the pressure to get done has been mitigated by not having to travel anywhere to post this material. Every morning, I get up to a fresh template for the Pearl, and proceed to fire up Smart Bee for the morning dive, in order to fill up each section with brilliant quotes and ironic humor, just waiting for me to dress it up for consumption.
I’ve been very happy with the freshness of the material that has come out of this process lately, which, given Murphy’s ever-ready presence in my life, should probably make me nervous. Thankfully, though, he doesn’t seem to mind it if I write, as long as I mention him every day….. I guess he wants more press in his old age…..
Wait, no, I didn’t mean that! You’re not old…. You’re just age-enhanced! That’s it….. Ffolkes, I think I’d best be quiet now, and get on with today’s business, before Murphy decides to take offense….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________
“Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way.” — Native American Proverb (Blackfoot)
Right! What a wonderful pearl! Not only is it short and sweet, it’s just packed with insight and implied wisdom…. In my mind, when I read it, I get a vision of a fireworks fountain, spewing light and beauty into the air, in blazing, colorful sparks…. A bit fanciful, but that’s the impression I got upon seeing it the first time….
You see, I’ve been thinking a lot of late, about Death vs. Life, due most likely to the fact that my own time to face that specter is approaching, seemingly ever more rapidly, as it tends to do later in our lives. When we look back over the time we’ve had on this Earth, the time left seems so short….
But, it isn’t really any shorter, nor, I’ve come to believe, is there anything to fear from Death’s approach. We all get to live just one day at a time…. Nay, not even so much…. we live one moment at a time, and we can’t make it go faster, or slow it down. So, worrying about what might happen in the future is a waste of the moment, and not worth the effort of doing so.
In addition, I’ve come to the conclusion that what happens after Death comes for us isn’t anything to fret over, either, because, logically, death is merely a transition phase, from one level of perception to another, with the other being a reality for which we do not possess the ability to perceive, lacking some organ, or some mental awareness that is needed to do so…..
There is no evidence at all that consciousness, as we understand it, persists on this level of reality after the body has died. On the other hand, there is also no evidence at all that it does not continue to exist, on some other level that we are not aware of; add to this the simple fact that in our universe, according to physical laws, energy, in ALL of its forms, cannot be destroyed, only changed in form. The Law of the Conservation of Energy has been proven many times, and is not a matter for dispute. When one considers consciousness, i.e., the MIND, as a form of energy, it makes perfect sense to assume that it changes forms when we die, but is not destroyed. It is the only logical answer, as far as I can see….
The wise women and men of the Blackfoot tribe apparently were aware of this, as well as being aware that the universe exists as a duality, with each characteristic of reality having its opposite complement, that defines and proves its very existence. We see the world in these opposites, so it is very easy to be fooled into thinking that what we see is the true nature of that reality…. but, it isn’t, because those two opposites are all part of the same grand scheme of things, and cannot be separated, not in reality…. only in our minds, where we separate them in order to comprehend them….
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” — Murphy, courtesy of Smart Bee
Why does he do that? Why wait until I’ve spouted off for almost a thousand words before dropping these little bombs? Ah well, fuck him, and his bloody white horse! Everything I said above is the absolute truth, in my mind, so Murphy can just go f__k himself. Even though this aphorism is also true as the day is long, I don’t think I’ve gone so far astray that it applies… so, in spite of the Irish asshole, we’ll push on….
I have yet to discern any reason that can logically, or even speculatively, answer the question of why we don’t remember any of the time we’ve spent dead, or whatever it’s called when we’re busy not living on this plane of existence. You know, before you were born? And after we die? All of that is a long time, and since it is logical to assume the energy that makes up our consciousness is still in existence when we aren’t alive, in the classic sense, then it is also logical to assume that our minds are busy doing….. something else.
What that may be, well, your guess is as good as mine…. But, some folks’ guesses aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on…. I doubt seriously that the typical version of Heaven is a likely scenario, nor is Hell…. I regard those as just the unscrupulous concepts created by the BRC and/or priestly hierarchies to try to control the populace, not having any basis, or evidence to support them, in reality. In fact, there is ample evidence that shows otherwise, if one is open to perceiving it…..
I figure what Robert Heinlein said once is the best way to look at it… “There’s no evidence that says we live after death; there is also no evidence saying we don’t. Soon enough, you will know, so why worry about it now?” (That may be slightly paraphrased, but the idea is precisely accurate….)
Ah well, this subject, due to its nature, is one that we, or I, could ramble on about all day, and, from the looks of things, almost have done so. Life and Death are popular subjects, understandably enough, and since we all are experts, there’s no lack of stuff to read about it; everybody’s talking, as Glenn Campbell said. But, since we have the rest of this Pearl to finish, I guess I’ll let this go for now….. Just keep in mind, ffolkes, Death isn’t anything to fear, because, if nothing else, Life itself is proof of our continued existence after it is gone…. Think about it….
“The adventure is over. Everything gets over, and nothing is ever enough. Except the part you carry with you.” — E. L. Konigsburg
“One never realizes how much and how little he knows until he starts talking.” — Louis L’Amour
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The poetry of Ms. Plath is relatively new to me, having somehow escaped my notice for most of my life. Now that I have more time to feed the Elephant’s Child, I’m glad I found her…. Here is another brilliant, torturous vision from her incredible mind…..
Witch Burning
In the marketplace they are piling the dry sticks.
A thicket of shadows is a poor coat. I inhabit
The wax image of myself, a doll’s body.
Sickness begins here: I am the dartboard for witches.
Only the devil can eat the devil out.
In the month of red leaves I climb to a bed of fire.
It is easy to blame the dark: the mouth of a door,
The cellar’s belly. They’ve blown my sparkler out.
A black-sharded lady keeps me in parrot cage.
What large eyes the dead have!
I am intimate with a hairy spirit.
Smoke wheels from the beak of this empty jar.
If I am a little one, I can do no harm.
If I don’t move about, I’ll knock nothing over. So I said,
Sitting under a potlid, tiny and inert as a rice grain.
They are turning the burners up, ring after ring.
We are full of starch, my small white fellows. We grow.
It hurts at first. The red tongues will teach the truth.
Mother of beetles, only unclench your hand:
I’ll fly through the candle’s mouth like a singeless moth.
Give me back my shape. I am ready to construe the days
I coupled with dust in the shadow of a stone.
My ankles brighten. Brightness ascends my thighs.
I am lost, I am lost, in the robes of all this light.
Okay, so here’s the deal…. I went a bit overboard above with today’s rant on Life and Death, so we’re going old school for section three…. This group of pearls turned out to be one of my favorite kind…. It’s slippery, it’s deep, and it’s a challenge to find the punch line, yet each one could stand alone for a discussion, were I so inclined….. Perfect…. The punch line is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader, with the motivation today being outsourced to Sesame Street…. If you think you’ve found the piece of wisdom buried in the coalition of ideas, give Grover a call at the soda shop; he is usually in there between 9 and 11 AM….. He’ll give you the prize for finding today’s punch line, right over the phone….
Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens. [Against stupidity the very gods fight in vain.] — Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) — The Maid of Orleans, Act iii, Sc. 6
“If you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing.” — a saying from Zimbabwe
“I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.” — Wilson Mizner
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” — C. G. Jung
“There is no harm in praising a large dog.” — Smart Bee
(Let this one roll around in your head a while…. it grows….)
Finally, to put things into the proper perspective, I give you our final pearl of the day…. Say ‘howdy’ to Grover for me, will you?….
“I’m meditating on the FORMALDEHYDE and the ASBESTOS leaking into my PERSONAL SPACE!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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There…. that’s done. I’m content with it, if not ecstatic. But, then, if I ever get ecstatic, it probably wouldn’t be as good…. To find excellence, it is often required to assume that good enough isn’t enough….
For now, though, it’s good enough, even if I don’t work for the government anymore. A fact for which I am eternally grateful, if a bit miffed about style…. I know, that’s obscure, but I wouldn’t want to be inconsistent, now, would I? No, of course not…. Well, maybe just a little…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..
—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
Ffolkes,
One of my most strongly held beliefs is that “regret” is a useless emotion, and should be eliminated from those feelings I allow myself to entertain. This, or course, assumes that I can actually control what I feel, an assumption that, while true in the realm of possibility, is not always so in reality. Our feelings just happen, often as a reaction to new information or a surprise event (though we can control what happens inside us, for the most part, we cannot do the same in the real world, outside us….). Thus, we sometimes must suffer feelings that are not welcome, at least until we are able to banish them with our will. Regret is one that I try to root out at its first appearance, as it does nothing to help resolve anything, especially not whatever has caused it.
Some religious moralists will point out that regret can be useful in preventing future similar situations, but I challenge that presumption as overly optimistic, as well as morally manipulative. More often, I would say, regret causes us to avoid the type of situation where it might occur, not out of morality, but out of guilt, and fear. Plus, the situation that regret avoids may be one that is necessary to improve one’s lot, if only it is faced squarely, and resolved, rather than regretted, and avoided. Fear and/or guilt are never good motivations to act upon, except in situations of impending life or death, when the speed it adds to an honorable retreat is welcome. Any other time one acts from fear, the result is generally “regrettable”……
Why have I started out with such a serious subject? Hell, your guess is as good as mine. I just started typing, and this is what came out….. I think I was having some thoughts of regretting getting out of bed, which, since I was already up and typing, served no real purpose. Hence, this short, somewhat mellow diatribe….. it could be worse. I could have started in on health issues, always a pleasant topic, and always available for discussion, what with their daily insistence on being in the forefront of my consciousness. It can be hard to ignore my carpal tunnel symptoms when one hand is numb while trying to type, for sure….. But, I didn’t want to take the chance of driving the Gentle Reader away so early in the morning by creating too many unpleasant images…. bad policy, all around….
So, we’ll just fly with what I’ve written so far, relatively useless as it is for any purpose beyond filling space in the intro section….. We have more important fish to fry than to “regret” what has already taken place…. 🙂 Shall we Pearl?…..
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“I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.” — Marcus, Babylon 5
Here is one of those statements that, at first look, does not appear to be particularly important, or helpful. But, after a second look, it grows…. and, in reality, I have to remark that it is a pretty good way to look at life in its most real sense. If one can come to understand, and to believe in the indifference of the Universe, then its apparent malice becomes moot.
We all know of terrible things that happen in this world, and many of them make no sense to us; it’s hard to understand why little children have to die in natural disasters or fires or such events. There is no reason that we can find, and none that anyone can give, that will explain or expiate such a tragedy to the parents of the children. Sometimes the violence that can shatter lives is perpetrated by other people, sometimes the Universe itself seems to have picked out the weakest, most vulnerable targets upon which to display its irresistible power. However it occurs, it will never seem fair, or just, nor can any justification be offered that would assuage the pain that is engendered.
Thus it becomes an important tool for us to be able to accept the unfairness that is inherent in the indifferent nature of Mother Nature. She doesn’t mean to be cruel; it is just the way it is. If we choose to believe that the world is fair and just, then we can only believe that She hates us, both individually and as a species, for she regularly presents us with reasons to do so, if we assume her hostility. No other explanation fits the evidence.
Unless, of course, one learns to understand that there is no special animosity on Her part, it is just Her way of expressing Herself, and we happen to be there when She does so. In the final analysis, it is quite a comforting thought, to know that we are not the special target of all that goes wrong in our lives…. we’re just lucky, I guess….. 🙂
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“Prayer carries us half way to God, fasting brings us to the door of his place, and alms-giving procures us admission.” — The Koran
As may have been guessed, I find the precepts and concepts that are put forth by most organized forms of religion to be not merely false, but deliberately so, in order to foster the control over people that is the sole intent of such organizations. No matter how pure they claim their motives are, they are no more interested in the well-being of their devotees than they are of anyone outside their church. This is true not only of every Christian sect I have examined, but of other major religions as well. The above serves as evidence in favor of this observation, as well as showing that I don’t apply this to only one religion; it is a hidden purpose behind all of them.
Now, let us examine the above statement. If we take away all the guilt-ridden phraseology, and strip away the delusions that are presented, we can re-state this more accurately as…. “Let’s talk to our imaginary friend to ask for favors we don’t deserve… then we’ll put our bodies in great stress in order to experience hallucinations that we are in the presence of our imaginary friend…. and to top it off, we’ll give our hard-earned money to the ones who tell us to worship, so they can build golden domes to the everlasting glory of the supposed deity. Hmm, makes perfect sense, eh what?
I’m not going to go into a huge rant today; I’ve got some stuff to post later that precludes any long, drawn-out discussions. But, I didn’t want all the Christians out there to think I pick on them exclusively, or that they are the only targets of my critical eye. No sirree, they are not…. any religious organization that puts out the kind of crap as listed above is my target, and they certainly don’t have to be Christian (though, in truth, I don’t believe there ARE any organizations at all that would actually deserve to call themselves such, as none of them follow His teachings closely at all… mostly they’re not even in the same ballpark….) .
Muslims, Hindi, Buddhists who mistakenly give Gautama godhead, Taoists who foolishly look for god instead of understanding of the Way, Baptists, Episcopalians, or any other such organizations that exist, in reality, solely to support a priest-hood, a group of men (usually… women don’t seem to lead these movements, though they often fall prey to them) whose only interest in other people is how much power over them can be obtained; these are what I choose to speak out against, with all the intellect at my disposal. Call me Don Quixote, if you wish, but that’s just the way I am, by deliberate choice….
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
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“Abolition of a woman’s right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: a form of rape by the State.” — Edward Abbey
Here is perhaps the clearest statement of this idea that I’ve seen in a long while. Of course, it is an opinion that will be vigorously opposed by a great many people, too many of whom are women who have been brainwashed to believe that their male masters have the right to make such decisions for them. These women have abrogated their very person-hood, their entire feminine nature, becoming mental and physical slaves to men who have no right to call themselves such.
The arrogance and misogyny that is implied, and proved, by those who would disagree with this statement by Mr. Abbey is astounding. I regard such an attitude as evil, plain and simple, and only those who refuse to acknowledge reality as it is, instead of how they wish it to be, are able to give credence to such flagrantly dishonorable ideas. It is, to say the least, disheartening to realize the extent to which the average person will allow themselves to give up the control of their own minds, just so they don’t have to make the effort to decide what is right for themselves. It is much more to their advantage to go along with what is obviously wrong, as it feeds into their own egotism and misplaced arrogance.
And I say, fuck ’em. When any assholes who would argue with a woman’s right to control her own body speak up in my presence, I will never fail to put them straight, even if it entails reading to them from the Book of Righteousness (ref: Louis Lamour, from any Sackett novel), after tactfully pointing out the errors in their thinking.
In fact, when such opportunities arise, I have a hard time preventing myself from advancing directly to that step in the discussion at the first asinine platitude that escapes their mouth. That first blow always sends a particularly pleasant shock of power from my fist to my shoulder at first contact, and though usually unnecessary, makes a second blow very tempting. But, if I do that, they’re not awake to hear the lesson….. Oh well, assholes, all of them….
“What’s on your mind, if you will allow the overstatement?” — Fred Allen
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“He that doubteth is damned.” — Romans 14:23
It took a while, but it was worth the time spent searching…. This is a perfect example of how the folks who would have us believe that the Bible (or any other sacred books inspired by supposedly supernatural entities) is a direct line of information from God, will go to almost any lengths to trick us into doing exactly what that book tells us to do. I have previously written here as to the value that Doubt has in the bag of tools people have to get by in this complex, confusing universe we inhabit. It is our only defense against information or events that can cause, or even intends, us harm, rather than good; such information invariably is given to us by other people whose only intent is to achieve some sort of power or control over us. I don’t think this is a particularly hard concept to understand; its proof lies in almost every interaction we have when faced with organized religions.
This short little warning/threat implies that any who do not bend over in submission to its decree will spend eternity in Hell. Hmm, a bit harsh, don’t you think? For merely entertaining a question regarding the accuracy of a concept presented with no evidence that proves its reliability? The Universe at large presents such false information regularly, and anyone who doesn’t learn caution in such instances is liable for the consequences, which can be severe, such as in the case of being confronted by an apparently friendly, but in reality, rabid dog. Rabies is no picnic, from all reports, so Doubt in such instances is very appropriate, and useful.
But, in the minds of the folks who are selling faith-based products, Doubt is the last thing they want people to have in mind when considering what they say. It tends to cause their arguments to fall apart right in front of their eyes, and they cannot make the sale that way. If they can’t convince people to accept what they say without questioning it, their entire house of cards will come tumbling down around their ears, and they would have to give up all those nice little perks that go along with having everyone believe everything they say, like having poor people willingly give up 10% of their earnings in tithe, or free rent in a house built by the labor of others…. Did you think they would give that up easily?…. Well, then you’ve lost your strongest ally against such degradations to your sensibilities…. a healthy sense of Doubt….
“Fear not, for I have given you authority to do so.” — Smart Bee, via some random preacher’s King James version….
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She what was honour knew,
And with obsequious majesty approv’d
My pleaded reason. To the nuptial bower
I led her blushing like the morn; all heaven
And happy constellations on that hour
Shed their selectest influence; the earth
Gave sign of gratulation, and each hill;
Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs
Whisper’d it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rose, flung odours from the spicy shrub.
— John Milton (1608-1674) — Paradise Lost, Book viii, Line 508
Once again, I have included a poem here, just because…. What I’ve written above is serious enough, and a little balance is called for…. and here it is…. enjoy!
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Okay, so, not so bad for an off-the-cuff sort of morning…. a fairly eclectic group of observations, fraught with my customary sardonic views on most everything. Without even going back to re-read yet, I’m going to let it fly…. even though I know in my heart that once gone, there is no retrieving any of it…. but, hey, what’s life without some risk, eh? Pretty damn boring, that’s what…. so, enjoy, or not, as you will… if not, feel free to comment on any of it. And if you do enjoy it, I’m glad to hear that too… not necessary, though, a simple click on the “Like” button will suffice to make my day…. 🙂
Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..
—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid 