Ffolkes,
The universe is being odd this morning. I’m not sure what effect this may have on the Pearls; they’ve never been exposed to this level of strangeness before. We’ll have to see, won’t we?……
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“If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you; but if you really make them think, they’ll hate you.” — Don Marquis
Boy, is this one True! And it describes perfectly one of the primary reasons that our species will most likely go extinct in the next century or so. Intelligence, and its most powerful asset, imagination, are the evolutionary advantages that our species possesses over others. Our ability to imagine future events, to see potential consequences of actions, to invent new ideas and processes, and to reason, have (unjustly) given us dominion over the rest of the creatures with whom we share the planet. I say unjustly, because it just isn’t working.
Instead of using our abilities to improve the lot of all life here, we have instead used them to destroy resources; to pollute the air, the water , and the land; to kill, each other and animals; and in general, have spent most of the last 200 years fouling our own nest to the point where it will no longer support life at all. The way I see it, we are committing racial suicide, and all because no one is willing to break the pattern of evil that has led us to this point, because they would have to give up their comfortable, unrealistic unwillingness to use the gift that we were given. Personally, I’m at the point myself where I don’t see much sense in trying to change things for the better any more; too many folks are too willing to go to hell in their handbasket, as long as it has cable TV, A/C, and a full cooler of beer…….
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“A lot of people will urge you to put some money in a bank, and in fact–within reason–this is very good advice. But don’t go overboard. Remember, what you are doing is giving your money to someone else to hold on to, and I think that it is worth keeping in mind that the businessmen who run banks are so worried about holding on to things that they put little chains on all their pens.” — “Miss Piggy”
This little statement, though it comes from an unlikely source, has a lot to be said for it; it definitely raises a pertinent question about the intentions of those who keep our money for us. I have personally experienced the way bankers treat us once they have our money in their grasp. Here’s a little example, minus proper names to protect the guilty…… my bank has no branches nearby, as they are located in Texas, but they accept deposits electronically for checks deposited at a local UPS store. However, the funds deposited are placed on hold for “up to” 5 business days, to ensure the check will clear. This means that I have to wait 7 days (there is a weekend in the way) in order to access my money. In the meantime, I guarantee that the bank will be earning an interest amount for the deposit while it is sitting there (earned negatively, eg, they didn’t pay it to me, so they get to keep it). Meanwhile, they have the use of my money to invest, or otherwise earn for them, while I’m waiting to get at it, and fending off creditors with my other hand. The game is rigged folks, and it is not rigged in our favor……
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“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T. S. Eliot
Two pieces of poetry here, that fit together well to make a point. I like the first, by Mr. Eliot, for its insight, and for the potential that abides within, the potential for expansion into almost any available segue……so I’m using it for this one. Read the following from Thomas Cowper, and see if you are not reminded of one of the Laws of Science, in fact the primary Law, that supersedes all the others…..I’ll clue you after ward, if it escapes your effort….
Fate steals along with silent tread,
Found oftenest in what least we dread;
Frowns in the storm with angry brow,
But in the sunshine strikes the blow.
— Cowper
I read this, and was puzzled at first, because it seemed so familiar, yet I knew I’d never seen it before. Then my thoughts coalesced, and I knew……this is merely another way to express that most powerful of universal laws, the one standing over all, and known to all and sundry as Murphy’s Law. Four quick lines, and it feels like an entire lecture class has explored the nuances of Murphy’s insight. It explains how we are unable to see or feel him before his arrival, and how the moment of truth is always at the most unexpected time. It shows also how we feel about it, all with the greatest of ease. I Love Poetry!……
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“Humanity has the stars in its future, and that future is too important to be lost under the burden of juvenile folly and ignorant superstition.” — Isaac Asimov
Perhaps my greatest fear in life is rooted in my belief in what Isaac has stated here. I’ve always felt that Mankind’s destiny lay in the sky; why should our minds be free to travel the length and breadth of the universe, and not our bodies? There has to be a reason why the stars call to us; our curiosity has always led us in that direction. But I am afraid, that the beloved ruling class, whose purpose in life is not the same as the rest of humanity, has too powerful a grip on society; I’m afraid that they will drag the rest of us down with them on their trip to hell. If, if, if,….. if things were different, all the money we spend on fighting each other, or trying to take over some resource or another, were put into space exploration, we would already have a colony on the moons of Saturn, and the leftover money would be enough to powerfully bolster the educational system to support the need for more scientists. But how will we be able to make the effort, when the powers that be are totally engrossed in their own aggrandizement, and will allow nothing to challenge their hold over the rest of us? I fear for us all…….
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“Happiness follows sorrow, sorrow follows happiness, but when one no longer discriminates between happiness and sorrow, a good deal and a bad deed, one is able to realize freedom.” — Buddha
The lesson here is a subtle one, and one that is difficult for Western minds to grasp. We are accustomed to viewing the universe through the filter of our prejudices, which allow us to judge events according to our own beliefs and preferences. Removing the filter to which we are accustomed tends to create anxiety; we are unused to facing the universe without our prejudices to shield us.
But the end result is worth the effort, for it removes all the causes for us to fear the universe. When we can see that the universe proceeds without our judgments, when we can accept that those judgments are superfluous, then we are free to experience life in its full, natural state, without fear, and without conflict. When there are no distinctions made, the roots of conflict disappear, and life becomes much more enjoyable, and much more fulfilling…….
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Well, that wasn’t too bad, now was it? Hopefully, these musings will assist you in kick-starting your brain today, and give you a jump on the day. That’s the target anyway…… y’all take care out there…..
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid
Kowabunga!
gigoid 