Mesmerizing patterns in colorful silk….

Posted on January 24, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
It isn’t my habit to begin the day with blood and death, before I’ve even had my morning coffee, so I was mildly surprised to find both awaiting me as I stepped into the hallway outside my room. Since the body lying half-in, half-out of the elevator was pale, unmoving, and there was a box car’s worth of blood pooled around the area, I didn’t bother to check the pulse, but just pulled out my phone to call it in to dispatch, avoiding transfer of the still sticky mess on the floor to my shoes by walking to the other end of the hall. As a detective in the Homicide division, I figured it was awfully damn accommodating of the murderer to drop his handiwork right outside my door, and I wasn’t going to let anyone else take over my first home-delivery corpse….

What do you think? Decent opening for a murder mystery? I haven’t figured out the cop’s name yet, but you can bet it will be something hard-boiled, and cynical. Hey, probably the biggest market out there in the book world is murder mysteries, and if I can come up with an engaging character, it could lead to a whole series of books, thus assuring me of a more comfortable retirement, and keeping me busy enough to not intrude into the lives of my children more than is healthy, for them, or me. Not that such has been an issue, but I don’t wish to be a burden on them in my ‘golden’ years, and it would be cool to hit it big with my writing…..

We writers of blogs probably all have a similar dream…. Some editor or agent will be cruising the Net, and stumble across our work…. they’ll be so impressed they offer us a the gig of a lifetime…. For me, that would be a daily column, wherein I can share with millions of folks all my angst and silliness, in the process, perhaps, convincing a few of them to make some changes in their own sphere of influence, and little by little, the world will change….. for the better…… Well, that’s the dream, anyway….. All I need now is the agent, the editor/publisher, and a venue…. 🙂 I know, it’s a dream, though, so it can be as foolish as I want it to be….

Foolish, or profound and insightful, it would no doubt be best to just get on with it. Nobody can read my writing, if I don’t write, so, let’s get into the water, and find something I can turn into a gem of great beauty…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“The mockingbird can change its tune eighty-seven times in seven minutes. Politicians regard this interesting fact with envy.” — Smart Bee

Hah! What a perfect opening pearl! Funny, and as true as the day is long….. It’s almost enough to start me off on a rant, since it zoomed right in to focus on my favorite group of miscreants to pester with my pointed stick. I say “almost” because I’ll need a bit more than this to really find a vulnerable point at which to poke; this is good, but it’s a bit imprecise for good ranting…. Let’s see what else we can come up with…..

“Innocence, most often, is good fortune and not a virtue.” — Anatole France

Hmm…. not bad, but not quite right, either….. Politicos, and other denizens of the BRC, all want us to believe in their innocence, but seem to want us to buy into that without any proof of said innocence. Not to mention, I would wager serious money that none of them qualify to use the term to describe themselves, in ANY area of their life, so, in that sense, it’s too easy…. We’ll go on, & look for something “mo bettah”….

“If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.” — Napoleon

Nappie’s rule of thumb here could be said to be a summarization of every political party platform I’ve seen during an election in the past 60 years, and would no doubt make a decent rant, as the recent swearing in of our latest electoral fantasy winner provides a number of such promises, that could be used for examples…. But, to be fair, I suppose we should give Barry a few weeks, at least, to see whether or not he will make any effort to meet his stated goals, or if he’ll just put it away in the drawer marked, “election promises” along with the tax cuts, wars ended, and bankers punished for their crimes….

“One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations… is that in political, military, moral, and spiritual confrontations, there should be an honest attempt at the reconciliation of differences before resorting to combat.” — Jimmy Carter

Damn! That tears it! I forgot entirely about Jimmy Carter, so of course, since I’m looking for examples of how politicians screw with us, Murphy sends me off into one of Jimmy’s totally rational ideas, and my entire premise is shattered. Of course, Jimmy Carter is that exception that proves the rule for politicians; he is a morally upright man, who has worked his entire life to make the world a better place, working for the benefit of all people, yet somehow got roped into politics. He’s such a nice man, he didn’t want to say no, and got stuck in public office for most of his adult years.

Shoot, now we’ll have to cancel the rest of this pearl…. It’s no doubt too late to salvage the sense of outrage needed to produce a rant, and it doesn’t seem as if Smart Bee is going to cough up anything that hits the correct spot…. So, I’ll just leave you with this final indictment, and get on with the rest of this….. whatever this is…..

“A politician has to be able to see both sides of an issue, so he can get around it.” — Smart Bee
__________________________________

“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T. S. Eliot

MORNING AT THE WINDOW

THEY are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates.

The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.

— T.S. Eliot

Bonus round:

That such have died enables us
The tranquiler to die;
That such have lived, certificate
For immortality.

— Emily Dickinson
__________________________________

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” — Clive James

I love to dance, so this makes a lot of sense to me. It also explains why there are no true politicians who are capable of either sustained laughter or the simplest waltz, much less a tango…. Ah hell…. brain freeze…..

I hate that. Calliope has apparently deserted me to stimulate another fledgling poet somewhere, and Thalia, the muse of comedy, is currently on sabbatical. Polyhymnia, muse of sacred poetry, bores me to tears, and Clio, muse of history, is busy on another blog. In fact, all nine of the classical muses are unavailable, so I’m stuck with whatever I have in my head, and that means we’re all in serious trouble….. The pressure is building, and if I can’t find some sort of outlet in the next few minutes, well, the carnage will be extensive, rest assured…..

On most days, Smart Bee would provide me with at least SOMETHING to bridge the gap, but, so far today, it has been relatively uncooperative, as the first pearl demonstrated. We may have to resort to emergency procedures, which, since this hasn’t occurred before, are untested, and might not be altogether safe…. They do contain explosives, in small, manageable portions, for clearing a path through any debris that may be encountered. Quantities of debris are often a result when I have to use the emergency tools…. I realize it’s a risky policy, but, hey, we run this operation on a shoestring, and all we can do is all we can do, y’know….

— Bother! said Pooh, as he went blotchy from that time with Eeyore.

There! I didn’t want to do it, but circumstances forced my hand. I don’t enjoy pulling Pooh’s covers like this, but, given his true nature, as revealed here, he deserves it. People need to know this kind of stuff, before they let their children get all dewy-eyed at his purported terminal cuteness, and find out later how twisted he really is. It’s a sad and all-too-accurate commentary on human nature when one thinks of how many young minds have been corrupted by this evil little bear of no brain; people tend to fall for such apparent innocence every time, and allow themselves to be disadvantaged, and victimized, by evil wearing the guise of good.

There, see, even the worst of pearls can be turned around, if one is patient, and has no shame. I’m going to allow this to die a peaceful death at this point, since I can’t seem to think of anywhere else it should, or could, go….. Must be the lack of muses….. In any case, we’ll bring this faux pearl to a halt now, with no regrets whatsoever…..

“YOU!! Give me the CUTEST, PINKEST, most charming little VICTORIAN DOLL HOUSE you can find!! An make it SNAPPY!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

Shameless, I know…. just shameless…. You might ask yourself, though, what YOU would do if you found yourself in my position, with a blog to post, and not a damn thing worth writing in your head….. Another day, maybe I would have put a bit more effort into at least providing this with some class, or elegance, but, hell, it just didn’t seem appropriate today. I guess I just woke up on the wrong side of my head….

We’ll just have to console ourselves with knowing that it is done, which, after all, is the real quest here….. Well, that, and maintaining the pitifully weak grasp I have on sanity….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Mitigating the dangers of priestly concern….

Posted on January 23, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Eerie, plaintive organ music is playing in my head, and there is something lurking just around a corner, at the edge of my vision, that darts away if I try to look at it. There’s a cold chill in my room, and I keep having to look over my shoulder, as it just feels like I’m being watched….. If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone was trying to mess with me, by setting me down in a horror flick, complete with evil poltergeist, and maybe a slasher….. Of course, I don’t have a basement, or an attic, where I can go explore the patently scary-dangerous noises, or any teenage girls on hand to provide the obligatory screams, but, I wouldn’t put it past Murphy to try to fuck with me in a new way like that; he’s pretty inventive at times…..

Ah well, so be it….. I’m not a big horror film fan, ever since 1954 when my older siblings dragged me to see the opening of the Creature From The Black Lagoon. At four years of age, it wasn’t a big hit with me, and I’ve never liked that sort of movie ever since; just never saw any sense in paying people to scare me. I manage to find enough things in real life that perform that function just fine, thank you very much, and didn’t see why I should give someone money to do so, especially since money seemed so hard to come by (four-year-olds don’t get a lot of money-making opportunities…..).

I spent the entire movie in the lobby, after the monster’s first appearance, until the ending, when I went back in to find my sister and brother, and caught the ending scene. Even at four, I was a bit skeptical, to see the chisel-jawed hero knock the Creature out with a right cross…. Though I was only four years old, that didn’t seem realistic, to see a normal sized man punch out a seven-foot tall creature that made an eighty-foot long boat rock when he climbed aboard…. My innate feel for the physical world told me that was silly….

That was my last experience with attending horror flicks; I’ve kept my personal promise to myself, to never waste money on fear, especially as entertainment….. I just don’t get it, myself. Why is it considered a good thing to make yourself afraid? Many, many people get a big kick out of it, and I’ve never been able to understand why that is; I hate the effect that adrenaline has on me, and did so even before my experiences in living with it all the time. It has never been “fun” to feel those kinds of feelings, not to me, so I have a hard time understanding the impulse. The experiences I had later in my life, when I was getting regular doses of adrenaline administered to my system, only served to reinforce those feelings in me, and I still avoid horror films, to this day…..

It’s just another example of diversity, I guess, and goes to show that it’s probably a good thing that everybody is so different. All those people who like the horror film genre can have their entertaining sessions of manufactured fear, I can totally ignore it, and nobody is bothered at all….. Just don’t ask me to go with you to explore the attic when there are funny noises coming from it, and an organ is playing in the background….. You’re on your own, in that case…… You may borrow a knife, or a baseball bat, but, no way I’m going up there with you….

Shall we Pearl?……
__________________________________

“Excellent.” — Moritz von Schwind (1804-71), Austrian painter, last word

I suppose it’s normal to begin to think about Death more often as one gets older. It does seem to assume a larger significance in our view of the world, as the time for its manifestation approaches, even though we know not at all exactly when it will happen. As dying words go, this one is, well, excellent, and I can only hope that I will have something as elegant and classy to say when my time comes….. Something on the order of, “Wow, that was quite a ride!”, or “I wonder if there will be ice cream in the afterlife?” You know, classy stuff, deep with insight and philosophical significance…. Right…..

Epitaphs also become more of an interest with age, I’ve found. I saw a really cool one this morning as I cruised Smart Bee…. “Here lies XXX XXXXX, for all that it matters.” Very droll, eh? Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always found epitaphs to be a very interesting, even intriguing form of literature, with some of the finest examples of wit, and even wisdom, ever written by human hand (though, come to think of it, what other type of hand might be writing, I don’t know….. just an expression….).

Limericks, poems of all kinds, questions, answers, declarations, assertions, complaints, insults, political comments and judgments, all can be found at their best on gravestones, tombs, and crypts all over the world, from all periods of history…. I’ve seen translations of the funereal hieroglyphics on the walls of Egyptian tombs that, essentially, were jokes in the form of an epitaph, and some of the ones I’ve read from early American times were absolutely hilarious. Books have been written, I’m sure, compiling the wit and wisdom that is displayed in such hallowed grounds, and I may just spend some time at the library trying to find one, because it would be an extremely interesting read…..

The subject’s interest is, of course, easily understood, as Death is just about as common an experience as exists, for all of us. And, it isn’t hard to comprehend why such a serious subject is such a magnet for humor; if we don’t laugh at Death, we will most certainly cry, for it is the single most terrifying experience we have to face in our lives, once the trauma of being born is healed, or, at least, forgotten. We humans, for some reason, have no idea what happens before we are born, or after we die, and that lack of knowledge is terrifying to most people…. well, to ALL people, really. Some just handle it better than others, I suppose….. All of which is why, I suppose, most people eventually try to assume the following attitude about life in general….

“Don’t take life so seriously… it’s only a temporary situation.” — Smart Bee

This sort of assumed lackadaisical outlook is, if nothing else, comforting for most folks, and ffolkes, too. I’m a firm believer in laughing at Life, Death, and the whole nine yards of Reality, especially at myself and my attempts to deal with all the above, and not only because it feels better than the alternative…. It’s also healthier. But, that aside, dealing with the serious side of Reality is a hard row to hoe, most of the time, so balancing that stress and struggle with some humor works well to mitigate the difficulty we all experience in getting on with our lives through the moral and ethical morass that is modern day society.

We aren’t going to get much help with anything from the BRC, or the priestly hierarchies, and society itself is too amorphous to depend on for anything so mundane, so we may as well take the reins for our own happiness into our own hands…. and part of that is facing the concept of Death with courage, and humor, and a sense of wonder, rather than letting it fill us with dread and unreasoning fear…. Mind over matter, ffolkes….. if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter…..

“It’s OKAY — I’m an INTELLECTUAL, too.” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

It’s Death Again

It’s Death again – He’s always there –
Watching, waiting – e’er the stare!
Every time I look behind
Or reach to pull the window blind,
I catch a glimpse of grubby hood –
A little clue to where he stood;
The glint of light that caught the scythe.
Perhaps if I could pay a tithe…
But O! no use, he’ll never go.
The adamant phantom; don’t you know
He will but wait until it’s time
For me to hear His fateful chime? –
The toll that claims my destiny,
To Hail: ‘You’re next, it has to be…

Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2009
———-
Seen on a headstone in a graveyard in England:

John Macfarlane (dates unknown)

Erected to the memory of
John Macfarlane
Drowned in the Waters of Leith
By a few affectionate friends.

🙂
__________________________________

“I’ve never killed a man, but I’ve read many obituaries with great pleasure.” — Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)

I really love the power of understatement; this one from Mr. Darrow is an excellent condemnation of a huge class of people, unnamed as yet, but whose names are indelibly etched on our memories, just waiting to be included in a list of people the world would be better off without…. We all have a list by that title in our heads; anyone who denies it is a liar, plain and simple, and fooling no one. As a human being, it is part of our nature to hate, and nobody is so morally chaste as to escape those kinds of feelings now and then. Nobody…..

Sometimes, what amazes me about modern life is that there are so FEW outbreaks of random violence… I’d think that, with all the pressure our society puts on people, there would be a lot more of us who crack, enough to lose control over our baser impulses, and start trying to cross names off our list of preferred targets….. The way they usually go about it isn’t the most logical, or tactically intelligent, but what do you expect from somebody in an emotional crisis? Logical thinking? Not going to happen, sorry….. I’d say it would be time to get nervous when some guy starts blasting away, then disappears, only to attack again later, in a new place…. That would indicate more planning and strategy, and a much more dangerous person…..

I’m not sure just why I started this pearl…. It might have been in response to yet another random shooting spree reported yesterday in the news, in which a teenager started firing at people because of some argument he/she had with another teen, or something like that… another totally insane reason to start killing people, but, then, do you really expect rational from these people? It isn’t rational to expect them to have an understandable reason for their insanity, it doesn’t work that way…..

But, the media will spend an incredible amount of time and energy exploring every nuance of what this idiot was doing when they snapped, until no secrets are left to the young person’s life…. In looking at the entire incident, including the media coverage, I am tempted to give a big sigh, and lament the death of society, or at least the apparent death of decency…..

Amorphous anxiety seems to be our legacy as members of today’s culture; our lives consist of a series of unpalatable events fueled by unwarranted lies, and made worse for a societal tendency toward sloth combined with a severe lack of compassion; the sheer futility of it all seems to be the only message that comes through clearly. The fatal flaw in human nature that keeps us from becoming truly moral creatures is still in control of our destiny, and any impetus toward rationality is disallowed.

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.” — Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

This is the flaw we possess, all of us, and that which has plagued us throughout our history. One of my blogging friends commented a day or two ago with a relatively famous quote, in response to another discussion around the recent spate of reported shootings…. “All that is needed for evil to succeed, is for good men to look on and do nothing.” (She didn’t report the attribution, but according to Google, it was first stated by a man named Edmund Burke, with a number of slight alterations in wording since its appearance.) This single truth has been the biggest stumbling block to human progress for our entire history, and continues today to keep us from making any progress toward improving our chances of survival in the long run.

Once more, I’ve painted myself into a virtual corner, so to speak, since I don’t have any good solutions to offer to our dilemma. Oh sure, I can tell anyone what is needed for us to start making the world into the kind of place that would be home to EVERYONE…. I think, down inside, all of us KNOW what is needed for the world to be a better place. But, until it becomes common practice for people to make decisions based on compassion and love, rather than ambition and avarice, things aren’t going to change much, because the folks who don’t care about others aren’t going to stop what they’re doing…. there’s nothing in it for them if they do. Only when good men stand up, and refuse to allow that kind of usurpation of the rights of everyone else, will any changes take place…..

So, you tell me….. When is that going to happen? And how do we convince people that it needs to happen? Answer those two questions, and we might have a direction to go……

“If you ever go temporarily insane, don’t shoot somebody, like a lot of people do. Instead, try to get some weeding done, because you’d really be surprised.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey
__________________________________

I tend to cook, and then eat what I cook, rather than pull weeds, when I’m feeling homicidal, but that’s just me…. otherwise, Jack’s advice is unusually relevant, and surprisingly valuable, coming as it does from perhaps the world’s most egregiously stupid person…. (Don’t worry, Jack doesn’t mind the insults; his creator made him that way deliberately, so I doubt he’d sue me for stating the obvious success of his caricaturization….) That single thing is probably why I’m so overweight…..

Well, here I am, at the end of another Pearl…. I find myself almost melancholy; the process of creation has, of late, been particularly….. satisfying….. So, going on to the rest of the day’s activities brings some sadness at having to cease an enjoyable experience. Now, all I have to do is take my own advice, delivered so freely, to allow the change to happen without reluctance, or resistance from me, accepting the good feeling, and going on to the next…. Okay, I can do that….. Watch me….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Delicate pieces of broken china….

Posted on January 21, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Whew! A close call, but disaster was averted, narrowly. Lest I drive everyone away in the first paragraph, before we even get started, I’ll not supply the details, but, believe me, it was very nearly a nasty mess. Let’s just say, hallelujah, and leave it at that….. Well!….

Howdy….. It isn’t every day that begins with such excitement, thank goodness. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t deal with that kind of issue every morning, as I have a distinct dislike for Kleenex, and anything to do with them, due to an accident when I was a child, involving those unreliable tissues, a clown, a policeman, and several large piles of manure. They told me it would probably never go away, so I live in a tissue-free world…. I don’t mind, there’s always TP…..

Hmm…. I suppose that kind of talk might just drive y’all out, too, if I’m not careful, so allow me to cast about desperately for something else to focus this intro section around…. Aha! Okay, how’s this?….. No, I’m not going to go there….. I’ve spent a long time creating just the right ambiance, and the proper standards for this blog, and I refuse to lower (or, some might say, raise….) them now. So, that’s out….

Now what the hell am I going to do?…. Shit….. Sorry, don’t mean to get vulgar, I’m just not accustomed to floundering around quite so ineptly in the morning. Though the process of creating each day’s introduction remains a mysterious one, it is usually a bit more cooperative at providing me with subject matter….. I’m just not used to this degree of chaos, I guess…. I can usually handle it better than this….. I’m tempted to say “gosh”…..

Well, whatever I decide, I’d better do so in the near future, as this is starting to drag into my writing time. Not that this part isn’t writing, but, it is supposed to be a quick, easy process to get this part done, not the long-drawn out affair today has blessed us with. I’m going to make a dangerous decision here, and call this intro off…..

Yep. It is hereby canceled. I’m having too much trouble getting it to even sit still long enough to apply any actual techniques, and it won’t allow me to pin down any particular style…. So, fuck it. We’re going to get radical, and dump the whole thing…. Of course, it helps that I’ve now managed to saddle y’all with five paragraphs of this nonsense…. 🙂 It’s a gift…..

Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government’s purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.” — Justice Louis D. Brandeis, dissenting, Olmstead v. United States, 277 — U.S. 479 (1928)

Finding pearls is sometimes frustrating, but then I find one like this, which is just a perfect representation of what I want to say, and it all seems worthwhile again…. This statement, though written in 1928, could not be more relevant to the present if it were written yesterday. We are observing this principle in action, as the POTUS and Congress thrash around, trying to convince the public they are responding intelligently to the furor over gun control. Of course, there IS no intelligent response possible, but they’ve never let that stop them before, so…..

Gun control will always be a hot-button issue, even after they’ve been taken away. And, you can bet your booties that day is coming, as the BRC and the unseen manipulators who control society will continue to create conditions that produce the mad ones, the ones who ultimately break free of their insanity, to let it loose on the world. This scenario suits the purposes of the ruling class very well, as it allows them to keep the populace stirred up in fear, making them easily led to the place they wish them to go. It is always easier to take away a right, when the people clamor for the government to take it away, out of unreasonable fear…..

A mighty pain to love it is,
And ‘t is a pain that pain to miss;
But of all pains, the greatest pain
It is to love, but love in vain.

— Abraham Cowley (1618-1667) — From Anacreon, vii, Gold

This is often how I feel about my country. I consider myself to be a patriot, in the classic sense; I support the idea of my country, but do not necessarily support the government. I love the idea of America…. a place where men and women are free to work out their own destiny, without the interference of the system they have created to oversee the necessary societal issues, i.e., without being persecuted for their beliefs, whatever they are…. The concept is an ideal, and one that the world has never actually seen before, not in practice. There have been attempts in history, but none so bold as the one made by our forefathers, who managed to create a system with the potential to create a veritable utopia….

But, within moments of the signing of the Constitution, the bankers, the preachers, and the lawyers were all taking their shots at the system, trying to find ways to amend its protections, and weaken the defenses against the very things they are trying to do. Since the Bill of Rights became law, there have been members of the Beloved Ruling Class trying to dismantle them, and reduce the protective qualities they possess. Much of the time they don’t even bother to hide it, but just couch it in terms that distracts the public from examining their claims too closely…

That struggle, to maintain the purity and intent of the original Bill of Rights, continues to this day, and is now undergoing its most fearful threat since the initial days of this country, more dangerous even than the Communist Purge in the 1950’s, during the McCarthy era of our political history. Once again, events have been manipulated to make it appear as if there is great danger, to the public, and most significantly to our children. Emphasizing this danger to our progeny is the most powerful weapon the BRC possesses, and they are making full use of it in the media, you can be certain…. Manifest a threat to children, and the ire of the public is yours to control….. much like Pavlov’s dogs….

I also think that Justice Brandeis was being nice, when he mentions that the BRC may be acting with good intentions, but lack of understanding. I think that the BRC knows EXACTLY what it is doing when it pursues legislation such as the current limits to gun ownership, and I don’t think they care at all that people don’t really NEED their protection or their help to protect themselves from the evil in the world. What the citizens DO NEED is less intrusion by the BRC into their private, or even public, lives.

I don’t care how ethical a government official SAYS they are, I don’t think they are more ethical than me, or the average Joe….. Nor can they be trusted to act in a manner that is beneficial to me, or to any other private citizen; their actions are only concerned with their own private agenda, and anything they say to the contrary is a BIG, FAT LIE! (Sorry, don’t mean to shout at you….)…..

This, I think, is an assertion that doesn’t even need me to point out the proof, as it jumps up in everyone’s face on a daily basis…. The BRC LIES TO US, every day, and it isn’t hard to catch them at it, as it happens virtually every time they open their mouths to speak….. What amazes me is that they get away with it so easily….

“I believe and I say it is true Democratic feeling, that all the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer.” — William Henry Harrison

As is obvious, I’m not the only one who is dissatisfied with the BRC, or as some say, the Government. I like to use the BRC, because then I can supply the defined parameters to include ALL of the various types of assholes who are part of that group; lawyers, preachers/priests, bankers, Senators, Congressmen, judges, elected officials, all are charter members of the BRC, and the targets of my ire, as well as the meat for my consumption here on ERC. I guess it would be accurate to say that the BRC consists of all those who seek power over others for their own personal gain, and just let it go at that….

“One of the most difficult of the philosopher’s tasks is to find out where the shoe pinches.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein

There is the pinch-point, ffolkes…. There are essentially two types of humans…. those who seek to have power over other people, and those who seek power over themselves. Anyone who doesn’t fit into those two categories is not living up to their full potential as a human being, and will not in any way have any say in what happens in the world. They are the cannon fodder, the unwashed masses of folks who go through life without ever directing their conscious mind anywhere but right in front of themselves, oblivious to all the evil that occurs around them, as well as unaware of all the beauty that exists.

That is their choice, and I cannot fault them for their lack of courage; it’s a scary world out there…. but, as human beings, I believe we have a duty to our fellow man, and that duty means NOT keeping quiet, NOT letting those who would do evil act with impunity. In my position, all I can do is speak up when I see injustice, or immorality, and issue my objections to what I observe…. It’s all I can do, so I’ll do it all I can… because, as Albert sez….. __________________________________

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;
And spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 289

I keep coming across passages from this poem by Mssr. Pope. Most are small six line excerpts like this one, and each one, by itself, is also like this one, a very deep insight into human nature and the nature of Reality. It is an astounding piece of work, and one day I’m going to sit down and read all of it in one sitting…. It is an incredibly long poem, deserving of the title ‘epic”, and, rather than take up the space here, I am providing a link to as much of the entire poem I could find in the allotted time, located on one of my favorite sites to find poetry, PoemHunter.com…. Only two Epistles are included, as the other two were not there, and I didn’t find them in my secondary search. If anyone finds them before I do, please leave a link in the comments…. thanks….

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/an-essay-on-man-in-four-epistles-epistle-1/

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/an-essay-on-man-epistle-ii/

There you go…. enjoy!…..
__________________________________

“Precepts and maxims are of great weight; and a few useful ones at hand do more toward a happy life than whole volumes that we know not where to find.” — Seneca

I’d intended to go old school here, due to a dearth of rantable material (according to SpellCheck, I just created a new word…. cool….). But then this little gem from Seneca popped up, and off we go…

Some folks out there in the world would be tempted to say that aphorisms and maxims are a cheap way to show off, and the people who use them frequently are merely insecure about their own knowledge. Hmph! It just goes to show, how trying to think only down to the first level of meaning can be deceptive, and fool people into thinking they know whereof they speak, when in fact, and reality, they are patently full of doo doo…. okay, shit. They’re full of shit, okay? That kind of bogus analysis can only lead to a lifetime of divisiveness and ill-feeling, as it is, from the get-go, just another way to judge someone else by their own standards. Such a habit is not only destructive to serenity of mind, it is hurtful to those who give a rat’s ass for what they think, and that is just cruel…..

Have no fear, that kind of nonsense has no effect on me; I am a devoted believer in the power of maxims. That power lies in the power of the words themselves, and anyone who doubts the power that words have to affect people, and reality, is living in a world of fantasy. As Albus Dumbledore said to such great effect in The Deathly Hallows, “Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most powerful source of magic, capable of both inflicting harm, and healing it.” (A word or two may be off there… I’ll check later, and if so, I’ll correct it tomorrow….sorry, got distracted….) Words, sometimes just a couple at a time, can be put together in such a way as to stir the imagination of entire nations…. Just think of how much the three words, “I like Ike” meant to this country in 1954…..

Then there are those maxims that are common to EVERYONE in our culture, or in whatever culture one lives, such as “Do unto others that which you would have others do unto you”, or “A penny saved is a penny earned”, or any of hundreds of other little bits of wisdom, tied up with a bow of language.

What Seneca says above then becomes much more valid, in light of how our the very basic ethics and morals of our society are passed on from one generation to another by these little information bombs. And the word “bombs” is more accurate than you may think as well, as the effects on the landscape of society from a well-timed aphorism can be seen and felt for a long time, and in many ways…… For example, “Make love, not war.”…..

So, anyone out there who is thinking that the time I spend looking for new quotes is time wasted, well, best of luck to ya. I consider every minute of the time I spend reading, whether reading books, Smart Bee, the Internet, other blogs, or cereal boxes, any and all of it, looking for lines just like the one that started this pearl, to be time well spent….. It is all data, which my mind gobbles up like a hungry kitty gobbles up Tender Vittles.

The more data I get, the better I feel, and the more understanding I am capable of, when I am confronted by Reality. These little pieces of humanity’s hard-earned wisdom, gathered over thousands of years of experience, and the relation of that experience through literature, are part of what allows me the degree of peace that I am able to find in life, in spite of all the difficult issues it gives us to cope with… It always helps me to remember one of the first aphorisms I ever learned, and took to heart….

“This too, shall pass…..” — Unknown in origin, but ancient wisdom, passed down to us through a million generations of human spirit…..
__________________________________

Okay, I’ll take it…. Let’s go see how it reads….. All in all, not bad…. A bit of buffing, polishing, and a couple of word changes, and it’s good to go. Since there is risk of spoiling that should I carry on much longer, I’ll end this here, and hope for the best….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Phlegm can be a fluid subject….

Posted on January 19, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Breaching the surface of reality, I swim into consciousness slowly, my mind already set on the first sip of coffee, which I can smell brewing in the kitchen. Daring Murphy to fuck with me before I have any of that which gives me reason to live, I sit up, groan, stiffly rise to press the power switch on the laptop, then walk over to switch on the lights. As soon as my eyes clear up a tad, I type in the password, and go pour that first, life-saving cup of auxiliary blood. Adjusting it to my preferred level of sweet & light, I listen as the computer goes through its boot sequence of whirs and beeps, sitting down in front of the monitor to take the first, life-giving sip.

As focus and power flow through my bloodstream, I realize that Murphy has once again respected my need for quiet and privacy, long enough to get that first sip into me…. Since this is the ONLY time he does that, I take a moment to silently thank his spirit, not that the asshole ever acknowledges it, or gives anyone a break for it….. I don’t care if he does come back at me for saying so, but, he’s really an asshole, you betcha. I’ve been trying for years to come to some sort of truce, or at least a sense of common respect, but the dickhead just keeps stepping in it, and doesn’t seem to care how it makes him appear to others…..

I suppose that is all one can expect from spiritual iconic forces of nature. They tend to pick up a sense of entitlement about their invulnerability, and lose all sense of tact and proportion. In short, he is a full-grown asshole, stuck with the attitude of a 13 year old prick (Picture the elitist son of some rich politician… that’s Murphy all over….. Vicious temper, lack of impulse control, no compassion, sick, perverted sense of humor, and acne, which explains why he’s uglier than the average bear….. I know, picture in your mind any of the Romney boys, add in some acne scars, and you’ve nailed that asshole perfectly…..)

Ah, well, sorry ’bout that…. didn’t mean to get all vicious myself, but I get carried away when talking about Murphy, and his ubiquitous presence in my Reality. I should no doubt just be thankful that I am grumpy enough to make him keep his distance in the morning before I’ve had my coffee; I can assure you, and him, that is a wise decision. There are several secret places in the world where the remains of those who didn’t observe that precaution are located, and I’d just LOVE to have him join those foolish people in eternity. Sometimes, I actively wish he WOULD bother me just then; it would be pretty satisfying to get back some of what he has taken from me over the years…..

Now that y’all are firmly convinced of my complete break down, it’s probably a good time to go for a dive. In looking back over this intro, it is clear that nothing further can be done to salvage the moment, so….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Not only does God play dice with the Universe he sometimes casts them where they can’t be seen.” — Stephen Hawking

Yesterday, I was standing outside where I live, enjoying a bit of winter sun, and for some reason started to think about Stephen Hawking, and his latest project, the search for a Unified Field Theory, a theory that will tie together and explain all of the various branches of science that we explore as humans in a strange and beautiful universe. I began to ponder just how he would go about it, and spent almost 10 minutes standing in one position, following the train of thought to its end. (I’m not sure how I was physically able to do so, and I was quite stiff when I emerged from my trance & realized I hadn’t moved for so long….)

It was the most amazing inner journey I’ve taken in a long time, ranging from the sub-atomic level of the building blocks of all matter, neutrons, protons, and electrons, to the composition of the galaxies farthest from our own position among the stars….. a truly epic journey. Alas, my own skill at mathematics is not deep enough to have suggested a possible path to the UFT equations, but, I felt a revelation nonetheless, as I realized something about the structure of the Universe, something that might just point to the solution, in a simplistic fashion.

I don’t think Mssr. Hawking, brilliant as he is, needs my assistance in his quest; he IS the most intelligent man alive, perhaps the most intelligent who ever lived. The rest of humanity is not even capable of understanding how his mind perceives the universe, as it obviously does so much more rapidly, more deeply, and with greater understanding, than any of the rest of us. But, all of us have something he doesn’t have, too, and that is our own unique perspective on what we perceive…. I think he is smart enough to know this, and has always been aware of not only the differences between him and those of lesser ability, but of the similarities, and the connection we all possess, with each other, and with the universe.

As I stood there yesterday and cogitated, it occurred to me that the structure of atoms that we have developed by observations and deductions, verified by experiment, is almost exactly the same as the structure of solar systems. The analogy goes even further, as one can assume the different size and colored stars, with their differing types of planets, could be likened to the way atoms of different numbers of elements form different types of matter. The way the solar systems come together to form galaxies, clouds, and globular clusters can be likened to the way different types of matter join to form biological systems of infinite variety. Though not exact, the similarities are startlingly alike in the way they can be combined in an infinite array of dissimilar objects and substances…..

So, I think that, when Mssr. Hawking is successful (and I truly hope he is…. a Unified Field Theory would mean an entirely new chance at life for our species, as it promises, by its very nature, to give us the key to unlimited energy, and unlimited possibilities that were never before even considered, as being out of the scope of our capabilities. Anti-gravity, telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation, faster-than-light ( FTL) travel to other stars, safe, reliable atomic energy, in the form of atomic fusion, all are just the beginning of what UFT can give to us…..) he will find there are a very large number of clues left lying around in the way that the universe is constructed, and that looking at one level can increase our understanding of another…. It works at a human level, and I think it will hold true for all levels of perception…..

And though the course may change sometimes,
Rivers always reach the sea.

— Led Zeppelin, Ten Years Gone
__________________________________

I’ve been thinking a lot lately of Noah, my compatriot and best friend, who died a while back… I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this one previously, but I don’t mind repeating good stuff, and this poem is perfect for my current state of mind…..

A Dog Has Died

My dog has died.

I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.

Some day I’ll join him right there,
but now he’s gone with his shaggy coat,
his bad manners and his cold nose,
and I, the materialist, who never believed
in any promised heaven in the sky
for any human being,
I believe in a heaven I’ll never enter.
Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom
where my dog waits for my arrival
waving his fan-like tail in friendship.

Ai, I’ll not speak of sadness here on earth,
of having lost a companion
who was never servile.
His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine
withholding its authority,
was the friendship of a star, aloof,
with no more intimacy than was called for,
with no exaggerations:
he never climbed all over my clothes
filling me full of his hair or his mange,
he never rubbed up against my knee
like other dogs obsessed with sex.

No, my dog used to gaze at me,
paying me the attention I need,
the attention required
to make a vain person like me understand
that, being a dog, he was wasting time,
but, with those eyes so much purer than mine,
he’d keep on gazing at me
with a look that reserved for me alone
all his sweet and shaggy life,
always near me, never troubling me,
and asking nothing.

Ai, how many times have I envied his tail
as we walked together on the shores of the sea
in the lonely winter of Isla Negra
where the wintering birds filled the sky
and my hairy dog was jumping about
full of the voltage of the sea’s movement:
my wandering dog, sniffing away
with his golden tail held high,
face to face with the ocean’s spray.

Joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit.

There are no good-byes for my dog who has died,
and we don’t now and never did lie to each other.

So now he’s gone and I buried him,
and that’s all there is to it.

Pablo Neruda

Translated, from the Spanish, by Alfred Yankauer
__________________________________

All things being equal, I would normally (hah!) put another pearl here that stimulated my outrage, in order to rant; a news article headline, a quote from one of the Ignoramusi, or the latest lies from the political arena. All things, however, are not equal, nor do we ever approach normalcy here without first obtaining all the appropriate licenses and permits, which I consider a complete waste of my time. So, I’ve fallen back to my default position in such instances, and gathered together a string of pearls, in this case a grouping of random thoughts and comments on religion, philosophy, and/or spirituality. Each of these has the added distinction of my complete agreement with the sentiments expressed…. Enjoy!…. As a treat, the Quiz for this week is canceled…..

“We may not be able to persuade Hindus that Jesus and not Vishnu should govern their spiritual horizon, nor Muslims that Lord Buddha is at the center of their spiritual universe, nor Hebrews that Mohammed is a major prophet, nor Christians that Shinto best expresses their spiritual concerns, to say nothing of the fact that we may not be able to get Christians to agree among themselves about their relationship to God. But all will agree on a proposition that they possess profound spiritual resources. If, in addition, we can get them to accept the further proposition that whatever form the Deity may have in their own theology, the Deity is not only external, but internal and acts through them, and they themselves give proof or disproof of the Deity in what they do and think; if this further proposition can be accepted, then we come that much closer to a truly religious situation on earth.” — Norman Cousins, from his book “Human Options”

“All cats are NOT gray after midnight. Endless variety …” — Robert Heinlein

A man fell off a mountain and, as he fell, saw a branch and grabbed for it. By superhuman effort he was able to get a precarious grip on it. As he was hanging there for dear life, he looked up and cried out, “Is anybody there?” A deep majestic voice answered, “Yes my son, I am here. What do you need?” “Help me!!” cried the man. “I will help you”, said the voice, “just let go of the branch and you’ll be safe. All you have to do is trust.” The man thought for a moment and cried out, “Anybody ELSE up there?” — Smart Bee

“Things go better with Buddha.” — Smart Bee

“I am the Supreme Being, you know. I’m not entirely dim.” — Sir Ralph Richardson (as God) in TIME BANDITS

Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum — “I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
__________________________________

In the past two years or so, since I began blogging full time (i.e., posting daily, somewhere…), I’ve used a lot of quotes and material more than once, when it is appropriate. So much so, it is getting hard to remember whether I’ve used some things before, or not. I don’t help myself by not giving clues to the content in the title, but, that is too much a habit now to change; if I want to know what is in one of my posts, I have to find it and read it, just like everyone else.

My memory, however, is pretty good, and I can mostly keep from repeating myself too much without having to go back and find out for sure. Unfortunately, as happens all too frequently on days like today, I can also get so lost in my memory that I not only cannot figure out whether a pearl is old or new, but I forget entirely why I wanted to know. We have reached that point here, and now. When I started to write this closing section, I had a whole series of ideas and thoughts all ready to get down…. Well, they’re all gone now, and I’m stuck here wondering what the hell I had in mind…. if I wasn’t already done with the rest of the Pearl, it would be a pisser, for sure…

I did go back and proof it, for what that is worth, and can only say, well, it’s done. I like it, mostly, and it isn’t overly consistent, or too sane; with those characteristics, it could be considered one of the best. I will refrain from even guessing, however, as it isn’t my place to do so….. That is why I keep y’all around, so to speak…. and now I am truly rambling. Okay, I’m done…… Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Uh oh, it’s leaking magic smoke…..

Posted on January 15, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
It isn’t the most horrific thing I can think of to have happen, but, it’s annoying enough…. Did you ever get a song stuck in your head, and not be able to stop it? I have, and it isn’t pretty; by the time the song fades away, I generally have about half my hair left, and have lost weight from the stress of hearing the phrase “oh lord, stuck in Lodi, again..” for the ten-thousandth time in a row….. Like I said, it could be worse (it could have been the theme song to “Barney”…. you know… “You love me, I love you, etc.”, on and on, into nausea unlimited….), but, even Country Joe McDonald’s voice gets old after a while…. of course, he’s old now, too, so…. Oh right, sorry, forgot…. he’s dead, now, so he probably sounds even worse….

This was a particularly sticky episode of this kind of conundrum; even playing classical music to drown it out wouldn’t work, and since my guitar is still in the pawn shop gathering dust, I couldn’t play through it. It wouldn’t be so bad, I guess, if it would change lyrics occasionally, to finish the song, at least. But, no, it has to repeat the same line, over, and over, and over, until you want to scream at your own head to SHUT UP! This, of course, leads people to believe you just might be too near the edge, and give you a wide berth on the sidewalk. It can also make it tough to get a waiter to approach one’s table at the cafe ….. Well, if I were at a cafe, it would…..

The song finally faded out last night, thankfully, just before bed time, but was sure a pain in the old arse while it hung around….. Now this morning, the incident came back to me, and I thought to myself, “Why not?”….. So, shamelessly, I have just used that minor incident, one without any particularly compelling features, or dangerous attributes, and turned it into a three paragraph intro section, through the magic of inconsistency and mumble, mumble, as well as the power of a sick imagination. (‘Mumble, mumble’ is a euphemism, for stuff I choose to hide from you due to its manipulative nature…..). I know, it was a bit unethical of me, but, that is the way we authors get when faced with a blank page…. ruthless, you betcha….

No blood was drawn, however, so I don’t see that there is much to complain about. Sure, I stretched your credibility, but that’s good practice for what comes later. And sure, I took advantage of your willing, or at minimum, unsuspecting, nature, to lead you on down a primrose path to nowhere…. But, ask yourself this: where would you be if I didn’t? See, I’ve done y’all a favor by this, and you should be grateful…. You could be stuck somewhere, reading something that makes sense, and what would that get you? Nothing you need, for sure….

So, quit the bitching, and just buckle up for the ride. It promises to get a bit bumpy today, given the state of this intro…. Shall we Pearl?…..

“Be not unwilling in what thou doest, neither selfish nor unadvised nor obstinate; let not over-refinement deck out thy thought; be not wordy nor a busybody.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 5

(Oops! Too late…. I wish I’d gotten the memo earlier in life….)
__________________________________

“Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.” — Udana Varga, c. 500 B. C.

This particular rephrasing of the Golden Rule from ancient India shows how long the concept has been around; in fact, it is a rephrasing of writings that are even older. This rule of behavior in society has been commonly held knowledge since the beginning of civilization, whenever one chooses to mark that date. Given that presence in the basket of platitudes that are carried by all, it brings to mind the question, “Why the fuck doesn’t anyone do this?”….. Well, that’s what came into MY mind, so deal with it…..

The Golden Rule is accepted by all societies on Earth as being a critical key to a peaceful existence, yet those who consistently ignore it, and break it with regularity, seem to always end up as the ones who are in charge of that self-same society. Everyone alive knows the rule, but many choose to not follow its advice and direction, instead, making it their purpose in life to acquire power over others, giving them both the ability, and the right, to harm others at their whim. I say right, because we have only those rights we can defend, and we, the common folk, do not defend ourselves against the BRC…. most of the time, whatever the BRC says is passively accepted by society, sometimes with regret and resignation, but mostly with barely reluctant acquiescence.

Me, I’ve never really been able to grasp what it is in those people that allows them to hurt others without suffering pangs of guilt. I know it is possible to suffer feelings such as that, and still ignore them, but it seems to me like those in power have learned to not even feel the guilt, having somehow come to be able to justify their desire for power as rational and right, rather than evil and cruel. It’s as if they come to decide they are destined to lord it over others, and thus feel only satisfaction at the suffering of others. It doesn’t make any sense to my world view, but, I understand that is how it works for them. Sick bastards….

Yes sick…. in my mind, any person who wants a public office in this country, one requiring election, is a sick person, riddled with all sorts of delusions and aggrandizements, and should be isolated from the rest of us, as it (greedy ambition, and the desire for power) can be a contagious condition. I don’t care how many logical sounding arguments or positions the person is able to spew out, they are mentally ill, and should be forced into treatment, for the safety of all society.

In fact, I think it would be a good thing if we started talking about some political control, rather than gun control. I think the political world needs regulation much more than do guns…. Guns are going to be used against people, it is what they were designed for, and people aren’t going to give them up, or stop doing crazy stuff with them, just because of a few regulations…. But, the politicians NEED to be regulated, much more than they are, and it really can’t wait…..

“Under every stone lurks a politician.” — Aristophanes

This particular subject is an easy rant for me, with all the major characteristics of a good subject right out there to see and write about. As such, I could probably go on all day without running out of stuff to poke at in this area of human nature. But, I’ve made my point, I think, so we’ll save some of the energy for later. Let it suffice to say, how someone feels about the Golden Rule is usually a good indicator of how they feel about politicians, et al. A real politician will look you in the eye, tell you they support the Golden Rule wholeheartedly, then will turn right around and say the exact opposite to your enemy. to gain their support. And, they’ll never feel a moment’s guilt over doing so…. If they did, how could they ever consider trying to be elected in the first place? Just wanting that kind of power is a clear sign of mental illness, guaranteed….

“My CODE of ETHICS is vacationing at famed SCHROON LAKE in upstate New York!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I was done with this, but fate intervened…. Just to show how our culture has developed under the influence of the delusions fostered by the lies of the BRC, consider this, which I found in the 13th Bathroom Reader…. One of our cultural myths says that the soldiers at Valley Forge under Washington during the Revolutionary War starved during winter because there was no food anywhere for them. The truth is, there was plenty of food, but the farmers in Valley Forge sold it all to the British Army, who were able to pay cash…. Kind of takes away from the grandeur of the alleged events, and puts the lie to any elements of implied nobility, doesn’t it? Conversely, it does rather support what I’ve outlined above, wouldn’t you say?…… Sick puppies, all of them, and always ready, and willing, to take advantage of human greed….

“If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 21
__________________________________

On the birth of his son

Families, when a child is born
Want it to be intelligent.
I, through intelligence,
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he will crown a tranquil life
By becoming a Cabinet Minister

— Su Tung-p’o

Remembrance

To what can our life on earth be likened?
To a flock of geese,
alighting on the snow.
Sometimes leaving a trace of their passage.

Su Tung-po

A two-fer…. 🙂
__________________________________

I’m feeling a bit lazy this morning, having already ranted sufficiently to relieve the toxicity levels in my brain; it always has such a soothing effect on me to spew…. 🙂 So, I’m going to go old school again, as I am wont to do in these cases…. Today’s group of pearls are all in the same vein, so to speak…. Each one gives us a little glimpse into the methodology of life lived well, and can, if duly appreciated, absorbed, and utilized, be quite valuable tools in the daily struggle against entropy and chaos…. If, for some unknown and incomprehensible reason, they don’t strike that chord for you, well, it will impress your friends to quote them now and then; if nothing else they’re quite engaging ideas, well stated…. enjoy!…..

“As you go the way of life you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.” — Native American advice

“Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“For a man can lose neither the past nor the future; for how can one take from him that which is not his? So remember these two points: first, that each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle, and that it signifies not whether a man shall look upon the same things for a hundred years or two hundred, or for an infinity of time; second, that the longest lived and the shortest lived man, when they come to die, lose one and the same thing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ii, 14

“Any necessary work that pays an honest wage carries its own honor and dignity.” — W. Kelly Griffith

“Doubt is the key to knowledge.” — Persian Proverb
(Caution: If you quote this one, be prepared to defend your statement….. This has a tendency to create ‘doubt’, even in those who just hear it…..)

And, for the final word, our old friend Alan Watts, doing what he does best…. making the complex seem simple….

“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” — Alan Watts
__________________________________

I have to say, having the time to spend on these Pearls, without the stress of thinking of how to get it published, is certainly helping the quality of the gems that are being produced. Probably something to do with the available time for editing and polishing, but, no doubt the reduction of the need to hurry is key…. Whatever is the reason, I’m content with how today’s version of my take on Reality has worked out….. plus, it’s done. Therefore, I pronounce this Pearl closed for business…. Hasta mañana, amigos! Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Small piles of duvets sat in a corner…..

Posted on January 14, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Coffee is on the way, so I won’t have to shoot anybody before it is ready. Or even because it isn’t ready…. I hate cleaning up dead bodies before breakfast…. So tacky….. Not that I’ve ever had to kill anyone yet, not over coffee. (No, not over anything…. I’m a virgin in that respect, thankfully….) It’s always a fun thing to think about though, especially when one is still waiting for that first glorious sip to bring the universe into focus. I don’t CARE if it is addictive, or bad for me, or whatever; NOTHING is like that first sip of coffee in the AM, nothing….. It would take someone with some serious martial arts skills, or a large weapon drawn first, to keep me from that first cuppa in the morning….. and, they would lose, due to my superior motivation….

Ahhh….. Now that the first sip is down the hatch, all is well with the world, for the moment, at least, and we can get on with the day’s business. It’s kind of fun, actually, as I’m falling back into the routine I developed previous to moving here, wherein the Pearl is the focus of my day, rather than the trip to post it being the primary subject of attention. I’m up at a decent hour (0610), and already into the intro, coffee in hand, by 0624, just bursting with ideas and plans for pearls. Of course, I know that once I try to pin down a solitary idea to use, it will slither away, pretending to hide, just because they all work for Murphy….

I’ll bet you didn’t know that…. that all your best ideas are from Murphy, who keeps a workshop for that, to develop ideas that he can use to torture authors with…. You can tell which are his…. They catch your attention, as a brilliant idea, then sort of fade off into the background, avoiding any close examination…. a technique Murphy taught them to further frustrate the author, as he or she chases down an idea that keeps moving away….. Then, when caught, at last, one sees the idea isn’t as shiny as it seemed, but rather is a buffed up re-run of an old idea….. He is SUCH an asshole……

I only know this because he, Murphy, spends so much time messing with me, I’ve learned a lot of his secrets…. I can’t block, or fix, or even prevent any of his activities but, I know for sure when he’s been around, fucking with someone, ’cause it’s usually me….. I’m just lucky, I guess…..

Now, I could spend more time lamenting Murphy’s kind attentions, or I could find something else more Intro-appropriate for this space. Or, we could get on with it, and go find some pearls to write about….. which is, no doubt, the most intelligent thing to do. Though such are not our general course of choice, we’ll go with that, if only to provide some comic relief, right?….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere” — George Washington

Wouldn’t it be grand if everyone felt this way? George wasn’t the only advocate of hemp amongst the founding fathers; I’ve seen others who wrote in praise of its qualities, though I didn’t save the references. I’m sure that the plant they found in use among the Indians back then during the colonial days was being utilized in a number of ways, as it has some very useful qualities, aside from the mind-altering characteristics in the chemical make-up of the plant.

It makes the finest rope possible. (Western civilization was built with rope…. literally…..) It can be used to make paper, clothing of all kinds, including shoes, and hats, string, food items, and a host of other things that are useful as tools or household items. It has medicinal qualities that even modern medical science cannot dispute, all of which are beneficial to people; it has no toxic qualities, and cannot be overused…. Well, one could fall asleep and dream very colorfully if one consumed a LARGE amount of cannabis, or of the THC ( tetrahydracannabinol ) component responsible for the mind altering effects, but over-dosing to the point of physical harm is, as far as can be determined, impossible…..

Now, society will tell you, and provide what they call convincing evidence, of the bad effects that using marijuana can have on the human mind. And, if used improperly, at the wrong time of life, there CAN be some slight problems encountered with long-term use. But, these issues are easily avoided, and easily overcome, given the proper treatment, and the overall harmless nature of the plant is not compromised by such evidence, as it does not allow for alternative patterns of use that are NOT harmful, but concentrates only on the ONE way to use it that is less than helpful to the organism. In other words, yes, you can find a way to harm yourself, but a small application of common sense will fix the issue, and it need not ever become a problematic issue thereafter…..

No, what makes marijuana a social problem is Society’s reaction to it, not the drug itself. The reaction by those who do not understand its benefits is extreme, to say the least. The common reaction is to totally reject all evidence that shows the drug to be relatively harmless, and to focus on only the issues involved that show it as bad; denial is a common tool to those in charge of our culture. Hell, if the BRC didn’t wear blinders all the time, they wouldn’t get ANYTHING done, as they’d be cringing and cowering in fear of everything that happened around them. If our rulers were not allowed the use of denial, they wouldn’t have anything at all to say…. think about it….

We are told, by those who make such pronouncements, that using marijuana regularly will reduce one’s cognitive abilities, turning them into clones of the character played by Sean Penn in the old movie cult classic, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, and similar to the character portrayed by George Carlin, Al Sleet, The Hippy-Dippy Weatherman….. And, if used as I described above, at the wrong time, by the wrong person, under the wrong circumstances, that can happen. But, from personal observation over 50 years now, I can attest that regular use does NOT have to affect cognition, nor does it necessarily turn one into a muddled, foolish caricature…. I’ve known too many ffolkes personally who use it on a daily basis, and there is no lasting negative effect on their intelligence, or their ability to think…. other than a slight difficulty making up their mind when confronted with more than one choice of food items…. 🙂

SIGH…. I could offer even more compelling evidence, but that would entail revealing information that might conceivably turn on me, so it will have to suffice to say that I speak from personal knowledge of these events, having closely observed them, from the inside of the culture, for many years. That long period observation and information gathering has led to my understanding of the issue, an understanding much more complete than any on the other side of the fence, as they do not allow for any of the evidence I can present, whereas I can account for ALL of what they can bring forth.

It has always seemed obvious to me that the arguments presented against marijuana all tend to use the same, outdated information, collected with prejudice by those who already denied any value to the substance, and will deny, deny, deny, any and all new evidence, or any evidence that seems to contradict that old nonsense. Typical, actually, of the tactics used by the BRC (Beloved Ruling Class) to deal with ANY issue…. denial is their default position on any concept that is potentially negative to their chosen beliefs…. If denial doesn’t work, they generally resort to name-calling, of some sort….

It seems as if I could keep on this rant for some time; it is one I’ve not really explored deeply in past pearls. A matter of self-protection, as it were; it’s not an issue I want a lot of attention focused on in my life, as most folks fail to grasp any of the important aspects of the issue, and tend to get emotionally involved in any discussion of same. Many, many people react to things they don’t understand with vehemence that is entirely misplaced, due to the lies and misinformation they have received for most of their lives from the BRC and priestly hierarchies. So, it has always been a policy with me to not encourage forays into the subject, as it tends to become relatively fruitless in a short time. In other words, why beat my head against a brick wall, when I can just walk around it?…. Or, float around it, as the case may be….. you decide…. for you. I’ll decide for me….

“Hand me a pair of leather pants and a CASIO keyboard — I’m living for today!” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

Tableau at Twilight

I sit in the dusk. I am all alone.
Enter a child and an ice-cream cone.

A parent is easily beguiled
By sight of this coniferous child.

The friendly embers warmer gleam,
The cone begins to drip ice cream.

Cones are composed of many a vitamin.
My lap is not the place to bitamin.

Although my raiment is not chinchilla,
I flinch to see it become vanilla.

Coniferous child, when vanilla melts
I’d rather it melted somewhere else.

Exit child with remains of cone.
I sit in the dusk. I am all alone,

Muttering spells like an angry Druid,
Alone, in the dusk, with the cleaning fluid.

Ogden Nash
__________________________________

But thinks, admitted to that equal sky,
His faithful dog shall bear him company.

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 111

Here is a line from Mr. Pope that raises a question whose answer is one I’m unsure of, and will need to ask someone who is more educated in dogma than me. I don’t know the answer to whether or not dogs go to heaven, according to Christian beliefs. It does strike me as a pretty good way to determine just how dogmatic a person is, to see how they answer the question (and yes, I see the irony of that…. dogma about dogs…. I get it…. I was trying to ignore it….). It seems to me that the answer they give would be a pretty clear indicator of how tolerant they are toward other species, and would tell one if they are worth knowing at all…. Someone who thinks that dogs shouldn’t be in heaven would definitely be the kind of person I would avoid, as they just don’t have the kind of outlook I can tolerate for long, without having to say something to them about it…..

In my less than humble opinion, any God, or god, who didn’t allow dogs into heaven, wouldn’t be worthy of the title of their supposed divinity. To imagine that humans are superior to dogs, in ANY way that matters, is to completely deny reality, and any philosophy that doesn’t account for that principle is one doomed to unreality, to my mind. Dogs, in so many ways, are superior to Man, in ethics, in morals, in instinctive rightness of spirit, and prove that every day. Man, too, proves his own inferiority the same way, as he torments, abuses, and kills these wonderful creatures, for sport, for cruelty, and just because they can….

I’ll take a dog over a man, any day, in almost any situation you can name, and will know for certain that the choice is one I won’t regret. Sure, you can find dogs who are mean, and vicious, to almost all who come close; those dogs have had their nature perverted, and were taught the behaviors they display. None of those kinds of behaviors are natural to dogs; they have to be taught to be bad. Their only purpose in life is to please us, and that simple characteristic is what makes them better than us, for we, as a species, have to force ourselves to act morally, to choose deliberately to forgo our impulses, and act rightly. For dogs, it comes naturally, and can only be perverted with effort…. or with ignorance….

I’m not going to carry this on further; a four paragraph rant about dogs versus humans is about right, I think, to cover the subject without going into depth. I’m of the firm opinion that dogs are far more deserving of entrance to heaven than any human would be, given the rules by which entrance is supposed to occur. So, if they AREN’T allowed there, why on Earth would I want to end up there? I can’t think of a single reason…..

“This is what I do for fun, can you imagine my job?” — Smart Bee
__________________________________

I’m still liking it…. though I’m not yet used to it. I’m done with the Pearl for today, and I just realized, I can go email and post it online as soon as I wish. I don’t have to shower, get dressed, and go to the coffee shop or library. Another fine way to show that sometimes, it is what we DON’T have to do that is just as important as what we do have to do. Or, at the least, it is much more enjoyable to NOT have to do something…. ah, shoot, you get the idea…. I’ll quit belaboring the point now, and bid thee a fond adieu….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

To save time, they stalled….

Posted on January 13, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
Well, a new day dawns, and it should be a doozy…. Last night, at about 5:30 pm or so, my internet connection came up, and I am now back online, whenever I wish, rather than whenever I can. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE RELIEF! Sorry, didn’t mean to shout, but I’m just so damn happy! Giddy, like a school boy with new shoes…. well, you know what I mean…. Today will be the first whole day I can spend visiting all the sites I haven’t been able to get to for months, to let my blogging buddies know I’m still alive, and am still able to comment…. it will be grand, to be sure……

T’is morning now, a Sunday, and I wouldn’t dream of calling it a doozy…. no dignity there…. Not that we are terribly concerned about dignity around here….. I gave up trying to preserve that months ago…. But, a doozy is what it will be, even if I don’t call it that. First, I get to create a new, or old, routine, of writing and posting at my leisure, instead of thinking about it all day until I can get to where I could post. Second, in a couple hours, my daughter is coming to pick me up for our periodic visit with Zackary, my grandson, and her nephew.

It is a pain, for sure, to only be able to see him every few months, but, t’is better than not at all, which could happen, given that the boy’s mother is a vindictive, narcissistic, extremely selfish woman, who only had a child to fulfill her own fantasies. The child is a secondary matter to her; his importance to her lies in how she can view herself as a mother, and in the future, she will turn on him, as he becomes more independent, and tries to form his own personality. I’ve seen it happen, unfortunately, as I know another woman with similar characteristics….

Ah well, it’s too early to start ranting on the flaws in human nature, though it is certainly easy to do. Human nature has some flaws that stick out pretty obviously, so it isn’t hard to find part of it to pick on. I’m just in too good a mood to start in on that so quickly. Already today, I’ve had indications that Murphy is out there, looking for something to piss me off…. He did spend a lot of effort yesterday, making it hard for the technician to get his part of the hook-up completed….

(Sometimes, Murphy assumes a disguise to fuck with things…. yesterday, he assumed the guise of a mid-level manager with his head firmly up his ass, who wouldn’t authorize a piece of simple work, forcing the tech to leave, and come back later, after another manager had authorized the work….. A five hour delay, with just a simple disguise. Not bad from Murphy’s point of view, I suppose…. Once the manager authorized the work, the whole process took eight minutes to complete, start to finish…..)

Ah me, it’s nice to be able to meander a bit…. No worries, no hurries to get done before I run out of gas, so to speak. Plus, I get to cruise and peruse the headlines in the news first, if I wish, to find fresh material about which to rant. Such luxury! I’m pretty sure I could get used to this….. Let’s not tempt fate, or Murphy, any further….. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Their nature, by training and instinct, is to argue and procrastinate. Yet we continue to elect lawyers.” — Ben Franklin

When I saw this, I couldn’t help both laughing, and sighing, for the statement is both funny and sad. Funny because of the irony, and sad because of its truth…. I don’t really know what it is about lawyers that seems to impress most folks; to me, their actions speak much louder than anything they say, especially considering that ‘talking’ is what they do for a living, and they use words as defensive, as well as offensive, weaponry. Yet, in spite of the endless examples of how a dishonest lawyer has cheated and hurt someone, people keep insisting they are moral, ethical people, just because they have studied the intricacies of our legal system. It makes no sense, because those are the LAST people one could expect to be honest, as every advantage offered by the system comes from using it for personal gain, and honesty doesn’t fit into that picture….. Corruption does…..

“It is not honorable to take mere legal advantage, when it happens to be contrary to justice.” — Thomas Jefferson [Third United State President]

The founding fathers of this country were very concerned with the concept of justice, versus that of legality. They had left England originally to seek a place where they could find such justice, and when they designed the Constitution, it was with this in mind. This is why a jury can find a person not guilty, in spite of the court’s evidence, even in spite of the law, and the verdict will stand. They recognized that justice cannot come from the law, but from society itself, in the form of the peers of each citizen. This, to them, was the honorable way to maintain the rights of the people over those of the BRC…..

“All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” — Thomas Paine

As you can see, it wasn’t only Jefferson who mistrusted those who populate the governing classes, or the only one who saw the danger in allowing institutional forces, such as corporations, or churches, to have influence over the operation of the government. Jefferson, Franklin, and Paine were, perhaps, more vocal than others of their time, but they were speaking the words that all their peers were feeling, and thinking. They wanted to warn their ancestors of the danger involved in letting the selfish among us gain control of the purse strings of the public treasury, and how much could be lost by not paying attention….

Have we listened to them? Not well enough, that is for sure…. Corporate interests are in complete control of Congress, and the churches are not far behind in their influence. (The established churches somehow managed to gain a boon I’ve never understood, when they got tax-free status…. Why? What have they done to deserve such favoritism? Why shouldn’t their money be taxed?…. I’m still waiting to hear ANY answer, much less a logical, or justifiable one….) And, the laws, and legal system, have been bloated and enlarged to such a point that ONLY a trained lawyer has any chance of finding their way through the maze to anything approaching justice…. which in most cases, amounts to justice for the corporations, not for people….

Knowing the law is essential to knowing how to break it with impunity, and only the lawyers now have that knowledge. They deliberately keep the system complicated, cumbersome, and unfriendly to human interaction, because they know that is the best way to ensure their own value as the ones who can make it work to their advantage. It’s quite obvious, if one bothers to even look at the overall situation, and is, perhaps, another example of how easy it is to fool the general run of humanity…. because, as Ben said, we keep electing them, don’t we?…..

“I think we’re all Bozos on this Bus!” — Firesign Theater

“This only grant me, that my means may lie too low for envy, for contempt too high.” — Abraham Cowley
__________________________________

Chorus of Athenians

Strophe I.
Ye shades, where sacred truth is sought;
Groves, where immortal Sages taught;
Where heav’nly visions of Plato fir’d,
And Epicurus lay inspir’d!
In vain your guiltless laurels stood
Unspotted long with human blood.
War, horrid war, your thoughtful walks invades,
And steel now glitters in the Muses’ shades.

Antistrophe I.
Oh heav’n-born sisters! source of art!
Who charm the sense, or mend the heart;
Who lead fair Virtue’s train along,
Moral Truth, and mystic Song!
To what new clime, what distant sky,
Forsaken, friendless, shall ye fly?
Say, will you bless the bleak Atlantic shore?
Or bid the furious Gaul be rude no more?

Strophe II.
When Athens sinks by fates unjust,
When wild Barbarians spurn her dust;
Perhaps ev’n Britain’s utmost shore,
Shall cease to blush with strager’s gore.
See Arts her savage sons control,
And Athens rising near the pole!
‘Till some new Tyrant lifts his purple hand,
And civil madness tears them from this land.

Antistrophe II.
Ye Gods! what justice rules the ball?
Freedom and Arts together fall;
Fools grant whate’er Ambition craves,
And men, once ignorant, are slaves.
Oh curs’d effects of civil hate,
In ev’ry age, in ev’ry state!
Still, when the lust of tyrant power succeeds,
Some Athens perishes, some Tully bleeds.

Alexander Pope
__________________________________

“The world is so constructed, that if you wish to enjoy its pleasures, you must also endure its pains. Whether you like it or not, you cannot have one without the other.” — Swami Brahmananda

I wasn’t going to use this on this particular morning…. it is a very deep, complex subject that deserves my full attention and focus. Though a simple idea in and of itself, it describes Reality, capitalized on purpose, to indicate the Real Reality, the one we cannot ever really describe with words, but nonetheless, know exactly what it feels like, especially when it slaps us upside the head, smartly….. as it is wont to do upon occasion. This is its closest approach to having any consideration for our convenience, as it doesn’t have to remind us of how hard it can be, but graciously does so with its every blow to our figurative heads…. or even to our literal heads….

That’s one of the tough parts about Reality…. it doesn’t compromise. At all. Ever….. It is what it is, and it is up to us to deal, not Reality. This, I think, is the hardest part for many to learn, and yet is the key to successfully embracing the idea. The duality of natural law, the very oppositional nature of Reality itself, which is supported by all of our perceptive organs and abilities, is clear, and immutable. One characteristic, of an idea, of a thing, of a person, of anything, does not exist without a complementary opposite, anywhere in our universe. It is all duality, yet not. We see ONE, but the ONE always has another side, from which the letters read ENO…. and that perception is the ultimate clue to the nature of how the world exists as it does….

“You are blind and I am deaf and dumb, so let us touch hands and understand.” — Kahlil Gibran

“Sometimes you have to be silent to be heard” — Stanislav Lee

This duality, clearly as it exists in Reality, is all too often not perceived as such by those people who tend to not rely on their mental acuity to get by in the world. Commonly, people act as if there is truth to the delusion of believing that life is fair, or that the universe cares one way or another whether we survive, or feel happy, or sad, or anything. Life happens, and our reaction to that event is what determines our degree of comfort, and nothing else. And, in order to completely understand the experience, one must also feel the discomfort that is engendered just as often by circumstance as it is by design.

“A person can only feel as much joy as they have experienced pain…. How would you know you are alive, if you had not once been dead?” ~~ gigoid

I can cite examples of the duality that IS, with ease…. We see because of the presence, or absence, of light. We hear because of the presence, or absence, of sound. Touch, smell, taste, all the same…. Our perceptions of everything that exists in the physical world is based on this duality of nature, so it seems unnecessary to go further to find the evidence of the veracity of the claim…. Of course, this does not go into the realm of the non-physical world, the world of thought and imagination, but that discussion is worthy of its own time for consideration….. This also does not fully accommodate the concept that the universe may exist in other dimensions, or with other laws, for which we do not have the perceptive ability to comprehend, or even note…. But, then, given that, there’s little point in speculating, now, is there?….

We just need to realize that the world we live in is just fine the way it is…. It is the people in the world who need to make changes…. Now all we have to do is figure out how to convince, or trick, them to make the changes that will help all of us, rather than just the few…. Worth a shot, I think….

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Nietzsche
__________________________________

It’s early days yet, but, I can tell you this much…. I like it. Here t’is, 2 PM, and I’ve visited with my grandson, son, and daughter, shopped for groceries, taken pictures, written a Pearl, and am now ready to post, so I can take a nap. All I have to say is, it’s about damn time…. Amazing how small things can make a huge difference in our lives….. Long live the internet! Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Somewhere, the moon is flowing….

Posted on January 12, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
At long last! So long, it feels good just to use such an ancient cliche such as “at long last”….. If all goes well, this Pearl is the first of many to come that will be published without the need to leave my warm little cave, braving the elements long enough to find a Wi-fi spot out in the Big Blue Room….. The only question now is, did it actually happen? The envelope, please….. Yes…. No…. Okay, there it is….. There is now no remaining doubt whatsoever that Murphy takes a personal interest in my affairs…. It is now 0600 on the morning of the 12th, and the red light continues to blink on my new modem, indicating there is no connection yet….. SIGH…..

It’s actually okay, in the sense that I halfway expected this to happen. It would have made my life much too simple and comfortable to have had the process go smoothly, and I should know by now that Murphy just isn’t going to allow that to take place on his watch. If it weren’t so damn weird, it might almost be flattering to have a force of nature pay so much attention; hell, the way its going, I could break a record or something, for the worst run of luck in years. With my luck, the prize would be a lifetime supply of peanuts, or popcorn, either of which would kill me, should I choose to eat them au naturel…. them, I mean, not me…. I seldom go au naturel of late, sadly….

Now, I must call to have the network folks, from whom I’m getting the service, deal with the connection issue, but I’ll be polite and wait until 0700. No telling what has to happen, so there is little point in speculating. We’ll just ignore it for the time being, along with the EXTREME ANGER that is hovering right behind my rationality this morning….. If I let that out first, it could delay getting the service started, as everyone would need to go get bandaged up & stop all the bleeding, so as to keep from dripping blood on their keyboard….

So, we’ll take care of some housekeeping, instead….. Yesterday, I spoke about Occam’s Razor, and made a guess as to when William of Occam lived, saying the 12th century…. naturally, I was wrong….. Correction: William of Occam lived in the 13th and 14th centuries, 1288-1348 or so… different articles gave different birth and death dates, so we’ll go with Wickipedia’s version, as I remember it…. I’ll Google before publishing, of course…. That is, if my service EVER GETS STARTED!…..

Sorry, it’s getting a bit crowded in here, what with all the emotion threatening to burst out into reality…. I can’t afford to let it out yet, or the consequences may even get worse than currently implied…. I’m hoping a bit of pearling will take away at least some of the built-up angst, before it gets to a point where it breaks free of my grasp. It may be the only thing between me and an explosion of some magnitude, so we’d best get to it…. Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.” — Sun Tzu

I don’t think its possible to say this too many times, as the truth it speaks only grows more plain with each repetition. I’ve also heard the same concept expressed this way, “The best way to defeat an enemy is to turn him into a friend.” This one, perhaps, is better suited for children to learn from; the warrior’s viewpoint can be learned a bit later in life. This idea, though, is best given to children at a young age, as it is a valuable tool in everyday life, if used consistently…. Those who never learn this valuable lesson suffer a distinct disadvantage in almost every human interaction they have in life, as they don’t know how to proceed in a way that enables them to succeed with the least effort expended.

“True myth may serve for thousands of years as an inexhaustible source of intellectual speculation, religious joy, ethical inquiry, and artistic renewal. The real mystery is not destroyed by reason. The fake one is. You look at it and it vanishes. You look at the Blonde Hero–really look–and he turns into a gerbil. But you look at Apollo, and he looks back at you. The poet Rilke looked at a statue of Apollo about fifty years ago, and Apollo spoke to him. ‘You must change your life,’ he said. When the true myth rises into consciousness, that is always its message. You must change your life.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

In this blog, I talk a lot about how the world needs to change, if there is to be any hope of our species continued presence on the planet into the foreseeable future. Our lack of concern, as a species, for the effects of our actions will ultimately be our undoing, if it is not changed, and soon. The cumulative effect of our depredations on the environment are eventually going to reach a point of no return, if it has not already done so, and it will be too late for any changes to matter significantly. This is physical fact, not speculation; the evidence is overwhelming, and no intelligent person can deny it, without risk of abandoning their intelligence altogether….

The changes in society that need to happen, sadly, are contingent upon a change in human nature, one that I’m pretty sure I don’t see happening to any great degree. There are just way too many sociopaths who are in positions of power over all of us, people who don’t care at all about others or what happens to them, and they are not willing to give up ANY of what they have to benefit anyone else.

Even the clear evidence that their own actions are going to result in their own demise is denied by them; their sense of entitlement does not allow them to consider that they are subject to the same laws as everyone else, and they believe they will overcome any challenges to that sense, by dint of their secure hold on the resources of the planet, and their long history of being able to do exactly as they wish….

“As soon as you are willing to discard observational data because it conflicts with religion, you are giving up any hope of ever really understanding the universe. As soon as you pick religion as the touchstone of reality, then we have to start discussing how one can demonstrate the correctness of one religion over another when different *religions* disagree.” — Wilson Heydt (whheydt@PacBell.COM)

“The answer is simple: kill the heretics. History shows us that this is the actual solution that competing religions apply — trial by combat or trial by ordeal. God is the final arbiter. What a sad waste of human potential it has proven to be.” — Paul Hager (hagerp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu)

As can be seen by this exchange, religion isn’t the answer to the needed changes in society…. In fact, religion, for the most part, is merely the support system for those in power, encouraging the ignorant masses to obey earthly authority in exchange for the promise of everlasting life in Heaven after dying… a very convenient set of tom-foolery, that has kept much of mankind in thrall for millennia, and allowed the Beloved Ruling Class to go about their business of lying, cheating, and stealing from everyone else with the Church’s full cooperation and approval. Dickheads, all of them….

No, no bitterness here, of course not…. Well, I guess I am a bit bitter about the thousands of years of oppression and slavery that the BRC and the Churches have saddled humanity with for the past 5000 years. But, I try to put it aside, at least long enough to spout off in condemnation of their duplicity in another rant such as this one….. if I get too strident, nobody will listen, or, worse, the wrong people will listen, and come try to convince me of the error of my ways… Ah well, if that happens, it will be interesting to see the effects…. I have a feeling it will be an explosion of some size and duration, and in fact, may touch off a number of events that will draw the attention of, I hope, the right ffolkes…. That’s obscure enough, I think….

I find it interesting to note that my friend, Lou, who blogs about the same kind of stuff at times, has been suspended, again, for something…. Once I’m fully online, I intend to find out why, as it may be an indicator that the BRC, along with those covert minions of the stealthy theft of our rights, the priesthood, are becoming more bold in their attempts to curtail the flow of information…. We’ll see, and I’ll get back to you on that…. In the meantime, I’ve run out of steam here…. Be alert ffolkes, for any way to change the world…. Almost ANY change we make will be better than the way things are heading now, that is for sure, and for certain…..
__________________________________

..       :
.                  .               .   . .
.           .                .               .. . . *
*          .                    ..        .
.             .     . : .   .    . .
.                         .   . . .   .
. . *:. . .
.                                 . .   . .. .         .
.     . . . …    .    .
.              . . . .    . . . .
.    .     . …   ..   .       .               .
. .    . *.   . .
.                   :. .           .
.   .    .    .
. . .    ./|\
. .. :.    . |             .               .
.   … .            |
.    :. . .   *.      |     .               .
. *.             You are here.
. .    .               .             *.                         .

🙂 Don’t worry…. I’m right here with you…. 😉

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
‘Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveler in the dark.
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
How I wonder what you are.

According to Google, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” was written by Jane Taylor, as a poem, and published in 1806. I’ve always liked it as a lullaby, as it doesn’t speak down to the child, and encourages imagination and wonder, which we all need to have as early in our lives as possible….. Also, it doesn’t contain any scary images common to many other children’s pieces, like falling out of the cradle from the top of a tree in “Rock-a-bye Baby”…. I never did like that one….. How can it help a young primate, with an innate fear of falling, to get to sleep with a song like that?…. Doesn’t compute, in my world….
__________________________________

What with the enforced waiting time while the internet gods decide whether or not to allow me access to the virtual world, I find myself in an odd mood. I’m resigned to waiting however long it takes, but not with the serenity I had hoped for in my soul. To be honest, I feel like biting someone, hard, and it is arguably a good thing I live alone just now….. So, I’ve gathered a few pearls, that alone are each quite strong, and on another day, might all have been saved for their own pearl. But, I’m feeling lazy, and besides, together, they make a nice little pearl, a picture of the goings-on in my head this morning, sort of…. Well, more like one of those “ghost” images you can use to copy a hard drive from one computer to another…. At any rate, it’s a picture of something, for sure….. I’ll leave the framing and title for the Gentle Reader to provide out of their own imagination, purely as an exercise….

“There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.” — John Lennon

“He knew that insofar as one denies what is, one is possessed by what is not, the compulsions, the fantasies, the terrors that flock to fill the void.” — Ursula K. LeGuin, _The Lathe of Heaven_
(DEEP insight!…)

“I think the dragon’s asleep.” — Famous Last Words

“I count religion but a childish toy … there is no sin but ignorance.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Once, there was NO fun… This was before MENU planning, FASHION statements or NAUTILUS equipment… Then, in 1985.. FUN was completely encoded in this tiny MICROCHIP.. It contains 14,768 vaguely amusing SIT-COM pilots!! We had to wait FOUR BILLION years but we finally got JERRY LEWIS, MTV and a large selection of creme-filled snack cakes!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“”Why Not” is in fact an excellent reason.” — Smart Bee

It seemed for a moment or two I wouldn’t find the proper closing pearl, but Smart Bee comes through once again….. Enjoy!
__________________________________

As a response to the patience I’ve used up this morning, I will now show an act of faith in the inevitability of my eventual access to the online world, and bring this Pearl to a close, minus the two bits of data to be filled in when Google becomes available. I am now just waiting for AT&T to activate the phone/data line in my room, at the behest of the service provider I’m getting the connection from; I can’t do anything but wait for them to finish their dicking around and get it done, so I’m going to go read for a while, since I can’t do any further damage here….. All things being equal, this should be published within a reasonable time, so….

As might be guessed, it took much longer than predicted, or expected, and still isn’t done; it is now 1430 PM…. I do have assurances (verbal, but sincere-sounding….) that it WILL take place…. Well, I’m showing the faith part, but, I’m still waiting to see any results for my patience….. Kind of reminds me of the whole prayer thing, y’know?….. A lot of sweat and effort with no visible effect….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Soon, my child, this will all be toast….

Posted on January 11, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
I hardly know where to begin…. It isn’t every day one rejoins the mainstream, after struggling for about six months to keep posting, busting buns to keep in touch with the Internet world at large, and the blogging world in particular. Not enough time to do either one to my satisfaction, given an average of about 55 minutes of time to get done what is necessary to post, check email, answer email, do any research, banking, etc. Today, provided Murphy doesn’t, or hasn’t stepped in to take a hand, I’ll be connected to the Net at home, by 8 PM latest, again, given no technical glitches are thrown up last minute.

I really am speechless, almost. I don’t know whether to spit, grin, or scratch first, and since it is still, at the time of this writing, speculative fiction, I’ll just leave it alone, and let it all hang loose in that respect…. there will be plenty of options, so I’ll procrastinate later about it….. For now, it will be useful to point out… I didn’t post yesterday, the 10th, because I was too busy with real world activities that couldn’t be put off (more later on that stuff….), and today, same thing again. But, one of the productive things that got done today was the arrival and set up of the new modem, so that all will be in readiness tomorrow when the service is activated…..

What this all boils down to is that the intro, at least these first three paragraphs, are, were, written on the 11th…. after this paragraph is the intro from the 10th, with the material I wrote that day after that….. All of it is being posted either very late on the 11th, or on the 12th early, whenever I can get it done after activation. So, some of it is a bit fresher than the rest, but it is all part of a tough week, and you know what they say about authors and tough weeks… No? I thought you did…. Well, I don’t…. Any who…. onward, or in this case, backward…..

From 1/10/12

Ffolkes,
Far from being inflexible, I like to think I am pretty fluid in my attitudes about change. Any other approach to the matter is useless, as change is going to happen regardless of our take on it, so I’ve always tried to use that to my advantage, rather than spending a lot of time and energy trying to slow it down, or stop it altogether, a pastime certain to be filled with disappointment. This is why we are trying out a new technique today, or, rather, a new schedule for writing this blog when matters in the Big Blue Room require attention during the time set aside for pearling…..

I don’t know if it will work well, or not at all, so it should be a new experience, if nothing else, to find out. I can’t say I’m really enthused about having to go out into the BB Room so early, (gotta catch the 0700 bus, the first one that runs each morn….), as the weather has been nasty, cold, and wet all night, by the sounds of it, and I am feeling wimpy. But, one must do what one must, so I’ll bundle up and trundle off to the hospital to get these x-rays done for the state, so they can quit stalling around with my disability case. I swear, they’re finding every possible way they can to slow the process down, and wait until the last moment to spring them on me, for the most frustrating effect….. Apparently, Murphy works for them as a consultant on time management….

Now that the experiment has begun, I guess we’ll see how well I can write under deadline, which is sort of what I’ve done today, adjusting the schedule to accommodate this trip to Sutter-Solano this morning, and a trip to Kaiser this afternoon…. Hopefully, a trip to the library to post will fit in there between them…. that’s the plan, anyway. Plans, as we know around here, are for other people to depend on, not us…. Here at gigoid-ECR we know better than to tempt Murphy by making them, or, if we do, we don’t tend to get too worked up about having to alter them to suit reality, since we know already we will be suffering the kind attention of that particular icon, no matter what else may happen….

So, I would suggest that today, everyone take advantage of the seat belts that are attached to your seats…. Though we have never had to use them, it’s always a good thing to be prepared, right? Today’s blog could conceivably turn on us, and could conceivably necessitate some rather circuitous flying to get us past any turbulence, which may upset one’s tummy, if nothing else. Just close your eyes….. wait, no, that won’t work…. you can’t read your way out if you do that…. Well, just buckle up, hang on, and hope for the best, I suppose…. all you can do is all you can do, as you know…. Shall we Pearl?…..

P.S. to the intro: I’m rather confusing at times, I know…. it’s a gift. I don’t mean to be, actually, but, in trying to make things clear, I get carried away by details, and, it goes downhill from there…. At this particular point in time, I have no idea where this Pearl fits into real time…. I don’t know when it will be posted, the 11th, or the 12th, so any further attempts to provide any time markers seems futile. Thankfully for all of us, this means there is nothing left now but to go on…. this time it’s for real, no matter what day it is outside…. Shall we Pearl?……
__________________________________

I don’t think anyone would argue if I said the world needs some work, in order to be the kind of place where everyone has an equal shot at a good life. On the bottom line, that seems to me to be the basic desire of everyone I know of who has any degree of what I’d call common sense, and it really doesn’t seem like a lot to hope for…. until one looks around at the way things are, and realizes that most folks aren’t going to have a chance in hell of spending a lot of time in a contented state….. That is, I’m certain, as confusing as I can put it, but, nonetheless, is perfectly accurate, if a bit pedantic…. The following old school pearl kind of created itself, as the best do, so you’ll need to keep an open mind to catch the point…. but, it’s a good point….

“Brains first and then Hard Work.” — Eeyore, Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

“Boys become men by watching men, by standing close to men. Manhood is a ritual passed from generation to generation with precious few spoken instructions. Passing the torch of manhood is a fragile, tedious task. If the rite of passage is successfully completed, the boy-become-man is like an oak of hardwood character. His shade and influence will bless all those who are fortunate enough to lean on him and rest under his canopy.” — Preston Gilham

“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“At least I thought I was dancing, ’til somebody stepped on my hand.” — J. B. White

“Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“I gained nothing at all from Supreme Enlightenment, and for that very reason it is called Supreme Enlightenment.” — Gautama Buddha

There you go…. Not to worry about grading; this is only on the pass/fail schedule, and won’t be on any quizzes…. But, you should pay attention, anyway, if for no other reason than is given by the Buddha….
__________________________________

Is It Alive?

Fighting into the light, words push hard to exist
each step closer to real brings another unique twist.
Shedding meaning for meaning, until bright, alone, and right
sculpting useless shapes, yet undefined, in pale morning’s light.

Never knowing the face is part of the lasting charm
bringing elegant focus, before sounding the alarm.
Advantageous time sends out messages, fears finding voice,
mulling options for flexibility, virtually without choice.

Fortunate man, who embraces the power of change;
’tis magical knowledge, bonding common to strange.
Weaving words of wonder, made strong by love and duty,
into a tapestry of life, and everlasting beauty.

~~ gigoid
__________________________________

“Pluralitas non ponenda est sine necessitate.” (Multiplicity is not to be asserted when it is unnecessary.) — William of Occam [Occam’s Razor]

Sometimes it’s a good thing to look at the original idea, when one is often found to use it in its various historical incarnations. (Huh? What did he say? I’ve gotta tone down the syntax complexity a bit…..) We all use some form of this in our lives; the concept has been common knowledge for many, many years. (William of Occam lived in the 12th century (?)…..) It’s really too bad that in all that time, the idea has never taken root in the general population’s mind, such as it may be. People don’t commonly use this priceless logical rule in their daily lives, and never know they have the opportunity to go through life with much less difficulty than they do in fact…..

The absence of the Razor in the everyday affairs of society is never more heavily felt than in the political arena, as year after year, and century after century, mankind continues to blunder around like a wounded rhinoceros, experimenting with various forms of government designed to keep the people happy and content to NOT kill the ruling class, (and vice versa…), and failing miserably. I can’t think of a single period from our relatively short but busy past that would indicate that we were choosing the most logical or effective forms of getting along as a culture, can you? Maybe I’m missing something, but it seems to me that if even a small amount of logic were applied to any of our governmental formats, they might just work better…. Maybe not, but, since it’s never actually been tried, why not?….

“It is difficult to legislate morality in the absence of moral legislators.” — Smart Bee

This, being absolutely true, shows just how using Occam’s Razor could be of value. The Razor implies that if legislators are not moral, then remove them, with prejudice if necessary (Razors are, after all, for cutting things off, or out, whichever works best….). Allowing them to pursue their immorality in creating laws has already cost our society many steps toward improving the human condition, and there is no room for sentimentality in such instances, not when it affects the entire world, which includes us, and every other living thing. The inanimate world doesn’t need our help at all, protected as it is by natural law from any such attempts by us to make changes to those laws. It has its own way of enforcing those laws, strong enough that compliance on our part is mandatory…..

One of the more useful characteristics of Occam’s Razor is that it can tell us when we are losing our way, so to speak. If we eliminate all the dross, and what is left isn’t working, then we are, culturally speaking, ‘in the weeds’ philosophically, and the ground is bound to get even muddier. I have, unfortunately, reached that point in this discussion…. In other words, I’m lost. When I started it, I had an idea of where to go, and started to go that way… it wandered a bit, then I got interrupted by my morning jaunt to the X-ray department. Now that I’m back, and a poem forced its way onto the screen, I’m lost, and can’t find a way back…. SIGH…. One of the risks of multi-tasking, I guess….

Oh well, just think about Occam’s Razor now and again ffolkes, and see if we can’t figure out how to put it to more use on a societal level…. it couldn’t hurt, right? No worse than what has been going on so far…..

“Th’ MIND is the Pizza Palace of th’ SOUL” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

Okay, it will do…. It hasn’t been the most comfortable of Pearls to create, but it seldom is when a poem is involved. Add in the other extras today, and it goes off scale. So be it. I don’t have the time or energy to worry about it now, not if I’m going to get done all I need to do today. I hereby declare this Pearl to be finished…. Gotta go, so…. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Saving the pieces for posterity…..

Posted on January 7, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,
For the first time since starting this blog, I’ve missed posting for two days, which one or two of y’all might have noted. On Saturday, I woke up with a raging head cold, spewing fluids from one chamber in my head to another with every cough and sneeze, and aggravating all my incipient pain. It has been, to be brief, a miserable two days, to be sure. I did write…. enough material, in fact, that today’s post won’t suffer for originality, at minimum. In fact, I’m adding an extra section today, just so I don’t have to sit on this stuff for too long….

Having done virtually nothing in the past two days but sleep, to the tune of about 19 hours a day, I’m feeling fairly rested, if still a bit congested. I’ve decided to acknowledge my age, and not test my limits by trying to act normal yet, so, I’ll get to the library later, to post this, but I’ll probably nap first, and afterward, to make up for the effort I know it will entail….. Another point for foresight, eh?…. It’s times like this I kind of wish I could have afforded to keep my car; it would be nice not to have to try to depend on bus schedules, especially with the cold, wet weather we’ve been having. Makes it hard on us poor folk, don’t ya know?….

I wrote an intro section on Saturday, but, most of it has turned irrelevant in the ensuing time, so it is being done over. I hate to throw out anything already composed, but, it really was whiny, anyway, and isn’t any loss. It’s not as if I ever run out of stuff to write, is it? I can’t seem to shut it off, not that I’d wish to, but, some overt control would be welcome at this late date….

Strangely enough, my head is relatively empty this morning, at least of material I want to put down. It is most likely a good thing I already have enough done for today; last time I wrote too much ahead of real time, I got all lost and confused, if only in my own head, and it was a mess, figuratively speaking. Today, instead, you’re getting everything I did while not posting, just to get it out of my way….. Don’t worry, it’s not bad, and not TOO long….relatively….. Without further ado, Shall we Pearl?…..
__________________________________

“Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its one sure defense.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), Notebook, 1888

I’m positive I’ve used this in the past; it’s too good, and too familiar an idea for me to have passed it up. Since I have no idea when I did use it, it’s okay to use it again, according to the loose rules I go by around here…. This idea is one I embraced many years ago, even before the Beatles used the Blue Meanies vs. Laughter & Love as a metaphor for life, in their movie, Yellow Submarine. It seems I’ve always known that things that live and thrive in the dark, things that exist only to cause pain and misery in the world, cannot stand up to the light of laughter, or the power of love. It is almost a sad sight to watch a bully deflate and slink off when laughed at, rather than accommodated….. It might be sad, if it weren’t so satisfying….

In the twentieth century, George Carlin was probably the best defender of liberty, one of the most adept at using irreverence, and original critical thought, to poke fun at the ruling cadre. He was merciless at exposing the true motives held by those rulers, making it plain for all how the crap that people put up with in life is deliberate on the part of the ruling classes. His biting wit was graphic, clear, and undeniably true, for he never made statements that weren’t drawn from real life experience, with vivid evidence of chicanery on the part of the elite, in support of his assertion of their evil intent. He did all this, and made us laugh about it, and at them, and, most importantly, at ourselves….. Only the very best can do that…..

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)

In today’s world, manxom foes are much easier to find, so thoughtful moments by the tumtum tree aren’t required as often. By this bit of nonsensical reality, I’m trying to make a point, one that escapes me completely, now that I’ve started the process. I really did have a thought that made this verse appropriate, or at least comprehensible from an odd viewpoint, but, for the life of me, I can’t find it anywhere in my head.

It had to do with bullies, and the Beloved Ruling Class (two interchangeable entities, to be sure….), and was actually, according to my memory, quite elegantly powerful in its indictment of the BRC as assholes….. It’s too bad I can’t remember it…. Just go look at a picture of a politician, or the Pope, or somebody of that ilk, and spit at the image…. you’ll get the idea, and feel better, too…..

“The last Christian died on the cross.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

Now you’re talking! That’s the way, Friedrich, you tell ’em! I happen to agree with this statement quite strongly, and couldn’t have said it better. Tom Jefferson was of the same opinion, in fact, ….

“But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State.” — Thomas Jefferson, [letter?] To S. Kercheval, 1810

Tom was quite outspoken in his indictment of the entire class of those who lie to others, for power and personal gain…..

“They [preachers] dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.” — Thomas Jefferson

Ah me, such rants as these can go on forever, if we let them. There is always more ammunition to fire off, so we don’t have to condemn all of them at once, I guess. We’ll leave some for a later date….. For now, let me leave you with more timeless wisdom from our favorite insane person…..

“I know things about TROY DONAHUE that can’t even be PRINTED!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
__________________________________

” I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear friend, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

This statement, to me, is the modern version of a literary Holy Grail….. Not merely the beauty of the ideas expressed herein, but the elegance of the expression is of such power it is almost magical. “…you will… live along some distant day into the answer.” Even though presented in prose form, this is poetry at its finest. I say it is the Holy Grail because I can only hope to seek such power and grandeur, such obvious compassion, and love for life, in my writing, and wish with all my being that I find it….. Here is a poem from Rainer….. for balance….

Black Cat

A ghost, though invisible, still is like a place
your sight can knock on, echoing; but here
within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze
will be absorbed and utterly disappear:

just as a raving madman, when nothing else
can ease him, charges into his dark night
howling, pounds on the padded wall, and feels
the rage being taken in and pacified.

She seems to hide all looks that have ever fallen
into her, so that, like an audience,
she can look them over, menacing and sullen,
and curl to sleep with them. But all at once

as if awakened, she turns her face to yours;
and with a shock, you see yourself, tiny,
inside the golden amber of her eyeballs
suspended, like a prehistoric fly.

Rainer Maria Rilke
__________________________________

“Reality is the flaw in the perfection of nothingness.” — Nyarlathotep, Reed College, Portland, OR –

“So sure are you! Tried have you? Always with you it can’t be done. Hear you nothing that I say? Try not. Do! Do! Or do not. There is no try.” — Yoda [The Empire Strikes Back]

“And I said to myself be still, wait without hope. For hope would be hope of the wrong thing. Wait without love. For love would be love of the wrong thing. Wait without faith. For the faith and the hope and the love are all in the waiting.” — T.S. Eliot

“Food, sleep, fear, propagation; each is the common property of men with brutes. Virtue is really their additional distinction; devoid of virtue, they are equal with brutes.” — The Hitopadesa (600?-1100? A.D.)

O love, could thou and I with fate conspire
To grasp this sorry scheme of things entire,
Might we not smash it to bits
And mould it closer to our hearts’ desire?

— Omar Khayyam [tr. FitzGerald]

So, there I was, still in relatively massive discomfort, cruising through Smart Bee, and letting my unconscious mind pick out pearls to make a pearl. (Or are those oysters?…. Never mind….) Once again, I am unsure of exactly what my unconscious is trying to say, but, damn, it sure said it well, didn’t it? In reality, or as close as we ever approach that state on this blog, it makes a very cogent statement about the structure of human nature, if not exactly claiming to be a complete explanation, or even representation, of that nature. Given my current mental condition, I think it’s the best for which we can hope….. It’s just been one of THOSE days, y’know?….. But, really, this isn’t a BAD pearl, it’s just obscure… so it should fit right in, right? Right?….. Well, maybe not….. Ah, the hell with it…..
__________________________________

(This is an extra pearl, brought to you by the cold virus, rhinus virusii, and by the word, “plonk”……)

“When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.” — John F. Kennedy

For a long time now, I’ve been ranting periodically, about a certain flaw in human nature I have observed, a flaw that all of us possess to some degree. This flaw is the tendency to manipulate other people for personal gain, rather than mutual benefit. We all manipulate; if we didn’t, we’d starve. This is a lesson we learn in our first days on Earth, as we find out that our cries will bring attention, food, and comfort. To varying degrees, our lessons in this sort of manipulation of other people continue on to adulthood…. The difference in degree we learn arises from several factors, both environmental and genetic, and is the crux of the problem our species faces now…..

You see, after a certain point, most folks don’t wish to make others do for them what they can do for themselves; it is more satisfying to accomplish something when one knows exactly what one has done to achieve it. But, a certain number of people decide, at an early age, usually, that they enjoy the power of getting others to follow their suggestions, and start finding ways to make their manipulations acceptable to others, even though those ways are immoral and unethical. These folks learn how to lie with a straight face, convincing the naive to allow them to act or think for them, because it is to their advantage. In reality, the entire manipulation is designed to benefit only the perpetrator of the lies…..

So, time passes, and these trained liars become preachers, and politicians, and lawyers, and anyone else in society who learns they can have far more than they ever need, or deserve, by hoarding resources for their own use, by writing laws, by manipulating society in ways that are advantageous to them, rather than being a boon to society. They lie, they cheat, they steal, and they tell everyone they are doing it “for YOU!” Most insulting of all, they use the pretense of “morality” to disguise their true intentions.

“Morality is the best device of all for leading mankind by the nose.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

These foul flibbertigibbets have their flunkies to make the laws for them in Congress, they have the hawks in the military to protect them from the “heathens”, they have their judges in their pockets to rule in favor of business rather than people. And, they have the preachers proselytizing the great, unwashed masses of humanity to control them, masses who never question anything they do, but continue to put their heads down and slog away, trying to win a game that was fixed from the start…..

When looking at JFK’s statement above, one might believe that he had the public in mind when he said this, and that he was indeed a champion of the people. Myself, I have a hard time seeing anyone worth over a billion dollars as a champion of the people, no matter how sincere they might sound. More likely, what he says above is merely a sop to public opinion, stated as a means of convincing the common man that he has something in common with them…. a tough sell for a boy who grew up in the biggest compound in Hyannisport, the bastion of the truly rich.

He would, by this assertion, have us believe that exposure to poetry will moderate the impulse to cruelty among the powerful, a statement which, if examined critically, is seen to be completely untrue. I haven’t seen ANYTHING in particular that has that effect, not in this world…. Technically, the statement may be true, regarding art as the touchstone of judgment, but asking me to believe that a Kennedy, a person who has never had to suffer any such judgments, actually AGREES with it, well, that’s asking too much….

“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport.” — William Shakespeare, “King Lear”

To my mind, politicians, and anyone else who lives by the insane dictates which they do, are like these gods to whom Will refers; they do what they do to us, just because they feel they can, and don’t give a rat’s ass for what anyone else believes. That may sound like a strong indictment, which, hopefully, it is…. In my own defense, I defy anyone at all to disprove the statement. Show me the evidence, if you have any, of how the government, or the churches, or the corporations, or the police, or the courts are acting in a way that is beneficial to the public. I’m willing to look at whatever anyone may have to show me, though I am quite convinced that nobody will be able to do so, as I don’t believe there is any such evidence……

“Perhaps we are wiser, less selfish and more far-seeing than we were two hundred years ago. But we are still imperfectly all these good things, and since the turn of the century it has been remarked that neither wisdom nor virtue have increased as rapidly as the need for both.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

This is a statement you may confidently place in the “fer shure” column, and forgeddaboutit. All the wisdom we need is already present in the world, I think, but the amount of virtue, or rather, the amount of influence that virtue commands, is severely limited; it is that lack that our nature shows when put to the test of Reality.

It is unfortunate in the extreme that, in this world, there are those who exhibit the flaw, those who don’t, and literally, billions of folks who don’t know, and don’t have time or energy to care, what we’re talking about. The most unfortunate part of this, is that the former group comprises the Beloved Ruling Class, and will, in all their insane glory, bring the rest of us with them down the path to our inglorious demise, unless we can bestir ourselves to wake up and throw them all out on their asses…..

“Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes, and feel with their own hearts.” — Albert Einstein
__________________________________

“We have standards and expect you not to exceed them.” — Smart Bee

Plainly, I have succeeded in not exceeding any standards whatsoever…. I am just content that I was able to piece together this Pearl; I wasn’t certain I was going to have the strength of will to push through all the residual pain hanging about. It’s done, though; that’s enough for me….. If all this stuff stays in my head too long, it can cause serious issues, and not just for me…. The rest of the world tends to have to put up with it, too…. Hopefully, it isn’t too whiny, or too self-serving; Yoda’s advice about not trying, but, instead, doing, is always timely, isn’t it?….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

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

View Full Profile →

	katiemiafrederick on Are those Foster Grants to blo…
	katiemiafrederick on Funk-o-matic accessories are o…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on But…. but…. what a…

gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Murphy’s Law

Mesmerizing patterns in colorful silk….

Mitigating the dangers of priestly concern….

Delicate pieces of broken china….

Phlegm can be a fluid subject….

Uh oh, it’s leaking magic smoke…..

Small piles of duvets sat in a corner…..

To save time, they stalled….

Somewhere, the moon is flowing….

Soon, my child, this will all be toast….

Saving the pieces for posterity…..

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: