Tag Archives: nature of the universe

Waffles are an anomaly of nature….

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Ffolkes,
Zounds! What a difference 8 hours of good sleep can make! I’ll have to be careful not to move too fast & hurt myself; I’m not accustomed to having this much energy in the morning, nor such a cheery frame of mind. (It’s not affecting my typing, though….took way to long to get through that sentence, due to finger errors….) I suppose we can’t have everything….at least not all at once. That’s fine, I’m happy with how things are, so we’ll get a good start on another fine day in Paradise……. that’s where I live; how about you?……
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“The great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul is: WHAT DOES A WOMAN WANT?” — Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Siggie asks himself the question that crosses every man’s mind at one time or another as we go through life. In a way, I’m guessing the nature of a woman was designed that way, to keep men from taking them for granted by familiarity. As it is, familiarity is a moot point; no matter how well a man knows a woman, she will always say and do things that will surprise him, and not always in a good way. My own marriage, for example, had some rather rocky moments, due in part to the habit my wife had: she assumed that I could read her mind. I tried assuring her that I could not, in truth, do so, but it didn’t seem to matter, for she would get angry anyway. SIGH….


Actually, this female characteristic, in one respect, proves the truth of axiom #2 of Peruaosophy, which states, “The Nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you are in for a rough ride in Life.”  Thus we see that the nature of a woman is merely a reflection of reality, that part that is always new and different. And if you don’t like it, well, that’s just too, too bad, because that aspect of the situation is not going to change; men will never fully understand women. As long as men can accept that, without needing to understand, then their lives will be much happier, if not more serene……they (men) just need to remember axiom #5, which says, “Girls think differently. So do boys. Don’t fight it.”……
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“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 like that…..”is just common sense, dancing.” What a wonderful image, full of mirth and bottom line truth.  A great many of the world’s problems come from people who have either no common sense, don’t know how to dance, or have no sense of humor. And that’s just a shame, especially when those folks try to make everyone else conform to their perverted notion of reality. I don’t know why, but they always seem to be the same folks who can’t tolerate….anything different.

Their own lives, which they have submitted to control by dogma, are so blighted and dim, they cannot stand it when other people seem to be having a good time. So, their reaction is to label it “impious”, “blasphemous”, or even “evil”, never realizing their own set of blinders has narrowed their vision to the point they cannot see past the end of their nose. (hmmm….I never really understood, until this very moment, what that little expression meant; now it makes perfect sense…) It’s their loss, obviously, because I don’t think the rest of us are going to give up either common sense or our sense of humor in order to make our lives more palatable for them. I know for sure that I won’t……
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Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo.
Constant dripping wears the stone.

Here is a principle of nature that is often forgotten, or overlooked, by folks as they travel through life, creating chaos and scaring the horses. We all have encountered the idea; it’s not original to me, by any means. Everyone can envision the concept, for we were all taught that this process is what created the Grand Canyon, over the course of several million years. What most folks never consider is that this concept can be a useful tool in many of the tasks we take on in our daily lives.


The principle is also illustrated by the fable of the tortoise and the hare, one with which far more people are familiar. The slow, patient, consistent progress of the tortoise is the water; the hare’s sense of entitlement and belief in his superiority is the stone mountain. Looking at it from that standpoint will probably be simpler for most folks to understand; the point is made with humor, rather than merely a dry statement of fact. Just goes to show, you can always get through to people more quickly by couching one’s message in a humorous cloak; it’s much easier for them to add the idea to their own reality, as a tool they can use in a myriad of situations…. and feel better about it, to boot…..
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Making love with you
Is like drinking sea water.
The more I drink
The thirstier I become,
Until nothing can slake my thirst
But to drink the entire sea.
— Marichiko

This is a beautiful poem. It speaks to me in words of great simplicity and power, and describes perfectly the sense of obsession and desire that fills the breast of those in love. As a matter of fact, I’d be confident in saying that if one does not experience this feeling, then one is not really in love at all. If one is able to control one’s feelings, to remain cool in the presence of their object of affection, then they have not fully given themselves over to the experience, and cannot feel the sense of desperate need to be near the one who is loved, to do all one can do to make them happy.

The best definition of love I’ve seen states, “Love is that state where the happiness of another is essential to your own.” –Robert Heinlein  Nothing more really needs to be added……except to advise all those who love to enjoy it while it lasts. Another fine author, Tom Robbins, has noted the anomaly of loving that encompasses the risk we take when we fall, when he asked, “It’s easy to fall in love, but, how do you make love stay?”  All to often, it doesn’t, especially in today’s culture, where societal pressures make it very hard to maintain the closeness of spirit needed to nourish love; it’s too easy to get a divorce and start over, so many don’t make the effort. If only they knew what they were missing….
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“Regrets and complaints about relations are to be attributed to the same cause, which is not old age, but men’s characters and tempers; for he who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but for someone with the opposite deposition, youth and old age are equally a burden.” — Plato,_The Republic_, Book 1

I don’t always agree with Plato; though a brilliant philosopher, he tended to be somewhat concrete, with a tendency to become pedantic as well. But this quote gives an indication of the depth of his understanding; it is a very perceptive look at human nature, and the importance of Attitude. One’s Attitude can determine whether the course of life is a long, winding, well-maintained road, or an unending series of travails over rough mountain wilderness.

An attitude of calm acceptance of the vicissitudes of life is also instrumental in determining how successful the individual will be at dealing with difficulty, for it allows a greater freedom of thought, being untroubled by the fear and distractions so prevalent in those who do not have this characteristic.


I suppose one could say that a cheerful mien thus becomes a very real advantage in life, helping us to be more successful, more content with our lot, and happier than what is possible for those who do not possess it.  What is not understood well enough by those unfortunates is the fact that our Attitude is completely a personal choice; it is one of the few parts of reality that we may actually change ourselves.

We have the power to make our lives what we will, but, those who cannot choose the path of acceptance lose the serenity of spirit that comes along with using that power, and spend their days wondering where they have gone wrong……
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The deer would not go away and was diligent in his efforts, mounting the  statue time after time. Finally, exhausted, the deer left, slowly and with  deliberation. The buck was spent, but the doe was saved! (Oh, here I am, doing THAT again, sorry, sorry, really, terribly.)

Sorry, just had to get that out of my system; it’s been bugging me for days to be included in here, and I’m tired of putting it off. Don’t worry, it won’t have any lasting effect; puns are very low-calorie humor.

So much for another morning…. I wonder what the universe has in store for me today. I hope it includes money falling into my lap. I’m in dire need of some groceries to get through the remainder of the month. Ah me, such is life, n’est pas? If it’s not one damn thing, it’s another…. meantime, y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The purple onion is more compassionate…..

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Ffolkes,
Here is further demonstration of what I shoot for when composing the daily titles for this otherwise inexplicable activity….

“Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.”  — Prof. Noam Chomsky, “Syntactic Structures” — An example of a sentence which, though — grammatically acceptable, is without meaning

See? It’s that simple! And nutritious, too! Kinda high in satiric cholesterol, though, so maybe we should just go on to something a bit more constructive and illuminating, ever hopeful of finding something, anything, that makes some sort of sense….
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“Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.  But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it.  Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer.” — Shunryu Suzuki

As mentioned here before, earlier in my life, I wrote down my own philosophy; I figure if it’s good enough for Descartes, it’s good enough for me. Thus was born Peruaosophy, the Philosophy of Pearls. In that definitive work, Axiom #2 addresses the above statement by Mr. Suzuki; it reads thus: “The Nature of the Universe is Change;  unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you are in for a rough ride.” It is, I believe, a fairly accurate statement of what is real, and through years of serious research and testing against the real model, it holds up as being true. A lot of folks don’t like it, but that is only natural; nobody likes being told things can’t always be the way they want them to be.

But Mr. Suzuki makes a good point here, too. He is merely more direct, and a bit less tactful than the Axiom. People know they suffer, and often don’t know why, and this explains that in a very clear, but uncompromising manner. Preparing people for changes is never easy, due mostly to humanity’s unfortunate tendency to fall into laziness; most folks are looking for an easy road through life, and don’t like to make waves or deal with changes on a daily basis, preferring the secure feeling of knowing exactly what will happen next, and never realizing that, with just a little bit of effort, change can be turned to our advantage, instead of always causing us to feel put-upon. It’s well worth the effort, too, as it carries with it the feeling of pride that accomplishing something on our own always brings. All we have to do is convince everyone that it’s worth their effort, and that means appealing to their self-interest, rather than their better nature; they may not have one…..
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A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again, (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal – Panama! — Guy L. Steele.

Absolutely astounding! I have nothing to add, except “we are not worthy!”…… I checked it, did you?….. such a wonderful waste of time and mental acuity! Occasionally you have to let out the Bozoid side we all have, and just let it fool around…..

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”– Willie Wonka
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Everyone has a photographic memory. Not everyone has developer.

Memory is almost entirely volitional. Remember above where it was noted that people are motivated primarily by self-interest? Well, memory is almost entirely based on that; we remember what is important TO US. If it isn’t important to us in some way or another, the mind will just delete it, or file it away somewhere hard to find. But, if it is important, we will remember the necessary elements. It is a little hard to believe, I admit, but it is nonetheless true.

What it means is that to improve one’s memory, all that is needed is to make EVERYTHING important to you. It is an attitude adjustment, and requires a bit of effort, but it’s not so hard to train oneself; much easier than training someone else. And the results can be astounding, to say the least.

As a polymath, my interests are almost unlimited; there isn’t much in this world that isn’t interesting to me in some way, and as a result, I’ve always had a good memory, which I might point out, is very useful in places like schools, jobs, and relationships. Never missed an anniversary yet, and can’t tell you how that little item has improved my life! I do tend to forget birthdays, especially for women, but that is, again, volitional. I’ve found that after a certain age (different for each one) women stop acknowledging such events, and it’s best for us men to support that idea; it makes life much simpler.

Mostly, though, it is helpful in life to pay attention, and tell yourself that everything you see, and hear, and perceive by any sense is important data, and should be filed where it can be found easily. It doesn’t take long for it to become a habit, and can make life much more pleasant in the long run….which we all hope to have….
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Don’t give someone a piece of your mind unless you can afford it.

Immediately, one thinks, “Can I?” What is your answer? Is there enough in your mind that giving some of it away won’t cause a feeling of hollowness, and loss? My own answer is, “I must have, because there’s always more ready to fly out…” Whether this is a good thing, or not so much, has yet to be determined, nor will it be, if I have anything to say about it. And, I always do, don’t I?…. stop him, stop him, before it’s too late!…..
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It is the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It is the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
It is the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.
— Bette Midler, The Rose

I’m not sure if Bette wrote this song, but she sings it very well.  The poetry that constitutes the lyrics of the song remains a favorite of mine. It is good enough that it requires nothing more to be included today….just enjoy, and take it to heart……
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Silly me, I thought I was done….. I’ll be posting again a little later today, due to a very nice email notice in my Inbox this morning. In the meantime, y’all take care out there…..

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

Kowabunga!