Tag Archives: overpopulation

The bones of controversy are picked clean….

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Ffolkes,
“Beginnings are delicate times….” — Princess Irulan, from Dune, by Frank Herbert

The Princess knew what she was talking about, most certainly. Much of the success or failure of human interaction is determined at the very beginning of a relationship, and in spite of what we are all taught about not doing so, we place a lot of faith in first impressions. This very human characteristic actually extends itself into the interactions between any two living creatures, and if you doubt this, just watch two dogs, or cats, meet for the first time, and note how carefully they observe the protocols of interactions between members of their species.  Or better yet, watch a dog and cat meet for the first time; the care, and the tension of taking that care is obvious in every move they make, in every twitch of a whisker. It is reminiscent of watching an old movie with a ballroom of 17th century dilettantes dancing the minuet; very formal and studied, each move sliding gracefully into the next, to the tune of a lively harpsichord, with political intrigue simmering just beneath the smiling faces. Quite entertaining actually….

How that applies to writing a daily blog should be fairly obvious; how to perform the minuet with all the proper moves is not so clear. Every morning one must search for the key to that day’s beginning; sometimes it is a quick, easy search, others, not so much. Today, we are hitting the middle mark, and will settle for that….. let us now Pearl…..

“Brace yourselves.  We’re about to try something that borders on the unique: an actually rather serious technical book which is not only (gasp) vehemently anti-Solemn, but also (shudder) takes sides.  I tend to think of it as `Constructive Snottiness.'” — Mike Padlipsky, Foreword to “Elements of Networking Style”
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“The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mood of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change; for happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up.” — Charles Langbridge Morgan

This is a very pretty thought; moreover it is quite perceptive and insightful. Too many folks chase happiness as if it were something they can catch and stick in their pocket, never realizing that a) happiness never runs away; it is always with us, waiting to be noticed, and b) the only way to keep it, is to let it be; it is like a universal solvent, and not subject to the laws of physics, only the laws of metaphysics. Getting caught up in the pursuit of happiness in reality blinds one to its presence; but it is always near us, like a faithful old dog, wagging its tail and gazing at us lovingly until we have the time to give it any attention.

Trying to hold on to happiness, as if it were a piece of candy that we keep in our pocket until we want it, is a sure way to lose it, for it is more like a passing breeze on a hot day than any solid, graspable item of desire. In some ways, happiness can be compared to fear, but as an opposite, a mirror image, as it were; if one holds on tight to fear, it will take over one’s entire being, and never leave. Only by letting it go can we overcome its power over us. But happiness also cannot be held and kept, it must be found by letting it go, and learning to value the changes in life that can lead to its gentle embrace….. allow it to grow up, and become a constant, boon companion in all your life’s events…..
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According to Descartes, “Dittoheads” don’t exist… — a correct deduction from an unknown smart Aleck

I was talking with an old friend yesterday, and the subject came around to discussing the underlying reasons that so many of the religious faiths in the world just couldn’t figure out how to get along with each other, despite the fact that the basic underlying belief systems of all of them preach tolerance and faith in one’s fellow man, as taught to them by their particular religious prophet or icon (Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Krishna, God, Yahweh, Odin, etc…..). Now, when we were discussing it, the subject of the latest pronouncements from the conservative politicos currently taking up far too much space in the news of the day was touched upon, whereupon I suddenly began a rant of monumental proportion, about 3 solid minutes of preaching, in this case at least, to the choir.

My primary point, in response to his observation that I tend to bash Christians a lot, more so than other faiths, was to respond that a) they are the ones who are making the most noise, and the most outrageously ignorant pronouncements all over the news, even in other countries, and b) by the evidence, Christianity has more examples of historical events that prove that the basic tenets of the faith, as given by Jesus, were, from the very first day after his death, twisted and manipulated to suit the private agendas of the supposedly faithful leaders of the church than any other of the major faiths (though they too have had more than their share of bloody moments in history). I’d wager serious money that Jesus would just cringe at the thought of inspiring any part of the Inquisition during the middle ages. And he would certainly have gotten a big laugh out of the mere idea of an army chaplain, right before he began chasing them like he chased the moneylenders out of the temple…..

My rant eventually ran out of steam, but not before I had finished my point, which is, I regard all religious organizations run by humans to be perversions, both of mind, and of spirit. All of them have been used by unscrupulous sociopaths, (who can be quite charming in person, smiling genially as they slip the knife between your ribs) to further their own ends, to make themselves rich in money, and in power over others. One of the most common tales in every culture is the one about the renegade (priest, monk, priestess, pastor, imam, pope…choose one or all…) who oppresses and terrorizes the populace who throng to their magnificently ornate edifices of worship. The story exists because it is true in all cultures; no one denies it, yet they deny it every day, as they return to the scene of the same old organized crime (yes, they are no different than La Cosa Nostra, La Familigia; they just dress funnier….), and submit themselves to their dogma, blind to their own blindness…… and I am comforted, a small bit, to know that I’m not the only American who has felt this way…..

“I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature.  They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.” — Thomas Jefferson
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“It matters if you don’t just give up.” — Stephen Hawking

The importance of this pithy little statement can be best understood by knowing what makes Stephen Hawking an authority on the subject. For those who do not know him, Stephen Hawking is a world-renowned and -respected scientist, specializing in Physics, but his expertise is certainly not limited to that one subject. He is commonly held to be the most intelligent man of our time, on a par with historical icons such as Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and very few others. His IQ is not able to be measured by the inadequate tools we have; his intelligence is off the scale to which the rest of humanity is limited.

His work in astrophysics and quantum mechanics has progressed those fields into entirely new vistas of investigation. His goal, he says, is to seek and discover a Unified Field Theorem that will reconcile all of the various types of energy and matter in the universe, and how they interact, with equations explaining how Gravitic, Electromagnetic, Electrical, Biological, and Atomic energies are connected and related to each other. In other words, one world-view that explains all the various parts of reality that we can perceive, and some we can’t.

His intelligence, and strength of mind and spirit, is such that it matters not at all to him that, due to congenital defects, his body is twisted and deformed out of all normal shape. He cannot walk, and so must use a powered chair to move around. He cannot use his hands reliably, or speak without assistance by mechanical devices, so he adapted or invented the technological devices needed for him to be able to communicate with others. According to all that medical science knows, he should have died before reaching puberty; he is now, I believe in his late forties, or possibly older; the only explanation doctors have is that he keeps himself going with will power.

So, coming from Stephen Hawking, the above statement takes on an entirely new, and powerful, meaning…… a precise personal expression of that meaning is left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..
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“He is not a lover who does not love forever.” — Euripides

Here is an idea that, to my mind, and my regret, that has fallen out of favor in today’s society. It seems today that people enter into love with a preconceived notion that it won’t last forever, that people change and fall out of love, so one might as well be ready for that. To my mind, this is a very sad, pathetic view to take about love.

I prefer to think that any emotion that has been demonstrated innumerable times over the course of history to be capable of lasting even beyond death, well, it doesn’t die as easily as might be commonly held. To be frank and earnest, (tough for me, my name is Ned), and completely honest, I too have suffered moments where I could envision a time in a relationship I was in would, in fact, fail to last. Those moments usually came, though, when I observed a certain look in my lover’s eyes, a vacant, deceitful kind of look that gave me a hint that they were holding back complete commitment.

In my world, Love is very akin to Duty. As I’ve said previously, Duty is a choice we, and only we, make, and once made, is inviolable. Death, for me, would be an easy choice, if the only other choice was to abrogate my Duty. Love is also a choice, and I regard it therefore as being subject to the same strict laws of observance as my Duty. Once in Love, it becomes an imperative to never fail to do all in my power to preserve it, and to never, ever stop leaving my heart open to feeling it. It just never made sense to me any other way…..

Maybe I was more lucky than I had thought until just this moment, for I just realized that I learned this attitude from my father, who never once discussed this with me, but showed me every day how to live it….. From the day I was born, until the day he died, his Love for my mother, brothers, and sisters was the center of his entire life’s purpose, his raison d’etre, and there were no days off in his world, not from Duty……or Love….. and I know, from his actions, that his Love did not die with him….. damn Skippy it didn’t….
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“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Boy, (and boy, does that date me, or what?) here is a truism that just about anyone who thinks of stuff other than the next TV show can relate to; and, it’s is what I would call essential knowledge. Knowing, and just as importantly, feeling this, is what will prevent me, or anyone with honor, from ever neglecting to speak up for a friend, or just someone being violated, when it is needed.

Every day, we see in the news another report of a teen suicide, or multiple deaths of that nature, and it is widely acknowledged that “bullying” of vulnerable teens is a significant contributing factor in the statistical rise in such sad endings to lives just begun. And, according to what I read, it is also acknowledged that this rise, or at least increasingly focused attention on something that has always been around, can be attributed to a rise in the number of people who allow, or are taught, to let their fears and prejudices, and their sense of entitlement, make them behave as common bullies, otherwise known as “cowards”.

I worked for about eight years as a psychiatric technician on programs specializing in treatment of teenage individuals with a variety of mental or behavioral dysfunctions. Depression and suicidal ideation were fairly common, as both are a cause of, and a result of, poor or distorted self-image (some depressives believe themselves to be better than others, oddly enough; it is this perceived difference that feeds the depression by its tendency to produce isolation from others). It is not the only factor in such cases, but a most significant and powerful one.

Bullies are on the other end of the spectrum of types of disturbed behavior; bullying is most easily explained when one understands that the impulse is rooted in the bully’s fears, and the underlying ignorance upon which the fear is based. When the disturbed bully finds an appropriately weak, vulnerable peer, they are compelled to strike out, and the victim is compelled to retreat so far into the mind-set of being a victim, that they become their own worst enemy, and destroy themselves.

I considered it then, and still consider it one of the most difficult cycles of abuse to understand, and one of the most difficult to treat, for either type of individual….. a very thorny problem it is, and one not very manageable in the current state of our society. In reality, the situation is a microcosmic replica of the overall state of society, with all its ills.  Ignorance, fear, and disturbed psyches are rampant, and the more people that are born, the more complex and difficult to solve the situation becomes……

I wish I had an answer, but, beyond doing what is suggested above by Dr. King, there isn’t a lot we can do, at least to my knowledge. But, speaking out is much better than silence, in the face of evil we confront every day….. maybe you can’t save everybody, but you can often save the one we are with, just by speaking up…..
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I guess I had a lot to say this morning….I’d probably be wise to stop here, so y’all can get on with your day. For me, it’s another Sunday as a retired dilettante, just like any other…. so, y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Don’t tease the aardvark, Barnaby. It might moult….

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Ffolkes,
Hard times require hard measures…. not sure what that means, but that’s what came out when I started to type, even though I intended to type something else. I wonder who’s hijacking my fingers now…..oh well, that one little incident seems to have been it. I guess I have a poltergeist with a problem finishing what they start; a few neuroses in a ghost are to be expected. It’s got to be a hard existence, what with all the moaning, and manifesting to scare children. It can’t be easy for a delicate sort, as some seem to be. I mean, look at what happened to Carrie!…..maybe we won’t go there….. let’s just get on with it, shall we?…..
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“There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who “love Nature” while deploring the “artificialities” with which “Man has spoiled ‘Nature.'” The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are _not_ part of “Nature”– but beavers and their dams _are_.” — Robert A. Heinlein — Time Enough For Love

True, but some of Man’s artifacts are somewhat destructive to the rest of Nature; this was not as apparent when Heinlein wrote this as it is today. In the 40 or more years since this book was first published, a lot more evidence has been gathered that shows just how destructive we humans can be. When the book first came out, there was a strong belief in society that science would be able to overcome the problematic toxicity of our machines and their fuels; this has not proved to be true.

Oh, it could be true; there are scientific solutions available for the problems we have engendered. Unfortunately, no one has figured out how to make it profitable, so the beloved ruling class, who are unwilling to share any of their income, or lessen their profits, have blocked and/or buried any research that showed any promise of being able to replace the internal combustion engine, and its dependence on a limited supply of fuel.

Ensign Heinlein had a strong belief in Science, educated as he was at Annapolis, the US Naval Academy, where he attended at the same time as L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. During his lifetime, mankind had gone from the first tentative flights through the air to the development of nuclear power, and culminating in the first lunar landing, the first time a man had walked on another world. This panorama of scientific endeavor gave him a very strong confidence in the power of science; no problem cannot be solved using the scientific method of inquiry, in his mind.

What he failed to account for in his calculations was that mankind would come to ignore science, and the warnings of planetary pollution that scientists have been giving out for years. The avaricious powers-that-be cannot bestir themselves to care what happens after they are gone, or what may happen to anyone else at all. As long as they have their creature comforts, and the power to keep the rest of humanity in thrall, then there will be no scientific effort to solve any problems. All there will be, in the final analysis, is a world empty of life, cold and barren…..

“As for courage and will – we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” — Andre Norton
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My guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
deceived me into thinking I had something to protect.
Good and bad I defined these terms, quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then; I’m younger than that now.
— Bob Dylan

I was happy to come across this little poem from the song of the same name; I had forgotten just how powerful Bob’s poetry can be. The poetry he wrote at times got overlooked by the music that he composed to display it; it made a good song, but that detracted somewhat from the message of the verses. It must have been hard for Dylan, to become so popular, but for what to him was the wrong reason, as people gushed over his songwriting, but not his message.

I remember an anecdote from an article I read on Dylan…. Perry Como was taping a special for television, but had a little problem with the studio piano player assigned to the taping. The musician kept adding arpeggios and other esoteric musical techniques to the sheet music, making it fuller and more interesting, jazzing it up, so to speak. But, it was driving Como crazy, as he tended to be rather straightforward and bland in his music. He said to the player, “You’d better quit adding all that stuff to the music. You’re never going to amount to anything in this business!” The player, of course, was a young Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, destined to become one of the seminal forces for change in modern music, a man who is considered responsible for much of the originality of rock and roll, R&B, and jazz, by leading the way into the future with the power of his poetry, and his music……
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“In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way, heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.” — Lu Yen (fl. 800 A.D.)

I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating: there were a lot of folks back in the days before the world got distracted by the alleged Christian messiah; folks who thought with great clarity, who were in touch with, and sought answers to the deepest mysteries of the universe. This statement is very close to the idea of the conservation of energy, which is commonly accepted to be a fact of natural law; this merely approaches the concept through the back door, instead of the front.

It makes me wonder sometimes just how accurate the pictures we have come to accept about cultures that existed long ago; the philosophers of the time seem to have had ample leisure time to formulate the ornate, complex philosophies that we have as legacy from those days. I had always thought that people who lived then needed to spend a lot of time securing the basics, such as food, clothing, and shelter. I can see now, though, that my impression was erroneous, at least for those who lived in the urban centers of the time. I’m glad I was wrong; the legacy left us from those days is deep and precious; we would not have the level of culture we have without the wisdom of the ancients…..
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Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Some poems rhyme
But this one doesn’t.

A perfect example of the kind of poetry that I write. Short but stupid, yet with a certain charm for all that. Actually, I can write poetry okay, especially haiku, but it never comes up to scratch, not in my mind. I don’t always know good art, but I know what I like, and my poems mostly don’t cut it. C’est la vie! One can’t excel at everything; I just wish poetry was one area of expertise that I could master, at least better than I do. But, I’m okay with it; I’d much rather try to emulate Hemingway than Shakespeare. Just more my type of guy…..whatever that means…..
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After enlightenment, do the laundry. — Zen proverb

Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Sheer genius! Sheer poetry! Four words, a mountain of meaning. This is the kind of koan that is almost guaranteed to take one down into the deepest part of the mind, and keep you there until you reach enlightenment. Layer after layer of meaning; my kind of Pearl! Today, I’m feeling a bit lazy, so I will leave the actual proof of this proposition as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…. treat it with respect; true wisdom can bite if angered…. we all know this, because it’s one of those experiences that everyone has to go through in life; how we react to that can determine the direction of one’s entire future, so it becomes a matter of survival to honor truth…. and don’t forget to take the soap with you to the laundromat…..
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Thus we come to the end of another day’s work. Of course, the day is yet to really start; it’s only around 0730. But, with the messed up schedule my brain has settled on, I’m up at 5, ready to rock, so that has become the part of the day when I write the most. It seems to work out fairly well, it’s just a little strange to be ready for a nap at 10:00 am. Ah well, so be it; it’s not like I have to be anywhere important. I can truthfully say, as a now experienced retiree, that retirement certainly has its advantages, as well as disadvantages. But the power over my schedule rests solely in my hands, and that is indeed a dizzying power. And hey, if you’re sleepy, go to sleep, I always say. Really, I do; ask anybody…… y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Just the fax, ma’am……

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Ffolkes,
Learning to trust people can be a frustrating pastime, especially when it sometimes seems as if people don’t want to be trusted. Ah me, I sometimes forget my own name, so it’s not surprising that I would occasionally forget my own philosophy. This is actually an unwritten corollary to Peruaosophy which states: People should receive the trust they earn, but for those who are not trustworthy, nothing but the back of me hand is enough.

I do try to give folks I meet the benefit of doubt, and will trust them to a point; I find that most folks will give reason to trust them without much thought or effort, as most folks are fairly honest. But a significant number are not honest, and it doesn’t take long for their first lie to be put out there to see if anyone bites. I’ve been known to bite at times, for the lies they tell are often attractive, and have all the appearance of truth.

But, I can truthfully say that once I’ve seen through the lies, and I always do, well, lets just say that they don’t walk away whistling and counting their money. They tend to get carried away, and if they walk, they are hurrying to be elsewhere quickly. My father was a very patient man, and I’m the same; but you really don’t want to be around when our patience snaps; it isn’t pretty, and is often ugly; the Brits would call it a bloody send-up, I believe…..

“There’s none deceived but he that trusts.” — Ben Franklin

Now, if you would, just sit back and join me in a delightfully insane state of mind.
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Audrey Hepburn: This was written when asked to share her “beauty tips.” It was read at her funeral years later.

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.  For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.  For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.  For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.  For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.  People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.  Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.  As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.”

This needs no adornment, Audrey never does…..other than to add that, IMHO, she was the most beautiful actress who ever trod the boards, and this tells you why…..
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“A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.” — Eric Hoffer

This particular observation is both insightful, and demonstrably true. This characteristic may possibly end up as the primary reason that our species reaches its evolutionary end in the next few generations. It is a trait so destructive of self that the person who is thus afflicted never even knows he is ill, that his own fears are what are keeping him from overcoming his own destructive tendencies. It is the direct antithesis of our only saving characteristic, imagination, and when held onto dearly, completely overrides and ignores any logical or rational attempts to act in a way that will benefit themselves.

No reason, no fact, no natural law can overcome this fanaticism, for its proponents close their minds to any idea that challenges their fear- and faith-based beliefs, no matter how far from reality they are. It’s a damn shame really, because a lot of nice people are being dragged into the mud along with them, and none of them deserve it….. but then, when did the Universe care whether it’s deserved or not?…..

There is no point in getting angry, but there is a stupid malignity to all this that does try one’s patience.–Anonymous

“It is not possible to convey sarcasm to certain members of the net without using a 2×4.  The smiley face merely reminds them of why their head is being dented.” — John Woods
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“The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it.  Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.” — Albert Einstein

Albert has once again put his finger directly on the pulse of American culture, and on the root cause for many of the problems we face today. A vast majority of Americans cannot tell you what the Constitution is, beyond a vague idea that it has something to do with “liberty” and “freedom”. An equally large number, who may even have read parts of it, grabs onto random phrases in the document, attaches them to a piece of religious dogma, and proceeds to try to take away everyone else’s rights because they don’t have the same imaginary friend.

Of the few of us left who have actually read the entire document, along with the Bill of Rights and the 11th – 27th Amendments, only a small percentage seem to have the guts to speak up in its defense. It may be that they don’t have the wherewithal, the inherent inner-strength that is required to hold onto what is right; instead they wast their time dealing with all the petty BS in their lives, and lamenting the state of things.

Then we come to our “beloved ruling class”; let no one say we don’t get what we deserve, for each and every politician currently sitting in Washington D.C. was fairly elected, after a pre-election orgy of lies and promises from the candidates competing, to see which party or person will have the privilege of ripping off society with complete immunity to prosecution for their crimes. These people know the Constitution well; they just choose to ignore it, or spin it to support their own agenda.

Having watched this process happen time and time again for over 60 years, I can tell you that nobody who has voted in that time has any excuse. We have elected proven liars into positions of high office repeatedly, despite the investigations and revelations of skulduggery that are constantly surfacing in the news.

I suppose it’s just another example of how, regardless of how much we would like to think it isn’t so, the laws of evolution are inexorable, and our species is destined to join a myriad of other failed organisms on the extinction list….. we ARE responsible, not only for what we do or don’t do, but also for what happens to us.

It is a subtle point of the principles of Karma, but being subtle makes it no less true. So quit complaining, and start fighting for your rights. We only have those rights we can defend, and we can no longer afford to have anyone else take the responsibility; they’re not going to fulfill it, so it remains our own duty…..

“I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.” — H. L. Mencken
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“I have known noble ones who lost their highest hope, and then they disparaged all high hopes. They lived shamelessly in temporary pleasures, and hardly had an aim beyond the day. “Spirit is also voluptuousness,” they said. Then they broke the wings of their spirit; it now creeps about, and defiles whatever it gnaws at. Once they thought of becoming heroes, but they have become sensualists. A trouble and a terror is the hero to them. By my love and hope, I implore you: do not cast away the hero in your soul. Maintain holy your highest hope. Thus spoke Zarathustra.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, _Thus Spoke Zarathustra_

I first attempted to read this book when I was in high school; I made it about 10 pages in, and put it down for a long time. It was too hard to read and think at the same time then (it does take some practice), so I put it off. I picked it up again when I was about 25, and fared much better. But it was still a difficult read, as it demands that one use all of their focus and attention in order to discern the meaning of what is written.

Though difficult, it is well worth the effort, and though it took me about two months to finish, I got a lot of useful information, as well as new ways to look at that information, and new ways to fit it all into reality. I had to read only a couple or three pages at a sitting; this could take upwards of an hour of intense thought, as it seemed as if every other line brought up some new idea, or a new way to look at old ideas, and those ideas had to be examined closely to determine their validity. But, at the end, I had a strong feeling of accomplishment, and another world-view to add to my abstruse collection…..
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Kardivilliwarrakurrakurrieapparlandoo — name of a lake in Northern Australia

I am once again amazed at how the human mind, and therefore computers, operate. I typed in the above lake’s name into Google, and hit enter. The first ten finds were all different websites, but all had listed the exact same information on the name: each of them gave the name, and followed it with, “name of a lake in Northern Australia.”  All of them. Apparently there is a lake in Northern Australia with that name, but no one has ever tried to find out more about it; what is known is considered enough, I guess.

I dunno, it seems to me that just a little more information would be welcome, even if it was merely “Don’t go there.” As it is, how is one to know if it is a piece of knowledge worth keeping in recent memory, or if it is special merely because of the length of its name? Also, the name itself is not translated, and I would tend to believe that the word, being the aboriginal word for the lake, has a quite complex meaning, as most of the words they used were practical descriptions of their world that helped them deal with its vicissitudes. Oh well, I suppose I’ll have to dig a bit deeper to find out any more….oh goody, another mystery to solve!……see, it’s easy to amuse oneself, if one just tries…..
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This is going to be a challenge to get into blog format, and probably email as well, so I’d best be getting to it…. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A bag, a bone, and a cookie….

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Ffolkes,
For those who may, or may not, have wondered, the titles of these Pearls never have any meaning. At least, not deliberately. Picking a new title or subject line for the email I send out each morning used to be a complete drag; it would take almost as long as writing the post some days. So, rather than trying to be creative, and making it fit with the subject matter below, I opted for being nonsensical.

The phrases I end up using are made up by picking random words out of my head and flinging them together at the screen. The ones that stick get used. Sometimes it is very pretty; other times not so much. Some are cute, some are weird, and some are just plain stupid. But they work, and they take less time than trying to find something that fits appropriately. (Always hated having that word applied to me anyway)  Some days, like today, it just pops up in my head, already strung together, so I just go with it. It never has anything to do with what is written below it…..and that’s how I like it……
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Everything is matter. Matter is electricity. Electricity is invisible, intangible. Therefore it is nothing. Therefore everything is nothing.

I like this. It is a perfect example of how circular logic works. Each statement but the last, taken alone, is not merely true, but obviously true. String them together, and it all becomes nonsense. This process has been described as using logic like a hammer, rather than as a scalpel. It is also an unfortunate reality that many people accept this kind of logic just as readily as they do the veracity of scripture, and with the same amount of verifiable evidence, i.e., none.

It’s how politicians get elected in this country, and probably in others as well. All they need to do is find some catchy phrase easy for people to remember and repeat, based on a line of reasoning such as above, and say it enough times that it is accepted as true. No matter how untrue it is, if its repeated loud enough and long enough, there will be some folks that will buy into it. Isn’t human nature grand?…..

“Zero raised to the nth power remains zero.” — Pop Baslim
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“It’s getting harder and harder to act weird.” — Zippy the Pinhead

One would think, based on the generally accepted meaning of the word ‘Pinhead’, Zippy and his ilk would be unfamiliar with Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. But this poignant complaint from Zippy is compelling evidence that they are not merely familiar with it, but understand its relevance to real life. It is indeed becoming harder and harder to stand out from the crowd by being weird. This is another natural result of overpopulation; the more people there are, the more weird ones there will be. The percentage per capita is rising also, as the stress of modern life pushes more and more folks to react to life just as if they were a Pinhead, in order to retain what little sanity they possess.

All in all, I think this trend is a good one; believe it or not, weirdness is a powerful antidote to oppression of the spirit. It is a figurative, and literal, way of throwing off the shackles of normality we are all forced to wear, due to the power of peer pressure. And it’s a good way to loosen up those gluteous maximus muscles a bit……which is always a good thing….
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“A serious public debate about the validity of astrology?  A serious believer in the White House?  Two of them?  Give me a break.  What stifled my laughter is that the image fits.  Reagan has always exhibited a fey indifference toward science.  Facts, like numbers, roll off his back.  And we’ve all come to accept it.  This time it was stargazing that became a serious issue….Not that long ago, it was Reagan’s support of Creationism….Creationists actually got equal time with evolutionists.  The public was supposed to be open-minded to the claims of paleontologists and fundamentalists, as if the two were scientific colleagues….It has been clear for a long time that the president is averse to science…In general, these attitudes fall onto friendly American turf….But at the outer edges, this skepticism about science easily turns into a kind of naive acceptance of nonscience, or even nonsense.  The same people who doubt experts can also believe any quackery, from the benefits of laetrile to eye of newt to the movement of planets.  We lose the capacity to make rational — scientific — judgments.  It’s all the same.” — Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe Newspaper — Company-Washington Post Writers Group

There isn’t a lot I can add to this, and the reasoning is tough to pick apart, as it is logical, and verifiable by physical evidence. Not being the sort to gild a lily, we’ll let it fly solo, and merely add this……

“Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything.” — Frank Dane
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“If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.” — Abraham Lincoln

Abe was not just another pretty face, obviously. And he had a pretty good sense of humor about that, too, as he is said to have made this observation, “If I was two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” Not a bad attitude for one whose face, which, by all reports, could stop a clock just by asking the time. He also is credited with some decent insight, with this gem, “Most folks are just about as happy as they’ve made up their mind to be.”

Not to belabor an obvious point, but we could use a President with this kind of inner strength today; the batch we’ve been saddled with over the last 40 or 50 years has been somewhat of a disappointment, to say the least, with perhaps two exceptions. (Which ones, you may ask? In my mind, only JFK, who wasn’t in office long enough to screw up badly, and Jimmy Carter, who was prevented from doing much by a partisan Congress. Clinton had a chance to be included, but he committed the unpardonable sin of getting caught being stupid)  Yeah, old Abe would be a welcome change to the folks we are forced to pick from, even if all the mirrors would have to be removed from the White House……
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Lament for the Bill of Rights

Insidious, and silent, oppression steals away
most precious gift, our enduring legacy.
Sing no more bright songs of laughter and play,
pride of spirit fled with our democracy.

No more protest, no more comedic rant,
only silent obedience to the master’s word.
Our only hope becomes completely insignificant
Best to fly away, as a once-free bird.

–gigoid
___________________________________

More evidence that becoming the world’s greatest poet may take a bit more time than I had suspected. Ah well, since I can’t exercise any of my no-longer-extant rights, I may as well go out and see what kind of trouble I can cause. Y’all take care out there…..

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

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Splendid specimens, sir….do they wiggle?

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Ffolkes,
We go now, in search of cognitive dissonance… heavily armed with oodles of insouciance, and eager to wage war with words. Let us then take a foray into the day, spreading the contagious joy of living……

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
— Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882) — A Psalm of Life

Alrighty then, let’s have at it……
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“With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.” — Picard, ST:TNG, quoting a fictional judge, The Drumhead

One doesn’t often find profundity in Picard’s words, though he has one of the best voices for delivering such gems. This one seems timely, considering that we Americans just watched quietly as Congress passed another version of the Anti-Bill of Rights (aka, the Homeland Security Act), abridging even more of our Constitutionally guaranteed liberties. I find it reprehensible that the fear of terrorism that followed the attacks on 9/11 was used to justify an attack on the Constitution, and even fanned into flames, by the very people who are supposed to protect the liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights.

We no longer have the right to freely assemble to protest, unless we meet stringent regulations. Our telephone conversations are being monitored, both land-line and cell, for key phrases that would indicate terrorist activity. This law alone has caused a number of illegal arrests, which were made possible by the easing of the restrictions on police when performing searches. They now have the right to invade your home, just because they “suspect” terrorist activity. Racial and cultural profiling is rampant, and long-time citizens of this country are being harassed and vilified, just because they are Muslim, or “appear to be” Muslim.

What I’m saying here isn’t paranoia speaking. The incidents I’ve mentioned are all documented in the news. What disturbs me the most about the whole situation is that the American public isn’t protesting at all, not about what is important. Yes, it is the 99% who are perpetrating all these incidents of oppression, but that is normal; they’ve always done whatever they could get away with in their single-minded pursuit of most of the money in our pockets. The real danger lies in what they are doing to our basic liberties as outlined in the Bill of Rights. 

They are accomplishing all this without censure, without oversight, and without conscience. I can only hope that enough people like me can shout it out loudly enough, and often enough, that the sheep out there masquerading as adult humans will become afraid of the correct enemy, to wit: those attempting to erode our rights. These are not necessarily the rich, though they are paying for it; these are the hired gunslingers of the rich, placed in power by virtue of the almighty dollar and their gift of Lies…….

“If a lie is repeated often enough all the dumb jackasses in the world not only get to believe it, they even swear by it.” — B.B. Franklin

“There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise.” — Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

and, lastly…..

“Any hack can safely rail away at foreign powers beyond the sea; but a good writer is a critic of the society he lives in.” — Edward Abbey
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Hmph! Seriousness.  Hmph! Sobriety.  A Jedi craves them not.

A limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I’ve seen
So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

If humanity has any hope at all, it rests in those parts of our nature that are often only seen in times of crisis. Courage. Loyalty. Compassion. Love. Creativity. Imagination. Introspection. Will. These are our finest qualities, the parts of us that are always in in harmony with the universe, and represent  possibly our final hope for redemption.

In today’s complex world of the future, (thanks, Firesign Theater) we are bearing witness to the increasingly obvious symptoms of decay and dissolution exhibited by modern culture. Divisiveness in public affairs. Imminent economic turmoil caused by severe inequity across the board. Global warming and severe climatological changes caused by pollution of the air, land, and sea. Erosion of human rights. Threatening species extinctions occurring continuously. Damage to the bottom of the food chain, which will have effects that ripple and spread all the way to the top of the pyramid, ie., us.

The evidence for all of this is overwhelming, and the theoretical conclusions are approaching certainty; this planet, and the species that exist today, are what we like to call “one sick puppy”, and the prognosis for recovery is guarded and uncertain; death is very nearly certain without treatment of the causes, not the symptoms. At this point, its not a good bet…..

I’ll bet when you started on this little section, you thought it would be funny. Just goes to show how far you can trust words, doesn’t it? Even when the one speaking is on your side, as I am, you can never tell from outward appearances just what may lie hidden under the surface. It could be, as it is here, with the intent of contrasting and illuminating a desired point, a lesson, as it were. Or it could be that all that is going on here is another attempt to fool you into doing something you don’t necessarily agree with; this too, should be a familiar experience, as that is the most commonplace gift we receive from our beloved ruling class. What I’d like you to take from this, is a renewed attitude of personal responsibility for what we say and do; none of us will be free, if we do not free ourselves…….okay, here’s a little humor…..

“Truth … never comes into the world, but like a Bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her forth.” — John Milton (1608-1674) (which throws light on the tradition of killing the messenger….)
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“Being frustrated is disagreeable, but the real disasters in life begin when you get what you want.” — Irving Kristol

This being the case, it points out another disturbing issue regarding our political choices today. Obviously, it is our preference (what we want) that only those who are the most skillful liars are allowed the opportunity to lie to the public at large, a privilege befitting their exalted position as a member of the beloved ruling class. After all, we vote for them, don’t we? Every time there is an election, both parties sally forth with their distorted truths and distractions, all cleverly designed to deflect attention from what is actually happening, which is a contest to see whose particular set of untruths is given precedence until the next election. Then we get to do it all again, whether anything good or bad has happened, or not happened.

It all seems a bit silly, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it make you feel just the slightest bit of embarrassment at not only bending over, but for willingly supplying the lubricant for the perversions to which these…people… are subjecting us? Sometimes, I get so ashamed, I refuse to even leave the house on election day, for fear I’ll snap, and start haranguing prospective voters as they wander in to cast their programmed responses, telling them they were all going to hell in a handbasket, just as if I were a preacher, or a politician, or someone of that ilk…..
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“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

It may have come to your attention that this seems to be a recurring theme here at Gigoid’s Folly. And you would be right in that. I’m scared, folks, and I don’t care who knows it (it just makes me more dangerous, not less). I’m scared to death that the degree of ignorance at work today in society is going to push us all into the path of the bulldozer of Extinction. I didn’t have children because I wanted to see them die, wallowing in the filth with which we have fouled our nest, choking on the air that is becoming thicker and more foul with each passing second. (Don’t believe me? follow this link to see just how fast we are killing ourselves….  http://www.poodwaddle.com/clocks/worldclock/ ) It’s getting to the point where I can see the muck in the air; look across a valley sometime, and see how much detail you can see across the way. In most of the world today, you would be lucky to be able to determine colors, but not shapes.

I reiterate. I’m scared. And I am monumentally pissed off, as well! Deliberately ignorant assholes are constantly filling the airwaves with the most egregious bullshite I’ve ever heard, and as an American who has witnessed election politics all my life, that is some pretty fancy doo doo.  What right do these ignoramuses have that allows them to spew their fear and loathing all over the rest of us? And how long is the general public going to allow this kind of self-destructive behavior in the people who are supposed to be protecting and nurturing our growth? It’s already gone on far too long, and I sense that change is in the air…..kind of smells like gunpowder in the morning air, doesn’t it?……
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How happy is he born or taught,
That serveth not another’s will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — The Character of a Happy Life

Eureka! I have found the epitaph for my headstone, should I ever need one. This is me all over……this is not to say I’m perfect, far from it. But this is my picture of the ideal me, the prototypical me, from which all other possible me’s take their substance. It’s the kind of person I strive to be, even when I’m not. Even though I cannot yet spend all my time comfortably ensconced in the contented glow of this state of mind, I find it to be a most worthwhile goal for me to pursue. I shall go now and do so……
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That went well, I think. It would no doubt be best now for me to stop doing this, and go do something else. One nice thing about both retirement, and freelance writing, and that is getting to make your own schedule, without having to worry about anyone or anything other than one’s own whimsy. We all could use a bit more whimsy in Life, wouldn’t you say?  Y’all take care out there…..

P.S.  I’m once again writing for Examiner.com, as the Oakland Examiner for Social Issues. You can find all my articles for them by following this link. Page hits and clicks on advertisements are how I get paid, so feel free to come back often. I hope you enjoy reading my work there as much as I enjoy creating it…..

http://www.examiner.com/social-issues-in-oakland/ned-moore 

Thanks again, and carpe that old diem!…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Salsa requires rhythm, and tight shoes……

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Ffolkes,
Gather ye round, children, and I will tell you a tale. We speak here today of days gone by, with love for memory, and hope for tomorrow. This tale is one of loss, and hope, and love, and fear. It is a tale of two humans, strong and brave, and the day they met……in the shadow of the future… Listen now, as the tale begins……
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“Life is full of surprises when you’re up th’ stream of consciousness without a paddle…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Having been in this position a number of times over the years, I can attest that Zippy hit this nail squarely on the head, driving it home with one swift blow. What I particularly like about this is that Zippy has shown us how to assimilate and accept our position when we find ourselves this far out of touch with our GPS, and how to best react to having fallen prey to our own foolishness. Long story short; this is the way it is, so either learn to keep the paddle in the canoe, learn how to make paddles from almost anything, or learn to enjoy new scenery.

All of us, or at least all of us who can admit to having made a mistake without going through all sort of contortions, have found ourselves in this body of water at one time or another. How long we stay there is entirely up to us. Many folks spend a day or two whining about it before they’ll condescend to admit they need help, then wait to be rescued. Others enter the state of Denial, where nothing is anybody’s fault, and I’m not lost anyway. These folks will spend an inordinate amount of time justifying why they aren’t looking for a new paddle, then borrow one from their neighbor, and never return it. Still others will maintain that this was where they intended to go in the first place, and insist that they are to be put ashore and left alone, so they can walk back to civilization without being seen. And a very few will look around, chuckle at their own ineptitude, and proceed to fashion a paddle out of nearby vegetation.

The difference between all of these folks is one of attitude. One can accept reality and deal, or one can fear it, and spend all their time finding ways to avoid dealing. So, when people tell me they think my attitude stinks, I just say to them, “I don’t have an attitude problem–it’s supposed to be like this.”, smile gently, and go merrily on my way……
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“There appears to be irrefutable evidence that the mere fact of overcrowding induces violence.” — Harvey Wheeler

Several days ago, I wrote a couple of paragraphs about overpopulation, wherein I made reference to experiments on rats that had been conducted that, in summary, concluded this exact point, to wit: overcrowding induces violence. Those experiments have also been performed with humans, and other animals, as the subjects, and all of them show the same characteristic when under the stress of overpopulation. Normal species behavioral patterns become disrupted, and unpredictability becomes the norm. Unfortunately, the word “irrefutable” continues to be called into question by fundamentalist religious mavens, political pundits on the extreme Right, and the usual complement of fat cats who believe they are immune to the problems afflicting the rest of society.

It’s not clear to me just why these folks prefer to bury their heads in the sand over this issue; it’s not as if the proponents of the concept are not willing to listen to argument, or adjust the theory in light of evidence. But those who would deny these “facts” will not listen, or even discuss, any alternative viewpoints, convinced as they are of their own infallibility. At least the rest of us can always say that we tried to share the Truth with them; we just can’t make them believe it…….
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Eat less and chew well.
Ride less and walk often.
Have fewer clothes and launder often.
Worry less and work harder.
Waste less time, and continue to learn.
Talk less and listen more.
Frown less and laugh often.
Speak less and act more.
Blame less and praise others.
Take less and give a hundred times over.
— Kenzo Futagi, describing the secrets of life.
— He lived well over a hundred years.

I like this for its simplicity. And for the valuable information shared by this gentleman, to which his age lends an air of credibility, proving its pertinence by evidence of his longevity. One could do worse than to take this and try to make it part of their own outlook on life. It’s pretty obvious that it can’t hurt…….
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I’m not sure, but he seems to be inordinately fond of beetles.
— J.B.S. Haldane, — when asked what has the study of biology had taught him about the Creator

— WHY GOD WILL NEVER GET TENURE AT ANY UNIVERSITY

1. Only published one book.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. He did not publish it in referenced journals.
5. Some doubt He even wrote it Himself.
6. He is not known for His cooperative work.
7. Sure, He created the world, but what has He done lately?
8. He did not get permission from any review board to work with human subjects.
9. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning all the subjects.
10. When sample subjects do not behave as predicted, He deletes the whole sample.
11. He rarely comes to class-just tells His students to read the Book.
12. It is rumored that He sometimes lets His Son teach the class.
13. Although He only has 10 requirements, His students often fail His tests.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountain top.
— faculty members at Kansas State University — instructors at Allen County Community College

Not being one to gild a lily……onward….
___________________________________

Happiness is a state of mind.  Not happy?  Change your mind.

I’ve studied a lot of different religions and philosophies during my lifetime, and have naturally come to some conclusions about what I’ve learned. One of them is this: almost all religions and philosophies have points of similarity, where the beliefs of one are echoed in the other. This is one of those ideas that all espouse, and can be recognized by the very simplicity that lends it infinite depth. This is such a basic concept that its subtlety makes it difficult to comprehend. “Not happy? Change your mind.” How brilliantly simple this is! So simple it’s hard to assimilate.

Like all of the most profound truths, this concept is so simple that it appears complex. But it is one of the most powerful of all the tools we humans possess, a strong ally in our struggle to achieve contentment and inner peace in life; utterly simple, and utterly powerful. The ability to change ourselves is in reality the only real power we have in this world; the ability to do so allows us the freedom of choice, in a universe that is completely indifferent to our comfort, or to any of our needs. With this power, we can avoid a lot of pain and anguish in life, the kind of pain that comes with being forced into a certain pattern of behavior by the demands of reality. Instead, we can assume control of how we feel, and how we react to difficulties in our lives. It’s good to have some kind of feeling of control over our own fate; it’s not something that is included in the package we are issued at birth……
___________________________________

“… not picked from the leaves of any author, but bred amongst the weeds and tares of mine own brain.”– Thomas Browne

“An ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own.”  — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), As You Like It — Act v, Sc. 4

Today’s Pearls of Virtual Wisdom were inspected by the quality control committee in my brain, and found to be acceptable for publication. The two quotes above these lines are your guarantee that all of the comments herein were created in my own feverish little collection of grey matter; the universe at large takes no responsibility for any consequences resulting from the consumption of these concepts, and urges you to read with caution. Ideas can be dangerous in the hands of the wicked or the ignorant among us…..always consult a professional before ingesting any information with which you are unfamiliar.

“Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.” — Calvin

Enough tom-foolery for one morning. I’m gonna go see what kind of trouble I can get into today. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The Forgotten Art of Juggling Cats…..

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Ffolkes,
But, he asked himself, what if…….?……

“Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.” — Thomas a Kempis

One might think, if one were so inclined, that Mr. Kempis has delivered just another worn-out maxim to an uninterested, apathetic audience; the structure alone is pompous enough to turn off the most sober of readers. One could also say that it sounds like something I might say, were I so inclined; in this they would be correct. I am not currently so inclined, but I will admit that it does resemble my somewhat top-heavy, sturdy style of expression. And the message is certainly one I can get behind, as it mirrors my own mostly-serene existence, which I see as a direct result of not giving a s__t about what other folk’s think I should be, or do, or take, or give, or any other preposition not of my own choosing.

Sure, like everyone, I observe the laws of custom, but with a slight difference from most folks. I observe the laws of custom, as long as they do not in any way produce a conflict with my own moral/ethical position. If they do, well, tough. I don’t need to be praised for doing what I believe to be right; that just leads one to a swelled ego, which makes for difficult relations when it bumps into other egos. Nor do I need to be chastised or blamed because my actions don’t meet someone else’s notions of what is correct or appropriate. Mrs. Grundy, the little old busybody who lives next door and sits in judgment of everything she sees as she peers out her windows, is not welcome in my world……
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“And what is good, Phaedrus, and what is not good, Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?” — R. Pirsig

Another statement to put in the Obvious category….of course we don’t need anyone else to tell us what is good or bad. Those common but essential antonyms are entirely subjective judgments. One may accept and believe a proposition as being one or the other from what they are told, but the ultimate decision for each of us gets made inside our own head, not someone else’s. Lots of folks don’t like to think; but, like any other part of the human body, the brain requires exercise to achieve its full potential. So those who are too lazy, or too lacking in self-control (aka self-esteem) to regularly put their mind to work become accustomed to letting other folks do their thinking for them. It’s just easier, and most folks are so tired by the end of their day from struggling to survive in this complex, fast-paced world, they don’t want anything more than a cold-adult beverage and some mindless recreation.

Another time we’ll explore this concept in more depth, but for now let it suffice to say that this societal tendency, to allow others to decide what is right or wrong, has led us to the brink of societal collapse. The reins of the team pulling humanity’s wagon are in the hands of people who are, a) not going to allow anyone one else to have the reins, and b) going to make the decisions about right and wrong according to THEIR OWN self-interests, not anyone else’s. These choices are not going to help us; they will only guarantee that our species will pass into history sooner, rather than later…..
______________________________________

Some people have a way about them that seems to say: If I have only one life to live, let me live it as a jerk.

We all have someone who we are convinced are assholes, (I thought and thought about what word to use here, and this one just says it too precisely to not be used, just because it is considered vulgar or ‘dirty’), people who spend their entire lives making other people uncomfortable because they hate themselves. We all have a list of folks who would be on this list……here’s my current top ten choices for inclusion on the list of people or organizations we would all be better off without having to be subjected to their drivel on a daily basis…..

Rush Limbaugh–Proud Misogynist. The champion of deliberate ignorance, lifetime sufferer of FIMD (Foot in Mouth Disease).

Ann Coulter– Rush’s female clone. Sounds smarter & has better make-up artist, but in reality just has more money and a better spell-checker….

Arnold Schwarzenegger– A clone of Ronald Reagan, but without a USC degree. (Though he did marry well…..and proceeded to cheat on her with the housekeeper….)

Madonna–An icon dedicated to the gods of ambition, makes a mockery of virtue and honesty.

Barney–Don’t get me started on this insidious little nightmare…..even kids find him creepy. If our species ever comes to resemble this creature, I’ll start the nuclear war myself…..

Okay, only five, but I’ll stop there, as the list kept growing the more I considered the parameters. Easier than I thought, and a list more populated than I had hoped, ‘cuz it’s probably not too good for my karma to focus on negativity……
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How dieth the wise man? As the fool.

Death is the great equalizer….all of us, of every creed or color, will die, and it won’t matter at all whether we die rich and miserable, or poor and happy. It won’t matter whether we are well-esteemed or reviled in the eyes of our fellows, or whether we want to or not, we are all going to eventually travel that road. It’s rather humbling when I stop to think about it; hell, not just humbling, but downright terrifying. The greatest unknown is our final destiny, and our fate afterward is the ultimate question. But it is not only humbling and scary, it is also a comfort, providing us with one more very strong reason to embrace living, for as the Scots are wont to say, you’ll be a long time dead….

You may be a king
Or a little street sweeper,
But sooner or later
You’ll dance with the reaper. — Reaper Rap
(Grim Reaper, “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey”)
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A thing of beauty is a joy forever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.
— John Keats (1795-1821)
— Endymion, Book i

Seventeen words. One rhyme. And an expression of the joys of perception and memory that would take many hundreds of words to fully describe in prose. I’ve always wanted to be a poet; seeing the universe in such a way that it lends itself to poetic expression is, to me, one of humanities most precious gifts.  But, my attempts to produce poems generally fall well short of the level of quality or expertise that I would feel comfortable showing to the world at large, so I mostly stick to prose.

I do enjoy creating what I call ‘poetic prose’, a sort of free form style wherein the images created by the words are so powerful and elegant that it might be construed as poetry, and give the same feeling upon reading it…..I guess I can just be glad that since the world’s human population is now over 7 billion, even if the percentage is small, it still makes for a lot of poets. The more we have, the better chances we have to survive, I think….. straightforward prose doesn’t seem to be getting the pertinent information out into the public consciousness. The people need poets to lead the way to a new way of thinking, about life, the universe, and our place in it…..and they need them to do that soon…..
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There you have it. Another fine mess, but at least you don’t have to wipe anything up….y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

In the palace of the king….

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Ffolkes,
The weather is behaving oddly….but that is to be expected, as humanity has so far declined to stop pumping CO2 into the air, and the average temperature of the planet continues to rise. It won’t end until we are all dead…..and that, my friends, is a fact, not an assumption, not a theory, but a proven fact. Deal with it…

So here hath been dawning another blue day:
Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away?
Out of eternity this new day is born;
Into eternity at night ’twill return.
— Carlyle (1795-1881)

When I first read this I was struck by how perfectly it communicates the passage of Time, human productivity and motivation for same, and the Beauty of the entire process. It is a perfect piece to read to help us know why we go out and start a day’s work, and an equally good way to end the day, with a reminder to appreciate what has been. And as such, it enters the realm of R.G.P. (Really Good Poetry), and finds a niche of honor in my collection of Virtual Wisdom. It is perhaps a perfect example of the power of the written word, when it takes the form of poetry. An hour-long lecture exploring the subjects mentioned above could be composed with little effort, a lecture that would explain what the poet what trying to say. And THAT highlights the power, as the information passed in the hour-long statement is merely a paraphrasing of the poem. The hour’s information was packed into four short lines, and grew more beautiful with being shrunk to the given size. Wonderful indeed are the hidden talents of the human mind. It’s really our only hope, and a slender one at that……..

Fanatic: Someone who, having lost sight of his goal, redoubles his efforts.

This is obviously not the definition as given in Webster’s, but is just as accurate a description as the one that appears therein. And in today’s political arena, it serves a useful purpose, which is, of course, using it to help identify these overly zealous individuals among the current crop of candidates for the presidency. From my point of view, at least five of the seven Republicans campaigning for the highest political prize of all can be classified as fanatics, and the other two are so far out of it, their next steps will probably qualify them to join the others in the fanatics category. Every time one of them makes a statement, it sounds like a plot from a really bad daytime soap opera has gotten mixed in with their speech notes. Or even more fascinating, they will shoot from the hip, make some outlandish statement that comes from deep in their personal quirk files, showing the true depth of their racism, or prejudice, or their deliberate ignorance. Watching them spend the next two weeks backing off from those statements provides me with a great deal of entertainment, and hopefully gives the voting populace a clear picture of the danger of having one of them take the controls of so much power.

It’s amazing really, how these folks can parade their ignorance in front of the public eye, and actually, I take hope from the fact that they do so, as it shows their true natures, and how unsuitable those natures are for the position they seek. But, I also know my hope is tenuous at best. All it takes for me to groan again at the foolishness of the American voting populace, and remember that we have already elected one actor to the job, and we are still trying to overcome the financial mess he left us in. As a matter of fact, in looking back over my lifetime, what I see is one President after another coming into office, spending the first part of their term deciding what needs the most reform, making plans to start the changes, then having to fight intense pressure from the supposedly “loyal opposition” to stop any change. The party that lost the last election, whether right or left, spends its time bringing up BS about the President, accusing him of chicanery, and generally throwing up any kind of distraction they can come up with, no mater how silly or vicious, to keep anything constructive from taking place. Then they can point out how little the President has accomplished. I am becoming thoroughly disgusted, and increasingly angry at our belove ruling class. I have suggested previously that it is time for the Second American Revolution, and I am completely serious. The country I live in today bears no resemblance to the one envisioned by our founding fathers (and mothers); I am so incensed that I am seriously considering buying a gun, something I had resolved not to do in my life, as I’ve always felt the best way to get shot at was to carry a gun. But, I can see a day coming when I will need it, in order to defend the few rights I have left…..what do y’all think?

If all is not lost, then where is it?

I can only wish that I knew……not enough people are outraged at what is happening today. I’ve read a book every day since I was ten years old. I’ve watched people and society for that same amount of time, and I am afraid. I am afraid that we have waited too long. We, and by that I mean Humankind, have not made the internal changes necessary to insure our survival. Our greed for power over others, and our sense of entitlement regarding the planet’s resources, is leading us down a sure path to extinction. The pumping of chemicals and poison toxins into the water, air, and land that we live in and on, continues to take place, in spite of massive evidence that we are killing ourselves (and a lot of other forms of life). The recent 99% protests going on are just the beginning of uprisings from the public; the 1% is killing us all, and they don’t think that it applies to them. I don’t care how rich you are, when the percentage level of oxygen in the air (16% ideally), falls below 12%, you will certainly die. And they just don’t seem to care……deliberate ignorance. What they also don’t know is that the results achieved by their intransigence are completely unavoidable; there’s nowhere else to go. Once this environment is kaput, that will be the end of, and there is no appeal. Kinda makes it hard sometimes to keep up a good front……I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes……and hope for good luck, because that’s all that will save us at this point……

Well, was that enough gloom and doom for ya? In some ways I hate to write this kind of article, because I know it’s a waste of effort. Our beloved ruling class, all 1% of them, will have their way, unless we take the ability to do so away from them. 5000 years of human history shows not a single instance of that ever happening, so the odds are against us, at least in that sense. Meanwhile, all we can do is take care of the ones we love, and smile, smile, smile…… Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Truffles bordered in mink….

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3

Ffolkes,
Racing through the forest in the pelting rain, he paused a moment to try to catch up to the frantic pounding of his heart. His breath heaved, in and out, in and out, in a staccato rhythm that only served to increase his terror. Behind him, on the path he had forged through the undergrowth, he could hear savage growls and crashing trees as the creature which followed him barreled forward. It sounded as if he had gained a small distance, so he put aside his fear long enough to gaze around him, seeking a more passable route. Off to the north he saw through the trees a faint regularity, possible sign of a trail. He began to run toward it, hoping the relative ease of the path would allow him to completely outdistance the horror that followed. It was a path! He redoubled his efforts, pounding full speed on the packed earth, heading east, toward the river he knew was there. The river marked the edge of the forest, and effectively kept the wild creatures in the forest from exploring its far side, for there was no place to ford, and no bridges conveniently placed. The river also held his canoe, and he knew if he could reach it in time, he had a good chance of surviving. Spurred on now by hope, he fought to push his aching legs to further speed.
That’s far enough today; we will leave our hero just there, nearly out of the fire, and carry on into the new day. Another fine group this morning, with one of my all-time favorites by Mark Twain, and a very strong supporting cast. Today, being the first day of the new month, promises to be pretty busy, so I will leave you now to enjoy these delectable bites of truth, and virtual wisdom….

“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful.  He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful.  Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either.  But if he wants to, I say let him!” — Mark Twain

“Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio…. Subsistence only increases in an arithmetical ratio.” — Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834)
(In case you didn’t recognize it, this little phrase, backed up as it is by pure, unassailable mathematics, was the first warning received by Mankind in respect to overpopulation. It was published in the 1850’s, so it’s not like we haven’t had the time to absorb it; nonetheless, most folks not only never heard this statement, but still have no idea that much of the trouble in today’s world is due to the effects of having simply too many folks on the planet….)

“He who knows best knows how little he knows.” — Thomas Jefferson

1. Avoid fried foods, which angry up the blood.
2. If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
3. Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
4. Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society. The social ramble ain’t restful.
5. Avoid running at all times.
6. Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.
— Satchel Paige

I give thee all,–I can no more,
Though poor the off’ring be;
My heart and lute are all the store
That I can bring to thee.
— Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
— My Heart and Lute

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” — Plato

And on that note, I will bid thee adieu, and fare thee well….  y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!