Tag Archives: Peruaosophy

Complex moods, painted in plaid….

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Ffolkes,
Blast! And Damn! Damn and blast this fucking PTSD! I am so fucking tired of weeping, virtually at the drop of a hat, or, as is the case today, upon awaking and arising…. and no fucking reason at all! I’m just sitting here, sipping coffee, and my bloody emotions decide it is time to start leaking tears, just because the world isn’t perfect, or something. I don’t even know why I am sitting here in emotional distress, sobbing as if my dog died…. again.

All I know is my nose and sinuses are now full of fluid, which insists on rudely leaking from every orifice in my head, except the ears….. Who decides this stuff? Why does this happen to me? I’m a patient man, mostly, but I’m really tired of having my own psyche ambush me like this, without any clue as to why….

Oh, things are stressful, to be sure. It’s tough not to be when one lives so close to the edge of real poverty, but, for the moment, it is not an urgent issue, and I don’t see why my unconscious would be punishing me over that; the bills are paid, and I have food for a while, so it shouldn’t be a panic button state of affairs. Nor am I particularly suffering from social withdrawal…. I speak with my neighbors, and with the folks downtown at the coffee & Wi-fi spot, so I’m not completely without social interaction, all fairly comfortably….. with only the one neighbor acting like an childish ass, and his answer to the situation is to avoid me, so, no worries there…. No, I can’t figure out why I am in tears, and it is getting to be quite annoying, to say the least…..

“I was sane once… didn’t like it.” — Smart Bee

Maybe I’m feeling sorry for myself a bit…. because of lack of funding, I’m looking at quitting smoking, by force rather than choice. I can’t justify buying smokes when I don’t have enough food; that’s plain stupid….. but, I’ve been smoking tobacco for 46 years now, and perhaps my unconscious mind is punishing me in advance for having to quit when I don’t really want to do so. It’s possible, but if it is the case, then I am just as disappointed, because it’s a pretty childish way to treat my own self….. I had hoped that, at almost 62 years old, I’d have grown out of that sort of payback, at least against myself…..

Or, I suppose it could be the disappointment I feel at a friend’s decision, to get back together with a person who is not good for them. I always hate to see a friend waste their time with someone who doesn’t treat them well; I feel the pain right along with them. And, it is not good to say anything to them…. that isn’t a friend’s place, either, unless it can help.

But, I’ve said my piece, and assured them I’m won’t stop being a friend, even though it hurts to watch them let someone else hurt them…. so there is little I can do there, beyond what I’ve done….. except hope that soon they will realize how much better off they are without that other fool, and leave them where they should be, in the past….

Ah well, Life goes on, and all our efforts to make it the way we want it are irrelevant in the end; the universe will do what it will do, and people will make their decisions, even if they don’t make sense to us….. and we just have to live with it…. I just wish my own emotions weren’t so vulnerable to what is going on; it would be nice to not feel this down, without knowing the reason why, and having to guess…. SIGH…. one would think that at 62, I’d have a better handle on things, wouldn’t one?……

“Deem not life a thing of consequence. For look at the yawning void of the future, and at that other limitless space, the past.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 50

This leaves me with no choice but to go pearling….. it seems to be the only activity of late that keeps me from falling into the pits of despair, without a rope to pull myself out. So, having whined and complained my way through damn near six paragraphs of an intro, Shall we Pearl?…..

“Philosophizing is difficult, but not philosophizing is more difficult still.” — Eberhard Rogge
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“Does history repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce?  No, that’s too grand, too considered a process.  History just burps, and we taste again that raw-onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.” — Julian Barnes

I’ve passed over this pearl numerous times, knowing it would eventually become relevant somehow to Reality as we know it… or, at least as it is reported by Fox News and the other corporate news sources (if such can be termed ‘sources’, as that usually implies that one may obtain something useful from accessing them…). The recent news from both sides of the information wars currently being perpetrated on our unwilling and unappreciative attention has been living up to this quote ever since the mash-up leading into the debates…..

Everyone writing for the public seems to be rushing around like the proverbial headless yard birds, and my tolerance for the amount of BS being flung about is getting pretty thin. It is indeed a fortunate thing, for me, and for them, that none of the principal protagonists in this dramaturgy (defined as regurgitating drama, repeatedly…) have ever come face to face with me, for I don’t think I could predict my reaction with any degree of certainty.

That which I could predict, would be that I would react negatively, if for no other reason than their presence is an affront to my sensibilities, and upsetting to my serenity. Assholes, the lot of them…. Sorry, but I spent many years trying to treat sociopaths, and it’s dirty, nasty business, because they don’t WANT to change. They are narcissistic, viciously vindictive, manipulative creatures, and I’ve had my fill of them, both in my work, and in being forced to watch the ones who are vying for the keys to the national treasury….

Don’t misunderstand me… I’ll be voting on November 6, and I’ll be voting my conscience. You can decide for yourself what you believe that to be, knowing that I’ll choose reason over ignorance every time. But, I don’t trust ANY of them, fully, because I don’t trust anyone who would wish to have that much power over others, no matter how pure their motives may be; just wanting the job is insane, in my book. So, I’ll vote, and hope that enough others have chosen as I have, so I don’t have to spend as much of my upcoming income on guns, right away, at least…. Should the forces of darkness hold sway, then I’ll be stocking up ASAP…. Just sayin’…..  I was a scout, and I try to be prepared…..

“A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.” — Robert Heinlein

Nearly four years ago, when the incumbent President was newly elected, one of the opposing party’s leading pundits made a very telling statement…. He said that his party had decided that their single primary focus for the next four years was to ensure that the new President was a one-term President. This national party, supposedly representative of the common American, made no bones about forgetting all about working for the common good, in favor of disrupting any possibility of making progress over the next four years, just because they lost the election. They have lived up to this, blocking all legislation from the White House attempting to improve the lot of the middle class, seniors, and the poor, with their negative efforts eventually culminating in the selection of a candidate to oppose the President who has repeatedly lied to the public for the last 20 years, and continues to do so on a daily basis.

“I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends…that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.” — Adlai Stevenson

Now, to me, all of that sounds much like how a six year old would react at the news of a new baby brother or sister, fearing that his mother would love the baby more, i.e. jealous insecurity, in its most obvious form. It certainly doesn’t sound like the kind of illogic and insecurity that I want in the people who hold the national purse strings, and the keys to Armageddon in their sweaty little hands…. especially since I know they don’t care a whit about anyone other than themselves, as shown on TV every day, on both sides of the issues. Assholes, the lot of them…. oh, sorry, repeating myself….

“The trouble with this country is that there are too many politicians who believe, with a conviction based on experience, that you can fool all of the people all of the time.” — Franklin P. Adams

This election campaign is strong evidence in support of this idea…. We have one candidate who, all by himself, has become, by actual count, the all-time first place liar of all presidential candidates to ever toss their hat in the ring. Yep, from day one of his campaign in the primary elections, when he started the tax return lies, and the flip-flops on his past record, to the recent debate, where independent fact-checkers tallied 27 outright lies in 38 minutes, and he established a new record (though, it should be pointed out, he broke a record he already held….), the Republican candidate has proved to be a consummate liar, smiling his way through every denial of truth.

“A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” — Mark Twain

Yet some polls indicate many millions of Americans believe all of his perversions of the facts, and intend to vote for him…. Of course, these are the same folks who believe that global warming is a myth, creationism and a 5000 year human history are truth, as well as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy.  Sorry… SIGH….couldn’t help myself… It is so discouraging to realize just how many ignorant people there are in this country, especially when I hear of women who support this man and his party’s policies, which counts them as nothing more than chattels, owned by men, with no rights at all regarding how their own bodies are to be considered….. These guys would take away the vote for women, if they could….. and that isn’t a random accusation, I’ve seen them indicate as much in print….

Hell, I can’t stop myself, this just outrages me so……. The VP candidate on the Republican ticket is ON RECORD as being in favor of legislation that would make it a jailing offense for a woman to get pregnant when not married, as well as favoring a law that would make it illegal to have an abortion in cases of incestuous rape, or any other rape…. Don’t take my word for it, look it up…. it’s on public record, ffolkes….. and folks….  He is one sick fuck, trust me…. misogynistic and deathly afraid of women, and their sexuality…..

And…. if anyone should think that these remarks are harsh or libelous, well, I refer you back to the First Amendment to the US Constitution…. and would also advise you to examine the evidence as presented for truth…. It is only libelous if untrue, and I defy any competent psychiatrist to challenge my assertions as to the man’s fear of women, after examining him…. But, then, he has already said all of this on public record, so…..

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence the act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” — Thomas Jefferson, to the Danbury (Connecticut) Baptist Association in 1802

Yesterday, I saw again some ignorant conservative posting the newest version of the Pledge of Allegiance on FB…. you know, the one where they inserted “under God” back in the 1950’s, during the Red Scare, and McCarthyism’s reign in Congress. This person posted it with a shouted invitation to join in with the crowd of uneducated masses, and lend their name in support of making this country an armed religious compound for white Christians, rather than a melting pot of diversity…. implying that anyone who didn’t Like and Share it was NOT an American…. Well, no, wait….. now that I recall, it wasn’t implied, it was stated outright….. oops, their bad….

I didn’t bother to comment, though I was sorely tempted to remind them of one simple fact; that kind of thinking was EXACTLY what our forefathers were attempting to avoid when writing the Constitution, as so clearly stated above by TJ…. Unfortunately, I never remember to file this piece from Tom Jefferson where I can find it quickly, so I just let it go.

But, that kind of idiocy, essentially, puts me in a rage, and it is a good thing that social networking is a virtual event… If it were actually live, and face to face, I’d have to slap that person….. Just to get their attention, mind you…. I know they will never change their spots, as they are completely resistant to reason, having obviously been in denial of reality for a long time….

Ah, c’est bon! C’est la vie…. Once again, I’ve talked meself into a corner, from which extraction in a graceful manner could conceivably get ugly. Therefore, I’m going to leave this treatise where it is…. Political tom foolery and nonsense is, as you know by now, a favorite subject of discussion here at Exploring Consensual Reality, and I’ll no doubt return to this fascinating discourse at a later date….

I’m a bit proud that I’ve managed to be so fair-minded today, at least in the sense of not naming names….  they’re all pundits, aren’t they? Some are merely the lesser of two evils…. As such they will get my vote, but never my complete trust…. The others, against whom I vote, and of whom I’ve spoken herein, can kiss my rosy ass, because it would be better for them than meeting me in person, and paying the ultimate price for their ignorance…. Exposure and embarrassment, followed, if I can swing it, by letting Reality pronounce, and carry out, the mandatory sentence for the crime of stupidity, and denial of the laws of the universe…..

“If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Hmm…. something about which to think, carefully, wouldn’t you say?……
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“But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.” — EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, “Cynthia Horner’s Eulogy”, Apr. 1994

Unsolicited Gratitude

Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill
pain assumes first position, no matter our will.
Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail
anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.

Still a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need
gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.
Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,
until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.

Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,
no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.
Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,
we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.

Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,
no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.
None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems
from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.

Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,
dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.
Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give
And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.

~~ gigoid
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SATIRE, n.  An obsolete kind of literary composition in which the vices and follies of the author’s enemies were expounded with imperfect tenderness.  In this country satire never had more than a sickly and uncertain existence, for the soul of it is wit, wherein we are dolefully deficient, the humor that we mistake for it, like all humor, being tolerant and sympathetic.  Moreover, although Americans are “endowed by their Creator” with abundant vice and folly, it is not generally known that these are reprehensible qualities, wherefore the satirist is popularly regarded as a soul-spirited knave, and his every victim’s outcry for co-defendants evokes a national assent.

Hail Satire! be thy praises ever sung
In the dead language of a mummy’s tongue,
For thou thyself art dead, and damned as well —
Thy spirit (usefully employed) in Hell.
Had it been such as consecrates the Bible
Thou hadst not perished by the law of libel. — Barney Stims

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

This really doesn’t need any comments from me; it pretty well states its case unequivocally, with great clarity and charm. So, since I went a bit overboard above in the first section, I’ll let this stand alone, as a paean to perhaps my favorite, as well as one of my most trusted, tools for poking at the universe in all its glory and shame (most of the glory is the universe’s; most of the shame is ours, I’m sorry to say…..). Besides, good prose, and good poetry all in one pearl…. what more can a peruaosopher (one who loves and studies pearls….) hope for?
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Having forgotten to go over this at home, it will have to do, however it came out. I’ll proof, of course, but that doesn’t give a view of the big picture…. My impression is there are a lot of words today….  🙂   I know, a bit dim, duh! But, I’m going to trust my instincts, and let it fly without any censoring on my part, other than spelling and grammar issues…. I’ll take the heat later….. I hope all is well for all of you out there in the Big Blue Room….Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Tether ball rules still apply….

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Ffolkes,
Yesterday was a wash, computer-wise. I managed to post, by going to the library, but had no extra time to read any blogs, or answer any comments, as life intervened to eat up all the extra time I thought I had. But, that event also brought in a bit of cash, so I can spend more time today, at the coffee shop with the Wi-Fi node, and even enjoy a bagel with my morning writing and surfing. Also didn’t have time for email yesterday, as the library network isn’t appreciated by my email browser, so that will be another task for today’s session….

Chatty housekeeping done, we should probably just go on to the diving portion of the program, not that diving is very deep, what with no Smart Bee to peruse. The old, unused pearls are there for a reason, that reason being that they didn’t make the grade the first time around, and it’s a longer process to find something usable. It’s a good thing I am a patient man, in the final analysis, or I’d be my own worst enemy….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Beauty as we feel it is something indescribable; what it is or what it means can never be said.” — George Santayana

This observation by Mssr. Santayana seems to me to explain most of the movies that come out of Hollywood, or anywhere else. Each of us, though we cannot always say what we see as beautiful, knows what it looks like when we encounter it; every movie made is an attempt to attract people with visions of commonality, beauty that all can agree on, and, of course, pay money to see. It’s a manufactured market, only there because people want to experience those feelings, and are convinced that they can by participating in the public viewing of someone’s idea of beauty (or comedy, or evil, or any other intriguing related emotional experience)….

It reminds me of the concept of perfection…. We all have heard that “nobody is perfect”, or “nothing is perfect”, and there are numerous philosophical treatises that attempt to prove that perfection is beyond human attainment. My question for these people is this: if there is no such thing as perfection, then why do we have its image in our minds? It seems more logical to me that perfection is merely very rare, but examples of it are bound to occur, just by the law of averages, and when it does, we have the perceptive ability to see it, to acknowledge and appreciate its perfection….

The statement also can be viewed as another way of looking at the nature of reality, or the Tao of life. Is not the very first line of the Tao Teh Ching a paraphrase of the above? “The Tao that can be named is not the true Tao.” It touches on the very base of natural law, of how reality is not what we can say of it; it is more than just the description of it. By observing what is real, our perceptions remove the part of what has occurred that gives it body and substance, what makes it real…. If Albert Einstein’s God is the true one, then He left clues to this aspect of reality all over, but especially in physics, as noted by the famed Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which so poignantly points out the folly of placing one’s total faith in what is perceived…. because by seeing it, it has already changed, to suit another of reality’s aspects, Change….

Axiom # 2 of Peruaosophy 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.”  Since Peruaosophy is my own philosophy, I can tell you, without fear of lying, that the axiom is absolutely true. It has been tested by every method I could think of, all through my life, and I can assure you that it is a factual statement. Trust me….

Okay, so you don’t have to take my word for it…. test it yourself. If you can find a single time when you can say that it is untrue, you document that, and send it to me. I’ll check it out, if any are sent in, but I have serious doubt that I’ll get any replies, as I’m confident of the axiom and its veracity. It doesn’t mean it is better, or more real than any other viewpoint or world view, but I’d wager it stands up to any of them without flinching or looking away….

Now see what I’ve done? I’ve talked myself into a corner, and can’t figure out how to tie all this mental meandering together with any aplomb. I’m sadly short of quotes, so we’ll have to make do with whatever I can come up with on short notice….. let it suffice to say that I believe in beauty, as little as it can be described, and I believe in perfection, in reality, and in the nature of everything….

After all, to be perfect, one would need to also be perfectly imperfect, else how would one tell?  And I know for a fact that many of us are imperfect; at times, I am so myself, on rare occasions…..  🙂  Besides, nature itself is full of examples of perfect beauty, anyway…. just take a walk in a garden when it is blooming with roses, and you will find any number of physical examples of the concept……

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart: the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned….

— William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming

His head,
Not yet by time completely silver’d o’er,
Bespoke him past the bounds of freakish youth,
But strong for service still, and unimpair’d.

— William Cowper (1731-1800) — The Task, Book ii, The Timepiece, Line 702
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A new (to me) poet, talking about my favorite gems, in metaphor, of course…..

Chain Of Pearls

Mother, I shall weave a chain of pearls for thy neck
with my tears of sorrow.

The stars have wrought their anklets of light to deck thy feet,
but mine will hang upon thy breast.

Wealth and fame come from thee
and it is for thee to give or to withhold them.
But this my sorrow is absolutely mine own,
and when I bring it to thee as my offering
thou rewardest me with thy grace.

Rabindranath Tagore

From Poemhunter.com….. Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region’s literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse”, he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature. In translation his poetry was viewed as spiritual and mercurial; his seemingly mesmeric personality, flowing hair, and other-worldly dress earned him a prophet-like reputation in the West. His “elegant prose and magical poetry” remain largely unknown outside Bengal.
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A while back, I wrote a comment regarding another blog, concerning the proposal made in that blog of writing some new amendments to the Constitution. Most of the suggested amendments made good sense, as they removed most of the entitlements that Congress had awarded itself over the years. However, there was one suggested change with which I wholeheartedly disagree…. this is the response to that suggestion… the address of the original blog is included, in case you want to read it first…..  To wit:

In Response to a Proposed 35th Amendment

From the blog site at:

A Proposal for a New Bill of Rights

After reading the above blog, I posted the following comment:

Sir, or madam,

Excellent post, well reasoned and presented…. I have a few comments, if I may….

It has long been a delusion in human society that morality can be enforced, or induced at all, by legislation. This is, as proven time and time again throughout thousands of years of human history, an idea that is doomed to fail, every time it is attempted. That is not speculation, or guesswork. Look it up…..

Therefore it is my suggestion that you forget #35, in favor of the Second Amendment already in place in the Bill of Rights; this concept is based on a false assumption, and making a flat statement of what (YOU believe) my rights are, or should be, is not acceptable to me as a citizen of this republic, or as a human being responsible for my own actions .Bearing arms is not a privilege, nor will I, and most likely at least 150 million, or more, other people in this country, accept that idea for a moment, a fact that should be obvious to any one with practical understanding of reality. I do not, nor will I ever believe that Federal, State, or Local jurisdiction have either the right, nor the authority to say differently, and I doubt seriously that there are very many in this country who do believe that. I reject utterly the statement that they, or you, or anyone else, has the right to decide for me what I will or will not own, or keep, or use in my defense. After guns, free speech would be the next to go….any bets?

That, my friend, is a fact of life, and of human nature. We only have those rights we can defend…. and this is merely another doomed attempt to legislate morality into human nature. Violence exists. Period. Get used to it, because you are not going to remove it from people’s core nature, or from reality, any more than attempting to remove guns will stop crime, or killing, or the tendency toward violence that is part of the nature of Man. Better to understand the impulse, and work toward educating people in how to cope with that part of themselves constructively, rather than destructively…..

The rest of your amendments are perfectly in alignment with what I believe is needed to improve the conditions of inequality and elitism so prevalent in today’s society, and would receive my full support.

To be honest, up to recently, I never owned, or saw a need to own a gun. As one who has followed the Warrior’s Path since my early teens (and probably before; I was raised on army posts from birth to age 10), a long-time student of martial arts, and the theories of war, I learned how to deal with violence in many ways, with many techniques, a large number of which I had to apply in my work for years, physically controlling out-of-control psychotic mental patients, without hurting them, or getting hurt. I got pretty  good at it, especially in recognizing it before it manifested fully, and diverting it.  I am very familiar with violence, in a great many of its guises. So, I can generally deal with whatever physical violence may occur in my immediate vicinity.

Now, however, I’m not as fast as I once was, nor as well-conditioned; I’m better at foresight, it comes with age. And I can foresee a time when I could conceivably need the equalizing factor of a weapon like a gun, in order to live up to my standard of handling events without injury, as far as I can…..so, I’m probably going to buy one or two… because of that, and even more, because of insane (sorry, don’t mean to flame; but, it isn’t fully sane to attempt to change human nature) talk such as this, of watching society willingly slip on their slave collars… it is NOT going to happen in my world….

If anyone, or anyone’s brother, or anyone else, tries to take away the Second Amendment rights I now have, well, I can only say, good luck with that….. and bring lots of friends…you’ll need them….

Oh, and I’d keep in mind…. those folks like the police in Sanford, Florida who were complicit in covering up the murder there,  aren’t going to disarm themselves, now are they?…. How far will you trust them to behave with honor, and respect for YOUR rights? Get real…..and I don’t mean that disrespectfully, but in hope that you will open your eyes to what is plainly there to see….
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It took some doing, but it all got done, and done well, as far as I can tell…. but, then, it’s mine, so what do I know?….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Old~new dogs~tricks…..

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Ffolkes,
Good morning, I hope…. let’s jump right in….

“This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly.  It should be thrown with great force.” — Dorothy Parker

Fortunately for all concerned at this point, I haven’t. Yet. Written a novel. I’ve written enough in the past 10 months to fill the pages of at least three of them, all about 400 pages, but, it’s not a novel, nor, as I think of it now, is it very novel…. sorry….. But, that right there, that pun, even though it wasn’t deliberate, is a good indicator of what I feel right now, in re: what Ms. Parker said above, if applied to my novel of Pearls over the last near-year. In looking over the previous efforts this month, I note a distinct decline in quality. You may not have noticed it, but it is there, to my eye….

Said decline may or may not be connected to the concomitant increase in the personal nature of what I’ve chosen to write; it’s hard to tell without a full introspective overhaul. Sometimes though, going with what is felt, without too much close examination, doesn’t seem such a bad choice upon which to base bending to change….

I mean, change will happen, no matter what choice I make, so it seems a good idea to be proactive, in a sense, and make some changes in myself, or in my approach to certain matters. After all, I’m the only one who can change me, and I am also the only thing in the universe I can change. May as well take advantage of those immutable principles….

Hence, I’m changing the face of the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. Again. It isn’t the first time; over the 12 or 13 years I’ve been putting them together on a pretty much daily basis, first while at work,then from home, I’ve gone through several procedural and structural morphs.

It all started with one pearl, and one short comment a day, and has grown to an average of 1800 words a day, with five pearls as base material. I think I’ve reached the maximum benefit I can derive by making them so long each day, so I’m cutting back a bit, starting today, and will present only three pearls a day, and give them my best shot, whatever form that may take, prose or verse….

In addition, pearls will be expanded to include more pictures, some with text, some with, well, other stuff…. about which I will either say “Aww!”, or write a haiku, or a short essay, or a rant, or whatever strikes me (not a change, but a change in stimuli….)…. No harm in trying to add some color to my day, and yours…. So, Gentle Reader, settle back, and gird your grid for a new experience…. at least, new to this blog… Shall we explore consensual reality together?…. A’Pearling we shall go….
___________________________________    Friendship is a wonderful thing; saying so is pretty obvious and trite, but nonetheless true for that. And we all know that to have a friend, one must BE a friend. This attitude, of being open to the kind of things that friends do, is especially important when one is in a place far away from those friends, when they are not there to lean on, or to help…. In life we travel, we drift apart, we follow our own paths, but our friends are always with us, even if only in our hearts… And in those times we are alone, being open to friendship can save not only your sanity, but your life….    I have friends who would do all of the things listed under the real friends category; not just would do, but have…. It’s been a while since I was in a dog pile with them, and doing so now would probably put us all in traction, but the rest of it is all true and has happened in the not so distant past. It feels good to know that I am still in touch with at least five people who used to call my folks Mom and Dad…. Mitt Romney can keep his $250 million net worth; of the two of us, I am the truly wealthy one…..
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“…it still remains true that as a set of cognitive beliefs about the existence of God in any recognizable sense continuous with the great systems of the past, religious doctrines constitute a speculative hypothesis of an extremely low order of probability.” — Sidney Hook

Mr. Hook gives us here a long-winded, Shakespearean statement about the existence of God that probably would better have been left at “Not bloody likely!”…. Both get the same point across, but the latter has more punch, as the listener doesn’t have to spend all that time trying to first figure out what the hell he said….

It is a very good statement, in its way; accurate, logical, and with a proper reservation of judgment, proclaiming the idiocy of buying into such an implausible story without being snide about it. But, as mentioned, it reminds me of a certain author, who shall now remain unnamed, who had the same habit when he wrote, to wit: “HEY! Lets cover up what this means with a bunch of extra words that will make the reader’s head spin with admiration….”.

Now, as one who writes (or types, anyway…. who’s to say whether it is writing?….), I tend to agree with Twain’s method of prose, which is spare, and attempts to pare down what is written to its barest bones, leaving nothing but meaning and style; as with golf, one is trying for the lowest score. Twain, Hemingway, Steinbeck, all believed that good writing should be accessible, and clear, without having to be translated, or put into simpler terms, and Mr. Hook would have done better, I think, to keep that in mind. The idea he is promulgating is one that does need to be spread around, and should stimulate discussion. In its present form, it will only do that amongst the few readers and folks who can easily make out what he is talking about in this over-blown statement….

The idea he is expressing here is one that is generally discouraged by those in leadership positions in modern religions. Discussing the veracity of the claims that religion makes is not encouraged by any of the sects I know of; in fact, doing so tends to produce some rather volatile reactions, to put it mildly. Most folks have a hard time maintaining their cool when their religious beliefs are challenged, due, I think, to the strong emotional connection they add to those beliefs.

Their feelings are so tied into those beliefs that, in their minds, questioning one is the same as attacking the other….. Not logical, but true nonetheless, and not a good thing to leave out of one’s calculations; I never discuss religion without being rather heavily armed…. and not only with knowledge….

Here’s the thing that bothers me about the whole concept of an omnipotent entity…. How can we, who are not omnipotent, claim to understand either the actual form of a God, or the motivation of such a being? How can we claim to be certain that this omnipotent entity, capable of creating an entire universe, not only looks just like us, but actually wants us to bow down and worship Him, or Her, or It? Even when I was five years old, nobody could, or would, answer that question, other than to say, “because it’s in the Bible.” Even then, I recognized when I was being put off, and it just made me wonder more….

Certainty is only a symptom of lack of imagination. — Smart Bee

Over time, as my knowledge of the world grew, I came to realize that the entire system is just another man-made institution, with the whole purpose of taking advantage of, and controlling, the general run of folks who are just trying to get by in life. I learned that the louder a person proclaims himself to be a Christian, the less like Christ they act. Being “safe in the arms of Jesus” is the perfect excuse to deny any responsibility for one’s own acts of immorality; Jesus forgives everything, right? Well, he does…. it says so right here in the New Testament, so it must be true….

“Our father who art in heaven..  I sincerely pray that SOMEBODY at this table will PAY for my SHREDDED WHAT and ENGLISH MUFFIN.. and also leave a GENEROUS TIP…” — Zippy the Pinhead

I don’t claim to know God. I don’t know how God looks. I don’t know what God thinks, or even if what that entity does can be called thinking at all. I’m not omnipotent, so I have no frame of reference from which to approach such a question. I do know this, though…. whatever anyone says about God is bound to be wrong. It has to be; there is no way for us to understand anything about such a creature, not if we are to assume they are truly gods. If they are gods, or God, then I refuse to believe that what is important to me as a human is important to them; it just doesn’t make any logical sense. None….

ZEUS, n.  The chief of Grecian gods, adored by the Romans as Jupiter and by the modern Americans as God, Gold, Mob and Dog.  Some explorers who have touched upon the shores of America, and one who professes to have penetrated a considerable distance to the interior, have thought that these four names stand for as many distinct deities, but in his monumental work on Surviving Faiths, Frump insists that the natives are monotheists, each having no other god than himself, whom he worships under many sacred names. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Looking at a Universe without God doesn’t scare me…. I think it is quite beautiful, no matter how it came to exist. Knowing one way or another how it was created, or happened, or evolved, or whatever, isn’t important to me, in either the short, or the long run. Learning about it, experiencing its joys and trials, appreciating both its gifts and its penalties, these are much more important. Do your Duty. Honor the Truth. Respect Life. Share your Love. I don’t think that God needs my approval, or my worship in order for the universe to carry on…. it’s just fine the way it is…..

“There are no physicists in the hottest parts of hell, because the existence of a hottest part implies a temperature difference, and any marginally competent physicist would immediately use this to run a heat engine and make some other part of hell comfortably cool. This is obviously impossible.” — Richard Davidson
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Okay, enough of being serious…. here we have another find from Facebook, where all of today’s images were found…. it needs no explanation….___________________________________

There you have it… the freshest Pearl you can find, just for you…. I love it when a plan comes together…. Well, sort of together…. it’s still over 1800 words….SIGH….Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!


Alone with brazen pastries….

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Ffolkes,
I started to write about retirement this morning, and how the system screws with us over our own money, but it turned into a bitch-fest, and I really don’t feel like going there, so I deleted those two paragraphs, and am starting over….. much better….

I’m barely awake yet, and I was already getting all worked up over the fat cats in Congress and the government organizations that eat all our money for their perks (such as subsidized healthcare and retirement, at our expense….). It is getting all-too-easy to rant on the subject, I’m afraid…. all I have to do is think about it, and my fists clench up, along with my jaw, and I start looking for something at which to spew….

Such instant angst is counter-productive, when it arises so quickly; it tends to cause spew before thought, which may be satisfying from a cathartic viewpoint, but seldom lends itself to good writing. I’ll often find myself three paragraphs deep in a rant, with no place to take it to finish it off; if one wishes to reach a destination, one must plan a route there first….. The first and only thing on one’s mind at those moments is to shoot, shoot, and shoot again, not particularly caring how many times one hits the target, as long as we can get it to duck, or produce some reaction.

Ah me, t’is all moot, anyway, as I’m not going there just now. It would be too easy, and at the same time, too depressing to think about stuff like that so early in the day…. Instead, we’ll just dive into the WWW for a few pearls, and see if we can’t find something a bit more productive to talk over….. sound good? Okay, then, let’s be off to Pearl…..
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“In boxing they have the “undisputed heavyweight champion.” Well, if it’s undisputed what’s all the fighting about? Undisputed means everybody  agrees. Some guys are getting beat up pretty badly over something apparently we all agree on.” — George Carlin

SIGH…. I miss George. Don’t you miss George? I do, a lot. Nobody could impale the dignity of the government like he could, effortlessly. With either a dead-pan face, or a sly, knowing grin, he could pull anyone along with him into his world, where wickedly accurate social commentary was commonplace, generally skewering the reputation of some public figure or institution that definitely deserved it.

There are truly only a few human souls that could approach the stature that his genius grew into; his body of work will someday be the subject of complete college courses on social history, I am certain. I’m also certain that we will never see his like again, more’s the pity….

“It’s not that we don’t have enough scoundrels to curse; it’s that we don’t have enough good men to curse them.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 3/14/08
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“One of the inadequate preparations being young allows is that you are not prepared for the time when you will be old.” — Smart Bee


In this case, who cares? My only thought was to wonder just exactly was going through both of their minds just then…. though knowing that couldn’t make it any less funny or cute…. found on Facebook….
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Tho’ lost to sight, to mem’ry dear        / Thou ever wilt remain;
One only hope my heart can cheer,–       / The hope to meet again.
Oh fondly on the past I dwell,            / And oft recall those hours
When, wand’ring down the shady dell,      / We gathered the wild-flowers.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight,   / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,      / To mem’ry thou art dear.
Oft in the tranquil hour of night,        / When stars illume the sky,
I gaze upon each orb of light,            / And wish that thou wert by.
I think upon that happy time,             / That time so fondly lov’d,
When last we heard the sweet bells chime, / As thro’ the fields we rov’d.
Yes, life then seem’d one pure delight,   / Tho’ now each spot looks drear;
Yet tho’ thy smile be lost to sight,      / To mem’ry thou art dear.
— George Linley (1798-1865) — Song

I’m pretty sure I’ve included this triple verse poem before, but I can’t help it; I love these! So, just enjoy it for it’s creativity and competence, and we’ll move on….
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“In search of cognitive dissonance…” — Smart Bee

Perfect! I’ve been searching for just this concept, oddly enough. It is the perfect accompanying phrase to go along with “Exploring Consensual Reality” I believe… let’s try it out….

“Exploring consensual reality, in search of cognitive dissonance….”   Yep, it works just fine… and I think it will be a clearer indication of what I try to accomplish here every day than just the initial part. I do explore reality as I see it, but much of what I end up examining can be put in the realm of dissonance more easily than it can in any other category.

Of course, that may merely be an effect of the observation process; there is certainly more dissonance than harmony out there to be observed in society. Perhaps it will help me to look more closely at events, to seek out the harmony that I know must be hidden somewhere…. perhaps not.

On second reflection, however, I don’t believe I’ll make the change to the title of this blog, at least not now…. For one thing, I’m not sure I want to go in to that part of the Dashboard today, to try to figure out how to make the change in the Appearance tab. And for another, perhaps it is concentrating too hard on just one side of the coin. I already tend to look at things with a cynical eye, and searching directly for dissonance could conceivably become habitual.

There…. not bad, eh? Four paragraphs of waffling, all over a non-event prompted by someone’s randomly sardonic wit. Does this mean I’m a writer? Or does it mean I should go back to bed? Tough questions…. neither of which is particularly crucial to the day. I suppose I should just let this die a natural death, and get on with the remaining bits of drivel….
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Okay…. I’m going to be a bit narcissistic here… Below is my philosophy… I mention it occasionally, but have not posted it here since last year (I think)…. any who, this is what I developed about 25 years ago, when I thought to myself, “Hey, if Plato, Sartre, and Descartes can have one, why not me?” So, here is my take on Life and All That Stuff….

Peruaosophy
Or
The wisdom of pearls…
(The world is my oyster; which way to the pearls?)

Axioms

1)  I think I am; that’s close enough.

2) The nature of the Universe is Change.
Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm.
If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.

3) Thou art God, you know.  Let’s do lunch.

4) Excellence is its’ own reward.

5) Girls think differently.  So do boys.  Don’t fight it.

6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And God so loved the world, He said, “Quit whining!”

7) Do your Duty.   Respect Life.   Honor the Truth.   Share your Love.

8)  Go back.  Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.

gigoid

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein
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After some serious threats of falling into complete disarray, today’s effort has come to a satisfactory state, and may even fly; it’s a bit ungainly, but so is a bumblebee, and they do fine…. It doesn’t matter now, anyway, as it is done, and I’m not going to do it over after so much blood, sweat, and coffee…. I did manage to avoid subjects that might make me cry today, easy as that is these days of active PTSD…. ah well, t’is done, and all will be well in the end, it is said… Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

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!

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!

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!

Sketching a Parabolic Curve…..

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Ffolkes,
Fully clothed in his suit of innocence, he sallied forth into the new day, whistling. Obviously, he had no clue….but I do. Boy, a whole new year to play with; we gonna have some fun, you betcha! You guys take the left, I’ll take the middle, and the right can go to hell….meantime, let’s go diving…..
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“After I’m dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one.” — Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.)

It’s most likely an effect of advancing years, but I find myself of late spending more and more time pondering death. My own, that is. It isn’t imminent (at least I feel fine, and my doc doesn’t look panicked when I see him), but it’s fer sure gettin’ closer. My thoughts aren’t on the death itself, but rather the attendant rituals, and on my legacy. We all come to a place in life where planning for death is necessary, and the ordering of disposition of property is best spelled out clearly ahead of time, in order for there to be no discord amongst the surviving relatives.

I won’t be leaving a lot of money; money has never interested me much beyond my immediate means, but there are items of affection that will need to find new homes, like my guitar, and personal mementos. Plus, who knows? My writing could become successful in a financial sense, then there would be that to take care of as well. But, I don’t intend for anything of mine to cause a rift between my kids after I’m gone.

It’s strange, really, thinking of one’s own demise. Accepting the inevitability of death is a task unto itself, and not an easy one. Mankind’s greatest universal fear is fear of the unknown, and what can be more so than what happens after we die? Realistically, fear of death should be easily processed, because we actually do have knowledge of death; how would we know we were alive, if we had never been dead? There must be some genetic memory of death, for we live with such gusto, and our nature responds so naturally to the joy of living, that only if we had once died could we feel such joy in life. Maybe that’s why I’m having so little fear over the whole thing; a part of my mind, one that is directly connected to the pulse of life and death, knows there is nothing to fear. It’s a comforting thought. And if my memory is valued, I will have lived well…..

Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Over sharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
— Tao Te Ching
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In the days when Sussman was a novice Minsky once came to him as he sat hacking at the PDP-6.  “What are you doing?”, asked Minsky.  “I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe.”   “Why is the net wired randomly?”, asked Minsky.   “I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play”  Minsky shut his eyes,   “Why do you close your eyes?”, Sussman asked his teacher.   “So that the room will be empty.”   At that moment, Sussman was enlightened. — AI koan

In the beginning, over ten years ago, the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom looked much differently than they do today. A short comment, followed by one very profound Pearl, and a short ending. They have expanded over the years, to include more quotes, often strung together to form a single point, said point being left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader. Only in the last month or so has it evolved to its current incarnation, and I’m still getting used to having so much material to write about. But I’ve always loved this little koan, because it is just so absolutely tautological, and so sublimely subtle.

Just as an experiment, here is an optional homework assignment. Answer the question, “Why did Minsky close his eyes?”…… we’ll see how many out there are really paying attention…..just send your answers in as a reply to this email. Or, conversely, leave a reply at my blog site, where these Pearls are posted each morning after being sent to you….that net address is: https://gigoid.me/ ….your prize will be a strong feeling of accomplishment, and your praises will be sung in a future Pearl…..good luck! (though luck won’t find the answer…..)
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If he applies The Eternal to himself his virtue will be genuine;
If he applies it to his family his virtue will be abundant;
If he applies it to his village his virtue will be lasting;
If he applies it to his country his virtue will be full;
If he applies it to the world his virtue will be universal.
— Lao-Tzu (fl. B.C. 600)

This sounds like Lao Tzu was predicting the future, giving the world a chance to get used to the idea of the Messiah. One need only look at these lines, and see yet another example of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was possibly the most puissant soul mankind has ever witnessed; he is one of very few men who lived exactly what he preached. Of course, being a brilliant psychologist as well as politician, he knew that for his ideas to last, he would need to couch the concepts in a format that would be acceptable and easily understood by the primitive populace with whom he lived. (and, naturally, once he was gone, the humans managed to distort his message, and turn it to their own purposes, ie, power over others) He did well, but like any one whose soul is pure, he could not fully understand just how down and dirty men can be; it just wasn’t in him to do so.

So, instead of living in heaven on earth, we have, for the last 2000 years, watched as his ideas were perverted and twisted into the justification of entitlement so inherent to the Judeo-Christian set of beliefs. “We are the Chosen People of God, and were given dominion over all the creatures of the earth. Jesus proved it when he died for our sins.” What a crock! Makes me wanna puke…….Jesus deserved better, and if alive today, would be living in a homeless shelter, ministering to the poor and disenfranchised, just as he did 2000 years ago. Except now there are millions of them, more than ever…..and the fat cats (otherwise known as priests, preachers, deacons, and fundamentalist “born again” fanatics) would crucify him even faster than Pilate….. and then go back to the rectory/house/church/office and figure out more ways to steal from the public purse, and increase the influence of the church on the policies of the state……
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“I don’t believe a tree is a tree and if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.” — Ronald Reagan, Sacramento Bee, 9/14/66

It might be an unpopular position to take, but I figure that most of the people who thought Reagan was the Second Coming, were folks who never lived in California (close as I can figure, about 240 million ‘Murricans). They never had him as a governor, back when he wasn’t as careful about saying what he really felt, instead of the all-too-natural lies that tripped so lovingly from his tongue.  In addition to this little gem, he also said, after some protests on the UC campus’s, “If they want a bloodbath, we’ll give them a bloodbath.” He was speaking of the children of his constituents, children who are also citizens, and would presumably possess the right to assemble peacefully to protest inequity. I’m sorry folks, Ronald Reagan wasn’t the Great Communicator; he was a selfish, small-minded little man who gave not one little shit about the public at large. He was only in the game for one reason, and that was for fulfillment of his grandiose dreams of adequacy. Oh yes, he was loyal. He always liked to make sure that his supporters and sycophants got their share of the public pie.

Though even Mr. Greenspan is reluctant to say so, it is patently obvious to any observer that Reagan’s economic philosophy is the major contributing factor to both the current recession and the preceding 30 years of deregulated lying, cheating, and stealing from the public that created the mess we are in now. That mess was made bigger by the first Shrub in the White House, and further decimated by the junior Shrub’s stay during his stolen terms. (Don’t tell me you thought those voting discrepancies in Ohio and Florida, resulting in Bush winning the elections weren’t planned? If you think so, you really need to take a reality check….)

Okay, that’s enough Reagan/Bush I&II bashing for one morning. Any more and the day would be spoiled, by the taste it leaves in my mouth to even discuss the man’s unwarranted reputation. Just writing that line brought to mind three more reasons that could fuel a rant, but there are other, more palatable tasks awaiting my attention.

Let it suffice to say, if you disagree, I encourage you to write back and present any evidence you may feel is pertinent in support of your support; I’m all about dialogue. I know it may not look that way, as a blog is one long monologue, but I believe that democracy is impossible without the free exchange of ideas. So if you have any thoughts, come on back with them, & we’ll have some fun…..

According to Descartes, “Dittoheads” don’t exist…
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“Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.” — Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773) — Letter, March 10, 1746

“Excellence is its own reward.” — gigoid (1950- ?) — Peruaosophy, the Philosophy of Pearls, axiom #4

Here is the first installment of my newest project (translation: I just thought of it…) In the coming days and/or weeks (depending on how long it takes to find just the right Pearls from the Past), I will present quotes from wise, or seemingly wise, men or women who lived prior to the 21st century that act as proof of the axiom’s validity. Well, maybe not proof; that would only come from actually applying the axiom to real situations that would indicate its value as a mental tool. It’s okay to try this at home. But, the quotes will provide, at minimum, positive evidence of the timeless nature of the Pearl under review. Be sure to look for this new feature in coming issues…..and feel free to comment any time…..
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Two days, gone already. Boy, the year is just flying by, isn’t it?….. well, maybe not. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A particular quality of light….

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Ffolkes,
I’m feeling a bit curmudgeonly this morning; I’m down to instant coffee until I can get to a store, and having to drink this nasty stuff has me close to biting myself in irritation. Fortunately, one of my friends is coming by, and will be bringing coffee with him. One of the advantages of advanced years is the improvement in forethought skills; we knew he was coming over today, and arranged to have him pick some up on the way. Too bad it doesn’t improve the flavor of this instant crap…….
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Deal with others as thou wouldst thyself be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee hereafter. —  _The Mahabharata_, c. 800 B. C. (Sounds suspiciously like the Golden Rule to me)

“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” — Sun Tzu (fl. c. BC 500)

As the same fire assumes different shapes when it consumes objects differing in shape, so does the one Self take the shape of every creature in whom he is present. — Upanishads (c. B.C. 800) (Metaphysical logic, as sound as it gets….)

“Nothing endures but change.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.) (Obviously, Heraclitus was no stranger to Reality….)

All of the above statements were recorded (on paper or other form of tablet; t’was all they had then) prior to the birth of Christ, the seminal date upon which our calendar is based. It is fascinating to me to read these, which were all written about 2500-3000 years ago, and to reflect on how little apparent progress has been made in advancing human thought and behavior. The above remnants of the culture of the time clearly indicates an ability to reason that surpasses, or at minimum, equals the best of today’s philosophers. As an example of just how far we have come, or not come, to be more accurate, here is an example of how one of the most revered leaders in recent history, a man known as the Great Communicator, felt about ecological issues in general…..

“A tree is a tree.  How many more do you need to look at?” — Ronald W. Reagan, 1966

Kind of scary, isn’t it?………
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“Do not settle for less than the best your own excellence can command.” — Anne McCaffrey

I identify closely with this; it parallels Axiom #4 of my own philosophy, Peruaosophy, which reads “Excellence is its own reward.” This has been one of the guiding principles of my life, though I do occasionally encounter some resistance from the outside world in trying to achieve it. For some reason, it seems to make other folks feel nervous and threatened, and sometimes even antagonistic. I don’t worry too much over that; I figure its their problem, not mine, and paying too much attention to what other folks think or feel about what I do just encourages them to think its okay, when it is not. Its merely a distraction, and unfortunately, a potentially hazardous one, should my detractors turn from the relative confusion of a simple lack of understanding, to the dangerous rage of ignorant fear and loathing. But one of the more important skills that is learned by the process of seeking excellence is the ability to see a broader perspective, and plan for unexpected dangers during the process of sharing one’s excellence with the world. Forethought is a good thing…..(oooo, deja vu all over again….)
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JABBERWOCKY

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And thou hast slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
— Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass”

No comments here, I just like this a lot; reading it makes me happy…….it can work for you, too, if you like!…….
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Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And without sneering teach the rest to sneer;
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
— Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, Prologue to the Satires, Line 201

For some reason, probably buried somewhere deep in my unconscious mind, when I read this I was struck by a mental image of the last couple of Republican debates, which I must admit have provided us all with a wonderfully comic sideshow, complete with outrageous statements, vicious lying and in-fighting amongst the candidates, curiously obscure positions, and dubious economics. It’s been great, and provides tons of material to write about. But it also gets too easy to forget the seriousness that lurks behind the silly false fronts that they all throw up to keep people from knowing their true agendas; each of those people is serious about their desire to assume the mantle of power in this country, and each of them would be a greater disaster than the others. Take your pick; if any of them come even close to getting into office, I’ll be heading for the farthest place I can find to duck and cover…….any one of them would accelerate the already out of control rush toward extinction, and would create messes that may never be cleaned up…..
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He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life’s pleasures is like a blacksmith’s bellows – he breathes but does not live. — Sanskrit Proverb

I hereby pronounce this to be good. We hear the same message a lot of different ways, so it is good to see a new way of expressing such an essential point, one that fully embraces the meaning of, and behind, the words used. So much so, that it really doesn’t need any embellishment from me, so I will merely say……engage, examine, evaluate, and effect a change in your life. You’ll like it….trust me……
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Well it took a bit of effort, but it all came out well, I think. It’s certainly good enough for a retired dilettante, and I should know….. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The last one putting, turn out the lights….

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Ffolkes,
Gird your grid for a big one, ffolkes……

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; Change your leaves, leave intact your roots.” — Victor Hugo

This particular inclusion represents what is, to my mind, an absolutely perfect example of what makes a good Pearl of Virtual Wisdom*. (See below)  Fifteen words, none complex, put together in a simple way to present an idea, a concept that is far more profound than the simplicity of its structure might imply. No extra adjectives to suggest passion or unnecessary emotion, while still heeding the need for it as motivation. Good advice, almost a corollary of the Golden Rule, one that goes one step further, to include the possibility and promise of Change. In Peruaosophy, we learned axiom #2: “The nature of the Universe is Change.  Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.” Even if we hold this to be only mostly true, it still makes the above concept an excellent approach to coping with the vicissitudes that Life provides with such humorous regularity. Including Mssr. Hugo’s idea in one’s toolbag of coping skills is an excellent defense against becoming the butt of Reality’s daily joke…..

“Always make allowances for the “duh” factor.”

I don’t know who provided this little gem, as attribution was not included where I found it. But it fits right in with the previous paragraph re: Reality as a slippery ratchet, at least in respect of what I like to think of as the defense against the dark arts for Real…with the dark arts standing as metaphor for the tendency of the Universe to change the rules on us in the blink of an eye. Being flexible and able to deal with change can act as a buffer when Reality plays one of its little jokes on us, allowing us to keep clarity of mind in the midst of chaos. This line refers to those times when we must use or be potentially affected by the actions of others, not all of whom can be relied upon to have the same skill set that we ourselves may possess. This line, again in one short line, reminds us that not everyone is the same, and there will always be some bozo who will, through no particular fault of their own beyond simple ignorance, be the cause of events that are catastrophic from our point of view. The ability to plan ahead, to make allowances for those ripples in the smooth functioning of our lives, and be flexible, and creative enough to disallow any negative side effects, is a tool that everyone should have at hand……

“Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat  are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.” — Dame Edith Sitwell

I love this one….I hadn’t heard this one, though I’ve seen other witticisms from the grand Dame Edith, and she always has a unique way of viewing, and expressing, the perceptions of society common to all of us. This one I like because I like to consider myself somewhat eccentric; in fact, I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t enjoy the feeling of being different than most folks. (That’s folks, not ffolkes. I’ll explain the difference later. For now, suffice it to know that ffolkes is a small subset of folks…..) Where was I? Oh….there I am….Since I can in no way claim to be any kind of aristocrat, being at minimum 30 or 40 generations away from any royalty in the family, I guess that means I’m a genius, at least by Lady Sitwell’s paradigm.  All I can say is, if that is true, then being a genius isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I will say, however, that I do share the listed characteristics  of a genius, to wit: I don’t give a damn about what other people think of me, or of what I say, or do. I make my decisions of how to behave before the court of Reality, and I stand by those decisions, regardless of what anybody else thinks. That isn’t to say I’m adverse to criticism; I’ll listen to what folks have to say. But if they can’t show me where I’m wrong, well, too bad, so sad, who’s next? As I’ve said before, I look at all comments made to me; those I can agree with, I smile, and respond with respect and gratitude. Those who are unjustly, or ignorantly critical of my work are listened to with a degree of respect concomitant with my estimation of the critic’s competence to make the comment. If they are right, then I will cheerfully admit it, and change accordingly. But if they are wrong, they will be cheerfully ignored. Forever……

Well, this is certainly late today; it’s almost 5 PM. That’s what happens when I have to be up and out of the house by 0800, & don’t get to this until almost 4. But, it’s done, and I think it’s done well. You are free to think so, or not, as is your preference. Hopefully, it got at least one chuckle out of you, or one moment of introspection, or an “oh yeah, I know what you mean”….if not, well there is always tomorrow….Y’all take care out there….

*Pearls of Virtual Wisdom are not by any means to be construed as, or to be used as Real Wisdom. Any attempts to use them as such are the complete responsibility of the reader; the author makes no claims of infallibility, and will bear no guilt if Reality slaps you for trying to use this information inappropriately.

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!