Tag Archives: Philosophy

Murky morals create messes….

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Ffolkes,
Balderdash! Poppycock! And other such fine expressions!  Aren’t those great words? I love English, which is more than I can say for SOME people. Some folks submit our language to daily torture, some merely mangle it out of any recognizable shape. A lot of people use it, but never figure out how to make it shine. These are the folks who need to use words such as the two at the head of the paragraph, to muscle up their vocabulary, and make it more like Mr. Universe than the skinny nerd we used to see on the back of comics…..

Even I forget to use the vocabulary I have at times; the Thesaurus sits right next to me while I type, but I seldom break it out, a habit I need to break. I do pretty well at not using the same words over and over in the same piece of work, but I think that the more variety one uses, the larger the pool of available alternatives grows. All of us here at WordPress are trying, in our own ways, to become better writers (I hope that’s the case….), and using a larger vocabulary is a sure way to do that……

After such an auspicious opening, one would think that today’s Pearl is a doozie (another fine word…), but only time will tell us whether or not that is the case. Let us now leave this pompousness behind, and wash ourselves clean in the ocean of knowledge….. Shall we Pearl?……
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Happiness follows sorrow, sorrow follows happiness, but when one no longer discriminates between happiness and sorrow, a good deed and a bad deed, one is able to realize freedom.” — Buddha

I was married for 23 years. If I had my druthers, I’d still be married; I took vows, which I kept.  Still do, for that matter….. I promised to love her more every day than I did the day before, and in spite of her absence, that hasn’t changed a whit…. and that hurts.  It is only the lessons I’ve learned over the years from Buddhism and Taoism that have helped me to move beyond that pain. The lesson above is one of the most powerful of those lessons…..

In reality, this is pretty hard to accomplish; our western minds tend to take pain and make ourselves almost dependent upon it, using it as fuel for action. This is wrong action, however, and almost always leads to more pain. It is hard for most people, me included, to learn how to put aside pain by changing the way we look at reality. Difficult, but well worth the effort, as it is a sure-fire method of learning self-control.

In a relative sense, it is easy to see what needs to be done, but in reality, reaching this state of equilibrium is not quite so simple. It is also something that each person needs to learn to do all alone; no one can teach you how to change yourself, or your own desires. It can help to hold the duality of reality in mind when considering this; pain is merely one side of the coin that is reality. On the other side is joy.

Neither can be understood, or even felt without the other. This shows that if we can learn to feel both with equal equanimity, to realize that neither one is either permanent or harmful, then they both assume less importance, and can be more easily allowed to pass away, the fate of all transient emotion. Once we have learned to let them go, it is amazing to realize that such pain will no longer control us, and we now have the ability to approach life with the ability to choose our own reaction to events…. This is indeed a powerful tool, and one that can help us to achieve the life we desire….A life free of emotional strife and pain, which is true freedom….

“Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Sertorius
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The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘T is mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s,
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Merchant of Venice — Act iv, Sc. 1

I like to consider myself to be a fair-minded person, and try to admit mistakes when I make them. My opinion of Will Shakespeare has been well-documented, so I won’t go into that….

I have to admit, though, that this soliloquy from the Merchant of Venice, is very well done, and stands in stark contrast to great gobs of his other works. It has logic, it has rhyme, and reason. It is consistent, and most importantly, it is relatively clear, not all jumbled up with obscure phrases whose context was lost centuries past.  I like it….

It’s not enough to make me change my overall judgment of his body of work, or make me sit through one of his plays…. but, it’s pretty good…. There, see, I can be nice…..
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A Lover’s Quarrel Among the Fairies

A moonlight moor. Fairies leading a child.

Male Fairies: Do not fear us, earthly maid!
We will lead you hand in hand
By the willows in the glade,
By the gorse on the high land,

By the pasture where the lambs
Shall awake with lonely bleat,
Shivering closer to their dams
From the rustling of our feet.

You will with the banshee chat,
And will find her good at heart,
Sitting on a warm smooth mat
In the green hill’s inmost part.

We will bring a crown of gold
Bending humbly every knee,
Now thy great white doll to hold —
Oh, so happy would we be!

Ah it is so very big,
And we are so very small!
So we dance a fairy jig
To the fiddle’s rise and fall.

Yonder see the fairy girls
All their jealousy display,
Lift their chins and toss their curls,
Lift their chins and turn away.

See you, brother, Cranberry Fruit —
He! ho! ho! the merry blade! —
Hugs and pets and pats yon newt,
Teasing every willful maid.

Girl Fairies: Lead they one with foolish care,
Deafening us with idle sound —
One whose breathing shakes the air,
One whose footfall shakes the ground.

Come you, Coltsfoot, Mousetail, come!
Come I know where, far away,
Owls there be whom age makes numb;
Come and tease them till the day.

Puffed like puff-balls on a tree,
Scoff they at the modern earth —
Ah! how large mice used to be
In their days of youthful mirth!

Come, beside a sandy lake,
Feed a fire with stems of grass;
Roasting berries steam and shake —
Talking hours swiftly pass!

Long before the morning fire
Wake the larks upon the green.
Yonder foolish ones will tire
Of their tall, new-fangled queen.

They will lead her home again
To the orchard-circled farm;
At the house of weary men
Raise the door-pin with alarm,

And come kneeling on one knee,
While we shake our heads and scold
This their wanton treachery,
And our slaves be as of old.

William Butler Yeats

Of late, I have been leaning more and more on poetry to soothe my fevered brow…. and I don’t regret a moment of that. Here is another from W.B. Yeats, that takes us on a short, wondrous journey into Irish myth….
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I’ve relied heavily on the work of others for this Pearl, as a direct result of a massive attack of lazy bones this morning…. Ah well, at least I picked stuff that will be interesting to a wide group of ffolkes…. Lazy can be okay, if properly moderated…. 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!

All bets were on the used carbuncle….

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Ffolkes,
Oddity after oddity assails my senses. Torn between sleep and awake, and never ready for either one. Yes, I’d like to sleep, and yes, I’d like to dance, but the music isn’t very rhythmic, nor is the pillow soft. Clouds and colonoscopy don’t match my memory of how to succeed at business, but it does sell well. From yesterday all the way to today, I have counted the evens, and disregarded the odds, which is the only way to bet that the governor won’t tax it into submission. I don’t know, maybe we should just lay down our weapons, even if we aren’t going to surrender. Then we can have some pie ala mode…. and some coffee…..

Yes, please, some coffee…. I have made a serious miscalculation, and have run out of coffee. I am sitting here trying not to bite myself, hard, for being such an idiot. You see above what it can do to me…. that was supposed to be a haiku, and look what it turned into…. scary shit, if you ask me….. I think I’m hallucinating….. if not, then I wish I was, because this is the pits. I haven’t had this serious a withdrawal reaction in long time…. but then, it’s been a long time since I last had to do without coffee in the morning……

Rather than spend a long time complaining about it, I’m going to dive right in and start looking for material…. Shall we Pearl?

“Being normal isn’t one of my strengths.” — Smart Bee
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Caution: Old School Pearl Ahead. Gird Your Grids For A Big One…..

“Two babies were born on the same day at the same hospital. They lay there and looked at each other.  Their families came and took them away.  Eighty years later, by a bizarre coincidence, they lay in the same hospital, on their deathbeds, next to each other.  One of them looked at the other and said, “So. What did you think?” — Steven Wright

A monk said to Joshu, “I have just entered this monastery. Please teach me.”
“Have you eaten your breakfast?” Joshu asked.
“Yes, I have,” replied the student.
“Then you had better wash your bowl.”
— Smart Buddhist Bee

“TAPPING?  You POLITICIANS!  Don’t you realize that the END of the “Wash Cycle” is a TREASURED MOMENT for most people?!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“I’ll get you my pretty,  and your little dog too!” — Wicked Witch of the East

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

There, that should do it…. I’ve made this as clear as mud, obviously…. Don’t worry, though, it won’t be on the test…. In fact, it won’t even count toward graduation, not that we care about stuff like that…. But, it does make a good point, yes?  Nod your head…..
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Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then ‘t is centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity.

— Emily Dickinson

I think this is Emily’s best known poem, and I know it is one of my favorites. It needs no adornment…. “Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me…..”   Absolutely brilliant!
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If his IQ was two points higher he’d be a rock. — Smart Bee

Normally, (as if that word had any meaning here…) I don’t use derogatory digs such as this one, unless it fits the humorous point I am trying to inject. If I don’t like someone, I’ll usually just call them an asshole, and be done with it.  In Mitt the Twitt’s case, I am making an exception, as I believe, after having had to listen to his drivel now for ages too long, that he deserves every foul name or insulting phrase we can throw at him. Not since Nixon have I felt such a burning lack of respect for a political figure, bordering on murderous hatred. Yes, I know, I don’t hold any of them in particularly high regard, but this guy has reached new levels of audacity in his quest for the brass ring, and for the title of The World’s Richest Asshole.

I’ll bet I can guess why he doesn’t want to release his tax returns…. I mean, other than the fact that a closer look at them might have the IRS doing the same, and deciding that an audit of his returns might be in order.  No, I’m betting that those returns will show exactly how he got so damn rich.

I’m betting that most of the money he has made with Bain Capital and the other money-laundering corporations he created, came from investors who were cheated out of retirement funds, or out of their life savings, by the sharks at these companies who solicit money for their schemes. I’m betting that those returns show that he has lied and cheated the American people repeatedly and often, all at his instigation, and with his approval.

Well, okay, maybe not active approval so much as indifferent denial; he may not have signed off on the schemes that netted him so much return, but he sure didn’t make any effort to see that it was of benefit to anyone but himself. As long as the money keeps rolling in, he doesn’t give a damn who suffers because of that. To him, the man on the street is only a mark, a fool and his money, and he doesn’t care a whit about whatever suffering is created by his business practices. “It’s just business….”

It’s gotten to the point now where I am about ready to talk to the man myself. He is in dire need of a dose of being read to from the Book of Righteousness, and I would be happy to do the reading. And I will say this….. if it looks as if there is even the remotest chance of his election, this country will be in danger of another Civil War. His divisive tactics and complete dishonesty are already causing a lot of murmuring under the radar, and a political disaster, such as his actual election to office, will only make things worse than they are now.

Of course, such a conflict might cause him and his cronies to drop the charade, and order out the National Guard to fight against American citizens. Hell, it might go so far as to have him declare martial law, and throw the Constitution and the Bill of Rights all the way out the window…. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit, as it is something that the beloved ruling class has been hoping for, because, in spite of what may seem like otherwise, they have more guns, and they won’t hesitate to use them, even on their own countrymen….

Perhaps my bilious state just now can be attributed to a lack of coffee. If so, so what? It doesn’t alter reality, and the reality is that Mitt the Twitt is possibly the greatest danger this country has ever faced. He and his ilk are making their bid to take complete control of everything, right in front of us. Hell, they are such good liars they’ve got millions of really, really stupid people already convinced they are honest, upright men, and have the public’s well-being in mind. In fact, Mitt is a congenital liar, as well as a religious fanatic, who wants nothing more than the complete subjugation of all non-white, non-Mormon, poor Americans. (“Poor” being relative…. to Mitt, anything under $250,000/year is peanuts….).

Ptah! Thppt!  Talking about these assholes has given me a dry mouth….. I don’t know ffolkes…. It looks pretty bad some days, and today is one of those days…. Ah well, at least the Twitt is busy running around Europe sticking his foot in his mouth, and we don’t have to listen to him directly…. until he gets back…. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and he’ll get caught at the airport trying to smuggle in a new dancing horse…. or better yet, a new domestic servant that he picked up in Africa….. It could work….. Ya think?……
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All things considered, I feel lucky to have been able to complete today’s Pearl. If the rest of the day goes like this, well, I’m not sure what I’ll do…. I suppose I’ll just have to take it as it comes, and deal with it as best I may….. 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!

All washed clean with decadence…..

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Ffolkes,

Unheard murmurs of savage rage,
Unseen images of screaming terror,
Unknown, adrift in a sea of ignorance and folly
Chained to reality with shackles of hate and fear.
Breathing in hope, while exhaling despair, cannot
Bring balance to broken intention.
Knocked down twice,
Get up thrice,
Strive to serve Life/Death
Children’s laughter, in a large, colorful cup.

Hmm….. It’s not bad, for an off-the-cuff effort. It is definitely a product of my sub-conscious, because none of this stuff was part of my thought stream this morning, until I started to type. I admit, it’s a bit grim, and I went for a ‘modern verse’ feel, by not trying to rhyme any of it, but, I’ve done a lot worse, and it did break the ice….

Rather than frighten you off any further, I think we should just forget all this, and go find some oysters….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.” — Voltaire
    And, they provide us humans with daily examples of how to live life with compassion and unconditional love…. We could all stand to learn those lessons well….
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“There are people so addicted to exaggeration that they can’t tell the truth without lying.” — Josh Billings

Without me having to say a word, you may be able to guess who comes to my mind when I see this. Yes, indeed, Mitt the Twitt, who continues to amaze the world with his uncanny ability to find his mouth with his foot, no matter what the circumstances may be. His most recent attempts to make the Top Ten Idiot’s du Jour list came in England, as he spent three days there spouting gaffe after gaffe, insulting the English people, and generally making a fool of himself on an international stage.

I can hardly wait to see what he says and does in his next stop, which I believe is Italy…. That should be interesting, especially if he sees the Pope…. the richest Mormon in the world talking with the richest Catholic in the world…. they should get along like bacon and eggs…..

That’s all…. surprise, surprise!  I thought I’d give y’all, and me, a bit of a break, and not overdo it with the Twitt bashing today. A one and a half paragraph rant is all it really takes, anyway. He is, by far, the easiest political target I’ve ever had to work with, given his habit of shooting off his mouth, with a deadly aim, right at his own foot, on a multiple-times-daily schedule. So, enjoy the break today…. just keep your eye on the news, and rest assured, he will have provided material for more ‘discussion’ before the end of the day today….
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A man sought medical aid because he was crippled and could hardly walk. The foot doctor suggested surgery. After the operation, nothing changed. The man then consulted a bone surgeon, who suggested surgery on his legs. After this second operation, nothing changed. The man went to a chiropractor for six months, and no change was effected, although he was told his spine was out of line. Finally the man consulted a psychiatrist at great expense, and the doctor told him he was totally suicidal and would die within months. Despondent, the man went out and spent a great deal of money on a new wardrobe. At the shoe store, he ordered the finest, a size 10. The salesperson said he needed size 11, but the man insisted on a size 10. “Look here,” said the salesperson, “if you were a size 10 you are going to get crippled and wish you were dead.” — Smart Bee

“More people died from worrying than ever bled to death” — Robert Heinlein

“Do not let trifles disturb your tranquility of mind. The little pinpricks of daily life when dwelt upon and magnified, may do great damage, but if ignored or dismissed from thought, will disappear from inanition. Most men have worried about things which never happened, and more men have been killed by worry than by hard work. Life is so great in its opportunities and possibilities, that you should rise confidently above the inevitable trifles incident to daily contact with the world. Life is too precious to be sacrificed for the nonessential and transient… Ignore the inconsequential.” — Grenville Kleiser

I’ve included these three quotes here for a dual purpose…. The first is to give my readers some good food for thought, and I can think of no better than this lesson for that. We all tend to forget this truism, and forget what we all heard as a child, to wit: “Don’t sweat the small stuff….” 

If you didn’t hear that as a child, well, either somebody forgot to tell you, or you grew up on another planet. Regardless of the reason, it’s something just about everybody knows, and seldom does…. And that segues into the second purpose, which was to give myself a boot in the ass for forgetting it! Mission accomplished there….

I know perfectly well how important this is; it is one of the basic concepts that helped me overcome the worst of my depression years ago, right after the incident which triggered it. “Don’t sweat the small stuff….”   Why?  Because there isn’t anything to be done about it. All you can do, is all you can do…. and don’t you forget it……   🙂
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The picture used today was found, as usual, on Facebook, with no attribution given….. It’s been a long, strange trip today, from there to here. I think I should go do something else now…. 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!

Has anyone felt my milquetoast?

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Ffolkes,
I’m not sure why, but I woke up in a foul, fragile mood, which makes me want to bite something, or preferably somebody.  I actually do have an idea why, but only the final event really matters; it is one that is not for publication. I’m finding myself enjoying (if that is the word) some newish side benefits, perks, if you will, of being the proud possessor of PTSD, in all its ugly glory…..

The last few weeks have been a bit rough, in terms of physical pain and financial stress. I’m getting really, really fed up with trying to subsist on the amount of money I was making when I was 22.  Add that stress to the pain I’ve been fighting, and you get the diffuse anxiety, depressive thoughts, and emotional fragility that causes me to burst into tears without any warning…. like right now….. S’cuse me a minute…..

Sorry ’bout that…. any who….. The latest news that has me stressed out is that my landlord is having a problem refinancing the property, and may lose it. So, as of the first of this month, I might have to move, if his refinance isn’t approved. I really don’t want to move…. I’ve grown to hate the process severely. I can no longer do most of it myself, because of my back, so I must find someone to help me. Since I live like a hermit, that will be problematic, and just adds to the stress.

“It’s exhilarating to be alive in a time of awakening consciousness; it can also be confusing, disorienting, and painful.” — Adrienne Rich

That’s enough self pity, I think…. I hate to indulge in it, and don’t really want to put my problems out there for all to see. But, today, I don’t care what people think about it, I just need to vent, and this is my only source for that service….. I’ll try to keep it lighter from this point, ‘kay?….

Shall we Pearl? That is, after all, what I am here for……

Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land?
All fear, none aid you, and few understand.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)– Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 261
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Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Oversharpen 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

In discussing religions, I have always avoided showing a preference for one over another. It may seem like I pick on Christianity a lot, but that, I believe, merely reflects the fact that I was raised as one, so I am more familiar with its intransigences. All of them are based on false assumptions, so, to my mind, they are all delusional at their base.

Taoism, on the other hand, is NOT a religion, as it does not promote any particular concept of a dyslexic Dog, and speaks of Heaven only as a reflection of the Tao, an ideal, as it were, without supposing the presence of a supernatural policeman enforcing delusional behavior.

REPENTANCE, n.  The faithful attendant and follower of Punishment.  It is usually manifest in a degree of reformation that is not inconsistent with continuity of sin.

Desirous to avoid the pains of Hell,
You will repent and join the Church, Parnell?
How needless! — Nick will keep you off the coals
And add you to the woes of other souls.
Jomater Abemy
— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Instead of attempting to get people to behave acceptably by offering rewards and punishments, Taoism provides suggestions and observations regarding the way to approach reality to achieve a desired result. There is no promise of everlasting life for following the rules set down, nor any threat of a fiery Hell if those rules are broached. There is only the author’s wisdom regarding his approach to life, with suggestions for behavior that lead to desirous results in reality. It is an appeal to reason, rather than treating adults as children with a mad, capricious parent, inconsistent from one moment to the next…..

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

All of the above suggestions are very good advice, and all obviously based on experience. They have been tested by reality, and found to be accurate in every case. If you have ever filled a glass with liquid to the brim, then tried to carry it somewhere, the first line is one you will agree with right away; it is actually a technique taught in food service to waitrons, to always leave some room at the top of the glass, so that it becomes easy to carry, rather than stressful, and messy. The others are equally relevant, as I can attest, and, as can be seen by reading history books, and the daily news, evidence is ubiquitous in both.

On a personal level, I find Taoism to be incredibly useful in dealing with everyday events. It requires the development of new ways of thinking, and getting rid of habitual patterns of behavior based on dysfunctional concepts and institutions, but I can attest that it is entirely worth the effort.

Using these precepts as the basis for all one’s actions is actually a soothing, uplifting process; I find today that merely discussing the differences has improved my emotional state. This can theoretically be extended into every corner of our lives, and provide us with a source of serenity and peace in a world full of strife and confusion…..

“To YOU I’m an atheist; to God, I’m the Loyal Opposition.” — Woody Allen (Well, sort of….)
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Yesterday, I wrote one of several pieces on Will Shakespeare…. Murphy has apparently decided to be helpful, in his own way, and keeps shoving into my face more and more examples that demonstrate the extent of the crap he produced.

Rather that piss him off, I’ll put some more in today’s Pearl, to further my campaign to remove him from the pantheon of literary gods, and return him to where he belongs, somewhere in the middle of the pack of writers in the world, a worthy compatriot of Jacqueline Suzanne and the author of “Twilight”……

He arrests him on it;
And follows close the rigour of the statute,
To make him an example.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Measure for Measure — Act i, Sc. 4

“Convey,” the wise it call. “Steal!” foh! a fico for the phrase!
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Merry Wives of Windsor — Act i, Sc. 3

I hold you as a thing ensky’d and sainted.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Measure for Measure — Act i, Sc. 4

Can such things be,
And overcome us like a summer’s cloud,
Without our special wonder?
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Macbeth — Act iii, Sc. 4

Ap. My poverty, but not my will, consents.
Rom. I pay thy poverty, and not thy will.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Romeo and Juliet — Act v, Sc. 1

That is probably enough…. these five all strike me as nonsense. Perhaps they show more meaning if put into the context of the plays, but, are still far more obscure than they need to be…. I’ll stop now because Will has taken quite a few hits here the last two days, and is starting to look a bit bedraggled and bloody. Of course, he has a reputation that can probably stand up to that….. Ah well, my suggestion is, if you want to see a good play, go see something that Tennessee Williams wrote, or better yet, Neil Simon….
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A Last Confession

What lively lad most pleasured me
Of all that with me lay?
I answer that I gave my soul
And loved in misery,
But had great pleasure with a lad
That I loved bodily.

Flinging from his arms I laughed
To think his passion such
He fancied that I gave a soul
Did but our bodies touch,
And laughed upon his breast to think
Beast gave beast as much.

I gave what other women gave
That stepped out of their clothes.
But when this soul, its body off,
Naked to naked goes,
He it has found shall find therein
What none other knows,

And give his own and take his own
And rule in his own right;
And though it loved in misery
Close and cling so tight,
There’s not a bird of day that dare
Extinguish that delight.

William Butler Yeats

And now the emotional repair job is complete. A bit of light, happy making poetry from Mssr. Yeats, and all is well….. Enjoy!
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So be it…. today’s effort was mostly therapeutic, for me, at least by intent. Hopefully, it will bring some light into your life as well…. 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!

Pure wrought iron with filigree….

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2

Ffolkes,
Sober faces, and worn-out traces of unrequited love mark the passage of unwanted time. Beelzebub and Albert continue their arguments over the nature of space/time, filling napkin after napkin with inscrutable symbols of rarefied math. A mastiff the size of a small pony snuffles around the floor, cleaning up all the scraps he can find, while the maestro gets busy pandering to the owner’s wife. Sodden reflections are all that remain of the rest of the band, but the bartender will polish his glasses all night long. All of the matrons, and all of the meritorious crew still danced to the music that no longer played. And the tick tock, tick tock of the grandfather clock marked the approach of dawn….

At that point, I woke up, with my head still whirling with the images of my dreams, blending with reality at first, until the sound of coffee brewing breaks through with a scented siren’s call. A bit clearer, albeit a bit fuzzy, I got up, used the facilities, and allowed my nose to lead me to the coffee pot, to stand impatiently while it finished its work….. Then, sheer bliss, as the first sip of black blood brings me completely into focus, if a bit confused as to exactly which reality I am inhabiting this morning. Gotta love that caffeine!

Since it also woke me enough to type out the surreal scene with which we opened today, I will celebrate the day by taking a moment to think back and reflect on how much I have for which to be thankful. (Using correct grammar sometimes comes out looking and sounding not right…. hmm, a puzzle….) It’s not much, to be sure, but it is a lot more than much of the world can count on. (See, put the preposition at the end of the sentence, and it sounds better, even though incorrect…..) Having not been given the opportunity to provide input on where I was born, I can’t correctly say that I am proud to be American, but I can certainly say that I’m thankful; in this country, our bottom line is still at a level that can be described as “it could be worse”.

Having thus straightened out my karmic burden, allowing me to shoulder it comfortably, I suggest we go on to our morning dive for pearls forthwith…. Shall we Pearl?….. C’mon, the oysters are waiting!…..

To continue, smash forehead on keyboard…..
___________________________________

A Considerable Speck

(Microscopic)

A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt–
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn’t want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered: I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept
Whatever I accorded it of fate.
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

Robert Frost

I thought it would be good to start off with something classic, and for that, Robert Frost can never do you wrong….. Enjoy!
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INFIDEL, n.  In New York, one who does not believe in the Christian religion; in Constantinople, one who does.  (See GIAOUR.)  A kind of scoundrel imperfectly reverent of, and niggardly contributory to, divines, ecclesiastics, popes, parsons, canons, monks, mollahs, voodoos, presbyters, hierophants, prelates, obeah-men, abbes, nuns, missionaries, exhorters, deacons, friars, hadjis, high-priests, muezzins, brahmins, medicine-men, confessors, eminences, elders, primates, prebendaries, pilgrims, prophets, imaums, beneficiaries, clerks, vicars-choral, archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, preachers, padres, abbotesses, caloyers, palmers, curates, patriarchs, bonezs, santons, beadsmen, canonesses, residentiaries, diocesans, deans, subdeans, rural deans, abdals, charm-sellers, archdeacons, hierarchs, class-leaders, incumbents, capitulars, sheiks, talapoins, postulants, scribes, gooroos, precentors, beadles, fakeers, sextons, reverences, revivalists, cenobites, perpetual curates, chaplains, mudjoes, readers, novices, vicars, pastors, rabbis, ulemas, lamas, sacristans, vergers, dervises, lectors, church wardens, cardinals, prioresses, suffragans, acolytes, rectors, cures, sophis, mutifs and pumpums. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Boy, if there is any tagline I’ve found that needs no adornment, this is it! Ambrose spent some time on this one, making sure he didn’t miss any of the priestly hierarchies’ titles for their acolytes, and came up with a very impressive list. I spent a few minutes poring over it, and couldn’t think of a single title to add, so, here it is to enjoy in all its original glory……  Enjoy!
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Here are a few of the unpleasant’st words that ever blotted paper! — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Merchant of Venice — Act iii, Sc. 2

Huh! It seems that Willie had an inkling of my birth, since he wrote my thoughts down like this so perfectly. I’ve stated my opinion previously, that Herr Shakespeare is the most over-rated writer that ever trod the planet. I find his work to be pretentious, over-bearing, and completely inscrutable. He admittedly had a pretty way with words, and he wrote so damn much that some of it was bound to come out okay. After all, he is not a room full of an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters, so a good piece of writing had to occur on occasion.

But, for the most part  I find his work is far too ornate, and far too full of itself for me to consider it anything other than sheer drivel. Even the line of his above expresses what I feel about his work with far more pompousness than it required. It would have been better reading, better literature, and better writing to just have said “Who wrote this? It’s pure crap!”…..

Here are a few other examples of his work, that serve to prove my point….

No man’s pie is freed
From his ambitious finger.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Henry VIII — Act i, Sc. 1
(All I can say is, “Eewwww! Don’t touch me!”)

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together! — (The Beatles) I Am The Walrus
(Sorry, couldn’t resist….) (But, note, please, the simple obscurity, mimicking Willie, as it were…. John was a true cynic…..)

I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Othello — Act iv, Sc. 2
(Could he make such a simple concept any more obscure? It sounds almost like the therapeutic technique of “active listening”, of which one part is mirroring, e.g., “I hear you are angry? Can you tell me a different way?” or some such nonsense delivered in a soothing voice….)

We burn daylight.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Merry Wives of Windsor — Act ii, Sc. 1
(WTFDTM?)*

I think we do know the sweet Roman hand.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Twelfth Night — Act iii, Sc. 4
(Again, WTFDTM?)*

A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad tires in a mile-a.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Winter’s Tale — Act iv, Sc. 3
(See? Adding a letter to a word, just to make it rhyme…. can he be any tackier?)

No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en;
In brief, sir, study what you most affect.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), The Taming of the Shrew — Act i, Sc. 1
(I got a headache just trying to decipher a meaning for this… any meaning at all would do, but alas, as far as I can tell, there is none….. or, to put it more succinctly, as above, WTFDTM?)*

That’s probably enough to get the point across…. Next time someone quotes Shakespeare to you, remember this, and you will be able to thoroughly embarrass the poor fool with nonsense from the same source….Don’t be intimidated by all those folks who fall for his hype, and stick with writers who aren’t so impressed with their own supposed talent…..

“He hasn’t a single redeeming vice.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

*It’s short for What The Fuck Does That Mean?…..
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I had intended to add a pearl today since I didn’t actually write very much, choosing to limit myself to commenting. But, I’m feeling a bit lazy, and Smart Bee doesn’t seem to want to cough up anything interesting to write about…. I’ll give it 20 more tries, and if nothing comes out, we’ll call it a day…. be back soon….

Okay, so I found a pearl at number fourteen, but it’s not one that needs any discussion, since its author says it so well…. Instead of above, I’ll just add it in here…

Take Idaho’s license plates – they say ‘Famous Potatoes.’ Then there’s New Hampshire – their license plates say ‘Live Free … or DIE!!’  I don’t know, I  think that somewhere between ‘Famous Potatoes’ and ‘Live Free or Die’ the  truth lies.  And I think it’s closer to ‘Famous Potatoes.’ — George Carlin

See? It’s perfect, just as it is…. and on that note we will bring today’s effort to a screeching halt…. Just in time, too, I think, as it is starting to get away from me. So, y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Using crow feathers as currency…..

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4

Ffolkes,
Inside my head is probably not the best place to take a vacation, but at the moment, it’s all I can afford. I’m limited, of course, to those places I’ve actually been, in order to enjoy again the great stuff I did at those locales. I could also use my imagination, and visit places I haven’t been, but I can never be sure if the real thing would be better or worse, since I have no real data on it, beyond what I can find in books or online…..

The world wide web has certainly added a new dimension to vacationing, whether in your head, or actually going to a different spot on the planet. We now are able to access video footage and pictures, along with descriptions, and even prices, of the vacation spots all over the world, and all the amenities and attractions that are available to the traveler when they arrive.

Cruise lines now give virtual tours of their ships, showing the staterooms, dining, entertainment, and shopping venues that are on board to cater to the passengers. Resorts and hotels also may offer virtual tours of their facilities, so that the traveler can look at the sites themselves. This advance information is very useful for anyone planning a vacation, or planning travel of any kind….

So, maybe this year, since I can’t yet go to Ireland physically, I think I’ll take myself on  virtual tour of the Emerald Isle, and make plans to see the places I want to see when I eventually can go….. or I might skip the virtual stuff, and take a few virtual weeks at one of the spots that are in my head already…. It may not be the best time I’ve ever had, but at least it’s a place I know I can enjoy myself, and at a price I can live with…. Of course, I won’t get a very good tan, but at my age, I’m not overly concerned with that anymore…..

Since I’ve now probably bored you to distraction, it might be a good time to get on with the business for which we are gathered…. Shall we Pearl?……
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“But oh, the perils of leadership in a species so anxious to be told what to do. How little they know of what they create by their demands.Leaders make mistakes. And these mistakes, amplified by the numbers who follow without questioning, move inevitably towards great disaster.” — Smart Bee

I don’t know who said this, but he sure nailed today’s political scene with it; it’s a perfect example of what is taking place in the Republican party this year. Or it will be, if they decide at last that Mitt the Twitt is their guy. The people who are ignorant enough to follow him are those in our society who earnestly place their complete trust in whoever tells them what they want to hear, and expect that person to fulfill that trust. Of course, they never do, but they are all in denial regarding most of reality, anyway….

According to the latest new reports, 44% of Republicans say that Mitt Romney should stop hiding, and publish his tax returns, as is the habit of all Presidential candidates, to show that they are transparent, and committed to honoring the tax laws. The longer he delays in doing so, the greater the outcry, which is now at high volume.

Of course, it is obvious that what those returns will show he has been consistently lying to the public regarding his income, among other things, and really has no connection with anyone who isn’t as wealthy as he is. The issue has grown to such proportions that his support base is beginning to crumble, and all this is taking place BEFORE he has been officially chosen to represent the GOP in the election.

What will happen if he continues to blow himself up, if his support deserts him until he no longer has enough votes to secure the nomination? Your guess is as good as mine, but I would bet serious money that there are a bunch of GOP party hacks, the cronies who actually run the party, sitting in some dark room, making contingency plans for just that possibility…..because the possibility gains more strength each day that the Twitt continues his delusional behavior.

Why do I say delusional? Well, because, by definition, it is just that…. He believes that he can continue to hide his money and tax record, and still maintain the level of support he needs for the nomination. Real, factual evidence is plentiful that this just isn’t true; his support is growing smaller and more restless each day. Holding on to a belief, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, is delusional, by definition.

The question now is, if Romney continues to kill his own campaign, who is out there to replace him? Obviously, none of the other candidates who participated in the round of GOP primaries gathered enough support to defeat the Twitt, so one question is whether any of them CAN regain the support of his former followers. If not, then who is out there who can?

I have no idea, but I’m definitely enjoying the spectacle, of a man with a delusional system as big as his ego blow himself up into little tiny pieces. I’m also rather enjoying observing the general decline of the GOP, as it falls into complete disarray …. As a welcome side effect, I’m feeling a whole lot more hopeful about the November election…… and so should everyone else, for having thus far dodged a bullet…
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A Crazed Girl

That crazed girl improvising her music.
Her poetry, dancing upon the shore,

Her soul in division from itself
Climbing, falling She knew not where,
Hiding amid the cargo of a steamship,
Her knee-cap broken, that girl I declare
A beautiful lofty thing, or a thing
Heroically lost, heroically found.

No matter what disaster occurred
She stood in desperate music wound,
Wound, wound, and she made in her triumph
Where the bales and the baskets lay
No common intelligible sound
But sang, ‘O sea-starved, hungry sea.’

William Butler Yeats

I started to try to write a poem this morning, but after about 35 minutes, I decided to give up, as my hair was being pulled out at an alarming rate, and I don’t have all that much to spare… So, I am falling back on that old favorite, of mine and most of the English speaking world, Willie Yeats, who has, to my knowledge, never written a bad poem…. Of course, all the bad ones no doubt ended up in some Irish fireplace, but still….. not bad, not bad at all….
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Gun Control – the belief that government, with its great wisdom and moral superiority, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force. — Smart Bee

This short statement, which I sadly found unattributed, states perfectly why I resist all the efforts that people make to change my feelings about guns, and how society should deal with them. In 61+ years, I have never seen even one convincing argument that can even tempt me to believe that the government of this country is either morally superior or possesses great wisdom. In fact, all of the evidence I can find tells me the exact opposite.

If any of these people, advocating that all guns should be made illegal to possess by a common citizen, can provide me with ANYTHING, just one thing, that indicates that I am wrong in this matter, then let them show it. I’ve seen NOTHING that tells me that the government has ANY morals or ANY wisdom…. and I’m supposed to trust them with guns? I would as soon turn my back on a hungry leopard…..

I’m serious about this, as most of us are when speaking of deadly force and weaponry. But what I meant is, I am serious in my invitation to the people who advocate gun control,which I happen to believe in; my definition is just a bit different than the common conception. But, if they can provide me with even one piece of information to support their belief, then I’m willing to listen to it, and consider its validity, or lack of same. I’m fairly certain they cannot, or will not, do so, but I try to keep my mind open to new information. They have not provided any….

I don’t think that common citizens NEED to own automatic assault rifles, or bazookas, or tanks. But, access to these types of weapons CAN be regulated, in such a way, and firmly enough, that the number of people who obtain them for nefarious purposes, such as what happened in Aurora, Colorado recently, is reduced. (And in Orange county…. you just didn’t notice that near massacre because it was the police doing the shooting…. at scared women and children….) I would support requiring that a person wishing to obtain such weapons undergo psychiatric testing, and can also go along with registering the guns so the police know where they are, and how many. Regulation is possible, and in the case of weapons capable of mass mayhem, desirable, to my mind.

But, I DO NOT believe, for even one second, that any government in the world, including this one, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force… from that point to tyranny and slavery is one short step, as has been amply demonstrated throughout our species’ bloody, violent history.

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” We have all heard this, from the time we were small. It is a truism that nobody even bothers to try to disprove, as it has been proven to be true so many, many times, and it is so widely accepted as truth, no one even knows anymore who said it first.

So, when I hear the outcry that always comes after an incident like the one in Colorado, shouting that “guns are bad”, and “get rid of the guns”, I sigh, and shake my head, and wonder at the naivete of the people who believe that the government could be trusted with that kind of power. But, I guess it’s no more naive than the folks who believe that Mitt the Twitt wants to help make their life better…. and no less dangerous a belief to hold…..

“Remember kids, if there’s a loaded gun in the room, be sure that you’re the one holding it.” — Captain Combat
___________________________________

Not a bad morning’s work, if I do say…. I’m content with it. Before I can come to my senses, I’m going to post it….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Bagels never travel in first class….

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3

Ffolkes,
My mind’s eye is clouded and grey this morning. No visions of beauty, or even of horror. No trite phrases, no witty repartee, and worst of all, no nonsense floating around in my head, clamoring for release. It’s all a void, empty space that I may have to try to rent out. I have fallen into writer’s limbo, that terrifying landscape where ideas run off the moment they arrive, and creativity is limited to sock colors. Where material is not merely hard to find, but actively resistant in spite of all efforts on my part to find something, anything to write about……

A hundred sinister eyes peered out from the darkness surrounding the traveler, closely following his progress on the road leading to the castle of the local lord. The traveler took no notice, his hooded face hidden as he stared downward at the back of his horse, seemingly asleep. In the darkness ahead, the vague outline of a building took shape, growing clearer as he approached, until a gatehouse revealed itself, tall and grim, seeming to lean over the roadway leading to the bridge over the river, which was now audible, as a low rumbling just at the edge of consciousness. In the swirling mist crawling out of the river, the traveler sensed a presence……

See, even my fantasies are failing me…. in re-reading this, it is apparent that this might make an entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Contest next year… that is the contest to find the worst opening paragraph that can be written each year, with a monetary prize for the top three entries, along with notice from publishers who follow such contests, looking for new talent. It’s certainly bad enough, and that second sentence in the second paragraph definitely stretches the boundaries of good writing; it is a run on-sentence of major proportions…..

Ah, well, fuck it…. let’s go Pearl, instead……
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“I must decline your invitation owing to a subsequent engagement.” — Oscar Wilde

Ah, Oscar! Such a wonderful way with insults he had! This is so subtle that I believe 99% of the English speaking world would accept this from him and never realize they had been insulted…. I’ll have to remember this one the next time I get invited to attend Sunday services somewhere….

Shoot, I know for sure I could say this to my own brother, and he wouldn’t realize it….until he was sitting in church, and took a moment to reflect upon it…. but then he’d decide he must have mis-heard what I said, and would forget it…. He’s not the brightest bulb in the box, my brother….but he is very good hearted, one of the few Christians I can tolerate for more than a few minutes…. And if you ever repeat what I said about him, I’ll deny it, right up to the point where you show it to him online…. then, I’d just grin and tell him he’s heard worse…. which he has….

I’ve always enjoyed insults, as a study, not as a habit. I do use them on occasion, when deserved, but generally I try to be play nicely with others. A well-delivered subtle insult, the kind I like best, is like this one from Oscar; couched in words that outwardly appear to be quite amicable and friendly, yet devastatingly sharp upon reflection. The very best will not even be recognized as an insult at all, but I like them when they wait an hour or two, and then come back and poke the recipient right in the mind’s eye….. after I am safely in another part of town……

I used to collect insults, and once had a list of the 100 most effective put-downs, as collected by the publishers of Mad magazine…. Some of them were pretty corny, even for me….such as “You should be on the stage…. There’s one leaving in an hour….”  That’s just sad, when you think of it…. but, it does get the point across. Then there is this type…. “So, did they ever catch the guy?”  “What guy?”  “The one who ran over your face….”  Pretty silly, yes?  Yes….

And silly is a word that could probably be accurately applied to this pearl. So accurate, it struck home, and I’m now no longer in the mood for insults…. we’ll just have to go on to something else a bit more engaging….. Shall we?….
___________________________________

“You govern a kingdom by normal rules;
You fight a war by exceptional moves;
But you win the world by letting alone,
How do I know that this is so?
By what is within me!
The more taboo and inhibitions there are in the world,
The poorer the people become.
The sharper the weapons the people posses,
The greater confusion reigns in the realm.
The more clever and crafty the men,
The oftener strange things happen.
The more articulate the laws and ordinances,
The more robbers and thieves arise.”
— Tao Teh Ching #57, Lao Tzu

This is obvious. But don’t look at it too carefully, or it becomes unobvious, until you look at it for a long time, when it becomes obvious again. –Smart Bee

The above two pearls were sent to me by Murphy, so I have to write about them. How do I know he sent them? Well, when I was cruising my dB of quotes, the excerpt from the Tao Teh Ching was the very first quote that came into view after opening the program. I debated a discussion, as it is one of the most important of the lessons in that book.

But, I decided to go on, and find something a bit more amenable…. So I hit the key to bring up the next quote, and the second quote, the message from Smart Bee, came into view….. obviously, at least to me, the two were from Murphy, hence their presence here for me to comment….. although I don’t know why I should, since Murphy is such an ass. But, knowing him, if I don’t, I’ll pay for it, so…. here we go…

Each of the assertions in the above quote from Lao Tzu’s book is a subtle lesson, designed to teach the reader about the nature of the Tao.  As it says in the very first chapter of the Tao Teh Ching, the Tao that can be named is not the true Tao. To the Occidental mind, this seems to be a contradiction, and achieving an understanding requires a loosening of the rigid patterns of thought that are typical of the western mind. One must learn to hold two seemingly contradictory ideas in their mind simultaneously, to allow the meaning of each to mingle, and blend with the other, until the true nature of Tao is revealed, even though it cannot be touched, or seen, or heard.

This subtle process is difficult for westerners to use, as we tend to think in a straight line, from a to b; to understand the Tao, one must first understand that, to the eastern mind, a IS b. Instead of viewing the world as subject to cause and effect, the eastern way of looking at the world views cause and effect as the same concept, but looked at from a different vantage. As I said, subtle, but not completely inscrutable….

And now I know why Murphy sent them to me…. If one considers the second quote, and uses the lines from the Tao Teh Ching as the subject of discussion, then it is obvious. But don’t look at it too carefully, or it becomes unobvious, until you look at it for a long time, when it becomes obvious again…..

🙂   Murphy was obviously telling us that, in order to understand the eastern way of thought, use the second quote as the process for examination of the idea, and one can find their way through to an understanding that they formerly could not see….See, now what was so hard about that?…..
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“Eternal Vigilance Is The Price of Liberty” used to mean we watched the government – not the other way around.” — Bill Stewart

I don’t know who this Bill Stewart is, but he sure nailed this one…. but then, the American public lost its will to vigilance some years back, and we are now reaping the results of that lack of attention to what is important. The PTB, (Powers That Be) comprised of the beloved ruling class and their myrmidons, the priestly hierarchies, have been brainwashing the American public now for oh, I’d say about a hundred and fifty years or so. Since the confusion generated by the Civil War in the mid-1850’s, the PTB have relentlessly waged war on each of the freedoms that are guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

First, a corrupt Federal judge made a landmark decision regarding businesses, and the rights thereof, giving “corporate personhood” to any corporation, but most specifically to those who paid him for that decision. This, in its essence, makes profit a right for these corporations, and just about any kind of process they may use to make that profit is made legal by this law. In other words, the law guarantees them a profit, no matter how much they may lie about their products, or to what lengths they may go to obtain a profit….

Since the beginning of the 20th century, this country has been involved in at least four major conflicts, and they all took place in the first half of the century. WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam shoved the nation into war time culture, exactly as Field Marshall Goering, of the the Third Reich, explained when he was tried at Nuremberg for his war crimes. The PTB convinced the  public that our nation was under attack by the forces of Evil…. Evil that was given a different face for each war. And, at the end, each war found the rights of the average citizen curtailed just a little bit more….

In the latter half of the century, the country was not forced into battle until our oil supplies became problematic. The PTB were having a harder time coming up with a face to put on the ones who are reportedly attacking us, until Saddam came along. Since the first intervention in Vietnam in the 50’s and 60’s, to the intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts in the 1990’s, to now in 2012, all of our wars have been illegal, in my mind, according to our Constitution.

Ostensibly, Congress is the only entity who is authorized to declare war. But, time after time, beginning in Vietnam, the President of this country has used his Executive powers as the Commander in Chief to engage in wars in Kuwait, Irag, Afghanistan, and probably a few places that haven’t been published.

Each time we are dragged into another conflict, using the same old tired story of being under attack, the PTB manage to place more restrictions on the unsuspecting public, until many of the rights we were given in the Bill of Rights have now been eliminated.

We can no longer gather to protest the government’s actions; if we do, we are “disturbing the public peace” or we are “serving the interests of our enemies”, thereby turning ordinary American citizens into criminals for actions that used to be protected by the Constitution. It is no longer considered legal to criticize the PTB; it’s unAmerican and a threat to National Security….

Our vigilance has been spotty at best, and the PTB are very well versed in the scientific methods of controlling large numbers of people; they have been practicing their skills for thousands of years. They know exactly how to phrase their words to inflame the public, to make them afraid, and thus set themselves up as the saviors of society. And they know exactly who to target with their rhetoric…..

Their primary targets are the same people who look at Mitt Romney as a man of character, and cheer him on as he makes his bid to get into the highest seat of power in the land, never realizing that they will be counted as his very first victims…. This man has NO interest in making things better of the average American. His words and actions have clearly shown that he is one of the elite, the super rich, who are not subject to the laws the rest of us must follow, and if elected, he will waste no time in making life a living hell for anybody making less than $250,000 a year….

I’ve been watching the government now for about 60 years, and every word of what I’ve written above is based upon what I’ve seen and heard from them in that time. None of it is made up. The PTB in this country, and in every country in the world, live only for their own aggrandizement, and have no interest in making life better for the average man or woman. They are only interested in maintaining the power that they have, and seek only to solidify their stranglehold on the remainder of society.

If you think otherwise, I challenge you to offer some kind of evidence for that. All the evidence that I have gathered, and witnessed, tells me that I am not wrong to mistrust the politicians and priests, because everything they do is designed to keep me , and you, and the rest of society in the role of victim. They’re good at it, they’ve practiced a lot….

Obviously, this is a subject I can rant about for days, which only makes sense, as I have a lot of years of experience at watching the ruling class in action. But, the rest of the day calls me, and my butt is getting tired of this chair….. so, I’ll leave this here, and merely say this…The situation in the world today is a result of NOT being vigilant, of not paying attention to the PTB, and assuming that they are looking out for our interests.

Well, we were wrong, and now we are paying the price, in the loss of those freedoms that made this country the world’s example of how the common man can be free. Now we are merely another example of how the wicked and corrupted in society can completely dominate the law-abiding masses, who allow themselves to be turned into sheep….. SIGH, and we showed such promise!…..

“When you stay on the tracks, ignoring the facts, you can’t blame the wreck on the train”. — from the song, “You Can’t Blame . . ”
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Well, I certainly had a bit to get off my chest, didn’t I? Hopefully, I didn’t put anybody to sleep; I do tend to get carried away when I’m in the flow. But, we can all heave a big sigh of relief, and get on with the day….. 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!

He has a real flair for semantics…..

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5

Ffolkes,
Little spinning lights are dancing, dancing, far into the night. They have no partners, they dance alone, footsteps lightly tapping, tapping, echoes chase each other around. There is no music, no lilting melody, no booming bass, no triumphant horns, no weeping violins. There are only the spinning lights, dancing, dancing, far into the night….

Your guess is as good as mine…. I have no clue where that came from, or what it means. It may sound like a sham, but it’s true. I don’t know what any of it is supposed to mean. I just started typing, and that is what came out. It’s nowhere near as good as yesterday’s rude pixie, but it has a certain charm, stemming most likely from its very inscrutability.

When we read something like that, we tend to try to apply some kind of meaning to it, try to make it fit inside the rules of existence we acknowledge as our own reality. Well, good luck with that on this one…. it will be hard to ascribe meaning to something that deliberately has none….. but you’re welcome to try….

When you’ve finished playing around with the nonsense paragraph, maybe we could think about diving for some pearls. It is, after all, what we are here for, is it not? Why yes, yes it is….. okay, let’s go Pearl >>>>>>  Hmm, I kind of like those little arrowheads…. I think I’ll start using them more….. shall we Pearl?…..
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“The essence of Christianity is told us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the tree of knowledge. The subtext is, All the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just keep your fucking mouth shut and hadn’t asked any questions.” — Frank Zappa Playboy Interview, April 1993

Good ol’ Frankie Z….. one of the twentieth century’s most acerbic, and accurate, social critics. He was, like most good prophets and philosophers, not well known during his own lifetime, at least not by the mainstream culture. He makes a point here that I have mentioned in numerous essays here on this blog, to wit: Christianity is a religion based on deception and lies, and has as it’s primary purpose the goal of keeping mankind as ignorant as possible, so that they may be more easily manipulated. Now, that may not sound like the goals that the heads of the church will admit to pursuing, but, taken in the context of the story of Genesis and the Garden of Eden, it becomes patently obvious that it is the truth.

Why else would it be a sin to seek knowledge? What possible reason could there be for the events that reportedly took place, if not to establish the original lie as truth? That is the sole purpose of that story, to convince people that trying to think will only make things worse. In this way, the church establishes itself as the sole authority for mankind, and plants the idea that the only people who are speaking the truth are the priests…. at least, that’s what they want you to believe….

The truth, of course, is that seeking knowledge is no sin at all. As a matter of fact, it is the one thing that will provide us with the answers we will need to find in order to overcome the foolishness, and the mess, that over 2000 years of wrong thinking has created. The elitism that is fomented as a result of the Christian model is possibly the worst thing that could have happened, as it gave a sense of entitlement to people who have no concern for others, telling them “you are the Lords of Creation… go forth and multiply, until there are so many of you, civilization will collapse under its own weight.”

Well, maybe not the last part, but the first part, the assumption of the mantle of Lord of the Beasts, has been a part of Christian beliefs since the beginning, and that single concept is what is killing the planet, and our own species. People believe that whatever they want to do is okay, no matter how destructive to other life forms it may be.

To those who feel themselves to be part of the elite, it is okay to level tropical rain forest to make room for new strip malls, with another McDonald’s, a movie theater, and some nice boutiques…. Never mind that cutting down any more rain forest area will cause the level of oxygen in the atmosphere to drop. It doesn’t matter to a Lord of Creation, because God said it was okay….

Well, guess what, kids…. it’s not okay. Continuing to exhibit the same patterns of behavior we have shown for the last 5000 or so years is leading us straight into the depths of hell, by altering the environment in ways that will ultimately make it unlivable for us. The time is closer than people realize, when there won’t be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to give us what we need to breathe. By the year 2050, the wearing of oxygen masks will be necessary if one wishes to go out of doors, because the air won’t support our life form’s needed levels of gases. We will be living in air that is mostly carbon monoxide, and struggling just to stay alive….

But, hey, that’s okay, because God said so….. and it’s a sin to go against what God says, right?…..

Although a man may wear fine clothing, if he lives peacefully; and is good, self-possessed, has faith and is pure; and if he does not hurt any living being, he is a holy man… — The Dhammapada (c. B.C. 300)
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When I was a Senior Psychiatric Technician, I spent about three years working with a group of individuals who were elderly, non-ambulatory, physically fragile, and developmentally disabled. They required complete nursing care 24/7, including feeding, bathing, dressing, getting out of bed, and were provided with all types of psychosocial activities…

It’s hard work, but very rewarding in a lot of ways. When working with so many disabled people, it is easy to become callous, and to start to look at them as less than people…. until being reminded of their humanity, by something like this…. I found this posted on Facebook….

An old man in Australia died while living in a nursing care home. When the nurses were going through his things, they found the following poem, and started it on a journey that has taken it around the entire world…. it is a statement, and a plea, written by an old man who knew he was going to die…… I started weeping in empathy at line seven, and I think you will, too…….

Cranky Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you’re looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . … . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .’I do wish you’d try!’
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . … lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. …Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future … . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I’ve known.
I’m now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It’s jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. …. . ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!  PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM (originally written by Dave Griffith)
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He’s got his own train of thought, and no one’s aboard. — Smart Bee

See, I was cruising through my quote database, looking for something to write about this morning, and this little piece kept popping up. The third time is showed itself, I thought to myself, “Self, that’s a sign!” , and copied it down for use. Now that it is here, on the screen, the only thing I can think of to write about is the one person in the public eye these days who most resembles this remark….. Can you guess who that might be?….

Yup, you’re right…. Mitt the Twitt. He is the perfect candidate for the Republicans…. he doesn’t flinch at lying his head off, he’s rich enough to afford the right clothes, and he doesn’t have an original thought in his entire head. He is the perfect mouthpiece for the rich, white, misogynistic bigots who are backing him, because he has already shown that he is a master of denial, and won’t hesitate to change his mind right in the middle of a thought. He has proven himself to be just their kind of guy….

I’m not going to turn this into a rant of any great length. I’ve already made clear my opinion of the Twitt and his cronies, and to do so further would no doubt bore us both to tears…. So, just consider this a fully developed rant, with the advantage of not having to take ten minutes to digest all the stuff I usually throw out there for consumption. I have denigrated him and his ilk sufficiently for one day, and would like to save anything else I have to use another day down the line…. just remember what Tommy Toilet says, ffolkes, “Always remember to wipe thoroughly; rectal itch is no picnic!” And, always remember to wash up after partaking of any political discussion; the parts that splash around can be toxic…..
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Strangely enough, I think this came out okay. I wasn’t sure there for awhile, but it kind of fell together there at the end….. All is well…. 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!

Consequently, she didn’t moult that year….

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8

Ffolkes,
Pixies were pulling at my hair, but my head was pounding like a hammer on an anvil, and I didn’t want to sit up. I opened my eyes, to be greeted by the sight of the ugliest little person I’d ever seen. He (that’s right, he….apparently, there are male pixies, too) wasn’t real happy, if his expression was any indication. Hovering about two feet away, ragged old-grey wings flapping, with a mop of fly-away hair and an ill fitting tunic, chewing on the stub of a nasty smelling cigar, he looked like a miniature punk leprechaun with a bad attitude, and sounded like a manic frog…..

“You great lout! Get your bloody arse off my front door, you bleeding idjit!” I looked around, and saw that I had ended my previous night’s drunken stroll through the Irish countryside at the foot of a great old oak, inadvertently blocking the entrance to the angry imp’s house in the base of the tree. My befuddled brain finally kicked in, and I realized I was in a very unstable position, and had best be careful…. Pixies are not known for the sweetness of their disposition, and can be vengeful when crossed. I tried out a tentative smile, and clearing my throat, rumbled out, “Top o’the morning to you, kind sir!”  The pixie folded his arms, tapped his foot, and just glared at me….. I got the feeling he wasn’t in a particularly friendly mood…. a feeling that was justified, as he proceeded to turn me into a donkey…..

Enough of that…. he deserves whatever happens to him, the bozo, for getting so drunk he didn’t watch what he was up to.  Never a good policy in pixie country…… but it got me through the initial stages of today’s Pearl, so that is a good thing. Theoretically, anyway….. Now that the nonsense has had its moment, we can get on with our scheduled dive….. shall we Pearl?…..
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There is always a second right answer.  Look beyond the obvious. — Smart Bee

I am glad that I found this quote this morning. I was looking for something to go with a discussion around the events that took place in Colorado yesterday, wherein a young man shot and killed 12 people, and injured many others, before being subdued and arrested. I have not engaged in reading any of the stories about it, as they all follow the same pattern, and repeat the same cliches trying to describe the horror of the scenario, and to describe the terror felt by the victims. The news coverage of events of this nature vary little from one to the next; the only difference lies in the number of victims, and the place it occurred.

I don’t watch the stories, but the headlines always give enough information to satisfy my level of curiosity. The part of these events that interests me is always the amount of outrage and dismay that is expressed by those who are not even involved. People from all over the world will write articles condemning guns, or lamenting the victims, or expressing sorrow, or otherwise giving their reaction to the story. One of the reactions that is common after an event such as this is from the people who would like to see ALL guns taken off the streets, and make it illegal for citizens to even own a gun.

This to me is the reaction of a scared child. Yes, terrible things happen, and sometimes those terrible things are perpetrated by some idiot who has managed to get his hands on guns. But, it is folly to blame the guns themselves for the deaths of those people. The person is responsible, not the guns. But, to these frightened children, the very idea of guns is too scary to deal with, and they would like to see reality changed to suit their fears. It’s kind of like saying that “oh my, cars cause over a million deaths a year. Let’s get them off the streets!” It is an over-reaction, common to those who typically refuse to stand up for their own rights, preferring to allow the government to tell them what to think.

I agree that it is tragic that events like this should happen, and I feel bad for the victims. I also feel bad for the idiot, because only a soul that is in extreme distress could ever consider such actions. If it were to happen in front of me, I would not hesitate take him down, and put him down, like a sick dog, but I would do so in sorrow, knowing that he is a broken man. This event will mark a moment in time that none of the victims will ever forget, and it will change their lives in some way, for certain. But, to let these events cause us to make poor decisions about guns is an error in thinking, and can lead to the loss of more rights than we have already lost to the fear-mongers.

Living involves risk. This is a truism, and is not subject to debate. One may prepare for that risk by making themselves strong and educated regarding the extent of the risks, and dealing with those risks in an adult fashion. Or, one can retreat to their childhood, and give over the handling of risk to the authority figures in our lives, and feel snug and safe in their little delusional bubble. 

What these people fail to understand is this: prohibiting guns, or making them illegal, is NOT going to make guns go away. It will just drive them underground, and make it harder to keep track of them. The risk will be even greater, because NOW there is nothing to stop criminals from victimizing others, other than the police, and we can see already how little effectiveness the police have in stopping events like this.

This shit is going to happen, whether guns are legal or not. I am personally unwilling to trust the government of this country, or of any other, to protect me and my interests. If they have guns, I want mine, because otherwise there will be no reason at all for them to keep from taking from me whatever they want. Police in this country are NOT to be trusted; most of the time they have a poor opinion of the public, and a sense of entitlement that puts them above the law. The same goes for politicians; I’m not going to trust them any further than I am the police. Probably even less, as they have shown time after time that they are not to be trusted. If they can’t be trusted with my money, I’m certainly not going to trust them with my guns….

Attitudes adjusted, while you wait. — L.A. Police Car Bumper Sticker

I’m not overly concerned whether or not anyone agrees with me on this; everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Some will say that I am calloused and indifferent to the pain those people felt. Well, they are free to say whatever they like…. The simple truth is that I feel very sorry for all the victims, and their families, knowing full well that they are now looking at years of therapy and healing before they will ever be comfortable again. But it is also the simple truth that I am not going to get all worked up over something that happens all the time, and will continue to happen as long as the world remains so overpopulated that we are like rats in a cage, fighting and biting each other over the limited resources.

“Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” — Oscar Wilde

If one wants to get outraged over needless deaths, then let’s begin a dialog about the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq who continue to die for no good reason. We were told that the wars in those two countries were started to “get Osama bin Laden” and put an end to  terrorism. Ten years and trillions of dollars later, bin Laden is dead, and terrorism is NOT ended. Probably, more than 12 soldiers are killed every day in both countries, but there is no outrage that I see….

So, let us not engage in the orgy of feelings, and outpouring of outrage, over an event that, while not normal or desirable, should nonetheless not be a surprise. And, let us not thrash about in fear, and center our anger on the wrong target. Guns are not the problem; people who are broken are the problem, whether they are shooting people in a theater in the mountains, or passing laws in a building in Washington D.C.  The answer is not to get rid of guns; that is never going to happen. The answer is to fix the broken people…. and you can take that to the bank….

“Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an ‘inconvenience.’   We have opted instead for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy.  We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there.” —   Frank Zappa
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A Drunken Man’s Praise Of Sobriety

Come swish around, my pretty punk,
And keep me dancing still
That I may stay a sober man
Although I drink my fill.

Sobriety is a jewel
That I do much adore;
And therefore keep me dancing
Though drunkards lie and snore.
O mind your feet, O mind your feet,
Keep dancing like a wave,
And under every dancer
A dead man in his grave.
No ups and downs, my pretty,
A mermaid, not a punk;
A drunkard is a dead man,
And all dead men are drunk.

William Butler Yeats

The sober nature of what I’ve written so far today demands a bit of relief…. who better for that than Yeats?….. Enjoy!
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“All through human history, tyrannies have tried to enforce obedience by prohibiting disrespect for the symbols of their power. The swastika is only one example of many in recent history.” — American Bar Association task force on flag burning

Where did we get lost? When did my country lose the not just the feeling, but the meaning of freedom? The above statement is an indication of how far we have come from the basic ideas that the founding fathers originally fought for in the late 1700’s. The very fact that we must even consider the issue shows how many people have come to believe differently. In today’s society, it is becoming politically incorrect to speak of these subjects, to question the motivations of those who seek to gain office, or to question those in office. If one speaks out to question anyone in a position of authority, one is labeled as “un-American” or “Communist”, or “Socialist”. Or, even worse, “un-Christian”….

The separation of church and state was one of the bottom line reasons for the American Revolutionary War. I’m not an idiot, so I realize that money motivates as much, or more, than does idealism, and the OTHER bottom line reason was just that, the bottom line. Taxes, of course…. Our founding fathers, as tired of losing money as they were of being told to worship only one way, decided that it was enough reason to set up a system of government that kept them separate. They realized that the churches and the banks were the greatest threats to a free society, so they made an effort to keep them from influencing government…..

“In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to Liberty.” — Thomas Jefferson

But, 200 years of chipping away at laws and social mores, and we now see that many of those freedoms are threatened, by the forces of Evil, otherwise known as ‘corporate bidness’ and ‘da priesthood’….. Now, set up in opposition to the current President, who has shown his commitment to change, we have a candidate who combines the worst (or best, depending on your view….) of those two groups, Mitt the Twitt, the richest, sneakiest Mormon mouthpiece you will ever see. This man has already, before even becoming the official candidate of his party, shown himself to be in favor of big business, racism and bigotry, and completely against any sort of reforms that would benefit the average joe…. yet there are millions of “average joes” who blindly follow what he says with open mouth, closed mind, and bated breath, just because he isn’t black….

The election of 2012 may go down in history as a pivotal moment in the history of this nation. This election will clearly indicate the state of mind of this country, as the two ostensible candidates represent extreme poles of opposite beliefs, only one of which remains true to the principles upon which this country was founded. We now will see what direction we will take in the next years…. either onward to a brighter future, or downward toward extinction…. Each of us will need to make a decision about which one we are willing to fight for…. because a fight will surely be coming…. and the sides will be hard to tell apart, as both will call themselves Americans…. Only one side will be right….

“After a time, you may find that ‘having’ is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as ‘wanting.’  It is not logical, but it is often true.” — Spock, “Amok Time,” stardate 3372.7.
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As a chef, I know that sometimes the best stuff comes when you just throw stuff in as you go, never knowing what you’ll end up with, but knowing it will be delicious. Today’s Pearl may, or may not, reach that level, to be worthy of the definition of “good stuff”. Time will tell, as somebody said recently….    🙂     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!

Acres and acres of plaintive gymnasts….

Posted on by
7

Ffolkes,
Let’s try this again….. The first effort this morning was so bad, I deleted both paragraphs, and will now start over. I’m glad I took the time to read back over what I’d written, because if I hadn’t, it would have completely destroyed my reputation. They were some massively bad paragraphs, ffolkes…… you should feel lucky I caught them in time. Just thinking back over them gives me a slight case of nausea, so you can imagine what might have happened, had I let them go out without editing…. severe spew, for sure….

However, now that I’ve saved the day, my intro section is once again bereft of material for discussion. I’m reluctant to start anything very complicated, since we’re already running a bit late….. that rules out any fantasy or fictional intro. I suppose I could compose a haiku, that’s always popular…. hmmm, let’s see what happens….

Poems for breakfast
have never been my habit.
But, okay, why not?

gigoid

Hmph…. That was almost too easy…. that haiku must have been percolating in the back of my mind for a while, as it just flowed out onto the screen with almost no editing at all.  I guess I should learn to trust my instincts a little better….. I feel much better now.  What do you say to a bit of diving? Shall we Pearl?….

(in Robotman’s spaceship)
Robotman: Wait ’til I get this baby cruisin’…We’ll be movin’ faster than light!
Oscar Milde: But Einstein said nothing can go faster than light!
Robotman: Normally, that’s true.  But you can go faster than light when you go downhill…
Oscar: Wow…Einstein made a mistake!
Robotman: Be easy on him. Even geniuses have bad days…

Be easy on me, ffolkes, it’s been a long day already….

There once was an old man from Esser,
Who’s knowledge grew lesser and lesser.
It at last grew so small,
He knew nothing at all,
And now he’s a College Professor.
— Smart Bee
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“The world always makes the assumption that the exposure of an error is identical with the discovery of truth–that the error and truth are simply opposite.  They are nothing of the sort.  What the world turns to, when it is cured on one error, is usually simply another error, and maybe one worse than the first one.” — H. L. Mencken

H.L. Mencken’s words make an appearance here regularly; since he has made a habit of creating aphorisms that precisely describe my beliefs so many times, I tend to suspect him of channeling me. It’s spooky sometimes, how accurately his words echo what is in my mind. This statement is one of those, for sure…..

On the surface this seems subtle, but it is really quite a simple observation, of a habitual pattern of thinking that many of the general public fall prey to, especially in political matters. The current presidential race is a good example….

The Tea Party (side note: I don’t bring this group up often, because their purpose and goals are so unclear, even to themselves…. it can be hard to pin down any specific issue, as they tend to blend issues together, both by cause and by perpetrator…. kind of the shotgun method of protest….) and the conservative right, which now seems to constitute the bulk of the GOP, have decided that having a black president is an error, so they are desperately looking for anyone at all to replace him with, no matter how unqualified or unsuited to the job they may be. In doing so, they are definitely poised to trade one possible minor mistake for one major catastrophe….

In my sixty plus years of observing the American political circus, I’ve seen some pretty dumb choices make it to the presidential ballot, and if current trends are any indication, it’s about to happen again. But, in addition, I’ve also seen the growth of a political trend that is threatening to turn the entire American political circus into tragedy, rather than intermittent comedy. It is a trend that is most obvious when the President is a Democrat, but it happens no matter which party is currently sitting.

This trend is for the opposition party to spend all their time, after the swearing in of the new President, in throwing up obstacles to any reforms the new President may try to legislate. Any idea the incumbent comes up with is denigrated by the opposition; all his speeches are picked apart for nuances that they can attack. Character attacks are constant, and any legislation sent for voting to the House or Senate is blocked. After three years of fighting to keep the incumbent from accomplishing anything, the opposition party then starts attacking the President for not having gotten anything done while in office, completely ignoring their own part in that…..

The concept of the “loyal opposition” has been replaced by the “adamant opposition”. Loyal opposition implies acceptance, and the concept of working together for the good of all. Adamant opposition means outright war against the incumbent, with the good of the people removed from consideration. They don’t care about the people, as long as they have the power, and they will do almost anything to keep themselves in a position to continue to lie, cheat, and steal from the public.

What I find to be not just disheartening, but frightening, is the fact that this time around, they don’t seem to care that the covers are being blown. The candidate who has surged to the forefront of the available people to pick from may be the worst of the lot. He flip-flops on the issues according to whatever crowd he is addressing, and doesn’t even try to hide it; he just ignores it. He lies with every other breath, often making up his lies on the fly…. This also is ignored, even though it is recorded and cannot be denied. He touts himself as one of the “common folks”, but won’t let his tax returns be examined, despite every pressure to do so. This implies there is something in there that he does NOT want the public to know…. but he continues to refuse to release them, thus shooting himself repeatedly in the same foot…..

Yes, it is frightening to contemplate this man in the White House. I can only be encouraged by his habit of doing and saying things that will ensure that it never happens; he is his own worst enemy, in that respect. To be honest, I hope this run-up to the election has a couple of debates between Romney and the incumbent…. that will be a treat to watch, as he melts down on prime time, in front of the entire nation…. Hell, if there are debates, I’d bet that half of his would-be supporters will switch sides after just one…. now, that’s encouraging, for sure…. too bad there aren’t more encouraging aspects to discuss…..

Stay alert, ffolkes…. this promises to be an interesting four months……

“It was always thus; and even if ’twere not, ‘twould inevitably have been always thus.” — Dean Lattimer
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On this device

i look for you
disturbing the decorum of this bed

your maddening red heart
devouring headboards

can you hear me

recounting all of these days

my brief elbows object to complain

with i miss yous

but i do
i largely do
stubbornly i do

love . .

Mari Sanchez Cayuso

http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2012/07/17/on-this-device/

Since I’ve been including one outstanding poem in each Pearl, I’ve mostly relied on classical poets. Today I include a poem from a poetess you may not know. I have been reading her poems daily since I first came to WordPress, and am continually amazed at the depth, power, and passion the she infuses into her words. I think this poem stands up well next to any of those I’ve previously shown here…. She will someday be considered in the same light, I believe, and her work will be required reading for English, or Spanish literature classes, for she writes equally well in both languages…. I give you, Mari Sanchez Cayuso….Enjoy!
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A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, “The one I feed the most.” — George Bernard Shaw

This is one of those pearls that really needs no accessories in order for it to be enjoyed, and fully appreciated. It is adornment enough on its own merit. And, in order to keep fresh that sense of surprise in you, dear reader, I will thus refrain from adding any accessory comments…. just enjoy, and then go feed your dogs….  🙂
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All right! That went fairly well…. for such a weak beginning, it ended well, I think. And, fortunately, what I think, goes. So be it….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!