Ffolkes,
“It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden ~~
Condescending to pose….
Hajime…. As a general rule, I would say the vast majority of humankind does not spend a lot of time in introspection; for the most part, when they do, they find it so uncomfortable, they find excuses to avoid such self-examination. This reaction to the need to understand ‘self’ is, in my opinion, part of the root cause of all the issues we find in today’s society that cause human suffering, for, ignorance, whether of self, or of the rest of creation, always leads us into difficulty with reality; the universe cares not a whit whether we make the attempt to grow, or choose to follow a shorter, less serene path to the inevitable death which awaits us all.
In recent days, as I walk about in the world, I find myself also walking the inner path to self-examination, for, when you walk in the world, not only does the world get bigger, but, our entry to the inner world expands, beckoning us to follow to a better understanding of ourselves; even time slows down, along with the speed of our steps, the more we learn to be ‘in the moment’, wherever we are.
One of the ideas which passed into my awareness was this: our Ego forms preferences in life according to our emotional reaction to what occurs. Those experiences which make us feel ‘good’, in my opinion, seem to be those which bring us closer to the connection we always have to the Source, to the knowledge of reality which is our heritage, and our legacy as a form of Life. ‘Bad’ experiences are those which cause us to lose the connection, and, along with it, the feeling of being in the place we belong, of being safe. The events of the real world, of having to deal with others whose ‘preferences’ are different than our own, distracts us from any time for self-examination, so, we react according to our own preferences, without any understanding of why our positions are different, or how we even came to have them. This ignorance puts us at a disadvantage, for we are reacting to the world, rather than interacting with it.
Hmm…. I see I’ve gotten rather deep into a discussion which ultimately leads us into areas of thought which can be, not just uncomfortable, but, actively disturbing. In my experience, such discussions often lead to strong reactions, for everyone has their own ideas about what is real, and what is important; seldom do humans come to an agreement over reality without first encountering conflict, all the result of our Ego-driven emotional response to Life, and our own lack of understanding of our own nature. Since we are still in the intro section, I am hesitant to take this any further; it is a subject which lends itself to long dissertation, to be sure. As well, since I really didn’t plan to begin with such an esoteric subject, I am not sure where I need to go with it. So, we’ll do the most human thing, and just quit.
Not to say we’re quitters, or that I make a habit of such cowardly mien; I just don’t think I’m awake enough to take it where it should go. Moreover, at this juncture, I don’t even KNOW where it should go, so, we’ll just go with getting today’s mess posted, and try not to think about the loss of potential understanding. I mean, it’s not like history is full of grand examples of mankind’s rationality; history is more a list of mankind’s failings of virtue than a list of ethical victories. But, in any case, I do have a Pearl, which I promised to get posted this morning, & if I don’t get started on that, it could get put off again, which would give me guilty fits for days. Wouldn’t want that, so, let’s go on, & continue this train of thought another time. In short….
Shall we Pearl?….
“I think too much or not at all.”
~~ Isaac Asimov ~~
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Muddy Waters
For anyone who likes the blues, no introduction is necessary for this man. For anyone else, I will merely say, listen, and enjoy….
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Muddy Waters
Live in Dortmund, Germany
10/29/1976
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A dream, weeping….
“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”
So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.
Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.
Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.
Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.
Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.
Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.
~~ gigoid ~~
— 8/30/2014 —
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Naked Pearls
Randomly Subtle….
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“There are those among us
who live in rooms of experience
that you and I can never enter.”
~~ John Steinbeck
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“If there is a sin against life,
it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life
as in hoping for another life and in
eluding the implacable grandeur of this life.”
~~ Albert Camus ~~
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“And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.”
~~ Erica Jong ~~
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“Counting time is not so important as making time count.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow but a vision.
But Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this Day.”
~~ Sanskrit proverb ~~
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“Things ain’t what they used to be and never were.”
~~ Will Rogers ~~
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“Is that funny? Is that a joke?”
~~ Data ~~
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In the eternally appropriate words of Hassan the Moor, from the movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, I have fulfilled my vow. In some ways, it’s an iconic Pearl, with something for everyone, I would say. But, then, I’ve been known to say some pretty outrageous stuff over the years, and this could be merely another example of that. Who am I to say? For the nonce, it will suffice. I’ll be back in a day or two; not long, for reality is keeping me home more for a few days, under compulsion not worth explanation. Simply stated, I’ll be back, probably sooner than later. Y’all be well, remember to be happy as you may be, and, for goodness’ sake, be strange…. See ya, ffolkes….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid, the dubious
The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.
PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.
“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch
À bientôt, mon cherí….
gigoid 