Tag Archives: Poetry

Myths of ancient warrior kings….

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Ffolkes,
Since my appreciation of the obvious is keen, I’m aware today is Sunday. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. It’s Sunday…..since finding a coherent thought doesn’t seem to be on this morning’s agenda, we’ll just dive in and see if the cold water can work its magic…..

A lawyer and a pope died on the same day, and both went to heaven. When the pope noticed that the lawyer had a larger mansion, he questioned Saint Peter about the allocation of rewards.  The justification was “Well, we’ve had 265 popes up here, but this is the FIRST lawyer!”

I have to confess, when I read this for the first time, I laughed so hard I got hiccups. It gives the world’s most perfect joke (**see below) a good run for its title, even though the whole idea of lawyer jokes is one more sad commentary on how humans can pervert a good idea. The jokes, while they take their humor from the frequent human experience of getting shafted by the kingdom of Law and its knights, fail to take into account the fairly significant number of lawyers out there who actually perform their function with compassion, and a sense of altruism. There are those in the legal field who make it their goal to assist normal folks in obtaining justice from our legal system, guiding them through the tortuously complex legal maze. But there are far too many other lawyers whose sole purpose is to find more billable hours, regardless of their client’s ability to pay, or whether or not they are guilty or innocent. To them, its all a game, one which they are the only ones who know the rules, and they use the needs of normal people to find justice to fuel their own avaricious ambitions. It’s unfortunate, perhaps, that the good lawyers get tarred with the same brush as their less moral colleagues. But, for my money, there is no better way to deal with bullies (for that is what they are, the same kids out on the school playgrounds who tortured other kids for their lunch money, grown up to hide behind the law, but continuing the same behavioral pattern) than to laugh at them. Even the most evil of men are afraid of being laughed at, and justly so……

**In a recent world-wide poll, researchers asked people to vote for the funniest joke ever told. The winner was this…. The 911 operator received a call: “My buddy and I are out hunting, and he accidentally got shot. He looks like he’s dead; what should I do?” The operator says, “The first thing to do is to make sure he is really dead….” The guy says, “OK!” and rushes away from the phone. The operator hears a gunshot, and after a short moment the guy comes back on the line, “okay, now what?”…..
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‘”Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” — Walt Kelly, Potluck Pogo

I suppose one might say that this principle is the driving force behind this entire process of gathering, collating, and creating Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. At least, that is my primary focus of intent. I look at the world, and I am dismayed; my entire life I have watched as our society rushes ever closer to oblivion, with each and every person alive heedless of the part they are playing in their own impending demise. Those of us who struggle to bring our brethren into knowledge of the very real danger of not paying attention, of choosing deliberate ignorance over rational thought, are forced into the admission that it may too late. There may not be enough time, before everything falls apart completely, for humans to come to their senses, and stop the madness of our mindless march to extinction. In spite of the overwhelming evidence that pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a historically unprecedented rate is causing ecological changes that will eventually kill us, the average American is worried that they might not have enough money next month to drive their 5mi/gallon SUV down to Florida to visit Disney World. This is just how the one percenters want it; they don’t want anything that cuts their profit margin to be allowed into the public consciousness. And they, with their money to protect them, don’t believe that they will die along with the rest of us. Pogo’s observation above tells us why it is happening, to all of us…….the Grim Reaper doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, he just wants his dance with each of us…..
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“The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood at this moment.” — Tagore

I have a wish….I wish that every human alive today could experience what Tagore has described for us. Whether one can agree with his world-view or not, the sheer beauty of his expression draws the reader into acceptance. I am unfamiliar with Tagore, so I cannot say for certain if their background is Oriental or Occidental, or even if they are male or female. But not knowing takes nothing away from this litany. Seeking this state, of oneness with the whole universe, is the goal of every living creature, whether they are aware of it or not. All of our human behaviors, as grandly outrageous as the spectrum may be, are all formulated within us for the purpose of finding this connection to…hell, we’ll just go with the most obvious word….the Force. The Force, as described in the Star Wars anthology, exists as a part of reality, and our knowledge of it is the connection we seek, whether we know it or not. It is where we came from, and where we will eventually return, and all our actions on this plane of existence have their basis in the need in us to find and maintain that connection to everything…..
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Oft in the stilly night,
Ere slumber’s chain has bound me,
Fond memory brings the light
Of other days around me;
The smiles, the tears,
Of boyhood’s years,
The words of love then spoken;
The eyes that shone
Now dimmed and gone,
The cheerful hearts now broken.
— Thomas Moore (1779-1852) — Oft in the Stilly Night

I don’t know whether other folks are like me, but when I find a poem that grabs my attention, I experience a giddy delight, just for a moment. It’s like the cadence, or the meaning, or something about the piece echoes in my soul as if it had always been there, and I get that odd, deja vu-like sense of “oh, there it is! I found it!” It’s probably why I spend so much time at looking for good pieces of it, trying to re-create that feeling of serendipity, and its companion, joy.  Each of us is alone here, inside our own head, and how we choose to find our sense of basic happiness is important, if only to ourselves. Some folks like music, some like tennis. I like to read, and poetry is one of my favorite methods of making myself happy. If I don’t, who will?……
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“When a man’s knowledge is deep, he speaks well of an enemy. Instead of seeking revenge, he extends unexpected generosity.  He turns insult into humor, … and astonishes his adversary who finds no reason not to trust him.” — Baltasar Gracian

Sometimes it is uncanny how a powerful idea insinuates itself into the public awareness. The concept proposed here by Mssr. Gracian is one of those powerful concepts, one that can apply itself to individuals, and to governments as well. It is the same concept as demonstrated in the Christian tale of Jesus of Nazareth, the same as in the ancient Hindu writings regarding Krishna, and the same as the precepts of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, where it is said, “The surest way to defeat your enemy is to turn him into an ally.” This principle, of seeking connection rather than controversy, choosing negotiation over dogmatic intransigence, echoes through the annals of history. It is unfortunate in the extreme that in today’s world, none of the world’s leaders seem to be aware of this, though history has proven it to be the most effective, efficient solution to conflict, with longer-lasting results than any other course of action. SIGH……I’m SO disappointed…….

Well, I’ve dragged just about all the angst out as can be dealt with in one sitting, so we will now return you to your regularly scheduled program…. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer at play..

Kowabunga!

Merciless penguins patrol the perimeter…

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Ffolkes,
Reluctantly, I am awake. That may be the extent of my involvement with the day….only time will tell…..

“Be what you is, ’cause if you is what you ain’t, then you ain’t what you is.” — Satchel Paige

Get it? Got it? Good….one learns to pay attention when some people speak. Satchel Paige pitched in the major leagues well into what was believed to be his fifties, and was still getting folks out more often than not. I say what was believed to be his fifties because nobody, including Satchel, had any real idea of when he was born. But his hair was grey and sparse, so it was estimated then to give a ballpark figure (sorry, couldn’t resist). I say anybody who can still be active and competent at that age has stuff worth paying attention to, and this one certainly fits that description….
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“A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.” — William Wordsworth

That’s me, to a T. Ever wandering, without a map, or even a nap, but never lost.  Searching for lights in the darkness, content to be alone, but never lonely. Feeding the elephant’s child an all-you-can-eat buffet, and loving every minute. Of course, those minutes alternate with my bouts of severe depression, but hey, who wants to be a bummer on such a nice morning? Not me….
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“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.” — Garrison Keillor

So THAT’S what happened! Mr. Keillor’s popularity has apparently put us all in  very delicate position. I had not realized that what was wrong in the world could be so simply explained, but this is the only one I’ve come across that makes any sense. This attitude of denial has become entrenched in every level of human interaction in this country, and the world, for that matter, and the effects are obvious. Economy out of control; overpopulation, war on two or more fronts; societal breakdown, global warming, rampant greed, all are present and accounted for in today’s culture, and are rapidly growing  to a size that will push us the rest of the way to extinction. Which, given our stupidity, arrogance, and undeserved sense of entitlement, is right where we belong. It’s getting pretty scary out there in the Big Blue Room, ffolkes……
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“The truth is what is; what should be is a dirty lie.” — Lenny Bruce

Trust Lenny to give the straight line; he suffered no fools, gladly or otherwise. His clarity of vision and deeply sardonic wit were, naturally, somewhat unpopular with the straight and narrow among us, and to the beloved ruling class, he was anathema.  But the truth will out in the end, and we were lucky enough to have him around as one of society’s most vocal critics for quite some time (though, like all the best, he died young…). This could be described as a paraphrase of a notion like overpopulation, which happened yesterday, though everyone thinks it won’t happen until tomorrow. That notion can be most simply stated as, “the American Dream has officially become a nightmare”.

It isn’t possible anymore for just anyone to become President; you have to start with access to well over a million dollars, or you won’t even be considered. Consider my position as an example; all my life I’ve worked hard to get ahead, so I could enjoy my declining years without stress, something with which I am far too familiar. I’m intelligent, work hard, and keep my nose clean for the most part. And I’m struggling, just like probably more than half of this country, just to get by; forget travel, or hobbies, or even just eating out, because they’re not in the budget. Ah, shit! I’m getting more worked up the more I think about this subject, so I’m going to make one more statement, then move on. The American Dream is a lie, perpetrated by the 1% upon the rest of us to distract us and keep us busy trying to emulate their success, never realizing that it just ain’t gonna happen……there’s no profit in it…..

“If voting could change the system it would be illegal.  If not voting could change the system it would be illegal.” — Schroedinger’s Cat
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Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
— Gus Kahn, Dream A Little Dream of Me

Poetry and music are to life as is chocolate to peanut butter, and the world would be a sadder place than it is if we didn’t have it. But, we do, so all will be well. No profound thoughts or meaningful truism’s here, just wanted to include something a bit on the lighter side. It tends to wear on the soul trying to make sense out of all the nonsense we experience, and I just needed a bit of fresh air, so to speak…..
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Well, the weather outside looks fine; we’ll see if that is so after putting away my rose-colored glasses….y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Your eggnog is on fire…

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Ffolkes,
I hope everyone had a peaceful and gratifying Thanksgiving holiday; now it’s time for turkey sandwiches! Best part of the whole deal, for my money…..

Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls must dive below.
— John Dryden (1631-1700) — All for Love, Prologue

Eureka! After months and months of searching, I finally found this couplet, which stands as my modus operandi, the vision statement for this entire undertaking, to wit: the creation of Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. I’ve always known the poem existed, but had not come across it in years.  I am proud and happy to serve it up this morning to lead off Black Friday, with a bit less frenzy than what is taking place right now in malls, Walmarts, and Target stores all across the country, as all the little well-trained consumers storm the well-stocked shops for Christmas bargains. Jesus, in whose honor they are, ostensibly, committing mayhem upon each other, well, he watches and weeps……Since it is only the day after Thanksgiving, I will spare you my yearly Christmas rant for the present. Too early in the day to get all worked up at the hypocrisy of the season….more later on this….
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The very purpose of the First Amendment is to foreclose public authority from assuming a guardianship of the public mind … because the forefathers did not trust government to separate the truth from the false. — Thomas v. Collins, 323 US 516 (1945)

Perhaps the nicest thing I can think of to say regarding this court ruling is to point out that our founding fathers could easily have left this out of our system of law. But, their experiences in dealing with the English throne taught them well, and they had no faith that those in power would honor the truth, and built some protection into the primary formation of the democracy they envisioned. I must applaud their foresight, because as can be seen by the modern political scenario, there is not one politician out there who has any interest in the truth, unless it will buy votes. Even when they do speak literal truth, it is a virtual guarantee that that truth will be denied once the election is over. We must be vigilant, because those who would limit our freedom are hard at work, campaigning to fool the most folks into believing their BS, and rubbing their hands together in glee, thinking of how rich and powerful they will become, once they have sold their lies enough times…..
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“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” — Buddha

Examining the Buddha’s statements can be confusing to a mind more accustomed to Western modes of thought, until one learns to put aside the cultural imperatives and look only at the bare truth or falseness of a statement. In doing so here, we find a far-reaching profundity that is not apparent at first look. Endurance implies conflict; to endure, one must first identify what it is we are to face with our virgin courage. Only if the experience becomes painful, or frightening, or overwhelmingly complex do we face the need to endure these experiences; if they cause no discomfort, no endurance is required. But when life presents us with difficulties, knowing one can always live through it, with the right thoughts leading us into right actions, is a valuable gift indeed. The ability to endure is one of the primary characteristics of the ancient sages, who lived “like ice on the verge of melting”…….
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“Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.” — Lao-Tzu

Water……we are 90%(+/-) water; it’s a basic part of our organism, and knowing all one can about its characteristics can only help us to understand ourselves, and our relationship to the world around us. It is a common mediation practice to envision in the mind a pool of still water, and attempt to merge with that absolute stillness, until reaching a point of merging with that serenity. A rushing stream of water can also provide a meditative focus, as can floating & dreaming in a pool, or merely considering the various properties of water that make it a unique substance, like no other in the universe, and worthy of our interest.


One of the most important aspects of water to consider is this: water can exist in all three possible forms in the universe; solid, liquid, or gaseous. And in all three states, it retains its integrity of being; it is water still, with all its facets present in each. No matter if it is solid as ice, gaseous as steam, or refreshingly liquid as its ordinary state, it is still just water, at a different temperature. Water is also indestructible. It cannot be destroyed by any means known to mankind, it can only be made to change forms from liquid to gas, or gas to liquid, or solid to either one of the others. Pretty cool, yes? So, trying to be like water is an occupation worthy of our efforts; even if we only come to understand it better, it’s a good thing. I myself enjoy meditating on the image of a stream of rushing water, until I get to the point where I am the water wearing down a rock, day by day, eon by eon, until the pool comes to resemble my innermost fantasy, a Mount Rushmore sized bust of Bozo the Clown……
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And never, ever cut a deal with a dragon.

I have enough respect for my audience that I won’t try to embellish this one; it is a patently obvious truth, and advice only a BIG fool ignores, generally to his everlasting regret. Anyone who would do so probably also votes the straight party ticket.  It’s just not a good policy, not at all, at all…..
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All in all, not a bad morning’s work. I will tempt fate no further, and send this on its way…. y’all take care out there…..

—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.
gigoid
Just Dozer

Kowabunga!

Metaphorical marmosets in mufti….

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Ffolkes,
So here’s the deal…..yesterday when I went diving in search of pearls, I came across the material you will find below. I have no idea how it happened, but the poems I found all pointed toward the same compass point, and when I strung them together, they made a fine little story, a metaphor for the life of a Man. So today’s Pearl is all Poetry (minus a small portion, included merely as free hints). This is all you get today, as it burned up all my creative juices stretching points to create this poetic ramble…..but fear not, it also has given me a plethora of new ideas, which you will find in future episodes….. remember, these all lead you to a point, so let the mind flow with it, and you’ll get a nice little charge out of it at the finish……

Who says in verse what others say in prose.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
— Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace, Epistle i, Book ii, Line 202

“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” — Yun-Men

“Families, when a child is born
Want it to be intelligent.
I, through intelligence,
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he will crown a tranquil life
By becoming a Cabinet Minister
— Su Tung-p’o

And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be,–
I care for nobody, No. not I,
If no one cares for me.
— Isaac Bickerstaff (1735-1787)
— Love in a Village, Act i, Sc. 2

Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight,
And burned is Apollo’s laurel bough,
That sometime grew within this learned man.
— Christopher Marlowe (1565-1593) — Faustus

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow in the morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
— T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

“How does the poet speak to men with power, but by being still more a man than they?” — Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) — Burns, Edinburgh Review, 1828

Order is heaven’s first law; and this confessed,
Some are, and must be, greater than the rest,
More rich, more wise; but who infers from hence
That such are happier, shocks all common sense.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 49

Careful, Mister.  Old Zeke is liable to fire that sucker up!

Feel free to send your comments (which will all receive a response), kudos (gratefully accepted), or criticisms (cheerfully ignored) with a SASEmail. In the meantime, y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Unraveling a Gordian knot…..

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Ffolkes,
Burgeoning clouds of thought, building, simmering, promises and threats, climbing, until, at last, lightning bursts forth, followed closely by thunder, pushing aside the tenuous air, as the fire streaks to earth…….morning, ffolkes….
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“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.” — Tom Robbins

One might assume that since I am a believer in the scientific method, that magic would be something I don’t believe. In that, as with most assumptions we make, they would be in error. I do believe what Arthur C. Clarke had to say on the matter (as well as Heinlein, and others), which is, “Any scientific principle or action that is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.” And the converse is true as well, but we aren’t going there today; too much to do. But I will reiterate the point, to wit: understanding the universe is our purpose. It’s why we are here; it is our task as rational, presumably intelligent creatures to do our utmost to determine how the universe works, and to learn how to make that knowledge a boon to life, not just ours, but every living creature that exists. Unfortunately, most of humankind doesn’t even know this purpose, and the rest are too busy screwing the rest of us over, and don’t have the time for altruism……SIGH…..
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Grief tears his heart, and drives him to and fro
In all the raging impotence of woe.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Iliad of Homer, Book xxii, Line 526

No real compelling message here; I just thought it was a good example of how poetry can take human experience and condense it into two simple lines of simple words. All of the power of our rage, our grief is implied, and felt in this little couplet; we, or at least I, can visualize ourselves in that position easily, and reading this brings the feelings right back into the forefront of the mind, as if it were happening now rather than in the past. The power of poetry continues to amaze……
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“The difference between a misfortune and a calamity?   If Gladstone (insert name of qualified idiot here) fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune.  But if someone dragged him out again, it would be a calamity.” — Ascribed to Benjamin Disraeli, c. 1867

I like this little insult; it is cruel, witty, and just as pertinent today as it was 144 years ago….all you need to do is fill in the name of whomever you please from the list of public figures we see in the news each day. So far, I’ve plugged in 17 names myself, and found it to be accurate and funny for each one. Goes to show that a sharp wit never grows dull…….
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Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.

I came across this little daisy chain of ideas during a recent dive, and harvested it with no real idea of where to use it. It is a very logical progression of ideas, and seems very profound. But in further reflection I see what it is that struck me about it, i.e., it’s TOO logical a progression to really reflect reality. True Reality isn’t logical, at least not as a general rule. Reality has to account for many things that defy logic, and as such is pretty flexible, and unpredictably labile. While sentences such as this one may seem like a handy train of ideas to give one an understanding of how people grow or change, it actually decreases true understanding. The very logic that holds it together also implies that it is incomplete in its’ descriptive powers, and can possibly lead to misunderstanding and controversy……
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IDIOT, n.  A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling.  The Idiot’s activity is not confined to any special field of thought or action, but “pervades and regulates the whole.”  He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable.  He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

No comment is needed here; this says it all. And needless also to say, the IDIOT tribe has survived unto today, and continues to influence mankind more than is warranted. All you can do is all you can do, so stay alert and be ready to protect yourself and your loved ones from the next wave of stupidity to wash over society……
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“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.” — Lily Tomlin

Lily’s humor is always deeper than it seems at first glance. I’m considering having this one put on my headstone…… y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Partial hydrogenation, beloved by kings….

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Ffolkes,
Awake, by the rush of creation, bold, and gravid with possibility. Still alive, still standing, bowed and bloody, yet upright, the dawning day pulls us into the stream of time, once more to garnish existence as if a flower. Let us be on, ever to seek, seldom to find……

“The Meaning Of Life: The reason that we’re all here is that it was too crowded where we were supposed to go.” — Steven Wright

You gotta love Steven Wright. He has the type of mind that perceives a radically different universe than the one you and I inhabit most of the time. He shares this characteristic with a couple other cartoonists, such as Gary Larson, who creates “The Far Side”.

Actually, one of Larson’s ‘toons remains my favorite answer to the question of the meaning of life. At the peak of a mountain, the holy sadhi sits. A young seeker crouches at his feet, and awaits the bestowing of wisdom with bated breath. Hearing the question “Why are we here?” he answers, “We were purchased on credit, never paid for, and are being returned one by one.” Perfect! Just the right amount of mustard…..
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The love of praise, howe’er conceal’d by art,
Reigns more or less, and glows in ev’ry heart.
— Edward Young (1684-1765)
— Love of Fame, Satire i, Line 51

One of the most misunderstood human needs is our need for the approval of others. Yet it stands as one of the most powerful motivations that we humans provide ourselves with to stimulate us to act. Many, or even most, people rationalize their need as some other, more ennobling characteristic, such as gratitude, or noblesse oblige, or almost anything, rather than admit that what other’s think of us makes any difference. We all pretend that we stand alone, and don’t need other people to make our way, while at the same time, our insecurities and unnamed fears are propelling us to actions that will garner approval.


What I would like to point out is this…..the need for approval from your mates is okay. It is a characteristic that lends itself to creating bonds between the members of your core peer group, your tribe, as it were. These bonds make the group stronger, and more able to survive. We all know that teams of people working together are capable of just about anything, whereas  our solitary efforts are limited by our capabilities in acting alone. It’s a powerful part of our makeup, this need for each other, and reaches into every corner of our lives, making us behave in ways that promote closeness, and there is really no need to dress it up in another robe. Just accept your place in society, and don’t sweat the small stuff……
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“Government corruption will always be reported in the past tense.  — The Watergate Principle

My initial reaction to this was to think to myself, “well, of course it is!”. It is a foregone conclusion that it will be reported in the past tense, for the same reason that when you are looking for something lost, it is ALWAYS in the last place you look. It really yanks my chain when people write stuff like this, and put it out there as if it were the answer to life, the universe, and everything, or at least a profound truism and one of the building blocks of reality.

But the concept described is so obvious to me, that I wonder how the author manages to feed themselves without getting food all over the table. You can only report government corruption as an event that has already taken place; if it hadn’t taken place, there wouldn’t be anything to report, now would there? And people wonder why everything’s going to hell…..
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Insanity is expecting different results from repeating the same behavior.

I believe that I have finally found some level ground on which to stand when considering the activities taking place around the country in those states that are having primary elections for the Republican presidential nomination. Having come to terms with my despair at the antics of the circus’ participants, I can now view the whole scene as the farce that it is, and no longer feel compelled to rant over the latest jaw-dropping statement from one of the candidates.

This clarity of vision was achieved by taking the above statement into account, and applying it to the political arena. Take even a cursory look at the shenanigans that are written up each day in the papers, and view them with this definition in mind. You will see, without the slightest effort, how they are all just out there, throwing stuff up into the air to see what reaction it will have, and then doing it all over again when it doesn’t have the effect they expect or desire. They are bringing up stuff that even Reagan, the century’s worst president, wouldn’t have considered, as being, you guessed it, insane…..what is scary is there are a lot of folks out there in the public who buy into this circus, and don’t even get to hear the calliope…….
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“If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl.” — H. L. Mencken

No big deal here….I just thought this would be a good epitaph for a gravestone……
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“What I like is when you’re looking and thinking and looking and thinking…  and suddenly you wake up.” — Hobbes

Hobbes (and his creator, Bill W.)  will probably go down in history as one of the most profound thinkers of our time. He has a dry, sharp wit, a keen appreciation of the obvious AND the obscure, and an elegant world-view, rife with oddities and alternate perceptions. It is really a shame that he is just a stuffed tiger, and will never be allowed to run for president……

That’s enough for one day; I should get started on something more productive, but I promised my mother I would’nt always do what I should, except on Thursdays…….y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

A slathering of the tribes….

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Ffolkes,


“Top of the morning to ya!” “…and the rest of the day to you!”  Cheerful buggers, those Irish…..but what can you expect of folks who drink tea in the morning instead of coffee? (which makes me wonder….do Irish hackers drink caffeinated tea?). Let’s be off into the realm of reason, or a reasonable facsimile thereof…..

“All cruelty springs from weakness.’ — Seneca

Little needs to be said regarding this quote; it is pretty well complete just as it is, and far be it from me to take away from that. I will remind y’all though, it IS a good thing to remember once in awhile, as it helps explain a lot of the stuff that we see on the campaign trail coming out of the mouths of the ‘candidates’…..
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“Although war is cruel and brutal, it is also dangerous and stupid.”  — Yakko Warner

Yakko, for the uninitiated, is a very odd creature. He resembles Felix the Cat physically, with some minor differences. They have the same wildly insane look about the eyes, though. His voice, when he troubles to use his own, sounds kind of like Ringo Starr pretending to be high on life.

With his sister Dot, and brother (blank mind space), he performs cartoon mayhem on Saturdays on the Warner Bros. Cartoon show. The writers, as with many new cartoons, write their dialog with adults in mind, often with broad caricature or obscure innuendo, and Yakko seems to get most of the Zinger lines, that poke fun at society, politics, or whatever. I really like the line above, as it typifies the kind of gentle propaganda that gets shoved in alongside the other cartoon nonsense, teaching them to question reality and authority. THAT is a good thing……
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“What is wrong with us?” “It is in the air we breathe. The things we do. The things we say. Our books.  Our papers. Our theater. Our movies. Our radio and television. The way we behave. The interests we have. The values we fix.” “We are, on the average, rich beyond the dreams of kings of old. Yet something is not there that should be — something we once had.” — Louis Seltzer, Cleveland Press editor, 1952.

There is a lot of this kind of attitude going around, both in newsprint and online. Someone with half a coherent thought begins or ends their treatise with a lament about “the good old days”. I always feel as if I should take them aside and chastise them thoroughly for such nonsensical talk, but they never listen, and I’m tired of hiring lawyers to keep from spending jail time for clocking some fool. What is it about regular people that makes it impossible for them to accept reality just the way it is, and not always wish for better times?

Okay, sure, maybe society was simpler, and easier to deal with back in the g.o.d.’s, but that is somewhat overbalanced by having to walk through the snow to another building to use the commode. And sure, we were better people then, right? Wrong…people throughout history have always pretty much been a__holes, but back then there wasn’t a world-wide network of news outlets reporting every evil deed they can find, because that’s what people want to read about (or so they tell us).


There were no ‘good old days’. They’ve always been exactly the same as they are today. But we humans think there has to be something missing, or something wrong with today, because we are not self-aware, or able to confront reality without the protection of their rose-colored glasses. This lack of courage regarding the nature of reality is one of several insidious little characteristics of the human species that eventually will take us to the end of the road we are on, to extinction. All because we are unwilling to accept what is, without wishing it was not…..well, that and a lot of avarice…..
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Here in my heart, I am Helen;
I’m Aspasia and Hero, at least.
I’m Judith, and Jael, and Madame de Stael;
I’m Salome, moon of the East.

Here in my soul I am Sappho;
Lady Hamilton am I, as well.
In me Recamier vies with Kitty O’Shea,
With Dido, and Eve, and poor Nell.

I’m all of the glamorous ladies
At whose beckoning history shook.
But you are a man, and see only my pan,
So I stay at home with a book.
— Dorothy Parker

Dear Dorothy….she had such a fine mind, but was never able to get past the mental chains wrapped upon her by a society that had no chance of understanding her. She spent a great portion of her life, it seems to me, using her mental skills to fight in the trenches of the War between the Sexes. Her wit, such as demonstrated above, was sharp, and she wielded it with great style and panache.

But I can’t help feeling that the world would have seen a much deeper, more productive output from her pen if she had been able to set aside her resentment at how women were treated during the early 20th century. As it is, her acerbic wit was most likely an instrumental factor in the suffrage movement, encouraging women to think for themselves, and to push back against the repressive mores of the time. Whether Ms. Parker would have been happier living today is too hard to tell…..we can just be thankful for what she did leave as her legacy.
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Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises.  The truth depends on, and is only arrived at by a legitimate deduction from all the facts which are truly material.

This little truism is more important than it seems, as it highlights a part of the reasoning process that is often left out by those whose agenda is not limited to scientific truth. It appears to me that every single politician alive uses the first half of this idea, and leaves out the second part, or using it only to puff up some otherwise irrelevant fact, making it seem more important than it is.

Here’s a tip: next speech you listen to from one of the candidates, check to see if their facts, when put together, actually supports or justifies the rest of their assertion. I’m betting, (and I’ll bet big…) that you will find that the facts don’t support their ideas, or their facts aren’t facts, but assumptions or erroneous interpretations of actual facts. But these pseudo-factual assertions they make sound so real! And guess what? They are….almost….real. But, almost doesn’t count in communication……nothing counts except the truth…..

Enough folderol for one morning. It’s a Monday, and my Judeo-Christian upbringing is pushing at me to be productive. You  know, the old “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop” and similar nonsense. My usual reaction to this ancient tape that runs through my head is to rebel, and spend the day doing absolutely nothing. Hmmm….. that actually sounds good. I think I’ll do that…..meanwhile, y’all take care out there….

 

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Those bashful dancers are moulting!

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Ffolkes,
Manifold destiny is an oxymoron, and fate is just a bad joke. No sense in fightin’ ’bout it, or it’ll all go up in smoke…..

Full wise is he that can himselven knowe.
— Geoffrey Chaucer (1328-1400)
— The Monkes Tale, Line 1449

As my brain struggled to translate this passage from Chaucer’s tales, written in Middle English, I first had the impression that it meant that a wise man knew enough to be an elf-friend, that the elves respected his wisdom. Then, of course, the true meaning broke through, and though it is less entertaining a thought than having the privilege of consorting with elves, it remains quite wise, and a worthy goal…..
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“It is well to observe the force and virtue and consequence of discoveries, and these are to be seen nowhere more conspicuously than in those three which were unknown to the ancients, and of which the origin, though recent, is obscure and inglorious; namely, printing, gunpowder and the magnet [i.e. Mariner’s Needle].  For these three have changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world.”
— Francis Bacon

Sir Francis, by all available evidence, was a pretty smart guy, and this statement attributed to him clearly demonstrates that. To recognize the potential in those three discoveries, knowledge that only recently became part of mankind’s toolkit for survival, gives one the range of his intellect. I’m not sure if we have anyone in this century whose accomplishments rival those of Bacon, but if we did, I believe they would agree that computer technology could be added to the list (and take gunpowder off, if you please. Thank you….). It seems obvious to me that computers have increased the potential for further progress at unraveling the secrets of the universe by a factor of “billions and billions”. The concept of nano-technology, which has grown out of computer research, promises to astound us with each passing month, let alone year. Whether our increased ability to process information will help us before we foul our nest so much it kills us remains to be seen. It’s will be a close race, I’m betting…..but I’m not betting much…..just my life…..
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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. — The Constitution of the United States of America Amendment 1, 1791

Watching the news of late has been depressing. When I came across this redux of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, I was struck by the fact that of the five listed freedoms, four of them, wait, no, make that all five of them have been abridged in our time, and can no longer be counted upon to protect us from the machinations of government myrmidons. Speech and Press: lots of stuff one can’t say these days, especially if the word ‘terror’ is used. People are getting arrested for making jokes before getting on an airplane; fact. And custom reins in the Press more powerfully than it does itself. Religion, and the free practice of? Hmmm, as long as it’s a Christian religion; otherwise be prepared to be reviled and discriminated against. The right of peaceful assembly? Just check the news on the latest Occupy Blank protest that got kicked to the curb, with people being beaten for observing their “right”. Redress of grievances? Give me a break…..get real folks, our rights are being taken away one by one, and nobody is paying any attention, because they’re so focused on being able to live indoors and eat regularly, and all they hear from the beloved ruling class is a litany of things they should be afraid of…..I’m getting pretty disgusted…..feel like chucking up a hairball…..
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“If rejection destroys your self-esteem, you’re letting others hold you as an emotional hostage.” — Brian Tracy

This is included merely because it is true, and is something everyone needs to be reminded of occasionally, as we all tend to fall into this particular emotional trap. Just ignore the bait, folks, it only looks like cheese…..
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“Have a strong mind and a soft heart.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book

Just more good advice here…..compassion is a hard one for those folks who confuse ruthlessness with strength of mind. T’is easy to show disdain, and tastes bad, as well. It is much harder to be compassionate, and tastes better…..

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But in vayne shee did conjure him
To depart her presence soe;
Having a thousand tongues to allure him,
And but one to bid him goe.
— Thomas Percy (1728-1811)
— Dulcina

I had planned to use this poem, or piece of one, to begin a discussion on the differences between the sexes. However, in secondary rumination I realized that this would be an invitation for controversy, and is the type of discussion sure to create enmity. I have no wish to further muddy the waters between the sexes, goodness, no. I catch enough crap as it is, without having to deal with accusations of misogyny, or be accused of spewing out macho bullshit. I happen to believe that men will never be free unless women are free as well. But we do think differently, and that is an indisputable fact. The key to good relations between men and women begins in respecting and embracing those differences, and realizing that our gender based characteristics are designed to complement the other’s, making our combined efforts much more powerful than any possible solitary attempt. Learn to enjoy the differences, life is much smoother that way…..

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Five miles meandering with lazy motion,
Through dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank the tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Kahn

No great profundity here folks. I just like the poem; it has such an interesting rhyming cadence, very mathematic. 1, 2, 2, 1, 3, 3.
A thing of beauty, what? Reading it is akin to letting a cool waterfall pummel you as you float in a pastoral utopia, or listening to the laugh of a baby. We all need little pieces of joy like this to liven up the day; they’re out there, but you have to be open to seeing them, as they usually pass by quickly, gone forever……
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Okay, no more torture for today. Actually, I hope it wasn’t torturous, because that is exactly what I am NOT trying to do. But, now you can go out and use that brain, which was thoroughly awakened by these thought-provoking (hope, hope), energizing, and entertaining morning Pearls, If not, well, at least you’re awake, which you can’t blame on me…..y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

It may have been the yeast…..

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Ffolkes,
Just to prove once again that I am not one who will ever cotton to stultification, we’ll shoot today for brevity, and profundity, all at the very same time……

Scintillate, scintillate, globule vivific,
Fain how I pause at your nature specific,
Loftily poised in the ether capacious,
Highly resembling a gem carbonaceous.
Scintillate, scintillate, globule vivific,
Fain how I pause at your nature specific.

Bonus points awarded if you figured out this cover of another well-known poem. Not many bonus points; it’s not THAT hard, but just having to look up even one word will make the extra points welcome…..no profundity to be seen here ffolkes, move along….
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Euripides says,–
Who knows but that this life is really death,
And whether death is not what men call life?
— Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pyrrho, viii

It always amazes me (and by now it shouldn’t, as it certainly happens often) how certain periods of history produce brilliant minds by the dozens, while others languish for centuries without the benefit of the constant stimulus of ideas that pour forth from those genius’ that sometimes dwell among us. What struck me about this particular pearl is its’ similarity to the beliefs of another culture, far across the world, and unknown to the Greeks, Romans, and Western (so-called) civilizations, the aboriginal people of Australia. They too observed the universe as oppositional, existing in duality as dictated by the means of our perception,  but with a different set of cultural prejudices, a wholly different way of interpreting what the perceptions mean. But in this point they are convergent, marking this subject as one that would likely be a valuable one to study, and heed…..
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“In the midst of the word he was trying to say, In the midst of his laughter and glee, He had softly and suddenly vanished away –for the Snark *was* a Boojum, you see.” — Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark

This is only here because it gave me an unexpected moment of deja vu; I felt for a short intense moment that I was the Snark, destined to vanish before ever making a point…..probably just paranoia, but unsettling to say the least…..
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“The trouble with Nixon is that he’s a serious politics junkie. He’s totally hooked… and like any other junkie, he’s a bummer to have around: especially as President.” — Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939), journalist — The Great Shark Hunt, Jacket Copy for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1979)

I saw this, pondered a moment, and have come up with this here scientific experiment, in which you will now play a part……it’s a simple experiment. In the above short statement, substitute the name of any President of the United States post WWII, and examine the ensuing statement for veracity and/or accuracy. The results, I believe, will be, perhaps, enlightening, if not downright ugly…..when I did it, I got a short stab of nausea for every other name I entered…..SIGH. And we wonder why things are falling apart……
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Basically, I have this theory that there are five kinds of truth.  (This is Joe’s Theory of the Five Truths.)  There is the truth you tell to casual strangers and acquaintances.  There is the truth you tell to your general circle of friends and family members.  There is the truth you tell to only one or two people in your entire life.  There is the truth you tell to yourself. And finally, there is the truth that you do not admit even to yourself.  And it’s that fifth truth that provides some of the most interesting drama…..” — J.Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5)

To my mind, what Mr. Straczynski forgets to mention is that such truths also provide us with the most interesting drama in our real lives. The word ‘interesting’ is also perhaps a bit tame to describe what happens when life explodes in our face like a cheap novelty cigar; he must mean in it the same sense as the Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.”…..which we are doing now……
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“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” — Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) — Churchill’s Commentary on Man

Winnie Churchill was a crusty old duck; probably explains why I like him. The little snippets of his wit that have been recorded for posterity, such as this one, generally demonstrate his curmudgeonry as much as his common sense, which I consider the simplest and most elegant form of wisdom. This one is a frighteningly accurate observation about the average man, and as such earns points today for both brevity, and humorous yet profound truth…..
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That went well, I think. I managed to keep from expounding, or getting lost in one of my endless explorations into areas of information that seldom sees the light of day (aka, trivial pursuits), or suckering myself into a political rant. Not bad for a first attempt. If y’all have any preferences, comments, criticisms, or other forms of individual ideation, feel free to come back at me with your best stuff….meantime, y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The Allure of Fuddy Duddy……

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Ffolkes,
As life passes,
dressed in illusions of grace,
we sit upon our thrones of offal,
ignoring the smell in favor of delusion,
twisted souls blighted by ignorance, laughing,
oblivious to impending doom, until the end………

Perhaps it isn’t great poetry, but it works for me…..up early today, a natural result of going to bed early, & thought I’d try my hand at a line or two….no rhyming going on, but not a bad data compression ratio. Who knows, maybe one day all I learned sophomore year of high school about iambic pentameter will come back to me, and I’ll become a famous poet. Stranger things have happened, for sure….meantime, lets discuss some heavy s__t…..

“Yes, evil comes in many forms, whether it be a man-eating cow or Joseph Stalin, but you can’t let the package hide the pudding! Evil is just plain bad! You don’t cotton to it. You gotta smack it in the nose with the rolled-up newspaper of goodness! Bad dog. Bad dog.” — The Tick

Throughout history, literature, and the people who create it, have been the gadflies of society. Teaching morals and customs through humorous stories and fables goes back to the time even before the Greeks began producing theater, bringing us stories and plays that were both humorous and dramatic, passing on to later generations the public mindset that was prevalent at the time. Prior to theaters and formalized acting out of plays, minstrels and bards, often nomadic, were responsible for the passing on of knowledge to the next generation, teaching nursery rhymes to children, and singing the news to the adults.

     In the 19th century, the advancement in technology for the writing down of history, law, culture, etc. had gotten to the point that books could be produced fairly cheaply. Newspapers were even cheaper, and were able to carry the news from far away even more efficiently. It was about this era when political cartoons made their way into the consciousness of society at large, and cartoons became one more very powerful method for transmitting vitally important information to large numbers of people all at once. This has had some good effects, and some not so good…..


The primary effect, of course, is the ability of cartoon media to spread information to large numbers of people. People have learned to use the information presented there since childhood, from reading comics in the newspaper to watching Saturday morning cartoons all their lives, and have become accustomed to processing the information given in that format with no difficulty. In fact, I have observed that people will often trust a cartoon figure more than a live one, having a greater degree of confidence that they will get a straight answer from the cartoon, while the live person may lie. But the trust that people feel for cartoons carries over as well, and a great deal of information is now given using a “talking head” format. This format is what you see almost everywhere on TV, where a person’s head and shoulders are shown as they deliver some piece of news, or concept, or documentary; it has been refined over the years until today, we very seldom even think about it.


And that is the bad effect…..people have come to trust the talking heads, to believe that what they tell us is the truth, when in fact, probably more than 50% of what you see presented is a lie, always presented in such a fashion as to have us believe it is true, when it is not. Everything you see on TV, especially commercials, is intended to make you think a certain way, to believe certain things are true. There is even a name for the process, called putting the ‘spin’ on truth, meaning to twist and turn the truth into such a shape that it looks true, but is not. This misplaced trust is one of Evil’s most powerful tools, for it gives those who would do us harm a clear path into the control center of public consciousness, where they can adjust belief at their whim. It allows the PTB (Powers That Be) to control what the public hears, and how they hear it. “True power is control of the routes of perception.” — gigoid.


What is the answer to fighting this usurpation of the truth by our beloved ruling class? It lies in the same information media in which it is secured, with a small twist to the other direction. Parody and caricature, when applied by an artist of wit and style, can prick the balloon of lies we are given, and watch them shrivel, their demise hastened by our laughter. The Tick, whose philosophy is summarized above, is a good example of how the literati in society may fight back against the forces of darkness. Sheathed in apparent idiocy, the Tick blunders through the universe righting wrongs, because his heart is pure, and his writers are genius. Fortunately, though the percentage of humanity that sees the truth and brings it to light is small indeed, it has the advantage of the use of the same tool used by those whose self-interest is of primary importance. Used properly, we can laugh those nasty suckers right out of power……

When I’m not thank’d at all, I’m thank’d enough;
I’ve done my duty, and I’ve done no more.
— Henry Fielding (1707-1754)
— Tom Thumb the Great, Act i, Sc. 3

Duty is a word whose meaning has been somewhat obscured in this last century. Before about 1950 or 60, people in this country understood the word, and it’s true meaning. That understanding is what drove the millions of men who volunteered to go to war in WWII and Korea. These men assumed their duty to protect their home and families, and had no expectation of any reward beyond staying alive (the possibility of death is trivial to any man whose life is based on honor). Those men CHOSE to go to war; no threat was needed to obtain recruits. An army of volunteers is much more powerful and dangerous than one comprised of conscripts, a point proven by the war’s outcome.


But somewhere along the line, the concept of duty got perverted, and people apparently came to accept that government had the right to determine what our duty is, without consultation or consent from us. Duty is defined in most dictionaries as “moral obligation”, and as such is an obligation we must decide for ourselves whether or not to assume. No government is either responsible for, nor entitled to dictate, my morals, or anyone else’s.

     Morals are based on our personal beliefs, and as such is not subject to governmental authority. Hell, I don’t even give a religion that power; my morals are mine, and are not the business of anyone else, unless I choose to share them. You can rest assured, I will never allow any government, or church, or any other person to determine my duty for me. Only I make that choice, and any who would try to take that decision away from me should beware…..I get testy…..

“Noise proves nothing.  Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.” — Mark Twain

I included this one as a light-hearted attempt at describing the current political scene here in the good ol’ USA, After a few moments though, what I thought about it looked as if it would be good for a couple thousand words all by itself, and though I got an early start on the day, that may be a bit much. So, we’ll just let it speak for itself, and I will merely point out the tendency of Ms. Bachmann, Mr. Cain, Mr. Perry, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Romney, et al, to insist on giving us a daily report on how many asteroids they have laid in the past week…..

On that note, I will bid thee adieu. I hope my verbosity didn’t put anyone off, but hey, if you think it’s too much, just let me know, ‘kay? In the meantime, y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!