“Reality is a cliche from which we escape by metaphor.”
~~ Wallace Stevens ~~
Seriously blue….
Hajime…. Originally, upon getting up today, I hadn’t planned to post a Pearl. But, it came together smoothly, and, quickly, so, rather than waste such cooperation from reality, here ’tis. It’s most likely not the finest of its kind, but, it is done. Oh, wait, that’s pulling covers, isn’t it? Ah, well, since I began using the Tardis, time gets a little slippery now and then. It always seems to come out okay, though, so, we’re gonna fly with it.
Hell, let’s just be efficient as all get out. What you now see is literally what you get. In fact, if you don’t hang on, and pay close attention, you’ll miss it altogether. Why would I say such a thing? Here’s why….
Shall we Pearl?….
“There are two ways of exerting one’s strength:
one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.”
~~ Booker T. Washington ~~
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Today’s musical selection is self-indulgent, but, with good reason. I enjoy good improvisation, an uncommon skill, even amongst professional musicians. This band is noted for the brilliance of their jams, which are always long, involved, and, innovative. Here is a live concert from 1995, at Madison Square Garden, that begins with a perfect example of the skill whereof I speak…. Enjoy!….
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Phish
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Platitudes for Attitudes
Platitudes shake us, attitudes break us.
Life can be a real pain, y’know?
Still, if we don’t fight where it takes us,
it’s a pretty straight row to hoe..
A lot of what we see and hear
isn’t always in the best of taste.
Life at large can be one long frisson of fear.
Making an effort often seems a huge waste.
Pundits, dogma dogs, myrmidons, oligarchs & pimps;
assholes and predators every one.
Twisted, sick, anti-humans; anomalous, ignorant wimps.
Logic says, every time, lobotomize ’em, & be done.
Illusions, delusions, confusions, a dedicated data dump,
bilious, divisive, spicy with hatred and fears.
Inflation, immigration, promises from the clownish Trump
Leaving even our basest survival heavy with tears.
Ancient sages left signs on the path to peace,
for those with wit to see.
No need for undue effort, no quest for golden fleece.
All we ever need to do, is be.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/29/2015
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Naked Pearls
Old Stuff….
*******
“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”
~~ Epictetus ~~
*******
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be,
and you help them to become what they are capable of being.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
*******
“He was part of my dream, of course – but then I was part of his dream, too.”
~~ Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking Glass” ~~
*******
“There is nothing in this world constant but inconstancy.”
~~ Jonathan Swift ~~
*******
“Keep the golden mean”
~~Publius Syrus — Maxim 1072 ~~
*******
“If I do not do it now, when shall I do it?”
~~ Dogen Zenji ~~
*******
“Even the worthy Homer sometimes nods.”
~~ Horace — Ars Poetica, 359 ~~
*******
********************************
There. Having successfully, and, completely ignored the events being perpetrated out in the real world today, (I figure all the other bloggers will cover all that sufficiently unto the day….), I can go post this with a relatively clear conscience. In direct contrast to our usual habits, I’ll actually do that now, without any fanfare, or other distraction. I’ll merely say, see y’all next time, most likely tomorrow, as I can’t seem to keep from doing this….
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.
“In the moment between stimulus and response lies freedom.”
~~ Steven Covey ~~
Grrr….
Hajime…. Sometimes in the morning, one receives a lesson. Today is not such a day. Any lessons I might have learned this morning would have been fruitless, as my mind resembles nothing more than a colander; most everything is leaking right out. In order to successfully produce today’s Pearl, I will be shortening this intro unmercifully, since anything I write would be suspect. How merciless are we going to be? Well, I’ll show you….
Shall we pearl?….
All that is harmony for thee, O Universe,
is in harmony with me as well.
Nothing that comes at the right time for thee
is too early or too late for me.
Everything is fruit to me that thy seasons bring, O Nature.
All things come of thee, have their being in thee, and return to thee.”
~~ — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 23 ~~
Today, while appreciating this sentiment from our old friend Marcus, all I can say is, “I wish”….. Onward, he said, grimly….
********************************
During the process of yesterday, (you know, getting by, getting through….), I had occasion to use one of Bob’s best lines, to wit: “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, …”, etc., (from “Redemption Songs), in a comment on FB. Since I have a touch of OCD about such, using it required looking up the exact wording, which took me to a page with ALL his video mentions in Google, i.e., the Google playlist for his work. I began to listen, naturally, whereupon I decided the mix of songs was perfect for today’s Pearl. Hence, Mr. Marley…. If you listen long enough, you’ll hear everything of his there is to hear, some more than once…. Excellent….
Following the music from Bob, I’ve included a video of an unknown street performer, somewhere unknown in the world, which I found while cruising You Tube. You will NOT believe how good this man is on the guitar, or why you have never seen nor heard of him…. Watch, and try to keep your jaw from dropping; you don’t even have to know anything about guitar to see what a genius he is….
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Bob Marley
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Choosing a Theme
Powerful words playing hide and seek in my mind,
teasing with subtle cruelty, pretending to be kind.
Grand visions and flowery verses of beauty and truth
evaded my inner eye all through the days of my youth.
Affable interludes interspersed with allegorical wit
softened the crimes, against all reason, to finally acquit.
Time became at once an enemy, and an ally
Never once compelled to provide an answer why.
Giving gifts of simple kindness are their own pay,
spreading ripples of compassion are felt far and away.
Love given freely is precious, we are ever told,
increasing love received, more than a hundred fold.
Living long and with passion has centered my soul,
allowing me room, and time, to choose my own goal.
Now that I’ve gone past any need to pretend
I love everything in life, even knowing it will end.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/21/2012
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Naked Pearls
Who knew?….
*********
“Reality is a cliche from which we escape by metaphor.”
~~ Wallace Stevens ~~
*********
“Who are you?”
~~ Curious Bee ~~
*********
“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving till the right actions arises by itself?”
~~ Lao Tzu ~~
*********
“If you would hit the mark,
you must aim a little above it:
Every arrow that flies
feels the attraction of earth.”
~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~~
*********
“Do thou restrain the haughty spirit in thy breast,
for better far is gentle courtesy.”
~~ Homer ~~
*********
“Gli arcobaleni d’altri mondi hanno colori che non so.
Ma lungo i fiumi d’altri mondi nascono fiori che non ho.
[The rainbows of other worlds have colors I don’t know.
But along the rivers of other worlds flowers are born that I don’t have.]”
~~ Fabrizio De Andre ~~
*********
“The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.”
~~ Leo Tolstoy ~~
*********
“What is man’s chief enemy? Each man is his own.”
~~ Anacharsis (f1. c. 600 B.C.), Scythian philosopher ~~
~~ Stobaeus, Flor., II, 43 ~~
*********
“In every enterprise consider where you would come out.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 777 ~~
*********
********************************
Following the prophetic words from Publius Syrus, we have come out precisely where we intended. Since the ruthlessness displayed in the intro was so effective, not to mention efficient, let’s carry on with that here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I’m still breathing, and able to type….. good odds on that….
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.
Hajime…. As may be clear to some, given the selection of pearls today, I’m off the rails. Yesterday, I stumbled into a whole I didn’t see (spelling is deliberate), tumbling rapidly down the slippery slope of insanity, to a point long familiar to me, where pain, anguish, and tears mark the day. I can only say, in retrospect, it was not much fun. Moreover, my fragility continues this morning; it’s taking a lot of effort to not go off on little things. I can feel the pressure building again, and will spend today finding ways to keep from melting down….
Of course, there is no way to do so, once the critical mass of emotional power is reached, so, that mostly involves keeping my nose buried in a book, or busy doing stuff that means little, but occupies much attention. I prefer reading; it has always been my choice of preference when a break from reality is called for by the press of events. When the alternative involves weeping, and anguish unleashed, almost anything is better. SIGH….
Today, and for the foreseeable future, these blog posts may become even more important to staying sane. On the other hand, there are signs that trying to fulfill this particular chosen duty may not be so helpful any more, and, in fact, may be causing more stress than relieving it. It’s hard to tell just now, as almost everything in reality seems to resist my concern and/or rational handling, causing yet more angst to build up. Since the whole purpose of this is to release that angst, it may need to be altered, or even eliminated, in order to find any peace. Just now, my head’s not in any kind of space to decide, so, we’ll see how that goes….
As is now obvious, by the contents of this intro, I’m wandering around in my own head, trying to piece together some sort of order I can use to complete this missive. As is also obvious, to me, at least, it isn’t doing so well at that; order doesn’t seem to be on today’s menu anywhere. And, what the hell am I going to do if I can’t even order the menu? I guess I could retreat into delusion, & pretend God will show me the way, but, I’m afraid that particular set of nonsense never did much for me; everything I read about what God supposedly wanted sounded too much like somebody else’s idea of what THEY wanted.
Okay, now I’m falling into a rant mode, which, in this state, could prove extremely dangerous for all of us. Rather than try to use it, or abuse it, we’ll end this meandering diatribe now, and see if Smart Bee will give me enough pearls to complete the task. Since the first effort at that failed, odds are a bit iffy. But, we’ll try, and see y’all at the end of whatever happens…. Wish me luck; I’ll need it….
Shall we pearl?….
“YOW!! I’m in a very clever and adorable INSANE ASYLUM!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
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Naked Pearls
Guesswork….
*******
“Any one can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
~~ Publilius Syrus — Maxim 358 ~~
*******
“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”
~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~
*******
“Because I could not stop for Death —
He kindly stopped for me —
The carriage held but just ourselves
And immortality.”
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
*******
“Do you love it do you hate it
There it is the way you made it”
~~ Frank Zappa, “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It” ~~
*******
“Kids, don’t gross me off..
“Adventures with MENTAL HYGIENE” can be carried too FAR!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
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“GOOD-NIGHT, everybody..
Now I have to go administer FIRST-AID to my pet LEISURE SUIT!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
All I can say is, go figure….. As it turned out, the group of contributors today is one of the most eclectic, yet solidly balanced, set of pearls and authors I’ve ever seen. The actual old-school message may be a bit obscure, but. it works, and is much deeper than it may seem on the surface… another ‘go figure’, I’d say.
Ah, well, that’s what happens when sanity is on vacation. I’ll say this: tomorrow is another day. Whether I am up to creating Pearls remains to be seen. One way or another, I’ll be back; I just don’t know right now how that will look, or feel. Ask Steve, if you can get him on the line…. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the actual event to see what happens. So will I….. 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.
“There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.”
~~ Han Suyin, “A Many Splendored Thing” ~~
Ben from the other side….
Hajime…. It’s going to be a busy day here in the neighborhood, I think. Yesterday, both Leelu and I spent most of the day in desert predator mode, holding as still as possible, for as long as possible, in order to deal with the oppressive heat with which our planet is currently gifting us. ‘Twas only around 90, but, the humiture was so high, the sweat wouldn’t evaporate; this neutralizes our personal cooling systems, putting us at the mercy of the layer of still, hot air….. I had to go nudist, just to cope, which isn’t a mental image I’d wish on anyone…. Today is supposed to be cooler, but, we’ll see what Murphy has to say on that before committing to any feelings of relief….
That said, to our usual lack of clear purpose, and, given the reluctance my dB is showing today, we’d best get on with the rest of this, before all chance of getting done has gone wherever such things go. I did manage to put together a decent old-school pearl for your enjoyment/confusion, so, all will be well as it can be, as long as Reality doesn’t overreact. It happens sometimes, but, let’s plan for the worst, and hope for the best, ‘kay? ‘Kay!… On that particularly weird note, let’s get on with it….
Shall we pearl?….
“It’s like deja-vu, all over again.”
~~ Yogi Berra ~~
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Naked Pearls
Turn left at Death….
*******
“The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 511 ~~
*******
“Living Dead
the path is chosen,
to live forever is to die forever.
To not know when you’ll die
is to find life
wherever you are.”
~~ Alagad ~~
*******
“(Someone once said) …time is the fire in which we burn.”
~~ Soran, Star Trek: Generations ~~
*******
“By concentrating the thoughts, one can fly.
By concentrating the desires, one falls.”
~~ Leonardo Da Vinci, “The Secret of the Golden Flower” ~~
*******
“Get up one more time than they knock you down…
Don’t just stand there.”
~~ Steadfast Bee ~~
*******
“Truckin’, like the do-dah man
Once told me “Gotta play your hand.
Sometimes your cards ain’t worth a dime
If you don’t lay’em down.”
Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me
What a long, strange trip it’s been.”
~~ Truckin’ by Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Hunter ~~
*******
“Faboo!, Would you like to see me make bubbles with my spit?””
~~ Wakko Warner
*******
********************************
Well, it’s done, and, done as well as can be expected, under the circumstances, which are too complex to relate, but, compelling nonetheless. At this point in time, I feel my hold on reality slipping, so, let’s go post, so I can fade back into a less-than-fully-conscious state of mind, which seems to work best for enduring the heat….. In spite of the obvious handicaps under which we operate, we fully intend to return tomorrow, sans the royal ‘we’…. See ya, ffolkes…. Be cool; it’s strange out there….
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.
Hajime…. Rather than attempt to explain what I don’t understand myself, I’ll pass completely over my absence yesterday, ignoring altogether the mild rudeness I managed to impart, by not posting at all, at all, even to explain the interlude. Since I couldn’t give any reason, I’ll give none, and y’all will just have to make do with that; we all must live with occasional disappointment. This one, as such things go, isn’t all that hard to handle, I should think, for it involved NOT being asked to read & think, rather than the inverse. In fact, it could be said I did y’all a favor, but, let’s not get crazy.
While such meandering discussions are legally acceptable for this sort of literature, I can’t say it’s the most compelling opening I’ve ever typed, or penned, or whatever it is we do now…. and, who cares? It’s got me this far, so it’s not as if I’m going to throw it all back in the stew. Perhaps it would be best for us to just move on, before I get any weird ideas about a tricky twist, or, worse, a pun. Last time I tried that….. well, let’s not talk about it; it’s stil too fresh in my memory for comfort. Instead, I’ll use the preferred method, which utilizes the newly developed sense of ruthlessness, which has proved its merit quite well already… It’s particularly handy for situations such as this one; all we have to do is this….
Shall we pearl?….
“Morality is moral only if it is voluntary.”
~~ Lincoln Steffens ~~
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Stevie Ray Vaughan
I’ve got the urge for some hot blues; what better choice than this man’s music? None, I’d say…. Enjoy!….
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Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at Montreux 1985
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“I’d like some JUNK FOOD… and then I want to be ALONE”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
I’d planned a rant, but, it didn’t gel for me, so, this one will have to do for today…. Let’s see what was going on in this old head a couple years ago, shall we?….
From 6/14/2014:
In this section, we have been running a new style pearl, (there’s that royal ‘we’ again….), with pictures to go along with whatever quotes and/or comments I come up with…. The latest incarnation involves a new subject of interest, the Wise Old Pine Cone, who has been kind enough to allow me to photograph his wanderings around town, to record his interactions with people, and the environment, as he wends his way around the town….. Yesterday, I posted the photos of when I accompanied him to the local ball team’s night game, which came out fairly well….
Sadly, the Wise Old Pine Cone, by the time we left the ball park, had consumed WAY too many brewskis, and has yet to get out of bed…. He’s pretty small, and a few beers really do a number on him; I’ve seen him stay in bed for three days after a bad session with wine, and beer isn’t any better for him…. He’ll be alright, but, he’ll be out of action for a day or two, so, we’ll have to find something else for this section….. Let me think….
Okay, you’ve convinced me…. I’ll rant….
“There is nothing a man can do to guarantee success, but there is nothing that can defeat him if he won’t give up.” — Greg Praino
Well, perhaps I won’t rant today; it doesn’t mean I’m giving up, but…. I just went to look for a rantable headline from the news…. Of the eleven headlines on the world news page, eight were about various bombings, battles, or other war activities, mostly in the middle east, where the Islamic sects are all fighting to see who will become the sole arbiter of the Muslim future….. never realizing how silly and counter-productive they are being, in terms of survival…. But, then, most people engaged in war are not in a very intelligent frame of mind, anyway….
(And, how can a Muslim extremist group name themselves after an Egyptian goddess over seven thousand years old {Isis}? I thought they hated ANY other religion…. Ah well, stupid is as stupid does…)
The point is, I couldn’t decide WHICH subject to rant about…. There are plenty of wars being fought, none of which make any sense…. There are governments still robbing the people, or oppressing them unmercifully; the churches are still butting into everything, as is their habit…. I see where the Pope is trying to be a mediator between Israel & Palestine (good luck with that!….), and now, the Presbyterian Church is doing SOMETHING over in Iraq, or Iran, to get involved with that whole mess…. what a bunch of idiots!…
Cars and factories are still streaming carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide into the air by the hundreds of millions of tons, every day, so pollution continues unabated, and climate change keeps changing, so, we can kiss our asses goodbye, once we figure out how long we have…. Religious fanatics and fundies of all varieties continue to wage their holy wars, blaming all that is wrong in the world on anything but their own actions…. Bankers and politicians continue to work together to steal everything that isn’t nailed down from the public, all enforced by paramilitary police forces, blindly obedient myrmidons with guns, and really bad attitudes, due to their completely unwarranted sense of entitlement regarding their psycho/sociopathic need to be seen as authority figures….
All of the insanity I’ve previously commented upon here continues, relatively unabated, as the world skips merrily down what it BELIEVES is the garden path, completely oblivious, calmly seated in a handbasket, never even wondering why it is getting so bloody hot…. And people wonder why I rant….
I found no particular headline to get me started, but, as can be seen by the above, none are really necessary for me to find my anger about the state of the world…. My anger is based in the realization that NONE of it is necessary; if people would take responsibility for themselves, and stand up to the assholes who are oppressing everyone who puts up with it, we could fix this broken puppy….
I’m a realist, though, and, as far as I can see, realistically, it ain’t gonna happen…. so, I’ll pick a few pearls, to make how I feel about it clear, and be done with it for today…. I’m mad, but, so mad, I don’t even want to talk about it any more….. Here, take these…. No worries, you’ll live; there are only five of them….
“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — John Locke
“All I know is just what I read in the Congressional Record. They have had some awful funny articles in there lately. As our government deteriorates, our humor increases.” — Will Rogers
“I have never found, in a long experience of politics, that criticism is ever inhibited by ignorance.” — Harold MacMillan
“Look for a tough wedge for a tough log.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 723
“You know how dumb the average guy is? Well, by definition, half of them are even dumber than THAT.” — J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, ripping off George Carlin, who made that point YEARS before Bob finished puberty….
There you go, ffolkes…. a pointed, bitchy, but accurate, five-star pearl….. Let’s go on, shall we?….
********************************
Off the proverbial cuff….
I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.
You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.
No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.
Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?
Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/30/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Many Paths, One Destination….
*******
“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight,
and his punishment
is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
~~ Oscar Wilde ~~
*******
“I maintain that Truth is a pathless land,
and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever,
by any religion, by any sect….
I do not want to belong to any organization of a spiritual kind;
please understand this …
If an organization be created for this purpose,
it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage,
and must cripple the individual,
and prevent him from growing,
from establishing his uniqueness,
which lies in the discovery for himself
of that absolute, unconditioned Truth….”
~~ J. Krishnamurti ~~
*******
“The education of the will is the object of our existence.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.”
~~ Geoffrey Chaucer ~~
~~ The Frankeleines Tale, Line 11789 ~~
*******
“Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.”
~~ Tao Te Ching ~~
*******
“Keep the golden mean”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 1072 ~~
*******
“Enjoy the present hour,
Be thankful for the past,
And neither fear nor wish
Th’ approaches of the last.”
~~ Abraham Cowley ~~
*******
********************************
Having thus fulfilled the basic requirements, I’m gonna call it done, & go post it. I’ll be back, probably tomorrow, & you may rest assured I’ll try a bit harder. Gotta live with myself, right? Right. Until then, stay low, stay alert, and stay strange…. It’s getting a little cool out there….. See y’all….
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.
“For one human being to love another human being:
that is perhaps the most difficult task
that has been entrusted to us,
the ultimate task, the final test and proof,
the work for which all other work
is merely preparation.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
Reluctantly poised….
Hajime…. We humans are weird. While such a statement could be construed as critical, in this case, it is more of an observation, based on personal experience. To fully comprehend the depth and meaning would require more time than I’m willing to spend today, so, y’all will once more have to deal with any disappointment on your own, cuz I ain’t talkin’…. Don’t worry, it’s nothing untoward, merely, well, weird, and it won’t delay the production of today’s Pearl any more than it already has with this paragraph.
Of course, this means we don’t have anything more to put here in the intro, a not unusual conundrum. One might think, after two days of sloughing off the work, I’d be a bit more organized, but, then, thinking can often lead to inaccurate conclusions, especially when the subject matter, i.e., me, is rather an ambiguous figure, to say the least. If we said more than the least, we could be sued rather heavily, which is why we never do. And, yes, we have now devolved, rather suddenly, I might add, into complete blather & nonsense. It’s our default when we are thus challenged, as you may remember.
Our Pearl today will be okay, anyway. I finally put together a decent rant, stimulated by, of all things, a question somebody asked me on Facebook. The rest is pretty standard, and, if I don’t get started putting it together, it won’t get done. To make that happen, I’ll end this now, here, so there won’t be any further forays into the outer reaches. Hell, at this point, I’m thinking, if I don’t do this right now, the end results will be completely unpredictable, never a good thing for us….. Let’s just get the hell out of here, while we can….
Shall we pearl?….
“By definition, when you are investigating the unknown,
you do not know what you will find.”
~~ The Ultimate Principle ~~
********************************
Herself, Ms. Raitt
Some days, it’s just got to be the best. Here’s a session I haven’t heard yet, so, let’s have a listen, shall we?….
********************************
Bonnie Raitt BBC Four Sessions
********************************
********************************
********************************
“I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.”
~~ Antoine de Saint Exupery ~~
In the most recent months, my thoughts have begun crystallizing, in a large sense. By ‘large’, I refer to Life at Large, the panorama of human experience on Planet Earth, in all its hideously insane, yet, somehow, vividly fascinating glory. In a cosmic sense, we humans haven’t been around very long; it’s only been about 10 or so thousand years since we left off living on the land full time, without the civilizing (?) influence of writing, gunpowder, and the concept of religion. (Thank you to Tom Carlyle…). Yet, in that minuscule portion of close to five billion years of known Universal history, we have come to the rather grandiose opinion we are the pinnacle of the whole shebang, the highest form of life as we know it, with all the attendant privileges and rights, whatever we conceive those to be.
So, here we are, a motley, unrestrictedly reproductive organism, in season all year round, barely past the time of sleeping on soft leaves in a cave lit by torches, wandering over the face of the planet, even probing our proboscis’ all over the solar system, in our search for new places to fuck. By ‘fuck’ I mean fuck in all its incarnations. We are always looking to fuck; each other, other species, the environment, space/time, biologic creation, the physical universe, the moon, other planets, etc. We want to fuck with, around, on, and up against damn near everything we encounter, from dirt, to atoms, to practically anything our wicked, inventive imaginations can think of, and/or turn into reality….
See, that’s our problem, too. We can’t seem to stop ourselves for any appreciable time from fucking with everything, yet, our overactive, innovative imagination is too powerful for us to keep up with, being the simple animals we really still are, in terms of our nervous systems, perceptive and cognitive abilities, and, some of our physical characteristics, which, in and of themselves, can override any of the other talents/abilities/natural characteristics we may possess. For example, certain smells can literally stop your entire metabolism, instantly creating urges to run, vomit, scream, or otherwise indicate systemic panic; the same can happen with a subliminal perception, which, under given circumstances, can send the bravest, strongest human running in terror, without even knowing why they have panicked.
But, we think we are so cool; Terry Pratchett, I think, described it well when he accused us of being so primitive we still thought digital watches were cool. In truth, we are simply out of our depths, for the most part, though it may seem otherwise, if you listen to TV, or, mostly, anyone else who has an opinion. The only REAL truths we now can depend on are the ones we find within our selves, for everything in the world we have created around us is based on false data and conclusions, which, in the face of their relation to actual physical reality, become delusional, and thus, dangerous to us.
One of the most commonly notions regarding human nature is our Ego, which I have capitalized, for that is how it affects us. However, to promote a more productive frame of mind I have found to be of value, I will forgo further capitalization, to encourage each one reading to devalue the importance of how ego drives your bus, so to speak…. You see, we are more than merely a mind, or, and ego. In fact, the ego may only be a hallucination, as some philosophers AND neuroscientists have suggested. Our existence is also greatly affected, in reality, by physical forces, not all of which we directly perceive, and, by spiritual forces, which are also not necessarily easily identified. Yet, each of those two forces, physical, and spiritual, can instantly assume greater significance than anything our mind perceives, up to and including the potential loss of life…
For example, in the physical world, there are many forces we don’t perceive directly; magnetic, gravitational (other than as motion induced by its presence), certain wavelengths of light and electromagnetic, and, others we can only perceive by instruments. Any of these, sufficiently strong, can be dangerous to us. Spiritually, who can deny the power of what happens to us under the influence of love? Or fear of losing love? There are also many spiritual/emotional forces in our makeup we don’t perceive, or comprehend at all….
However, the ego, due to its own nature as part of us, believes in itself so strongly, it acts as if none of that is anything it cannot overcome to achieve its own ends…. To my current way of thinking, this is a bit grandiose, given our history of success at making reality do what we want. Yes, we have made great technological advances, but, none of them have improved the human condition a whit, and, in fact, are now becoming a danger to the entire species, by continuing to treat the universe as its own toy…. simply because we deny our own nature, which remains divided, unaware of the potential progress to be made by ‘merging the three parts…. which, in truth are but two, the mental and the physical; the spirit is the bridge between them, upon which we refuse to walk…
This discussion was provoked by an exchange I had on Facebook yesterday, prompted by a not unusually provocative statement by a friend (Red, the Fabulous), who is, in my estimation, one of the five smartest people alive. And, yes, I know y’all might think that’s hyperbole, but, it isn’t. In any case, the following exchange took place, which I reproduce now because it is a fine summary of all I’m trying to say here today, in just a few lines…. To wit:
Red: “I want to live in a world where people know how to merge. ”
Me: “If you’re talking traffic, you;re dreaming. If you’re talking life, well, it might be some time yet… *wink* ”
Red: “Yes.”
T.C: “Physically, mentally or spiritually? ”
Me: “They are all three the same exact thing; our inability to ‘merge’ them is a big part of all the troubles you see in the world… I, too, would like to live in such a world, in which we all could look past our ego’s need to divide them, and us… ”
That’s the word I needed… divided. We have a divided nature. It’s natural, in a universe that exists in duality. But, we let one part of our nature overmaster the rest of what the universe has to tell us; by doing so, we create our own inner conflict, which is reflected into the society we have created. Until we learn to ‘merge’ the different parts of our nature, to see the connections there are in life, then we will remain separated, from ourselves, from each other, and from our own universe. In doing so, we condemn ourselves to our only real hell, which is living disconnected from life…. and the love that is possible when we are part of everything…
Serendipitously, I have already shown the exactly right pearl with which this discussion should be closed… Here, then, is the correct path, as indicated by, naturally, a poet….
“For one human being to love another human being:
that is perhaps the most difficult task
that has been entrusted to us,
the ultimate task, the final test and proof,
the work for which all other work
is merely preparation.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
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A Failure to Germinate
Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.
Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.
Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.
I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.
My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.
Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/27/2012
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I couldn’t, in good conscience, call this one a Naked Pearl grouping; it’s just too odd. It starts oddly, ends oddly, and uses an odd path to get where it ends up. The best I can call it is to say it’s a random harlequin pearl, and let it go at that…. For one thrown together in jig time, it’s really not bad…. Enjoy!…
*******
“To be, or what?”
~~ Sylvester Stallone ~~
*******
“There’s no easy quick way out,
we’re gonna have to live through our whole lives,
win, lose, or draw.”
~~ Walt Kelly ~~
*******
“Self-improvement is a dangerous form of vanity.”
~~ Alan Watts ~~
*******
But where shall I start?
The world is so fast, I shall start with the country I know best, my own.
But my country is so very large, I had better start with my town.
But my town, too, is large. I had best start with my street.
No, my home.
No, my family.
Never mind,
I shall start with myself.”
~~ Elie Wiesel ~~
*******
“Depend not on fortune, but on conduct.”
~~ Publius Syrus ~~
*******
It is the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It is the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
It is the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.”
~~ Bette Midler, The Rose ~~
*******
“A child of five would understand this.
Send someone to fetch a child of five.”
~~ Groucho Marx ~~
*******
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This is pretty late getting done, compared to our usual time to post; oh, well. Such is life in the fast lane, ffolkes, so, we may as well just deal, and get on with the day. Hopefully, this will help make that go better than it otherwise might. Then again, perhaps not. Time will tell, as it always does, the mouthy bastard. I, personally, shall merely say, see y’all tomorrow…. and, that’s all the warning you’ll get….
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.
“A note of music gains significance from the silence on either side.”
~~ Anne Morrow Lindberg ~~
Always Alert….
Hajime…. Today is the 240th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in this country. I have personally witnessed this 65 times in my life, though never with the degree of reluctance I feel today. I am reluctant to celebrate, or show pride in a country which is currently engaged in numerous unjust conflicts around the world, all of which have nothing to do with any sort of justice, or anything other than corporate greed. Anyone who thinks our nation is justified for the misery and death we have caused by our interventions is welcome to tell me why; I doubt seriously I’ll have any trouble pointing out the discrepancies in any possible evidence presented….
To be honest, I am sick to death of politics, and corporate avarice, and ignorance, and all the other human failings I see in play in our society, all of which are denied, or ignored by both the public at large, and those who claim to be the leaders of our culture. So sick of it, I intend to ignore today altogether, just to get a bit of space from all the negativity that I associate with the loss of honor I see as responsible for our current status as a nation. I refuse to show pride in what I see us doing; there is no ethical or moral justification for any of it. So, this is the last y’all will hear about it today; I’ll even pick an archived rant that speaks to another issue, to be sure….
Since that’s the case, perhaps it would be best to get on with it. I guess this intro section isn’t quite up to our usual standards, which cannot be termed as standards of excellence without the risk of being called a liar; nonetheless, it will have to do, as I’m not going to do it over. Hell, it’s been a struggle to get it this far; starting over isn’t in the realm of possibilities I’m considering. In fact, the only consideration I’m thinking of now is how to get us the hell out of here before this gets any stranger…. I guess I’ll just be ruthless, which looks like this….
Shall we pearl?….
“The more I traveled the more I realized
that fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.”
~~ Shirley McLaine ~~
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Violeta Parra
Image from billboard.com via Google Images
A few days ago, I included a South American activist/artist, Victor Jara, for our musical selection. Today’s inclusion is a contemporary of his, also from South America, a woman who is also actively working for justice for the people, through her music, and her actions off-stage. Abondanza!…
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Violeta Parra
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********************************
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“Is it not a noble farce, wherein kings, republics, and emperors have for so many ages played their parts, and to which the whole vast universe serves for a theater?” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvi, Of the most Excellent Men
From 4/17/2014:
“A government that fears its people is a government that should be feared.” — Smart Bee
“The US government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has concluded.”
My initial reaction to this opening line from the article to which the link leads was, “Oh. Really? How droll….” In case it’s unclear, that is sarcasm….
My second thought was, “Duh…”, because, well, hey, no-brainer, right? It’s only obvious, and has been since the 1850’s, when the “military-industrial complex” became a real person, at least in the courts….. The third thought that went through my mind was, “Why did I have to read this on the front page of a BRITISH news paper, while never having seen a single article on the report from an American news outlet?”
But, then, hey, oligarchy, right? That means the elite, the rich, the BRC, or, as I’m fond of calling them, the Asininnies, don’t want to hear about it, so, none of the news outlets THEY control will ever show that report, or, if they do, it certainly won’t be on the front page…. Any more than they wish to have ANY of their shenanigans paraded in front of the public eye; they’re well aware of how badly the rest of the country would react to that, if the notion that they were oppressing the rest of us, and worse, shamelessly lying about it all, ever became a common perception….
I could spend a few paragraphs here, detailing to you just how they lie, or relating just how often, and how completely these assholes are fucking over the rest of society…. but, it isn’t necessary, when such a plain and obvious indictment is right there in front of me, a report that does nothing if not confirm what I’ve been trying to get across to the people out there who need to know, for a long time now….
“[E]lections amount to little more than choosing between the scum that floats to the top of the barrel and the dregs that settle to the bottom.” — L. Neil Smith
The perverted masters of society, consisting of that 1% who control the money and resources of our planet, usurped our system of government within DAYS of the signing of the Constitution, and have continued to solidify their control for the last 240 years since that event…. Their biggest victories have come from their purchases, which gave them exclusive possession of the souls and loyalty of the judges in the federal court system, first in the early 1800’s, then, later, to the huge win in the middle of that century, when corporations were first declared to have the same rights as real people, a decision which ensures the establishment in society of the legal precedents that ensure their complete control….
What normal, real person, with merely their own skills and efforts as resources, can compete, monetarily, or time-wise, with a corporation, to buy the loyalty of congress and the courts? Only its owners, or the owners of other governments, er, corporations, who have the resources to contest what they wish, can hope to supply any restraint upon what they desire…. No average person has the time or resources to spend on any issue that a corporation can bring to bear, thus guaranteeing the common man’s views will NEVER take precedence in the courts….
It ain’t a particularly pretty picture, ffolkes, but, it IS an accurate description of modern reality…. more than we could hope, and certainly more than we could ever need, or want…. but, accurate, nonetheless….
Enough so to thoroughly disgust me, to the point I’m not going to rant any more…. I’m getting too worked up…. I can feel my blood pressure going up as I type, never a good thing….. So, we’ll switch modes, and go find some pearls with which to round out this discussion, hopefully with some humor, or at the very least, some bloodthirsty accusations of perversion against those assholes who thing we are not on to them….. Enjoy!….
“Hope is very dangerous….” — Servalan
(In our society, it is not merely dangerous, it is toxic….)
“After 2% of the vote is in, the networks tell us who won. It makes the other 99% of us feel a bit unnecessary… How come the networks are so good at picking the presidential winner, and so bad at picking hit shows?” — Smart Bee
(You don’t think they have information they’re not sharing with us, do you? Nah…. of course not…. Why would they do that?….)
(If you believe that, I have a wonderful opportunity for you, a chance to own the biggest bridge in New York, for a very nominal price…. Cash only, no checks….)
“When neither their poverty nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content.” — Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
(This is required learning in the schools that produce the fleets of lawyers who inhabit the halls of government…. Check it out sometime, how ALL the actions our leaders take are designed to keep from arousing the public’s ire, by avoiding the stimulation implied in this rule codified by The Prince….)
“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” — Bob Dylan
“All military type firearms are to be handed in immediately… The SS, SA and Stahlhelm give every respectable German man the opportunity of campaigning with them. Therefore anyone who does not belong to one of the above named organisations and who unjustifiably nevertheless keeps his weapon… must be regarded as an enemy of the national government.” — SA Oberfuhrer of Bad Tolz, March, 1933
(I keep expecting to see a bill with this wording hit the floor of the House any time now, with a few minor changes to reflect the passage of time…. Every time there is another random shooting in this country, the pundits break out something like this to put through Congress, in the deluded hope that it might change something, which they refuse to believe cannot be changed, without changing human nature….)
“All you have to do is… Spot The Looney!” — Monty Python
(A very apt description of the voting process here in ‘murrica….)
“Being against torture ought to be sort of a bipartisan thing.” — Karl Lehenbauer
(One would think this is true, until you actually look at what they are DOING, instead of what they are SAYING….)
“Faith: not wanting to know what is true.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
(Another fine delineation of how the voting process works in the oligarchy we call home…. Plus, do you see how smoothly this dovetails in with what the preachers preach from their pulpits?…. Funny how that works, eh?….)
Okay, so that’s eight pearls, an even number, which will never do…. We’ll go with one last pearl, in what I know to be a futile attempt to bring one of them down for good…. I’ll try to make it a good one, a fitting finish to an epic melding of irritated ranting and old school pearling….
“For in religion as in friendship, they who profess most are ever the least sincere.” — Sheridan
(I probably don’t need to make this suggestion, but, you can substitute the word “politics” for “friendship” in this, without changing or reducing its validity…. which is why it’s here….)
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Territorial imperative….
Beauty must define,
as augment to existence,
as life must be more
than mere subsistence.
Nature demands more.
Truth helps.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/15/2012
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Naked Pearls
Like ice, on the verge of melting….
*******
“. . is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood.
It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness.
It cannot be.”
~~ Frank Herbert, Dune ~~
*******
“He bids fair to grow wise who has discovered that he is not so.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 598 ~~
*******
“Doubt is the key to knowledge.”
~~ Persian Proverb ~~
*******
“You cannot learn to fly by flying.
First you must learn to walk, to run, to climb, to dance.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
*******
“That’s the way things come clear.
All of a sudden.
And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along.”
~~ Madeleine L’Engle ~~
*******
“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.”
~~ Colette ~~
*******
“I just forgot my whole philosophy of life!!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
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In the elegant words of Hasan, the Moor, “I have fulfilled my vow.” Though I won’t commit to labeling it ‘good’, or ‘bad’, or even ‘indifferent’, I will say it’s done. Which gives me the perfect excuse to bring this to a final conclusion, probably best stated as, “Huh?”. No matter how we choose to view it, we’re outta here, with our common caveat, to wit: I’ll be back. I’ll even go out on a limb, and predict that will happen tomorrow. Go figure…. 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.
“Nature forms us for ourselves, not for others;
to be, not to seem.
~~ Michael de Montaigne ~~
~~ Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvii, ~~
Bar at the Old Swan, London
Hajime…. Of the nearly 80 hours I spent in London in 2013, many were spent in the public house you see pictured today at the top of this page. The Old Swan, established in 16something, was about as typical a pub as you’ll find anywhere in England. Since it was located about one block from my B&B in Kensington, I spent many a happy hour observing the day and night life of the Londoners who frequented the old pub. This morning, I chose the picture simply for the good memories it brings, of a trip I’d dreamed of my entire life.
Today, I appreciate the memories, as they are a welcome change from the OTHER memories recently flooding my brain, of other times and places that bring back an entirely different kind of memory, the kind that will drop one right into the morass of depression in a heartbeat. Bugger that today, as they would say in the Old Swan; I’ve got other plans. Since I do, why don’t I curtail this intro yet again, thus preventing further maudlin introspection, in favor of moving things along to their natural end. Sounds a bit more productive, as well as comfortable. Well, as close to comfortable as I get, these days….
Doing just that has become much easier, now I’ve managed to figure out all the toys in the Tardis. Since I have, I’m going to apply this one, which may be the most efficient one I’ve come across. It’s pretty simple, really, and works like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
The realist adjusts the sails.”
~~ William Arthur Ward ~~
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The Man
By now, most of y’all have heard the sad news regarding Eric Clapton. He has begun to suffer from degenerative neuropathy, which will make it progressively more painful, and difficult to play his guitar. Since I’ve regarded him as the best player alive for most of his, and my life, this is bad news for all who appreciate good music, and those who play it with such heart and soul. Here is a mix of live cuts compiled by another fan of his, which I hope you enjoy as much as I will….
Since I’m up a little late, here is a rant from the archives, on a subject important to ALL of us…. Still trying to get the message to those who need it….
From 6/14/2012:
“We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism. Land can be healthy or sick, fertile or barren, rich or poor, lovingly nurtured or bled white. Our present attitudes and laws governing the ownership and use of land represent an abuse of the concept of private property…. Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops.” — Paul Brooks, The Pursuit of Wilderness (1971)
This statement is now over 50 years old, according to the attribution. From what I can see in the real world, it remains as true today as it was when uttered. We are killing our planet, or rather, we are killing ourselves, and making the planet suffer in the process. No matter how God-like we believe our powers to be, I don’t believe we can quite destroy a whole planet. But, we can sure make it a tough place to survive, and we are doing that rapidly…. I refer to to the World Clock once again….
Why are we doing this to ourselves? I’m not the only citizen who is asking this question; there are actually millions of people like me who are aware of how bad things have gotten, and I’ve seen a lot of printed material on the subject. The problem is that nobody with any power to make changes to society at large is at all concerned with the problem, because A) They tend to deny it, as it doesn’t match their delusional view of reality, and B) They don’t care…..
The first reason, denial, is rooted in the avarice and selfishness of those who seek political and/or religious power. Their purpose in life is to “get” as much as they can, gathering resources, money, and power over others to their bosoms like a mother cradles her babe. This purpose keeps them focused on their own goals, and denial is the simplest way to deal with any ideas that are contrary to those goals. There is a popular saying these days, that I’ve heard many, many times, most often with a smile and a wink, to show that the person wants us to believe they are kidding, when they really are not…. that saying goes, “He who dies with the most toys, wins….” That’s America, all over….
The second reason, indifference, was taught to these folks by the Christian religion. That’s right, religion is responsible, fully and completely, for most of what is wrong in today’s society. This statement will no doubt cause some consternation among those believers who are still buying into that shell game, but it is nonetheless true. It is difficult to build a rational institution when one’s beliefs are based on a basic untruth. More simply, false conclusions are the only possible result of beginning with a false assumption….
The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G Gaia
What, you ask, is this false assumption? Well, I hate to be the one to break it to them, but hey, Mankind is NOT the top of the food chain. Mankind is NOT superior to the other animals, and plants, that live here with us. Mankind is NOT the “owner”, or the “steward”, or the “ruler” of this world. We are not the “Lords of Creation”, nor do we either deserve or actually possess the entitlement so many of our beloved ruling class feels, or claims. We are nothing more than a fortunate (for us) accident of Nature, no less than any other creature, but no more, for certain….
Here the free spirit of mankind, at length,
Throws its last fetters off; and who shall place
A limit to the giant’s unchained strength,
Or curb his swiftness in the forward race?
~~ William Cullen Bryant — The Ages, xxxiii ~~
It is unfortunate in the extreme that so many people believe this prideful boast! Being able to reason hasn’t improved our morality. Being able to imagine has not increased our empathy, or our compassion, though it should. As a species, looked at from an outside viewpoint, we are much less efficient as an animal than are almost any of the other animals we know of; dogs and cats are far superior morally, ethically, and operationally than are humans; I would add they are more intelligent as well, but the humans out there won’t believe that, even though it is obvious to me. I mean, who is feeding who here? Although still subject to the cruelty to which humans so often resort, dogs and cats control their humans pretty well, as a rule…..
“Dogs are animals that poop in public and you’re supposed to pick it up. After a week of doing this, you’ve got to ask yourself: Who’s the real master in this relationship?” — Anthony Griffin
All this goes back to the same old message that I’ve been sending out for years. If this species, Australopithecus modernus, does not make a change in it’s mental viewpoint, in our morality and how that makes us deal with the world, we’ll all be dead within 200 years. The planet will recover; all the poisons we’ve pumped into the environment will be neutralized, and the damage we’ve done will heal over time. But, we will be gone, if we don’t figure out how to change the whole way we deal with reality, from the top of society down…. I hate to be a cynic, but I don’t see it happening, and that is just sad…..
“Time destroys the speculations of man,
but it confirms the judgment of nature.”
~~ Cicero ~~
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Off the proverbial cuff….
I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.
You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.
No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.
Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?
Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/30/2013
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Naked Pearls
Further Notes on Life at Large
*********
“Put forth your effort
With no thought of gain.”
~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~
*********
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”
~~ Walter Winchell ~~
*********
“Self-pity is the worst poverty.”
~~ Hazrat Inayat Khan (Sufi writer) ~~
*********
“He who boasts of his ancestry praises the merits of another.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*********
“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 — Life of Sertorius ~~
*********
“Education is not a preparation for life;
Education is life itself.”
~~ John Dewey ~~
*********
“Whatever you can lose, you should reckon of no account.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 191 ~~
*********
Knowledge is gained by learning; trust by doubt;
skill by practice; and love by love.”
~~ Thomas Szasz
*********
“What fools these mortals be.”
~~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca ~~
*********
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Having submitted my usual outpouring of blather & nonsense, I shall forgo further torturous prattle, to bid thee adieu for another diurnal period. Little did we know, when we began, just how strange it would get, but, as they’re fond of saying downtown, what the hell? It’s finished, and, around here, that’s all that’s required. Well, we also try to do this each day…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; such is our lot, and we welcome it. Go figure….
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.
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Dance of the Ferries, Victoria, BC
Hajime…. In an ugly chair, the old man sits, staring morosely at the computer screen before him, eyes fixed on the vast white space upon the screen, empty of all thought or fantasy. To look at him, you might think, “boy, that’s a tough-looking old guy….”, not able to see beneath the rough exterior, to the confusion and deep sense of pain within. As he blinks at the screen, thoughts swirl in his head, none of which translate into any coherent statement worth typing. He shakes his head, slowly, as the tears begin to fall….
I wish thee a good morrow, though I cannot claim to think it so. Today’s Pearl will be, for me, a saving grace, so, the way it looks from the other side, though of some concern, is completely irrelevant, in comparison to how it will seem from here. Since I really don’t much care how well it turns out, as much as I care about getting it done, I won’t make any claims as to the quality, or even the quantity…. Truly, today’s Pearl is WYSIWYG, as much as it is anything else. I am only doing this because, if I don’t, someone will die today who didn’t have to. Quite simple, really, though a bit alarming to those who have never dwelt in the House of Fear for long…..
Don’t worry, ffolkes. I will be fine. Some day. For now, realize this is what keeps me from turning rogue, keeps me from making serious inroads into the population explosion, first-hand. I developed this method of keeping myself under control almost five and a half years ago now, and it’s all I need, or have, that will save innocent lives. So be it. No tricks today, we’re going on now, simply because I’m tired of trying to make this sound reasonably coherent, when all I really want to do is scream epithets and rage…. To save us both from that, I think we should go on. Now….
Shall we Pearl?….
“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.” — Albert Einstein
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Regular readers here at ECR will recognize this icon, as our default musical position. Here is a collection of some of humanity’s best music, as proven by its survival over the past several hundred years…. Enjoy, please; it’s quite soothing to the savage breast, of which I have a perfect example to offer today….
As might be guessed, there won’t be a fresh rant today; here instead is one from the archives. I tried to make it light, as I am not in a mood for much angst, even if I’ve already expunged it once from my system. This will, hopefully, provide some comic, or, at least, lighter material for your perusal…. Enjoy!….
From 3/7/2014:
Early as it is, I won’t give in to my urges to vent….. The easiest, most efficient way to accomplish that goal is to provide myself with a sublimated task, which will give me the sense of venting, without having to actually create the path for it to be released into the blogosphere…. Well, that’s the plan, anyway…. What this means in a practical sense is, of course, an old-school pearl, with parameters set at “rage against the machines”, otherwise known as Sublimated Rant Mode….. Enjoy!….
“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde
“There are scores of thousands of sects who are ready at a moment’s notice to reveal the will of God on every possible subject.” — Smart Bee
“I’d rather that a bigot mistake me for a lesbian than that a lesbian mistake me for a bigot.” — Tovah Hollander
“I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet devised by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.” — Thomas Jefferson
“A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.” — Anatole France
“The next best thing to doing something smart is not doing something stupid.” — Flo Capp’s Observation
Truckin’, like the do-dah man
Once told me “Gotta play your hand.
Sometimes your cards ain’t worth a dime
If you don’t lay’em down.”
Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me
What a long, strange trip it’s been.
~~ Truckin’ by Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Hunter ~~
Wow…. not bad, not bad at all…. I don’t think a pearl has ever come together so quickly, or so seamlessly as this one…. It took a total of eight minutes, as pearl after pearl jumped up to be included, sandwiched between a very few obviously unsuitable quotes, easily dismissed in jig time…. It was almost as if the universe was rewarding me for having picked the correct venue for this group, which, patently, is an excellent one to highlight such valuable gems as these….
From now on, I think you’ll be able to use this pearl when you want to show someone a real-life example of the definition of the word “eclectic”….. You could probably use it with the same effect to demonstrate the meaning of the word “esoteric”, too, but, that might stretch the minds of those to whom you show it to a point of no return…. It’s entirely conceivable that, upon assimilating the concepts contained herein, they would never be normal again, which, all in all, in today’s world, might not be such a bad thing, eh?…..
********************************
“A poem is a serious joke, a truth that has learned jujitsu.”
~~William Stafford ~~
Roses for Noses
I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….
I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst?….
I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor, but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….
We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….
There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….
Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….
My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let your noses grow round & red, keep your hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.
~~ gigoid ~~
January, 2013
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Our final pearl today is somewhat resistant to categorization; it put itself together, and I haven’t a clue as to what it might mean. It means something, for sure; I just don’t have the wherewithal to figure out what it is. You decide…..
*******
“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”
~~ Buddha ~~
*******
“I shut my eyes in order to see.”
~~ Paul Gauguin ~~
*******
“Honesty is the best policy and spinach is the best vegetable.”
~~ Popeye ~~
*******
“It is sometimes expedient to forget who we are.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 233 ~~
*******
What is there more of in the world than anything else?
Ends.
~~ Carl Sandburg, The People, Yes (1936) ~~
*******
“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends;
but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will be the greatest enemy.”
~~ Bhagavad Gita ~~
*******
It’s Like This
Even the samurai
have teddy bears,
and even the teddy bears
get drunk.
~~ Linux Songs/Poems ~~
*******
********************************
It’s done. I have less clue about it now than I had when beginning, so, you won’t find me trying to make excuses. Not only do I not have any, I couldn’t honorably use them, or even consider them. Instead, I’ll leave you flat, with the dangerous knowledge of our imminent return, tomorrow morning… I’ll be here if I have to kill myself…. and, no, I know that’s neither advisable, nor possible, Sheesh, even I know, if I’m dead, I can’t write. So, you’ll see me again; count on it. Just don’t expect much other than the fulfillment of the promise; it’s all I may have to offer…. See ya…
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.
Hajime…. This morning, I find myself in an odd state of mind. I managed to get some sleep, though I couldn’t tell you why it happened. Since it did, I’ve got a bit more than my usual amount of energy; can’t say it’s exactly topped off, but, hey, better than the alternative, right? Then, as I sat to begin, I saw the opening quote, which I used yesterday on FB as a status report. To me, the small aphorism from Ms. LeGuin is one of the deepest pearls ever created; think a while on it, and you will see why….. It stimulates deep thinking, in me, anyway, and I tend to go into an introspective mode…. This is both a good and a bad thing, in re: writing….
Good, because it’s always good to look inside; bad, because what one finds isn’t always writable. Today, the latter is the case; I went deep inside, only to find issues not ready for public consumption. I did manage to leak out a poem yesterday, though it’s one of the oddest poems I’ve done. I’ve also repeated myself on the music today, simply because I spent much of the day listening to the artists on P4C, and wanted to share it. The old-school section turned out pretty well, too, so, perhaps we should just get on with this mess, before I wander into uncharted territory, & find myself with no way back…. I think, in fact, we’d best do this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Never cry over spilt milk. It could’ve been whiskey.”
~~ “Pappy” Maverick ~~
********************************
Playing For Change
I spent an hour or more listening to the playlist for P4C, and decided to go with it again today. You can’t miss, ffolkes; it’s all good stuff. Enjoy!….
Our discussion today comes from the archives. In actuality, when it first appeared, this was an intro section. At that time, I was spending a lot of time writing, so, much of what is there is rather long & involved. This one is a discussion of why I Pearl, so, I thought it might create some little bit of understanding, about me, and what keeps me doing this every damn day…. Well, I guess, in truth, that’s another story altogether, which we’ll save for another day, as this one is quite long enough for our purpose. Enjoy!….
From 2/28/2014:
Ffolkes,
“I will show you a philtre without potions, without herbs, without any witch’s incantation – if you wish to be loved, love.” — Seneca
One of the reasons I like aphorisms so much is demonstrated perfectly by this one, from our old friend Seneca, whose contributions to historical wisdom frequently grace these pages. Without fuss, without bother, and with great clarity, he delivers one short, pithy statement, that serves to provide the reader with a piece of knowledge that will serve them well their entire life, if they are able to absorb it, meld it into their own beliefs, and use it as a guide for moral, ethical, or merely honorable behavior…. In other words, good advice in a few words…..
It isn’t as simple, or as easy as it appears; I know, I’ve tried…. I’ve come up with a few, but, I’ve noticed that even those are a matter of recycling knowledge that has been part of human lore for generations. There is good reason behind the old adage about “nothing new under the sun”…. I find countless examples of statements from historical figures, like Seneca, or Plutarch, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, or any of their contemporaries, where the same idea has been re-stated, sometimes in a better way, others not so much….
But, no matter who said it, or how well it was said, many of these sages gave us pearls, of Real wisdom, that have proved their worth by their survival into the present, with the same degree of truth and relevance they held when they were first uttered. They also demonstrate another point that comes up here at ECR regularly, which is how little human nature has changed over the centuries since mankind first began making observations about himself as a species….
Each of the names I mentioned above, at one time or another, has given us some statement that describes a problem they faced in their society, usually from the pre-Christian era, which makes it well over 2000 years ago. I find that virtually every kind of issue that was described as being a problem for them remains as troublesome today, for us, as it was for them….
Mostly, those things are involved with how people get along, or not, i.e. the results of how they treat each other…. It seems we’ve always been plagued with a certain percentage of assholes in the demographics of our populations, whether we were living in caves, or in magnificent cities….. The assholes have always been with us, and have always made their presence known in such a way that we still hear about it today….
This is the primary reason for my own skepticism about the future; if we haven’t been able to find any viable, permanent solutions to the actions of those few of us who don’t give a shit about the others in the 5000 years or more we’ve been talking about it, then what makes us think we’ll be able to solve those issues now? Well, nothing, really…. I don’t think we will be able to solve that issue, and I don’t think we’re going to make it, in the long run…. not without making some major changes, and I don’t see any way that will happen….
All of this, I suppose, was a long winded, rantish sort of way to try to find something interesting to write about for an opening…. I didn’t really intend to come to such a moribund, morbid conclusion, at least, not so early, and not without some more lucrative ranting (lucrative in terms of venting more angst than this mild-mannered outburst could ever provide….), but, I suppose logic dictated the outcome more than desire, so, we’ll just have to deal….
I note, however, with some small degree of pride and satisfaction that yes, we DO have enough to call this an intro, even if it really doesn’t resemble one much at all…. For today, it’s the best I’ve got, and it will have to do…. I’ll try to be a bit more optimistic in what comes after, okay?…. More like the original pearl from Seneca….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Those whom true love has held, it will go on holding.” — Seneca
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Blue chameleon
It’s hot today, with chances of pain & rain.
So it says on the news.
Guess there’s nothing to do again
unless it’s sing the blues.
The blues are gettin’ old, though.
So I say, & I should know.
I been singin’ the bloody songs, y’know?
For what seems a long row to hoe.
S’pose it could get better someday.
I’ve heard that tune before.
Always seemed out of tune anyway;
I ain’t waitin’ any more.
Bang those drums & kick the cans.
May as well raise some hell.
Clang together some old pots & pans;
It hides the little voices so well.
Never worry, don’t you fear at all.
We’ve got certificates of note.
Bureaucratic protections, officially small.
Non carborundum illegitimi, he wrote.
Time, and circumstance, wrote me today.
It came in the daily mail from home.
It said I shouldn’t write unless I say
you’ll be charged for the distance you roam.
~~ gigoid ~~
5/28/2016
Hmm…. strange poem. But, there it is…. I’ll think about it tomorrow….
********************************
Naked Pearls
Life Lived Well, Ed to Ed
*******
“Perfection is a minor virtue.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“Think not that thy word and thine alone must be right.”
~~ Sophocles — Antigone, 706 ~~
*******
“Bear, do not blame, what cannot be changed.”
~~ Publius Syrus ~~
*******
“In answer to the question of why it happened,
I offer the modest proposal that our Universe
is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.”
~~ Edward P. Tryon ~~
*******
“He only earns his freedom and his life
Who takes them every day by storm.”
~~ Goethe, from Faust ~~
*******
There is no w”ealth but life.”
~~ John Ruskin ~~
*******
“We live in the kind of world where courage is the most essential of virtues;
without courage, the other virtues are useless.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
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Well, there you go. It’s a Pearl; no doubt about that. Moreover, it’s done, our favorite state to find them. I think, today, we’ll leave it just as it is, & go post it before I lose my nerve. I shall, as always, return tomorrow, if my luck holds…. It’s worked so far, so, we’ve got a good chance…. See ya….
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 