Tag Archives: Reality

Virtual reality caught on tape…..

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Ffolkes,
In my wildest, most disturbing dreams, I never thought the world would come to this juncture. We stand once again at a fork in the road ahead. Down one road lies extinction; it’s actually the road we are on now, but we have come to the last possible exit, onto a road that continues on into the future, bright with promise. On this road, humanity has new forms of transport, sustainable and clean. The air is clear, the ocean is blue, and all the creatures who share this planet have been welcomed into the circle of Life, wherein we now reside. Everyone is treated the same, and there are no more distinctions drawn between one man and the next. Resources are husbanded and shared equally, and economic manipulation is a dim memory.

Sounds pretty nice, eh? I think so too. I’m just not terribly convinced that the rest of humanity is going to come down that road with those of us who take it. I’d much rather we all went together, but I refuse to choose to continue on the road we have been traveling, just as I refuse to consider killing myself.  It’s all so clear to me, I have a hard time understanding why others cannot see what I am seeing. If we don’t stop what we’re doing, we’re going to pay the consequences; that’s not a guess, not a theory. It’s truth. I hope y’all can deal with it….

I think I lost my mind.  Please watch where you step.
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You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come;
Knock as you please, there ‘s nobody at home.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Epigram

A gen’rous heart repairs a sland’rous tongue.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Odyssey of Homer, Book viii, Line 432

Pope, living and writing in the 17th &  18th centuries, was apparently channeling Homer Simpson, 300 years in the future….. Doh!  Even wonderful poetry can be turned into low humor; here is solid proof. These two short pieces of pieces were just irresistible, as they immediately brought to mind a clear image of Homer slapping his head. See, I can be whimsical!…..
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“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.” — Josh Billings

“I’m a man of my word. In the end, that’s all there is really….” — Avon

Tough to argue with these; they both are basic elements of my own philosophy. It’s a shame, really, that society in general doesn’t buy into this more. Strong, silent men are in short supply in today’s world, and the twin pillars that hold up our culture, Duty and Honor, have fallen into sporadic use at best. Not enough children are being raised under the moral aegis these concepts provide, and the results are as predictable as they are ugly. Too many young men and women are reaching the age of reason with no inner strength, no strong morals to guide their way; rather than cloaking themselves in honor and duty, they are approaching life armed only with an imagination whose scope has been severely limited by their moral shortcomings. It can be a tough world out there, and it’s only going to get tougher at time goes on, unless society can find a way to shore up the shaky underpinnings of our culture, before it’s too late to try…..

“Cowardice” and “self-respect” have largely disappeared from public discourse. In their place we are offered “self-esteem” as the bellwether of success and a proxy for dignity. “Self-respect” implies that one recognizes standards, and judges oneself worthy by the degree to which one lives up to them. “Self-esteem” simply means that one feels good about oneself. “Dignity” used to refer to the self-mastery and fortitude with which a person conducted himself in the face of life’s vicissitudes and the boorish behavior of others. Now, judging by campus speech codes, dignity requires that we never encounter a discouraging word and that others be coerced into acting respectfully, evidently on the assumption that we are powerless to prevent our degradation if exposed to the demeaning behavior of others. These are signposts proclaiming the insubstantiality (sic) of our character, proclaiming the hollowness of our souls.” — Jeffrey R. Snyder, Fall 1993 _The Public Interest
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A crucifix?  Oy vey, have you got the wrong vampire!

In my diving for pearls, over the years I’ve gone past this one several times (sometimes the randomness generator doesn’t quite live up to its’ name), and have just smiled and gone on. But today, for some reason, I finally got it…….and it’s fucking hilarious! What I wouldn’t do to see this character in an episode of Twilight (though I have to confess I’ve never watched it), or Buffy, the Vampire Slayer! They could call him Simon, pretender to the throne of Satan, master of Guilt, who bores his victims into a stupor, leaving them at mercy to his dark secret, a fetish for the blood of sons and daughters of mothers of the Tribe. If nothing else, the media frenzy  in the religious world would be fun to watch….. You may be asking yourself, is nothing sacred? All I can answer is, “Nope.”………
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“The very emphasis of the commandment: Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in ours.” — Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Siggy had his moments of clarity amid the nonsense of a lot of his assertions exhibited. This is one of them. Part of what makes a man civilized is to be able to accept this part of his nature, and deal with it in the only honorable fashion; each morning a man must awake and make a conscious decision that, “Today, I will not kill.”, and then abide by it as best he can. Nothing else will work as well, and though it takes no small amount of courage to keep his word, a man of honor will do so, no matter the cost.


I think one of the most disheartening aspects of today’s culture is the lack of honor most people exhibit. When I was brought up, in the 1950’s, it seems like everyone believed in the concept of Honor, and it was just assumed that one could expect others to behave in light of that. As time has passed, I have seen the concept fall further out of favor, and further out of the public consciousness with each passing year, with selfishness and avarice having assumed the central position in most folk’s attitudes. SIGH……I really do miss it……
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“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” — Bertrand Russell, Autobiography

These are wonderful sentiments, and I can only hope that when I die, I can have put on my headstone some indication that I had fulfilled all three of these passions. The ability to share love, the passion for learning, and compassion for the weak and troubled are the highest expressions of the human spirit, and pursuit of them is an honorable task to take up as one’s Duty. No man could ever hope for a more fulfilling existence, acting in service to those he loves, which includes all living creatures. One can only wish that this attitude was more prevalent in society at large; we might have avoided some of the troubles we’re having. No sense crying over spilled dairy products though…..you just have to hang on to your hope…..
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Now I understand how the little piece I found yesterday fits in to the puzzle. Not to replace the sig, but rather to join it……..yay, me….y’all take care out there….

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

Just Dozer

Kowabunga!

Taking the long road home…..

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Ffolkes,
I would guess that any gentle readers out there today will expect some sort of comment here on Christmas. Okay, here it is. It’s Christmas Day. Have a great time, and share whatever joy you receive; it will recreate itself in the one with whom you share. Today is a good day for that sort of activity, and I support that wholeheartedly. Whatever your preferred belief system may be, or not be, I wish you peace, and prosperity, and life without fear…….


In keeping with the spirit of tolerance during the holiday season, I’ll try to keep it light and short today. There’ll be a couple extras, because I believe Instructions for Life #1, which says, “Always give more than is expected, and do it cheerfully.” So there you have it…..or more accurately, here we go….hang on tight!…..
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And though Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” Charles Dickens

Therefore, those whose sense of self is Home are logically the possessors of very strong magic, which is often mistaken for Faith, or Fate, but in reality is Knowledge, and Will. Whether one believes in an entity powerful enough to create universes, or accepts their perceptions which provide evidence of another explanation for the nature of reality, one has to be grateful that both ideologies include the existence of coffee ice cream with caramel swirls, simple summertime dresses on beautiful young women, chocolate, puppies, and kittens.

I can truthfully, and thankfully, say that I have experienced all of these in one day, on more than one occasion. Of course, on some of those days, it was peach sherbet, exotic evening gowns on older women, chocolate, puppies, and a romantic fire. No matter.  Each one possesses the power to create in us that ineffable surety that all is right with the world, so who needs the guilt involved in worrying about why they exist? Just have a good time staying Home…..
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There are places I remember
all my life, though some have changed,
some forever, not for better,
some have gone and some remain.

All these places had their moments
with lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living.
In my life I’ve loved them all.– the Beatles

Once I was asked to describe my life in six words. I thought for only a moment before it came to me; Looked for Love, Found It Everywhere. The best part of this, in my mind, is that it’s pretty much true. Not to say I haven’t known or met any assholes, or others of the ilk in my time. But, for the most part, I’ve found that if one leaves oneself open to it, love will enter, and make itself at home. Not always comfortably, and not always without turmoil, but always welcome, love has graced my life each time we meet.

Yes, there are a lot of fools and assholes out there, and they make life difficult at times, what with their misplaced sense of entitlement, and their ubiquitous negativity. They’re out there too, but one learns to deal with them, or suffers accordingly; I prefer to deal. I’ve found that just a few moments with them, reading from the Book of Righteousness, with gusto, and they begin to walk a path that is straighter and not as wide…..you gotta love ’em, they’re just so bloody ignorant that it takes some persuasion to make them more amenable to human interaction….which is pretty cool, once one learns how to relate to others without always trying to maintain the upper hand, or manipulate for personal profit. Most folks are pretty nice people, down in their heart of hearts; we all need to give each other a chance to allow that to show to the outside world……
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“As he said in Machiavel, omnes eodem patre nati, Adam’s sons, conceived all and born in sin, etc. “We are by nature all as one, all alike, if you see us naked; let us wear theirs and they our clothes, and what is the difference?” — Robert Burton – The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part ii, Sect. 2, Memb. 2

OMG, can you just visualize Newt Gingrich nude, standing in classic hunter’s pose, with his foot on the piled corpses of child workers, smoking a big cigar and wearing a bigger grin, and a rifle with a scope balanced on his hip? I almost donated my dinner to the porcelain throne when this unfortunate image formed in my mind…….talk about scaring yourself!

But if we can get past the oh-so-frightening images such a concept brings with it, we see the veracity of the Burton’s assertion. What is the difference between one man and the next? As related, we are all as one, with the same basic structure and function. To my way of thinking, what makes the difference between people is their Will, or their Won’t. People mostly choose one or the other at an early age, and stick with it throughout their lives.

What’s your choice? Will you live with honor, dignity, and compassion? Or won’t you face the world, instead pulling back and observing from afar, never to join with others without pain and effort. The choice a person makes is completely their own, and responsibility for the consequences rests solely upon the one who chooses. Choose well……
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In a literature class, the students were given an assignment to write a short story involving all the important ingredients – Nobility, Emotion, Sex, Religion and Mystery.  One student allegedly handed in the following story: My god! cried the duchess.  I’m pregnant.  Who did it?

No profound thinking here; I just thought it was clever, and deeper than it seems. The young person who came up with this little gem is most likely be writing best sellers now……and deservedly so……
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“Capitalism did not arise because capitalists stole the land, but because it was more efficient than feudalism. It will perish because it is not merely less efficient than socialism, but actually self-destructive.” — J. B. S. Haldane

One can only hope that in its’ death throes, capitalism doesn’t thrash about so severely that the negative effects  on the survivors cannot be overcome. Can’t bring myself to be very optimistic, considering the severe objections most human institutions have to dying. They tend to fight tooth and nail to hang on to any vestige of their former glory, never knowing or being able admit to their own fatal flaw. The flaw? Capitalism requires constant growth and movement; like a shark, if growth and forward motion stops, it begins to drown, and feed upon itself, crashing and burning quickly.

But capitalists believe there will always be new markets, selling new products,  and there will always be more resources to create the products to be consumed by those markets. But the sad fact is, the available resources are not infinite, and will not support continuous unchecked growth; they are finite, and once they are gone, they won’t be back. This simple reality is that resources are essential to the functioning of any society, but only if their finite restrictions are observed, and if they are regarded as precious enough to be husbanded and cared for in sustainable cyclical processes, that encourage and enable the resources to be renewed as needed, and no more. Capitalism cannot do that…..
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Will Rogers never met Rush Limbaugh.

I’m pretty sure I would give serious money to be around to see those two meet. Can you imagine if both were on Twitter? It would be truly inspiring, I think, to see how Mr. Rogers would have reacted to some of Rush’s more egregious statements. As a matter of fact, I believe I will make it a project, to research material from both, and find appropriate selected statements on the same, or similar person, event, idea, whatever. I’m sure I can find some doozies…(is that word still legal? does anybody still understand it?) Okay, I can find some fine examples….no, too tame. I can find some flat out funny stuff. That’ll do for now. Actually, we’ll just amend it to, I can find some. Good enough…..look for that on a website near you soon!….
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And yet, as angels in some brighter dreams
Call to the soul when man doth sleep,
So some strange thoughts transcend our wonted themes,
And into glory peep.
— Henry Vaughan (1621-1695)
— They are all gone

As I’ve said before, I love poetry, and only wish I had the ability to create it well. I can do it, but it always comes out stiff, and without spark. I would dearly love to be able to put words together in such a way that they arrow straight into the heart of the reader, and taking the mind on a fantastic trip through fields of esoterica, inspiring and fulfilling as it pleases. Alas, it is not within me to do so. Fortunately, there are a lot of folks out there who can, and do write it well; they all have my complete admiration, and my gratitude for existing…….I like this one for its imagery, and its’ potent depths…..all in four short lines. Amazing!…..
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“While my BRAINPAN is being refused service in BURGER KING,  Jesuit priests are DATING CAREER DIPLOMATS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Good grief, this is tragic! Something must be done! Hand me that copy of the Who’s Who, and call the A Team! They’re the only ones who can save the damsel in distress/the oppressed townfolk/the old buddy’s daughter’s brave but outnumbered boyfriend’s charity/all life as we know it (choose one), without ever drawing a single drop of blood, or striking any living creature at all with any of their 20,000 rounds fired! Oh, and they’ll build a tank to use while they’re at it; we can always use it later to visit our Congressman in Washington D.C. Next week, we can watch the reruns with a bunch of popcorn drenched in cholesterol-free butter……
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That’s probably enough for one morning. I do have to watch myself, as I’ll tend to just keep going, and going, and going……when I get into the Zone, time and the outside world fade away. Lots of new projects going on at my house, so I’d best get started on the rest of the day, holiday or no. It’s been real, and y’all take care out there……

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

Kowabunga!

Hey! This cue ball isn’t round!…

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Ffolkes,
Hello…..I’m trying to find myself.  Has anyone seen me lately? So frustrating; I just set myself down yesterday, and when I got up, I wasn’t there anymore. I hate when this happens. It just throws a monkey wrench into my works, and I have to spend an unknown period of wasted time looking for myself in all the places I hide.  This time, I think I must have come up with a new place, because I’m not in any of the old places. Oh well, for today, we’ll just have to go on without me. You go ahead, I’ll catch up…..
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Women, cats, and golf; man was not meant to understand these things.

If this isn’t true, it should be. I can attest in all three areas that trying to understand any of them is fruitless. Golf, for me, isn’t a terribly big issue; I didn’t take it up until I was almost 40, so I don’t feel bad that knowledge of its deep magic may never be mine. Cats, in my opinion, are also unpredictable in their interactions. Cats were worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt, and they have never forgotten; it shows in their disdain for any mere human rules. And women! Boy, like any man my age, I could spend days recounting how many ways women have shown me that anything I think I know about them is ridiculously, pathetically useless in figuring out how to deal with them. No matter how well one knows a woman, they can change at the drop of a name, and exhibit characteristics we’ve never seen before, anywhere or when. It is a wise man indeed who keeps this knowledge in the forefront of awareness in his dealing with women; it’s the only chance we have of emerging from the contact unscathed. But, you know what? For all three of them, I wouldn’t have it any other way…..because it just makes them more attractive as a goal to know that bringing out the best in each will be challenging. And challenges, met with courage and wit, make us stronger, and feel more alive…..
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“Yesterday I saw a chicken crossing the road.  I asked it why.  It told me it  was none of my business.” — Steven Wright

Steven Wright’s may be the strangest mind ever produced by humans. I love the way his vision distorts the reality that the rest of us normally perceive, twisting it into some of the oddest configurations anyone has ever seen, and each is more hilarious than the last. When I used the old format for Pearls, at least once a year, I’d collect several of his jokes to present in a group, just because it was a great way to break rhythm, and it was always one of the best received productions of the year.

His genius lies, I think, in the way he can make ordinary life appear to be 180 degrees from where it actually is, and still make us see it as normal. The contrast between what he sees as normal, and our own, is what produces the laughter, just as if you had walked into a door and were forced to laugh at yourself. I’m just glad that he is alive now, and giving the world his unique take; it’s good to know that since he’s near my age, I’ll have had his humor to help me get through for almost my entire life. That’s a good thing; one can never have too many sources to help us laugh, even if, and especially if, it is at ourselves…..
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“He who learns but does not think, is lost!  He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” — Confucius

“He who does neither is eligible to join the crowd as a Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2012.” — gigoid

Although there are moments, when I’m reading some new report on the latest verbal bomb from the Republican gallery of fools, that I despair for the race, I have to admit it’s really handy for us writers. Every day, sometimes several times, we are presented with a huge bounty of material by these folks, who seem to not only have the habit of shooting themselves in the foot, but seem to enjoy it, and, at best, are using it as a campaign tactic to draw attention. There isn’t even any need to go deep to look for stuff the politicos would rather you didn’t know, because they have taken it upon themselves to offer that information in their own statements, made obvious by their loquaciousness on certain subjects, and their reluctance to speak on others. It’s almost as if they are printing up pictures of themselves with arrows pointing to their most vulnerable points.

I really don’t understand how so many obviously unqualified and downright idiotic people ever got the notion that they could possibly do this. The only thing I can come up with is that they are completely out of touch with any sort of objective information, and have determined that their own subjective judgments are sufficient reason to qualify them for the Presidency. In other words, they are delusional, as that word is defined as “continuing to hold as truth information that has been proven false.” Now, do we really want anyone who suffers from delusional thinking to be the one holding the button that launches the nuclear holocaust? I don’ know about you, but I would give that question a resounding “NO!”…..and not feel a whit of guilt…..
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“The world is full of burled and gnarly knobs on which you can hang a metaphysical system. If you must.” — Edward Abbey

Here then is a logical mind. My evidence? His reluctance to impose an invented set of rules on a world that resists any such restraint is, in my mind, eminently sensible. Why do we have to make up stuff to try to explain how the universe functions? What quality does our curiosity have that compels us to seek out some kind of system to help us to deal with reality that simply exists, as it is, no ups, no extras needed? Humans seem to want some kind of order to their existence, and for some reason, can’t seem to come to terms with things the way they are. They seem to need to apply their own set of prejudices to the world, an impulse stemming from some unknown inner compulsion that has held back the tide of human progress for just about our entire history.

My own opinion is that human nature, being what it is, noted way back in the old days, that a man with no principles can manipulate other people through their own set of behavioral rules. By balancing a friendly, smiling face with a completely sociopathic conscience, they have been able to keep most of mankind in thrall ever since we first started farming and coming together in cities to trade. And they continue today to blithely steal and rob from us without compunction, and without consequence.  As a matter of fact the news of late has been full of evidence of their millennial-long hold over the rest of humanity. We (the gullible masses, as identified in 1935 by H. L. Mencken, who coined the word ‘the booboisie’) have even given them a name; we now call them the 1%.

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.” — Albert Einstein

The battle lines for Armageddon have been drawn, and the combatants have chosen their sides; the war is coming, and I wouldn’t do a thing to stop it, because freeing ourselves from the people who live for power is our only hope for survival as a species. The 1% probably believes that they will be the only survivors of a world-wide catastrophe, and odds are, they may be right. But I’ll be damned if I’ll go without putting up an epic fight, for my life, and my liberty……

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Walt Kelly (in POGO)
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Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.
— Emily Dickinson

We’ve all heard the question, in some form or another, “if you could talk to anyone in history for an hour, to whom would you ask to speak?”. Well, I’d want to talk to Emily……maybe it makes me strange (which is okay, and not entirely untrue), but I’d really like to be able to spend some time absorbing her world-view. According to reports she was rather reclusive, so it might be a struggle to get her to agree, but she is still the one I’d ask for. Having always wished I could be a better poet, I hold close to my heart the hope (as described so eloquently above) that by sharing space and thoughts with her for a time, perhaps some piece of her talent would transfer to my soul. SIGH…..one can always hope…..
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Today’s effort was just that…an effort. But, I’m glad to say I was up to the challenge, at least in a manner of speaking. Which when you think of it, about all I have to offer is my manner of speaking. Thus, having given of all I have, I shall bid thee adieu……y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

The Carmelite nuns just taste better…..

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Ffolkes,
Today, International Space Station Expedition 31 will blast off from somewhere in Russia, to carry 3 new astronauts (from 3 countries) up into orbit to deliver supplies and personnel. I would willingly and cheerfully give any body part, and promise anything but my honor, to be on that ship when it leaves the confines of gravity for the freedom of space.

To travel away from Earth has always been one of my most cherished dreams, and remains as my penultimate goal, sometime before I die (which shouldn’t be imminent for some time yet). I’ve seen rumors in the news that it is now possible to go as a tourist; two or three civilian millionaires have already been to the station, paying an outrageous amount of money (more than a million, I believe, though they didn’t say exactly) for the privilege. Now all I’ve got to do is get my book done, and wait for it to hit the bestseller list. Then, with the advance money for the next one, I’ll take the trip, and count it as research for another book……slick, eh? Now all I have to do is write a bestseller…..piece o’cake!….Ooooooh, wait…..first I’ll check my lottery ticket!…….
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“Virtue is the beauty, and vice the deformity, of the soul.” — Socrates (B.C. 469-399)

I am continually amazed at the sheer bulk of the wisdom that was being promulgated in the centuries leading up to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The millennium prior to that historically seminal event gave us Socrates, Plato, Pliny the Elder, and the Younger, Aristotle, Archimedes (triangles, remember?), and a veritable host of other men, and women most likely (they’ve been less published, but were around, I’m sure) whose breadth and depth of understanding of the world around them formed and immense, balanced, and durable landscape, based on knowledge, garnered by both induction and deduction. Their thoughts make up the pillars upon which modern day society is built, and, as in the case of this statement on human nature, remain as valid today as when they were first uttered. Even in today’s complex world of the future, one can do worse than to base their behavior on the Athenian model…..
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“I went to the bank and went over my savings. I found out I have all the  money that I’ll ever need. If I die tomorrow.” — Henny Youngman

At first, this didn’t really seem of much value, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a subtle piece of sarcasm it really is. In just the one line, Henny was able to take a poke at banks, the government, the IRS, Social Security, and the culture of the time, one which spent a lot of time creating fantasies and embracing illusion. In at least one respect, my own situation mirrors this joke, which is, to me, a very damning indication of the sickness of modern culture. Too many people today are in the same boat; the fat cats have been nervous in the last couple of months, because all over the world, people are gathering together to speak out against the 1%’ers and the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor.

Things have gotten to the point where the middle classes are not just joining in the protests with the disenfranchised poor, but starting and leading them in their desperation to bring the message to the world’s attention. Why are they doing this? Easy…..they have realized that the greed and soulless ambition of the 1% has created a situation where even those who pull in close to a hundred thousand a year are just two paychecks away from being homeless themselves. The beloved ruling class may have made a strategic error in allowing things to become so obviously imbalanced; it may be too late to stop the coming revolution. It is coming, for sure; the warning signs are growing ever more obvious, and the future is, to say the least, unsettled at best……
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He first deceased; she for a little tried
To live without him, liked it not, and died.
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — Upon the Death of Sir Albert Morton’s Wife

Reading this has been somewhat healing for me, even in the relatively short time since I found it. I find it to be wonderfully sentimental. It tells a story common in mankind’s history, of love that lasted beyond life. It is a bit saddening in one respect, at least for me, for I’ve come to realize that I never really have been loved like this. I’ve been in love several times in my increasingly embarrassing number of years, always with the intent on my part to give this measure of trust and love to my partner. But, here I am, alone once again, because like Tom Robbins asks in one of his books, “How can you make love stay?”. All of the women who I have loved, for some reason unknown to me, eventually wanted out of my world, and that is painful, for it makes me doubt myself. But I’ve come to realize that though I have yet to find the woman who is my true mate, I have given of myself all that I could, and all you can do is all you can do…..more patience must be cultivated. And hey, in the meantime, I always have y’all to keep me busy and amused, if only with meself……
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Cogito, ergo sum presupposes “I”-ness.

This is an elegant example of two things. First, how easy it is to let “logic” be applied as if it were a hammer, and second, a perfect model of the concept of mental masturbation. To look at it superficially, this is a truism, and actually somewhat subtle. But it requires a bit of unwarranted arrogance to assume self-hood, with no given basis of proof beyond its own internal structure. It leads the reader into the common mistake of using the word for a concept as an argument for its existence, kind of like saying, “only those who love can know love” or some similar inanity.

We cannot perceive the universe through any other filter but that of our own consciousness, and “I”-ness is OF COURSE pre-supposed . No “I’, then no cogito. Simple, yes? No, you’re right, it’s not. But it all serves as a good example of how one can get caught up in esoteric fields of thought by following our innate curiosity, and end up in a room with no corners, no light, and no help but our own inner strength…..and  a sense of humor, which allows you to laugh at yourself, and move on……
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“All governments need enemies. How else to justify their existence?” — Edward Abbey

In this spot, I had intended to open a discussion of the above question, and even looked forward to a morning rant in such a fertile field of interest as the public circus we call electoral politics. But my spirit this fine morning isn’t quite up to the emotional side-effects of stirring that particular pot, so I’m going to give you the above, and some direction. I’d like you to sit back, open up some spare ROM in your head, and think to yourselves what I might have written about this quotation, knowing as you do some of my cogitative peculiarities. When you’ve done that, read the following line, and we’ll count that as this morning’s exercise. Okay? Okay!…….

How come you never see a politician laugh? Because they know what they’re getting away with, and if they started laughing, they’d never stop.
___________________________________

Christmas is imminent, so I’ve got to get back to Reality.  Where IS that silly Blue Dragon?…… Y’all take care out there……

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Swatches of unconsecrated plaid….

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Ffolkes,
Okay, okay, I’m up, no need to yell……what? Who’s there? Oh, it’s y’all…..well, since I’m up…….I suppose I should get started….
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“The real money is in starting your own religion.” — L. Ron Hubbard

Back in the late 1920’s or 30’s, I’m uncertain which, L. Ron Hubbard and Robert A. Heinlein were both cadets at Annapolis, the Navy’s officer training facility. They were friends, of a sort, and later in life would carry on a semi-friendly competition, to see whose work of science fiction would sell better. Although Heinlein usually won (his style of writing was more palatable to the general reading audience than Hubbard’s), Hubbard also created a large body of work, most of which, though somewhat out there on the fringes of space, were engaging and powerful stories. Though he never achieved the status that his friend did in the SF field, he still has a large following of fans who believe him to be the best, and they have some arguable points.

Dianetics, the so-called religion of Christian Scientists, is based on a book that L. Ron Hubbard wrote. He wrote it, had it published, and then sat back and watched it become far more popular than anything else he had published. The Christian Scientists now have chapters all over the world, with several million devotees who are convinced that it is the road to salvation and eternal peace. It is, to say the least, the best practical joke ever played on the unsuspecting human race, and the longest lasting as well.

You see, Hubbard wrote the book as a joke, He proposed the above statement to Bob Heinlein, and when Heinlein expressed his skepticism, Hubbard made the claim that he could make up his own religion, and people would flock to it. Heinlein dared him to try, and the result was the book, Dianetics. The book succeeded far beyond Hubbard’s expectations, and he was still laughing on the day he died, laughing that none of the folks who bought into it could see the obvious chicanery…..

You see, he left a very obvious clue in the structure of the book, a clue that immediately throws the entire book into the realm of fantasy. Science, by definition, is about measuring the universe, and to measure, one needs mathematics. In the entire book, there is not one mathematical principle, and no other evidence of any scientific method. The entire philosophy was a mental exercise, sheer intellectual masturbation, produced by a creative genius out of the fabric of his own mind, for the single purpose of pulling the wool over people’s eyes. It has succeeded beyond any expectation, and I think it’s hilarious……
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“It’s like brother Nietzsche said–being human is a complicated gig, so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal yes.

Yes! Howl it loud! And leave the guilt at home…..”life tastes better in big bites” (Lazarus Long) Too many folks get caught up in the everyday drudgery that afflicts most of us in this culture, and in doing so, forget to take the time to nourish the spirit. A moment of two of play, laughing with a friend, splurging on that special blouse, just some kind of reward to yourself for putting up with all the demands made on us by everyday life, and not losing control enough to start biting people. (If I haven’t said it before, that’s a tough one for me; when I get worked up, it makes me want to bite somebody bad….) Not doing so is a good thing, and justifies a little pampering and self-indulgence. Life is tough enough, and trying to get through it without letting off some steam now and again is a fool’s game. And you can’t win if you don’t play…..
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Given a conflict, Murphy’s law supersedes Newton’s.

Murphy, that playful, grinning SOB, besides being an a__h__, is unfortunately a manifestation of one of our universe’s general laws, to wit: Entropy. He represents that power of chaos that permeates every molecule in existence, and provides the balance to the general orderliness of reality. His presence at every human interaction, and every human action, for that matter, is ubiquitous, and keeps us from ever getting completely comfortable in our skins, never knowing when the other shoe will drop. It gets to be a real pain after a while, especially when, like with me, Murphy takes a personal interest in our activities, and follows me around just waiting for the right moment to drop a load of manure on my head (figuratively speaking, of course….). He particularly loves it when I sit down to play solitaire, as it seems his greatest delight is to stack the decks so I lose, but only after ten minutes of trying to uncover that last king, or even longer trying to find an ace to play. I think it’s because he knows I don’t like him much, but hey, that’s not gonna change, so I guess both of us will just have to get used to it……and that’s the name of that tune……
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“Humankind cannot stand very much reality.” — T.S. Eliot

This is probably why most humans spend so much of their time foolishly trying to deny reality, or change it into something more like what they want or expect. I think most, if not all, people are unhappy with their lot in life, at least in the respect that they wish to make changes that will enable them to be more comfortable. What they seldom realize is that all their efforts are for naught; reality changes to suit itself, according to the precepts of natural law, and any changes we humans make are ephemeral, temporary at best, and completely useless for the most part. So, these folks have a tendency to ignore or deny reality, and then can never understand why they never seem to get anywhere. They have no notion of where they are going, so that is where they end up, once again disappointed and confused, a state all too familiar to most folks…..Accepting reality, and working within its constraints, is a much surer way to obtain at least some of what we want in life…….and less frustrating for sure…..
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Each time that Americans hold another election, about the only thing they learn is that they did not learn much from the last election.

Politics, necessary evil that it is, has been in the control of the wickedly avaricious for a number of years now. There is no longer any possible way for a normal, middle class person to be elected to any of the higher offices in our government. It takes a minimum of 5 or 10 million dollars just to think about entering the fray, and that is before money gets collected from supporters. That is the ‘ante up’ amount that qualifies one to be allowed to be considered.

So what does this mean for those of us not in the ‘ruling class’? It means that the only power we have left to us is in our vote, and only about a third of Americans can usually work up the interest to bother voting at all. In the election prior to this last one, the Shrub’s second stolen term, the figures worked out to show that he was elected with a mere 15% of the American voters choosing to give him their vote. That means we chose our leader (superficially) by letting about 5-10% of our population determine who will lead the rest of us. Pretty scary, eh?

But it’s not going to change, at least not until more than just myself, and a few like-minded miscreants, want to make a radical change, and take back the power and freedom that we have let slip away. And since I can’t seem to find any of the others who feel this way, I guess I’ll just have to do as I always do…..stay alert, and be ready to jump, because things are going to get pretty nasty our there, when all of the chaos and entropy we have been attempting to ignore rushes in and sends us down the same road as the dinosaurs, and the Dodo bird…..
___________________________________

Well, gosh, I feel like I just got started, and here I am done. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. The weather out in the Big Blue Room looks pretty cold and blustery; we’re deep into fall now, and winter’s just down the street. It’s a good day for being indoors, and a good day to be thankful for having the wherewithal to be able to stay indoors, out of the inclement weather. There are a lot of our fellow humans out there who don’t have that luxury…….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’…..
_________________________________________

“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…..
__________________________________________

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.
___________________________________________

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!

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….
______________________________________

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…..
_______________________________________

“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!

…and a mother-of-pearl handle on the spatula, please…..

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Ffolkes,
Oh, we’re off to see the lizard, the wonderful lizard of Id.
He’s a whiz of a lizard, ‘cuz of all the wonderful things he did…..

(Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
che la diritta via era smarrita.)
Midday this way of life we’re bound upon
I woke to find myself in a dark wood,
Where the right road was wholly lost and gone.
— Dante’s Divine Comedy, Incipit

I don’t know about y’all, but I have been at this point in my life for long time, on more than one occasion. Dante’s genius was never more evident when he penned his Divine Comedy, and his insights into human nature are like little nuggets of pure gold found in a large pile of offal. What occurs to me this morning is that this particular point in our lives is one that we can easily get stuck in, never finding our way out of the dark wood, and spending our days in misery. I’ve been there, and I’ve done that, and I still can’t really say how I went about finding the road back to sanity. It’s like that memory is a skittish horse, that won’t let me approach to fasten a bridle. All I know is that one day, the light came  back, and I could see the way home once again. It’s a scary time for all of us, and I only wish I could share whatever it was that helped me to get home. I suppose it is the kind of lesson that each of us needs to learn on our own, in order to really understand the lesson to be learned…….

“Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal.” — Charles Darwin

Although I’ve never understood it completely, I am aware that most people believe that they are intrinsically better than animals; these folks are the ones who object when they are included in the animal kingdom at all, voicing loudly that “I’m not an Animal, I’m a Man!” Their entire self-image is based in the belief that animals, as well as humans of a different culture, skin color, or religion, are lesser creatures, though if queried, most, if not all, would be unable to list any coherent reasons why they believe that. The ones who do reply will usually refer back to a religious principle that that they learned before they reached the age of reason, with the additional attitude that states, “The Book is divinely inspired, and therefore infallible. If it’s in the Book, then God said it, I believe it, and that’s the end of it.”

This belief is  attractive to many folks, as it removes from them all responsibility for their actions. As long as they can convince themselves that they were acting in God’s name, or working God’s will, then they can lie, cheat, steal from, or oppress any number of humans of a different color or religious belief. They know**, as long as they confess their sins, they will be forgiven, so there is no consequence for acting toward others as if they were an enemy.  If they are automatically superior to other humans, why should they act any differently toward the animals who share this planet with us? There is nothing in it for them to make them consider changing. And it’s a little difficult to picture one’s self as the Lord of Creation, while admitting that most other animals are equally endowed. Just not going to happen. Having observed humans all my life, I can say with authority that 99.9% of humanity will never come to the realization that other creatures are as essential to the proper functioning of the Universe as are they.

**Why shouldn’t they know? After all, they are the ones who decided what characteristics God has, and they are probably continually patting themselves on the back for having had the foresight to include the quality of forgiveness for sins, in exchange for confession. In my humble opinion, frank admission of a vice does not turn it into a virtue……

— How many surrealists does it take to change a light bulb?
–Two. One to hold the giraffe and the other to fill the bathtub with brightly colored machine tools.

Zen Buddhist practitioners use the principle of zazen (literally “seated meditation”) to achieve a state of mind where contemplation will bring the clarity of mind to enable one to let down barriers that otherwise prevent enlightenment. The focus of the meditation can be a poem, a short phrase, one of the eternal questions, a picture, or almost anything. When they seek this state, the point of focus is often what is called a koan, a small statement or story presenting an element of the true nature of reality, often given as a paradox. The purpose of the koan is to create within the mind of the devotee a connection to true reality, and to lead one to an understanding of that reality.

    The couplet above, one of a series of jokes (obviously a spin-off of ‘knock, knock, who’s there?’ jokes) that shows how differing approaches to the task of changing the bulb, by different segments of society, show the nature of the bulb-changer. I like this one because it reminds me of some of the Zen koans I’ve seen. It paints a picture, doesn’t it? And the picture it paints may not be a step on the path to enlightenment, but it is certainly enough to lighten the moment…. 🙂

Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Banjo music and french toast….

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11/8/11
Ffolkes,
We begin anew, night into day; we are fresh, we are alive. We are…..

To whom the mornings are like nights,
What must the midnights be!
— Emily Dickinson

One of my favorite parts of life is experiencing serendipity. There is something very fulfilling, very soothing about getting more than expected from Reality; like a free sno-cone, or finding a forgotten dollar bill in your pocket. And every time I come across another poem by Emily D., I get that thrilling feeling, of having looked for dirt, and found diamonds instead. How fascinating it would be, to be able to hold a conversation with someone whose mind possessed such a unique vision of the world, and found within herself the language to describe those visions with clarity, and beauty. This one is typical of her ability to show a side of Reality that most folks never consider, and put that piece of Reality into a form that brings the reader to a deep understanding of what they heretofore had never known. And in two miserly, but meaningful verses, at that!


The appeal of Ms. D’s poetry is as strong today as it was during her life, and its timelessness is borne out by the fact that even today, her verses have lessons for us to learn that are as important as they were a hundred years ago. The program I use to generate a lot of my Pearls, and where I found this little nugget, suggests that this poem could easily be descriptive of the hackish culture, (from hackers, aka rogue, or independent computer programmers) members of which are frequently to be found working through the night, and whose world-view could be described as being as unique as hers. To my way of thinking, poetry that is timeless, and as deeply insightful as this, is the pinnacle, the ultimate, most important use of language, for it makes us more human for having read it…..

— How many
Zen masters
— does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two: one to change the bulb and one not to change it.

The writings and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, or Enlightened One, were created during his life in India, in the time before Jesus of Nazareth was born. His words have inspired humankind for well over two millenia, bringing peace of mind and hope for the future to all who would follow its precepts. An integral part of Buddhist practice is meditation, using the clarity of mind  brought about by introspection to lead one along the path to pure enlightenment. A Zen Buddhist will sit and contemplate, for example, the duality of perception, examining Reality from both sides, and how the nature of being human is grounded in our method of perceiving the duality present in every object, and concept, in this universe. We see due to the presence or absence of light; we hear because each word is surrounded by silence. Coming to an understanding of how we relate to the events of our life as another expression of the dual nature of the universe is a valuable tool, useful in coming to terms with events that would otherwise be troubling. A deep-seated knowledge of how Reality works can only be helpful in a world that constantly challenges us to meet demanding standards, and won’t even tell us what those standards entail. In other words, it’s a good tool for slowing down Entropy, or at least painting it a nice lively color…….

“Animals can be driven crazy by putting too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s — “Time Enough For Love”

Regular readers of this…..I never know just what this is, so we’ll call it an ongoing exploration of reality….will be aware that a common subject of discussion is the power of human stupidity, and how deliberate ignorance plays a big part in the sad state of affairs of society at large. The reason I end up writing about this so often is pretty obvious; the news every day is chock full of examples of how another bonehead move, deliberately aggressive behavior, or ignorant remark has caused some kind of problem, problems that may or may not involve death, destruction, injury, or even, heaven forbid, halitosis (gasp!!!). People are people, and they are constantly finding new ways to abuse this sorry old planet, believing in their own false immortality, and worst of all, believing they have the right to act any way they wish, regardless of how it affects others or the outside world.

     This sense of entitlement, encouraged shamefully by organized religions that tout Mankind as the inheritors of the Earth, chosen by their (G)od to “have dominion” over the rest of the life forms, is the underlying false premise behind most of society’s ills. When a premise is false, the conclusion can only be false, as well, and this idea of the superiority of our species, can be seen as the critical factor in human nature that allows us to make decisions that are only in OUR interests, and the rest of Reality matters not at all. As long as I’ve got my milkshake, who cares about the rest?……selfish creatures, are we not?…….

Hmmm….a little less positive than I like to be, but truth nonetheless….. y’all take care out there…..

—

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

gigoid

Dozer at play..

Kowabunga!

Luckily, the rabbit lived, and prospered….

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Ffolkes,
Skyclad before the pale, he sits to write his way into the day……and in an unprecedented move, he has brought his brain with him!…..

“In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Have the claws of depression ever set themselves in your flesh, slicing their way into your conscious mind to fill it with diffuse anxiety and deep despair? Have you sat, alone in a dark room, and thought of all that you have lost? Does the sunshine make you angry for being so cheerful? When depression rears its ugly head and takes over the soul, the world loses all its color and warmth; everything you see is grey and shadowed, and somehow menacing. Being alone becomes a penance, a sentence for violations of natural law, and sleep is the only surcease from the crushing weight that weighs down the mind, and soul. All the goodness in the world seems far away, and unattainable by any effort we can make. Even hope becomes uncomfortable, because of the fear it will turn out to be false. Thoughts and feelings feel out of control, and the simplest tasks can become a challenge to your reduced level of functioning. Believe me when I say, being depressed is no picnic, and you still get the ants……


Having been a psychiatric technician for so long, I know the effects of depression very well, from both sides of the therapeutic relationship, having treated many depressed individuals, and having suffered its claws myself due to PTSD. It is a difficult condition to treat, from a therapist’s viewpoint, as it is difficult to help someone find the light when they want to sit in the dark, and close their eyes against the light. And from the other side, the negative filter through which a depressed individual views the world denies any possibility of change. For  reasons which are still unclear, a person who becomes depressed is actually more comfortable in that state than they are when they are not influenced by its debilitating symptoms. And from having experienced it myself, I can tell you without hesitation that it is insidiously powerful, and incredibly hard to set aside in order to get back to a more stable mental state, one in which the world again becomes beautiful, the spirit once again takes flight, and life regains its attraction once more…….

The sense of death is most in apprehension;
And the poor beetle, that we tread upon,
In corporal sufferance finds a pang as great
As when a giant dies.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Measure for Measure — Act iii, Sc. 1

I usually steer clear of using Shakespeare, as his work has been over-used, and IMHO is over-rated anyway. He did write a lot of beautiful passages, and should be considered as a master of the sonnet as well as the play. But I like this one, both for the creative beauty of his phrasing and structure, and for the idea behind it, which I see as a clear observation of the interconnectedness of all life-forms. We’re born, we live, and we die, thus completing the cycle of existence as per the natural laws of this universe (or at least as far as we know those laws…..). And every other creature on this planet goes through the same cycle of birth, life, death, birth, life, death, etc…, until one can only conclude that we must be alike in other ways as well, and are thereby connected in some fashion, both to the universe, and to each other. This connection puts us all on the same level, at least in the eyes of the universe; no form of life escapes death. We humans, though intelligent, curious, and supremely adaptive to new environments, have no advantage over the tiniest creature on Earth, for we all will face our mortality in the end.

     Thus our sense of entitlement, of being the top of the food chain, is not justified, for we have no more power over death than the smallest, weakest life form in our world. Species discrimination based on intelligence is foolish; we must come to terms with our own mortality and accept our position in the universe, not above other forms of life, but shoulder to shoulder. We may as well, because we’re going to die anyway; it’s best to try to approach it with some dignity based on fact, rather than unjustified delusion…..

“If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” — Thumper (1942)

Bill Russell, the former professional basketball player, is considered by many fans to be the best defensive player ever to play the game. He played the game with studied intensity, and with complete dignity, approaching the contests with the same attitude he approached life. He was a proponent of the above attitude, one we all learned as a child, watching Bambi and Thumper inflict their terminal cuteness on unsuspecting children in a theater near you. And, as far as it goes, it is a good piece of advice, well worth considering, and useful in teaching manners. But, as with any childish conclusion, it doesn’t go quite far enough. But Bill said this, “One should play the game as a gentleman, always. But, there are times when an elbow to the chops is the only way to make a point.” (My apologies to Bill, as the quote is a paraphrase, the original being unavailable to check for accuracy; the point it makes is intact)


Yes, being nice to each other is the best way to approach living with others, and not speaking never got anyone into trouble over what they said.  But the rules for behavior amongst ourselves need to be very flexible, and subject to revision moment by moment. There are too many facets to the human mind to ever consider limiting one’s choices of how to react to any particular situation. This is reinforced by the nature of reality, i.e. constant unpredictable changes are normal, so once again, limiting how we choose to act is an inappropriate response, and doomed to failure. As a human, we need to embrace that part of us that is flexible, and creative, in order to have the best chance of dealing with reality while still staying sane……

Speaking of sanity, keeping mine is going to require some work today, so I’ll be off now to pursue other activities, reluctantly. I will leave you with the following thoughts…..

All men are poets at heart
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
All poets are mad
— Robert Burton

Y’all take care out there…..

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

Kowabunga!