“Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.”
~~ Joseph Campbell ~~
Richmond/San Rafael Bridge from the Bay….
Hajime…. Rather than spending two or three paragraphs detailing the extent of the effort necessary to post today’s Pearl, I’ll merely describe the entire episode as ‘epic’, & let it go at that. After all, the introduction of any type of literature implies some sort of ‘introduction’, not a compendium of gratuitous pandering in solicitation of sympathy. As some BBC show once noted God to have said, “I AM the Supreme Deity, y’know. I’m not entirely dim.” In this case, I’m God, with more insight…. I know, sounds not merely blasphemous, but, arrogant. But, give me a break; it’s early yet.
Oh, right. Introduction. What we have here is a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, comprised of all the standard parts in the current format. As such, there really isn’t much more to say, so, I’ll let today’s collection of assembled thoughts on Life at Large, as expressed in various venues, speak the rest of our message, such as it may be, for itself…. If you don’t quite follow the dots to a clear picture, no worries; the journey is the thing, not the destination, or, as we are so fond of reminding ourself, especially when we get stuck in the royal we, “the map is NOT the terrain.”
I could add quite a bit more, I suppose, but, the simple truth is, it wouldn’t help, so, from this point, you’re on your own… No surprise there, eh?….
Shall we Pearl?….
“There is nothing like death. To it, everything is a metaphor.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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‘Tula’ ~~ Image from Playing For Change
Today’s music features a talented singer who works with Playing For Change, as a member of their official touring band. I’ve enjoyed hearing her voice for a couple years now, since first stumbling across my first P4C video…. I consider the organization one of the few worthwhile charitable foundations in existence, & contribute to them regularly. I hope you enjoy what you hear, & visit their site, where you can participate in working for peace through music…. Abondanza!….
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Playing For Change Tal Ben Ari (Tula) & Roberto Luti Teach Your Children
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Vague Glimpses of a Rainbow
All the sad notions of propriety had fled,
Screaming their anger for pausing in song,
Until late came the rabid fog, colored in red,
As serenity cried, unafraid to live so strong.
Fallow fields in faithful patience set free,
Dragged from birth, by their own nature cast
Saving each moment against fear yet to be,
Carved into silence, by ignorance held fast.
Historical forces plod slowly ’tis often said
Anxieties streaming stiffly, one epoch to the next.
Cultural mania stands nonchalant in its stead
No sadder epitaph has such bittersweet context.
Patterned bags of forgotten virtue lie in wait
Blessed by reminders whose souls value affinity
Frozen webs surround the fields in gravid state
Grasping passionately within obvious opportunity.
Passage to future realities isn’t guaranteed
Small favors for deities was left off the menu
No roses, nor manna, nor gallant aerial steed
Left traces of fatal, yet originally gracious venue.
~~ gigoid ~~
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Naked Pearls
A few notes on Life at Large….
*******
“Life is too short to waste
In critic peep or cynic bark,
Quarrel or reprimand:
‘Twill soon be dark;
Up! mind thine own aim, and
God speed the mark!”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“Only the madman is absolutely sure.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
*******
“One cannot live without inconsistency.”
~~ C. G. Jung ~~
*******
“When the fox gnaws — smile.”
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
*******
“I say love, it is a flower; and you, it’s only seed.”
~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~
*******
“My skin,
my bones,
my heretic heart
are my authority.”
~~ Catherine Madsen ~~
*******
“Today is what happened to yesterday.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
*******
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Okay, ffolkes; I’m done. As well, it would probably be for the best not to ask. Let’s just keep it simple, & say, see y’all tomorrow. I’d like to think the odds are good, but, then, I’ve been wrong before. Be well, & happy as you may, anyway….
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.
“The border between the Real and the Unreal is not fixed,
but just marks the last place where rival gangs of shamans
fought each other to a standstill.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
Tacking for home on SF Bay, near China Camp…
Hajime…. Most mornings, when I sit to begin this introductory section, I am faced with a blank screen to match my generally blank mind; today’s conundrum is the opposite. I have too many things going ’round in my head from which to choose, any of which would do, making the decision that much harder for someone accustomed, as I am, to waffling in the morning. (I won’t define ‘waffling’; if you don’t know, you don’t want to know, trust me….) I suppose it’s just one more piece of evidence as to the truth of the old saw about the donkey who starved between the pile of hay, and the pile of oats, for lack of the power to choose….
If I choose to speak of most of what I have to use, this section could grow beyond the bounds of reason, shooting right toward epic, or even massive; I have found such to be ‘interesting’, mostly, if somewhat unwieldy. Boring, too. So, we’ll avoid all that, by falling back on our old standard, to wit: blather & nonsense. We’re good at that….
But, wait! There’s more…. In addition to my lack of ability to choose, I find myself with a complete absence of ‘give a shit’; this, fortunately, will save the day, for I’ll use that to simply dump the intro altogether, leaving all of us in a dither. Dithering is preferable to waffling, marginally, so, we’ll settle for that, & just get on with the rest of today’s mess. It’s pretty standard, all in all, but, the old-school section may provide some chuckles, and/or, furrowed brow moments. One may hope, though hope is a delusion, as well as a denial of reality. Ah well, it’s far too late for philosophizing, even if we stood half a chance of doing so with any aplomb. Instead, let’s just do this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“I would not enter on my list of friends
(Though graced with polish’d manners and fine sense,
Yet wanting sensibility) the man
Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.”
~~ William Cowper ~~
~~ The Task, Book vi, Winter Walk at Noon, Line 560 ~~
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Though, in reality, there is plenty of time to find some good music, the fact is, I’m lazy, and, I like classical music. So, we’re going with that today, simply to indulge my whimsical nature…. Well, perhaps ‘whimsical’ is a tad optimistic for an old curmudgeon, but, hey, we do what we can, right?… Today’s selection was chosen simply for the picture that first caught my eye…. Enjoy!
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Classical Music
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A Dubiously Soft Morning
Idiosyncratic images, clamoring for regard,
fill up the white, white screen on which I view
my life, never seeing, nor invited to sup
ambrosial remnants of anything new.
Still, yet almost in motion, allegory sails away
bobbing gently, quick and easy to find,
signs of one happy child, seriously at play,
blissfully immersed, focused joy in mind.
Formidable cries of outraged simple justice
echo plaintive relevance, in half the time.
Maladaptive infants, destined for hospice
salvage an only child, daring to sing in rhyme.
Creativity equals unquestioning farce,
often reaching for absurdity, brazenly afire.
Instead, a blow is felt no joy will ever soften,
accepting the price, added to the cost of desire.
~~ gigoid ~~
7/26/2013
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Naked Pearls
Items from the manual….
*******
“He bids fair to grow wise who has discovered that he is not so.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 598 ~~
*******
“Live for those private moments of wild abandon!”
~~ Opus ~~
*******
“If a little knowledge is dangerous,
where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?”
~~ Thomas Henry Huxley ~~
*******
There is no wealth but life.”
~~ John Ruskin ~~
*******
“Life is never fair,
and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.”
~~ Oscar Wilde, “An Ideal Husband” ~~
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“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going,
because you might not get there.”
~~ Yogi Berra ~~
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“It is better to learn late than never.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 864 ~~
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It took every bit of chutzpah I possess, but, it’s done. At this point, any further attempts at rationality, or even clarity, would be both superfluous, and futile. Rather than test the patience of the universe any further, I’ll issue our standard disclaimer, & be on my way back to consensual reality, to see what sort of mischief I can cause…. On days like today, it’s the only path to finding any balance open to me….
As for y’all, be well, be happy as you may, and, be alert. I can’t over-emphasize how important that last one is, ffolkes, but, trust me, the alternative is, to say the least, not something calculated to enhance your day…. Okay, I guess I’m done now; 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.
“Any road followed to its end leads precisely nowhere.
Climb the mountain just a little to test it’s a mountain.
From the top of the mountain, you cannot see the mountain.”
~~ Bene Gesserit proverb ~~
Mirrored trees, River Corrib, Galway, Ireland
Hajime…. In the quiet of the pre-dawn darkness, the old man sits, bent with age & care, pecking away industriously at the keyboard of an old, beat-up laptop computer. Focused intently on his task, he doesn’t notice me watching him, in perfect comfort, wondering, again, just how this illusion worked. Putting that thought aside as irrelevant, I turn to my own task, involving the management, (or, mis-management, as the case may be….), of several congruent, yet separate levels of reality. It’s not an easy task, especially given the operational handicaps implied by having to manage reality, at all, but, as a chosen duty, it remains imperative to do so, even if only to assuage my own sense of guilty pleasure, so sweet, yet so tart….
Y’all may find today’s Pearl a bit obscure, if not completely esoteric. Hopefully, you’ll also find it erudite, and, if I can do it right, even illuminating. That, as always, is probably somewhat optimistic, but, I can’t help that; it’s just the way I am, in direct contrast to how I seem, which is, I am told, somewhat cynical and depressive. I’ve been working, off & on, as my tolerance for sitting dictates, on a discussion of those very characteristics in myself, and the world at large, but, it keeps growing, as is often the case when I bite off more than can be easily chewed in one sitting. I’m hoping it will come together, & be ready soon, but, it will happen as it does, without my having much to say about that part of it….
This is because, for me, the creation process is rather unconscious, or, as much as I can make it so; my conscious mind has very little to do with it, other than to stay out of the way. I’ve found this necessary, in order to be able to persuade what roils and boils around inside my head to put itself into consumable forms, that can be transcribed onto the computer, as opposed to the traditional paper. I can’t necessarily recommend it as a method to be used by any & all, but, it works for me, so, who am I to mess with what works?
It works well enough, I suppose; most of what is in my head makes it onto the screen, one way or another. Though I cannot, and will not, lay claim to any particular brilliance, it works as intended, which is to keep all that crap from building up in my head, to the point the sheer weight of thoughts makes them intractable. So, I keep on keepin’ on, as we used to say in the sixties, and hope for the best. Today, as a major holiday for most of the western, Christian world, I would say the process into which this quest for sanity has evolved is my best defense against the angst I would normally garner in reaction to watching much of the world display their delusional symptomatology, in an orgy of what I consider psychotic smarm. SIGH…
I think, at this point, I’d best get on with the rest of today’s mess, before I write something offensive; the urge to poke at the mundanes becomes quite strong on days such as this, so, we’ll just use one of those efficiently ruthless techniques we keep in this drawer to move us along, & go on to different, if not better things. At this rate, unless I do so now, we could be here for a long time. Instead, watch this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Humans hardly ever learn from the experience of others.
They learn – when they do, which isn’t often – on their own, the hard way.”
~~ Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love ~~
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I’m not sure just why I seem to display this laziness of mine most often on ‘holidays’, but, there it is, just like the hive of bees living in my head. Nonetheless, I do, so, here is our typical choice when faced with this issue, to wit: a collection of classical music designed for reading & studying…. I hope it’s a good one, and enhances your reading experience here today…. If it doesn’t, oh, well…. But, I do hope it does…. Abondanza!….
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Classical Music
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Pure Truth: Elsewhen
Everything I say and do, I’m sure,
only comes from what I know.
If what I’ve said or done is pure,
I can say it’s not just for show.
Sometimes people don’t quite get me.
It can be a pain, for sure.
I try not to let it keep me from being free,
especially when thought becomes a sinecure.
In fact, I try quite hard most of the time,
to keep from hurting folks.
If culture occasionally approached the sublime,
I wouldn’t have to take so many pokes.
Now I’ll make another sacrifice, for y’all,
not just for karma, or, not merely so….
To save yet another downfall,
I’ll stop here. Ensign, make it so….
~~ gigoid ~~
6/2/2014
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Naked Pearls
Diving deep….
*******
“At the bottom no one in life can help anyone else in life;
this one experiences over and over in every conflict and every perplexity:
that one is alone.
That isn’t as bad as it may first appear;
and again it is the best thing in life that each should have everything in himself;
his fate, his future, his whole expanse and world.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
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“Except for our thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.”
~~ Descartes ~~
*******
“I was never here.”
~~ Kilroy ~~
*******
“Most people are on the world, not in it…”
~~ John Muir ~~
*******
“He who has the courage to laugh
is almost as much a master of the world
as he who is ready to die.”
~~ Giacomo Leopardi ~~
*******
“If you cannot find it in yourself, where will you go for it?”
~~ Confucius ~~
*******
“Only the madman is absolutely sure.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
*******
“Today for show and tell
I’ve brought a tiny marvel of nature: a single snowflake.
I think we might all learn a lesson
from how this utterly unique and exquisite crystal
turns into an ordinary, boring molecule of water,
just like every other one, when you bring it in the classroom.
And now, while the analogy sinks in,
I’ll be leaving you drips and going outside.
~~ Calvin, “Calvin and Hobbes” ~~
*******
“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail,
“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle — will you come and join the dance?
“You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!”
But the snail replied “Too far, too far!”, and gave a look askance —
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
“What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied.
“There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France —
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.”
~~ Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” ~~
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I’ve done it again, though I can’t honestly say how it turned out….. It’s hard to see the forest when one is amongst the trees. But, as the Giant said, a path is formed by placing one stone, then the next…. This then, is our final stone for the day, & I herewith place it at your feet. I’ll be back to try again, hopefully tomorrow, though I’m not promising anything. Time, that blabbermouth, will tell, and we’ll listen, if we are smart. For now, adieu, & have a safe holiday, as the world engages in its sublime madness…. 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.
Hajime…. Good morrow, Gentle Reader. Our title today, if one didn’t know it was not, seems to be rather compellingly real, in intent, if naught else. Rest assured, it has nothing at all to do with what you’ll find below. Not that it ever does, but, it’s so close to what passes for real in this society, I felt the necessity to make it clear; it’s not. Real, that is. But, then, around here, Reality often assumes the general appearance of a slippery slope, so, I wouldn’t let it throw you….
Now that’s out of the way, I can tell you today’s Pearl is sort of a throw-together, if not a throw-away. As I sat to begin, I was faced with nothing more than a picture and two pearls; this means the rest got put together on the fly, as fast as possible, with little chance to apply any methodology for quality control, or even originality. Go figure, eh? Nonetheless, it managed to pull itself together, in spite of the handicaps, and my own relative mental acuity, which, sad to say, isn’t at peak. Since it pretty much did that all by itself, I’ll cease and desist trying to explain, and just let if fly, as it is…. It will probably work out best that way. Besides, I’m all out of fresh ideas for how to make this any more relevant, or exciting, so, let’s just do this. Hold on….
Shall we Pearl?….
“There is no rainbow without a cloud or storm.”
~~ J. H. Vincent ~~
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Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes
Image from the UK Daily Mail
Today, I’ve selected one of my favorites; episodes of this version of the Sherlock stories are one of my primary forms of watching videos for entertainment. Here’s a feature length episode of perhaps the most well-known Sherlock stories…. Enjoy!….
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Sherlock Holmes The Hound of the Baskervilles
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A new poem is reluctantly leaking out onto the page, but, seems to be taking its own sweet time about it. Here’s yet another older poem to fill in for today…. I hope you enjoy it…
***********
Penance, Made Simple
After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.
Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.
Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.
Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.
Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/23/2012
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Naked Pearls
And your point would be?….
*******
“The only problem with seeing too much is that it makes you insane.”
~~ Phaedrus ~~
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“Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart.”
~~ Steven Stills ~~
*******
“…happiness is the highest good,
being a realization and perfect practice of virtue,
which some can attain,
while others have little or none of it…”
~~ Aristotle ~~
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“All change is not growth; all movement is not forward.”
~~ Ellen Glasgow ~~
*******
“Your own need to be shines out of any dream or creation you imagine.”
~~ James Earl Jones ~~
*******
“If you don’t laugh at all, you’ve missed the point.
If you only laugh, you’ve missed your chance from illumination.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
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“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.”
~~ Yun-Men ~~
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I am told, by those who would know, I am done. As I look back over today’s mess, I can’t say I am either thrilled, or disappointed. This, of course, means it passes the standard test, so, I’ll let it be, & try not to worry about it. I guess, if one stops to think about it, I’ve done worse, and, probably will do so again. For now, this will do. I’ll try again tomorrow, should Reality cooperate; if not, well, I’ll be here, anyway. See y’all then, ffolkes, and try not to get depressed over it; it will be fine. Trust me….
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.
“I know who I am. Sometimes you go away, but I’m still here.”
~~ Everyone, always… ~~
Sunrise/Sunset
Hajime…. All things considered, this might just work. Some ruthlessness is called for, but, being human, that’s not an issue. The pearls, naturally, take care of themselves. Provided I can come up with just enough to say, this should do well, or, at minimum, do. Nothing more to do but, smile, smile, smile, and be on our way, sans delay. It’s day one of a new beginning, so, what say we head out, and start enjoying it? I think that’s a SWELL idea…
Shall we pearl?….
“Few people have the imagination for reality.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
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“Belief is the death of intelligence.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
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“As the tempest and the thunder affect not the sun or the stars,
but spend their fury on stones and trees below;
so injuries ascend not to the Soul of the great,
but waste themselves on such as are those who offer them.”
~~ Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375) ~~
*******
“The problem with aging
is that you stuffing starts to come out.
You don’t have the youth, looks and energy
to keep stuffing the feelings you tried to hide.
To grow old is to face who you are
behind the mask you created in youth
face the spirit which lives in a decaying body.”
~~ Callan Williams ~~
*******
“I dreamed a thousand new paths… I woke and walked my old one.”
~~ Chinese proverb ~~
*******
“For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress.
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
It is never too late to start doing what is right.
Never.”
~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~~
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“Is an atheist church a non-prophet organization?”
~~ Smart Bee ~~
That should do for a first try. I like the last quote from SB; it’s a good ending, don’t you think? No? Oh well. So be it. We’re done here, so, regardless of anyone’s contrary opinion, we’re outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the center holds….
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…. Once again, I ain’t got it. Some might ask, “What ain’t you got?”, but, they’re just jealous. Others may query, “So what?” They, too, can go take a hike. What I ain’t got today isn’t defined by simple words, so, I’m not going to try. But, to know it’s so is often useful, especially since we all must deal with it. Me, I’m going to fade back 10 yards, and punt. I’ve lost too much ground already to do anything else.
What this means, of course, is today’s Pearl will be chopped up into pieces, and recycled where possible. Where not possible, I’ll either cheat, or bail. Otherwise, there won’t be a Pearl, unless I re-blog an older one, which isn’t happening today. Why? Don’t ask, I won’t have to use the Metaphorse, which, as we all know, can get completely out of hand in a heartbeat. Perhaps, by the end of this paragraph, I’ll have some sort of sense of direction, which will take us where we ought to be by now.
Or, not….. Oh, well, so much for that. Instead, I believe I’ll just forget all the tricks, and distractions, and get on with whatever will happen. I don’t know how this will go, so, wish me luck. I have a distinct feeling I’ll need it…..
Shall we Pearl?….
“Belief is the death of intelligence.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
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Camille Saint-Saëns
Okay. I have my direction, such as it is, so, here is what I’ll be listening to while I’m taking it. Y’all enjoy; this is what I listen to when my PTSD is raging, and I am on the edge of tumbling into the abyss. It keeps me from going over, as long as it plays…. You’ll understand, once you’re engaged in listening…. Enjoy!….
Since I’ve got nothing, here’s a rant from early last year, sometime during my descent into my personal Hell…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s rather pointed…. and delightfully nasty in spots….
From 1/29/2015:
“A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks.” — Johann L. Uhland (1787-1862) — Speech, May 27, 1836
Zowie! Eureka! I knew I’d heard this somewhere before, but, couldn’t remember the author’s name. In stating this observation, made not long after the US government was formed, the author takes the hand of Thomas Jefferson, who expressed his fear of exactly this happenstance, in numerous letters to friends before, and after, the signing of the Constitution. He recognized the overpowering ambition and thirst for power so obvious in those who embrace it, attempting to warn his fellow citizens, many times….
As is plain to see, nobody paid the slightest attention, whereupon the bankers, in close conjunction with their myrmidons, i.e., the pundits and lawyers, continued to pursue their evil intent, to secure their hold over government, and, thus, society…. They’ve been so successful, we see in today’s world, they control every level of the national scene; witness the number of Republican presidential candidates who have been sucking up to the Koch brothers, and the Citizens United PAC, with their unlimited pile of money, in use in today’s world buying the loyalty of every single politician they can pervert to their insane desire to make the world over in their own image…. It doesn’t seem to matter at all to them that image is a clear, crisp photograph of the worst HELL imaginable, or that it would entail oppressing 99% of the human race….
Why are many scientists using lawyers for medical experiments instead of rats?
a) There are more lawyers than rats.
b) The scientist’s don’t become as emotionally attached to them.
c) There are some things that even rats won’t do for money.
~~ Smart Bee ~~
Gee, do ya think I’ve lost some of my respect for lawyers, and their second-slimiest clients, the bankers? (First place in my hell is reserved for pimps, and those who abuse women, children, or animals…. which, of course, lawyers and bankers do by proxy, with their usual complete indifference to the suffering of others….) Why no, of course not. I’ve lost ALL of it, with what I consider damn good reason, based on 64 years of observing the human drama, along with my own personal experience with both categories of asshole…. The only respect for any of them I have, is for those who actually HELP people, without considering what they can get out of it, other than their own satisfaction for helping people find justice, and a reasonable fee for that help, whether the fee is taken in pies & chickens, eternal gratitude, or simply cash….
In keeping with today’s theme of picking on lawyers and bankers, and, to save energy for my upcoming battle, I decided to pick out an old school pearl, aimed at the former, as they’re an easier target, all in all…. They’re just SO…… weaselly! Well, there are some are exceptions, sure, but, the others infest the world so prominently, the good ones are hard to find…. Ah well, here are some observations about them, from Smart Bee, and a number of other people who feel the same as most everybody else, about those lawyers who use their skills to benefit themselves, showing complete indifference as to whether it benefits anyone else….
Liar, n.: A lawyer with a roving commission. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
“A group of white South Africans recently killed a black lawyer because he was black. That was wrong. They should have killed him because he was a lawyer.” — A. Whitney Brown
“Always take a lawyer with you, and bring another lawyer to watch him.” — Bo Diddly’s Observation on the Law
“Fleas can be taught nearly everything a lawyer can.” — Smart Bee
“Here’s an amazing story. A man in Orlando, Florida, was hit by eight cars in a row and only one stopped. The first seven drivers thought he was a lawyer. The eighth was a lawyer.” — Jay Leno
“If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?” — Smart Bee
“In a man’s world…simian aptitudes are rated high, and so not too many women get in. To succeed as a lawyer, for example, a woman would have to throttle two of her chief attributes: her disdain for the petty accumulations of useless knowledge, and her sharp feeling for the truth. What men in their imbecility consistently mistake for a deficiency of intelligence in women is merely an incapacity for mastering small and trivial tricks.” — H. L. Mencken, Chicago _Sunday Tribune_, January 8, 1928
“In the Norse mythology Loki originally was on the side of the rest of the gods, helping them once or twice using particularly nasty forms of trickery. He was a cunning negotiator with a talent for technicalities. He was sort of the Norse equivalent of a lawyer, no doubt the reason they tied him down in a pit dripping acidic venom on him.” — Martin Terman
“How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb? You won’t find a lawyer who can change a light bulb. Now, if you’re looking for a lawyer to screw a light bulb… ” — Smart Bee
LAWYER: A professional advocate hired to bend the law on behalf of a paying client; for this reason considered the most suitable background for entry into politics. — Definition from “THE CYNIC’S DICTIONARY”
Needless to say, I could do this forever, no sweat, or guilt; there are already nine pearls, and I’ve only used three of the ten pages of quotes I’ve collected on the subject. But, I suppose there ARE more productive things we could all be doing. This is pretty cool, but, as with all good things, it can’t last forever…. Onward, into the day….
Oh, hell…. Naturally, AFTER I’ve finished, I find the PERFECT pearl for this group. Since we’ve already completed it, I’ll just tack it here on the end, where it will enjoy its highlighted position; I call it perfect because it takes a shot at two categories at once, both of which are current players in my personal drama…. This one tells it like it is, for sure and for certain….
“Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too.” — Anton Chekhov
gigoid has spoken…
So be it.
********************************
In the past couple weeks, you may have noted my less than stellar condition; if not, I can congratulate myself for keeping it quiet, mostly. The fact is, I’ve been experiencing a lot of arthritic pain, all over, as the barometer bounces up & down with our spring time weather. It’s kept me in a rotten mood, which has affected these Pearls rather significantly. Here is a poem I wrote about this sort of time, some time ago, that may give y’all an idea of what I’m dealing with…. Of course, it doesn’t speak of the effects of the PTSD, which sort of adds its own flavor, but, that can be for another time….
Elemental, dear Watson….
Don’t worry,
it’s not
me
you hear
screaming.
It is
only
my bones,
giving in,
to
cowardly,
pathologically,
repetitive,
fucking,’
complaints
of
past abuse,
and
all the fun
we had.
playing,
hard.
I don’t mind
too much;
I can spend my
TIME
in another space
in my head,
pretending
my bones
don’t
exist….
It
is,
indeed,
a shame
they
always
come
back….
Fuck.
It
hurts.
More proof,
I guess,
either
God isn’t,
or,
He is.
IF
He isn’t?
Oh,
Well….
Ante up.
Deal.
IF
He is?
Then,
I don’t fucking care
who
doesn’t like it,
I say,
He
is
a bully,
a coward,
a hypocrite,
and,
truly,
an enormous asshole.
I suppose,
God
is
what comes,
to,
and
from,
People,
because
they
feel
a need,
for
someone
to
blame,
for
a
Universe
they
cannot
understand
or
accept.
I
will
take the complaints.
After all,
they
are
my bones.
~~ gigoid ~~
********************************
In order to get this done in nearly a timely fashion, I’m going back to the archives. Go figure….
From 7/28/2012:
Caution: Old School Pearl Ahead. Gird Your Grids For A Big One…..
“Two babies were born on the same day at the same hospital. They lay there and looked at each other. Their families came and took them away. Eighty years later, by a bizarre coincidence, they lay in the same hospital, on their deathbeds, next to each other. One of them looked at the other and said, “So. What did you think?” — Steven Wright
A monk said to Joshu, “I have just entered this monastery. Please teach me.”
“Have you eaten your breakfast?” Joshu asked.
“Yes, I have,” replied the student.
“Then you had better wash your bowl.”
— Smart Buddhist Bee
“TAPPING? You POLITICIANS! Don’t you realize that the END of the “Wash Cycle” is a TREASURED MOMENT for most people?!” — Zippy the Pinhead
“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!” — Wicked Witch of the East
“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne
There, that should do it…. I’ve made this as clear as mud, obviously…. Don’t worry, though, it won’t be on the test…. In fact, it won’t even count toward graduation, not that we care about stuff like that…. But, it does make a good point, yes? Nod your head…..
********************************
It’s done; that’s the best I can say of this one. I’ll probably be back tomorrow, as I don’t seem able to keep from doing so. I will, however, try to make it somewhat fresher than this one, thought that remains only a possibility at this point. Let’s just say, I’ll be here, come what may, & leave it at that, okay? Okay….. See y’all then, 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.
“In the bigger scheme of things,
the universe is not asking us to do something,
the universe is asking us to be something.
And that’s a whole different thing.”
~~ Lucille Clifton ~~
George Orwell’s House ~ London
Hajime…. In at least one respect, it is heartening to realize one still has things to learn, even at age 65. Today’s lesson was one of patience and mindfulness when the demands of reality become insistent, at what have been accurately termed ‘ungodly’ hours of the night. I have been reminded today of the difficulty in maintaining one’s cool in the face of a Siamese cat in the throes of severe lust, who is demanding attention prior to 3 AM, yowling, scratching to be let out, and generally pitching a fit in the wee hours of the morning, until losing it completely & chasing her out of the bedroom. Then, of course, my own sense of guilt kicked in, so, Leelu & I are getting an early start to the day…
Good morrow, I think…. I’ve calmed down, & the cat’s bloodlust is passing off for a while, so we’re trying to settle into a more normal routine. It’s a bit hard as Leelu wants to be petted every few minutes, wandering around otherwise to the open windows to call into the darkness for any random boy cats who might be within hearing. I hear her in the kitchen now, playing with some of her toys, so, maybe the lust is going to calm down for a bit. That would be good, & give us both a chance to mellow out. This passion business is tough on us old farts….
Ah, well, so be it. Being up so early will give me time to get this Pearl finished, as I keep falling out way early these days, which, all in all, is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t take me four hours to get to sleep. Not being awakened at 3 AM helps, too, but, I’m hoping this is an anomaly. Since further chatty blather is probably not the best idea today, (too much chance of turning weird at this hour….), I’ll employ yet another little device I found in the Tardis to get us where we need to go. It’s a new one, so, I’m unsure of exactly what it does. Perhaps y’all should put your adult beverages down until we see what happens, when I push this button right here….
Shall we Pearl?….
To never see a fool, you lock yourself in an empty room and break all the mirrors.”
~~ Wise Old Bee ~~
********************************
Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin Image from sam-muscilovers.blogspot.com via Google Images
Today, we’re going a bit esoteric, with two of the world’s finest guitarists, who have collaborated for many years. This is a live concert from the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2015, to which I have not listened yet. It promises to be pretty damn hot, I’d say…. Enjoy!….
I reflected how soon in the cup of desire
The pearl of the soul may be melted away;
How quickly, alas, the pure sparkle of fire
We inherit from heaven, may be quenched in the clay.
~~ Thomas Moore (1779-1852) ~~
I rather like this verse from Tom Moore (obviously a relative, many generations removed…), because he doesn’t make the automatic assumption the gift of life/intelligence with which we are imbued was the gift of any particular entity, but, more, our legacy as humans, a part of a universe whose basic nature is to always be in flux, to never stay just the same from one moment to the next. The key to maintaining the connection to that universe in which we exist, according to almost every philosopher produced by our kind, agrees that desire, driven by the emotions with which we become attached to them, distracts us from realizing the connection, thus losing sight of what is true, and real.
How then does one separate one’s self from desire? How is it possible to not give in to our judgmental nature, but, learn to accept reality as it is, as it occurs, without needlessly applying our feelings about that to affect our response to it? This single question is, perhaps, the most important for any human to answer, for it is the key that opens the lock of freedom, and happiness in life.
The answer, it has long been known, exists already, inside each one of us, pure and unadulterated by outside influences…. but, where? How does one find this inner place of serenity, where good and evil are merely two sides of a balancing act performed by the universe, and not cause for us to either become fearful and angry, or, ecstatic and giddy, but, viewed as a whole, to understand the bigger picture we are perceiving?
I can testify, from personal experience, it is both hard, and easy to do so. Hard, because we are continually distracted by reality from the introspective state of mind needed to find it within ourselves. Easy, because, if approached with an open mind, and heart, it’s right there, in plain view, where we hold those things we know without knowing how we know; our connective tissue to reality as it exists, so to speak.
Finding that space inside us can be a task for a lifetime, but, to understand only takes an instant. The path, I have found, is more easily accessed if one’s own spiritual state (the combination of intelligence and heart which can guide us, when we learn to hear its voice…) is trained to virtue. The discipline one needs to maintain virtue in a world unbalanced is necessary to direct the inner journey with any degree of success.
“Food, sleep, fear, propagation; each is the common property of men with brutes. Virtue is really their additional distinction; devoid of virtue, they are equal with brutes.” — The Hitopadesa (600?-1100? A.D.)
To me, this seems obvious, but, for many, it remains a subject most often ignored completely. Moreover, I have, to some extent, lost the way to my final point, as it appears to need to be made. This means we go epic…. I found the following three pearls from an old Pearl, created & posted in March of 2012, which seems to adequately get close to where we are headed…. So, to finish today’s epic discussion, here are some thoughts on all this from the archives, to move us along to the poem for today….
From 3/4/2012;
“There is in us a tendency to locate the shaping forces of our existence outside ourselves. Success and failure are unavoidably related in our minds with the state of things around us. Hence it is that people with a sense of fulfillment think it is a good world and would like to preserve it as it is, while the frustrated favor radical change. The tendency to look for all causes outside ourselves persists even when it is clear that our state of being is the product of personal qualities such as ability, character, appearance, health and so on.” — Eric Hoffer
Mr. Hoffer makes a good point here, a point that has fallen into disfavor in today’s society. I speak, of course, of the concept of personal responsibility. By always looking for external factors to explain what is wrong with our world, the personal responsibility that each person holds is nullified, or at least ignored. It has become fashionable instead to find a scapegoat for our problems; we blame our upbringing, our parents, our struggling schools, the President, or anybody or anything else we can come up with that might have contributed to our discomfort.
There are very few people left today who will admit to having any part in their difficulties; it’s much easier on the self-image to blame it on one’s parents, who are not there to defend themselves, or on some diffuse entity like society, to which all may point as the perpetrator of whatever problem they have encountered. I’d guesstimate that 95% of the members of society today fall into this category; real integrity and honesty is virtually extinct. Just another in a litany of human folly, one which will not only support our extinction as a species, but will hurry it along like a manic sheepdog worries its flock. And when we’re all dead and gone, the planet isn’t going to care one little bit about whose fault it was……
“There is a perfectly satisfactory explanation for everything, but security prevents its disclosure.” — The Anthony Blunt Excuse
___________________________________
“Already the spirit of our schooling is permeated with the feeling that every subject, every topic, every fact, every professed truth must be
submitted to a certain publicity and impartiality. All proffered samples of learning must go to the same assay-room and be subjected to
common tests. It is the essence of all dogmatic faiths to hold that any such “show-down” is sacrilegious and perverse. The characteristic
of religion, from their point of view, is that it is intellectually secret, not public; peculiarly revealed, not generally known; authoritatively declared, not communicated and tested in ordinary ways…It is pertinent to point out that, as long as religion is conceived as it is now by the great majority of professed religionists, there is something self-contradictory in speaking of education in religion in the same sense in which we speak of education in topics where the method of free inquiry has made its way. The “religious” would be the last to be willing that either the history of the content of religion should be taught in this spirit; while those to whom the scientific standpoint is not merely a technical device, but is the embodiment of the integrity of mind, must protest against its being taught in any other spirit.” — John Dewey (1859-1953), American philosopher, — from “Democracy in the Schools”, 1908
This is long enough, and clear enough, that it needs no more added, by me or anyone else. It’s a well-thought out, and clearly stated premise, and a perfect description of a problem that society has obviously not solved, as this sentiment from 1908 remains as valid today as when it was first uttered. I guess it just goes to show that not only are we bozoid creatures, but stubborn as well, unwilling to give up our prejudices and delusions without a struggle. It’s the old “devil you know” outlook carried to its logical extreme; it doesn’t seem to matter that it will kill us just as dead as a new devil….. as long as we don’t have to think about it…..
___________________________________
The human body produces far more energy than the sun (per unit weight) — Random factoid
It’s simple, really. A human body is an energy conversion tool, or machine, whereas the sun is a source of electromagnetic energy. The body consumes energy in the form of food and converts it first to neuro-chemical energy by the digestive system, then to kinetic energy by the neuromuscular system. The processes they employ to create and convert one form of energy to another are very complex biochemical transformations, involving a number of steps. Electromagnetic energy is produced by the sun by the process of nuclear fission, in subtle and complex processes not fully understood by mankind, as we are not yet able to look inside a star to gather any evidence of how it functions, at least, not to any important degree.
Nonetheless, we can measure and compare the relative levels of each type of energy produced by the human body and the sun; from there it is merely a problem with a solution provided by addition, multiplication, and long division of the defined numbers representing energy produced. Both processes are beautiful examples of how understanding the underlying mathematics of the universe lends itself to harmonious functioning between the various manifestations of which it is comprised, to wit: energy, biology, chemistry, and all of the other branches of physics that make up our mathematical model of reality.
From any direction it is viewed, the existence of Life, Consciousness, and the Universe at large is pretty miraculous, and exceedingly, almost painfully beautiful in its grandeur and scope. Tossing in the concept of Entropy (you know… Chance, randomness, chaos, Satan, free will, statistics, human nature, the power of PMS, etc.) makes Life all the more intriguing…. besides which, as far as I can tell so far, it’s the only game in town….
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them.- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.” — Lao-Tzu
********************************
Dead Hands,Typing…
Puzzled anew by anomalous blocks of pain
caught, bemused, chained to routine, insane.
Stilled within breathless beauty
Engaging epiphany, insistent, called to duty.
Knees bent in lieu of a faithful rendition
suffuses, confuses, locked into stale perdition.
Clearing corrosion with hands encased in stone
Singular frozen follicles, masked by bone.
Partial focus brings unfiltered flavors to light
coloring each particle in simple delight.
Forlorn, novel conceptual artists singing in tune
nine notes in harmony, soft as the moon.
Honed blades of carbon steel flash in rhyme,
filling sensual receptors well past closing time.
Borrowed from neighbors in a week-old game
still bloody, without a proper name.
No flooded memories can justify such cost
no simple stationery, bilious, afraid, lost.
Ten times ten will never be enough
To fill so empty a stolen trough.
Bartering simplicity takes well into the night
solidly temporary pillars turned bright.
Unknown to all the pretty children who came
none were called, none had any remaining flame.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/25/2015
********************************
Naked Pearls
Ibid
*********
“Though leaves are many, the root is one ;
Through all the lying days of my youth,
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun.
Now I may wither into the truth.”
~~ W B Yeats ~~
*********
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength
which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~
*********
“It is not necessary to change.
Survival is not mandatory.”
~~ W. Edwards Deming ~~
*********
“The fear of death is the beginning of slavery.”
~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~
*********
“The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.”
~~ Anais Nin ~~
*********
“He is the freeman whom the truth makes free.”
— William Cowper, The Task, Book v, The Winter Morning Walk, Line 733 ~~
*********
“It is an interesting question
how far men would retain their relative rank
if they were divested of their clothes.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*********
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
~~ African proverb ~~
*********
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
~~ The Buddha ~~
*********
********************************
Well, it’s done, again, in spite of, or, maybe, because of the hour at which it was created. I think we’ll just post it, without even thinking of how it turned out, much less how it got done. It does, after all, fulfill our most important requirement, in that there is something in every section that is appropriate to that space; the content is judged not as to quantity, or quality, other than as it relates to available space. On that obscure note, I think we’ll call it a day. I will also issue the standard disclaimer and fair warning, of our imminent return tomorrow, sans shame or guilt, yet, somehow, blushing prettily for the camera. Of course, the camera’s lens will likely shatter, but, one can’t have everything. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. No, no, I insist….
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.
“Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.”
~~ Pythagoras (BC 582-507) ~~
Triple Full Moon Over Vallejo
G’day…. Given the state of my life over the past month or two, it’s rather nice to feel even a moment of hope, even one based on what may or may not be an omen of things to come….. Ooh, I like that, it’s wonderfully obscure, yet gives a sense of intimacy that encourages further interest. More good omen material…. Omens of good have been sadly infrequent of late, so, twice in one paragraph, even if both are completely unidentified, is, well, a good sign….
It may have to do with the relief of being back online, at home, though the mere presence of relief indicates a dependency I’m not sure I entirely can be comfortable with. Nonetheless, it’s nice not having to go drink somebody else’s coffee to get posted. It’ll sure make sticking to the diet easier, too; way too many pastries lately have taken up the entire morning’s calorie count, leaving me starving until dinner time. Ah well, I’m a sucker for a blueberry muffin, what can I say?
Okay, enough innocent chatter; it’s not really our style anyway. We’re gonna go Pearl now ffolkes. I’ve been waiting too long to do this from home, again, so, I’m a bit impatient (Could you tell?…). In fact, so impatient, we’re skipping all the usual folderol, in favor of just getting on with it…. How does that look? Like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“When you said “HEAVILY FORESTED” it reminded me of an overdue CLEANING BILL.. Don’t you SEE? O’Grogan SWALLOWED a VALUABLE COIN COLLECTION and HAD to murder the ONLY MAN who KNEW!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
********************************
Weird Al
Image from riverfrontimes.com via Google Images
Here’s another artist who needs no introduction; all that is required is to enjoy!….
“If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns.”
~~- Edward Abbey ~~
Mr. Abbey, with this short statement, nails my opinion on gun control right on the bloody head. My entire objection to the fools who cry out to “take away the guns” from everyone, (so, what, this will ensure nobody will ever die? Right….), is exactly the point he makes. None of the advocates of disallowing citizens to own guns seem to think about this point; do they really believe the government will give up THEIR guns? Really? I’d be really interested to hear from which planet they came to visit us here on Earth?….
Of course, most Earthlings have trouble bumping neurons together; it’s not just an immigrant problem…. Most earthlings, for some unknown reason, choose, soon after birth, to stop using their brain as a tool for making their life better, choosing instead to use it merely to transport their ass from one toilet to another…. I am often amazed at how many people, who are of an age to reproduce, seemingly can’t formulate a complete sentence, unless it has the word “fries” in it, or, have yet to learn the actions involved in tying their shoes. And, please, let us not begin to discuss how many lost brain cells it takes to follow the current street style of wearing one’s pants around the thighs rather than the waist, necessitating the use of one hand just to hold them up….
But, then, that’s just how the elite want the public to be; distracted and stupid. These asininnies want the average person so busy trying to just maintain their current place in life they have no time to inspect all the ways they are being controlled by their own ignorance, and their inability to use their imagination to see beyond their immediate needs…. Our world-wide society has three characteristics which, to me, indicate just how sick it is…. The belief that Mankind was made by a god…. By accepting this sort of belief, one’s mind is left open to other false truths, which allow the perfect vehicle for manipulation of behavior by those who do not believe, but, play the part for the reward of power over others, and a complete lack of personal responsibility for how others are affected by their acts.
Second, this belief in a delusion allowed the predatory members to convince everyone that money actually exists, and has some sort of real power over reality…. This, of course, is ridiculous. Money is simply an idea, a way to organize barter, by placing an artificial value on a person’s time and effort, when, in fact, it has only the value we give it. It is only important because we believe it to be, not because of any inherent real value…. This idea, though, is probably too complex for those who have given up the right to think, and operate totally on the theory of doing whatever is the most expedient….
Then, for the final insult to our humanity, the concept of government as a beneficial facet of society, to ensure the ‘safety’ of all, is thrust upon these unsuspecting fools, who are already primed to believe anything someone in a ‘position of authority’ (preacher, teacher, policeman, elected official, etc…. bureaucrats and sycophants, all…) tells them to believe…. That’s the whole problem, right there, in a nutshell…. If you believe the first false idea, the rest of them form the remaining cords of their slave collars…. and, the saddest part is, most of them never even know they’re slaves at all…
I could, no doubt, carry on in this vein for a long time; there are a thousand examples in daily life of how the average person has no clue as to how easily they are controlled by the forces who wish to have power over others…. But, I’m getting tired, and, am well aware most of those who will read this are NOT part of those who can be controlled; they don’t end up here very often, somehow…. If they do, they don’t talk much…. For the rest of us, I’ll show some pity, and finish off with a 13 star pearl with as many indictments, and examples of how things got the way they are…. Enjoy!….
*******************************
“In morals, what begins in fear usually ends in wickedness; in religion, what begins in fear usually ends in fanaticism. Fear, either as a principle or a motive, is the beginning of all evil.” — Mrs. Jameson
“No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed, must begin in blood, whatever the answer afterward. If history teaches anything, it teaches that” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)
“These PRESERVES should be FORCE-FED to PENTAGON OFFICIALS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
“The amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry, no idol is more debasing.” — Andrew Carnegie
“The missionaries go forth to Christianize the savages–as if the savages weren’t dangerous enough already.” — Edward Abbey
“Ignorance is the soil in which belief in miracles grows.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)
“Our safety, our liberty depends on preserving the Constitution of the United States as our fathers made it inviolate. The people of the US are the rightful masters both Congress and the courts – Not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution” — Abraham Lincoln
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” — Denis Diderot in “Dithrambe sur la fete de rois”
“Have in readiness this saying of Solon, “But we will not give up our virtue in exchange for their wealth.” — Plutarch — How to profit by our Enemies
DEBT, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slave- driver.
As, pent in an aquarium, the troutlet
Swims round and round his tank to find an outlet,
Pressing his nose against the glass that holds him,
Nor ever sees the prison that enfolds him;
So the poor debtor, seeing naught around him,
Yet feels the narrow limits that impound him,
Grieves at his debt and studies to evade it,
And finds at last he might as well have paid it.~~ Barlow S. Vode~~
— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
********************************
Future Shocked:
Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.
Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.
Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.
We all weep now…..
~~ gigoid ~~
Written 7/22/2013.
********************************
An odd little pearl, with seven excellent statements to help us find some meaning in Life. Of course, if you’ve already found meaning that works for you, you don’t have to do it again…. Those are the rules…. I think. Anyway, enjoy!….
“The value of passion, like fire, is judged finally by the amount of warmth and light it creates. Fanatics, like forest fires, burn bright but destroy all in their path that is tender and green. To be useful, fire must be confined. To live passionately, we must develop discipline; to love powerfully, we must forge bonds of commitment. Passion is inseparable from compassion.” — Sam Keen
“You can’t get wet from the word ‘water’.” — Alan Watts
“To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.” — Plutarch
“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does; just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, ix, 16
“Truth that has merely been learned is like an artificial limb, a false tooth, a waxen nose; it adheres to us only because it is put on. But truth acquired by thought of our own is like a natural limb; it alone really belongs to us.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
“As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct him and the latter take him to task.” — Diogenes
“If you don’t laugh at all, you’ve missed the point. If you only laugh, you’ve missed your chance for illumination.” — Robert Anton Wilson
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Since I’m back online a day before I’d thought to be, I’ll end this here, in the proper spot, and get it posted. This also means I’ll be back tomorrow, unless something historically compelling, like a revolution, gets in the way….. See ya then, ffolkes; count on it….
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.
Pluto as seen from the New Horizons Spacecraft Image from the UK Guardian 9/17/2015
I had forgotten just how deeply embedded this process has become in my existence…. It seems the creation of a Pearl is more important to my degree of sanity than I’d previously admitted; if I don’t sit down to write for a while, I feel “off”. Once I’ve cruised through SB for a time, using my mind in a familiar way, some of the angst I seem to build up over the course of the day dissipates, leaving me better able to think introspectively, which is where I need to be just now…. So, I’ll write…. but, I may not post…. We’ll see.
For now, I think I’ll go make some coffee. It’s 0230 (almost) so, why not? It looks like me and LeeLoo will be up a while tonight…. Don’t know why insomnia struck tonight, but, I may as well take advantage of it to get some thinking & planning done…. Or, perhaps, I’ll gather up some pearls, and see what they have to say….
When I told myself, and y’all, this process would be changing, I didn’t realize just how many alterations the change would encompass. No complaints at all; I seem to have misplaced some of the angst I’ve typically carried around with me. Whatever the case may be, it’s slowed this down to a crawl…. The two paragraphs you see above were written yesterday. Since then, most of this Pearl has been finished; only some entertainment left to find now. Yet, I’m not even worried at all whether I get it posted today, or not…. which may be good, or not. We’ll see about that, too, I suppose. For now, I think I’ll go cruise You Tube & find something fun to watch, whenever this gets posted….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The laws of physics have no basis in reality. They describe the operation of the human mind.” — Robert Anton Wilson
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I don’t believe I need to say anything at all to introduce this artist/philosopher/social critic. Simply, he was the best of his time….
Okay, so, I lied. I COULD say I didn’t lie, so much as I misspoke, as any number of politicians would say. And, have said, repeatedly. (e.g.: “I just didn’t say it.” — Ronald Reagan — Associated Press, 10/5/66)
Actually, what I did is underestimate how long it would be until I was struck by the urge to write about the world at large, when I’m having my own troubles with the world inside the shell of my consciousness…. But, as I cruised through SB for entertainment, the following pearls kept jumping up, practically shouting at me, to insist on being included in a long, involved indictment of men of evil intent, who usurped the government of this nation almost before the ink was dry on the Constitution…..
Their efforts have resulted in the world we face today, where all the rules are made by those who insist on controlling the lives of all they see, without ever considering how others may feel about that…. 90% of the world’s population live as no more than slaves, threatened with poverty and destitution at the slightest emergency or accident in their lives, at the mercy of the bankers, and the predatory politicians, the fat-cat lawyers, the faceless myrmidons (i.e., police) who enforce the will of the masters, and the religious dogma dogs who encourage the slaves to respect those who oppress them, for the promise of a better life after they die.
I was raised by a man who went to war in 1941, to protect his family and home, thinking he was fighting for the liberties he believed he had, and that he believed would be the legacy for his children. He raised us to believe in those same principles, of liberty and freedom for all, upon which he, and we, were supposedly brought up….
If he were alive today, he would be as pissed off at what has taken place as I am, for, since the creation of the National Security Agency during WWII, every one of the Bill of Rights, and, all of the protections of our Constitution, have been abrogated, one after another, in the name of security and ‘national interest’, two concepts the definition of which the beloved ruling class reserves solely for itself…. Neither of those two concepts have anything to do with protecting the interests of American citizens; they only serve to protect the status quo. How else does one explain such statements as the following:
“You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence.” — Charles Austin Beard, American Historian, 1874-1948
This is the absolute truth. We see this every day, in irrefutable evidence provided by videos of how using the words our forefathers used can get an American citizen shot by the police, ‘for resisting arrest’, or, for ‘disobeying a lawful order by an officer’…. It’s pretty hard to refute visual/auditory evidence, but, time after time, people continue to die, and no police officer is ever charged…. It is a disgrace, and, a national shame, one my father would have deplored with every fiber of his being…. I share that disgust, and, intend to never submit to such treatment myself, without making it clear it is a mistake to assume that a free man can be oppressed…. Whoever tries to take my rights will find I only have those rights I am able to defend…
In the meantime, here are a bunch of other statements that cover the same subject, from various angles, by various contemporary and historical figures; some are examples of how things ought to be, others point out the nature of the problem, or, at least, some of the motivation behind it…. All are, to my mind, spot on….
“If Congress can determine what constitutes the general welfare and can appropriate money for its advancement, where is the limitation to carrying into execution whatever can be effected by money?” — South Carolina Senator William Draden 1828
(Oops! Another warning missed by the general public, from someone who apparently saw what was happening, right from the start…. Typical….)
“Annoy a Fundamentalist: Tell him the truth!” — Sardonic Bee
“Any person under the age of thirty, who, having any knowledge of the existing social order, is not a revolutionist, is an inferior.” — George Bernard Shaw
“Solon gave the following advice: “Consider your honour, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath. Never tell a lie. Pay attention to matters of importance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Solon, xii
“Conservative: Proof that evolution is not an exact science.” — Polly Sci Bee
“This is the Nineties, Bubba, and there is no such thing as Paranoia. It’s all true.” — Hunter S Thompson
“Capitalism in the United States has undergone profound modification, not just under the New Deal, but through a consensus that continued to grow after the New Deal. Government in the U. S. today is a senior partner in every business in the country.” — Norman Cousins
“We have watched American democracy at close hand for many years and we believe few governments are institutionally so susceptible to dictatorship as this one.” — Gerald Johnson
“The statesman shears the sheep, the politician skins them.” — Definitive Bee
“The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshiped anything but himself.” — Sir Richard F. Burton
“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” — Jacquin’s Postulate on Democratic Government
“Is it fair to hold politicians to the same standards as humans?” — Snarky Bee
Books are burning
In the main square, and I saw there
The fire eating the text.
Books are burning
In the still air
And you know where they burn books
People are next.
~~ “Books Are Burning”, XTC ~~
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Sublime Indifference
Faces tell such stories
as these,
we know.
No one saw,
ever.
No one sees,
ever.
But, we know.
Forgotten,
deliberately bought
with
consistent threats
of Sitcoms,
Paisley Ties,
yes, and,
Lava Lamps;
proof offered
unbidden
of Death.
Only
of Death.
~~ gigoid ~~
Written 5/21/2015.
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In my world, pearls such as this are the standard. As far as any philosophy goes, other than my own, Taoism is the closest attempt made by mankind to describe Reality, period. Beginning, and ending, a lesson/pearl with Taoist principles is a sure way to ensure the balance, and accuracy, of whatever is created…. Add one in the middle, and, it’s unassailably perfect. Go ahead, try to refute ANY of it…. Enjoy!….
My teachings are very easy to understand and very easy to practice.
But no one can understand them and no one can practice them.
In my words there is a principle.
In the affairs of men there is a system.
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~
“You don’t know how much you don’t know until you know a lot.” — Nick Holland
“While all things have their opposites, it is also true that in each the spirit of the opposite exists.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi writer
“Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. … Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.” — Lao Tzu
“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” — Carl Jung
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” — Albert Einstein
Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
~~ Tao Te Ching ~~
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I see it is done. Clearly, time to post; what the hell, it’s only two hours (and two days….) overdue, according to the previous paradigm. Good thing a new one is under construction…. For now, I’ll merely say there WILL be more Pearls; when that might occur is anybody’s guess. If the past two days are an indication, it shouldn’t be too long. See y’all then, ffolkes; you can count on it….
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.
Ye Olde Man & Scythe, est. AD 1251 Image from the UK Telegraph, article on the oldest pubs in England, July 2015
Good morning…. I wasn’t entirely sure it would be…. Yesterday morning, I fell into a very Murphy-like trap, no doubt of my own making in some way; most of his work is usually connected somehow to a moment of inattention on our part…. Just because I complain about Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean I don’t also understand karma…. It’s all on me, ultimately. Like most ffolkes, and, for that matter, all folks, we need to vent the frustration of our own stupidity now and again…. Thankfully, my whining never lasts long; then, I can get on with fixing whatever I’ve broken, metaphorically, or literally…
Yesterday’s troublesome issue fell into the latter category. Firefox has been my browser of choice for many years, but, the latest version doesn’t seem to agree with one or more of the security programs I choose to use; essentially, every time I opened it up, it froze up on me, big time…. I was unable to successfully troubleshoot it, so, I had to figure out a workaround, which meant I didn’t get posted until about 0715, much later than usual. The mere fact yesterday’s mess got posted at all should earn me a ‘geek of the week’ award. for finding a quick workaround, that promises to be a better fix than planned…. Essentially, I switched to Opera, as my default browser, and all seems to be well… That works for me, for the nonce, which is way better than not, anachronism or no….
Right. I’ve done it again, haven’t I? I’ve blathered to open up the day’s adventure in folly, thus guaranteeing a certain degree of peretroinyeka, which is an obscure, not to mention non-existent Ukrainian word meaning “nothing at all”. See, my lawyer told me to stop making guarantees, so, well, we have to resort to little tricks like that to keep from breaking any rules that could lead to litigation…. The budget won’t stand it any more….
Okay, we’re lost good and proper now, aren’t we? I may as well just throw my hands up, and be done with it. Nothing else seems likely to get us anywhere at this point…. So, imagine, if you will, me, rolling my eyes, throwing up my hands, and cursing the gods of blogging, whom we know as Norm and Nancy the Nifty…. Okay, okay, I’ll stop. You don’t have to get all weirded out…. Shoot, go back above, & have a pint in the pub, then we’ll get started… Go ahead, we’ll wait…. Ah hell, no we won’t…. Luigi, let’s go; we’ll give them a refund when we get back….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Sigh… Every day I thank my statuette of Wilma Flintstone that I was born normal.” — Zippy the pinhead
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Image from bbc.co.uk via Google Images
Jack Bruce is one of my favorite old time rockers; he’s remained true to his music, and way of life, since I first heard/saw him, way back in his days with Cream, in the 60’s, of which time I have many good memories….. Contrary to popular belief, not ALL of us were so stoned we don’t remember it…. I will confess to partaking of my share, and possibly more, but, hey, we were all young once, right? Here is a documentary on Jack’s life and work which I think y’all will enjoy…. Besides, it get us down the page with some really good music…. Enjoy….
“Men rattle their chains to show that they are free.”
~~ Smart Bee ~~
“…and so castles made of sand slip into the sea eventually.”
~~ Jimi Hendrix ~~
Though I’m up in plenty of time, I’m not in a ranting mood; I feel better than usual, which causes less angst to accumulate…. It did give me time to find a good rant for today, though. This one is, sort of, a summary of indictments of our Beloved Ruling Class, may their skin itch unbearably…. It’s fairly short, and, I think it’s one of my best…. but, then, I’m biased…. You tell me what you think, if you should feel the urge…. Otherwise, just read, and think about it; I’ll be happy with that….
Written June, 2012; last posted November, 2013:
“….when all government…. in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821
The framers of the Constitution knew what they were doing when they tried to build in safeguards into the system of government they chose after the revolution against England. They structured it with checks to the balance of power in each section, Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, reserving, as well, several rights to the people that had historically been reserved for the governments themselves, including the right to bear arms, one every government in history has tried to restrict for its own use. The right to bear arms, the right to vote, the right to gather to protest, to speak freely, all these have, at one time or another through the last four or five millennia, been restricted by governments, until men like Jefferson, Mason, and Washington took those rights for themselves, supposedly securing the same opportunity to their descendants.
In fact, I regard it as proof of this assertion, to find that the government, not only of this country, but all of them, is STILL trying to restrict the rights of the populace to bear arms. To my way of thinking, the most recent attempts by the government to curtail the public’s ability to obtain the means to protect themselves adequately merely serve to point out how accurate are statements such as the above, showing how little human nature has evolved, or advanced in the intervening years…. I’d be hard pressed to call the changes we’ve seen anything other than a retreat, from achieving a more civilized society. The populace continues to live in fear, most of which is manufactured by that very same government, to distract them from what is going on behind the scenes; for example, observe the data mining and illegal surveillance being carried on by Saint Obama and the current administration….
Sorry to apply the sarcastic epithet to the POTUS, (no, I’m not, but, I AM polite….), but, his recent actions have revealed a lot of stuff that indicates, yes, he IS a politician, and, as such, has been lying to the public on a regular basis since entering office, a habit much practiced by all those who enter those hallowed doors, as it turns out.
Historically, it seems, ever since I’ve been alive, for the last 64 years, each and every man who has been in the White House, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter, has lied to the public on a regular basis, without qualms, and without apology…. This isn’t news, or new news, at all…. just go back over the headlines and op-ed pages over that period, and the evidence of what I have asserted is plain to see….
This is why I won’t ever consider any alterations to the second Amendment, or the First, or to any of them…. I still regard them as law, and see any attempts to restrict them as being acts of treason against the principles by which they were conceived and enacted. I DON’T trust ANY politician, not one who spends millions to get elected, even if, or especially if, the money isn’t theirs…. The mere act of WANTING to be an elected official implies insanity to me, either of a sociopathic nature, or an evangelical one, either of which is dangerous to allow into any position of authority over others, as they will ALWAYS act to serve their own self-interests first…..
’Nuff said….. gigoid has spoken, and has no more to say on this subject, except….. Leave my Bill of Rights alone, or pay the consequences…..
“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
******************
Note from 2015:
I’d been working on an old-school pearl for this section, when I found the above & decided to re-use it. As it turns out, what I’d been working on was right in the same vein, so, I just left the needle where it was, and here they are, to finish this section with a bang…. sort of…..
And Katerfelto, with his hair on end
At his own wonders, wondering for his bread.
‘T is pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat,
To peep at such a world,–to see the stir
Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd.
~~ William Cowper ~~
~~ The Task, Book iv, The Winter Evening, Line 86 ~~
“It’s possible to fight intolerance, stupidity, and fanaticism when they come separately. When you get all three together it’s probably wiser to get out, if only to preserve one’s sanity.” — Adam Dalgliesh, in Devices and Desires, by P.D. James.
“All governments need enemies. How else to justify their existence?” — Edward Abbey
“We must never forget that if the war in Vietnam is lost… the right of free speech will be extinguished throughout the world.” — Richard Milhouse Nixon, 10/27/65
(Yes, he actually said that, in public…. No, I have no idea what he was thinking….)
How sharper than a hound’s tooth it is to have a thankless serpent.” — Smart Bee
“And some of your elders remember pleasures with regret like wrongs committed in drunkenness. But regret is the beclouding of the mind and not its chastisement. They should remember their pleasures with gratitude, as they would the harvest of a summer. Yet if it comforts them to regret, let them be comforted.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
(No, I don’t always understand myself…. but, it fits, doesn’t it?….)
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A new poem has been leaking out, a few verses at a time, for several days; it has apparently stalled after two stanzas, & I don’t want to force it, or it could simply disappear altogether…. Here’s a two-fer sublimation, with a couple of my older poems, along the same lines as today’s overall theme, whatever that may be…. Enjoy, please….
Momentary Terror
Absently casual, memories pester endlessly
leaving only bleeding remnants, amiable and loving.
Coming awake, I cry to still the pain, shamelessly.
Elsewhen, time gives surcease, if only to live,
shoring broken pilings, worn and gray.
Passing on, I laugh at the pain, accept all it will give.
Time will build a shelter, warm and ever safe
save for Fate’s busy hands.
Enduring, I follow the pain, knowing it will chafe.
Fixed against a darkened sky of starry black
such beauty brings us to our knees.
Entranced, I welcome the pain, ’tis all I lack…..
~~ gigoid ~~
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Making Room
Our souls, they say, are like shapeless, infinite bags
in which we put all our pain, all our joyous wonder.
Broken hearts and thrilling love, riches to rags,
endless perceptions of serenity, and thunder.
‘Tisn’t simple, this spiritual journey to peace
memory is fickle, easily led astray;
darkness, ever lurking, without surcease
turning innocence to harm, from simple play.
Balance is the key.
Timing is everything.
Good can change bad, bad can change good.
Pain makes room for more joy in our souls.
The only power we need is the power to change ourselves.
~~ gigoid ~~
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When y’all see Aristotle at the top of this section, it should be clear it’s time to put on your thinking caps. Although this nine-star collection of gems has only one entry by one of Mankind’s earliest polymaths, the point(s) being presented are all well within the sphere of influence of his ideas. One of his sayings was, (not the one included here), in fact, the inspiration for axiom #4 of Peruaosophy, which, as you all know, states, “Excellence is its own reward.” Each of these, then, is a reward to its author, and a gift to all of us…. Enjoy….
Als das Kind noch Kind war, gab es diese Fragen:
Warum bin ich mich, und warum nicht dich?
Warum bin ich hier, und warum nicht dort?
“When the child was a child, there were these questions:
Why am I me, and why not you?
Why am I here, and why not there?”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
“Know, first, who you are; then adorn yourself accordingly.” — Epictetus
“The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.” — Mignon McLaughlin
“Belief is the death of intelligence.” — Robert Anton Wilson
“… as sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul…” — Aristotle — Nicomachean Ethics, Bl. I, Ch. 6, 10966, lines 29-30
“All I know of love is that Love is all there is.” — Emily Dickinson
“Love withers under constraint: its very essence is liberty: it is compatible neither with obedience, jealousy, nor fear.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.” — James Stephens
And if I laugh at any mortal thing,
‘T is that I may not weep.
~~ Lord Byron ~~
~~ Don Juan, Canto iv, Stanza 4 ~~
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It can be a challenge to actually determine the quality of each day’s mess around here; it’s all a bit close to home for accurate judgment with an objective eye…. Nonetheless, I’ve spent enough time on this one to ensure a pretty high degree of, if nothing else, relative coherency, if not outright clarity…. both of which would be, no doubt, a refreshing change for y’all…. I do love my obscurity. But, it’s enough; my sanity is intact for another day, so, I’ll take it out into the BBR and give it a test run up against the real deal…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless one of you tracks me down, & shoots me… Oh, with a camera, of course…. Bye!….
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 