Okay, that’s enough…. Too much, too early…. Howdy, there, ffolkes. It’s me, gigoid, the dubious, awake once more, against all reason, at 2;17 AM, wondering what I did in my former life to have deserved such a karmic whipping. Then, of course, I have to stop, and regain some perspective, lest I fall into the trap of past regrets. I’m a lot better off than many people my age, who have far fewer resources upon which to survive…. Then, of course, the embarrassment and shame of feeling like a whiner sets in…. This naturally boots me out of the self-pity mode, and relative balance can be regained…. It’s ugly, it’s stupid, but, it gets me where I need to go in my head….

It’s also probably entirely TMI for so early in the day…. I suppose it’s too late for a [dignified silence] to be effective; it would just sound surly at this juncture. Silliness is probably not going to work, either, as I’m just not feeling silly (though I can’t say how I look; I haven’t been brave enough to look in a mirror yet….). I’d use my AI writing-bot, but, naturally, the batteries are down. Damn! It looks like we will have to…. Wait a minute! What’s this?

Look, ffolkes! It’s one of our old emergency escape packages. And, better yet, it’s our best design, a # 4. Tighten your belts, please, we’re going to use it. It works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant.” — Socrates

From 4/3/2012:

“A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.” — Matz’s Maxim

Upon reflection, although this is a fine pearl, I’m not going to discuss it now. I’m already tired, so here is my conclusion on this: he’s got a good point. Now, let’s start this section over…..

“A life directed chiefly toward the fulfillment of personal desires sooner or later always leads to bitter disappointment.” — Albert Einstein

Now, there’s a pearl! Albert Einstein is generally regarded as one of mankind’s most brilliant members, but most people do not have the capability to see how or why this is so, other than knowing that he was responsible for E = MC².  If, however, one takes the time to look past this bit of common knowledge, to look at some of the statements of philosophy and life attributed to him, it becomes clearer, the key to his genius lay in the simplicity of his thought processes.

Albert looked at the world, and the universe at large, through eyes that refused to look away from the simple elegance of the underlying nature of reality. Instead, he focused on the small, basic thoughts, ideas, or physical properties that best described what is real and true.  He also did not add superfluous judgments or unseen factors to what he perceived, focusing rather on the most relevant part of the concept, not those parts extraneous to the purpose.  This quality enabled him to see further into the nature of reality than is common to the rest of us, who are prone to complicate our perceptions with our prejudices and or misconceptions.

His statement, above, is a perfect example of this quality; it looks directly at human nature, showing us how our own attitudes and desires can potentially be the cause of our own difficulties in life, thus giving us the opportunity to turn our efforts in a direction that will ultimately be more beneficial. The statement clearly lays the responsibility for the tenor of our lives right in our own laps, where it belongs, but, does so without condemnation or insult, merely dispassionate truth. Albert was truly one of humanities greatest treasures, in my mind; his words will, hopefully, continue to help guide people through life far into to the future…. provided there is one….. but that’s a different subject altogether…..

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” — Albert Schweitzer

(I know, I know….. not the right Albert. But, it was deliberate, and I’m just doing what Murphy wants….. as is sometimes common, as soon as I finished the above section, the absolute perfect ending pearl pops up. I think Herr Schweitzer was thinking of Herr Einstein when he related this thought…..  Albert Einstein was a happy guy; I have pictorial proof, which I have shared below…..so there…..)

“Truth exists. Only lies have to be invented.” — Georges Braque

“One of the greatest advantages in the world is enjoyed by the person who says and insists that they are telling the truth, when in fact, they are telling the truth.” — Smart Bee

“What you think of yourself is more important than what others think of you.” — Seneca

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. . . The truly wise person is colorblind.” — Albert Schweitzer

“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself (I am large, I contain multitudes).” — Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

“The next sentence is true. The last sentence was false.” –Smart Bee

“Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.” — Calvin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well. I think it’s done. Perhaps I should check, to make sure…. Hmm. Okay, so, better than I’d thought it would be. I’ll take it. I have to; otherwise, I’ll end up feeling like a kitten in the litter box of life. Wouldn’t want that, would we? Nope. Any who, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. I’ve left myself little choice but to return to clean up the mess I made today…..