Hajime…. Howdy, ffolkes. While creating today’s offering, I came to a realization about why I haven’t been able to find the angst necessary to produce a good rant. The realization came as I looked for a pearl to place at the beginning, to indicate the direction the piece would follow; there were so many issues, and so many pearls, I couldn’t make up my mind. It isn’t the angst after all; there’s plenty of that, as a direct result of having plenty of cause. So, I gave up, as is my wont of late, and decided to wait until one of the issues assumed a cloak of dire need, then give it a shot….. Otherwise, I’d be writing forever, without any resolution, for there aren’t many good answers to be found.
Now that I’ve provided myself with a plenitude of future excuses to be lazy, I’ll tell you today’s Pear is a good one, if rant-free. Fine music, perhaps my best poem, and a damn fine old-school lesson, sort of. I’m happy with it, & that’s all that matters ultimately. Y’all will, as always, need to decide for yourselves whether your time has been wasted, or augmented. Sharing your decision is, of course, optional. When I see such comments, I tend to feel a small portion of guilt, right before ignoring them altogether, so, it’s not my favorite thing to occur; I gave up guilt long ago. But, I’m fair-minded, mostly, so, have at it, if you wish…. No worries; I don’t own a gun.
Okay, that’s about enough of that for one day. It’s all getting that red color that happens right before Reality begins to swirl and fade away, so, perhaps it would be best to get on with the rest of this mess. It’s not as if we are concerned with our sales figures, but, I hate casualties, and so does the insurance guy. So, we’ll get the slow on the toad, and be done with it for another diurnal period. Besides, it makes it harder to catch me this way…. See ya down the page….
Shall we pearl?….
“Entropy requires no maintenance.”
~~ Amanda Walker ~~
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Stevie Ray Vaughan, in his short time with us, left a large mark on the musical scene. He was already considered a master when he passed, and, fortunately, left a substantial body of recorded work to enjoy. This concert, though not the greatest picture, has good, clear sound, essential for full appreciation of his genius. Enjoy, ffolkes, it doesn’t get any better……
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Stevie Ray Vaughan Live in Tokyo ~ 1985
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Unheralded Sagacity…
To many, who will not see beyond their nose,
the world becomes a dangerous place;
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose.
No magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.
Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years;
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.
Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt.
Strength is found in an unfettered mind;
cry “freedom” with a great shout.
No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.
Illumination…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/17/2013
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Naked Pearls
Potpourri
*********
“I have been a stranger in a strange land.”
~~ Old Testament, Exodus ii, 22 ~~
*********
“What we wish, that we readily believe.”
~~ Demosthenes ~~
*********
“You grow up the day you have your first real laugh — at yourself.”
~~ Ethel Barrymoore ~~
*********
“Anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else.”
~~ William Rotsler ~~
*********
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
~~ T. S. Eliot ~~
*********
“He who has a WHY to live for can bear with almost any HOW.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
*********
“Self-trust is the essence of heroism…
It speaks the truth, and it is just, generous, hospitable, temperate,
scornful of petty calculations, and scornful of being scorned.
It persists; it is of an undaunted boldness,
and of a fortitude not to be wearied out.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Essays” ~~
*********
“He who laughs, lasts.”
~~ Mary Pettibone Poole ~~
*********
“Deserve your dream.”
~~ Octavio Paz ~~
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There you have it; short, but sweet. I’m going to go now, before it all loses focus, and turns on us, which can happen here at the end, if we aren’t mindful. Of course, that particular state remains fitfully inconsistent, but, we’re working on it. See y’all tomorrow, if I, once again, can find no good reason to NOT do so….. Trust me, I won’t…. and, I WILL be here, one way, or another…. Hope for the one, the other is bloody dangerous…. for everyone….
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.
“We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.”
~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~
Even weeds hold beauty….
Hajime…. In the interests of public benefit, today’s Pearl is abbreviated, to a degree, simply to be nice. Nice to whom? Well, I suppose that is what we’d call a personal judgment, or preference, and not our problem. We’re nice, and that’s that. Now we’ve settled that portion of today’s intro, we can go on to more lucrative, and, hopefully, more rational discourse.
Of course, finding rationality can be an issue, as well, but, that’s an issue we don’t discuss in mixed company. Boy, if there is phrase that accurately describes my readership, that would be it. Mixed company. I won’t even consider any discussion as to what it may mean, for that would again fall into the personal judgment arena, where we don’t go. In fact, we don’t go much of anywhere, not if it’s got any real connection to reality. How else can we expect to survive this process? We can’t. Nor should we….
Okay, I’m done. Our Pearl today is short, sweet, and, it’s done, so let’s get the slow on the toad, and get on down the page. I can’t think of anything else to put here, so, this is all you get. So be it….
Shall we pearl?….
“The man who believes he can do it is probably right.”
~~ Helvetius ~~
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Naked Pearls
Notes on How to Live….
*******
“The wise man will always reflect concerning the quality, not the quantity of life.”
~~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca ~~
*******
“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then
to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”
~~ Bertrand Russell (1872-1967) ~~
*******
“People might not get all they work for in this world,
but they must certainly work for all they get.”
~~ Frederick Douglas ~~
*******
“To develop a complete mind:
Study the science of art;
study the art of science.
Learn how to see.
Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~
*******
“The only way round is through.”
~~ Robert Frost ~~
*******
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See? Told ya it was short. It’s also, as we like to say around here, done to a turn. That’s a cooking phrase, meaning, we’re outta here. Go figure, eh? I’ll be back tomorrow, ffolkes; consider this your only warning…. 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.
“But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.”
~~EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow ~~
~~ “Cynthia Horner’s Eulogy”, Apr. 1994 ~~
Signs of autumn….
Hajime…. Though it is true that hope springs eternal, it is also true that Murphy lies in wait. I’d hoped, when I sat this morning to begin, there would be time, and wherewithal, to put together an entire, modern Pearl, as seen here a mere two months ago. However, SB decided to go wonky on me, which slowed down the pearling process from the get-go. Then, I tried to find enough angst to rant, and was both pleased and dismayed to find none. That, ffolkes, is a first, and positive evidence of Murphy’s intransigent sense of humor. Hmph….
Since the original intent is now irrelevant, I suppose I’ll just do what I can to put together a good, solid, old-school pearl for your perusal, and call it a day. Hey, it’s a Sunday; I can pretend I’m taking a day off. Of course, I’ve already pulled the covers on that, but, what do you think? Is it worth a shot? In today’s world, truth doesn’t seem to possess much value, in terms of getting what one wants; fulfilling one’s desires seems to be our cultural goal as humans, seems to me.
Since I’m fully in the grasp of the wisdom of Epictetus today, I’ll forgo joining the cultural parade, by NOT lying to get what I want. Instead, I’ll merely observe how to obtain the ultimate human goals, to wit:
Sounds like good advice. How about we follow it, & get on with the rest of today’s mess? I think that’s fine idea, and so do you….
Shall we pearl?….
“The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray.”
~~ Robert Green Ingersoll ~~
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Naked Pearls
Koans on parade….
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“I stared into the abyss. The abyss stared into me.
Neither of us liked what we saw.”
~~ Zen Bee ~~
*******
“What is reason?
Knowledge informed by sympathy, intelligence in the arms of love.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“We cannot unthink unless we are insane.”
~~ Arthur Koestler ~~
*******
“Life without the courage for death is slavery.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*******
“Not to laugh, not to lament, not to curse, but to understand.”
~~ Spinoza ~~
*******
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret;
it is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~
*******
“If you understand, things are as they are.
If you do not understand, things are as they are.”
~~ Gensha, Zen Master ~~
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I’d say that is just about as done as it can be. Given my position as the blog’s author and administrator, that means, hey, it’s done. How ’bout that, eh? I think, at this point, it would be best to take our leave, before anything untoward can take place. I will offer the standard caveat, to wit: I’ll be back, so, stay alert. As they say, mindful is good…. Well, they say it around here, anyway…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Can’t seem to find a valid reason to stay away….
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 am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!”
~~ (The Beatles) I Am The Walrus ~~
A well-earned rest….
Hajime…. Apparently, the muse responsible for stimulating my creativity didn’t get the memo. I’m now capable of sitting long enough to do a bit of writing, but, can she be found? No. I’m pretty sure she got sidetracked by Murphy, who delights in seeing me experience frustration; he probably talked her into a week in Mexico, or somewhere else far away from wherever I’m sitting. Now, here I am, once again staring blankly at a screen covered in a vast white plain of fear, wondering what the hell I’m going to do now…..
Ah, well, so be it. I refuse categorically to go back to tricks, or traps, or nonsense, or even Piffle, to fill up this intro section; don’t ask me why. Not that I wouldn’t tell you, but, we’d be here forever trying to justify that which cannot be justified. But, then, reality doesn’t much care about justification; we humans are the only ones who seem to put any credence in it. But, I digress, as usual…
Screw it, he said, with feeling. Let’s just get on with it, since there isn’t a lot to get to. The poem I’m gestating isn’t ready, apparently, so, we’ll all have to make do with the handful of pearls I found, & be happy with that. Since there is now hope for more time to write, I’ll show a bit of faith in the process, (unnatural as it may be, for me), & hope for more in the near future… For now, let’s just do this….
Shall we pearl?….
“The only people for me are the mad ones,
the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,
desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing,
but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars…”
~~ Jack Kerouac, “On the Road” ~~
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Naked Pearls
Finding the center…
*******
“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*******
“”I say that a man must be certain of his morality
for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.”
~~ G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, 8/4/06 ~
*******
“The question was put to him, what hope is;
and his answer was, “The dream of a waking man.”
~~ Diogenes Laertius — Aristotle, xi ~~
*******
“Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way in the answer.”
~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~
*******
“All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
*******
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Well, ffolkes, there you have it. A classic style Pearl, short, sweet, but complete. I hold out hope for the future, so, let’s go out and find it, shall we? I’ll be back to try this again, perhaps with a bit more to say. One may hope, after all…. 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.
“It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority.
By definition, there are already enough people to do that.”
~~ G. H. Hardy ~~
Random Kirk ~~ Greenock, Scotland
Hajime…. Evolution is an implacable process, regardless of what point on the scale at which one resides. Those who have the most experience in observing the process, as we all must, from the inside, have no distinct advantage over those brand new to its principles of reality based requirements, otherwise known as parameters. In short, age is no defense against the universe; the laws which regulate its operation are equally applicable to the young, the old, and the foolish. Go figure, eh?
During this most recent vacation from blogging, I’ve been forced to read more, stand more, and write less, as the time needed to transfer my thoughts onscreen has been too much to tolerate. This morning seems to have brought me a bit of space, hence this intro section, composed while I am able….
This inability to spend any consistent time at writing continues; what you see above is from two days ago. As is patently clear by now, it’s making it hard to keep the material from looking and feeling weird to me, chopped up & rustic, rather than smooth and elegant. Of course, elegance is a goal for which I often shoot, but, seldom hit; it sounds good though, doesn’t it?
The above, in retrospect, teaches me this; things will have to change, if I intend to continue blogging. How those changes look has yet to be discovered. For now, we’ll go with what I’ve managed to put together, and, hope for the best…. Without further discussion, we’ll go do that now….
Shall we pearl?….
“I leapt headlong into the sea,
and thereby have become better acquainted
with the soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks,
than if I had stayed upon the green shore,
and piped a silly song, and took tea and comfortable advice.”
~~ John Keats ~~
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Having listened to this concerto many times, I can attest it is perfectly suited for reading with blogs…. So, enjoy!…..
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W.A. Mozart Concerto for Flute & Harp
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“All warfare is based on deception.”
~~ Sun Tzu (ca. 500 BC) ~~
For more than three weeks now, I’ve been unable to sit long enough to write. Moreover, it isn’t looking as if that is ever going to change; if it does, it won’t be soon. This acknowledgment of reality is hard for me, but, inescapable. Not being able to vent is, without doubt, a serious conundrum, about which I haven’t a clue as how to fix; the building pressure is becoming dangerous, & not just to me. Critical mass is approaching, and nobody likes nuclear explosions….
The quote you see above from The Art of War is, in many ways, always a good place to begin a rant, yet, I am unable to take advantage long enough to put anything together, thanks to the onset of excruciating pain after about three minutes of sitting, requiring me to get up, & move about until it passes, or, worse, to lie down until the pain is manageable. It’s making a serious dent in my serenity, to be sure. It is also making it necessary to once again transform Pearls of Virtual Wisdom into a new, or, rather, old configuration….
“He knew that insofar as one denies what is, one is possessed by what is not, the compulsions, the fantasies, the terrors that flock to fill the void.” — Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Lathe of Heaven”
I cannot deny the pain; I must adjust. So, long story short, from this day forward, until further notice, the Pearls you see will resemble the first one published here; an introductory statement or two, followed by the day’s selection of pearls for your edification and glad consumption. Until my condition allows me to sit long enough to actually compose, that’s about all I can promise to get done. It’s not up to the standards I’ve since adopted, but, those standards no longer apply.
Otherwise, I would have to stop writing completely; I’m not ready to give that up, nor am I willing to give up the people I’ve met here, who have become like family…. So, I’ll be around, if less often, and less copiously…. All you can do is all you can do, as we know….
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s introspective, and hope y’all will continue to drop in now & again to say howdy, or just enjoy the pearls. For the nonce, that will have to do, for all of us….
gigoid has spoken….. So be it….
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A Seasonal Approach
Absolute stillness grips a frozen field,
anticipating dawn with such patient yield
morning burgeoning in dark winter’s hold
brings promise of tales yet to be told.
Lengthening days of pale sun unto night
slowly tell of time’s subversive flight
bringing such original songs of natural fire
with melodies complex in casual attire.
The months are certain they will always win
it is just the way it has always been.
None may argue, nor yet slow life down
Nor dim the eternal beauty of nature’s gown.
Winter evolves from fall into spring,
sending flocks and hearts ever awing.
Summer follows suit, t’other way ’round
Spring into fall, often without a sound.
Life is meant to be lived, beginning to end
choices abound, and change can be a friend.
Yielding with grace to reality’s compelling ploy
fills our plain existence with clean, honest joy.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/26/2012
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Naked Pearls
Notes on Life at Large
*******
“Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*******
“It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes,
rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
*******
“Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty.”
~~ Ancient Hippie proverb ~~
*******
“Really to see the sun rise or go down every day…would preserve us sane forever.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*******
“Good enough is never good enough.”
~~ AB Guthrie ~~
*******
“Kindness is more important than wisdom,
and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”
~~ Theodore Isaac Rubin ~~
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Well, it took two weeks to put this together, but, it’s done. Hopefully, with the changes in format I’m planning, more Pearls will be forthcoming. Our elegant invention, Time, will tell, I’m sure. Since I’m nearing my three-minute limit, I’m going to end this & go post, before I am unable to do so, again. I WILL be back; that’s a promise, which is never made lightly. Hopefully, I’ll also be able to go surfing soon, to make up for all the time I’ve lost visiting my friends’ blogs…. For now, we’ll take our leave, with our usual caveat, to wit: even reality has to take a breath now and then. Whatever that means…. 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.
“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”
~~ James Dean ~~
Contemplating the inscrutable….
Hajime…. After a full hour of arguing with Leelu, who thought 0430 was late enough to stay in bed, I’m up, once again staring at a blank screen, wondering what the hell to write. As you see, I opted for the easy way, with pointed remarks about the morning, just so I could get started. Naturally, as soon as I get the first sentence typed, my mind goes blank. SIGH…. It’s going to be a long morning, I can tell….
Fortunately, most of the material needed for today is on hand. We have a guest discussion for the ranting section, with a brilliant analysis of modern times by Dean Baker, and a fine set of Naked Pearls with which to finish. The rest shouldn’t take too long, if I can decide on some music without too much waffling. It’s also fortunate I’m not much at waffling; I’ve always found making decisions pretty easy, if I have the information needed to make one. The only trick will be to find something fresh, which is rather a random operation, anyway….
In the interests of efficiency, (not that it’s a particularly popular category around here), we’ll cut the intro short again, in hopes of finding some sort of rhythm further down the page. Fat chance, right? Oh, well. Such is life in the blogosphere. So they say. Me, I’m going to take them at their word, for now, so we can get on with the rest of today’s mess…. Since I said the word ‘efficiency’, I am obligated to make a serious attempt to achieve it, which means this is all you get…. Go figure, eh?….
Shall we pearl?….
“There is no sin except stupidity.”
~~ Oscar Wilde, “The Critic as Artist”, 1891 ~~
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Fare Thee Well, July 5, 2015
Last year on this date, the Grateful Dead celebrated their 50th anniversary as a band, by performing several concerts in the Bay Area, and, on the 4th and 5th of July, in Chicago’s Soldier Field. Here is a recording of one of those shows for your listening enjoyment…. Keep on truckin’, ffolkes….
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Fare Thee Well The Grateful Dead
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Yesterday, a friend posted the following discussion of the participants in the upcoming presidential election here in the US. Quite frankly, it’s bloody brilliant, and I wish I’d written it… From possibly the best living English language poet, Dean J. Baker…. Links to his work follow the article…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this is telling it like it is….
Pap
How long has it been since you’ve heard this lie: ‘you are never given more than you can take,’ usually preceded by ‘God.’ Even recognizing it is to acknowledge that you’re a victim of positive attitude propaganda. Pap. Or, bullshit if you feel like saying so.
Most people won’t ever come to the point where they will acknowledge the harm being surrounded by cheerful asswipes can do to someone who rightfully so is building a case of rage and pessimism. It could very well be that feeling the burn, so to speak, will provide a manner or method as of that time unformed which will get you through the leveling of degrees of stress and trauma.
As well most people buy into that pap, and thus are crippled into detouring away from a healthy non-murderous rage.
Any trauma endured – and ongoing – is perversely translated into an opportunity to build a stronger self through life’s variable adversities. Post-traumatic stress, or any great stress, is thus deformed into the chance to grow. Lucky fucking you, huh.
You get to imitate Job, or Jonah, from the Bible. If there was a certainty of an afterlife where you could meet up with those responsible for such bullshit stories permeating into false attitudes in daily life, I’d bet there’d be a long line waiting to kick their asses.
It’s part and parcel of the fictive idea that you alone ought to be enough to raise yourself up, and if you aren’t one of those fortunates, then you’re a socialist. An example of the common depth of thought propagated in many countries now, with the exception of those who simply say We are right, kill everyone else.
I can see where that fog of optimism infects the minds and attitudes of many to the degree that actuates in saving possible enemy combatants under the guise of humanitarianism.
‘But they’re not carrying a gun, or explosives, now.’
‘I know. Let’s wait til later when we’re blown up, or strafed with bullets.’ Besides, if it doesn’t happen to us, we can always wail about tragedy to insulate ourselves from the reality of it.
This takes me back to the first statement about not being given more than you can take. It seems innocent. Hopeful. Designed to help.. not a passive aggression against an overwhelming reality in this and other lands of cheery manipulative crap contrived to drive the despair or stress so far underground it manifests itself as illness – at which time you’ll be told that a positive attitude helps.
‘Ok. I am positive that if I could kick you in the head I’d feel better, so come closer, you focking schmoe.’
This is only one example where a pervasive systematic form of denial can work against the overall health of a society and individuals simultaneously.
It can result in Hitlers, or Hillarys.
Now of course there are those of you who will think I planned on getting to that point in order to establish a rant against… Hillbillary. Or her devil’s adversary, T-Rump.
That they are the result of a grand denial is why they’re used as examples. Almost every single possibility for office of the Presidency has been flawed. It’s to be expected… isn’t it? Or have we been culturally conditioned to lower our sights for heaven and for politics?
You do know what’s at the center of it: money. It puts them out there as possibilities.
The crowd is so effectively disarmed into believing the fiction that they have a choice that nowhere is there the question of why exactly are these trouts touting themselves as leaders.
They will say what they’re going to do – which will change once in office, since it always does.
Not one of them shows a subtle understanding of the effective currents that will affect each and everything that even attempts to get done. So in other words, they pander to what they believe the greater number of people want to hear.
Thus, they lie. They give you the Big Happy coming your way.
Want some pie? Here it is. Oh, but you didn’t say you didn’t want it in your face.
That’s the opposite of the spectrum that says they must have flaws. Hey, she’s one big flaw so let’s elect her: we’ll make history. Not the reality of it being that if she’’ a choice you are history.
Is the country so depraved, so un-edicated, that they’ll take to Bubba Gump articulating outrage and fall for the idiocy that if he can articulate what they think he’ll do a good job? Probably on the Presidential throne.
What I’d want – and I think everyone ought to benefit by – is someone who shows a greater depth and understanding of the nuances of power. I believe any thinking person is repelled by the fact that as it stands T-Rump is blatting out euphemistic courage, and few are equating it with the robber barons knowing what’s best for you: da public.
He’s already got the lease, now he’s trying to own the Company Store.
They are all a trauma waiting to occur; inflicting their perversions of ideas of truth and reality upon a people less and less able to think (reading opinions on the internet and being able to vocalize your version is not thinking, it’s wearing Mr. Ed’s hat, or pontificating like Arnold Ziffle).
I’d have hoped that by now once the years of Tricky Dick and/or Liar Bill (ex-rapist, so things are improving) had gone by to the point where a famous novelist I met once might hesitate in stating whenever he’s going to take a dump that he’s “got to take a Nixon.”
As representative metaphors, Hillbillary stands for advancement and individual persistence – if you overlook integrity and other minor things. And T-Rump stands for the voice of the common person, that great articulate, well-learned and compassionate soul.. as long as they got theirs and you don’t jump the fucking line, ok.
They ought to be taken as these are who you don’t vote for, what you run from, what to avoid if you want a healthy country short-term and longer.
Consider that they each know why they aren’t fit for office, but humility prevents them from enumerating their faults since they know that would allow a balanced perspective to be weighed and decided upon.
Nah, they have plenty of humility they want you to share. Good old pusitive attitude propaganda.
The ‘Party’ as it stands is over.
These people are not icons of what or whom to vote for, but plinths of a society where the fall has only to be witnessed out loud: the emperor’s burlesque is what it’s all about on the surface.
#Politicians Vote NO. A crook, or one who’’ got the lease & now wants to own the Company Store. One dimensional caricatures at the expense of the country.
Voting ought to mean you choose someone better than a crook, with greater depth than the slim pickings of public outrage, and the process not resemble a game of Whack-A-Mole.
A baleful lump of ironic introspection
sits upon my shoulder today
leaving traces of fey reflection
with a smattering of true dismay.
Resistance may be futile, many have said,
belief didn’t necessarily follow.
Abnegation of fear marks all bills paid,
leaving such empty threats hollow.
Symbolic courage never sleeps so deeply
as when delusion holds sway.
Bartered virtue, sold far too cheaply,
stands in shame, until honor fades away.
Too many culprits exist to count just one;
all of us bear obvious blame.
Evil is as evil does, only, when it’s done,
it begins again, all same-same.
Nobody seems to care enough to deny the lies.
Ignorant fear rules humanity’s masses.
When evil passes unremarked, innocence dies;
silence equals guilt, leaving only hope’s ashes.
Reality screams; tales of terror unfold,
flames fanned with purposeful malice,
insidious dangers hide beneath atrocity untold
as Gaia weeps into an empty chalice.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/3/2015
********************************
Naked Pearls
Subtle Points on Life at Large
*********
“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*********
“Do nothing that insults your soul.”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
*********
“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world
is also a confession of character.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*********
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man
to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*********
“Without accepting the fact that everything changes,
we cannot find perfect composure.
But unfortunately, although it is true,
it is difficult for us to accept it.
Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer.”
~~ Shunryu Suzuki ~~
*********
“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 ~~
*********
“The best thing for being sad, replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow,
is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails.
You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies,
you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins,
you may miss your only love,
you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics,
or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds.
There is only one thing for it then — to learn.
Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust,
never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust,
and never dream of regretting.
Learning is the only thing for you.
Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”
~~ T.H. White, The Once and Future King ~~
*********
“I give up, what is the meaning of life?”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
*********
“Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
~~ T. S. Eliot, “Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock” ~~
*********
********************************
Amazingly enough, it’s done; strangely enough, it’s relatively on time, and reasonably complete, in a Pearlish sort of way. I’ll take it, and run, with a glad heart and easy mind. Well, as much as I ever do. I’ll also note, tomorrow’s another day, & I plan to be here, though the plan calls for less angst, and more calm, centered behavior. I’ll echo here the fat chance used above. On that note, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; odds on that are, as ever, pretty good….
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.
“And though the course may change sometimes,
Rivers always reach the sea.”
~~ Led Zeppelin, Ten Years Gone ~~
A portrait of focused intent….
Hajime…. I gave up on my deadline, which is probably obvious for those who come here at a regular time. It’s now an hour after my self-imposed time to be done, yet, here I am, just beginning. I’ll be trying to ignore my inner voices, who are already clamoring for panic mode, to see if it will help me keep this reasonably coherent (not that’s ever kept us from posting before…). Should I meet with any success, it’ll be a first, so, you may offer congratulations any time. Hah!
That’s right, ffolkes, I’m teetering on the edge again. If there was a god, he might know why, but, since we don’t cater to such nonsense, I’ll just have to assume I have a good reason, so I can get on with enduring its depredations, in whatever form they may take this time out. Thanks to the nearly limitless abundance of material with which my imagination can formulate new nightmares, day or night, well, that form is pretty, well, formless, so I never know quite what to expect in the way of new, depressing thought patterns. Lots of crap in there with the good stuff to work with, so, it can get a little weird….
How ’bout that picture, eh? It’s the latest I have of Leelu, showing off her developing calico coloration, as well as her magnetic personality. Notice how sharp and clear the picture is, behind and around her; she, in contrast, is a bit fuzzy. I think that’s due to her magnetic nature, which complicates taking digital pictures; she always appears as if she is moving, even when sitting still. Probably has something to do with the cat characteristic of being capable of inter-dimensional travel; alternately, it could be my old, shaky hands…. It’s still a nice picture of her, at nearly a year old….
I’ve blathered sufficiently to meet our everyday standards, so, I guess I’ll go try to throw the rest of this together. Hell, if I’m lucky, it might even get done before noon. I’ll see what I can do about that…..
Shall we pearl?….
“Is is not true that we have only one life to live;
if we can read, we can live as many lives
and as many kinds of lives as we wish.”
~~ S.I. Hayakawa ~~
********************************
Y’all knew this was coming, right? If you didn’t, you should have; there have been more than enough clues, for anyone who’s been coming here for any length of time. No worries; it’s all good. I hope you enjoy today’s selection, chosen, as always, for the picture that grabbed my attention….
********************************
Classical Music
********************************
********************************
********************************
Since I’m in White Rabbit mode (I’m late, I’m late, etc…), here’s one from the archives…. Enjoy!…
From 3/26/2014:
“If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see how bad it is WITH representation.” — Smart Bee
If I’m to believe this article’s headline, Barry says he wants the NSA to stop being bad boys, and play nice with the rest of us….. I believe I’ll wait to see if any of this really happens before I break out the champagne…. This president, I’m sorry to say, has developed a particularly nasty habit, over the course of his time in office, of playing fast and loose with the truth, a tendency which, when observed in the past, in EVERY other psychopathic resident of his position, only becomes worse the longer the perpetrators believe they’re getting away with it…. When action is overdue, talk is cheap….
Due to my intense disappointment in his actions thus far during his administration, I’ll save my trust for later, when… no, IF I see ANY of his statements come to pass, in truth…. If, as I suspect, all goes according to historical example, we’ll see some superficial posturing by the White House pundits, that might eventually get around to SUGGESTING some changes that should be made….. But, none will actually occur in reality, and any real discussion will get bogged down in committee…. Meantime, the media will find some other outrageous issue to distract them from ever following up to see if anything happens along the lines of actual reform….
Now I’ll finish reading the article, & see how my prediction fared…. Ah, I see now…. Upon reading it through to the end, I came across the key phrase, the one indicating the real strategy behind the White House announcement…. to wit: “The president’s plan, however, relies on Congress to pass legislation — something that has so far seemed unlikely.”
Immediately upon reading this, my crap detector went off, with a loud “AHA!”, (inadvertently sending the cat flying across the room to hide in the plants, thinking I was about to come after her for something she did, no doubt…. she has a guilty conscience, I’m sure…. Right….. I’d believe that…. if I believed she had one at all….), when I realized I knew, now, just WHY Barry is adopting this stance, at least, if you believe what he says here…. which, understandably, I’m now having a hard time doing….
If he just leaves it up to Congress, it’s a foregone conclusion nothing will be done ….. Not by THIS one…. The current Congress has been, for the last three years, at least, the absolute worst one, EVER, for getting anything actually DONE…. This includes ALL of the past elections of congress we’ve seen in our history… I shit you not, this Congress has passed fewer laws, and had fewer bills presented at all, than ANY previous sitting of that august body, by a factor of about 8….. They’re determined to be known as the newest holder of the title of “Do-Nothing Congress”, formerly held by one in the early, or late, 20th century, I believe….
(Side note: This, of course, can be attributed to the Republican majority in the House of Representatives…. The party’s pundits, all older, white, Christian conservatives, determined, and stated in public, soon after Obama was elected, that their entire focus for the time he is in office would be to ensure that NONE of his legislative reforms ever took place, or made it into law…. It didn’t matter to them whether or not any of his programs would actually HELP the citizenry they represent; they were determined to undermine every reform he attempted….
For the most part, they’ve been successful in allowing NOTHING, or, nothing much, anyway, to get done…. all because of their unstated, but obvious, bigoted fear of the black man in the White House, an affront to their sense of Caucasian entitlement, not to mention the severe blow to their sense of reality…. They hadn’t even noticed when they ceased to be the majority in the real world….)
After reading the entire article, I find my opinion confirmed…. This announcement is just another stall tactic, one designed to give the impression to the public that something is happening, when nothing actually IS happening, or GOING to happen, other than business as usual for the spy agencies, who have continued ALL of the activities of espionage they are accused of carrying out…. The government has absolutely no intention of giving up their new toys, and they will continue to lie their little faces off to keep that from becoming public knowledge….
The NSA is STILL spying on the citizens of every nation of the whole world, including their own citizens, without ever having actually slowed down, or ceased ANY of the programs they’ve begun…. If you actually believe it when they tell you they have, well, then, you deserve to have them in your face…. Sorry, ffolkes, but, it’s just plain STUPID to believe these people are going to tell us ANYTHING they don’t WANT us to know….
Oh, every once in a while, we’ll see in the news they’ve sent one of their lackeys chiefs to Congress to discuss issues, or make statements, none of which actually address anything relevant…. they’re just making more smoke….. In the process, nothing is actually being done to stop them at all, not by Congress, not by the Courts, and certainly not by the White House…. No, it’s all just smoke, ffolkes, sent up to get in your eyes, trying to make you think they’re listening to your concerns…..
Right…. sure they are….. I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but, to these myrmidons of the shadowy corporate masters, your concerns are something to be used against you, to fan your fears of the “unknown other”, while simultaneously listening to your every spoken word over the airwaves…. Whatever they tell you they aren’t doing, or can’t do…. well, ffolkes, the smart money says they are not only capable of everything we suspect of them, but are already beyond that level, and are capable of far worse…. Count on it…. Not only are they lying about what they are doing, they are lying about what they CAN do…. which we will ONLY find out when we find the police at our door…..
Think about it, ffolkes!….. When you break down the walls between yourself and the truth, and really THINK about their purpose, the bottom line concept of their given task as spies, LYING, especially about what they are doing in the dark, away from the public eye, is an important part of their JOB!…. And, guess what? They’re good at it….
I hate to be such a curmudgeon about all of this, but, the evidence just keeps pushing me back into that mode, pissed off and ready to start picking off real targets, instead of merely suggesting them…. If you couldn’t tell, I think I pissed myself off…. I’d better go now, before I get REALLY worked up, and can’t find my way out of this rant…..
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” — Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address January 20, 1953
“I don’t mind being in touch with reality, as long as I don’t have to live there.” — Smart Bee, channeling gigoid again
********************************
Honorable Request
Days, filled to a brim with fluff and time, pass
dimly into memory, bit by combative bit;
ever mournful, yet loud with life and sass,
only in dream do we meet, and dance, and flit.
Souls, spinning ’round in gleeful wonder, comply
as they must, never given a reason;
somberly proper, yet limber and quite spry,
dancing on to greet each bright new season.
Storms, angered by apathetic care, rage
proceeding into ministerial glare, unknown;
clothed in colors, purified solely with sage,
past an infinite future, already flown.
Life, plumbed to its depths and secrets, keeps
flowing with currents, strong and fairly found;
love stands, asking release, as it slowly weeps,
seeking refuge unasked, to stay honor bound.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/13/2012
********************************
It’s too late to try to persuade SB to be nice, so, here’s an old, old-school pearl from the archives, billed as a damn good one…
From 6/7/2014:
I am compelled, at this point, to confess…. I still am not completely at my ease, physically. To be brief, there remains a small knife embedded in my right hip…. Well, that’s how it feels, anyway. With the meds, and rest, it’s doable; within an hour or two, it begins to get sharper, though, and by noon, it’s enough to make me want to hurt somebody, preferably someone else…. But, it is NOT going to keep me from finishing this Pearl…. This does mean I’ll be going old school though, as I was not able to get out yesterday to take any new pictures for this….. I’ll try to get back to that, as soon as I can get out of the house to a place where there are some reasonable subjects to shoot…. with my camera…. For now, let’s dive, shall we, & finish out this mess?….
“Ignorance plays the chief part among men, and the multitude of words;” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Cleobulus, iv
“Common sense is the least common of all senses.” — Hobson’s Homily
“We’re not talking about the same thing,” he said. “For you the world is weird because if you’re not bored with it you’re at odds with it. For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious,unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must accept responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.” — Don Juan
“All passions that suffer themselves to be relished and digested are but moderate.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book i, Chap. ii, Of Sorrow
“Rules make the learner’s path long, examples make it short and successful.” — Seneca
“Of all mankind, each loves himself the best.’ — Terence
“The world, dear Agnes, is a strange affair.” — Jean Baptiste Moliere (1622-1673) — L’Ecole des Femmes, Act ii, Sc. 6
Now THAT is a pearl, ffolkes…. and a damn good one, too….
********************************
Having cobbled this one together in a rush, it probably ended up as a good metaphorical representation of my state of mind today; like ice, on the verge of melting…. However it came out, it is, as we are fond of noting, done. So be it. I’ll try again tomorrow, if I can find my routine around here somewhere; it seems to be hiding a lot of late. See ya, ffolkes; I’m determined, if not sanguine….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. This morning, I find myself in an odd state of mind. I managed to get some sleep, though I couldn’t tell you why it happened. Since it did, I’ve got a bit more than my usual amount of energy; can’t say it’s exactly topped off, but, hey, better than the alternative, right? Then, as I sat to begin, I saw the opening quote, which I used yesterday on FB as a status report. To me, the small aphorism from Ms. LeGuin is one of the deepest pearls ever created; think a while on it, and you will see why….. It stimulates deep thinking, in me, anyway, and I tend to go into an introspective mode…. This is both a good and a bad thing, in re: writing….
Good, because it’s always good to look inside; bad, because what one finds isn’t always writable. Today, the latter is the case; I went deep inside, only to find issues not ready for public consumption. I did manage to leak out a poem yesterday, though it’s one of the oddest poems I’ve done. I’ve also repeated myself on the music today, simply because I spent much of the day listening to the artists on P4C, and wanted to share it. The old-school section turned out pretty well, too, so, perhaps we should just get on with this mess, before I wander into uncharted territory, & find myself with no way back…. I think, in fact, we’d best do this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Never cry over spilt milk. It could’ve been whiskey.”
~~ “Pappy” Maverick ~~
********************************
Playing For Change
I spent an hour or more listening to the playlist for P4C, and decided to go with it again today. You can’t miss, ffolkes; it’s all good stuff. Enjoy!….
Our discussion today comes from the archives. In actuality, when it first appeared, this was an intro section. At that time, I was spending a lot of time writing, so, much of what is there is rather long & involved. This one is a discussion of why I Pearl, so, I thought it might create some little bit of understanding, about me, and what keeps me doing this every damn day…. Well, I guess, in truth, that’s another story altogether, which we’ll save for another day, as this one is quite long enough for our purpose. Enjoy!….
From 2/28/2014:
Ffolkes,
“I will show you a philtre without potions, without herbs, without any witch’s incantation – if you wish to be loved, love.” — Seneca
One of the reasons I like aphorisms so much is demonstrated perfectly by this one, from our old friend Seneca, whose contributions to historical wisdom frequently grace these pages. Without fuss, without bother, and with great clarity, he delivers one short, pithy statement, that serves to provide the reader with a piece of knowledge that will serve them well their entire life, if they are able to absorb it, meld it into their own beliefs, and use it as a guide for moral, ethical, or merely honorable behavior…. In other words, good advice in a few words…..
It isn’t as simple, or as easy as it appears; I know, I’ve tried…. I’ve come up with a few, but, I’ve noticed that even those are a matter of recycling knowledge that has been part of human lore for generations. There is good reason behind the old adage about “nothing new under the sun”…. I find countless examples of statements from historical figures, like Seneca, or Plutarch, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, or any of their contemporaries, where the same idea has been re-stated, sometimes in a better way, others not so much….
But, no matter who said it, or how well it was said, many of these sages gave us pearls, of Real wisdom, that have proved their worth by their survival into the present, with the same degree of truth and relevance they held when they were first uttered. They also demonstrate another point that comes up here at ECR regularly, which is how little human nature has changed over the centuries since mankind first began making observations about himself as a species….
Each of the names I mentioned above, at one time or another, has given us some statement that describes a problem they faced in their society, usually from the pre-Christian era, which makes it well over 2000 years ago. I find that virtually every kind of issue that was described as being a problem for them remains as troublesome today, for us, as it was for them….
Mostly, those things are involved with how people get along, or not, i.e. the results of how they treat each other…. It seems we’ve always been plagued with a certain percentage of assholes in the demographics of our populations, whether we were living in caves, or in magnificent cities….. The assholes have always been with us, and have always made their presence known in such a way that we still hear about it today….
This is the primary reason for my own skepticism about the future; if we haven’t been able to find any viable, permanent solutions to the actions of those few of us who don’t give a shit about the others in the 5000 years or more we’ve been talking about it, then what makes us think we’ll be able to solve those issues now? Well, nothing, really…. I don’t think we will be able to solve that issue, and I don’t think we’re going to make it, in the long run…. not without making some major changes, and I don’t see any way that will happen….
All of this, I suppose, was a long winded, rantish sort of way to try to find something interesting to write about for an opening…. I didn’t really intend to come to such a moribund, morbid conclusion, at least, not so early, and not without some more lucrative ranting (lucrative in terms of venting more angst than this mild-mannered outburst could ever provide….), but, I suppose logic dictated the outcome more than desire, so, we’ll just have to deal….
I note, however, with some small degree of pride and satisfaction that yes, we DO have enough to call this an intro, even if it really doesn’t resemble one much at all…. For today, it’s the best I’ve got, and it will have to do…. I’ll try to be a bit more optimistic in what comes after, okay?…. More like the original pearl from Seneca….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Those whom true love has held, it will go on holding.” — Seneca
********************************
Blue chameleon
It’s hot today, with chances of pain & rain.
So it says on the news.
Guess there’s nothing to do again
unless it’s sing the blues.
The blues are gettin’ old, though.
So I say, & I should know.
I been singin’ the bloody songs, y’know?
For what seems a long row to hoe.
S’pose it could get better someday.
I’ve heard that tune before.
Always seemed out of tune anyway;
I ain’t waitin’ any more.
Bang those drums & kick the cans.
May as well raise some hell.
Clang together some old pots & pans;
It hides the little voices so well.
Never worry, don’t you fear at all.
We’ve got certificates of note.
Bureaucratic protections, officially small.
Non carborundum illegitimi, he wrote.
Time, and circumstance, wrote me today.
It came in the daily mail from home.
It said I shouldn’t write unless I say
you’ll be charged for the distance you roam.
~~ gigoid ~~
5/28/2016
Hmm…. strange poem. But, there it is…. I’ll think about it tomorrow….
********************************
Naked Pearls
Life Lived Well, Ed to Ed
*******
“Perfection is a minor virtue.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“Think not that thy word and thine alone must be right.”
~~ Sophocles — Antigone, 706 ~~
*******
“Bear, do not blame, what cannot be changed.”
~~ Publius Syrus ~~
*******
“In answer to the question of why it happened,
I offer the modest proposal that our Universe
is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.”
~~ Edward P. Tryon ~~
*******
“He only earns his freedom and his life
Who takes them every day by storm.”
~~ Goethe, from Faust ~~
*******
There is no w”ealth but life.”
~~ John Ruskin ~~
*******
“We live in the kind of world where courage is the most essential of virtues;
without courage, the other virtues are useless.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
********************************
Well, there you go. It’s a Pearl; no doubt about that. Moreover, it’s done, our favorite state to find them. I think, today, we’ll leave it just as it is, & go post it before I lose my nerve. I shall, as always, return tomorrow, if my luck holds…. It’s worked so far, so, we’ve got a good chance…. See ya….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. What passes for a muse in my world seems to have taken a hiatus this morning; probably got tired of me tossing & turning most of the night, & went off to find something more entertaining to do. This, of course, has some rather significant effects upon the Pearl I had planned for today, since, now, I’ve got nothing in the way of creative urges to fulfill, or even find. So be it. We’ve been here before, and it’s all about trusting the process. Of course, that makes the assumption we can find & recognize the process, which is not a given, by any means.
But, it’s a good process, so, we’ll find the trust inside, somewhere, sometime today, I’m sure. It’s been there every time before, so, odds are good. However, we’ll give it a better chance, by cutting this intro short, and getting on with the rest of today’s mess. It always seems to work out better that way, and, who am I to fuss with tradition? Let’s try this new device I found in the Tardis yesterday while doing the monthly cleaning…. Let’s see what happens when I push this button, right here…..
Shall we Pearl?….
“The correct way to punctuate a sentence that starts: “Of course it is none of my business, but –” is to place a period after the word “but.” Don’t use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”
********************************
Image from lispat.info via Google Images
I feel like some easy listening today, so, here is a two and a half hour of some pretty soothing music…. Enjoy!….
I’m running late again; in addition, I’m late. This does strange things to my persona, but, you knew that. Today, it means you get a somewhat new, if not completely inane form of a rant. It’s a “Do it yourself” rant. Below, you’ll find some pearls, each with a connection to each other, and to our Beloved Ruling Class, in some degree. Just put them together, to formulate a rant of your own making, simply by allowing them to show your thoughts which direction to follow. Pretty slick, eh? Well, okay, so it’s merely slippery; so be it….. Enjoy, ffolkes. If nothing else, it’s all in good fun, and does have some rather cogent points…. Go figure, eh?….
*******
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
*******
“Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed.”
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
*******
“They made us many promises, more than I can remember,
but they never kept but one;
they promised to take our land, and they took it.”
~~ Red Cloud ~~
*******
“I don’t vote. It just encourages them.”
~~ A Maine woman ~~
*******
“He that will not reason is a bigot.
He that cannot reason is a fool.
He that dares not reason is a slave.”
~~ William Drummond, “Academical Questions” ~~
*******
“If anything can go wrong, it will.”
~~ Murphy’s Law ~~
*******
“And now there is merely silence, silence, silence, saying all we did not know.”
~~ William Rose Benet ~~
*******
********************************
After the odyssey….
Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound
Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.
Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.
Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.
Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.
~~ gigoid ~~
3/10/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Life at Large
*********
“By letting go, it all gets done.”
~~ Tao Te Ching ~~
*********
“Living Dead the path is chosen,
to live forever is to die forever.
To not know when you’ll die
is to find life wherever you are.”
~~ Alagad ~~
*********
It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions
upon external causes, rather than on the facility
with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.
~~ Aristotle ~~
*********
“The animal knows, of course.
But certainly it does not know that it knows.”
~~ Teilhard de Chardin ~~
*********
“Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.”
~~ Phaedrus — Book i, Fable 26, 12 ~~
*********
“Put forth your effort
With no thought of gain.”
~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~
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“Be patient and tough;
someday this pain will be useful to you.”
~~ Ovid ~~
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“Work is not an end in itself;
there must always be time enough for love.”
~~ Robert Heinlein ~~
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“…. For my purpose holds;
To sail beyond the sunset, and the light
Of all the western stars, until I die.”
~~Tennyson ~~
~~ The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ~~
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********************************
I did it. This, as much as anything else that will happen today, is something of a surprise, if not a complete conundrum. Since it fulfills all the standard requirements, I declare it done, and, thank goodness. I’ll try again tomorrow, ffolkes; it can’t be any worse, right? Right. 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.
“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines,
but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
~~ Buddha ~~
Wine Country Spring, 2016
Hajime…. Today we will begin with an apology. For two or three days now, including today, I’ve been avoiding going to the blogs I follow, because I simply didn’t have the time to do so, and still deal with reality. Getting a Pearl done yesterday was, in essence, a rush job, which I don’t really like to do, as I’m not able to give it the attention I prefer to give, thus making the quality a questionable matter. It also means I haven’t commented or hit the Like button, to let them know I was by to read their work…. I am sorry, but, for a few days, I will need to reduce my blogging interactions, in order to maintain any semblance of sanity….
Now I’ve managed to bore everyone silly, we’ll just use a Tardis toy, in a moment, to get us down to the next section, where you’ll find today’s video. We’ll be doing some archive diving, as I’m still not in the most creative space I’ve ever been; hell, I’m having a hard time tying my shoes. And, they’re slip-ons…. Writing coherently is currently not in the schedule, or on the menu. But, I continue to type, just as if I could make up some fine, stentorian passage, thrilling all with my expertise and creativity. Fat chance of that today, right? Right. So, rather than torture y’all, or myself, any further, I’m going to push this little button on the side of this little cube, and….
Shall we Pearl?….
“There is not enough love and kindness in the world
to permit us to give any of it to imaginary beings.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
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George
I have this concert on my computer. Whenever I’m feeling a little down, and want to hear great music, I put it on, from the beginning, and let the beauty wash away my blues. All the music herein was written, and played, with love at the core of it. George Harrison left a legacy of love, in his work, and his life, and, as far as music goes in today’s world, this is as good as it gets…. Enjoy!….
As promised in the intro, here is a piece on reincarnation from the archives to fill in today’s ranting section…. I hope you enjoy it….
From 2/9/2013:
“Been there. Done that. Reincarnated.”
~~Smart Bee ~~
Reincarnation is a fascinating concept, especially given its controversial nature as being in opposition to what is believed by many of the world’s most influential religious systems. Some do, and some don’t believe in it, and I have yet to determine, through either research or luck, just why some do an some don’t…. I mean, I know why, in the sense that it doesn’t fit in with the dogma of those religions that subscribe to an afterlife consisting of harps and clouds, while it does match those that have a clearly different view of what happens after death. No, I mean I don’t understand why….. oh. Wait….
You know, I just realized, as I wrote that last line there, that this is a complete waste of energy and time, and further, is in direct violation of one of my own personal rules of life, and avoiding hassles in same…. That rule says, “Asking why is a waste of time, especially as regards human behavior…. so don’t bother.” It’s an old lesson, and one that I should have realized I was close to breaking before I did, as I’ve had a lot of experience with it in my time. Hell, I’ve had enough time that almost everything is something I’ve had experience with; maybe I can use that as an excuse for missing this time, yes? Well, okay…. Still, I can claim a lot on my mind, and nobody can tell me different, so there….
Any who, getting into the “why” of how folks choose their beliefs about a subject as speculative and controversial as reincarnation is bound to be a subject that would entail a great deal of delving into human behaviors that would only serve to frustrate me no end. If there is any area of existence that people are more foolish, or deliberately ignorant about, than such a subject as the afterlife, well, I don’t know what it is. Add to that the very dominant tendency on the part of most people to choose one religious dogma over another based on how much it makes them think (seeking the lesser of two evils, in their minds….), and you get subject matter that can only lead one to drink, to try to get the bitterness and shame out of one’s head….
Me? Hell, I have no idea what will happen when this life ends, not in any specific sense…. I believe that my consciousness, as a form of energy, will not be destroyed, and that part of the universe that manifests as the essence of Ned will merely change form…. to what form I couldn’t say. I can say that, though I am in no particular hurry to find out, it sounds like a great adventure, and I’m looking forward to knowing the answers to all the great questions that we humans ask ourselves during our stint on Earth, in the form we currently inhabit, even if those answers aren’t anything like any of the speculative concepts I’ve heard of or seen, or though of myself…. As Bob Heinlein said, “…. Soon enough, you will know, so why fret about it?”
“He who awaits much can expect little.”
~~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez ~~
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My Nose Is Growing Old
Yup.
A long lazy September look
in the mirror
say it’s true.
I’m 31
and my nose is growing
old.
It starts about 1/2
an inch
below the bridge
and strolls geriatrically
down
for another inch or so:
stopping.
Fortunately, the rest
of the nose is comparatively
young.
I wonder if girls
will want me with an
old nose.
I can hear them now
the heartless bitches!
“He’s cute
but his nose
is old.”
~~ Richard Brautigan ~~
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Naked Pearls
Things You Should Know By Now
*******
“Forward, as occasion offers.
Never look round to see whether any shall note it….
Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter,
and think that even such a result is no trifle.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, ix, 29 ~~
*******
“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”
~~ Seneca ~~
*******
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
~~ Anais Nin ~~
*******
“He bids fair to grow wise who has discovered that he is not so.”
~~ Publius Syrus, Maxim 598 ~~
*******
“Anger blows out the lamp of the mind.”
~~ Robert Green Ingersoll ~~
*******
“The most important thing in a man is not what he knows, but what he is.”
~~ Narciso Yepes ~~
*******
“Pearl of great price.”
~~ New Testament, Matthew xiii, 46 ~~
*******
********************************
Well, there you have it. Such as it is, it is, and shall ever remain. So be it. I’m done for today, ffolkes, but, I’ll be back again tomorrow, to subject us all to yet another Pearl of Virtual Wisdom. As always, y’all have the choice as to whether that is a threat, or a promise. For me, it’s a given…. See ya….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid 