Tag Archives: Taoism

They’ll pay handsomely for authentic Azaleas….

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31

Ffolkes,
Far be it from me to moan and complain about the Universe…. I wasn’t around to consult when it was slapped together (Six, seven days? Really? I’d suspect shoddy workmanship for a job of that size so rushed, regardless of the contractor’s reputation….), or happened randomly, or belched from the belly of a Great Turtle, or whatever, so I have no basis for complaint. But, I’ve got to say, and I know I’m not being original when I do,  this getting old shit really sucks big time…. I won’t bore you with my own particular litany of aches, pains, and embarrassing body function stories…. suffice it to say that it all adds up after  a while, and let’s one know…. this SUCKS!

There…. just had to get that out…..  and a happy good morning to you!  As indicated in the first paragraph, my being able to say that, at all, was very nearly compromised by the way I feel physically this morning. So, let us be particularly happy in response to that, for if nothing else, pain lets you know you are alive, and that is certain. Sure, I could lay around, stiff and aching, dose myself with a couple of extra pain pills, and generally feel like 67 inches of piled up….. well, you know.

Instead, here I am, fingers affixed to the keyboard (which is showing a bit of wear after these past 12 months of severe daily use…. can’t see all of the A, S, E, or J keys, as the letters have rubbed off….), ignoring the tingling and spasming under my scapula, and waiting (with growing impatience….) for my Muse to get up. Damn fool was out again last night, partying, without me, and doesn’t want to roll out & get to work. Let’s all give him/her (I’m never sure about immortals, they could be messing with my head) a big, loud,  Awww, poor baby!, shall we?….. Okay, maybe not….

Let’s go Pearl, instead, okay?….. Okay!….
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One of the bloggers I am now following commented yesterday, in response to a post by a sex trade survivor that was re-blogged on this site, and in the comment recommended a Young Adult novel on the subject, called “SOLD”. She couldn’t remember the author’s name, but Google found it first try, as usual, so I am including below part of a Wikipedia article on the book. I intend to check it out at my first opportunity, and hope that many more folks will follow that example. A link to the article is included below:

“To see what is right and not to do it is cowardice.” — Cervantes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sold_%28novel%29

“Sold” is a novel by Patricia McCormick, published in 2006. It tells the story of a girl from Nepal named Lakshmi, who is sold into sexual slavery in India. The novel is written in a series of short, vignette-style chapters, from the point of view of the main character.

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor, but her life is full of simple pleasures, like raising her black-and-white speckled goat, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.

He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid working for a wealthy woman in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. Main characters include “An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt – then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.” Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother’s words – “Simply to endure is to triumph” – and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. — from Wikipedia.

Ms. McCormick spent some years interviewing women and girls in India, when she was able to get them to agree to talk to her, in spite of their fear of being used by someone they didn’t know or trust, a fear that is sadly common in sex slaves, no matter in which part of the world they are held enslaved.

“Although it is tempting to resent disaster, there is not much use in doing so… Whether we remain ash or become the phoenix is up to us.” — Deng Ming-Dao 

(In the case of abducted sex trade workers, who have absolutely no choice to be where they are, this seems a bit tactless; however, the ending thought remains true for all that….)
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“Think not forever of yourselves, O Chiefs, nor of your own generation. Think of continuing generations of our families, think of our grandchildren and of those yet unborn, whose faces are coming from beneath the ground.” — Peacemaker, founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, (ca. 1000 AD)

Things around here, (here being defined as my head, as well as the space it inhabits, and, by extension, this blog…) have been a mite serious lately. Some heavy stuff being considered, and shared. Some might be tempted to say, “finally!”. Others, more observant, might say, “Oh, I hadn’t noticed it got more serious….” And most would say, “Huh?”  For the last group, I can only say, PAY ATTENTION, PLEASE!

🙂

But no matter what anyone says, “I” feel that way, so I thought I’d take just a moment to consider the above, which, if no less serious in its intent, or its depth of insight, is much more comforting a thought for examination and/or meditation. In that light, seriousness assumes the welcome aspect of a heart with wings…. just enjoy it, and take it with you when you go about the rest of your day….. I will, because it feels good in the spirit pouch that sits under my shirt, next to my heart…..
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“Today’s public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can’t read them either.” — Gore Vidal

It’s been a while since I ranted, or even commented, on the antics of our beloved ruling class, and the media circus that travels around with the crop of candidates hoping to attain center stage in the November Frenzy later this year. I’ve been distracted from that, (thank goodness!….) by other, even more important matters. Stop human trafficking or Laugh at Bozos…. Hmm, not a tough choice for me, though tempting, for sure…. the second is MUCH easier to write about, and the evidence one requires for bounteous hilarity is provided on a daily basis by the cast themselves. It’s really hard NOT to write one of my beloved rants on a daily basis, because it’s always a joy to work with such fertile material for humor.

Hence this brief foray into that hole of darkness, which around here (see above) we like to call, “Kokopelli’s Revenge, Part Four.”
(Side note: if the previous reference is vague, take a moment later to Google Kokopelli; he’s a fascinating character all by himself….)  Where was I? Ah… for the record, I made this up this morning…..

So, a priest, a rabbi, and a Republican walk into a bar. The priest, looking a bit flushed, having just come (sorry) from his last session counseling his young charges, says plaintively, “Set me up a Scotch there, bartender, and be quick about it!” The rabbi, brushing the dust from his yarmulke, glances up with a grim visage, to order; “An absinthe, if you please, goyim.”  The Republican, stiff and looking uncomfortable in his red tie, blue blazer, and American flag lapel pin says, “I’ll have a Shirley Temple, you liberal asshole.”

As the bartender sets down the drinks, and collects the money, he asks, “So, what’s with all the bad moods today?”  The priest says, “Bloody internet! Can’t hide anything but what they’re posting their damn photos online!”  The rabbi says, “A new archaeological find in Jerusalem seems to be an authentic statement, actually written by Jesus, the Christ of Nazareth. It confirms his divinity, and goes on to say that the Old Testament was nullified and declared to be false testimony, by Yahweh himself, as a 31st birthday present to Jesus…. and it’s been notarized by Saint Peter!”  Republican says, morosely, “My gay lover just came out of the closet on Oprah; and he showed them the ring I had inscribed with both our names……sniffle….”  The bartender, a long-time agnostic Libertarian, says, “Oh”.

There, now don’t your feel better? I know I do…..

“In spite of the recent progress in science, the depths of human imbecility have not yet been plumbed.” — H. Ellis

Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action. — Don’t know, but even older than Anonymous
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I will admit that this may get a bit repetitive, but hey, don’t care…. it’s got to be said when the urge strikes, whenever an example of the lies, and the long-standing nature of the plague of human trafficking in society, presents itself to us.  Hence, the following…..

“A woman takes off her claim to respect along with her garments.” — Herodotus

On first glance, one might tend to nod one’s head sagely, assume a serious and patriarchal mien, and agree with this statement, seemingly in accord with the deep insight that is implied (not proven, note, but implied…..). However, in light of what I’ve learned of late, I don’t think that a woman who has survived being held for years as a sex slave in modern America, or India, or China, or anywhere else in the world where it remains a cancerous blot on the social landscape, would have quite the same reaction, nor appreciate the complete and utter disregard it indicates for the real nature of women, or at least of those women who are free to be themselves without censure or threat.

No, I believe a woman as morally and ethically advanced as she, being the gracious, strong, forgiving person she has become (she always was; she just never had the chance before now to be so, freely and openly…..not if she wanted to live….), she would just smile, and calmly comment, “It’s clear that the lies that keep women enslaved are not of recent vintage, but have been spread around by ignorant misogynists, terrified of women’s nature, for a great many years.” With another gentle smile, she might add, “Well, he WAS Greek, wasn’t he? And we all know how the ancient Greeks felt about young boys as objects of desire. I suppose that would tend to skew one’s viewpoint in the direction of perversion.”  With that, she would absent herself, taking with her all of her strength of will, and the wild, terrible beauty of the phoenix.

And the assholes who spread these ignorant, hateful lies shall then tremble in fear, because I’m still there, right in the room with them. I’ve heard every word, I’m not a happy camper, and I’m holding a very large pistol to their temple….. ah, happy dreams!….. I figure, if I can fulfill that dream say, 1000 times a day all over the globe, it should begin to make a serious dent in the number of these WOS’s (ask in the Comment section, and I’ll provide the definition of the acronym) who are still alive, er, active.

At least, those not in hiding from the rest of humanity’s contingent of pissed off males, all tens of millions of them determined to make up for their long, somnolent, passive acceptance of the lies, and the dishonor of the abrogation of their duty, by eliminating the source of the problem…. or at least those assholes who refuse to repent and change their tune…..which, by the obvious evidence in their background, isn’t going to happen. That’s fine by me…. bullets are relatively cheap, compared to years and years of re-education, and close observation….
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“Once upon a time, there was a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter.  However, soon after the weather turned cold, the sparrow changed his mind and reluctantly started to fly south. After a short time, ice began to form his on his wings and he fell to earth in a barnyard almost frozen.  A cow passed by and crapped on this little bird and the sparrow thought it was the end, but the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings.  Warm and happy the little sparrow began to sing.  Just then, a large Tom cat came by, and hearing the chirping, investigated the sounds.  As Old Tom cleared away the manure, he found the chirping bird and promptly ate him.”

There are three morals to this story:

(1) Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy.
(2) Everyone who gets you out of shit is not necessarily your friend.
(3) If you are warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.

And, indeed, ’nuff said on that….. just trying to maintain an even balance here…. from our most frequent repeat contributor of pearls, Anonymous. Or maybe his great-grandson. Does it matter? No…..
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I must feel better. I must. Even though I went to bed late, I slept an extra two hours, and pretty well for a happy change. The coffee was hot & ready when I got up (thank you, technology!). My Muse reluctantly joined me midway, a bit worse for wear, by all visual evidence, but still creatively inspiring. Pearls were plentiful. And the hard drive didn’t crash or burp (knock on plastic…).

All in all, a satisfactory start to the day, which promises to keep me busy, it being payday. I get to hold on to my money, just long enough to go spread it around to all my most insistent creditors, where it gets sucked into the black hole of the American economy. Such fun!…. not.

That’s all, ffolkes, the well is dry, until the spring fills it back up…. y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Billy’s just here to pick up the meatloaf, mister….

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11

Ffolkes,
Yesterday, my blog on WordPress reached a milestone….. I’m informed by the statistical ‘bots that I now have 101 followers of my blog!  This is a gratifying moment for me, and a most welcome encouragement that I’m doing something right, at least. I have, mostly, done very little to promote the blog, beyond posting it to Twitter and Facebook.  My only other activity that might fit that category is that I also follow well over a hundred blogs, of which I read every one I get a notice for, (I am a very fast reader) and I’m pretty active in the comments section.

So, what this tells me is that my followers are all here as a result of either serendipity (they clicked on random suggested blog with a tag they like), or because of word-of-mouth, i.e., someone recommended it to them. This is the most gratifying part for me, as it tells me that the ffolkes who are following me are also telling others what they like here, and sending them here to read.

So, I would like to take this moment here at the beginning today, to shout out a huge THANK YOU to all the ffolkes who have read and liked what I’ve written, with a big hug and sloppy one on the cheek for all those who have re-blogged or recommended my work to someone else. All of the above is very much appreciated, and I can only hope that I can continue to produce material that people enjoy, and maybe bring a smile, or a stimulating thought, to someone’s morning.

Thank you….gracias…. multi grazie…. merci beaucoup….. domo arigato…..xie xie….. danke sehr…. and, again, thank you one and all for your support and encouragement. May the lives and fortunes of all of my new found friends be ever growing and ever more dear, and may they always walk in Beauty…… Yah ta hey!  Mi taku oyasin.  (We are all related.)

Well, that was fun…. it’s humbling to reach a milestone like this, to know that one now has a responsibility, to write well enough to justify the support and belief that people have shown to me, so I’d best be about it, hadn’t I? Nothing will get written just sitting here basking in the after-glow…..  So, take a few deep breaths, blow out one last time until you are empty, then fill up your lungs as much as you can. Pinch your nose, open up your bright eyes, and your shiny mind, and let’s dive…. the Pearls are a’waitin’…..
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“All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.” — Federico Fellini

It has been a while since I talked about Pearls, so when I stumbled upon the above quote, I knew it was time….. Pearls of Virtual Wisdom come with a caveat and disclaimer, to wit: These Pearls consist of ideas and concepts, and even procedures, that are Virtual Wisdom. They should never be confused with, or used as, Real Wisdom; the results can be somewhat unpredictable, have been known to cause injury, and in at least one case, (my own), have resulted in months of severe depression. (Of course, that depression may not be due strictly to the intrinsic differences in the Pearls themselves, but rather a direct result of inattention to which variety I was using at the moment)  Regardless of how real Pearls of Virtual Wisdom may appear, or how shiny they look to the untrained eye, the author assumes no liability for failure to heed this caveat.

That being said, let us for a moment consider pearls as incarnations of jewels, as the precious gems of rare beauty and great value they become when freed from the oyster, the shelter which created each layer of the pearl’s beauty out of its own pain…. The soft sheen of a fine pearl, luminescent in the dimness, glowing in the light, has captivated the eyes and imaginations of men and women since the first oyster was plucked from the sea bed to enhance someone’s supper, and has inspired those who fall under its spell to acts of great sacrifice, as well as acts of great cruelty, in the quest to possess these timeless treasures from the sea.

Thus the metaphorical nature of the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom becomes apparent, as we see that, although virtual wisdom looks just like real wisdom, the difference may be likened to the difference between naturally produced pearls, and those that are cultivated in laboratories.  One is shiny, and of great value for its rarity and beauty, naturally endowed; the other is shiny, but of lesser value, due to lesser rarity, and a somehow lesser beauty, as made by the hand of man.

The subtle differences are of little note, except to Reality, which always knows which wisdom is which, as it knows which pearl is which; hence the caveat and  disclaimer, to avoid any conflicts with Reality due to negligence on my part…..so, please use these Pearls with appropriate caution, and they will bring you joy for years to come…..

“Did an Italian CRANE OPERATOR just experience uninhibited sensations in a MALIBU HOT TUB?” — Zippy the Pinhead
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“This song of the waters is audible to every ear, but there is other music in these hills, by no means audible to all…. On a still night, when the campfire is low and the Pleiades have climbed over rim rocks, sit quietly and listen … and think hard of everything you have seen and tried to understand. Then you may hear it – a vast pulsing harmony – its score inscribed on a thousand hills, its notes the lives and deaths of plants and animals, its rhythms spanning the seconds and the centuries.” — Aldo Leopold

Have you ever listened to hear the music of the spheres?  Mssr. Leopold has heard them; no one who has not been held in thrall by the sheer beauty of this universal symphony could possibly give such a clear, and complete description, without possessing firsthand knowledge of its power, without first having experienced its beauty. It is a beauty that reaches straight into men’s souls, plucking directly on our heart-strings to bring us into the music, as an integral part of the entirety of creation that it celebrates.

The music of the night plays all day, as well, but is drowned out in the clamor of the sun, and the people who are too busy living, and cannot hear its song. It is best heard in the night, when the stars play in the background, as in an orchestra, wherein a soft string section supports the sweet melody of the horns, and the percussion holds steady the bright improvisations of the woodwinds.

I like to think, when I am listening to the music that plays forever, and is forever playing, that we can only hear the music because we are part of it, just as all the animals, and plants, and rocks, and oceans are part of the music, all filling in the musical note that best fits with all the rest, completing the glorious harmony that will be sung as long as the stars shine in the night sky……

“We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.” — Kahlil Gibran
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“Those who speak know nothing;
Those who know are silent”
These words, I am told,
Were spoken by Lao-tzu.
— P Chu-i (772-846)

How is it then, the poem ends; that one who knew, wrote so much?

I know, I know! Teacher, teacher, call on me!….. He didn’t want to write at all, but they made him do it…..  Actually, I don’t know, precisely, or even verifiably under current conditions, whether or not that which I know is the true answer. What I do know is that what I’ve heard about this has that mythical quality that many Chinese legends have, as have those of many countries throughout the world’s history, of having grown from a single seed of truth….

When Lao Tzu decided he would leave his home in the town where he lived, his fame as a Taoist scholar and sage was already great throughout the Middle Kingdom; he was known to the Emperor, greatly admired by all of the important figures and scholars of his time, and revered as a treasured member of society.

As the story was related to me, Master Lao decided he wished to retire to the mountains, to be free of the demands laid upon him by his fame, which distracted him from his inner journey, and set about him the confining walls of the expectations of others. So he packed up his meager possessions, mounted his donkey, and set out for the gate to the city. At the gate, the guard asked him to where he was traveling, whereupon Lao Tzu told the guard of his wish to go into the mountains, in search of the Truth of the Way.

The guard was an educated man, who had himself studied the Tao, and did not wish for Lao Tzu to take away his knowledge and teachings, so he set a condition on the aged master, that he would only be allowed to leave if he first wrote down all he knew of the Tao’s nature, to leave in place of his revered self.

Thus constrained, Lao Tzu returned home, where he transcribed the eighty-eight verses that comprise what is known today as the Tao Teh Ching, the book which has served as the primer on Taoist philosophy for all the centuries since the Master walked the earth. When the work was finished, he took the manuscript to the unnamed guard, passed through the gate of the city, and was seen no more in the Middle Kingdom.

As I said, I don’t know if this is a true story, or an idealized version of what actually took place over two thousand years ago. But it sure sounds true, and is congruent with all the principles of Taoism that I can claim to understand. If it is so, the entire human race owes a very large debt of gratitude to that clever unknown soldier, who saved the master’s words for the world…… and as for having written so much, the only response I have to P Chu-i’s question is, “Who cares? Where would we be if he had not done so?”…..
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I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  — Romans 12:1

“Reasonable service”  Hmm….. it seems to me that whoever wrote this should probably turn in his divine channeling papers, because all of his sense of proportion and believability just went flying out the window when this got put onto parchment back in the day. I mean, give me a break!  “your bodies a living sacrifice” is “reasonable service”.  Well, if you have the kind of mind that will accept that at face value, then I am compelled by compassion, fueled only by a deep desire to help my fellow man, to inform you of a special deal, a deal you won’t be able to pass up….

That’s right, folks (note the spelling, please), today only, you too can be the envy of your neighbors, the hero of the housing tract, the cock o’the walk, as it were. Today, and today only (we already have our ticket for the bus to Bakersfield leaving at midnight…..)  you can join those millions of people have taken advantage of this EXCLUSIVE OFFER! For the next few minutes our operators will be taking orders for this deal of a lifetime, C.O.D only; no checks, no credit, no problem. What, you may ask, could be so wonderful, so glamorous, so blatantly gluttonous that EVERYONE wants one?

Well, I’ll tell you….. how would you feel to know that, thanks to your own good sense, and the wonders of human ingenuity, you were the first in your area to be the proud owner of…. wait for it….  your own, exclusive jar, filled to the brim, with GOD’s OWN ETERNAL LOVE! That’s right, you heard me correctly. For the insanely low price we are asking, you’ll have to agree that we are practically giving away this priceless commodity; you won’t find this deal matched anywhere.

What is this essentially negligible price, you ask? Just how crazy are these guys? We’re pretty cagey, er, crazy, that’s for sure. Today only, we are asking for a mere lifetime, and a mere 75% eternal, commitment of your entire soul, and the mineral and artistic rights to your firstborn child, whether a son or daughter. That’s right! An entire mason jar, filled to the brim with the priceless boon of God’s own eternal love, for the almost unnoticeable price we are seeking, would normally run you not only what we have asked, but also want you to throw in your wife,  guarantee the rest of your children’s yearly incomes for life, and toss in a few succeeding generations as well. But today, and today only, you too can join those exclusive few who are privileged to have their very own centerpiece for the family altar, for the bargain price of one soul, and consumer rights on a child.

How can you lose? And how can you afford to pass up this opportunity to advance your standing in the eyes of your peers, as well as the eyes of God?  You can’t, so pony up, sucker!….. Hahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaha……..
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“By calling attention to ‘a well regulated militia’, the ‘security’ of the nation, and the right of each citizen ‘to keep and bear arms’, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country.  For that reason, I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.” — April, 1960 (Then) Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)

Jack Kennedy was a pretty smart guy; after all, he did graduate from Harvard Law. Admittedly, he was not exactly the most ethical bulb in the box, but he had his head screwed on his shoulders fairly solidly, and had the unusual political stance of actually wanting the American people to have a decent chance at what they deserve, and are promised by our form of government, i.e., a shot at “the pursuit of happiness”….. However, in this statement, he makes an unwarranted and dangerous assumption, to wit: “it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation.”  Jack was an optimist…. and as is often the case, the pessimists were closer to right on this one…..

Our rights are in imminent and clear danger of being abrogated, permanently. This is an indisputable fact. I have pictures, as well as copious documentation, of their own documents of erasure. This kind of fact is also provided with further partial proof of its truth by the reaction of those responsible for this subtle attack on our legacy of freedom, who, when confronted with knowledge of their intent, immediately accuse the confronting entity of “spreading communist (oops, I guess today they would now use the ubiquitous “terrorist”) propaganda”, or “attacking the principles of freedom” or my favorite complete lie, “you’re threatening our national security.”

It would be somewhat amusing, if it weren’t so dangerously disgusting…. I mean, do they really expect the American people to sit around and do NOTHING?  I kind of hope they do believe that…. it will be then a bigger surprise to them, when the American people stand up, point their guns at the heads of these idiots, walk back into the voting booths, and take their rights back, from the Democrats AND the Republicans, who are all arguably insane….. call me treasonous if you will; I call it patriotism, of the first water…..

“Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First, his Cromwell; and George the Third [“Treason!” cried the Speaker]–may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.” — Patrick Henry (1736-1799) — Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1765

(In today’s scenario, substitute, George the Shrub and Shrub II for George III)

“You can lead a yak to water but you can’t teach an old dog to make a silk purse out of a pig in a poke.” — Opus
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Looking back over today’s offering was interesting; I guess if it hadn’t been, I’d be tossing it all and starting over. Fortunately, that won’t be necessary; this will fly just fine….. I hope you enjoy this sharing of the wealth I go through every morning as much as I enjoy spitting it out. (Sorry…. I suppose I could have chosen less visually descriptive verbiage, but, hey, it still is early here in California, and I’m too lazy to go back and change it…. deal…..)

The weather wizards are calling for more rain, so I guess there will be sufficient time to get to the daily batch of WP notices and comments, now reaching over 100 emails a day, and still growing…. SIGH, I love all this; as a polymath, it is a great way to stay busy without ever getting bored. But, it sure is taking up a lot of the day…. I need to figure out a more efficient method of dealing with it all, before it becomes a chore….. ah well, the day is young….. meantime, y’all take care out there, and Blessed Be……

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Truncated modules sustain less karmic damage….

Posted on by
18

Ffolkes,
Unseen, unheard, melodies of haunting beauty didn’t play, yet echoed hollowly down the empty hall, uneasy and cruel, just as if invited to sup with the family. Smitten with the pungent sight of naked ambition, all those with a wilted rose, sly ambition banked to a glow, smiled with careful cheer, swamping the object of their devotion with a sea of broken lies. No one speaks, no one cares, no one asks, yet, the music continues, playing silently, unseen, while the night slips further along toward the day……

Spending the mornings in my head can be a strange experience, especially when I wake up with stuff such as the above passage floating in front of my inner eye, insisting on being transcribed onto the page before I’ve even had a sip of life-giving coffee. I wouldn’t mind as much if they would at least wait until AFTER I’ve gotten dressed, at least a robe and slippers, before they set up such a clamorous bid for attention. But, noooooo, they have to start NOW, often shouting at me before I’m fully standing….. just like a damn two year-old, no impulse control. Makes me want to paddle their diaper….

See, I told you it could get strange….. let’s avoid any further nonsense, and Pearl, shall we?…..
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Amor, ch’al cor gentil ratto s’apprende,
prese costui de la bella persona
che mi fu tolta; e ‘l modo ancor m’offende.
Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona,
mi prese del costui piacer si` forte,
che, come vedi, ancor non m’abbandona.
Amor condusse noi ad una morte.

Love, which is quickly kindled in a gentle heart,
seized this one for the fair form
that was taken from me-and the way of it affects me still.
Love, which absolves no loved one from loving,
seized me so strongly with delight in him,
that, as you see, it does not leave me even now.
Love brought us to one death.
— Dante, La Divina Commedia: Inferno V, vv. 100-106

I have never made it all the way through Dante’s masterpiece(s); time and circumstance have conspired to keep that from happening over the years. But every now and again, I come across parts of it, and have to say, I am more than just a little impressed. I don’t speak or read Italian, though having Spanish, a little French, and a little Latin, from whence all three languages sprang, it isn’t totally incomprehensible. I can usually figure out the subject under discussion, at least, of what I read in that language, although any deeper meaning or details are mostly indecipherable.

But one doesn’t need to understand every word to enjoy passages such as this. Read aloud, the poetry assumes a new power, aided by scansion and meter, faultless in its structure and rhyme. Read silently, meaning almost jumps into the mind, but is made moot by the beauty of the verse’s sounds as they strike the welcoming ears of the imagination.

Then, of course, one turns to the translation…. and the amazement deepens. Though not as structurally sound, the sheer strength of the meaning that is now clear turns what could have been mundane into the spectacular. I don’t know who made the translations I’ve seen, but they are indeed masterful translator(s), and excellent poet(s) in their own right. The scope and power of the full concepts that Dante put into this, his life’s crowning achievement, comes through clearly in the translated work, and easily lives up to the high standard set by the original piece in Italian….. Good stuff, as the boys downtown would say…..
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“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” — Lao Tsu

On certain occasions, as I am lying on my bed, on my back, I can fall into that twilight-zone-like state of drowsiness that steals over the entire body/mind at such moments, just before falling into sleep. Not every time, but significantly often enough, at that precise moment, my entire nervous system experiences a powerful surge of energy, emanating from the base of my neck and spreading instanter to every square nanometer of the network that suffuses and permeates everywhere in the body.

Every muscle in my body gives a huge jerk, whether contracting or expanding is unclear, as it happens so quickly that it is impossible to tell anything other than having just bounced two inches into the air with the force of the muscular spasms.  It begins, full power, then ceases instantly, with a strong impression of a silent bang! The experience has never repeated in the same day.

If that isn’t odd enough taken alone, there is also the surprising fact that the mind/body never seems surprised that it happened, feels no tension or panic that one might expect at such an unexpected shock to the system, and the state of drowsiness is usually easy to fall back into, with sleep following momentarily.  It’s as if the entire instant spasm served as a purge of the energy that had accumulated, energy that was blocking my path to the other side of consciousness, clearing the entire system of unwanted and unnecessary dross, rather than being some sort of epileptic seizure-like activity that places stress on the system, as might be otherwise surmised. One of these days, I’ll remember to ask my doctor about it when I’m in there for something else (knock on wood…). Not much I can see to do about it until I know more; worry has killed more folks than ever bled to death…

What, you may ask, does this have to do with knowing one’s self well enough to not want more than enough? Nothing. The quote was there already when this train of thought interrupted the movie I was watching last night, and I needed a place to write this down. Don’t fret, I’ll find the appropriate quote, illustrating the last line (the only part that really has anything important to consider…) and add it here at the end. What Lao Tzu said doesn’t really need my help anyway…. it can stand alone just fine…..

“It’s like brother Nietzsche said–being human is a complicated gig, so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal yes.” — perfectly attributed to Anonymous in my source.

(Honest… and it was also the very first quote that came in front of me, I swear…. serendipity strikes again!)

(Besides, this sounds just like something Ken Kesey would have attributed to Neal Cassady, or better yet, Jack Kerouac….. betcha….)

(Okay, outside, but solid, chance it’s from an obscure Allen Ginsberg poem, and Kesey stole it…. no way to tell now, eh? Huh, maybe Google knows….)

(Boy, trust Google, folks… it knew, instantly, that the above is part of a short dialogue by Chris, the DJ on the TV show, “Northern Exposure”, whose character was wont to such outbursts of philosophy….. the entire quote is worth seeing, and is included below for your perusal…..)

“There’s a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there’s a little Darth Vadar in all of us. Thing is, this ain’t no either/or proposition. We’re talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can’t hide. My experience? Face the darkness, stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. Give that old dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!”
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An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do..
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
‘I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.’
The old woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?’
‘That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.’
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding..
You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.
SO, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Gotta love this! A story of perfect love, and perfect understanding of how the universe fits together with no visible seams….. don’t over-think this one, just enjoy it…… and spread it around, like the cracked pot you are……
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“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” — W. W. “Red” Smith

I’m beginning to understand this outlook toward writing more as each day passes, and the struggle to keep my Muse awake and interested in what I’m doing begins to tax my ingenuity to the limit of its ever-growing, yet still modest capacity. In fact, it is that struggle that keeps that capacity growing, always pushing me to exceed what has been written before, never settling for good enough, always wanting better.

There are times, all-too-often, when I sit and stare at the screen for what seems to be forever and two days, searching desperately through my head for something about which I can rant, or describe, or remember, or make up, that will satisfy the unending pressure I put on myself to create a worthy, stimulating piece of literature, one that will stand up to the test of time. And should I succeed in that quest, the net effect on my soul is the same as if I had copiously bled until I was nearly dead……. might just be easier to open up the vein, and have done with it…..
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Spirit is the first differentiation of SPACE; and Matter the first differentiation of Spirit. That, which is neither Spirit nor matter -that is IT- the Causeless CAUSE of Spirit and Matter, which are the Cause of Cosmos. And THAT we call the ONE LIFE or the Intra-Cosmic Breath.
— Book of Dzyan (B.C. 3000?)

So, I’m sitting here, at a computer that has more RAM, and a larger hard disk memory than were available in the entire world just 50 years ago. There is more information listed in here, somewhere or another, than was commonly available in entire libraries at that time, and if one adds in the possible extensions to that information that are instantly available online, even the Library of Congress begins to look like the library of a simple country farmer in the 1800’s….. With all this information at my fingertips, I come across this quote, reputedly from a document that is more than 5000 years old. 5000 years old. That is a period of time that essentially covers the entire period of written human history; the Book of Dyzan is no doubt one of the earliest books ever produced, at least of those that have survived to today.

Taken at face value, without knowing the source, this statement could easily have been made today (from the sound of it, by a yogi sadhu, a disciple of the Dalai Lama, or a Taoist scholar with a flair for humor and metaphor). (Plus, it must be noted, whoever wrote this most likely did not indicate the need for using ALL CAPS to signify special meaning….. no keyboards, eh? Blame that on the faux intellectual geek who transcribed it….) It is clear that the person who composed this was definitely a scholar in his own time; the structure of the language, and the thoughts behind the expression in that language, whatever tongue it may have been, indicate a depth of education beyond the ordinary, even for today.

When one stops to consider that this visionary definition of perceived Reality was uttered and written down over half a millennium in our past, one must stand in respectful awe of the mind from which it sprang. The world of 5000 years ago was, indubitably, much different than today’s world; if nothing else, the knowledge society has gathered over that time regarding the physical world, and how it works, has altered society in innumerable ways, and gives today’s citizens many distinct advantages in terms of the effort required for survival. Yet this person, man or woman, created a statement of their vision of Reality that definitely stands the test of Time, as well as the test of how well it can be considered to be relevant to Reality, as far as the nature of that concept is understood to be consensual for all who reside there……
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I’m hoping that there is some sort of positive karmic value to the effort I put into this each day; I don’t see any particular reason it should be so, but there is also no apparent reason it should not be, either. To certain philosophical disciplines, this would seem to indicate that this is most likely an activity that is neutral in that respect.

But, that does not take into account the power of Murphy in Reality, or the value for me in making the effort with the intent toward right action, even if it fails in its intended purpose. With those in mind, it makes sense to hedge our bets, and ease out of the game before it gets more expensive than I can afford….. and if you followed that, you’ve been reading my work probably too much….. 🙂   I had a good time this morning….. hopefully you will, too, when you stumble into my lair, unsuspecting of what is to follow….. Y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Kowabunga!

Surgery with a slotted spoon….

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Ffolkes,
Today’s Pearls are, in one sense, oldies but goodies. Since I’m still having vertigo issues, I wasn’t up to a full-out dive, or witty repartee about the Pearls’ origins or concepts, so I visited my stash of hidden Pearls, and chose a group for the day. All of today’s bit of virtual wisdom are based on ideas and concepts that originated far to the west of San Francisco, so far west we call it the east. All that are not verses from one of the Taoist or Buddhist writings are koans, told to point the way to enlightenment in today’s context. I’ve read about other religions since my early teens, having become a bit disenchanted with what I’d been hearing and learning in the Presbyterian church my folks took us to for our weekly dose of dogma. I have to say, Presbyterians are much more tolerant than most other Christian sects, but none of them had the appeal for me that I found in Taoism, and other so-called pagan religions. I still hold that the truth is a combination of all the teachings of all the religions, with the most rational answers to the eternal questions most likely found in a combination of the tenets of all of them. Most of them say the same stuff anyway; it just comes across as different because of cultural context.


There is also one poem included, simply because it is one of the few verses by a Western author that comes close to using the same paradigm as is present in Eastern cultures. It is actually a very good translation of the some of the concepts involved into English, without losing the flavor of the ideas in the change, indicating that the ideas are the root of the answers being sought, not the social context in which they are found. Taken at face value today’s Pearls can create the state of mind where the entire universe is transparent, and we become free to find our way to building a superior Life…..ponder them well, and be thereby made better, if not completely enlightened…..
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Better stop short than fill to the brim. Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.  Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.  Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.  Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven. — Tao Te Ching

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A programmer from a very large computer company went to a software conference and then returned to report to his manager, saying: “What sort of programmers work for other companies? They behaved badly and were unconcerned with appearances.  There hair was long and unkempt and their clothes were wrinkled and old. They crashed our hospitality suite and they made rude noises during my presentation.”

The manager said: “I should have never sent you to the conference. Those programmers live beyond the physical world. They consider life absurd, an accidental coincidence. They come and go without knowing limitations. Without a care, they live only for their programs. Why should they bother with social conventions?”

They are alive within the Tao.

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He that holds fast the golden mean,
And lives contentedly between
The little and the great,
Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man’s door.
— William Cowper (1731-1800)
— Translation of Horace, Book ii, Ode x

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”        …’fire’ does not matter, ‘earth’ and ‘air’ and ‘water’ do not matter.  ‘I’ do not matter.  No word matters.  But man forgets reality and remembers words.  The more words he remembers, the cleverer do his fellows esteem him.  He looks upon the great transformations of the world, but he does not see them as they were seen when man looked upon reality for the first time.  Their names come to his lips and he smiles as he tastes them, thinking he knows them in the naming.” — Siddartha, _Lord_of_Light_ by Roger Zelazny

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A novice asked the master: “I have a program that sometime runs and sometimes aborts. I have followed the rules of programming, yet I am totally baffled. What is the reason for this?”

The master replied: “You are confused because you do not understand Tao. Only a fool expects rational behavior from his fellow humans. Why do you expect it from a machine that humans have constructed? Computers simulate determinism; only Tao is prefect. The rules of programming are transitory; only Tao is eternal. Therefore you must contemplate Tao before you receive enlightenment.”

“But how will I know when I have received enlightenment?” asked the novice.

“Your program will then run correctly,” replied the master.

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A monk, taking a bamboo stick, said to the people,  “If you call this a stick, you fall into the trap of words, but if you do not call it a stick, you contradict facts.  So what do you call it?”

At that time a monk in the assembly came forth.  He snatched the stick, broke it in two, and threw the pieces  across the room.

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If he applies The Eternal to himself his virtue will be genuine;
If he applies it to his family his virtue will be abundant;
If he applies it to his village his virtue will be lasting;
If he applies it to his country his virtue will be full;
If he applies it to the world his virtue will be universal.
— Lao-Tzu (fl. B.C. 600)

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Whew! It kept growing on me again, so it may be best to take it in small bites; it’ll get absorbed better. As for me, I’m done; stick a fork in me…..and y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer at play..

Kowabunga!

Bumping along the path to glory….

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Ffolkes,
As a day of reckoning, today leaves a bit to be desired. More than just a bit actually. It seems that the universe could go along with the program here, but NOOOO, today’s got to be all big & bad, with overcast. If I’m going to go and humiliate myself before my creditors, the least I think I should be able to expect is a nice day, weather-wise. And though it will most likely clear up in a few hours, by then I’ll not be in a place where I can enjoy it. Sometimes I believe Murphy has taken a strong dislike to me; no other explanation fits all the evidence. Oh well, we plod onward, as there is no other choice….no viable choices, that is. There is always one or more pathways that will lead to a final solution, but we are not quite ready to throw in the towel. What’s a few more mental bruises to someone who lives in pain? Not much…..today’s group is again somewhat eclectic. Gonna have to go find me some new waters to dive in soon….these oyster beds are getting a bit thin…..enjoy!

“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.” — Lily Tomlin

“…Another writer again agreed with all my generalities, but said that as an inveterate skeptic I have closed my mind to the truth.  Most notably I have ignored the evidence for an Earth that is six thousand years old.  Well, I haven’t ignored it; I considered the purported evidence and *then* rejected it. There is a difference, and this is a difference, we might say, between prejudice and postjudice.  Prejudice is making a judgment before you have looked at the facts.  Postjudice is making a judgment afterwards.  Prejudice is terrible, in the sense that you commit injustices and you make serious mistakes.  Postjudice is not terrible.  You can’t be perfect of course; you may make mistakes also.  But it is permissible to make a judgment after you have examined the evidence.  In some circles it is even encouraged.” — Carl Sagan, The Burden of Skepticism, Skeptical Enquirer, Vol. 12, pg. 46

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” — D.H. Lawrence

Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides…
— Tennyson “The Kraken”

Better stop short than fill to the brim. Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.  Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.  Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.  Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven.” — Tao Te Ching

“I’ll tell you what kind of guy I was.   If you ordered a boxcar full of sons-of-bitches and opened the door and only found me inside, you could
consider the order filled.” — Robert Mitchum

Now THAT’s a curmudgeon! One can only gape in awe, and hope that one day, I too will achieve such an exalted state of grouchiness. Getting plenty of reasons to be that way building up lately, so we can always hope….y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!