Tag Archives: Ursula LeGuin

Clandestine morality….

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Ffolkes,
When I was young I held the ideals of the young; I was sure I would make my mark on the world, to make it a better place. And like all who hold those lofty, cherished ideals, the reality of living has left them tarnished and weary, weakened by repeated beatings by the thugs of time.  Very few of my high expectations have been left intact, and basic requirements for survival dictated that ideals be sacrificed on the altar of mundane practicality.


There used to be a cartoon called “Pinky and the Brain”, about a self-proclaimed genius mouse and his idiot giant mouse friend, Pinky. The premise of the show was the Brain’s obsession with “taking over the world!”, and each episode would find him with a new Rube Goldberg plan or construction that would presumably start his campaign of world domination. But the device or plan never worked quite right, and he’d end up having to be rescued again by Pinky, who would proceed to ask Brain a very Zen-like question that identified the fatal mistake that defeated the Brain. He (the Brain) would give his Homer-like “Doh! I can’t believe I missed that!” expression, and then twist around the answer into his next brilliant plan to become the world’s dictator.


This reminiscence does have a point, that point being I enjoyed the Brain’s weekly descent into foolishness, and could relate very well to his obsession, as I had the same hobby for a short while. During my college years, when my idealism was at its peak, I actually wrote down three or four scenarios for world domination, and semi-seriously considered putting one of them into action. Fortunately for the world, I became distracted from my purpose by, yes, you guessed it, a woman. I say fortunately because I can be certain of only one thing about my plans; they might have worked. Had I decided to bend my efforts toward that end, current reality would certainly be different. Whether to say it would be better would, naturally, have to be determined by value judgments I’m not prepared to make now. It would have been better for me, but as for other folks, well, they might not fully agree……


So, we can all be glad that love, or at least lust, turned my path from plans of world domination toward more realizable goals like getting intimate with members of the opposite sex. SIGH, I do miss the grandiosity of that particular delusional dream, but I suppose we must admit that it was all for the best. Of course, since I didn’t take over the world, we now have to put up with the idiots who manipulate their way into public office. At least I was motivated by altruism, not avarice……Enjoy!…..

“As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.”
— Ursula K. LeGuin

“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius

And of course, No soap, radio.

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.

The bustle in a house
The morning after death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon earth,
The sweeping up the heart,
And putting love away
We shall not want to use again
Until eternity.
— Emily Dickinson

“Cursed is he that does not know when to shut his mind. An open mind is all very well in its way, but it ought not to be so open that there is no keeping anything in or out of it. It should be capable of shutting its doors sometimes, or may be found a little draughty.” — Samuel Butler

A finer collection of food for thought is not available in today’s market at any cost, much less for free…..y’all take care out there…..

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Lime biscuits with tea and sympathy….

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Ffolkes,
Yesterday’s discussion of the nature of Reality was fun, as usual. This morning I’d like to comment on another aspect of the subject that is quite as important as understanding the inner nature of what is real. I’m speaking of the concept of perspective, a purely subjective stance that is partially responsible for determining our reaction to what we perceive. If, for example, one’s perspective in the morning is measured pre-coffee, the results would be rather on the negative side. Post-coffee, the world at large assumes a warmer, friendlier tone, and a more positive approach to deciding the day’s activities is enabled. Our perspective is a key feature of our attitude, and its degree of plus or minus can make a huge difference in how we react to our perceptions, and in how we decide on whether or not to act, and whether that act is one of defense, or one of attack. Or any other type of action that falls between the two extremes.


Since perspective is subjective, it follows that it is within our powers to make changes in that perspective. Our reasoning mind can persuade other facets of our nature to view data in varying ways. We can set up filters, to keep unwanted factors out of play, to block out unwanted perceptions. We can set up rule systems to categorize incoming perceptions into certain channels that are pre-set to process that type of data. We can put on rose-colored glasses, if we wish, and perceive everything as positive. Or we can put on black lenses, and sink into neurosis; this is unfortunately an easy method to start and maintain, as it rewards negativity, becoming an ever-stronger, repetitive cycle that ultimately leads to madness and despair. Negativity is an insidious trap; it seems so useful at first, keeping one sheltered from possibly harmful events. But over time, it becomes obsession, dragging one down into depression, a very deep hole from which to climb.


It becomes easy to see that self-examination is important; introspection on the subject of ourselves can determine the shape and color, and the emotional content and effect, of our life’s events, and can be a powerful ally in the daily battle with the forces of an uncaring, indifferent Universe. Holding our mind’s course to a straight and narrow path can be tricky, to say the least. The Universe has a lot of tricks up its sleeves, and isn’t afraid to use them on us. Staying positive in one’s outlook is a powerful weapon, as is negativity. The bad news is that it is all our choice. The good news is that it is all our choice……choose well…..

Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.

“An ancient buddha said, ‘Mountains are mountains; waters are waters.’ These words do not mean mountains are mountains; they mean mountains are mountains.” — Dogen

“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made all the time, made new.  — Ursula K. LeGuin, The Lathe of Heaven

But Memory blushes at the sneer,
And Honor turns with frown defiant,
And Freedom, leaning on her spear,
Laughs louder than the laughing giant.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)
— A Good Time going

“A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another’s.” — Jean Paul Richter

“Wow!  Look!!  A stray meatball!!  Let’s interview it!’ — Zippy the Pinhead

Zippy always makes a good point at which to call a halt to these pieces; his unbridled enthusiasm is hard to resist. Plus, his comments always seem to add just the right touch as counterpoint to the rest of the Pearls. Tres bien!….. y’all take care out there….

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

gigoid

Dozer

Kowabunga!

Contemplating whirled peas…

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46

Ffolkes,
Of late, coming up with a fresh idea has been, shall we say, problematic at best. I sit and stare at the screen, while various scenarios play out in my head, but none of them clamor to get into print. And they (ideas) can’t be forced into service, willy-nilly; they turn ugly and nasty to deal with. So I try to think of nonsense, and of course, all that comes to mind is politics, which we are all sick of, and wish the pundits would all just SHUT IT for a day or two. I swear, it’s several times a day we have to hear about the latest batch of BS coming out of their cavernous mouths, and each statement is more outrageously stupid than the one before. By election-day, we’ll all be so crazy, it won’t matter who we elect because we’ll all be stone catatonic.


But, there is hope. At least the ffolkes who receive these will be inoculated against the contagious ignorance so prevalent today. Didn’t you know? These Pearls are far and away the best medicine that can be found in the fight against rampant stupidity, against which the gods themselves contend in vain.  Heck, you can even use them for the entertainment factor. Take any two of the Pearls, and use them when speaking with someone whose opinions are primarily faith-based. You will note the glazing-over of the eyes, the hunching of shoulders, the withdrawal into cliche, and the stark fear of the unknown which will manifest in the light of evidence-based fact. It’s almost gratifying, until one thinks of how many of these piteous folk there are in the world, how great is the challenge to bring them into the light; getting them to open their eyes to see will remain a problem even then. You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can’t make him think. Which is really too bad, n’est pas? Enjoy……..

“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made all the time, made new.”– Ursula K. LeGuin, The Lathe of Heaven

In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
— The Buddha

Cats, no less liquid than their shadows, offer no angles to the wind.

“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”

“Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” — Joe Louis

And so begins another day…..y’all take care out there…..

 

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

Just Dozer

Kowabunga!

Water from a shallow well….

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Ffolkes,
As has been said before, all will be well, and all will be well. Serendipity is alive and well in the world! I’ve just reestablished contact with a young man from Beijing, whom I met when I was there in 2004. He was student working part time for the company that helped me to get there and apply for teaching jobs in the Chinese schools, and he assumed the position as my personal translator and guide. Our meeting was one of those fortuitous moments in life when two people meet, two whose souls were already joined, possibly from another life. I was in the apartment where he stayed with the director of the company, working on the computer they let us use. He was on the couch, asleep, but woke up, turned to look at me, and said without thinking, “Good morning, godfather.” I grinned at him, he grinned at me, and a fast friendship was begun. He took it upon himself to act as would a ‘godson’, walking around with me to help me communicate with the people we met, showing me how to get around in Beijing, and generally looking out for my welfare as a stranger in a strange land. He was, and is, an open, caring, intelligent young man, and for a time we continued to converse via email, after I had returned to the USA. We lost contact after about a year, and I misplaced his email address, so I had to forgo further communication with him…..until today. Last night I received a friend request on Facebook, and it turned out to be him, so this morning I will have the very great pleasure of resuming our talks via email. As the Colonel said every week, “I love it when a plan comes together!”……it’s amazing what a little good news and a full night’s sleep will do for the attitude one brings to the day.
Today’s Pearls  are another eclectic group, gathered in a series of dives over the last couple of days. They each would stand alone, and still be strong; together they make a nice little bit of food for thought to go along with whatever comestibles pass for breakfast at your house. Enjoy them as you would a good cup of coffee with your bagel…..

Hear twice before you speak once.

“Belief is the death of intelligence.” — Robert Anton Wilson

‘It is not a fish until it is on the bank.” — Irish Proverb

The keenest pangs the wretched find
Are rapture to the dreary void,
The leafless desert of the mind,
The waste of feelings unemployed.
— Lord Byron (1788-1824) — The Giaour, Line 957

“…I am opposed to all attempts to license or restrict the arming of individuals…I consider such laws a violation of civil liberty, subversive of democratic political institutions, and self-defeating in their purpose.” — Robert A. Heinlein, in a 1949 letter concerning “Red Planet”

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

One can always depend on Ursula LeGuin to cut to the heart of a concept….. go then, and pun no more….. y’all take care out there….

Dozer

Kowabunga!

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

gigoid

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you….Mr. Potato Head

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Ffolkes,

It’s going to be hot today; when we get up and there is no fog, it means the planetary air conditioning has been turned off. You may as well turn on your fans right now. I’ve found that for fans, a little seductive whisper and stroking of the on/off button will get them turned on very quickly. Funny, to look at them one wouldn’t guess that they would be romantics, but there you go. You just never know with small machinery what will do the trick; they take on some pretty human characteristics after being around us for awhile. I used to have a toaster that would throw the bread all the way to the sink if you pushed down too hard on the handle; she had to be gently moved into position before she would work correctly, and praised the whole time she was warming up. Inanimate objects sure can be finicky, can’t they?….. How about y’all, do you have any stories about stubborn appliances? I know I’m not the only one who has to talk to them to get them to work……

Today starts a new era; I’ll be submitting my first piece to Textbroker.com, and from now on should be able to pull in at least a modest income, which will make all the difference in my anemic budget. I’m hoping it’s as much fun as it looks like it will be. We’ll see….meantime here is a very pointed group of pearls, chosen for their part in the gestalt of the group. As is usual, the point is left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..there will be a quiz, but it will not count against the final grade in the course……

Dust is an armor of poor quality.

I have but three enemies: fear, anger, ignorance.

“It is inconceivable that a judicious observer from another solar system would see in our species — which has tended to be cruel, destructive, wasteful, and irrational — the crown and apex of cosmic evolution. Viewing us as the culmination of *anything* is grotesque; viewing us as a transitional species makes more sense — and gives us more hope.” — Betty McCollister, “Our Transitional Species”, — Free Inquiry magazine, Vol. 8, No. 1

“Before you criticize people, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’ve got a mile-long head start. And you have their shoes.” — The Lion

“Individuality seems to be Nature’s whole aim — and she cares nothing for individuals.” — Goethe

“If you want to know all about the sea,  you go and ask a sailor, or a marine biologist, or an oceanographer, and they can tell you a lot about the sea. But if you go and ask the sea itself, what does it say? Grumble, grumble, swish swish. It is too busy being itself to know anything about itself.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

If, after reading the above, you do not have a better idea of where you fit into the scheme of things, well, too bad. There’s always tomorrow…y’all take care out there……

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3