“No evil is greater than indifference toward evil.”
~~ Sagacious Bee ~~
I know it’s in here….
Hajime…. That was close. I hate to lie, & came damn close to having done so to my Gentle Readers, had I not come up with this idea for a Pearl at the last moment. It would be tres chic for me to relate the details; it would also be foolish to do so, lest it be taken seriously. There’s nothing serious here at all today, even if it may appear that way. Oh, it’s all reasonably coherent; there just isn’t much of it. This is a direct result of getting officially old today, as hinted at yesterday….
Yep, I’m 66 now, a mere one tenth of the Age of the Beast, but, not an insignificant point of progress. A lot of what is taking place in my life is a hard row to hoe, but, having been raised right, hard work doesn’t scare me. Nor is it particularly scary to contemplate nearing the end of my time here. In fact, it’s rather exciting to think about, in a certain respect; the final adventure, with complete and utter uncertainty as to what will happen, can be considered the ultimate puzzle, which is what our brains do best, even if we don’t know it. And, now, I’m starting to babble….
That will happen when one really hasn’t much to say, other than, what you see is what you get. I’ve got an old-school pearl for you, with five odd inclusions that add up to a good idea to remember/discover. You’ll see. And I shall be as intended, out somewhere in the BBR, stirring up trouble for the machine, if I can manage it. If not, well, a nap sounds good, too. I’ll see if I have time to put together something for tomorrow, maybe. Then, again, maybe not. Time will tell, I suppose; it always does. For now, let’s get this done, and be on our way…. Don’t worry, there isn’t much of it, so, you won’t have to think very long….
Shall we pearl?….
“In the dark colony of night, when I consider man’s magnificent capacity
for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness,
and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps,
I seem to hear the muffled cries
of all the words in all the books with covers closed.”
~~ Leo Rosten ~~
******************************
Naked Pearls
Random Notes on Life At Large
*******
“Weird is part of the job.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
*******
“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”
~~ Charlie Chaplin ~~
*******
“What is reason?
Knowledge informed by sympathy,
intelligence in the arms of love.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
Truth that has merely been learned is like an artificial limb,
a false tooth, a waxen nose;
it adheres to us only because it is put on.
But truth acquired by thought of our own is like a natural limb;
it alone really belongs to us.”
~~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“What do you think has become of the young and old men?
And what do you think has become of the women and children?
They are alive and well somewhere.
The smallest sprout shows there is really no death.
And if ever there was it led forward life,
and does not wait at the end to arrest it,
And ceas’d the moment life appear’d.
All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.”
~~ Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself” ~~
*******
********************************
Once again, I’ve managed to get it done, though without any claims as to quality. It’s there, and that’s the most we can say of it. I will say, for what it is, it ain’t bad. I suppose we can think of it as one on which we may attempt to improve. For now, I’m gonna go practice my curmudgeon, and old fart skills on some unsuspecting denizens of the BBR. It’ll be fun… for me. As for y’all, you be well, and happy as you may….. I’ll be back, eventually….
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.
“If a man insisted always on being serious,
and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation,
he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
~~ Herodotus ~~
Spring morning ~ Ketchikan, Alaska….
Hajime…. According to all I’ve been told most of my life, there are limits to what we may expect from Life. I don’t remember ever quite believing it, since all I could observe around me failed to support such a thesis. (Yes, I was precocious….) So, I’ve always tended to go beyond what others might feel is prudent, which was fine with me, but, tended to make my young life a bit more, shall we say, ‘interesting’? But, then, nobody ever learned much from never being challenged, did they?
Y’all might, at this point, wonder just what the hell I’m getting at, but, that would show your own self-absorption. If you thought about it a moment, you also might remember you shouldn’t expect what you expect around here, and it wouldn’t surprise you to find out I’m not getting at anything. Well, nothing particularly meaningful, or, for that matter, relevant. I was just sort of wandering around in my head, and that’s what I found. I do that a lot, which, if you’ve been here any number of times, you’d already know, and have skipped down to the music.
For any Gentle Readers who remain at this point, it probably won’t cause any further feather-ruffling to announce we’re done here, and will be moving on, as soon as I figure out a reasonably intelligent way to get myself out of this cul-de-sac of reasoning in which I’ve inadvertently placed myself. I’m afraid I’m going to have to resort to an old, tried-and-true method, we used to call #4….. Actually, it’s pretty cool, not to mention efficient. How does it work. Easy. Just like this….
Shall we pearl?….
“A reverence for life does not require one to respect nature’s obvious mistakes.”
~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~
********************************
Norah Jones
Image from desktopimages.com via Google Images
A friend reminded me to include music, which I do using his own stated preference, with great pleasure. Especially for the opportunity to include the music of this daughter of an icon, sister of another, as well as an iconic talent herself. In today’s world of hype and illusion, her music stands out, as real. Here’s a live concert from a few years back, purported to have good sound quality…. Let’s go see if that holds true, shall we?…. Enjoy, ffolkes….
********************************
********************************
********************************
Stray Cats
The veils that billow and fold
between dreams and reality
may sometimes part,
showing the visions of one to the other,
blending, bleeding as one,
only to bring us up short,
closely jammed against immovable fate.
Still, we keep our watch,
seeking to find the vision
that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard,
a humble mind, and a compassionate heart.
Events of broad impact draw us away again,
distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music,
leaving our feelings raw and bruised,
the victim of universal disregard.
Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading,
and the glitter has all gone….
yet the memory of visions remains sharp and clear,
melancholy reminders of reality’s promises,
unkept…..
~~gigoid~~
4/12/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Justifiably Inane….
*******
“Words must be weighed, not counted.”
~~ Polish Proverb ~~
*******
“The truth is always the strongest argument.”
~ Sophocles — Phaedra, Frag. 737 ~~
*******
“Hypotheses are not to be multiplied without necessity.”
~~ Occam’s Razor ~~
*******
“The shortest distance between two people is laughter.”
~~Victor Borge ~~
*******
“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool;
it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”
~~ Ursula K. Le Guin ~~
*******
“If you are out to describe the truth,
leave elegance to the tailor.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
*******
“Appearance must not foil, nor shifted sphere confuse thy brain.
Ample are time and space–ample the fields of nature.”
~~ Walt Whitman, CONTINUITIES ~~
*******
********************************
It may be premature of me to make any judgments, so, I won’t. What I will do is continue the efficiency so bravely provided in the intro by using the old #4. In the closing section, that looks like this…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Just try to stop me…. Hah!….
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 turn not older with years, but newer every day.”
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
Spare any fish, mister?….
Hajime…. As predicted yesterday, and many times previously, I’m back. That isn’t to say I am claiming any kudos, or expect any acknowledgment. It’s merely taking note of what exists, for now. In the final analysis, after all, we don’t have anything else but what exists now; yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is but a dream, right? Right. So, we take it as it comes, do the best we can, and move on down the road to the next moment, all with as much aplomb as we find comfortable…. Simple creatures, we are, in truth. We just don’t remember it often….
I don’t have a lot today; yesterday turned out pretty busy, in a good way. I spent the afternoon reconnecting with an old friend; we hadn’t seen each other for about 12 or more years, so, we had some ground to cover; it was good, especially when one considers all the possibilities that are engendered when two old farts start trading memories. We had a great time, and are both looking forward to staying in touch. Since all this was happening when my physical issues seem to be resolving positively, it turned into a fine day….
In the interests of not pushing our luck, I’m going with what I’ve got. It’s not too shabby; the new poem finished leaking onto the screen, and there’s a pretty fine old-school pearl to ponder. The poem’s a bit strange, but, then, so am I. Go figure, eh? Let’s get on with it, before I lose my nerve…. I say that, of course, in the hope I do have some nerve left…. Ha! Onward into the day, ffolkes. Hang on…..
Shall we pearl?….
“Truth, like surgery, may hurt. But it cures.”
~~ Han Suyin ~~
********************************
Meander….
Inimitable, grieving, garnering mere bargains, to taste;
naked apes, priapic by nature and choice,
filled up the only valid chalice, laid it to waste,
nobody asked, nor ever raised a single voice.
Formidable, dreams becoming so real;
clearly extraordinary, in a tawdry sense.
Deals to make, illusions to steal,
busy, busy, building fence after fence.
True nature’s existence, so to speak,
rests interiorly, as well as in your face.
Duality’s persistent insistence ain’t weak;
ignorance of reality leaves not a single trace.
Herds of commonality congregate before portals
shaking each other by the collar as they dance.
Chasing their illusionary dreams, as if they weren’t mortals,
born believing they ever had a chance.
Irony lives deep in the human soul, part, parcel, post;
holding four aces, betting a pair of jacks, or queens.
Expedience beckons toward mendacity, at most,
fox mocking grapes, while it dances and preens.
The wheel turns, inevitable, ponderously mundane,
grinding grain, chaff, and dust.
Bolstering connections aids those who may abstain
from the paltry tale of the bold, and just.
~~ gigoid ~~
********************************
Naked Pearls
I yam what I yam….
*******
“Our quarrel with the world is an echo
of the endless quarrel proceeding within us.”
~~ Eric Hoffer ~~
*******
“It’s not denial.
I’m just very selective about what I accept as reality.”
~~ Calvin (“Calvin and Hobbes”) ~~
*******
“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along,
listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
~~ Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne ~~
*******
1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air
and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp, and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day,
be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
18. No matter how often you are criticized,
don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.
Run right back and make friends.
~~ Things We Can Learn from a Dog ~~
*******
“Ah, fill the Cup: – what boots it to repeat
How Time is slipping underneath our Feet:
Unborn To-morrow, and dead Yesterday,
Why fret about them if To-day be sweet!”
~~ Omar Khayyam (fl. 1100) ~~
*******
“I exist as I am, that is enough.”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
*******
“The supreme irony of life is hardly anyone ever gets out of it alive.”
~~ Robert Heinlein ~~
*******
********************************
That will have to do. Duty, and the events of the upcoming day are calling me. If you’ll pardon me, I shall now go forth, and ignore as much of that call as I can, as is our habit as humans. Y’all have a good one, ffolkes. I’ll see if I can’t put another one together for tomorrow…. 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.
“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 ~~
********************************
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….
********************************
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.
“There is no conclusive evidence about what happens to old skeptics,
but their future is doubtful.”
~~ Ironic Bee ~~
Life/Death
Hajime…. Change is in the air today, ffolkes. It is, of course, the Nature of Reality, so, we should expect no less. But, the rate at which it happens is also subject to change, and I see a very good trend toward moving even faster toward some kind of major alterations to human society. One of the more uplifting signs, for the world at large, occurred yesterday, as Great Britain voted to exit the European Union, a result much undesired by those who would assume ever more brutal control over political events, as well as a serious blow to their plans of dominion. Now, if we here in the US can block any implementation of the TPP fiasco, real changes may yet take place, to the benefit of all, rather than just a few.
My own experience yesterday also exhibited a positive sign, much less compelling than what took place on the world stage, but, good for my mental state. While out and about performing necessary chores, I was presented with a feather. Not just any feather, but, a true, black, crow feather, obviously from the wing. It’s gorgeous, and the perfect accessory for my hat. It’s a good sign, when a spirit animal offers a token, and, I’ll take it. The feather now holds a position of grandeur, right alongside the amber guitar on my most-used chapeau. Bonus!
Since a new poem also leaked out yesterday when I got back from finding the feather, I’m a pretty happy guy. So happy, I’m going to again eliminate the ranting section for the day, as I just don’t feel like ranting today. So be it. The traffic here at ECR has eased off; for almost two weeks I was garnering double-digit Likes; that has dropped back to single digits this week, not surprising given my spotty record of posting lately. But, since the only real reason I do this is to stay within shouting distance of sanity, none of that matters much. It was just nice to see so many people sharing what I wrote… Again, all that can be said is, so be it….
On that note, we’ll get on with the rest of today’s mess. I hope you enjoy it….
Shall we Pearl?….
“He who possesses art and science has religion;
he who does not possess them, needs religion.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
********************************
Since we are going with simple today, we’ll go with our default musical venue choice, by choosing another compilation of good classical music. Enjoy!….
Sir, I admit your general rule,
That every poet is a fool,
But you yourself may serve to show it,
That every fool is not a poet.
~~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~~
Further Proof
No evidence exists, no rumored promise
of a guide on the path we seek.
Salient information lies hidden, seeking solace;
each possibility lost, no longer unique.
The past cascades through today, resolute;
finished and gone, by all reputable report.
Common failings decry any fever in the root,
as pillars of salt offer up little retort.
Longitude has latitude, one dimension to the next;
truth and lies, mirrored, transform on first exposure.
Born in chaos, living in change, by guile and pretext;
artful insanity, with no rational cure.
‘Tis no wonder, some do say now and then,
such creatures are doomed, by their own hand.
Cursed by the force of their very own ken,
until only the leaving seems very grand.
Perhaps, but, then, say those who doubt,
it’s all part of how it works, in fact.
We can’t know, really, what it’s all about
without completing the final act.
Is there any hurry?
~~ gigoid ~~
6/23/2016
********************************
Naked Pearls
Random Thoughts on Life at Large
*******
“Without fools there would be no wisdom.”
~~ Sagacious Bee ~~
*******
“Nature is not cruel, it is, pitilessly, indifferent.
This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn.
We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither
cruel nor kind, but simply callous
— indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose.”
~~ Richard Dawkins ~~
*******
“It’s possible to use karate against a swarm of plankton–but it won’t help”
~~ Pragmatic Bee ~~
*******
“If you have a skeleton in your closet, take it out and dance with it.”
~~ Carolyn MacKenzie ~~
*******
“Grief can take care of itself,
but to get the full value of joy
you must have somebody to divide it with.”
~~ Mark Twain ~~
*******
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song,
read a good poem, see a fine picture,
and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
*******
“Do nothing that insults your soul.”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
*******
********************************
Thanks to altered sleeping patterns, I’m up late again, so, what you see above is what you get. To further our escape, I’ll go post this now, and be out of your hair. I will, however, try again tomorrow, to both keep my self relatively intact, and, to soothe my own angst; if y’all can find something worthwhile, so much the better. For now, I shall take my leave, with the usual caveat, to wit: see y’all tomorrow. Odds are still 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.
“He who possesses most must be most afraid of loss.”
~~ Leonardo Da Vinci ~~
Practicing dignity at an early age….
Hajime…. Having engaged last night in an epic battle for sleep, (which I fought to a draw), I greet the new day with some anticipation, if only for the passing of the night. A small bonus; it’s St. Paddy’s Day, a day when every Irishman in the world goes out to find another Irishman to make a speech to, while pulling at a Guinness or five. It’s also said an Irishman is the only man alive who will step over ten women to get a bottle of stout, but, then I never did believe that one. I am, after all, part Irish, and I hate stout….
I see I’ve managed to lose my way with my usual efficiency in such matters. ‘Tis of little consequence today; I’m late, I’m tired, I hurt, and the day stretches out ahead of me with a promise of more. C’est la vie, as they say in Burgundy and the Cote du Rhone, which are across the channel from Cork/Cobh, hiding behind the Isle of Guernsey. Well, I guess the Cote du Rhone is also on the other side of France, but, hey, I’m talking mostly to Americans, who are famous for NOT knowing any geography. And, now, I’ve managed to insult my own audience…. SIGH…. Today, that’s a big, West Counties sigh, complete with huge indrawn breath, and a sad expression of sympathy.
Such dramatic expression is handy, as well; for example, it got me this much further down the page without much effort, with the possibility of leading us in yet another direction. Since to do so would be to lose our way even more so than we already have, I think we should pass on that, and go directly on to the oyster beds, before I completely lose my way. It shouldn’t take long, as Luigi decided to start his St. Paddy’s Day binge a bit early, like yesterday, and Guido had to be called in to get us on our way. I guess we should probably do something about Luigi; he’s getting a bit unreliable…. Ah, well, that’s for later…. For now….
Shall we Pearl?
“I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties
through my love for truth – and truth rewarded me.”
~~ Simone de Beauvoir ~~
********************************
Riverdance Image from thriftynorthwestmom.com via Google Images
Here is my celebration for Saint Patrick’s Day. I’ve seen this company’s show three times now; it gets better every year, and that is saying something. For your enjoyment, here is a full show, well worth it just for the music; the dance and joy is a bonus…. Enjoy!….
Given my battle during the night, you probably knew we were going to the archives today…. I’ll try to keep it light….
From 2/9/2014:
“The essence of Christianity is told us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the tree of knowledge. The subtext is, All the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just keep your fucking mouth shut and hadn’t asked any questions.” — Frank Zappa Playboy Interview, April 1993
Hmm…. Frank’s take on matters are such that I generally find myself in complete agreement with what he says. Here, he has again put his finger on one of the more obvious facets of Christianity, one that defies all logical explanation in lieu of subservient belief, to wit: faith vs. knowledge, and the Christian’s unfortunate tendency to embrace the former, without any appeal to the latter….. To my way of thinking, that is not only foolish, but cowardly….. but, perhaps, that’s just me….
The fruit of the tree of knowledge gives mankind the go-ahead to use the brain with which we were furnished at birth; the preachers would have us abrogate that use, having us, instead, give over all our power of belief into the hands of the faithful, who, naturally, have only our best interests at heart….. Sure they do…. NOT. I’m sorry, but, no matter how many times these folks say so, I am not going to accept that they know better than I what is best for me…. Nope, not even if there were twenty Bibles out there, all proclaiming how true they are…. Oh wait, there are twenty of them, aren’t there?…. Oh, well, you know what I meant….
Why do people fall for this? I cannot understand how people, who are normally reasonably intelligent, will, by conscious choice, bury their heads in the sand to buy into this, without ever taking even one moment to examine any of it for truth, or even logical assumption. Is there some kind of mind-control drug in that incense? Maybe in the sacramental wine…. Whatever it is, it turns normally competent, intelligent people into mindless slaves, and does so with their complete agreement and approval….. To my mind, it is one of history’s saddest, most incomprehensible features, when I look at just how easily people fall for such egregious, and so obviously self-serving idiocy, as most of the dogmatic proclamations of the major religions tend to offer up.
“I hope I never get so old I get religious.” — Ingmar Bergman
I am compelled to add, “Me, too!” to this sentiment…. In the recent past, I’ve been taking a lot of shots at religions, and need to make clear that I do not hate Christians, or Buddhists, or Muslims, or the followers of any religion. I think they are being silly, deliberately and evilly so, at worst, or at best, misguidedly so, but I don’t hate, or fear them, as is the case on their part whenever they consider me, or my criticisms of their beliefs. I don’t hold that against them, either, as it is logically consistent for them to do so, given the limitations of their dogmatic position. Since, however, the fervor with which they will often defend their position can reach a rather fevered pitch, I tend to treat many of them like a stinging insect, so I will move, and speak, slowly and carefully, so as not to frighten them more than they already are….
Ethical and moral behavior is not confined to those who follow the precepts of one religion or another, despite what any of the proponents of those religions will try to tell you. In fact, if you look closely, the number of folks who are believers have a much higher percentage of failure in that area than do the non-believers, which only makes sense…. The believers all have a sense of entitlement that gives them the idea that the rules of behavior don’t always apply to them, in terms of how they treat people who are not of the same faith, so, to those who are not of their own sect, they don’t bother being truthful, or honest, or ethical, as those people don’t count, in their eyes. People who make their own moral codes tend to follow them, and are much more tolerant of those who do not share their beliefs.
Basic human nature dictates these responses in people; thus, one can see how dangerous it is to remain ignorant, in the Biblical sense. Those who choose to buy into the myth of the Garden of Eden, giving up all their personal independence of mind for the comfort and safety of dogma, will always fail to act according to their own morality much of the time, generally acting, instead, out of their sense of entitlement, and the belief that all of their sins will be forgiven, merely by the act of confessing them. Only those who consciously choose their moral code have the courage to act it out, it seems, except for those few people who actually try to live according to the morality that is espoused, and is seldom embraced by their less ethical peers.
Having the strength of mind to make one’s own moral code also implies the courage to act it out…. This is why I choose to deny the dogma I’ve been exposed to all my life, as being illogical, and, ultimately, immoral…. It makes more sense to me to make my own decisions on such matters, and tell the busybodies who assume they know best for all to go jump in a lake…. Even better, just shut the hell up, and get out of the way, so the rest of us can get something relevant done, without having to put up with all the nonsense from that quarter….
“What is a church? Our honest sexton tells, ‘Tis a tall building, with a tower and bells.” — Crabbe
Note from 2014: Since the validity of the above remains strong, I leave you with the following pearl, to finish off this discussion with the proper tone of accusation, and indictment, of those guilty of this sort of crime against humanity….
“The impression somehow prevails that the true believer, particularly the religious individual, is a humble person. The truth is that the surrendering and humbling of the self breeds pride and arrogance.” — Eric Hoffer
********************************
Finisterre
This was the land’s end: the last fingers, knuckled and rheumatic,
Cramped on nothing. Black
Admonitory cliffs, and the sea exploding
With no bottom, or anything on the other side of it,
Whitened by the faces of the drowned.
Now it is only gloomy, a dump of rocks —-
Leftover soldiers from old, messy wars.
The sea cannons into their ear, but they don’t budge.
Other rocks hide their grudges under the water.
The cliffs are edged with trefoils, stars and bells
Such as fingers might embroider, close to death,
Almost too small for the mists to bother with.
The mists are part of the ancient paraphernalia —-
Souls, rolled in the doom-noise of the sea.
They bruise the rocks out of existence, then resurrect them.
They go up without hope, like sighs.
I walk among them, and they stuff my mouth with cotton.
When they free me, I am beaded with tears.
Our Lady of the Shipwrecked is striding toward the horizon,
Her marble skirts blown back in two pink wings.
A marble sailor kneels at her foot distractedly, and at his foot
A peasant woman in black
Is praying to the monument of the sailor praying.
Our Lady of the Shipwrecked is three times life size,
Her lips sweet with divinity.
She does not hear what the sailor or the peasant is saying —-
She is in love with the beautiful formlessness of the sea.
Gull-colored laces flap in the sea drafts
Beside the postcard stalls.
The peasants anchor them with conches. One is told:
“These are the pretty trinkets the sea hides,
Little shells made up into necklaces and toy ladies.
They do not come from the Bay of the Dead down there,
But from another place, tropical and blue,
We have never been to.
These are our crêpes. Eat them before they blow cold.”
~~ Sylvia Plath ~~
********************************
Our final pearl today is an eclectic, slightly humorous random, harlequin version of an old-school pearl. I hope you enjoy it, for it is one of my better efforts in a while….
The lake rises above the trees:
The image of Preponderance of the Great.
Thus the superior man, when he stands alone,
Is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world,
He is undaunted.
~~ I Ching ~
“It really doesn’t matter if you’re the prey or the predator, if you want to live to see the sunset, you’ve got to start the day running.” — Realist Bee
“Are we THERE yet?” — Zippy the Pinhead
“Brains first and then Hard Work.” — Eeyore, Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne
“A life lived in fear is only half lived.” — Spanish proverb
“You can observe a lot just by watchin’.” — Yogi Berra
“The best way out is always through.” — Robert Frost
“If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there.” — The Cowboy’s Guide to Life
“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself
(I am large, I contain multitudes).”
~~ Walt Whitman, Song of Myself ~~
********************************
Well, it’s done, in spite of some severe demands for attention from our resident familiar, who, for some reason, seems to think today is HER day. Maybe she’s Irish, mixed in with the very apparent Siamese; must be the Calico in her. At any rate, it’s done, and pretty damn fresh, aside from the rant and the poem, which speak for themselves. I’m going to take this opportunity to take my leave, as it were, so, I’ll leave you with my usual caveat, to wit: See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Consider it a matter of submitting to the inevitable….
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.
“Learning isn’t a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”
~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~
But, I SWEAR I saw a mouse in here…
Hajime….. Okay, so here’s the deal today. I’m tired, having spent a long, if not particularly onerous night, attempting to garner enough sleep to warrant getting up, Abandoning the battle at about 4:44, according to my little bedside time monitor, I arose, only to remember I had forgotten to get sugar while at the store, and would be seriously short for my first cuppa this morning. SIGH…. Getting old’s a pain, y’know?
So be it. Life’s full of disappointment, and this one doesn’t rank too high on the scale, so, we’ll just ignore the pain (everything’s relative, y’know…. When I’m low on caffeine & sugar, thing can get, for me, a bit strange…), and get on with the slow. Of course, it means we’ll be shortcutting where I didn’t get this done yesterday, (which also had its share of time-altering issues….), so, y’all may as well be prepared for a bumpy road. Can’t be helped, & you’ll get the usual apology note in your email, if you provided it.
All that said, to our common regret, I am sure, we’ll get on with this, before my courage fails. I suppose this means I either have to use one of the Tardis devices, or just fake it, to get us on the toad. Ah, I know, I’ll use my extensive knowledge of cosmic judo, and use a hip-throw….. Or, maybe a leg-sweep…. It won’t matter, they’re expecting Jell-o…. See ya at the oyster beds….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Civilization is fun! Anyway, it keeps me busy!!”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
********************************
Those familiar with routine here will recognize the logo, and know we’ll be having classical music today. As usual, the mix chosen was picked because it had the picture that grabbed my attention…. Enjoy!….
As noted in the intro, the archives are to play their part today. Here is a relatively short discussion of one of our favorite delusions, religion, and the tendency of humans to indulge in such nonsense…. Enjoy!…. I did.
From 12/28/2012:
“A desire not to butt into other people’s business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom… and the other twenty percent isn’t very important.” “You butt into other people’s business. All the time.” “Who said I was wise? I’m a professional bad example. You can learn a lot by watching me.” — Jubal Harshaw, in Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein
I would guesstimate that more than 90% of everything I believe about life and the world has its roots in this book by Robert Heinlein, based on the comments of Jubal Harshaw, one of the book’s main characters. Jubal managed to have something to say about just about everything in human culture, and had his own distinct opinion on all of it. Of course, these reflected Heinlein’s own beliefs, but we weren’t supposed to think about that at the time, and had no real effect on anything other than Bob and his friends. The rest of us just appreciated his ironic sense of humor, and the common sense he displayed in such an entertaining fashion.
Medicine, psychology, memory, society, culture, custom, religion and theosophy, politics and political theory, philosophy, military history and structure, strategy, tactics, literature, writing, circuses, carnivals, astronomy, space travel, telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, weaponry, and a host of other subjects…… Every one of these subjects is part of the story Heinlein weaves, as he creates a figure who embraces the entirety of human culture and history, and attempts to change mankind in a way that can help us to overcome those parts of our nature that are giving us problems, and eventually will lead to our demise as a species. This book, Heinlein’s magnus opus, is his attempt to show humanity the way to save ourselves from our own stupidity and ignorance…..
Sadly, Heinlein is aware also that our fatal flaw is just that…. fatal. His protagonist, Michael Valentine Smith, who offers humanity the salvation of personal revelation, and of personal responsibility, is, in the end, killed by a mob of unbelievers, becoming the same sort of religious martyr as Jesus Christ, with, as Heinlein so aptly shows, the same probable chances of success, i.e., none…. Nothing of what Jesus taught humanity has been incorporated into society; anyone who says it has is delusional. Humanity not only has NOT adopted the philosophy of that great Jewish reformist, but has utterly rejected it, and belittled it, by perverting its precepts, twisting them to suit their own agenda, and acting in ways that are diametrically opposite to what Jesus was teaching.
I defy anyone to provide evidence that what I just said is not true, and invite them to present it here, so it can be discussed. The teachings of Jesus Christ have been corrupted by preachers and priests, politicians, corporate masters, and every other human who desires power over others. The rules of flexibility and love for fellow men that he taught have been turned into obedience to authority, and submission to temporal rulers, as those who wish to control society twist the words, and mangle the concepts that were intended to help in another way.
“Jesus only told half the story. The truth *will* set you free. But, first it’s going to piss you off.” — Solomon Short
I don’t know about y’all, but I think, even if it does piss me off, I’ll take the truth…..
********************************
Haiku
All my poetry
seems to be gone walkabout.
An original.
~~ gigoid ~~
2/28/2016
Fine and Good, Good and Fine
A pig in a poke’s got nothing on me,
cuz I’m as confused as a man can be.
This ol’ world’s got me spinnin’ around
cussin’ and spittin’, a penny for a pound.
Forty ‘leven times since I was a kid, well,
I’ve fallen in love, ‘least too close to tell.
Every damn time, it all went to crap,
Forty ‘leven times I’ve felt like a sap.
‘Course, each time it happens, I forget the last;
why not? I’m havin’ such a blast….
Livin’ in each moment, filled with joie de vivre,
’til it’s all gone away again, nothin’ left up my sleeve.
Don’t want y’all to think I’m sad or blue,
life’s full of sorrow, lots for me, and/or you..
T’other side of that coin, we can be glad,
is joyful love, and that ain’t at all bad.
My road’s been littered with parts o’my heart,
each one colored with trust, which ain’t always smart.
Yet, long as I don’t lose my connection to joy,
I’ll find my own true love, and be a happy boy.
It’s been some kinda fun, even when I’d take a fall,
and doin’ it over makes no sense at all, at all
Day after day, I keep on keepin’ on, as it’s said;
Guess I’ll keep on doin’ that ’til I’m dead.
‘Nuff said….
~~ gigoid, tongue firmly in cheek ~~
3/23/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
42
*********
“What are fears but voices airy?
Whispering harm where harm is not,
And deluding the unwary
Till the fatal bolt is shot!”
~~ William Wordsworth ~~
*********
“I have found power in the mysteries of thought.”
~~ Euripides ~~
*********
“9. Love deeply and passionately.
You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.”
~~ Instructions for life ~~
*********
“Our minds possess by nature an insatiable desire to know the truth.”
~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~
*********
“Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move.”
~~ Satchel Paige ~~
*********
“If you bring forth what is within you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you,
what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
~~ Jesus Christ (Gnostic Gospel Of Thomas, Saying 70) ~~
*********
“Among what he called his precepts were such as these:
Do not stir the fire with a sword.
Do not sit down on a bushel.
Do not devour thy heart.”
~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pythagoras, xvii ~~
*********
“There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
*********
“O to be self-balanced for contingencies!
O to confront night, storms,
hunger, ridicule, accidents, rebuffs
as trees and animals do!”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
********************************
Having thus completed my duty, to my surprise and delight, I shall forthwith take my leave, stage virtual. But, don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow. The universe, it seems, leaves me little choice in the matter, and, who am I to argue with an entire universe? 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.
“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.”
~~ Knights of Pythagoras ~~
Channeling New Ideas
Hajime….. As I sit to begin, I feel a sense of deja-vú, not particularly surprisingly, as this happened a lot in the past. Though most of the Pearl for today is finished, the rest promises to be a complete struggle, as my mind is blank as the proverbial clean slate. Oh, there’s plenty going on in there, it’s just not printable, or, even, shareable. The dega-vú just makes it worse, as it attempts to add guilt to the mix, which we don’t allow, thus muddying up the waters even further…
Rather than bore y’all any further with my issues with writing, let’s try the old cut-’em-off-at-the-pass technique we employ so well, to get us down to the meat of today’s post. ‘Meat’ may be an unfortunate euphemism, given the somewhat odoriferous state of what may follow, but, we’re nothing if not bold in the pursuit of our Art, if such title may be justifiably applied to what is found here. Me, I don’t give a crap whether it’s valid art, or just frank & earnest; it’s still better out than in, so there.
Okay, I’m getting grumpy, so, we’d best be on our way. I have no expectations for today’s Pearl; it’s on its own. And, so are y’all, once we hit the oyster beds…. Our insurance is going to lapse at noon, and, since we don’t actually HAVE any income, we won’t be supplying it in future posts. C’est la fucking vie, as we say downtown. We also say this, a lot….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Birth, copulation and death.
That’s all the facts when you come to brass tacks;
Birth, copulation and death.”
~~ T. S. Elliot, Sweeney Agonistes (1932) ~~
********************************
The Three Tenors
Image from last.fm via Google Images
I am NOT a fan of opera. Never have been. There are a few arias sung by duets, or alto sopranos, that are inspiring and beautiful, to be sure, such as the one in The Shawshank Redemption. Mostly, it’s just noise, as far as I’m concerned. I could go with a few Twain quotes; he wasn’t much enthused by it, either. But, instead I will say this: I am a fan of the human voice. I love a Capella music, especially live on the street. I play guitar, having learned simply so I could sing along myself. Music is in all of us, but, isn’t always easily expressed, or felt. Whomever had the brainstorm to bring these three gentlemen together to sing, was guilty of an act of genius….
Just listen, & try not to drop your jaw too far when they start to hit the high notes on some of these songs….. It will send chills up your spine, I guarantee…. In case I forgot, and, I did, their names are Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti…. Enjoy!….
“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”
~~ Robert Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long ~~
In general terms, a generation can be considered to be twenty-five years; some might say it is longer, as much as fifty years. To strike a logical, or, at least, reasonable balance, we will use the mean of the two, rounded off from 37.5 years to 40, for convenience of addition, etc. Given that assumption, I would estimate we have now gone at least three, and possibly four generations without paying the slightest attention to the lessons taught to us by our own history…. This period, significantly enough, covers about the same time as has passed since the advent of what is usually called The Industrial Revolution. For our purposes, this age of man began in earnest soon after, if not prior to, the birth of this nation, in the early part of the nineteenth century.
Now, one might think an author, or a character from a novel he wrote, is not the most appropriate judge of such matters; I contend this author is sufficiently educated as a historian, as a graduate of the US Naval Academy, to warrant some attention paid to his assertion, voiced by one of his characters. Robert Heinlein was not only an author, but, a scholar/historian/astronomer/engineer/pilot, and a number of other titles he earned throughout his life. He was one of the most cogent social philosophers of his time, though many of his ideas were considered radical…. a sobriquet commonly applied by mankind to all free thinkers….
In addition, this statement echoes the idea of many historical sages, in almost identical words. Thomas Jefferson made statements similar to this, when he wrote letters to peers in his time. He warned of the corruption he saw in the government almost immediately upon the signing of the Constitution, lamenting in one letter, “A monied aristocracy in our country … has already set the government at defiance.” He also warned of who he felt was the worst danger to the new republic, when he wrote, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”.
If in no other way, this country has completely ignored this warning, allowing the interests of corporations and oligarchs to corrupt the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency of this nation, with the apparent full agreement of the populace, who embrace every economic principle spouted to them by those who have consistently preyed upon their ignorance. The checks and balances set up by the Constitution are useless, for those who make the laws now are in the complete power of the lust for money and power.
“History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion
— i.e., none to speak of.”
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
Lazarus’s wry observation, though tongue-in-cheek, nonetheless points out a good part of why those who care nothing about community, but, live only to fulfill their own narcissist desires for power have been able to keep the public in the dark about the true state of affairs in the halls of government…. These congenital liars are willing to say anything at all to convince the gullible they are working in their interests, while in truth, have been busily corrupting judges and legislators to pass and approve laws which favor business principles over those of people. This, in spite of any claims to the contrary you may hear from those predators, is absolute truth for anyone with any wit to see, right in front of their eyes.
What is it they refuse to see? Simply this: the entire human culture, in every country in this world, exists as it does while laboring under two delusions. First, people have come to believe money exists in reality, as something other than an idea, which we learned to use to represent our time and energy, by placing a value on it. Second, there is a completely false belief in the need to be governed. Governments do not perform any of the functions for which they originally were formed; instead, they merely act as a means for unscrupulous people to take advantage of those who do not understand their own nature, much less the nature of reality around them.
Of course, since the first step to learning is to admit one does not know, or is wrong, these people would have to first find the courage to overcome their fear of either of those states. Fear arises from ignorance, or, perceived danger without understanding. It is easier to accept what one is told, than it is to be strong enough to think for one’s self, a very common human characteristic, of which those who prey on others are well aware. In fact, they count on it….
As a scientist, with leanings toward social history and the nature of humankind, I cannot say there is any solution at this point. I can also say I don’t believe there is a need for one, as the situation in the world today is ultimately self-correcting, according to the now-proven laws of evolution. No species can long survive when there is no limit to their breeding; our world has rejected any such control over our reproductive characteristics. Simply put, there is not enough planet to support the number of humans currently living here; not for any length of time. In addition, our own short-sightedness is going to play a large part, as we continue to degrade the environment upon which our survival depends, with no thought to the future at all.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
Society has reached the point where we are cancerous, to ourselves, and to the planet. I can say what changes we need to make, but, I am almost certain they won’t be heeded, or made. So be it. As I mentioned somewhere, this is a rant to end all rants, for I am tired of singing to the choir. For a time, this section may/will exhibit some rather different material, not all from the archives. Also, so be it. For now, here are a few pearls to finish off this indictment of us all…. The last one tells us exactly what I mentioned needs to be done, if we are to have any chance at all of surviving as a species….
“In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.” — George Bernard Shaw
“We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.” — John Webster
“A fish never thinks about water until he’s out of it.” — Robert Penn Warren
“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” — Sun Tzu (fl. c. BC 500)
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” — Denis Diderot in “Dithrambe sur la fete de rois”
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The duties of the wind are few…
The duties of the Wind are few,
To cast the ships, at Sea,
Establish March, the Floods escort,
And usher Liberty.
The pleasures of the Wind are broad,
To dwell Extent among,
Remain, or wander,
Speculate, or Forests entertain.
The kinsmen of the Wind are Peaks
Azof – the Equinox,
Also with Bird and Asteroid
A bowing intercourse.
The limitations of the Wind
Do he exist, or die,
Too wise he seems for Wakelessness,
However, know not i.
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
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Naked Pearls Don’t forget…
*********
“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” — Yun-Men
“Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.” — Confucius
“The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty, and love. They do not require coupons.” — George T. Hewitt
“Full wise is he that can himselven knowe.” — Geoffrey Chaucer — The Monkes Tale, Line 1449
“Live dangerously and you live right.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust (1806)
“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” — Marcus Aurelius
“‘Truth’ never set anyone free. It is only *doubt* which will bring mental emancipation.” — Anton LaVey
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.” — Jawaharlal Nehru
“Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” — Walt Whitman
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Such as it is, it’s done, And, so am I. Another long night, and a long day ahead, promises today will be a challenge. May as well get started. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided all goes relatively according to plan….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.”
~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~
The Spanish Arch ~ Galway, Ireland
Hajime…. Bilious clouds of noxious fumes rose up to obscure the hallway, as Perry Gomes carefully passed by the broken pipes, from which the gases were leaking. Perry thought to himself it wasn’t surprising, when two buses full of commuters crashed into each other, then bounced into the pumping station; a bit of damage was to be expected. Perry, who worked for the company which maintained the gas lines, was tasked with going into the mess to assess the damage. As he peered down the hallway, in the light of the near-useless flash, he could see something moving, thrashing about against the walls, smashing all in its path. “My God,” he thought, “it’s an intro to a Pearl! How will we ever fix that!”
No telling, actually. Perry’s obviously got his work cut out for him, and, since we are responsible for his being in the situation in the first place, we abandon him to his fate with some reluctance. However, should we wish to get today’s mess on the toad, we’ll need to ignore any and all distractions, just to find the wherewithal within to do so. Not an easy task when one is still wandering around in a creative daze, having just come up with yet another way to NOT write an actual introduction…. It’s a gift.
That said, and, thankfully, done, we’ll make our usual executive decision, and put the slow on the toad. We have no regrets, other than having again fallen into the royal ‘we’, just as if we had time to deal with it. Fuck it. I’m done with this. We are outta here, now…. Watch this!….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The psychic task which a person can and must set for himself
is not to feel secure,
but to be able to tolerate insecurity.”
~~ Erich Fromm ~~
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Today’s music is a nod to one of my blogging friends, who prefers to listen to his classical music played on the guitar. Here is the man who single-handedly brought this kind of music to the world’s awareness, back in the mid-twentieth century…. Considered to be the Master of the guitar, his expertise and artistry are legendary, for good reason…. Enjoy!….
Not only do I not have a rant ready, I don’t even feel like ranting. Go figure. At least, this way, I get to use my new icon again…. Here’s a short discussion & old-school pearl about the wisdom mankind pretty much ignores….
From 6/27/2014:
“Waste not the remnant of thy life in those imaginations touching other folk, whereby thou contributest not to the common weal.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 4
I end up using a lot of quotes from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, all of which seem to me to be pretty well-reasoned and insightful re: human nature, and ethical/moral behavior….. In fact, I find there are as many, or more, insightful, reasoned philosophers who lived before Christ was born… (not that I care that much, but, it’s the point in time our society has agreed upon to use as the basis for our calendar, thus making it the obvious, most convenient, and expedient, choice as a marker, in order to organize people into their time periods for reference and identification)…..
Marcus Aurelius, Socrates, Plato, Plutarch, Aristotle, Cato, the Elder and the Younger, Gautama Buddha, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and a host of others from all cultures in the world, passed their wisdom to us throughout the ages, and have always seemed to me to be superior in their reasoning to any of the more modern philosophers to whom I’ve been exposed….. which you will see reflected in the quotes you see here…. I have no apology for that, and don’t plan to change it, so, I hope y’all enjoy them, because they’re not going away…. In fact, I’m going to put together a pearl with parameters limiting it to quotes over 1500 years old, or more…. I would suggest you enjoy it, but, it’s not necessary with such classical wisdom to offer….
“Before enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood. After enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood.” — Zen Proverb
“Whatever you can lose, you should reckon of no account.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 191
“…for the most part happiness consists in being willing to be what you are.” — Erasmus
“As surgeons keep their instruments and knives always at hand for cases requiring immediate treatment, so shouldst thou have thy thoughts ready to understand things divine and human, remembering in thy every act, even the smallest, how close is the bond that unites the two.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 13
“Nothing made the horse so fat as the king’s eye.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of the Training of Children
“He is a fool who lets slip a bird in the hand for a bird in the bush.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Garrulity
“The trouble with Nixon is that he’s a serious politics junkie. He’s totally hooked… and like any other junkie, he’s a bummer to have around: especially as President.” — Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939), journalist — The Great Shark Hunt, Jacket Copy for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1979)
(Oops! Sorry, that slipped in there due to appending to the clipboard, rather than overwriting…. but, it’s kinda cool, I think, so, it can stay…. just ignore it after reading, and go on to the final pearl, which you see in its designated place, right down there on the line below this….)
“It behooves a prudent person to make trial of everything before arms.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act iv, Sc. 7, 19, (789.)
Since we were so rudely interrupted by Hunter’s oh-so-poignant observation of reality, I’ll add one more, to show that the ancients possessed as subtle a sense of humor as any modern pundit, for sure and for certain….
“Anaximander used to assert that the primary cause of all things was the Infinite,–not defining exactly whether he meant air or water or anything else.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Anaximander, ii
Well, a bit disjointed, but, it works for me…. So be it…. gigoid has spoken
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Off the proverbial cuff….
I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.
You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.
No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.
Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?
Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/30/2013
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It’s old-school, and, classic; seven stars of virtual wisdom, all about being human…. such as we are….
“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.” — Vernon Sanders Law
“‘Casting Out Fear’ ought to be the motto over every school door.” — A.S. Neill
“Don’t ask of your friends what you yourself can do.’ — Quintus Ennius
“I exist as I am, that is enough.” — Walt Whitman
“Anacharsis said a man’s felicity consists not in the outward and visible favours and blessings of Fortune, but in the inward and unseen perfections and riches of the mind.” — Plutarch, The Banquet of the Seven Wise Men, 11
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
“Though nothing can bring back the moments of splendor in the grass, of glory of the flower, we will grieve not . . .” — Wordsworth “Intimations of Immortality”
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I have fulfilled my chosen duty. I’m tired, and Leelu wants her play time, in her new cat tower. Therefore, without further nonsense, I shall bid thee adieu for another day. Hope yours goes well; I’m planning on hiding today, so I can avoid any jail time. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the warrants don’t come through….
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.
He sat in a squalid, empty room, engaged in passive questing through the reaches of time, searching for truth. Finding none, he turned away, saddened by the defunct nature implied in such a loss. “Still,” he thought to himself, with an ironic smile touching the corners of his mouth, “it could be worse. It could be raining.” With a poignant shake of the head, he slipped into a dream….
Rain poured down, filling the streets with rushing feet and pounding hearts. Beside the lamp post on the corner, he stood, dripping, with a small shadow of reality sticking to his shoe. Wiping it on the nearest centurion, as directed, he began to bail with the rest of the crowd, stopping periodically to clap his hand to his head, moaning, “Oh, for the boon of sanity!”, in stentorian tones, dulcet over the roar of water on the roofs.
Then, of course, he woke up, only to realize he was deep into the intro section already, without a plan, only a sadly over-rated trick of the trade, or two, to get him to the proper stance, where there exists a small chance of saving this from an early death, well before ever beginning to live. “What the hell is going on?”, he cried in dismay….
Strange, isn’t it, what will happen late at night, with nothing better to do than sit around making shit up in your head? I thought so, but, then, I’m the one who’s trying to find a way back to something resembling reality even slightly…. I think, perhaps, I’d best give up, and get on with the rest of today’s mess…. Whew, made it…. Not only made it, but, made it with room to spare…. Go figure….
Shall we Pearl?….
“What are the facts? Again and again and again–what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what ‘the stars foretell,’ avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable ‘verdict of history,’ –what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your only clue. Get the facts!” — Lazarus Long — Robert A. Heinlein
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Image from photoalbum.bloguez.com via Google Images
Today’s music choice is a nod to two friends, who both expressed their appreciation of this band’s music…. Enjoy, ffolkes, these guys rock!…..
The discussion I’m working on is not ready, so here is a little discussion from the archives, with a message of hope, once you work your way to the end…. Enjoy!….
From 3/3/2013:
“As a draft-animal is yoked in a wagon, even so the spirit is yoked in this body.” — Upanishads (c. B.C. 800)
Each of us is faced at times with the consciousness of our own approaching encounter with Death, the moment in time when our yoke is removed, and our spirit is freed, to once more join the rest of the conscious minds in the universe in roaming through realms of Reality we cannot see in this form. This Reality we cannot see is much larger, in one sense, than the one we can now perceive; it has to be, to be able to accommodate all the souls that have gone before, and all that are now present on Earth, that will someday join the rest of them, when they die…..
Every human being alive must face their own Death (I am capitalizing the word to give it the proper respect as one of the most important concepts we have as humans….); this is a truism no one can deny, or refute. Many people have banded together, to assume the belief that our universe was created this way by a supernatural being, who, for some unknown, and unknowable (self-explanatory, I think….) reason, decided that we are “special”, and gave us, and only us, the knowledge we have, and our very lives. This, of course, is rather hard to believe, as it doesn’t really account for much of what is observable truth in Reality, being, as it is, complete speculation, devoid of any concrete evidence to support it…..
“There is no conclusive evidence that there is life after death. There is also no real evidence to the contrary. Soon enough, you will know. So, why fret about it?” — Lazarus Long, aka Robert A. Heinlein
I first read this aphorism when I was in my early teens; it codified, and made succinct, what I had already concluded about the major religions of the world, i.e., they’re a collection of unwarranted, and unproven, assumptions. What’s more, they are all highly unlikely, given the observable parameters of the real world. It became obvious to me, as it is to many, that what the religious folks were trying to get me to believe was intended merely to soften my mind, making it more amenable to suggestion, of which they have an endless supply. Preachers, priests, imams, nuns, all are quite willing to give other people advice and suggestions on how they should live, in exhaustive detail, for as long as they are allowed to do so….
Since I had very little desire to have other people decide for me how I should think, or live my life, I rejected the dogma they tried to force into my head, turning instead to other sources of thought about Life, Death, and Reality. I found an endless supply of folks who had thought long and deeply about all of these ideas, and gladly did I read all I could of everything I could find on the subject. In addition, I read science fiction, during the years when its popularity had just begun to climb to the heights it now occupies; sci-fi has always been literature that explored, and continues to explore, the very limits of thought, both in the real world, and the world of the mind.
As is seen by the first pearl above, these thoughts and ideas are not new with me; mankind has been thinking about these concepts since we first sat around the campfires, wondering at the beauty of the heavens we saw above our heads, and all around us. In all that time, no conclusions have been reached that seem to cover ALL of the questions we have about the universe. We still don’t have a clue as to “what is the mind”, or “what is thought”…. and if we cannot understand ourselves, what chance do we have of unraveling the secrets of the universe around us? Not much, would be my guess…
That, fortunately, does not mean it is impossible to know the truth, nor does it mean we are condemned to die in ignorance and fear…. I know this because I have learned in my time that our fear is a direct outgrowth of our ignorance; we fear what we do not understand. Now, if I were a God, why would I make people that way, unless for some ulterior motive, having to do with motivations that are human, not divine? No, it just doesn’t make sense to me to assume that we were put here with a deliberate handicap, just to see how we dealt with it; that seems more like an evil scientist at work than a compassionate deity.
“One must marry one’s feelings to one’s beliefs and ideas. That is probably the only way to achieve a measure of harmony in one’s life.” — Etty Hilsum
Since I believe firmly in the Law of Conservation of Energy (proven true in this universe, to all our knowledge), and, I believe that our minds/souls are a form of energy we currently don’t fully understand, and cannot perceive directly, then the concept of Death is nothing to fear, as it merely means that my current state of energy will be replaced with another state, one I don’t currently have the ability to perceive. What that state may be like may be unknown, but that doesn’t mean it is something of which I should be afraid…. I prefer to look at it as the next great adventure….
So, when my father died, I asked him to leave me some trail-sign, to let me know how to find him in the next reality; he smiled at me, and said he would do that… and I was much comforted by that, knowing that our connection as family can never be severed, and that, someday, I would once more have the pleasure, and comfort, of his presence…. Now that’s something to look forward to, don’t you think?…. Much better than worrying that what I do now is going to determine what happens to me after I die, a silly proposition, at best……
“Do not think that man is but flesh, skin, bones and veins; far from it! What really makes man is his soul; and the things we call skin, flesh, bones and veins are but a garment, a cloak; they do not constitute man. When man departs this earth, he divests himself of all the veils that conceal him.” — Zohar
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POETRY, n. A form of expression peculiar to the Land beyond the Magazines.
~~ Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary” ~~
Today’s poem is from T.S. Eliot. It’s a rather long poem, but, well worth reading; it is regarded as one of the most important poems of the twentieth century, with a marked influence on the poetry of the time, an influence which continues today…. I give you….
The Waste Land
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory out of desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in a forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls must dive below.
~~ John Dryden, “All for Love, Prologue” ~~
*********
“Forget what you know and learn.”
— Roger von Oech
*********
“Irony is the hygiene of the mind.”
— Insightful Bee
*********
“Action should culminate in wisdom.”
~~ Bhagavad Gita ~~
*********
“The discipline of desire is the background of character.”
~~ John Locke ~~
*********
“As the tempest and the thunder affect not the sun or the stars,
but spend their fury on stones and trees below;
so injuries ascend not to the Soul of the great,
but waste themselves on such as are those who offer them.”
~~ Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375) ~~
*********
“The moment in which you confront your own death
is the moment in which you are most totally alive.”
~~ Solomon Short ~~
*********
“Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me,
why should you not speak to me?
And why should I not speak to you?”
~~ Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass ~~
*********
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I’m not really sure what took place here today. That’s okay, though; we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Yep. Moreover, we were done, then, too, weren’t we? Yep again. So, what do we do now? We go away, like this, with nary an explanation, nor a clue…. See ya tomorrow, ffolkes; count on it, one way or another…. or, not. Choice is all we have, in the end, which this is….
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 