“The greatest happiness you can have
is knowing that
you do not necessarily require happiness.”
~~ William Saroyan ~~
Irish Buskers in the Spanish Arch, Galway…
Hajime…. In the recent past, I’ve been unable to write, thanks, mostly, to the debilitating heat we’ve been stifled by for the last week, beaten down into semi-conscious, lethargic creatures, able only to sweat and pant. It finally broke last night, & the next week promises to be some nice weather, relatively speaking. One can only heave a sigh of relief, & get on with life, trying to catch up to all we’ve left undone in our stupor.
For today’s offering, I’ve managed to piece together some decent material, with some fine old music to read by, and a most excellent group of pearls to finish things off. All in all, despite the continuing lack of ranting (which still strikes me as too futile to spend any time on….), it’s not bad, offering, like cats, no corners to the winds of fate. Given my recent dearth of creativity, I can only applaud the fact it got done, without any foolish forays into predicting its quality. In fact, I’ll say, simply, what you see is what you get, & leave it at that, as one cannot be any more precise without the risk of uttering falsehoods. Wouldn’t want any of that, now, would we? No, of course we wouldn’t….
What I can do is show a bit of sense, as well as courtesy, by bringing this ‘sort of an intro’ to a rapid close, so we can get on with the task at hand. I’ll use one of my oldest techniques, which I used to call ‘old number four’, but, now, I just call it Harold. Don’t ask, just take it & run for the border. That’s what I’m gonna do; watch….
Shall we Pearl?….
“In the beginning, God created the Earth
and he said, “Let there be mud.”
And there was mud.
And God said, “Let Us make living creatures out of mud,
so the mud can see what we have done.”
And God created every living creature that now moveth,
and one was man.
Mud-as-man alone could speak.
“What is the purpose of all this?” man asked politely.
“Everything must have a purpose?” asked God.
“Certainly,” said man.
“Then I leave it to you to think of one for all of this,” said God.
And He went away.”
~~ Kurt Vonnegut, Between Time and Timbuktu” ~~
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Jackson Browne
Image from the HoustonPress.com via Google Images
While cruising You Tube for music, I found some videos & audio files from this artist, one I’ve enjoyed for more years than I can count. Well, not really; it’s been close to fifty years, as he became prominent when I was in college, in 1968. I, among others, consider him one of the most underrated songwriters in the business, and a great live performer. Yes, it’s another blast from the past; when it’s this good, who cares?…. Enjoy!….
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Jackson Brown Running on Empty
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Augmentation: Inner Aye
Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.
Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.
Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.
Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.
Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.
Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.
~~ gigoid ~~
3/2/2016
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Naked Pearls
True keys to success in Life….
*******
“Do not eat your heart.”
~~ Pythagoras ~~
*******
“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.”
~~ William Arthur Ward ~~
*******
“If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
~~ Thumper (1942) ~~
*******
“Let him that would move the world, first move himself.”
~~ Socrates ~~
*******
“Practice random beauty and senseless acts of love.”
~~ Ancient Hippie proverb ~~
*******
“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.”
~~ Lucy Larcom ~~
*******
“Here is the test
to find whether your mission on Earth is finished:
if you’re alive, it isn’t.”
~~ Richard Bach ~~
*******
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Though I can’t say it’s the best Pearl ever, I can say, it’s done, which relegates it to the category we love the most, to wit, ‘ready to post’…. Let’s do that, before I lose my nerve, or, regain my senses. I’m off to see the lizard; y’all are, as usual, on your own from this point. Y’all stay strange out there; we does our best to provide y’all with an example, and then hope for the best. See ya, probably sooner than you think….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. The Pearl you will find below is one you may find to be resistant to classification, or, for that matter, quantification. Even more, it defies all normality, due to a recent decision made by my subconscious mind, which seems to indicate I have given up trying to maintain any semblance of sanity. It seems, according to all the evidence I can gather, insanity is a more rational response to life in today’s world. I suppose it makes R. D. Laing’s statement the most relevant, to wit: “Insanity is a sane reaction to an insane world.”…..
In truth, this is not, necessarily, a cause for worry; in fact, I regard it as a good sign, that I am on the correct path to find my ‘bliss’, as it were. I’ve been reading, and thinking long and hard about, the work of Joseph Campbell. His lifelong study of human mythology, examining the common thread running through all the cultures of humanity throughout our history, led to what I think is the most coherent, inclusive, and accurate assessment of the human condition. By identifying the ‘monomyth’, the story of humanity’s expression of our core nature, and our connection to the universe, he offers us all an understanding of ourselves, and each other, which I find incredibly valuable, as a means of learning how to be true to our nature….
This, naturally enough, has occupied a great portion of my mind’s attention for the past few weeks, which has, as a side effect, influenced the production of Pearls, generally by sending me out into the real world, to re-engage with those parts of reality I have been neglecting, in favor of spending time in cyberspace, or in my own head. The most telling reflection is shown by the number of times I’ve missed posting, or re-blogged, rather than creating anything fresh. Go figure, eh? It seems the real world is more engaging than my need for the sanity which creating Pearls maintains….
I suppose it makes sense, though; real is always more engaging than unreal, if not as attractive. I mean, it does demand we be mindful, for the consequences of NOT doing so are uncomfortable, to say the very least. But, in this insane world we have engendered as a species, the distractions provided to befuddle and control the less mindful are powerful, making the lessons to be learned rather less valuable, than any of those taught by nature. This, of course, ties in quite nicely with our human talent of denying reality, and our own nature, so, it isn’t hard to figure out; it’s only hard to avoid….
It also takes a lot of practice time, which is why fewer Pearls have been seen here; I’ve been practicing the skills needed to live according to the dictates of my nature. Writing about that merely slows down the actual doing of it, so, less of it has been forthcoming…. So be it. It’s taken me 66 years to arrive at the point on my path where I currently exist, & I’m still searching. The search, as is required by our very nature, is all that matters….
I guess this intro doesn’t resolve much; neither does it explain much, I suppose, but, it got us this far…. Let’s go see what else happened, & get on with the rest of our journey for today….
Shall we Pearl?
“The greatest happiness you can have
is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.”
~~ William Saroyan ~~
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This video comprises a summary and exploration of the ideas of Joseph Campbell’s work, as seen through examination & discussion of the central ideas, regarding the commonality present in all human myths, from all human cultures. The presentation of those ideas is laid out clearly, so clearly, and so powerfully, I wept through the first 30 minutes I watched, simply from the joy of learning; the truth has a power not to be denied…. Watch it all, and think about it, for it can change your life….
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Finding Joe The Timeless Tale of The Hero’s Journey
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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
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Naked Pearls
Love at Large….
*******
“Time is precious, but truth is more so.”
~~ Benjamin Disraeli ~~
*******
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go….”
~~ Dr. Seuss ~~
*******
“I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping…”
~~ George Harrison ~~
*******
“And what is good, Phaedrus, and what is not good,
Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?”
~~ Robert Pirsig ~~
*******
“Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.”
~~ Rumi ~~
*******
“Anything worth doing well is worth doing slowly.”
~~ Gypsy Rose Lee ~~
*******
“All I know of love is that Love is all there is.”
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
*******
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Hmm… It’s done, & the words used in the intro remain valid; it defies description. So be it. I’m done for today; moreover, I cannot say when I’ll be back. I have to write; that is a given. But, it’s also a given I will be walking on my hero’s journey much of the time, & have yet to figure out how to do both. When I do, I’ll let you know…. In the meantime, try to enjoy your own journey; be safe, & let your love shine…. 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 room without books is like a body without a soul.”
~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~
Leelu at leisure….
Hajime…. I am in a position where it is becoming difficult to remain confident of ultimate success; since the article of contemplation under consideration is my life, this translates to some slight degree of danger, in that preserving life requires, at minimum, a confident interest in expending the effort to do so. Maintaining that attitude of interest can, I may now attest, become questionable, or, perhaps, questioned as to whether the effort is worth the result. In short, and, more clearly, there develops a decision to be made, as to whether maintaining the effort to live is worth the result….
I guess that’s a long winded way to say I’m tired of making the effort, only to encounter more, and yet more, obstacles or conditions which make that life less than pleasurable. I’ve just spent two days, and more, trying to assuage my body’s symptoms, only to arise today & find them unchanged to any appreciable degree. I’m still susceptible to extreme fatigue, lethargy, & pain, with the added fillip of occasional loss of blood to provide extra interest to an already too-interesting process. It’s disconcerting to spend a night sleeping hard, only to awaken tired, and still ‘out of balance.’ More than just a little disheartening, to be sure….
Ah, well, such is life for those of us who have lived fully, I suppose; there’s a price to be paid for continually going past the limits observed by those who cruise through life avoiding risks, in order to avoid injury, or emotional hurt, or other activities less than comfortable. Life lets us know very early there is a price for going beyond the normal; some of us are willing to pay it more readily than others, and who is to say who has the better way? Not me, though I have to say, I’d rather be scared and in pain, than bored, any day…..
There…. not too bad. I’ve related how unsettled I am, without going into tedious or graphic details sure to offend someone’s sensibilities. Perhaps it will suffice to explain how choppy the following Pearl turned out (well, it seems so to me, but, that’s probably because I’m seeing it from the inside…); then again, when have Pearls ever been easily explained? Never, I’d say. So, rather than belabor a non-point, I’ll just get on with it, before it gets any more maudlin, or incomprehensible altogether. I had hoped to finish the new poem, but, those pesky symptoms have kept me from any such comforting completion of a task, so, we’ll have to make do with what I’ve got so far, & be content with that. Or, not, as you wish….
As for me, I’m getting it done, as quickly as possible, so as to, once again, go deal with the aforementioned symptoms, which shall remain obscure, to save everyone’s breakfast. Rather than explore that notion, we’ll resort to one of our emergency techniques for getting us down the page…. It’s one you know well, as I’ve used it many times… it works like this….
Shall we Pearl?
“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.
We get very little wisdom from success, you know.”
A few days ago, in a re-blogged Pearl, I made mention of Cajuns, whereupon a friend asked me, “What about that lovely Cajun music?” She’s right, so, here is a mix of some pretty damn good Zydeco, as their music is so aptly named…. Enjoy, but, only if you really like to party….
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Cajun Music Mix
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Since I am battling my body, here is a poem I wrote a while back, while battling other internal demons. Different causes, but, similar battles, and the poem gives the correct flavor for today’s experience…. So be it….
Banishing demons….
Endless nights lead inexorably into endless days
while the battle for peace rages.
Lost arts find new meaning used in new ways;
to burn, yearn, and turn all the new pages.
Darkness falls heavily on bowed shoulders, contrite;
fireworks travel fast in nervous tissue.
The pace is kept, clean, but, never erudite;
such a pale tale of ancient issue.
Peering in terror down long, long halls of night
brings only confusion, destitute in sorrow.
Cannot time become our enemy, eager to fight
on the side which may never see tomorrow?
The longing gaze of passion, for reason to live,
must fall ever more faithfully into sedition,
else the clinging visions we claim to give,
shall not prevent reaching inevitable perdition.
Rising up, clarity of purpose shines the light of day
upon such a desolate landscape of absent release.
There is no escape, no furthering of the way.
Time never knows how to grant peace.
~~ gigoid ~~
11/23/2015
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Naked Pearls
To be, or….
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“A lizard ran out on a rock and looked up,
listening no doubt to the sounding of the spheres.
And what a dandy fellow! the right toss of a chin for you
and swirl of a tail!
If men were as much men as lizards are lizards
they’d be worth looking at.”
~~ D. H. Lawrence (1928) ~~
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“Where pain predominates, agony can be a valued teacher.”
~~ Frank Herbert ~~
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“If you want to build a ship,
don’t drum up people together to collect wood
and don’t assign them tasks and work,
but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
~~ Antoine de Saint Exupery ~~
*******
“How do the geese know when to fly to the sun?
Who tells them the seasons?
How do we, humans, know when it is time to move on?
As with the migrant birds, so surely with us,
there is a voice within, if only we would listen to it,
that tells us so certainly when to go forth into the unknown.”
~~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross ~~
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“If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself,
but to your own estimate of it;
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~
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“The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates
the mysteries of eternity,
of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.
It is enough if one tries merely
to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.
Never lose a holy curiosity.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
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“All is flux, nothing stays still.”
~~ Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.) ~~
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Having already sat longer than is wise, I’ll truncate this closing without mercy. That looks like this. See ya, ffolkes. Can’t say exactly when, for I’ve sat too much today already. I’ll be back when I can…..
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 friend is one who knows the song in your heart
and can sing it back to you
when you have forgotten the words.”
~~ Donna Twitchell Roberts ~~
George Orwell’s House, London
Hajime…. Weighed down, crushed under the dark, the light beckons, promising endless pain. The foul odor of death permeates reality, a miasma bringing tears, burning, each one a brand. In a vast landscape devoid of hope, fear lives, devouring rational thought in frighteningly vague dreams made real. The beast within is arisen….
Introspection is, for many of us, a valuable tool. It seems, however, there are a few idiosyncratic characteristics involved in its use, of which nobody bothers to inform us. In my own case, it seems there are times I shouldn’t bother, as it merely releases the Beast…. Today is such a time, I’m afraid. My morning thus far has been rather, hmm… hard to describe. Let us just say it’s been somewhat ill-conceived, and ill-managed. Still, I am sitting at the computer, typing, which is where I wanted to be by now. The angst and disturbing elements to which I have already been subjected are slowly fading, while the process of pearling I’ve developed manages to soothe the demon I inadvertently awoke.
I suppose I could spend a little time exploring the cause of today’s major melt, but, that, I think, would be unproductive, since there is an equal chance of reawakening the beast, which is apparently falling back to sleep the longer I type. I imagine I have embedded this process so deeply into my persona, the mere act of trying is enough to provide some relief from the sharp knives of self-denigration. Perhaps, when my mind actually wakes up & starts to think, I will be able to calmly address the cause; for now, let’s let it lie, as a sleeping dog. Instead, we’ll do this….
Shall we pearl?….
“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.
We get very little wisdom from success, you know.”
~~ William Saroyan ~~
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George Harrison
Without going into superfluous detail, let is suffice to say, today, I want inspiration, and nothing will work any better than this…. Enjoy, please….
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Concert for George
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“Invincibility depends on one’s self;
The enemy’s vulnerability on him.”
~~ Sun Tzu ~~
I was planning to write a discussion of the refugee issue, using the above quote from The Art of War as a starting point. However, I can tell anything I wrote today would be, most likely, too inflammatory. Oh, not too much so for the purpose; too much for my current vulnerability… I’d be too tempted to follow up on the anger which would, no doubt, be generated by such a discussion. Instead, here is a somewhat extensive, but, thoroughly accurate, and, relevant, indictment of the Asininnies. If it isn’t clear to whom that term would apply, the following will make it clear as a crystal….
From 3/4/2014:
“Whenever you hear a man speak of his love for his country, it is a sure sign he expects to be paid for it.” — H. L. Mencken
Does anyone else remember what Tom Jefferson had to say about “professional politicians”, and “bankers”, as being the most dangerous threats to a democracy? I remember the tone of it, and the meaning of what he expressed, in a number of letters to others of his contemporaries, even if even if I don’t remember the exact wording in the letters….. Believe me, every single one of the people who inhabit the halls of the White House, the Congressional House and Senate, and the Federal Court system would have been very lucky if Tom had only called them by their true name, that of TRAITOR….. As I recall from my reading about Tom, he was a bit of a hothead, by reputation, and he might have decided to start shooting before speaking, if I read him right…. and, I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment that might have prompted him to start firing away….
It’s funny, (ha ha AND weird, both types…) how the mind plays tricks on itself, even going so far as to use one’s own memories in manipulating to have its way…. however obscure that way may be…. Yesterday, in the rant in section three, (I think…. that’s how unsure I am of my own memory right now; memories as close as yesterday are currently suspect, due to the very issue under discussion IN THIS SENTENCE, thus, demonstrating once again how slippery our hold on Reality is, just all the damn time….), I mentioned the rant from the day before, in which, I was supposed to have spoken about the NSA, and its shenanigans…. That, of course, was either mistaken belief on my part, or just laziness in thinking about what actually was written, as I was writing at the time…. I know, it’s all very confusing, and maybe even moot, but, I have to explain this, or I’ll go crazy…
Crazy, as you know, is always a risk around here…. Anyway…. The rant to which I referred as being about the NSA, (as yesterday’s rant from the archives actually happened to be), was NOT about that, specifically, though that agency WAS mentioned…. No, that rant was about the Shrubs, and the events of 9/11/01 considered as a conspiracy to misdirect the public attention away from election results of the previous two elections, in which certain disputed voting irregularities “fixed” the election in favor of the Republican ticket…. A conspiracy, I will add, whose very existence, due to the very professional, comprehensive planning, and execution, by the elder Shrub’s minions, in eliminating and/or explaining away any evidence of such a conspiracy, is completely unknown to the majority of the American public…. That’s how good they are at this…
My intent in saying the above, long and complicated as it turned out to be, was to be honest, with y’all, and with myself…. and to keep things straight…. There are two different issues at hand in my rants from the last week or so, (Two, at the very least…. most likely more, if truth be told…), with the only connection being the fact that both issues are a result of previously clandestine, illegal, selfish, paranoid actions by the same set of shadowy corporate slave masters, and their political minions…. Thanks to the actions of a single patriotic citizen with a conscience, (E. Snowden), SOME of their actions are now a matter of public record, a fact which they are desperately working to remove from the public’s awareness….
Right now, they’re using the stone wall technique…. They aren’t making comments on any part of the issues, and they won’t address any questions they’re given by journalists on the subject. They’ve planted the seeds they wished to plant, with their lies about intended reforms to the NDAA regulations, and about Eric Snowden’s incompetence, and possible (fabricated) ties to Russian spies….
“All men can be led to believe the lie they want to believe.” — Italo Bombolini
Since that last outrageous, ‘ipse dixit’ proclamation from the House Intelligence Committee’s lead Republican, (….. Wow, talk about an oxymoron!…), about the infamous, totally made-up Soviet spies who “tricked” Eric Snowden into hacking those files, the White House, and every other public mouthpiece in DC, has been giving their best impression of an uncooked clam about the entire issue….. They don’t want to confuse the issue by introducing too many other ideas, especially if they might be found to be true….
They’re letting the lies they told sit and percolate, so it is the last discussion in the public mind; that way, when they come back to re-address the same issue again, those minds, of the mundanes among us, will have already been primed with the previous lies….. Hence, their next round of fabrications can not only be even more outrageous, but, in their minds, will have the additional advantage of being more easily believed by those parts of the public that bought into their previous (false) statements…. ‘Tis an unfortunate truth that it will probably work….
“These activities have their own rules and methods of concealment which seek to mislead and obscure.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower (1960)
Even if only a few people buy into their lies and machinations, they’re content…. They know that, because of human nature, the people who DO fall for that line of crap are generally the loudest, most stridently vocal of their supporters, those who have a strong investment in believing what they’re told by the talking heads on TV, primarily so they don’t appear to be so FUCKING STUPID to the rest of us….
Sorry…. didn’t mean to shout. I just get so frustrated, thinking about the lack of intelligence it takes to NOT be able to see how often these people are lying to us. This rant sort of evolved, all by itself. on Monday morning, as I sat reading the original line from Mr. Mencken, who happens to be one of the most prolific social philosophers of the twentieth century….
Mencken had a sharp eye, a nimble mind, and he wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade, which, in the end, gets more done than calling it what it isn’t…. His honesty, and his willingness to “call ’em as he saw ’em” is why he was relatively unpopular with, and feared by, the governing elite of his era…. Too many sharp barbs and exposed truths for their taste….
I just wish I could figure out how to convince all the Numbnoids to use their minds, for something more than just carrying their bladders around from toilet, to table, to toilet…. Oh well, I’ll keep at it, and maybe, someday, one of the tabloids, or one of the mainstream papers, or even, GASP!, maybe a major player, like PEOPLE magazine, will pick up one of my rants, it will go viral, and the world will be saved from the all-too-frequently ignored effects of practicing ignorance, and the crushing soulless presence of Evil in our society’s most powerful denizens, who take advantage of that ignorance among the masses to maintain their own supremacy….
Or, maybe not…. Either way, I’ll keep on pointing out what I see, even if it doesn’t get very far…. Better out than in, I always say….
“Lord, defend me from my friends; I can account for my enemies.” — D’Hericault
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I feel a poem circling around in my head, but, it’s not anywhere near ready to bleed out. Here is one I wrote in March of this year, which is probably closest to my mood today…. I hope you enjoy the process of watching me find my balance as much as I hope it works….
Augmentation: Inner Aye
Distant, peals of thunder, vividly.
Closer, a patter of rain, falling gravidly.
Between the light and the darkness of fear
find merely the remnants of one lonely tear.
Do not hate us, though we have not sinned;
eager for courage, upon whom all hope is pinned.
Tales of insolence, hatred, or fallen virtue
fill us up, not down, in such pristine foreign venue.
Capable hands severed, able hands tied;
the future is angry, all but now denied.
Multiple times, warnings sounded across the pale
nobody heard, nobody came to tell the tale.
Gifted by time, salience fails in epic rhyme;
watchmakers watching, each a separate crime.
Logical solutions refuse to emulsify
forever pretending to cruelly crucify.
Blood will fly alongside pertinent composure,
never seeking, never finding tea, or closure.
Falsely laid trails on mountains of gold
imply no happy endings, no fortunes told.
Ages past have no time for repetition;
further chances only lead to perdition.
Destiny feels a shameful portion of guilt,
for a thousand sand castles, never built.
~~ gigoid ~~
3/2/2016
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Naked Pearls
Observations
*******
“In all the many-colored worlds of the universe
no single ethical code shows a universal force.
I am convinced that virtue is but a reflection of good intent.”
~~ Magnus Ridolf ~~
*******
“There is nothing in a caterpillar
that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”
~~ Buckminster Fuller ~~
*******
“If you have a skeleton in your closet, take it out and dance with it.”
~~ Carolyn MacKenzie ~~
*******
“Intellect annuls fate.
So far as a man thinks, he is free.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
*******
“To go forth and experience the myriad things is delusion.
That the myriad things spring forth and experience themselves is enlightenment.”
~~ Dogen ~~
*******
“If you can’t change your mind, do you still have one?”
~~ Caroline Malmgren-Davis ~~
*******
Nature, whose sweet rains fall of just and unjust alike,
will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide,
and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undetected.
She will hang the night with stars so that I may walk abroad
in the darkness without stumbling,
and send the wind over my footprints
so that none may track me to my hurt:
she will cleanse me in great waters,
and with bitter herbs make me whole.”
~~ Oscar Wilde — “De Profundis” ~~
*******
********************************
Not too shabby for an hour and a half later than planned; I’ll take it. Moreover, I’ll do so without further nonsense, or, sense, for that matter. I’ll merely say, I hope it works, and let it go at that. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I’m pretty sure it will be relatively unavoidable….
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.
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
Shadow of an old, crooked man….
Hajime…. I’m here, typing, but, let’s not make too much of that, since it’s the same thing I’ve done almost daily for five years now. The only difference we find from day to day is how much I’ve been able to sleep the night before, which is somewhat of an unpredictable facet of my life. Today, I happen to have had, oh, maybe three solid hours, found at the hind end of the night, as usual. Such is becoming rather more consistent a happening than I’d prefer, but, what the hell, I’ve got nothing better to do at the moment, so, I may as well get this done.
In the spirit of being efficient, as well as catering to my fatigue, we will set out immediately to the oyster beds, so we can say we wasted no time. Not that anyone is monitoring, (aside from the NSA, of course, but, they only check it later, I’m sure, so, no worries…. besides, they already know I despise them and their false sense of paranoid entitlement, so, I try to say howdy at least once in a while… Howdy, assholes!…. stolen any cool data lately?), but, we know, don’t we? We do. Since that is so, why don’t we just do it like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.”
~~ Cicero ~~
********************************
The Original Parrothead
I know I’ve used this concert in the past, and, I won’t usually repeat most music. But, I’m in the mood for a good time, without any worries to get in the way, and, nobody throws a better party than Jimmy. I know, I’ve been to more than a dozen of them since first hearing his music in 1975, first hearing the album, Livin’ & Dyin’ in Three-Quarter Time…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. Unless you’re lacking a party gene, you’ll like this one….
“Science is the whore of industry and the handmaiden of war.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
I don’t know about all of y’all, but, in my mind, the quote above from our old friend Ed is a perfect start to a good, strong indictment of both the Beloved Ruling Class, and the unwashed masses who allow themselves to be enslaved by their own nature. It speaks quite plainly, in a short, pithy statement, how even the most intelligent folks can be manipulated by their own lack of self knowledge, bringing us to the unstable society, and uncertain future, in which we now exist. It’s a perfect lead in for an exploration of our own failures of spirit, and how they will affect us all.
But, I’m fucking tired, and can tell that any ranting I do today would go completely over the line into pure rage, so, rather than subject any of us to such a display of emotion, which would indicate a lack of personal control and knowledge which I refuse to countenance any more. So, instead, we have for y’all a nice little seven-star, old-school pearl to explore those same spiritual difficulties, in a roundabout way. The last one, of course, tells us the truth about what matters the most, for all of us…. Enjoy!….
“All politics is based on the indifference of the majority.” — James Reston
“It is fear that first brought gods into the world.” — Sagacious Bee
“The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self-mastery.” — Reinhold Niebuhr
“If the thraskin puts his fingers in his ears, it is polite to shout.” — Doctor, The Time Monster
“36 percent of the American Public believes that boiling radioactive milk makes it safe to drink.” — results of a survey by Jon Miller at Northern Illinois University
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Krishnamurti
“To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give of oneself; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sing with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier: this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
********************************
Dreaming, I wait….
In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.
Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.
Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.
Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.
Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.
When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.
Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/18/2013
********************************
Our final old-school pearl today is a rather simple affair, speaking casually, and, likely, causally, of the qualities of Character, and, how to find & use it…. Enjoy!
“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.” — Jean de La Bruyere
“If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it: Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” — William Saroyan
“What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to.” — Bob Dylan
“Certainly, virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed, for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.” — Sir Francis Bacon, Of Adversity
“A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, v, 6
“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?” — Hermann Hesse
********************************
Well, I did it, against all odds. So be it. To separate ourselves from the possibility of a problem developing here at the end, we shall take our leave forthwith, stage virtual, and be done with it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Wish me luck; I’ll probably need it….
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.
Yudishthira: “That each day, death walks the earth, and we continue to live as though we were immortal.”
~~ The Bhagvad Gita ~~
The Crane Bar, Galway, Ireland
Hajime…. Since any sort of schedule seems to be currently inoperable, the hell with it. I’ll post late, and hope any of my Gentle Readers will understand…. You see, I slept. Normally, and for a full eight-plus hours. Leelu got worried at my usual time to get up, but, she’s a cat, and understands wanting to roll over and go back to sleep…. She settled right back down for another nap….
Now I’m up, with all this energy, let’s not fool around & waste it. I’ll see if I can cobble together some decent material, and let ‘er fly. In fact, we’ll go do that now. Luigi, fire it up. Yeah, I know, we’re early, but, we’re late, so, it’ll even out. Don’t worry that little head of yours; just fly the plane…. Here we go, ffolkes….
Shall we Pearl?….
“God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent- it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash, and in small bills.” — Lazarus Long
********************************
George Harrison Image from clipartzebra.com via Google Images
George Harrison was one of rock & roll’s most beloved icons; the entire world mourned his death. This concert, put together by his friends, among whom numbered some of the world’s best musicians, of ALL types, was a fitting tribute to his memory. It still makes me weep to watch his son, who looks exactly as he did at that age, playing on stage with Clapton, Ringo, Paul, and a host of other famous rock stars who came to play for George. Enjoy, ffolkes, this one is unique….
“Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.” — Laurens Van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958)
I’m really sorry I don’t have the time or energy to rant on the above; it’s so perfectly apt for our current situation in America. But I don’t, so, we’ll make do with a short discussion from 2012, taking a few shots at one of our favorite targets…. our Beloved Ruling Class….
From 9/9/2012:
A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, “The one I feed the most.” — George Bernard Shaw
This is a wonderful anecdote, and one I feel very firmly about, as it is one of the clearest lessons in self-awareness I have ever seen. This one is so simple an idea, that even the ignorant asses who make up the political scene in this country would be able to understand it. They probably couldn’t do it, as they never, ever think about themselves other than as an important person, who doesn’t need to make changes in himself. Anyone who does think of themselves would never, ever consent to be put into a public office…. the two things (introspection vs. public office) just don’t mix…. That is because of the following, from a pretty smart fella, who lived quite some time ago, but seemed to have a good head on his shoulders….
“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom. For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)
“…he who is neither good nor wise” is a perfect description of anyone who wants to be President of this country. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again, because it bears repetition, that anyone, anyone at all, who actually WANTS to be President can be classified as clinically insane, usually a paranoid schizophrenic, with grandiose delusions of adequacy…. NOBODY is adequate for that job… nobody. And anyone who thinks they are is simply not all there…..
And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there~~ Box of Rain by Phil Lesh & Robert Hunter ~~
Ah me…. politics and politicians are such an easy target. If it wasn’t so much fun, I might call it a naughty habit, and leave them to their devices, which surely are many….. Since we’re pressed for time today, we’ll leave them be, and just caution y’all to watch out, because their antics can be dangerous, if they are left without supervision for long….
********************************
Retrospective, defined in folly….
Yesterday
I wrote a poem.
It bled out of my head,
like I’d been struck with
an axe,
right through the artery,
in the neck,
spraying blood around
everywhere,
like a pulsing garden hose….
It hurt, at first,
then came the feeling,
of quick relief,
of timeless beauty,
of pain avenged,
of lust aroused,
of outrage aflame,
of deep compassion,
of endless empathy,
of truest love….
Now it’s gone, cast away
like pearls before twine.
(Grin…)
You thought
I was going to call you
a pig,
didn’t you?
Hah!
Well, you’re not.
You’re a person.
I know, because
you’re reading this poem…
if that’s what it is.
I think it is,
so,
maybe it is.
Or, maybe,
it will be,
someday, when it
grows up,
and learns to rhyme.
Whew…
Just in time…..
That’s all.
Reality often sucks wind,
y’know?
S’okay, though….
It keeps us busy,
and out of some of the
mischief,
so much part
of our
nature.
We all can do
only what we
do.
Or, don’t.
Two sides, one coin.
~~ gigoid ~~
Written 8/31/2014.
********************************
“I often have long conversations all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word I am saying.” — Oscar Wilde
Sometimes, when constructing these pearls of virtual wisdom, I feel much as Oscar described; often it’s the fault of Smart Bee, which can be a fractious program (remind me to tell you about software sometime, and how it can act just like any other inanimate object, taking on the characteristics we give it with the application of our will upon it….), but, just as often, it’s my own fault, for letting my mind wander while collecting the pearls. Believe it or not, this process DOES take some focus, or it doesn’t work. Trust me. This one, in spite of my waffling, didn’t wobble, so, enjoy!….
“What’s hard is simple,
What’s natural, comes hard. Maybe you could show me,
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be….free.
Maybe if you whistle…
Whistle for me.”
~~ Stephen Sondheim, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE ~~
“Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame.” — Erica Jong
“Ah, what a dusty answer gets the soul when hot for certainties in this our life!” — George Meredith
“It is not a man’s duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man’s shoulders. I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too.” — Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.” — William Saroyan
“No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage-ground of truth.” — Francis Bacon — Of Truth
“It’s easy to come and go… The hard thing is to remain.” — Subtle Bee
“It is a good thing to be rich and strong, but it is a better thing to be loved.” — Euripides
How small of all that human hearts endure
That part which laws or kings can cause or cure!
Still to ourselves in every place ensigned
Our own felicity we make or find.~~ Samuel Johnson ~~
********************************
Well, I did it. Not that I’m completely convinced of whether or not I SHOULD be doing this, but, hey, I was never one to pay much attention to ‘should’. Lazarus taught me at an early age, when he pointed out, quite accurately, that when you hear that word, it is ALWAYS something someone ELSE told you, or thinks you ought to do, or think, or be…. No thanks…. Instead, I’ll just say, see y’all tomorrow; count on it….
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.
“To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable.
The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.”
~~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War ~~
“My greatest fear in life is that no-one will remember me after I’m dead.” — Anonymous
Too often, this blog begins with the word “I”…. Well, in sooth, I say, “too often”, when what I actually mean is, “too often for my comfort.” This, of course, is the natural result of a person who wishes to write, but, really doesn’t wish to indulge in much of the ego-driven parts of writing that are necessary to achieve any sort of prominence….
Ambition is required, if one wishes to become popular, whether in the blogosphere, or in the mainstream media venues, such as newspapers, radio, & TV; ambition; this is unfortunate, at least, for those of us who’d rather remain on a path with oh, let’s just say, a higher degree of spiritualism, or perhaps just less ego-driven….
But, then one must consider two things…. One, it’s MY blog, and we are often dealing with MY issues, so, using “I” becomes nearly impossible to avoid…. Second, being a pretty smart guy, with a fairly accurate sense of how smart I am compared to the average joe, I try to avoid either shoving that in people’s faces, or dwelling upon it, as I don’t view it as necessarily anything to be proud about….
All it does, actually, is saddle me with more perceptions than most, to my way of seeing it, and, that particular ability, for certain, is both a blessing, AND a curse. Factor in the simple FACT that smartness, or intelligence, has NO PROVEN SURVIVAL VALUE, and you can begin to see why I try to avoid overt egotism…. It really isn’t very nice, not to mention self-defeating….
In the past five or six days, since right before Christmas, I’ve been climbing out of a deep hole, which my mind seems to have fallen into without me even noticing I was off balance; that’s what comes from depending on vertigo to do that…. it’s unreliable, as is now patently clear…. SIGH….
Whatever the failure in my early warning system happens to be, I found myself in a position where I was bursting into tears rather frequently, due to some stressful issues I’m dealing with, which seem to have triggered some unknown, and certainly unwanted, unresolved feelings of sadness and emotional pain, left over from one of the many instances in my life where I experienced far more of them than I ever thought possible, and, apparently, stored up for later use…. Go figure…
I’m finally starting to see some light, and, I’m hoping this morning’s events will help, as I get to go do something that SHOULD shore up some of my feelings of inner conflict…. Of course, I have another appointment tomorrow morning, wherein I expect to have to fire the opening salvo of what promises to be a quite bloody battle with my HMO, and the modern medical society they manipulate and corrupt at every turn…. That, however will be, I’m sure, food for a future rant, not for now….
Ha! Thought I’d fall into that one, didn’t you?…. Nope. In fact, it would be a good idea for y’all to hold on, because, I’ve blathered and bitched enough for one morning…. We’re goin’ in, and goin’ in hard!…. Not only that, but, we’re doin’ it NOW!….
Shall we Pearl?
“Avoid making irrevocable decisions while tired or hungry (NB: Circumstances can force your hand. So think ahead!)” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am all about quickness today, so what you get is another day of chill-out music, from the classical music genre…. This kind is nice to play while reading, and can provide a bit of armor against splashing, after a fashion…. The page to which I am linking is one with 112 selections of various pieces by various artists, and looks like a beautiful group to pass the time with…. enjoy…..
To fill in the space quickly, here is a short rant with an attached old-school pearl as augmentation…. It is from a period when I was apparently writing better than other times; I’ve found some excellent stuff in the period’s archives…. including this one, one of several from this month… If nothing else, you can enjoy its brevity….
From 9/18/2012:
Religion has never attracted me as a pastime that led to any particularly desirable activities. From the very first, even as a small child, I always thought the people at church were trying to get me to believe something that was not only hard to believe, but they wanted me to believe it, just on their word that it was true….. What they were saying wasn’t anything like what I perceived to be true about the world at large; none of it sounded like common sense, if you get my drift…. Plus, the more I resisted what they said, and asked questions that they couldn’t answer, the more insistent they became….. Most kids have a pretty good crap detector, and the whole church thing seemed based on fluff and wishes to me…..
Any who, it seems a lot of my saved up oysters have been on that very subject, i.e., religious dogma, and alternative ways of looking at the universe, and how it works, and what it means…. (you know, all the good stuff….), so I thought an old-school grouping would perhaps help ffolkes get a clue about what I do believe….. which can, I have to admit, change from one day to the next….. gotta keep room for new data, y’know…… shall we Pearl a bit?…..
“Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the bible is filled, it would seem more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.” — Thomas Paine — The Age of Reason
“History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love (1972)
“I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.” — Albert Einstein
God: What one human uses to persecute another. — Anonymous
The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.– Robert Heinlein, “Job”, 1984
“No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my own constitution; the only wrong what is against it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
“If the lord had meant us to have faith, he’d have given us lobotomies.” — Zlatko
“A long and wicked life followed by five minutes of perfect grace gets you into Heaven. An equally long life of decent living and good works followed by one outburst of taking the name of the Lord in vain, then have a heart attack at that moment and be damned for eternity. Is that the system?” — Robert A. Heinlein
“I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.”–Albert Einstein
“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha
Well, there you go…. a complete mish-mash of different philosophies and outlooks, each with its own little piece to contribute to the whole, all ended perfectly with a piece of profoundly simple wisdom… not the virtual kind that is common around here, but real wisdom, that you can put in your pocket, take away with you, and use as needed…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m using mine, only because it’s quicker, and I’m lazier than the average joe…. goes along with the smarter part…. Yep, I am aware that intelligence is merely a FACTOR of laziness in humans; one of the primary motivating factors for using our imagination is to find an easier, or quicker route to achieving our ends, whatever they are…. Think about it, ffolkes, you’ll see what I mean…. Meanwhile…. Here is one of my personal favorite poems…
Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….
Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me
Ah’m not even sure of mah name,
or how Ah come to be;
no idea from where Ah came.
Ah does like a mystery tho’,
puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,
good from bad fo sho,
Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.
If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,
Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,
seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,
‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.
‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,
‘n had lots of stuff go on by;
Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,
never once used it fer an alibi.
He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,
school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.
Yer own good measure you can earn,
by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.
Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,
he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,
‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,
kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.
Without ever sayin’ the word itself,
Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others
not some fake stuff from some shelf,
but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.
Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think
to get around the block at least two times.
I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink
Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..
~~ gigoid ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smart Bee seems to have gotten over its snit, this pearl came together in jig time, with a nice little group of pears all pointing in one direction…. Well, close enough for pearls, anyway; my Gentle Readers have seen enough of them to see what point we’re trying to make without undue difficulty. Any newbies will find it reasonably clear, as well, I think, for it’s a simple idea being promoted today…. See if you don’t agree….
“Each man is the smith of his own fortune.” — Appius Claudius Caecus
“It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past. Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.” — Jim Bishop
“All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.” — Jane Wagner, _The Search For Intelligent Life In The Universe_ — [Performed by Lily Tomlin]
“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.” — William Saroyan
“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5
“Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it: men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts, we come to be just; by doing self-controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled; and by doing brave acts, we come to be brave.” — Aristotle
“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I’m with you kid. Let’s go.”” — Maya Angelou
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This tagline is dedicated to my bird friend- Fred” — gigoid
Well…. considering that I’m currently in a state of mind I wouldn’t wish on an enemy, this didn’t come out too badly…. It’s also nice to have a little space from pain, which, thanks to the rain stopping for a few days, has been relatively manageable for two days now…. But, then, all is relative, is it not? I’m outta here, ffolkes… I’m gonna go see my grandson, and, for the first time in his life, be allowed to give him a Christmas present…. Now, THAT should make me feel better…. In fact, I’m counting on it…. See y’all later, ffolkes…. maybe even tomorrow….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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.
Hidden from sight by a looming, ominous hedge, mellifluous sounds of Mozart, played expertly on a well-tuned piano, escaped into the quickening night air, tossed away in the gentle breeze blowing from the woods beyond the hedge. Soft sounds of talk and laughter joined the music, filling in the picture of genteel life in the country.
As the silent man, dressed all in black, turned around the hedge, the party came into view; women in floating, soft-colored dresses and large floppy hats, men in leisure suits, with pale pink shirts, and the occasional short sleeve. White jacketed servers, unobtrusive, wound their way between the formally clad attendees, offering hors d’oeuvre, or champagne in elegant flutes….
The sound of the Uzi’s safety release, followed instantly by the unmistakeable sound of the weapon being cocked, cut sharply across the conversation and music, stunning all into silence, until the man’s voice rang out, clear as a bell, ” Okay, everyone, strip!”…..
Damn! I am SO GLAD that is over! I started to write it, and it started to change on me, turning into the most boring piece of crap I’ve ever had the temerity to put on paper (metaphorically, of course….) I suppose it’s alright, from a technical standpoint…. that was the problem….. I wrote it, then went through it, cleaning it up, polishing it, making it flow….. until I realized what a pile of shit it really was….
By then, of course, my anal-obsessive nature had hold of me, and I had to finish it…. But, it’s over now, and I can go on to something perhaps less classy, but way more comfortable…. What a cock-up! And I hope I’m getting the meaning right there…. it SOUNDS right for the occasion, but, if any of my British or Euro friends have any idea of correct usage, I’d appreciate a head’s-up on that…. Thanks in advance for that….
This is, so far, a unique Pearl…. in one way only, so far, but, it remains to be seen as to whether that changes, or not. It’s unique because of the time it’s being created, which is well past any stretch of normalcy for me; it’s after 8 AM, almost 8:30, and I slept until 0749, meaning I got another nine hours of sleep last night, again….. This is such a new event, I’m not even going to try to analyze it at all, I’m just going with the flow, even if it is a very strange flow thus far…. I have lots of energy, in a relative sense, but, still little to do with it other than put it into this…. a good thing, for the most part, but, a bit limiting in other ways. I like to be active, and this getting old, in the sense of it limiting my ability to get around easily, is keeping me down more often than I’d like. I’m dithering aren’t I?
I can feel it…. I’m starting to dither, flipping from one subject to another, in my head, so fast that I can’t keep up, and neither can reality…. It gets a little confusing at times, but, sometimes, some of my best stuff gets done when this happens…. It’s a matter of balancing the creative flow of ideas that are thundering down, like a waterfall over the edge of my mind, with some intense, yet subtle, mind-control techniques, hidden, but effective, that allow me to surf along the edge of the water, letting it take me wherever it wishes to go…. Since I’ve blathered again for long enough to suit the authorities who give a shit about that sort of thing, we can get on with today’s dive, late as it may be in getting started…..
Shall we Pearl?…..
“Love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places
yes is a world
& in this world of yes live
(skillfully curled)
all worlds”
— e.e. cummings
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“Late, I’m late, for a very important date…” — The White Rabbit
This could very well become the iconic statement for today’s post, were we at all interested in appointing one…. Since we are not, I’ll just explain that starting this now has given me the heebie jeebies, and it could affect what comes after…. just so’s you know, okay?…. I’m going to go right into another pearl now, as I think it would be in all of our best interests to keep moving, and hope we can get out of here without any serious injury…. This way, ffolkes, and for heaven’s sake, stay together!…. Whatever you do, stay on the path!….
“Vivid words hook misquotes in the mind.” — Keyes’ Rules of Misquotation, Axiom 1, Corollary 1A
Lord of himself, though not of lands;
And having nothing, yet hath all.
— Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) — The Character of a Happy Life
“Time and trouble will contain an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.” — Dorothy Sayers
“Gentleman: A man who knows how to play bagpipes — and refrains.” — Fred Tart
“Perfection of means and confusion of ends seem to characterize our age.” — Albert Einstein
“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.” — William Saroyan
“How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life wouldn’t you say?” — James T. Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,” stardate 8130.3.
Sorry about using J.T. in the ending…. if you wish, attribute the line to the screenwriter who wrote it for the movie, which, as we all know, is a cult classic for the competition between Kirk and Khan to see which could sustain the stiffest acting pose throughout the movie…. “Khan! Khan!….” It’s really kind of cool, with both of them vying to be the more convincing Macbeth, while playing characters in a science fiction space opera….
The line, nonetheless, is the perfect ending to what turned into a fairly decent pearl…. What, you weren’t paying attention? Ah…. Well, your loss…. though there is no charge for going back to read them again, should you so choose… Just don’t let the one by Ms. Sayers throw you off…. it fits, if you’re flexible enough…. If not, well, just try to keep up, we’re running late, as might be expected today….
_____________________________
Yep….. ’tis, indeed….
Shoes
when you’re young
a pair of
female
high-heeled shoes
just sitting
alone
in the closet
can fire your
bones;
when you’re old
it’s just
a pair of shoes
without
anybody
in them
and
just as
well.
~~ Charles Bukowski ~~
_____________________________
I don’t care what the contract says, it’s my blog, and I can change things around if I want….. Anyone who doesn’t like that, well, they can walk back to the main office, and welcome… I’m going old-school again for this section, for two reasons…. One, I want to….. any questions, or problems with that? Good…. Second, it will end the agony sooner….
Whoa, wait a minute, no need to knock me over in your enthusiasm…. I get the picture now…. the sooner, the better, eh? Well, if that’s the way you feel about it, I guess I have no alternative but to carry on with what consensual reality demands, which is a speedy end to this, yes?….. Besides, I don’t feel up to ranting, and the BRC has been suspiciously quiet in the last few days…. I guess the cold weather is slowing everyone down right now…. but, not Smart Bee, thankfully…..
“Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.” — Robert A. Heinlein
On a huge hill,
Cragged & steep, Truth stands,
and hee that will Reach her,
about must, and about must goe;
And what the hill’s suddenness resists, winne so.
— John Donne
“We judge individual man and women as we do nations and races–by the character of their achievement and by their achievement of character.” — Edward Abbey
Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
— William Butler Yeats
“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Just how normal are we? Just who are the people we nod our hellos to as we pass on the street? A rather good question to ask–particularly in the Twilight Zone.” — Rod Serling
“Always store beer in a dark place.” — Lazarus Long
“The way to keep you from becoming foolish is to never think you are clever.” — Smart Bee
Well, I tried, and that’s the important thing, isn’t it? I keep hoping so…. Besides, no animals were hurt, or used for testing without their permission, during the filming of this commercial…. unless, of course, Eddie’s been losing at the track again…. but, that hasn’t happened for a long time, and he’s on vacation, anyway….
_____________________________
It’s probably best if, at this point, I DON’T make any moral or ethical judgments; I’ll just read it, and weep….. I think I’m going to pass on the weeping, because, it ain’t too bad…. It’s good enough to suit MY standards, for sure and for certain, so, we all know what that means…. Which also means, bye bye, then…. until tomorrow….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
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 