I was perusing the DrudgeReport today when I came across a story in which a professional agitator/activist working for the left wing organization, Moveon.org, went to a Rand Paul rally and attempted to agitate Paul by holding a mocking placard.(Paul is a conservative libertarian who is the son of libertarian demigod and Texas Rep. Ron Paul) All this person got was a a knock to the head and the opportunity to file an assault charge, for their stupendous effort at agitating.(Apparently, this person took literally Frederick Douglass' admonition to a young freedman to "agitate, agitate, agitate". )
The story itself--while absurd--is hardly unique in politics. A great many ridiculous beings inhabit the world of politics and have so since...well. forever. But the aforementioned story provides an excellent example of what I call "useless beings". I would say unproductive, but they are producing something--fodder for sardonic wits who just love to pillar cretins like this woman.
Now, some will strenuously argue that agitators or activists are necessary because they are the ones fighting for the rights of the poor, minorities, etc, etc. We would not have the advances that we have in civil rights, environmental policy, and many other areas if not for the agitation of activists.
This is true, but those were the golden days of activism. Now, it is a bunch of sanctimonious, arrogant, affluent, persons who agitate for issues that are far less clear than what the Freedom Riders or Suffragettes fought for.
Such people are worse than useless for not only do they not contribute much of value to society,but they increase the rancor and hostility of political dialogue in the United States.They do this by engaging in provocative acts that are meant to draw angry responses. This in turn creates a poisoned atmosphere for rational political discourse.
The only thing these are agitators success at are irritating people.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Story of a Boy (continued)
The boy would eventually graduate from high school and college. He would take a job with an local employer, working as a manual laborer shortly after taking the ceremonial walk at his college graduation.
It was a a graduation that occur under a dark moment in his life for shortly before the boy had suffered the passing of his beloved grandfather. It was a joyous occasion that was tinged with feelings of great sadness and regret that the departed patriarch who had put so much time into caring for the boy when he was young, could not be present for the boy's greatest achievement. The boy would walk the aisle with an aching heart for he had lost one of the few people he had in his corner.
He knew that he had not been the best of grandsons--especially so during his grandfather's final years--and that would be a regret that would never leave him. He had failed to give what had been given to him. What hurt most was that the boy could never tell his grandfather sorry, never could explain how much he meant to him, never could he tell him much how he loved him. The only thing he could do was to make sure that he was as dedicated to his father as his father and grandfather were dedicated to each other.
Another person would not be present for the boy's college graduation--the woman who gave berth to him so many years before. But unlike the innumerable other times she was not there for him, her absence was not of her choosing. She had passed away in his sophomore year in college from cancer.
She had been diagnosed the year before with cancer, so her death was not unexpected. The boy knew it was coming--and visited twice in the year granted to her.The reader must think low of the boy, for how cold is it for a boy to only see his dying mother twice? How could a boy feel so little that he would only see her two times as she lay dying?
When the boy reflected on these events in later years, he would feel some guilt over that final year, but at the time he did not feel anything. He was numb. He would come to know the feeling of complete emptiness as he sat and stared at the little green box that contained her ashes.He could only sit in mute indifference as the procession of mourners mourned the loss of a woman who gave little to those who should have meant most.
How could he feel anything for a vagabond who abandoned him at an early age to pursue dreams of a musical career? How could he feel anything, but bitterness towards a person who essentially ignored him for most of his life?
What tears he had were shed for the opportunity she squandered to be a person of substance. That was the real tragedy here, he thought to himself. She had two children who would have loved her--a love that would mean far more than the love of some music producer or adoring crowd who love you one minute, than toss you aside for the next big thing a minute later.But apparently, the undying love of her babies meant nothing to her in comparison to the love of music executives. Unfortunately for her, she never received their love.
"The tragedy here was not her death, but her wanton disregard of what matters most to mothers in this world--their children. Her life was not a waste in terms of personal accomplishments, but in her personal relationship with those who should have been of paramount importance." said the boy as he later pondered his birth mother's legacy.
The boy could not help but learn a lesson in how to live your life after analyzing his very different reactions to the deaths of his mother and grandfather. Their respective passings taught him that family comes first before anything. A career is nice to have, but such a thing pales in importance when an issue of family is involved.Sacrifice for family is a glorious thing, while sacrifice for a career is the act of a person of a dubious moral nature.
(to be continued)
It was a a graduation that occur under a dark moment in his life for shortly before the boy had suffered the passing of his beloved grandfather. It was a joyous occasion that was tinged with feelings of great sadness and regret that the departed patriarch who had put so much time into caring for the boy when he was young, could not be present for the boy's greatest achievement. The boy would walk the aisle with an aching heart for he had lost one of the few people he had in his corner.
He knew that he had not been the best of grandsons--especially so during his grandfather's final years--and that would be a regret that would never leave him. He had failed to give what had been given to him. What hurt most was that the boy could never tell his grandfather sorry, never could explain how much he meant to him, never could he tell him much how he loved him. The only thing he could do was to make sure that he was as dedicated to his father as his father and grandfather were dedicated to each other.
Another person would not be present for the boy's college graduation--the woman who gave berth to him so many years before. But unlike the innumerable other times she was not there for him, her absence was not of her choosing. She had passed away in his sophomore year in college from cancer.
She had been diagnosed the year before with cancer, so her death was not unexpected. The boy knew it was coming--and visited twice in the year granted to her.The reader must think low of the boy, for how cold is it for a boy to only see his dying mother twice? How could a boy feel so little that he would only see her two times as she lay dying?
When the boy reflected on these events in later years, he would feel some guilt over that final year, but at the time he did not feel anything. He was numb. He would come to know the feeling of complete emptiness as he sat and stared at the little green box that contained her ashes.He could only sit in mute indifference as the procession of mourners mourned the loss of a woman who gave little to those who should have meant most.
How could he feel anything for a vagabond who abandoned him at an early age to pursue dreams of a musical career? How could he feel anything, but bitterness towards a person who essentially ignored him for most of his life?
What tears he had were shed for the opportunity she squandered to be a person of substance. That was the real tragedy here, he thought to himself. She had two children who would have loved her--a love that would mean far more than the love of some music producer or adoring crowd who love you one minute, than toss you aside for the next big thing a minute later.But apparently, the undying love of her babies meant nothing to her in comparison to the love of music executives. Unfortunately for her, she never received their love.
"The tragedy here was not her death, but her wanton disregard of what matters most to mothers in this world--their children. Her life was not a waste in terms of personal accomplishments, but in her personal relationship with those who should have been of paramount importance." said the boy as he later pondered his birth mother's legacy.
The boy could not help but learn a lesson in how to live your life after analyzing his very different reactions to the deaths of his mother and grandfather. Their respective passings taught him that family comes first before anything. A career is nice to have, but such a thing pales in importance when an issue of family is involved.Sacrifice for family is a glorious thing, while sacrifice for a career is the act of a person of a dubious moral nature.
(to be continued)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Story of a Boy
The tale I am about to share is about a boy. It is a tale about a boy who is normal in almost every conceivable way save for one important aspect--he had no mother.
No mother you say? How is such a thing possible? How can a person be born, but have no mother? Tis true in this case. This boy never had a mother.
He never felt the loving embrace of mom after a nasty fall or hear her comforting words after a bad day at school. He never created a drawing for her on Mother's Day nor did he save his pennies so he could buy her a nice birthday gift. She was not there for Thanksgiving, Christmas, his birthday, or any holiday. She was not there for his highs or for his lows. The spot reserved in all boys hearts for their mother was vacant in his for he had no mother.
The curious case of the motherless boy begins in the spring of 1977. The boy is born to parents of middle class backgrounds. Both were educated, hard working people who displayed artistic talent. But only one was selfless. Only one would understand and embrace the responsibility of parenthood. It was not She.
Less than two years after the berth of the boy, the couple would divorce with the boy temporally left in the care of the woman who gave berth to him. But within a short time, the woman who gave the boy life would threaten to give the child up for adoption if the father did not take the boy. The father did what he knew he had to do--take the child and raise the boy himself.
And that he did, but not without much assistance from his father. The grandfather of the boy would be there for both the father and son, through thick and through thin. But it was not a great burden for he lived his life in service to his family. When the father would later fall ill, it would be the 70 year-old grandfather who would lay on the floor next to his son so he could take care of his boy. Men of such extraordinary quality as he are the rarest of species.
The boy would grow to love and revere his father and grandfather, but not without many, many years of struggle. The father in particular would deal with the emotional wreckage that the absence of the boy's birth mother would cause. Anger, hurt, intense self doubt, confusion...these feelings would beget emotional outbursts that lead to physical confrontations at school and home.
The boy fought not only other children, but the pain that he felt deep inside him. He knew not why he felt so, just that he had always had these feelings. "Why do I feel this way?" he would ask himself.Why did he always feel so angry, so bitter, so worthless?
The father was equally perplexed, but for a different reason. He simply was at wit's end at how to control the uncontrollable fury of his little boy. He would have given anything to alleviate his child's pain, but this was beyond his control. He took the child to therapists who said that his boy had above average intelligence, but had serious emotional problems as a result of the absence of the boy's mother.
The father did what he could only do and that was to ameliorate the problem as best he could through further counseling and medication for the boy. In time, this would prove the wise choice for with maturity the explosive outbursts of rage steadily decreased. The boy would become a man.
(to be continued)
No mother you say? How is such a thing possible? How can a person be born, but have no mother? Tis true in this case. This boy never had a mother.
He never felt the loving embrace of mom after a nasty fall or hear her comforting words after a bad day at school. He never created a drawing for her on Mother's Day nor did he save his pennies so he could buy her a nice birthday gift. She was not there for Thanksgiving, Christmas, his birthday, or any holiday. She was not there for his highs or for his lows. The spot reserved in all boys hearts for their mother was vacant in his for he had no mother.
The curious case of the motherless boy begins in the spring of 1977. The boy is born to parents of middle class backgrounds. Both were educated, hard working people who displayed artistic talent. But only one was selfless. Only one would understand and embrace the responsibility of parenthood. It was not She.
Less than two years after the berth of the boy, the couple would divorce with the boy temporally left in the care of the woman who gave berth to him. But within a short time, the woman who gave the boy life would threaten to give the child up for adoption if the father did not take the boy. The father did what he knew he had to do--take the child and raise the boy himself.
And that he did, but not without much assistance from his father. The grandfather of the boy would be there for both the father and son, through thick and through thin. But it was not a great burden for he lived his life in service to his family. When the father would later fall ill, it would be the 70 year-old grandfather who would lay on the floor next to his son so he could take care of his boy. Men of such extraordinary quality as he are the rarest of species.
The boy would grow to love and revere his father and grandfather, but not without many, many years of struggle. The father in particular would deal with the emotional wreckage that the absence of the boy's birth mother would cause. Anger, hurt, intense self doubt, confusion...these feelings would beget emotional outbursts that lead to physical confrontations at school and home.
The boy fought not only other children, but the pain that he felt deep inside him. He knew not why he felt so, just that he had always had these feelings. "Why do I feel this way?" he would ask himself.Why did he always feel so angry, so bitter, so worthless?
The father was equally perplexed, but for a different reason. He simply was at wit's end at how to control the uncontrollable fury of his little boy. He would have given anything to alleviate his child's pain, but this was beyond his control. He took the child to therapists who said that his boy had above average intelligence, but had serious emotional problems as a result of the absence of the boy's mother.
The father did what he could only do and that was to ameliorate the problem as best he could through further counseling and medication for the boy. In time, this would prove the wise choice for with maturity the explosive outbursts of rage steadily decreased. The boy would become a man.
(to be continued)
Monday, October 18, 2010
A positive state of mind
Positive thoughts fuel positive actions or so I am told. I am not positive about that belief myself. I just know a friend who is positively convinced that a positive state of mind is a positive.
Is it so? I do not know.
Should I stroll through this life with a giant smile on my face, preaching the virtue of thinking positive? Should I wear a band on my wrist that reads WWSSD?(What Would Stuart Smalley Do?)Should I set aside some time for a daily affirmation?
After pondering this question I have come to this conclusion: Yes, yes, yes! YES WE CAN---er,that may not be the best slogan to cite right now. But the truth is the same--positive thinking is the way to go. Conduct a test on the state of my mind and it will surely comeback as POSITIVE for positive thinking!
But how shall I maintain this marvelous state of mind?How shall I resist the call of the Sirens of Discontent and Cynicism?
The solution is simple.I shall think of unicorns, cotton candy, and puppy dogs. That will most assuredly keep me thinking positive thoughts. I shall also watch Miley Cyrus videos as well as the latest Sandra Bullock romantic comedy.Does that not sound swell?!
Ain't positive thinking grand? It is if you are one of those people who sell millions of books to the mediocre and unhappy. Their bank accounts benefit positively from their preaching of positive thinking.
I am positive that such people are con artists, but then that assessment is the product of a cynical mind. Booooooooooooo! Think only positive thoughts! WWSSD?!
Yes sir, I am all about positive thinking now! Positivity is my state of mind. Nothing else, but positive thoughts and actions. I shall extend to the frustration of life and the rudeness of people the same greeting--a cheerful smile! Can you not you feel the positivity flowing through the screen as you read these words?
Now it is time to go my friends. I am overdue for some positive reinforcement. But fret not, I shall be back for some more positive thinking!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A Debate for the Ages
This is the recorded transcript of a debate that occurred in an alternate universe. What is at stake is the office of major for the City of Saline. The two candidates are Republican John Burke and Democrat Douglas Morningstar II. The host is Alex Teijido. The setting is the gymnasium of the old Saline High School.Teijido is standing at a table that is directly in front of the two candidates.
Teijido: Hello. Welcome to the mayoral debate for the City of Saline.The two candidates are here this evening to discuss their respective plans for the city. To my left is Democrat Douglas Morningstar II and to my right is Republican John Burke. Hello gentlemen.
Morningstar: Hello
Burke:Blah.
Teijido:The format of this debate will be as follows: I ask a question and then each candidate will have 30 seconds to answer. There will be 15 seconds reserved for a rebuttal. Are you ready gentlemen?
Both:Yes/blah.
Teijido: First question goes to Mr. Burke. What will do to fix the roads east of town?
Burke:Ba, ba, bah, ba, ba blah.
Morningstar: What did he say? I cannot understand a word he said.
Teijido:He said and I quote "I will place a 2 cent surcharge on pornography sold at Habeeb's Mecca of Porn. That will generate enough revenue to pay for the desperately needed repairs.This will also have the affect of discouraging the purchase of obscene material in our fair town."
Morningstar:I didn't hear that. All I heard was gibberish.
Teijido:Mr.Morningstar, please answer the question.
Morningstar: My plan would increase property taxes by one half percent. The revenue generated would more than pay for the roads while not placing a burden on our local business owners as my opponents plan would.
Burke:Bla, blah, BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!(Burke menacingly points towards Morningstar)
Morningstar:I have no idea what you just said.
Teijido:He called you a big, dumb, ape, who he is inclined to beat the shit out of.
Morningstar:What?!Tell that goofy bastard that I'll beat his ass. I have subdued many a man in my time.
Teijido:So we've heard.
Morningstar:(looks askance at Teijido) What? Now you are going to talk shit? You are supposed to be an impartial moderator.
Teijido:Frankly Mr. Morningstar, after hearing of your many late night liaisons with people of both sexes I have developed a significant level of antipathy for you. You simply are not fit to be leader of this great city. The city that was born out of a great trial of blood in the Battle of Saline. The city where the legendary(speaks in a hushed tone) Jack Crabtree strolled the sidelines of our magnificent football field, leading Saline to many victories. Saline, the city that----(Teijido is interrupted by Morningstar)
Morningstar:To be brutally honest with you Mr. Teijido, I don't think a man who goes by the name "Lexx Bubble" is qualified to judge anyone. Your own indiscretions with Joe Jargul make me quake with anger at your hypocrisy.
Burke is joined on stage by his campaign manager, Sarah McCracken and chief advisor, Marcus Neeno. Morningstar is joined by his campaign manager and boyfriend Don Price.
Teijido: What I do in my life is irrelevant for I am not running for public office. You are.
Price:(to Morningstar) Douglas, we should leave. This has gotton out of control. This atmosphere is much too hostile for us.(he starts to pull Morningstar off stage.)
Burke: Bla. bla, bla, BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! SNUCK BLA, LALA!(Burke face reddens with rage and he starts to walk towards Morningstar and Price.)
Morningstar: (to Burke)You better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up!(Morningstar clenches fists and gets into a fighting posture)
McCracken:(yelling)Stop it! What would Mr. Crabtree think?
Morningstar:(to McCracken) Who cares what that fat bastard thinks?
McCracken:How dare you speak of Mr. Crabtree so! He is the soul of our city! He is the yeast that has made our city rise!
Morningstar:(gives McCracken a look of disbelief) What th-----(at that moment Morningstar is rocked by a devastating tackle from Burke.A loud smack and thud is heard as flesh hits flesh and ground)
Burke is standing over Morningstar in triumph as Morningstar lays sprawled out and motionless.Price is kneeling at Morningstar's side, crying and imploring Morningstar to get up.
Teijido: Hello. Welcome to the mayoral debate for the City of Saline.The two candidates are here this evening to discuss their respective plans for the city. To my left is Democrat Douglas Morningstar II and to my right is Republican John Burke. Hello gentlemen.
Morningstar: Hello
Burke:Blah.
Teijido:The format of this debate will be as follows: I ask a question and then each candidate will have 30 seconds to answer. There will be 15 seconds reserved for a rebuttal. Are you ready gentlemen?
Both:Yes/blah.
Teijido: First question goes to Mr. Burke. What will do to fix the roads east of town?
Burke:Ba, ba, bah, ba, ba blah.
Morningstar: What did he say? I cannot understand a word he said.
Teijido:He said and I quote "I will place a 2 cent surcharge on pornography sold at Habeeb's Mecca of Porn. That will generate enough revenue to pay for the desperately needed repairs.This will also have the affect of discouraging the purchase of obscene material in our fair town."
Morningstar:I didn't hear that. All I heard was gibberish.
Teijido:Mr.Morningstar, please answer the question.
Morningstar: My plan would increase property taxes by one half percent. The revenue generated would more than pay for the roads while not placing a burden on our local business owners as my opponents plan would.
Burke:Bla, blah, BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!(Burke menacingly points towards Morningstar)
Morningstar:I have no idea what you just said.
Teijido:He called you a big, dumb, ape, who he is inclined to beat the shit out of.
Morningstar:What?!Tell that goofy bastard that I'll beat his ass. I have subdued many a man in my time.
Teijido:So we've heard.
Morningstar:(looks askance at Teijido) What? Now you are going to talk shit? You are supposed to be an impartial moderator.
Teijido:Frankly Mr. Morningstar, after hearing of your many late night liaisons with people of both sexes I have developed a significant level of antipathy for you. You simply are not fit to be leader of this great city. The city that was born out of a great trial of blood in the Battle of Saline. The city where the legendary(speaks in a hushed tone) Jack Crabtree strolled the sidelines of our magnificent football field, leading Saline to many victories. Saline, the city that----(Teijido is interrupted by Morningstar)
Morningstar:To be brutally honest with you Mr. Teijido, I don't think a man who goes by the name "Lexx Bubble" is qualified to judge anyone. Your own indiscretions with Joe Jargul make me quake with anger at your hypocrisy.
Burke is joined on stage by his campaign manager, Sarah McCracken and chief advisor, Marcus Neeno. Morningstar is joined by his campaign manager and boyfriend Don Price.
Teijido: What I do in my life is irrelevant for I am not running for public office. You are.
Price:(to Morningstar) Douglas, we should leave. This has gotton out of control. This atmosphere is much too hostile for us.(he starts to pull Morningstar off stage.)
Burke: Bla. bla, bla, BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! SNUCK BLA, LALA!(Burke face reddens with rage and he starts to walk towards Morningstar and Price.)
Morningstar: (to Burke)You better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up!(Morningstar clenches fists and gets into a fighting posture)
McCracken:(yelling)Stop it! What would Mr. Crabtree think?
Morningstar:(to McCracken) Who cares what that fat bastard thinks?
McCracken:How dare you speak of Mr. Crabtree so! He is the soul of our city! He is the yeast that has made our city rise!
Morningstar:(gives McCracken a look of disbelief) What th-----(at that moment Morningstar is rocked by a devastating tackle from Burke.A loud smack and thud is heard as flesh hits flesh and ground)
Burke is standing over Morningstar in triumph as Morningstar lays sprawled out and motionless.Price is kneeling at Morningstar's side, crying and imploring Morningstar to get up.
Burke: Ba, ba, BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!(Burke beats chest and does a Polynesian war dance called "The Haka".)
Price:Dougie, get up. Please get up!We have reservations for dinner at Che Nous with your brother and Jean Luc .(the only response Morningstar offers is a groan of pain)
Teijido: Serves the twink right. He was due his comeuppance.(Teijido turns and leaves)
Price angrily glares at Teijido. Teijido, Burke and Burke's entourage leave the stage--save for Neeno who offers a departing comment.
Neeno: Nick Snick BOW! Chairmen Bao demands perfection!
Price is utterly perplexed by this comment. He can only stare as Neeno saunters away with his hands in his pocket, whistling the theme song to "Growing Pains".The crowd disperses leaving Morningstar unconscious and Price in shock at what just happened.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday night blues
It is a cool, crisp, fall Friday evening and I have no where to go.I do not have a party to attend nor a buddy--they are either working or out on a date-- to go to a bar with. The movie I want to see started right as I left work. In short, I have nothing to do and I hate it.
All I have at my disposal is my television, a net book, and my mind. On the screen is the show "Sons of Anarchy" --a splendid show by the way--and on my mind is on the Michigan game tomorrow. No lady to call, no group of friends to meet up with, just....myself.
What a terrible waste of a fall Friday. It is bad enough that I am sitting home on a Friday, but this evening is a superb example of the splendor of a Michigan fall. To sit inside while others revel in this glorious weather is tragic.
How shall I prevent the re-occurrence of such a tragedy? Make more friends? Acquire a girlfriend? Both? Who knows where the answer lies. I just know that it cannot happen again.
All I have at my disposal is my television, a net book, and my mind. On the screen is the show "Sons of Anarchy" --a splendid show by the way--and on my mind is on the Michigan game tomorrow. No lady to call, no group of friends to meet up with, just....myself.
What a terrible waste of a fall Friday. It is bad enough that I am sitting home on a Friday, but this evening is a superb example of the splendor of a Michigan fall. To sit inside while others revel in this glorious weather is tragic.
How shall I prevent the re-occurrence of such a tragedy? Make more friends? Acquire a girlfriend? Both? Who knows where the answer lies. I just know that it cannot happen again.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Talking sense to the senseless
It is a fool who tries to engage an idiot in an intelligent conversation.For how can one expect a person who uses their head solely to rest a hat upon, to be able to develop in said head, thought provoking ideas that lead to healthy debates?
How can one expect an intelligent exchange of ideas from a person who cannot grasp that the blaring sirens of the police and emergency vehicles always have the right of way--even during a movie shoot?
Many a hour I have spent trying to talk to the simpletons I work with. Many a hour has been expended in an futile attempt to reason with blockheads who absolutely refuse to use their cognitive faculties.
Why do I never learn? Why do I keep trying to talk sense to the insensible?Am I insane? If you believe that the definition of insanity is to try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, than I just may be crazy.
These are not bad people--for the most part. They are hard working, honest folks, who do not spend much try exercising their brains. Thinking for them starts and ends with the most parochial of concerns.There is nothing wrong with that. It just means that their intellect is very limited when it comes to thinking through an issue or problem.
This entry makes me look like an arrogant douche and I really don't care. The lack of regard I have for my co-workers intelligence does not mean I think myself superior overall to these people. Not at all. Where I am strong, they are weak. Conversely, where I am weak they are strong. It all balances out in the end.
But gosh, their stupidity irritates me sometimes.
How can one expect an intelligent exchange of ideas from a person who cannot grasp that the blaring sirens of the police and emergency vehicles always have the right of way--even during a movie shoot?
Many a hour I have spent trying to talk to the simpletons I work with. Many a hour has been expended in an futile attempt to reason with blockheads who absolutely refuse to use their cognitive faculties.
Why do I never learn? Why do I keep trying to talk sense to the insensible?Am I insane? If you believe that the definition of insanity is to try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, than I just may be crazy.
These are not bad people--for the most part. They are hard working, honest folks, who do not spend much try exercising their brains. Thinking for them starts and ends with the most parochial of concerns.There is nothing wrong with that. It just means that their intellect is very limited when it comes to thinking through an issue or problem.
This entry makes me look like an arrogant douche and I really don't care. The lack of regard I have for my co-workers intelligence does not mean I think myself superior overall to these people. Not at all. Where I am strong, they are weak. Conversely, where I am weak they are strong. It all balances out in the end.
But gosh, their stupidity irritates me sometimes.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Money and Happiness
The saying "Money can't buy you happiness" is true enough. It cannot buy the profound sense of satisfaction and joy that we know as happiness. That can only come from within.
But what money can buy are opportunities to increase the amount of enjoyment in a person's life.More enjoyment in life equals a greater chance of experiencing general satisfaction in life. Thus, money can--in a indirect way--buy you happiness, but only in short bursts.
Money can buy us all the accouterments of a comfortable lifestyle. Houses, cars, vacations to exotic lands..these are the sort of that money can help us buy. These are also some of the things that can contribute to an overall satisfied mood.But these objects of luxury can only augment, not create, happiness.
My current job does not provide me with the opportunity(read: funds) to have a nice car or go on excursions to Italy like the jobs of my friends do.My job is terribly unsatisfying from a professional as well as a financial standpoint. For those who has read my blog, this is no secret.
But having said that, I can admit to a general overall sense of happiness. Yeah, I am displeased with my professional and financial situation, but neither defines me. I have my family and friends, my passion, and also perspective. Many people have it much worse than I. How can I complain when so many have much less than I?
Of course, my level of happiness would be increased significantly if I were to find a better paying job.This goes back to the increasing of opportunities that money provides.This is why I need a new job.
My satisfaction level will not automatically increase with a new job that pays better than job I have now. This I know for sure. But it will afford me the chance to explore the world and to live out my dreams. A job is a means to an end.
But what money can buy are opportunities to increase the amount of enjoyment in a person's life.More enjoyment in life equals a greater chance of experiencing general satisfaction in life. Thus, money can--in a indirect way--buy you happiness, but only in short bursts.
Money can buy us all the accouterments of a comfortable lifestyle. Houses, cars, vacations to exotic lands..these are the sort of that money can help us buy. These are also some of the things that can contribute to an overall satisfied mood.But these objects of luxury can only augment, not create, happiness.
My current job does not provide me with the opportunity(read: funds) to have a nice car or go on excursions to Italy like the jobs of my friends do.My job is terribly unsatisfying from a professional as well as a financial standpoint. For those who has read my blog, this is no secret.
But having said that, I can admit to a general overall sense of happiness. Yeah, I am displeased with my professional and financial situation, but neither defines me. I have my family and friends, my passion, and also perspective. Many people have it much worse than I. How can I complain when so many have much less than I?
Of course, my level of happiness would be increased significantly if I were to find a better paying job.This goes back to the increasing of opportunities that money provides.This is why I need a new job.
My satisfaction level will not automatically increase with a new job that pays better than job I have now. This I know for sure. But it will afford me the chance to explore the world and to live out my dreams. A job is a means to an end.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The duality of history
It is common today for people to deride Columbus Day. How can we celebrate a holiday for a man who started the annihilation of the indigenous population of the Americas? How can we laud a man who found this continent by accident and who was not even the first European to land in the Americas??
Christopher Columbus was a greedy, murderous, incompetent if you believe some.To others he was a forward thinking adventurist. Which is true?
Since I have read almost nothing of the man, I am going to refrain from making a judgment until I have read more about him. But I do think this debate illustrates the complexity of history.
Both sides claim that their assessment is the truth. He was a Villain. No, he was a Hero. Which is true?
Speaking from a purely historical perspective, I would say that both are. Columbus was both hero and villain. He was Batman and The Joker rolled into one. I say this because his acts both hurt and benefited men.
Our nation would not be here if not for Columbus' journey to the Caribbean and Central and South America. His act woke Europeans up to the bounty that lay in the lands of the "New World". Hundreds of millions would benefit greatly from the exploitation of those fertile lands.Columbus deserves our adulation for bringing the Americas to the attention of the Europeans.
But just as millions of lives would profit from the "discovery" of these lands, millions more would find only pain and suffering. Tens of millions of Indians died as the result of disease,slavery, and war. Millions of Africans would suffer as the result of slavery and its side effects.Many a life was lost in the conquest and exploitation of the Americas.Columbus was partially responsible for this epic human tragedy
Both opinions are factually sound. Both are based on reasonable logic. To argue against either is to risk being labeled inhuman or a hypocrite.
How can anyone with an ounce of humanity excuse what happened to the indigenous peoples? But equally true is the fact that we who are sitting here discussing this today are beneficiaries of his "discovery". The largess can we enjoy as Americans can be traced back to Columbus's voyage to the new world.
It suffices to say that no easy judgment can be made of such an epoch defining event as Columbus's discovery of the Americas. It was both good and bad. It was of great detriment and benefit to humanity. Such a terrifically wicked event it was.
Christopher Columbus was a greedy, murderous, incompetent if you believe some.To others he was a forward thinking adventurist. Which is true?
Since I have read almost nothing of the man, I am going to refrain from making a judgment until I have read more about him. But I do think this debate illustrates the complexity of history.
Both sides claim that their assessment is the truth. He was a Villain. No, he was a Hero. Which is true?
Speaking from a purely historical perspective, I would say that both are. Columbus was both hero and villain. He was Batman and The Joker rolled into one. I say this because his acts both hurt and benefited men.
Our nation would not be here if not for Columbus' journey to the Caribbean and Central and South America. His act woke Europeans up to the bounty that lay in the lands of the "New World". Hundreds of millions would benefit greatly from the exploitation of those fertile lands.Columbus deserves our adulation for bringing the Americas to the attention of the Europeans.
But just as millions of lives would profit from the "discovery" of these lands, millions more would find only pain and suffering. Tens of millions of Indians died as the result of disease,slavery, and war. Millions of Africans would suffer as the result of slavery and its side effects.Many a life was lost in the conquest and exploitation of the Americas.Columbus was partially responsible for this epic human tragedy
Both opinions are factually sound. Both are based on reasonable logic. To argue against either is to risk being labeled inhuman or a hypocrite.
How can anyone with an ounce of humanity excuse what happened to the indigenous peoples? But equally true is the fact that we who are sitting here discussing this today are beneficiaries of his "discovery". The largess can we enjoy as Americans can be traced back to Columbus's voyage to the new world.
It suffices to say that no easy judgment can be made of such an epoch defining event as Columbus's discovery of the Americas. It was both good and bad. It was of great detriment and benefit to humanity. Such a terrifically wicked event it was.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Furor over assault of gay teens by gang is misplaced
The outrage over the brutal and sadistic assault of two gay teens in the Bronx borough of New York City makes me wonder of this country really .
Why are is there outrage over this relatively isolated incident and not the daily beatings that occur on the streets of New York and every American city? Every day many more men and women are beaten for reasons other than sexual orientation, race, or religion. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, in 2008 there were 1, 382,012 acts of violent crime of all type.In the same year there was 9,160 hate crimes of all type.
That is an enormous difference.A difference that should cause a person to question whether if activist groups have an undue influence upon the reporters and editors of our nation's media outlets.
Violent Crime is violent crime. There is no moral difference between the beating of a person because of their sexual orientation or the beating of a person because they belong to another gang. Both are equally wrong. To differentiate because of the reason behind the attack is to inject a bias into how society views a crime that can only pervert justice.Activists only care about justice in terms of how it impacts the community they represent. The media should always be aware of that fact.
At one level, I understand why the media reports these incidents. They are sure to provoke strong emotional reactions fron large segments of the population. Emotions that will ensure more hits and longer stays on the websites as the outraged vent their anger. Sensationalism is a time tested revenue generator.
But from a journalistic perspective, I really have to question the decision to single out these incidents. It presents a distorted picture of not just the actual state of hate-influenced crime, but distracts the audience from the far more significant issue--of violent crime in general. One is a relatively minor issue, the other a major sociological problem.The news should reflect that difference.
Of course, this is not the only area where we find the media reporting certain crimes with a regularity that is way are out of proportion to their actual occurrence. How many times have we seen the media make a huge story out of the disappearance of an attractive white women? Too many to count.
What happened in the Bronx was barbaric and should repulse anyone with a conscious. But sadly, such incidents are not rare.As the violent crime statistics show, we are a nation plagued by acts of brutality. The media should not be bewailing one type of crime while ignoring another, far larger, one.
Why are is there outrage over this relatively isolated incident and not the daily beatings that occur on the streets of New York and every American city? Every day many more men and women are beaten for reasons other than sexual orientation, race, or religion. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, in 2008 there were 1, 382,012 acts of violent crime of all type.In the same year there was 9,160 hate crimes of all type.
That is an enormous difference.A difference that should cause a person to question whether if activist groups have an undue influence upon the reporters and editors of our nation's media outlets.
Violent Crime is violent crime. There is no moral difference between the beating of a person because of their sexual orientation or the beating of a person because they belong to another gang. Both are equally wrong. To differentiate because of the reason behind the attack is to inject a bias into how society views a crime that can only pervert justice.Activists only care about justice in terms of how it impacts the community they represent. The media should always be aware of that fact.
At one level, I understand why the media reports these incidents. They are sure to provoke strong emotional reactions fron large segments of the population. Emotions that will ensure more hits and longer stays on the websites as the outraged vent their anger. Sensationalism is a time tested revenue generator.
But from a journalistic perspective, I really have to question the decision to single out these incidents. It presents a distorted picture of not just the actual state of hate-influenced crime, but distracts the audience from the far more significant issue--of violent crime in general. One is a relatively minor issue, the other a major sociological problem.The news should reflect that difference.
Of course, this is not the only area where we find the media reporting certain crimes with a regularity that is way are out of proportion to their actual occurrence. How many times have we seen the media make a huge story out of the disappearance of an attractive white women? Too many to count.
What happened in the Bronx was barbaric and should repulse anyone with a conscious. But sadly, such incidents are not rare.As the violent crime statistics show, we are a nation plagued by acts of brutality. The media should not be bewailing one type of crime while ignoring another, far larger, one.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
10 things that suck
After watching Michigan get bushwhacked by MSU at home, I am in a foul mood. Hence, this entry will be dedicated to 10 things that suck. The 10 will be comprised of the serious, semi-serious, and not-at-all-serious.I am doing this to put football in perspective and bring some humor to a bad day.
1. Long, lingering, terminal illnesses'. The pain of watching a loved one slowly and painfully depart this world is a pain that I would wish on few people.
2. Any type of "-cide" or act of violence towards another being.The willful taking of a life is the worst thing a person can do. Unfortunately, sometimes such a thing is necessary, but that does not alter the wickedness of the act.Beatings and rape are a close second.
3.Theft.The stealing from another is the action of a person too lazy to acquire goods in an ethical fashion. The laziness may perhaps be the worst part of it for goods can easily be bought, but an work ethic cannot.
4.Dishonesty.Lying,cheating, or minimizing certain facets of a subject while emphasizing others--are the deeds of a scoundrel. No person with an ethical foundation of honesty and justice, could accept such behavior.
5.Infidelity. Why stay married if you feel the uncontrollable urge to violate your vows?
6.Frank Rich, Seth McFarlane and the rest of the hypocritical liberal establishment.Rich deems social media bad because it is too democratic.Anything that does not come from the Left Wing noise machine is bad apparently. Meanwhile,McFarlane still insists on portraying his infantile intellect for all of America to see.
7.Rush Limbaugh and the Right Wing of this country.Is there a more out-of-touch group of people?God, Guns, and Country may send Jim Bob from Paducah into rapture, but it turns off Jane from Poughkeepsie.
8.Working a financially and emotionally unsatisfying job."The thing is Bob, its not that I am lazy, its' that I just don't care." That single quote from the comedic masterpiece Office Space represents perfectly my feelings about my current job.
9.Being single.It really sucks spending your Saturday night bitching on your blog about things that suck. Man, I need a woman.
10.Losing to f**king Mark Dantonio and Michigan State in football.While I am glad he has fully recovered from his heart attack, I still hate to see UM lose to this douche.
There you have it. Ten things that suck. It ended up being filled more with things of a serious nature than of a lighter fare. That is what happens when you write something with almost no forethought.I'll have to do better tomorrow.
1. Long, lingering, terminal illnesses'. The pain of watching a loved one slowly and painfully depart this world is a pain that I would wish on few people.
2. Any type of "-cide" or act of violence towards another being.The willful taking of a life is the worst thing a person can do. Unfortunately, sometimes such a thing is necessary, but that does not alter the wickedness of the act.Beatings and rape are a close second.
3.Theft.The stealing from another is the action of a person too lazy to acquire goods in an ethical fashion. The laziness may perhaps be the worst part of it for goods can easily be bought, but an work ethic cannot.
4.Dishonesty.Lying,cheating, or minimizing certain facets of a subject while emphasizing others--are the deeds of a scoundrel. No person with an ethical foundation of honesty and justice, could accept such behavior.
5.Infidelity. Why stay married if you feel the uncontrollable urge to violate your vows?
6.Frank Rich, Seth McFarlane and the rest of the hypocritical liberal establishment.Rich deems social media bad because it is too democratic.Anything that does not come from the Left Wing noise machine is bad apparently. Meanwhile,McFarlane still insists on portraying his infantile intellect for all of America to see.
7.Rush Limbaugh and the Right Wing of this country.Is there a more out-of-touch group of people?God, Guns, and Country may send Jim Bob from Paducah into rapture, but it turns off Jane from Poughkeepsie.
8.Working a financially and emotionally unsatisfying job."The thing is Bob, its not that I am lazy, its' that I just don't care." That single quote from the comedic masterpiece Office Space represents perfectly my feelings about my current job.
9.Being single.It really sucks spending your Saturday night bitching on your blog about things that suck. Man, I need a woman.
10.Losing to f**king Mark Dantonio and Michigan State in football.While I am glad he has fully recovered from his heart attack, I still hate to see UM lose to this douche.
There you have it. Ten things that suck. It ended up being filled more with things of a serious nature than of a lighter fare. That is what happens when you write something with almost no forethought.I'll have to do better tomorrow.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Mother
Why did you do it mother? Why did you leave me? Why, why, why.
I'll never know the answer for you are no longer here for me to ask. Cancer took you away from us. Your departure left me more perplexed than sad--a tragic symptom of your neglect.
How could choose personal gratification over being a mother to your son? What women chooses to pursue musical career over being a mother? What kind of women does that?
You never had the looks or ability to be more than what you were--a musical weekend warrior. You were never more than a third rate singer. For that, you gave up a child. What a tragedy.
You had a career that could have provided you and me with a nice life. You had a Master's degree. You became known for forming a chorus made up of autistic children. You could have blended your love of music with education and still been a mother to me. But it was not to be.
The decision you made to leave me with my father was the best thing you ever did--and he raised me to be a good man. He dealt with the the side effects of your neglect. I was a very angry, confused, child who also lacked self esteem.I have never been in a relationship with a women because I cannot trust women. The legacy of your abandonment of me are feelings of misogyny.(though my father raised me to respect women, I still have trust issues with women)
You caused this. The simple act of not being present left me in emotional shambles. That is something I will never forgive. How could you turn your back on your baby boy? How?
I remember staring at the small box containing your ashes at the service they had for you. .The green,3-by-5 box, sitting on a stand covered by green felt cloth. I recall people coming up to me and saying how sorry they were for my loss and the eulogies that extolled your virtues and expressed regret for your passing.
But what I remember most clearly--especially when I consider the later passing of Grandpa Quattro and Snoopy--is the almost complete lack of sorrow I had that day. Not one tear did I shed that day. No emotions of grief disturbed me, no feeling of loss ate at me...nothing, but a hollow sensation. A sensation that in subsequent years would be replaced by profound grief and many a tear shed when Grandpa and Snoopy died.
The answer to why is easy enough to grasp. Grandpa took your place in my heart. Where you SHOULD have been, he is. He gave me love and support while you were traveling the roads of America in a futile pursuit to achieve musical fame.I am the man that I am in part because of him. For that, I thank you. I would never have known what an extraordinary man my grandfather was if you have stayed.
Though she was but a dog, Snoopy brought me much more joy than you ever did. The few hours a week I was around her brought warmth to my heart and a smile to my face. Her sweet and congenial temperament, helped me--for a few hours anyways--forget my anger and discontent. She was a source of great happiness for me.
I look back at your life mother and can only wonder at how you squandered your life. You gave birth to two boys, earned two college degrees, and had two careers. But what did you do with that? 4 broken marriages, multiple career changes, and a child left with no feeling for you.
The person who lost here is not I, but you. You could have had so much, but you settled for so little.
I'll never know the answer for you are no longer here for me to ask. Cancer took you away from us. Your departure left me more perplexed than sad--a tragic symptom of your neglect.
How could choose personal gratification over being a mother to your son? What women chooses to pursue musical career over being a mother? What kind of women does that?
You never had the looks or ability to be more than what you were--a musical weekend warrior. You were never more than a third rate singer. For that, you gave up a child. What a tragedy.
You had a career that could have provided you and me with a nice life. You had a Master's degree. You became known for forming a chorus made up of autistic children. You could have blended your love of music with education and still been a mother to me. But it was not to be.
The decision you made to leave me with my father was the best thing you ever did--and he raised me to be a good man. He dealt with the the side effects of your neglect. I was a very angry, confused, child who also lacked self esteem.I have never been in a relationship with a women because I cannot trust women. The legacy of your abandonment of me are feelings of misogyny.(though my father raised me to respect women, I still have trust issues with women)
You caused this. The simple act of not being present left me in emotional shambles. That is something I will never forgive. How could you turn your back on your baby boy? How?
I remember staring at the small box containing your ashes at the service they had for you. .The green,3-by-5 box, sitting on a stand covered by green felt cloth. I recall people coming up to me and saying how sorry they were for my loss and the eulogies that extolled your virtues and expressed regret for your passing.
But what I remember most clearly--especially when I consider the later passing of Grandpa Quattro and Snoopy--is the almost complete lack of sorrow I had that day. Not one tear did I shed that day. No emotions of grief disturbed me, no feeling of loss ate at me...nothing, but a hollow sensation. A sensation that in subsequent years would be replaced by profound grief and many a tear shed when Grandpa and Snoopy died.
The answer to why is easy enough to grasp. Grandpa took your place in my heart. Where you SHOULD have been, he is. He gave me love and support while you were traveling the roads of America in a futile pursuit to achieve musical fame.I am the man that I am in part because of him. For that, I thank you. I would never have known what an extraordinary man my grandfather was if you have stayed.
Though she was but a dog, Snoopy brought me much more joy than you ever did. The few hours a week I was around her brought warmth to my heart and a smile to my face. Her sweet and congenial temperament, helped me--for a few hours anyways--forget my anger and discontent. She was a source of great happiness for me.
I look back at your life mother and can only wonder at how you squandered your life. You gave birth to two boys, earned two college degrees, and had two careers. But what did you do with that? 4 broken marriages, multiple career changes, and a child left with no feeling for you.
The person who lost here is not I, but you. You could have had so much, but you settled for so little.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I would have
I would have loved you, pretty girl. I would have given you a shoulder to cry when you are sad and open arms to wrap you in when you are happy. But you would not have me.
I would have been the earth to your sun. My life would have revolved around you. From the time I woke to the time I fell asleep, my thoughts would have been dominated by ideas of how to please you. But you would not have me.
I would have shared my boundless passion and love with you. I was prepared to give you what I hold most precious--my heart and soul. But you would not have me.
I would have made for you a house of love. A home where you would have been protected from this cruel world. A home where you have been provided with
undying love and support. But you would not have me.
Oh, you sweet, silly, stupid girl. You know not what you have done. I would have loved you as no one has loved you. But you have rejected me for a reason only known to you. You have turned away a man who would have given you eternal devotion and love.
My pity is not for me, but for you.I will find a women who appreciates my gifts, who desires my love. You, meanwhile, will struggle to find a man who will give you what I would have given you.You will bounce from man to man, searching for something that you won't ever find because you have no idea what you are looking for.
I would have loved you....
I would have been the earth to your sun. My life would have revolved around you. From the time I woke to the time I fell asleep, my thoughts would have been dominated by ideas of how to please you. But you would not have me.
I would have shared my boundless passion and love with you. I was prepared to give you what I hold most precious--my heart and soul. But you would not have me.
I would have made for you a house of love. A home where you would have been protected from this cruel world. A home where you have been provided with
undying love and support. But you would not have me.
Oh, you sweet, silly, stupid girl. You know not what you have done. I would have loved you as no one has loved you. But you have rejected me for a reason only known to you. You have turned away a man who would have given you eternal devotion and love.
My pity is not for me, but for you.I will find a women who appreciates my gifts, who desires my love. You, meanwhile, will struggle to find a man who will give you what I would have given you.You will bounce from man to man, searching for something that you won't ever find because you have no idea what you are looking for.
I would have loved you....
Monday, October 4, 2010
Breathless
I see her and my breath is taken away. Thief! How dare you steal from me my breath!
So what that you are a visage of Venus. So what that with every blink of your eyelid and every step you take I fall more in love with you.You haven't the right to confiscate my breath!
What is worse is that I am powerless to stop you. You take my breath with impunity. There is no denying your strength to purloin my breath, to swindle from my lungs the air that formerly filled it.
Alas, what a fate! Powerless to stifle the snatching of my breath from such a wickedly beautiful being. I am left an impotent, feeble, and wretched being when she passes from my view. Such a terrifically awful event that is!
So exquisite are those lips, so very graceful those curves, so exceptionally fine her hair. Paris would soon forget Helen if his eyes should have been so fortunate to fall upon her.Pygmalion could not have sculpted anything more gorgeous than she.
You leave me breathless, my beautiful bandit. You picked from the pocket of my chest the air that fills my lungs.Such a fine fate it is.
So what that you are a visage of Venus. So what that with every blink of your eyelid and every step you take I fall more in love with you.You haven't the right to confiscate my breath!
What is worse is that I am powerless to stop you. You take my breath with impunity. There is no denying your strength to purloin my breath, to swindle from my lungs the air that formerly filled it.
Alas, what a fate! Powerless to stifle the snatching of my breath from such a wickedly beautiful being. I am left an impotent, feeble, and wretched being when she passes from my view. Such a terrifically awful event that is!
So exquisite are those lips, so very graceful those curves, so exceptionally fine her hair. Paris would soon forget Helen if his eyes should have been so fortunate to fall upon her.Pygmalion could not have sculpted anything more gorgeous than she.
You leave me breathless, my beautiful bandit. You picked from the pocket of my chest the air that fills my lungs.Such a fine fate it is.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A brain that rests not
Zoom go the thoughts in my head, stopping for no one or thing. All things funny and serious, banal and exceptional, and ugly and beautiful, race through my skull at warp speed.Sometimes organized, most times bouncing around like lottery balls.
That brunette nurse? Oh yes, she is wife material. Educated, beautiful, and perhaps most importantly, she enjoys Michigan football. Wicked awesome!
Match.com? Bah! On the Whack-O-Meter, it merits a 7 out of 10. The women you like don't like you and the women you are not attracted to are interested in you. Pish!
Robert? F**king douche! Never in the course of recorded history has someone who has known so little speak so much about subjects he is in complete ignorance of. This jackwagon puts the a in azzhole.
My job blows. Why do I work here? How can I get out of it?Am I stuck here forever? God, I hope not. I must get out of here.
I hate Hollywood Liberals.A bunch of presumptuous pricks who think they know much, but who really know very little. Someone should stuff large blocks of Limburger cheese in their mouths and nostrils.
Nasal allergies are terrible. I am suffering through a case of one as I write this. I took two Benadryl tablets, but they have done nothing to stop the runny nose, water eyes, and the occasional sneeze. I really am not in a suitable state to write.
Michigan's defense sucks. Sparty is going to shred it to the tune of 550 yards and 30 plus points. Will Shoelace be able to match that?I don't know. MSU's defense can conceivably slow UM down. I do not believe that UM can slow MSU down.
I need to make more money. My bills are not bad at all, but this job just does not pay enough for me to live the life I want. Finding a better job is my number one priority right now.
Love is on my mind. I need it, I want it, I deserve it. Will I ever taste the intoxicating elixir of Eros? Will thine heart ever be filled with the contentment and passion that love brings?
It is Monday morning which means the weekend is done. Blah! I do wish I was living another life.
That brunette nurse? Oh yes, she is wife material. Educated, beautiful, and perhaps most importantly, she enjoys Michigan football. Wicked awesome!
Match.com? Bah! On the Whack-O-Meter, it merits a 7 out of 10. The women you like don't like you and the women you are not attracted to are interested in you. Pish!
Robert? F**king douche! Never in the course of recorded history has someone who has known so little speak so much about subjects he is in complete ignorance of. This jackwagon puts the a in azzhole.
My job blows. Why do I work here? How can I get out of it?Am I stuck here forever? God, I hope not. I must get out of here.
I hate Hollywood Liberals.A bunch of presumptuous pricks who think they know much, but who really know very little. Someone should stuff large blocks of Limburger cheese in their mouths and nostrils.
Nasal allergies are terrible. I am suffering through a case of one as I write this. I took two Benadryl tablets, but they have done nothing to stop the runny nose, water eyes, and the occasional sneeze. I really am not in a suitable state to write.
Michigan's defense sucks. Sparty is going to shred it to the tune of 550 yards and 30 plus points. Will Shoelace be able to match that?I don't know. MSU's defense can conceivably slow UM down. I do not believe that UM can slow MSU down.
I need to make more money. My bills are not bad at all, but this job just does not pay enough for me to live the life I want. Finding a better job is my number one priority right now.
Love is on my mind. I need it, I want it, I deserve it. Will I ever taste the intoxicating elixir of Eros? Will thine heart ever be filled with the contentment and passion that love brings?
It is Monday morning which means the weekend is done. Blah! I do wish I was living another life.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Women and Me
I am obsessed with women. I really am. Every thought seems to steer towards the direction of those of the female persuasion--and during football season no less! This is a most disturbing trend that must be squashed.
For most of my life I have had periods of intense interest in women followed by periods of indifference. Football in particular has always been an excellent distraction for me. Once the season began most of my thoughts were concerned with questions relating to the Wolverines and Lions. Hardly a thought was dedicated to the fairer sex.
But now football is no longer as effective of a distraction as it once was. The season is a month old and I spend much of my time contemplating women. Argh! I hate it!
How odd you might think I am from reading this. After all, what heterosexual male does not think about women? What heterosexual man does NOT want to think about women?
It's not that I am a misogynist, its that I don't understand women.I don't know how they think, their behavior I find to be odd, and most importantly, I don't know how to interact with the ones I am attracted to. That unsettles me.(I interact just fine with women in general, its the ones that I like that I have problems with.)
Women are strange beings to me. They are as big of a mystery to me as the bottom of the ocean is to scientists. Perplexing these creatures are to me.
I have never had a women of my own. No mother, no girlfriend, no close friend who happened to be a girl, I have not had one close relationship with a woman. My entire life has been influenced and shaped by my relationships with men--though my mother did indirectly shape my life by her absence from it. Men are those who reared and loved men. It is men who are my friends. It is men who I know and trust.
A therapist of mine once told me that I was "too male".I was too much of a guy. My interests were too narrow. I suppose to an extent that is true. I do enjoy football, war movies, reading about war, politics...interests one normally associates with males.
But the therapist--a woman--only read a portion of me. I like romantic movies if they are of quality and the same for love songs. Dance appeals to me. I am inclined to be physically affectionate--but I never have a chance to be so. There is so much more to me than what people see from the outside.
I am a passionate man who has a burning desire to be passionate about a lady.I am a romantic who yearns to share his feelings with a woman. A man who craves to weave his body with hers to form a tapestry of love.
I want to stare lovingly into her brown eyes, my hands gently brushing her silky black hair away from her so I may enjoy all the fine contours of her magnificent countenance, kissing sweetly those pouty pink lips. I want to hold her in my arms, her heart beating in rhythm with mine, in an loving embrace for the rest of our days.
As you can see from the above, my mind is in heat. The blast furnace called love is heating my imagination to a boiling point. I need someone to share my words, thoughts, and heart with.
So as you can see, there is a different side to me that is begging desperately to be freed from the shackles that I have placed upon it.The question--or questions--are will I do so? Will I have a chance to do so?
The first is dependent on me. I simply have to rid myself of the "mommy issue" for once and for all. The second question only the future knows and it is not wont to share. Alas, I am stuck in this purgatory .
For most of my life I have had periods of intense interest in women followed by periods of indifference. Football in particular has always been an excellent distraction for me. Once the season began most of my thoughts were concerned with questions relating to the Wolverines and Lions. Hardly a thought was dedicated to the fairer sex.
But now football is no longer as effective of a distraction as it once was. The season is a month old and I spend much of my time contemplating women. Argh! I hate it!
How odd you might think I am from reading this. After all, what heterosexual male does not think about women? What heterosexual man does NOT want to think about women?
It's not that I am a misogynist, its that I don't understand women.I don't know how they think, their behavior I find to be odd, and most importantly, I don't know how to interact with the ones I am attracted to. That unsettles me.(I interact just fine with women in general, its the ones that I like that I have problems with.)
Women are strange beings to me. They are as big of a mystery to me as the bottom of the ocean is to scientists. Perplexing these creatures are to me.
I have never had a women of my own. No mother, no girlfriend, no close friend who happened to be a girl, I have not had one close relationship with a woman. My entire life has been influenced and shaped by my relationships with men--though my mother did indirectly shape my life by her absence from it. Men are those who reared and loved men. It is men who are my friends. It is men who I know and trust.
A therapist of mine once told me that I was "too male".I was too much of a guy. My interests were too narrow. I suppose to an extent that is true. I do enjoy football, war movies, reading about war, politics...interests one normally associates with males.
But the therapist--a woman--only read a portion of me. I like romantic movies if they are of quality and the same for love songs. Dance appeals to me. I am inclined to be physically affectionate--but I never have a chance to be so. There is so much more to me than what people see from the outside.
I am a passionate man who has a burning desire to be passionate about a lady.I am a romantic who yearns to share his feelings with a woman. A man who craves to weave his body with hers to form a tapestry of love.
I want to stare lovingly into her brown eyes, my hands gently brushing her silky black hair away from her so I may enjoy all the fine contours of her magnificent countenance, kissing sweetly those pouty pink lips. I want to hold her in my arms, her heart beating in rhythm with mine, in an loving embrace for the rest of our days.
As you can see from the above, my mind is in heat. The blast furnace called love is heating my imagination to a boiling point. I need someone to share my words, thoughts, and heart with.
So as you can see, there is a different side to me that is begging desperately to be freed from the shackles that I have placed upon it.The question--or questions--are will I do so? Will I have a chance to do so?
The first is dependent on me. I simply have to rid myself of the "mommy issue" for once and for all. The second question only the future knows and it is not wont to share. Alas, I am stuck in this purgatory .
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A babbling brook
I am having a hard time coming up witha subject to write about tonight, so I will just go with it. This entry is going to be an extemporaneous emission of thoughts and ideas that come to me as I write.
At what point do girls become women? I don't mean from a scientific standpoint, but in terms of how we as men view them? 25? 30? Or do we not base it on age, but on her marital and/or motherhood status?
Speaking of women, there was this tree trunk of a woman at work whom I almost cold cocked because she yelled "Excuse me!" to me while my back was turned to her . Some "ladies" have no manners. She also reminds me of a women you'd find in rural Germany. A lady who-slaughters-the-livestock-with-her-bare-hands type. She is a real speciman, I tell you.
Gosh, my job blows. Yeah, this has become a broken record. Why do I keep bitching about this? I have to find something else to whine about. The Lions perhaps? Or maybe Michigan's horrid defense?
Why does my roommate keep posting stupid shit on my Facebook wall? It is a rare day that he posts something that is actually funny. Perhaps he can spin his movie quote wheel and randomly cite some movie he saw 20 years ago. That would be more entertaining than his feeble attempts at trying to be funny.
Why do I keep posting stupid shit on my wall? Oh, that's right, I'm a funny motherfucker.
By the way what's with the swearing Ryan? You have a good vocabulary. Why resort to obscenity?
Why am I writing/talking to myself? Loser status confirmed--or not. This is the most intelligent conversation I've had in days.
How dysfunctional is our system that my roommate---who was laid off his job-- still hasn't received his unemployment more than a month after he lost his job?Boy, we sure get a bang for our buck when it comes to government services.
Will I ever find a women to love me? It seems highly unlikely that I will. There are many women out there, but I have yet to meet the right one. I still have not found my June or Patricia.I don't know if I am meant to have a soulmate. My life seems to have developed in such a fashion that I shall never know what a deep, lasting, relationship with a woman feels like.
My Grandfather, father, and I all share a tragic and odd similiarity--we all lost our mothers at a fairly early age. My grandfather's mother passed when he was 15(he lost his dad at the age of 5), my dad lost his mother when he was 16, and my mother passed when I was 22. Such a peculiar and sad concidence.
A year ago today our beloved black blanket beagle Snoopy died.She was a terrific dog. She was sweet tempered,loyal, and just a beautiful animal to look at. Our family lost a key member of our circle a year ago. She is missed terribly.
I could go on blathering about nothing in particularly, but I think I am going to see what college football game is on. Next time I will have a topic to discuss. Hopefully. Maybe.
At what point do girls become women? I don't mean from a scientific standpoint, but in terms of how we as men view them? 25? 30? Or do we not base it on age, but on her marital and/or motherhood status?
Speaking of women, there was this tree trunk of a woman at work whom I almost cold cocked because she yelled "Excuse me!" to me while my back was turned to her . Some "ladies" have no manners. She also reminds me of a women you'd find in rural Germany. A lady who-slaughters-the-livestock-with-her-bare-hands type. She is a real speciman, I tell you.
Gosh, my job blows. Yeah, this has become a broken record. Why do I keep bitching about this? I have to find something else to whine about. The Lions perhaps? Or maybe Michigan's horrid defense?
Why does my roommate keep posting stupid shit on my Facebook wall? It is a rare day that he posts something that is actually funny. Perhaps he can spin his movie quote wheel and randomly cite some movie he saw 20 years ago. That would be more entertaining than his feeble attempts at trying to be funny.
Why do I keep posting stupid shit on my wall? Oh, that's right, I'm a funny motherfucker.
By the way what's with the swearing Ryan? You have a good vocabulary. Why resort to obscenity?
Why am I writing/talking to myself? Loser status confirmed--or not. This is the most intelligent conversation I've had in days.
How dysfunctional is our system that my roommate---who was laid off his job-- still hasn't received his unemployment more than a month after he lost his job?Boy, we sure get a bang for our buck when it comes to government services.
Will I ever find a women to love me? It seems highly unlikely that I will. There are many women out there, but I have yet to meet the right one. I still have not found my June or Patricia.I don't know if I am meant to have a soulmate. My life seems to have developed in such a fashion that I shall never know what a deep, lasting, relationship with a woman feels like.
My Grandfather, father, and I all share a tragic and odd similiarity--we all lost our mothers at a fairly early age. My grandfather's mother passed when he was 15(he lost his dad at the age of 5), my dad lost his mother when he was 16, and my mother passed when I was 22. Such a peculiar and sad concidence.
A year ago today our beloved black blanket beagle Snoopy died.She was a terrific dog. She was sweet tempered,loyal, and just a beautiful animal to look at. Our family lost a key member of our circle a year ago. She is missed terribly.
I could go on blathering about nothing in particularly, but I think I am going to see what college football game is on. Next time I will have a topic to discuss. Hopefully. Maybe.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for? A person to hand you a job and a girlfriend? The world does not much care for you and your trifling concerns. The mass of humanity is focused solely on their own problems, their own personal issues. Who are you but just one of 6 billion souls breathing air?
Unhappy with your job? Put in a transfer to another part of the company. What's that you say? You hate manual labor jobs? Well, then either go back to school to increase your skills or actually use your degree and write. You only spent $20,000 for the degree!
What? You have concerns about your grammar and mechanics? There is this thing we call practice. It involves doing something in a repetitious manner until one has mastered it. A good writer becomes one by spending many a hour writing. Focus on doing that. You do enjoy writing immensely.
What is with the long face? No girlfriend? It's call being sociable. You must stop being the brooding man in the corner and start being more outgoing. You certainly have the wit and intelligence to fare well in conversations. Ladies like a man who can talk about a wide variety of subjects and who can crack a good joke. But remember to be yourself. No lady is worth the cost of losing yourself to gain her favor.
Quit feeling sorry for yourself. I'll spare no pity for a 33-year-old man in good health with a stable job that has good benefits.There are far too many other less fortunate people in this world for me to expend one second lamenting your self-inflicted problems--- that by the way--are of a trivial nature.
Buck up, man. So you hate your job. So no lady warms your body and soul. So what? You have so much while so many have so little. You have great friends and family. You have a job--something your roommate has not. You have a nice car and an Iphone4. (Yes, these are material things, but things that nonetheless enrich your life.)But most importantly, you have your health. Without that, the richest, most handsome of men, is a pauper.
Unhappy with your job? Put in a transfer to another part of the company. What's that you say? You hate manual labor jobs? Well, then either go back to school to increase your skills or actually use your degree and write. You only spent $20,000 for the degree!
What? You have concerns about your grammar and mechanics? There is this thing we call practice. It involves doing something in a repetitious manner until one has mastered it. A good writer becomes one by spending many a hour writing. Focus on doing that. You do enjoy writing immensely.
What is with the long face? No girlfriend? It's call being sociable. You must stop being the brooding man in the corner and start being more outgoing. You certainly have the wit and intelligence to fare well in conversations. Ladies like a man who can talk about a wide variety of subjects and who can crack a good joke. But remember to be yourself. No lady is worth the cost of losing yourself to gain her favor.
Quit feeling sorry for yourself. I'll spare no pity for a 33-year-old man in good health with a stable job that has good benefits.There are far too many other less fortunate people in this world for me to expend one second lamenting your self-inflicted problems--- that by the way--are of a trivial nature.
Buck up, man. So you hate your job. So no lady warms your body and soul. So what? You have so much while so many have so little. You have great friends and family. You have a job--something your roommate has not. You have a nice car and an Iphone4. (Yes, these are material things, but things that nonetheless enrich your life.)But most importantly, you have your health. Without that, the richest, most handsome of men, is a pauper.
Moral imperialism
There has been much ink spilt and words spoken over the United States hegemony driven foreign policy. Many have spoken out in opposition(as well as in support of) American Empire. People say what right do we have to impose our beliefs upon another?What right do we have to take from another for our own gain?
Those are some powerful arguments to make. Morally, they are tough to challenge.Who can say that the interference in other nations affairs without a just cause is morally correct? I certainly cannot.
But when scrutinizes the beliefs of the anti-imperialists they will see inconsistency. While they refute the imperialism of old, they have embraced an new form of imperialism:moral imperialism.
For example, the animal rights activists on Animal Planet's "Whale Wars" are portrayed in a heroic light. What? These people are imposing THEIR beliefs upon others in something that does not directly impact any human.They do so because they believe themselves to be morally superior to those hunting the whales. That is, THEIR beliefs superior and so should be supreme over others. It is just to impose their conception of morality upon others.
These folks will say that international law bans such activity. That may be so but does that make the law right? And why is such a thing a law? Because a group of people who allegedly represent the nations of the world declared the protection of animals of significant value? Who are these people to tell another what to do or not to do? (I abhor the hunting of whales, but those are my private beliefs. Who am I to thrust my values upon another?)
These intragovernmental agencies are instruments of moral imperialism.These organizations take the dictates of not-so-representative bodies and impose them upon incalcitrant nations and states. The people of these states are most often not even aware or care about such laws. Who in Japan much cares about the fate of whales? Who in Afghanistan much cares or is aware of women's reproductive rights?? Yet, some feel they have the right to tell these people to submit themselves to the values that THEY have deemed to be of great importance.
What we have essentially done is replace a hard power-based method of imposing our beliefs upon others with a legal-based form of imperialism that is as based in arrogance, chauvinism, and self-righteousness as the days of the Christian missionaries ventures in the Americas. Neither regards with much respect the opinions of the indigenous populations.
We really need to re-evaluate how we do things in this world. We need to stop forcing our beliefs upon others and respect the different beliefs--no matter how odious they are to us--of other people.If you want peace you have to learn to tolerate the intolerable.That is a harsh truth many people have yet to grasp.
Those are some powerful arguments to make. Morally, they are tough to challenge.Who can say that the interference in other nations affairs without a just cause is morally correct? I certainly cannot.
But when scrutinizes the beliefs of the anti-imperialists they will see inconsistency. While they refute the imperialism of old, they have embraced an new form of imperialism:moral imperialism.
For example, the animal rights activists on Animal Planet's "Whale Wars" are portrayed in a heroic light. What? These people are imposing THEIR beliefs upon others in something that does not directly impact any human.They do so because they believe themselves to be morally superior to those hunting the whales. That is, THEIR beliefs superior and so should be supreme over others. It is just to impose their conception of morality upon others.
These folks will say that international law bans such activity. That may be so but does that make the law right? And why is such a thing a law? Because a group of people who allegedly represent the nations of the world declared the protection of animals of significant value? Who are these people to tell another what to do or not to do? (I abhor the hunting of whales, but those are my private beliefs. Who am I to thrust my values upon another?)
These intragovernmental agencies are instruments of moral imperialism.These organizations take the dictates of not-so-representative bodies and impose them upon incalcitrant nations and states. The people of these states are most often not even aware or care about such laws. Who in Japan much cares about the fate of whales? Who in Afghanistan much cares or is aware of women's reproductive rights?? Yet, some feel they have the right to tell these people to submit themselves to the values that THEY have deemed to be of great importance.
What we have essentially done is replace a hard power-based method of imposing our beliefs upon others with a legal-based form of imperialism that is as based in arrogance, chauvinism, and self-righteousness as the days of the Christian missionaries ventures in the Americas. Neither regards with much respect the opinions of the indigenous populations.
We really need to re-evaluate how we do things in this world. We need to stop forcing our beliefs upon others and respect the different beliefs--no matter how odious they are to us--of other people.If you want peace you have to learn to tolerate the intolerable.That is a harsh truth many people have yet to grasp.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A world without women
I typed in the statement "a world without men" on google and got 132,000,000 hits. Obviously, many a women has pondered a world without men. Feminists in particular, seem to be enthralled with the possibility of science eliminating men altogether. (Ah, what the fervid minds of bigots will cook up!)
I thought to myself "why not approach this statement from a male's perspective? " Afterall, my own experience has given me whatI'd like to think is some special insight into a world without women.
The first obvious difference would be the lack of child birth and how men would procreate. We would have to be borne of something other than a womb. An egg perhaps? But then where does the egg come from? Men would have to become asexual or science would have to develop an artificial womb for fetuses' to come to term in.
The second difference is closely related to the first--no sex. 3 billion heterosexual men gasped in horror at the mere thought of a vaginaless world. Where would the male's sex drive find its fulfillment? What orifice would titillate the penis? Again, science would have to provide the answers.
Virtual reality--a concept first made popular in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World(1932)---is something that could address the physical element of sex. The sensation one feels in the act of sex could be simulated through the placement of sensors upon the parts of the body most commonly used in sex and the user would be wearing a mask that provides a vision of their "partner". Huxley called these movies "Feelies".
But what of the emotional aspect of the male-female relationship? What would replace that? This is clearly the most difficult issue to overcome for science would struggle mightily to replace the intense bond between mother and child, wife and husband, brother and sister.
But even this can be eliminated.
I know this because I have never had a deep bond with any woman. My mother was more of a incubator than a parent to me. She was hardly in my life and no woman has come close to filling that void.The only woman to be consistently in my life is my step-mom, but our relationship, while friendly, is hardly that of a mother and son.I have never had a romantic relationship with a woman.Basically, women have been a nonfactor in my life.
Thus, I use my own personal experience as a basis for how men would deal with the lack of women for bonding.The elimination of the desire for a bond with a women would take a period of time, but as boys were raised without a female presence, the desire for such bonds would either be nonexistent due to ignorance of women or would fade into oblivion as replacements were found for men to become emotionally attached to.
A world without women would be harsher, less sexual, and quite frankly, boring. Women provide a balance to men. They are the yin to the man's yang.They are two separate beings who are inseparable. Neither can exist without the other. The talk of a world without either is idle and the fruit of a bitter mind.
I can say this for I have lived in a world without women since I was a toddler. It has been a dull, angry, and a deeply unsatisfying world. Though I do not need a woman for the air to fill my lungs, I do need one so I may live.
I thought to myself "why not approach this statement from a male's perspective? " Afterall, my own experience has given me whatI'd like to think is some special insight into a world without women.
The first obvious difference would be the lack of child birth and how men would procreate. We would have to be borne of something other than a womb. An egg perhaps? But then where does the egg come from? Men would have to become asexual or science would have to develop an artificial womb for fetuses' to come to term in.
The second difference is closely related to the first--no sex. 3 billion heterosexual men gasped in horror at the mere thought of a vaginaless world. Where would the male's sex drive find its fulfillment? What orifice would titillate the penis? Again, science would have to provide the answers.
Virtual reality--a concept first made popular in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World(1932)---is something that could address the physical element of sex. The sensation one feels in the act of sex could be simulated through the placement of sensors upon the parts of the body most commonly used in sex and the user would be wearing a mask that provides a vision of their "partner". Huxley called these movies "Feelies".
But what of the emotional aspect of the male-female relationship? What would replace that? This is clearly the most difficult issue to overcome for science would struggle mightily to replace the intense bond between mother and child, wife and husband, brother and sister.
But even this can be eliminated.
I know this because I have never had a deep bond with any woman. My mother was more of a incubator than a parent to me. She was hardly in my life and no woman has come close to filling that void.The only woman to be consistently in my life is my step-mom, but our relationship, while friendly, is hardly that of a mother and son.I have never had a romantic relationship with a woman.Basically, women have been a nonfactor in my life.
Thus, I use my own personal experience as a basis for how men would deal with the lack of women for bonding.The elimination of the desire for a bond with a women would take a period of time, but as boys were raised without a female presence, the desire for such bonds would either be nonexistent due to ignorance of women or would fade into oblivion as replacements were found for men to become emotionally attached to.
A world without women would be harsher, less sexual, and quite frankly, boring. Women provide a balance to men. They are the yin to the man's yang.They are two separate beings who are inseparable. Neither can exist without the other. The talk of a world without either is idle and the fruit of a bitter mind.
I can say this for I have lived in a world without women since I was a toddler. It has been a dull, angry, and a deeply unsatisfying world. Though I do not need a woman for the air to fill my lungs, I do need one so I may live.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Peace in our time
What is this peace you speak of? Is it the absence of war? Or is it the absence of violence? Is it the absence of both? How do you define peace?Is it an attainable goal?
Peace is a impossible concept to resist. What rational person wants the death and destruction of war? Who wants to suffer the pain and misery of war?
But that does not alter the fact that conflict--violent in particular--is an aspect of the human condition that is as unalterable as the desire to mate. Killing, beatings, and rape occur everywhere. There is not one society that has remained untouched by these barbaric acts.
Some blame violence on capitalism, but violence has existed in socialist countries. Others blame violence on religion, but Godless nations like the former USSR were dominated by violence and the threat of it.
History proves that violence is an universal practice. It has no knowledge of boundaries of nations nor does it fear the tenets of ideology and religion.It is an unstoppable force.
Peaceniks are akin to the overweight, zit faced, teenage boy who obsesses about the prettiest girl in school. She dominates his thoughts, rules his days, but never will be his. Peace is that unattainable girl.
Peaceniks are people who love to feel morally superior. Like the evangelist of years past, these people preach a message of hope and love guided by a strong belief in their own moral rectitude. Their ideas are unrealistic and they cause conflict with their sanctimonious attitude and simplistic view of the world. Self criticism is anathema to these folks.
What is peace? To me it is the brief interlude between conflict. It is a very limited period of time between acts o0f violence. It is measured in seconds and minutes, not years.It is not something that will last long for man is too much of a slave to the devil of his nature for there to be a world of peace.
Peace is a impossible concept to resist. What rational person wants the death and destruction of war? Who wants to suffer the pain and misery of war?
But that does not alter the fact that conflict--violent in particular--is an aspect of the human condition that is as unalterable as the desire to mate. Killing, beatings, and rape occur everywhere. There is not one society that has remained untouched by these barbaric acts.
Some blame violence on capitalism, but violence has existed in socialist countries. Others blame violence on religion, but Godless nations like the former USSR were dominated by violence and the threat of it.
History proves that violence is an universal practice. It has no knowledge of boundaries of nations nor does it fear the tenets of ideology and religion.It is an unstoppable force.
Peaceniks are akin to the overweight, zit faced, teenage boy who obsesses about the prettiest girl in school. She dominates his thoughts, rules his days, but never will be his. Peace is that unattainable girl.
Peaceniks are people who love to feel morally superior. Like the evangelist of years past, these people preach a message of hope and love guided by a strong belief in their own moral rectitude. Their ideas are unrealistic and they cause conflict with their sanctimonious attitude and simplistic view of the world. Self criticism is anathema to these folks.
What is peace? To me it is the brief interlude between conflict. It is a very limited period of time between acts o0f violence. It is measured in seconds and minutes, not years.It is not something that will last long for man is too much of a slave to the devil of his nature for there to be a world of peace.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Job
Concrete encases me in this tomb of regret and bitterness. The pungent aroma of the stale and malodorous air fills my nostrils and lungs while I listlessly gaze into the empty corridors of the hospital.
Hollow as the words of a politician, shallow as a celebutante, the Leaders are not the Best. They are not even Leaders. One will certainly not Hail them as Champions in their field.
The peons move to and fro--except for those who move not a foot--working as bees do in a hive. Mindless, monotonous, tedious, repetitious...the work is a marathon to the soul as a Dostoyevsky novel is to the mind.
When will it end? It seems destined that I shall forever be wearing the Burgundy and Yellow Letter.
The hours and days blend into a unrecognizable blob where I lose all sense of time. Each day brings the same dull, enervating tasks that drowns my spirit in the ocean of mediocrity that is my job. I gasp for air in these suffocating seas, struggling to stay afloat with all the might I can conjure up.
No lover waiting for his amore at the train station is as eager as I am when the clock strikes 10:30 on Friday. Happiness has arrived! I am to depart this place for a splendid two day respite from this abattoir of hope and dreams.
Though it only lasts for an all too brief time, the bliss of being away from the dungeon is fully felt by I. Happiness is the unchallenged champion of my weekends.
Come Monday, the misery becomes King again. But that is two days off.
Meanwhile, I will gleefully imbibe drink and merriment in celebration of a work week survived. The days are short, but the good times are long.
A smile returns to the face, joy comes again to the heart, and contentment is restored to the spirit.Such ephemeral ecstasy these weekends are.
Hollow as the words of a politician, shallow as a celebutante, the Leaders are not the Best. They are not even Leaders. One will certainly not Hail them as Champions in their field.
The peons move to and fro--except for those who move not a foot--working as bees do in a hive. Mindless, monotonous, tedious, repetitious...the work is a marathon to the soul as a Dostoyevsky novel is to the mind.
When will it end? It seems destined that I shall forever be wearing the Burgundy and Yellow Letter.
The hours and days blend into a unrecognizable blob where I lose all sense of time. Each day brings the same dull, enervating tasks that drowns my spirit in the ocean of mediocrity that is my job. I gasp for air in these suffocating seas, struggling to stay afloat with all the might I can conjure up.
No lover waiting for his amore at the train station is as eager as I am when the clock strikes 10:30 on Friday. Happiness has arrived! I am to depart this place for a splendid two day respite from this abattoir of hope and dreams.
Though it only lasts for an all too brief time, the bliss of being away from the dungeon is fully felt by I. Happiness is the unchallenged champion of my weekends.
Come Monday, the misery becomes King again. But that is two days off.
Meanwhile, I will gleefully imbibe drink and merriment in celebration of a work week survived. The days are short, but the good times are long.
A smile returns to the face, joy comes again to the heart, and contentment is restored to the spirit.Such ephemeral ecstasy these weekends are.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Animal
Inside my body lies an Animal. An Animal that has a thirst. A thirst that has yet to be satiated.
This Animal is feverishly clawing and scratching, trying desperately to free itself from the flesh and bone prison in which it is confined.
How shall this beast make its escape? How shall it break from the bonds of misery? How shall it find the way to freedom?
The Animal desperately seeks a way out from the cage, it cries and cries, but no one hears it pleas. No one hears it clamoring for freedom.No one is there.
What shall the Animal do? How shall it break free from the fetters that bind him with such hopeless firmness?The Animal knows not what to do.
The Animal is suffocated by the sentries of torment. Anger, Depression, Dejection...the Animal knows all on a first name basis. The Warden--Misery--rules with a cruel hand.
The Animal is not defeated--will not be vanquished--by the malevolent thugs who have cast him into this dungeon.He is not broken, he is not bowed.
He will get out. He must get out.The Animal is destined to roam free and it will be so.
This Animal is feverishly clawing and scratching, trying desperately to free itself from the flesh and bone prison in which it is confined.
How shall this beast make its escape? How shall it break from the bonds of misery? How shall it find the way to freedom?
The Animal desperately seeks a way out from the cage, it cries and cries, but no one hears it pleas. No one hears it clamoring for freedom.No one is there.
What shall the Animal do? How shall it break free from the fetters that bind him with such hopeless firmness?The Animal knows not what to do.
The Animal is suffocated by the sentries of torment. Anger, Depression, Dejection...the Animal knows all on a first name basis. The Warden--Misery--rules with a cruel hand.
The Animal is not defeated--will not be vanquished--by the malevolent thugs who have cast him into this dungeon.He is not broken, he is not bowed.
He will get out. He must get out.The Animal is destined to roam free and it will be so.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Love knows no limits
Where does one find love? Where should one NOT seek love? These are questions that plague the minds of the unattached throughout these united states.
But these are also the wrong questions to ask for it is not WHERE you meet someone, but WHO you meet. The location is mere background for the drama that is love.
What matters is not the physical space where you and your paramour first laid eyes upon each other, but the chemistry that causes the fire of your passion to burn brightly.
Some say that having a relationship with a co-worker is a bad idea because work can create difficulties because of the close proximity of the two lovers. But if the love is meant to last then how can spending more time with your love be a bad thing?
Sure, working with someone may potentially cause issues that aggravate the lovers, but if you love someone you will find a way to minimize the stresses of working with a loved one.(More serious issues will arise if the two break up, but that is an issue of maturity.)
The bad idea here is not having a relationship with a co-worker, but placing limits on where to meet a potential mate. To do so is to needlessly restrict yourself to a small population of potential mates. One cannot emphasize enough the foolishness and quite frankly, counterproductive nature of such beliefs.
What is more is that such beliefs also ignore an essential element of love--that it knows no bounds.It is a wild, unpredictable emotion, that cannot be planned or dictated. You cannot cage it like an animal nor can you place a date on when you will find it. It just happens.
What people should be concerned about when pondering love is not where or when to meet someone, but the characteristics they desire in a partner.They should also simultaneously be engaging in self evaluation for personal growth is key to sustaining any relationship--romantic or platonic.
Love is the greatest gift one human can give to another. It is the sharing of your soul with another human being. Such a magnificent thing cannot be controlled. It occurs on its own in every conceivable environment at the most unexpected time.
Those who think they can control the unseen,uncontrollable, and irresistible force called love are the maddest of people. Love operates at a plane far beyond our ability to master it.
But these are also the wrong questions to ask for it is not WHERE you meet someone, but WHO you meet. The location is mere background for the drama that is love.
What matters is not the physical space where you and your paramour first laid eyes upon each other, but the chemistry that causes the fire of your passion to burn brightly.
Some say that having a relationship with a co-worker is a bad idea because work can create difficulties because of the close proximity of the two lovers. But if the love is meant to last then how can spending more time with your love be a bad thing?
Sure, working with someone may potentially cause issues that aggravate the lovers, but if you love someone you will find a way to minimize the stresses of working with a loved one.(More serious issues will arise if the two break up, but that is an issue of maturity.)
The bad idea here is not having a relationship with a co-worker, but placing limits on where to meet a potential mate. To do so is to needlessly restrict yourself to a small population of potential mates. One cannot emphasize enough the foolishness and quite frankly, counterproductive nature of such beliefs.
What is more is that such beliefs also ignore an essential element of love--that it knows no bounds.It is a wild, unpredictable emotion, that cannot be planned or dictated. You cannot cage it like an animal nor can you place a date on when you will find it. It just happens.
What people should be concerned about when pondering love is not where or when to meet someone, but the characteristics they desire in a partner.They should also simultaneously be engaging in self evaluation for personal growth is key to sustaining any relationship--romantic or platonic.
Love is the greatest gift one human can give to another. It is the sharing of your soul with another human being. Such a magnificent thing cannot be controlled. It occurs on its own in every conceivable environment at the most unexpected time.
Those who think they can control the unseen,uncontrollable, and irresistible force called love are the maddest of people. Love operates at a plane far beyond our ability to master it.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Cutting ties
Recently, I foolishly convinced myself to engage in a flirtation with a female co-worker even though I was not convinced that she was a suitable match.
I blame loneliness for causing this rupture in decision making on my part. This woman--of whom I have written about before in this blog--while sweet in temperament and attractive in looks, was lacking in other crucial areas.
She dated a co-worker of mine who was and is in a relationship with a woman with whom he has two children. What sort of person does this? No person with any moral scruples.
This lady lives with a man whom she has know for only a few years. This man one night broke into her room not once, but twice, to apologize for acting the fool earlier in the night. Yet, she still lives with him. What kind of person would continue to live with a person who has no respect for your personal boundaries?? No intelligent or sane person I know of.
What kind of person openly flirts with men on a regular basis, but who has repeatedly failed at long term relationships? She is a friend of many men, but the love of none. What does that say about her potential as a mate? Nothing positive I am afraid.
Therefore, I decided to cut ties with this woman tonight. No more fooling myself that I could have established a relationship with a woman who knows not what she wants. No more wasting time on a woman who knows many men, but few of quality.
I have chosen this route because I have no desire to pursue a woman who is not worthy of being pursued. Why should I expend emotional energy on a person who is found wanting in so many areas?
There are too many good women out there for me to spend another second trying to win the hand of a woman with such a questionable nature.
I blame loneliness for causing this rupture in decision making on my part. This woman--of whom I have written about before in this blog--while sweet in temperament and attractive in looks, was lacking in other crucial areas.
She dated a co-worker of mine who was and is in a relationship with a woman with whom he has two children. What sort of person does this? No person with any moral scruples.
This lady lives with a man whom she has know for only a few years. This man one night broke into her room not once, but twice, to apologize for acting the fool earlier in the night. Yet, she still lives with him. What kind of person would continue to live with a person who has no respect for your personal boundaries?? No intelligent or sane person I know of.
What kind of person openly flirts with men on a regular basis, but who has repeatedly failed at long term relationships? She is a friend of many men, but the love of none. What does that say about her potential as a mate? Nothing positive I am afraid.
Therefore, I decided to cut ties with this woman tonight. No more fooling myself that I could have established a relationship with a woman who knows not what she wants. No more wasting time on a woman who knows many men, but few of quality.
I have chosen this route because I have no desire to pursue a woman who is not worthy of being pursued. Why should I expend emotional energy on a person who is found wanting in so many areas?
There are too many good women out there for me to spend another second trying to win the hand of a woman with such a questionable nature.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Where have you gone?
Where have you gone most cherished amore? Where have you have taken your invaluable gift, your precious commodity? Where have you stolen to?
Like Raleigh in pursuit of El Dorado, I search and search, yet my hands remain empty. I wander the world in an everlasting quest to find that which clears away the overcast days of life; that brightens my face and lifts my soul.
Where have you gone most handsome amore? Where have you taken your boundless talents, your outstanding abilities? Where are you hiding my dear?
I sail the seas like Ahab in a futile hunt for the object of my obsession. Ranging far and wide, I circumnavigate the globe in the quest to gain the affections of She.She who washes away the troubles of life with a tsunami of affection.
Where have you gone most comely amore? Where are you so I may enjoy the dimples of your cheeks and the bright sheen of your eyes when you smile?
Like Odysseus, I defeat all obstacles to my goal to be where I desire--her arms. Neither fiend or woe shall bar me from satisfying my thirst for her love.
Where are you most adorable amore? Where art thou so I may tan in the radiance of your beauty? Where are you so I may drink the nectar of your love?
I know not thee, but I love thee. Where, oh, where are you my destiny? Where have you gone?
Like Raleigh in pursuit of El Dorado, I search and search, yet my hands remain empty. I wander the world in an everlasting quest to find that which clears away the overcast days of life; that brightens my face and lifts my soul.
Where have you gone most handsome amore? Where have you taken your boundless talents, your outstanding abilities? Where are you hiding my dear?
I sail the seas like Ahab in a futile hunt for the object of my obsession. Ranging far and wide, I circumnavigate the globe in the quest to gain the affections of She.She who washes away the troubles of life with a tsunami of affection.
Where have you gone most comely amore? Where are you so I may enjoy the dimples of your cheeks and the bright sheen of your eyes when you smile?
Like Odysseus, I defeat all obstacles to my goal to be where I desire--her arms. Neither fiend or woe shall bar me from satisfying my thirst for her love.
Where are you most adorable amore? Where art thou so I may tan in the radiance of your beauty? Where are you so I may drink the nectar of your love?
I know not thee, but I love thee. Where, oh, where are you my destiny? Where have you gone?
Monday, September 13, 2010
On Vegetarianism
Vegetarians are interesting people. My father is one and while I love him deeply, I have always been slightly perplexed by his refusal to eat meat.
The reason he and other vegetarians give is that they find the consumption of animal flesh to be repulsive and cruel. They cannot accept inflicting pain upon another of God's creatures so we may sustain ourselves.
The moralistic perspective they have taken on the subject is an alluring aspect of vegetarianism. Who afterall, wishes to inflict unnecessary suffering on any living thing? A psychopath perhaps, but no person who is mentally well-adjusted would desire to visit upon an animal undue pain unless they felt they had to do so.
But why do they look at something that is perfectly natural--the consumption of meat--as immoral? Animals eat animals. Humans are animals. If a human was in the wild they would be seen as prey by whatever creature that stood at the top of the animal hierarchy.
I see little sense in applying morality to something that is done to guarantee the continuation of life.Meat eaters consume the flesh of other animals because of reasons of taste and nourishment, not because of reasons of malice.
Vegetarians will say that one cannot compare humans to animals for animals are guided by instincts that are amoral while humans have a developed conception of morality. While that maybe true that does not alter the fact that human beings are animals.Dining on other living creatures is as natural as mating.There is little room for moralizing when it comes to what one should or should not eat.
All this being said, I personally do not care what someone believes in so long as it does not impact my life, but that does not mean one should not analyze others beliefs(as well as their own) if for no other reason than to engage in intellectual calisthenics.
Vegetarianism is mystifying to me as pacificism. Both are on the surface based on noble intentions, but both are impractical in environments where there is no strong guiding structure.
The reason he and other vegetarians give is that they find the consumption of animal flesh to be repulsive and cruel. They cannot accept inflicting pain upon another of God's creatures so we may sustain ourselves.
The moralistic perspective they have taken on the subject is an alluring aspect of vegetarianism. Who afterall, wishes to inflict unnecessary suffering on any living thing? A psychopath perhaps, but no person who is mentally well-adjusted would desire to visit upon an animal undue pain unless they felt they had to do so.
But why do they look at something that is perfectly natural--the consumption of meat--as immoral? Animals eat animals. Humans are animals. If a human was in the wild they would be seen as prey by whatever creature that stood at the top of the animal hierarchy.
I see little sense in applying morality to something that is done to guarantee the continuation of life.Meat eaters consume the flesh of other animals because of reasons of taste and nourishment, not because of reasons of malice.
Vegetarians will say that one cannot compare humans to animals for animals are guided by instincts that are amoral while humans have a developed conception of morality. While that maybe true that does not alter the fact that human beings are animals.Dining on other living creatures is as natural as mating.There is little room for moralizing when it comes to what one should or should not eat.
All this being said, I personally do not care what someone believes in so long as it does not impact my life, but that does not mean one should not analyze others beliefs(as well as their own) if for no other reason than to engage in intellectual calisthenics.
Vegetarianism is mystifying to me as pacificism. Both are on the surface based on noble intentions, but both are impractical in environments where there is no strong guiding structure.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
New season, new method of losing
The Detroit Lions started off the 2010 NFL season like they ended the 2009 season--with a loss. There was a significant difference, however, in the manner of their defeat.
Wide Receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson had caught an apparent 25 yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Shaun Hill with 18 seconds left to take a 20-19 lead over the Chicago Bears when one official overruled the referee closest to the catch and ruled that it was an incomplete pass.
The reasoning for the ruling was elucidated by referee Gene Steratore after the game.
"We're talking now about the process of the catch. He's catching the football, as he goes to the ground, he must maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process. So as he continues to fall if he fell with two feet and his elbow hit the ground and came out, it would be incomplete."
Steratore added further."...the process was not finished until he finished that roll and the entire process of the catch."
From a rules standpoint, the correct call was made. The referees only act in accordance with the rules set down. Thus the official who overruled the other was correct in doing so.
But this incident only highlights the increasingly burdening of the game of football by restrictive rules that are borne from the minds of lawyers and not of people who spent their lives in the game of football.That is a damn shame for football is supposed to be fun.
I suppose such a thing was inevitable considering how much money is in the NFL. When you consider the huge amounts of money spent on the game by advertisers, teams, ands fans, it seems logical for the NFL to have rules that eliminate any grey areas.
But after watching the debacle in Chicago, I have become convinced that in their effort to ease the decision making process for the referees the NFL is losing its grasp on common sense.
Historically, a catch was defined as maintaining possession with both feet on the ground and/or keeping the ball after hitting the ball. Now the rules stipulate that you have to keep possession BEYOND these simple guidelines as part of a the catching process.
What makes this problematic is that Johnson's catch occurred in the end zone. Anyone who follows the game knows that all you have to do is break the plane with the ball.If the ball is knocked from the ball carriers hands AFTER the ball breaks the plane, the touchdown still counts for the play is dead.
Johnson caught the ball with both feet inbounds, falls with his hand hitting the ground before the ball in his other hand does.The ball only comes loose as Johnson pushes himself up to celebrate what he thought was the game winning catch.
Alas, the excessive requirement for a catch ruined what should have been a terrific ending to what was a poorly played football game. The NFL through the application of such absurd rules has sullied the game.They made it more like the courts of law than the fields of play. A lustily boo to the NFL for doing that.
Wide Receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson had caught an apparent 25 yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Shaun Hill with 18 seconds left to take a 20-19 lead over the Chicago Bears when one official overruled the referee closest to the catch and ruled that it was an incomplete pass.
The reasoning for the ruling was elucidated by referee Gene Steratore after the game.
"We're talking now about the process of the catch. He's catching the football, as he goes to the ground, he must maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process. So as he continues to fall if he fell with two feet and his elbow hit the ground and came out, it would be incomplete."
Steratore added further."...the process was not finished until he finished that roll and the entire process of the catch."
From a rules standpoint, the correct call was made. The referees only act in accordance with the rules set down. Thus the official who overruled the other was correct in doing so.
But this incident only highlights the increasingly burdening of the game of football by restrictive rules that are borne from the minds of lawyers and not of people who spent their lives in the game of football.That is a damn shame for football is supposed to be fun.
I suppose such a thing was inevitable considering how much money is in the NFL. When you consider the huge amounts of money spent on the game by advertisers, teams, ands fans, it seems logical for the NFL to have rules that eliminate any grey areas.
But after watching the debacle in Chicago, I have become convinced that in their effort to ease the decision making process for the referees the NFL is losing its grasp on common sense.
Historically, a catch was defined as maintaining possession with both feet on the ground and/or keeping the ball after hitting the ball. Now the rules stipulate that you have to keep possession BEYOND these simple guidelines as part of a the catching process.
What makes this problematic is that Johnson's catch occurred in the end zone. Anyone who follows the game knows that all you have to do is break the plane with the ball.If the ball is knocked from the ball carriers hands AFTER the ball breaks the plane, the touchdown still counts for the play is dead.
Johnson caught the ball with both feet inbounds, falls with his hand hitting the ground before the ball in his other hand does.The ball only comes loose as Johnson pushes himself up to celebrate what he thought was the game winning catch.
Alas, the excessive requirement for a catch ruined what should have been a terrific ending to what was a poorly played football game. The NFL through the application of such absurd rules has sullied the game.They made it more like the courts of law than the fields of play. A lustily boo to the NFL for doing that.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Single Ad Infinitum
I cancelled my Match.com subscription today.A month-and-a-half of unreturned emails, winks from fat chicks, and a steady stream of homely women checking out your profile has made this decision easy.
What is frustrating about sites like Match are that the women you are interested in are not interested in you and the women that are interested in you, you are not interested in. My pursuit for love in the province of internet dating has proven to be as fruitful as the the search for the Holy Grail.
My problem--- besides not possessing the body of a MMA fighter, the looks of Johnny Depp, or the money of Bill Gates-- is that I am not the most outgoing of people. I am inherently distrustful of other people. Why, I cannot tell you. I just am.
One factor that should mention is that I did not grow up with much of a female influence in my life. My mother left me with my dad when I was two years old.There was no significant, consistent, female presence in my life until my dad remarried when I was 13. But as anyone who has been in a "blended" family can attest to, relationships between a step-mother and a step-son can be problematic. Such was the case with me.
A person who has anti-social tendencies and is largely ignorant of women is generally not going to flourish when trying to attract a mate he is interested in. Of the two, the former has been by far the more stubborn obstacle for me to overcome.
My ignorance/lack of familiarity as well as the transference of residual anger at my mother to females in general, has created a lack of confidence that has crippled my feeble attempts at finding love. I have not even ASKED a girl out in some ten years.(This ineptitude feeds my anger and creates feelings of bitterness and distrust of women. It is a vicious circle.)
It is because of my trouble relating to women in person that I turned to internet dating, but it has proven to be no more of a solution than making a weekly pilgrimage to the local bars and dance clubs to seek female companionship.
I know I want a woman in my life. I enjoy romantic movies and songs as long as they are of good quality. I love the smell of female perfumes and find much gratification from viewing scantily clad women as any heterosexual man does.Attraction is not an issue in regards to me and women.
If anything, I probably want a woman more than any other man simply because I have never had one of my own. I do not mean this as physically possessing a woman as a child does a doll, but possessing the heart of a woman. I want to be her world and her to be mine. Most people find this in their mother and then a wife/girlfriend. I have never had either for my mother was a mother only in biological terms.
At this juncture in my life, I would have to say that I am likely to remain single until the day I breath my last.I do not see my Facebook status ever changing from "single" to "in a relationship".Such a belief is neither sad or pathetic to me, it just is what it is.
What is frustrating about sites like Match are that the women you are interested in are not interested in you and the women that are interested in you, you are not interested in. My pursuit for love in the province of internet dating has proven to be as fruitful as the the search for the Holy Grail.
My problem--- besides not possessing the body of a MMA fighter, the looks of Johnny Depp, or the money of Bill Gates-- is that I am not the most outgoing of people. I am inherently distrustful of other people. Why, I cannot tell you. I just am.
One factor that should mention is that I did not grow up with much of a female influence in my life. My mother left me with my dad when I was two years old.There was no significant, consistent, female presence in my life until my dad remarried when I was 13. But as anyone who has been in a "blended" family can attest to, relationships between a step-mother and a step-son can be problematic. Such was the case with me.
A person who has anti-social tendencies and is largely ignorant of women is generally not going to flourish when trying to attract a mate he is interested in. Of the two, the former has been by far the more stubborn obstacle for me to overcome.
My ignorance/lack of familiarity as well as the transference of residual anger at my mother to females in general, has created a lack of confidence that has crippled my feeble attempts at finding love. I have not even ASKED a girl out in some ten years.(This ineptitude feeds my anger and creates feelings of bitterness and distrust of women. It is a vicious circle.)
It is because of my trouble relating to women in person that I turned to internet dating, but it has proven to be no more of a solution than making a weekly pilgrimage to the local bars and dance clubs to seek female companionship.
I know I want a woman in my life. I enjoy romantic movies and songs as long as they are of good quality. I love the smell of female perfumes and find much gratification from viewing scantily clad women as any heterosexual man does.Attraction is not an issue in regards to me and women.
If anything, I probably want a woman more than any other man simply because I have never had one of my own. I do not mean this as physically possessing a woman as a child does a doll, but possessing the heart of a woman. I want to be her world and her to be mine. Most people find this in their mother and then a wife/girlfriend. I have never had either for my mother was a mother only in biological terms.
At this juncture in my life, I would have to say that I am likely to remain single until the day I breath my last.I do not see my Facebook status ever changing from "single" to "in a relationship".Such a belief is neither sad or pathetic to me, it just is what it is.
Burn, baby, burn
The controversy over the proposed burning of the Quran by Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, reveal for all the stupidity, hypocrisy, and fanaticism of men.
Why are Moslems so enraged over the burning of their holy book? At the end of the day, the destruction of said book has no bearing on them or their religion. If some Christian preacher wants to incinerate a million copies, so be it. Why become enraged at the act of a man who lives so many thousands of miles from you? Do you not realize that this person is doing this to get a rise out of you? By rioting, burning flags and bibles, and generally acting the fool, you are giving him what he wants.
All involved are men of low intelligence and maturity.
Furthermore, it is not as if Moslems have not similarly disrespected other religions. The Taliban's infamous destruction of Hindu sculptures in Afghanistan is one such example. Why is it okay to disrespect Hindu's symbols, but not the Quran???
While I think Rev. Jones act a silly and needlessly provocative act, I find myself having a hard time generating much sympathy for a religion that has basically declared war on the world. Islam is not worse then Christianity when it comes to intolerance or violence, but then Christianity is not currently at war with the United States, Russia, China, India,England, Spain, and as well as a Islamic civil war. Islam is a religion in tumult.
I am a fervent defender of religious tolerance, but I have little tolerance for people who go crazy at some offending act while themselves committing acts that offend others.
Why are Moslems so enraged over the burning of their holy book? At the end of the day, the destruction of said book has no bearing on them or their religion. If some Christian preacher wants to incinerate a million copies, so be it. Why become enraged at the act of a man who lives so many thousands of miles from you? Do you not realize that this person is doing this to get a rise out of you? By rioting, burning flags and bibles, and generally acting the fool, you are giving him what he wants.
All involved are men of low intelligence and maturity.
Furthermore, it is not as if Moslems have not similarly disrespected other religions. The Taliban's infamous destruction of Hindu sculptures in Afghanistan is one such example. Why is it okay to disrespect Hindu's symbols, but not the Quran???
While I think Rev. Jones act a silly and needlessly provocative act, I find myself having a hard time generating much sympathy for a religion that has basically declared war on the world. Islam is not worse then Christianity when it comes to intolerance or violence, but then Christianity is not currently at war with the United States, Russia, China, India,England, Spain, and as well as a Islamic civil war. Islam is a religion in tumult.
I am a fervent defender of religious tolerance, but I have little tolerance for people who go crazy at some offending act while themselves committing acts that offend others.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Who are the real beasts?
Oh, how wickedly ridiculous creatures we humans are. We tell ourselves that we are different--superior--from wild beasts yet we kill with an impunity that no phylum of organisms can surpass.
When animals kill or engage in acts of violence, it is for sustenance, self-defense, or a part of a ritual that guarantees their place within the community. There is a logical end behind these savage fight to-the-death contests.
That is not always so with humans. We rape, assault, and kill each other for no reason at all. We invent ways to kill more of us in more efficient ways. The partner to progress in science has bee the progress in methods to slaughter human beings on a mass scale. From the flint tipped spears of pre-history to the table sized nuclear weapons of modern times, the effectiveness of weaponry have evolved to become so powerful that they now threaten to eliminate life from this rock we call earth.
How can it be that the creatures with the most advanced intellect routinely defy said intellect to
commit atrocities that would send tremors of terror into the most ferocious of beasts?
20,000 British soldiers killed on one day at the Somme in World War I, 45,000 Romans butchered by Hannibal at Cannae, 1,000,000 Armenians killed by the Turks, 12 million Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and other "untermenschen" murdered by the Nazis',800,000 Rwandans murdered by fellow Rwandans in 100 days...these are just a small sample of the sickeningly long list 0f human depravity on a mass scale. This does not account for the innumerable individual atrocities committed on a daily basis throughout the world.
The only thing I can glean out of this is that intellect is overrated.
We have created magnificent structures to marvel, cured many a disease, sent people to space, flown at supersonic speeds, increased our food supply many times over, and have tamed the physically stronger beasts. All that due to our superior intellect.
Yet, we have this dark side that the lowly animals of the wild do not have. They do not rape or kill. They do not invent reasons to murder large numbers of other animals. They do not crash planes into buildings because they believe in some myth that tells them that they will
go to heaven if they do so.The simplicity of their mind forbids such notions. All they know is eat, procreate, and defecate.
Humans meanwhile, have to invent rules and a otherworldly punishment to keep people in line--though even these often fail. No amount of threats or deterrents can cure man of his wanton disregard for life.
The truth is that we are a brutal, violent, race. We kill not just for need, but for pleasure. That fact makes us far more savage and bestial than all the subjects of the Animal Kingdom.
When animals kill or engage in acts of violence, it is for sustenance, self-defense, or a part of a ritual that guarantees their place within the community. There is a logical end behind these savage fight to-the-death contests.
That is not always so with humans. We rape, assault, and kill each other for no reason at all. We invent ways to kill more of us in more efficient ways. The partner to progress in science has bee the progress in methods to slaughter human beings on a mass scale. From the flint tipped spears of pre-history to the table sized nuclear weapons of modern times, the effectiveness of weaponry have evolved to become so powerful that they now threaten to eliminate life from this rock we call earth.
How can it be that the creatures with the most advanced intellect routinely defy said intellect to
commit atrocities that would send tremors of terror into the most ferocious of beasts?
20,000 British soldiers killed on one day at the Somme in World War I, 45,000 Romans butchered by Hannibal at Cannae, 1,000,000 Armenians killed by the Turks, 12 million Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and other "untermenschen" murdered by the Nazis',800,000 Rwandans murdered by fellow Rwandans in 100 days...these are just a small sample of the sickeningly long list 0f human depravity on a mass scale. This does not account for the innumerable individual atrocities committed on a daily basis throughout the world.
The only thing I can glean out of this is that intellect is overrated.
We have created magnificent structures to marvel, cured many a disease, sent people to space, flown at supersonic speeds, increased our food supply many times over, and have tamed the physically stronger beasts. All that due to our superior intellect.
Yet, we have this dark side that the lowly animals of the wild do not have. They do not rape or kill. They do not invent reasons to murder large numbers of other animals. They do not crash planes into buildings because they believe in some myth that tells them that they will
go to heaven if they do so.The simplicity of their mind forbids such notions. All they know is eat, procreate, and defecate.
Humans meanwhile, have to invent rules and a otherworldly punishment to keep people in line--though even these often fail. No amount of threats or deterrents can cure man of his wanton disregard for life.
The truth is that we are a brutal, violent, race. We kill not just for need, but for pleasure. That fact makes us far more savage and bestial than all the subjects of the Animal Kingdom.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Moby Bitch
Thar she blows! The Great Black Whale surfaces to expel the hot air contained within her enormous, blubber-encrusted, malodorous, body. All who witness the leviathan's explosive ejection from her habitat, shudder in expectant terror--for this is no normal whale.
This cetacean resides not in the deep blue seas of the world, but in the dungeon of a hospital where she reluctantly--for cetaceans such as she disdain movement--lumbers to and fro belching commands to the smaller fish.
Effusive in talk,obnoxious in manner, this behemoth treads heavily upon the rights of man. Rules, laws...what are these, but mere annoyances to Moby Bitch?
Of what concern is an employee to her? A knee injury hardly merits filling out the the incident report, says she.
Call off? No pay--unless you are a favorite of hers. Then it is to be tolerated.
Has the work been completed? Who knows? Moby is much too busy consuming her fifth meal of the afternoon.
"I have a right to bully my employees for I am the Queen of these miserable helots." says Moby Bitch."If they dare challenge my power I shall send them to back to their wretched abodes."
A Queen in her mind, but a vulgar commoner in reality, this loathsome beast demands tribute, but receives derision. Who can honor a dishonorable person?
This cetacean resides not in the deep blue seas of the world, but in the dungeon of a hospital where she reluctantly--for cetaceans such as she disdain movement--lumbers to and fro belching commands to the smaller fish.
Effusive in talk,obnoxious in manner, this behemoth treads heavily upon the rights of man. Rules, laws...what are these, but mere annoyances to Moby Bitch?
Of what concern is an employee to her? A knee injury hardly merits filling out the the incident report, says she.
Call off? No pay--unless you are a favorite of hers. Then it is to be tolerated.
Has the work been completed? Who knows? Moby is much too busy consuming her fifth meal of the afternoon.
"I have a right to bully my employees for I am the Queen of these miserable helots." says Moby Bitch."If they dare challenge my power I shall send them to back to their wretched abodes."
A Queen in her mind, but a vulgar commoner in reality, this loathsome beast demands tribute, but receives derision. Who can honor a dishonorable person?
Living life My Way
Music is a splendid demonstration of Man's ability to put complex thoughts and feelings into an
easily digestible form.Love and hate, war and peace, passion and indifference...music has spoken of every feeling and experience known to man.Many a songs has been created that touches someone somewhere in a profound way.
Frank Sinatra's "My Way" is such a song for me. "My Way
perfectly encapsulates my philosophy of how I live my life and how I hope that I will be remembered when I have passed from this earthly realm.
(Since Blogger will not permit me to copy the words here I will link the lyrics:http://www.lyrics007.com/Frank%20Sinatra%20Lyrics/My%20Way%20Lyrics.html)
In "My Way" Sinatra is saying that he has lived a life that was a full. It had its' ups and it had its downs. There were times he took on more than he could handle and there were times he was master of the situation.His life was literally was the best of times and the worst of times. But no matter the circumstance, he did it HIS way. No one dictated to him how he would live his life.
To paraphrase William Ernest Henley's "Invictus", Sinatra was the master of his fate, the captain of his soul.And so am I.None shall dictate to me how I shall live.
The concluding lines of "My Way" are an fiercely eloquent expression of living life your way. These lines more than any other in the song are why I cherish this song.
For what is a man?What has he got?
If not himself--Then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows that I took the blows
And did it my way
Yes, it was my way.
To speak your mind, to live your life as you desire even if you falter and bring ignominy upon yourself, is the essence of the living life My Way philosophy.A life lived in docile service to others wants is a contemptuous, miserable, existence.
easily digestible form.Love and hate, war and peace, passion and indifference...music has spoken of every feeling and experience known to man.Many a songs has been created that touches someone somewhere in a profound way.
Frank Sinatra's "My Way" is such a song for me. "My Way
perfectly encapsulates my philosophy of how I live my life and how I hope that I will be remembered when I have passed from this earthly realm.
(Since Blogger will not permit me to copy the words here I will link the lyrics:http://www.lyrics007.com/Frank%20Sinatra%20Lyrics/My%20Way%20Lyrics.html)
In "My Way" Sinatra is saying that he has lived a life that was a full. It had its' ups and it had its downs. There were times he took on more than he could handle and there were times he was master of the situation.His life was literally was the best of times and the worst of times. But no matter the circumstance, he did it HIS way. No one dictated to him how he would live his life.
To paraphrase William Ernest Henley's "Invictus", Sinatra was the master of his fate, the captain of his soul.And so am I.None shall dictate to me how I shall live.
The concluding lines of "My Way" are an fiercely eloquent expression of living life your way. These lines more than any other in the song are why I cherish this song.
For what is a man?What has he got?
If not himself--Then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows that I took the blows
And did it my way
Yes, it was my way.
To speak your mind, to live your life as you desire even if you falter and bring ignominy upon yourself, is the essence of the living life My Way philosophy.A life lived in docile service to others wants is a contemptuous, miserable, existence.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Country before ideology
I was just reading a letter on AnnArbor.com that claimed that Michigan gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero, had created more jobs as Mayor of Lansing than his rival for the governorship, venture capitalist Rick Synder did. The letter cited 3100 jobs created the result of construction and clean up funds distributed to Lansing by the Federal government.
What the author of the letter fails to grasp is that such jobs are temporary in nature for clean up and construction jobs have a beginning and an end. Those jobs will be like the leaves on a tree--around for a period, then gone as the seasons cycle.
The Democrats talk of sustainable energy, but what use is that to people who lack jobs?They need to develop a sustainable job creation strategy that puts people to work NOW, not later.
What they need are more business friendly ideas because ultimately, it is business who puts Americans to work. Instead of the mindless corporation bashing we so often see from the Left, it would be nice of the Left to attempt an rapprochement with their ideological adversaries.It also be far more productive than making inflammatory documentaries that condemn those who give Americans jobs. It really serves no benefit to Americans for the Left to continue to revile the people who generate the capital and jobs that permit Americans to live and work in the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.
The best way to prove your concern for Americans is to compromise. People who refuse to compromise in politics are people more concerned with matters of ego than the people they were elected to serve.This goes for both the capitalists and the socialists in this nation.
A nation cannot be governed by adherents of the myth-driven Socialists or the amoral, money-worshipping, entities we call corporations. Both are necessary--the socialists as a check against corporate avarice and corporations as engines of the economy that has created the affluence that this country enjoys.
But neither should have more influence beyond their own narrow areas of expertise. Both have exhibited an amazing ability to pervert values, to divide communities, and a willingness to forcibly impress their views on the unwilling if give the power to do so.
Liars, thieves, intellectually dishonest...capitals and socialists are some of the
most debased inhabitants of these United States of America.Like religion, these groups are so convinced of their own moral and intellectual superiority that they have long lost the ability to be self-critical.Such people are not fit to rule a nation.
This country needs policies that protect workers, but help businesses grow. To get to the point of a society balanced on protection of labor and healthy growth of business we will need for both capital and labor to compromise. Sacrifices will have to be made.
The current crop of ideas have thus far proven to be ineffective or as the example I cited earlier shows, a temporary fix. That does not solve our problem of unemployment and slow-to-nonexistent growth. We need ideas that infuse our moribund economy with a vitality unseen since the 1990's.
Who is to do that remains a mystery. But it is not a mystery that such an occurrence can only happen in a state governed by reason and compromise than fervent adherence to political dogma.
What the author of the letter fails to grasp is that such jobs are temporary in nature for clean up and construction jobs have a beginning and an end. Those jobs will be like the leaves on a tree--around for a period, then gone as the seasons cycle.
The Democrats talk of sustainable energy, but what use is that to people who lack jobs?They need to develop a sustainable job creation strategy that puts people to work NOW, not later.
What they need are more business friendly ideas because ultimately, it is business who puts Americans to work. Instead of the mindless corporation bashing we so often see from the Left, it would be nice of the Left to attempt an rapprochement with their ideological adversaries.It also be far more productive than making inflammatory documentaries that condemn those who give Americans jobs. It really serves no benefit to Americans for the Left to continue to revile the people who generate the capital and jobs that permit Americans to live and work in the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.
The best way to prove your concern for Americans is to compromise. People who refuse to compromise in politics are people more concerned with matters of ego than the people they were elected to serve.This goes for both the capitalists and the socialists in this nation.
A nation cannot be governed by adherents of the myth-driven Socialists or the amoral, money-worshipping, entities we call corporations. Both are necessary--the socialists as a check against corporate avarice and corporations as engines of the economy that has created the affluence that this country enjoys.
But neither should have more influence beyond their own narrow areas of expertise. Both have exhibited an amazing ability to pervert values, to divide communities, and a willingness to forcibly impress their views on the unwilling if give the power to do so.
Liars, thieves, intellectually dishonest...capitals and socialists are some of the
most debased inhabitants of these United States of America.Like religion, these groups are so convinced of their own moral and intellectual superiority that they have long lost the ability to be self-critical.Such people are not fit to rule a nation.
This country needs policies that protect workers, but help businesses grow. To get to the point of a society balanced on protection of labor and healthy growth of business we will need for both capital and labor to compromise. Sacrifices will have to be made.
The current crop of ideas have thus far proven to be ineffective or as the example I cited earlier shows, a temporary fix. That does not solve our problem of unemployment and slow-to-nonexistent growth. We need ideas that infuse our moribund economy with a vitality unseen since the 1990's.
Who is to do that remains a mystery. But it is not a mystery that such an occurrence can only happen in a state governed by reason and compromise than fervent adherence to political dogma.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Finding fulfillment in this world
There are people in this world who from an early age, know what they want out of life. They will accomplish the goals they have set for themselves because their temperament demands nothing less than total satisfaction of their desires. Be it a career in law or in athletics, these people will not stop until they have achieved their end.
But for most people, the road to personal fulfillment is far less certain. Many only have the ambition to survive their circumstances, while for others their mission in life is to determine what bar they will patronize that night.
Then you have people like myself. People who have the intelligence and passion to achieve something notable, but have failed to accomplish anything near what they are of capable of because of lack of confidence, opportunity, and focus.
These are what I call "non-achievers". People who cannot be said to underachieve for that infers that they actually TRIED to do something. Rather, these people excel at living in a state of stasis, where they are neither moving forward nor backward. They are just existing.
People who reside in this category experience the worst of both of the aforementioned worlds. They have the hopes and dreams of the achievers, but the aimless direction of those who live a life with no guiding aspirations. They know they are meant to be more than what they are, but they are not sure what exactly that "more" is.
Until recently, I was one of those wandering souls. I was lost, but now I am found.I have finally recognized what I am meant to be.
I am a writer. I still am a non-achiever for that will not change until I have attained a position where my talents will be used. But I have finally crossed an important psychological Rubicon. I have passed from a man uncertain of his ability to a man who fervently believes in his skill as a writer.
Now I must take that next step. I must now use my talent to find an emotionally and financially rewarding job. It is going to be a long, hard journey, but I know--I MUST---make it.
But for most people, the road to personal fulfillment is far less certain. Many only have the ambition to survive their circumstances, while for others their mission in life is to determine what bar they will patronize that night.
Then you have people like myself. People who have the intelligence and passion to achieve something notable, but have failed to accomplish anything near what they are of capable of because of lack of confidence, opportunity, and focus.
These are what I call "non-achievers". People who cannot be said to underachieve for that infers that they actually TRIED to do something. Rather, these people excel at living in a state of stasis, where they are neither moving forward nor backward. They are just existing.
People who reside in this category experience the worst of both of the aforementioned worlds. They have the hopes and dreams of the achievers, but the aimless direction of those who live a life with no guiding aspirations. They know they are meant to be more than what they are, but they are not sure what exactly that "more" is.
Until recently, I was one of those wandering souls. I was lost, but now I am found.I have finally recognized what I am meant to be.
I am a writer. I still am a non-achiever for that will not change until I have attained a position where my talents will be used. But I have finally crossed an important psychological Rubicon. I have passed from a man uncertain of his ability to a man who fervently believes in his skill as a writer.
Now I must take that next step. I must now use my talent to find an emotionally and financially rewarding job. It is going to be a long, hard journey, but I know--I MUST---make it.
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