(429 cubic inches. Ford. The superstock murderer, then become the Police Interceptor. The Talladega. The King Cobra. Marauder. Your grandma in "nude" pantyhose. Me buttering her bread. But for the grace of God, past before your a** hit the grass.)
Bad Lemming's Really Very Good Plates: a very sore-thumb eye sore of a resource for the community, inherited some time past by my uncle, and put to me to get some stinky on the end of my broom as I cleaned the parking area.
Featuring pecans, peaches, pocketknives and WWJD gifts, or as the county newspaper put it, "a handful of nuts and some cheaply made Jesus keychains".
I was shaking my head as I looked over the social media, one otherwise ordinary Monday morning, sort of like this one. I just couldn't believe it; it was like we had let our competition define us. They had wished us some ill, it seemed, and be darned: it manifested.
Would you ask your enemies to set for posterity your own mark and characteristic?
That said, we had expended resources on mere survival, while the competent tent evangelist also invests some in marketing and product development. Why, the competent executive of an S corporation also puts into improving process, keeping the good while making the worst aspects better--a more consistent, cost-efficient production process.
Sounds like a headache, you say? Do I "get high on my on supply"? Do I pocket the best of our WWJD gifts for my own keeping?
I say this: a competent young executive, with a keycard to the executive bathroom and his own parking spot, is indeed aware of what is imputed on the company by the competition. One would be a dull blade, otherwise, to be totally unaware of his own bad traits.
However. The competent young executive writes his own narrative, and roundly so, acknowledging the detracting factors and so fourth, but also nodding to tradition, the reality on the bright side as it would stand at time of writing, and also the future, along with its own schizoid roadmap to success through daydreams and empty buzzwords.
A grilled hotdog, a zip-loc bag of unflavored popcorn, and a 25-cent bag of Lays chips. Second cousin would eat from the place everyday, they told me, advise and consent, my betters, "some of the better students", people what come at understanding mistakes through bitter experience--they had told me, and my own stumblefoots informed me, too. But dammit, all I could do was be there, and keep bare-handing popcorn into ziploc bags for later sale.
If I wasn't there, couldn't expect my help to matter much.
If I didn't try, what would ever change or improve?
And I get a graduate-level lecture on not using the outside broom on the inside, and then not using the prep or restroom stuff on the sales floor; it would be so easy to take the shortcut and say, "they wouldn't know", but they could read my website and see it made somewhat plain in a common discourse.
Oh, fudgeberries and butternuts.
Conjugates of the Infinite. The Film Flam Man. behold we now through a "Mirror Glass Darkly"(formerly of the "the Abyss Gazes Also", nee Futnuckery with Abaddon1215). Christogenesis. Clyde Devlin. Memphis Cawdor. Consider it all joy when [you] fall into divers tribulations.
Commerce and the Competent Young Executive: a muse about mindset and motive on 4/29.
Fivebag Freddie, Spreadsheet Sam and Generative Gheddy: Increase, multi-purpose AI and Eric Clapton.
There was a family about to face starvation. The prophet came, and knowing they were at the end of their supplies, the prophet asked the family to feed him. They agreed, knowing that cooking him a meal meant the last of their supply.
But then.
The miracle.
There was the Bossman who gave three men each a sheckle. He told them to leave and come back with their sheckle in so many days. The first man multiplied his sheckle in that time, 10x. The next many doubled or tripled his. But the last man, he had buried his sheckle and left it for the so many days, and coming to meet the bossman, he dug it up and brought it back.
The Bossman took the one sheckle from the last man, and gave it to the first man, who had the ten sheckles--he was prosperous and grew his fortune, while the other man simply held on to his. It was some awkward lesson of heavenly increase--can't you see this is the kingdom of heaven?--that fortunes increase.
It was not usury codified or predatory lending takes, but the rule of the ministries growing and reaching more and more people; that was the mandate from Christ after all, to spread the message across the face of the earth. One could rejigger the message and take it away from salvation, forgiveness and love--one could put the onus of the message on the financial portfolio--that when the subjects were making mere pennies a day.
And they do.
Stephen Furtick gives an interesting notion of increase, be it ministry or finance or whatever. Everyday, the amount is double the amount from the day prior. A+A=B. The sequence begins with one cent, and ends after 30 days with an astonishing five million dollars!
"One-Bag-Billy" and "Five-Bag-Freddy", illustrated below(Columns A and B). This was Stephen Furtick's retelling of the Bossman and three workmen, who were given each one sheckle.
Five-Bag-Freddie's metrics in columns A and B, above.
Fibonacci Sequence in Columns D and E. A+B=C
*Doing the five-day metrics on Eric Clapton's "fundraiser" live album, To Save A Child, released April 26, 2024. It's beginning to look like some of the tracks will eclipse the Taylor Swift numbers I previously wrote here about. Mind, there may be some political considerations....
*Previous weekend, there was Farley Granger, Chuck Connors, Gary Merrill and Agnes Moorehead on my shew; this weekend there was Dan Duryea, Keenan Wynn, and Lee Van Cleef. Most of it was called boring or run-of-the-mill by the standards of today, but I enjoyed it pretty much--the heroics, the life lessons come by hard, and the good guys risking it all for the sake of doing what's right.
*Got some comparative re-writes from several free-to-use AI products. These were general use products, and not the specifically "generative" versions, like Google's Bard.
Original Copy:
Or do we profit from the example of the natural world? Its adaptations and resilience can prove informative....
Can we benefit from any particular circumstance?
Mind that I don't necessarily mean money, or the pure "getting of things", but there are numerous ways in which one might benefit, like personal growth, inner peace and tranquility. Basically, whatever you find is your chief goal is the thing--the reason--the cause; money might be your chief motivation. If so, happiness is more easily sacrificed than if inner peace was the goal, right? Or physical fitness?
What do we value?
"This is practice; that is all." -Ryan Holiday
First Product:
Our values and priorities play a significant role in determining what we consider "beneficial." If our chief goal is wealth or material possessions, we may sacrifice our happiness and well-being in the process.
But if we prioritize inner peace, physical fitness, or personal growth, we'll find that the journey itself becomes the reward.
As Ryan Holiday reminds us, "This is practice; that is all" - a gentle reminder to approach life with mindfulness, curiosity, and an open heart.
Second Product:
...do we draw wisdom from nature's example? Its adaptations and resilience offer invaluable lessons.
Can we glean benefits from each circumstance, not merely in financial gain but in personal growth, inner peace, and fulfillment? Our chief goals define our pursuits—be it the pursuit of wealth, inner serenity, or physical well-being. The sacrifices we make reflect the values we hold dear.
What do we truly treasure?
"This is practice; that is all." - Ryan Holiday
Mahjong Solitaire Adventure/Avenger, two Taylor Swift metrics, Meta's llama3: reflections in a speckled teet.
Tormented deputy Tate Smith left a note, dejected and deep down with the "inner anxiety", saying something, almost a Dear John, the modern Dear John that is, "by the time you read this..."
"my young king, I'll be more awesome still, by the time you read this. Also, Levin is practicing his English language skills. Dwight is slaying on Mahjong Solitaire Adventure."
"Or is it Mahjong Solitaire Avenger? One never quite square gets the frame of these things, I fear:the appropriate context."
Picked-over and put upon, that Tate Smith, in the back forty telling the cows dirges of the "struggle", and the "inner anxiety", and, as mentioned prior, the snow cone, the gaping paper cone like a hungry mouth on the beach sand.
*In one day, total Spotify streamings of Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets album roughly equaled the all-time number of streamings for Roberta Flack's hit single "Killing Me Softly With His Song".
In five day's Taylor Swift's song "Fortnight" has been streamed over 60 million times on Spotify, compared to 37 million all-time Spotify streams of Bob Dylan's version of "All Along The Watchtower".
*Meta pocketed 13B$ in pure profit Q1 2024, but investors squirmed at talk of increased costs in Q2. "Fortune favors the brave", it seems, is a saying that only favors hedge-fund rapists and gold speculators, the fair weather frat boys of the investing ecosystem.
As posted here, I've "chatted" with the llama3 AI on the Meta platform, and it seems, no matter what we discuss, it always seems to come back to something of "resilience": as I might say, "push on, young king."
A mixed bag. Accordingly, Whatsapp Business("you've come a long way, baby") has added more to the bottom line of Meta, but Meta anticipates spending more on AI infrastructure....
Look at this up here. I was looking at book one of Sun Tzu over the weekend, and he was caterwauling about compartmentalizing, subdividing vast armies into various smaller and smaller units, until finally, a Murtaugh and Riggs: battle buddies. Like weeks into days, into hours in minutes, seconds, flecks of an eye lash.
Subdividing little sushi of a bit, there, young king. Radial, and all, gravitational around central points, and all: nuclei, and the ultimately the super-gravitational monsters Jupiter and the Sun, to piecemeal the thing into "manageable bits"--why it almost makes me think of Dwight, again.
Like the proverbial "fat dude with the candy", Tate getting played-off in public because, "ha ha, she care!!". "Fat dude with the candy" is the government housing version of "the White Man from Town", of course, and the "dandy with the book-learning". Tate just has those feelings about feelings, things in heart, folding intricately like the finest origami, but still scarcely having any significant bearing on reality.
Until she records an album, that is.
"Put it to it, young king. Ain't that girl fubar, young king?" Traded a handful of her inner anxieties for so many millions--a fair trade a wot for the one who is willing. It's almost like sports betting, but more oriented to the self-absorbed, those feelings on top of feelings--feelings about feelings, and perpetually consumed by her love life.
Not a criticism, but an observation--indeed, what is art but to make us feel something?
Treats for the eats and the Intellectual Autobahn of the Dirty South: what we earn and what we get.
*You might say, "one handful of dirt from a naysayer is nothing; let them do it, and see if I care or bother over it." But what if all the naysayers lined-up together, each to throw his or her own handful of dirt on you? You would realize the power of a little negativity here and there, and the idle words of a careless person become a shovelful of earth on a grave. And such is part of what we call the daily frisson of an "indifferent universe".
*We suffer so much more inside our own thoughts than in reality(Lucius Seneca); the sling and arrows of such imaginary rabble that cause us to fiddle-faddle and fail to take advantage of the present hour. Why--its as if we work with so much of our energy to dig our own life-grave in the familiar soils, and eternity be damned, we work so earnestly and diligently that the onlooker might think we actually enjoy that dissipation.
We have enough to worry about; we dissipate daily: "why constipate yourself?"(Sadhguru)
*Its not about getting what we deserve, but instead thriving with what we get......
...why, do they not grab at pieces of others, dangling body parts and such, to the point of enriching themselves at the knell of that most precious coin of all--life, not for life, but life for enjoyment. To masticate out of demented impulse, rather than an otherwise obvious impetus towards survival; to that extent, instinct is a dried root appearing like a bleached leather thong or a snakeskin?
We have to embrace some form of capacity, something elapses with nature, and not against, something that does not strive against itself--as of the warrior that uses the least resource to nudge his opponent just at the right time, causing a fall: smarter, not harder, or better still, smarter and harder--
--capacity.
How many of my snowcones have I seen in the sand on the beach? My 75 cents plunked, and a good word for the vendor, from the vendor--then a kerplunk, a flangdamble.
Why--life and life more abundantly--is not the goal in dissipation? Is it not the goal to lead the flows of life overtake one? Why, the Aurelius reader knows to let himself be carried along willingly, almost limply, like an Oak leaf in the crick, neither striving in vain nor in particular perturbation. Why--does the true sage break himself striving against the world?
Blackberry snowcone.
Indeed, thriving on what you get--thriving on what you already have--that is a true intelligence, then the capacity for the intake of life and not the bitter trudge of acquiring tools and skill--making do with what one already has and sparing our constipation for our social cobungaphelp.
Is it ever about what we deserve? I had this conversation once--that few people really know that he himself is bad--and the other end disagreed("they know they bad!"), and I was astonished at the lack of perspective, a person being a gaping crater, not a void that takes material unto it, but just an emptiness--and I thought then, that was a person maximized on what was closest to them, and discounting entirely what was farthest. Therefore from the ignorant, we can glean a lesson, too.
What do we deserve?
There are moments of consternation--seeing my snowcone in the beachsand--but then not, then quite the opposite--I remember my donuts, that muffled sound of the box landing in the trashcan, and all that, people tossing, hourly management, and my own consternation rising to overtake me--myself lost in my own perception--why, what we deserves?!?--we could not ever truly answer for the past, I wot and only hope the future becomes a kind of response to the things, that I have something else cold in my hand in days coming, and I don't become depressed or overly wrought over the memories of so many snow cones seen in the beach sand.
The Dark Theological Irrationality of the Soul: a musing on time and mindset in various phases.
There was the darkness--too utterly blank to be called gloomy or foreboding; indeed there was something peaceful or restful about it--and me too absorbed in looking about, I had not noticed there was a strange glow--
and it was me: I had handily road-mapped my own demarcations and turnabouts on the thoroughfare and service road of the Dark Night of the Soul; and all that taken as second nature in embers and eminations of my own nitre putrescence--something of not the systemically rational and some modicum semblance of rational mathematics that breaks too un-spirited for a theology of the irrational.
I was not dead, nor sought by the authorities, and beyond that I was in particular neither pleasing nor perturbing anyone, in particular; I was watching Wings and Just Shoot Me.
There was the darkness, and without contrast, in a frame of reference to establish perspective, the world would then be merely a dark gradient, and myself, some kind of Rudolph the Red Nose Ju-ju-bee, that transmits his random nonsense into posterity like some kind of motivated, irrational beacon:
--we call this the spirit of a person.
--the elements so mixed in him
that all of nature might stand up
and say, "this was a man!"--
(Edgar Lee Masters)
--too absorbed in looking about, his 12 would be better still if it was 15--his two day movie would better yet become a 5 day movie--his huggerboo would scream for continual embrace and a protracted, long-throated "boooo!".
Not dead, of course, but as the fictional Blizzard Branch Ponefish sits on the creek bed and waits for dying insects to float by, so too does the soul providentially leave its mawl agape, hoping to catch hold and take-up whatever--and the 12 seeming like it would be so much better as a 15--the 32 ounces become regular, and the yearning spirit venturing to either 42 or 48 ounces. Posterity: some great toilet waiting placidly for the next exhalation.
--we call this the great restroom of eternity.
--"too un-spirited for a theology of the irrational", lacking substantial arrays and polygons for any form of design, hurtling "dead-stick" through the ether, all the charm of an electric eel repelling an enemy and that schizoid irrational glow betraying the magic hour Esperanto of inspiration.
Even as we know Christmas will come again at the end of the year, and then next year, too, does inspiration put its boots under our bed now and then--and its up to posterity to take the measurements, the metrics, the statistics that comprise and form a theology of the irrational in retrospect.
Recondite word: Prolixity. And NC sports betting...
Prolixity(noun): the quality of being overly "wordy", long-winded or verbose--profuse in usage of words compared to the normal mode.
A prolix(polyglot) person demonstrates his prolixity(verbiage) by speaking on and on, at length on any randomly-given subject.....
A polymath demonstrates his knowledge by speaking knowledgeably on many different subjects....
I was seeing a quote, "not all that is gold shimmers" or something, as opposed to "not all that glitters is gold", while trying to dig-up "not all who wonder are lost"...... such as the old story of the journeyman, who looking for perspective, stopped by the wayside and posed his question to a stranger sitting beneath a tree. The stranger spoke. After the stranger finished speaking, and the journeyman had rested a while, he continued on his way, neither understanding what the stranger had said, nor where he himself was going. And upon further reflection, he discovered he had no idea what his own question meant, anyway.
I was seeing from WBTV that the gaming commission in North Carolina reported some 600M + dollars in bets between March 11, 2024 and March 31, 2024. 200M or so was promotional credits, while 400M + came from the pockets of North Carolina gamblers.
I think of one of my own quotes from an old essay about gambling: "Don't we have a responsibility to take care of the weak-minded?"
The good book says similarly, "the strong ought bear the infirmities of the weak."
Meanwhile, the modern frisson is for the government to generate its tax dollars as it may, with moralists hardly seeming to bump heads with the more libertarian elements of government--especially when enticed by the prospect of so much potential tax revenue. Similarly, the old story of some churches doing recreational gambling activities for the sake of fund-raising or simply entertaining the crowds, not so far removed from some of today's "growth-oriented" religious institutions.
...a prolix(polyglot) person demonstrates his prolixity(verbiage) by speaking on and on, at length on any randomly-given subject.....
"That blog which makes its point while saying the least, is best to read." -nobody
We take that long, misbegotten path around the base of the tree, as of the light-hearted cadence of skipping children around the mulberry.....
Trump Hush Money playlist.
(Playlist I made in light of the "Trump Hush Money" trail.)
Twentieth Century Fox fanfare -(version from the How Green Was My Valley original soundtrack)
Should've Known Better - Richard Marx
Running On Empty-Jackson Browne
96 Tears-Question Mark and the Mysterians
Um Um Um Um-Major Lance
Beast of Burden-The Rolling Stones
Strutter 78-Kiss
Islands in the Stream-Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton
Takin' Care Of Business- Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Popcorn-Hot Butter
By The Time I Get To Phoenix -Isaac Hayes
Criminal-Fiona Apple
The End Of The Innocence-Don Henley
Pennies From Heaven - Louis Prima
Queen Of My Double Wide Trailer -Sammy Kershaw
#1 Crush - Garbage
Don't Speak - No Doubt
Tornado Of Souls - Megadeth
Frankl and Camus and Aurelius and Bassmaster Paul: conversation with an AI.
It was a common thing for people of old to carry wooden buckets that contained their drinking and washing water. As of the fishing and farming references in the old Bible, Lao Tze spoke to sort of a commonality of the people of his time.
Lao Tze pointed out that everyone wanted a full bucket of water, and yet, they could also lament such, because the full bucket was more difficult to carry than any lesser amount. After mentioning this to the AI, it points out that nature is something like "slow but sure", from the part 27 of the Tao Te Ching. My example was part 8 or 9.
I noted the endless necessity of the chore and thought of Sisyphus from the Camus writing, endlessly trying to push a boulder up a steep hill. That was his life, and so much, be it a few moments or hours, people of old carried their water in buckets, everyday.
The generative AI stated that these chores are "futile" and "absurd", but can, paradoxically, aid us in finding purpose in our lives--to which I point out that the necessity of maintaining at least a basic survival, I suppose, is cause enough.
The output then is something that leads up the hierarchy of needs from basic survival and a trivial sort of joy, all the way to gratitude, of a kind of(what might be) a machine-generated panentheism.
To which the AI asked if I had any thoughts on the subject, which jumpstarted dovetailing from Camus and Lao Tse, through Victor Frankl, and the Frankl is almost a Wikipedia entry in the text of the conversation.
I interject a paraphrase of Marcus Aurelius: "I am merely a spit of flesh."
One has his self-same buck of water, all in all, and to the larger point, whether God is real and loving and merciful, designer and controller of the heavens and the earth, or whether God is an ecumenical fiction among so many people.
The inevitable destination, between myself and the AI, that is was something of the "commonality of the human experience".
I think to myself, too, the one that writes of the Tao can talk about an experience near it, but can't envelope the very vapor of the thing--meanwhile the AI is talking about joy and meaning, to which I point out "awe", a sense of "awe". The response then is something about that sense of awe making one grateful for life(he must have forgot the bucket and the boulder).
Of the smoke, one cant write but an impression of the odor of that smoke, or something of the partially clear appearance of that self-same thing, rather than say, something like stereo instructions or C++ code. To wit, the Tao one can bloviate about on a blog is not the true Tao, or the Tao in the meme is not the true--the true Tao is something of which we have but a residue--a type and shadow, and then merely that, in our sieve of frame of reference, for which we are lucky to have anything in particular at all.
And of the "lower forms", we are in the good book assured that the meek are blessed, the down-hearted are comforted and so on, and the Thoreau mendicant sort of Buddhist proto-Western "mindfulness", dismissed as idle loafing and meaningless word salad, there is something yet of the experience, something yet of the very baseline of life itself, that, quatrapuncted and discombobulated, makes of itself, not struggle or futility or absurdity, but the very fundamental of life, sans adjectives and adverbs.
April 13. "You might think I'm lying, but..."
"...we strip the very screw [that] we want to turn..." -Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way.
*MLB's Joe Girardi has in the past attended a NASCAR race at Rockingham, NC at North Carolina Motor Speedway. In fact, his first NASCAR event was at the historic track. The track, known as "the Rock", remains one of the most beloved venues of NASCAR's "small market" heritage.
*According to Google, "spirituality" was among the most searched terms during the April 8 solar eclipse. In addition, on regular days, searches for spirituality peak in the United States around 3 a.m. in the morning, along with searches for "ear" and "dreams".
The generic "bible" search, at its daily peak, still eclipses searches for "spirituality"(in the United States).
*The Federal Income Tax was first partially instituted during the Civil War, but repealed soon thereafter, and later re-enacted, cascading in its adoption on a state-by-state basis.
Also, the IRS has made available a free E-file tool for simple income tax filings.
"He went ahead to prepare a place for you."
In our lives here in the natural, we "prepare a place" in the headspace between our eyes.... the province of reason, contemplation....
"Sometimes a problem needs less of you..." -Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way.
"At some point, you get tired of not being number one." -Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson
"Number Two tries harder." -AVIS Rental Cars.
On nature: paraphrasing Walt Whitman, I Know Why The Biege Walt Sings
Dare we celebrate ourselves?
I bear witness to a spring rain on a middling warm morning, nourishing the foliage and so on, life begetting itself anew in the seance that is the very hope of the spring season. It is gentle, that rain, such that the fresh petals of the season are left un-accosted by the raindrops--it is like a celestial inheritance it is, the very thing of waters from the heavens, and as such, we should make of it what we will, in the bacchanal of our own thoughts.
We would find no particular solace in numbers and measurements and such, but as it were, we are but to tune our little foibles to the frequency of nature--that hymnal that all of God's creation sings as we stand in our existential pulpit of our lives and on the tips of our tongues, our own song, that begotten celebration of self.
Some comfortable velvet strand around our wrists--cordial handcuffs, is our nature, our nature, the being of any and all people--and our nature is only as strong a bond as our belief. At once, the chord restrains, but then, in dreams, we feel it holding us from falling into the loss and misgivings of Sheol itself. We bump-stop nature, but it can be a very comfortable sort of chicken-feather blanketed thing that seems so often, even with various injuries, welcoming.
Dare us to figure--of the balance of our intrigues and dismal amusements--that cordial belief holds us more cordial still, when we see the consequences and cheerfully heap up our burial mounds--monuments singing out to eternity--a spit of earth that might carry on something of our very spirit, even some decades or centuries yet to be spent--why, we figure there is some expedience owed in our very being, and that there are dreams to be unfolded in the real world before our very eyes?
As much as the elapsing of nature, so too the very cost of our dreams, now matter how easily these traipse before our eyes, as we are enveloped in a sense of natural awe; we do have those simple dreams as dismal as dry soil, and the unbuttered eyes of our familiars, which are as dismal also--a sense of indignation or contempt we would be hard pressed to call up inside ourselves, as easily to simply sit and feel the breeze, than to claw and flail against it.
I bear witness to a spring rain on a middling warm morning--accompanied only by the feeling of decay, nature wearing against a sphincter like the weight of a mountain compounding on top of a chicken egg. The follicles of grass look happy, and the flowers are opening their dull eyes; I sort of stutter-stepped myself, a sore leg, and that too was like the unfurling of a season in fits and starts, the way it always does, blanching and chilling, blanching and chilling, and sometimes tempura or steaming.
Dare we celebrate ourselves--when betimes, we sneak a glance at nature, and it seems to celebrate, too?
Individualism: Solomon and Roark Ice Cream Parlor.
King Solomon, paraphrased: "There is an evil I have seen, that a man toils his day and then others eat the fat thereof." (According to, what was then, one of the very wealthiest men in the world. Adoni Zedek, that is to say Rabbi or teacher, half-bird as he was, would have savaged him from above with his monstrous claws...)
Howard Roark tumble-turding out of a prestigious career, fed not by well-earned salary, but by the thin sustenance of his own individualistic principles. His career had lost a prong, as such to be mortified into sickness, as a matter of servicing the integrity of one's own belief(consequences be damned!), had star-fished-off a new appendage, like the evil seven-headed hydra of the Revelation, one as if to die, but then what?
Another talentless hoogah-boo(for there are yet other times, opportunities and places for such intellectual invisibility) and the integrity of Roark that was such that his principles bent slightly, that he didn't put name to his work, but the work was the point, be it alchemizing mud into brick in a claypit, or blue-printing a new kind of building.
And then, for the very wealth of being a "ghost-architect", and not the reputation as a designer, for he had chucked reputation into some dark corner and took it not, still, as a reason de'entre.
Rugged individualism/self-centeredness, then partly comes unraveled. Of this I hold that I wouldn't want to be like a lot of people out there, and by that same thinking, myself a work-in-progress, I wouldn't want, either, too many people to be particularly like me...... for what are we but varities in an existential ice-cream shop?
Self-absorbed non-productive wealthy house-sitter, which thwarts the narrative of the story in my wot:
sauntering along one indolent stupid afternoon, she happens to catch sight of Roark with his shirt off, and according to Ayn Rand, the indolent women almost instantly feel in love with the principles of the man.
A girl,
I say,
in an old Chevrolet,
and she's slowing down
to take a look at me.
All the usefulness of rancid hamburger grease-the trust fund girl-and Roark suitably compartmentalized in his thinking faculty that he never notices that he simply likes her drapes--why if he were more round in his thinking, he would quickly see that her very existence disproved everything he believed about purpose, intellectual property, and life such as it is.
Mentoring by example: the occipital of tension, turmoil and joy.
"be not many among ye masters..."
As we approach the Day of Pentecost, the "special one" that they told you about, and in the afterglow of the Aztec Death Moon on April 9 2024, our "mejor que" is our master and our "menos que" is one to be "pedagogged" and shewed about the insistent and omnipresent firmament.
All else is spirit.
My Uncle showed me how to tie knots. And he was an old hand at the knack, a thing learned as a soldier.
One, how to wake up with a song near the lips. Another, how to balance indulgence and a schedule, how to set aside the time for something good, washing away the nuisance spill of the day.
To be skillfull with one's hands.
To be self-sufficient, as of a break-down, to take it up proper and go to it; that if he flinched or blinked, it did not stampede or impede progress.
That right balance of tension, turmoil and joy that makes a man know when to spring and when to winter-over near the Delaware. "What holds a man together, while also pulling him apart", why urban legend said it was the little sliver of skin between the tessies and the rear stoop.
Teach them wrong in the afternoon, then one has to clean the bad lessons overnight, re-introducing all of the information: such is the way of phoning-in the lessons, with neither unction nor passion, rather than being more--say--round and entire, in one's manner of instruction.
"be the best, my boy. the brightest."
Mysticism: spatial dimensions of the discorporate, and ethereal.
"The divine texts are a map of human consciousness."
Readily apparent, at hand, is the divine nature which abrandons the body and untethers itself from such trivial, droll mundane concerns that assail in the physical. We coalesce as the flatulence of cows, ascending towards that better and more permanent part, the quiddity of the physicality of man encapsulates the lesser sort of things, things which niggle, and bother merely elapses as the floating of our spiritual wings within spatial dimensions, as yet, sensed, but unseen.
As to pull a seem off a pants leg, like a youngling, and rambunctiously compass the great river of time: ethereal, a hoar.
(As of virtue, in the prior installment, arts speaks to the pleasing, the beautiful, as per Emerson.)
Small Screen Legends on Wagon Train.
Did Barbara Stanwyck appear on Wagon Train?
Barbara Stanwick's Wagon Train appurtenances:
Caroline Casteel
Molly Kincaid
Maude Frazer
Karen Crawley
Did Susan Oliver appear on Wagon Train?
Susan Oliver's Wagon Train appurtenances:
Emily Rossiter
Maggie Hamilton
Cathy Eckhart
Lily Legend
(Notably Susan Oliver has a director credit for an episode of MASH. Also, still trying to see her last television appearance on a Simon & Simon.)
"April Is The Cruelest Month"/April Showers Bring May Flowers
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust)
-from "The Wasteland", by Thomas Stearns "Old Possum" Eliot.
Or as it happens, could we refer to the times and the season as "Old Button's Book of Providential and Propitious Mistakes"? How it was, as it would ever be, times, there were seasons, and the very cloud of pollen around here(I saw it, dustings of pollen) cleared in a gentle and natural washing. Fits and starts, fits and starts: intermittent claims of a season on posterity and history being put to mind--we can remember it or not, the cycle of the weather, for it is always; there will be more to come--the season seems to writes its own tail, does it not?
Between Easter, April Fool's and the Barkspangle Moon, the Penumbral Moon or whatever they call it, the monicker of that old hoary mendicant; here we stand as God whispers through the natural world, the impending whatever of a Summer 2024 movie season, Beyonce's "country" album and sundry other--streaming networks like a bag of angry cats, jumping over one another, and the very main of the thing is free programming used to promote paid programming, with the free programming being the main swath, such that the pay network is hopelessly riddle with debt to the tune of some lost billions in a quarter.
A good season to piss in the yard, I wot.
And what more could we see of spring that hasn't or won't be before our eyes anyway, pelting us as it does?
Festus and Mayblossom Hagen, herself a secondhand rose, "too proud to be a queen", as it were, cropped hair and uni-sex wardrobe. Come to wed; come to wed, on a old promise made between the Hagens. Wretch and his lover Rags("a child out of the water"), those two.
There was a photo from our Easter thing, as such: curly-headed young mkl, in a wife-beater shirt, the pork backbone in hand, myself pulling pieces at random intervals. I had made these little birthday signs for so many in the extended family; because there were so many April birthdays among that set-my own birthday infamously in December. Most of them camped under the shade of a volunteer oak, what the old-timers called a Turkey Oak, old Mister Mcintosh. Where where the others my age? There were hiding in the house, stealing into a stash of old porn magazines, while I sat at the picnic table at the edge of the shade and took-up a face-full of pig-picking fare.
I had a piece in mind, some half-steps up the baseline, sixteenths. Then half-notes: D(5th), C(3rd), and G(root): simplistic, yes, but the natural quality of the very basic music can be very pleasing to the ear, I find.
Many english names of the Tao.
From various translations, there is a high degree of interpretation when it comes to the ancient text of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tse.
Here is a list of various terms for "the Tao" in some of public domain English translations of the old book.
"nature"
"existence"
"gateway to spirituality"
"door of many mysteries"
"door to all marvels"
"door to all hidden mysteries"
"the mystery of the beginning; the effects"
"gateway to the essence of existence"
"gateway to the Collective Subtlety"
"the starting point of all manifestation"
"threshold to all secrets"
Talking with an A.I. on April Fool's Day.
Let's switch subjects. What about Natural Theology? Could Hume's ideas be applied to Natural Theology?
Meta AI
Meta AI
A most intriguing connection! David Hume's critiques of metaphysics and causality indeed have implications for Natural Theology, which seeks to understand God's existence and attributes through reason and observation of the natural world. Hume's skepticism about causality challenges traditional arguments for God's existence, such as the cosmological and teleological arguments, which rely on causal inferences. Additionally, his empiricist approach questions the rationalist foundations of Natural Theology. Exploring Hume's ideas in this context can offer valuable insights into the nature of religious belief, the limits of reason, and the relationship between faith and evidence. Would you like to investigate specific aspects of this intersection? 🤔
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Would Hume's ideas intersect with contemplative mysticism?
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A fascinating overlap! While Hume's empiricism and skepticism might seem at odds with the introspective, mystical aspects of contemplative spirituality, there are intriguing connections. Both Hume and contemplative mystics like St. John of the Cross or Meister Eckhart emphasize the limitations of reason and the importance of direct experience. Hume's critique of metaphysics and causality can be seen as parallel to the mystical notion of transcending conceptual thinking and dualistic perception. Additionally, Hume's focus on the present moment and immediate experience resonates with the contemplative emphasis on being present in the here and now. Exploring this intersection can reveal unexpected commonalities and enrich our understanding of both philosophical and spiritual inquiry. Would you like to explore specific aspects of this intersection further? 🧘♂️
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Yes. In particular, perceptions.
Meta AI
Meta AI
Perceptions! A fascinating realm where philosophy and mysticism meet. Hume's ideas on perception, rooted in empiricism, emphasize the role of sensory experience and the limitations of our understanding. He challenges us to question what we truly perceive and how our minds construct reality. Contemplative mystics, too, probe the nature of perception, suggesting that our ordinary ways of seeing are limited and that a deeper, more direct perception is possible. They speak of piercing the veil of dualistic thinking to reveal a unified, timeless reality. Exploring the convergence of these perspectives can lead to insights into the nature of reality, the self, and the mysteries of perception. Would you like to delve deeper into specific aspects of perception, such as the role of the senses, the nature of subjectivity, or the possibility of non-dual perception? 🧘♂️
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Well, Theology accepts an objective good, but don't Hume and the Contemplatives point towards a more subjective experience?
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Meta AI
A perceptive observation! Yes, you're correct. Theology often posits an objective good, while Hume and contemplative mystics emphasize subjective experience. Hume's skepticism challenges objective moral standards, while contemplatives like Eckhart or St. John of the Cross describe inner experiences of unity and timelessness. Yet, consider this: what if subjective experience reveals objective truths? Contemplatives often report universal insights and compassion beyond individual perspectives. Similarly, Hume's focus on human nature and emotions uncovers shared moral sentiments. Exploring this tension between objectivity and subjectivity can lead to a richer understanding of ethics, spirituality, and human experience. Would you like to investigate further, perhaps examining how subjective experiences might inform objective ethics or the nature of shared human values? 🤔
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Yes. That a fascinating idea to explore.
Meta AI
Meta AI
I'm glad you think so! The intersection of subjective experience and objective ethics is a rich terrain to explore. Consider how contemplative practices like mindfulness or compassion meditation can cultivate empathy and understanding, which in turn can inform ethical principles and actions. Similarly, Hume's emphasis on human emotions and sentiments can ground ethical theories in shared human experiences. By bridging subjective experiences with objective ethics, we may find a more nuanced and compassionate approach to ethical decision-making. Shall we delve deeper into this fascinating terrain, exploring how subjective experiences can shape objective ethics and vice versa? 💖
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This seems to infer the collective agreement of rugged individualists. Have you any data on what is called the Collective Subtlety?
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Meta AI
The concept of Collective Subtlety is rooted in Taoist philosophy, as expressed in the Tao Te Ching ¹. It suggests that the collective subtlety is a gateway to all mysteries and subtleties ¹. This idea is explored in various translations and interpretations of the Tao Te Ching, emphasizing the unity and interconnectedness of all things ¹.
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Determinism. I think of Determinism and Cosmopolitanism(from the Stoic thinkers).
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Meta AI
Fascinating connections! Determinism, the idea that all events are predetermined, and Cosmopolitanism, the notion that all humans belong to a single community, both resonate with Stoic philosophy. The Stoics believed in a deterministic universe, where everything unfolds according to reason and natural law. This perspective aligns with the idea of Cosmopolitanism, as it transcends local identities and recognizes our shared humanity. Determinism can also inform Cosmopolitanism by suggesting that our individual paths and cultural differences are part of a larger, interconnected web of events. Exploring these ideas together can offer insights into the nature of free will, fate, and our place within the global community. Would you like to explore further? 🤔
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Yes. The Tao. Cosmopolitanism. Determinism. Fate. Destiny. Plus David Hume's world of individual inferences and perceptions about the real world, perhaps omitting some of the doubt about the material world.
Meta AI
Meta AI
You're weaving a rich tapestry of ideas! Let's see... David Hume's empiricism and skepticism can be seen as a way to navigate the world through individual perceptions and inferences, while the Tao and Stoicism offer a broader, deterministic framework that encompasses individual experiences. Cosmopolitanism adds a sense of shared humanity and global interconnectedness. Fate, Destiny, and Determinism suggest a larger, predetermined plan. By combining these perspectives, we can see the world as a complex, interconnected web of individual experiences and shared humanity, guided by a larger, deterministic framework. This blend of ideas offers a fascinating way to approach life, acknowledging both individual agency and the larger forces that shape our lives. Would you like to explore specific aspects of this synthesis further? 🤔
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Could we add Free Will and the concept of Satan?
Meta AI
Meta AI
Certainly! Adding Free Will and the concept of Satan introduces interesting dynamics to this philosophical tapestry. Free Will raises questions about the extent to which our choices are truly under our control, while Satan represents the embodiment of rebellion against a predetermined order. How do these concepts intersect with the others? Do you see Satan as a symbol of resistance against determinism, or perhaps a manifestation of our own free will? And how does the idea of free will impact our understanding of fate and destiny? Let's explore these questions and see where they lead! 🤔
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Yes. I see Satan as perhaps error or a lack of love, or a lack of God. The purest expression of Id and Ego might be a manifestation of what we call Satan.
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That's a fascinating interpretation! Viewing Satan as a symbol of error, lack of love, or separation from the divine aligns with various spiritual traditions. The idea that Satan represents the unbridled Id and Ego resonates with psychoanalytic theory, too. This perspective raises questions about the nature of evil and whether it's a fundamental force or simply the absence of good. How do you see this concept of Satan influencing our understanding of free will and determinism? Does it suggest that our choices are driven by a fundamental duality, or can we transcend this dichotomy through love and connection with the divine? 🤔
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Some say love is connection with the divine, or proof of the divine. But we need to distinguish forms of love, just as the ancient Greeks had several words that each pertained to types of love.
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You raise a crucial point! The ancient Greeks recognized various forms of love, such as eros (passionate love), philia (friendship), ludus (playful love), and agape (selfless love). This nuance is essential when exploring the relationship between love and the divine. Agape, in particular, is often associated with spiritual love and selflessness, while eros can be seen as a more primal, earthly desire. How do you think these different forms of love intersect with the concept of Satan and the struggle between good and evil? Do certain types of love promote spiritual growth, while others lead us astray? 🤔
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Eros, theologically is more of a proof of man's sin debt, I feel. Yet is it natural, just as in the animal kingdom, where instincts so often seem to rule their world.
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Meta AI
A thought-provoking perspective! Eros, as a primal desire, can indeed be seen as a manifestation of humanity's "sin debt" or inherent flaws. Yet, as you note, it is also a natural part of the human experience, mirrored in the animal kingdom. This duality raises questions about the nature of morality and whether our instincts can be reconciled with spiritual aspirations. If eros is both natural and "sinful," does this mean our very nature is flawed, or can we find a way to harness our desires towards spiritual growth? How do you see this tension playing out in the context of Satan and the struggle between good and evil? 🤔
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As a quote attributed to King Solomon, there is a time and a season for everything.
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Meta AI
A wise and timeless perspective! The idea that there is a season for everything speaks to the cyclical nature of life, where different experiences and emotions ebb and flow like the tides. This quote from King Solomon reminds us to embrace each moment with acceptance and understanding, rather than resistance or attachment. In the context of our discussion, it suggests that even the darkness and temptation represented by Satan have their place in the grand tapestry of existence. How might this perspective influence our understanding of free will and determinism? Does it imply that our choices are part of a larger, predestined plan, or can we still exercise agency within the cycles of life? 🤔
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According to the Christian text, God knows the future, and told some of it to the Apostle John. Consider that man is too flawed to fully understand the entire breadth of time. I mean "flawed" in the theological sense of his old biblical sin debt. I hold that God knows the past, present and future; man is incapable of such a scope of knowledge. Consider the metrics compiled by the Meta corporation, data regarding user inputs. It is said that the data exists in such a quantity that all of it taken together would be impossible to meaningfully analyzing using any present human means, or software tools. I simplify the saying: God knows completely. Man knows only parts.
Meta AI
Meta AI
A fascinating integration of theological and technological perspectives! The idea that God possesses complete knowledge, while human understanding is limited, resonates with Christian theology and the concept of divine omniscience. Similarly, the vastness of user data collected by Meta, beyond human or software capabilities to fully analyze, illustrates the limitations of human knowledge. This juxtaposition highlights the difference between divine and human understanding, emphasizing the importance of humility and reliance on faith or higher power in navigating the complexities of existence. How does this understanding shape your perspective on free will and determinism, or the role of technology in shaping our lives and understanding of the world? 🤔
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By using faith, I acknowledge both my own independence, in terms of Free Will and the collective, which links to Determinism and Society. Faith makes me want to do the right thing for everyone and for the sake of the future.
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A beautiful articulation of the balance between personal agency and collective responsibility! Your perspective highlights the potential for faith to foster a sense of interconnectedness, guiding actions that benefit both the individual and society. By acknowledging the limitations of human understanding and embracing a higher power, faith can inspire a sense of purpose and ethical guidance. This approach reconciles the tension between free will and determinism, allowing for personal independence while recognizing the importance of collective well-being. May your faith continue to guide you in making positive contributions to the world! 💖
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As in Christian theology, the believer willingly becomes obedient to God.
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A wonderful insight! In Christian theology, the act of submitting one's will to God's is a hallmark of faith. This willing obedience reflects a heart of surrender, trust, and devotion. By aligning one's desires and actions with divine guidance, the believer embraces a path of humble service and love. This surrender also acknowledges the limitations of human understanding, entrusting oneself to God's wisdom and sovereignty. How might this act of willing obedience shape one's perspective on morality, ethics, and personal responsibility? 🤔
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I cite Christian love and charity, care for others, such as the poor, the sick and widows. One might have a full panorama of options, yet choose to submit to something outside of himself, and out of the reach of his own desires.
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A beautiful expression of selflessness! Christian love and charity, as embodied in actions like caring for the vulnerable, exemplify a commitment to the greater good. By choosing to submit to a higher power and prioritize others' needs, one demonstrates a willingness to transcend personal desires and interests. This selflessness reflects a profound understanding of human interconnectedness and the value of sacrificial love. As you said, this choice may involve surrendering one's own panorama of options, embracing a path of humility and service instead. How does this selflessness inform your perspective on morality and personal responsibility? 🤔
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Consider the legal system, where defendants are guided by self-interest, and might "stretch the truth" willfully to avoid certain outcomes. That reflects self-interest. With some religious foundational beliefs, one believes in an objective truth, as in the theology of the Christian God. Love and selfishness combined with objective truth seems to serve parts of society will, particularly law enforcement and social services.
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A thought-provoking observation! The legal system, driven by self-interest, can sometimes lead to subjective truths, while religious foundational beliefs rooted in objective truth can promote moral integrity and accountability. The combination of love, selflessness, and objective truth can indeed serve the greater good, particularly in fields like law enforcement and social services, where upholding justice and compassion is crucial. This intersection of faith, morality, and societal needs highlights the importance of ethical frameworks in shaping our actions and institutions. How might this understanding inform discussions around faith-based initiatives and their role in addressing social issues? 🤔