- Gene Kelley danced past Joe’s in “Singing in the Rain.”
OLD BLACK MAGIC:
“Separateness is a useful illusion.” – The Big Kahuna.
Separateness is a youthful illusion. Jl.
“God, the original Tony Soprano.” – church sign, Simpsons.
The ancient Sumerians had no concept of guilt or sin. Later, the Renaissance considered a life unencumbered by revealed religion. Religionists study “The Book” in preference to studying themselves; they put enormous energy into it, which if applied to the exploration of self, might produce a more fulfilling result.
“Monotheism is the flip side of intolerance.” – TV Travel Channel on sacred sites, explaining Amarna, Egypt.
Note: In the typical Christian, Moslem, Jewish life, Life is a pain. One must suffer and hopefully endure until the bitter pill of death is administered. Within that pain is the typically human drive to pursue happiness. Happiness is fleeting, of course, but its pursuit keeps us busy, which alleviates the pain, and the fear we have of death. Pursuing happiness is an attempt to overcome and/or keep the pain at bay as long as humanly possible; but it is just a pastime after all, not a destination.
“[When I die] all these moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.” – Rutger Hauer, Bladerunner.
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS:
“What is it like to feel a stranger?” – – PBS question. Senator Craig?
I wrote: “Ryan’s wagon was parked by the curb with its tailgate down.” Spell check gave me: “The curb with its tailgate down parked Ryan’s wagon.” Typed: “Ryan’s tailgate was parked with its wagon down at the curb.” Speel check not trubled. Glow figger.
“Monte Markham as the voice of Plutarch.” – credit, Cleopatra, A&E Classroom. Get central casting! He doesn’t even sound like Plutarch.
She boasted she could shoot and manage a horse as well as a man. (Duck, guys!).
“There’s never been ANYTHING like it.” – Shaq, for Icy Hot.
We have different views of art. He draws a stick. I struggle for “stickness.” 8/97
Creative people routinely demonstrate how to get from here to there. 10/97
Q: “Just when are you coming down to earth, young man?” A: “When it’s all over, I hope.” – Fred Astaire, The Sky’s the Limit.
“No doesn’t mean no. It means you gotta cut a corner, work harder, and beat the system.” – Baloo, Disney’s Tailspin, 1/94. Walt Disney, always a powerful force for strong evangelistic coporatist morality.
“We want to talk about reducing nuclear weapons, particularly the kind that kill people.” – Casper Weinberger, Nixon’s Secretary of Defense, CBS News.
“Mr. Begin has offered to let each member of the PLO to leave Lebanon carrying an arm.” Dianne Sawyer, 6/30/82. But leave the other arm and both legs behind.
“On a farm with no watch dog, the fox rules the roost.” – Ancient Sumerian proverb.
“NEVAH GO THIRSTY AGAIN!”
“Don’t drink alone, Scarlet. People always find out, and it ruins the reputation.” – Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), Gone With the Wind.
DAMN LIBERAL CONSERVATIVES:
Against “tax and spend bleeding heart liberal socialist democrats,” place “rob, rape, and ruin selfish warmongering radical conservative republicans.”
Said of the Congress: “They have to find a way to institutionalize the existing situation, so they don’t have to fix it.”
“It’s the lie you tell yourself that matters.” – Inspector Morse, ’95.
“No sensible man would allow himself to be sent to war to defend a politician.” – Minister, The Dreyfus Affair.
Q: Why do we serve the system? A: Because it’s comforting in its routines and, like any abused child, we’d rather keep the horror we’ve got than deal with fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of change.
Our national debate has become timid. The Neville Brothers sing, “You can tell the truth, as long as you don’t tell too much.” So what can one do about it? Here’s a starter list:
- Stick up for your rights – your own integrity matters more than loyalty to a negative cause.
- Stimulate sympathy – there are social and political reasons for what we do. The social reasons create the greatest measure of self-identification and response.
- Speak only from fact – listen, especially when you don’t agree.
- Use a variety of sources of information; try to understand the other view.
- Act. Do something positive everyday.
Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves.”
LAST COMMENT:
Pain is an itch we can’t scratch. All life is pain in the Buddhistic sense. Its temporal fleeting nature is a constant bitter sweetness, forever a tear on the edge of beauty, a sigh on the cusp of grief. We only get it for a moment, and sitting in silence, alone, we can feel its presence somewhere, always within, always informing, if we will it so.
Peace and Love, brothers and sisters. Keep on keepin’ on, and don’t forget to salute the Man in the Moon!
JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER:
Published on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 by The Guardian/UK
Human Activity Is Driving Earth’s ‘Sixth Great Extinction Event’. Population growth, pollution, and invasive species are having a disastrous effect on species in the southern hemisphere, a major review by conservationists warns, by Ian Sample. Earth is experiencing its “sixth great extinction event” with disease and human activity taking a devastating toll on vulnerable species, according to a major review by conservationists.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/28-11
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