I thought SARS was a disease, but I was wrong. It turns out to be this group of Anti-USAmerican guerrilas living in the Amazon.
SARS is also a rating for restaurants--Satisfactory to Average Restaurant Service.
Nobody talks about SARS any more.
"Now the Avian Flu Virus is making people panic,
and the media conglomerates rich.
I don't think it's making me sleepy or queasy,
it's just making my eyelids itch." - a spontaneous poem for you
Don’t laminate my lemonade, baby. Oh, no. don’t you dare try to steal my refreshing drink in airtight plastic wrap. I’ll be tempted to come at you with a new bar of soap if you laminate my lemonade. So you’d better think even more differently than your last thoughts like a hunter in the rain made for another month.
You are experiencing technical difficultness.
The Year was 2170, and a man from 1997 decided to work then. He called up the future through his mysterious wireless telephone. The conversation went like this.
“The year 2170. May I help you?”
“Yes, I’m calling from 1997, and I would like to work in 2170.”
“Do you have any experience working in the future?”
“Well, I work now and I was born in 1973.”
“Your sort of humor won’t crack any smiles in 2170.”
“Are you saying that the future is humorless?”
“Infer nothing. One of the greatest crimes of the 22nd Century is inferring statements from future employers.”
“What’s the penalty?”
“being replaced by an automaton.”
“Do you mean a robot?”
“What else would an automaton be?”
“Can we get back to the interview?”
“Sure. What experience do you have working in the future?”
“In 1993, I had an internship in 2576.”
“How did you get an internship that far in the future?”
“Nepotism.”
“Who’s your connection?”
“Dr. Sears.”
“Isn’t there a retail corporation by that name in your time?”
“Yes, that’s right. You know your history.”
“We don’t know anyone by the name of Dr. Sears in 2170.”
“I don’t expect you to. His connections are all beyond the 23rd century.”
“So what interests you in 2071?”
“I’ve heard that babysitting is the biggest industry that year. Isn’t it bringing in quadrillions of Euros every month?”
“That’s right. Are you qualified to be a babysitter?”
“I’ve had 5 years experience babysitting my neighbor’s children.”
“Are you registered?”
“We don’t register babysitters in 1997.”
“In some areas in your time, some babysitters do have to be registered.”
“Then my answer is no. Can I get registered in 1997 or do I have to get registered in 2170?”
Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of CALL TO THE FUTURE.
Now it's time for ridiculing the ridiculous Europeans.
As an American, I love to mock those “old world” Europeans. Putting them in pigeonholes is so amusing.
Britons are snobby.
Frenchies are froggy.
Spaniards are snappy.
Germans are strappy.
Russians are hoity-toity
Dutch are diggety-dog.
Romanians are slickety-slack.
Irish are neernorn-ploft.
Greeks are plain glubbity.
This is not a blog. It is a pinata without the tilda.
Pinata o pinata
You are the tarantula in my bowl of accessories
Finding the time is so meaningless to you
Pinata o pinata
People drum their noses to your harmonies
Finally grasping the tune of your strings
Pinata o pinata
God has posted lovers along his boulevards
But they only came to life when they set their eyes on you
Pinata o pinata
Has the world really spun around so quickly?
It's time to sew hats and make haste
This has been a pinata.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Identity Crisis
This Taoist/Dada fascination is part of the building of an identity I have for myself. As I put up some Taoist bricks, I am taking down some Christianity bricks. I don't get rid of all my Christianity bricks because Jesus and all those Jews in the Old Testament said and did some things I agree with. My Christian family members worry when they see me take down some Christian bricks. I don't want to get too much into religion, so I'll stop here.
I was talking about identity. It seems that once we get the physical world figured out enough, we spend the rest of our lives dealing with our own identity. I thought I had myself pegged ten years ago, but I didn't. I keep changing, but it is a predictable and comfortable change.
What I'm discovering these days is that identity is a coping mechanism. Once I declare that I am Taoist, then it's easier for me to make decisions concerning philosophy and spirituality. Once I declare that I am a liberal, then it's easier for me to make decisions concerning politics. Some people don't go that far. They just stick to the religion they were born into to maintain their lasting relationships. As for politics, people change that all the time. Usually middle-of-the-road is safest because it helps with maintaining relationships.
I am thinking of a very risky experiment. It is doing something that goes against your identity. When you do that, you've threatened your relationships and your way of coping with the world. Friends will say, "Why did you do that? I thought I knew you." And you'll reflect and say, "I don't know what I am."
I also think of idenity in terms of preferences. During adolescent years, we experiment with many consumer products (I'm speaking for the privileged folks in "first-world" nations) and base our identity on what we like and dislike. Teenagers are very impressionable, so commercials play a big role in our preferences. For example, when I was a teenager I was a Pepsi boy and not a Coca-Cola boy. You can tell which decade I grew up in based on that example. I see many teenagers basing their identity on products they like. It is sickening, but many people grow out of it. Hey, it helps the economy.
Once I got beyond basing my identity on what was on television, I went to music and its message. Suddenly I became Beatle boy. And I fused my ideals with John Lennon's until it got uncomfortable like posing naked on an album cover. I couldn't do that. My Beatles identity was too limited and obsessive, so I broadened to the ideals of the late Sixties. But the Sixties were in the past, and some ideas back then didn't translate well into the current day. That's when I simplified it to just liberal ideals. It was convenient anyway because I was attending a liberal liberal arts college.
Do see the neverending process of identity? Who am I? I'm not even Dirk Babbage, am I. I think the early adult years are full of collecting things and ideas to match your taste and style. After a few years, one begins to feel bogged down by all these things. That's how I got into Taoism. It's the KISS approach to identity--Keep It Simple Stupid.
This is what happens when you look inward. You find the whole world inside yourself, and you start taking out the trash. I got rid of Pepsi about ten years ago. I now have nothing to do with Pepsi and Pepsi never had anything to do with me. What I keep is people I really know and ideas I really believe. As a younger person, you can't really hold on to ideas until you have them tested. I don't know if my Taoist beliefs have been ultimately tested.
And what about dada? Dada believes in nothing, so that makes it very easy. It's disposable art. Never trust a dadaist.
I was talking about identity. It seems that once we get the physical world figured out enough, we spend the rest of our lives dealing with our own identity. I thought I had myself pegged ten years ago, but I didn't. I keep changing, but it is a predictable and comfortable change.
What I'm discovering these days is that identity is a coping mechanism. Once I declare that I am Taoist, then it's easier for me to make decisions concerning philosophy and spirituality. Once I declare that I am a liberal, then it's easier for me to make decisions concerning politics. Some people don't go that far. They just stick to the religion they were born into to maintain their lasting relationships. As for politics, people change that all the time. Usually middle-of-the-road is safest because it helps with maintaining relationships.
I am thinking of a very risky experiment. It is doing something that goes against your identity. When you do that, you've threatened your relationships and your way of coping with the world. Friends will say, "Why did you do that? I thought I knew you." And you'll reflect and say, "I don't know what I am."
I also think of idenity in terms of preferences. During adolescent years, we experiment with many consumer products (I'm speaking for the privileged folks in "first-world" nations) and base our identity on what we like and dislike. Teenagers are very impressionable, so commercials play a big role in our preferences. For example, when I was a teenager I was a Pepsi boy and not a Coca-Cola boy. You can tell which decade I grew up in based on that example. I see many teenagers basing their identity on products they like. It is sickening, but many people grow out of it. Hey, it helps the economy.
Once I got beyond basing my identity on what was on television, I went to music and its message. Suddenly I became Beatle boy. And I fused my ideals with John Lennon's until it got uncomfortable like posing naked on an album cover. I couldn't do that. My Beatles identity was too limited and obsessive, so I broadened to the ideals of the late Sixties. But the Sixties were in the past, and some ideas back then didn't translate well into the current day. That's when I simplified it to just liberal ideals. It was convenient anyway because I was attending a liberal liberal arts college.
Do see the neverending process of identity? Who am I? I'm not even Dirk Babbage, am I. I think the early adult years are full of collecting things and ideas to match your taste and style. After a few years, one begins to feel bogged down by all these things. That's how I got into Taoism. It's the KISS approach to identity--Keep It Simple Stupid.
This is what happens when you look inward. You find the whole world inside yourself, and you start taking out the trash. I got rid of Pepsi about ten years ago. I now have nothing to do with Pepsi and Pepsi never had anything to do with me. What I keep is people I really know and ideas I really believe. As a younger person, you can't really hold on to ideas until you have them tested. I don't know if my Taoist beliefs have been ultimately tested.
And what about dada? Dada believes in nothing, so that makes it very easy. It's disposable art. Never trust a dadaist.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Everything is Meaningless
Yin - Everything is Meaningless
Yang - Nothing is Meaningless
Yin - Nothing is Meaningful
Yang - Everything is Meaningful
Let's call the whole thing off.
A few days ago at a bohemian bookstore, I thought I overheard someone say, "I'd like a meaningless cup of coffee." I wish that was what they said because I thought it was bohemian. I realized they said bottomless and was disappointed by the obvious.
Disappointed by the obvious?
Nature is obvious to humanity, so we replace it with things like street lights and Wal-Mart.
Why can't we be thrilled by the obvious?
Wouldn't that be so spontaneous?
Oh my! I'm wearing blue jeans today.
The time is correct now.
People may think I've had too much bottomless coffee if I continue to jabber on like this.
Dadaists often say that everything is meaningless until they contradict themselves.
The truth is there is no truth.
"The lie is there is no lie," said the devil to the god. And god was admitted s/he was tricked, and the devil won the world.
The devil is there is no devil.
The lived is there is no lived. For example, the Matrix.
Life is a but a dream of a butterfly that Zhuang-zhi had.
What did Zhuang-zhi have? The butterfly or the dream?
It doesn't matter because everything is meaningless.
Actually, I agree to the extent that everything man-made is meaningless from poetry to Citibank.
I enjoy man-made things when they are meaningless, like nonsense poems.
Jabberwocky and Ogden Nash.
I don't enjoy man-made things when they are meaningful, like meetings.
Food can be man-made but food isn't always meaningful.
Think about a salty snack food. Where's the meaning in that.
Now an apple is not man-made unless it's a GMO apple, but still Mother Nature conceived of the apple first.
My philosophy about liking meaningless things is meaningless.
Illogically, my philosophy about disliking meaningful things is meaningful.
You have experienced the synthesis of Taoism and Dada.
I consider myself very charming.
Yang - Nothing is Meaningless
Yin - Nothing is Meaningful
Yang - Everything is Meaningful
Let's call the whole thing off.
A few days ago at a bohemian bookstore, I thought I overheard someone say, "I'd like a meaningless cup of coffee." I wish that was what they said because I thought it was bohemian. I realized they said bottomless and was disappointed by the obvious.
Disappointed by the obvious?
Nature is obvious to humanity, so we replace it with things like street lights and Wal-Mart.
Why can't we be thrilled by the obvious?
Wouldn't that be so spontaneous?
Oh my! I'm wearing blue jeans today.
The time is correct now.
People may think I've had too much bottomless coffee if I continue to jabber on like this.
Dadaists often say that everything is meaningless until they contradict themselves.
The truth is there is no truth.
"The lie is there is no lie," said the devil to the god. And god was admitted s/he was tricked, and the devil won the world.
The devil is there is no devil.
The lived is there is no lived. For example, the Matrix.
Life is a but a dream of a butterfly that Zhuang-zhi had.
What did Zhuang-zhi have? The butterfly or the dream?
It doesn't matter because everything is meaningless.
Actually, I agree to the extent that everything man-made is meaningless from poetry to Citibank.
I enjoy man-made things when they are meaningless, like nonsense poems.
Jabberwocky and Ogden Nash.
I don't enjoy man-made things when they are meaningful, like meetings.
Food can be man-made but food isn't always meaningful.
Think about a salty snack food. Where's the meaning in that.
Now an apple is not man-made unless it's a GMO apple, but still Mother Nature conceived of the apple first.
My philosophy about liking meaningless things is meaningless.
Illogically, my philosophy about disliking meaningful things is meaningful.
You have experienced the synthesis of Taoism and Dada.
I consider myself very charming.
Gimme That Old Time Chinese Religion
Which one--Taoism, Buddhism, or Confucianism?
I've met many people who ask me, "What is Taoism?" or "What's the difference between Taoism and Buddhism?" The first question cannot be answered simply and the answer to the second question can partially answer the first question. Reading Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh is the best way to approach these answers. Here is a link to those who want AnswerExpress: http://www.taoism.net/sanctuary/books/vintaste.htm.
When it comes to Buddhism, I agree to and accept its major tenets. The hierarchy and structure of Buddhism is what I do not have patience for. Of course, the school of Buddhism I am drawn to the most is Zen. Tao+Buddha=Zen. I like to follow the path set by nature and not some human no matter how wise he or she be.
When it comes to Confucianism, all those rules based on relationships cramp my style. Although I must say Confucius was a genius. We must thank him for inventing Chinese cuisine among many other things. I equate the rules of Confucius with the Ten Commandments in the way that they have affected multiple cultures for thousands of years.
Yes, I am content with the philosophy of Taoism. And I have made up my stubborn mind. Can this stubborn mind act like water? What a contradiction! Wu wei.
Sorry no dada.
I've met many people who ask me, "What is Taoism?" or "What's the difference between Taoism and Buddhism?" The first question cannot be answered simply and the answer to the second question can partially answer the first question. Reading Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh is the best way to approach these answers. Here is a link to those who want AnswerExpress: http://www.taoism.net/sanctuary/books/vintaste.htm.
When it comes to Buddhism, I agree to and accept its major tenets. The hierarchy and structure of Buddhism is what I do not have patience for. Of course, the school of Buddhism I am drawn to the most is Zen. Tao+Buddha=Zen. I like to follow the path set by nature and not some human no matter how wise he or she be.
When it comes to Confucianism, all those rules based on relationships cramp my style. Although I must say Confucius was a genius. We must thank him for inventing Chinese cuisine among many other things. I equate the rules of Confucius with the Ten Commandments in the way that they have affected multiple cultures for thousands of years.
Yes, I am content with the philosophy of Taoism. And I have made up my stubborn mind. Can this stubborn mind act like water? What a contradiction! Wu wei.
Sorry no dada.
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