About ten days ago my daughter Madison wrote a post about the Pink Floyd song "Wish You Were Here" where she mentioned that she did not know what I thought it meant, but that for her the song was about living in shades of gray. For me the song always had three meanings. The first is the meaning that David Gilmour and Roger Waters gave it. They have both said publicly that they wrote the song as a tribute to Syd Barrett, a member of their band that did too much acid, and eventually had a mental breakdown and became a schizophrenic. The song, they say, was written for him. The other two meanings are just what I always got from the song. Overall, I think the song is about the certainty of youth, and that how over time a lot of what you were once certain about turns out to be totally false, or at least not how you pictured it. In fact, I have always felt that the song was about disillusionment with the Vietnam War. Admittedly, the first reason I will dive into was my first thoughts on the song, while my second meaning developed over time as I got older.I have pasted the lyrics below. Read them, think about them a bit and then read through my explanation. "Wish You Were Here" So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears. Wish you were here. Okay, so in just looking at the first two stanzas I see a number of hints that the questions that start the song could be from either a friend or a lover to a man who is just about to sign up to go fight in the Vietnam War. Many signed up because they thought they were saving the world from communism. The friend asks: Do you think you can tell heaven from hell? Is what we have here truly better than what they have over there, when you have never been over there? Can you confidently say things are worse over there, or just different? How much can you really tell from what you have seen of the world? The second stanza asks questions of the soldier while he is in Vietnam. He has already seen action. He has seen friends and people he respects die (trade heroes for ghosts). He has watched Napalm turn green jungle into a burning hell and has felt the hot air from the explosions (Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?) He realizes that he left his home for an ideal that doesn't exist and therefore refuses to fight any more and gets put in prison (Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?) The third stanza is his friend or lover lamenting the foolishness of it all and missing the friend who is in jail. To me, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", is the tribute song to Barrett and "Wish You Were Here" is a tribute song to those disillusioned with their part in the failed Vietnam War. Remember, the album came out in 1975, after the U.S. ended their foray into Vietnam. U.S. goals were not achieved in Vietnam and many people were disillusioned afterward, and indeed during the conflict. Am I right? Who knows, but it was always what I thought the song was about. On a more personal level, things I was certain about in my youth, I am now certain I was wrong about. The meaning of life, what happiness is and isn't, and how I was going to live my life. What I thought I knew, what I think I know now and what I will think in the future is all so uncertain. Finally thinking back on my group of friends that I had growing up...we all thought we would be a close-knit group forever. It's funny how we are now spread out all over the map leading our own lives separately. I know people I consider good friends that I haven't spoken to in over a decade! Occasionally, I will see a post from one or the other of them on Facebook, but for the most part, we have very little contact. There is nothing wrong with that. We all went our separate ways. It reminds me of lines from the song Time from the Dark Side Of The Moon album: Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain. You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older, Shorter of breath and one day closer to death. No one told us when to run... we just did. We ran all over the United States. Only one or two stayed in New Jersey. The rest of us flew to points north, south east and west. Funny, after all these years, with little contact, I still consider most of those people friends. And, on some nights, when I am thinking about my younger days, I really still do wish they were here.
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I don't know what to write about... so here are some of the weird questions that have been on my mind today. See if you can answer any of them in the comments; it'd really help me out. Bring me some peace of mind, you know what I mean? Also; if anyone has odd or troublesome questions... they can drop them in the comments and I'll try to answer them.
Here we go! Why do people think social status is so important; especially within school systems? Like honestly... who cares what lunch table you sit at or what clique you're involved with as long as you're with the people you like!? In a few years after graduation; chances are you'll never have to deal with the people you went to high school with ever again; so what's the point in stressing over popularity? Unless you're popular with truly popular people (i.e. people who are famous, etc.) your status won't matter much later in life. Enjoy your years, don't waste them worrying about pointless shit like a seat in a cafeteria. Why do people take young relationships so seriously? Honestly, this thought bothers me the most. I understand- your significant other is important. But at the young teen years; you have to realize that there is an extremely slim chance that the person you are dating will be "the one". I see so many of my friends grow deep attachments to their first or second boyfriends at the ages of 13 and up... and it's really disturbing to me. I mean, I'll have fun in my relationships... but I always set boundaries on how many feelings I can have and I never get OVERLY attached because I know that there's a slim chance it'll even last a few months, let alone any longer. Those were really the only two things bothering me today... if anyone would like to add to what I've already said; I'd love to hear it. For now, Peace (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧maddie ✧゚・: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ) I've been taking a class in sociology; and as the end of the class draws near... we discussed gender roles and the stereotyping that carries through in society. After learning about this; my class was given the question if we thought we "did gender" and conformed to the norms set for our gender; or completely challenged them. Answers to this question were posted in an online discussion forum, so I decided to read through some of the other posts before writing my own.
To my shock, so many girls were writing and saying that they often times found themselves conforming to their gender norms; and stating that "it's hard for people to not 'do gender'". I thought that statement really said a lot about our world today. It's rather appalling to me that so many girls who are close to my age found that stereotyping was so hard to avoid and hard to not conform to. I myself certainly challenge my gender norms- I'm tomboyish and I beat a 17 year old boy in a co-ed sparring division. I dress with my own style.. and it certainly doesn't conform to the typical feminine dressing norms. I wear jeans and t-shirts; and rarely ever wear dresses or skirts. I don't act feminine; either. I love rough housing, playing brutal video games, practicing karate, and going out in my woods for long periods of time. I don't mind trekking through mud up to my knees or getting a bit scraped up. On top of this... I curse like a sailor; courtesy of my dad. I truly believe that my dad has influenced my style (and how I think) dramatically; as I've been raised by him for essentially my whole life and have never really had a woman figure to look up to. He taught me to be myself, regardless of society... and to take the path less traveled by. Maybe this is why I don't "do gender". As for everyone else... don't let society tell you who to be; or what you can and can't do based on what gender you are. It's bullshit. Don't get stuck in a foolish stereotype. - Maddie "In our society leaving baby with Daddy is just one step above leaving the kids to be raised by wolves or apes." That's a quote by Al Roker, the lovable weatherman from numerous television programs. Given that weathermen are wrong just as often as they are right, I am going to go out on a limb and say he was wrong with his above quote...(just like the weather!) I'm sure Al was just trying to be funny with his quote above, but for me, it hits close to home. You see, my wife became ill when she was pregnant with our second child, and never came home. I brought Ashleigh home at 4 days old and raised her and her then seven year old sister since then. After three years, my Mom moved in to help me with the girls. My father died in the interim, and her moving in worked best for the both of us. Six years after bringing her home, Ashleigh is doing great! Maddie is doing well also. Unless you asked them, I don't think anyone would be able to tell that either of my girls did not have a Mom living at home.
My girls are sweet and feminine... although Maddie can likely hit harder than Al (she is a second-degree black belt) and probably takes a punch better too. Ashleigh is a purple belt and the highest rank in her little ninjas class. Part of being a good father is making sure that my girls are protected whether I am there or not. Training both of my girls in the martial arts is one way I am making sure that they at least have a chance to protect themselves if the need ever arises. In Al's defense, there are some men who should not be left home with the children. Indeed, Al or his father could be these very people! Some people, when they see me with my girls, assume that I am watching them because "Mom" is busy. It's even worse on the weekends...some people think that it is my weekend to have the kids. Sigh! I let people think what they want. I know. And my daughters know that I do my best to raise them properly. AND THAT I AM ALWAYS THERE FOR THEM! If others want to think that I am a part-time Dad like their husband or own father...that is up to them. As for Al, he can say what he pleases. I rarely heed his advice about the weather... and that is what he is paid to do. My guess is that the quote above is less accurate than one of his weather reports. He has about a 50% chance of getting the weather right...it is either going to rain or it isn't. I would think that the accuracy of his quote is maybe a direct hit for less than 10% of the population. Way to go Al! "Do not spoil what you have, by desiring what you have not." That's a quote by Epicurus. For those of you who are not up on your ancient Greek philosophers, Epicurus is the founder of a school of philosophy called Epicureanism. For him, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life. To have peace, and freedom from fear, and the absence of pain. Sounds like my kind of guy! For those of you with a few minutes to spare, and like a good puzzle, look up the Epicurean paradox. Given its a paradox, it is certain to make you think! Which is a great exercise.
Anyway, back to the quote! Now that you have an idea about what drove Epicurus, you can see where he is coming from with this quote. Oddly enough, there are only a few fragments left from the more than 300 written works attributed to him. In fact, much of what we know of him come from other writers and his followers. I don't know about you, but when I desire something I don't have, it is usually because nothing I have will give me the same utility. I must say that I have never desired something so much that it spoiled for me what I already had. Instead, I usually find that I desire something to enhance what I already have. For many people though, they become obsessed with what they don't have, and therefore fail to enjoy what they do have. I think the best way to avoid this problem is to really know what makes you happy. So many people go through life searching for what will make them happy. They search through the acquisition of consumer goods. I will be much more desirable if I have ripped jeans, therefore I will find someone who loves me for me and be happy. Or, people with nose rings look so cool. If I had a nose ring, I would be considered cool too, and maybe people will accept me for who I am. In both cases, the person wants one thing, but mistakenly thinks that they will get it if they have a particular look or product. Our culture seems to celebrate people who are different, yet many instead want to be different in the same way. Think of tattoos, hair styles, jewelry, clothing, and accessories. How many times do you see people who look different than you, but similar to many other people you see. Are any of them really being different? Or are they just trying to fit in with a particular type of person, while alienating the rest? We look at people, the way they dress, or what they drive, or who they hang out with and we make assumptions about them. Every once in a while, we will get to meet one of these different (different than ourselves, anyway) people and get to view their humanity up close and personal. We get to talk to them in a setting away from "Their" group or "Our" group, and we realize that much of what we usually see is just a facade. Underneath, we are mainly the same. Yes, I realize that there are differences. It is just that the differences don't have to be so great, if we can look past the facade and see the real person underneath. Overall, their wants and needs are similar to ours. For me, I am happiest when I don't care what others think of me. I like to talk to people, and hopefully make them smile or laugh. I like to share my thoughts and knowledge. That is me. Underneath it all, I think that is everybody. We all want acceptance for who we are. So much so for some that they are willing to change who they are to gain acceptance for who they are from others. It is a sad, sad, game that they play. And the shame of it is, that many of them don't even realize that they are playing it. I guess what I am trying to say is, be true to yourself. When you stop trying to chase other people's approval, you will find that you will finally approve of yourself. Some "smart" people will never learn this lesson. Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest things to see.
"For long you live and high you fly, And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry, And all you touch and all you see, Is all your life will ever be..."
Okay, time for a weird post. The quote above is, of course, from the song "Breathe" by Pink Floyd. Originally, I wanted to write a post about kindness tonight, but the last line of that quote kept coming into my head...And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be". No matter what I started to think about, or what quote I read, that line just kept coming back to me. Finally, I saw a connection between the lyric and what I wanted to write about, and I thought I'd run with it. We all have inner pictures of ourselves. It's either how we want to see ourselves or what we think others see when they look at us. The two ARE mutually exclusive. What I want to see is a charming middle-aged guy who is trying his best to raise his daughters to be loving, caring people, with the ability to think for themselves.I want to see a man who likes to lead by example and does his best to do so. A man who thinks, and lives his life to the best of his abilities. A man who is in semi-decent shape, and doesn't really care what anyone thinks of him except for his daughters. Although I try not to care what other's think of me, occasionally I flirt with the idea that others may see me differently. Without taking the time to get to know me, it's more than likely that many see me as a middle-aged overweight guy who works a low-wage job that allows him to wear T-shirts and jeans and go for long periods without shaving. They likely see a man who still lives with his Mom, thinking that he couldn't hack it on his own so he moved back in with his parents. Since I work from home, many only get to see me with my girls on the weekend, so they likely think I am divorced and just get my kids on the weekend. I don't see myself that way, and I know that many of those assumptions are not true, and yet, when I am feeling down, I oftentimes feel that is the way that many people likely perceive me. "But all we touch and all we see, is all our lives will ever be." I no longer travel in wide circles. I am too busy, to start, and I also just don't care to anymore. I am content to leave my fingerprints on the souls of the few that I love. While I like to meet new people when I have the chance, I don't feel compelled to do so. I try to leave all the people I meet with a smile on their face... although it is not always possible. I do want my girls to see that there is more to life than working from home, karate and shopping though. I try to take them out when I can to go hiking or fishing, to the movies or a nice restaurant, or even the library. Museums and parks are always fun and this summer, I will be taking them on a cross-country train trip so that they can see some of the wonders of our country up close and personal. If all goes well, we will be doing trips like that more often. In the end, I care little what anyone thinks other than my daughters. I want to touch their hearts and help them to see the world for its good points. I am trying to help them to get started living lives that matter to them. I want what they see and touch to be important to them. And I want them to remember, so that the smiles I give and the tears I cry, and all that I touch, and all that I see, will help to make their lives a little bit more than my life will ever be. "Be as you wish to seem." is another great quote by Socrates. I find it amazing that this guy lived about two thousand years ago and yet we are still quoting him today. I always wish that I could say something so profound that people would be quoting me the next day, let alone a couple thousand years from now. Still, I look back and I think that they killed Socrates because of his opinions, so I think their is something to be said about showing some restraint, no matter how profound a statement you can make.
Be as you wish to seem is great advice though. Many people fail to act as they want to be because they don't see themselves in that light. What a shame that is, because we can all be what and how we want to be. All we have to do is know how we want to be, and then act that way. If you want to be known as a wise person, then you need to act wisely. Find the things in life that you know and distill that knowledge down to its essence. When speaking on that subject, speak with authority, because if you know the essence of a thing, then you ARE an authority. Over time, branch out and extend your knowledge to different areas. One doesn't need to know nuclear physics to be considered wise. One just needs to be bale to give sound advice about what they do know. If you don't know a subject well, then don't give advice. Instead, suggest either a person who knows the topic better so that the person asking the question knows who to turn to, or suggest a place where the person could find more information to help them. A fool pretends to know everything and gives advice without knowledge. A wise man keeps his own counsel, learns new things constantly and only gives advice when asked on subjects that he knows well. Remember, be as you wish to seem. If you want to be known as wise, then you need to act wise. On the flip side, you can use this approach to be anything you want to be. If you want to be attractive to the opposite sex, then find out what the opposite sex really finds attractive. I don't mean looks wise either. I mean find out what traits people look for when they are looking for a mate, and then act as if you are already all of those things. Not to fool them...but to make yourself believe that you already have those traits. Some of those traits might be: Be well groomed; Be honest; Be well spoken: Be well read: Have a sense of humor that is witty, and not too crude; Have a nice smile. Those are just a couple of things that I could think of off of the top of my head. It is not hard to actually be any, or all of those things. You just have to put your mind to it, and then become those things. You don't have to become all those things over night. You just need to work at them a little each day...until you become who you think you can be in your mind's eye. If you gradually make the changes, no one will even know you are changing at all. They will one day only remember you as always being that way. Be as you wish to seem...It's great advice, and it works!
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. That's another quote by Lao Tzu. I will be the first to admit that I have no real clue to what he is talking about. When I hit music as a topic, I was looking for some really profound lyrics to quote. Something interesting, yet mysterious. Instead, I found a boatload of quotes about music itself.
It seems everybody has something weird to say about music. Plato said "Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue." Meanwhile, Beethoven said "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy." Even Marilyn Manson got into the act saying that "Music is the strongest form of magic". Music, it seems, speaks to many. And all of us play music. Whether we sing or tap our fingers, whistle or tap our foot, we all at one time or another try to express ourselves through sound. I enjoy listening to music while I work. I don't think that it helps me work. I think I just enjoy having sound in the background. My daughter, meanwhile, plays music to pass the time while she works. One thing I like to do is try to figure people out by the songs that they play. We all have songs that resonate with us. And the meaning behind the songs can be different for all of us. In fact, sometimes we will see meaning in a song, and then find out that the musician had a totally different meaning for the song than the one we have given the song. Music can speak to us, but we all hear it as if it is a different language. What could have deep meaning for one person could have no meaning for another. For instance, the Led Zepplin song "Thank You" holds a lot of meaning for me. I think it is a beautiful song and my wife and I had used it as our wedding song. In fact, I used some of the lyrics from that song in my wedding vow to Sharon. "If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me." The song "Castles Made of Sand" by Jimi Hendrix, also holds deep meaning for me. Meanwhile, my daughter Maddie can listen to these songs and likely get very little meaning from them. Not that she doesn't hear the message...just that it doesn't resonate with her as some of her music does. While I think we can tell a lot about a person by the style of music they listen to and by specific songs, I don't think that it is an end all in the analysis of a person. Music can only go so far in explaining a person's behavior or actions. I think music can make for a happier soul, but, depending on the style of the music, it can also lead to a sadder, or more disgruntled soul as well. Below are some of my favorite lines from songs I liked when I was growing up. I have put them in no real order. Read them, and then see if you can figure something out about me. Put your thoughts into a comment. This is open to all, whether I know you or not. I am curious what people would think about me or my thoughts just by going on some of my favorite lines. Consider this a thought experiment. To make it harder, I will not tell you who the lyrics are by. I have also, in some cases, plastered two lyrics together to make one quote. I do that when there are too many lines between my favorite parts. Here we go: "In the days of my youth I was told what it means to be a man, Now I've reached the age I've tried to do all those things the best I can." "So, so you think you can tell, Heaven from Hell. Blue skies from pain, Can you tell a green field From a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?" "I'm stepping through the door. And i'm floating in a most peculiar way...And the stars look very different today." "I'm feeling very still And i think my spaceship knows which way to go. Tell me wife i love her very much she knows." "There was a young girl, whos heart was a frown , 'Cause she was crippled for life, and she couldn't speak a sound... And she wished and prayed she could stop living, So she decided to die." "And so castles made of sand, melts into the sea, eventually." "Yeah, darlin' Gonna make it happen, Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once And explode into space. Like a true nature child We were born Born to be wild.We can climbed so high... I never wanna die. "Hey you, out there in the cold Getting lonely, getting old Can you feel me? Hey you, don't help them to bury the light. Don't give in without a fight." "There is no pain, you are receding...A distant ship's smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin'." "But I have become, comfortably numb." "This is the end, Beautiful friend. This is the end, My only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. No safety or surprise, the end. I'll never look into your eyes...again." "All our lives we sweat and save. Building for a shallow grave. Must be something else we say. Somehow to defend this place. Everything must be this way. Everything must be this way." "But I'd trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday." "One pill makes you larger, And one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all. Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall." "And when the broken-hearted people Living in the world agree, There will be an answer let it be. Let it be." "And the years rolled slowly past And i found myself alone. Surrounded by strangers i thought were my friends, I found myself further and further from my home. And i guess i lost my way. There were oh so many roads I was living to run and running to live. Never worried about paying or even how much i owed." "I began to find myself searchin'. Searching for shelter again and again. Against the wind A little something against the wind. I found myself seeking shelter against the wind." "If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me." ​Well, have fun with that! "Enlightenment is the moment the wave realizes it is the water. At that moment, all fear of death disappears." That is a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh. So who is Thich Nhat Hanh? He is a Buddhist Monk from Vietnam, who now lives in France. He is a peace activist and and an advocate of living now and just being present. I don't know about you, but I would always like to be at peace...and still be alive of course. Listening to Thich, you would think that he may have already achieved that.
It is rare to meet a true follower of zen. When I was younger, I enjoyed to meditate and look for my inner peace. I was only ever slightly successful at this. Usually, I'd still have thousands of thoughts going though my head, and opinions on everything. I could never truly just let everything go. Sure on occasion I would reach a state where I just let everything run its course, but it was usually after a long period of trying to fight the tide of problems that were trying to drag me under. Once I finally said, "you know, I did my best and now I just need to let actions take their course, while I do what I think is best'." did things finally start to clear. Sometimes, the worry that you have about things going on in your life, is exactly what is stopping you from resolving the issue. When you realize the worry won't help matters is when you get that zen-like peace. I have only experienced this feeling on an issue by issue basis. I would love to have this feeling all of the time. But a lifetime of worrying develops into a habit that is hard to overcome. If the wave needs to realize that it is the water to reach enlightenment, what do we need to realize about ourselves to achieve the same thing? I think the answer to this question can be different for each person that asks it. In fact, I wonder that if in asking the question at all if we can truly reach that enlightenment. Would an enlightened person spend his time wondering about who or what they are? I'd love to ask Thich Nhat Hanh that question. Unfortunately, I know that I am not yet enlightened, and a drive for answers is part of my being. I love to learn and I have an incessant urge to learn everything I can every day. Why? I don't know. But I'd like to find out. And THAT is how I know I am not yet enlightened. If I was enlightened, I would still learn things every day... I just wouldn't feel driven to do it. I would not focus my attention to learn something about this subject at this time, or that subject at another. I would just be. The wave thinks about itself as a wave yet it is water. Yet isn't it something more than just water too? To become a wave, something, somewhere, had to be added. Something started that water moving in the direction it is moving. We know that from basic science. Yet the quote ignores this external force that started the movement of the water. Yet when the force dissipates, the wave returns to its simplest form...water. We are the water. You and I. What forces set us in motion? What form will we return to once that force dissipates? Answer that question, and you are started on the path to enlightenment. Unfortunately for me, I have no real answer for that question. I am not sure Thich Nhat Hanh has that answer either. Although he is no doubt further down the path to enlightenment than I am, the fact that he has a schedule and travels to meet it points toward him not being enlightened either. Wouldn't an enlightened person not feel the need to be anywhere at any given time? Wouldn't his ability to just live in the present prevent him from making plans to be anywhere specific at any given future time in the future? How does it really work? I know that deep down, I am searching for something. Something to bring me peace within myself. What will it really take to attain that? I just don't know. I want to realize what I am, but I just can't see it. Unfortunately, I want an answer to a question I can't even form properly. I don't think any of us can. And THAT is what it's like to be human. "It is not what you look at that matters, it is what you see." That is a quote by Henry David Thoreau. I really don't know what to think of Thoreau. In some ways he was a gigantic phony, and in others, he made some good points. The quote above is one of his better points.
It really doesn't matter what you look at, it's what you see while you are looking. Two people can look at the same scene and see two opposite things. As I drive to karate, I can see Mt. Monadnock out in front of me while I also see the road in front of me. I choose to see the beauty in the mountain. The clouds passing over it, the sun glinting off its rocks. Someone else in the car, might see the mountain in the distance, but notice the dead squirrel lying at the side of the road, or the garbage that some slob carelessly threw out his window. At that moment, I might say "Isn't it beautiful!" (meaning the mountain view), while the person next to me looks at me as if I have lost my mind. Neither of us is wrong. We both have looked out the windshield in front of us, and we have both seen different things. It is not what we looked at...it is what we focused on. Over the past couple of years, I have tried to focus my sites on beauty, The natural beauty of the area I live in is breathtaking. That doesn't mean that I am blind to the problems of the world. It just means that at this point in my life, I would rather see the good than the bad. I am happy in my little piece of New Hampshire. At this point in my life, I will let others worry about the world. I will just try to improve the little part of my world where I can actually make a difference. I realize there are foreign wars in foreign lands. I also realize that some of the people in my country feel the need to go fight in these wars. They are not for me. I do not want my daughters to go fight in a foreign land... although I do want them to know how to fight. In case they ever have to protect themselves or their loved ones and property. There is an old poem from the 1930's that started with "What if they gave a war and nobody came?" Everyone likes to throw that line out as if it would mean the end of war. Obviously, they never read the poem. The poem actually says that if you don't fight for your side, then you are actually helping the other side. I think the whole poem is rubbish. Right in the first line, the author, Bertolt Brecht, says what if "THEY" gave a war. That is the problem right there. Most people have no clue as to who they are fighting for. Most just look and say, well if my country is fighting the war, then I am fighting for my country, But are they really? Who decided that our country should go to war? What influenced them? Who influenced them? I think those are very important questions. Particularly since Congress has not declared a war since World War II. How do you see the world? Do you want peace or war? Have we really denigrated that far? Have we really reached the point where war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength? George Orwell must be rolling in his grave! "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." That is a quote by William Penn, and although it is very short...it is also very true! I guess you can say he wasted no time in writing that thought!
To give a good example of wanting time, yet wasting it, take this post for instance. I started writing it this morning around 10:00, but I quickly got busy and didn't get around to coming back to finish it until 10:20 this evening. Naturally, what I am writing now is different than what I would have written then. Unfortunately, I had a very full day in between. I completed a spreadsheet for a new company I am covering and wrote two thirds of the report for it. I will likely go back and finish the report once I finish this post. I also made changes to six reports that came back from editing and sent an additional two reports in to the editor. I have sent out five emails to various people solving near-term issues, and I have worked Ashleigh through three lessons for her home schooling. Maddie and I have had three discussions about her school work as well. At 3:45 I showered and got ready to help teach Ashleigh's karate class at 4:30. After the class I stopped at Mc Donald's for a cookie for Ashleigh and a coffee for me. I then drove home, dropped Ashleigh off, and picked up Maddie for our karate class at 6:00. After class, we stopped for a coffee (I know I am addicted!) and a soda for her. We came home, ate dinner, and I worked with Ashleigh on her blog post. I also downloaded a program I needed for work while I waited for Ashleigh to finish typing in her blog post. Once she was done, I went upstairs to spend a little bit of quality time with Ashleigh. Now, as I sit here, I am reflecting on all of the time I have wasted over the years doing things that were not productive. Arguments with my wife that I wish never happened. Hurt feelings about little inconsequential things. Time I spent angry or upset. I regret the moments I never got to spend with a friend or my wife or children because I chose to do other things. I think of the work I have yet to do on projects due next week and I think, in twenty years, no one will remember what I wrote, or for that matter whether I was right or wrong with my call. My report is good for about a week or two after it is published. After that, no one is likely to read it again, except for me, at some point in the future, when I am getting ready to write another report on the company in the future, and I then want to see how I phrased something in the past. Time is a man-made construct. What we did in the past can't be undone. There is no guarantee we will be around in the future to do anything. We make plans anyway just in case. What we have now is this moment. How are you going to spend this moment? Reading this blog post? I will tell you how I am going to spend my next moments...the best part of my day. I am going to go and hug my daughter Ashleigh good night. I will give her a kiss and tell her I love her. I will then give my Mom a kiss good night and tell her I love her. Finally, I will go in and give my daughter Maddie a hug and tell her that I love her as well. That is how I wish all of my moments to be. Letting those I love know that I love them. Instead, life happens and I do other things. Enough things so that most of my day is taken up with things other than me focused on the ones I love. Make time for yourself every day. Spend that time with the ones you love. If you must do other things. Do them efficiently so that you will actually get the time to spend with the ones that you love. As far as I know, we are only on this world for one go around. When you are on your death bed, are you going to regret that you didn't get one more report done? Or might you regret the day a long time ago, when you were alone on the beach with the one you loved, and instead of just enjoying the moment you were worried about writing a report that nobody now even remembers or ever gave two shits about? In the end, we all have responsibilities and work. We DO NOT have to worry about it though. We should get it done as quickly as we can while doing a good job with it and then move on to do other better things with the ones we love. I miss my wife, and while I regret the times we were together where we were arguing. If we could have seen the future, I think we would have spent those moments differently. I know I would have. The fact is that none of us can see the future. Because of this, I think it is best to act towards each other how we would if we could. I am not talking about neglecting your responsibilities. I am talking about the time it takes you to do your responsibilities, and then what you do with your time afterwards. One day will not be another day, for all of us. What do you hope that you will do on that day? Since there is no way to tell when that day will be for you or your loved ones, It's best to spend those precious moments between responsibilities as if there was no tomorrow...for one day, there won't be. I like rainbows. They are very pretty and colorful. I saw my first rainbow when I was four
years old. I saw it while I was in the Market Basket parking lot. Rainbows do not appear often. When they do, it is usually after a rain. Ashleigh "Appearances are often Deceiving." That's a quote from Aesop's fables. Although a lot of the fables seem like little nonsense stories, they all have a lesson to teach...if the reader is wise enough to see it! The stories are simple and are made to teach young children the ways of the world. Personally, I think these stories should be required reading...not in the schools, but at home.
So much of what a child learns is learned at home. Sure, school can fill a child's head with facts and figures, and likely teach them how to read and do math as well. But for a child to really learn, it needs to start in the home. Teaching a child to read, doesn't teach them to love to read. Teaching a child a fact, doesn't teach them the why of a matter. Manners, can only be taught at home. Out of all of the life lessons that Aesop tries to teach, I think that appearances are often deceiving is a very important one for children to learn at a young age. While a bear cub may look cuddly, its mother, which is surely nearby is deadly. Although a glowing ember may look pretty, it can still burn you. Bringing it to the next level, people can also be deceiving. It starts with the way people act towards each other, what they say versus what they do, and even to the point of how they dress , what they drive and even to what things they spend money on. Here is a good example: I often find it illuminating to see how a person treats their family in private. A person who cheats on their spouse draws a big red flag from me. I have met CEOs who were in the process of getting a divorce from their wife of many years who had been in affairs prior to filing for divorce. I always found it odd that analysts would trust these people to give them good information, when their own spouses could not trust them to be faithful. To me, a person's spouse should be able to trust them fully. If they can't, then I certainly see no reason to trust that person either. If the most important person in their life cannot trust them, then I believe that I certainly shouldn't either. Have you ever seen a woman (or a man) who dresses in a style that is much younger than their years? I call it mutton dressed as lamb! It's sad actually. They try so hard to cling to a sense of youth, that is no longer there. The deception is more on themselves than on others. Most people can tell when they are looking at an older woman or man. While makeup or a piece of clothing can take away a few years, it can't take away decades. It is those people who I am talking about here. It is okay to wear a style that is flattering to you and makes you look a little younger. It is not okay if you are wearing a style meant for a 20 year old, and you are fifty plus! If you are Cheryl Tiegs, you may be able to get away with it. If you are the average person on the street...I doubt it! People do this with the items they use as well. Ever see a woman with a Louis Vuitton bag paying for groceries with the equivalent of food stamps? Or a $75,000 automobile sitting in front of a $20,000 mobile home? These are other forms of deception. It is more likely that people will see the person out with their $75,000 automobile and think them wealthy, than back at their home where they will know the truth. It is certainly a form of deception. Same with the woman with the Louis Vuitton bag. Seeing her walking around at the mall and no one thinks twice. See them paying for food with food stamps and the facade falls apart. All people are deceptive (yes, including me). The why of the deception is important though. Try to look past the makeup and the consumer goods and see the person underneath. Ask questions. Be curious. Be observant. Usually, the deceptions are easy to spot if you look for them. "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." That's a quote from Marcus Aurelius. Best known as a stoic philosopher, he was also a Roman Emperor! Out of the two, I'd rather be known as a stoic philosopher. Still, if he wasn't Emperor, I doubt we would know him as a philosopher at all. Why is it we remember the names of generals and politicians that led to the death and suffering of thousands of people, yet never know the names of common people who did incredible things?
The answer to that last question is likely the quote! Think about it, billions of people have lived since the beginning of time. I am certain that many of them lived overly happy lives. Some of them may have been brutally short, but happy nonetheless. What makes for happiness? Do you need to be a stoic philosopher or a Roman Emperor? I think not. And what about Marcus Aurelius himself? He seems to have lived half his life as emperor on campaign, killing people. Does THAT make for a happy man? For a man who espoused a philosophy of service and duty, probably. Think about that. Service and duty. Does a man owe service to anyone but himself or his family? What is a person's true duty? And who decides that? Do we owe service to the state? Why? Most large "states" have become corrupted over time. Should we serve corruption? I believe the best service we can do for someone is to teach them how to think. Not what to think, mind you, but HOW to think. Too many people seem to go through life without taking their individual actions to their logical conclusions. I will smoke a cigarette now, because I like the feeling that the nicotine gives me. Multiply this actions by the thousands of times that may happen over a lifetime and you have a good chance of getting lung cancer. I am not just getting down on smokers here folks. What about the person who relaxes with a beer? Or the person who calms their fears with a doughnut? My wife drank herself to death. Esophageal varacies to be exact. She had first gotten esophageal varacies and was told she needed to stop drinking or she was going to die. She stopped for a while, but her addiction got the best of her, and she eventually went back to drinking and died from it. She isn't the only one. Others have been diagnosed with diabetes and kept eating sugary snacks. They figure, this one doughnut won't kill me...never thinking that it isn't the one, but the compilation of the many. That last example was my Dad. My Dad taught me many things, but the one lesson that had a huge impact on me is a lesson he never knew he taught me. Watching him die from the complications from his diabetes taught me that that is not how I want to go out of this world. By the time he passed, my Dad was taking about seventeen pills a day, He had numerous heart operations, he had had toes amputated and he was on dialysis. His last couple of years were very tough on him. I sometimes wonder if he had ever thought past the pleasure of that doughnut, or that full sugar soda, to what they may cause later. When I was younger, I never thought past the immediate pleasure. I started to look past it, originally when I was in college and I saw how my grades were suffering from a lack of study and too much drinking. I put myself in AA then, to help get past my problem and get my grades back. I did it, eventually. I graduated in five years, but sadly went back to "casually" drinking. Essentially, I was a functional alcoholic. I finally stopped once my wife (then my girlfriend) confessed that she was an alcoholic and asked me to help her stop. I quit right then and tried to help her to do the same. Unfortunately, she was never able to stop and fourteen years later she was dead. Seeing what was happening to my Dad started me on a road to eating healthier. I read up on diabetes and sent him articles trying to educate him on the disease and help him to make changes to his lifestyle that would help him. I don't think he read any of them. I did read, them, though, and made changes to my own lifestyle to help me not to follow in his footsteps. At one time, my blood tests showed that I was just a tad below being considered pre-diabetic. That scared me. I went on a diet and lost weight. I cut out bread and pasta and most sugary snacks and treats. (I occasionally eat a coffee roll or pretzels...hey I am not perfect!). The end result is that I have lost sixty-five pounds and my blood tests have improved to where my levels are at dead center for healthy blood sugar levels. It is a struggle to stay on a low-card diet, particularly when the cook at my house thinks that it is all bullshit. I have tried to give her the literature, but she says she is too old and busy to read it. Thinking past the comfortable is one of the signposts on the way to happiness. The more areas in your life where you can force yourself to think past the comfortable, the happier you will be. Poison with a lump of sugar in it is still poison. There are better ways to relieve stress than to eat or drink yourself to death. We all have our weaknesses. Better to recognize them for what they are and then find ways to combat them. This post has drifted away from where I originally intended for it to go. I think this message is important, though, so I hope you can read between the lines. Life is what you make it. You will make it more by thinking. I usually write these blogs for my daughters, Today, I have written it for them, but also for three other people. Two likely won't read it unless I ask them to. Even then, I am not certain they will read it...or if they do, they won't see the message as pertaining to them. The third person likely will read it. I hope she can think through it and see the deeper message. "When we talk to God, we are praying. When God talks to us, we're schizophrenic." Don't worry this won't be an overly religious post. That quote, by Jane Wagner, was said tongue in cheek to get a laugh. But of course, I am going to ask my usual question: But is it true? My answer to that is that it could be true. It might be true for some people...or it might be false. And nowadays, with the government, or anyone else with access to microwave technology able to beam voices into your head, we will never actually know now will we?
Allan Frey was the first to publish a paper about the microwave auditory effect, and that's why it is also known as the Frey effect. I touched briefly about this in a blog post a couple of weeks ago. Frey wrote about the effect in 1961. By the early 1970's, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research was already beaming voices into people's heads at a distance of 100 meters. In 2003, Waveband Corp. had a contract with the U.S. Navy for a system called MEDUSA (Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio) intended to remotely, temporarily incapacitate personnel. The project was supposedly cancelled in 2005. Now let me ask you a question. If the U.S. government has been experimenting with this stuff since the early 1960's, do you really think they cancelled it in 2005? More likely, the program was changed to a different name and is being studied more discreetly. Believe me, if something has the potential to be weaponized, our government wants it! Not just to use it versus their perceived enemies... which may include you, but also so that they are up to date with all of the research so that they can block the technology from being used against them. With that said, think of the havoc that would ensue if large numbers of people believed that they were having conversations with their God. Many, not knowing of the Frey effect, would listen to the voices without question. If enough people fell for it, All of the people of the world could become slaves to the perpetrators of the hoax. Think about it, who wouldn't do what their God told them to do...particularly if most of the people around them also heard the voice in their head too! Thankfully, the amount of energy necessary to reach hundreds of people at once would be too high, and many of the people would be in danger. If it wasn't for that, though, I honestly believe someone would have tried this scheme already. Still, the potential for damage could be staggering. Think about it, Some people would likely very willingly become God's assassin. And not just Muslims either! Voices in your head would likely go a long way towards convincing a person to do heinous crimes...particularly if they thought it was their God speaking to them. As for me, knowing about the Frey effect, I would never listen to a voice in my head that told me to do something violent to another. Any voices in my head will be blatantly ignored (to the best of my ability anyway). It is a sad world we live in when you can't trust your government, many of the people around you, the media or even the voices in your head! All said, don't just follow the crowd blindly. A lot of what they are told to do doesn't makes sense. Don't listen to voices in your head...particularly if it is telling you to do something self destructive or violent. And finally, take everything that the big media companies or the government tells you to do with a grain of salt. "There's is no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality, and never allow the world within them to assert itself." That;s a quote by Hermann Hesse. Nowadays, many people mistakenly assume Hesse was a Nazi. Not so. Hesse was a writer active during the early years of the twentieth century. While he was alive during World War II, he was not a fan of the Nazis. That would be evident to anyone who has read any of his works. There is the rub. I doubt any of you have read any of his work. In fact, I would imagine that maybe one out of every one hundred thousand people have read any of his stuff nowadays (and yes, I have read some of his work). And THAT brings me back to his quote.
Hesse was socially awkward in his younger years, and likely throughout his life. He was very bookish and wrote to express his thoughts. His first published works were not very successful, yet he persevered. Eventually, he won a noble prize for his writing. The book I read by Hesse was "Steppenwolf". To me, "Steppenwolf" was about Hermann Hesse's reality. The book was his way of expressing how he saw the world. The main character in the book (Harry Haller) has the same initials as Hesse, and his bouts with depression fit Hesse to a "T"! Moreover, in a part of the book where Harry is walking around town, afraid to go home because it is there where he figures he will commit suicide, Harry meets a dancer who gives him a reason to live. Oddly enough, Hesse wrote this book soon after he had met and married a singer. The dancer's name was Hermine. (I wonder if "Steppenwolf" is where J.K Rowling got her inspiration for her character with the same name?) Hermine teaches Harry that dancing, drinking, drug use and girlfriends are okay, and that they are part of living a "true" life. Give me a little leeway here folks on the story...I read it about twenty years ago and I am writing by memory right now. I may have spelled their names wrong, and I may have a few of the facts out of order, but I still think I am getting the gist of the story correct. (I will have to go back and reread it now to see how well I did!) Anyway, eventually Hermine introduces Harry to a musician named Pablo, who seems to be a psychedelic Buddha of the twenties. He brings Harry to his mythical Magic Theatre, where Harry meets the fantasies from his mind. So was THAT Hesse's reality? In part. In the book Hermine is killed off, and I do not remember reading about any homicides in Hesse's history. To me, Hermine might have just been a convenient way for Hesse to depict changes in his own thought patterns over time. "Steppenwolf" seems to be a journey. A journey that shows the progression of Hesse's thinking over many years, right up until the time he wrote that novel. The pessimism that pervades the novel to the end almost seems to finish with a ray of hope. Truly, Steppenwolf was a bizarre novel. If you are a thinker, it will make you think...just likely not about what you usually think about. In the end, it seems Hesse's reality was one of madness. Despair and pessimism, seemed to rule his early years (as it does with many people), yet as he grew older and he was exposed to the world, his world brightened a bit. Depression was a constant companion throughout his life, however. How little we know about a man's inner thoughts. Sometimes we can recognize little parts of ourselves in other people's writings. These are the stories that call to us. And they are not always happy ones. Reality is a mixture of emotions and thoughts swirling around us as we walk through the physical world. Two people can sit in the same room and experience totally different realities. The room doesn't change, our perceptions of it does. In a happy mood, I may notice the beautiful trees just outside my window. When I am unhappy, I may notice the dust on the furniture, or the nick in the wood near the bottom of my desk. All of those things were there yesterday...all that has changed is my mood. Reality IS what we make it. While we can share small slices of reality with each other, and find a commonality, the real game is within our head. Think, and change your reality. Act, and change everyone's. "We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality." This is a quote by Iris Murdoch. Iris was a British author best known for her books about, philosophy, good and evil, sexual relationships and morality. She considered herself a follower of Plato, and that's likely where her thoughts on illusion and reality stemmed from.
So do we live in a world of illusion? In more ways than one, the answer would seem to be yes. Scientists will be the first to tell you that there is more to this world than we can perceive. There are light waves that the human eye cannot perceive and tones that the human ear cannot hear. These facts alone tell us that we are living in a world where we can see only part of the total picture. In fact, tests were done during the 1950's that showed that there can be a microwaved transmission of speech directly into the auditory cortex. It is called the Frey effect (named after the scientist who discovered it), and it allowed the scientist to beam a message to an individual, who would hear the message in his head while no one else around them could hear it! Have you ever thought you heard a voice but no one else heard it? Perhaps you did. The point is, how do we know reality? If people can beam thoughts into your head with microwaves, and the media willingly and easily changes photographs or only writes the news they want you to see. How can we really know what is reality and what is only an illusion. Should we assume that everything around us really is an illusion? Can we believe our eyes? Our thoughts? Our emotions? I have seen people who thought their spouses loved them, and yet later they found out that their spouse was cheating on them. Who can you really trust? If you can't even trust your own senses, is there anyone you can trust? Okay, I took that last thought process to an extreme. We all do live in a world of illusion. But sometimes, those illusions are necessary to help keep our sanity. The reality is that we can only trust everyone so far. I trust my daughters and my mother with my life. And yet I know that all of them lie to me occasionally on small matters. "That hair cut looks great!" "I didn't eat the last doughnut Daddy!" Is my trust in them an illusion. No, it is my reality. I know that my family will occasionally lie about small matters. That is a reality. On larger issues, I believe I can trust them. The reality is that I need that illusion, and so do they so that we can all live together amicably. Away from my family, my trust wears thin. While I'll generally trust my friends to do the right thing, I do keep my eye open for instances where things are not really as they seem. I have nearly no trust for the government or the media. Oftentimes, while out in the real world I like to follow the money, or the who benefits doctrine. When I hear something that doesn't sound 100% on the up and up, I try to figure out who will benefit from the situation, and then try to find if there was any manipulation to lead to the odd outcome. Unfortunately, I can find those connections rather easily when it comes to the government or large corporations. In the end, the reality is that we all live lives of illusion. Sometimes, the more you can see the illusions the less happy you will be. Other times, the opposite will be true. In the end, I'll finish with another quote. "Be careful what you look for...you just might find it!" "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." This is a quote by John Wooden, an amazing college basketball coach. His teams won the NCAA championship 10 times in a 12-year period, including seven years in a row! To give some perspective, no one else has been able to win it more that two years in a row...in the entire history of the tournament. Although he was a great coach, his players loved him for the life lessons he gave, since a lot of what he taught could be used both on and off the court. The above quote is a great example of his coaching style.
Too many of us let what we can't do stop us from doing what we can. Oftentimes what we mean by can't is "don't want to" or "overwhelmed". While nothing can make you want to do something, sometimes just starting with the right attitude is enough to pull you through. Personally, I find that nothing logical is impossible. It could be improbable or hard, but not impossible. A good example of this is saving money. So many people go through life with little to no savings. And yet these are the same people you see out at Starbucks twice a day or riding about in new cars or ATVs. Their thinking never goes beyond the now. Yet by cutting out one Starbucks coffee per day, they would be able to save at least $1,100 a year! I am sure all of us could live with one less cup of coffee per day! And yet so few people do so. On the flip side, some people get overwhelmed thinking about the size of the task ahead of them that they fail to take even the littlest step towards accomplishing their goal. Remember, even the longest journey starts with a single step! When you have a large task in front of you, break it down into a number of smaller steps. Remember, if something is logical, than it is likely possible... and the best way to achieve the goal is to start with what you already know is possible. So what is it that you want to achieve? So many people just feel so trapped in their current circumstances that they never even stop to think what it is that they actually want. Knowing what you want goes a long way towards making the impossible possible. Find out what you actually want to do, before you call it impossible. Do you want to meet someone new? Then go somewhere where you can meet someone new! Or, better yet, approach and talk t someone that you see in the places you do go. How many of us pass people nearly every day, yet never even give that other person a nod of acknowledgement? I know I do! Oftentimes when I go out I go to the same places. After going to these places a few times, I'll see familiar faces, yet I won't know their names or anything else about them. Instead, I'll make up my own nicknames for them...Smiley, chubby, cutie, grumpy, etc. While I may not want to meet all of them (grumpy quickly comes to mind), what stops me from talking to the rest of them? Particularly since a part of me wants to become more sociable. Meeting these people is certainly possible. Yet in my mind I say impossible. Fear of being thought strange, or of offending someone, or scaring people...general shyness holds me back. Yet by doing the possible, I would defeat those thoughts that my situation was impossible. So, what holds you back from making the "impossible" possible? In what way can I help you to make something impossible for you Possible? Remember, don't ask me to do it for you! Then it would still be impossible for you. But how can I help to make you complete the task that you have ahead of you? If it is logical, then it is likely possible. Examine your dreams. See what parts of your impossibilities are possible...and start from there. And soon you will find that what is logical and you thought impossible, is both possible and probable. It's just how you approach it!
But I digress. We saw four bands tonight, in about five hours. We had great seats, just off to the side of the stage. From Ashes To New started the show and really got the crowd started. I had only heard one of their songs before, so I was pleasantly surprised that they could really rock. The highlight of the set was when the guitarist dove into the crowd and played the guitar as he crowd surfed through the fans. For those of you who don't know, crowd surfing is when a person is held up above the crowd and passed along hand to hand above the crowd. I thought it took a lot of guts for him to do that, and it really got the crowd going. They played for about 35 minutes and did a good job. Next, In This Moment came out to do their set. Although I knew a number of the songs the band played (they are one of Maddie's favorite bands), I didn't like their performance as much as the other bands'. After every song, the lead singer would stop to change costumes and the two minute lull between songs really took momentum away from the show. In fact, by the time the band was done with their forty-five minute set, the crowd seemed flat, and less excited than after the first band. I was a little disappointed given the momentum the first band had built going into their set and given that the group generally has hard-edged music that should resonate with the crowd. The band left with a whimper and it was time to wait for Papa Roach. Papa Roach came out next and floored the crowd! These guys really know how to rock and in my opinion, they put on the best set of the night. Twice the band came out into the crowd. At one point, the lead singer was only five rows away from us, and we were in the mezzanine! (I thought being in a mosh pit wouldn't be a great introduction to rock concerts for Maddie). All of the fans were on their feet for the whole set for Papa Roach compared to the more relaxed atmosphere for the first two bands. A mosh pit opened up in the middle of the floor and security was kept busy as scores of fans crowd surfed to the stage. Papa Roach played for about an hour and a half and did two encores, including the song "Scars" which the singer and the lead guitarists did while off the stage out on the floor near the edge of the mosh pit. My favorite songs were "Last Resort" and "Scars". I have to say that Papa Roach was definitely the highlight of the entire show for me and I would definitely recommend going to see them live if you like their music. They have a great stage presence! The final band of the night was Five Finger Death Punch. These guys came out and rocked hard, but did not beat Papa Roach for the sheer intensity or entertainment value of their set. Maddie felt that their drummer was the best one of the night, although I thought that the drummer for From Ashes To New beat him out. The mosh pit from Papa Roach continued during the Death Punch set, as did the crowd surfing. The band played a number of songs that we knew since both Maddie and I like heavy metal. My favorites were "Wrong Side Of Heaven" and "Remember Everything", while Maddie liked "Jekyll And Hyde" and "Remember Everything". One of the highlights of the show for Maddie was when the lead guitarist of Five Finger Death Punch pointed at her (he is the second guitarist back in this picture). At the time he was up on the little stage where the other guitarist is in this picture. We were close enough to the stage so he could see her and he did seem to have a habit of pointing at girls in the crowd. Anyway, it made her smile and amused me too. In the end, Five Finger Death Punch did a great job, but it just didn't match the performance put on by Papa Roach. With that said, Maddie and I had a great time. And I'd have to call that one of my better birthday presents in quite a while!
"Most people don't care if you're telling them the truth or if you're telling them a lie, as long as they're entertained by it." That is a quote by Tom Waits, and I think it is one of the most shallow things I have ever heard.Under most circumstances, I believe that most people really do care if you are telling them the truth or not. Lies are a waste of everybody's time, and I believe no one likes to have their time wasted by someone else. So much of what we hear nowadays are lies. Lies or misinformation. Some people will tell you something believing it is the truth, and yet it was someone else's lie that they are just repeating. Lenin and Hitler both believed that "a lie told often enough becomes the truth. Well, Lenin said that actually. Hitler's version was a little more varied. His said "If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed." He also said: "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it." Sadly, it seems that everyone now believes these mantras. We are lied to by our politicians, we are lied to through advertising, we are lied to through phony studies, and we are lied to through our history books. In fact, it's almost to the point that if you didn't witness an event in person, then you really don't know what happened. The pictures we see, the news casts we watch, all are manipulated to make us believe a story. The stories themselves are often told from one point of view. It's rare that enough information is given to allow us to make up our own minds about an issue. Altering news or pictures isn't new either. It has been going on for decades. There are pictures from the civil war that have been altered to show scenes that never happened and there are pictures from recent political campaigns that have been altered to tell a story. Here is a recent example. This October 2012 National Review magazine cover was altered. "This cover features Barack Obama delivering a speech at the DNC. The cheering crowd waves blue signs saying “ABORTION” when in the original photo the signs read “FORWARD.” BRONX DOCUMENTARY CENTER" That quote is from a Wired magazine article from July 2015. Would the cover have been as powerful a tool for Obama if the signs were left saying Forward. I think you know the answer to that. Abortion is a controversial issue and many democrats support it. So what is wrong with all this lying? Well, the way our memories work, we will remember these images and recall them later and believe them as truth. It must be true, I saw it on the cover of the national review! How many lies have we all seen and did not recognize as being untrue? How many things have we read, that we now believe are true, that are not true? It's bad enough when it is the media doing this to us, but how about when we do it to each other? How many times have one of your friends or loved ones lied to you and you were unaware. Lying seems to be part of the culture now. I have had people look me straight in the eye and lie to me, not knowing that I had observed what had happened. It is sickening, Can we no longer trust our friends and families? I guess it all comes down to who can you trust? I'd like to think that I can trust my family. How about you? |
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