Sunday, October 26, 2014

The Odds #22 (date unknown)

  So, have you bought your ticket yet? This week's lotto jackpot is in excess of five hundred megabucks. And what precisely, by buying a tickie; are your "odds" of cashing in on that bad boy? Well, practically speaking; zero! But the "actual odds" are said to be in the neighborhood of one in two hundred million-ish (or so). I know, let's us build a roulette wheel with those same odds, shall we? Each slot will be 1/2" wide, and our marble the normal size, and will nicely fit. That wheel with 200 thousand-thousand slots in it, how big is that sucker anyhow?
  Discounting the partitions between slots (because that would make the thing even larger!), I make it a hundred million inch circle. Gee, that would be 8.3 million feet, or 1578 miles? Mr. pi into the picture then, and we get this thing five hundred (and two) miles. . . across? Such a wheel, exceeds the square mile area of most of the fifty states, individually considered. The odds of our marble dropping in (from an airplane maybe?) to your one slot, on the first try are slim-ish I'd guess, and kinda-sorta identical to the lotto!
  So we derive a circle, one in which you could drive around at 70 m.p.h., in about twenty two hours (with zero rest stops); sprinting by 1/5th of a billion slots, and you are "hoping" it hits yours? Am I hallucinating over here, why would this (?) make sense to anybody at all? You'd have much much better odds being hit by lightning, while spotting Elvis exiting a U.F.O. And people eat this junk up!
  As a boy, I used to speculate with my buddy Gary, "What would you do, if you had a million bucks?". And likely, if you are human; similar talks come to mind in your past. You too, when young did much the same. It's "dream talk", and this (I think) is what drives the purchasing of this state sponsored con-game.  Uh, by the way, what were those "dreams" really about anyhow?
  Tell me, weren't yours about "becoming important"? Or, wasn't it that "we'd never have to worry about things?" In such dreams then, we are wanting (so to speak) "the room to be great", and moreover, a great-ness; such that we are "free" to be publicly generous, so to be identified, as a "known quantity" type person. We want wealth, "so-that" we can be generous, is that it?  So, who is the generosity-cop around here prohibiting such excess today, I'd wonder. Ah, and here we see the rub. We "can't be" generous. . . if it hurts! We desire a financial security, such that giving away, only hurts a little bit, and the loss won't be missed, thank you very much!
  Clearly then, something in our thinking has cleanly gone off the rails. As some type of psychological train-wreck, we'd like to have the cake. . .  we just now ate! To have the ability (somehow) to retain the wealth, and simultaneously lose it; I wonder why would such "make us happy" anyhow? How come nobody inquires at this door? Or perhaps, what are "the odds" of such a roaring silence, just here?
  If happiness consists of giving away a treasure you did not earn (and could not lose); so as to benefit those you love best, what do we thus infer from our use of the word "happy" in this case? Let's ditch the dream stuff for a second, and act as if this is real. If this type of giving and receiving is even a little bit real, what is the genuine article, of which lotto-money is a vague-fuzzy hint? Further, tell me friend, what (by the way) are "the odds" that we already know-and-reject that reality? And offhand, I'd say they are nearly 100%. . . the original sure thing!
  Let's imagine a boatload of criminals. With no motor, oar or sail, they are adrift. But the bad news is that they are upstream of Niagara Falls. I'd wonder; "What is the single most crucial treasure they desire? Uh, a rope maybe, some way to make landfall in time; a loyal friend on shore, aware of the predicament perhaps?". Well, something along those lines (surely) are of obviously more value than others we could name. Cheeseburgers, Corvettes and fast girls will do these pitiful sailors N-O good just now. It is "escape" they should focus upon, I'd wager. And for us to fixate on "stuff" in such a situation, means not; that dreaming itself is "wrong", but simply crazily irrelevant.
  We have been razzle-dazzled somewhere along Niagara River, I'd assess. All of the precious rocks, rare metals, paper money and art masterpieces in the known universe are even worse than cheese burgers just now. They are ballast! And down, is not "the direction of choice" just now. Our minds are giving us a bogus read-out then? For certain, such a boatload of failures (as us!) zealously coveting money (at just exactly the wrong time), reveals an inability on our part to recognize treasure itself! Danger of the Falls, namely that all too close destruction; clearly trumps all acquisition claims. And we can't see it! The fruit of Eden then, an un-natural forgetfulness, plus a severe stupidity at estimating real value? Yep, that gang of sailors "is us". Our minds are off the rails, and we are unable to notice that, because we use our minds to notice things! That's one helluva big "oops" there.
  What those screwy sailors actually require is a friend ashore, firmly anchored to dry land. They need that person to throw a rope with a grappling hook, so to drag their wet butts to safety. They need a second chance at rafting, a new lease on life!
  The Biblical reality thus is a consistent linkage of forgiveness to resurrection. The wealth He spreads is to those He loves-best, so as to wipe out the ballast dragging down, The condemnation, and that lawful guilt and shame of our (serial) failure; is the "golden-ballast" in question, and we are unable to notice! Our father Adam once upon a time "flew the bird" to the Almighty, and that basic insanity still formats as yours and my anchor! The way to the safe shore isn't findable inside the boat. But this does not mean that hope itself is dead, it means my brain is! I take no notice of the Man with the hook! That is to say; "I, of-and-in, myself, thus fail". The second chance at life, that rising from the tomb, is the Real Treasure, and he owns it, and He gives it freely, with zero "regrets for it's loss".
  Made-lately, a somewhat better sailor by the Man ashore, I too have come to spread a wealth I never earned! Oddly, I find that just about nobody wants it? Yet it makes us happy to bless them nutzo sailors yet out on the waters, with their numbskull urge to acquire a platinum anchor! In His Name, for His Glory, by His power, we keep adding to that happy nation of the rescued-from-water.
  The Guy with the hook shouts over the roar, "The sins you remit (in earth) are indeed remitted in heaven!". We then (friend!), spread gladly the only actual Treasure (Mr. Treasure to you) there is; the wealth required for when the boat meets the Falls. Enough with the ballast/anchor collection already, lose that garbage, and pull! The hook Man instructs us "Forgive us (we ask). . as we likewise are forgiving (gladly!) them other bonehead sailors". See? He gives. . . Himself, the only "Thing-ever", worth having. And with Him, comes all the ballast you could possibly ever swallow. . .plus! He, The True Treasure, "impoverishing" His Own account, is granting to the poor wealth, and we the "enriched"- thereby, give-again. . . Him! We give Him-calling, Him-hauling in to safety, Him reconciling before it's just too late! The solitary winner, that ticket to true riches, happiness and truth; have you bought yours yet?
  If your mind is working correctly, it remembers time! The clock function is basic to loosing those aboard a damned vessel before (!) she goes over. He's so blasted Good, it's scary! Now, what are the odds of me saying that? Oh, about a 100%; I'd wager. And baby, that's a good bet!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

That Faith Thing

  There are few topics, it seems just plain weirder than "faith". Don't look here for some novel lexicon derived, formalized definition. Rather, I shall proceed (as usual) "to shoot from the hip". And just forget all those warm-fuzzy "inspirational stories" we normally note. See? The strange-pants nature of our topic is (usually) made even harder to understand, and less clear by such stuff. I shall begin then, with an uneducated and ignorant critique of the two words, I often apply to discuss this "thing" called faith.
  Neither "assumption, nor presumption" work very well, as faith words, except to say that we do apply the principles of same. We take for granted (say) the truth-veracity of the Bible, or we agree in the inner-person that the claims, threats, and promises of Lord Jesus are valid, and so, to be built-upon? Do we have agreement so-far?
  My lead-off pitch then is to disqualify both! The lexical approach formats here as an odd loop. Both words "pre-sume" and "as-sume", are working off of a non-existent (I think) English word "sume". The latin "sumere", in it's base form, means; "to take". The flatly frustrating results we work with here are "to-pre-take" (as in presume), or worse yet "to-adopt-take" (as the word assume). Both make hash of the brain.
  To take, "prior to taking" (presume), makes you wonder about the "second taking" don't it? Think "2nd Blessing" folk here perhaps?  You're "in", but not really-really-in, til you do the second dose?  Or contrast that with; "to adopt-take" (assume). It makes a guy wonder whether the "adoption" in question. . was a legal one maybe? Think (perhaps) of some of those interminable "altar calls" for the benefit of them believers who have been with the Lord for decades? Like maybe, after 37 years of walking with Him, I suddenly realize that I've only been fooling myself all along? This doubling-up, this chronic "emphasizing" keeps bumping out zero output.
  So, in order to 'fix" things, we get into the goopy sentimental stories about just how very special your adorable mutt is? That wagging tail, and doggy smile "just speaks volumes to your heart". . . does it? I'd advise you, to tell it to shut up! Just pat the pup on the head, and toss a ball for him to chase, but don't confuse him with an angel. That cute story was intended to draw us close; and I find it repels! Again, we observe a two, that cancel each other. Now, this sort of word puzzle isn't only found here.
  Take a glance at "cleave", or even weirder (?) "unravel" sometime. Having attended more than your fair share of Christian weddings, you already know that for the two to cleave, is a way to say "to join, or become-one-with". Have you forgotten, that it also means the flat opposite too? It also means, to divide, or to tear asunder? Who is the comedian inventing that mess? Likewise, I feel confident that "to unravel" is not a difficult verb to grasp. What then, of "it's opposite"? Other than Shakespeare, who even uses "ravel"? Define it please? Why, of course! It means "to separate the threads apart", which is exactly what we meant by it's "un-version"? Where the heck is a word-cop when you need one? This "taking prior to being taken", this unwinding of strings, which is the "opposite of" unwinding strings. . .is strange-pants indeed!
  Speaking of strange pants, have you noticed "the longs"? Who knows (or cares?) when these dumb costumes became cool? But, take a look at those young fellars yonder. Are they "saying" with their "longs", to the world; "Hey lookee Mama, I'm wearing Daddy's shorts!", or what? Apparently, Daddy is an NFL lineman, (say) 6'-10", weighing in at 315 lbs.? These silly trousers have enormous barrel legs, and extend on "junior" to well above the ankle, and plainly below the knee. Too short for old-school "high-waters", and way too long for "shorts", these absurd "longs", are in point of fact, "shorts". Make 'em go-away, will ya?
  You get the idea here, a "thing" which we thought was "one" keeps doubling-up, to a net zero. This is not always the case. The word "nail" is a noun, and also a verb. When you say, "Hand me the nails, so's we can nail this together", I get it. But to attempt a similar dual usage to faith, we find that the sucker backfires, big-time! Faith (the noun), is this horrible mish-mash; where-in it sounds as if we were discussing Episcopalians, or something? To say, "There are many valid faiths"; ends up a recitation of your religious gew-gaws, ceremonies, festivals and doctrinal spin. . . and as such, constitute "a thing" (?) like maybe a nail or something? If there were a "thing" called faith, I'd proceed to ignore it, and demand that we discuss the verb.
  For these types of reasons, I much prefer to jog over, and hijack from Van Til, the word "presuppose", when discussing the verb; faith. Using the same lexical hatchet we applied prior, presuppose yields; "to before-under-position", which makes entirely good sense to a southern N.M. plumber!
  Come on down for a visit sometime. We'll just chase off that horde of tarantulas and rattlers for a few minutes, so to take a look-see at "a new house", in the "rough-in" phase okay? By the way, if you are unfamiliar with N.M., it's that place where they set off the world's first atomic weapon. . . and nobody noticed the difference! So, picture some really lousy dirt (bring some fertilizer for the weeds, will ya?), and in that (over-priced!) lot, we note some sticks nailed-up in a square-ish way. In the middle of those, there are a gang of pipes sticking up. There's your new house! See? As an unruly bunch of gypsies, we plumbers; predicting the future, are "before-under-positioning", all day long! We are busy finding walls, which not (yet) existent, are nonetheless "there". We drag along this great big crystal ball, you see? Well actually, we just use the cartoon (a.k.a. blueprint) to ever so carefully locate not-yet walls, not-yet-set fixtures, and such like details. We place our pipes, "just so". Just so what? So that, after  the cementeros pour the slab, and after the nail-beaters stand up the walls, (because we are all using the same cartoon!) poof and kapow, just like magic; our stuff is exactly where it needs to be! Well, kinda-sorta, at least. But, they really are right after we get done slugging the cured slab with a big hammer, and that's fer-sure.
  The root word "to suppose"  also suggests the idea of "to forge a copy, or to substitute". Hey, that works too, the substitute (for the actual house) is the idiot architect's drawing. It "stands-for another", namely that not-yet, and also-yet-"here" wall we search for.
  So, I tend heavily to toss the "taking-prior, or post" jazz (presume, assume); then pitch that slushy feel-good junk, and proceed to chronically ignore those schlocky E-pip gowns and candles as "faithy". See? A guy has just gotta ask at some point; "What in heck are we building here anyhow?". You've likely heard faith discussed as; "the already, and not yet", but I say, "Not yet WHAT?". I'm kinda rude that way.
  And I'd just like to say, along these lines, that as fellow builders, a man has just got to admire termites! Down in South America, those little dudes build the equivalent of bug skyscrapers! Very large structures (like maybe 8-12 feet tall) they build, and "Casa de-pipsqueak" is their project. I've heard, that if you dig down, find the queen, and kill her, suddenly across the nest, all the blue-collar types come to a screeching halt? Suddenly finding themselves laid-off, and with no job prospects, they wander around aimlessly. I dunno, maybe the she-bug is telepathic or something? But in any case, with her safe and sound, they work like plumbers (!) and can remember what to do next, one team, one hand with one design. Her alive and well, the mighty big house of little tiny wood-biters goes up-and-up!
  Now, the verb faith is a bit like termites, except more-so. There is a new thing coming (and in rough-in stage, already come). I name him ("her" actually) "the many-man", or perhaps "the compound individual". Notice; this is not just another case of doubling-to-zero. You might ask; "Tell me in a one word answer, is the structure a many, or an individual?". Here's my badge number, and as an undercover word-cop, and I say that the answer is "Yes", or as the E-pips insist, "Amen and Amen".
  The Community which is One (the Trinity) is really the only "place" where this yes actually functions, but He-They are working-out. . . "from there"! So then, in that "place" (Mr. Place to you) the question; "Which is of supreme value, the individual, or the group?", is stridently answered with "Yes!". Or similarly; "Which ultimately guides, the unity of the group, or the ambition of the person?", predictably yields "Amen!" as response.
  Basically, here's the deal, The Project Manager has designed, and is in the process of building a "wife". . . for His Son. Is that okay with you? And that wife is the new singular-many, that compound-individual we just now spoke of. Ya dig? So, even though, "on paper" she is-already, out here on the job-site, she ain't-yet, and also, is begun. With Him, it's a both/and thing, not an either/or. . . if that helps any?
  This faith verb works out to; "Do you trust the Project Manager/Architect (same Guy) and the cartoon, or do you suppose Him to be just another knucklehead college grad who has never nailed two 2 x 4's together?". Well, I'd say; "This particular Builder slapped together. .  reality itself. . . on His first try? Moreover, with no jack-hammering at all, to get things back into the wall", is how I read the resume. This Guy knows what He's doing, He's Good, real Good!
  The only glitchy thing in the design plan is that, if we talked only about bug-houses, we'd never confuse the bug with the house. Here, a confusion keeps appearing, but not that 2 = 0 thing. Faith does this, it switches the title to the property? That wife, structure, that new thing in earth, being constructed, turns out to be His new digs! We; like animated stones are being fit and mortared together, so to form a dwelling "place" for Him. A "house" which is alive, ain't like any other, a true one-of-a-kind, and she's going up, fer-sure. The 2 = 0 thing keeps trying to shift categories, inside of the cosmos, whereas His solution is to import into reality, a new kind of ownership, "from outside" of things. And it's big, real big! Hey baby, talk about skyscrapers!
  That's faith for you, a joining-in; an "Amen" ("Yes", in English) to the Project Manager's big brainwave. This wife, this compound-person, where-in this whopper, big ol' slug of persons are being knit-together, and rebuilt from the ground up, into something that doesn't exist yet (but does), is present tense; being gathered and assembled into that new-one-"thing".
  It don't much matter whether you personally "like, or approve of" the project. The thing is going up, with or without you. However, it would much-much benefit you (personally) to join. I mean, who wants to be just another building inspector, or some mere vandal, both of whom imagine they can halt or slow the project? Heck, even the angels above, are glad to doff their hard-hats, so to extend a warm handshake, as you come on-board! After all, this "place" is that one; where welcome itself was invented!
  Have as many "doubts" as you'd like to, as to whether the P.M. is "real", (He, Builder of Is?); or if this wife-gig is such a hot idea in the first place. Hey, knock yourself out, with all the doubt you can dredge up. None of that stuff will slow the job. It's your part (!) of the work, until you get used to the schedule around here. But, just as long as you don't walk-off the job-site, you'll be taught how to build, as you go along. It's the original o.j.t. sweet deal.
  Best job. . . ever! Uh, take off your hard-hat there pal, that would be "Mrs. Job" to you.

Monday, October 13, 2014

John Kennedy #23 (date late 2011)

  It's funny how an idea can get "stuck" in the mind, and even if it's not a particularly clear nor useful thing, the stinker just keeps doing laps, and won't go away! If such thoughts do not "lead anywhere", or merely complicates things, we wonder; "Why bother writing it down?" Well, it's just this, I am (surely!) not the best judge in town, as to whether these C.P.E.s are worth a hoot or not. How about you be the judge here, eh?
  Just now, I am reading an unusual book. Entitled "That Day With God"; it is a collection of sermons, homilies and prayers all delivered on the same "Sabbath day" (weekend actually), and hence the title? Gee, let's see; late Nov. of '63, why bother recording those particular sermons? Oh, I know. . . John Kennedy was murdered in public, 22 Nov. 1963. That killing is a grievous loss, an open wound, which has only has festered over the years, never truly healing; and that following Saturday and Sunday, there was record attendance at church and synagogue, across the land. Of the many words spoken on those two days, we have in this book a sample of perhaps fifty (or so), presentations to read.
  Historically then, I suspect it to be a unique book, in that we might recall a couple of things, so as to better view the material. My experience says that most sermons are prepared (at minimum), a day or two ahead of the time of delivery. If so; then these were written something like ten to forty hours after the "hit", and so are very "fresh" historical documents. At most, several days passed, but what we note is, that "already", mere hours after the assassination:
(a) It is firmly asserted, that a lone gun-man, "must have been" the (solitary) shooter.
(b) We all "share in the guilt", in that "we allow hate and intolerance to exist in society".
(c) JFK was some sort of glow-in-the-dark, secular saint.
  What is remarkable here, is that these very early-on views, have to a large degree survived the next 48 years. . . intact! Isn't it odd? Fifty samples taken from across the nation, and from across all denominational, and even belief-system lines, all so very uniformly line up, mere hours after the killing? Moreover, those same ideas don't "go-away" over the next half-century? This is pushing "coincidence" over into the realm of the uncanny, I'd say.
  How could have, all of those pastors, priests and rabbis have "known for sure", that Lee Oswald did the deed, prior to any real investigation by the police? How could they have been so certain that there was but one shooter? And my estimate here, is that some very powerful people were (and still are!) "managing" the news, and so; "shaping" public opinion. There is simply too much agreement around here, we know too-much, too-soon; and that first guessing is the final view? It ain't natural, I tell ya!
  My clue is not so much, the usual "conspiracy-theory" thing, but is much more simple. We don't need to be told that "we" are responsible, when a David Berkowitz, or Charlie Manson butcher people. Nor are "we all guilty" about James Earl Ray or Sirhan Sirhan. So, why do we "need to" hear that junk when Oswald (supposedly) does so? And I say, we need no smoky room full of tri-lateralists; nor any illuminati, secretly planning evil deeds for incomprehensible ends, when we already know full well, that for absolutely certain; that L.B.J., J. Edgar Hoover, and the Dulles brothers absolutely despised the brothers, John and Bobby, and would have danced on their graves! So we know that the powerful-then, had motive, opportunity and means. No "shadow organizations" are required. So, this whole communal guilt-trip thing, is entirely beside the point, and unnecessary for the explanation. At best; it's pure smoke and mirrors, at worst, it's devilish. And speaking of devils. . .
  Now, as to the "sainthood" of the victim, I'll tread lightly here, and simply say that if this is indeed a case of martyrdom, then it's yet, but another, and in a long string. And we have tons of examples of those, we compare life and doctrine. Martyrs (witnesses) are killed to shut them up, and silence their witness. We don't have to make up anything, but to simply tell the truth (which to my thinking), is exactly what is in short supply, lo; these many decades!
  So, here's how you hide an elephant in America, you tell him to sit down in the middle of the living room, and smile! Nobody will see him. Or more pointedly; this is how you kill an elephant in America, you blow out the back of it's skull with hundreds of live witnesses, and then next proceed to swear up and down; "The shot 'must have' come FROM the rear!" Nobody will see. Lee Oswald (supposing he was even at Dealey Square that day!), was in one of the few places the shot(s) could not have come from. John is nailed from the front, and his brain-parts go flying backward, over the trunk of the limo. Jackie, in shock and horror, climbs out on the rear of the vehicle to retrieve the thing (like, maybe she can put it back?). The lady is hysterical, and wildly disoriented, but she is not blind, nor is she insane. She "just knows somehow" that the brain is "back there", and not "up there" in the front seat. Meanwhile, where (supposedly) is Oswald? Above, and behind the car? The guy is firing U-turn bullets from up yonder maybe? And to this day, the "experts" continue to preach that Kennedy was hit from the rear. Smile! Nobody will see.
  Later, when the Zapruder film materializes, the stinking FeeBees cut and splice the thing to "show" his head being first rocked forward. Actually, in the film, that forward motion was the recoil inertia of the blow. They tried to switch it around, "so as to reveal" him; as-if impacted from the rear. But the splice job was so entirely bogus, that it was ridiculous, and proceeded to quietly go away. Smile! And never a one agent indicted, nor disciplined for falsifying evidence? What say you, J. Edgar? Meanwhile, the Warren Commission "loses testimony" which just co-incidentally does not agree with a rear-shot assault. Next, they alter the texts of those few reports which they do accept, they black-out major sections of their own "findings". . . but surely-surely they had "nothing to hide", right Mr. President. . . Ford? Yep, Jerry was on that commission. The Doctors over at Parkland Hospital, swore up and down, that a huge hole was blown out the right rear of Kennedy's skull. Very oddly indeed, the Naval surgeons (none of whom were certified to do autopsies?) "found only a small hole" back there? The "official autopsy" is a complete fraud. Smile! Nobody will see. Further, no police detective, local, state or federal (ever since) is even mildly curious about the astronomical odds of those many eyewitnesses who "mysteriously died" within a very few years of that day? People were threatened, evidence "disappeared", the gun "found in the shooter's nest" is not even the same weapon that was later submitted as Oswald's gun? Smile, nobody will see. Speaking of which, it would have been the shot of the century, in that, the (junk) Mannlicher Carcano "used" was, besides being a lousy rifle, was found afterward to not even being sighted in! Atop that, what with Lee known to be a lousy marksman and all, and it coming from the wrong direction? Smile. The Mannlicher would be akin to using a beat-up '93 Yugo, as the get-away car in the bank-job heist of the century? Smile. Nobody (ever) will see. Not only that, but the "miracle U-turn bullet", after striking two men (who together, did not line-up with "the nest"), is later "found intact" on The President's gurney at Parkland? Marvel of marvels, the thing is totally un-deformed? Wow, talk about flukey eh? . . ."Were it jus-like dat, unka-L.B.? Why shore-nuff it were, junior-tater-bug. . . You jus trus-me, would I lie?" Uh, to be blunt, yes; indeed you would-lie, and did-lie (Repeatedly!), you murdering S.O.B. . . Smile! Nobody will see. That's how to kill an elephant, American style.
  The wound is deep, and it refuses to heal, and will not "go-away". The bullet is fired and the beast might fall immediately, or he might stagger on for awhile. In our case, it's been 48 years so-far. . . We have been trained to not-link the shot, to the collapse; in that it takes so very long for him to go down. Big critter! Therefore, there "can be no connection" between then and now, and only "conspiracy nuts" disagree. But I say this; the animal when it finally fails, will be bleeding. . . money?
  See? In the same way that there is "no link" between then and now, likewise, there is "no link to be made" between inflation, and money supply! Our American catechism is very clear on this. Killings can only be done by "lone-nuts, and we can never know why". That solves that. However, we do feel quite certain that government never kills anybody, how could it; we are a democracy! Likewise; we have no idea as to why inflation arrives sometimes, but we do suspect that the moons of Jupiter might be involved somehow? Anyhow, it just arrives every now and again (from outer space?), but we do "remain free" to wish it away! To the money supply, no link exists. That inflation is just weird stuff! Furthermore, we see no link between these "self evident truths", and that committee of pervert clowns running the show, and "managing the news". There is such thing as "brainwashing", no such thing exists. . .
  Back in the "hip generation" there was much distrust of "the establishment". Hippies very much thought "the man" was a pretty bad guy, and so, were "for" sex-drugs & rock n roll. So what? Newsflash, this just in; in that fight, "the man" won. . .again! If we compared briefly John's murder, to Joshua's we would note a couple of things right away. If the sanctioned killing by "the man" in 33 A.D. had been blamed on "a lone-nut", although we already knew that the "establishment" powerful actively hated him, who would be fooled? I'm going out on a limb some, but my guess is that not a single 1st cen. Hebrew baby could have been fooled into buying the idea that it was Barrabas who nailed Him up to that horrid tree, and that "we can never know why". Not a single one of His people would have believed for a moment that "our civil servants are doing a thorough investigation" so to determine, "if Barrabas acted alone". So obviously, it's a slender parallel, but my idea today is that even if such nonsense had somehow prevailed, it could not have survived fifty, or a hundred years for the simple reason that the very same "establishment" carrying out the original murder, was still killing the followers of Joshua! It would have been entirely impossible to "fool them in this way". So, why is it so damned easy to fool us? Were those "primitives" all that much more smarter than us? Or more pointedly, were they all that much more courageous perhaps?
  As the community of the blind, we accept the fairy tale of "Lee dun-it", because it allows us the leisure to imagine that we ourselves, "mean well; and that our hallowed institutions (like us!) are basically good". Evil therefore exists, either as a plainly inexplicable crazy anger by a certain few imbalanced-sick individuals, or it is some type of diffused and non-local gas. As such; "We all share in the blame" (although no single person is ever blamed!). In this type of thinking then, we are assuming government itself (of all things!), and ourselves to be "basically good"? What unmitigated horse-anal-extract! And whatever the early believers' thoughts were, on politics as a topic (I wouldn't know); I do find it difficult to swallow that those folks inherently trusted the Roman "man". "He" was the one who was ever so industrious and honest, as to be slaughtering them for amusement in "his" sick circuses. . . just a thought there. The absolutely last thing that they would have ever concluded, was that their "man" was "basically good", much less themselves so! But, the pure B.S. (or was that H.S.?) of the snow-job Commission's report, those patent absurdities and contradictions, that big ol' slug of blank spots, plus the many deaths since, we somehow find "convincing"? So too, at the circus, the Romans did also. . . Smile! Nobody will see.
  Between JFK and BHO, the elephant of meaning and truth has collapsed, and few indeed mourn his passing. Nowadays, it is considered "irrational" to link that killing, by that "establishment-then", to the killing of the dollar, by this "establishment-now". That elephantine bleeding, of those "unfunded liabilities" of the next half century are "estimated at" (because they are afraid to say the actual number!) at 50-200 trillion dollars. Newsflash; when money "goes away", neither power, nor the power-ful, go with it. But rather; "In these dire hours, we must (sadly) invoke "temporary" (you understand?) emergency powers for the duration of the crisis". . .See? it's always all-about those newsflash bulletins, and that gang of bigger than life emergencies. Stage magicians (and politicians too?) operate by distracting the eye, from where the action actually is. That "magic" is how this junk is done. "We don't have time to think it through, this is an emergency!" And from JFK getting nailed, to, and up through 9-11; the swift-sure hand of "the great" is always, and always to use "emergencies" to expand federal powers, and to limit yours. It has a name by the way, historically; it is called "propaganda". Don't like that one very much do you? Hows about "brainwashing" then? We have been trained (trained by whom?) "not to see. . . just certain things". But it ain't rocket science. Want to know who whacked John? Follow the money trail, it's "that complex".
  One Man, and One Man alone, the True King Joshua who stood up again alive after His murder at the hands of "the man", can (or ought be!) trusted with power. .  for He sought it not! Rather, He sought out His enemies, so to make them into friends? As His friends were in those days, and for His friends alive today, and those to friends yet to be born, "the man" will always try to silence, to ridicule, to jail, and finally to murder. We are their "enemies", or so they believe. But what odd enemies we are! We, who alone in all the world, pray for their souls? With enemies like this, who needs friends?
  The truth cuts both ways. He alone is raised, and with Him a mighty (and glad) host rises-also; at His Mighty Shout. He remembers their fall. He remembers. . . everything, and yes He recalls perfectly that day at Dealey Square. . . unka-L.B., dirty J. Edgar, and foul Allen-D!
 Soloman says it this way, "Fear God, keep His commands, and you shall live!" Right on Sol, right on baby! You da man!

Saturday, October 11, 2014

The Rise, and The Fall #24 (date unknown)

  For several generations now, it has been no longer necessarily true to quip; "What goes up, must come down". We were raised, I think; to infer not only a billiard ball type physics in the matter, but a semi-political "necessity" as well. Balloons go up (and later down), and likewise with empires, kingdoms, trends and such stuff. Ya dig? Nowadays, we can (with the boost of twenty or fifty megabucks); loft objects which. . . never-ever come down!
  The cliche of transformationalism, is yes, a truism; and also an alarmingly real-world datum. The changes occurring, and especially the rate of change; at least with a view to gadgetry of the digital variety; is outpacing us old analogue style computing-men. Not only finding myself unable (nor too interested either!) to "keep-up" with the innovations, so to understand what these devices "can do for us"; I am unable to stay abreast of a simple listing of doo-dads available, let's just forget about understanding what they do! Frankly, I've come to simply no longer care what this week's "new generation of devices". . . do. A bit like the old-guy syndrome of neither recognizing the names of the "hot new stars", nor being willing to give a damn about their sex-lives perhaps; eh gramps? At any rate, it nowadays appears to me that "up-going, change, progress, and growth" are more or less interchangeably the Modern Dream, which is bastard son of the American Dream. Up-ness, per se; is assumed here, as a kind of magical certainty, the only certainty being that things will not remain as they were, but (somehow) "must improve". I find it difficult to care. . .
  See? Mankinds' old dream of comprehensive knowledge, of mastering the wisdom of things; and of people, and stuff like that-there, has been utterly shattered. There are not a hundred, and not ten thousand "important books" to read, in order to "know things", but (perhaps?) a hundred-fold of a myriad? "Specialty" is constantly being sheared-off from "discipline", such that each sub-field of these divisions, (of that section) of this narrow area of expertise, breeds "experts". We've got experts out the wazoo around here, and by the way, only experts are allowed to talk; I might add. We dinosaurs; stubbornly insisting upon some type of generalism, a unifying theme to knowing-itself, are being swamped-out! One person cannot "keep-up" with the multiplying fields, by name (as even a list), let's just forget about trying to master more than one or two of those sub-sub specialties there, Bub. In the Modern Dream then, we observe that what "goes up", is access!
  Nowadays, one need no longer actually master any field, in order to simply live. At a touch, all fields are open, and readily downloaded. And somewhere (if you're lucky!), amid all that guck; one might even find an English translation (!) of what is being discussed? For instance, I recently observed a man. He; not speaking "on" the phone, but talking "to" it? He said aloud; "Why, on the third out (in baseball), must the catcher, catch the third strike?". Pretty arcane inquiry to put before a hand-full of electric sand, I'd guess. So the darned thing in about three seconds; "talked-back", having accessed some type of "expert sports rulings, of the peculiar variety" site, and replied to the man? And even though the explanation itself, required explaining, and I still have no idea why the rule stands; it was "there, and readily accessed". Multiply this man, by several billion, and you get a glimpse of our future!
  As a herd, ever since Eden, we (as a race) have dreamt the dream of 'knowing-it-all" (even though nobody individually, likes know-it-alls?), and as such; our image of self is fundamentally skewed. Ordinarily, the dream of transformation (into a knower) was to be achieved via "technique", the favorite methods thereof; being teaching, reading, and remembering. Our bent self image formats then as a (potentially, at least) omni-competent, or even worse omni-scient individual, and is always oriented "up". Meanwhile, back over in reality-ville; our weird ignorance, persistent forgetting and suppression of what we've previously learned (and are obliged to apply); is the "down". In brief; our minds were wrecked in the fall.
  In this johnny-come-lately, new era we live in, the true innovation has become to learn the trick of denial of "the down" itself, as some sort of evidence of "progress"? Nobody ever really forgets anything, if it were true that  nobody could have possibly first learned everything! Huh? Is that logic, or is that advertising? See? One need not remember the capitol of South Dakota, when we can easier-yet Google it. Forgetting is not a "bad thing", as long as learning itself is on a need-to-know, and minute-by-minute option, and not a life lesson. Teaching then, in our day; is not so much a matter of passing on actual knowledge, as it is more so, how best to access data needed for this moments' query? A chap might be able to forget that he can't recall things very well, but the poor guy can't seem to shake the haunting feeling, that certain things were designed to be recalled readily! Such efforts at reducing, or minimizing the "down", merely generate a new, and unforeseen down!
  Let's rephrase. Think with me of the human-potential movement, and the subset within it, which the Chinese refer to. They discuss something called "extraordinary human function". EHF would include what we mean by telepathy, seeing the future, bodily healing, and all that squishy new-age stuff you were warned about twenty years ago. In brief, such progress of this type would be a somatic "action at a distance", humanly considered. Hundreds of years ago, Isaac Newton was ridiculed for his "bizarre, and occult" beliefs in "action at a distance" (gravity), and that was just a big pile of rocks floating around in space that he was talking about. EHF, if true; would posit (potentially at minimum) an "actual keeping-up"! And to "succeed" in building that monstrosity, would be the same as to fail. . . utterly!
  Whether such human function is real or even desirable; as an "up", the truly interesting section of the discussion, remains the quiet part. As always, I listen for . . . what is NOT said, especially from salesmen! And what is being sold here, in this inevitably, and evolutionarily (necessarily too!) up-ness; is the pure subjectivism. In each of the fields, it is "me-against", culture, the odds, or injustice. Or would that be; "me-for" tradition, decency, or fairness? And frankly, it just doesn't matter, because each of the trend-lines are all about me, me, and me. . . (have I mentioned myself lately, can't quite recall?). With such assertion, we observe an "unintended suppression". That roaring silence, that clanging quiet around here is; "What of His rising; or of Him against tradition, or Him for culture?". Isn't it more than a tad odd to you, that the only ever actual ascent of a Human body, unassisted by devices of any type (sorry Elijah), in all this "knowing", is unknown, and forgotten? Here, just here; at the only real "up-going" of Man (ever!) (Lord Christ on His victory lap!); and at that one and only place; graveyard dead silence prevails? How very peculiar. . .Where, amid all of our go-go, cyber-jazz "app-crap", is the working model bringing a remembrance of, The Name; (and a song in light of It), The Glory; (or one single tired-out cheer?), because-of, and in-light-of His Glad Victory? Cyber land goes dark, in a dead, friggin' silence, just exactly here!
  I am afraid here, that we have become altogether too chipper and optimistic concerning power, or more accurately, concerning His Power! Obviously, our me-centered-isms of every ilk, are busy assuming that He only, He uniformly, "must" always add, build, and aid. What then, friend; of Him as Destroyer, Him as Threat? Yes, He indeed does build, and yes also; pulls-down and demolishes. Yes, He aids, and He too also shatters. He establishes. . . and wrecks! By golly, did we "forget again"? See? We have been assuming power itself, to be "abstract and impersonal, and to be on auto-pilot. And so, I'm afraid that we keep opting for a numb, passive waiting for "things to improve" (rather than personally making them better!); as a supposed spiritually superior (our crummy "up", yet again!) stance. This predicts the ultimate power, being a. . .snooze?. . . a vacation?. . . retirement maybe? What a bunch of knuckleheads!
  I think its a little bit like those get-rich schemes, "Learn the Secret of Millionaires! Never lift a finger, and just sit back and watch the $$ come rolling in!", is our "method". A lazy blockhead will never have fear falling far, for he is unable and unwilling to get up on the high-wire in the first place! A forgetful lout (like me!) will not "feel bad" for never rising high, if he only and ever "forgets" that the Aerialist Himself going highest (The Captain of Hosts!), works with no net! No net at all, and way, way up there He "trends"! Nowadays thus, hardly anybody ever really, or actually "up-goes", but just about everybody talks about a thing which does "that-for" us all! And so, we build the anti-man.
  That "creature", that conglomeration of "us-all", as an "evolving improvement", with its' gargantuan battery assisted memory, instant access (plus perpetual blindness!), always, always directs responsibility. . . away (!) from me-personally, and back upon "trends". How very damned convenient is that?
  And yet, and yet, the True Building continues! We are busy down here constructing a monster, and meanwhile He remains busy building the New-Man! It is both/and, not either/or, might as well deal with it. And the bedrock foundation of that "structure" is a Conversation, never a harangue, a Dialogue, surely no mere download! And (get this!) we are privileged to listen-in on that glad talk! The Father loves (indeed!) the Son, and the Son (gladly!) does all the Father desires. So, the Spirit testifies.
  Our modern construction of reality as "relational" (yuck!), must always miss (and "forget") that relating is first and foremost He-to-Him, and then, as a distant second He-to-us, and third, us-to-us. As usual, we are seeing things upside-down and "progress", cannot ever "get this"! See? For Love to be the bedrock of Is, then He differing from Him, and so too the friendly "re-Union thereof", preaches that love-first, love-best, love-true, is betwixt Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Start there!
  Any "up-going" of us runts down here better include, the standing-up-again (at His call), and the rising-with-Him, so to join that mighty and glad throng above, or we are seriously quacking our brains out! Such as it is (and Yes-Sir-ee, It Is!) we thereby assume and imply a new kind of welcome, a Hand extended downward to lift (!) us fools, dredging us up into that Mighty-Good to come (and already is!) that great-big bear-hug, extended by our fierce Trail-Blazer, Champ! And That Hand, ever, and alway, drawing-up, way-way up yonder there!
  Amen, and so it does, So It Does. . .

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Erotica

Note to reader, I've been thinking some lately on this, and thus, there is no number assigned, this is a newbie, not another poorly transcribed oldie C.P.E.

  Hah! Gotcha with that title, didn't I? I knew it would work. I'm not so certain about you over there, but I (for one?) am about sick-to-hell of the crap. There is an unsavory aspect of Japanese culture I once read about, but can't recall the source. . . Anyhow, the article (book?) mentioned that among the business class, the white-collar types over there, a big alcohol-plus-porn phenom is the norm. If I recall any of it correctly, the brainwave was to the effect that this reprobate cutting loose, on the long train-trip night-time commutes back home, starkly contrasts with the all-business, uptight and straight, day-time persona the Japanese culture demands? Well, it was to that effect, at least.
  This contrasts with our practice in several ways, but chief among them is the fetish aspect, or so it appears to me. In order for a fetish to exist, an "unquestioned reverence". . . must pre-exist. And thus, for anything at all of this kind to exist in a folk, there must be a prior commitment to "authority" itself. Those zany foreigners with their cute little emperor-dude, certainly fill that bill! For us, the "secrecy and double life" gig just doesn't wash. If an American wants to marry his dog, or have sex with potatoes, we simply ask him to do so in a "nice" way! The fetishism, that "magical potency of a forbidden thing", just ain't got the same jazz around here. And it's not like this "tolerance" of ours is some kind of improvement or some such. The reason for the mention, is that our "awe" for "great powers", has simply collapsed in a heap. Question: "Is it 'superior' of us to drag in the mud, all that is truly awe-inspiring?". Over here, we train kids to say that a stick of gum "is awesome". We've got no room to criticize the malfunction over yonder, west of these parts.
  Here, a kind of flattening has occurred, such that; "everything is just great!". . . All of our kids are "special", all of our students are "leaders". Our language is loaded. If all persons of any given set are "X", make it "special" (or whatever you'd care to name), then only the "upper-storey" remains. And there, we find "only the very-very special, those super-stars, and damnable billionaires". And then; we proceed to flatten it! Nowadays, a bum with a measly .173 batting average is described : "Pound for pound, he may be the best left-handed utility fielder in this league! Clearly; Bobbie is in a class all by himself. . .". Around here, there are no average to middlin' type folk available! We would not even have the linguistic tools deployable to describe a modern day player (should one ever again arise); of Ted Williams' abilities. Rather, like a lawn mower, our way is to race toward a lowest common denominator, a bland equality; the numb, stultifying  classification of all persons as winners, which destroys in the process, said class itself? Our schools slog along at the pace of the slowest, stubbornest blockhead in the back row. Our kids can't write, can't spell, can't count, and can't find Florida on a map, but just because they are so very-very special; they graduate with a 4.4 g.p.a.? A modern Oppenheimer, a current day Feynman would have an 8.2 g.p.a. by our measurement, and so the classification process itself is shredded. These, our lessor geniuses may not be able to make change at a burger stand, nor have a clue as to who is President, nor yet can write a paragraph in English, but they are (you have to admit) regular whizzes at video games, while magically possessing remarkable self-esteem!
  This flattening effect, this lawn mowing ethic, once transferred over into the realms of sex, money, and power, yields predictable results. If everything is sexy, then all products, from oil filters to potato sacks, feature leggy girls with unlikely personal topology. These waifs flash us their best (fake) smile, and display altogether too much skin. . . in order to "sell". If hype itself be hyped, then we've nothing much left to say. If all known products link naturally to sex-appeal, then sex itself is apparently meaningless. And, I, for one; am sick-to-hell of this crap!
  It doesn't much matter if we shift the arena of inquiry, the pattern holds. The so-called "industries" of porn, gambling, or any chemical fix, whether legal or not, keep producing "their opposites". And we keep "forgetting to notice". Go to Reno sometime, and just look around. Is anyone, (anyone at all?) in this "fun capitol". . . even smiling? Hell, there are street signs in that city telling (!) people to smile? Walk into a casino. Is even one person in there happy? Is any of the folk interacting, chatting, or even able to notice those near-by? I say, that's some mighty bleak-assed fun you've got there buddy, keep it. Porno is even worse. By turning women into "things", the entire notion of "excitement", or of even mild interest is flatly murdered. If I'm satisfied with "things", then how's about a fling with a doorknob, then a chicken, and top it off with a corpse? If not, why not? When persons cease being people, then union itself is meaningless. Our kids constantly refer to "hooking-up", hey; maybe they have been paying attention after all? Booze? Drugs? Who gives a good god-damn about all that junk? It's a stupid-pill, deal with it. And if the basic concept was to be "out-there, an outlaw living on the edge". . . and everybody is doing it, then nuns and monks are the true "rebels"? Yawn. Had enough of "progress" yet? Eros itself, that historical human dynamo of resurgent reapplication of self-to-the-other, becomes an inward gazing and jaded, "been-there, done-that" slacker's perpetual, and passive waiting for "the perfect match". Clearly hogwash, besides being flatly contrary to the simple idea of trying to please and understand the other. The Kingdom ain't Burger-King, and you can't "have it your way", get the hell over it already!
  If our goal was to build a shining city, and we repeatedly produced smoldering sewage pits, and always failed to note the discrepancy, we might could blame it on a blindness, or an insanity. No doubt, we'd soon firmly resolve to "fix that problem", so to then produce actually blind lunatics? Here, we observe our god, "progress" at work. The deviant god in question (that sawed-off, idiot-runt); was in place at the founding. The entire premise of the revolution was to tear down the high, so to thereby elevate all men. What we have, is what one get's; when that sort of thing is attempted. You never "fix" a problem, by reapplication of flawed premises. If one fundamentally buys the premise, low = high, then high = 0! Our assault upon all things royal, majestic, and kingly never was "progressive", unless we include in our definition of that word, "regressive". In raising all men, we construct the anti-man.
  In our rush to tear down authority, then man the husband may not lawfully be head of household. We just murdered romance, for there remains no "ascent", we have no "up" in our lexicon! "Flat equality", is one and same as "perpetual war", and so, in terms of geopolitics; only America could be the one to wage everlasting war, in the name of "freedom". This back-assward, advance to the rear, is our fetish. This upside-down-ism is our faith, magic and hope. It, bearing magical potency, we grimly bow before this moron god, and pointlessly hope for things to improve? Not me Bub, not me. If sex is meaningless, then meaning is meaningless, but if true; what would that mean? At minimum, I should think, it would indicate that we are a gang of blockheads plainly unable and unwilling to acknowledge our (many) errors. This estimate coincides nicely with the true King's analysis of us, as a species.
  To my mind, the chief failure here, is the church's drab and plainly dumb willingness to "agree to disagree". If the covenant means anything at all to human-kind, it ought indicate a "clock function". This state of affairs is strictly speaking temporary. It shall end. Simply because we mock kings as a rule of thumb, does not, and cannot erase either Regal Majesty, nor the terror-ific consequences of spitting on Him. At some point, the jig is up, and the heel comes down. Suddenly, shockingly, and terrifyingly, The Author Himself, He behind all of the pee-wee authorities we hate, halts the madness, and shatters the game board. The church knows so, and refuses to say so.
  Judgement begins in the house of God, and to be blunt, we flunk, big-time! We are to be men of our word, for He is The Man of His Word. We no longer grasp after shadows and types, for the Original (Himself) is revealed. We no longer grasp the types and shadows, for we the true shadow and type of Him-Coming, have been grasped! And, none can pluck them from His Hand!
  Ain't that sexy?