For various reasons, I have spent some time in the endeavor of pondering what is, what has been, and what is likely to be. The process had a large number of threads. There were a number of rabbit holes, tangents, and blind alleys in this matter. For me, this is pretty par for the course relating to my OCD and ADD tendancies.
Of the myriad of guilty pleasures that are mine, one, is for the show on the History Channel called ‘Ancient Aliens’. If you haven’t see it, it is a show that posits everything about humanity from the pyramids to Stonehenge to the Pythagorean theorem were the direct result of extraterrestrial influences on humanity. It assumed humanity is nothing but incompetent savages and only from outside influences have we ever moved forward. All of the fundamental notions of the show I find intellectually vacuous, and largely repellent. And yet I continue to watch the show.
I am not exactly sure why I watch. On some level, I watch for the same reason I gawk at a car accident, house fire, barn fire, or a crime in progress. Part of me wonders what new lower level they will stoop to in assuming the worst about humanity and our ability to advance on our own. I do find the creative application of adaptive theory while using negation on conventional understanding to be entertaining. And then there’s the anti-gravity hair aspect of one of the show’s so-called experts. I wonder what alien race made that hair style possible more than anything while watching than anything else. It all combines together to make for marginally compelling television when the other choices are Judge Judy or the Jerry Springer show. In doing some thinking while watching a new episode, I hit upon an interesting revelation. My responses to the show are fairly consistent to my responses to true revelation. By that I mean this, when some conventionally held item is found to be untrue, I tend to respond exactly like I do to the show. The realization that the concept of a solid is a functional myth of perception caused me to recoil as if I was told it was ‘aliens’. There are plenty of other examples but the truth is there. Revelation lays bare conventional wisdom to be fraudulent. It exposes our ignorance. It exposes our blindness. And it causes some of the worst responses possible of the human condition. It puts is in a binary state in relation to the revealed truth. We can select to retain our blindness and continue in our ignorance. Alternatively, we can opt to investigate the revealed truth. Notice I did not say the word ‘accept’ the revealed truth. And that was intentional. Homo sapiens as a species are not capable of immediate acceptance at the point of revelation. Acceptance requires experience, and experience requires investigation. We require confirmation from multiple trusted sources before we can enter into the abode of acceptance. We are much like the water being exposed to tea leaves. we don’t immediately become tea having been shown the sachet holding the fragrant concoction we typically call ‘tea’. We have to marinade in our be steeped in the essential nature of the revelation. It has to into the fabric of our very being. We have to be changed at a fundamental level before we can accept. The conventional wisdom that the revelation is meant to replace must slowly be destroyed, deconstructed, and dismantled before revelation can replace it. Whether the revelation is Pluto is not a planet (something I am still unwilling to accept) or Stephen Hawking’s recent paper on the essential nature of black holes contradicting all of his previous work, reaching acceptance is always a work in progress. In some instances it is easier than it is for others. Humanity struggled to accept that the earth was not the center of the universe. Many scientists were persecuted for suggesting otherwise. My only hope is that we as a species are doing better at the point of revelation than our ancestors. Absent the direct action of an alien intelligence I think that our ability to accept at the point of revelation will never happen. Not that there aren't those out there that believe that can happen. I mean look at the pyramids. Human beings could not have possibly done that right? In the wake of recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, I am struggling to find balance. My thoughts as it relates to the unrest and the Michael Brown matter as a whole are unsettled. In cogitating on this matter I come back to basic principles of human decency and propriety. And end up comparing that to what has taken place in that tiny poor community. It forces me to come to very negative conclusions about the state of our civil union.
We reside now in a place where facts do not matter. We reside in a place where the need for instant 'justice' has replaced the need to wait for the truth to be fully exposed. We reside in a place where people completely untouched by the event feel the need to commit nefarious acts of barbarism and associated crime. We reside in a place in which one community feels no responsibility for or need to ensure that everyone in their community is comporting themselves in an upright and noble fashion worthy of the blessings of liberty. It makes me sad that this where we are. It breaks my heart that we have replaced the need for truth with the need to act now. It shocks me that looting and vandalism in the name of the aggrieved is the best response we can muster as a people. It is a far cry from our best aspirations. It is a gulf from the people we once were, and shakes my faith in the notion that we could ever be that people again. It forces me to reevaluate my faith in the inherent goodness of my fellow man. The facts as of right now are these. 1. The initial reports that Michael was gunned down and shot in the back without provocation have been proven to be false. 2. The person responsible to telling those initial tales as it turns out is a person whose credibility is at best suspect. He has been found guilty of lying and obstructing official investigations in the past. 3. The image of Michael as an innocent teen has been shattered. The images of him throwing gang signs and holding firearms while smoking pot are everywhere now. 4. The video of him committing a brazen act of robbery and throwing a convenience store clerk around like a rag doll is everywhere. Knowing all of this to be true, I am appalled that a community could rally around him. I am shocked that anyone could be willing to commit crimes in his name. I am apoplectic that knowing all of this, this community is still at odds over this matter. Some of the blame for this resides with the media, not all, but some. They either did very poor research on the initial story or knowingly built a complete fictional narrative that was presented to the public as the truth. I want to believe in the essential incompetence of the news media, because incompetence is easier to accept than the alternative. If they weren't incompetent, then they were very selective in the narrative they crafted. And they presented a fictional representation of the matter. The truth is that they did not present the whole story at all. Any elements that contradicted their narrative were discarded. They did not act with any notion of ethical or responsible behavior with this story. The narrative they told was fiction from the first word, and they were happy to report it. They were and some outlets still are reporting the initial narrative in spite of all of the evidence that has come out that contradicts it. That blame honestly only goes so far. I have come to expect sloppy one sided fictional reporting from the mainstream press. History tells me that faced with a convenient lie that will drive monster ratings for a few news cycles and holding off on a story for awhile to effectively gather all the facts, that the convenient lie wins every single time. It is sad, but it is true. I hope for more from the press that has the responsibility to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth every time, but I have come to expect otherwise. There are many others that deserve blame in this situation. And I could go on to list them... A community police force more concerned with obtaining high grade military hardware than on developing a good relationship with all of the communities they serve. A focus by the poverty pimps and other charlatans to hold anyone but Michael responsible in this matter. And a nation as a whole that is focused on blaming the police for the whole situation all share some measure of blame. I for one had hopes that as I came into adulthood that the dream speech of Dr. King that I had grown up hearing as a boy, either had already been or would be realized in my lifetime. The events in Ferguson have shattered that faith. I struggle to reconcile the concept, 'judged by the content of their character' with the desire to never judge anyone by the character, unless they happen to be a cop. And even then character seems to not matter when it doesn't fit the narrative, so it gets tossed aside in favor of a convenient fiction to justify what some elements of our society already want to do. This is not the America I wanted to live my adult life. This is not the America I wanted for my children. I would say that we have a long way to go, but given that certain elements of our society have no interest in moving forward at all, I am not hopeful as of this moment in time. We seem to be bereft of any desire to rise above the grievances of the past. Many seem to believe we are now as we were in the days of segregation. Many seem to believe that nothing has changed. And until recently, I thought they were wrong. Now I am not so sure. We cannot live as a nation in these conditions. If we continue along this path we will kill each, or keep killing each other. An eye for an eye may seem like justice, but it leaves the world blind. And we end up perpetuating the worst elements of human nature. We must stand up and say enough. We need to say that if you are stopped by the police you must be respectful. We need to say that bad character is bad character. We need to hold people accountable for it. We need to say we will not loot or pillage for any reason. We need to say, we will wait for the facts to win out. We need to revile the need to exact retribution that is essentially based on a lie. Or more simply put... We need to revile acts of violence in retaliation for acts of violence. We need to be a civil society that seeks truth in all things. We need to ensure this with all the blood, sweat, and tears we have. If we fail to do so, the worst pages of man's inhumanity to his fellow man are in our future, a not all that distant future if you ask me. The real questions we need answers to are fuzzy at this point in time. I have strong suspicions as to the who, what, where, and how, but I don't have solid facts to support them. I am willing to wait for the various investigations that are underway to be completed before I come to any firm conclusions. As we all should. My review of the latest outing by Michael Bay and company can be summed up in the prophetic words of a co-worker of mine that I will refer to as K. It was so bad it was good.
My overall good feeling at seeing this film is the result of several factors. First, my kids had a blast. I think I enjoyed watching them laughing uncontrollably more than anything. Second, I saw the move on half price night at our local multiplex. This made it much easier to relax and enjoy the movie knowing we spent much less to get in the door than we did at the snack bar. It is odd for me that my movie expectations at $5 per seat are much lower than they are at $10. An oddity of the current context but certainly true. Third, given all the warring between Mr. Bay and the fan base for this property leading up to the release, my expectations were low. If that sounds like I was pleased that an actual movie ran that had all the required elements and was not replaced by some shrieking infomercial, you are correct. I was struck think, it could have been a lot worse. If any of the rumors about what Mr. Bay wanted to do came true, it would have been. At the outset of this review, I used a word I now want to explain. It is the word, 'good'. I explained how this film escaped what should have been withering criticism. This movie comes up short on a host of levels. The story, the direction, and on some level the acting all come up short. And by comes up short, I don't mean by a tad, a little bit, narrowly misses the mark. I mean in the ohmygawdwhatweretheythinking definition of the word short. On some level though, this movie is good on a couple of levels one expected and one surprising. As per usual with Mr. Bay's films, the action and the visuals were top shelf. The action was solidly planned and well executed with top notch special effects and CGI work. I expected no less. On the surprising level... This film was a parody of every Bay film ever made. Certain actors were cardboard cutouts and archetypes for every other one to proceed them in every other Bay film before. The turtles could have been alien robots or World War II battleships for that matter. Megan Fox was well... Megan Fox. The only missing element was Ms. Fox running in slow motion. As a caricature and a piece of unintentional satire it was rather good. Allow me to be clear, I am done with Mr. Bay and his substandard version of movie making. I would hope that the Hollywood moneymen realize that the bankable nadir of this so-called director and the steaming fecal lumps of films that he produces is over. That statement may seem to be contradicted by the recent Transformers box office results. It shouldn't as that is easily explained. In terms of actual tickets sold there were fewer of them in number than in previous films. One could postulate that increased ticket prices had more to do with it than anything else. The face that it faded fast and disappeared from theaters quickly would seem to confirm this. If you are considering seeing this film, allow me to humbly suggest you wait for RedBox on this one. Your kids will like it and you won't feel completely mugged of anything but ninety minutes or so of your life. The court jester of my generation is no more. By that I obviously mean Robin Williams journey through this life in the curtain of flesh is no more. Much has been said about this man both positive and negative in the time since his passing. And there is little I can add to vast array of comments made some eloquent, and some not.
I will say that I always found his comedy to be amazing and always on point, even when I didn't agree with the point. He was the first comedian in my lifetime to master the constant riff of machine gun styled jabs one after the other. He was the first comedian that gave me the feeling that he was trying to kill my with laughter. I was always blessed by his humor. I found in his work a fresh joy. His gift for brilliant humor and keen insights into the human condition never failed to lift my spirit. I realized in his comedy that laughter is a universal palliative for whatever ails you. I realize that my wish in this regard is totally selfish. I wish he could have found a way out from the dark place in which he had come to reside. I wish that he could have found in a reason to remain among us. I wish he could have regaled us for many decades more with his comedy. I wish he was still among the living and that the final chapter of the Robin Williams biography had as yet to be written. I can only say in closing that while I did not know him personally, he was a hero of mine. And the fact that he is gone leaves the world a darker place that he has gone out from it. And all I can say to Robin directly if that is possible is thank you. I saw the image above this morning and it got me to thinking. In some cases this is a dangerous thing, but here we are nonetheless. I spent time thinking about the essential nature of our tax code, and my thoughts in general regarding it. I mulled through my ideas, and boiled them down to a few very basic concepts.
Obviously from these basic ideas you can deduce that I am not a fan of the current code. It is overly byzantine. It requires entirely too much knowledge on the part of individual citizen for the purpose of compliance. It can make individual citizens into criminals, because of honest mistakes. And it empowers those with the resources to do so, to game the system with the goal of paying zero tax. I believe the time has come for us as a nation to end the current code. We should drive a stake through its heart and start over again. We need to admit that it is killing us, and have the appropriate surgery for it so that it can be excised from our hearts and minds. We as a culture spend billions of dollars every year not on the taxes themselves, but rather on the process that assists us in paying our taxes. That is lost capital that can never be put to productive use. I endeavored to find a total figure for any single year in the last decade for this item, and it was not available, but the number I am suspecting would be huge. If the average person in a nation of 300+ million people spends $20 total (that number is a rather low one) inclusive of time and effort, the conservative estimate comes to roughly $6 billion dollars. Compare that with Amazon's total revenue for 2013 of $74+ billion. The simple truth is that we spend entirely too much to comply with a tax code that gives back entirely too little. Once we agree that the current code needs to go, the question becomes what do we replace it with comes next. I believe in a simple controlling notion. Progressive taxation as a conceptual construct is one of the most primal cause in our current dilemma. The notion that because you make more you should pay a higher rate is at best flawed. The citizenship rights of a millionaire are not magnified exponentially on the basis of yearly earnings. Each entity living, working, plying a trade, or engaging in a business venture in this nation should pay taxes and it should be the same rate for all of them. We should have a national discussion as to what that rate should be to appropriately fund the government, but that number should be low, in single digits I would imagine. And once that conversation is had, it should be implemented clearly, cleanly, and simply. All income should be taxed the same way. This does mean that I believe that capital gains taxation should be folded into the income tax process, and that the current process by which investment income is taxed should go away. We should not allow the government to double, triple, or quadruple tax the same piece of income, just because it was earned from investments. It should be taxed in the year it is actually earned, and that should be the end of it. Anything more than that is part of the flawed logic that landed us in our current dilemma. There should be no exclusions, loopholes, deductions, or set asides in the new code. The simple principle is this, you earn X in a given year, your tax rate is Y, therefore your total tax should be Z. Simply put, the tax return should be short, simple, and fit on a three by five card with room to spare. I believe the idea that tax policy is the best place to implement social policy is tragically flawed, and should be discarded as a relic upon the ash heap of bad ideas. The does mean that average tax payers like myself, would be giving up a lot of deductions. It also means that companies would be giving up 100% of their arcane giveaways. It means that we would all be treated the same in terms of our total taxation. No one gets special treatment. It means that GE or Apple is seen the same by the IRS as John Q Public, which is a serious advancement in the cause of liberty. Also, we should tax every dollar earned in the United States by every entity earning it. It means the end of using intellectual property rights being moved offshore to avoid paying taxes on the revenue that results from them. It means that any entity making a buck in the US economy pays the appropriate taxation on that buck! Doing it this way, eliminates the need for tax havens in other nations, in the Caribbean, Western Europe, or the Swiss Alps. The implementation of this strategy will mean extra billions if not trillions of dollars into the coffers of the treasury. Once these reforms are discussed and implemented, they should all be inextricably bound together, to prevent future tinkering around the edges. If future congresses wish to make changes, they should be forced to end the existing code at that time and start over again. This will prevent this reform effort from becoming another byzantine behemoth a century from now. Simply put... The existing system of taxation is broken. I believe it cannot be reformed. It must be excised from our hearts and minds. We should start over with something that better reflects what we need in our post-modern society. There should be no fear in starting over. America has done it time and again. This should be no different. I have spent time this week pondering the Hobby Lobby case, its impact, and what it really means. The case centered around a family owned and operated craft supply company. The company pays its employees roughly twice the federal minimum wage on average. The provided healthcare to their employees long before the so-called Affordable Care Act was ever conceived in the minds of the current administration. This coverage also included contraceptive coverage.
That may come as a shock to many watcher's of main stream media coverage. In fact, so extensive are the options on this coverage that it included sixteen of the twenty products mandated by the office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. That's right this whole fight is not a binary one. It is about a total of four products that Hobby Lobby objected to on the basis of how they functioned and how that impacted their closely held religious beliefs. Hobby Lobby asked for and accommodation on this subject, requesting to not be forced to pay for products that violate their conscience. The department of Health and Human Services refused. And then Hobby Lobby sued, citing that the ACA violated their rights under the Religious Rights Restoration Act, that was signed into law under President Clinton. And the court agreed with Hobby Lobby's stance. Some substantial histrionics, hyperbole, and overblown hand wringing has taken place in the wake of the decision. Some of it from a sitting Supreme Court Justice, and that I was surprised to read. Some pundits have likened it to slavery and apartheid. Others have opined the nonsensical straw dog question comparing this decision to the Christian Science stance on medicine. A simple read of the relevant legislation indicates this line of logic is a ridiculous position to opine, as the act does not provide for this. Allow me to be clear, all the histrionics and hyperbole set aside, this case was properly heard and rightly decided. In essence the decision says that closely held religious beliefs are not trumped by administrative edicts. It says that the company owners can make choices in their healthcare package, and the underlying decision making process that are informed by their faith. And that those choices cannot be revoked, countermanded, or otherwise supplanted by bureaucratic fiat. In essence, this case is about freedom of choice. It tells us everyone has a right to make a choice. Employers can select the components of the healthcare package as the burden of their faith informs them. Employees can make a choice to avail themselves of products and services, not covered by their health plan. Employees can make the choice to seek other employment if they feel strongly enough. Consumers can make the choice to shop at Hobby Lobby or not based on the dictates of their own preferences. This entire equation of choice will work itself out without governmental interference. This is what is meant by the 'least restrictive method' to resolve conflicts under the Religious Rights Restoration Act. This case was clearly a high point for the proper use of judicial discretion and restraint. And for those of you that call this and interference in reproductive health service decisions of women. Let me say this, it is not an interference at all. A woman and her doctor can still make choices in the patient's best interest. Not a single product was banned. Not a single procedure was removed from availability. This decision merely says an employer doesn't have to pay for it as a part of the health plan if they find the choice to be against the tenets of their faith. No woman at Hobby Lobby was denied services if they are needed. No woman's so-called 'right to choose' was negatively impacted. No doctor was told they can't perform procedure 'X', or prescribe medicine 'Y'. Access to all of the underlying products and services was preserved. In the final estimation, the histrionics are all unfounded. At the end of the day, freedom of choice was preserved for everyone, from the owner paying for the plan to the members of their staff seeking to exercise a choice. And that is a decision worthy of our founding principles. Many people inevitable ask me when they figure out I write, the next question: Why? For a long time, this question flummoxed me. My weak response to the question never thrilled me. The best I could do was, 'because I do'. That answer, which was true, never failed to disappoint me.
In giving it, I always felt like a politician being asked why he or she was running for office and having bungled the answer. And yet it was the most truthful answer I could give. I could of course concoct an exquisite fabrication that could excite the imagination of the questioner. Of course an entertaining lie is sometimes preferable to the pale bland truth. However, I have found heeding a simple piece of advice that was given to me a long time ago to be best. It was given to me the kindest naval officer I ever met. I will for the purposes of this call her Commander Mary Ellen. She told me, to above all things, 'be true to yourself'. The exact words of her advice were, 'To thine own self be true'. And I have always found that living from that advice while challenging, while at times painful, to be the best thing I do for myself and those around me both now and in the long term. In doing so, it has led me to appreciate the simplicity of authenticity. It has caused in me to have an affinity for genuineness wherever it is found. Somehow my spirit has always craved the place of the stark truth. And Always strive to live in the 'warts and all' place of reality. And conversely the comfort o the palliative fabrication to be as unacceptable as it is uncomfortable. In knowing this about myself, it makes my answer, while see as weak to some, to still be the best I can give. I write simple because I do. I write, because it is in me to do so. I write, because my creator crafted in me the need to be someone that does so. And only in doing so do I take the gift granted to me by the father, remove it from the hold I buried it in in the earth, and honor the gift granted, and giver of the gift. Obviously, there are more intricate aspects to this question. Obviously, I am not the blind simpleton that dwell only in the binary existence of just writing because I do. There is clearly more to it than that. I am not merely a mathematical expression of A + B = C. Or am I? Clearly, the expression is a theorum. It is composed of 'I write because I do'. It is a simplistic generic expression that acts as a summation of expression. It is a blunt method that allows understanding at a glance. It is an expression that functions as a short hand. Some need a short that allows simple and easy categorization. Those that need that, need nothing more. Others see this as entree into a deeper exploration of the short hand. Others grasp that "A" is not a solid faction, but rather an element that functions as an archetype that represents a host of other gathered terms. In so doing, "A", does not represent a numerical value at any point in time. As the gathered terms are so fluid and radically shifting and cycling in such a vaporous fashion that any numerical expression is impossible. Of the many aspects of the gathered terms, chief among them is, sanity. I write as a coping mechanism. I write, because in putting things on paper, they are no longer rattling about in my head. I can release the demon from my cranium and trap it on the page where it will live apart from me. I can no longer do me any further harm there, intentional or otherwise. Once released upon the page the item there is two things.
The act of releasing it to the page for many is a form of catharsis. And I think my process of doing so does meet the textbook definition of the word. I have always found it strange that the simple act of writing it down provides me with such peace. After a session of writing I have always felt more at ease. I have always felt that regardless of the enemies that beset me before and aft, at least within the confines of my brain box, I am better of somehow. The exact reasons for this have always eluded me, I just know it to be true, if for no one other than me. My tendencies related to my writing always revolve around this purging release process of my sanity. I tend to write more content, and more frequently when I am in a place of psychic trouble. I write because I do, relates most accurately to I write because of the brokenness that seems to define the essential nature of being me. It is absolutely true that I write more in times of angst and strife. It is further true that I don't tend to write at all in times of peace and calm. And further I don't write when at the top or bottom of my emotional cycles. The entire writing cycle for me, tends to occur in the midst of the existential crisis and the cycling up and down through it. The reasoning for this is unknown to me. I just know it to be true. Understanding this aspect of myself, it leads me to wonder. It leads me to ask the question, 'If I am a writer by nature and hopefully one day by profession, can I only write when I am beset by some form of trouble real or imagined?' And the follow-up to that, 'Do I have to remain in some form of unbalanced somehow in order to write?' The healthy answer to those questions is No and No. I cannot live from a place of agitated insanity just so I can be creative. That does not lead to a place of long term health and stability. The challenge I have always faced and still do face, is in how do I manage to coax the tap of my creativity a part from chaos, stress, and anxiety? How do I manage to live a life in balance and harmony that allows creativity to flow like a tap for the sap of a tree absent the cycling of the emotional and psychological state? The answer I have always found is clearly in feeding the creative side of myself. It has requirements all its own. My requirements are different from many others in the creative camp. I have heard it said that the diet of each creative person is unique to that person and that no two diets are identical in any way. My diet for the creative is composed of watching and reading good movies and fiction of all types. There are a few exclusions. I think overarching drama and the romantic comedy typically do not qualify as 'good' by and large I can't stomach them. I find them typically to be meaningless tripe that is devised only for their emotional content and nothing more. There are exceptions to this sure, but by and large it is true. I also find good music is a solid contributor and a valid adjunct here as well. There is nothing like good music to set the tone for me and allow me to enter into my creative head space. Some classical music works well, Wagner being a favorite of mine. Although a guilty pleasure of mine is Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Dio. The key for me in grasping this process has always been laying hold of the totality of myself. The goal always being in understanding the process of irritation that creates the pearl. Some days I am better at this than others. Some days grasping anything more than the fact that the process is, and it must work its will is beyond me. On those days all I can manage is to strap myself and try to enjoy the ride while minimizing the impact to the other people around me. Knowing myself is always crucial to surviving the moment. There are things in my life that sap my creative nature. I hate them. I abhor them. And inasmuch as I can I try to minimize them. Some forms of chaos completely sap my energy. I call these the moronic chaos. The petty and petulant things that get in the way. The ignorant tasks that impede my progress and divert me away from what I see as my task at hand. I do have to be careful in how I view these things though. In more than a few cases, these petty and petulant things were actually divinely appointed and functioned as revealing moments and were requirements ordained for me to participate in for my own betterment. Even in knowing this, it is still hard to appreciate them in any meaningful capacity. I liken it to eating peas. I will never enjoy them as much as a handful of M & Ms, but occasionally the plate of peas placed before us must be endured, so that times of refreshing may come. Work related chaos does tend to also sap my energy. There are moments in which all I can do is put one foot in front of the other and just be the guy that does the thing in the moment. This does not please me. In some days and moments, just honoring the moment with our presence and honoring it with the sum totality of who we are and our gifting is the requirement set before us and all we are meant to be at that moment in time. Some call this compliance with the will of our lives. And there is some definite truth there. And for me, it is a challenge to quell my rebellious spirit and dwell in the eternal now set before as I understand it to be at this time. It does not please me to be quiet and do as instructed, when I want to be on my feet in total defiance, and speaking that defiance clearly and unambiguously. And yet sometimes that is the requirement. Sometimes wisdom is found in knowing which response is required for the moment. Which moment requires my obediance and which requires my defiance is the task of soul searching. Understanding that in many cases, I am required to 'Smile and wave' in the midst of sea of turmoil and keep my own silent counsel is crucial. And then treasure up the experience for later expression on the page. Some opine that this is the essential nature of 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'. And there is much merit in that view. Using the stress-or as an adjunct to my life as creative person is the fullest expression of my testimony to you. In all things, I attempt to let the things I cannot control, the things I cannot change to flow through me and exit out of me as they are required to. My process functions to ensure that things do not enter into me and remain lodged there for all eternity. Having a smooth flowing spirit, mind, and body are essential for me. Allowing anything to impede that impedes me, and when I am blocked and impeded I am not now, nor have I ever been a fun or pleasant person to be around or in the company of. I write because I do, because if I don't there is a price to pay. And it is always more than I am willing or able to pay. |
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