The Dhammapada (My Thoughts): Chp. #6-10

So you know the deal after that last big post :) Let's continue.

Chp. VI: The Sagacious

    The Sagacious poem would be the... FOIL to the childish character portrayed in The Childish.  The opposite, which treasures wisdom, maturity, and disengagement from those activities and people which prove harmful to one's own character and life path.

The wise, or noble one, is here and again shown as the guardian of the 'ultimate treasure' so to speak: knowledge.  It is said in the poem, that because "lower" persons (i.e. those less mature, less knowing, etc. than oneself) may not serve to improve one's character or life in any way, but instead make it worse, one should look for companions who are equal to or better than oneself; in doing so, one may find true companionship, as well as teachers in a way, who can serve as a mirror of one's own actions, or a guide to bettering oneself.

Chp. VII: The Worthy

    I won't dwell much on this poem, for it is simply an homage to the "Noble Ones" who have attained enlightenment.  An...analysis or summary of their natures and status in the world and in Nirvana (as well as their reputation among the gods).  There is a distinct tone of reverence within this poem for disengagement from the bonds of the physical or earthly world.

From my experiences with disengagement however, I know that it is also a symptom of depression, and it becomes more about isolation and an attachment to that isolation.  What of attachments to the life one leads while attempting to 'find' Nirvana?  How does one guard against that kind of attachment?

Chp. VIII: The Thousands

     This one was a tad more confusing to me, but the gist of it seemed to be this: a small offering or gift to a noble one, a small act of kindness to such a noble one or one who is following the path of enlightenment, is worth more than thousands of gifts over even a hundred years time to those "ordinary, childish folk" who are trapped within the binds of samsara (the wheel of reincarnation).  I'm not quite sure how I feel about this poem, though I understand it's meaning I think.  Maybe...

I need to think about this one a bit more haha.  I had a problem with it though...because it makes it seem as though only those who are following this path are worthy of such gifts.   Though maybe it is saying that they alone are worthy of the praise given to people we call celebrities nowadays, simply because they do not crave it and will not take advantage of us to receive it?

I had a problem with it partially though...because a gift is something that can be given to anyone I think.  A gift is a token of kindness I think.  Of compassion...and often a symbol of friendship and the like.  In my humble opinion.

Chp. IX: The Wrong

    In this text, the reader is warned against bad deeds.  Wrong deeds are said to hurt the wrongdoer as poison does when spilled on the wound of a person.  It admits that negative things do happen as well to those that do good, often as a result of the wrongful deeds of others, but that when the good that..do-gooders..have done attains its full effect in the world...good things do happen in the life of the honest, good person.  

Switched for those that do wrong.

This poem makes a point of encouraging the formation of good habits, so that one is pressed by their own will and desire to do good things, as well as criticizing bad habits and encouraging the idea that one should give up bad habits, lest they cause suffering to the wrong-doer later in life or in the next life.

Makes sense to me. :)

Chp. X: The Rod

What I gathered from this poem, is that it seems to be a message especially for those that have chosen to follow in Buddha's footsteps so to speak.  His monks, his disciples.

     In this poem, it is stressed that those who "hold the rod", i.e. those who have the authority in some way to punish others, should restrain from using such power.  It is said that those who punish others, speak harshly towards others mainly as a means of acquiring the obedience of others I would assume, while themselves striving towards balance, Nirvana, good acts, and the like...would not find themselves eased from the Wheel of Reincarnation and suffering because they would be committing wrongful acts against others whom they have on true authority over.

Plus I think, were they to use the rod to try to bend others to their will, it would reveal an attachment to pride, to power, and to authority over others which are all certainly qualities that this text as a whole seems to be stressing the importance of doing away with.

My two cents :)

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(>^_^)>#

The Dhammapada (My Thoughts): Chapters #1-5

Around the fifteenth of December I picked up the Theraveda translation of the Dhammapada, a sacred text of the Buddhist religion/philosophy, which I have heard is said to have been written by the Buddha, himself.  OR perhaps his bhikkus (monks) wrote down his words as he spoke, which I personally think is the most likely in any case.

So anyways, I've been reading this book and decided to take a day from reading after every ten chapters to write down some brief thoughts I had on each that I read during the last ten days.  For anyone interested in reading it, this is the version that I am reading:

Sacred Writings: The Dhammapada

Alright, so here goes...

Chp. I: The Pairs

     Right off the bat, it was obvious that every couple of stanzas would be a reflection of it's partner.  The pattern of the poem was that...for example, stanzas one and two:  They would both deal with the same thing in reality (here being how our mental states or mindsets, come about.  Through perception.) Stanza one shows the detrimental effects of a clouded perception, or one that doesn't see true reality because it is clouded by passions like anger or jealousy, and so on.  Stanza two shows the positive effects of having a clear perception.  I guess for me, a clear perception would be...I see that my neighbor has a new chandelier.  I find it beautiful, but I am not envious of it because I do not need it.  I am at peace with myself and my things as they are.

Or something like that.

Anyways, it was pretty interesting to read, and I really liked the down-to-earth feeling of the poem:  It had a clear message.  You can be as you choose, but in any given situation if you are in accord with dhamma (if you have a peaceful, clear mindset) then you will reap positive benefits from the situation.  If you are not, you will not.

Chp.II: Awareness

     In this poem, the great benefits of awareness are represented.  It is even said in the texts that the one who is diligently aware, is as one who guards treasure; awareness is shown as the greatest treasure one may possess, even greater than any earthly pleasure, trinkets, or belongings one may come to possess.

     The unaware are represented as similar to the dead (to me, the term 'sleeping' would have been more apt, but I think 'the dead' makes the same point as sleeping would, but more vehemently), for they are unaware of their surroundings and because they do not wholly see the effects of their deeds or misdeeds, but live only for temporary pleasures that the Buddha taught were at the heart of much of the suffering on earth.  The unaware are depicted as childish, regardless of their earthly status (i.e. a king may be within this group, just as a poor person could be).  The aware are the mature ones, the noblest ones, who see their faults through their awareness and in aiming to correct themselves, transcend suffering and it's causes.

Chp. III: The Mind

     This poem is fairly straightforward.  It is a commentary on the nature of the mind, calling it 'hard to tame', 'nimble', and 'quick'.  In the sense the poem tries to give, one might picture metaphorically the mind as a gazelle or a rabbit.  A quick, graceful, and rather skittish being, who at the smallest sound, scent or image may swiftly alight to another place.

A wild, untamed creature.

    And then, in coming back to those who would seek to tame the mind, it gives them praise.  It acknowledges the difficult undertaking it is to tame one's own mind and do away with attachment to desire and other earthly attachments which all eventually dissolve into suffering of some form.  Like a fletcher 'tames' wood to create from it a swift and straight arrow, it becomes an art form of sorts to the person that would tame their own mind.  Difficult yes, but definitely rewarding.

Chp. IV: Flowers

     This one was a bit more difficult for me to figure out, but I finally got it.  In this poem, flowers represent the many choices one may encounter while alive, whether they be in the form of ideas or life experiences, or even just items to pick at the store...a job...love...etc.  The poem says that the one who lives in accord with Dhamma, the one who is aware, who seeks to tame his mind and find spiritual peace and knowledge...is like an expert of flowers, who chooses only the best flowers while leaving those which are diseased, who have lost their petals, and those which have not yet matured.

The one who is not in accord with dhamma, who does not have the knowledge, experience, or awareness may choose all the flowers (choices) presented, for they lack in discernment and go about choosing what things they desire or think they desire.  I am not sure if that was such a good explanation, but I need to think on this particular poem a bit more than the others hehe. 

@_@

Chp. V: The Childish

     

This one was pretty simple to understand for me.  It basically said that the childish, the immature can be found everywhere: in royalty, in regular households, and even as Buddhist monks as well.  They are those that crave things they do not truly deserve (the example given was, a novice monk in a Buddhist monastery who desired power and authority over the entire monastery and those that gave offerings to the monastery, people who crave power they do not have the experience or maturity to properly wield...that kinda thing).  And I found myself agreeing for the most part with this take on childishness, not only because it paralleled to the nail the ways I've seen children behave (teehee) but also, because I have seen adults behave in this way, i.e. they do something thinking they may not get caught, and feel elated because of it, but later begin to feel guilt or anxiety at having done this or that, or suspicious that others may do the same as they have done (like with people who cheat on their spouses and the like) or of course...they get caught.


So far, I kind of like The Dhammapada.  It is straight forward and to the point, but not in a pedantic way, and though it is very...dense, it offers much insight to the reader. 

Gardening and the Big Bad Food Scare

Once upon a time there was a little group of garden gnomes named the "United States Department of Agriculture".  They always had very good intentions, but sometimes...well...a lot of times..they just ended up f***ing stuff up for people.

All of the big food producers came to them to make sure their food was good, and although they checked every part of the food, there was always something that slipped their sight.

Their most recent slip up involved a WHOLEEEE lot of cantaloupe, and ended in several deaths and many many sicknesses.  In a hurry, quicker than the US Congress in filibuster mode, the "United States Department of Agriculture", lets call them the USDA, called back millions of tainted cantaloupe!
...But..the damage had been done :(  The world would never be the same because of the deaths of those people who got sick because the USDA just..wasn't good at their job. D:

Nonetheless, people forgot about what happened within a week or so and went back to eating cantaloupe, and everyone lived happily ever after..until the next food scare.

Spinach Plant.  You remember E.Coli, don't you? DON'T YOU?!?!

..................................
I agree, it doesn't make a very good bedtime story, does it?

On the flipside, it unfortunately isn't a fairy tale either.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-cantaloupe-listeria-outbreak-deadliest-decade/story?id=14622507#.TvivFdTOwyQ

In the US, moreso than many other first-world nations, there are a large number of food scares every year.  This year was just a bad year for cantaloupe, as a large portion of the crop released into the market was tainted with a bacteria called Listeria, dangerous not only because it causes sickness in humans, but because it thrives in cold climates such as the ones found in our refrigerator.  The illness caused, Listeriosis, killed thirteen people and seventy-two people had been infected according to CDC official reports.

At around the same time, the melons in my garden had been thriving.  We grew three full sized watermelons, and two cantaloupe (all organic of course) that were a bit smaller than those you'd find at a supermarket.  And as I was eating the fruit of my garden, I realized how fantastic and rewarding it was to grow one's own fruit and vegetables.  Because we had our own cantaloupe at home, what need was there to go out and buy any anywhere else?

And just like that, my family became 'immune' to that food scare.

Now, I'm not saying everyone needs to immediately start a garden in your backyard or run to the nearest target and purchase Topsy Turvy tomato and strawberry planters,  though I personally think they're adorable haha (never tried one myself, but I think I'm going to get to it eventually just for kicks).  What I AM saying though, is that if you can, you should.  Nothing was more rewarding to me this year than being able to make vegetable soup and ratatouille with our own tomatoes, beans, and zucchini, or slicing up watermelon in the summer and eating it after it cooled in the fridge.  As a result my sister loves gardening, and eats her vegetables diligently (her favorite at the moment seem to be sugar snap peas, and it ain't hard to see why.  THEY'RE DELICIOUS!)

I think one of the greatest rewards however, was realizing that in planting my own crops and the like during the summer, I took responsibility in part, for the food put on my plate and into my family and my stomach.

I was like...a gardening superhero, fighting back against the somewhat inept USDA and their repeated food scares with my shield of organic, homegrown crops.

Yeah.  I went there.

<3

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(>^_^)>#

The Philosophical Diary: #1

An excerpt from a diary entry I just wrote...I kind of like it, and it isn't too revealing or anything haha ;)

so I figured, I'd share it with you :)

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"12-14-2011
I feel a familiar inner turmoil begin to stir inside me... A spiritual one, as though I'm straddling some fine line between two worlds.

I am pressed to question the world that I found myself enraptured by the last year or so.  My intuition tells me the world was false, as a dream.  And though my thoughts pull to that familiar question, "What is a dream?" I know that I know the answer now, though it is too complex and my vocabulary is too limited to put it into words...


I suppose it could be said like this.
A dream is to reality, what the moon is to the sun.  The sun is the true source of our celestial warmth and light; the moon acts as a mirror - Her light is a mere reflection of sunlight, and without its true warmth and traits.


But as She reflects a ghost of the sunlight down to Earth, She adds to the light her own personality, interpretation, and symbolism.  As though the moon could summarize the essence of the sun, and make Herself a vessel of that essence, that us living beings down here on Earth might have a glimpse of the light that is normally too bright to see.


I think this is the same way that our dreams work at a basic level.  In this way our mind becomes our guide, our friend and at times our worst enemy; they become a reflection of our true self.


But they, our dreams, are the mirror to the reality we witness... and as one begins to pay more attention to them, I think they begin to show this more and more.  And the more clearly one understands not only themselves but the world that is their mind, and the world outside of themselves, the environment they live in - the clearer the dreams sometimes can become.
     I think."

Getting It Together

"Get It Together" -  India Arie


     I realize I haven't written a blog in a goodly while, about a month now actually.  Lots of stuff has been happening and I found myself kind of entangled in a weird mixture of apathy and self-pity about my life, about my schooling, and even about my lack of motivation to continue to live in this wholly broken system.

I have seen so much wrong with the system my life is required to conform to that I had begun to lose my way spiritually, to forget that what I want to do, to help to change this system for the better, requires that I first work within the system and play it's game.

What system?  The educational system is closest at heart.  The fact that it is so depressingly expensive that extensive saving on the part of my mother for my college education from the moment I was born still came woefully short of the costs that would have to be paid for me to earn my degree in four years.  It is that gas prices are so high now that I had considered dropping out of the four-year university I currently attend, and going to a community college at least until all my GEs were done.
     But I didn't.
     Not because it wasn't the right thing to do or anything.
     Ironically, at least in my view, it was because I didn't want people to think less of me for doing it.  To tell me what a bad choice I was making. Etc.
    The fear of being wrong I suppose.  Or of being ridiculed and judged for doing what I believe is right.


    But I'm trying to break out of this now.  The more I learn about the world around me and the universe within me, the more I realize that the only way to change things is to make a choice.  And inaction unfortunately is the preferred choice of the indecisive.

I don't know how, but I am working on being more decisive and believing in the decisions I make as an adult, despite the views of others (though of course I would listen to the views of others as well).

I see it as my next "baby" step into adulthood.


Wish me luck.

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Food for thought (>^_^)>#

The Fool

Photo by 'hellobaby' of deviantart.com

After the past couple of rather hectic weeks, I find myself exhausted and a bit disappointed with myself.  I suppose I saw too late that main fault within myself.  Though I have confidence, intelligence, and some general sway with people...when I moved out I realized that glaringly obvious "elephant in the room".  I don't do things for myself.  I don't feel it important to do so. ...that is, it is lower on my list of priorities than others for the most part.


At least, not for the most part.  I admit that I am working on it, but that beast called lethargy has definitely found it's way inside my mind like a drug, and it's difficult to purge myself of because of its strange bliss-less allure.


Because of that I have felt myself...stumbling through life, blindly, but sometimes with an incredulous smile on my face at the rollercoaster I have strapped myself onto.


I feel I am The Fool.  Wide-eyed and childlike in the face of reality, with a sense of wonder and imaginative curiosity I seldom see reflected in the minds and hearts of others my age.  And yet,  because of that wonder at this fantastic reality...it seems sometimes that I've gotten stuck in a rosy, picturesque version of this world.


And because of that, sometimes, I don't see the serpent hiding in the apple tree.
What I need, what I want, what I fear to do.  Becomes irrelevant as I am lulled to this sleepwalker state, oblivious of how selfishly selfless I've managed to become.




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Confused? Maybe? Think on it a bit.  You'll find more often than not, that it's really just food for thought! (>^_^)>#

Occupy Wallstreet

          For the past week or so, I have been following a longgggggggg stream of growing protests entitled "Occupy Wallstreet", which if I have my facts straight, began in  New York City, NY, and have spread like wildfire across the country.  These protests, inspired by the "Arab-spring protests", have channeled and focused the anger, the outrage, and the utter disappointment that the wide majority of people (the 99% as the protesters often say) in a way that is utterly peaceful, but unable to ignore ESPECIALLY for those people who can relate to the outrage they express.

     Occupy Wallstreet was organized and formed as a way to legally and peaceably combat the widespread corruption within the U.S. government and throughout corporations deemed "Too Big Too Fail" by the federal government.  These insanely wealthy corporations now own and control vast amounts of wealth, often and almost always at the expense of those people that corporations call their consumers.

    The unemployment rate is just under 10% for the entire of-age US population (not counting the large amounts of people who are currently UNDER-employed) and that unemployment rate is said to be doubled or higher for young people (especially those who've just graduated college) and minorities.

Unemployment rates in Western U.S. 9/28/2011

Now, I've been quite riled up about this movement ..in a good way lol!..and so I'm going to be making plans to go to a corresponding protest in Los Angeles.  If anyone is interested in attending with me, send me a message on facebook or via my email if ye have it.

To watch the Occupy Wallstreet (NY) protest live:

-->live feed (NY)

To find a protest near you:

http://occupytogether.com/

To find out more about the OccupyLA protests:

--> live feed :)

-->Occupy LA facebook page

This video is of very vocal but peaceful protesters being corralled by police and sprayed with either mace or pepper spray. (I have heard stories of both, so I couldn't tell you which for sure).

This is a very good video, one of the first 9/11 emergency responders to begin looking for survivors and helping remove rubble.  His story speaks volumes of the broken nature of our system, and I highly recommend watching this short video.

This is the last video I promise.  I wanted to end on a very inspiring note, and this student's speech definitely does the trick.  The eloquence of his speech itself, as well as the uplifting message of praise towards his civilly disobedient peers, is a testament to the strength of not only the youths of the world, but of those of the "99%" surviving and thriving worldwide.

....I wish I could shake this guy's hand. (>^_^)># food for thought?

Going to the Dogs: (Part 2) The Government and it's Intentional Negligence

 

 I was going to write a long and involved blog...

 

...about intentional negligence on the part of many governments, ESPECIALLY the U.S., for the benefit of corporations or simply to further twisted and sick agendas....

 

...but these two short films, and the third video, a trailer to 'The Pat Tillman Story', seem to have said it better than I ever could, so I dedicate this blog to these videos.

My thanks goes to those brave enough and knowledgeable enough to make these statements of truth, and I sincerely hope those reading this blog will take some time to watch them.

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(>^_^)>#

Going to the Dogs: (Part 1) The Swiss Sex Box and the...Child?

http://www.christianpost.com/news/swiss-kindergartners-to-be-taught-about-pleasures-of-sex-from-a-sex-box-54680/

Sure, at first you think WOW the Swiss have really out done "adult sex toys" this time.  My mind first went to some kind of large box where someone sits in and then --- nevermind that lol.

But I wouldn't have imagined that this sex toy would be built for children.
Frankly it makes me sick.  So sick that it's actually kind of difficult to write about this.  Not only because of the vast immoral standing behind this that promotes early EARLY sexual acts in children too young and WAY too fucking immature to understand sex, the responsibilities that go along with it, etc., as well as being too physically immature and biologically unready for sex anyways...

What really makes me sick is that the Swiss government has overtly refused to listen to the vast numbers of complaints about the new 'child sex agenda' from parents, but has simply told them to deal with the fact that their children will now be taught about the "wonders of sex".

Basel education minister Christoph Eymann gave a statement, saying that, ' "It's about protecting the sexual integrity of children," he said, adding that it was necessary for educators to do something to help prevent sexual violence against children by helping children protect themselves.'

However, it is very obvious that this would promote the exact opposite within the children themselves, that is...when you teach a child --- who lacks both the physical and mental maturity to comprehend sex --- about the 'pleasures' of it, the child will in my opinion, seek out that pleasure as would be natural.  A child is naturally curious, and when being shown something that is potentially pleasing to them, they would experiment with it.

In the child's mind, because a teacher (an authority and someone they trust) that it is okay, then it IS okay.  But also, because a child is dependent on adults or elders, they also look to authority for protection, which is also very natural.

However, sex is the realm of the "adult world", and the adult world is no place for a child psychologically and physically.  This kind of teaching to kindergarteners (who I assume are aged 4-6 years of age), makes them extremely more vulnerable to pedophiles and other sexual predators because now, depending on how emphasized this agenda is made to the children, they have the potential to become not only prey to these sick people, but now to become willing prey.

In addition to this, the conflicts between what the teachers say regarding sex and 'safe touch' and what their parents say or don't say regarding sex (which is perfectly reasonable on the parents part given the age of the child) creates further confusion within the child, not only because two authorities within their lives are at extreme odds with each other, but now that that child is forced to make a choice within his or her self regarding which authority must be trusted.

And given how perpetuated sex is in the media, in mainstream society, and now at least in Switzerland, in the educational system as well, my bet as to who would win (in the child's mind) in this struggle...

goes to the teacher.

Ah Sweden Birthplace of Ikea Meatballs and Sexualized Toddlers

 And I thought this was bad lol. ^

' "Kindergarten children in Basel, Switzerland will be presented this year with fabric models of human genitalia in a “sex box” to teach them that “contacting body parts can be pleasurable.”

The kit for teachers to give sex-education lessons to primary school children uses models and recommends having children massage each other or to rub themselves with warm sand bags, accompanied by soft music, according to The Local, a Swiss newspaper in English.'

Ah Sweden Birthplace of Ikea Meatballs and Sexualized Toddlers
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And there you have it, your daily dose of raw, au naturel food for thought. (>0.o)>#

Realizing Maturity

    As anyone who read my last post knows, the whole 'living on my own' thing is kind of blowing up in my face.  I don't have enough money to sustain myself, job market is shit (though apparently Wall Street says it's getting better according to what I can only describe as a manic depressant stock market [see? SEE?!]), and I honestly am not sure where to go from here, though my reasoning tells me the obvious and best choice is to move back in with my family...my faerie senses are telling me that I should just get a survival knife, a few lighters, some canned food, and go build a small hobbit like house somewhere in the woods where I can vacation from humanity for a while lol. (I'm being totally serious haha).

But! There have been some good things that came out of my dabbling in independence from my parents.  I have been raised to be independent.  Despite the current factors outside of myself which limit my ability to function in this society without them, I am mentally and emotionally prepared to be on my own.  And that in and of itself, I think, is what I really sought in the first place.  To be able to test myself out in this man-made reality, in the modern human's habitat.  To see how I manage with people that are outside of my previous realm of experiences.  To know myself, in essence.  And to see how far I've come...and how far I still have to go before I am who I want to be.  Or perhaps, to be able to truly see my potential and my own inner power.

So thank you parental units of mine.  I may have complained a lot about my childhood, and you guys, and etc. but it's only natural...I am a teenager after all haha :0P (just kidding, don't rely on such a foolish stereotype to explain my behavior >.< )

But honestly...thank you.  Seems you did a better job with my difficult self than I ever gave you credit for.

And now as I head on in this weird journey I have set out on, it is clear to me now that I have the tools and skills I need to succeed and deal with whatever obstacles that come to me.  And also, that I have relationships with compassionate and trustworthy individuals.

Now I just have to allow myself the opportunity, the self-discipline, and above all, self-encouragement to be able to do what I need to do.

I GOT THE POWERRR!...now I just need to use it.

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And there you have it, your daily dose of delicious, nutritious thought. (>^_^)>#

Life or Something Like it

After only one month of living in my apartment, my two roommates have called it quits because of a rather severe roach infestation in the kitchen of our humble abode.

Now be assured here, I don't blame them, because roaches are rather cumbersome little pests, but even a roach problem can be solved.  And I was rather bent on solving it, even if it took annoying the hell out of the landlord and the office workers to get it done.
   Because I recognized this as my home now, at least for the year.  This was the place I was supposed to spend..at LEAST the rest of the year in haha.

But...'tis no matter I suppose, but life itself at work.  My gut told me to be wary of roommates before, but I have a nasty habit of not following my intuition in the cases especially where it is most right, so strike one for me.  ...However, this sticky situation I have found myself in seems to have renewed my inability to trust my peers, the exception being the few that I have wholly given my trust to (you people know who you are when you read this,.there aren't that many of you lol).

When living with people whom you are co-dependent on, I realize that you always have to have a safety net just in case your ability to rely on them as they do you begins to wane.  Now this isn't to say that that waning is a bad thing - every person must do what is best for them, even sometimes to the detriment of others.  I am disappointed with how this situation turned out, yes.
But I understand the state of things, and have no hard feelings about them leaving.

Now I'm just wondering where to go next.  I need another job or I won't be able to support myself.  I need a new place to live, most likely a one bed one bath, furnished with a stove (I have a fridge and microwave already).
   I have pretty much all I need..though admittedly that isn't much...and I do have parents to depend on, and very dependable and compassionate friends and a loving boyfriend (far away though he is most of the time)...

I just need to keep my focus on the big picture, that's all.

...yep.

T.V. Dinner Tonight?: More Financial Woes

As the title suggests, unfortunately as Americans and as subjects of our government, soon everyone's going to start to feel the brunt of the Budget Control Act of 2011,  a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the president earlier this week (a bill which, by the way, affords no new tax increases [meaning no new revenues for the govt]...which means all of that ridiculous arguing between the parties for NO NEW TAX INCREASES, DRASTIC SPENDING CUTS on one side, and ONLY TAX INCREASES, DEBT CEILING RAISE! was...in a word utterly pointless and a supreme waste of time) and which appeased both parties by giving Republicans in a sense..everything they asked for lol, and giving Democrats the only thing they actually cared about getting -- the debt ceiling raised. For a Quick Summary of the "Budget Control Act of 2011",<--- click there.

     Despite the 11th hour rush to pass this shit-storm (word is hyphenated because self-correct told me it was better that way :P ) of a financial policy, the U.S. financial markets still took a dive and though they raised slightly after the vigorous downward spiral, the stock market is still very volatile as investors around the world are coming to grips with the American government's supreme ineptness at handling its business.
Dow average still heading down

Wall St. Turns Positive

My thoughts about the average American citizen's ideal next move in all of this?  Watch as the investors and those who depended on the U.S. for support financial (so..the entire world basically) begin to take heed of these repeated financial downturns as a result of financial stupidity at the individual level (yes, I'm talking to you average citizen who spent more than you damn well knew that you could afford)...to the highest branches of the U.S. government, who I will not blame here.

Why you ask, do I refuse to chastise our government, and rather turn the blame to the American citizen?  It is because they are politicians.  It is in their job description to be uncaring, ruthless, selfish, conniving, greedy, malicious, self-righteous bastards.  It is well document throughout history lol.

I chastise instead myself and my fellow countrymen, for knowing the nature of these men and women and STILL being complacent and watching them gut our once great country and throw it to the metaphorical lion's den.
Economic Issues Remain in Wake of Debt Resolution

But given the country's love for preemptive striking against "potential" national threats both internationally AND DOMESTICALLY (I won't go into my theories about 9/11 and the wars we've currently lodged ourselves in, in this post lol), I won't start touting ideas about becoming vigilant crime fighters and making citizen militias and shit like that.

No, fellow country men, the revolution I think that needs to come instead is one that removes our dependency on such volatile markets. I invite you all to visit the Backwoods Home Magazine (I will post a link to it on the home page after this post, or you can just google it if ye don't wanna wait) and learn how to live self-reliantly.

We as a people depend on the American government and the markets they influence for food, shelter, tools, and money to buy those necessities from them.  Just as well we also depend on them for the gasoline, cars/buses/other forms of transportation, and JOBS needed to get the money to even survive.  I urge you all to take steps to become more self-reliant.  Because just as foreign investors would do themselves a disservice by putting more of their time and money into a broken and obviously malfunctioning system...so would we as U.S. citizens or as I should better call us...domestic investors.

Trust me, there is no harm in learning to survive apart from the system.

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 And there you have it, your daily organic--T.V. dinner?--- requirements. Satisifed. (>^_^)>#

The Simple Dinner #1

    Helen shuffled quietly to the makeshift stove -- a large plate of smooth grey metal hung just above a small patch of growing embers William drew up in the fireplace.  On it she placed two cleaned and gutted fish, sprinkling on it wild rosemary and drenching it with salt water from below the mouth of the river which she and her husband -- we previously called him William -- lived by.  She took a slightly wilted head of cabbage and cut it into quarters before throwing it into a small pot of boiling water hanging on the other end of the fire.

     "Darling?" Helen called.  "Please get some cheese and bread from the cupboard?"

     William grunted unflatteringly but did as Helen asked, moving up from his cushioned chair and taking from the cupboard a loaf of dark sourdough bread and a roll of goat cheese, placing them on ceramic plates and arranging them neatly on the wooden table in the center of the living room.

     Helen came to the table with the boiled cabbage -- having added garlic and salt to it previously -- and the seared fish.  She placed the food into other earthen plates, and filled two shallow drinking bowls with a cool red wine.

     When all the food was prepared, she and her husband briefly locked eyes and a moment of unspoken love passed between them.

    And...the moment finally passing...they began to eat, speaking of the now finished day.

The Curious Storm

The rain spilled quietly through my open window,

bathing my laptop in a soft drizzle.

A clap of loud thunder

or swift wind

screamed

into my ears

jarring my dreaming 

mind, and sending me awake.

.."Shit!" I cried, seeing my laptop soaked.

And springing out of bed, I

took it, cradled it

and

wondered at how

my love for technology has

dwindled dramatically over the years.

Only the curious storm outside my window, whose

howls more clearly resembled wind or God retching
Than proud thunder.

...Curious.

Dear Congress... Go to hell. Love, Me.

Dems Gop Still Loggerheads Clock Ticks

I cannot fathom why they would be doing this.  I mean really!

...Actually, I can completely fathom why they do/did this.   As I do believe I said in a previous post, most of the rather outspoken, non-compromising politicians including President Obama (as the media just lovveeesss to remind us) are all up for re-election next year, or running for president against the incumbent president.  However, to stall to the very last day AGAIN, which is unfortunately expected by the majority of people who served as spectators for this political fiasco earlier this year when the government was dealing with it's lack of a fiscal budget for this year.

     As in the last one, these politicians will most likely go to the last possible second before striking a deal and passing some kind of legislative piece through their selfish, corrupted ranks.

At first I thought that perhaps the reason they were staging this horribly acted out performance is because they truly cared about the country's financial state... that is..that we are so deep in our own metaphorical shit that the only way that we could possibly relieve this pressure is if we admitted to ourselves that we had no money to pay the debts that we would accumulate by taking more money to pay debts that we also can't afford to pay---*breathes*---and defaulted.

****

Did I lose you? That's okay.  You shouldn't have to be in a situation where you'd have to comprehend that ridiculous statement. ...Though unfortunately you are one of many subjects of this stupid government if you call yourself an American...and if you aren't you will still be affected by this situation, so I suggest you go read that statement again and again til you get it and are as angry as I am!...If you got it the first time, don't mind this tiny side rant :p

****

At least...that is where my mind is at right now, though that definitely doesn't mean I'd have no problem at all with the devastating effects that would have on the world, and the average citizen here at home.

..Side note: Go fuck yourselves 10% of people who hold the wealth in this country. No one likes you and your inherent resistance to the financial crisis >.>

....DIGRESSING lol,  ..I am absolutely sure however that these politicians don't care.  For further information, please consult Mr. Michael Jackson.

I personally like the second, prison one better.  This first one is inspiring....

But the second one is so much more volatile and heart-wrenching because of the true footage in it.

 

I petition you, my few readers, to spread the word about these charlatans posing as uncorrupted people who care about the welfare of this once great nation.  We are being thrown to the dogs (or you could say debt collectors, international loan sharks, ..other politicians..take your pick) just because these politicians all have an ulterior agenda, one that benefits solely those multi-billion, and I am sure..multi-trillion dollar companies situated here in the U.S. 

I will be posting a blog later about one of these companies in particular later, and their connection with the brain child of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization later, so-called "Codex Alimentarius"

Keep your eyes open my fellow Barnacle Boys and Mermaid Men! There's evil afoot! (And yes, I did just reference Spongebob.)

*******************************

There you have it! Your daily dose of organic thought. Satisfied. (>^_^)>#

Never have I seen so much win.  Thank you xkcd.com/ bwhahaha!

First week back at work

After a week of being out of work due to a rather painful bladder infection (adding to that frequent bouts of nausea and headaches as a result of a generic version of Macrobid, which is an antibiotic created specifically to treat infections such as the one I had, and unfortunately also gives the rather BLECH side effects that I had)...now I am back in the lab, and the experiment that I was assisting in (I am a research assistant after all) is now completed :)

I feel good. ^.^

And also, I have been taking the bus to work/school and back, and have found it a rather interesting experience.  The majority of the people on the bus AREN'T actually crazy, despite popular belief.  It is just the select few creepy men and women on the bus that give public transportation the bad rep it has. 

Though I won't lie...it's true that the crazier ones can be found on the late buses. >.>
.........................

Anyways, as I walked from bus to work to bus to home this day, I had constantly on my person the collection of Celtic myths I said a teensy bit about in a previous post.  I think I may have gone through four or five myths today, each at least 10 to 13 pages in length (the longest was perhaps...twenty pages?)  ....and I must admit, the Celtic mythologies are grown on me.  I see in myself a patter however.  It is not enough for me to read and study myths of each separate pantheon, but rather to study them and the histories and cultures behind each religion.  For example, this Celtic Mythology book I am currently fixated on  speaks briefly of connections between Celtic Myth and Hinduism!

And a new door into the past opened to me, that of Indo-european cultures!  It fascinates me and makes me think on how I came to see this passion within me in the first place.  So many philosophical ideas now swarming around in my head like angered fireflies, each alight with their own small, fantastic glow!  And to come together so neatly into one curious passion...is just...astounding.

And I owe it all to my hunger dragging me to Coffee Bean late this morning! *giggles*

........................................
There you have it, your daily dose of healthy, organic thought (>^_^)>#

A Few Wonderful Songs

For all we know
We may never meet again
Before you go
Make this moment sweet again

We won't say goodnight
Until the last minute
I'll hold out my hand
And my heart will be in it

For all we know
This may only be a dream
We come and we go
Like the ripples of a stream

So love me, love me tonight
tomorrow was made for some
tomorrow may never come
for all we know

Donny Hathaway: I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know

If I ever leave you....you can say I told you so!
And if I ever hurt you ..... you know I hurt myself as well.

Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know...

When I wasn't making too much money
You know where my paycheck went
 I brought it home to you  baby
And I never spent one red cent

Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know

Now listen to this!

I'm not trying to be
just any kind of man
I'm just trying to be somebody
You can love, trust and understand
I know that I can be
A part of you that no one else can see

But I gotta here ya say, I got to here ya say..
its allright
 
I'm only flesh and blood
But I could be everything that you demand
I can be king of everything
Or just a tiny grain of sand

Is that anyway for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you more than you'll ever know. 

(After having to correct numerous mistakes in these lyrics, I decided it best henceforth to look up vids with lyrics in them lol :p)

Rufus & Chaka Khan: Tell Me Something Good!  

And lastly....

Peggy Lee's "Fever"

***********************************************************************************

These wonderful songs have been stuck in my head all day, and instead of being annoyed by them, I figured I would share them to you. :)

Here's a little token of past music, a gift from me to you ---remember that only a few decades back, music had more meaning to it that getting wasted and then getting laid (or both simultaneously? YES I'm talking to you Trey Songz).

Enjoy :)   

U.S. Debt Crisis & My Generation

     I've been following the debt-deal "talks" in Congress and between Congress and the White House for a while now, and each time I tune into the news, I become displeased (like most who hear about it) that our representatives and senators whom the American people elected for the sole purpose of running our government smoothly and effectively seem WHOLLY incapable of doing just that.
*For starts we are in something like three wars right now: Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya (yes I include Libya.  Just because we don't have "troops on the ground" doesn't meant we aren't spending enough money on Libya to make up for that. The majority of NATO's military finance and finesse come from the United States.  Unfortunately, these wars seem to also be out of sight, out of mind events for the majority of the American population, so I won't go much into them right now.

*Then there is this whole debt thing...During the Clinton administration we had a SURPLUS, something that was lost quite rapidly during Bush Jr.'s terms as president and of course is currently being exacerbated during Obama's administration by the amount of wars going on, by misused and inefficiently used funds in entitlement programs, and of course by ridiculous tax breaks for the wealthiest people in the US (politely renamed 'job creators' by those Congressman favoring the Bush [Jr.] era tax cuts).

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/mon-july-18-2011-daniel-radcliffe
^^^^don't believe me? Click this link and watch between 6:35-7:30 for a lovely reel of clips showing senators calling the richest of the rich 'job creators'.

Anyways, my purpose here isn't to bash politicians because of the choices both they and the American public made which contributed to our current financial problems...my purpose is too bash them because of their political antics at this moment, and their utter refusal to come up with some sort of compromise between themselves.
They had ...literally months to begin planning.  And I can understand them not taking that time, because I know that they have a lot on their plate..they are a federal institution after all, and one of the highest.

HOWEVER.  Now they have less than two weeks to strike a deal, and they are still being stubborn as mules.  What is the American public supposed to think when all they see inside Congress is a lot of 'monkey business' if you will on the one hand, and people like President Obama and Treasure Secretary Timothy Geithner telling us that they are 'close' to a deal on the other hand?
Dispute Threatens Debt Limit Negotiations

Now don't get me wrong, I am sure that they will get a deal (though if they don't it won't be much of a surprise either >.>)  but what truly frustrates me, is the amount of political grandstanding going on.  After all, how many of the Congressmen and -women are up for re-election next year? Exactly.
And this all disturbs me but...what really disturbs me is...



A lot of my peers just...don't care.  I have heard many in my generation (I just turned 18, but am a Sophomore in college), a lot of college-going young adults always give me excuses like "I am too stressed out to pay attention," or "It doesn't concern me," or...my favorite..."I don't like politics and don't approve of what the government is doing...so I stopped paying attention."
I just...truly don't get it.  We are on the brink of a financial collapse akin to that of Greece...and yet people just seem to think that this in no way affects them?

But then again..given how out of touch people are with the goings on of their government domestically...what care would they have for the rest of the world and its troubles either? v_v

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
Your daily dose of organic thought, satisfied. (>^_^)>#

One Man's Trash

As I was walking back from a store earlier today, I found myself walking past a ridiculous amount of litter lining the side of a gate I had sauntered past.

For one reason or another I found myself focusing on the kinds of trash I walked past.  Doritos bag, empty cigarette box, Doritos bag....more Doritos bags lol.  It was all becoming rather repetitive so I started focusing on my book again, a collection of Celtic myths entitled Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Berresford Ellis.  A really good book, and the author's introductions to each section is very interesting.

But I digress....
I was almost completely into my book again, when a shimmer caught my eye.  I look down.  And it turns out to be a Magnum condom wrapper >.>

Of course I was disgusted and thought, why the hell would anyone leave something like this here?
...But then a random voice in my head thought two things.

1) If you were a teenager, and you didn't want to get into trouble with your parents for having premarital sex, would you hide it in the family trash bin? (That question of course was rhetorical and sarcastic, of course that is the last place where i would hide it :p )

2) Perhaps in that moment, it was romantic?  In the heat of passion, in the late hours of the night, some young couple made love under the moonlight, and without a care for anything besides the need to feel each other close (and of course to not get the chick pregnant), the wrapper was quickly tossed aside, the condom in place, and love making ensuing...

so yeah...I could see the circumstances of how that condom wrapper got there.  In any case, I didn't appreciate it distracting me from my book. >.<

Venus & Cupid: The Marriage of Love

Venus and Cupid, late 1520s
Lorenzo Lotto (Italian, Venetian, ca. 1480–1556)
Oil on canvas

Source: Lorenzo Lotto: Venus and Cupid (1986.138) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    "Venus and Cupid" by Lorenzo Lotto, is a painting that caught my attention a few years back while I was browsing the internet for...one reason or another, the actually reason escapes me haha.

But what intrigues me the most about the work is the history behind it.  After a bit of research I found out that the crown that Venus is wearing is actually a Venetian Tiara worn by brides during the Italian Renaissance, which ultimately (after a bit more reading) led to the understanding that this painting was created as a "visual equivalent of a poetic epithalamium, or marriage poem."  That is, that Venus is seen here playing the role as the Venetian bride, blessed with the gift of fertility by Cupid (his urinating on her alone is a symbol of male virility and female fertility ^.^).  What a compliment this must've been to all those Italian brides when this painting was first unveiled!

Other things I noticed in this painting that contributed to the marriage symbolism are the main three colors that catch the eye in the picture: red, blue and white.

Red and blue seem to be the opposing colors, that is red is a warm and passionate color (possibly a salute to Eros) while blue is a more calm, cool color, and the ripples in the fabric are reminiscent of the sea, which of course is a very strong connection to Venus as She was born of the sea, a point emphasized by the conch shell dangling above the head of the lovely goddess.
     I find these two colors very interesting because of how Venus interacts with them in the painting.  Her skin seems to be alabaster white, glowing almost, seeming to be pure and virginal which matches up exactly with the historical character She is portraying.

I noticed a snake slithering around underneath her.  I'm not sure what that is supposed to signify exactly, but my mind automatically went to temptation and the creation myth in the Bible.  Also the flower petals which I'm going to say are...light pink? that are sprinkled around her on her lap... as well as re-emphasizing the idea of fertility due to their placement, if I am right about the color, than the petals also symbolizes marriage or..love rather. 

*Pink = Red + White*, and red to me symbolizes passion, lust, and physical love (at least in this painting), while white again symbolizes purity.  So what does our equation give us then? Pure love :)

.....

Your daily dose of organic thought, satisfied. (>^_^)>#