Wise Words

No discussion of ego would be complete without touching on our greatest egomania - the perception we're all somehow "special," sacred, on a mission predestined by God... A God who's all knowing and omni-present, so involved and invested in us he's obsessed with who we fuck, whether we eat pork or if we're daydreaming about screwing the neighbor's wife. And yet he's never been seen or engaged by anyone - never stopped in at the corner deli for coffee or appeared in the bathroom to scold us for masturbating. And he can only be understood or engaged via "faith," a device through which rejection of the overwhelming lack of evidence of something somehow provides a stronger "intangible" proof of the thing. I don't know if God does or doesn't exist, but I do know a gimmick when I see it, and the "faith" sold by religion is a pure, Grade A gimmickry. If I told you a band of magical trolls live in your basement, but that you'll never be able to see or engage them - never observe any evidence of their existence but an ancient book of contradictory, fantastic fables professing to describe the history of their rich civilization under your stairs - would you believe me? Build a shrine or home for them next to the washing machine, something along the lines of the Keebler Elves' tree house or the Hobbits' Shire?** You'd thrown me out of your house is what you'd do. But that's basically "faith" - collective, tribally-reinforced suspension of disbelief... And the oddest thing is, it's utterly unnecessary. Devout or non-believer, the golden rule's still the same: Don't be an asshole. If you need the balsa wood artifice of organized religion to remind you to treat people as you'd want to be treated, you don't need prayer. You need a fucking psychiatrist. Make nice with the pious as much as you need to for business purposes, but never get too close. As pleasant as they might be, as comforting as the pitch sounds, anyone fixated on the "afterlife" is nuts. There's more than enough astonishing, amazing shit around us right here to keep a sensible, inquisitive mind busy. 

Wow!

At the touch of her lips, it grew long and swollen. I sighed as she squeezed and pulled expertly. It was the best balloon giraffe I'd seen.

Robin Williams

Sad to see him go.  It also triggers some thoughts, some of which may not be healthy. 

Depression begins with disappointment.  When disappointment festers it leads to depression.

We overcome some obstacles.  When we have overcome these obstacles or disappointments, it is not entirely satisfying  because of the boredom it produces.  What is next?  I do not know.

"One could argue that most of the trouble in the world is caused by introspection.”
― Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down

 “We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and — in spite of True Romance magazines — we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely — at least, not all the time — but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.”  Hunter S. Thompson

Good advice.  Perhaps it is arrogance, but I have my self-respect.

The last frontier?

Alaska was great.  At least in the summer.  Such beautiful scenery.  Majestic mountains. Magnificent glaciers. Abundent wildlife.

A great trip.

 

 

 

Watching the whales was especially cool.