One of the things about "blogging" is that I can of course state my opinions in a forum that is for the most part nothing more than a reflection of what is going on in my mind at any given moment-whatever happens to trigger a thought that at first gives me pause... ie "President Obama grew up in Kenya" out of the mouth of former Governor Muck Hickabee...or is that Mike Huckabee? See how easy it is to transpose a word or two and give a different meaning? On the other side of the fence Dems AWOL in Illinois are asking to meet the new Governor of America's Dairyland at the border of Illinois and Wisconsin...near Kenosha, Wisconsin I would guess...perhaps at the Brat Stop to discuss serious pending legislation...really? Kinda like High Noon or...maybe not. The Gov. said put on your big boy pants and come home...elected officials..all of them.
But none of that is really what is on my mind-my brain bucket and all its gray matter and unseen contents is gnawing on a long standing phenomenon in America and dare I say in the world. Fat people...more specifically fat people that are in contests to lose weight..and even more specifically fat people losing weight on television while other people that need to lose weight watch them-trying to lose weight.
First- I am not fat by the standards of any of the shows that air- I have never been fat and most likely will not be fat-as outlined heretofore. These TV shows that feature mammoth sized humans trying to lose the equivalent weight as that of a small dinosaur are not interested in people like me-as participants. So before I mush on let me state that this rant is not about fat people- how they got fat, why they are fat, what makes them fat, the emotional state of being fat or just really anything to do with fat. It has to do with Mike Huckabee...not really just seeing if you were paying attention.
I cannot find a way around the fact that millions of people actually sit and watch fat people try to lose weight. I don't know the demographic for these types of shows but the image of the family sitting down and getting ready to watch "The Biggest Loser" and lining up a smorgasbord of munchies while tuning in to some massive human eating nothing but a pile of green stuff and sweating their collective nads off confirms what I have long suspected-the human mind does not know what reality ...really is. The advent of television has billions of us watching shows that are nothing more than made up stories..that our mind processes as real. My grandmother used to sit and watch her "stories" every afternoon-soap operas- and talk out loud to the TV set-as if the cast of characters actually existed and were sitting in the living room. Watching a group of fat people working out and sweating to the oldies is not the same as really working out and sweating to the oldies...really..really it isn't. Let me address the inevitable comment lurking ahead.."But its so inspirational to watch these shows...people losing weight..." Great..here is my response...how much weight have you lost watching other people lose weight? Inspiration is great...imagine combining that with perspiration....that would actually lead to real...TRANSFORMATION...
And one more thing...about Mike Huckabee and those Democrats hiding in Chicago.....what do they have in common with "The Biggest Loser"...hmmm
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Seeing Charlie Sheen
Its near impossible to turn on the tube and not see "the latest and most exclusive" interview or review or rear-view of the on-air destruction of a human being that is so caught up in the manic world of his own mind and that "duh" and "winning" have become water cooler talking points. Charlie Sheen-born Carlos Irwin Estevez is the son of The President from "West Wing" Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez (Martin Sheen) and brother of the dude from "Breakfast Club" Emilio Estevez (Emilio Estevez.) He has been married 3 times, has a few kids and his net worth hovers around 85 million dollars and up to recently he was paid 2 million dollars a show on "Two and a Half Men" to portray a guy that is a basic loser, womanizer, alcoholic and basic bad influence on his brother's son. In other words-he was paid to be himself-which perhaps makes his on air performances so convincing. To be fair-I have a watched about six minutes of the show that has millions laughing at Charlie...so what part of him do we see in ourselves that keeps would be interviewers like British import and late night Larry King replacement Piers Morgan saying things like "you seem somewhat normal to me..."
Perhaps its the part of us that usually falls apart in private. All of us have meltdowns-but not in public or for public comsumption. No doubt listening to Charlie talk about his porn starlets is more fun than listening to some guy from Chicago wishing he could trade places with Sheen...and who would want to? Perhaps its the part of us that is so full of ourselves that we belive our own press clippings... Charlie could actually demand more money per show- $3 million-to be himself for CBS. He might have a point-if he has actually caught on that he is portraying himself-he should be paid more for it right? Maybe what keeps us tuning into the sideshow called "Sheen" is how much we all like to see someone suffer...other than ourselves.
I hope Charlie Sheen gets a second chance-that somehow through the fog of his own illusions and the obvious goading by a close circle living off his resources like so many hyenas pulling apart what's left of the carcass-he rises out of this as a testament to the human spirit and gives pause to so many others that struggle with substance abuse. In America we love to watch someone fall-suffer and get laid open. We also love it when they apparently crawl thru the muck and mire, polished and ready for another shot. I hope he makes it-
I really do.
Perhaps its the part of us that usually falls apart in private. All of us have meltdowns-but not in public or for public comsumption. No doubt listening to Charlie talk about his porn starlets is more fun than listening to some guy from Chicago wishing he could trade places with Sheen...and who would want to? Perhaps its the part of us that is so full of ourselves that we belive our own press clippings... Charlie could actually demand more money per show- $3 million-to be himself for CBS. He might have a point-if he has actually caught on that he is portraying himself-he should be paid more for it right? Maybe what keeps us tuning into the sideshow called "Sheen" is how much we all like to see someone suffer...other than ourselves.
I hope Charlie Sheen gets a second chance-that somehow through the fog of his own illusions and the obvious goading by a close circle living off his resources like so many hyenas pulling apart what's left of the carcass-he rises out of this as a testament to the human spirit and gives pause to so many others that struggle with substance abuse. In America we love to watch someone fall-suffer and get laid open. We also love it when they apparently crawl thru the muck and mire, polished and ready for another shot. I hope he makes it-
I really do.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Only the good die young...
With the headlines filled to the brim on the rantings of Charlie Sheen, the North Korean leader once again threatening war because no one is paying attention to him, Libya falling apart and Wisconsin about to go out of business I wanted to take this space to tell you the world lost someone really important. Someone I had never met-but wish I had.
On one of my frequent trips to a close friends house to basically suck down coffee like a Hoover (vacuum cleaner not the president) and walk through the more spiritual aspects of life and how to possibly apply forgiveness to situations that seem hopeless and ride out the pain that life throws at us in all forms, my eye caught the edge of the daily paper-a photograph to be exact of Hampton Benjamin Waring on the obituary page. He is a square jawed bright eye young man with a slight smile and shock of dark hair and the reading goes on to say that Ben died tragically in a car accident in Dover, Wisconsin on Feb 19, 2011.
Ben was born to Hampton and Mary Beth Waring and attended Superior Central Schools here in Upper Michigan. He was a standout baseball player, track athelete and made All-State and All-Class Honorable Mention his Senior year in basketball. It was at high school he met the love of his life Jessica Shegan-Fox and was in the National Honor Society and active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Dare Program. Word has it he was a skilled craftsman and great brother to Katie and Joe. Ben spent his summers throwing bales of hay at the mill and working for any neighbor who needed a hand-no questions asked. After high school graduation he attended Michigan Tech-and in his senior year he helped to design a bridge in Soloy, Panama and upon graduating from Tech with his civil/structural engineering degree was part of the bypass project in in Wisconsin. He continued to enjoy baseball and was a tough foe in paintball. He planned to marry Jessica in July of 2012. A great day for Ben including a good pair of jeans and sweatshirt..customizing his pickup truck named "Talula" and eating his favorite food with a large glass of cold chocolate milk. Ben was a remarkable guy who had a real sense of himself and others and had a way of listening to other people's problems and with his down to earth character, he could simplify the issue and show them that they could overcome the challenge. He had a real clarity about life and friends and family say that Ben "got it" in regards to life. He was a great role model for all who knew him.
Hampton Benjamin Waring was 23 when he died.
My spirit leapt just thinking about his incredible young man-untainted by the polarizing issues of the day that knock so many of us off track. His inner compass that brought forth his gifts and his willingness and courage to totally be himself when so many his age want to be someone else. The energy and zeal for living that he lived life with, a sense of urgency about the gift of waking up another day. As I read and re-read about Ben's life I began to question my own mortality. What will be written about me when I am gone? Will it be about the books I have authored or the radio shows I have done? Will it talk about the famous people I have worked with and the places I have been? The houses I bought or the cars I drive? I suppose all of that is in the hands of the final author of my life-whomever that may be.
I left the house and thought about Ben all night. Family and friends were gathering to say good-bye to a remarkable human being, comforting each other in their loss, made that much deeper due to the fact that the Ben Waring's of the world are few and far between...oh they are out there but its not often we hear about them until its too late. I wish I would have known him in life, but its his death that has given me a spark, a gift and a resurgence that brought a little bit more light into some dark corners. I have another day that he did not, I have the opportunity to make the most of it and so do you. I have the paper with Ben's obituary on my writing desk-and there it will stay as a reminder that tomorrow is promised to no one. In a final act of courage Ben had chosen to be an organ donor and his wishes will save up to 50 lives.
The most important headlines seemingly are about mega-stars flapping their yap about how life did them wrong, dictators that were ignored as kids and need to make a mess the world to get attention and how those in elected office often confuse force with true power. Ben Waring knew the difference and in just 8,395 days on Earth accomplished more, touched more lives and made more of an impact than most people I know.
Thanks Ben.
On one of my frequent trips to a close friends house to basically suck down coffee like a Hoover (vacuum cleaner not the president) and walk through the more spiritual aspects of life and how to possibly apply forgiveness to situations that seem hopeless and ride out the pain that life throws at us in all forms, my eye caught the edge of the daily paper-a photograph to be exact of Hampton Benjamin Waring on the obituary page. He is a square jawed bright eye young man with a slight smile and shock of dark hair and the reading goes on to say that Ben died tragically in a car accident in Dover, Wisconsin on Feb 19, 2011.
Ben was born to Hampton and Mary Beth Waring and attended Superior Central Schools here in Upper Michigan. He was a standout baseball player, track athelete and made All-State and All-Class Honorable Mention his Senior year in basketball. It was at high school he met the love of his life Jessica Shegan-Fox and was in the National Honor Society and active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Dare Program. Word has it he was a skilled craftsman and great brother to Katie and Joe. Ben spent his summers throwing bales of hay at the mill and working for any neighbor who needed a hand-no questions asked. After high school graduation he attended Michigan Tech-and in his senior year he helped to design a bridge in Soloy, Panama and upon graduating from Tech with his civil/structural engineering degree was part of the bypass project in in Wisconsin. He continued to enjoy baseball and was a tough foe in paintball. He planned to marry Jessica in July of 2012. A great day for Ben including a good pair of jeans and sweatshirt..customizing his pickup truck named "Talula" and eating his favorite food with a large glass of cold chocolate milk. Ben was a remarkable guy who had a real sense of himself and others and had a way of listening to other people's problems and with his down to earth character, he could simplify the issue and show them that they could overcome the challenge. He had a real clarity about life and friends and family say that Ben "got it" in regards to life. He was a great role model for all who knew him.
Hampton Benjamin Waring was 23 when he died.
My spirit leapt just thinking about his incredible young man-untainted by the polarizing issues of the day that knock so many of us off track. His inner compass that brought forth his gifts and his willingness and courage to totally be himself when so many his age want to be someone else. The energy and zeal for living that he lived life with, a sense of urgency about the gift of waking up another day. As I read and re-read about Ben's life I began to question my own mortality. What will be written about me when I am gone? Will it be about the books I have authored or the radio shows I have done? Will it talk about the famous people I have worked with and the places I have been? The houses I bought or the cars I drive? I suppose all of that is in the hands of the final author of my life-whomever that may be.
I left the house and thought about Ben all night. Family and friends were gathering to say good-bye to a remarkable human being, comforting each other in their loss, made that much deeper due to the fact that the Ben Waring's of the world are few and far between...oh they are out there but its not often we hear about them until its too late. I wish I would have known him in life, but its his death that has given me a spark, a gift and a resurgence that brought a little bit more light into some dark corners. I have another day that he did not, I have the opportunity to make the most of it and so do you. I have the paper with Ben's obituary on my writing desk-and there it will stay as a reminder that tomorrow is promised to no one. In a final act of courage Ben had chosen to be an organ donor and his wishes will save up to 50 lives.
The most important headlines seemingly are about mega-stars flapping their yap about how life did them wrong, dictators that were ignored as kids and need to make a mess the world to get attention and how those in elected office often confuse force with true power. Ben Waring knew the difference and in just 8,395 days on Earth accomplished more, touched more lives and made more of an impact than most people I know.
Thanks Ben.
Monday, February 28, 2011
And the winner is....
One billion people..one-sixth of the worlds population tuned in last night to watch very wealthy people who spend most of their time playing a role other than themselves, walk a red carpet in expensive dresses and tuxedos and then wait in wonder to see if they are going to win a trophy for their nominated efforts. Outside of the somewhat slit-eyed gaze of the male host and over the top enthuasiam of the female host the Oscars once again prove that the world-or at least billions of people in the world-love a winner-and the "losers" while nominated for their performances have to wait to see if the Hollywood hand of fate will grant them the opportunity to thank their entire family and neighbors in less than two minutes. You can probably tell that I am not well versed in Oscar Land even though I made a last hour dash to see "The King's Speech" so I would know what was going on if I was able to hang on until midnight to hear...and the winner is...
I kinda knew that the male host was the guy I saw in one of the Spider Man Movies and the female host-who mentioned she took her clothes off in a flick (missed that one) was someone I had seen before-but not sure where. Thought the best part of the show was the opening when they were apparently in a dream of some kind and Alec Baldwin ( I know who he is) and Morgan Freeman (ditto) were like their guides or something-very clever. I was lost after that for the most part. So all that aside my thoughts today are not about the glitz, glamor and gushing-but rather how much we love to win-a war..a card game..an Oscar or an argument.
Vince Lombardi the legendary Green Bay Packers football coach said "Winning isnt everything-its the only thing." That pretty much explains how the Packers racked up so many titles in the 1960's-unfortunately for the Coach after he left Green Bay and went to Washington-his teams did not fare so well. They lost alot of games-Coach Lombardi also said that "winning is a habit and unfortuntely so is losing" and that "winners never quit and quitters never win." Kinda of a yin-yang deal there-doubtful that his players in DC were quitters but thats for another time. Sometimes you just lose no matter what effort you put out.
Coach was also quoted as saying that "winning isnt everything-but the will to win is." Now that brings it down to a different if not more comprehensive level that explains the deep need humans have to prove themselves as superior in some way over another. In the process of "going for the gold" as it were we have the opportunity to find qualities in ourselves that can sustain us when the inevitable life losses come our way-and for all those Oscar nominees that "lost" last night-my guess is that not only have they paid their dues to get to the point in their careers that they are recognized by their peers-but also they know the secret to really being a winner. How you accept defeat. My guess is that all of those nominees have "lost" more than they have "won" in climbing the ladder of "success" because while the taste of victory is sweet-its knowing how to lose that creates and builds character that keeps one moving forward inspite of the temporary set backs.
I faded in and out of the brodcast-at one point the hosts swapped clothes and that was...interesting. I caught a glimpse of the tribute to the show business icons that died in the past year and was a bit concerned when the female host introduced the most popular talk show host on the planet by exclaiming "I cannot believe I am breathing the same air as Oprah!" To which I shouted "WE ARE ALL BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS OPRAH" a knee-jerk tribute to my 5th grade science teacher Mr. Zielinski lessons- but no one but the cat heard me.
For the "winners" of an Oscar they will be forever be connected to the crowning achievement and be remembered as such. The also-rans will be remembered as "Oscar nominated" which brings with it kinda of "made the playoffs but didn't win" label. As I thought about how winning has been drilled into my head from coaches over the years I realized that in truth the wins and losses in my life have been about even. The drive to be one's best self and the strength to carry on are not only byproducts of victory-they are hallmarks of defeat as well. I have learned that "losing" brings its own gold along with it..just have to dig a little deeper to find it.... Imagine a show where they say...and the loser is...we could all relate to that one.
I kinda knew that the male host was the guy I saw in one of the Spider Man Movies and the female host-who mentioned she took her clothes off in a flick (missed that one) was someone I had seen before-but not sure where. Thought the best part of the show was the opening when they were apparently in a dream of some kind and Alec Baldwin ( I know who he is) and Morgan Freeman (ditto) were like their guides or something-very clever. I was lost after that for the most part. So all that aside my thoughts today are not about the glitz, glamor and gushing-but rather how much we love to win-a war..a card game..an Oscar or an argument.
Vince Lombardi the legendary Green Bay Packers football coach said "Winning isnt everything-its the only thing." That pretty much explains how the Packers racked up so many titles in the 1960's-unfortunately for the Coach after he left Green Bay and went to Washington-his teams did not fare so well. They lost alot of games-Coach Lombardi also said that "winning is a habit and unfortuntely so is losing" and that "winners never quit and quitters never win." Kinda of a yin-yang deal there-doubtful that his players in DC were quitters but thats for another time. Sometimes you just lose no matter what effort you put out.
Coach was also quoted as saying that "winning isnt everything-but the will to win is." Now that brings it down to a different if not more comprehensive level that explains the deep need humans have to prove themselves as superior in some way over another. In the process of "going for the gold" as it were we have the opportunity to find qualities in ourselves that can sustain us when the inevitable life losses come our way-and for all those Oscar nominees that "lost" last night-my guess is that not only have they paid their dues to get to the point in their careers that they are recognized by their peers-but also they know the secret to really being a winner. How you accept defeat. My guess is that all of those nominees have "lost" more than they have "won" in climbing the ladder of "success" because while the taste of victory is sweet-its knowing how to lose that creates and builds character that keeps one moving forward inspite of the temporary set backs.
I faded in and out of the brodcast-at one point the hosts swapped clothes and that was...interesting. I caught a glimpse of the tribute to the show business icons that died in the past year and was a bit concerned when the female host introduced the most popular talk show host on the planet by exclaiming "I cannot believe I am breathing the same air as Oprah!" To which I shouted "WE ARE ALL BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS OPRAH" a knee-jerk tribute to my 5th grade science teacher Mr. Zielinski lessons- but no one but the cat heard me.
For the "winners" of an Oscar they will be forever be connected to the crowning achievement and be remembered as such. The also-rans will be remembered as "Oscar nominated" which brings with it kinda of "made the playoffs but didn't win" label. As I thought about how winning has been drilled into my head from coaches over the years I realized that in truth the wins and losses in my life have been about even. The drive to be one's best self and the strength to carry on are not only byproducts of victory-they are hallmarks of defeat as well. I have learned that "losing" brings its own gold along with it..just have to dig a little deeper to find it.... Imagine a show where they say...and the loser is...we could all relate to that one.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Disposable Heroes...
It was just one week ago when the story broke that two-time Super Bowl champion and vaunted Notre Dame alum Dave Duerson died in his home at the age of 50. Mr. Duerson took his own life it was revealed - and after being a highly sought after draft pick to the Chicago Bears, playing on the 1985 team and then in 1991 with the Giants in the big show-a string of roller-coaster rides began. Some success in business lead to failures in business. His marriage dissolved and a domestic abuse charge got him kicked off the board at Notre Dame. A staunch defender of NFL veterans and one who linked all the head banging on the field to erratic and sometimes fatal consequences off the field, Mr. Duerson wrote a note to his family asking them to donate his brain to research, texted his kids that he loved them, put a gun to his heart and pulled the trigger. Another Disposable Hero gone.
Football more than any other sport is our version of the gladiators in ancient Rome. The stadiums are filled every Sunday with bloodthirsty fans waiting for the next collision, the next touchdown and the next victory. Its a strange but not new relationship between fans and disposable heroes-they are larger than life and living a life so many fans dream of but never got a chance to experience-so fans do it vicariously through these modern day gladiators.Its a diversion, a business and a game all at once but the cost to the fans and owners is nothing compared to the pain and price these men pay to entertain us. Jim Otto played for years on the Oakland Raiders-matter of fact he is the original Oakland Raider. His courage on the field is legendary-but off the field-away from the eyes of the paying public he suffers much like the gladiators of old suffered after their time had passed. Nearly seventy (70) surgeries on his knees..a $40,000 carbon prosthetic leg after surgery failed to help him keep it. In the last nine years he has had five life-threatening infections surrounding the foreign material in his body. Back when Jim Otto played in the 1960's players rarely made more than $12,000 per year-with bonuses. The Raiders made millions of tickets, television and merchandise.
Pro football is not going away-with bigger, faster and stronger players the chance for career ending and life threatening injuries is only going to increase. Dave Duerson not only lost his life but sadly before that lost his identity in life and applied a permanent solution to a temporary problem that looked permanent. For such a learned man and exceptional athlete #22 succumbed to the worse thing any human can face- the loss of self.
As Duerson and hundreds of other disposable heroes are forgotten except by occasional wafts of football trivia and back slappers at bars talking about the 1985 Bears team new, raw and ready recruits stand to take their place so we can cheer them on...so often to feel better about ourselves and a longing to be connected to something bigger than our mundane existence. I played midget, high school, college and semi-pro football and had my share of concussions, broken bones and noses, a knee that gives me trouble and fingers that are bent in unnatural angles. So I know a little of what I write. Sadly, Dave Duerson will not be the last of these disposable heroes to fight in the arena for our enjoyment and then succumb to the reality we all have to live with. Life-the real contact sport.
Football more than any other sport is our version of the gladiators in ancient Rome. The stadiums are filled every Sunday with bloodthirsty fans waiting for the next collision, the next touchdown and the next victory. Its a strange but not new relationship between fans and disposable heroes-they are larger than life and living a life so many fans dream of but never got a chance to experience-so fans do it vicariously through these modern day gladiators.Its a diversion, a business and a game all at once but the cost to the fans and owners is nothing compared to the pain and price these men pay to entertain us. Jim Otto played for years on the Oakland Raiders-matter of fact he is the original Oakland Raider. His courage on the field is legendary-but off the field-away from the eyes of the paying public he suffers much like the gladiators of old suffered after their time had passed. Nearly seventy (70) surgeries on his knees..a $40,000 carbon prosthetic leg after surgery failed to help him keep it. In the last nine years he has had five life-threatening infections surrounding the foreign material in his body. Back when Jim Otto played in the 1960's players rarely made more than $12,000 per year-with bonuses. The Raiders made millions of tickets, television and merchandise.
Pro football is not going away-with bigger, faster and stronger players the chance for career ending and life threatening injuries is only going to increase. Dave Duerson not only lost his life but sadly before that lost his identity in life and applied a permanent solution to a temporary problem that looked permanent. For such a learned man and exceptional athlete #22 succumbed to the worse thing any human can face- the loss of self.
As Duerson and hundreds of other disposable heroes are forgotten except by occasional wafts of football trivia and back slappers at bars talking about the 1985 Bears team new, raw and ready recruits stand to take their place so we can cheer them on...so often to feel better about ourselves and a longing to be connected to something bigger than our mundane existence. I played midget, high school, college and semi-pro football and had my share of concussions, broken bones and noses, a knee that gives me trouble and fingers that are bent in unnatural angles. So I know a little of what I write. Sadly, Dave Duerson will not be the last of these disposable heroes to fight in the arena for our enjoyment and then succumb to the reality we all have to live with. Life-the real contact sport.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What A Fool Believes...
Trying not to make a habit of using song titles for blog titles but sometimes not only does it save me time-but also it fits right in. The Doobie Brothers made it a hit but it was Loggins, McDonald and a couple other dudes the wrote the lyrics..."what a fool believes..he sees...No wise man has the power to reason away...what seems to be is always better than nothing...ta ta da da...etc..." That simple lyric contains not only the key to opening new doors in life but being able to see what is...and what is not clearly-hence keeping you out of the chaos of life. When I do my LifeWorks! Seminars I ask this simple question "What do you believe Christmas is all about?" If there are 50 people in the room I usually get about 40 different answers ranging from "presents" to "headaches" to "joy" to "Jesus" to "sadness." Then I ask them to decided which persons belief is more "right" than someone else...of course it takes about four seconds to figure out that each person's belief is "right" because of the experiences they have had-that supports how they see Christmas. Using that one simple example it takes only about two seconds for people to at least begin to understand what The Doobie's are saying...what a fool believes..he sees..NO MATTER WHAT. We live in a world that dominated and shaped by beliefs-some that work for us-some that work against us-for thousands of years humans believed that the world was flat-it wasn't. Humans believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth-it doesn't. Old world types believed that if Robin flew in your window someone was going to die- my guess if the window wasn't open the Robin bit the big one. Religion in all its forms is based soley on beliefs-if you believe like us..or kinda like us..you are ok..if not...God is going to kick your hindquarters to H..E..double hockey sticks. Buddhists believe that we keep coming back over and over again (like a spiritual boomerang) to gain enlightenment. 2 billion Christians believe that we are born in sin and have only one or two ways to go at the end-up or down- a really nice country club type place with all our friends or a trip south to burn forever-however long forever is. Purgatory kinda exists for some but not others-like a weigh station for the soul while God decides how long you wait. Seventh-Day Adventists say Jesus is on his way back-New Age believes he is already here. Politics is a bevy of beliefs..The Left says more and the Right says less....more or less...Independents believe its individuals that matter and vote for the man (or woman) not the party. Muslim extremists believe that giving their life up for the greater good ensures that 170 + virgins await them the minute they pull the cord and Lindsay Lohan believes that walking out of a store without paying is ok and Charlie Sheen believes that its alright to have a porn star babysit his kids. Beliefs are like weeds...or trees...or flowers-you pick...in that every belief starts somewhere-underground...out of sight for each of us. A word when we are young- an image at a certain time..something touches the nervous system and then the way we see the world..and who we are in relation to that-is locked in place. For years I believed that I could eat anything I want-and it would not affect me-until it did. That's the thing about belief-unless you test it-you never know if they are valid. I for one have no desire to strap dynamite on my body and blow myself into Johnny-bits hoping that somewhere there is a lineup of virgins ready to do my bidding. "What a fool believes" those beliefs that make us act foolish...cannot be reasoned away by a wise man...or anyone else. Humans for the most part would much rather be "right" than "happy"...change is something you do to a wet baby-until life comes along and makes you change. Cancer. Divorce..Job loss...you name it. Then we see our beliefs in their full truth-and have to make a decision...why do I believe what I do? Does it serve me or am I just a product of those that have come before me? Beliefs...they shape our world...your life and mine...if they are working for you great...if not...why not? To let go of our beliefs is to let go of a lifelong identity.....image that. "What seems to be is always better than nothing.." Unless its not.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Mirror, Mirror on the wall...
The bearded bard Eric Clapton said it plainly in song..."Before you accuse me...take a look at yourself..." It doesn't take but thirty seconds on the tube or radio to be awash in chatter that is a best filler and fodder for the lower life forms to feed on...but its oh so tempting to be pulled into the latest rants and raves from talking heads, pundits and politicitans. As a card carrying member of AFTRA I have to include myself in the electronic landfill called media-albeit I am diligent as I can be about moving the needle to a higher frequency. Recently the "mouth of the south" Rush Limbaugh was quoted on air as saying that "the First Lady looks like she is not following her own suggested eating plan" and "would never end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition." Now no one should be surprised at an El Rushbo rant-this is the same guy that said drug addicts were low life pond scum and then later admitted he was an addict himself. But his comment about Mrs. Obama took me back to a show on the Golf Channel in which "the pro to the pro's" Hank Haney was trying to teach Limbaugh how to improve his golf game. Rush showed up in a pair of shorts that looked like a large blanket with two kids fighting under it when he lumbered around the course, a shirt that had some sort of horizontal stripe thing going on that did nothing to hide the considerable bulge and gave the appearance of a well presented river buoy. Even I know that if you are a tad..or alot overweight..you don't wear something that widens you out...the guy makes 40 million bucks...who let him out of the house this way? Might have been his fourth wife that is twenty some years his junior who was out having tea with Elton John who sang at his wedding which was also an interesting move since Rushie is not big on homosexuals. So whats the point? The man who makes a shitload of money pointing out other people's shortcomings be it in politics, sports or fashion is a great teacher of the "KKK"...not that KKK...rather the "Karmic Kickback Koncept" (I know its not really spelled that way-but its my blog) meaning that what you put out comes back to you...when you least expect it but when it is needed most...if you are aware of it. He refuses to consider other peoples opinions and points of view..unwilling to listen..so he loses his hearing and now wears an implant in his ear. He bashes the military moves and stratagies but turns out that he never served-instead getting an exemption for...wait...a Pilonidal Cyst. A pilonidal cyst is an abnormal pocket originating in the skin that usually contains hair, skin debris and other abnormal tissue. A pilonidal cyst is almost always located near the tailbone at the top of the cleft of the buttocks. The term "pilonidal" comes from the Latin words for hair ("pilus") and nest ("nidus"). Bottom line...a cyst on his bum..literally a pain in the ass. I could go on about his lack of serving in any public office of any kind and getting dumped from Monday Night Football due to racist comments but truth is nothing has to be done...what you speak to you create...what you put out comes back..what you focus on the longest becomes the strongest. I get that Rush needs to be paid attention to and when his ego needs a boost he has to say things much like a 12 year old to feed that kid his dad never connected with and the reloving door of women in his life is trying to marry his unfinished business with his mom..but don't let his rants go unrewarded...use his struggles to make your life easier..."before you accuse me...take a look at yourself.." Or someone else will....Fore!
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