A POET I WILL NEVER BE

 

A POET I WILL NEVER BE

Poetry is like a leaking ink pen leaving Rorschach blobs open to interpretation

Bear with me, even if the following article will irk your ire and is a deviation from my usual commentaries; current affairs and writing about our perilous earthly journey as we navigate everything human.  It started with a simple buzz word: poetic license.  Don’t ask me why.  Subconscious triggers?  Sometimes a single word can spawn a creative writing direction that triggers memories submerged in the mind (in this case my mind).  And in this case it sure did!  The first line I came up with (I take extensive notes while contemplating a subject for an article and some actually make it to the intended article): poetry is like a leaking ink pen leaving Rorschach blobs open to interpretation.

There is nothing better than starting an article with a provocative opening, not raising eyebrows, but hackles of indignation.  Especially within literary circles poetry holds a special place and any perceived slight is like stepping onto sensitive toes.  State that you don’t care for poetry and you’re attacked as if you were a Philistine.  (In the Old Testament the Philistines were a much loathed tribe whom the Israelites hated for their aggression and destructive battles.  They fought quite a bit.)  The Middle East, it has always been a timeless historical hotspot and they’re not quibbling about sand, but about religion!  If it were fertile like the Napa Valley they’d be too busy brewing, growing and trading and the great prophets would have risen elsewhere.  The Middle East has had its fair share of conflict and continues to live up to its reputation as being a contentious piece of real estate.  Since those early days Philistines have migrated across the globe and they now live amongst us in large numbers, known as people who will wreck and ruin everything that is good and decent.  They’re easy to spot!

Why does sand and barren terrain create such hostile environments?  I’m just throwing out a question here.

Back to poetry and the memories this subject triggered.  This is probably a personal bias but I have always felt that only pedantic, pretentious snobs are attracted to poetry.  I have honestly tried to appreciate the intricacy of the written word in all its forms, but when it comes to poetry I have simply given up.  Trying to concentrate on the flow of the verse, the right diction and simultaneously attempting to figure out intent and meaning, it really taxes my brain like an excruciating form of torture and I quickly lose interest.

Confession time.  As an adolescent, in my late teens, I did produce a small bundle of poetry that actually went over quite well with a select group of people who chose one of my poems for one of their gatherings.  Most people get together for beer, pizza and a game, but there are a modest few who actively pursue a more spiritual lifestyle, for whatever reason.  A former priest moderated this particular event—he happened to be my theology professor—and for the life of me I can’t remember much of this evening other that in hindsight it didn’t leave me with a lasting impression or something I wanted to pursue in earnest.  Why did I write poetry?  For starters you’ve got to start somewhere and I probably didn’t have a novel in me.  That occurred much later in life.  Also, adolescent girls love poets, especially if a specific poem has been written just for them.  It tends to pave the way for an amorous conquest without the predictable obstacles.  Once they’re married and the lines keep coming a certain degree of skepticism creeps in.  Besotted as a teenager is one thing, but you grow out of it as an adult.  It is not pub subject either nor is it a masculine thing.  As an aside.  In a shop I frequent one of the counter girls found out that I was a writer and she exclaimed enthusiastically, “Are you a poet?” 

“No, I write novels.”

“Oh.”

The look of disappointment in her eyes was obvious and that little glimmer of enthusiasm dimmed rather quickly.  I guess writers are a dime a dozen and you really have to look hard to find a poet.  Lift up those rocks and keep looking!

One of the nails that did it for me is the following true story.  (Beware that writers lie a lot and make things up for a living)  I need to put in an accolade for one of the finest teachers’ I have ever had.  A physical description is in order.  He was a large, stout individual.  Butt ugly with thinning greasy hair, a huge protrusion on his forehead (this man was so intelligent that I considered this big lump to be an extension of his brain because it required the extra storage space) and a shabby dresser.  But, he was also the most intelligent, witty and down-to-earth person I’ve ever met.  He was a true-to-life Cyrano de Bergerac, slightly irreverent and self-deprecating and a born raconteur.  His wife was drop-dead gorgeous and I am positive that he could charm/talk many a female out of their panties.  He was my Dutch language professor and poetry was a mandatory part of the curriculum.  We discussed a poem that had all of us stumped and in particular one obscure word that didn’t seem to fit in at all.  Nobody could figure out what it meant or why it was included.  My dear professor actually had met the chap and had his phone number.  He called.  We waited with baited breath.  The answer.  “I don’t have a clue.  It probably sounded good at the time.”

I am convinced that most poets are simply incapable of writing a novel.  Basically they are equipped with esoteric minds and a short attention span (hence resorting to poems).  I have met a few poets in my time and all of them have come across as suffering.  It is as if their poetry puts them through the wringer of life (old fashioned washing machines were equipped with a wringer and were referred to as wringer washers, my mother had one).  Where we (ordinary people) would observe soapsuds and dirty water being squeezed out between the rollers, leave it to poets to conjure up life, mysticism and a veritable kaleidoscope of images and color, of Weltschmerz and Lebensangst.  A delightful opportunity for me to show off how much I like those Germans and how some of their words and expressions manage to encompass an entire subject in one single word.  Hats off to those Teutonic ancestors and their offspring and this ability to express themselves with such magnificence.  Although they are an industrious race, hard working and disciplined, they do know how to suffer and express it in a language that is both guttural and bites.  Don’t stand to close, it comes with spittle!

Limited uses.

Poetry does have its place and I often observe it being used on special occasions, like a funeral.  An appropriate poem substituting for a eulogy.  When one of my Latin professors graduated with a doctorate in Latin some obscure poems were recited and of course they contained lines that a; nobody in the audience had ever heard of (as students we were forced to be in attendance to add numbers to the welcoming committee) or b; just a few smug, well-educated colleagues were in on the deeper meaning.  We were merely peasants awaiting to be imbued with their instructions and knowledge so that over time we too could be welcomed into the higher halls of learning.

"I' m pretty sure I was a poet in a former life."

As an author reading from a novel at a gathering you might get away with a few paragraphs or a short chapter, but a poem demands special attention because you get the whole thing, whether you like it or not.  I envy the souls who get the diction just right.  The tempo.  The flow.  Even if they haven’t got a clue as to what they have just expressed so eloquently.

I’m pretty sure that I will be safe from being hectored by any poets or aficionados of the genre, because I doubt that any of them even read my stuff.  They probably would not care for the subjects or the clarity of my writing.  I don’t like ambiguity.

Feel free to comment or share, and better yet, respond with an appropriate poetic verse, rhyme or stanza.  Even a naughty limerick!  An opportunity to take poetic revenge and do it with poetic license if you so desire (I knew it would come back to me, the license thing).  Hey-ho, excoriate the bastard and burn him on the altar of poetry sacrilege.       

AGGRESSION ADVANCED US, AGGRESSION WIL DESTROY US

 

AGGRESSION ADVANCED US, AGGRESSION WILL DESTROY US

 

Wars are started with words by politicians and fought by the masses with bullets.

 

Home sapiens has a rather checkered past and quite literally we have gone from cave to the moon in a blink of cosmic time.  Earth’s natural history spans billions of years and has gone through some amazing transformations.  My novel: They were like Angels—is an amazing story that chronicles the Earth journey and in it I have taken license of using intelligent design to explain away some of life’s mysteries that still confound us to this day and which challenge evolution.  I do stick with evolution however to explain human behavior and development and in my novel: Energy & Origin—I fully explain why evolution explains who we are and more importantly, where we’re headed and why.  I had fun imagining and hypothesizing in They were like Angels, but I prefer to stick with proven facts and the kind of deductions that usually prove to be correct when scrutinized against verifiable experiments and studies.

Evolution is not only about the development of species and adaptation, but also about behavior and how a species reacts within its environment, and why.  For reasons I can’t fully explain some ape species branched off into various humanoid-like creatures.  An upright stance probably came with some interesting advantages and disadvantages—the ability to carry things in the arms and to use weapons, walking or running over greater distances—but losing the ability to hide in trees and escape.  Necessity is the mother of invention and once we left the jungle behind the world became our oyster and we never looked back.

Don’t worry about the giant sloth, it is people we need to be concerned about.

The strength and abilities of a species, to not only survive, but to dominate, is by and large due to its level of aggression.  In record time we have emerged as the most aggressive and dominant species to ever inhabit planet Earth.  Aggression is the common denominator behind innovation: to be the best, the victor, the boss, the wealthiest, the fastest and strongest.  Aggression invites competition and adversaries, an ongoing contest for supremacy.  A lengthy introduction, but I do hope that I have your undivided attention.  If you’re starting to feel slightly uncomfortable, you should be.

Because . . .

Our levels of aggression are only intensifying.

To explain the progressive nature of aggression I will place it against the current conflicts that are grabbing international headlines.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s punitive actions in Gaza and Lebanon, the unilateral trade conflicts initiated by Trump and company and their unchallenged activities in regards to Venezuela and Cuba and of course the latest in political gaffes and blunders, the bombing of Iran initiated once again, unilaterally by the USA and Israel, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  Led by three, unprincipled, bad actors, one of the questions that inevitably arises is the following: Why aren’t they challenged by the global community?  Why is international condemnation so incredibly muted?  One of the hallmarks of unchecked aggression is the delusional assumption by the perpetrators that they will not be challenged because they are walking around with a superiority complex brought on by perceived military strength and prowess.  The appearance of being unopposed!

The escalation of aggression.

Desperately looking for solutions, for an escape or a way out.

Our species is facing an existentialist crisis that is threatening global stability and when this happens a rare breed of psychotic leaders emerges in some nations, the variety that resorts to beating the living crap out of anything and anybody perceived to be standing in their way, because, in their simplistic minds the nations they are attacking are preventing them from restoring balance and prosperity for their tribe.  (Go figure, Canada, my nation and recognized as of one of the nicest in the world, is one of them?)  It is only their narrow minded view of the world that counts.  America first, Israel first, Russia first.  Now is the time to seize the upper hand because we have the nasty toys to back it up with.  And . . . what are “they” going to do about it.

Let’s start with Ukraine as a classic example.

Why did Russia attack Ukraine (again)?  The Crimea was handed them on a silver platter and without barely a ripple because the then Ukrainian president was a Moscow stooge.  Paid to step aside.  The second time around was in part a calculated risk.  A: would the new president, Zelensky, resist or cave in quickly when faced with the threat of an invasion?  B: there was an assumption that overwhelming Russian military might would crumble any resistance within a matter of a few days or weeks.  C: would anyone bother to come to Ukraine’s aid?  The nation has a checkered history of flip-flopping from independence to being occupied and incorporated within the greater Russian empire.  It is a bit like Taiwan.  A lot of verbal saber rattling from other nations, but nobody with enough stomach or a desire to come to its aid when push comes to shove.  That famous crossing the red line challenge or that infamous line drawn in the global sandbox.  Fists raised, elbows up, stiff upper lip, all the predictable theatrics from nervous politicians and generals as the rhetoric is turned up a notch or two.  NATO for instance is well aware of the fact that any kind of active military interference on their part could trigger a major global conflict.  Sane leaders tread softly, hoping and praying that they can persuade the aggressors to put a lid on it.

Why are they having a hard time? 

Aggression, once unleased, is like hate: it has to run its course.  Belligerents rarely head back to the negotiating table because none of their reasoning/excuses for what they have unleashed stands up to scrutiny.  In part it is about saving face because none of these characters want to go down in the history books as losers.

Vietnam was a textbook example of military and political blundering and I don’t think any historian has been able to be the right spin on it.  However, the fall of Saigon morphed into the books as a lasting American hurrah.  Airlifting hundreds of civilians to safety, active collaborators whose lives would have been in serious jeopardy if they had stayed or were left behind.  It inspired books and movies.  Who can forget the images from Afghanistan when desperate people tried to get on evacuation planes, running beside them on the runway as they taxied away, pleading, crying!

A total disregard for human lives and the rule of law.

The current batch of global troublemakers and tyrants have lulled themselves into an impression of being invincible.  It is the delusional aspect of ‘temporary’ superior power and that it will last!  In reality it is an awkward one-way path they’ve embarked upon and there is no going back.  Sane leaders on the other hand are well aware of the fact that not a single war has ever been decisive.  History shows that all tribes eventually retreat back within their own borders and only a handful are content to assimilate and join the invader.  Mexico for instance lost huge tracts of land to the USA and the lure for the invaded to throw in their lot with the conquerors probably had something to do with the fact that the grass was indeed greener.  We don’t see too many former Mexicans itching to get back to Mexico!

Without a certain level of aggression nothing happens.  But it doesn’t come with a governor! 

Without a certain amount of aggression we wouldn’t get up in the morning or we would be like the giant sloth, barely moving, hanging in there, “Please, not too much excitement.  Don’t startle me.”  Our levels of aggression have only increased over time, because it is the competition and the prospect of losing a dominant position that continues to occupy the political and military hearts and minds of nations.  In the natural world the behaviors that humans display don’t make any sense at all.  It is counterproductive and destructive.  It is that dreaded superior intelligence that has propelled Homo sapiens to the top of an imaginary peak.  We are saddled with a superiority complex that has no equal and it is not restrained by anything.  We try.  We talk endlessly about compassion, ethics, morality, mindfulness and of course we endlessly flog that love-thy-neighbor kind of thing when we’re not involved in yet another war or conflict and then all odds are off and we’re right back to scrapping and bashing in heads.  That aggression of ours has not improved our behaviors towards each other and the sad fact that we’re constantly devising better and more deadly ways to kill and destroy is not a positive sign.  Aggression is also blurring the lines that should define our humanity.  Bad attracts more attention than good. 

You can’t “right talk” aggression and it shows in the bombastic behaviors displayed by the likes of Trump, Putin and Netanyahu.  Most of us are stumped by the insouciant behavior of these bad actors and the pathetic lines emanating from their mouths.  Most of us when confronted by blatant and out-of-control aggression are at a loss as to what to do about it.  Bad actors are getting away with murder because none of our institutions are designed to deal with the worst mankind can bring to bear on itself.  Global conferences instigated to promote unity and a resolve to deal with global problems are in fact little more than pitiful efforts to deflect our true nature and intent, because none have been effective or have produced lasting results.  Aggression gets in the way every time. 

Aggression doesn’t like democracy.       

One of the reasons democracy around the world is fraying around the edges is that its principles go right against the grain of the evolutionary traits we have developed and aggression is one of the worst because it promotes dominance over other species, including our own.  It is not about equals, about fairness and equality.  That is the kind of window dressing we have designed for appearances sake.  Sound bites and optics rather than concrete action.

The lure behind aggression is easy to explain: it produces results if applied with sufficient force and determination.  Look at the victims of aggression and how most of them lack the manpower and strength to hit back.  The Caucasian race used slavery and colonialism to rapidly advance its wealth and global supremacy.  When we engaged in these deplorable practices our superiority couldn’t be denied and it persists to this day.  We don’t lift a finger to bring former colonies up to our level and status of affluence and competitiveness.  Our disdain for other cultures is legendary.  Lip service when it comes to extending proper respect and treatment.  The entire Middle East is a prime example of how they have been treated with total disregard and disrespect.  We dictate.  We invade.  We don’t listen.  We take and demand.

Aggressors don’t justify their actions because none will stand up in international courts or meet globally accepted moral and ethical standards.  They’re definitely not plagued by a guilty consciousness.  Basically they are painting themselves into an awkward corner because they can only “justify” their behavior by maintaining the upper hand.  Prime example: If the USA and Israel would withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz and stop their bombing raids, an international court may find them guilty of war crimes and liable for damages and compensation.  A heartfelt Mea Culpa from these bad actors?  Give your head a good shake.  No apologies will be forthcoming.  No reconciliation.  No restitution.  Nations playing the aggression card know that you’re either all in, or all out.

There is no cure.

Once bad political actors ignite the worst in us, stoking the fires of nationalism and patriotism, ramping up potential threats, blaming the usual predictable scapegoats and all of it delivered with a virulence that can’t fail to ignite the masses, and oh boy, when they do, does it ever get results!  It’s like striking a match to a tinder dry bonfire and setting it ablaze.  The worst mistake we can make is trying to rationalize this as a malaise that can be treated.  Aggression once unleashed in all its power takes the masses right back to primordial behaviors and instincts.  The antithesis that eventually sets in towards the end of every conflict or war resembles a bad hangover and I am reminded of images and documentaries of surrender, long lines of haggard looking individuals, defeat etched on their faces, but also relief.  That it is finally over.  No more killing.  No more shooting.  Like waking up from a nightmare.  All they want to do is to go home.

How nasty is aggression?

Our levels of aggression are all about exclusivity, exploitation, oppression and dominance.  Earth is home to millions of different lifeforms and none have evolved or behave like we do.  In the greater scheme of things we have turned into an anomaly because we exist at the expense of everything around us.  Our level of aggression is illogical, dangerous and unhealthy and it will destroy us.

Almost all nations are up to their eyeballs in debt to fuel this preposterous cycle of military buildup and aggression.  It doesn’t produce wealth.  It only detracts.  Funded by tax dollars that are mainly borrowed and which have become part of that infamous governance model we’re all addicted to: Deficit financing and spending which has turned into an out-of-control debt spiral.

The aggression gene is progressive and therefore deadly.  In record time our species has developed from a hunter-gatherer into a deadly, confrontational force that contributes nothing to the longevity of life on Earth and instead leaves behind a wanton path of destruction.  I do hope that I made some sense of the heading of this article. 

Please, feel free to comment or share.

Purchase my novel Energy & Origin from KDP Amazon.ca and if this article doesn’t open your eyes, that novel will.

BANNING AND BURNING

 

BANNING AND BURNING

 It is so much easier to ban and burn books than it is to ban assault rifles.

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I am not only concerned about the erosion of democratic values all around the world, but also how our democratic minds are submitted to an unhealthy kind of censorship by banning books that are in the opinion of some educators, lawmakers and politicians, considered inappropriate.

First I want to take you back to 1812 and the first publications of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and the fairy tales they wrote to great acclaim: Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few examples of their prodigious output that stand out.  Some are now deemed unsuitable and too graphic, while others continue to be made into movies and musicals.  Our sensitivities often resemble the weather; changeable and hard to predict.

Of course you realize that Little Red Riding Hood couldn’t have been swallowed up in bits and pieces by the Big Bad Wolf, otherwise she couldn’t have been retrieved by the hunter in one piece!  The tale of Jonah and the Walrus is cut from a similar cloth.  We have always been imaginative in our fables and fairy tales and just about anything goes.  Some of the brothers Grimm tales are now considered ‘Dark’ and unsuitable for impressionable young minds.  Take a hard look at what has been coming out of Hollywood and even Disney these past couple of years and it makes you wonder if they didn’t get that particular memo as to what is suitable and appropriate.  The blood and gore drips from the screens.  It does come with some disclaimers and guidelines and they’re about as sincere and effective as any adult site asking for age verification that doesn’t require verifiable proof of age provided by an adult.  It is all voluntary.  A pang of conscience entering the mind of a minor for a few seconds before clicking—yes, I’m of age!  How many parents would seriously consider taking the devices away or constantly monitoring its uses?

So, why do we censor, who do we censor and who does the censoring?  Who are the gatekeepers of today’s morality squad and do their sensibilities actually qualify them for the job?  Who gets to decide what is appropriate to read and what is not?  In my humble opinion as a writer a book should only be considered inappropriate if the work in question inspires or promotes hate or demonizes people for being different.  One of the perks of living in a true democracy is the simple fact that an individual gets to decide.

Reading is not only about absorbing information, whether what you read is fiction or nonfiction, but how to interpret what we’re exposed to and that it may lead to a better understanding of a subject or topic and inspires critical thinking and original thought.  Pulling books from shelves and banning them, how does that promote a better understanding?  We broaden our intellectual horizons by considering all aspects and information of a particular subject or topic and not by being selective as to what we should or should not read, leading to pre-established opinions rather than reaching a conclusion based on considering all relevant information.  Even if some of that information treads on sensitive toes.

There is such a thing as age-appropriate and I will illustrate this with a simple example.  Take Das Kapital written by Karl Marx and Mein Kampf written by Adolf Hitler.  One an economic tract and the other an ideology expressed by one of history’s most loathsome villains.  Definitely not material for impressionable young minds and usually intended for serious scholars studying our past and the impact these two books had.  If available and signed out or purchased, should it come replete with a written request as to suitability, reason and purpose?  A background check?  Are certain books deemed to be as deadly as assault weapons and should therefore be subjected to a similar scrutiny?  A soundness of mind attested to by a certified psychologist?  Put on an official government watch list, red flagged as a potential risk?

Is turning ourselves into public mind keepers even healthy?  In many of my articles I challenge attitudes and human actions and activities.  Should I be banned?

Purchase my novel on KDP Amazon.ca before it gets banned too!

Feel free to comment or share.

HOW MILITARY SPENDING BANKRUPTS NATIONS

 

HOW MILITARY SPENDING BANKRUPTS NATIONS

 

All that intelligence and look where it is leading us!

 

Canada’s current prime minister is striking a combative military pose aimed at reassuring NATO and our not-so-friendly neighbor to the south that our nation is ready and willing to meet and surpass defense targets by aggressively investing in domestic weapons industries, new planes, submarines and vessels.  The price tag of meeting and exceeding the current 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP runs in the multiple tens of billions.  Money we don’t have and to raise that kind of capital we either increase taxes or borrow more.  In all likelihood it will be a combination of both and the proposed amount exceeds the combined budgets set for health and education.  Killing and destroying is apparently more urgent than protecting life and educating young minds.  In all likelihood this spurious bit of showing off our manhood is in direct response to the increase in global posturing and the armed conflicts initiated by a dubious brand of psychopaths currently leading nations that have been itching to show off their latest lethal weapons and their ability to inflict  horrendous destruction on near defenseless nations.  As an aside.  Personally I am disappointed in the American military that without uttering any objections is responsible for raining death and destruction on nations that can barely defend themselves, inflicting massive civilian suffering, deaths and damage.  Apparently none have the guts to stand up to a delusional psychopath who delights in bragging about bombing nations back into a cave-like existence.  What Israel and the USA are doing to Iran can only be described as a slaughterhouse, shooting fish in a barrel.  There is no contest here.  Not a military one!

How bright are we?

A few decades ago Canada purchased 4 ageing and decrepit submarines from our Commonwealth master England, subs that spent more time in dry dock than performing actual duty.  The diesel-electric Victoria class is the kind of sub that is used for target practice by nuclear stealth submarines.  In my humble opinion you can’t sell, rank or classify military spending as an investment.  It is a net-negative expenditure of tax money.  From a defense perspective it is ludicrous for Canada to even pretend that we can effectively defend the nation due to our large size and relatively small population when compared to the US, China and India, or even Mexico.

It’s all about perception.

We purchase outdated weaponry from other nations to bolster our military to give it a semblance of parity and preparedness.  Nobody will sell us superior weaponry.  Nobody will allow us to become a serious threat to global stability, nor will we ever be more than a willing ally in NATO and contribute according to our limited abilities.  Military spending and aggression have toppled every empire past and present.  The United States, because of its over-the-top military spending and research, has become one of the worst debtor nations in the world in a matter of decades and with a psychopath at the helm of a financial and political ship cast adrift on global waters it will only be a matter of time before they follow in the footsteps of the former USSR and become basically insolvent.  Chapter 11.  How’s that for a deal!

Who benefits?

The only ones benefitting from this lucrative military spending spree are defense industries, contractors and arms dealers and the taxpayer is on the hook for this financial largesse to deep pockets.  Not a single conflict, not a single war, not a single bomb dropped or missile fired will resolve the multitude of problems our species faces.  Reducing waste, pollution, resource depletion, global warming, income disparity, corruption, fraud, crime, illegal drug use, money laundering and tax evasion schemes and the list of challenges we face goes on and on.  All these issues require global cooperation, not war!

Why would a nation spend horrendous amounts on expanding its military?  You do it either to defend or attack and currently we’re using a ‘perceived threat increase’ as a justification to bolster military expenditures.  Who are we defending against?  Are we under attack?  Or is it a case of—who are we following?  Where are the real threats coming from?  What we’re really facing is an existential threat brought on by our numbers, needs and demands.  Not a single bomb dropped will rectify that reality unless you’re willing to kill off the bulk of the human population.  Oh, we can breathe easy now, most of them are gone!

We are the true culprits and not the artic tern or the Beluga whale.

Humanity is facing some horrendous problems brought on by the world of artifice we have created and the cost associated with keeping the good ship humanity afloat meeting current demands and expectations.  Armed conflict will not resolve a single issue and it will only make it worse.  Nothing is to be gained from occupation or isolation.  Punitive actions will be met with resentment and rebellion.  There are no winners.  Nobody is willing to provide an honest rationale for increased military spending other than the usual speculative, potential threats by the usual demons (Russia, China, North Korea and that stubborn nation Iran that refuses to buckle and submit).  It is all about retaining our superior position and defending our so-called spheres of influence.  Keep insinuating, keep up the accusations and of course they (the demons) will respond in a predictable manner.  The cooler heads are remaining remarkably silent, content to watch from the sidelines how the real aggressive culprits are digging holes that are getting deeper and deeper with each passing day.

You can’t play in my sandbox.  Forget ideologies it is all about desperation this time around.

No amount of political posturing can justify this horrendous amount of waste.  Not a single war or conflict, past or present, has ever resolved anything.  World War II comes to mind as the only war justified to defeat an evil ideology that threatened to destroy our humanity.  And once more the world is flirting with mutually assured destruction, not brought on by ideologies, but by desperation.  Our numbers, needs and demands, are stressing us to the max.  Nations of haves and have-nots.  The desperate pursuit of energy supremacy to keep everything running.  Shoring up struggling economies and dealing with crippling debts.  Keeping migrants and illegals out.  Patchwork diplomacy.  Problems galore wherever you look.  We’re struggling in almost every human arena.  If in your eye very little makes sense anymore, don’t despair, your assessment is absolutely correct.

Playing with fire.

Russia, Israel and the USA have put themselves onto a path of no return.  A mindset of self-inflicted hubris brought on by a total lack of vision and an understanding of geo-political priorities and needs.  A bad case of political bungling instigated by a cast of politically narcissistic, vainglorious megalomaniacs.  Holding on to perceived power and strength.  Emboldened by the perception that nobody will stop them.

Dialing it down is viewed as a loss of face, that’s how grownup we are!   

And politicians around the globe are pretending to stand tall and resolute.  A bulwark against whatever.  Puffed up chests.  We will stay the course at all costs.  The rhetoric is not only predictable, increasingly it is starting to sound awfully hollow.  I didn’t use the word stupid; that is reserved for really dumb people.  Historically when things go out of hand we will reach for the sword and all that pent-up testosterone and anger needs an outlet.  When we go bad, boy oh boy, we’re all in.

The images inserted are all about escalation.  On one hand we go out of our way to save lives at all costs, and at a great expense, and on the other we continue to develop superior weapons intended to destroy with ever greater lethality.  When we spend more on the military than on health and education combined, something is deadly wrong!

Feel free to comment and share.  Better yet, prove me wrong. 

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

 

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

 

When we turn our backs we only see what is in front of us.

 

Bear with me and hold on to your instinctive reaction, grudges and biases until you finish reading the entire article because it deals with a subject that is not without sensitivity and controversy.  Transgender athletes will be banned from the 2028 Olympics.  Some of you may rightfully feel that we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time and media publicity on a relatively small percentage of the population.  In part it has to do with an unhealthy fascination with anything out of the ordinary in our dreary lives and especially when it involves individuals with a high public profile.  Tabloid fodder.

Gender reassignment is a transformative choice that comes with consequences.  Those involved can’t expect or demand that changing gender is like flicking a light switch and that a magical physical and psychological readjustment takes place that brings about true and transformative change.  Man to woman, woman to man.  Not a big issue if it doesn’t involve competition or a traditional role unique to a particular sex.  It would be absolutely wonderful if people struggling with a sexual identity could be like butterflies and emerge almost cocoon-like into what they desire to be.

Out in the open.

It is a blessing that an individual’s sexuality is no longer restricted to a closet existence or punishable by law, but we also need to take in account that an extreme amount of attention—pro and con—can have a confusing impact on an individual struggling to find their place in the world.  Can a struggle with a sexual preference or identity be influenced by society and how it deals with the issue on a huge variety of media platforms?  I would like to draw a parallel to the obsession with tattoos and people slavishly imitating and responding to treating their skin as if it is a coloring book with the most outlandish reasons and excuses.  From drawing attention to themselves (hey, look at me!) to searching for an identity, an identity expressed by selecting symbols, texts and images from a tattoo inventory!  I don’t know who I really am, but perhaps the tattoos will act like a map to point me in the direction of personal happiness and purpose.

Look before you leap.

Transgender surgeries are not totally irreversible, but not unlike tattoos, removal or reversal, doesn’t come without scars, blemishes or psychological damage.  And for those individuals contemplating surgery to find the happiness they are after, transgender transformation is not only radical, but it doesn’t diminish the emotional and physical baggage they are leaving behind.  We all are impressionable creatures and media platforms capitalize on all our foibles, transgressions and desires.  Gullible and easily taken in, especially when we’re constantly ambushed by clever algorithms that zoom in on all our predilections.  We’re all encouraged to live life to the fullest and to seize the moment, the pursuit of happiness and all that jazz.  When you’re unhappy with who and what you are, transforming that unhappiness with transgender transformation is rather radical.  Society in general has a lot to answer for when it comes to expectations with stereotypical male-female obligations and to live up to hype of matrimony and having children; home, white picket fence, a pet or two, both working and the list of expectations is never ending.  We’ve become experts at putting intense pressure on ourselves and there is so much emphasis put, not only on individuality, but uniquely expressing ourselves in a world where governments and institutions demand conformity to run efficiently.  A dichotomy so profound that it comes to no surprise that so many people are struggling.

So much confusion.

All is not well.  We’re living in a topsy-turvy world and it so easy to be made to feel like an insignificant piece of flotsam drifting aimlessly on the river of life.  Take a look at the mindboggling use and abuse of illegal drugs, some of them so lethal that it leaves behind a staggering loss of life and most of them are ingested, inhaled and injected by bright, intelligent people, who somehow don’t seem to care that they’re playing Russian roulette with their lives.

It makes you wonder if a lot of it is a cry for help.  People who are demoralized and defeated by life and society’s expectations.  An escape from standards and the moralizing nature of tribes and nations.  So many people feel stuck in a rut, facing daily and lengthy commutes in snarled traffic jams, dead-end jobs and repetitive boredom.  Addicted to handheld devices that dish up a steady stream of images and so-called influencers catering to all our whims and fantasies. An illusory world that only a few of us inhabit, yet hyped by unscrupulous media platforms to make us feel connected and that we somehow belong.  Increasingly we’re creating a world where real person-to-person relationships are not only missing, but lacking in depth and sincerity.

We have deliberately turned daily routines into a dreaded drudgery rather than a necessity.  Daily survival is a matter of basic routine, a reality, and the emphasis should be on being content with who and what you are.  Life is not an unending journey of jumping from one exciting event into another.  A near orgasmic-like expectation.  Whether we like it or not, all jobs come with a kind of boring routine and a sense of sameness.  It’s our mindset that matters and how we cope with life’s often unexpected and painful detours and hiccups.  Too often we’re looking for things that don’t exist or are hopelessly out of reach, even inconsequential, because upon closer examination, they don’t really matter.

In a perfect world all of us would enjoy who and what we are without facing or sitting in constant judgement.  But we’re living in an imperfect world and imperfection is the norm and not the exception.

What are you looking for?

I eagerly await your comments and feel free to share.

Purchase my novel, Energy & Origin from KDP Amazon.ca

For something lighter: Mathew, Broderick, Fred, Roger and be entertained by my rather irreverent sense of humor.

 

THE EPSTEIN DISTRACTION

 

THE EPSTEIN DISTRACTION

We have bigger fish to fry.

 

Since time immemorial the wealthy have always indulged in fantasies that the average person (That will be most of us) can’t afford.  There are few innocents in this game, except for the underage victims of sex crimes.  Rich people hide their sins and shady shindigs behind convenient walls of silence and complicity.  Money doesn’t just talk, it also buys silence.  Not that the wheels of justice don’t apply to them, but within that sheltered club of privilege justice is either delayed or woefully lacking in a meaningful pursuit.  Power, intimidation, corruption, the Ultra-Rich can purchase immunity and escape prosecution.  Amongst our species a mob mentality is ever present and you don’t have to look like a gangster to be one.  All around the world unscrupulous characters cater to the whims and wishes of those who can afford to indulge or who can’t resist the lure of the illegality on offer.  Our fragile minds and bodies are an easy prey and does it really matter what the addiction or attraction is?  What we fall for?  Opportunity?  Temptation?  Forbidden fruits?  Indulgence?  Sex, food, gambling, illegal drugs, alcohol?

Media fodder.

But every now and then we get all fired up by a case, especially when it concerns the rich and powerful.  You and I wouldn’t be news, but they are!  All of a sudden we’re obsessed by human vices as if righteous virtue is the only thing that matters.  And we pursue it with a passion until it peters out as a newsworthy item.  Will this obsession with outstanding morality and ethics make a difference in regards to what we are doing, and have done, to each other and a planet we share with millions of other lifeforms?  Will it put a dent in the myriad of environmental, social and financial dilemmas our species faces?

Epstein is nothing more than a salacious distraction as leaders around the world are grappling with issues far greater than the sexual perversions of a bunch of out-of-control rich sex addicts.  How about keeping a leaking global ship afloat on a sea of challenges?  Throwing a few of these shady characters under the wheels of the bus, is that really what we’re after, or is it all designed as an old fashioned Roman spectacle to massage the minds of the masses and lull them back into a state of complacency?

No bigger fish to fry?

Just to name a few issues deserving of our attention that are currently flying under the radar of global attention.  How about Trump denying the people of Cuba the basic essentials and necessities to survive by instituting a punishing embargo on oil reaching the shores of the island nation?  Under president Obama relations between the two nations were being normalized to put an end to a childish preoccupation with past grievances.  Cuba is a small, island nation and it is not a threat to world security or to the United States.  Trump has turned this into a political pissing contest, all part of Trump’s ongoing vendetta with everything Obama has been involved in and with everything Obama accomplished.  Trump, true to form, is moved by pettiness and an intense hatred for a man who dared crack a joke at Trump’s expense during a public gathering of the press and the White House.  A vindictive personality that likes to dish out, but with a rather thin skin when it concerns his own persona.

Tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children are suffering because of the childish, churlish, narcissistic personality of a pathetic leader.  Tourism has become Cuba’s main source of income and it has been devastated by Trump’s irresponsible actions.  Resorts are closed due to a lack of food and power.  People are starving and plagued by ongoing power blackouts.  How pathetic can you get in your quest for revenge?

The victims deserve justice.

The only persons deserving attention and justice in the Epstein saga are the underage young girls who were subjected to submit to sex acts with spoiled, rich men who get their rocks off by diddling young underage victims.

The world has bigger fish to fry.  Ukraine, Iran and Gaza come to mind, and all the other hot spots in the world where misery is king and people suffer.  How about the ongoing degradation of the ecosystems we all depend upon for survival and the squandering of resources and the horrific pollution of our lakes, rivers and oceans?

Billions of people are living in poverty and are lacking essential services.  Lives lacking hope and opportunity.  Quit obsessing about rich people sticking their willies where they shouldn’t and get on with all the things that really matter.

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