When The Noise Is Too Much

I have been overwhelmed with a sense of ennui lately. I have opinions on many subjects as you know but lately- sigh, why bother? I have read articles about the TSA and their draconian tactics  and the media orgasmic response  to them and shrug. I read a lengthy conversation on reddit about people having bad encounters with cops and their truly awful behavior profiling skills. I was  ready to dive in with my observation that cops suspect everyone by nature of the paranoia they develop but thought meh, so what?

Maybe it's the alignment of the stars or the weather or my winter blues coming on early but it feels like there's nothing one can do about the strange, fundamental atmosphere that  grips our thinking these days. Public discourse on TV amounts to contests to see who can be the most hysterical. Hyperbole is the primary journalistic tool and frankly I'm tired of it.

What ever happened to quiet insightful, productive conversation? Whatever happened to critical thinking? There's to much reflexive reaction to events rather than calm analysis.

Call me old fashioned but I can live without a 24 hour news cycle. I prefer time between events to absorb the information and draw conclusions based on complete data rather than flash judgments. What everyone needs to do is calm down.

Police need to learn how to really understand what's going on before overreacting with violence, jumping to conclusions or expecting the worst based on panic rather than intuition.
The same goes for the TSA, the mainstream media, governments and the rest of us. That goes for me as well.

Let's all just take a deep breath and lighten up.

Quote of the day

"Nobody sees a flower, really-it's so small- we haven't the time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time."

-Georgia O'Keefe

Let's Play the Blame Game

Let’s play the blame game , where it’s everyone else fault but our own.

The President of the Boy Scouts council for the Portland metro area has testified he believes the parents of some Scouts were negligent and even criminal for allowing sleepovers that led to sex abuse.

A girl was subjected to months of verbal abuse to the point of her commiting sucide but, gosh the school adminstarion had no idea how bad it was.Tsk,tsk, it’s not our fault and expelling the little monsters wouldn’t be fair to them.

"It's a terrible punishment because that changes their whole lives and what they are capable of doing, and they have to figure out a way to renew and complete their education."

A woman has her head stepped on at a political rally and the assailant demands an apology from her.

The years of litigation and denial of responsibility have spawned an era where no matter what happens it’s someone’s else fault. In clinical psychological it’s called projection where someone is the cause of your behavior.

What the hell ever happened to taking responsibility for one’s actions and it’s high time to be reminded of this. It’s the core tenet of every major religion and we need to reconnect with the commandment to play nice with each other.

Clip of the day

There is an artistic routine for the ladies gymnastics at the Olympics. There should be one for the men's, this certainly qualifies.

How to Predict the Future

I’ve written on this subject before-strictly tongue in cheek but seriously, I find the concept fascinating. Predicting the future hinges on theories from quantum physics to spiritual divination. To answer the question of how the future can be predicted we have to answer the question -what is time? Well nobody knows least of all me.

One theory is that time is not linear i.e., the past, present and future exist simultaneously but we experience it with our limited senses as linear. It is not fixed but has an elastic quality to it.
How time proceeds is dependent on perception and expectation as anyone visiting the dentist or being at a wedding can tell you. Seeing into the future requires getting outside of that linear thinking. It’s the difference between driving down the hiway in a car or being in a helicopter above it. Another method of prophecy is based on where the past and present are and extrapolating from there.

Arthur C. Clarke, dull writer that he was, made some amazing predictions in the 60’s about computers and modern communications that were spot on. (get youtube link here). He and Jules Verne made accurate predictions because their scientific education allowed them to make good estimates of things to come. Some people see the future by accident. E.M. Forester wrote a short fantasy story in 1909 that is an eerily accurate view of modern communication. link here.

There are those who derived their predictions in mystical ways that tend to be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Despite what some critics might say about Nostradmaus and Edgar Caycee,http://www.edgarcayce.org/ they actual have a pretty good track record and should not be dismissed.

Most people try to guess about the future based on biased expectations rather than objective data. The economy will improve, we’ll find cheaper, cleaner forms of energy, I’ll win the lottery and so on. What prophets like Caycee and Nostradamus have in common is that they had no expectations about what they saw during their meditations, they just recorded the information and hoped for the best.

Using a combination of deduction and intuition I have some of my own ideas about the future to wit:
The economy will not show significant improvement for another 5 to 10 years before leveling out.

Medical care will get cheaper and rely more on natural treatment. Doctors will treat patients with techniques stemming from the mind -body connection -which until recently they have ignored.

The next president will NOT be woman. By 2025 the inauguration will be moved to another time, place or the presidency will undergo a dramatic change.

A disaster will cut global population drastically between 2030 and 2050. There will be fewer people, cars and pollution. The environment will be considerably changed for the better as a result.

The best thing Afghanistan can do is promote it’s agriculture. It will be the fruit and bread basket of central Asia.

Within 10 years there will be revelation proving the existence of extra terrestrial life. Surprise!

Get back to me in 10 years and we'll see how well I did.

Lame Joke of the Week

What do Star trek and toilet paper have in common? They both circle your uranus looking for Klingons.

The heart is a lonely hunter

Damn I wish I could write as well as Roger Ebert.and he writes about loneliness better than me and I'm one of the lonely people he writes about. Dam. I was reading John Elder Robison's book about his life with Asperger's and I was struck by a comment he made.

"Many descriptions of autism and Asperger’s describe people like me as “not wanting contact with others” or “preferring to play alone.” I can’t speak for other kids, but I’d like to be very clear about my own feelings: I did not ever want to to be alone . And all those child psychologists who said ”John prefers to play by himself” were dead wrong. I played by myself because I was a failure at playing with with others."

That pretty much describes me as well. To put it in a nutshell people with Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD) are smart people with the social skills of a ten year old. It's frustrating, even heartbreaking when you know you lack the ability to connect with others. Everyone wants to be noticed, to count, to have meaning.

I live alone. I'm not married, don't have kids. I have three siblings, few relatives and only a handful of friends. The only legacy I have is more than 35 years of diary writing. What is their value? I have been journaling as a way to vent the emotions and desires I am unable to communicate to others because they don't understand where I'm coming from. Imagine being trapped in the hellish angst of a teenager and you have a fair idea of how I feel every time I go to a social gathering even at fifty.

Primitive societies have found the harshest punishment they can mete out to criminals in their tribe is to ostracize them. Banished from the people they have grown up with, they wither and die within months. Everyone wants to be wanted, loved and acknowledged. It's just harder for some than others. Remember that the next time you meet someone.

How to Become a Homosexual

I find all the scary talk of homos recruiting children to their deviatn lifestyle hysterically funny. I mean the concept is beyond ludicrious. When was the last time someone tried to convert you, pray tell. This reminds me of a true story.

I used to live near the Uof O. A good friend managed the apartment building next door to me. Jennifer is a large, lovable, lesbian- which will be relavent in a minute. While I was getting ready to leave for some errands I had the TV on and another deluded Christian fundementalist was foaming at the mouth about the gay agenda. Of all the things wrong in the world, of all the evil, injustice, destruction of the environment and bad fashion, what do people decide to get in high dungeon about? What someone does to whom in the privacy of their bedroom. Talk about confused priorities.

I snapped off the TV as I left. I stopped by Jennifers’ apartment to drop off somthing; noticing my irritation, she asked what I was annoyed about this time. I told her about the latest crap these folks were spewing.

“ I have been around gays all my life and not once, has anyone tried to recruit me.”

“Oh would you like to be a lesbian, I have an application form right here.” she said without missing a beat. It seems all my friends are certified smart asses.