Nobody's Guru

I had a conversation with my oldest this weekend. We often have little philosophical discussion on life lessons - he's still young enough to want them. This time, I told him to avoid people who want to give him guidance. I know that sounds a bit funny, coming in the midst of a conversation in which I was giving him guidance. None the less, he understood what I meant.

Today is Tomorrow

It's been a tough couple weeks.  One of those periods when you burn days in a blur of pure reaction and, when you stop to catch your breath, you can't really say what it was you've been doing.  Something urgent.  I caught a co-worker in the hall and we exchanged white noise, making comments about how busy it's been.  He said something about catching up on some mutually important issue once things calmed down.  I was walking away when it occurred to me that we'd had the exact same exchange before.

No Heroes

In recent years, I've held the opinion that the world grants us precious few heroes, and we'd be better off, or at least better adjusted, if we stopped attempting to mint them from the larger than life figures we see in the media.  There is nothing about sports, politics, or movies, for instance, that make a person a good roll model, and much that works against it.  And yet I constantly see people worshiping at their favorite cult of personality without any thought of what value, if any, lies beneath it.   Why?

Sounds Reasonable

"Reason" is a wonderful thing.  Without it, everything you did would be driven by whim and dogma.  And how would you explain that to your wife?  But, like any tool, reason has its limitations.  Knowing what they are might greatly enhance one's efforts to "Be" reasonable, rather than merely having reasons.

I Got Nothing

It has long been my experience that those who have spent the least of time considering an issue tend to feel the most certain about it. One, such as myself, who looks at a thing from all angles tends to find that important issues are contentious for good reason. Capital-T-Truth is an elusive thing, and the moment you stop searching for it, thinking you've found it, is the moment you move from confusion to delusion.

Vigilantes of Love: Blister Soul - 1995

 I’ve long been fascinated by the character of Salieri, as depicted in the movie Amadeus.  His defining characteristic was that his only real skill was in recognizing the genius of his betters, and I’ve long identified that.  Despite having no real musical talent of my own, I believe that I have managed to stumble across quite a few treasures that the rest of the world has, in large part, ignored.  And so, I unleash my long suppressed music critic with the first of (possibly) many “Salieri Sessions”.  I give you “Blister Soul”.

Blood for Words

So, a couple days ago, the Pope makes this ill-advised reference to a medieval Byzantine emperor's comments in a speach on the topic of religious tolerance and it's importance.  The quote is immediately taken out of context by Islamists everywhere and spread among their drones. Muslims worldwide are deeply offended by the suggestion that their's is a religion of violence.To express their outrage at the baseless accusation, Muslims began marching and chanting and protesting.  And burning Christian churches.  And murdering a nun.  And threatening to kill more.

We shall break the cross and spill the wine. ... God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome. ... God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen.

-the Mujahideen Shura Council

I bet that will keep the Pope from insinuating they're violent.