Ordinarily perfect . . .
It's the Satyr's day . . . the weatherfeather sent in a Xerox for today's forecast in Okieland . . .
Head’s up: Today’s blog contains a link to a video-parody regarding Exxon which contains language that could be offensive to some, and likely not for little ears.
Wax on, wax off . . .
The Watercourse deconstructs as much as it constructs. The difference for us is that we can witness the deconstruction but can only participate in its ongoing construction in the present moment, while trusting the future. It's our only option, if we wish not to live in perpetual angst.
Deculturation has spawned a collage of clashing identities, creating an Archipelago of subcultures. — Nathan Gardels, Noema, 7/13/24.
“Too important to miss.” This is for the independents, the so-called unicorns whose votes may decide the outcome of the November election as well as for those who have become weary of the endless political fray we live in. They are written for those of us who are committed to fighting to keep the Republic. – Joyce Vance referencing yesterday's NYTimes editorial.
We cannot win if we do not vote, if we just give up. Wipe “giving up” off your possibilities list.
Speaking of voting: There's an Exon ad-parody going around. Candid and explicit it hits hard at our complicity in the environmental disasters unfolding around us. WARNING: there is language that is not fit for little ones and probably not for office space. That said its a powerful consciousness-raiser.
And, speaking of American capitalism: Boeing is everything wrong with American capitalism and in the process is making our skies more dangerous than you can imagine.
Forest
My Great-Aunt Tommy was wont to comment
the biggest problem humid-beans have is
their inability to see the forest
arising from a preoccupation with trees.
It's as if our left-brain symbol factory
was intent on our own suicide
by growing a forest
out of which we cannot get.
– jab
Perfectly ordinary . . .
It's Freya's day . . . yet more heat for Okieland . . .
Henry David Thoreau was born 207 years ago today in 1817, Concord, Massachusetts. 78 years later and 30 miles from Walden Pond, Buckminster Fuller was born. The genius inventor of the geodesic dome was born in 1895, Milton, Massachusetts.
Garrison Keillor gets blunt about Trump.
If you or anyone you know is having difficulty imagining the death of American democracy, The Lincoln Project has imagined it for you. Watch it here. Here’s how it ends: “Ask yourself, what did you believe was impossible just eight years ago? … He’s counting on you to believe it won’t happen.” That’s an evergreen statement when it comes to Trump; whether it’s Project 2025 or anything else about his hoped-for second term in office, he is quite literally counting on Americans to believe it won’t happen. – Joyce Vance
Dr. Vance answers questions about the Supreme Court’s immunity opinion in Trump v. U.S.
Dismal as things appear, there are ways to navigate The Way. Drawing on the work of American thinker Ken Wilber, Father Richard describes three stages of transformation: Growing Up, Waking Up, and Cleaning Up.
Everything is unique and precious. You are, I am unique and precious. This instant moment is unique and precious.Think on this and be free from an effort to be different, stand out, and be impressive. Maintain an everyday mind, be an everyday being.The ordinary is perfect as it is. The future is in the hands of Creation. – Kazuaki Tanahashi
Bound for a distant shore
I am bound, I am bound, for a distant shore,
By a lonely isle, by a far Azore,
There it is, there it is, the treasure I seek,
On the barren sands of a desolate creek
– Henry David Thoreau
Real woo-woo
It's Thor's day … another “hot town, summer in the city” day in TulseyTown . . .
If an experience is delightful or pleasant, usually we want to grab it and make it last. We may not be inclined to share it. The teachings, however, encourage us, if we enjoy what we are experiencing, to think of other people and wish for them to feel that. Share the wealth. Be generous with your joy. Give away what you most want. Be generous with your insights and delights. Instead of fearing that they're going to slip away and holding on to them, share them. – Pema Chödrön, The Compassion Book: Teachings for Awakening the Heart, Shambhala, 2017.
Suddenly, everyone seems to be asking about and talking about Project 2025. Joyce Vance (and yers trooley) think “That’s great, keep it up.” A reminder: re: Joyce
How the internet and capitalism ate Northern Virginia.
Work isn’t the be-all end-all that you were raised to think it was. Sure, it’s important to be working at something that speaks to you and brings you meaning, but it can dwarf other parts of you. There is more to you than you know. And if you find that a bit too “woo-woo” check out this essay from Maria Shriver posted on her Sunday Paper website. [P.S. Synchronicity at work: this has been happening to me over the past several days ahead of Ms. Shriver's posting.]
Synchronous Haiku
An absence of peace.
Today's voice-mail recording:
Don't quit practicing
— jab