- From Frank Herbert’s Dune:
- I must not fear.
- Fear is the mind-killer.
- Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
- I will face my fear.
- I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
- And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
- Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
- Only I will remain.
Monthly Archives: May 2008
Somehow, in the course of trying to be a single dad, I’ve been managing to stash away little bits of money here and there to save for a rainy day. Now there are little bits of money everywhere.
I’m counting on the Federal Government to step in and help me before it gets out of control and there’s money everywhere!
This blog seems to take on a different tone when read with O Fortuna from Carmina Burana playing in the background. Nice.
Christianity has received a lot of negative PR the last few decades. Okay, perhaps the last millennium or so hasn’t been so hot.
Islam suffers from the same problem, albeit in a different fashion.
Christianity gets its bad press most recently because of cultural baggage. American Christianity often evokes feelings of exclusion in a variety of forms: judgmental behavior, social cliques, caste consciousness, and an overall elitist worldview.
Additionally, Muslims have got a bad rap for wanting to destroy Western Civilization as we know it.
Ghandi said it best. He felt very favorable toward the central tenets of Christianity, but exceedingly discouraged by the behavior of its followers, and bore witness to the startling dichotomy between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of his followers.
What is in fact being said when Christianity is rejected by an individual can more often be characterized as a rejection of the misanthropic tendencies of its followers, and disgust that people are capable of twisting the teachings of Jesus so far as to use them as justification for inexcusable behavior.
However, modern Christians have interpreted a few hand-picked quotes from their favorite translation from an ultimately unverified (but Spirit-breathed!) source to mean any number of things. Furthermore, they have so successfully deluded themselves into believing that these are the sum total of Gospel Truth that a rejection either of themselves or any specific doctrine equates to a direct rejection of Christ himself and all his teachings.
To say that skeptics believe Christianity to be a religion for the weak-minded and irrational is perhaps technically correct, if only technically.
Does this mean that Jesus came to dupe those who were incapable of logic and reason? Not at all! Does this imply that the Bible is true only for those who fail to investigate its veracity? Quite the opposite!
Listen, and you can already hear on the horizon the thundering cries of “But that’s what you’re saying!” Again, Christians on the whole are married to the notion that their particular experience and the teachings of Jesus are one and the same. Questions such as “but what if it’s NOT the same” are distinctly unwelcome to all but a handful.
As a religion, intertwined with American culture as it is, Modern Christianity requires divorce from logical and rational inquisitiveness. Buddhists are intrigued by apparent contradictions in their faith. Indeed, their koans show a bizarre fascination with things that fail to add up. Christians, on the other hand, are very thoroughly frightened by the notion.
It takes a shot of steroids, a bowl of Wheaties, and a bout with colon cancer for a Christian to find himself tackling reading a website that lists apparent contradictions in the Bible. Asimov’s Guide to the Bible is rejected as a whole because it was written by a professed Atheist, and its historical accuracy and relevance are not discussed.
So, much as drunkenness is often used as a lame excuse for people to do what it was they’d secretly been wanting to do all along, so then does Christianity get credit for any malevolent behavior that can conceivably be justified by cobbling together a collection of any six verses in the Bible.
Want to toss a cold shoulder at someone who’s had an abortion? Try telling her that we’re known to God before we’re born, that the decalogue requires Thou Shalt Not Kill, and top it off with What Fellowship Does Light Have with Darkness? Need an excuse to make it permanent ostracism? Once salt loses its flavor, it cannot be made salty again.
How about God Hates Fags?
Hey folks, it’s Biblical.
Seriously, get real. Anyone who’s truly a friend of Jesus in any way would be pissed off at the way He’s getting abused. I think an ad hoc boycott is pretty tame, all things considered.
Never the twain shall meet.
I’ve been searching for meaning in the affairs and activities of humans for quite some time, initially from a place of simple curiosity and inquisitiveness, and more recently, say the last decade or so, from a standpoint of troubleshooting and adjustment, management, and upgrading. I weigh nearly everything I see in this way, so anything I write hereupon has that as its underlying principle. Okay, so that might be reaching a bit, but if someone suddenly finds this interesting, perhaps understanding some of the background behind my thinking might cause it to make more sense.
Part of living my life successfully (oh yes, there’s definitely a measuring stick I use for myself to determine a level of success for my life as a whole) involves choosing my friends and business partners. I’ve discovered that I find myself drawn to friendship with an exceedingly diverse crowd, from a wide array of backgrounds, different methods for meeting daily challenges, divergent and even completely antithetical beliefs, and yet well-suited to a friendship with me.
Can I really believe that I am so maleable in my beliefs and ideas as to emulate someone new every few months? Am I really so desperate for friendship that I’m willing to befriend anyone who’ll give me the time of day? Or am I playing neo-hippie, walking around spouting the line “I think that there was something specific I needed to learn from Casey” and swapping my friends out like water filters every six months for a newer model?
Actually, none of the above. I’m still friends with people who entered my life years ago, but seem to have little difficulty, aside from being very particular about those with whom I spend my time, striking up friendships that quickly shift into overdrive “best-friends” status.
I befriend those who deal.
Not drugs, not cards, but life’s challenges. I’ve managed to (perhaps a bit judgmentally) categorize humanity (past, present, and future mind you, and all cultures included) into Those Who Cope, and Those Who Deal.
In a nutshell, those who cope with life’s challenges, tribulations, and outright tragedies are the drinkers, the addicts, the victims, the imcompetent, and their ilk. You’ll find them placing blame, rather than taking responsibility. But it’s more than shirking fault that bothers me. People who cope may even blame themselves for everything. More than once I’ve heard the admission, “I’ve really fucked up.”
Who cares? Does that change anything? Okay, I’m willing to award some dumbass points for purposefully going out and doing something you knew was a mistake, but when does it end? I make stupid mistakes all the time, so what makes it any different?
Copers are okay with their mistakes in a way that dealers are not. Those Who Deal will look at a situation, and try to figure out what can be done to make it better. Those Who Deal are problem solvers by nature, if not by practice. For example, if confronted by a plumbing problem, Those Who Cope will wait until the plumbing explodes because they’re unsure of how to fix it. Then they’ll move. And complain about the previous home. Those Who Deal, realizing that they’re completely out of their element, will call a professional. If they can’t afford it, they’ll try to arrange a stop-gap until they can solve the money problem.
Those Who Deal, confronted by personal tragedy, will go through a completely different series of steps than a Coper. However misguided, a Dealer whose child is struck by a car will try to find a way to prevent someone else’s child from getting struck by another car. A coper, realizing that a monstrous event has taken place for which there is no immediate solution, will break down completely, fail to get out of bed the next morning for any reason, and will choose to be traumatized for the rest of their lives.
Have I no addictions or vices? Do I never make a mental attempt at escape when things become difficult? Yes, I do these things too. But there is a clear understanding that any such escape is temporary, to give me a break long enough to gather my wits and take another shot at understanding a situation from a fresh perspective. There is no delusion on my part that any such escape will be permanent, or even long-term. I’ve got drunk over losing a girlfriend, but it was always understood that she’d still be gone the next day, and that I’d remember everything that had happened. I was not willing to let it destroy my life forever.
So where do Those Who Cope fit in?
In my life, they don’t. I’m not on a mission to change everyone to see it my way, or destroy those who see it differently, or have a different approach to life. But that doesn’t mean I have to devote them valuable time. And I’m not talking about “time is money” or any of that self-important nonsense. I’m talking about the fact that my life is short, I could get hit by a comet tomorrow and have no legal recourse, and each minute that I’m walking around and seeing the beauty around me is PRECIOUS.
Why waste it on someone who’s just looking for a way to tolerate today in hopes that tomorrow will get a little better on its own?
One of the hardest lessons for me to learn is that Those Who Cope think that Those Who Deal are completely crazy and incomprehensible.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Keep coming back. It really works!
Here’s the man giving America its “fair and balanced” talking points.
http://antifeds.com/bill-oreilly-goes-absolutely-crazy
I’m not rude enough to hot-link it, nor am I rich enough to host it here…
I’d like to suggest a causal link between commonplace tragedies of yesteryear and an undiagnosed contemporary trend toward neurotic and self-destructive behavior, but not in the way that most would assume. Consider a handful of altogether ordinary tragic events that might have befallen a normal westerner at the turn of the 20th, and then another set of terrible things that could be expected to befall a denizen of the 18th century.
- Premature death of a minor child or sibling
- Industrial or agricultural-related death or dismemberment
- An unchecked outbreak of an unknown disease
- Disastrous meteorological conditions (hurricane, flood, tornado, etc.)
- Unmitigated home invasion
Further back,
- Violent uprising and government instability
- Famine
- Death due to poor hygiene
- Homeland invasion and occupation
- Indentured servitude and slavery
Indeed, I won’t be so haughty as to suggest that Western Civilization as we know it has “completely eradicated” these threats, but several major things have happened to stem the tide of social and persnal tragedy in the intervening years
The nineteenth century marked a period of increasing government stability throughout he western world. Modern and mechanized agricultural methods made their advent, as well as great strides in the methods of food distribution, eliminating the potential for a food riot in Paris. The importance of basic sanitation began to be realized, especially in the treatment of such conditions as leprosy and gangrene. While they weren’t mere memories, the notion that a hangnail might be fatal found its modern home in the absurd. The thrust of nationalism and secured borders began to address the threat of an unidentified foreign invasion and occupation. For the first time in history, the notion of abolition of slavery began to gain traction, especially amongst those in power.
The 20th century, at severe risk of understatement, has seen far more rapid and profound change, not only in technology, but in our culture.
Medicine has begun to address issues of health, antisepsis, disease prevention, and even genetics, reducing to a shadow of its former self the chance that a child might suddenly or mysteriously be killed, for example by falling into a river or being trampled by livestock, by an unchecked ear infection, or simple malnutrition. Statisticians and legislators alike have begun to address the issues surrounding industrial or occupational safety. Industrial accidents were commonplace as little as fifty years ago, nearly eliminated now by safety training in the workplace.
Great efforts have been put forth to understand the spread of disease, such that a major outbreak can often be avoided altogether. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods are no longer mysterious and sudden disasters. Even volcanic eruptions can often be recognized while still impending, allowing residents to evacuate potentially affected areas, rather than staying behind to bear the cost in human lives.
Increased urbanization had dramatically reduced the likelihood that an individual could enter a home and hold or kill the residents without detection. Information technology has increased the degree to which individuals stay in contact with one another. Spare me the philosophical nonsense about layers and separating people from one another. People talk more with one another now because it’s far easier to do so. Your nearest neighbor is no longer a hundred kilometers away, and you’ll see him at least in passing more than once per year. The nearest doctor is no longer a day’s journey.
So how does that bear on the cultural ennui cropping up more and more in today’s youth?
Perhaps they’re not sure what to fear. Fear is being hoarded, by politicians, parents, and news outlets. Politicians use fear to control populations, whether for something as simple as voting for an opponent, or something as fundamental as eliminating civil liberties. News outlets use fear in hopes of boosting ratings. Once upon a time, three people dying in an auto accident would have been news, but only in a smaller town. Now, an unbeknownst individual could be lost at sea on the other side of the world, and it may make the evening news here. Parents are terrified that something untoward might befall their children. As a parent myself, I’m constantly fighting the temptation to see a sexual predator lurking behind every bush or profferred piece of candy.
By contrast, older children have been crippled by an unfamiliarity with fear in any form. The worst thing to face children, adolescents, and increasingly adults, is something far more disgusting than fear of disembowelment at the hands of invaders. Rather, modern humans face STRESS, an anxiety that something might happen. Contrast that to a mother two hundred years ago who bore perhaps a dozen children because she knew that at least two of them would likely die before reaching maturity. No parent would wish discomfort on their child, but can you imagine what such a mother, properly educated, would think of the notion of boiling bottle nipples, or spraying antiseptic on a kitchen floor?
A few months ago, I watched a teenager demonstrate a procedure for quickly scribbling with a ballpoint pen to heat the tip, and then burning herself with the hot tip of the pen, simply for the sensation. More recently, teenagers are cutting themselves en masse, and calling it “emo”.
The coming generation is desparately short on fear, and aching for fear and pain to affirm that they’re alive. Once, Yakuza members might lose a finger to make atonement for failing at an important assignment. Soon, young people will be cutting off appendages on a dare.
All this is coming off an article I read tonight about a teenager, 13, who having cut her wrists several times as part of an emo initiation ritual, hung herself in her bedroom.
It was probably the most exciting thing that ever happened to her.
And we, the preceding generation, will quite predictably wring our hands with worry and doubt when this sort of thing happens. We’ll continue slapping warning labels and brightly-colored stickers on everything we make, and failing to make the connection.
These are the steps I followed in Hardy Heron to install my Visioneer 7600. I’m no coder by any stretch, and there was a LOT of copying and pasting, and there’s probably a lot that can be done to clean this up and turn it into a usable shell script. Also, I should point out that I’ve included the vendorID and productID values for my particular scanner, and you should update these with the ones returned by sane-find-scanner before you get too far.
sudo su
ln -sf bash /bin/sh
apt-get install libusb-dev
apt-get install gcc
apt-get install g++
apt-get install binutils
apt-get install build-essentials
apt-get install libtool
apt-get install lsb-rpm
apt-get upgrade
wget ftp://ftp.sane-project.org/pub/sane/old-versions/sane-backends-1.0.18/sane-backends-1.0.18.tar.gz
tar -xzf sane-backends-1.0.18.tar.gz
wget http://www.codetrax.org/downloads/projects/viceo/sane-backends-1.0.18-viceo.diff.gz
gunzip sane-backends-1.0.18-viceo.diff.gz
patch -p1 -b -d sane-backends-1.0.18/ < sane-backends-1.0.18-viceo.diff
cd sane-backends-1.0.18/
export BACKENDS=viceo
./configure –prefix=/usr –sysconfdir=/etc
make
mkdir 1_test_install
make DESTDIR=”$PWD/1_test_install” install
export MY_SANE_DIR=~/sane-backends-1.0.18/1_test_install
export PATH=$MY_SANE_DIR/usr/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$MY_SANE_DIR/usr/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export SANE_DEBUG_DLL=128
export SANE_DEBUG_VICEO=128
cp 1_test_install/etc/sane.d/e1.ini /etc/sane.d/dll.d/
cp 1_test_install/etc/sane.d/lut.plg /etc/sane.d/dll.d/
cp 1_test_install/etc/sane.d/viceo.conf /etc/sane.d/dll.d
cp 1_test_install/usr/lib/sane/libsane-viceo.so.1.0.18 /usr/lib/sane/
ln -s -f libsane-viceo.so.1.0.18 /usr/lib/sane/libsane-viceo.so.1
echo “viceo” >> /etc/sane.d/dll.conf
echo “usb 0×04a7 0×0211″ >> /etc/sane.d/viceo.conf
ldconfig
sane-find-scanner
scanimage -L
Okay, so perhaps it’s a bit late to write another review of this movie. It’s been done. At least once. Since 1982.
What I’m mindful of is not artistry, or storytelling, casting, or great acting. Because these are executed properly and professionally, the story itself becomes transparent.
What I’m impressed with are the scenes showing chemistry and electricity, and it just impresses upon me my own deeply-rooted desire for a warm fire in the wilderness with a beautiful woman at my side.
On a side note, this is the sort of drivel that probably belongs in a private personal journal. However, the GIFT (Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory) would tend to apply to my posting mushy nonsense on a very public website. And considering the meaningless blithering to which we’ve all been subject, I feel rather like the greatest among equals. It takes no elitist to recognize that some can craft a complete sentence with greater success than others.
Google the GIFT. Basically it states that given a normal person, combined with an audience and anonymity, will produce a Total Fuckwad.
Today was my second day of training working at a collections call center. I got confirmation of my new schedule after four weeks of training, allowing me to work four ten-hour shifts, starting each morning at 5am. My kids will go to the babysitter’s at 4:30 each morning and go back to bed, leaving them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 4:30 in the afternoon when I go to pick them up. And the best part of all is the three-day weekend each and every week.
The world is a bubble of warm sunny happiness, and I’m spang in the middle of it.
