Nothing Has Meaning

One thing that is clear, desire and action are separated.

You look at what people say they desire and you look at what they do and more often than not there is almost no connnection at all.

Conventional desire is a measure of everything one is not, rather than a goal one moves toward.

Action on the other hand is ultimately the truth of anyone’s desires displayed for all to see. Look at what they do and you see the true person.

Turn that inward and look at what you are doing, or not doing, or how you are acting, or not acting, or behaving, or not behaving and if you have the brass you may just find out what you really are, what you really value.

Which brings us to values.

Values are the root of all action. Yikes. Scary thought. But if you really observe yourself, and others, a clarity of being emerges and you can see what you, and others, really value and hence what they really are.

This can be a painful experience as the realization of the connections and nature of relationships are evident in truth, and we realize we aren’t all that, we aren’t close to some people, and we are close to others.

This also can evince what we value in terms of materialism and spirituality. Again, potentially painful for those of us who purport spirituality and serenity while chasing down the American dream with a vengeance.

Actions speak louder than words.

True that.

Thank god I’m an atheist.

I said that once, thinking it was pretty funny. I asked Kevin Sanders if he thought it was pretty funny. He kind of paused for a bit, looking maybe a bit not getting it, and I said come on man think about it and then the light of comprehension dawned and he did think it was pretty funny. Oxymoronic in fact.

Not his word.

Still, atheism by definition and common use is not believing in supreme beings or a being. Really though it has more to do with not adhering to simplistic supernatural suspension of disbelief and blind faith.

Deism is also interesting.

Neither have anything to do with what I am on about. Truth. Fact. The Is.

A new term is needed.

Truthist. Truthism. Hey Colbert I was here long ago so don’t get all bent about originality.

a pledge or promise; obligation

Using definition #4, probably the most common in terms of daily usage, I think about desire and goals and what that really means. I think about actions speaking louder than words, really means that actions contain truth of motivation and words contain truth of contemplation.

We watched a movie the other night. Something about the Fastest Indian about a man who raced his 1920 Indian motorcycle for the simple purpose of going faster than anyone else in his class.

The film stars Anthony Hopkins, and though not a great film, certainly provocative in some sense. We were watching a DVD. We checked out the special features. Therein was the real great part of the movie, the man himself, Burt Munro.

Unbelievable.

Amongst the fabulous time we got to spend with Burt we got to see people speaking about Burt. The one that really resonated was the young man describing Burt as one of the few free people. Why was he free? Because he did what he wanted and wants to do.

That, of course, got me to thinking. I’ve always seen that truth, truth like Devin talks about it, the truth of feelings and opinions, is displayed by what we do. Our actions belie our true belief, feeling, intent. Joe Middleton the other day scoffed at the idea that someone wants to be doing something they aren’t, when they aren’t shows that they really don’t want to do that other something.

So Burt shows us that what we truly desire can easily be achieved.

All it takes is commitment.

Look it up.

I’m fresh out.

Happy Birthday Judy!

Reading my favorite blog (last time I want to use that word as a noun, a verb, or anything else) Fit To Print I am reminded of the upcoming US midterm elections.

What little I have seen makes me wonder.

When did we stop talking about relevant issues? Why do we fixate on ridiculous irrelevant personal behaviors? Criminal, lecherous and unethical behavior is one thing, to be exposed, but one’s taste in entertainment? Cheess. Really.

Why don’t we start talking about survival? Why don’t we introduce ourselves to the truth? Why don’t we do unto others as we would have them do unto us? Why don’t we start reading and stop watching like brain dead zombies out of Dawn of the Dead 41? Why do humans have such a penchant for the miscreant behaviors of pedestal posted celebrity politicians to be knocked off like ten pins?

Focusing the conversation onto the truly relevant issues is something which will not likely occur in our existence. Humans will pander to the base lusts of the formidable power of greed and then once the earth is spent, cease to exist.

Good riddance.

The earth however, has until the sun goes red giant.

This is a rare condition that by that virtue rarely afflicts anyone, ever.

When one comes down with a case of this affliction one will be severely at odds with society.

This society frowns upon a consistent and definite code of ethics because you cannot pack on the pounds, win the applause and gain the world with such a code. Or cut deals.

In essence, one must let go of principles, concepts, meaning, righteousness, correctness, truth or any other concrete principles or ideas to participate in our society.

Unless you want to be a troublemaker.

Every human on this earth originates somewhere.

The question is when? Apparently, if your culture was recently overthrown by an invading culture then you become aboriginal and they become occupiers.

I bring this up because I’ve been thinking about myself, my favorite topic.

My parents are both US Citizens, one blue blood going back to the beginning of the invasion, one the son of immigrant Greek folks who came over just after the turn of the 20th century.

So I am a native American. Born in Redwood City CA USA. But I am not aboriginal with evidence. The Penobscot blood can’t be proven. But I could say I am aboriginal to Greece probably.

When does the merging of two cultures blur to the point that we no longer distinguish between the invaders and the original, at least recently, inhabitants?

We are all original human beings.

What motivates me?

What motivate you?

What do you want from life?

Easy questions, hard answers. Rhetorical really.

Sometimes one gets to the point where one is basically a whore. Or shall I say, a less direct and less honest whore. Or shall I say, we are all whores all along the way.

We fancy that we are just and true while driving toward one goal, more, more of everything, more life, more stuff, more. . .

Caution and fear then dictate our actions since we might lose that chance. Fear of losing sight of the material dream, or fear of losing all that stuff we have worked so hard to think we have.

A prostitute provides a service for a fee and that is that.

We all do the same but somehow along the way we find that, name the number, and bam, you own the man (Stingray). Principles don’t count, only dollars.

Materialism is such a shallow and meaningless concept when one factors in the fact that no matter what, no matter how far from real biological life you go, no matter how many plastic houses with plastic toys in a plastic insulated world you have, you are still just a mammal or as Lennon would say “just a human”.

Who wants to be reminded of that?

Who wants to know that all the trappings are just a bunch of pointless and useless junk?

So I find myself wondering what my price is, if I have one.

Nope, sure don’t, and that is my fault.

“I have a thought, you want to know, you can’t be bought, neither can I” is really a stupid line from a stupid Off Every Day song that smacks of none other than stupidity unless you delve into the concept underneath that, essentially that all choices are conscious and that we can’t be bought, really, literally.

So do we compromise? Or is the action based on conscious choices?

How does this tie with ambition?

Well lets just say that ambition is the compromising expression of a desire to possess the world and win the war against deprecatory peers.

I don’t have any.

You know its such a drag, to face another day. John Lennon.

In the 2002 film starring David Gulpilil called The Tracker we see many questions posed by the film, and answered by the viewer. Typical of a film I suppose but what isn’t typical are the powerful close-ups, overwhelming soundtrack, context and David Gulpilil.

Also on the DVD is a documentary of David Gulpilil by Gulpilil. The title is One Red Blood.

Gulpilil narrates and after being taken on a snapshot of his life he sums up that we are all brothers and sisters, with one red blood.

I dug that idea, despite leaving out some of the bloodless beings, because the concept uses color to unify rather than divide.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Category: Culture and Values

What is vertical integration? The short answer is controlling everything in a process from the beginning to the end.

I came across this term recently while continuing to read the history of the oil industry, The Prize, in reference to John D. Rockefeller and his plan to control the world oil industry. Rockefeller isn’t credited with using the term but is credited with being the first real world example of using vertical integration on a massive scale.

So I’m thinking about how this can impact our lives. I’m thinking that controlling everything from the top down in one’s own life would lend a sort of ability to reach a satisfactory end. I’m thinking, yes, but we are particles in the breeze, we can’t control anything.

Then I think, no, my contention is that the individual is ultimately responsible for themselves so control is in fact always present. We control our decisions based on conditions we may not control. We can however move to a place where the conditions are right, mentally and physically. This reminds me of holistic management.

Holistic management is a reference to seeing the big picture, acknowledging the big picture, when making decisions. Coined by Allan Savory of Holistic Management International the process simply refers to being aware of all implications before making a decision.

Our ability to make informed decisions affords us vertical integration of our lives.

Now use it.