Sitting here in silence,
Glancing off the cliff.
Streaming thoughts of violence,
Making mountains riff.
Powerless and quiet,
Suppressing any slip.
Secretly in riot,
Praying you won’t flip.
Words could never capture,
What I want to say.
Never want to rupture,
Would haunt me anyway.
Your actions will force me,
Blame I cannot take.
Gathering my own plea,
Modesty awake!
Memories won’t erase,
Knowledge cannot help.
Hopes to go and retrace,
That which made you yelp.
Sitting here in silence,
Hope you won’t erupt.
Dreams of my compliance,
Transferring my stuff.
Controlling another,
Happiness unfelt.
Let me tell you brother,
You do it to yourself.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Coming to Terms
A tale for children to delight,
For all they understand is black and white,
Of men who fought for wrong and right.
An evil cause to smite.
A day’s warmth evaporates into cold,
A schoolboy’s imagination becomes bold
Dreaming to be some hero of ‘olde
Stealing all the dragon’s gold.
A teenager faces his own plight,
Of self-concocted existential fright.
His future may appear bright,
Harbinger of change full of spite.
Teenage vows to never join the fold,
Quickly dissipate as one grows old.
Taxes paid for items bought and sold,
Changes in heart appear when polled.
An adult’s fears may fall into respite,
When conversation becomes polite.
Forgiving even a major slight,
His modesty is at its height
The norm in which one has enrolled,
Ambitious passions dissipate and fold.
Even when he does as he is told,
A man’s life is never truly a mold.
As one nears the end of a page,
You can develop the wisdom of a sage.
Silently pent up and entombed with rage,
Alone and with a personality to assuage
Me, I’d rather quietly earn my wage,
Never standing out in my age,
Possibly stuck in some obvious cage,
Purposely avoiding the glamour of the stage.
Let me be open and forthright,
Instead of suffocating in trite meaningless blight,
Venture to move towards the light,
And give up trying to smite,
Those who merely seek to be alright.
A noble cause one must fight,
Pursuing pleasure within the fright,
Nobody wrong yet nothing is right,
We learn to revel in our plight.
For fear cascading through the night,
Is truly our heart’s delight.
For all they understand is black and white,
Of men who fought for wrong and right.
An evil cause to smite.
A day’s warmth evaporates into cold,
A schoolboy’s imagination becomes bold
Dreaming to be some hero of ‘olde
Stealing all the dragon’s gold.
A teenager faces his own plight,
Of self-concocted existential fright.
His future may appear bright,
Harbinger of change full of spite.
Teenage vows to never join the fold,
Quickly dissipate as one grows old.
Taxes paid for items bought and sold,
Changes in heart appear when polled.
An adult’s fears may fall into respite,
When conversation becomes polite.
Forgiving even a major slight,
His modesty is at its height
The norm in which one has enrolled,
Ambitious passions dissipate and fold.
Even when he does as he is told,
A man’s life is never truly a mold.
As one nears the end of a page,
You can develop the wisdom of a sage.
Silently pent up and entombed with rage,
Alone and with a personality to assuage
Me, I’d rather quietly earn my wage,
Never standing out in my age,
Possibly stuck in some obvious cage,
Purposely avoiding the glamour of the stage.
Let me be open and forthright,
Instead of suffocating in trite meaningless blight,
Venture to move towards the light,
And give up trying to smite,
Those who merely seek to be alright.
A noble cause one must fight,
Pursuing pleasure within the fright,
Nobody wrong yet nothing is right,
We learn to revel in our plight.
For fear cascading through the night,
Is truly our heart’s delight.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Coming Soon: A Commentless Blog
Aesthetics, in prose, is often applied more stringently towards muck and mire than towards those things that are naturally laden with beauty. This seems obvious enough; depicting something beautiful with flowery delight seems contrived and illegitimate and possesses all the weight and seriousness of a childhood tale of wonder.
Finding the beauty in war or death takes a more profound and attuned set of sensibilities and seems somehow more profound and worth aspiring for. As the world continually becomes more civilized, or rather more commonly analyzed and defined, there is a greater trend towards complication in thought and emotion. Seriousness rules the day. Our desire to create something interesting often adds to the depth of our being and, in a way, increases the personal import of our writings and binds them more closely to our feelings. Regardless of the genesis of our thoughts. While this may accentuate our capacity of emotion, it may also lead to inflated and heightened feelings that did not resemble our original thoughts or feelings at the moment our writing commenced.
Suicide notes may be the most common example of this by adding beauty to a ghastly event. Effectively romanticizing it. But also through reinforcing one’s misery and defining it. The ultimate mind over matter scenario. A crude suicide note, possibly along the lines of “Fuck all of you” seems too contrite and petty. As if that would be the summation of all the pain that one encountered. Writing something aesthetically pleasing somehow redefines your character. Adds an implied depth. As if the troubles one faced created a new and compelling dimension to their life that redefined, yet sadly overcame them, and their possibly at achieving something remarkable. It seems quite silly and pointless in a way. A note written to express one’s ability that somehow fell by the wayside due to whatever circumstances. An internally driven note foments on itself, while an externally focused note misses, somehow, the main driving point, that we are in and of itself mainly responsible for our own fate. Though, to some degree, the understanding of our personal shortcomings is what drives one over the edifice.
When my time comes, and it may be quite soon, the idea of a note is compelling not only as a vehicle for expressing my feelings towards those I care for or detest, but also as a manner of determining, for the last time, what truly did matter to me, and putting it out for others to read, regardless of the impact it has on their train of thought. Never quite knowing how you’ve impacted them, for better or worse, as your bones get devoured.
Sort of like a blog…but one without a comment section.
Finding the beauty in war or death takes a more profound and attuned set of sensibilities and seems somehow more profound and worth aspiring for. As the world continually becomes more civilized, or rather more commonly analyzed and defined, there is a greater trend towards complication in thought and emotion. Seriousness rules the day. Our desire to create something interesting often adds to the depth of our being and, in a way, increases the personal import of our writings and binds them more closely to our feelings. Regardless of the genesis of our thoughts. While this may accentuate our capacity of emotion, it may also lead to inflated and heightened feelings that did not resemble our original thoughts or feelings at the moment our writing commenced.
Suicide notes may be the most common example of this by adding beauty to a ghastly event. Effectively romanticizing it. But also through reinforcing one’s misery and defining it. The ultimate mind over matter scenario. A crude suicide note, possibly along the lines of “Fuck all of you” seems too contrite and petty. As if that would be the summation of all the pain that one encountered. Writing something aesthetically pleasing somehow redefines your character. Adds an implied depth. As if the troubles one faced created a new and compelling dimension to their life that redefined, yet sadly overcame them, and their possibly at achieving something remarkable. It seems quite silly and pointless in a way. A note written to express one’s ability that somehow fell by the wayside due to whatever circumstances. An internally driven note foments on itself, while an externally focused note misses, somehow, the main driving point, that we are in and of itself mainly responsible for our own fate. Though, to some degree, the understanding of our personal shortcomings is what drives one over the edifice.
When my time comes, and it may be quite soon, the idea of a note is compelling not only as a vehicle for expressing my feelings towards those I care for or detest, but also as a manner of determining, for the last time, what truly did matter to me, and putting it out for others to read, regardless of the impact it has on their train of thought. Never quite knowing how you’ve impacted them, for better or worse, as your bones get devoured.
Sort of like a blog…but one without a comment section.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bernie Madoff, Will you marry me?
The masses should not be allowed to vote. We will only harm ourselves. We don't know what to do and villify those who are out to save us. We seek to imprison the real heroes in this world. Punish those who have martyred themselves. Thankfully, democracy is nominal. In name only. What does all of this have to do with our good friend Bernard Madoff. I'll explain.
The economic recession is all the rage. There is nowhere it doesn't rear it's little head. The pressure is on. The world is coming to an end. Be fearful. Save, don't spend. This one is for real. Cash is king. What does all this mean? The beast is feeding itself. What does it consume? Our fear and uncertainty. Consumers tighten their belts. Businesses conduct layoffs. Consumers tighten their belts again. Investors run scared. A self-fullfilling prophecy.
And then he emerged. Our hero. The Jewish Adonis with an aquiline nose and shimmering metallic curly hair. His hairline may be receeding but his courage is not. A god amongst men. A modern day Robin Hood. Robbing from the rich. Sacrificing himself for our greater good. Allowing himself to be a maven of greed. Allowing his brave chiseled face to be the poster for evil. Sacrificing himself so that we don't continue to harm ourselves.
Sure...we can't help ourselves. We will enact meaningless regulations...spend billions debating and enforcing them. But that's it. Thanks to Bernie it will end there. The recession will pass and we shall return to our comfortable lifestyles. Putting our heads back under the sand. Consuming and consuming. Living the life! Enjoying ourselves. And nobody will realize how close we came. How Bernie saved us. How he showed us how pointless it is to work hard and save. To build wealth that lasts more than a generation. Because some shyster will just come along to take all your hard work and savings away from your stunted progeny. Inherited wealth is for the birds. The silver spoon the vehicle to the Eloi, and with hungry Morlocks running around waiting to prey on our docile investors...well, what's the point?
The lesson will be learned. Loosen that belt. Consume. Let's get that plastic card out. Start painting the town. The economy will pick up. The economic recession will be a thing of the past. Thank you Bernie. You've saved us from our most powerful nemesis. Ourselves.
(Linked from a point/counterpoint blog I created with Michelle: Beyond Good and Evil http://goodandevildebates.blogspot.com/ )
The economic recession is all the rage. There is nowhere it doesn't rear it's little head. The pressure is on. The world is coming to an end. Be fearful. Save, don't spend. This one is for real. Cash is king. What does all this mean? The beast is feeding itself. What does it consume? Our fear and uncertainty. Consumers tighten their belts. Businesses conduct layoffs. Consumers tighten their belts again. Investors run scared. A self-fullfilling prophecy.
And then he emerged. Our hero. The Jewish Adonis with an aquiline nose and shimmering metallic curly hair. His hairline may be receeding but his courage is not. A god amongst men. A modern day Robin Hood. Robbing from the rich. Sacrificing himself for our greater good. Allowing himself to be a maven of greed. Allowing his brave chiseled face to be the poster for evil. Sacrificing himself so that we don't continue to harm ourselves.
Sure...we can't help ourselves. We will enact meaningless regulations...spend billions debating and enforcing them. But that's it. Thanks to Bernie it will end there. The recession will pass and we shall return to our comfortable lifestyles. Putting our heads back under the sand. Consuming and consuming. Living the life! Enjoying ourselves. And nobody will realize how close we came. How Bernie saved us. How he showed us how pointless it is to work hard and save. To build wealth that lasts more than a generation. Because some shyster will just come along to take all your hard work and savings away from your stunted progeny. Inherited wealth is for the birds. The silver spoon the vehicle to the Eloi, and with hungry Morlocks running around waiting to prey on our docile investors...well, what's the point?
The lesson will be learned. Loosen that belt. Consume. Let's get that plastic card out. Start painting the town. The economy will pick up. The economic recession will be a thing of the past. Thank you Bernie. You've saved us from our most powerful nemesis. Ourselves.
(Linked from a point/counterpoint blog I created with Michelle: Beyond Good and Evil http://goodandevildebates.blogspot.com/ )
Monday, January 12, 2009
Arts and Crafts
The United States shed approximately 2.6 million jobs in 2008, per a report released last week. Given a population of approximately 300 million people, with approximately 75% over 18, any number of retirees, this is quite a drastic figure. Perhaps 200 million (?) are of working age, with many choosing not to work. Eliminate those in prison (just over 2 million), the disabled (tongue in cheek), the permanently homeless, and so on, the loss of jobs become substantially more impressive.
Clearly the economy is on a downward trajectory. With unemployment rising and the demand for goods faltering, there seems to be little hope of a quick recovery.
Question; will this loss in jobs result in a sharp reduction in the amounts of goods produced or services offered. Will food and basic goods would become scarcer and more expensive with grocery stores becoming barren emulations those of the former Soviet Union, circa 1991.
So far, the decrease in demand hasn't led to a decreased supply. Products appear readily available and simply scream for our attention on shelves. Simply put, there are more flavors of potato chips than ever before, and this doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Taco Bell's $.89, 800 calorie burritos await your order (and are, well, simply delicious).
It is estimated that 1-2% of the current United States population live on farms (about the same number in prison), compared to just over 20% in the 1930's. The United States is the third largest food exporter in the world (passed last year by China) and food yields have consistently risen during the past 100 years. The rise in efficiency of farming methods (and the quantiy of chemicals pumped into the ground) is quite astonishing.
Let's take a moment to summarize. Unemployment has risen at an alarming rate last year. The long-term trend has been a decrease in the number of farmers, yet an increase in yield. The United States is a large food exporter.
How do 2 million jobs simply disappear without a noticeable impact on the available goods/services? Can this trend continue, as has farming, with greater efficiency, or has consumption simply decreased to make way for this fall in employment? Is a decrease in consumption in our society a negative? Or has the recent move from a nation of farmers and manufacturers to a service-oriented economy mitigated the impact of the increase in unemployment?
Simply put, how do 2 million jobs in a service economy disappear without a noticeable impact on the services offered? Are we working simply to keep ourselves busy? Should we use this century's efficiency gains to decrease the time spent working, or are full workloads and higher prices a hedge against further population growth.
Or, better yet, are American workers embroiled with meaningful tasks or have our careers simply become one giant arts and crafts project?
Clearly the economy is on a downward trajectory. With unemployment rising and the demand for goods faltering, there seems to be little hope of a quick recovery.
Question; will this loss in jobs result in a sharp reduction in the amounts of goods produced or services offered. Will food and basic goods would become scarcer and more expensive with grocery stores becoming barren emulations those of the former Soviet Union, circa 1991.
So far, the decrease in demand hasn't led to a decreased supply. Products appear readily available and simply scream for our attention on shelves. Simply put, there are more flavors of potato chips than ever before, and this doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Taco Bell's $.89, 800 calorie burritos await your order (and are, well, simply delicious).
It is estimated that 1-2% of the current United States population live on farms (about the same number in prison), compared to just over 20% in the 1930's. The United States is the third largest food exporter in the world (passed last year by China) and food yields have consistently risen during the past 100 years. The rise in efficiency of farming methods (and the quantiy of chemicals pumped into the ground) is quite astonishing.
Let's take a moment to summarize. Unemployment has risen at an alarming rate last year. The long-term trend has been a decrease in the number of farmers, yet an increase in yield. The United States is a large food exporter.
How do 2 million jobs simply disappear without a noticeable impact on the available goods/services? Can this trend continue, as has farming, with greater efficiency, or has consumption simply decreased to make way for this fall in employment? Is a decrease in consumption in our society a negative? Or has the recent move from a nation of farmers and manufacturers to a service-oriented economy mitigated the impact of the increase in unemployment?
Simply put, how do 2 million jobs in a service economy disappear without a noticeable impact on the services offered? Are we working simply to keep ourselves busy? Should we use this century's efficiency gains to decrease the time spent working, or are full workloads and higher prices a hedge against further population growth.
Or, better yet, are American workers embroiled with meaningful tasks or have our careers simply become one giant arts and crafts project?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Change You Can Believe In!
Ah, the wonders of living in America. Change we can believe in! No, this post won't concentrate on Obama. But rather on other current events. The financial market collapse and Bernard Madoff.
To sum up the financial crisis as succinctly as possible; the average American spends/consumes more than he/she can afford, and showed little restraint towards going into debt to maintain this lifestyle. Established wealth (those with the capacity to lend) became fearful, and trimmed their lending.
As a result, the average American's ability to borrow and consume was marginalized and the fears of established wealth (the lenders) extended to incredibly exaggerated levels. The average American is/was/will be forced to consume less, leading to earning cuts and fears of a protracted period of slower growth/protracted recession. Meanwhile lenders and investors become eager to depart with their assets...i.e. receivables and investments (equities and bonds) at whatever the going rate is, thereby putting further downward pressure on their value and exasperating losses.
So the United States Government decides to step in with incentive plans to pull us out of a recession by...1) lowering interest rates for loans to banks (decreasing the cost of money to banks), 2) tax refund checks for the Average American, 3) Bank financing, 4) various lender and industry bailouts/financial support, and 5) infrastructure spending.
How is this all financed? By the average American taxpayer, you say? Well, effectively yes. But not the average current American...these loans won't be repaid in this generation (barring hyperinflation).
Then we come to learn that the financial crisis has led investors to request withdrawals from Bernard Madoff's investments causing the outing of the world's largest Ponzi scheme. Based upon the methodology of the aforementioned government solutions, and our tendency to defer our costs to the next generation, it seems as if a larger Ponzi scheme is brewing.
Who will be to blame when this one explodes? Who will be exposed as the fraud? The basic tenets of democracy, I garner. For in a democratic state, he who bears the most optimistic phrase will be elected, and problems and sacrifices will be deferred for as long as one can. That is until a greater crisis explodes that dooms free markets, democracy, and the United States.
To sum up the future financial crisis as succinctly as possible; the American Government spent more than it can afford, and showed little restraint towards going into debt to maintain it's populances lifestyle. Foreign investor became fearful, and trimmed their lending to the United States.
What then? Will it be worldwide financial collapse when these foreign lenders fear of the quality of our treasury bonds). Or will a worldwide incentive plan be offered to the American Government to keep us afloat.
The irony of this is that those foreigners who invest in the American Economy are, in fact, those who seek relative financial tranquility (a flight to quality) and practice fiscal restraint. Which allows us to maintain our irresponsible ways.
Thank you Chinese farmer (who saves approximately 40% of his salary) for investing in the US dollar (via buying treasury bonds). Your loans allow me to continually maintain my lifestyle (negative savings rate) of consumption. Time for me to pay the piper? Sure...no problem. Enjoy the heavily deflated repayments!
And the world spins round and round.
To sum up the financial crisis as succinctly as possible; the average American spends/consumes more than he/she can afford, and showed little restraint towards going into debt to maintain this lifestyle. Established wealth (those with the capacity to lend) became fearful, and trimmed their lending.
As a result, the average American's ability to borrow and consume was marginalized and the fears of established wealth (the lenders) extended to incredibly exaggerated levels. The average American is/was/will be forced to consume less, leading to earning cuts and fears of a protracted period of slower growth/protracted recession. Meanwhile lenders and investors become eager to depart with their assets...i.e. receivables and investments (equities and bonds) at whatever the going rate is, thereby putting further downward pressure on their value and exasperating losses.
So the United States Government decides to step in with incentive plans to pull us out of a recession by...1) lowering interest rates for loans to banks (decreasing the cost of money to banks), 2) tax refund checks for the Average American, 3) Bank financing, 4) various lender and industry bailouts/financial support, and 5) infrastructure spending.
How is this all financed? By the average American taxpayer, you say? Well, effectively yes. But not the average current American...these loans won't be repaid in this generation (barring hyperinflation).
Then we come to learn that the financial crisis has led investors to request withdrawals from Bernard Madoff's investments causing the outing of the world's largest Ponzi scheme. Based upon the methodology of the aforementioned government solutions, and our tendency to defer our costs to the next generation, it seems as if a larger Ponzi scheme is brewing.
Who will be to blame when this one explodes? Who will be exposed as the fraud? The basic tenets of democracy, I garner. For in a democratic state, he who bears the most optimistic phrase will be elected, and problems and sacrifices will be deferred for as long as one can. That is until a greater crisis explodes that dooms free markets, democracy, and the United States.
To sum up the future financial crisis as succinctly as possible; the American Government spent more than it can afford, and showed little restraint towards going into debt to maintain it's populances lifestyle. Foreign investor became fearful, and trimmed their lending to the United States.
What then? Will it be worldwide financial collapse when these foreign lenders fear of the quality of our treasury bonds). Or will a worldwide incentive plan be offered to the American Government to keep us afloat.
The irony of this is that those foreigners who invest in the American Economy are, in fact, those who seek relative financial tranquility (a flight to quality) and practice fiscal restraint. Which allows us to maintain our irresponsible ways.
Thank you Chinese farmer (who saves approximately 40% of his salary) for investing in the US dollar (via buying treasury bonds). Your loans allow me to continually maintain my lifestyle (negative savings rate) of consumption. Time for me to pay the piper? Sure...no problem. Enjoy the heavily deflated repayments!
And the world spins round and round.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Invisible Religion
Maxims and adages infiltrate our lives in virtually every arena. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Idle hands are the devils work. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Common sense explanations for commonly encountered problems. An invisible religion to guide our actions with pithy suggestions with which we should augment our actions.
Encountering and utilizing these common sense adages is often involuntary...they inhabit our subconcious, and we adjust our actions accordingly. Insta-solutions for life's challenges.
Generally speaking, this is all quite harmless. Suggestions that guide our actions towards a commonly forecast conclusion that allow us to blend our actions into the monotonous moral infrastructure do not seem overly or overtly dangerous.
Yet a reliance on common sense, maxims, adages...or even consistently acting in one's self-interest, is symbolic of life as an automoton. Importing advice along with whatever stimulus encountered before exporting our emotions and actions. Neat solutions for problems encountered while we turn to concentrate on those things that instantly elate us...a feeling of lust upon seeing an attractive girl, a blissful chemical release upon the completion of a meal...or simply enough, the scent of something remarkable or not easily explainable.
I won't pretend to be all-critical of common sense actions or adherence to groupthink. More often than not I am critical of the innovative or creative components of society...if something is oft-kilter, it more often than not contains the feint stench of nihilism, or puts on display, in thinly veiled illusions, perfumed commonspeak seeking desperately lusting for our attention.
However, to follow a maxim or adage, or to subscribe to any religion, even that of free-thought, is to forsake one's basic independence. Independence of thought, feeling, and emotion. Though learning of any kind will lead to the loss of one's complete independence and is necessary to develop and grow, subscribing to commonplace advice will lead to the loss of something far more precious. The ability to make your own mistakes. And, better yet, to suffer because of them.
Encountering and utilizing these common sense adages is often involuntary...they inhabit our subconcious, and we adjust our actions accordingly. Insta-solutions for life's challenges.
Generally speaking, this is all quite harmless. Suggestions that guide our actions towards a commonly forecast conclusion that allow us to blend our actions into the monotonous moral infrastructure do not seem overly or overtly dangerous.
Yet a reliance on common sense, maxims, adages...or even consistently acting in one's self-interest, is symbolic of life as an automoton. Importing advice along with whatever stimulus encountered before exporting our emotions and actions. Neat solutions for problems encountered while we turn to concentrate on those things that instantly elate us...a feeling of lust upon seeing an attractive girl, a blissful chemical release upon the completion of a meal...or simply enough, the scent of something remarkable or not easily explainable.
I won't pretend to be all-critical of common sense actions or adherence to groupthink. More often than not I am critical of the innovative or creative components of society...if something is oft-kilter, it more often than not contains the feint stench of nihilism, or puts on display, in thinly veiled illusions, perfumed commonspeak seeking desperately lusting for our attention.
However, to follow a maxim or adage, or to subscribe to any religion, even that of free-thought, is to forsake one's basic independence. Independence of thought, feeling, and emotion. Though learning of any kind will lead to the loss of one's complete independence and is necessary to develop and grow, subscribing to commonplace advice will lead to the loss of something far more precious. The ability to make your own mistakes. And, better yet, to suffer because of them.
In the beginning...
This is my first attempt at a blog and I am attempting to develop a site that encompases a variety of interests, along with random comments and observations about the world.
My primary areas of focus will be a general observance regarding the world and the people incorporated in it, the world of literature, history, finance, music, and, well, anything else I encounter. I will include complaints, ideas, irritations, reviews, and jokes.
If anyone has any suggestions or comments, once I get going, please feel free to contact me at random_blogger@yahoo.com.
Thanks for reading.
My primary areas of focus will be a general observance regarding the world and the people incorporated in it, the world of literature, history, finance, music, and, well, anything else I encounter. I will include complaints, ideas, irritations, reviews, and jokes.
If anyone has any suggestions or comments, once I get going, please feel free to contact me at random_blogger@yahoo.com.
Thanks for reading.
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