We have reached a point in the development of civilization where we say, you know what guys, might is really not right. You can rage about and cause distress, but it doesn't make you right. This is why, when I see these rookies who go in for atheism, I'm like, you haven't really thought this through because you are not confronted with decisions of power. Does might make right? If not, why not?
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I will tell you a story from my younger days. There was a girl in one of my literature classes, and I asked her out, I don't remember her name. This was at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. So I took her to Lidia's, a nice Italian restaurant, and I think we put down three bottles of wine. I told her I was growing marijuana, and she seemed very surprised by this. Her reaction told me that we were not really on the same page. Then we went to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at the Uptown Theater. On the way home, the poor thing got sick and I had to pull over so she could put out some of the alcohol. She really couldn't keep up.
He knows my work, he's one of the few scholars who bothered to reply to me. If people criticize you and you own up to it, you have an advantage. I worked for a few years on a book against Machiavelli, but I like this term Machiavellian Troll Demon. I was a bit mischievous before, but now by the time of forty-six years I've shed most of that stuff, but Peterson makes me want to embrace this term. "You want democracy?" I think. "Then you will have to deal with the Machiavellian Troll Demons."
This song is about having an alcoholic mother. I actually turned my mother, the most conscientious and responsible person I've ever met, into an alcoholic. Can you imagine what it would be like, to raise a little bastard like me? She deserves a lot of credit. I've read the script and the costume fits, so I played my part.
This photograph, taken by William Eggleston in 1960, is my sidekick Jay holding a shotgun shell. It was taken in Greenwood, Mississippi, which is where Robert Johnson, the musician famous for having sold his soul to the Devil, died.
I just learned of an interesting book, the Archko Volume. Wikipedia tells us "The Archko Volume is regarded as fraudulent by all religious scholars." However, the book is very interesting, I've just started in on it today. The account of Jesus in chapter five, which purports to be related by someone who spoke with Mary and Joseph, bears a strong resemblance to myself. Lazy, they said. Careless, they said. Won't amount to anything. This really hit me -
My mother claims I learned to read at two by watching Sesame Street. I don't tell people this because it sounds like ridiculous boasting. She says I came to her once when I was eight, and said "I have to talk to you about something, and it's very serious."
"What is it, Ry?" "Darren can't read." "It's OK Ry, he's only four." My mom is intelligent, she was a computer programmer for Hallmark Cards back in the 1960s, when very few women did that kind of thing. But she is not intellectually ambitious. She had no reason to invent such a story, and she is an honest person. I'll return with more comments after I get through the book. This may surprise you, but God is not vain or narcissistic, worship does nothing for him. If you really want to worship, go clean cages at an animal shelter, do something nice for someone. If you have money, give time. As Ukridge would say, "Give until it hurts, old horse." Of course it is right to give thanks and praise, and people need community, and worship does other things for man, but it really does nothing for God. I certainly don't want worship, a little gratitude in the heart would be nice, since I paid some dues to get here. In Daniel it says I will destroy the holy people, this means that when the world comes to know God, the religious profession will become unnecessary, except for performing rites like weddings and burials. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, I only have vague ideas about how things will play out. (If you were wondering, yes I'm having a lot of fun with this.)
Similarly, in AA I was told, "You might as well pray for God's will, because that's what you're going to get." Another, more serious mode of prayer, if you feel you are not in a state of grace, was told me in AA. First thing in the morning, before you pee, hit your knees by the bed and thank God, and ask him for help throughout the day, and remind yourself of the areas where you need work. Then, before you go to sleep, review your day and see where you fell short, and think of the people who helped you during the day (even in small ways), and thank God for them. Best time to visit is in November, early December, when the water is still warm but it's not as hot outside, and the storm season is over. It's one of the safest places in Mexico, and there's a considerable middle class. And it's still cheap, but the rents are going up, we have been getting on the map more. |
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May 2024
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