(#49 beeeyatches)
If you've read 'The Tain' (which you probably haven't even heard of) you know that the Irish love their lists. Being true to the blood in my veins, even if it is rusted, i have my own list today.
Things i am so fuckin' done with:
...slothful people that are so incredibly lazy they are becoming more and more obese. They do absolutely NOTHING, no effort, no drive, no movement at all. If you don't do ANYTHING you lose the right to complain. Useless piles of carbon.
...people who sue (not people named Sue). This country has become such a litigious nightmare you can't do anything without the worry of someone taking legal action against you. Suddenly every jack-off thinks they know their rights and will take you to court if they think there is any possibility that they could get something out of it. Earn your money! Quit looking for free-bees while ruining it for the rest of us as now there are warnings on bags to remind me that they are not toys and warnings on my coffee to remind me it's hot and could burn me. i sign a waver every time i leave the house just in case i try to sue myself.
...people who think their time is worth more than yours. You know these people. After you've been waiting in a long line and are finally next, a cashier opens up the lane beside you and says 'I'll help the next person in line' and those bastards that just got in line hop over into the new lane because the rest of us waiting in line are not as important. You should be allowed to punch then in the back of the head, just once.
...people who write blogs. Quit wasting your fucking time and go do something productive... no wait... hmmm... yeah i guess i'll still go with this one.
...people who can't do there jobs. The rest of us are constantly picking up the slack for these people and yet they never get fired. There are hundreds of people out there who would love these people's job and who could do it a thousand times better. Give someone else the chance.
...people who shouldn't have their driver's license. These people cause the rest of us to have to pay higher insurance rates. Even worse they WASTE OUR TIME out on the road. Causing congestion, accidents, hold-ups. This is time we will never get back. This is something you can't sue someone for (not that you should anyway, as mentioned above). Maybe there should be time-insurance to compensate you when your time has been wasted. No company could make money that way though.
...people that don't stand up for others. This could and will be an entry all to itself. If we don't stick up for one another no one else will. Bullies exist at all levels of life, they have no power if we stand together.
This has gone on long enough. i could go on but i'll leave that up to you. Feel free to add your own in the comments. Make as big a list as you like, i don't believe there is a limit on space.
Oct 5, 2006
Oct 4, 2006
...Believe It Or Not...
(Here's #48... 50 is growing ever closer... this one's a bit serious again but i promise i'll get back to swearing and sarcasm soon enough... it must be the contemplative nature of fall)
Religion: how can something intended to improve lives be the basis of so many wars, so much killing, for oh so long? One must question people's interpretation of their respective prophets/gods/founders if this is how people are acting in their name.
The US vs The World (currently Afghanistan and Iraq): oil and money may play a part in US motivation but ultimately it comes down to a battle between fundamentalists in both the US and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. Extremists are driving this war on both sides and the rest of us are paying for it (quite literally, have you see the budget? Let's not even discus the human toll: fathers/mothers, sons/daughters, brothers/sisters).
Israel vs Everyone Around Them: Land taken away from several groups of people and given to another group of harmed people (how it came to be). The parties who did this then left the groups to sort it out for themselves. Rival theologies fighting for holy land each feels they have the right to. Groups fighting ever since they came into existence.
i could go on and on mentioning areas of Africa, former Soviet countries, etc, etc, etc as religious battle are occurring on every continent (even Australia with aborigines fighting to maintain their spiritual ways... wait... Antartica? Maybe a penguin vs leopard seal philosophical upheaval?). i get disgusted when i think of how Native Americans are still struggling to be able to worship in their holy places here in the land of supposed religious freedom (we wouldn't want rock climbers or hippie campers to have to go a day without access to these lands on holy days). The one that seems to be so near to my heart, however, is...
Northern Ireland:This is such a magical little island, such a beautiful little island. So many wonderful people live here (as, i'm sure is the case in all these struggling areas of the world). England came in trying to rule the entire region and like some drunk frat boy was unable to pull out all the way. Generations later, groups of people who believe that they are English and groups of people who believe they're Irish are trying to live together in land they were both born in, stuck because of previous generation's mistakes and religious differences. Two religions based on the same person: Jesus, yet they can't seem to get his ideals straight. For all the stereotypes about the Irish being stubborn it seems it's the English Protestant side that is pig-headedly holding up the best chance of peace Northern Ireland has seen in quite some time.
i could go on and on about Northern Ireland but maybe another time.
If you could put Jesus, Buddha, The Great Spirit, Krishna, Ganesh, Mohammed, David, Moses, etc, etc, etc together in a room (just imagine that visual) i cannot believe that they would all start duking it out. i tend to think that it would be a pretty peaceful room seeing how most of them were teaching about peace, and loving one another, and improving yourself, and respect for life.
Yet, when i see pictures of Paisley, Bin Lauden, Bush, etc, etc, etc and i look at their eyes, i can't help but believe that they are missing the plot (as well as a proper sized heart...maybe the Who's could help, it worked on the Grinch... yeah, that's it... lets shift the military budget over to trying to find where the Who's live). Are they really understanding the intent of their respective religions? They're like children who walk in halfway through a movie, watch 5 minutes, and think they understand the storyline. When the 10 Commandments seem to be the ultimate set of rules for Christian religions, how can these battles, these wars, these conflicts be explained away? It's like people who say they're vegetarian but then eat chicken and fish. If you eat chicken and fish then you're not a vegetarian (fuckhead).
When religion gets brought into it things quickly get bogged down and hopes for logical ends disappear as minds close and hatred rises (the very opposite of most religious teachings). People have got to stop hiding behind religion to justify their behavior (i can't stand excuses). i hope that if i can't see world peace in my life time i can at least see peace in Ireland. Erin go bragh!
Religion: how can something intended to improve lives be the basis of so many wars, so much killing, for oh so long? One must question people's interpretation of their respective prophets/gods/founders if this is how people are acting in their name.
The US vs The World (currently Afghanistan and Iraq): oil and money may play a part in US motivation but ultimately it comes down to a battle between fundamentalists in both the US and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. Extremists are driving this war on both sides and the rest of us are paying for it (quite literally, have you see the budget? Let's not even discus the human toll: fathers/mothers, sons/daughters, brothers/sisters).
Israel vs Everyone Around Them: Land taken away from several groups of people and given to another group of harmed people (how it came to be). The parties who did this then left the groups to sort it out for themselves. Rival theologies fighting for holy land each feels they have the right to. Groups fighting ever since they came into existence.
i could go on and on mentioning areas of Africa, former Soviet countries, etc, etc, etc as religious battle are occurring on every continent (even Australia with aborigines fighting to maintain their spiritual ways... wait... Antartica? Maybe a penguin vs leopard seal philosophical upheaval?). i get disgusted when i think of how Native Americans are still struggling to be able to worship in their holy places here in the land of supposed religious freedom (we wouldn't want rock climbers or hippie campers to have to go a day without access to these lands on holy days). The one that seems to be so near to my heart, however, is...
Northern Ireland:This is such a magical little island, such a beautiful little island. So many wonderful people live here (as, i'm sure is the case in all these struggling areas of the world). England came in trying to rule the entire region and like some drunk frat boy was unable to pull out all the way. Generations later, groups of people who believe that they are English and groups of people who believe they're Irish are trying to live together in land they were both born in, stuck because of previous generation's mistakes and religious differences. Two religions based on the same person: Jesus, yet they can't seem to get his ideals straight. For all the stereotypes about the Irish being stubborn it seems it's the English Protestant side that is pig-headedly holding up the best chance of peace Northern Ireland has seen in quite some time.
i could go on and on about Northern Ireland but maybe another time.
If you could put Jesus, Buddha, The Great Spirit, Krishna, Ganesh, Mohammed, David, Moses, etc, etc, etc together in a room (just imagine that visual) i cannot believe that they would all start duking it out. i tend to think that it would be a pretty peaceful room seeing how most of them were teaching about peace, and loving one another, and improving yourself, and respect for life.
Yet, when i see pictures of Paisley, Bin Lauden, Bush, etc, etc, etc and i look at their eyes, i can't help but believe that they are missing the plot (as well as a proper sized heart...maybe the Who's could help, it worked on the Grinch... yeah, that's it... lets shift the military budget over to trying to find where the Who's live). Are they really understanding the intent of their respective religions? They're like children who walk in halfway through a movie, watch 5 minutes, and think they understand the storyline. When the 10 Commandments seem to be the ultimate set of rules for Christian religions, how can these battles, these wars, these conflicts be explained away? It's like people who say they're vegetarian but then eat chicken and fish. If you eat chicken and fish then you're not a vegetarian (fuckhead).
When religion gets brought into it things quickly get bogged down and hopes for logical ends disappear as minds close and hatred rises (the very opposite of most religious teachings). People have got to stop hiding behind religion to justify their behavior (i can't stand excuses). i hope that if i can't see world peace in my life time i can at least see peace in Ireland. Erin go bragh!
Oct 1, 2006
It Nears
As i am approaching the 50th entry here i decided to try something new. For my 50th entry i will rant about the subject of your choice. No, i haven't run out of things to rant about (you should be so lucky). Just figured i'd try something new, something interactive. Comment in you choices.
Pain In The...
The other day i woke up with a yell. An hour or so before my alarm was to go off i went to roll over in bed only to find my right knee had completely locked up in a bent position. My more than half-asleep brain was flooded with electrical pulses of sudden pain sent up through nerves and over synapses. Settling back into my initial position the strong grip of sleep inspired me to try and 'sleep it off'. The pain was too much for that. Somewhere after the soccer game the night before and the low pressure system that brought us rain in the early morn' my notoriously bad knees decided they'd had enough.
After hopping to the linen closet to get the heating pad i spent the next hour, half asleep, warming up my knee and slowly working it into the straight position. My knees hurt to some degree almost every minute of every day. Like growing up in a noisy house, after awhile the consistent pain just kind of turns into the white noise of the nervous system and goes almost unnoticed. This little reminder opened my eyes in more ways than just disrupting my slumber.
Between my knee incident and seeing those around me get stuck with needles and yet another surgically enhanced (alright, repaired, no wolverine stories here) with pins and screws, i got thinking about pain, the kind we are handed and the kind we bring on ourselves.
Pain can be a great thing (no, this is not some S&M fetish thing). Pain reminds us that we are still alive. If we can still feel pain it's not too late, it's not over. It means we're still alive and kicking. Unlike mental or emotional pain physical pain is black and white. 'That needle is poking me, that's why i hurt'. 'That scar shows where i was cut with a scalpel and metal was bolted to my bones'. You know the source. It's clear, it's simple, even if it still hurts like a mutherfucker.
Maybe this is part of the reason i love skateboarding as much as i do. It regularly bumps one around enough to remind them that they are respirating, fragile little critters. Sometimes we all need to be reminded how valuable life is, what a precious thing it is, and how little time we really have here. Sometimes pain sidelines me, but most of the time it kicks my ass off the couch and makes me get busy living. It may keep me from doing what i would like to be doing, but it keeps me doing things... anything... just to do something... just to make sure i'm still alive. For that, i am thankful for the pain.
After hopping to the linen closet to get the heating pad i spent the next hour, half asleep, warming up my knee and slowly working it into the straight position. My knees hurt to some degree almost every minute of every day. Like growing up in a noisy house, after awhile the consistent pain just kind of turns into the white noise of the nervous system and goes almost unnoticed. This little reminder opened my eyes in more ways than just disrupting my slumber.
Between my knee incident and seeing those around me get stuck with needles and yet another surgically enhanced (alright, repaired, no wolverine stories here) with pins and screws, i got thinking about pain, the kind we are handed and the kind we bring on ourselves.
Pain can be a great thing (no, this is not some S&M fetish thing). Pain reminds us that we are still alive. If we can still feel pain it's not too late, it's not over. It means we're still alive and kicking. Unlike mental or emotional pain physical pain is black and white. 'That needle is poking me, that's why i hurt'. 'That scar shows where i was cut with a scalpel and metal was bolted to my bones'. You know the source. It's clear, it's simple, even if it still hurts like a mutherfucker.
Maybe this is part of the reason i love skateboarding as much as i do. It regularly bumps one around enough to remind them that they are respirating, fragile little critters. Sometimes we all need to be reminded how valuable life is, what a precious thing it is, and how little time we really have here. Sometimes pain sidelines me, but most of the time it kicks my ass off the couch and makes me get busy living. It may keep me from doing what i would like to be doing, but it keeps me doing things... anything... just to do something... just to make sure i'm still alive. For that, i am thankful for the pain.
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