Not unlike the government shut down, this blog has been sidelined by a variety of things... sidelined in that my plans for it this week, will have to wait until next week. It's just not ready.
Also not unlike the government shut down, one thing impacts another. This entire year has been proof of that. Writing takes focus. You can't create, mold or form your idea with other things interfering. Many people are able to work through this but I bet you have better output without distractions.
Which comes to this point. I posted a comment on the Huffington post report about the veterans who took down the barricade at the memorials today. Good! I'm glad they did that. However, knowing that the United States is the leader of the massive war machine, I'm very suspicious about anyone who holds patriotism in such high-esteem since most of what influences it is driven by an agenda. Not the agenda of the people, but the agenda of the 'suits' and people that profit off of war. Don't believe it? How much does a bomb or a missile cost?
So I said:
“
Why didn't they defy their government WHEN told to go to war?”I've said it before that people shouldn't have opinions if they are not based on fact. I soon realized that I broke my own rule on that as I was bombarded with angry messages from other commentors. Soldiers weren't forced into WW2 like they were with the Vietnam war. Oops, I stand corrected.
The responses are still pouring in, and I feel like a troll now.
We won't protest, because most of us think that those who do are crazy. You'll never see anything like Egypt here. Nope. So we'll just grind along and let time fix everything.
But anyway. Yesterday I tried to turn a negative into a positive, and while it helped me complete a short story, I find myself increasingly irritated. Frustrated. Unable to focus. I also missed 'meet the press' this weekend so, I'm all beat to shit over that right now.
Back on schedule. Next week... I swear.
Simplicity
This is a very simple toy that goes back hundreds of years. In Mexico, this is called 'Balero', but it's also well known in Brazil, Spain, France and other countries.
The toy is so simple that it's ridiculous but not everyone gets it every time. It's like a ball in cup game but in this case, it's about getting the large piece into the stick. What better way to make this more charming than to attribute it's fascination with the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, who mentions it in his 'confessions'.
"If ever I went back into society I should carry a cup-and-ball in my pocket, and play with it all day long to excuse myself from speaking when I had nothing to say." - J.J.R
Reading his book was similar to when I started reading Hume or Kant. I like the structure in their thinking, and a round of balero is just the right thing to do.
Simplicity seems to be too much of a challenge for us. Can't we just settle for some fucking balero from time to time? Kinda, help us get back to the basics?