4 = 2 = 1

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura,
ché la diritta via era smarrita...

If I had to hand-pick a saying to describe the general situation and current state of affairs we live in, these fine lines of poetry would be my choice. Verse written centuries ago, still perfectly topical and up to date with our modern times, now more than ever. The fact that they were composed only two decades apart from what later became known as the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history is just a... bonus (if I'm allowed to even say that, since bonus in latin means good, right, beneficial and all that, anything but what the Pestilence brought upon humanity).

One could possibly argue that I say this in hindsight. That is correct, the Apothecary—made—Poet had no way to know of the coming of the plague and the imminent —at the time— danger, or had he? I mean being Apothecary and a knowledgeable scholar at that, during that particular era in European history, almost certainly equaled being a physician and a man of science. No doubt about that, but being a physician didn't necessarily mean being a... psychic, duh!

Anyway enough of this... melancholia. I ask myself why so glum, chum? And then I think of this, it always makes me happy, it's Boccherini.

I dedicate this to a certain someone with much respect. It's a grand favorite, I keep listening to this on repeat for hours and hours. Be well friend.

Authority! Authority is a dangerous thing. What can be a medicine with curative properties in the right healing hands, might just as well be a lethal poison in the wrong murderous ones. That's why we use one word "PHARMAKON" for both concepts in Greek, and you can take it from there.

Who was this intellectual giant who once said that "Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly", I think it was Chesterton, might be wrong though. Some people (of authority) around these here parts take themselves way too seriously, for their own good...

Best times I have is making stuff in my shop. no paperwork or anyone to answer to like my real job. I make complex things...like welding, grinding, and powdercoat suspension on my ultra4 car as just an example compared to my real job of digging holes for swimming pools and retaining walls (excavation) but its so much more rewarding. I guess if I had to do it to make money things would change..because once you place money/competition into anything you like you have to get cut throat and repetition gets old as you must specialize to realize profit. Thats why it's good to have hobbies.

My next hobby is woodworking as I've already semi-mastered metal, engines and stuff. If I ever get really rich I'ma build airplanes which combines a lot of skills.

This is a painting by famous French romantic artist Eugène Delacroix, leader of the french romantic school, and a grand favorite of mine. The painting is called La Liberté guidant le peuple, which I will leave as is, without translating it for... various reasons, (those willing can easily use google translate or whatever, if not able to identify the words at first glance).

This work of art is something that I love! I truly cherish it for certain reasons, and let's just leave it at that. It always reminds me of what I truly love about the french people, it instantly makes me wanna shout out loud Vive le France! The artist painted himself in elegant attire brandishing a musket on the left, even though he didn't actually participated in the events depicted, at least not physically --being an intellectual, and a softie at that. Nevertheless he wholeheartedly supported those who did, so let's just not be too harsh with him, poetic license and all that.

But I'm ashamed to admit that in order to post it in this here forum I had to resort to... censoring it. So yes, all ye art lovers blame me, the despicable philistine, for daring to commit this heinous act of utter blasphemy. But I felt compelled to do so. And I apologize.

Now that I think of it, it is kind of weird --if anything this is a game that contains certain elements of... nudity (in extremo dare I add). I mean you get to... admire both male and female genitals... on the lam, here and there all the time, no? And this begs the question to our dear moderators, can I actually post a screenshot of action taken in-game where certain... things can be clearly seen liberally floating about in the game's own forum? Can I? And this is a genuine concern, not a rhetorical question, if you will.

In our secular post modern age everything is, or at least should be (hopefully some day) secular and post modern, even Homer and Socrates. Well I can understand Homer, he wrote about war and love, remember the motto, make love not war, like it or not it's politics in the purest form, and politics is post modern, but Socrates? I mean the man despised politics. He used to tell a joke to his closest friends (this is a historical anecdote, so don't bother looking up the sources), that if you want to understand what politics is about, you need to look at the wording, kinda break the word down into its constituent parts. So the first part of the word politics is poli from the prefix poly which means many (as in polygamy id est to have many spouses), and last part is tics, that's correctly spelled ticks which are blood sucking little buggers. Put those together and kinda sums it up quite nicely!







Edit: Rock me Amadeus!

Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Hasta siempre Diego, adios amigo.

An arrow has just pierced my heart, damn it...

"

Contrapatior wrote:

is anyone else simultaneously impressed and intimidated by the chaotic energy of this thread

My apologies beforehand - I'm just being direct.

No.

:)

I'm a crusty old fart, but I still remember when I would wax philosophical and pontificate on the deeper meanings of life while reading the carefully curated ramblings of alcoholics and the denizens of the opium dens. Surely, out of years of abusing one's perspective, one or two of the thousands of spontaneous observations are bound to be profound?

It's when you figure out that life is pretty simple that it then becomes very magical... I'll be here all week, folks. Try the quiche.

That doesn't mean I can not appreciate the spirit behind such discussions. I do appreciate it and am happy to see it occurring. For me, though, it's not awe inspiring - it's... bait. It requires a response. :) (Isn't the way any good discussion should feel when one happens across them?)

d'Artagngan isn't a Musketeer until the end of the story. "The Three Musketeers" are who he meets. And, he wants to be like them. (Spoiler: There are no chips in C.H.I.P.S. and I find that depressing.)

As far as the visual arts, there is one key to remember: Art is a creation by an artist with the intent to communicate something to an audience that is greater than the sum of its parts. If it doesn't obey that rule, it's not... art. (Free arguments available daily. Office hours posted.)

The very best art "evokes." If it doesn't evoke the desired response from the audience, the artist failed. Artists who pile garbage together on pristine and innocent platforms, that have yet to have insulted anyone, and then act to slather it with glue and bailing wire without a purpose other than to "create" are what are known as "BS Artists." They say nothing. They can teach, nothing. (See argument notice, above.)

Some art depicts certain things and attempts to blur the line between a vision or genre-based presentation and the "reality of the thing." That's an interesting sort of art as it relies... on its "mechanics" to help evoke or, often, inspire an audience.

If I could afford it, I'd buy it. But, one can't own such a thing. It'd be an injustice to lay claim to it: I'd like to go see it for myself, one day: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Meisje_met_de_parel.jpg

On writing: There's no such mythological being as the "tortured writer" that churns out blockbusters. They're sweaty, weary, bleary eyed impassioned and desperately hard-working people who's fingers hurt and who have few friends. They can't afford the time for them. If they could, they wouldn't be writers. Once in a millennium a truly brilliant writer comes to fore riding on the coattails of really good drugs. That's one... out of a billion people addicted to something, somewhere, with many of them crying out for help using ink on a page. Just say "No," folks.

As free-thinking human beings, we are all allowed to love what we love, like what we like, dislike other things as long as it's not an active dislike involving gasoline, and should always be open to discuss such thing with each other. A wise man once said that "Truth is where you find it." Well, the finding of it isn't everything there is to it. Anyone who stops and thinks they have found "it" is trying to talk themselves out of continuing the search.


The whole point is pretty simple: Don't get complacent. Allow a work of art or serious consideration to strike you right in the brain-pan if you wish, but know that it's only the briefest glimmer of something much deeper. Don't stop there!

If one lives long enough, one will come to know those few people who've found "truth" after their first accidental confrontation with reality. They're the ones that are really "cool to talk to" when one is younger, but end up living under a bridge twenty years later because they never went any further. :)

(PS: Making up axioms is fun. Anyone can do it. :))