The Heart of the Matter - Atoms vs. Stories!

Our lives: 3 Billion Heartbeats (give or take)... 

"Poetic Naturalism." -- The universe is made of atoms. We are made of atoms. But our understanding of the universe is a story. For us, the universe is a rollicking mass of stories.

"Purpose and meaning in life arise through fundamentally human acts of creation, rather than being derived from anything outside ourselves." - S. Carroll

The world is the world. We get to choose how we decide to talk about the world. We choose the stories we tell...

In the Past, Now in the Moment!

The last few weeks, the past keeps slapping me upside the head. The longer I live, the longer the past gets. Usually, I am not a backward-turning type. I would rather look forward, than back.

What am I gonna do today, not what did I do yesterday. 

Of course, I don't want to forget the past, or at least not most of it. And it's all probably written in my bones whether I want it to be or not.

I am the past. All those events over the years add up to me now. It's a process. I can look at it all as a strange, crooked, path: missteps, false starts, dead ends. But I can't imagine really changing the past.

I mean, that's not right. Sure, I'd like to change some events in the past, but it's not possible. I can choose to forget, or I can re-interpret, or re-imagine, the past, but knowingly doing that would be a lie. Right?

Better to remember where you came from. Helps you understand who you are now. And what I am in this moment is informed by what I was over the years. 

So yes, don't need to wallow in the past, the past is all around me, like a halo, every moment. I am the past now in the moment.

Always a Better Day!

Put your finger on the problem? I would say, a crisis of spirit - a deficit or lack, or a deep unmet need. Not a spiritual crisis - typically caused by a spontaneous spiritual experience.

We don't have enough spontaneous spiritual experiences. Or if we do, we don't recognize them, or accept them, or just don't see/feel them.

Speak to the people. Meet and greet. There is a great yawning need. A gap. A burning churn. A great lack -  of belief, of meaning, of purpose.

I am not big on the "religion thing," but I am all about spirit. I am pretty sure we must believe in the power of belief. We must be careful of what we choose to believe. We must choose wisely.

There are some basics to my belief: We are more than our bodies. We are all connected. There is a mystery underlying our existence. We are a small part of a much bigger puzzle. Everything counts.

We are everything and nothing. It's complicated.

We get to choose our belief, our meaning, our purpose. Surprisingly, mysteriously, no matter what, I believe in a better day. Always a better day... laughter, love, wonder... and that's enough...

The "Meg Thing!"

I was talking to a friend about the "Meg thing," (see previous post), and he thought the whole thing was childish. To break up a band after an argument about Meg's drumming style... "They're acting like 8 year olds!"

I thought to myself, but didn't say, "No, you don't get it!" 

Aesthetics. What is good. What is beautiful. A disagreement on fundamentals is the most intense and important kind of disagreement. It can be fatal to a group. 

It helps if people are on the same wavelength - a shared vision, but, of course, differences can also feed the collaboration and make a group stronger. It depends, right? 

But, no, not childish. Or not only childish, deeply important too.

It Came Down to Meg!

A friend's band, an up and coming outfit, just broke up. They did some nice shows. Did a little tour. Appeared on a big time radio show. Why did they break up? 

Artistic differences!

It all came down to an argument about the White Stripes. Remember them? One band member absolutely loves Meg White's intuitive, innocent, child-like and musically crazy drumming skills. Loose, sloppy. Short of technique, but pretty amazing. Feeling trumps technique.

The other band member thinks her sloppiness, her loose-ness, is messy and terrible. No skill, no technique. Sinks the Stripes sound. Technique trumps feeling.

Put me, of course, in the first camp. Love Meg!

UPDATE: As for Jack, no question. Meg and her intuitive approach to the drum kit was the heart and soul of the White Stripes. Check out his conversation with Kot & Derogatis on Sound Opinions to hear it first-hand!

"We don't want a revolution..."

A good friend reminds me - "We don't want a revolution." As Chairman Mao once said, "Revolution is not a dinner party." We don't want fighting in the streets. We don't want to ratchet up the chaos. We don't want beheadings, car-bombs and herding people into holding tanks.

We don't want to ban people. And build walls. We don't want a Strongman shaking things up. Really.

We might want health-care for all, free college and a more equal society. We might want to end political stalemate, but things can go really wrong, really fast.

Empower a clueless rabble-rouser and see what kind of havoc and malice can be released. That's not the future we want to see. No kidding. Really.

A Stark Choice!

I for one would be totally happy with a workaholic, a "tough as nails" woman, a super-wonk who knows the issues intimately, who does policy and process, and revels in the doing of politics. Serious.  Super-qualified. A woman of substance. Progressive. Intelligent. 

The alternative is a bloated, big-man, who believes that the world revolves around him. An American Putin. Hair-challenged. In love with his own brand. Lazy. The man is lazy. And has no clue what he doesn't know.

Or as Elizabeth Warren tells us: "a small, insecure, money-grubber..."

Pretty stark and easy choice. Wonder what America will decide?

Tribes...

Tribe. If I'm a member of a tribe, it's a very loose affiliation of creators, odd-balls, mis-fits, underdogs, dreamers. The tribe of outcasts from other tribes. It's a wide-open, open-arms, kind of tribe. We welcome free-thinkers, seekers, searchers, those who are lost and just don't feel welcome anywhere else.

"You're not from around here, are you? Welcome."

That's It. Life!

You unplug from social media, you unplug from social contact. You turn the radio off. You don't turn on the TV, you don't put on a CD. You sit in silence. You go for a walk. You look at the blue sky. You watch the day fade to black. You look at the big, fat moon. It's up there. It's always been up there, doing it's thing. You realize you could fall off the face of the planet and no-one would notice. At least for awhile. It's almost like you disappear. You are in your head, but you can even sort of turn off that constant internal monologue. And you are left with space. Silence. The beating of your heart. One breath after another. That's it. Life!

A King for Sure!

I'm staying at a big mansion a block from the shores of Lake Michigan. Tom Petty's song "It's Good to Be King," is playing. I'm here with a four-legged friend. I am the care-taker for the weekend.

I am living like a King here. Sort of a low-rent, temporary, just for the weekend King, but a King none the less. I'm in charge. No one is around to contradict or disagree with me. A King. A lonely King. A King with no real subjects. No one around to subject to my whims, unless you count my four-legged friend, but him, I give a pass. He's just such a good buddy. He's a bit like my own furry Court Jester.

Here I do what I want, when I want. Play guitar. Sing songs. Make pasta. Eat frozen yogurt. I'm on my own time-table. I am a master of myself. The weather has turned for the better. So even the sky, the sun, the stars and moon seem like they belong to me.

No problems. No effort. No feedback or noise. A sort of weekend paradise. So yes, a King of no consequence but a King for sure. 

"It's fun being scum, too." - J. Lydon

I saw that Johnny Rotten/Lydon has a new book out called "Anger is an Energy." I put it on my wish list immediately. In the meantime, I went back to re-read (yes, really),  his "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs."

It is a rollicking good time. Johnny is one of the all-time great R&R characters - a bit of Oscar Wilde, a bit of Olivier's Richard III, a bit of Iggy Pop, another Anglo-Irish rogue in a long line of Anglo-Irish rogues, think J. Lennon and Steven Morrissey too.

One look, one quick listen, and you immediately got  the whole Rotten/Sex Pistols thing. "Anarchy in the U.K." Johnny is funny, intelligent, and oh so quotable. Came across this and it seems just as true today as when he wrote it in the 1990's.

"That's the trouble with working-class people throughout the world. They always try to spur their hatred onto what they see as being lower down the scale, rather than going for the fucking jugular of the upper- and middle-class bastards who are keeping them down in the first place. We were the Irish scum. But it's fun being scum, too." - J. Rotten/Lydon

Social Media Cesspool!

I'm with Kevin Drum on the "social media cesspool." So much toxicity, negativity. Folks who used to sit in their living rooms yelling at the TV, they now have various social platforms that allow them to vent. Off the top of their heads.

Everyone has something to say. And lots of what they have to say is drivel, or hurtful, stupid and ugly. Maybe it's better to take a moment and think before we type? Twitter seems to encourage the "know-nothings" to let it all out.

Pretty ugly. And not exactly a positive social phenomenon. There is something to be said for not saying everything that pops into your head. Reminds one of those folks shuffling along the boulevard shouting at the wind. Madness!

I Don't Like the Lying!

I had sort of a "deja vu" experience yesterday. I was confronted by a figure of authority, although to be honest, this particular authority was not very authoritative. And this "confrontation" which wasn't really a confrontation, more just a meeting, was uncomfortable, and weird, and it made me really unsure about the encounter/experience.

I said to myself, "What is that feeling?!"

And I realized it really was a feeling I used to feel all the time. In another time and place. I used to work at a company with a cast of real bad characters. And there were all these strutting, ego-balloons, figures of authority who used to lie to me all the time. They lied to everyone. But especially to their employees.

I was lied to my face all the time. It was a daily occurrence. And it was always uncomfortable, and frustrating, and disappointing. So yesterday, this same feeling came over me in the face of this tin-pot authority. This guy was lying to my face. He could hardly look at me while he did it. And it made me super-uncomfortable. I realize I can usually tell when someone is lying to me, and I don't like it.

Not at all.

Bernie is Feeling "The Bern!"

Kevin Drum writes about "The Sad Decline and Fall of Bernie Sanders." I too detect a bit too much anger and bitterness in the man. I do love his agenda. And he has done lots better than I ever thought possible. I always thought he was a long shot, but then he did ride a wave of small donors. He does represent a "movement" and points the way to a more progressive future for the Democratic Party.

But I have always seen Bernie as a guy who never has had to compromise or roll up his sleeves to make anything happen. He has not really been a "politician," a guy practicing politics. Instead he is a prophet on a mission. Same speech every day, for 40 years. A true-blue Democratic Socialist.

Admirable. Sort of like Don Quixote was admirable. A noble soul, fighting windmills. And it turns out lots of folks want to fight windmills too.

But I have always thought his crusade against the Democratic Establishment and 8 years of Barack Obama is totally misguided, and doesn't reflect the reality of our political environment. The problem with politics today doesn't reside with the Democrats. All roads lead to the Bat-Shit Crazy GOP.

Bernie has lost it. I think he got consumed by his own success. And it's not pretty to see. There is that exquisite phrase... "Delusions of Grandeur!"

But this has always been Hillary Clinton's moment. As Paul Krugman says, "she's tough as nails," and she has The Short-Fingered Vulgarian in her periscope. It's gonna be a difficult, ugly campaign but it's time for a Woman to take the reins of power. I do think she's the right woman, at the right time.

A policy wonk. Real plans. Knows the issues. Knows how to politic. A progressive, Democratic, Woman. Now.

UPDATE: Alternatively, just to give Bernie his due, according to this blog post Bernie is not delusional, he has defied the odds many times, hung in, but ultimately is a pragmatist. I guess, we shall see. Does he stand down, graciously join hands with Hillary and agree to take on the GOP together? It's a test of character...

Transgender - Love & Respect!

Transgender is a real thing. As some folks have pointed out, equal rights and respect for transgender people is just the latest progressive cause. It's logical & human to expand, include and encourage people to be who they believe they are - male, female, none of the above.

My friend pointed out to me that other species, like the common reed frog switch genders too. So when it comes to human beings, it's not so radical. Just another step forward in our consciousness. We can be understanding, generous, supportive. It's in our nature!

In the case of frogs it's a natural reaction to the stress of the environment - if there are not enough males needed for procreation, frogs switch from female to male. So there's some kind of environmental logic at work too.

Maybe that's the case with people too? Who knows. But I am totally into the idea that we can continue to expand and enhance and enlarge what it means to be a human being. Love and respect!

Morally Loathsome!

I heard this phrase this morning... still sort of ringing in my head...

"Morally Loathsome." Evangelicals will be wrestling with themselves. "Moral" folks, thinking about throwing their lot in with the loathsome one. Think: repulsive, disgusting, revolting.

If you are a "moral" person, you wear your morality like a badge, this seems like a pretty big deal. Let's see how easily that morality can be bent, perverted and twisted  just to avoid voting for the progressive woman candidate.

Yes, those moral paragons sucking it up for the Short-Fingerd Vulgarian! Ha!

Be Radical, Be Hopeful!

I've probably said this before, I mean, I'm sure I have, but I don't feel the need to go searching for supporting blog posts - it's sort of a radical choice to be hopeful in this cultural moment in our lives.

It is so easy to be cynical, sarcastic. I suppose it's also a strategy to shield yourself from caring, from being hurt. But it's the more fully human choice to be hopeful, knowing that there is much pain, misery, sadness and loss in store for all of us.

So yes, hopeful, with eyes and hearts wide open. Damn the torpedoes. You may be considered naive. But that's no great shakes. Better to live with a heartfelt openness. Any day. Every day.

When Does the Short-Fingered Vulgarian Cry Uncle?!

I am surprised the Short Fingered Vulgarian has gone as far as he has so far. Something tells me he isn't gonna make it to November. Did the Dude used to pose as his own publicist back in the 90's? That would be a funny, silly thing to do. Maybe if you were just a blowhard real estate mogul you could do that kind of thing, and no one would care.

But now, running to be President, that kind of funny, silly thing doesn't look so funny, silly or cute anymore. And hanging up on Washington Post reporters in the middle of a phone call? That's funny, but in a much different kind of way. Can this guy keep up the charade until November?

I do like the idea of the major newspapers of our land (NYT, Washington Post) delving deep into the history of this man. It should all be quite entertaining. When does the Dude take his ball and go home?

"Vinyl" - A Black Hole of Nothingness

As much as I love "Sense 8," (see previous post), I pretty much loath this one...

I watched the pilot episode of "Vinyl," HBO's new series, created by a pretty impressive group of people: Martin Scorcese, Mick Jagger, Terrance Winter. I am a big fan of these guys. Love much of their work. And you would think a series about the early 70's music scene in New York would be just the ticket.

You would be wrong.

Can't really put a finger on why exactly this first episode went so wrong. How many negatives can I jam into a sentence? Insulting, ignorant, stereotypical, cliched, wrong-headed, belittling, degrading, corrosive, mind-numbing, ugly, profane, cynical, jaded. Not so much characters as hideous, garish gargoyles, spewing over-the-top profanities and nonsense.

BTW - I am not an overly-sensitive viewer. I am a big fan of much of Scorsese's work, including his two fantastic collaborations with Terrance  Winter - "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "Boardwalk Empire." Violence, drug use, gratuitous sex scenes and prodigious streams of profanity are fine with me, as long as there is a point, a purpose, an idea, a vision. And of course, Mick Jagger is a r&r hero. I still listen to much of his output with the Stones from 1965 - 1978. The essence of r&r!

Still everyone looks bad in this show. Everyone is hustling, needing, wanting grasping with no social or moral center, no redeeming aspects. Which might make for a great story, I suppose, but not in this case. There also seemed to be a bit of odd "score-settling" in some of the scenes, for instance a gatuitious whack at Iggy Pop and Led Zeppelin. Jagger might be drawing upon real-world events and characters, but they really come off shallow, badly-drawn, overly-harsh, cartoonish, and silly. Not in a good or amusing way either.

Even the musical choices seem overwrought, extreme. Sort of annoying. No, I mean, totally annoying and grating. Really, really bad. Not sure I can stomach watching any more episodes. It's probably not fair to judge a series based on one episode, I mean - Do I owe it to these creators to give the show a chance to develop?

The pilot episode: no beauty, no humor, no insight, no spirit... yes pretty much a black hole of a thing... yikes, what a deadly train-wreck!

Can Watching an Original Netflix Series Make You a Better Being?!

Thinking about the Netflix Original Series "Sense 8..." How many superlatives can I jam into a sentence? Compelling, mind-blowing, beautiful, intelligent, overwhelming, touching, inspiring, brilliant, powerful. Watching it (we are 2/3 done with season one) is sort of like taking a audio-visual bath that cleanses the senses, airs out and polishes up your soul.

It is conceptually brilliant. Visually stunning. Perfect use of image and sound. Can a television series make you a better human? Watching characters with a heightened sense of empathy and compassion - does just the watching increase your own empathy and compassion for yourself and others?

This series is so "of the moment," and then everything is just pushed forward a bit. You have to go with it. Maybe not everyone can, but if you do, you will be rewarded immensely...

The series is filmed in locations around the world. No CGI. Actual filming on location in Chicago, San Francisco, Mumbai, Berlin, London, Mexico City, Seoul, Reykjavik. 

Created by the Wachowskis of "The Matrix Trilogy."

My favorite parts are just sound and vision... like this stunning  sequence from Episode #4...

Tom Petty R&R Hero!

Have you ever seen Peter Bogdanovich's movie about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? "Runnin' Down a Dream." It's streaming now on Netflix. Released in 2007. It is an epic, an opus, probably rivals the running time of "Lawrence of Arabia." Actually the Petty flick is longer than Lawrence.  It took me three sittings to get through the thing. And it doesn't tell the whole story, Petty and the Heartbreakers are still going strong today. So yeah, a major commitment to finish it, but the movie is totally well worth it.

I must say Petty emerges as one of the great heroes of R&R. A man of integrity and determination. Unstoppable. Even with all the hits, and all the great records, and being inducted into the Hall of Fame and all, I think it's safe to say that he's sort of "underrated."

It's all a pretty amazing story. Petty got it in his head he was going to be rock & roller, and he carried a van load of musicians with him to L.A. He stood up the record labels, fought for his songs, fair pricing, a good deal. Never sold his soul. As George Harrison said about Petty: "He's not full of shit." High praise indeed.

And Petty is always searching for the next great song, the next great record. And he connected with amazing artists and characters along the way - Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart, Jeff Lynne, Stevie Nicks, Rick Rubin, Jimmy Iovine. Plus his trusted and loyal band members: Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench.

The saga all rolls out like destiny, a tale of trials, gumption, and good fortune. A powerful dude with a sterling vision. Never wavered. As they say, "Damn the Torpedoes!"

Center-Left Bias!

Yes. You think Paul Krugman is on the case. As always. It never fails to track with him. His track record is quite good. And he is not afraid to change his analysis if the facts demand change.

You hope this isn't true, but you see signs all around you that it probably is...

The hard-right extremists in our midst are crazy, loud, and fact-resistant. And now, in reaction, the hard-left extremists seem intent on being crazy, loud and fact-resistant too.

So it's the Center-Left that seems to stick to reality, and works their vision around the facts. Think Obama, Clinton, Biden, Pelosi, Harry Reid, Elizabeth Warren, Al Franken... you know those folks who actually see clearly and try to come up with real-world solutions.

Not Even Close!

If you are a "Berner" you should take a moment to read this post from David Atkins: Advice to Bernie Sanders from a Supporter: Keep it Positive From Here. Tracks pretty well with my thoughts too.

My feelings on Obama's 8 years are even more positive. Whatever problems there are with our country can be laid at the feet of the GOP. A radical, extreme, broken political party.

And I do think incremental progress is progress. And I will willingly and enthusiastically support Hillary vs. the Short Fingered Vulgarian.

Not even close.

Lean to the Light!

Cultural, social, political dissonance. I've been swimming in it. I think we all have. I think of myself as a "wise-guy." I keep my head in the game. I keep my ears open. I try my best to understand who I am, where I live, what's happening around me.

There is so much negativity, corrosive thought and speech in the cultural stream. It's hard not to submerge into it and conjure up your own negativity and corrosiveness in response. But that's not my nature.

I am hopeful. Right!? Thinking that things could be better. That not all people are evil or corrupt. That even politicians and other people of power can some times "do the right thing." At least, we should give folks the benefit of the doubt. And be ever watchful to make sure they live up to their words.

Hope. Full. Knowing things are difficult, knowing that we live with pain, loss and tragedy all the time. I don't mind being thought a bit innocent, a bit naive. If I am a wise guy, I am a wise guy who thinks it's wise to find hope in the gloom, who keeps my eyes peeled, stays on-guard, but fills myself up with hope for a better day, a better human being. I hope we can all sort of to lean to the light!

Radiohead - Coolest of the Cool!

Is there any band cooler than Radiohead? I think not. The National and Wilco are other bands with a high "cool factor," but Radiohead seems more forward-thinking, more experimental, more challenging, than any other band out there. They do what they want, when they want. And every record they've made has been impressively great. 

They have a new album coming. Check out these two pretty amazing videos. The first one is Directed by P.T. Anderson...

Which makes me think of my own favorite motto: "Every step counts..."

And this one reminds me of that phrase from John Milton, famous poet and Protestant, when speaking of the Catholics: "Them We Burn..."

Political Junkie-Hood!

I would describe myself as a "political junkie." But if I am a "political junkie" I am an optimistic, somewhat happy and naive one. I do tend to give folks the benefit of the doubt. I tend to judge politicians on their actions more than their words. I don't get jaded or cynical if someone falls or betrays our trust. I know that human beings are weird.

Anyway, how did I get to be a such a self-defined "political junkie?" I was thinking about this all day yesterday. I tried to come up with answers for myself, to myself. I kind of think of these as foundational.

Two early novels that I read as a youngster come to mind, "Treasure Island," and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." They were probably the two most profound books I read when I was young and very impressionable. 

What did I learn? Some times the "Bad Guys" aren't really bad, and, America is a dark, scary place.

I was a wee lad when RFK was murdered. That had a major impact on my family. A young, charismatic Catholic gunned down after winning the California primary. I remember my mom and dad going to sleep so happy that RFK won in CA. The next morning, in the car on the way to school, my mom and I heard that RFK was dead. I was totally shocked to see my mom cry for RFK. I cried too.

Lesson learned. What you hope happens doesn't always happen. And things can change in an instant.

Then there were Chicago Cops beating up kids in Grant Park. We moved to a small town in Wisconsin that summer and I was considered a "Chicago Gangster." Lesson learned: Other people have no clue who you really are.

Later I discovered Hunter S. Thompson. I remember reading his dispatch from the Republican Convention in Miami when Richard Nixon was renominated for a 2nd term. CREEP! I read some of his writing to my creative writing class. I was shy, my voice was shaking, and I was reading HST's ramblings out loud to a class of kids who had no idea what I was talking about. I felt foolish, but at the same time I felt I knew something they didn't. Lesson learned: There are many realities all co-existing. My world, might not be your world, but that's ok.

Vietnam & Watergate. Right. Those words hold so much meaning to me. Lesson learned: My America is sometimes evil, Presidents are no different than any one else and they can fall.

For some reason, I think these are the signal events in my political junkie-hood. Of course, since then, many events, many books, many elections, etc. 

Am I jaded & cynical when it comes to politics? I don't think so. I mean, it's much more complicated than that. Yes am a bit surprised that the Short Fingered Vulgarian has had so much success, but I wasn't surprised when Bernie's socialist crusade fizzled out. 

Still. I am optimistic. Naive. Hope for the best. Jaded and cynical? Nope. It's all a bit more complicated than that...

For and Against!

My experience with politics: it's always about choices. Maybe not perfect choices, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Oh well. As the Stones tell us: You can't always get what you want, but you find sometimes you get what you need. Sometimes it's about what we are for, but also what we are against.

Yes, I'm for a Woman for President. And this time around, that woman would be Hillary Clinton. But I'm also very much against the Short-Fingered Vulgarian. He can not be President. So I am doubly fired up this election season. Hillary just released her first anti-Vulgarian ad of the season and it is a good one. Pitch Perfect. Bring it on!

Here it is in all it's glory... 

The Woman Card x 2 = Political Oblivion for the Short-Fingered Vulgarian!

My Dream Ticket for November is Hillary Clinton & Elizabeth Warren. Two Women. Two strong Women. Warren is a bit more liberal than Hillary, which for me works quite nicely. I do think it would be a fabulous ticket, great dynamic duo. 

And I am confident they would stomp the GOP nominee into political oblivion. A loss of epic proportions!

Plus, there would be the bonus that The Short-Fingered Vulgarian would lose to two Women, which is just so sweet and perfectly, poetically appropriate. The script could not be written any better. I do not think there is enough Viagra in the world to pump up that limp Vulgarian to erect anything else ever again. 

So yes, play the woman card. Double! It's time we let the women call the shots for awhile. In fact, it is long overdue!

I Will Greatly Miss Barack Hussein Obama!

I will greatly miss Barack Hussein Obama when he ends his term later this year. I am already missing him greatly, just watching those people running to replace him. Irreplaceable.  No doubt the greatest President in my lifetime. I enthusiastically voted for him twice, and would do so again and again if they hadn't passed the 22nd amendment .

The right man, right time.The only other President in modern times that is even in the same league would be FDR. No one else even comes close.

Recently there have been some great articles about Obama's foreign policy successes - The Obama Doctrine - not only should we be thankful for all that Obama has done in foreign policy - extricated us from two very corrosive, terribly painful & tragic wars, but we should be thankful for all the "stupid shit" he didn't do.

It takes guts and intelligence, patience and tough-mindedness not to succumb to the blather, the bluster, the chatter, the easy sound-bite.

There is also a great article about Obama's economic policy over the last 8 years. Obama inherited a wreck of economy, and slowly, steadily he has guided us out of the disaster. Small, determined steps forward. 

Kevin Drum also takes us thru the "long hard slog" of health care reform. Democratic Presidents since JFK have tried to advance health care for Americans. Obama with a razor-thin majority in his first 2 years passed Obamacare. Incremental progress. Major legislation. As Joe Biden was once quoted as saying: "A big fucking deal!"

And Obama has achieved all this with total opposition from the GOP. They have not lifted a finger, not done their jobs for 8 years. Maybe it is not a coincidence that a bloated Con Man is now on target to win the GOP nomination. The GOP has abdicated their responsibilities as a viable political party. 

We live in a divided country. Brutal, political stalemate. It has been a slog much of the time. But Obama has been strong, steady, far-sighted. Also funny, smart, super-intelligent. Amazing. I truly love the man and what he has achieved for our country. I do wish I could vote for him again, and again. I will settle for Hilary to carry forward. Hope she seeks Obama's counsel often during her term.

What is Aging Like?!

What is aging like? Just in case you wanted to know. You morph. Your mind and body changes. Some changes are pretty subtle, some changes are kind of radical. They say that every 7 years your cells have pretty much been regenerated, and have been replaced. But also every 7 years it's like a copy of a copy. Do this over and over again and you get a blurry, fuzzy, copy of a copy. Aging is sort like that.

The narrative in your head gets longer. But there are lots of parts of the narrative that get buried, or lost. Or maybe it's in there somewhere but you just can't recall those parts any more. If you are a positive type you might make parts of the narrative a bit sunnier than they actually were, and if you are a negative type, you might make parts of the narrative a bit gloomier than they actually were, but for most of that stuff, who really knows but you?

You look in the mirror and don't really know the person looking back. There is something familiar, but also lots of odd details that don't add up. I haven't seen that Jeff Goldblum movie "The Fly" in a long time, maybe I saw it a life-time ago. Don't want to look it up now. But if I remember right, Goldblum's character had to deal with the strange, unreasonable horror of watching his body become it's own thing. Yes, aging is a bit like that too.

We Can Understand that We Don't Understand So Much!

We are just a collection of particles and light. Dust. Space dust. Star dust. Reflecting, emitting light. And also we are thinking, feeling beings. How to reconcile the two conceptions of our existence? Maybe there is no reconciliation. Just acceptance. Drop resistance. Resistance is futile.

So some times just a particle. Some times just a being of light. Other times a more holistic being of thinking and feeling. We embody the full dichotomy. From the small, the tiny, the infitesimal to the discrete, the self-contained connected whole.  Almost a universe.  

We use our minds to jump the shark. Deep into a new evolution, a new revolution. We can understand that we don't understand so much. That's very, very good.