Wow. I mean. Yikes.

 Ha. What to say? Shit Happens. 

 I had no clue. Living in my own little progressive blue bubble. The USA is a big, complicated, contradictory country. Yikes. How does it feel? Like a punch in the gut, a sharp stick in the eye.

It's just another episode of Everything You (I) Know Is Wrong. There were a few pessimists in my midst, turns out they were oh, so right. My sunny optimism was a blinding ball of light. Sometimes things are not as they seem. Maybe I just wasn't looking closely or clearly enough? Dazzled by the joy and good feeling? I was in my happy little bubble, pretty sure that we would turn away, and turn the page, on that wanna-be tyrant. 

Yes. So very wrong-headed of me. I chalk it up to weird shit & bad juju.  Sometimes it is that kind of Universe. Supremely strange, but true, &, of course, greatly disheartening & disappointing.

I think of Curtis Mayfield this morning: "Keep on keeping on:"

"Some years back I remember, still in my mind so well

My mama made this one point clear and I find it never fails

Never worry too long (Worry too long)

About what goes wrong (About what goes wrong)

Today in sorrow (Today in sorrow)

We got joy tomorrow (We got joy tomorrow)

Keep on keeping on (Keep on keeping on)

Keep on, keep on (Keep on, keep on)"

"She's Going to Win..."

My long-time friend, who lives in Europe, in the thick of things over there, called me last night. Every time we talk we immediately click into a long-running conversation that started back in the 1990's. We are from totally different backgrounds, but in a weird way we are total Soul Brothers. He is my best friend on the planet, I haven't seen him in the flesh, we haven't been in the same room together, in decades. 

He wanted to get my take on the election happening today. Not that I am some kind of expert, but you know, I am "on the ground," closer to the action. He told me that this American election is the most important event for Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall. You know, it's not just all of us in the USA who are worried about the fate of Democracy, Freedom, Human Rights, Good Government, Ethics, Laws, Rationality, Logic, and the Future of the Planet.

There is a lot riding on the outcome of this election.

My friend is bit more pessimistic than I. I am a bit more optimistic than him, which makes for a great meeting of the minds. Our differences flash & light up with lots of insights and "aha" moments. We both respect each other's opinions We both crack each other up with our off-kilter perspectives. Lots of laughter, also long, rambling, free-range, conversation, sprinkled with sparks of light, little break-throughs, and weedy detours.

We both love to talk. 

Anyway, we agreed to reconncect again later tonight after the polls close. Who knows, it may take awhile until we know who emerges victorious. My closing thought to my friend last night, with a certain shaky smile & confidence reflected in the tone of my voice: "She's Going to Win..."

The Vibe is Positive...

I am big on vibes. Seeing vibes, reading vibes, exuding, and creating, vibes. I am a very public person in my little, progressive, blue-bubble neighborhood, I have a bit of a personal brand, and that brand is good vibes. I am a "good vibes Charlie." 

You know, even when I'm a bit low energy, or down, I can turn up the positive energy. It's often a shield and a protective mode, but usually my vibes are genuine. I can really turn up the vibes on demand. When folks come to see our r&r band, usually the first thing I hear from folks after a show: "I really love the vibe of your band." So, yeah, vibes are big part my life. I feel like I am a bit of an expert at the vibe thing.

When I say "expert at the vibe thing," I mean, it's all a fucking mystery to me too. I do think ever since I was a wee lad growing up in the heartland, I have been super-sensitive to feeling, seeing and reading vibes, ("Tommy can you hear me?"), reading the vibes of a person, a  crowd, a room.  Reading the good, and maybe more importantly, the bad vibes floating in the air. Early on, I often  ignored, discounted or just blew past those clear signals,  to my own detriment, which then led to much confusion, uncertainty and self-sabotaging. So, you know, it's a double-edged sword, not always useful or beneficial.  Still, I think over the years I have gotten much better at listening and trying to incorporate and act on the vibe.

This morning, one day before the 2024 election, you may ask me: "SunnyJimmy what is the vibe?"  Well, I am not afraid to say, the way I read it, the vibe is good, the vibe is strong, the vibe is positive, the vibe is Kamala. Really. Of course, folks need to vote, and I think they will. I think folks are going to be surprised by the overwhelming support for Democracy, Freedom, Hope & Joy that breaks across the land.

Everyone around here is nervous, anxious, full of worry and doubt. Folks are afraid to be positive. I do get it. Vibes are a slender reed to hang a life on, they are invisible, intangible, unquatifiable. Some folks don't believe they even exist. I am not one of those. Yes. This morning the vibe is Harris/Walz for America.

Bathed in Golden Light...

Ok. Not making any predictions about this coming Tuesday. You know, Election Day. Sure Democracy hangs in the balance, and the future of USA is at stake.  And the choice is so clear, Harris/Walz should win in a landslide, I mean, if we were a rational and intelligent species the choice would be plain & simple, so obvious, for all concerned, but, you know, it's more complicated than that, Human Beings are a tricky species, we often do stupid, evil, self-sabotaging things, maybe just for the soul-killing, blind-fuck of it all, so, you know, I guess, there's no sense in making foolish predictions.

Predicting is such a fool's game. I opt out. I choose to spend my foolishness on other things. BUT, (yes, there is another "but" here), my partner and I did a little Shaman Circle ritual yesterday. It is something we've learned how to do from some professional Shamans. Yes. I kid you not.  And it kind of leads me to think I kind of do know where we are all heading.

This year our Shaman Circle event moved to Zoom, because one of the Shamans came down with Covid. Bummer. There is something so amazing about getting together in a room with a group of Shamans and Musicians, and doing this little ritual called the Wild Hunt. We opted out of Zoom, just not our thing, so instead, we set up our own little cairn, we rang a bell, we lit a candle, we sat in a two-person circle, and we took up our drums. We put some music on the box, Promises by Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders, and drummed along for over an hour as if our lives depended upon it.

So exhilarating. My partner and I always "journey," when we drum. We close our eyes, we tune into the vibrations, and the visions just come. I think this comes easily and naturally for us because of all our years meditating and practicing creative visualization. Our inner worlds are quite vivid and entertaining. Really. Anyway. Pretty amazing. The visions are always different. I have had very elaborate journeys in the past, long, swirling, mind-fucking, and gob-smacking narratives. This time around it was total simplicity. I concentrated on my drum, beating this great-sounding little Tibetan drum; the sound, the insistent beat, was so captivating, and entrancing, I sunk into a very deep visionary state. 

What did I envision? Gold. Waves, oceans of Gold. I was bathed in a Golden Light. Surrounded by Gold, swimming in Gold. It's the highest vibration. I take it as an exceedingly good omen.  Both personally & universally. It was a total cleansing & clearing. My body was washed in the Gold, and rivers of good feeling flowed thru my whole being. I was totally lit up, every cell in my body ignited with a fiery, soothing Gold. Quite the thing. 

What does it all mean? Who knows?! If I were to hazard a guess: we are entering a new Golden Era of good feeling and positive vibes. Good times are the way. I mean, fuck, that's just me, you know? I mean, you are free to dimiss it, or interpret, as you see fit. Whatever. Godspeed, Dear Pilgrims.

Switched on High...

It is funny, in maybe not the funniest way...

The really great moments descend upon you, they flash by, and flush you, then float away, and disappear into the ether, ungraspable. Sure there is a residue of satisfaction, the warm feeling of the great happiness, but there is no holding onto its flashing beauty. It's a glimmer, a spark, a flame, an instant of perfection, that vanishes so quickly you are not sure it really happened.

The really bad moments can linger, longer. You carry the scar tissue, you nurse the broken bones, or just the deep soul-brokenness. You experience a deep loss as a permanent reordering of the Universe. 

So, you know, there is an uneveness in life. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad. There is no math here. You can't total and sum. You just experience what you experience. Hopefully you do it with all your senses and faculties switched on high. That's all you get.

 

The Big Sea...

We swam in the big sea, and it was exhilarating. All of our energy was focused on one big event, and it happened. The reception was rapturous. Maybe the audience was better than the band? I don't know, we did good. A few minor kerfuffles, but that just affirmed that it was a live performance. Nothing really threw us off. 9 musicians all bringing it to a room of devoted fans. The feedback loop was quite exquisite.  Lots of smiles, kind words and kudos afterwards. This morning it all seems like a strangely wonderful dream.

The Doris Day Moment...

Finally, you just let go the wheel. See what comes down. There is a point, a moment along the road, that you fly past, and then it's all pure ZEN. All that needing, wanting, grasping vanishes in an instant, and a certain calm clarity bubbles up. What will be will be. Let's call it the Doris Day moment. It's an acceptance, and an expectation. You hope you did everything you could do to make the moment count, but at same time you know there is so much that is firmly out of your control. The future is unwritten. You plunge forward, into a place of darkness and light. You wonder: What now?!

Refreshing. Renewing. Great Speech.

Kamala Harris' speech in Washington D.C. was a barn-burner. I mean that in good way; super-exicitng, glorious, intelligently-spoken words. Refreshing. What is she selling to the American people? Hope, optimism, a better day, intelligence, competance, responsibility, good government, empathy, compassion, hard work, diligence, freedom, prosperity, community, rule of law, democracy, good judgement, character, good cheer, joy. Yep. It's a pretty all-encompassing package. I, for one, find it completely compelling & irresistible. The alternative is not even conceivable, or in the realm of possibility to me. I think, I hope, and pray, that our "better angels" will bring us into a new era. A vibrant, lively, wonderful woman of color, kicks open the door, and renews our bonds to this great Democratic experiment we call USA. I mean, fuck, are you kidding me? Of course, the obvious, beautiful, life-affirming choice: Harris/Walz.

Easy to Sow Division, Harder to Build Bridges...

Early in our acting careers, well, you know, maybe not careers, more like in our "adventures in acting,"  a jaunt in the field of "theatrical," we learned that doing the big flashy angry scenes and monologues were so much easier than the quiet, internal, vulnerable scenes. Easy to show anger, so much harder to show sadness, loss, empathy and compassion. The really good actors could reach deep down into their reservoir and show the full range of human emotion. Being vulnerable, sad, giving, and quiet was much more powerful than walking around yelling and screaming.

Off stage it's also so much easier to sow division, hate, and tearing down others, than it is to build up, find solutions, and offer a helping hand. 

All of my "creative heroes," have made things: movies, books, songs, paintings, poems. I truly value the creatives. Sometimes my favorites will delve into the darkness, but just by going there it is an affirmation. It takes a certain creative fire and optimism to create anything.

So yeah, then there's politics, just another human manifestation of energy. There are the angry ones who want to tear down other folks, want to fan the flames of divsion, sow chaos, and discord. It's a tool and strategy that has worked in many realms, many countries, over many centuries.

Then there are those who are trying to fix and build things. Offer policies, try to build coalitions, offer a helping hand, trying to raise us all up. Bringing people together. Trying to build a more perfect union. Look to a better day. It's harder. Really difficult. Takes a special kind of human. Takes vision, compassion, empathy, and dedication to work. And it often falls short of the mark. Especially in a Democracy. Democracy is messy.  But really, these more optimistic ones are the folks who have our hearts and souls with them. For instance: Harris/Walz for America.

One Core Truth: Racist/Nazi...

The man who spews more lies than you can count; a river, a hurricane, a tsunami of lies every time he opens his mouth. BUT, there is one truth that always emerges, the one key truth in advertising. The Orange Toxic Clown is a dyed-in-the-wool racist, and in the late stages of his campaign, he has decided to go into FULL NAZI mode. Hah. At least at his core he is really being honest: Fulltime Racist/Nazi. 

I don't think that is America. I mean, it's a sub-current in our country, and the history of our country, but it is not the full story. Most of us know that we need to be open, inclusive, and supportive of a more progressive mode of politics and life. The darkness will not abide. I mean that's the optimist (see previous post), in me speaking, but in my core-being I do believe we will leave this shite behind and enter a new era of hope, good govermnent and repsonsibility. Harris/Walz for America.

Optimistic? Sure...

Yes. I am an optimist. No doubt. Ok. Maybe I do have doubts about pretty much everything. Maybe, probably, having doubts, hedging your bets is the intelligent way to go? There is no certainty, except maybe uncertainty. But when push comes to shove, I lean to the Light. What's the harm? Being optimistic, saying yes, and why not, and sure,  and being open, and opening doors and windows to new experiences. What if I'm wrong? Oh well. Keep plowing forward, right? Being pessimistic seems so nullifying. It seems like an abidication, a turning away from a full-fledged life. "Why get up?" Because, it could be a wonderful day...

Democracy Dies in the Boardroom.

Income Inequality is killing America. Yes. It seems the Billionaires are siding with and embodying Fascism. Bezos, Musk, and of course, Trump, the prime examples. The Washington Post Editorial Board was planning on endorsing Kamala Harris for President. The obvious choice for Democracy, Good Government & American Freedom. The owner, Bezos spiked it.  Of course, the Washington Post is a storied and gloried institution. It was their young reporters, Woodward & Bernstein, back in the 70's, who brought the Watergate Scandal to the world's attention. Stunning capitulation to the specter of Fascism in USA.  A non-endorsement is an abdication to the Bully. The $ are siding with the $ against Democracy.  What's the WaPo motto: Democracy Dies in Darkenss? No. Democracy Dies in Cowardice & the Board Room. Of course, I am an Optimist.  I mean, shite, what's the alternative? So, actually this isn't the death knell for our Democracy, no, it's a death knell for the Washington Post. The billionaires are badly out-numbered. They are not necessarily good or smart people. They just happen to have lots of accumulated wealth. Their loyalty is only to $. We will outvote them. Harris/Walz for America.

The Trickiness of Human...

One of my go-to themes: Human Beings are Tricky. It's a good one, validated every day. I mean, being human myself, I too embody this essential trickiness. You know the "pot calling the kettle black."

Throw in youth, or hormones, or drugs, or excessive amounts, or alternatively steep lack of $, and all kinds of mischief and mayhem can occur. Humans get weird super-easy. Too much time on their hands, too much of everything, or not enough of everything, can easily twist and twerk a psyche.

We are the species that has a very wide spectrum of traits. Think of the worst acts imaginable: Human. Think of the finest acts imaginable: Human. It's truly our cross. We are all crucified on the tree of deep contradiction and trickiness. Yes, indeed.

The Glorious Thing...

We ran thru songs with an incredible musician last night. Getting ready for a big show next week. Just three of us, acoustic guitar, double-bass and percussion. Two voices, male & female. Our own original compositions. Our own hard-earned truths embodied in lyrics and music. It was intense. Focused. Gratifying. It is truly the good work. Pure creative pursuit. It is the thing we love to do more than anything else. Soul-enriching for sure. We have created a large body of work. Getting it out into world is a whole nother thing. But the process, the creating, the melding different vibrations and energies together in a room. That's the glorious thing. 

I Took It Down...

I took it down...

Yesterday morning, walking down the sidewalk with a furry, four-legged beast. We noticed a Trump/Vance sign on the parkway fronting a massive lakefront mansion. It was an ugly, uncommon sight. I didn't think twice, I walked up to it and took it down. I looked up, the owner of the mansion came running towards me. Uh-oh. Funny. He smiled and thanked me. He told me that someone must have put the sign up as a joke. He was just about to leave town on vacation. He picked up the sign and tore it in half. "I'd never vote for or support that disgrace of human being." Hah. That's my hood. Happily alive in a progressive, blue-bubble.

It Felt SO GOOD!!!

Early voting commenced in our little, blue-bubble neighborhood yesterday. A gloriously sunny, blue-sky day. We gathered our wits together and biked across town to the Civic Center. The bike ride alone was a fabulous adventure. The streets were alive with activity, sunbeams glancing off every window. The lake was blue & shimmering. The trees and grasses looked happy. We just couldn't wait to cast our votes for Harris/Walz, and for Democrats up and down the ballot. We weren't the only ones chomping at the bit to do our very important duty as full-fledged members of USA. The voting place was jumping. Folks were streaming in from all directions. Long lines. Lots of smiles. It did feel like a celebration. There were no Trump signs, no Republican signs either. Anyway, it felt so damn good to vote for Kamala and Tim. After we submitted our ballots, a flood of positive energy flowed through our bodies. There was an electric zap of enthusiasm emanating from the crowd. Funny. One very old, wizened, scarecrow man, an old codger, came walking down the hall after voting, he wore a beat up old baseball cap. The words on the cap: "I like Ike." Ha. Thinking he probably didn't vote for the Dems, one man against the crowd, but who knows?! Ike and his brand of politics, is many decades, many felonies, and  public outrages from the toxic, orange, cess-pool of a candidate that is running this time around. A stark choice. No doubt.

Knowing & Not Knowing...

Ask someone something knowing there is no right answer, because it's something in the Future, and the Future is unwrttien, well, what do you get? Whatever that someone says will be their fears, their worries, their doubts, their hopes, their blind optimism, their off the wall guesses, their ignorance (or intelligence), their total or not so total unknowingness. So, you know, it's a bit of a futile exercise when it comes to what's actually gonna happen in the Future, but it is a very fruitful exercise if you want to know what's going on in that particular someone's internal world.

The Junk Phase of the Campaign...

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I mean, often that is the case. Turns out lots of the trippiest fiction is directly inspired by true events. It does feel like the culture has titled off the edges. Fiction can't keep up with the crazy tilt of our lives on the planet. It's seems like not only is everything getting hotter, this little ball of confusion seems to be spinning faster too. 

What of theToxic Clown? Let's just say, he is now beyond the pale, beyond parody.  I do think his brain is total, toxic, mush. 

Yesterday he was in Pennsylvania, and he spent the first 10 minutes of his "closing speech," talking about the old golfer, Arnold Palmer, and the size of Palmer's penis. Supposedly a prodigious appendage. Like you really wanted to know that, right?! Really. I mean, you can't make this shit up. And what of the MAGA cult? They just lapped it up, like happy little puppies.

Weird? No, weird doesn't quite capture the gob-smacking idiocy, and the total crazy. How is it that this man is a serious candidate for President. I mean, WTF?!

The Trumpets are Sounding!

The Trumpets are sounding. Too old, even his team now says he's exhausted.  Too brain-addled.  Too corrupt. Too racist. Too ignorant. Too toxic. Too Facist. Too wrong for America.

Popular/Unpopular...

Ha. It's weird. Life often comes down to a popularity contest. I hate that. I often gravitate to the unpopular. In music, movies, culture I usually like to swim against the current. I think of myself as an unconventional person.

Still, it turns out sometimes popular also happens to be good, prime example The Beatles; wildly commerical & popular but supremely creative, innovative, sometimes almost avant garde.

But, you know, often popular is putrid, stupid shit, for instance I think of fast food. Cheap food. Empty calories. Folks eating themselves to fat city, chubby and diabetic. Yikes. And all the beef on the hoof helping contribute to climate catastrophe. A killing trend.

Politics too seems to be a popularity contest.  Democracy is good.  Everyone is free to participate. The theory: if everyone votes rationally, with intelligence, and in their own best interests you get rule by the majority and supposedly the policies and laws and the politicians should be popular and representative of the popular will for the good of the people. Nice idea. Not always the way it works out. You know, people are tricky. Being unconventional, I hope and silently pray that my choices are the popular choices too. Puts me in a weird mind-frame. At odds with myself.

Light-Bulbs Finally Going On...

 I couldn't have said it any better than these Republican voters in Georgia...

Republican voters in deep red Georgia say they are voting for Kamala Harris: “I won't vote for Donald Trump. Last time you saw him talking did you watch his lips? Were they moving? He's lying. [January 6] should have been a disqualifier. He's anti-American. He's trying to overthrow our government”

Amen Brothers & Sisters. As they say, "The truth will set you free." It seems light-bulbs are finally going on across the land. It a good thing to see. Did anyone say, 'Welcome Madam President?"

The Teeming Millions Flock to the Shite...

One of the most confounding questions floating in the air: "Why can't they see what I see?" We find ourselves surprised that so many of our fellow Humans Beings choose to see & to live in such a different world. The great song-writer, Paul Simon wrote that: "A man hears what wants to hear, and disregards the rest." 

Maybe that explains it. 

Psychologists talk about "confirmation bias" - "people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs."

Right. The simple answer, they just want to see and believe what they want to see and believe. Damn the facts, the truth, the evidence from their senses five. It's a deeply ignorant, childish & corrosive way to live, but many, many adults seem to fiercely cling to that attitude. How many refused to get the Covid vax and died during the pandemic? How many follow & voted for the MAGA King even though he is an obvious conman and a supremely corrupt, authoritarian, blithering idiot?

I think the remedy is a bit of humility. Plus the desire and ability to learn from reality. Reality is a hard teacher, but all the lessons are good, true, real. Really. Sure it's a hall of mirrors, but there are moments of clarity and clear-thinking and seeing. Know that you live in the Cloud of Unknowing. That's a start. Best to keep your "beliefs," simple, open-minded, and subject to revision. What to believe in? How about a better day? Love? Compassion?

I swear I saw this quote on the cover Mad Magazine back in the 70's, but my Google search came up with this photo instead...

Right. Advertising. Propaganda. The Big Lie. The Right Wing in America has been selling a shit sandwich for decades. Think Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Tucker Carlson, the whole subterranean B.S. ecosystem. Built on racism, fear, misogyny, xenophobia, white supremacy. Yikes.  Folks flock to this shit like flies. They so much want to believe in their right wing, wanna be facist, shit sandwich. They will take a big bite and tell you it tastes great. 

Amazing. Sure they are wrong. No doubt. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Shite!

The Meltdown is Coming...

Ok. I am not one for predictions. Really. It's a fool's game. Best to see what's happening before your nose, and dealing with it as it is all transpiring in the moment to moment. But I do have a bold hunch.  Which I am happy to float this a.m. You know, feeling my oats, slept well, the coffee is fabulous, and I am blasting Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"  (1975), at max volume in a fabulous mansion on the lake. So yeah, feeling pretty good. My bold hunch? The Facist Toxic Clown running for President is getting close to the "spontaneous combustion" phase of the campaign. I do think a very public meltdown is coming and it will be pretty magnificent and entertaining. Now, of course, his cult won't care, they will still vote for him no matter what, I mean, even if he dissolved into a pool of very ghoulish-looking, toxic liquid on stage, it wouldn't matter to the cultists.  But I do think the cult is shrinking on the margins, and that's important. For sure, the rest of us will turn to rationality, good cheer & good government. Pretty sure on that one. Harris/Walz for the win. Of course.

Uncertainty is OK...

Sure. What can go wrong? Well, pretty much everything. I think knowing that deep in your bones is a sign of intelligence. Does it come from experience, or is it built into our DNA? Who knows? Let's get the Scientists on the case. It's the kind of question that leads one to "I just don't rightly know." And that's ok.

This never-ending uncertainty, being the perpetual "doubting Thomas," is a sign of a troubled, anxious, unsatisfied mind. And that's ok. It's a mind-set closer to the reality of things. Sure that might mean you are often unsure, tentative, cautious, questioning, worried, maybe even panicky, sometimes lost, completely at sea, but you know, "thems the breaks."

Those other folks with all the answers, their unshakable beliefs, those so sure about everything and everyone, happy and super-motivated to impose their worldviews on you, and everyone else too, are living in some blindly-stupid, ego-saturated, power-trip, fantasy-land. They fiercely believe they know the truth, and only their truth. You know, for instance their God and only their God. It's a powerful thing. And can lead to so much mischief and tragedy. For instance they come up with crackpot ideas about a bully and a strongman who is gonna fix everything. Check out the History books for how that idea turns out. Those self-righteous, power-mad folks who want to impose their will on the world, well, that dangerous, soul-killing shite inevitably leads to death-camps, and suicides in bunkers. Fuck that Authoritarian B.S. 

We live in a Universe of Uncertainty. It's daunting, challenging, frustrating, disappointing, but also exciting. You know, the "Sea of Possibilities." Pretty much anything can, and probably will, happen. What happens? The good, the bad, the ugly. Life. Real Life. And yes, that's ok...

Alienated...

Yes. We live in our bodies. We also live in the Socio-Political-Cultural Slipstream. You know, just a Human Being living within the grand, teeming, over-stuffed, Multi-Billion member strong Tribe of Human Beings. Sometimes it's a great experience, sometimes not so great. Lately there is some major dissonance & chaos swirling around in this particular Human Being. I am picking up some disturbing signals. Makes me want to opt-out. I do not like the tenor of my times. I wonder: Who the fuck are these people? How have they all gotten so unhinged from reality? Why are so many of us bitter, angry, ignorant, racist, entitled, full of shit? And how is it so many Humans revel in these retrograde tendencies, and use them as  organizing principles? Nazis, Nihilists, Death-seekers, Righteous Assholes, Fundamentalists,  Sociopaths, Psychos, Egotists, Paraniod Schizophrenics, Crazed Conspiracists, No-Nothings, MAGA Freaks, etc. Yeah, I know a loaded question. I am in it, not really wanting to be in it. Whatever flaws I see are most likely reflected in me too. Still I try to overcome my own flawed thinking and feelings. It's an on-going project. I am of it, and trying to not be of it, at the same time. It's a weird condition to be in. Alienated from the Human Race. Alienated from my self too. What's the remedy? I don't know. Maybe try to find a bit of space, head-space; listen to some good music, pick up my guitar, strum madly. Stage a little mini-rebellion. I think of Melville's Bartelby: "I prefer not to." Silence too, try to swim towards some kind of Inner Light. Yeah, that seems like it might be a helpful way forward.

Nazi/Facist Rhetoric...

I am not going to quote the Man, the words are too harrowing, demeaning, disgusting, and over the top terrible. You know, the Toxic Clown now running for President as the "Republican," is doubling, tripling, & quadrupling down on the Nazi/Facist rhetoric. 

He has gone all-in for Full Metal Jacket Nazi. Sure, his speeches are filled with madness, idiocy, made-up b.s. confused, and confusing, word-salad, but then, he goes off on clearly Hitlerian-inspired garbage.

Yikes. Not sure if it's a winning strategy, but it's certainly a toxic-stew of racist, demeaning, dehumanizing, shite. Not fit for human consumption. I wonder what kind of country we want to be and to live in? I hope my fellow citizens will roundly & soundly reject this racist, inhumane, unhinged HATE. I suppose we shall soon find out.

Describing the World As It Is...

This excerpt from Ryan J. Reilly, author of The Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System really captures the present state of crisis in the homeland...

The dangerous ones to the Fools and MAGAs are those people "who must attend to and describe the world as it is." That should be all of us. Let the Reality Seekers speak up, and unite, for a better day and a better world. Vote Harris/Walz. Vote for Reality! Let's try to all live in the real world with eyes, hearts, and arms wide open. It's a better, more soulful, more intelligent & responsible way to live.

A Doubling...

I often think of Dylan's song "Watching the River Flow." (1971). 

You know, that idea that you are on the "bank of sand," just observing,  always watching, the flow of Life. But that's not really how it is...

Turns out you are  simulaneously on the bank of sand and smack dab in the river too. You are watching the flow of Life, but you are also always flowing  in that river of Life at the same time.

It's an odd thing. A doubling: Watching & Experiencing. And Life just goes on...

No Time for Judging...

Not judging it. Life, I mean. It really doesn't matter, one way or the other, you know, the judging. Experiencing it, being in it, navigating, floating, riding, dealing with it, yes, that's the thing. Life gives you everything: what you want, what you don't want, the surprises, the annoyances, the beauty, the not so beautiful. Validating and invalidating moment to moment. No time for judging. It's Life,  baby, be here now...

Daylight...

 Daylight. We live for it.

Living in the Real...

Choosing to live in the Analog/Real world. Yes. Kind of going against the grain. Being real. Living in the real. Sure, reality is a hard teacher. You can't finesse the real. You just have to deal with it. There is the good, the bad, the ugly. Comedy & Tragedy. You get full spectrum of Life. It's worth it.