Feel Me Don't You

I have of late—but wherefore I know not—lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.

Leave it to Willy Shakes to provide me with perspective. This feeling, persistent and powerful for far too long, hearkens to mind a conversation seemingly a fortnight ago. Are you in or of this world?

Just some things rattling around my head lately…

Not – How did he die? But – How did he live?
Not – What did he gain? But – What did he give?

These are the things that measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

Not – What was his station? But – had he a heart?
And – How did he play his God-given part?

Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer?
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?

Not – What was his church? Not – What was his creed?
But – Had he befriended those really in need?

Not – What did the sketch in the newspaper say?
But – How many were sorry when he passed away?

These are the things that measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

– Anonymous

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

– Martin Luther King Jr.

“A man’s strength is measured by his heart”

It takes much to be a true man…
It’s not just simply the gender;
Some think it’s about the looks
But I know the truth…

It’s all about loving;
That spellbinding, radiation of pure, unconditional love…

You know a real man by the way he acts;
Every unselfish thing he does…
Knowing he will always be there to help
Inside, a real man is filled with love

A real man cries…
And he does;
His heart has known pain
He’s also known love which has left molded impressions deep within

A real man opens himself up to life experiences
Opening your heart is never wrong
And he has taught that not only to myself, but to others as well…

Within his rippled embrace; his strong, caring embrace
Solitude can be found
If only you take the time to know his depth and breadth

Very few know the true measure of a man;
Very few know the true measure of THIS man…
Every day,I feel it and his love makes me strong

May God grant him peace and serenity as he journeys on the sacred travels of his life
May he know only love; feel love…always
Until the stars fall from the skies
Until Mercury crumbles
Until the end of his days…

– Tammy Knott

I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.

– General George S. Patton

Sometimes life is hard.

That came from my, then, four year old grand-niece. It still boggles my mind that a four year old would ever have a reason to think that way. Anyway, I don’t want to go into detail, but suffice it so say that for a multitude of reasons I am just feeling incredibly low. So, for those who I may come in contact with in the coming days, I hope you don’t take offense if I seem aloof or somewhat despondent. I don’t mean to be rude. If you call, email, text, or whatever, I may not respond as quickly as normal, but I will eventually. Things may be quiet around here for awhile, but know that I will eventually be okay. I thank you for your patience and understanding.

Please?

Heeding some advice I received awhile back, I threw my hat into the ring. I put myself out there moreso than usual. Hey, why is this branch creaking and moaning? Anyway, perhaps you would be kind enough to take a moment to vote for my submission in the Daily Writing Tips’ Poetry Competition (#2 to make it easy for you). If you enjoy it, ask your friends to vote for me. If you don’t, keep your big mouth shut.

Thanks in advance!

The year is 2006 in the month of August. Unbeknownst to either individual, a gateway gestates between two strangers – myself and a young man named Andy McKee who hails from my regional backyard in Topeka, Kansas. Sensate information flows between like psychic IP packets. Faculties form lilting landscapes of acoustical architecture.

Basking on a Hawaiian beach, I am splayed like some carrion’s care package while thousands of miles away fingers tap frets in a musical marriage of harp and guitar. I am soon awash, waves luxuriantly lapping, in water as warm and welcoming as a prenatal paradise. Boundaries are bridged over the clefs of bass and treble. Each footstep of note and scale follows its melodic road map traversing through time and space to the past, present, and future.

If now is the winter of our discontent, a solace is attained – this moment, forever frozen.

(/nod DougieOh)

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

– Christopher Reeve

In the darkest hour the soul is replenished and given strength to continue and endure.

– Heart Warrior Ohosa

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more ‘manhood’ to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.

– Alex Karras

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.

– Tao Te Ching

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.

– Eleanor Roosevelt

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength.

– Ralph Sockman

Everyone can know everything destiny knows. We all not only could know everything, we do. We just tell ourselves we don’t to make it all bearable. Not knowing everything is all that makes it okay sometimes .

As I was sitting with the Jones’ yesterday morning, sipping coffee and listening to an early morning news broadcast, I stared at the coffee mug in my hands. There, scrawled in white lettering across the black ceramic mug was the following quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on Success:

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

There’s just one problem, it’s allegedly not a quote by Emerson, rather by Bessie Stanley. Don’t the mug manufacturers believe that it isn’t an Emerson quote? Don’t they care? Is it another conspiracy theory to hold down a female essayist? (EDIT: Thanks to multiple discussions, that last sentence apparently didn’t come off as “tongue firmly planted in cheek” as I’d hoped. My apologies.)

Whatever the case, it didn’t really matter as it managed to percolate in my mind, jostling thoughts and memories, bubbling everything to the boiling point. On this particular morning, of this particular day, in this specific moment, like a superheated liquid introduced to a room temperature container, I shattered.

For those of you who expected something relating to Red Rider, here, but that isn’t what this post is about (sorry to Rigoli you… feel free to insert your own Tom Cochrane jokes here). No, this deals with the inordinate amount of time I spent talking to someone, whom I’ll refer to as Mr. B, about conspiracy theories during my recent time in California. As a fan of The X-Files, I enjoy the entertainment of a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person. However, if everything Mr. B claims to be true actually is, virtually every move the government makes is part of a much grander, far more sinister (and I don’t mean left-handed in this case), agenda. Let me see if I can recall and paraphrase a few of his musings…

Mainstream Media: Artful Misdirecting Corporate Lap Dogs

“Freedom of the press belongs to the man who owns one.” – A. J. Liebling

- or perhaps more well known –

“When you control the mail, you control… information.” – Newman

Mr. B’s take: We shouldn’t be arming ourselves with information from any of the mainstream media (AKA Corporate Media) as we are merely getting what they want us to know. Check out the top 20 media corporations at Who Owns The News?

Using alternative media sources, like Alex Jones’ Prison Planet or Alex Jones’ Info Wars, are your best (dare he say, only) chance at getting to the truth.

My take: There is a finite amount of programming hours and/or page space each day and the sad reality is that advertising dollars are the life-blood flowing through the media’s veins (corporate or alternative). Viewership, listenership, or readership is key – hence phrases like “If it bleeds, it leads” or “Sex sells”. It should go without saying then that responsible journalism, not sensationalism, should be the goal of every news outlet.

Is it possible that these alternative media sources have no agenda whatsoever? I highly doubt it.

Look! Up In The Sky! It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s a Chemtrail!

Mr. B’s take: Have you ever watched a plane traverse the sky and noticed the white trail it leaves behind? Those are contrails or vapor trails right? Condensation from the aircraft engine’s exhaust? Wrong! Those are chemtrails! So are these chemtrails a hoax or part of a geo-engineering plot to combat global warming? Or is it being used as a method to control the population by slowly poisoning society (if you have the time and desire, check out the video they include entitled “Geoengineering and Eugenics”)?

My take: I don’t have enough information to form an opinion one way or another here. In fact, I’m left with more questions than answers. How large of a study has been done on the amounts of chemicals allegedly deposited in the sky? Are there other possible variables that have or could lead to the ill-effects they note? Why would the US Government openly participate in a program that might be construed as poisoning its own population? If this has been going on (at least as far as the general public knows) since 1996, and the goal was to release particles to combat global warming by reflecting harmful rays back into space, then why has the average temperature increased?

H1N1: Live Virus Or Innocuous Letters And Numbers?

Mr. B’s take: Don’t allow your children or yourself to undergo the H1N1 vaccination. The annual flu shot – or pandemic virus du jour shot – you may receive from your employer or health care provider typically carries dead or inactivated organisms or purified products derived from the virus you’re being inoculated against. GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, however, are spreading a live virus. Will these methods cause a pandemic rather than prevent it? Is the US Government once again attempting another form of eugenics? Is this simply a means to an end to setup FEMA camps and eventually corral the American people under Marshall Law?

My take: Again, I have a difficult time believing that the government would participate in another such “hiding in plain sight” tactic. Perhaps that merely brands me as naive and one who will fall prey first. Who knows? Fear can work on both sides of this “pandemic” scare. Infowars says these vaccinations contain thimerosal and/or squalene (see the Infowars link above) and the CDC claims it doesn’t (unless there are two versions – one for pregnant women and one for everyone else).

There are many other observations Mr. B and I discussed ad nauseum and, if one were to believe them all true, then this world is a frightening, frightening place. Here’s my biggest problem with conspiracy theorists: trust. What makes you feel you can trust anyone? Can you trust your government? Family? Significant other? Friends? Neighbors? Co-workers? Pets? Yourself? I’m not saying that any of these groups or individuals aren’t capable of breaking your trust, but don’t you have to trust someone or something? What’s the point of living if you’re only doing so by constantly looking over your shoulder in fear? That’s not living. Apply some critical thinking and follow the wisdom of Andy Dufresne: Get busy living or get busy dying.

John Donne

You couldn’t prove that with my track record. I called six different people tonight and reached the voicemail for each and every one (including my own girlfriend). One after another, voicemail after voicemail, it became absurdly comical. Now before you scoff and ask “Why didn’t you text?”, let me clarify that Jeni is the only one of these individuals who is a prodigious text messager. So, that line of thinking should be thrown out. Perhaps I’ll have a rash of return calls later tonight or tomorrow to prove that adage correct, but right now it is so very wrong.

Perhaps in this PC world it should be updated to “No one is an island”?