I got bored and was hitting my "StumbleUpon" button (If you don't use Firefox, or you do and don't know about StumbleUpon, you should look into it - it's a nice way of keeping entertained) when I came upon a website filled with Buddhist stories. This was the first one - I wanted to share it with anyone who cares to read (don't worry, it's short, as most Buddhist stories are):
The Worm.
"There is a wonderful little story about two monks who lived together in a monastery for many years; they were great friends. Then they died within a few months of one another. One of them got reborn in the heaven realms, the other monk got reborn as a worm in a dung pile. The one up in the heaven realms was having a wonderful time, enjoying all the heavenly pleasures. But he started thinking about his friend, "I wonder where my old mate has gone?" So he scanned all of the heaven realms, but could not find a trace of his friend. Then he scanned the realm of human beings, but he could not see any trace of his friend there, so he looked in the realm of animals and then of insects. Finally he found him, reborn as a worm in a dung pile... Wow! He thought: "I am going to help my friend. I am going to go down there to that dung pile and take him up to the heavenly realm so he too can enjoy the heavenly pleasures and bliss of living in these wonderful realms."
So he went down to the dung pile and called his mate. And the little worm wriggled out and said: "Who are you?", "I am your friend. We used to be monks together in a past life, and I have come up to take you to the heaven realms where life is wonderful and blissful." But the worm said: "Go away, get lost!" "But I am your friend, and I live in the heaven realms," and he described the heaven realms to him. But the worm said: "No thank you, I am quite happy here in my dung pile. Please go away." Then the heavenly being thought: "Well if I could only just grab hold of him and take him up to the heaven realms, he could see for himself." So he grabbed hold of the worm and started tugging at him; and the harder he tugged, the harder that worm clung to his pile of dung.
Do you get the moral of the story? How many of us are attached to our pile of dung?"
So there that is. Hope those of you who read it got something out of it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
When entering my car today, I came up with this Haiku:
Entering this car
What will happen once inside?
Destination: where?
Or some derivation of that. This comes after listening to an episode of a very interesting podcast called Zencast. You can check out the backlog of episodes here. Each episode is basically a lecture on Zen. The episode in question is #123, "Calling Yourself" with Norm Fischer. The general idea is that at any moment in the day, you can bring your attention back to yourself instead of whatever's "distracting" you from you. Also, any moment of the day can be a spiritual one if you keep mindful. This includes realizing that every action you make, with your mind, body, or anything else, changes the future. You never know what will happen after you're doing the thing you're doing at the moment. And realizing that can be a very good thing.
Entering this car
What will happen once inside?
Destination: where?
Or some derivation of that. This comes after listening to an episode of a very interesting podcast called Zencast. You can check out the backlog of episodes here. Each episode is basically a lecture on Zen. The episode in question is #123, "Calling Yourself" with Norm Fischer. The general idea is that at any moment in the day, you can bring your attention back to yourself instead of whatever's "distracting" you from you. Also, any moment of the day can be a spiritual one if you keep mindful. This includes realizing that every action you make, with your mind, body, or anything else, changes the future. You never know what will happen after you're doing the thing you're doing at the moment. And realizing that can be a very good thing.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Bush's next invasion: My TV
George W. Bush's Presidential Address is winding down now. He hasn't said anything noteworthy for the past few minutes, so I'm assuming it's safe to already start blogging about it.
Success in Iraq! (we all new this was coming before Petraeus ever gave his testimony.)
Troops coming home!
-- Okay, about this last bit. I'm wholly glad that there will be 5,700 troops coming home by Christmas. And the fact that the troops sent over for the surge will essentially be gone. This, of course, is good news. Then he said something interesting - he said that those who have been pro-war and those who have been pro-bringing-troops-home, while previously being on opposing sides, should now come to a close. He also stated his policy on bringing troops home: "Return on success."
Here's my interpretation: "Now that I've said this, if you support bringing the troops home, you must also be pro-war. Winning this war is the only way to bring troops home. (Insert Jon Stewart's evil Bush laugh)." This angered me a little bit. It sounded like he was telling me, now that he's conceded a little, that I shouldn't any longer be opposed to this war.
Thankfully, I have the freedom to keep my own opinion, and I shall.
Of course, since this is Bush, he made sure that we didn't forget that the terrorists are still our enemy. And, of course, he let us know that if we lose in Iraq, the terrorists will have a place to thrive.
I refuse to believe that Iraq is the only place terrorists will ever train. You can't kill all terrorists, they exist everywhere, because terrorism is based on differing ideologies, and ideologies cannot be quelled. (Terrorists can be white, too - remember Timothy McVeigh?) Victory in Iraq does not equate to the end of terrorism. Not all fights can be won, especially ideological ones.
Afterwards, the newscaster on Fox pre-empted the "democrat argument" that the success has only been a military success, not a political one. This is a valid argument, as the surge was supposed to give the government time to progress politically. Once again, we have to settle for less success than we originally intended and act like it's what we wanted in the first place.
Oh well. Liberals will complain. Conservatives will complain about the liberals complaining. This is how things go. Unfortunately.
UPDATE: After writing this, I read this article on Salon.com (a good news site, everyone should check it out daily, weekly, or whenever possible).
Success in Iraq! (we all new this was coming before Petraeus ever gave his testimony.)
Troops coming home!
-- Okay, about this last bit. I'm wholly glad that there will be 5,700 troops coming home by Christmas. And the fact that the troops sent over for the surge will essentially be gone. This, of course, is good news. Then he said something interesting - he said that those who have been pro-war and those who have been pro-bringing-troops-home, while previously being on opposing sides, should now come to a close. He also stated his policy on bringing troops home: "Return on success."
Here's my interpretation: "Now that I've said this, if you support bringing the troops home, you must also be pro-war. Winning this war is the only way to bring troops home. (Insert Jon Stewart's evil Bush laugh)." This angered me a little bit. It sounded like he was telling me, now that he's conceded a little, that I shouldn't any longer be opposed to this war.
Thankfully, I have the freedom to keep my own opinion, and I shall.
Of course, since this is Bush, he made sure that we didn't forget that the terrorists are still our enemy. And, of course, he let us know that if we lose in Iraq, the terrorists will have a place to thrive.
I refuse to believe that Iraq is the only place terrorists will ever train. You can't kill all terrorists, they exist everywhere, because terrorism is based on differing ideologies, and ideologies cannot be quelled. (Terrorists can be white, too - remember Timothy McVeigh?) Victory in Iraq does not equate to the end of terrorism. Not all fights can be won, especially ideological ones.
Afterwards, the newscaster on Fox pre-empted the "democrat argument" that the success has only been a military success, not a political one. This is a valid argument, as the surge was supposed to give the government time to progress politically. Once again, we have to settle for less success than we originally intended and act like it's what we wanted in the first place.
Oh well. Liberals will complain. Conservatives will complain about the liberals complaining. This is how things go. Unfortunately.
UPDATE: After writing this, I read this article on Salon.com (a good news site, everyone should check it out daily, weekly, or whenever possible).
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Just a few thoughts...
The way one lives one's life should be an individual choice. No force-feeding of ideals. No pre-determination. One should, after time and deliberation, figure out what makes the most sense to them. This includes the beliefs one chooses to hold, the actions one chooses to take, the decisions one chooses to make, and the morals by which one lives. Only after weighing different options can one come to this decision. If one chooses to believe that the planet Earth (and, in effect, the universe) is nothing but a molecule in a hot dog, digested, moving through the bowels of a giant named Gilfoy, so be it. Who has the right to judge?
If one encounters another individual who says/does/writes/etc. something in opposition to one's belief system, one has the right to complain. Complaining is a form of self-expression, albeit a negative one; no one can decide how anyone else should choose to express feelings. It's as much a human right for Person A to complain (or not) as it is for Person B to make the offending comment/action/etc. However, complaints are generally followed by and countered with more complaints. If this torrid cycle is the way one chooses to argue, so be it. Who has the right to judge? One can choose intelligent discourse or a string of negativity. Who cares?
Just because one believes something does not meant everyone else must share this belief. What makes sense to one does not make sense to all.
Ideologies cannot be quelled. As long as humans have functioning brains they will be free to think whatever they want to think. Thinking differently is not a crime.
Whether one believes the actions taken by others are right or not, it does not give one the right to force others into believe the same.
Respecting the idea that others think differently from oneself is nice in theory but sometimes difficult in practice. For some, it will take time and effort. For others it will never happen. It's one's right to choose whether or not one wishes to respect this. However, if one wishes to be respected, one will find it easier if one respects others.
Everyone is bound to have a different definition of what it means to be human. AS such, everyone is bound to value human life in different ways. These are both individual decisions (although much of the time can be pre-determined culturally) and should not/can not be dictated. Murderers still murder despite it being illegal.
When one believes oneself to be right, one generally tends to believe oneself to be the "good guy." Those with views one believes to be wrong tend to be considered the "bad guy." However, the "bad guy" most likely believes himself to be right, thusly believing himself to be the "good guy." This is unavoidable. There is no difference between good and evil, only differing perspectives on the actions one should take.
The idea that by supporting a person, one must support every action/cause/etc. this person undertakes is simply ludicrous. Suppose one has a best friend who commits murder, which is against one's beliefs. One generally wouldn't turn to this friend and say, "I support you in that decision." One can support this friend through the murder trial, support the idea of keeping the friend safe and away from the death penalty, without supporting the murder.
Change is hard and doesn't always result in anything good. However, a concerned effort to change for the better, whether successful or not, is better than waiting for things to get worse. However, hoping to "change things for the better" fully knowing this change will actually make things much worse is poor decision-making.
If one has the ability to help another, one should - regardless of whether or not repayment is ensured. It is a human right to receive help if one desires it. If one declines to help another, perhaps one does not know or remember what it is like to need help.
We were lucky enough to receive this planet as residence at no charge. One shouldn't have to pay to continue living on it. If one wishes to pay, so be it. That is the luxury of choice.
If one reads this and disagrees with everything or finds analogies to be inaccurate, that is one's right. However, the author would love to hear opposing views, at which time the author reserves the right to shift his beliefs if he so chooses.
If one encounters another individual who says/does/writes/etc. something in opposition to one's belief system, one has the right to complain. Complaining is a form of self-expression, albeit a negative one; no one can decide how anyone else should choose to express feelings. It's as much a human right for Person A to complain (or not) as it is for Person B to make the offending comment/action/etc. However, complaints are generally followed by and countered with more complaints. If this torrid cycle is the way one chooses to argue, so be it. Who has the right to judge? One can choose intelligent discourse or a string of negativity. Who cares?
Just because one believes something does not meant everyone else must share this belief. What makes sense to one does not make sense to all.
Ideologies cannot be quelled. As long as humans have functioning brains they will be free to think whatever they want to think. Thinking differently is not a crime.
Whether one believes the actions taken by others are right or not, it does not give one the right to force others into believe the same.
Respecting the idea that others think differently from oneself is nice in theory but sometimes difficult in practice. For some, it will take time and effort. For others it will never happen. It's one's right to choose whether or not one wishes to respect this. However, if one wishes to be respected, one will find it easier if one respects others.
Everyone is bound to have a different definition of what it means to be human. AS such, everyone is bound to value human life in different ways. These are both individual decisions (although much of the time can be pre-determined culturally) and should not/can not be dictated. Murderers still murder despite it being illegal.
When one believes oneself to be right, one generally tends to believe oneself to be the "good guy." Those with views one believes to be wrong tend to be considered the "bad guy." However, the "bad guy" most likely believes himself to be right, thusly believing himself to be the "good guy." This is unavoidable. There is no difference between good and evil, only differing perspectives on the actions one should take.
The idea that by supporting a person, one must support every action/cause/etc. this person undertakes is simply ludicrous. Suppose one has a best friend who commits murder, which is against one's beliefs. One generally wouldn't turn to this friend and say, "I support you in that decision." One can support this friend through the murder trial, support the idea of keeping the friend safe and away from the death penalty, without supporting the murder.
Change is hard and doesn't always result in anything good. However, a concerned effort to change for the better, whether successful or not, is better than waiting for things to get worse. However, hoping to "change things for the better" fully knowing this change will actually make things much worse is poor decision-making.
If one has the ability to help another, one should - regardless of whether or not repayment is ensured. It is a human right to receive help if one desires it. If one declines to help another, perhaps one does not know or remember what it is like to need help.
We were lucky enough to receive this planet as residence at no charge. One shouldn't have to pay to continue living on it. If one wishes to pay, so be it. That is the luxury of choice.
If one reads this and disagrees with everything or finds analogies to be inaccurate, that is one's right. However, the author would love to hear opposing views, at which time the author reserves the right to shift his beliefs if he so chooses.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Isn't it Christmas yet?
Okay, so bear with me. I don't ever mean to start talking about Christmas at the end of the summer. I've done this the past few, especially, because the past few years I've been meaning to write a short Christmas story. I've started a few times; last year, I wrote one for my Adv. Fiction Writing class (taught by Ellie), but it wasn't the story I wanted to write. The one I've been planning for 2-3 years now is still tentatively titled "Noboddy Oughtta Be Alone On Christmas," and is more in the spirit of the sappy Christmas movies I loved as a kid (and, let's face it, the ones I still love to this day) while at the same time trying to transcend the genre.
The long delay is due mostly to that last part.
Anyway, when it gets to be this time of year, I start turning on the Christmas music for a number of reasons:
A). I love Christmas music.
B). To put me in the mood to write the story.
There are also a number of reasons I want to write the story. One big one is I think it would make a nice Christmas gift to give people as I'm generally poor come Christmastime. Now that I have a job, I'm hoping I'll be able to afford more this Christmas. Even so, I think writing a short story then giving away copies along with the gifts I buy would be a bit more personal.
Perhaps the biggest reason is simply because I love the Christmas season. It's something I'm actually passionate about and yet haven't tackled in my writing. Maybe it's because my feelings about it are more complicated and less black-and-white than most of the Christmas stories to which I'd like to pay homage. But I'm hoping those feelings will let me earn the cheesiness with which I'm sure the story will end. Less melodrama; more real.
The more I've tried to write it the more difficult writing a simple Christmas story seems to be. Which, in a sense, is good. With any luck, and a bit of talent (I hope), I can make something that only seems to be simple while being laced with intricacies. I also think I need to lay off some of the pop-culture references I tend to put in some stories - classmates apparently found them confusing in one of my stories.
I've got to find a way to post my short stories on here without posting them into a long-ass blog. Maybe I'll find a way of putting them up for download or something. If anyone ever becomes interested, that is.
Maybe I'm turning into Doogie after all.
The long delay is due mostly to that last part.
Anyway, when it gets to be this time of year, I start turning on the Christmas music for a number of reasons:
A). I love Christmas music.
B). To put me in the mood to write the story.
There are also a number of reasons I want to write the story. One big one is I think it would make a nice Christmas gift to give people as I'm generally poor come Christmastime. Now that I have a job, I'm hoping I'll be able to afford more this Christmas. Even so, I think writing a short story then giving away copies along with the gifts I buy would be a bit more personal.
Perhaps the biggest reason is simply because I love the Christmas season. It's something I'm actually passionate about and yet haven't tackled in my writing. Maybe it's because my feelings about it are more complicated and less black-and-white than most of the Christmas stories to which I'd like to pay homage. But I'm hoping those feelings will let me earn the cheesiness with which I'm sure the story will end. Less melodrama; more real.
The more I've tried to write it the more difficult writing a simple Christmas story seems to be. Which, in a sense, is good. With any luck, and a bit of talent (I hope), I can make something that only seems to be simple while being laced with intricacies. I also think I need to lay off some of the pop-culture references I tend to put in some stories - classmates apparently found them confusing in one of my stories.
I've got to find a way to post my short stories on here without posting them into a long-ass blog. Maybe I'll find a way of putting them up for download or something. If anyone ever becomes interested, that is.
Maybe I'm turning into Doogie after all.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
These things...
I'm still slightly weirded out by the idea of keeping a blog. Is it supposed to be a journal or something? I guess the whole point is i get to make it whatever I want it to be. With a title like "Big Moose Don't Have Adventures," there's only so much it can be about.
At the same time, talking and writing about myself can get dull. Especially when I get to the point where I realize I don't have anything more to say about myself. Mildly depressing, is that moment.
Sometimes I feel like it's the end of an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D. Except I don't have a nice little life-lesson to learn everytime I start typing at my computer.
The best thing this affords me is the ability to just free-write. I don't have to come up with plot points or character backstories or whatnot. Whatever comes to my head can get put down.
I start at WaWa today. Pumping gas. The job I quit just over two years ago. Why am I back? Well, I knew I could get hired. Will it make me miserable? Eventually, maybe, but the more I think on it, the more I remember it wasn't really the job that was making me miserable. It was the suffocation of South Jersey. It was the hurt I'd experienced from which I wanted to escape.
Now that's over. I'm over it. I'm not saying I won't start to feel the chilly hand of Millville begin to cover my throat in the next year or so; I'm sure of that happening. But I think I'm at least to the point where I can put on a cheery exterior and keep myself happy for eight-ish hours a day.
What I really need to find is a subject I could easily teach. Old Time Radio 101. Advanced How to Start Reading a Book and Never Finish It. Something like that. How To Grow A Beard In Three Days. That one I could even teach online.
I think before too long it'll be time to start experimenting with this whole blog business. See what I can do with it. Whatnot.
At the same time, talking and writing about myself can get dull. Especially when I get to the point where I realize I don't have anything more to say about myself. Mildly depressing, is that moment.
Sometimes I feel like it's the end of an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D. Except I don't have a nice little life-lesson to learn everytime I start typing at my computer.
The best thing this affords me is the ability to just free-write. I don't have to come up with plot points or character backstories or whatnot. Whatever comes to my head can get put down.
I start at WaWa today. Pumping gas. The job I quit just over two years ago. Why am I back? Well, I knew I could get hired. Will it make me miserable? Eventually, maybe, but the more I think on it, the more I remember it wasn't really the job that was making me miserable. It was the suffocation of South Jersey. It was the hurt I'd experienced from which I wanted to escape.
Now that's over. I'm over it. I'm not saying I won't start to feel the chilly hand of Millville begin to cover my throat in the next year or so; I'm sure of that happening. But I think I'm at least to the point where I can put on a cheery exterior and keep myself happy for eight-ish hours a day.
What I really need to find is a subject I could easily teach. Old Time Radio 101. Advanced How to Start Reading a Book and Never Finish It. Something like that. How To Grow A Beard In Three Days. That one I could even teach online.
I think before too long it'll be time to start experimenting with this whole blog business. See what I can do with it. Whatnot.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
New Beginnings.. Sort of?
I decided to start a blogspot. I don't know why. It just came over me.
This is new.
It ended up working out, actually. I had said several times to myself and to others that I was hoping to become a new person once I moved back to Jersey. So it's only right that I began a new blog, perhaps to track my progress, if there is any.
I've lost about 10 pounds in the month I've been home. I recently got hired to WaWa, which was bitter sweet. I'll be pumping gas. It's a crappy job I quit 2 years ago; I'd hoped I wouldn't have to return. But orientation's tomorrow and I'll be there.
I've read four books since I moved back. One, Across The Universe With John Lennon, was real interesting. It was written by a psychic who claims to have an ethereal connection with John Lennon's soul. Whether one believes in that sort of thing or not, it was altogether enjoyable with some "life lessons" one can learn from - though, in the end, it wasn't really anything I hadn't heard before. Go figure, metaphysics is no different from religion. No different from philosophic schools of thought in general.
I've also started working on some writing. I have some screenplays I want to write that I've started either writing or plotting. I also told a guy off craigslist I'd help him write a TV pilot based on an unpublished book he wrote. I e-mailed him some questions about it and he hasn't gotten back to me. Oh well. I started working on a couple short stories, also. One I decided to put on hold until I do some more reading/ideological research. The other I only just conceived yesterday and have made some general notes on.
As a side note - I love notebooks. I love jotting.
I'd also like to try to develop The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy into a semi-futuristic adventure TV series. That itself has brought about quite a number of problems; haven't figured out good solutions yet, so I haven't been able to plot anything yet.
Good news:
Rove resigned.
Gonzalez resigned.
Bad news:
America is still broken.
Maybe I'll tackle that idea in a story at some point. Maybe in Pimpernel.
Hopefully I'll keep up this blog. It'll be another nice outlet for me.
This is new.
It ended up working out, actually. I had said several times to myself and to others that I was hoping to become a new person once I moved back to Jersey. So it's only right that I began a new blog, perhaps to track my progress, if there is any.
I've lost about 10 pounds in the month I've been home. I recently got hired to WaWa, which was bitter sweet. I'll be pumping gas. It's a crappy job I quit 2 years ago; I'd hoped I wouldn't have to return. But orientation's tomorrow and I'll be there.
I've read four books since I moved back. One, Across The Universe With John Lennon, was real interesting. It was written by a psychic who claims to have an ethereal connection with John Lennon's soul. Whether one believes in that sort of thing or not, it was altogether enjoyable with some "life lessons" one can learn from - though, in the end, it wasn't really anything I hadn't heard before. Go figure, metaphysics is no different from religion. No different from philosophic schools of thought in general.
I've also started working on some writing. I have some screenplays I want to write that I've started either writing or plotting. I also told a guy off craigslist I'd help him write a TV pilot based on an unpublished book he wrote. I e-mailed him some questions about it and he hasn't gotten back to me. Oh well. I started working on a couple short stories, also. One I decided to put on hold until I do some more reading/ideological research. The other I only just conceived yesterday and have made some general notes on.
As a side note - I love notebooks. I love jotting.
I'd also like to try to develop The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy into a semi-futuristic adventure TV series. That itself has brought about quite a number of problems; haven't figured out good solutions yet, so I haven't been able to plot anything yet.
Good news:
Rove resigned.
Gonzalez resigned.
Bad news:
America is still broken.
Maybe I'll tackle that idea in a story at some point. Maybe in Pimpernel.
Hopefully I'll keep up this blog. It'll be another nice outlet for me.
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