Reason and Passion

     And the priestess spoke again and said: Speak to us of Reason and Passion.
     And he answered, saying:
     Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgement wage war against your passion and your appetite.
     Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that i might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.
     But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

~ Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
---
I'd like to return with some grand revelation or some marvelous experience to share, some vision of where I've been, what I've been thinking, and how I'm me, but also not me, but I return as I left. 

Friends lament the never-ending flow of words and ideas, the crowding out of nature and time with too many voices and obligations, but I  have stopped listening to myself and choose to ignore whatever secrets my soul whispers in the loud and quiet times of life. I live and do that which defines living, but I hide from life.

It's a strange thing, but I find myself here again without knowing why.

Gravedigger

  For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
  And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

  Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
  And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
  And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
~ Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Spasmodic convulsion (first draft)
Every neck muscle about to pop,
Ligaments scream in agony,
Flop sweat stings wide open eyes
of terror and fear.

I gasp for clean cool air and it crashes
Into my throat as broken glass,
Gouging and tearing flesh; a large
Mouthed bass hooked in the eyes on the
Bottom of the boat.

My violent shakes and protests
Give way to gray and the agonizing
Paralyzing fear of suffocation.
Soon I will be in the hands of the Gravedigger.

Courage is closed until I find freedom, courage, and strength to write for me as I see the world.

Perhaps I'll see you as the tides turn and sea becomes shore.

Charley

Giving up

Who is in denial? Both sides in this debate drive me bananas. On the right we have our warmongering Haliburton loving hawks who like nothing better than getting a hard on over the latest 'drone' weapon to come out of Pentagon over-spending. On the left we have people that voted to go to war, but have sensed popular opinion changing and realize that instead of having an agenda for the United States they can simply repeat what the average television soaked rat-infested city dwelling 'intellectual' considers morally right.

Is Iraq in civil war? You bet. Are we 'winning'? What's left to 'win'? Are we 'losing'? Well, when you had no real objective and withdrawal plan before you attacked I'm guessing this is an easy question to dodge.

Still - the war in Iraq and its instability is of our making. Oppressive inhumane dictator or not, Saddam kept the peace. When you topple the only thing keeping people under control, what did you expect? Conf and red/white/blue bunting hanging from the minarets of every mosque?

Please.

We have a moral obligation NOT to leave. I hate that Americans are dying for that lying, manipulative douche in the White House (Dick Cheney, not Bush; Bush is too stupid to know right from wrong), but when you upset the apple cart you have a responsibility to right it as best you can. We've not done that.

Now, we're trying to do the bare minimum and not look completely incompetent in the process. Yeah, it's not working. Our hawks are fine being hawkish as long as they don't piss off too many conservatives. Buck up, admit that we screwed the pooch and do what we have to do to restore order.

By the way, that's going to mean calling in the U.N.

Tags: Courage, Iraq, Denial

Entertainment News- Novelist Kurt Vonnegut Dies at Age 84 - AOL News

Entertainment News- Novelist Kurt Vonnegut Dies at Age 84 - AOL News : There is no joy in mudville.

Stretch your mind and read his works. He'll challenge you to think differently about who you are and what you believe....

and you might come out the other side feeling and believing something new, or you might just strengthen your core philosophy.

Tags: Courage

Triumph

ADAA "Triumph" Wristbands   Wear "Triumph" to show your support & let people know they are not alone.
Through research, education and treatment, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America has been improving lives and providing hope for 25 years for the more than 40 million adult Americans suffering from panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and phobias.
Stay involved all year by signing up for ADAA's e-Newsletter, Triumph! - a free resource about anxiety disorders. Subscribe at www.adaa.org

If you would like a band, please send me your name and address. I'm happy to send you one.

Charley

Global Warming

After a recent comment, I feel it crucial to point out that:

a) my environmentalist concerns are not political concerns. I don't care who is in charge as long as they aren't ignorant enough to think that six billion people (and increasing at hereto unthought of rates) don't impact the world in an unintended and negative way. How many grains of sand does it take to tip a balance?

b) I don't care who is promoting the global warming or environmentalist cause (left or right) but the reality is as global citizens we have a moral and ethical responsibility to be stewards of what we've been given. To honestly look at what we've done to our own ability to live well on the earth, as a species, and not shake our heads is insanity. I don't understand why we're the only species that craps where it eats, sleeps, and reproduces.

Finally

It's here, and finally I can get two hours of peace every night as I lose myself in numbers and statistics. This is a family tradition taught to me by my dad, who was taught by his dad. It's something I learned next to him at my first major league ball game. He did this for me when I played baseball, and we did it together when we watched.

I never felt closer to him then at those moments. No arguments or walls between us. Just baseball.

http://hometown.aol.com/Cdittric77/test.pdf

Tags: Courage, Baseball