Monkey see, Monkey do... childhood truths...

  I am sure that sales all know that seeing something produces desires, even if you aren't directly selling a product... They have college courses on that idea. My monkey see, monkey do was my mother telling me that just because someone else did it didn't mean I had to do it... and then she told me how my grandfather had told my grandmother he didn't have to show her how to drive, she had been watching him for a few years already.

   The mind and vision link is amazing, and does make the transfer of knowledge or skills quicker than verbal pictures alone. But having taught a few things in my life, most of them critical survival skills, I learned early on "Do not ever show the wrong way to do anything"  The mind will always use what it saw, no matter how many words were used to say do not to do it that way...  Watching a governor say that our current culture has been corrupted by visual images in media and video games is only partially true. If your favorite actor never got to act again because he died in a motion picture, or if he was wounded and would ever after limp or was missing parts in following performances, the illusions about fighting and combat and death being painless and without cost would fade quickly. But your mind notices that he or she is alive and well next week or the next episode. Real mortality like real morality isn't very forgiving, but fantasy remains a fleeing truth forever.

   So we kill constantly on entertainment media, shooting guns out of hands and capturing the bad guys by smarts is so old Western fables, we want much more blood and lust. But the real people of the old west, would really shoot you if they thought they should. They had higher standards of polite conduct and social interaction. Y'all need to really study Mark Twain's works from his world. And doctors are giving us medications to cure our pains far beyond our ability to observe the patients constantly as their mind is bent, and the side effect lists and warnings become greater for the lawyers to profit from...  but the most troubling thing to me is the lack of faith among the many that really should know better. No God, no creator, no judge, no savior and no reason to be your best always... no reason not to grab all the little monkey sees and wants.

   Often asked recently, how did we go from so many more firearms fifty to sixty years ago, to fewer now and more school shootings. One TV show about schools and teachers had a teacher bringing a gun to school taking it out and threatening his students and then firing some blanks... I as a real student would have gotten up gone out of the classroom, to lodge a complaint and not worry about the rest of the day, I would have even gone outside and smoked a cigarette. But the writers wanted you to think the students would have been terrified of the gun - gosh, I was a much tougher kid than that, much. And I was more terrified of pretty girls and being thought of as weak.

   But I am almost sure I am going to be pounded for being so sure that God loves me, than accused of sexual misconduct or planning a bloody act of terror. Where did those strange values come from? And I won't make the evening news, I like shooting, guns and good people. I won't be news worthy...

God knows and the government doesn't yet but...

   Somehow the entire idea that the government will make everything better is suspect. The FBI agents have adulterous affairs, think nothing of it, and are swayed to abuse their power for a political party or against others. And you want to understand how they could have missed preventing the shooting of so many at a public school in Florida. They were busy, likely.

  The idea that the 'we the People' gave up our ability to handle problems is new... it is not historic, rational nor holy. I can affect my life and all those that I interact with, and do take responsibility for my actions. I cannot be responsible for what they think about my actions, thoughts, nor purpose. I must always believe we are all doing the best we can with what we have.

  There are agents of evil, ill will, and destruction trying to change everything to the wrong. I don't spend anytime identifying them, but do run into them from time to time, or I see them from afar and avoid any place they would have power over me. I am at Liberty and choose to remain so.

  My view on all school shootings, is that everyone needs to be responsible for building better people.  Allow, first, adults to carry loaded firearms everywhere. The government was restricted from infringing on their right in the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. Secondly, enforce the first part of that same amendment - works for the Swiss and Israelis. To be secure in our nation the People must step up and be well regulated as part of the Militia. Train them, arm them use them to defend (free of cost) the schools and libraries.

  Yes, there should be many other things needing done, but that was the start.

Seventy-first year underway....

 Seventy year celebration done yesterday, now I am an old man. In Korea, in the old days, the celebration was when a man made sixty - of course with modern medicine and good health more men were making that mark, so they shifted it to seventy. Practical folks.

    What I marveled at was that all those beautiful young ladies are still beautiful ladies, fifty some years later. How did they do it? Good hearts, strong spirit and joy and laughter?  I met my wife some fifty years ago, married her about three and a half years later after I removed the governments from the plan - one of the reasons I know governments are made of people with fool notions. I was talking to Mister Wong, a Chinese gentleman, that thanks to his family, the communist government and Hong Kong under the British had no papers as a child. He has over the years made himself a paper trail, his name became spelled differently, and he has traveled. Kind of an Asian Obama tale.

   Anyway, fifty years with my wife has been wonderful. Even when she tries to control me from the passenger seat. Means she cares, not that she doesn't trust my judgement.

   

How fragile is reality?

  The great NorthWest is having rain, pouring rivers of it, and winds. And the power goes out as I just finish another battle on the computer and I am looking at a black screen of dead. I can't change my protective shield, which I have been watching wear out the last three hours.

  The vultures will gather once they know, I have gone to find the flash lights, the candles and my wife (also wandering in darkness looking for the same items). How does Puerto Rico manage without power since before the holidays?

  I, fortunately, have a library of books I could read -- and two charged up kindles with unread readings to review. My laptop stays powered on battery, but the cable connection box is waiting on power to push my thoughts away... so I put the headlight upon my brow and open the kindle and go back to Robert the Bruce's time, reading about the Douglas. Good story, glass of milk and cookies.

   Just when you get settled into the story, the lights flicker back on, and the electric hums begin all over the home. Put the candles out, return them and matches and flashlights to their places until the next time. Go back to my computer, turn it on, race at computer speed to find I have been scouted twice and not yet attacked. Impressed with my defences? or is it the 99.8k of mercenary troops? Will never know. They are too strong for most to fight with and they have nothing better to do than crush their enemies and hope their hear the wailing of their women. Not interested in building their power, city and knowledge - figure they aren't people I want to meet in real life.

Forgetting why I don't use the laptop for blogging...

We live and then we go do stuff, acquire stuff, and are burdened with stuff...

    Looks like the tiny print preview of my blogging program is gone until the next time I finger the wrong key or these reading glasses are tops. Take one's pick.

   It is the Christmas season and I missed the start, our church talks about Advent but doesn't have the candles and wreath. So I am a bit behind in the tree and all. Then suddenly the unexpected rolls right into your life and the adventure begins. There was an train derailment just down the road from my home, and traffic went to pieces - I blame the politicians that spend so many tax dollars on getting more tax dollars. My aunt also passed on, not wishing to be 106 this year just after Christmas. My last relative to visit in Minnesota is gone; the lovely lady, so happy and hardy and enjoying people and places. So, I dropped all my hurried Christmas preparations and flew off to be there for the funeral services and burial.

   So easy to make connections, and I have time to take the tour. Best thing is that it broke me from the game attention. My brother found me at my hotel and we had a long talk, went to the funeral and helped move the casket twice with our cousins. Ate dinner at Honkers after and departed to return to our homes for the holidays. Back to the aeroporte shuttle, wait for departure, change planes and departure again, can they make it a little closer next time racing around in Chicago? I really need to lose weight, just so I can feel comfortable in the current aircraft seating. There are dogs everywhere, a young lady and her dog had the window seat next to me. A very nice dog. Back home finally, find my wife as been sleeping on the couch in front of the Korean cable, she missed me. I missed her.

  Today has been catching up, cleaning up and promising I will be normal tomorrow. I did get more Christmas out, and Perry Como is singing from the cable in stereo. Y'all be good and in the spirit.

I should be eating breakfast....

  Found an email asking for an address. It is time for Christmas contacts, now where is that address? We can find anything, Google it, the NSA and FBI know, but Earl? Doubtful, and I was so happy once and now wondering what day it is, since everyday is Saturday, except Sunday. I found it, after sending off emails into addresses that may not work any longer.... I become more obsolete daily...

  No matter about me, y'all keep keepin' on.

The greatest predator, the one no one can escape...

  So I am alone, wife is on a cruise with friends, and I am rattling around the house. Talking to the TV and myself, sigh.

  I went out to bury some composting, and I did have a good load. As I neared the area to dig up, I saw an old log, chain saw cut from when they were clearing dangerous trees from behind the fence lines, good neighbors don't get sued. It had been in that position for awhile and now I noted about four very different fungi and mushrooms making it their meal and their happy home.  Errant thought that no one starves and everything eats, and the greatest predators seem to be microscopic bacteria and viruses. In the end, they get everything, which is why recycle isn't a human invention, it is divine.

  Not to worry about lions, tigers and bears - no matter what Dorothy told you. I wanted to take a picture of that log to add to this post, but I lent it to my wife for her to take pictures while away. As I finished with the soil turning and noting the rich stuff and the happy worms, good job guys, I then thought again about the greatest predator, and I was wrong - it isn't those little things. No, it is the really big killer, TIME, it does get us all in the end. Your time is up, it is about time, and do we have enough time? Time stops the future, makes memories and tricks us all, because it is only now - all the remainder is just idle thoughts about what isn't now or not yet. TIME is going to get you if you don't watch out, or even if you do.... no matter how much Daylight Savings you have done, you never get to spend it... take care out there, God loves us - all the time.