Massive headache today, but once I get better, I've got a nice holiday article. I just can't complete it right now.
Check back tomorrow.
==========================================
Not so long ago, a group of people was accused of being different.
It didn't matter whether they were or weren't. A vocal minority pointed them out, rouse the rabble and attacked those people.
Some members of the accused group were killed, others were forced to flee or turn on others of their kind to save their lives. It didn't matter that there was no evidence of wrongdoing or even that some harm had come to the accusers.
It took some time, but finally, sanity and reason prevailed. However, a scar was left on our collective memories.
If you are trying to figure out what I'm referring to, your guesses are probably correct even though they may be different. This scene has played out many times throughout history.
While those of African, Jewish, Arabic or some other background can all claim this history as part of its own, I'm going deep into the way-back machine and, in the spirit of the season, going back to Massachusetts and the year 1692.
The Salem witch trials were well under way because of the hysteria of several young girls. Nineteen men and women were hanged after being "convicted" of witchcraft, one man was pressed to death for not cooperating with the court and 17 others died while in prison.
No single shred of physical evidence was presented and those who were persecuted were done so only on the word of tormented young girls. More than 150 men and women were jailed during this time.
From June to October, the "accused" were paraded in front of a special court and their sentences were carried out quickly. Only the actions of the governor prevented more people from being killed.
My point is this: this was not the first nor definitely the last time something like this has happened. It seems to occur quite regularly throughout our history -- and may be going on even today.
It seems whenever times of stress and confusion reign, our sense and sensibilities are the first casualties. We strive toward singularity of ideas and ideals rather than taking the time to embrace the plurality of it all. Bring closer those of like minds and reject or blast those who are different is the rule and should be the exception.
If we don't understand or can't comprehend, we should take the time to do so. It isn't right to shun those who aren't like us and certainly don't accept those who claim violence is the right way.
But in the spirit of Halloween, it is time to remember the old ghosts and don't let them become future ones.
And all you people who think Halloween is a demonic holiday need to do a little research and open up your minds. Geez!
Homer: "Marge, you being a cop makes you the man! Which makes me the woman - and I have no interest in that, besides occasionally wearing the underwear, which as we discussed, is strictly a comfort thing."
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Monday, October 24, 2005
The Envelope
Nerves, trepidation, butterflies.
Is it the measure of a person to know their limitations, touch the edge of the envelope and excel within those confines?
Or it is better to push harder, try again and strive to achieve beyond your means -- even though failure is more likely than not?
History is sprinkled with those men and women who have gone beyond the barriers and achieved greatness. It is also littered with those souls who reached farther than they could grasp and went down in flames.
To paraphrase: is it better to have tried and lost than to never have tried at all?
Individual judgment is the only referee to settle this conflict. We each must make the decision to press on in our personal battlefields or hold on to the gains we've made with an eye toward the greater goal.
Those who decide that there are goals that can and should be reached are often called dreamers, fools, risk-takers and sometimes, just foolish. However, they are also known as leaders, pioneers, and sometimes, visionaries.
What is the guide? Where is the dividing line between fool and pioneer?
And what is lost when we can't see the line at all? Risk and reward are ethereal entities that only history can dole out.
Red lever, blue lever or no lever at all.
Choices are made and lives go on. But in the multitude of parallel universes, one world's dreamer is another world's leader.
Only history can make that determination. However, we can make the choices.
For me, I choose to take the risks. Nothing ventured and nothing gained. I'm never satisfied with what I have accomplished, but I am happy with the choices I've made.
Where do you fall? And what are you going to do about it?
"We can pave new roads with the cold creed stones, wind them through the pines" -- Foo Fighters
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
Is it the measure of a person to know their limitations, touch the edge of the envelope and excel within those confines?
Or it is better to push harder, try again and strive to achieve beyond your means -- even though failure is more likely than not?
History is sprinkled with those men and women who have gone beyond the barriers and achieved greatness. It is also littered with those souls who reached farther than they could grasp and went down in flames.
To paraphrase: is it better to have tried and lost than to never have tried at all?
Individual judgment is the only referee to settle this conflict. We each must make the decision to press on in our personal battlefields or hold on to the gains we've made with an eye toward the greater goal.
Those who decide that there are goals that can and should be reached are often called dreamers, fools, risk-takers and sometimes, just foolish. However, they are also known as leaders, pioneers, and sometimes, visionaries.
What is the guide? Where is the dividing line between fool and pioneer?
And what is lost when we can't see the line at all? Risk and reward are ethereal entities that only history can dole out.
Red lever, blue lever or no lever at all.
Choices are made and lives go on. But in the multitude of parallel universes, one world's dreamer is another world's leader.
Only history can make that determination. However, we can make the choices.
For me, I choose to take the risks. Nothing ventured and nothing gained. I'm never satisfied with what I have accomplished, but I am happy with the choices I've made.
Where do you fall? And what are you going to do about it?
"We can pave new roads with the cold creed stones, wind them through the pines" -- Foo Fighters
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Making Sense Of The Argument
There is a book that -- under normal circumstances -- would have generated more controversy and angst that it would make "The Satanic Verses" look like a comic book.
But because of who the author is and the almost dismissive way he frames his own book, it is barely a blip on the radar. However, that does not make it any less interesting or provocative.
What if I told you that God is dead? What if I said that we -- and everything around us -- are all made up of God's debris?
That simple, yet outstanding, notion is the basis for a book written by the creator of the Dilbert comics, Scott Adams. Adams wrote the book as a thought experiment and targeted a very specific audience.
In the introduction, Adams wrote, "The story contains no violence, no sexual content, and no offensive language. But the ideas expressed by the characters are inappropriate for young minds. People under the age of 14 should not read it."
Adams said the target audience for the book is people who enjoy having their brains spun around in their skulls.
The premise of the book is the effective -- and often wrong -- use of Occam's Razor. Given two equally predictive theories, choose the simpler.
Adams' protagonist is a man who literally knows everything, but uses Occam's Razor to explain the great mysteries of the universe, including the existence of God.
God, as stated in the book, is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Since God already knows everything throughout time and space, there is really only one question remaining to keep his interest.
What happens when God dies?
The details of this proposition are what make the book worth reading. The simplistic and absurdly basic discussion about this premise between the two main characters will make you smirk, but tug at the edges of your logic centers.
And that's when Adams springs the experiment on you -- find out what's wrong with the explanation of reality.
It is a fabulous read if you like to be challenged, like challenging normalcy or just like reading something different. Adams suggests sharing the book with your smart friends, then discuss it later while enjoying a beverage.
Anyone want to join me?
"I'm not afraid/Of anything in this world/There's nothing you can throw at me/That I haven't already heard"
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
But because of who the author is and the almost dismissive way he frames his own book, it is barely a blip on the radar. However, that does not make it any less interesting or provocative.
What if I told you that God is dead? What if I said that we -- and everything around us -- are all made up of God's debris?
That simple, yet outstanding, notion is the basis for a book written by the creator of the Dilbert comics, Scott Adams. Adams wrote the book as a thought experiment and targeted a very specific audience.
In the introduction, Adams wrote, "The story contains no violence, no sexual content, and no offensive language. But the ideas expressed by the characters are inappropriate for young minds. People under the age of 14 should not read it."
Adams said the target audience for the book is people who enjoy having their brains spun around in their skulls.
The premise of the book is the effective -- and often wrong -- use of Occam's Razor. Given two equally predictive theories, choose the simpler.
Adams' protagonist is a man who literally knows everything, but uses Occam's Razor to explain the great mysteries of the universe, including the existence of God.
God, as stated in the book, is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Since God already knows everything throughout time and space, there is really only one question remaining to keep his interest.
What happens when God dies?
The details of this proposition are what make the book worth reading. The simplistic and absurdly basic discussion about this premise between the two main characters will make you smirk, but tug at the edges of your logic centers.
And that's when Adams springs the experiment on you -- find out what's wrong with the explanation of reality.
It is a fabulous read if you like to be challenged, like challenging normalcy or just like reading something different. Adams suggests sharing the book with your smart friends, then discuss it later while enjoying a beverage.
Anyone want to join me?
"I'm not afraid/Of anything in this world/There's nothing you can throw at me/That I haven't already heard"
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Blah, Blah, Blah
Yes, I have been slacking.
The amount of inertia and empathy I have been experiencing is only balanced out by the total disregard of my surroundings. There isn't enough nothingness to express how much I have been paying attention to anything at all.
Get the idea?
That said, I am feeling a very tiny bit of regret for not updating the site. Okay, maybe regret isn't the right word, but you get this today.
I have been more involved in music -- listening, not making -- and that seems to help pass the time. There are some bright spots along the way, but for some reason, I'm focusing on the negative.
I'm not normally that way. When the darkness hits, I can usually embrace it and twist it into my own origami for my amusement.
Lately, the waves have been crashing and I'm without a surfboard -- and I don't care.
That's it. No epiphany, no deep meaning, no secret message.
As a matter of fact, I originally decided to stop writing Touch Em All, because I didn't know if anyone cared or read it anymore. But I find myself in front of the keyboard once again and just rambling.
I need a reset button. I need a broom. And I need a holiday.
Do I need to upset the cart to rearrange the contents? Or do I have the patience and skill to selectively remove the bad apples without spoiling the lot?
And how does the real world do it without television as their guide?
"It's in my best interest to be open-minded and have open ears." -- B.J.Ryan, Orioles pitcher
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
The amount of inertia and empathy I have been experiencing is only balanced out by the total disregard of my surroundings. There isn't enough nothingness to express how much I have been paying attention to anything at all.
Get the idea?
That said, I am feeling a very tiny bit of regret for not updating the site. Okay, maybe regret isn't the right word, but you get this today.
I have been more involved in music -- listening, not making -- and that seems to help pass the time. There are some bright spots along the way, but for some reason, I'm focusing on the negative.
I'm not normally that way. When the darkness hits, I can usually embrace it and twist it into my own origami for my amusement.
Lately, the waves have been crashing and I'm without a surfboard -- and I don't care.
That's it. No epiphany, no deep meaning, no secret message.
As a matter of fact, I originally decided to stop writing Touch Em All, because I didn't know if anyone cared or read it anymore. But I find myself in front of the keyboard once again and just rambling.
I need a reset button. I need a broom. And I need a holiday.
Do I need to upset the cart to rearrange the contents? Or do I have the patience and skill to selectively remove the bad apples without spoiling the lot?
And how does the real world do it without television as their guide?
"It's in my best interest to be open-minded and have open ears." -- B.J.Ryan, Orioles pitcher
Touch 'em all with me, whether you agree with me or criticize me. I like the way you think! Tell me your opinion. Add a comment below and tell me what you think or write to me if you want to join the ever-growing e-mail list to have my column delivered right to your inbox.
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