Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Christmas List


Buddhists tell us we must remove desire in order to achieve happiness. There is a certain logic and continuity in that line of thinking. You see, if we are too busy desiring more how can we be truly happy with what we’ve already got.

It reminds me of that song lyric “If you can’t be with the one you love baby, love the one your with”. It’s a particularly rousing burble, especially when Uncie Bear is wailing it. Perhaps Stills was a Buddhist.

In my youth when I would long for a young lady, I was quite sure she smelled like a summer’s meadow, could recite Shakespeare by heart and always told fascinating anecdotes. Of course none of that turned out to be necessarily true.

Of useful note, I was not such an exemplary specimen myself. I was usually picked by team captains in the latter rounds for most sporting activities. I managed to narrowly nudge out the chess club types and convinced myself some vague favoritism must be discounting my prowess.

This of course was also not true, but rather my desire to believe it.

You know my Father likes to tell me that you must have your dreams…something to constantly propel you forward, to strive for. You must aspire for something more, something better.

This is another of life’s conundrums. Strive or be content.

If we were all to be Buddhists would we have landed on the moon, created democracy, produced the automobile or built nuclear bombs that could blow up the entire world 10 times over?

How to temper striving to be Masters of the Universe with the fulfilling complacency of “This is as good as it gets”.

This brings me to Christmas.

My girlfriend has been asking me recently for my Christmas wish list. A seemingly harmless question is it not?

To answer her, I must now ask myself “what is it that I want”. Would I like a book I probably won’t read? A tie rack for the ties I never wear? Or perhaps an even smaller iPod? One so small I will need to also ask for a small pointy stick just to operate it.

Prior to the question being asked, I wasn't even aware I needed anything. I was blissfully ignorant to these newly created cravings.

Instead my head now fills with visions of any number of possible articles that could sooth and sate some of life’s struggles.

The problem of course is…I know they won’t. Not really. Life never really fully converges with our expectations does it? Given time things seem to always fall a little short.

Take the miracle of flight for example. Two hundred years ago people used to take months in horse drawn wagons to travel from coast to coast, and people died attempting such an arduous trek. Now it takes 5 hours by jet… and yet those damn seats are just so uncomfortable.

This brings me back to those young ladies who ultimately told fairly average anecdotes after I took off the rose tinted glasses of desire. I have learned not to let desire build such unrealistic expectations. Much like when I order Chinese Food.

Certainly we have all outgrown the ability to be as a child who, with unbridled joy Christmas morning, tears open the gift that is sure to make everything instantly wonderful. Therefore is a Christmas list even worth the effort for us now? Should Axl Rose still be attempting to making records? I’m not so sure.

So in this one small Buddhist-like way, rather than thinking about what I want this Christmas…I’ll be trying to be more appreciative of what I already have.

It is not an easy task, mind you.

Of course, if I were an actual Buddhist this might be easier.

Dammit. There I go again…desiring something else.

Monday, November 8, 2010

The Party is Over


The American Election is now in the history books and many are wondering…what was that all about?!

One such person is Bill Maher. On his HBO show Real Time he pontificates “If you can vote for Bush one year, then the next election for Obama and then go back to John Boehner; you’re not Independent, you’re schizophrenic.”

Obama apologists believe the Tea Party distorted a decent record while Obama himself thinks that the problem was “communication”. That is like taking your car in for servicing because the brakes are squealing but the man at the garage tells you the problem is your radio is on too low.

I find it weirdly amusing that what happened could be so misconstrued.

Allow me start with two truisms.

1- American Democracy is broken.

2- The American Economy is broken.

Starting with the former …The average American couldn’t run a successful corner store so why would we expect them to properly run the entire Country through their voting?

Of course the way around this is an “informed public” but thanks to a ridiculous media that idea is dead. Dead as dead can be. As dead as slavery in the civilized world…or your chances of getting a Government Pension if you are currently under 50.

Couple this with the corruption of the actually government itself…I mean if these politicians had to wear badges announcing their true allegiances they would look like NASCAR Drivers. Although they would have to be 150 ft tall to provide enough room for all the necessary corporate logos.

The final straw for Democracy is the crazy elections themselves. To get a Republican Nomination you must clench guns and bibles so vigorously that metal and paper become one. To garner the Democratic Nomination you must promise to pay for everyone everywhere while defecating reams of peace signs.

These nominees then abandon all their “core principles” as they now work to deceive independents in the actual election. Politicians are like prostitutes. They both have the ability to pretend to like you, while they are fucking you.

And the best thing is…you have only these two "bought and paid for" choices.

Did I say best thing…? That’s not right…………I meant worst thing. Having only these two choices is the worst thing.

The whole thing is a mess. And if I’m being honest… better entertainment value than anything on TV these days.

A far as the Economy goes…it is in even worse shape. Under Employment is a staggering 20%. The debt has reached an astronomical $750,000 per household (including entitlement programs). And if you taxed every single person at 100%...they would still be running an enormous elephant killing deficit!

Meanwhile American Citizens want all the perks when asked.

In California where the public has to vote on propositions to change their budget the problem becomes clear. Want to cut Child Services? “No thank you.” Want to increase taxes? “No thank you”.

People want it all…for nothing. Democracy in action.

You won’t get sanity from voters when another side is busy telling them what they want to hear. It’s like your dentist telling you to brush your teeth when a strange bloke in a suit enters the room saying that he knows a dentist that has proven brushing your teeth will lead to Armageddon.

Voters in the past held their collective noses to believed the lie they knew to be false…because they still could.

This brings us back to the past election. This was not an Anti-Obama or Pro-Republican vote. These people did not “fail to understand” nor are they schizophrenic.

They are awakening to the truth and they are exercising the only choice they have at their disposal. Fire who's in office by voting for the new person.

Although politicians continue to lie for votes and Corporations keep creating false narratives…the results can no longer be hidden from plain sight. These people are broke. This system is broken. And finally....the people are facing it.

I sum the election up in 4 words. The natives are restless.