Death of Hypatia®

Category: Blog

  • WIBCI Post #77

    WIBCI we noticed acts of POLITICS?:

    COWARD (Webster): /kou-erd/n/: a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

    DICTATOR (Wikipedia):/dik-tey-ter/n/: In modern usage, the term dictator is generally used to describe a leader who holds or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power.

    CULT of PERSONALITY: /kuhlt/uv/pur-suh–nal-I-tee/n/: is the result of an effort which is made to create an idealized and heroic image of an admirable leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Historically, it has been developed through techniques such as the manipulation of the mass media, the dissemination of propaganda, the staging of spectacles, the manipulation of the arts, the instilling of patriotism, and government-organized demonstrations and rallies. A cult of personality is similar to apotheosis, except that it is established through the use of modern social engineering techniques, it is usually established by the state or the party in one-party states and dominant-party states. Cults of personality often accompany the leaders of totalitarian or authoritarian governments. They can also be seen in some monarchies, theocracies, failed democracies, and even in liberal democracies.

    • Juan Peron, 3 time elected President and arguably, dictator, of Argentina, built a personality cult around he and his wife, whose effects are still felt in Argentinian culture today. This dictator should his cowardice, in part, best put by Wikipedia: He often showed contempt for any opponents, regularly characterizing them as traitors and agents of foreign powers. Those who did not fall in line or were perceived as a threat to Perón’s political power were subject to losing their jobs, threats, violence and harassment.
    • Mussolini exhibited his cowardice by instructing the press what to write and what not to write about the fascist.
    • One of Hitler’s initial task of cowardice after assuming power in Germany was to extinguish all rights of the German Press.
    • US government showed its when it defunded PBS and pressured TV networks to silence….. comics?!
    … more “WIBCI Post #77”

  • Know Thyself Post #77

    Know Thyself through LITERATURE:

    Think about the following quote:

    Which of us is there can tell how much vanity lurks in our warmest regard for others and how selfish our love is?

    – William Makepeace Thackeray Vanity Fair

    Think about someone you truly love.

    Is vanity there?

    Is there an aspect of selfishness?… more “Know Thyself Post #77”

  • WIBCI Post #76

    WIBCI we knew more of our LITERARY HISTORY?

    In Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller there was the following quote that struck me. It struck me because it made me realize I didn’t know anything about Walt Whitman which started this cool stream of consciousness/domino effect which I will continue after the quote…

    Often we sat by the fire drinking hot toddies and discussing the life back there in The States. We talked about it as if we never expected to go back there again. Filmore had a map of New York City which he had tacked on the wall. We used to spend whole evenings discussing the relative virtues of Paris and New York. And inevitably, there always crept into our discussions the figure of Whitman. That one lone figure that America has produced in the course of her brief life. In Whitman the whole American scene comes to life; her past and her future, her birth and her death. Whatever there is of value in America, Whitman has expressed; and there is nothing more to be said. The future belongs to the machine, to the robots. He was the poet of the body, and the soul, Whitman. The first and the last poet. He is almost undecipherable today; a monument covered with crude hieroglyphs for which there is no key. It seems strange to almost mention his name over here; there is no equivalent here in the languages of Europe for the spirit which he immortalized.

    So the realization ‘I don’t know anything about Whitman’ started me off…..

    Here is what I learned:

    1. I don’t know anything about Walt Whitman
    2. I should get over my ill founded dread of poetry and try to read Leaves of Grass
    3. Whitman wrote a novel in 1852 called The Life and Adventures of Jack Engle. BUT according to the Audible title description: No one laid eyes on it until 2016, when literary scholar Zachary Turpin, at the University of Houston, followed a paper trail deep into the Library of Congress, where the sole surviving copy of Jack Engle has lain waiting for generations.
    4. He was pro-temperance and anti-slavery
    5. He believed that Shakespeare did NOT write all that is attributed to Shakespeare
    6. (Wikipedia) Whitman’s poem “I Sing the Body Electric” (1855) was used by Ray Bradbury as the title of a short story and a short story collection. Bradbury’s story was adapted for the Twilight Zone episode of May 18, 1962, in which a bereaved family buys a made-to-order robot grandmother to forever love and serve the family.
    7. He was a ‘major figure’ in Transcendentalism which according to Wikipedia is on the first philosophical currents that emerged in the US and is considered: a philosophical, spiritual, and literary movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in the New England region of the United States. A core belief is in the inherent goodness of people and nature, and while society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, people are at their best when truly “self-reliant” and independent. Transcendentalists saw divine experience inherent in the everyday. They thought of physical and spiritual phenomena as part of dynamic processes rather than discrete entities.

    I kinda dig when something I don’t know, begets something, that begets something, that begets something.… more “WIBCI Post #76”

  • Know Thyself Post #76

    Know Thyself through POLITICS:

    Know when your freedoms are being taken away.

    (Wikipedia):

    “In Mills v. Alabama (1943) the Supreme Court laid out the purpose of the free press clause: … there is practically universal agreement that a major purpose of [the First Amendment] was to protect the free discussion of governmental affairs. … the press serves and was designed to serve as a powerful antidote to any abuses of power by governmental officials, and as a constitutionally chosen means for keeping officials elected by the people responsible to all the people whom they were selected to serve.”… more “Know Thyself Post #76”

  • WIBCI Post #75

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If: WIBCI: we learned from LITERATURE?:

    Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray follows the lives of the anti-heroine Becky Sharp and milky vanilla Amelia Sedley  during and after the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. This biting portrayal of early 19th century British society only sits in the backseat to the snarky presence of the omniscient author, and the titillating immorality of almost all its characters.
    Below comes from Vanity Fair  and is a line I initially blew off as filler, but after I thought about it, I believe Thackeray meant more:

    When a traveler talks to you perpetually about the splendor of his luggage, which he does not happen to have with him, my son, beware of that traveler, he is, 10 to 1, an imposter.

     

    At first I thought this was literally about traveling and luggage. But now I think it is more like this: if you communicate with someone whom persistently talks about the wonderful things they have and do, wonderful things that are never present, a person who says a lot of pretty words with no substance, no proof – ask yourself if they are compensating for something. Good people are just good people and often don’t need to lead with this, or pre-empt any discovery of such a personality trait that you might make on your own.  I think it is a cautionary tale, telling us to be wary of people who talk as though they are marvelous rather than showing you they are marvelous by just being marvelous.

    What do YOU think?… more “WIBCI Post #75”

  • Know Thyself Post #75

    Know Thyself through 1980’s POLITICAL satire:

    I saw an old SNL Weekend Update from 1988. Dennis Miller was solo at the desk with a banging mullet and making snarky jokes per the upcoming 1988 Presidential election between George Bush (senior) and Michael Dukakis. One particular quip struck me as timely:

    ‘You know I don’t even think the Presidential system works anymore, I’m advocating a new system, the volleyball-tocracy, we elect six men, one of them serves until he screws up, they rotate, and somebody else takes it for awhile.’

    I know this was said in 1988, but not bad….six guys trying to one up each other, probably better checks and balances than we have right now, no? Thoughts?… more “Know Thyself Post #75”

  • WIBCI Post #74

    WIBCI if we learned from LITERATURE?

    I re-watched the 2016 movie Love and Friendship staring Kate Beckinsale recently. This movie is based on Jane Austen’s epistolary novel Lady Susan. An epistolary novel is a story solely consisting of letters between characters, and this one is basically an 18th century satirical rom/com. In the movie, at the end there was the particular mention 0f one of the 10 Commandments; Thou shall not bear false witness. Why was this in the script? I like when there is a little unformed seeds that are dropped in movies, a thin Ariadne’s thread that not everyone notices.

    Wikipedia describes the 10 Commandments as: ‘religious and ethical directives. The canon ‘To Bear False Witness’ in particular, is described as ‘widely understood as (a) moral imperative in Judaism and Christianity‘. This is the commandment against false testimony, and further defined as:

    ‘Offenses against the truth express(ed) by word or deed, a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness: they are fundamental infidelities to God, and in this sense, they undermine the foundations of (the) covenant with God.’

    Further down under the heading: ‘Ancient Understanding’ it says:

    ‘You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.’

    — Exodus 23:1-

    This explanation seems to make this commandment much broader than I first thought. The shall-not part about – ‘spreading a false report’, aka, voluntarily lying…. like almost everything on the internet? Spoiler alert for those that wish to get ahead in politics, breaking this one may be unavoidable. The shall-not part about – ‘join hands with a wicked man’….. for those that wish to get ahead in many appendages of the business world, breaking this one may be unavoidable. Don’t ‘join an evil group’, like what? A cult, most religions, or maybe upper management of any corporation? And no lying in the law?! I mean come on, this was obviously written a long time ago, lying seemingly happens all the time in courtrooms with little to no repercussions. You don’t even have to pay fines when found guilty anymore right?! Let me clarify; you don’t have to pay if you’re rich and/or infamous anymore right?!

    It seems rather difficult to not do this shall not…. So why was this Commandment so prominent in the film? The woman asking the priest about it at the end particularly disliked the woman to whom this question seemed to be concerning – Lady Susan (who was pregnant and the baby is NOT new husband’s). So…..was she asking because SHE wanted/did not want to spread a rumor about Lady Susan if it is offensive to God, OR, does she wish to know if she is beholden by this commandment to commit oneself to moral uprightness and therefore expose Lady Susan, OR, does she feel that some of her own conniving, albeit well intentioned, has broken this Commandment? I really don’t know which it is…what do YOU think?

     … more “WIBCI Post #74”

  • Know Thyself Post #74

    Know Thyself through Language

    Entmology /ET-im-OL-ə-jee/ n./: the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning across time.

    Language has always fascinated me. Words have little stories within them, if you know how to read them, or, if you notice them. I find I use words and phrases reflexively, sometimes without knowing the real meaning behind the words. I’m using them correctly, usually, but it is knee-jerk more than saying them because they fit the situation better than other words would. Or I’m so comfortable with a word that I didn’t notice there was a meaning there, often pretty obvious, that I had taken for granted.

    For instance: I love the movie Caddyshack but it wasn’t until I watched it last week for the, at least, 59th time, before I realized that the name ‘Caddyshack’ referred to the structure the caddies hang out at beyond the sight of the members of the gold club. It was just the name of the movie to me.

    I have used the phrase ‘Suffice it to say’ incorrectly….recently.

    I didn’t consider where the names of the months come from. I knew July was renamed in Julius Caesar’s honor after his death, and I knew Octavian, aka Augustus, named August after himself. But I didn’t know that Caligula, Nero, Domitian and Commodus named at least one month after themselves. These reboots didn’t stick as these men proved to be profoundly unpopular after they were murdered or committed suicide. Side note: Commodus renamed all 12 months after himself, the end of his reign was thought of as increasingly dictatorial, he created a personality cult or cult of the leader where he deified himself, and went so far as to perform as a gladiator in the Colosseum. Ironically at the age of 31, he was assassinated by a wrestler named….and I’m not making this up….Narcissus. Yeah history!

    I knew Benedict Arnold was a traitor, but not specifically what he was a traitor for, till I looked it up.

    Did you know that the word Jesus means Christ? So his name is Christ Christ. Repetitive, but spiced up with a synonym, like the 80’s band Mr. Mister.

    I thought I knew what being ‘Machiavellian’ meant….I didn’t.

    I’m going to keep noticing words/phrases that just tumble out with little to no known backstory, and learn about them.

    I like (knowing the) meaning (of) what I say.… more “Know Thyself Post #74”

  • WIBCI Post #73

    WIBCI we learned from LITERATURE?

    Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a French playwright and diplomat of the Age of Enlightenment. He wrote the play, Day of Madness, or more commonly known, The Marriage of Figaro. Quick synopsis: Count Almaviva is a conniving, overpowering, womanizer. As revenge for an earlier wrong, Count Almaviva hires Figaro as a servant, in the hopes to exercise  droit du seigneur  or his right to bed a new (servant) bride on her wedding night. Figaro, his bride and the countess come together to devise a plan to expose and embarrass the count. Although the practice of droit du seigneur had ended, when the play was first written it was banned due to the harsh criticism of the nobility. When it was allowed to run (above ground) years later its popularity showed the depth of critical public opinion in the 1780’s France (pre-French Revolution….). Here is a soliloquy from this play where Figaro is going after the hierarchy present at the time:

    Because you are a great nobleman, you think you are a great genius… Nobility, fortune, rank, position! How proud they make a man feel! What have you done to deserve such advantages? Whereas I, lost among the obscure crowd, have had to deploy more knowledge, more calculation and skill merely to survive than has sufficed to rule all the provinces of Spain for a century!

    Replace ‘nobleman’ with ‘billionaire’ or ‘leader’ and ‘Spain’ with ‘United States’.

    Do YOU agree with Beaumarchais?… more “WIBCI Post #73”

  • Know Thyself Post #73

    Know Thyself through noticing forgiveness:

    In your life, in the last situation of which you were a primary participant, and in which an olive branch was offered:

    Questions:

    1. Was the olive branch extended TO you, or BY you?
    2. Was it accepted?
    3. Would you do anything differently if given the chance?
    … more “Know Thyself Post #73”

  • WIBCI Post #72

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If or WIBCI we were more literal?

    Not all the time that would be annoying. But WIBCI people of note when saying something of apparent import, meant what they said?

    In moments when a microphone is present and questions are asked, there seems to be an abundance of thanking one’s God. Do these people literally believe that the divinity to which they prey helped them do their job better? I’m not suggesting that these individuals to not believe themselves important enough for such a thing to happen; I more question the Diety’s availability and interest in their personal pursuits.

    On the other side you don’t hear many people blaming God when things don’t go their way. I’ve read the Bible, if that is the God you are into, he seems vengeful enough, but again the bothering to do something about it, should enter the equation. Do these people actually believe that the creator of the universe altered the arch of balls to fall more favorably for the side with the most worshippers? Or is it the intensity of the prayers, like quality over quantity?

    If not, WIBCI they just said what they meant?… more “WIBCI Post #72”

  • Know Thyself Post #72

    Know Thyself through emotion

    I watched a playoff in golf the other day and the hometown boy won. When he did this started a shitstorm of jubilation from everyone there. There were high fives, all manner of fist pumps, and a sustained roar that must have been sick to have been within. I saw many gentlemen so full of exuberance that they were able to lift their port bodies off the actual ground, repeatedly. kids being knocked about like in a mosh pit but with the look of ecstasy on their faces.

    People cried.

    It was infectious, I found myself smiling and I had very little to do with the putt.

    I wish I had a career where demonstration of my skill resulted in such unabashed vigor by onlookers. Screw onlookers, would be cool to feel that way from doing anything.

    I wish I could feel such feelings from others and within myself by doing something really well.

    What do YOU think?… more “Know Thyself Post #72”

  • WIBCI Post #71

    WIBCI/Wouldn’t It Be Cool If: POLITICS were acquainted with humility?

    WIBCI actively and shamelessly campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize disqualified you from consideration?… more “WIBCI Post #71”

  • Know Thyself Post #71

    Know Thyself through Recall:

    Did you know that lineups are still used today by police enforcement? The average time for a live lineup where potential suspects stand side by side in front of a one-way mirror like in movies or old TV shows. According to the inter webs this takes place on average: ‘hours to days’ after the alleged crime. Hours to Days have passed before someone could mark someone they think they remember committing a crime. Not surprisingly, this is often wrong.

    Do you think YOU, or better said, your memory or recall, would fall in the ‘often wrong’ category?

    If you ate outside your home in a commercial establishment in the past 72 hours, think back to your most recent meal/drink/snack that you purchased – Could you pick out the person you paid in a lineup? Could you describe the person you paid well enough for a composite artist to render a drawing of them? Can you picture the person you paid right now?

    Try this:

    1. Go to the Contacts of your phone
    2. Find the first contact under ‘B’
    3. Picture them in any other form than a profile pic or an image that comes up on your phone
    4. Rinse and Repeat for the first contact under ‘L’
    5. Rinse and Repeat for the first contact under ‘T’

    How good were YOU at this?

    Next time you are face to face with someone in your contacts list, really look at them.… more “Know Thyself Post #71”

  • WIBCI Post #70

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If we paid more attention?

    WIBCI we noticed more?

    I took some of my own advice and went outside to notice something and get the ‘need-to-do’ and ‘haven’t done’ thoughts to cease for a moment.

    I saw a hummingbird. It was drizzly out and it was trying to get pollen from the soaked bendy remnants of hasta flowers. Hummingbirds remind me of Lord of the Dance, just bouncing about in space like on strings. I thought how cool it would be if it came close to me. And then it f$%king did! It darted around my head and made a little squeak noise. Hummingbird’s squeak….It then moved on to some honeysuckle and landed. I never saw a hummingbird land, I didn’t really know they did. It looked like a regular bird when it was just sitting and not hovering about. It buzzed by my head one more time and disappeared.

    That was cool.… more “WIBCI Post #70”

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