Death of Hypatia®

Category: WIBCI

  • WIBCI Post #123

    WIBCI we represented ourselves better?

    I was watching a pair of pale and wispy Olympic ice skaters from a newish country, bedazzled up with aggressively bunned hair, frozen smiles, heaving for breathe, anxiously awaiting scores for the pinnacle of a lifetime’s worth of hard work and achievement.

    The only thing blighting this moment is the U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A chant obnoxiously drowning out the commentators attempts to make the down time interesting.

    Poorly played Emma.

    Albeit the timing for this particular moment was less than classy, to me, chanting this in public places no longer rings of patriotism, it seems more like a bully mantra, more likely to color my cheeks with embarrassment than pride. Maybe if you were there in the stadium, surrounded by countrymen, it might be catchy, but from my couch, it wasn’t the best look.… more “WIBCI Post #123”

  • WIBCI Post #122

    WIBCI we embodied separation of church and state?

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If when the new POTUS was sworn into office that he/she/they placed their hand on the US Constitution?

    Here are the words they say:

    “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

    Nothing against the Bible but if we truly are tolerant of all religions and not supposed to cross the streams per Thomas Jefferson, than why not swear on the actual thing you are supposed to ‘preserve, protect and defend’?

     … more “WIBCI Post #122”

  • WIBCI Post #121

    WIBCI

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If: once in a lifetime experiences were given to the deserved?

    I have seen, many, many ads for a show featuring the fresh prince where he traverses the globe and experiences life altering moments, no other human has probably combined in a single lifetime.

    and I find myself full of resentment.

    Why does someone who slapped away a charmed life get to experience such things?! So an actor and corporate conglomerates wish to profit off of this guy’s reality TV moral comeback? Why does such a person deserve such an honor? Why not give this opportunity to a special ed teacher? Someone who could never afford it and actual has lived a life that doesn’t need to be forgiven/forgotten? Someone whose ego doesn’t desperately require our forgiveness for the despicable things they have done?

    Boo.… more “WIBCI Post #121”

  • WIBCI Post #120

    WIBCI we knew what the word TYRANT means?

    In the Prologue of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, he describes how in Greek Mythologies Daedalus had done the Gods dirty by NOT sacrificing the bull he was supposed to:

    “He had converted a public event to personal gain, whereas the whole sense of his investiture as king had been that he was no longer a mere private person. The return of the bull would have symbolized his absolutely selfless submission to the functions of his role. The retaining of it represented, on the other had, an impulse to egocentric self-aggrandizement. And so the king “by the grace of God” became the dangerous tyrant Holdfast – out for himself.”

    Joseph Campbell goes on to describe the characteristics universal to TYRANTS:

    1. “..the individual cuts himself as a unit off from the larger unit of the whole community: and so the One was broken into the many, and these then battled each other-each out for himself-and could be governed only by force.

    2. He is the hoarder of the general benefit. 

    3. He is the monster avid for the greedy rights of ‘my and mine.’

    4. The havoc wrought by him is described in mythology and fairy tale as being universal throughout his domain. This may be bo more than his household, his own tortured psyched, or the lives that he blights with the touch of his friendship and assistance; or it may amount to the extent of his civilization.

    5. The inflated ego of the tyrant is a curse to himself and his world-no matter how his affairs ay seem to prosper. Self-terrorized, fear-haunted, alert at every hand to meet and battle back the anticipated aggressions of his environment, which are primarily the reflections of the uncontrollable impulses to acquisition within himself, the giant of self-achieved independence is the world’s messenger of disaster.“

     

    Remind YOU of anyone?!… more “WIBCI Post #120”

  • WIBCI Post #119

    WIBCI humility and class mattered?

    I tried to find a historical example of a political leader renaming an already named thing in honor of themselves that remained so named one they were inevitably no longer in power. (Such things appear historically not to have staying power).

    WIBCI the only individuals publicly honored had to have done something honorable for said public?

    Seems to squish out all the honor if you put the crown on your own head. Just me?… more “WIBCI Post #119”

  • WIBCI Post #118

    WIBCI there was a stage past blame?

    It appears to me, in my limited experience, that people are currently quite proficient at diagnosing why they are mentally the way they are. They seem to have hit the nail on the head, figured the cause of their woes, and psychoanalyzed themselves, their ego, Id, and their super ego, exhaustedly.

    Oddly enough, this seems to have been the finish line. Love the self awareness, but are you sure you are done?

    Is the goal identification or fixing?

    If an engine broke down and you discovered the issue, you wouldn’t just acknowledge the issue and then get a snack, right?

    Very cool that the time was spent on really thinking about your past, nothing wrong with that. Just saying after you discover that little truth about you, after the ah-ha-reflection, spend time thinking about how to fix it/not do it anymore/make up for lost time/stop resenting/try to like kale/stop thinking so many judgy thoughts about your co-workers…..etc.… more “WIBCI Post #118”

  • WIBCI Post #117

    WIBCI we thought more broadly?

    Suddenly it wasn’t only a personal thing to me. I could picture hundreds and hundreds of boys living on the wrong sides of cities, boys with black eyes who jumped at their own shadows. Hundreds of boys who maybe watched sunsets and looked at stars and ached for something better. I could see boys going down under street lights because they were mean and tough and hated the world, and it was too late to tell them that there was still good in it, and they wouldn’t believe you if you did. It was too vast a problem to just be a personal thing.

    -SE Hinton The Outsiders

    I thought about how selfless this thought is. How anti-narcissistic it is. Thinking like this takes time, quiet, reflection, and consideration.

    If you could, would YOU tell them there is still good in the world? How much?

     

    … more “WIBCI Post #117”

  • WIBCI Post #116

    WIBCI there were more Bob Weir’s?

    The co-founder of The Grateful Dead died yesterday.

    For anyone unfamiliar with Bob Weir, I urge you to listen, read, and think about all he experienced.

    He was a part of the Merry Prankster’s, he lived with Neal Cassady a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s. This time, these people, this music, this bus, were influenced by jazz, Buddhism, French surrealism, counter culture, electric kool-aid acid tests, and spawned: beatniks, hippies, fight songs, Kerouac, Ginsberg, Kesey, Jerry Garcia, Burroughs, Wolfe, and Bob Weir among countless others. If there were ever a time in history where we could use such influence, wouldn’t now be a good time?

    Escaping through the lily field,

    I came across an empty space,

    it trembled and exploded,

    left a bus stop in its place.

    the bus came by and I got on.

    that’s when it all began.

    There was cowboy Neal

    at the wheel

    of a bus to Never Never Land.

    -Bob Weir

    The bus was named Furthur and ‘Neal’ was Neal Cassidy….a major figure of the Beat Generation. Bob weir wrote this ng, un beknowst to him, the night Neal died of exposure on train tracks in Mexico. Bob Weir has said that he felt that Neal came to him that night while he was writing the above song ‘The Other One‘. At a televised memorial his wife said that he believed souls stay around for 59 days after they die and pointed out a hawk that kept circling above the crowd of thousands and said ‘Hello Darlin’.

    Mr. Weir, the Boy Wonder, The Other One, thank you for the music, memories and hours spend forgetting about all my issues with myself and the world…and just swirl.

    … more “WIBCI Post #116”

  • WIBCI Post #115

    WIBCI there were organizations that told the public when the POTUS lied to us….?

    Oh yeah it used to be called the news (before they were owned by billionaires), or the AP (before they were kicked out of the White House), or PBS (before they were defunded)….

    That was cooler….I miss them.… more “WIBCI Post #115”

  • WIBCI Post #114

    WIBCI we were more COMPASSIONATE?

    Recently I was speaking with someone whose politics I abhor but whose opinion I value. I was expressing my anxiety about the state of the world and the future for ‘us’. His advice to me was to stop worrying about other people and situations I cannot control and to focus on taking care of myself.

    I thought about this and could not disagree more. I believe this narcissist, selfish attitude, referencing humanity with such lacksidazeicalness helped to get us in this shit sandwich to begin with.

    It reminds me of the poem “First They Came“. Per Wikipedia this is: (German: Als sie kamen lit. ‘When they came‘, or Habe ich geschwiegen lit. ‘I did not speak out‘), is the poetic form of a 1946 post-war confessional prose piece by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller(1892–1984). It indirectly condemns complicity of German intellectuals and clergy following the Nazis’ rise to power and subsequent incremental purging of their chosen targets.

     

    Here is the best known English version:

    First they came for the Communists
    And I did not speak out
    Because I was not a Communist

    Then they came for the Socialists
    And I did not speak out
    Because I was not a Socialist

    Then they came for the trade unionists
    And I did not speak out
    Because I was not a trade unionist

    Then they came for the Jews
    And I did not speak out
    Because I was not a Jew

    Then they came for me
    And there was no one left
    To speak out for me

     

    WIBCI history, in this instance, did not repeat itself?

     … more “WIBCI Post #114”

  • WIBCI Post #113

    WIBCI we continued to care about the MEANING OF LIFE?

    In honor of the new year and in the hope that it is not as sucky as 2025, I thought why not get deep and discuss the biggest question that has frustrated mankind for millennia: What is the Meaning of Life?

    Rather than going down the obvious Philosophy route, I’ll let the minds of Monty Python sum it up, per the ending of their 1983 movie of the same name:

    A man, dressed like a woman is sitting in a den in an armchair, there is a vase with an Adam’s Family ‘Thing’ hand holding flowers, a tube television set, and a background curtain circa Johnny Carson:

    ‘Well that’s the end of the film now here’s the meaning of life….’ (handed envelope which is opened). ‘Thank you Bridgette. well there is nothing very special; try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and again, get some walking in, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people from all creeds and nations.’

     

    And while I’m at it, check out the lyrics to ‘Bright Side of Life‘ and may YOU be better in the New Year:

    Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
    by Monty Python
    But Brian, you know what they say?
    Some things in life are bad
    They can really make you mad
    Other things just make you swear and curse
    When you’re chewing on life’s gristle
    Don’t grumble, give a whistle
    And this’ll help things turn out for the best
    And Always look on the bright side of life
    Always look on the light side of life

    If life seems jolly rotten (hoo-hoo)
    There’s something you’ve forgotten (hoo-hoo)
    And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing (hoo-hoo-hoo)
    When you’re feeling in the dumps (hoo-hoo)
    Don’t be silly, chumps (hoo-hoo)
    Just purse your lips and whistle, that’s the thing (hoo-hoo)
    And

    Always look on the bright side of life
    (Come on)
    Always look on the right side of life

    For life is quite absurd (hoo-hoo)
    And death’s the final word (hoo-hoo)
    You must always face the curtain with a bow (hoo-hoo-hoo)
    Forget about your sin (hoo-hoo)
    Give the audience a grin (hoo-hoo)
    Enjoy it, it’s your last chance anyhow

    So always look on the bright side of death
    A-just before you draw your terminal breath

    Life’s a piece of shit (hoo-hoo)
    When you look at it (hoo-hoo)
    Life’s a laugh and death’s a joke, it’s true (hoo-hoo-hoo)
    You’ll see it’s all a show (hoo-hoo)
    Keep ’em laughin’ as you go (hoo-hoo)
    Just remember that the last laugh is on you (hoo-hoo-hoo)
    And

    Always look on the bright side of life
    Always look on the right side of life
    Always look on the bright side of life
    Always look on the bright side of life
    (repeats)

    … more “WIBCI Post #113”

  • WIBCI Post #112

    WIBCI we knew more BACKGROUND?

    We Wish You a Merry Christmas, is thought of as a harmless carol, making one think of kindergarteners on stage dressed as candy canes….no?

    But the truth is that in Britain, a few hundred years ago, the practice of caroling had a much more sinister attitude. This was seen as a time for ‘king for a day’ where the poor asked, no demanded to be fed, given drink, allowed reign in homes, and basically harassed the rich. So much were the rich aggravated that Christmas was actually banned for more than 100 years.

    Knowing this, now consider the lyrics below and picture them being sung by hungry poor, most likely serfs on your land, in masks, hungry and drunk in your own home:

    We wish you a Merry Christmas,
    We wish you a Merry Christmas,
    We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
    Good tidings to you, wherever you are;
    Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!

    Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
    Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
    Oh, bring us a figgy pudding, and a cup of good cheer.

    We won’t go until we get some;
    We won’t go until we get some;
    We won’t go until we get some, so bring some right here.

    We wish you a Merry Christmas;
    We wish you a Merry Christmas;
    We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

    … more “WIBCI Post #112”

  • WIBCI Post #111

    WIBCI……

    A massive tree fell in the cemetery I frequent. Although it was surrounded by about a dozen graves of all different shapes and sizes, the trunk nor any of its awesome branches fell on a single stone. One massive stone was shifted, one was spun about 90 degrees, but none were destroyed, as they easily would have been. The force of the trunk created at least 3 giant divots in the ground, must have weighed tons, and probably over 200 hundred years old, yet it did not devastate a single memorial.

    It was as if nature respected and considered the graves when it crashed to the ground.

    WIBCI this respect were reciprocated?… more “WIBCI Post #111”

  • WIBCI Post #110

    WIBCI you knew Where’s your line in the sand was?

    Dickens is my hero. I love the character of his characters and I love how his stories changed the world. I love the beauty of his words, how people thought about them and allowed them to make them better people. Art that was entertainment, not filler for billionaire’s advertisements. Literature that was produced to improve all, not profit few.

    Dickens as a person, like most geniuses, was flawed. He was not a good husband, nor a good businessman, and rather arrogant.

    But, he is still my hero. His books forced people to consider lower classes and feel the burn of shame and responsibility to help. Most books prior to Oliver Twist, were written by the rich, about the rich, for the rich.

    Dickens changed social justice, so he remains my hero, warts and all.

    But I do have a line. I do not shop at Walmaht, I do not eat veal, I’m unsure about Woody, and 100% sure I cannot stomach the fact that Dr. Hux is televised daily and making royalty checks after destroying so many lives. But that is my line, y’all can do what you want.

    Where’s YOUR line?… more “WIBCI Post #110”

  • WIBCI Post #109

    WIBCI Football were free?

    Wouldn’t It Be Cool If all people with a television could watch football games without additional subscriptions? These are ‘public’ events correct?… more “WIBCI Post #109”

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