Thursday, November 06, 2008

Hanging Around the Center of the Cosmos (11.18.11)

There is a key point on page 314 of MOTT, where UF discusses the difference between terrestrial and celestial gravitation: the former is centripetal and enfolds, while the latter is centrifugal and radiates. Perhaps a better way of saying it is that terrestrial gravitation hardens, compacts, and and deadens, while celestial gravitation liquifies, disperses, and sows.

Think of all the forms of gravitation that "hold people together." This is not metaphorical language, but literal, both individually and collectively. In fact, the word "religion" comes from the latin religare, "to bind." Religion in its lower sense becomes quite terrestrial, most notably in the Islamic world, where people are bound and compacted together in a common prison. Conversely, ideology can mimic religion in its higher sense, so that people can be bound together by a spirit of faux radiation -- the veneration of our moonbat messiah being a fine example. After all, he's only president of the government, not the nation; the nation is where we actually live, not the government (unless you're waiting in line at the post office or DMV).

On an individual basis, it's always a good idea to explore one's center of gravity. When we talk about "values," about the culture war, about political parties, we're really talking about very different centers of gravity. For example, for the leftist, the center of gravity is the compacted collective, or state; for the conservative liberal, it is the radiant individual. In fact, for the leftist -- since he is fully terrestrial -- his center of gravity is often politics, period.

This is why the left can always muster more raw political energy than the opposition, since it is their life. They're just going with the flow, whereas for the rest of us, politics is a distasteful distraction that we mainly engage in to prevent the left from destroying the country. To paraphrase Eliot, we have no hope of actually prevailing, only of perhaps recapturing and holding a little ground and then passing it on to the next generation.

Another danger of politics is that it tends to organize people around their hates. As a result, their center of gravity becomes that which they hate. Yesterday I was checking out some of the prominent left wing sites, and sure enough, they cannot let go of their hatred and bitterness. Most of the conservative sites were gracious and conciliatory in their reaction to the election, while the left just "can't let it go," so to speak. How could they? That astonishing level of irrational hatred is not going to just vanish into thin air. That's not how the mind works.

Again, this hatred -- or death instinct -- is their center of gravity. I caught a few moments of Bill Maher on Larry King last night. He was as bitter and snarling as ever. Does anyone imagine that a mere election could ever shift Maher's psychic poles, so that he is not a hardened homunculus of hatred? Truly, if he were to give up his resentment, he would no longer exist. It's what makes him feel alive -- not to mention superior to others (for infantile hatred partakes of omnipotence).

Yes, moonbat, I know what you're thinking. How is this any different from how Bob treats the left? One difference is that you are here. Why are you here, anyway? To help change your center of gravity toward O? Or simply to use me as a focus for your hatred and stupidity?

When evaluating a patient, it really comes down to identifying their center of gravity. Most any mental illness results from a false or relative center of gravity. What is a fetish? An obsession? A compulsion? A fixation? A phobia? A depression? Paranoia? Each of these serves to organize the mind around a false center, which limits intelligence and falsifies being. They cannot "radiate," only focus. Or, if they do radiate, it is in a diffuse and chaotic manner, certainly not toward the nonlocal attractor, O. Their psychic content just spills all over the place, like a toxic dump.

Why is a great artist great? Because his words, images, or music come from a deeper or higher center of gravity that helps reveal and deepen yours. The great mystery is how this center can be communicated with very simple language or just a few notes. A great jazz musician will communicate more with just his tone than a mediocre musician with thousands of notes.

My center of gravity is O, which in turn radiates to my family, friends and readers. In turn, I do not wish to be anyone's center of gravity, but rather, help them locate and amplify theirs. You shouldn't be looking at me, but through me.

In reality, what binds you and I is the mysterious third which we are looking at together. Even if perhaps I see it a little more clearly than some neocoons, you nevertheless don't stare at my finger, now do you? No, you try to focus upon what I am pointing at. Eventually it comes into view. You already sense it, or you wouldn't be here. It's just a matter of perfecting your senses.

Conversely, I can only assume that our scientistic jester keeps coming back because he wants us to see what he sees, and to share his center of gravity, which is dense matter. Don't worry, we see it. But again, we look through and beyond it, to what it is pointing at. In short, for us, matter is legible, like the page of a book. When we read we do not stare at the letters, but look through them to the meaning. I suppose one could argue that the "center" of MOTT is page 335, being that the book contains 670 pages. But in reality, its center is O, which is present on every page.

The Hanged Man "lives under the state of celestial gravitation," which is why he is both suspended and upside down. As UF writes, "the soul is suspended between heaven and earth." It is outside the world because it is inside O. This is "the zero point between the fields of terrestrial and celestial gravitation."

And to say that we are "upside down" means that for us, the "solid ground" is located above, while the realm below is an airy abstraction -- this is the abstract world of the scientistic atheist. Perhaps this is the reason why so many infertile eggheads are materialists, since materialism is purely "head knowledge," and just a shadowy caricature of the real thing.

In contrast, in our upside down state, knowledge follows will, which is to say faith. I'm starting to run out of time here, but I once knew a man who "fell in love with O." As his love deepened, so too did his faith. And as his faith in the unseen deepened, so too did his Obedience. Soon his feet "walked in O." And as his Obedience deepened, his head and heart followed his feet. Now he walks in a cloud of radiant unknowing, calmly placing one foot in front of the other.

47 comments:

julie said...

"What is a fetish? An obsession? A compulsion? A fixation? A phobia? A depression? Paranoia? Each of these serves to organize the mind around a false center, which limits intelligence and falsifies being. They cannot "radiate," only focus."

A handy key, that, for those times when the parasites try to wrest the attention from where it rightfully belongs (which is only constantly...).

"Most of the conservative sites were gracious and conciliatory in their reaction to the election, while the left just "can't let it go," so to speak. How could they? That astonishing level of irrational hatred is not going to just vanish into thin air. That's not how the mind works."

It is galling, the disparity in responses. For the last eight years we've endured psychotic temper tantrums because the left didn't win. When the role is reversed, conservatives aren't (for the most part) reacting in kind. Which is as it should be, but also frustrating, especially for those whose goal is to "win." And for those who must endure the taunts of the viciously pleased leftists.

What worries me now is that, I think some conservatives are completely fed up. No longer content to be the "good guys," they may want to mirror the hatred and bitterness they have endured, give the leftists a taste of their own medicine. I think that's exactly the wrong thing to do, but how does one counter that mindset? Especially since

"we have no hope of actually prevailing, only of perhaps recapturing and holding a little ground and then passing it on to the next generation."

Talking down a PO'd conservative who wants to put an "Impeach Obama" bumper sticker on his car will probably not be effective, if that's all we've got...

NoMo said...

...although an "Impeach Obama" sticker right now would be pretty funny (especially on my Prius.

J - You've always got the best ideas! Let's see if I can go get beat up.

gumshoe said...

thank for today's post,bob.

i appreciate
that you continue to blog.

Anonymous said...

I am not crushed. This surprizes me a little, given my opinon of the president elect, and those who voted him into office. And I think again how passionate I was about the election four years ago, and how detatched I feel from it now.
I heard some angry, right wing fight, fight, fight! from some guy on the radio last night. I turned it off.
Politics is important, but it is not the center. Slowly, by increments, and jumps, and setbacks, I am coming closer to being able to hold O at the center.
Like the Tom Petty lyric-

Learning to fly
But I ain't got wings.
Coming down
Is the hardest thing.

JWM

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

I think this is necessary. It's almost as though the seed bearers are being called away from the market and to their gardens - for what purpose is unknown. I've got a different future ahead of me personally, one which requires responsibility and sacrifice that no president-elect can require or muster.

Julie, remember that 'anti-personal' I wrote on my blog last spring? Ah, ehh... check recent comments on my blog...

Anonymous said...

Remember that old Twilight Zone episode where the punishment for criminals was "invisibility"; they'd put a dot on their heads and then the rest of society would ignore them as if they were invisible? By the end of a year of being invisible they were completely changed.

They should put one on idiot Bill Maher. It would drive him nuts to be outright ignored.

And maybe beforehand they could stick him in the UFC ring with Chuck Liddell just for good measure.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about others, but I am starting to detect a hint of group psychosis creeping across the land. I don't mean the Obamatons but the rest of us. I am surrounded by well-read and generally intact people, many of them quite conservative, who have come to see me, I'm convinced, as having a screw loose because I'm creeped out by this guy.

To me, it's simple. Anyone with any sense should be skeptical of a president whose decisions to date and promises of what he'll do next have been mostly destructive in nature. I mean, you can say that you still want to take the risk on him because you like his ears or whatever, but you shouldn't be devaluing of well founded skepticism by an intelligent and observant person.

What I'm getting at is my sense that WE are somehow fracturing because of him -- not the usual left-right fracture of the past 8 years, but something more profound. If this is just me, let me know. But if it's not, could it be that the cultural center of gravity occupied by Obama, whatever he really is, is so powerful as to dislodge the moorings of otherwise grounded people?

I was musing about this today, after a call from a dear friend, whose politics are not that different from mine and who patronizingly asked how I was doing. She gave me the, "There, there. He's our guy now and we all need to support him." And I get off the phone and am pissed. I think, "No. You should be trying to figure out why someone as intelligent and knowledgeable as me thinks this man is a walking horror show."

And then I have to consider the question of whether I'm paranoid for some reason I can't detect. Maybe it's me who's wrong here and I just need to lighten up a bit. And anyway, how am I going to deal with this person at dinner tomorrow night when, despite my efforts to be as non-controversial as possible, I still manage to come away thinking that they're shaking their heads on the way home. So what's happening? Am I a rabid coon? Have I just changed so much that my old friends are not with me anymore?

But I just listened to Rush for a second, and he's playing a clip from Charlie Rose where two Newsweek guys are musing about the coronation and how they thought there was something creepy about it and him. Newsweek! Charlie Rose! And Rush says, and he's right if you listen to the clip, "They're scared."

What I guess I'm gettin at is, this is seeming pretty weird. Or maybe I'm having a senior crisis. Dunno.

Van Harvey said...

“They cannot "radiate," only focus. Or, if they do radiate, it is in a diffuse and chaotic manner, certainly not toward the nonlocal attractor, O. Their psychic content just spills all over the place, like a toxic dump.”

Isn't that the effect of looking solely outward for your considerations and solutions?

Let me try it from another perspective; for the horizontally minded flat landers, there is a compelling fascination with quantities, the bigger the better, rather than the qualities under which they are all but units of.

With the Quality perspective, you are 'impressed', drawn towards what is higher, what contains other Qualities, the Vertical tip of the pyramid and the awe inspiring way that each lower quality supports and also blends into the higher quality above.

With the Quantity perspective, the gaze is drawn outward towards more... any stacking of one atop another, is frustrating because reduces the apparent perception of quantities, the urge is to flatten out any clumps, in order to expand the horizon of their radius, the more the better - even though they cannot possibly get a handle upon all or even distinguish one from the other, the size is the thing, and it is a sense of power which it conveys to them and distracts them with, and they must try to fill themselves with in order to plug the emptiness. Having more than one type of things you have quantities of, really messes up their minds, since you can’t even get a grip on one spread of goodies, let alone another… going upwards to a common perspective over all is out of the question, in their minds that takes you away from stuff, rather than their truer expression in the vertical, fixate on the more sparkly expanse of stuff, roll about in it, grab it all in… then quick run around and mark you territory, then rush back to your favorite sparkly again…. It’s only value is in its power conveying size – but it is forever impossible to even begin to get their arms around.

The Quality perspective doesn't have a problem with quantities, they are the individual unit expression of the quality, and are good and useful as needed, but their quantity in and of itself, is insignificant - an evaluation utterly incomprehensible to the quantity minded. More and more types of stuff, only serve to more clearly identify the higher conceptual truth they fall under, and moving higher up and inwards they go, the easier it is to grasp them while becoming even more centered and still, in the process. The Quality perspective isn't concerned with trying to fill an emptiness with quantities, their attention is focused upwards moving inwards towards the center and being contained by higher truth, rather than being concerned with containing unattainable trivial, from their perspective, quantities.

Sorry to run on, good post, got me going there….

Van Harvey said...

Maineman said "...And then I have to consider the question of whether I'm paranoid for some reason I can't detect. Maybe it's me who's wrong here and I just need to lighten up a bit..."

Maineman, you aren't the one impressed by giving speeches to endless crowds of 240,000 people, while having no content whatsoever in his message to attract them with.

They're scarred alright... like the pyro who's just lit the building aflame....

NoMo said...

Maineman - The weirdness for me is that pesky elephant in the room: THIS WAS ALL ABOUT RACE. Perhaps the less race matters to you, the more obvious (and weirder) this is. Thankfully I've heard certain others whom I respect say the same thing.

The problem is, this isn't just another affirmative action hire in the accounting department, it's the freaking POTUS! Some degree of trepidation is not unreasonable.

Senior crisis?...not so much.

robinstarfish said...

The enfold/radiate principle was a 'clarity' moment while reading MOTT. How appropriate to be at the center of the book.

gibbors and tsaddiks
elevate their righteous ones
nietzsche apes jesus

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

Agreed about the creeped-out-ness. I think some public conservatives now have to put on the face of reconciliation. But it's a face I think. What does it mean? Obama doesn't make sense to me as a President. It's totally out of left field. I think what has perhaps happened is that I've finally come to understand the uncertainty of it all.

And yeah, Nomo, I think race is a big thing here. Some black folks are happy only because he's black. It seems childish; like the kid you let win a few games so he will have some confidence to actually try. But for the POTUS? I think we're all sticking our hands too close to the table saw blade...

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

Er no, pun intended on the left field thing. But I was thinking over U.S. Presidents, and here's this guy - Barack Hussein Obama, right? Born in Hawaii to a radical leftist woman and a man from Kenya.

It's just so disconnected. And it's not the blackness thing. Colin Powell would have made sense. Keyes, maybe even that loon Sharpton. But this guy? Something's way fishy here. I can't put my finger on it at all...

julie said...

Maineman, this whole situation is weird, it's not just you. The thing is, conservatives are human beings, specifically humans who in general want to work with what they've got, emphasis on work. Which limits our natural responses to the situation. We can either: a) get angry, as I mentioned earlier, which in the long run may be both extremely unhealthy (do you really want to be the conservative version of the Kos Kidz?) and probably counterproductive as well; b) since we couldn't beat 'em, join 'em, which sounds like what you're seeing (and basically amounts to plastering a grin on our faces and cheerfully hailing the big O; horrifying), c) hunker down and start planning some new and hopefully effective strategies for the next election cycle, while preparing for the massive financial screwing we're likely to face, or d) "Fuck it, Dude. Let's go bowling."
There may be other responses, but these are what I've seen so far.

A and B are not options for me personally; they both require that I be drawn into Obama's orbit, and whether positively or negatively it's still the wrong orbit. Joan is already working on C. Me, I'm more inclined to D, although I'll happily help with C if there are some effective solutions proposed.

You're not crazy, Maineman. It's just that the only thing we can truly control in all of this is how we respond. We can let the Leftists and their newly elected empty suit adulterate our spirits, or we can keep our focus where it really belongs, and keep trying to do what He would have of us.

But yeah - weird, creepy, and it looks like there's going to be some serious turbulence ahead. The trouble is, we can't see yet how it will manifest.

Anonymous said...

Yes, and another creepy thing. He's the anti-Bush, isn't he? Black, articulate, Marxist, peacenick,no history. If Bush was the devil for you, he's your guy.

Anonymous said...

Mainman:
On Monday, a poster, "friendly critic", made mention of the approaching singularity preceding the eschaton. Will has often observed what he calls the quickening. My own name for it is the alignment of Sides. It seems there is a sort of tectonic breaking apart of those whose center is respectively: religious, secular, leftist, or rightist.
Think of Lizardland. Post 9/11 it was the big tent for "Our Side"; there was a diverse group of people in allegience to a common cause- the threat from islam, the darkest, and deadliest of the sides. And look what happened. Fractures along the lines of spiritual/metaphysical/secular worldviews trumped unity in the face of a global jihad. I never would have thought four years ago that the fractures would occur. I am still more than a little amazed to find myself fractured out in the camps of the Raccoons, and, to a lesser extent, The Feral Remnant over at BabbaZee's. Me with the religious nuts, and Jesus freaks- Whodathunkit?
Dennis Prager's take is that one of three models will prevail for the future of the human race- The Judaeo-Christian/American model, the secular socialist/European vision, or islam.
Sides align. My lot is cast.

JWM

julie said...

He's an egregore, an empty hole that's been filled near to bursting with the nebulous utopian hopes of well-meaning fools. As opposed to Bush, who was simply a man who has tried to do the best he could according to God's will. Even though I disagreed with Bush on a lot of his decisions, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Obama? How can I respect a guy who, in the hour of victory, childishly flips the bird as he "congratulates" his opponents on a battle well-fought? That tells me all I need to know about the man.

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

I personally want to just withdraw from any public life, but I keep finding myself drawn into conversations and debates, where someone is professing a new-agey positive view of the future under Obama and I feel like I should just run because I'm going to rain on their parade. I feel as though they will pervert the doing of good works, even... I guess it is as the Fathers said, "In the last times, he who simply stands and prays will be equal in faith to those who worked wonders in past times."

julie said...

Heh - foreshadowing?

ge said...

A Prayer to be Wrong:
O Lord may I-we be wrong in sensing the fuse was just lit on a bigger disaster than anyone knows...

[Change of pic today in honor of topic---still working on the 'upside down' part ...was dangling in climber's harness in art show 1984]

julie said...

Cool pic, GE.

Maineman, Iowahawk says it well:

"Yes, I know there are probably other African-Americans much better qualified and prepared for the presidency. Much, much better qualified. Hundreds, easily, if not thousands, and without any troubling ties to radical lunatics and Chicago mobsters. Gary Coleman comes to mind. But let's not let that distract us from the fact that Mr. Obama's election represents a profound, positive milestone in our country's struggle to overcome its long legacy of racial divisions and bigotry. It reminds us of how far we've come, and it's something everyone in our nation should celebrate in whatever little time we now have left."

Go read the rest - it'll have you laughing and crying.

Anonymous said...

Video from The Onion:

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Anonymous said...

A terrible signal
Too weak to even recognize
A gentle collapsing
The removal of the insides
...
A view to remember
The center is missing
They question how the future lies
...in someone's eyes
The gentle collapsing of every surface
We travel on the quiet road.

Maybe not the context David Byrne had in mind, but the election outcome seems to fit...

Van Harvey said...

Julie, I've got a couple of those Onion zombies here... they keep bumping into my cube... really annoying.

robinstarfish said...

JWM -

I'm thinking the fracturing / realignment will continue, even accelerate, as President Half-Af's reign begins to crumble. I just wonder if there will be enough of the Judeo-Christian/American model left to coalesce into a workable alignment. Otherwise, think Balkanization.

ximeze - perfect. The Onion often has an eerie way of becoming true. I wonder...

Paul Griffin said...

"Fuck it Dude. Let's go bowling."

Frankly, I can't think of a better response right now. Maybe not the best possible response, but that's the only one that doesn't focus around gravitational fields I'd rather not have anything to do with.

There is a constant, moment-to-moment battle to orient one's self toward the proper center (that is, O). Why sacrifice that ground so fiercely fought for on a daily basis over something as ultimately transient as an election?

This is the main reason that I have been taking active steps to remove myself from the world of politics/news in general (Or rather, to remove those things from me). Trying to grow and put one foot in front of the other with that dreck pouring into your life is like trying to keep your eyes on the clouds while walking through a pit of vipers. There is a time for that, but it should be an unpleasant trial to be endured and ended as quickly as possible, not something to wallow in. How can you keep your roots aloft if you'd rather revel in the horizontal muck?

So, as far as I am concerned, I will continue to work, to love my wife, to invest in those people around me that I care about, and ultimately to cultivate the only relationship that truly matters. I hear that He has overcome this world already.

"Before election, chop wood, carry water, go bowling. After election, chop wood, carry water, go bowling."

Susannah said...

What's creeping you out is that a virtual marxist just got elected POTUS.

The worship vids really creeped me out this time around, too. Unprecedented.

I'm praying for him--praying his conversion. ;) And also his protection. But I'm not going to pray for his policies to succeed.

Anonymous said...

My friend Julie,

There is another option than anger, false cooperation, cynicism, etc. (though option C is perfectly fine I think, as clearly the Republicans need to go back to the fundamentals)

Anyway, as we chant weekly in the Divine Liturgy and Vespers of the Orthodox Church...

In peace let us pray to the Lord.
(Lord have mercy.)

For the President of the United States and all civil authorities, and for our armed forces everywhere, let us pray to the Lord.
(Lord have mercy.)

...This, I believe, is the proper attitude, as it doesn't commit one to agreement with worldly powers, but keeps one appropriately and divinely engaged with the World through O in the hope of transforming and transfiguring the princes of the world.

When millions of Christians were martyred in Christ in the Soviet Union, they still prayed for the civil authorities that were persecuting them. Seek to walk in the light that shines through the darkness, and fear not, for the Lord is truly with thee, always, unto the ages of ages.

In Christ.

Anonymous said...

"What I guess I'm gettin at is, this is seeming pretty weird. Or maybe I'm having a senior crisis. Dunno."

No, it's definitely pretty wierd, Maineman. But the entire life of the cosmos has been pretty wierd. Human history in particular.

Our history has been a strange blend of chaos, recurring patterns, and novelty. Or if you prefer:

1. randomness/probability
2. tradition/archetypes
3. divine inspiration

(Tradition/archetypes can be further divided into:

A. embedded cultural patterns engendered by man
B. divinely "pre-ordained" or archetypal Forms.

In other words, our history is a balance of stability and novelty, where novelty comes from below (as chaos) or above (as divine inspiration).

It is this aspect of novelty that makes everything seem so wierd. Especially when the novelty comes in the form of arbitrary, emotionally-driven randomness, as it did with the election of President-elect Obama.

But that being said, I would argue that wierdness, randomness and chaos are nothing new to the world. "There is nothing new under the sun", etc.

The rise and fall of cities, nations and empires. The unending permutations of societies and shifting cultural norms.

Not to mention the fracturing and realignment of political party systems. That has already happened five times in the history of the United States.

This is the reason why hope is not to be found in the world. There is no hope in either ends of the spectrum: endless, random permutations or the cyclical reliving of historical themes. there is no hop in the closed spiral of human history.

Hope lies only in the open spiral. Either through escape from the system, or preferably, through the transfiguration of the human system itself by the influx of the divine.

Which is a very long-winded way to make the point:

"Yes, it's wierd. But it's always wierd in our world. Wierd is just par for the course."

However, there is another dynamic at play that might explain why current randomness in human events tends to seem wierder than in prior ones.

Of course there is the short-term focus of the human mind which amplifies current events. But that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm referring to the constant "speeding up" of world affairs, since the beginning of time.

Van calls it "The Quickening." Some drug addict before I was born called it "Novelty Theory / Timewave Zero." In the realm of material science and technology, it's "The Singularity."

In metaphysical/religious terms, we're talking about the approaching eschaton that always draws us to it. The end of days. The coming of the Messiah. The Second Coming of Christ.

That Day of Awe when world history climaxes and finally comes to crashing to a halt. When time ends and we are met with annihilation or, hopefully, a new beginning.

The point is, there is a big magnet at the end of history. The closer we get to it, the stronger the attraction. And therefore, the faster we move towards it.

Now I don't know where the magnet is (although I am strangely drawn to those crazy December 21, 2012 theories). But no matter how far away it is, we are always getting closer to it, at every instant.

Hence, the wierd always gets wierder with time. It's just a biproduct of an evolutionary cosmos.

julie said...

BPM, you're absolutely right about the prayer.

As far as option D goes, it's not meant in a cynical way but rather an acknowledgment that some things are beyond our control, and in the meantime there's no use agonizing over it; we may as well do whatever it is that gives our individual lives meaning. Which is only problematic if you're like one of those Obama zombies :)

Van Harvey said...

Friendly Critic said "Van calls it "The Quickening.""

Actually Will calls it that, I just copy him.

Julie, I think I'm opting for the complementary method of synthesis, and going with both Option C & Option D.

Anonymous said...

To put things into perspective, JWM and others, the office of POTUS is admittedly a "big deal" but not so big as you might think.

A certain type of person is drawn to politics and likes it, and BHO is one of them; let him ply his trade in peace.

Harry Truman had it right: the off ice of the POTUS is a civil service job, and you just occupy a seat and serve out the job description. You don't create it yourself. Truman said, and I believe him, "if I could do this job, then anybody could."

There's only so much damage BHO can do (i,e, not much). You best center your worries on other things, or better yet stop the gloomin' and doomin' altogether.

C'mon people, you're racoons, fergawdsake. Act like them! What do raccoons care about? Yes, that's right, improving THEMSELVES first and foremost. Look within, and let the government drone on unattended. That's what THEY do , not you.

In your centers, there is nothing to fear and nothing to desire. You are beyond the reach of any possible consequence. You knew that but now I remind you again.

Don't let the outside world suck you in to caring too much about it; that is a wrong movement for a spirit person and will take you away from your rightful path.

Anonymous said...

Shut up moron, you make us look bad.

Susannah said...

I'm not gloomin'&doomin'. I mean, I'm a realist, and I actually believe the president-elect may do a good deal of damage in his "remaking" efforts (how much remains to be seen)...but I've been laughing up a storm today reading--get this--*conservative* sites.

I prefer the stance of cheeky optimism, undergirded by a grounded faith, not unlike:

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

Anonymous said...

Joshua 14:8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

Van Harvey said...

Something that may be of interest to many out there, ISI.org has updated their 'First Principles online magazine. Lots of indepth articles like this one 'Rediscovering the Heroic Conservatism of Richard M. Weaver (Part I). Take a look at the tabs along the top though, and their subheadings; simple to navigate has easily displays related articles, books, lectures... lots of good stuff for those wanting to refresh or reexamine their ideas.

julie said...

Option C in action.

Susannah said...

OT, sorta:

Dallas Willard

http://www.veritas.org/media/talks/59

Anonymous said...

Anon at 4:21;
Thank you for the encouraging words. But Like Julie said, and I said, we're strangely not too bummed out about the whole thing.
At least not yet.
Who knows the guy mabe really is the anti-christ. He had some electronic miracle workers that amazed up a zillion or so dollars (see Vanderluun),and you have to admit he deceived the electorate, if not the elect. If so, then the end of the world is coming. You have to admit, that would be pretty darn exciting. And what the hey- everybody must get boned sooner or later, and this way, you'll get to see some really cool stuff before you go.
If he's not the anti-christ we'll survive somehow. And after reading Whittles new piece (thanks, Julie) I figure we can come back, and whup 'em. We'll get us a Mohammed Ali to put the hammer to their Sonny Liston. We'll pin his ears back. ;)

JWM


JWM

Anonymous said...

Julie wrote:

"BPM, you're absolutely right about the prayer.

As far as option D goes, it's not meant in a cynical way but rather an acknowledgment that some things are beyond our control, and in the meantime there's no use agonizing over it; we may as well do whatever it is that gives our individual lives meaning. Which is only problematic if you're like one of those Obama zombies :)"

Good point. So long as there is no despair or cynicism, it's a spiritually healthy option. For me, it comes down to trusting two things: (1) that our Founding Fathers knew what they were doing, and designed a system that could weather even bad leaders (and I pray for Obama to lead well and wisely, though I am skeptical whether he will); and, (2) that our Father above knows what he is doing.

ge said...

[File Under: Another Bright side of Nov 4]

headline:
"Obama Election Helps Expats Abroad...
Will US Become Cool Overseas?"
-well it helps if ya grow a 'soul patch' also, last seen on Springsteen in photo w/ Obama---hey that's BS & BO...

Anonymous said...

I've obsessed about this for awhile, and here is where I've ended up. I'll just weigh in and then go focus on higher things the best I can.

I'm fine with continuing to work on behalf of and toward the light. And we should all pray for us all and it all, especially for Barry.

I think, though, we need to be sensitive to what's probably happening. He may not be the embodiment of the Antichrist as such -- I mean, what are the odds? -- but he sure looks to be a pathological narcissist. That would mean that our problems are not properly seen as related to sociopathic leftism. The Left is all Bob says it is, but its function here may simply be to have created the necessary narcissistic "grounding" (mostly boomers, yutes, and blacks) for BHO's elevation.

Now that he has confirmed his conviction that he is the One, he will likely just keep on going with the same mission -- to enhance himself and his influence, however he needs to. It may be that the Marxist route was just a path to this point for him. Meaning, he has no real ideology other than self-inflation. And the grandiosity tends to be self-promoting for such people. That is, power leads to more hunger for it, and to more justification that any threat to the delusion of grandeur can be justifiably eliminated, by whatever means necessary.

My guess is that he sees himself as sent by God to punish Whitey for what we've done. Some variant of that would make the true followers the blacks in this country who are susceptible to that message. There are rumblings that things are getting ugly already, and I expect them to get worse, even if I'm wrong about him. When guys like this get power (think Khomeini, Hitler, Stalin, Joe Jones, Saddam) lots of people tend to wind up dead.

Anyway, I think that the bottom line is that we have apparently just -- by virtue of our own narcissism -- put a madman into the most important job in the world at a time of what may be our greatest vulnerability. The good side of all this is that he will destroy the Democratic party and leftism if I'm right. The bad side is that Rush should beef up his protection and there may be certain areas of the country that get a lot less safe for awhile, maybe a long time. Not to mention the financial catastrophe that would result from the simple agenda of reparations and damn the rest.

So yes. Pray and go bowling. but don't be stupid. He's proven he's good at what he does, and nothing about him seems benign.

ge said...

the top 10 bestsellers of the hour at Barnes & Noble:
[in order]

The Audacity of Hope
by Barack Obama

Dreams from My Father
by Barack Obama

Change We Can Believe In
by Barack Obama

Tales of Beedle the Bard (Harry Potter Series)
by J. K. Rowling

The Twilight Saga Collection
by Stephenie Meyer

Divine Justice
by David Baldacci

The Audacity of Hope
by Barack Obama

Barack Obama in His Own Words
by Barack Obama

Van Harvey said...

What JWM said.

I was pretty much over it before McCain finished his concession speech. He's a very good loser. I much preferred Palin's expression.

Oh well. Pass the popcorn and bullets.

Van Harvey said...

Maineman said
"It may be that the Marxist route was just a path to this point for him. Meaning, he has no real ideology other than self-inflation."

That's my guess of him as well. To have the cool and collected thoughts he made about the constitution, I'll bankrupt coal plants, coal plants are vital, Israel is bad, Israel is our friend we'll always protect, etc... he does what he needs to get more sparkly power stuff.

"My guess is that he sees himself as sent by God to punish Whitey for what we've done."

Actually, I don't think he cares one whit one way or the other. If you read his ref's in his bio's, he only stirred to it AFTER noticing that others did things based upon how they felt about black/white issues.

There are probably no principles to base our guesses of how he'll act, because his only constant principle has been to get power. And for someone who's been on the Nat'l stage less than 4 years... he's pretty damn good at that.

"There are rumblings that things are getting ugly already, and I expect them to get worse, even if I'm wrong about him."

I'd just caution people not to mistake him for a handwringing Carter, Adlai Stevenson type lib, and keep Alinsky & Lenin in mind instead.

Hey, no butter on the popcorn? Who's got the salt?

Anonymous said...

Discovering Richard M. Weaver for the first time, here! It just so happens that I have landed in the heart of the Southern Agrarians/Fugitives this last year, but was completely unaware of Mr. Weaver. There's a statue in honor of Ransome in the square of the nearest big town. Thanks for that link, Van. A whole new world to explore.

On a darker note, I read today that BHO intends to institute a compulsory youth service corp.

I grew up with the stories of my mom, who is German, and her experience with the Hitler Youth Movement. She got whipped in front of the class every Monday, because her father kept her out of the Hitler Youth. He was was very anti-NAZI. He got systematically put out of business for refusing to fly the NAZI flag.

The idea of an Obama Youth sends a chill through my heart.

CBDenver said...

Bob,

I occasionally read your blog but I confess most of the time I do not know what the h*ll you are talking about. But your statement "for the rest of us, politics is a distasteful distraction that we mainly engage in to prevent the left from destroying the country" is very clear and I agree wholeheartedly. This is why the left does not like the vision of small government and letting individual people and families keeping their wealth and policical power.

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