Chicago Education

To pay more money for education is like giving more whiskey to an alcoholic. If the City of Chicago, for example, paid each teacher a million dollars a year, the quality of education would not improve. Purchasing all the latest technology would not make the students learn more, better, or faster. It's about the PARENTS! Their involvement - and their enforcement of time devoted to study and school work to be done. In every culture this is true. Without exception - except the United States? Pay parents a million dollars for each of their kids getting straight A's under a revamped and tougher academic curriculum and you will see miracles.

Left Darwin

There you have it. Liberal gender governance and management by social statistics. Imagine applying this to areas of talent. Let's say sports. Gender integrated basketball teams where everyone makes the same amount of money. And the arts! There would be the same number of potters, for instance, for each gender with equal gallery showings and, of course, sales and earnings (the public be damned). Ah, and scientists are a gender ratio problem, too. Equal gender distribution with equal pay. No deviation!

What's very queer about Liberal thinking is that it fawns so much over Darwin then rudely ignores him in public practice.

Voters

The problem isn't that a rat runs for public office telling voters it's a gerbil. Voters see it's a rat, agree it's a gerbil, and vote it into office to eventually discover to their horror it's a rat.

Liberalism

Liberalism: a state of mind liberated from reason and memory.

Ego Deforms

Intelligence has no ego so never let ego be involved in your dealings with those with views deformed from their own.

Social Stew

Though the stew appears to be egalitarian, it can be a meritocracy of scum if its not periodically stirred from its indolence.

Pretty Colors

If only people were like flowers, colors would take the place of strife.

Ideologues Don't Reason

Ideologues perform thinking and action based on an ideological template they rarely, if ever, deviate from. Not only their thinking is performed via ideology, but it's often their reason d'être. All too frequently an ideology has an object for hatred - on a small scale or large, it must hurt, punish or more, subtly or conspicuously. Most ideologies have no shame or guilt. The ideology justifies the ideologue. Notwithstanding all these characteristics, the most bizarre is ideologues believing themselves intellectually superior to others.

Socialism

Socialism: Where your neighbor is rankled you own something he or she does not own and reports you to a government official who is rankled you enjoy owning something he or she owns and enjoys, too.

Flee

If you don't find friendliness, hospitality, and compassion where you live, flee.

Playing Games

never play chess with someone playing poker. never.

the poker player sees all you see on the board, but you will never see what they see in their hand. play poker and they will have as much uncertainty as you and will judge their risks with a great deal more caution. in deed, make this double-game player uncomfortable with uncertainty by playing their game and you will find they usually fold.

Seasons

Every shorn sheep grows a new coat. The sheep has its seasons; we do, too.

In Absence of Trust

Deal prudently with those not reciprocating your trust, and if possible don't deal with them at all. Such people can be willful and indifferent to the pain they will cause in your life.

A Poetic Reply

I received a letter. In its conclusion, I was asked, "What should I be?" I replied in a letter just one line, "Gold as strong as iron, iron as soft as gold, and in a sea of sand, a diamond light so bold."

No Robin Hoods

Those by nature selfish are thieves.

Among The Trees

Kit was 11 at the time, and it was just before Dad's 60th birthday. We'd not been back long from Sunday service, when Dad asked Kit if he'd like to come for a walk with him through the woods bordering the lake. Kit said, 'Sure!' Dad smiled at us both and said, 'Well, bring the dog, too!' as he walked down the front steps.

When they returned, Kit talked about the frog he and Dad almost caught with their own hands, and about the small snake that slithered off the path as they approached the road back home.

Then, in a hushed voice, Kit added, 'You know Mom, I asked granddad, 'Why do you spend more time among the trees than you do among people?' And he said, 'Because they're firmly rooted and grow straight up to heaven.' Mom, What did he mean by that?'
. . . . .

the ruler and the saw

If you can't measure the wood, it doesn't matter how sharp the saw.

PostScript The tyranny of the ruler can put the saw to bad use; the tyranny of the saw can do a very bad job.

Baka Kaže

[an impression written immediately after traveling to Slavonski Brod to visit a friend's 93 year old baka whose family life, to express it gently, was a disappointment to her. She died in October, four weeks later.]

Simplicity ~
in it no comfort,
none to find
in me its renown.

Stillness ~
in it no comfort,
so many to crush its door,
and then comes a light so dark.

Ah, but yet death's dawn,
its darkness so radient, calm and peaceful.

The Old Priest's Paper

after the funeral of the old priest, two fellow priests dutifully sorted through his meager belongings. they found a torn paper yellowed with age with the following faded penned script.

so be keen my young priest. observe without effort.
observe yourself and others without distinction. we
are all known and know others by these tokens ...

incidental remarks
strong declarations
opinions expressed
gossip spoken

judgements made
biases disclosed
prejudices exhibited
preferences performed

what is accepted
what is tolerated
what is rejected

what is praised
what is accused
what is approved
what is ridiculed

what is forgiven or not
what is excused or not
and what is excused or forgiven but not forgotten

questions not answered
questions evaded
questions given a question
questions given a lie
or the extent of an answer
and by the way an answer is given

how much time spent alone
how much time spent with others

who time is spent with
how much time is spent
how that time is spent
what is said about the time spent
and what is said about the company kept
compared to what may be known later

who is liked of those that don't know they are
and why they are liked
who is disliked of those that don't know they are
and why they are disliked

who is helped, friend, foe, neighbor or stranger
and by what means and extent, or who is not,
and whether the deed or its lost opportunity
is happily remembered, sadly regretted, or forgotten

and remember, my young priest, words are by the
mouth, actions by the entire body. Always best both
mouth and body agree, and wisely. we will speak
of all this more soon.
. . . . .

close companions

Every weakness in one person has in another a corresponding mate called complaint.