Requiem For A Toilet

A few years ago, I was listening to "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" on NPR, when a story about intelligent Japanese toilets came up (no, you DON'T want to know!). Roy Blount, Jr. made a keen observation:

"It seems to me if a toilet got too intelligent it'd QUIT!"

Those of us who toil endlessly for the mere pittance required for survival in this world are a lot like 'toil'ets - getting the leavings of big corporations and grateful for the work. Humanity is far more precious than that.

There ARE some benefits to being a toilet. First and foremost, it's SAFE. You know exactly what your function is - you might not LIKE the job, but at least it's a known quantity. You don't really want for anything - plenty of water and (used) food - you have your own room (well, you have to share it with Sink and Bathtub, but they don't cause much trouble) - you're securely bolted to the floor until your usefulness has been exhausted, at which time you'll be uprooted and buried in a landfill.

But when the bulldozer rolls over you, there will be no requiem. No one will come to your final resting place and say, "What a FINE toilet he was! He will be missed...". No - you'll just be replaced with a new toilet, while you molder in your grave, unremembered.

Life is too precious to be treated in such a thoughtless and uncaring way. Better to sustain yourself by farming - at least, when you put shit on THAT, something will grow! Love of money and fear of the unknown relegates most of us to a demeaning existence devoid of value and meaning. Even those 'in charge' are slaves to the system they promulgate.

We were never meant for this. Each of us yearns for something greater and more valuable than what we have now - something that no amount of money can buy, nor can it ever be taken away. Some turn to religion, but that's just another corporation - and you're still a toilet.

Be an intelligent toilet - QUIT!

Brain vs.Mind, part 3

Brain: Why does this have to be so hard?
Mind: You're not used to it. You're used to using fantasy to avoid stress. I'm just asking you to physically type words on a blog.
Brain: It feels weird...
Mind: I know...
Brain: ...and you KNOW that I can't type worth a crap!
Mind: You do well enough. This isn't a race - we can take our time.
Brain: Good thing...
Mind: OK - let's see - A doesn't equal A - logic is an invention of Man - Dualistic dichotomies - Higgs boson - mini black holes - dark matter is light...
Brain: WHOA! Slow down, mister mentality!
Mind: I'm just sorting through the thoughts I've had recently. I'm not going to tackle all of this right this minute.
Brain: Whew! Don't scare me like that! BTW - what does all of this have to do with the price of cheese in Switzerland?
Mind: Excuse me?
Brain: Where are you going with all this? Do you even know?
Mind: All of this stuff has been rattling around in me for a while now. I feel it's time to put it together and see if there are any valuable insights to be gained from all this cogitation.
Brain: Wait - did you mention VALUE?
Mind: Ah, yes - a personal issue...I don't seem to value who and what I am...
Brain: Maybe you should start there...?
Mind: Hey - you're pretty smart after all!
Brain: Well...I do what I can.

Existence

Existence freaks me out sometimes. I become hyper-aware of my own self-awareness. When I think about the vastness of space, and how much of what we consider to be solid IS space, I begin to lose touch with my body. I feel as if I'm going to die right then and there - and that's when the panic sets in. I've recently come across the phrase "runaway amygdala", and it 's
appropriate. Adrenalin starts pumping - heart starts racing - physical sensations become skewed. When I reach for something, it feels as if my hand isn't in the right place - as if my brain's body map has become disoriented. I feel as if I'm going to disintegrate...
This is a full-blown panic anxiety attack - and it's not pleasant. The egoic self perceives a threat to its existence, and calls up the physical resources it thinks it needs to survive. Of course, there's no external threat - some physical or psychological trigger has initiated this sequence of events from within - but the brain doesn't differentiate between internal and external threats it perceives. It just knows there's a threat, and the body must be mobilized for 'fight or flight' response.
Our sense of self is bound to our physical bodies. We don't trust that the consciousness can exist intact outside of our bodies. We might believe it can - or HOPE it can - but unless you've experienced a safe out-of-body experience, you can't be 100% certain that you don't need a physical body to be 'alive'.
Fear of death is said to be 'natural' - the self seeks to maintain its integrity above all other concerns. If humanity could truly understand that the body is NOT the exclusive expression of being, much of the fear in our world would dissipate...
...and I could stop taking meds.

Brain Vs. Mind, part 2

Brain: OK, I've had coffee & a cigarette, noshed on some grub and took a catnap. I'm ready to go - so what is it that you feel compelled to talk about?
Mind: God.
Brain: Why?
Mind: I want to delve into something meaningful - something that connects every fiber of every being throughout all of existence!
Brain: -smirk-
Mind: Well - what's more important than that?
Brain: Sex.
Mind: SHEESH! Is that ALL you think about?
Brain: Uh, yeah, pretty much - that and food.
Mind: Look, aren't you the least bit curious...
Brain: No, YOU look - you're trying to make me work. I don't wanna work - especially on anything that has to do with reality. Reality sux.
Mind: So what DO you want to do?
Brain: Fantasy.
Mind: SEX fantasies no doubt.
Brain: Well, yeah, there's that of course - but any kind of fantasy situation will do.
Mind: You're useless!
Brain: Au contraire, my wayward overlord. I'M the one moving this body around, ya know. My needs are simple - sex, food, shelter, sleep - pooping and peeing when necessary. Maybe a shower. Clothes when it's cold...
Mind: OK, I get the point. Now, before this becomes a Samuel Beckett play, let me tell you something...
Brain: Yes?
Mind: I won't be satisfied until I've put it a together - or at least most of it - and you ARE going to help me!
Brain: -sigh- I'm gonna need more coffee...

Brain Vs. Mind, part 1

Brain: It's too early to start blogging.
Mind: But I want to share! To give something of myself to the Cosmos!
Brain: You don't know what you want. Go back to bed.
Mind: But I'm not sleepy. Besides, my roommate's playing a video game...
Brain: You have earplugs.
Mind: That's not the point! There's a lot of stuff roiling around inside me and I want to get it out!
Brain: Do you need a laxative?
Mind: Har-de-har. You know what I'm talking about...
Brain: Dude, you're killing me! It's 6:30 in the friggin' morning!
Mind: So?
Brain: You know I don't function well this time of day.
Mind: That's why I'm brewing coffee...
Brain: COFFEE!!!!
...more later...

excerpt fron "Chuang-tse" - Burton Watson translator

"The understanding of the men of ancient times went a long way. How far did it go? To the point where some of them believed that things have never existed - so far, to the end, where nothing can be added. Those at the next stage thought that things exist but recognized no boundaries among them. Those at the next stage thought there were boundaries but recognized no right and wrong. Because right and wrong appeared, the Way was injured, and because the Way was injured, love became complete."

we are afraid

we are afraid

we are afraid of the light
it calls us
and we respond
we crave its love
but we are afraid
it will devour us