Category: philosophy

karma

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I realized this morning that though I knew the idea of karma as justice was incorrect, I realized just to the full extent how much I was this morning.

It has nothing to do with what is just and right, and everything to do with what is, and the entirely predictable flow of cause and effect, given knowledge of all contributing factors.

Start someone in life as a rich, spoiled, over-entitled brat and the arc of their life is karmic; they may be miserable and unsatisfied, because they never learned how to relate to the world and themselves in non-transactional terms, but that doesn’t mean the hammer of justice is going to come down on them.

It might, but who knows?

Karma is far more about the natural effects of understandable causes, and the sooner we realize that karma (effects) can be created by our actions (causes). Justice is served when we take the actions that lead to it.

Left to some mystical karmic “justice”, what will happen will only be the result of whatever random causes create whatever effects.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 294 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Enchiridion, Epictetus
Comics: Velocity 3, Ripclaw v2 2, Cyber Force True Stories - Heatwave 1, Devil's Reign 1
Music: I Want Candy, Bow Wow Wow

lottery

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It’s a silly thing, isn’t it?

Miniscule chances for the possibility of something for literally, almost nothing?

Like, what? Twenty bucks and the time it took to go to the store?

Or, we could just work, and focus on doing what we love for way less money, but a way happier life. Are lottery winners that happy? Or are they harangued, losing money left and right because everyone’s at them and they aren’t business people, they’re journeymen, stay-at-home moms, office pools.

Folks whose lack of discipline has them working jobs they hate (or not working at all for various reasons, some of them completely legit) aren’t buying lotto tickets because they’re happy with their situation.

They either just don’t know how to move into a more fulfilling life, don’t know what that life looks like, or past decisions/social setup has them trapped into something less desirable, and this long shot is the only way out.

I don’t generally buy lottery tickets, but hell, if I don’t fantasize sometimes.

Of course, as I get older, I’m far more interested in stability doing something I love, and spending my time and money on experiences than things. Things are nice, but you only buy what you need.

And you don’t need most things.

But experiences? Priceless.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 1805 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Comics: Cyber Force v2 17-18, Velocity 2, Ripclaw v2 1
Music: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, U2 (I'm also reasonably sure that I don't actually know what I'm looking for, but I guess that's a less catchy single)

tariffs

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We’ll see if he actually goes through with it, or if this is still one of those fifth grade bluffs.

I think the most confusing thing about Donald Trump is how he managed to get this far in life. He’s not a smart man. It seems pretty clear that he was not a billionaire (although his looting from the top might have made him one now). He has the mentality of a spoiled narcissist, and seems to understand the world at a level where even frat boy bullies would go, damn, son. You need to step up your atrocious game.

Seriously. It’s elementary school bully bullshit.

And there are people in government and business that are way, way smarter than that, who understand negotiation and how to deal with people like that and turn them right around.

Yet, they don’t do it.

What do you do with a bully? You punch back. Hurt him. Make him realize you aren’t an easy target, which is what a grade school bully wants.

Bust him up.

Use his narcissism against him; it’s what Putin did. Turned his greed and ego in on him to make him feel like he’s got to live up to him, like an overbearing father figure who never gives any attention or validation, thereby making someone so sadly broken do anything to please.

Because that’s what happened here: Putin made himself into Daddy Fred, and Donald desperately seeks Daddy’s approval. Add a layer of extreme greed, drastic insecurity overcompensated by insane bluster and ego, and boom.

Easily. Fucking. Manipulated.

So let’s do it, Canada, Mexico, Ukraine, EU, Britain… whoever.

Punch that bully. Make him seek your validation.

You’ll have the entire U.S. under your thumb.

Just. Like. Putin.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 848 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Trust Me, I'm Lying, Ryan Holiday
Comics: Cyber Force Origins 1-2, Cyblade & Shi 1, Cyber Force v2 10
Music: I Heard They Suck Live, NOFX

fantasies

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We all have them, whether it’s a kiss with that cute boy, climbing Everest, kicking the shit out of a political figure who badly needs it, or just a quiet Sunday morning with a cup of tea and a danish.

There’s nothing wrong with them.

It’s nice to have the simulation; it just shouldn’t stop us from making it a reality.

Go ahead. Enjoy your lurid fantasies; just don’t harm anyone in their pursuit (except maybe that particular political figure, and maybe you ought to run out all of your peaceful resistance options first).

Violence is never cool.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 103 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
Comics: Shadowhawk v5 10-13
Music: Nowhere Generation, Rise Against

never let it be said

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That I’m not grateful for the love I have to give.

Remember too that conflict tempers; steel is not made hard with gentle caress.

That’s for penii.

(I’m so sorry).

Target: 1100 words
Written: 73 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
Comics: Shadowhunt 3-5, Return Of Shadowhawk 1
Music: Nothing Safe, Alice In Chains

conflict

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It makes a good plot device, and in real life, is entirely unavoidable. As much as we’d like to eliminate conflict, the best I think we can do is minimize its impact on us, which means learning how best to handle it.

I’m filled with conflict these days – my desire to fight oppression, my desire to avoid people who suck, my own internal resistance to doing what it will take to actually take all these thoughts and dreams in my head and start shaping the world to them, instead of the other way around.

Then again, the Tao teaches doing-not-doing, so forcing the world into a shape it cannot be may be counterproductive.

Would that those would not listen break, and find the plugs in their mind falling free.

Would that we all fall free.

Would that we all love.

Would that, would that.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 1733 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Proof Of Collusion, Seth Abramson
Comics: Shadownhawk 0, Shadowhawk v4 13-15
Music: Acoustic Stuff, Stone Temple Pilots

beginning to realize

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This blog cannot be a vent for whatever my personal random shit is that day.

It’s meant to connect, to put out into the world what I want to say, to be honest about myself.

This ain’t the Mungk no more.

The Mungk was fatalism; bemoaning the state of the world was par for the course.

Now that I’m into Bad Neighbours and spending my days thinking about the nature of conflict, consequences and the lack thereof, this will have to get more intellectual.

More “into it”, as the kids say.

I don’t hold controversial views; I believe in peace, cooperation, and respect for our fellow beings.

At least, that shouldn’t be controversial.

These days, though, petting a puppy is considered evil by someone, and that someone is almost definitely MAGA.

Here’s another view that shouldn’t be controversial.

MAGA is bad. Fascism is bad. Bigotry is bad. Corruption is bad. Trump and Elon are bad. All Republicans should be removed from power at the earliest possible opportunity.

These are things that should not be controversial.

But then again, if they were actually considered as they are, we’d never have been in this position in the first place.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 180 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Proof Of Collusion, Seth Abramson
Comics: Shadowhawk v3 3-4, Shadowhawk Gallery 1, Shadowhawk v4 12 (yes, that's correct; in the original numbering, they decided to make it an ongoing, folding in the first three miniseries, eleven issues' worth)
Music: NOFX/Rancid BYO Split Series, NOFX/Rancid

integration bill

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I know Quebec continues to get a free pass, but come on. This is some racist shit.

Quebec is very much turning into a xenophobic state; its leadership is not compatible with the values of Canada as a whole.

I hate that men like this (and by extension, Trump, Putin, Musk, Farage, etc) are allowed to freely sow division. We as humans have been through all this.

We know these lessons.

Why the fuck do we continue to let pieces of shit like this lead?

The world needs purging of demagogues.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 1629 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: The Personal MBA, Josh Kaufman
Comics: Shadowhawk 1-4
Music: No!, They Might Be Giants

comfort

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I miss the comfort in being sad, as Kurt Cobain once opined.

Being sad is bad. But it’s better than in a constant of conflict. One can accept sadness as it is, live in it, find one’s way through it.

Conflict for the sake of conflict?

It’s going to be a tough go while I’m working at Bad Neighbours and it’s the constant contemplation of the incompatibility of viewpoints, left and right, and the futility of anger.

The inability of consequence. The pure rage of missing justice.

The absence of karma, or rather, its lethargic, procrastinating nature.

It may come around, but when? And how fucking long?

Quite frankly, too many assholes have died peacefully in their sleep on top of their piles of money, surrounded by a beautiful wife, successful children and a mistress with glittery fake boobs.

Karma does not reward waiting.

Justice is not automatic.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 920 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Amatka, Karin Tidbeck
Comics: The Maxx 20-22, Gen13/Maxx 1
Music: No Security, The Rolling Stones

spiralling again

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I’m doing it again. I feel like giving up, starting over, losing more time, more years, more precious life force, precious focus.

Christ, at this point, maybe heaven’s a better option. Or would be, if I believed in an afterlife.

In any just afterlife, we’d spend eternity finding out all the things we’d ever wanted to know, to experience all the things we ever wanted to experience, to be all the people we ever wanted to be, to relive moments of our lives in as many permutations as we choose, to see what it really would have felt like to take that stand, to try that thing, to make that move on someone special.

Much of it would be unpleasant, but without the endless self-deception, with the ability to try again and learn and grow and be better, what would there be to lose?

Lifetimes lived in an instant. Fantastical trips beyond imagination. Relationships won and lost, friendships gained, battles fought, tyrants brought low by our actions. Our dedication.

Of course, that’s speculation.

But to attempt to live life as it is, good and bad, filled with glory and tragedy, joy and pain, fully engaged with it, stripping away all our blinders?

We may have a limited amount of time to do it in, but it’s still worth the trip.

Target: 1100 words
Written: 1581 words, novel: Bad Neighbours

Read: Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
Comics: The Maxx 8-11
Music: No Line On The Horizon, U2