Respect: You've Gotta Give It to Get It

I totally agree with this particular meme. That's why I've shared it on Facebook more than once, but what really irks me about many individuals whom I've encountered personally throughout the course of my life is that they often seem downright obsessed with being "disrespected," to the point that they always seem to be whining and/or preaching about this perceived lack of respect towards them. Because in fact, some of those individuals are themselves some of THE most disrespectful people I've personally ever known.

In other words, I've come to the sad conclusion that a lot of people tend to be the most fixated on what it is that they themselves may lack, or otherwise fail to fully comprehend. Thus, if you want respect from others, you may just have to conduct yourself in a fully respectable manner to begin with. Ever think about it that way?

As the old saying goes, "respect is earned." And that means that no one should automatically demand or otherwise expect an inordinate amount of "respect" simply because they happen to (just for a couple of good examples) wear (or have at some point in their past worn) a particular uniform, or just happen to be numerically old enough to assume that they are now in fact well and truly "wise." I mean... maybe you're not really any smarter than you ever were. Maybe you just got old.

So maybe you've simply grown to be too elderly, thick-headed, and stubborn, so that most people just don't really want to take the time and trouble to argue with you. That doesn't mean you've necessarily become wiser with age than everyone else, but rather, it may just be that you never actually learned to give enough respect to others (all those you now deem less intelligent than hoity-toity old you) to have genuine respect returned to you based purely on your own merit (and not just your physical age).

So when it comes to others not giving us what we might feel is "proper respect," perhaps we shouldn't fixate on the matter quite so much. Instead, maybe we ought to be more introspective, in order to hopefully ascertain why it is that so many people over the course of our lives may have supposedly "disrespected" us to begin with.

Yes, encountering especially rude people who don't treat others with the customary "proper respect" really is a genuine phenomenon which is sadly quite common in everyday life. In fact, I myself have been "disrespected" quite a number of times over the years, but that just makes me wonder why all those people treated me that way to begin with.

Was it something I'd said? Was it something I'd done? In fact, having thought about it a great deal over the course of my life, I've come to the conclusion that, in most cases, it often wasn't what I said or did so much as it was the way I looked (aka my physical appearance or personal presentation), or the fact that just by being in the same room, I somehow posed a perceived threat (real or imagined) to the person or persons who suddenly and quite arbitrarily decided to treat me so very "disrespectfully."

In other words, the prettiest girl in the class isn't necessarily always automatically respected by absolutely everyone for the sheer fact that she's especially easy on the eyes. Sure, all the boys who vie for her attention may indeed fall all over themselves to treat her with a great deal of respect (because they see her as desirable, or otherwise useful and/or worthy), but that doesn't mean that all the rest of the girls who aren't quite so attractive don't hate her stinking guts simply BECAUSE she's beautiful.

Me? I was never physically "the prettiest" in my class, but what I did have, and still do, was/is readily identifiable talent and creativity in abundance. And that has apparently often made me a very big threat to some people, who sadly, probably just lack confidence in themselves, and never had the benefit of having anyone (or not enough people, perhaps) to point out the gifts that they themselves received from the Good Lord above.

Either way, if you really think about it, whether any of us like it or not, we all get "disrespected" sometimes throughout the course of our lives. But it's the particularly arrogant, entitlement seeking people, who think that they are somehow owed an inordinate amount of attention, or social power, wealth, and/or influence, that irk me most of all.

In other words, if you want me to pay attention to you, if you really want me to "follow" you on social media or whatever, and pretend that you are indeed "somebody" special, well... how about you do something more than just show up to the party, acting like somebody should have rolled out the red carpet just as soon as they saw you enter the room. In fact, that kind of attitude is "Don't you know who I am?" in spades.

Actually, yes, I do know who you are. It's just exactly who the hell you THINK you are that has me flummoxed, amazed, and absolutely gob smacked at your sheer, unabashed, unbridled, blatant arrogance. Bottom line; arrogance and/or ignorance shouldn't automatically garner respect, but the way we may (consciously or unconsciously) interact with others most certainly should. ;)

Isolation is often the greatest of teachers

Society is often a greater contaminate than is commonly recognized. Thus, the most formative of times are often when one is forced to face the world all alone, because isolation is often the greatest of teachers. Fear not solitude, for good old Mother Earth will always keep right on spinning 'round and 'round, all without our help, input, or approval. Just think of all the trees that stand as silent, solitary sentinels deep within the heart of forests far from prying, judgmental human eyes. Yet still each and every one is part of a much greater, infinitely interconnected ecosystem.

The Humblest of Things

For we all are but the humblest and most insignificant of things, fashioned from the dust. Yet it is from the very dust that, this day and every day, that I rise to the greatest of challenges. For it is in the knowing that I am nothing, and that ultimately, I therefore have nothing to lose, that I become truly mighty.

The Real Racists

People who somehow manage to make everything about "race" are actually the real "racists." All the rest of us are just ordinary people with pretty much the same set of basic human foibles and all too human problems that everybody else just plain tends to have. Real "racists," therefore, are actually people who are obsessed with using skin color and/or ethnicity to control and dominate others. So beware, because this particular Will don't play that game. Not with anyone.

Pretty Profiles, Pretty Pictures, and a Few Plug Nickels, Too

You see, there's a point one gets to when you just don't really care anymore, whether someone "friends" or "unfriends" you on social media. Because these days, that's just how it works. Meaning that the whole paradigm of friendship essentially no longer means nearly as much as it used to anyway. Well, not on social media, it doesn't.

In fact, what really matters the very most in this Life is who you can actually touch. No, not necessarily "touch" in the sense of being able to physically reach out and embrace someone or other, but rather, whose Life you may be able to affect in a positive and meaningful way. Or perhaps even someone who may be able to help you yourself in that regard in return. You know, when the chips are down. When you, or they, literally have no one else to turn to.

Because you see, having a big old "friend list," full of all those... those names... the names of people that one could not even possibly even speak to on a regular basis (or they to you) doesn't make anyone rich, powerful, or even necessarily all that influential. Heck! Some of your "friends" may even be laughing at you. And not the good kind of laughing, which is with you, and not at you.

And that right there is often just how "social" media interactions, and most classic human acquaintanceships, really just plain work anyway, silly! You see, even and especially nowadays, with the big, fancy Internet, people can easily "follow," "hide" from, or even outright ignore your posts and shared content at any time of their choosing. They can even block you altogether, and that, as they say, is that. Out of sight, out of mind.

Or... they might also just humor you, by "liking" every other thing you post. Psst! All of us fancy "connected" folks, we're all sitting behind "personal" computers, you know. So nobody is really beholden to anybody else. And nobody really has to give a crap about absolutely anything anyone says or does. Well... unless you're in someone's immediate family, or you happen to be a co-worker or something of that nature.

So you see, these days, people don't even have to "unfriend" you to actually kinda... well, hate your stinking guts. Or even just dislike you. In most cases, just like a good old fashioned "plug nickel," they'll be more than happy to keep you around, just in case they happen, at some point down the line, to find an old fashioned slot machine that will readily accept you in trade.

Believe me, you'll be just fine down in someone's trusty back pocket, with all the more or less useless lint and spare petty change that can be discarded on a mere whim at any time of their random choosing. And that's just where many of us tend to sit. Until, or even if that is, someone in your social media circle should ever have need of you. And yes, it really is a sad way to look at social media "friendship," but that's just how most human relationships often really tend to be, whether you're a relative, a lifelong friend, etc., etc., etc., notwithstanding.

And then, sadly, it's even worse for those folks who don't even have that much going for them. They don't even have blood relatives who even like them enough to have anything at all do with them whatsoever in the first place. So when everybody else is getting together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or being invited to a wedding... well, there's so much of a nasty feud brewing in the very bloodlines of the so-called "family," that some people just don't ever get invited to share that "fellowship" anyway. And worse yet, there are even some you're afraid to invite yourself!

And that is how some people end up on the street. Or in the gutter. On the side of the road. All the people all the rest of us lucky ones tend to have to try to ignore on our way to work. Or, even when we're out Christmas shopping, looking for pretty papers and pretty ribbons of blue. You know, for all those important people on that big, fancy, all consuming "social" list of names. And names. And names. And quite often, not very much else of any true and lasting substance.

But I guess that's just people for ya.

If no good deed goes unpunished

If it is true that, "No good deed goes unpunished," then surely, no good intention is left underappreciated, misunderstood, or outright rejected and scorned.

Choose your battles carefully

Choose your battles carefully, and your opponents even more so, for one never knows when a frequent foe might suddenly become the most powerful of allies; especially when confronted by a mutual enemy.

Ode to Facebook "Friendship"

Hey. It's me. You know, that guy. What's his name. That guy. That relative, that friend, acquaintance, former classmate, ex-coworker, yet another here-today-and-gone-tomorrow social media group member, or... maybe just another doting, sycophantic "Top Fan" Facebook page follower, etc, etc, etc.

Whatever the case may in fact be, if I "unfriended" you on Facebook recently (or even within the past several years or so), I'm terribly sorry, but I honestly didn't hear from you very often, so I guess I just gradually came to the conclusion that, for whatever reason, I simply wasn't significant enough to bother with most of the time. No big deal though. I mean, who really has time these days for all these electronic "friends" and connections anyway, right?

So, now that I'm down to just a handful of people left on my Facebook "friend" list, although some might say I've burned one too many bridges, I'm afraid I just don't see it that way at all. Because as far as I'm concerned, I didn't actually burn any bridges. I just finally stopped trying to cross most of them.

So I guess what I'm really saying is that unless I'm blocking you for whatever reason, I most likely still like or even love you. I'm just simply not walking even half way across that damn bridge anymore. Not for you anyway. Not anymore. I'm simply no longer going to even bother to waste even one more valuable minute of my time on such clearly fruitless endeavors. I mean, why should I?

So there you have it. So I no longer have a long list of so-called friends on fancy social media anymore, but then... I'm now pretty sure I never really had all that many genuine friends to begin with anyway. So is there really any love lost? I mean, really?

Whatever the case may in fact be, I'm sure that if you ever even do bother to remember little old me, should you happen to stop by my Timeline for a quick visit, you probably won't be here long, and probably not even long enough to scroll far enough down to see this particular message.

And even if you do, you probably won't even bother to read the whole thing. And that's okay, really. I wish you well. I sincerely, really, honestly do. God bless. Happy trails, adiós, adieu, arrivederci, ciao, sayonara, bon voyage, Auf Wiedersehen and... well, all that. Until we meet again. Or... did we ever? Really? Hmm. I guess we'll never really know for sure, will we?

The True Face of "Social" Media

Psst! If you should happen to see something on my Facebook page that's politically (entertainment, or even religiously) oriented, it may be that I'm "making a statement," and thereby wish to influence either you or a slew of others to embrace my own particular point of view.

Or... it may just be that by sharing certain content (pro, con, or anything in between) that I'm actually just taking note of a number of current social and, yes, political trends that are, sometimes, little more than outright, bald-faced propaganda and lies. I mean, come on, kids! That's often just how the so-called "modern" media works, you know.

However, if you should happen to come across something I've shared over on Manipulationbook... err... Facebook, it does not necessarily mean that I fully endorse any of the prominently featured public figures who tend to blather on and on about various "causes célèbre," or that I even buy into most of the blatantly biased political narratives and shameless agendas that may be reflected in the "news" content that one tends to see on so-called "social" media.

In fact, all of the above may simply suggest that what you may come across on my Facebook "Timeline" merely indicates that I'm fully aware (more or less) of what's going on in most of the world around me. Alas, however, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm 100% on board with absolutely everything that tends to be disseminated on a daily basis by any particular faction of the often Fake Media.

Again, it just means that I'm aware of what's going on. And sure, I'm no fence sitter. I'm definitely a conservative thinker in most regards. But then again, I'm no blind follower either. So please, do bear that in mind, before you come to any definitive conclusions about me, or... well, anything or anybody else either for that matter.

Because in the Real World, what you see, read, or hear (or even just think you see, read, or hear) is not necessarily the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. Not always anyway. And certainly not in the Real World, it ain't.

Forgiveness

Some people actually thrive on demanding repeated, shamelessly obligatory "forgiveness." In fact, they need you (me, everyone, really) to good-naturedly overlook their serial transgressions and outright abuse like a vampire needs to force its prey to "donate" even more precious, life-sustaining hemoglobin.

The problem is, however, that most of us normal, healthy human beings only have just so much to give. And I for one just plain ran out of veins to self sacrificially crack open a very, very long time ago. Yes, we should all learn how to genuinely forgive with all our hearts, of course, but you don't have to forget. Not if you don't want to become yet another serial victim, that is.

So whatever you do, please remember that you don't owe anyone a pint of blood (real or psychic) today, or any stinking day of the week, month, or year either. Not ever. Unless you truly, genuinely want to donate blood or plasma, of course. But for that, all one really need do is visit their local chapter of the Red Cross, which is of course something altogether different to begin with.

Either way, I do sincerely believe with all my heart and soul that Jesus Christ really did die for the sins of all mankind (and was subsequently resurrected on the third day). And that means for absolutely everyone everywhere, for all time, past, present, and future notwithstanding. So that's why I also do not believe for even a single millisecond that I, or anyone else for that matter, should be preyed upon by any serially abusive person.

Because Christ already did that for us. All of us.

So if you really do fancy yourself a true "Christian," and you've interpreted the Gospels otherwise (that we should forgive and keep on serially suffering for this or that demonic creep in the guise of a "friend," family member, spouse, etc., etc.), well that might actually just be your very own personal problem. Yes, that may just be your very own flawed, perhaps poorly educated misunderstanding of the genuine Word of God.

And maybe, just maybe, you really ought to take a good long look in the mirror at anyone, absolutely anyone, especially yourself, who honestly thinks that Jesus Christ wasn't truly man and God enough to have fixed that particular, pre-Christian era problem (with every last drop of his sacred blood, and terrible, prolonged suffering) so that he could fulfill what had long before been written, so that He could do just exactly as our Heavenly Father planned from the very beginning, and finally, so that He would therefore truly be with us, "even until the end of the age."

So by all means, we really should forgive all those who trespass against us, just as they really ought to in turn forgive our trespasses against them, but you'll never get me to buy into the clearly predatory notion that God actually intended for absolutely any of his beloved children to suffer unnecessarily if any one of us might serve as the instrument of God, and thereby intercede on His behalf. And that includes us interceding for ourselves in time of great need, if need be.

Because isn't that ultimately why we are all planted down here in the humble mud of Planet Earth in the first place? I mean, if we're not here to help each other (and sometimes, perhaps selfishly, help ourselves as well), then what, I humbly ask, are we actually here for? Only for our very own self gratification, and all others be damned? Uh-uh, no. I think... not. Definitely not. 

So even though we really shouldn't (under normal circumstances) seek revenge to punish our persecutors, and we don't even have to hold onto all that pain, we certainly must be entitled to a certain degree of self protection.

But sure, when it comes to all that personal pain, sure, if we can, we really should just let it go. Let it all go. Because it was never ours to hold onto to begin with. Which, believe me, I know, speaking from my own personal experience, just like so many others who've also been mistreated by various people throughout the course of their lives, all of the above is always so much easier said than done, isn't it?

But with a little (or even a whole lot of) effort, if we really can find it in our hearts to truly forgive, and then just walk away, having learned a thing or two from the hard lessons we were unfortunately forced to learn from being abused by others, then we really should consider ourselves lucky to have survived the ordeal.

Because now, by embracing the true blessings of forgiveness, we're finally free. Free at last, to treat the next person whom we may someday have the misbegotten opportunity to harm in a much better way than how we ourselves were mistreated by key figures in our past lives.

Because as far as I'm concerned, the true test of any human being is how we choose to wield our own personal power. In other words, if you were just a defenseless little child when some so-called "adult" figure, who may have just been on an all too typically childish tirade, chose to use their temporary power over you to get revenge for something or another that an equally misguided so-called "adult" did to them way back in their own troubled past, then what they deliberately chose to do to you says a whole lot more about them than it does about you. Doesn't it?

Thus, in the final analysis, we are all forced to make all sorts of choices, great and small, throughout the course of our lives. For we all possess varying degrees of personal power to either repeat (and thereby pass on) the Cycle of Abuse, or... we can deliberately choose to put a stop to it all. We can literally and finally say to ourselves, "The buck stops here." So we can finally well and truly take a stand, and not unconscionably simply "pass the buck" onto the next generation. And that particular personal choice, right there, my dear readers, is what ultimately makes one a truly good human. Or not.

Insufficient (or Incorrect) Data Leads to Inadequate Judgement

Though not entirely impossible, incorrect or insufficient data usually indicates that proper judgment cannot be exercised. In other words, attempting to solve for a given variable without having the appropriate numbers plugged into their various places in the equation being utilized means that an incorrect answer will almost always be the eventual result.

To further illustrate this concept, imagine if you will, using a broken calculator to compute any mathematical equation, from the meager total of a simple domestic shopping list all the way up to a crucial scientific formula in common use by NASA to safeguard the very lives of human astronauts being sent into Earth's orbit.

In other words, if the calculating machine being employed has even a single defective number key (which may be permanently depressed, or missing altogether, etc.), then the sum total of every possible equation will be incorrect each and every time that that particular device is used to "solve for X."

In fact, in many ways, the human mind is itself the most sophisticated "calculator," or organic computer rather, yet known to man. Therefore, if the mind of a specific individual is already damaged, or merely impaired in some fashion (great or small notwithstanding), then the flawed human being attempting to "judge," or solve for a given set of variables, will almost always, invariably, be wrong (to a greater or lesser extent) in their computations about, well, pretty much everything.

Or, as Matthew 7:1 (KJV) puts it, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

The Age Old Art of Social Blackmail and the Ever Childish Shame Game

Uh... it's still the scariest sentence in the world. Duh.

Remember when you were "knee-high to a grasshopper," as the old saying goes, out playing in the yard, or maybe on the playground at recess, with your often obnoxious (or just plain immature) brother or sister, classmate, etc., and at what often seemed like the slightest provocation, this or that childhood companion would burst out in an abrupt sing-song chorus of, "I'm gonna tell on you!"

And wouldn't you know it, sometimes you didn't even have any idea whatsoever what you had supposedly done in the first place. So there you were, standing all slack-jawed, and suddenly compelled to let whatever toy, or handy stick (that just happened to resemble, in your vivid childhood imagination, a sleek black machine gun, or maybe even a rusty old sword) suddenly slip from your grubby little kid grasp, only to then lamely exclaim in total bewilderment, "What? What are you talking about? What did I do? What are you going to tell mom and dad/teacher/etc., etc., etc.?"

Or rather, the more kid appropriate, "I did not!" Which is almost always soon followed by the usual round of "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" All of which is but part of a curious, but quintessentially childish discourse that must inevitably lead to the ultimate juvenile coup de grâce; "You know what you did! And I'm telling!"

"I don't even know what you're talking about! What did I do?" you scream helplessly with ever-growing alarm. And then your youthful mind starts to reel, and flail wildly in all sorts of futile, manic directions. Was it the stick I was holding? Oh come on, it was just a silly old branch fallen from a nearby tree. Wait! Did I say a 'bad word?' What did I say? I suddenly can't even remember the last ten minutes, let alone what I had for breakfast! Oh. My. Dear. God. In. Heaven...."

Yet, "You know what you did, and I'm going to tell!" is all your prepubescent gray matter can grasp in this horrific moment of sheer, unadulterated panic, as so and so suddenly breaks into a full-on sprint, heading in the general direction of the nearest adult-type figure (or at least someone who is able to approximate one) who will then surely be able to summarily pass precipitous and most likely quite arbitrary judgement - based solely on the wholly biased, hastily reported, heat-of-the-moment testimony of an antagonistic, hyper-competitive, and unnecessarily vengeful peer.

You know, like all those constantly whining, slandering, and tattling little jerk-offs in the Fake News Media who have the sheer gall to call themselves otherwise honest to goodness "journalists." The kind of sneering, jeering, finger-pointing little creeps that only seem to attend news conferences in the hopes of catching President Trump in the ultimate "gotcha moment." You'd better believe I'm talking about all those low down, dirty rotten, blatantly shameless and horrifically childish purveyors of "gotcha journalism."

Jim Accostya, perhaps the consistently most childish and blatantly rude manbaby in the "gotcha" Fake News Bizz.

And then, in the wake of a mere accusation, after the proverbial beans have been unceremoniously spilled all over the floor of your now suddenly wretched life that had, for all intents and purposes, only just begun, this ominous adult-type figure that some avenging little tattletale has incited, may then, in a fit of blind, self-righteous rage, proceed to pound your allegedly "guilty" young buttocks into what one can only imagine would be the little kid version of total and complete oblivion!

And wouldn't ya know it, all of the above is suspiciously similar to the process routinely resorted to by many infamous agents of the Fake News Media Complex, who seem to think, for some odd reason, that the very best way to begin meting out so-called justice is by the copious airing of dirty laundry. Or worse yet, they seem to think that numerous injustices the world over can only be achieved by twisting the words and deeds of highly targeted public figures whom they single out for especially vociferous scorn. And all in pursuit of that most precious and sacred of mass media holy grails; what unscrupulous charlatans who have the unmitigated gall to call themselves "journalists" often refer to as "the big scoop."

Let's face it, the scenario outlined above is ultimately the way the Fake News Industrial Complex has long sought to punish absolutely anyone who may simply not be on board with their latest single-minded, self-serving agenda. In other words, anyone who even so much as appears to deviate from the grand vision of Marxist Utopian social harmony must be humbled, or even outright eliminated. And as in all socialist revolutionary movements, the Media expects the easily incited masses to do the inevitable beating (mental, verbal, or even physical) of any and all supposedly misbehaving truants targeted for arbitrary punishment.

As in the case of all highly juvenile tattletales, they just prefer to be the ones who point the finger in the general direction of where they've decided the latest angry mob should be headed. Worst of all, as far as they're concerned, that's their job. Because there's just nothing a fake journalist loves more than getting away with being a shameless, trouble-making little tattle-tale. Oh, they may not realize that that is in fact what they do for a living, but lacking introspection, or even a good old fashioned conscience, can be a mighty convenient trait to have for folks in some professions, you know.

Yet, barring a full blown mob of torch wielding angry villagers straight out of an old Frankenstein movie (or even worse yet, straight outta Antifa and Black Lives Matter), at the very least, many miscreants (though nonetheless wrongfully accused), may actually get off relatively lightly, and just receive a stern "talking to" from some highfalutin authority figure or other - even if said individual, or perhaps a myriad of like-minded "concerned citizens," actually end up being little more than a bunch of enraged, easily manipulated SJWs, each childishly pounding on a keyboard from the relative comfort of their very own isolated, ivory towered domicile.

If bad old fashioned cyber-bullying doesn't do the trick then some unlucky bad boy or girl might even end up getting a suspension of some kind of formerly totally acceptable household or classroom "privilege." And who knows, if someone has in fact been a genuine little monster, they might even deserve it. Heck! Said individual may even be sent to their room, told to close the door, "and stay in there for the rest of the day, until I tell you to come out, little mister (or miss)!"

That's right, kids, they're as stark raving mad as drugged up hatters, and they're comin' for YOU.

Or you might just get off relatively easy, and only end up having to go to bed without any supper. Yikes! Talk about a veritable childhood apocalypse of Biblical proportions, Moses! It's the end of the world as we all know it! "OMG!" indeed. At least that's certainly how the Fake News Industrial Complex wants us all to process just about everything these days anyway. I mean, talk about a modern day version of the dreaded Court of Inquisition. Sheesh!

But why on earth does this ancient, though thoroughly juvenile tactic still work so incredibly well on just about everyone, even after all these centuries of human civilization? Why, because most of us never truly grow up anyway, silly! Duh.

And guess what else, folks; the age old, tried but seldom all that true expression, "I'm gonna tell on you!" is still often the scariest phrase imaginable (in any language, culture, etc.) to pretty much every single human being on this entire planet. And not just in the case of presumably mischievous children either. Nope. Uh-uh. No way, José. Even and most especially not in these wretched days of political and social upheaval, these faux "social justice" fueled, incendiary "times that try men's souls," and perhaps even more than during the very worst days of the American Revolutionary War.

Where the heck are ya when we need you most, Thomas Paine?

In fact, if you really think about it, it's just that nowadays (and probably, very likely for all of human history up to this very moment in time) that what we really have here is what I like to call "Social Blackmail," which is, and always has been (in one form or another), simply something that far too many so-called "adults" of all ages just tend to shamefully resort to in order to gratuitously lay the often disastrously ruinous burden of guilt and shame on all their social and political opponents.

Yes, sadly, this predatory social trend that is almost always meant to punish and thereby silence anyone deemed to be foolish enough to go against the grain, has in the past few years alone heated up to an alarmingly inflammatory fever pitch. Worst of all, these openly aggressive, needlessly destructive human social and political tactics are simply par for the course when particularly unscrupulous individuals brazenly resort to the age old witch hunt mentality in a wholly unscrupulous attempt to get anyone who doesn't happen to agree with them to shut the heck up and simply fall in line already.

In particular, people in the US (and other rapidly becoming ever more ethnically diverse countries such as Canada, the UK, Spain, Germany, etc. - aka, mainly Western Europe and North America - but not necessarily outside the sphere of heavily liberalized Western Civilization in most cases) tend to be scared out of their very wits at the mere thought that they might actually be accused of supposedly being "a racist," "a homophobe," "a Republican," etc., etc., etc. Or even, God forbid, "a Trump supporter!" And as I noted above, this isn't even a new or in any way, shape, or form "modern" human social development at all. Heck no! Come on, Peppermint Patty! Wake up and pay attention in class already, will ya? I mean, who among us hasn't ever even so much as bothered to read up about the infamous Salem Witch Trials?

Charles M. Schulz is definitely one of my biggest heroes - and then some. At least Marcie was a genuine friend to Peppermint Patty, and offered a very good excuse to the teacher on this particular occasion!

Actually, even though all us (primarily "white," male) Americans tend to be blamed for almost absolutely everything under the sun these days, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in particular, witch trials were also quite prevalent in a number of other countries, too. Again, particularly in England, Scotland, and other parts of Western Europe (seeing the dystopian socialist pattern of alleged "systemic racism" yet?) where the persecution of so-called "witches" and "warlocks" was all the rage for a good long while, and with even famous personages such as King James I (and VI) not only eagerly getting in on the act, but also pretty much becoming the virtual figurehead of a widescale social and political movement to hunt down and exterminate anyone suspected to have clandestinely made a pact with the devil himself.

Who's afraid of a big, bad witch? Or how about a nasty old male chauvinist warlock or two?

Sometimes this attempted eradication of the merely accused, so-called evildoer was achieved by the most famous method, that of burning the victim alive, but there were of course all sorts of other ways to forcibly make a supposed dabbler in "the black arts" confess all the juicy, dirty little details of their presumed wicked, wicked ways. Yet, before we continue with our examination of the long established and rather nasty need for humans pretty much everywhere on poor old Mother Earth to try ever so desperately to control and manipulate one another (usually "by any means necessary,") let's take just a moment to dive into the deeper end of the colorful life of one of my favorite historical monarchs, James I and VI.

Just look at the long, droopy Scottish schnoz on this old gent's narrow, lean Celto-British mug! Every single
time I see a vintage portrait of James I and VI, it reminds me of my Grandpap Campbell (on me dear,
sweet mum's Scottish, Irish, and Welsh side of the family). Sigh.

Just for starters, it is of particular note that this is the King James that is perhaps most famous for the early 17th century translation of the holy Christian Bible that he got so very involved with in the first place when he attended the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland at St Columba's Church in Burntisland, Fife in May 1601. It was at this historic meeting that proposals were put forward for a new translation of the Bible into English.

Then, even more fortuitously, a scant two years later, James VI of Scotland got even luckier still by actually being invited to ascend the throne of England as James I. And all because Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I, never managed to so much as get hitched, let alone produce a much needed heir for the English throne. Or... something like that. Bottom line: History is often real, real complicated, kids! And there is always somebody out there who is more than willing to argue with you about all the dirty little details and finer points of the past or present. So do be sure to keep that in mind, eh? 'Cause, come on. That's all just part of the grand old, ever-childish "gotcha" game, silly. I mean, duh....

But besides all that, what do we really know about this curious fellow, James? Better yet, what in God's name does he have to do with childish behaviors and the nasty, dirty, stinking Fake News Industrial Complex? Well, let's see. From what I've read about him previously, he seems to have suffered just a wee bit under the tutelage of at least one regent serving on his behalf until he came of age. And sadly, back then even royals weren't immune to such treatment, and especially not during a time when much of Europe was already undergoing the seismic convulsions of the numerous schisms and outright rejections of the Roman Catholic Church order, which had, up to that point in time, enjoyed a nearly millennium and a half long almost total monopoly on the overall structure and precepts of pretty much the entire Christian faith in Western Europe.

But hey! Change is good, they say. I mean, right? Sure. Why not. Let's let that Luther guy have his say now. Sure. Yeah. I mean, why not?

But then, even after many a European nation (or even just a substantially sized Christian group within a given country), all sorts of Protestant disagreements about various points of church doctrine and the like often eventually ended up with the outbreak of often vociferous disagreements and even full blown theological battles that in turn sometimes even ended up causing the various belligerents in question to resort to the wholescale waging of all out war - in many cases, more or less to decide which church rites, hymnal books, and all that jazz, were to be accepted for common use in this or that brand new splinter Protestant Christian sect.

Martin's highfalutin Reformation is pretty much when snotty, holier-than-thou Protestant kids in Europe started to lip off to all us poor Catholics kids, claiming that they're the true Christians, and we're all just... well, lowly, misbehaving slackers - and not, in fact, "Catholic Christians." Seems one can't even be called a Christian anymore if they don't agree with some bossy old German guy who actually used to be a Catholic priest himself (and married a nun, no less)!

Yet getting back to good old James I (and VI) of everlasting KJV fame, not only was the poor lad raised to adhere to decidedly strict Protestant dogma (despite the fact that his mother was Roman Catholic), the details of his life have in recent years been restyled to suggest that he was actually something of a pioneering "gay icon." Yes, you read that right. The guy who's Christian Bible you've most likely read or seen quoted the most of all is now believed within some circles to have been as queer as a three-dollar bill! Or at the very least, dear old James may have been (and I here formally re-emphasize, might have been) bisexual. Some even contend quite vociferously that he was by no means a homosexual.

But for goodness sake, whatever you do, don't ask me for my opinion on the matter! Just for starters, I most certainly wasn't there when James was supposedly dallying behind closed doors with a series of supposed paramours who were not only decidedly male and usually a good deal younger than the King himself, but were also widely recognized as being rather physically attractive. Regardless of how one might wish to argue the matter, one thing is for certain: King James fathered at least three children (that we know of anyway, as was often the way of those rascally, randy, roguish royals, don't ya know) with his dearly beloved, Queen Anne, so he certainly doesn't seem to have had any trouble whatsoever when it came to dallying with the fairer sex. At least as far as we now know after all these centuries anyway.

At any rate, whatever the case may in fact be, historical sources suggest that after heading down south to "dear old blighty" (but surely also long before that, when he was younger and presumably had even more sexual energy in quiet abundance while busy ruling over bonny Scotland) James I actually became somewhat well known for his fondness for certain court favorites who always, curiously enough, seemed to be male and, well, rather fetching.

Let's face it, pretty much everybody (who could afford to) dressed that "gay," and all fancy way back then. Sheesh!

But let's not stray too far from the infamous, multi-centuries long witch hunts, shall we? Or from the overarching concept of Social Blackmail for that matter. Because in fact, if we really want to get technical about it, what is now the United States was, at the time of the Salem Witch Trials still very much part of the British Empire - as everyone with a brain glued firmly enough in their skull already fully well knows.

In other words, those naughty little tattle-tale witch hunters and so-called full grown "adults" back in early colonial days were in fact at the time still very much British and/or Irish men, women, and children (with a few Dutch, Danish, Africans, etc. thrown in for good measure), who were not only suddenly all consumed and waxing absolutely "nutter" over supposed outbreaks of witchcraft in North America, but in the grand scheme of things, they were really just following a massive social trend which had already been imported, lock, stock, and smoking witch's cauldron, by those trusty, holier-than-thou (or at least holier-than-most) Puritans, and other fundamentalist religious groups from way back east, across ye olde pond. And that's not necessarily to let all us pesky "Yanks" entirely off the hook, mind you, but to simply be honest and accurate about it.

It is perhaps Thomas Satterwhite Noble's 1869 painting, titled "Witch Hill (The Salem Martyr)" that most poignantly illustrates the hapless plight of accused "witches" during the infamous Salem Witch Trials of the late 17th century.  

Yet nowadays, long since the Puritans held sway over much of early colonial North America, the Social Backmail Game continues to be not just about who may or may not be wicked enough to be real life witches (the very concept of which has now been transformed entirely, and curiously enough, turned completely on its head, having become a full blown religious movement in the form of the Wiccans, and other like minded neo-pagans), or rather, who may in fact simply be just too darn big for their very own over-sized Pilgrim hats, shiny brass buckles, and knee-length fancy britches. No, these days, holier-than-thou liberals are actually the ones always seeking to call all the shots about who supposedly is and isn't on the right or wrong side of history.

Sure, to a lesser extent conservatives tend to also get in on the act, but I think that's because we are always being forced to be on the defensive, constantly fighting off the never-ending attacks of self-righteous leftists who seem to feel that only they have the divine right to pass judgement over who is or isn't "progressive" or "open-minded" enough. So I think there's an incredibly strong argument to be made for the idea that it's the hyper-secular, vain, selfish, and increasingly spoiled and entitlement seeking liberals that are the ones who are in fact leading the "I'm gonna tell on you!" pack of slanderous lies, innuendo, and guilt-shame tactics galore - all opportunistically designed to win "by any means necessary."

So yes, if you're really objective and truly "open minded" (the way liberals always claim to be), it's more than obvious that it's definitely those on the increasingly unbalanced leftist lunatic fringe who've now taken a frighteningly hyper-aggressive stance, and seem to have truly mastered the timeless art of Social Blackmail and the Shame Game - which is of course just the the age old art of selfishly seeking to manipulate and control the masses to get absolutely anything you want out of society as a collective whole.

In other words, if you just happen to be an almighty, god-like liberal and you want to believe, for only one example, that a human baby is nothing more than just a "collection of cells," an entirely optional part of a woman's body (like hair, fingernails, and the latest Gucci handbag, or similarly easily discardable fashion accessory) which the mother can do whatever the hell she wants with, to the point that "it" can even be killed and tossed into the trash bin on demand, even after a live birth... well, then that's what you simply need to force everyone else to agree to accept as the truth.

And absolutely no dissent whatsoever will be tolerated, do you hear? None at all. So whatever you do, Pilgrim, don't get any bright ideas, you hear! The libs are running this here one-party American town now, and if they say we need to stop flying in planes (well, except Leonardo Dicaprio, John Kerry, and their fancy-ass, entitled Hollyweird ilk) and put a bird slaying windmill in everybody's front and back yard, well then doggone it, that's what we're just gonna have to let 'em do, dang it.

So I guess all that is truly left now (just to hopefully wrap up this little rumination on the timeless foibles of Mankind, which even includes all women, who must be believed, no matter what whom they may indeed seek to bear false witness against), well... all that's really left to say is perhaps, "Welcome to the kidult mangled human landscape, people of Earth!" And worst of all, it's a fiery hell of our very own making. Which is really what Social Blackmail and the Shame Game are still, even after all these thousands upon thousands of centuries of pathetic human social and political history are really all about, you know.

So in the final analysis, it's just plain us, all (or far too many of us, anyway) who just can't seem to simply grow the heck up and finally play nice for a change, for goodness sake! So you see, the Shame Game may be hopelessly archaic and ultimately fruitless and incredibly self destructive, but yet... it seems to never really go completely out of style. Not for some of us anyway. But come on, are we really having all that much fun the way we're going? I wonder.

So you see, some people just plain never grow up enough to simply "Knock it off!" or "Cut it out!" Sadly, many folks simply just don't make it very far out of mental adolescence. And there you have it. And that's just the way it really is, all you snot-nosed kids of all ages. So by all means, "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere." "Tell what?" you may ask, all you haughty, new age "atheists" and "liberated" wokesters, who may indeed be perhaps just a bit too big for your fancy, secular twenty-first century, science and progress-worshipping britches. Tell what? Well, tell everyone what all us truly honest individuals have already known for countless centuries of pathetic human social history; that most people simply never really grow the hell up.

So I guess one really could do what that old spiritual so strongly advocates, and just tell everyone that "Jesus Christ is born." Or... you could just go right on playing perhaps the very oldest of most wicked little games. You could just run and tell mom, dad, teacher, some newfangled secular humanist preacher (or just join forces with the shamelessly Fake News Media Industrial Complex, etc.), and keep right on running around screaming, "I'm gonna to tell on you!" at the top of your foolish little lungs. After all, it's your choice, of course. At least, it sure did used to be anyway, before the "woke" mafia started what pretty much amounts to the 21st century version of the Grand Inquisition all over again.

As the Worm Turns

You may think you know some folks and can therefore depend on them when the going gets rough, but should you reach out in time of great need, you may find instead that many a fair weather friend, "family" member, or the like, may instead see your weakness as a boon to lord over, dominate, or perhaps even benefit from your temporary misfortune. So it is that "when the chips are down," as the old saying goes, that we tend to see the "true colors" of those closest to us. Yet take heart, for the fortunes of all mere mortals are but fleeting. In fact, in celestial terms, change is a universal constant, and one day, those who once betrayed your trust may find the tables wholly turned, and themselves the ones in sudden, dire straits. How we respond then tends to reveal our very own mettle, and whom among us all was truly the superior all along - and who the inferior, the base, the morally bankrupt.

Facebook on My Mind

You know how Facebook always asks that annoying question? You know the one: "What's on your mind?" Really? You really, honestly wanna know what's on my mind, Facebook (masters of the almighty cyber-verse)? Okay. You asked for it, you got it.

1) I don't really like Facebook. Sure, in many ways it's an entertaining electronic platform and a great way to be able to "network" and reach out to people (old acquaintances, distant relatives, former classmates, etc.), but it's also unfortunately often a terrible waste of time. I mean, I've spent literally years, day after day, 365 days a year, clicking "like" on everybody's pictures and shares, but most of the time, the vast majority of those people have mostly behaved like I only exist for their personal gratification.

Because sadly, to most Facebook "users," I'm just a "follower," a "top fan," a "group contributor," or even worse, a "customer." I may even be nothing more than a target for someone who has a specific political, religious or social agenda. Either way, if I happen to consent to go along with someone who suddenly deems me useful, that may pretty much just end up making me little more than a sycophantic nobody whose job is to sit eagerly in front of my computer, just waiting with bated breath to click my mouse, as indicated, often enough to send out yet another dopamine hit to some needy, addicted "social" media "content creator."

2) I've been on Facebook since way back in the early 2000s, but in all those years, most of the friends I've accumulated on here haven't even so much as bothered to reply to any of my personal messages most of the time. In fact, when I got married back in 2012, I sent a whole lot of people on my "friend" list electronic wedding invitations, but not a single one of those people even so much as sent me a simple reply. I don't even know if they even bothered to click on the link that would show them the electronic wedding invitation! I mean, I wasn't looking for a card or even a wedding gift, and I certainly didn't think that most of those individuals could attend the ceremony over here in South Korea, but... gosh... maybe a word or two of congratulations in a private message could have made a huge difference in my life. But I guess that's not how "social" media really works, is it?

3) So yeah, after all these years, and all these "friends" on a mostly meaningless electronic "friend list," I guess I just don't care anymore. So stay. Or go. Whatever! But for God's sake, please remember one thing: I don't exist to support your cause. No, I'm not sending a donation. No, I'm not clicking like on every one of your shares. Yes, I may very well like your page at your request, but then again, I might not. Likewise, I might "like and share" when I see what I think is genuinely good content, but on second thought, maybe I just plain won't. You see, believe it or not, as a human being, I am not just another name on an electronic list.

And there you have it. So should you stay or should you go now? I dunno. I honestly don't know. And I no longer really care. So just remember one thing: I am not here for you and you only. I do not exist to serve you. I'm not a sycophant. I'm not a disciple. I'm not a follower. I'm not even an especially political person in most cases. Again, I am not here for your personal gratification, entertainment, or to profess my undying allegiance to your sacred cause. Because as far as I've seen over the years, there's not a single person on Facebook (in politics, entertainment, etc.) that even comes close to being Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Mohammed, or who the heck ever!

And that goes for you holier-than-thou atheists, too! So whatever you do, just remember, I am a person. I am a human being. I am an individual. And if you are too, for God's sake, act like it. Interact with me, one on one, every now and then. You know, like a fellow traveler to the grave (afterlife, or whatever) that we must all eventually inhabit, and not just another Facebook faceless name on a list, a "social" media tool to be used when, how, and why you (or others) may in fact see fit at any particular moment on any given day.

And that, Facebook, is exactly what's on my mind. So "like it, love it, or take it around the corner, and dump it."

On the Nature of Love and Personal Boundaries

I actually have a lot of boundaries, yet most people don't even seem to be aware of the vast majority of the personal lines that really shouldn't be crossed to begin with. But then... I guess I really do understand.

For example, Facebook has finally, after God knows just how long, added a "care" reaction to the list of "like" options. Me, I have firm boundaries, but I tend to either like something or someone or... I just plain don't.

So in most cases, rather than simply clicking "like," I more often go for the "love" option. I mean, something doesn't have to be the best or most professional photo ever taken for me to see the genuine effort, or sheer sentiment that went into the compulsion to publish certain content via social media.

Likewise, someone doesn't have to be the best looking individual on the planet either for me to "love" their picture. I mean... there are a lot of ways to love people, and the world at large, you know. So it's often wise not to read too awful much into just about anything at all.

However, clicking "love" on someone's publicly shared content unfortunately creeps some folks way the heck out. Especially some women and girls, I've noticed. And, even worse, if you're a guy who clicks "love" on a male friend's new profile picture, said fellow heterosexual, manly dude may just... you know, get the wrong idea.

Ahem.

So, okay, okay! Don't flatter yourself too much. Also, by the very same token, don't assume that everyone out in cyberspace is a pervy little "wanker" who has nothing better to do than fall in Facebook "love" with little old you. Or me... or whomever. I mean... you did share that content publicly, did you not?

And yes, I know that negative attention is often better than no attention at all, but... come on! Everyone has responsibilities, everyone has "agency." Absolutely everyone. Even folks who seem to have absolutely no clue whatsoever that what they're really doing is... well, typical attention-seeking. But hey! We are talking about "social" media, are we not?

Ahem.

So, really, honestly, if I click "love" on a social media post it almost always means that I think the content deserves more than a simple "like." But that doesn't mean that I'm a stalker, or that I think that anyone on Facebook is the second coming of Jesus Christ himself either. I'm just a really sincere guy in most cases. And... that's about all there really is to it, I'm afraid.

On the Nature of Postmodernist Devolution

Unfortunately, these days, most people can't even be bothered to read a paragraph or two at the top of a typical social media post, let alone write a good old fashioned letter (or even an email, much less a few coherently worded sentences in a simple chat session) to a friend or relative.

In Medieval times, Christian churches, and later, cathedrals, had only just begun to be filled with art and various forms of  religious iconography (such as stained glass depictions of Biblical stories and statuary to venerate Christ and other important figures) in a concerted effort to educate the largely illiterate masses who could not yet even read the scriptures.

In those days, in fact, churches and monasteries were not just centers of worship, but tended to be the only places, outside of the royal court, or the homes of the most affluent, where the laity (the common man) could actually go to learn to read and write. Of course, we've come quite a long way since then. At least we like to think so anyway.

That's why, in fact, all the best 19th century literature, for just one example, tends to be rather lengthy, even wordy, and full of verbiage that, nowadays, in the world of quickly and easily digestible pop-culture entertainment, tends to make many a "modern" man's head spin by sheer comparison.

I fear therefore, that as a species, the human race may actually be digressing when all most folks can be bothered with is the mere seconds it takes to scroll past pretty pictures on Facebook; a veritable cornucopia of visually oriented stimulation that usually incorporates only a single sentence or two, and thus conveys but the simplest of ideas, often expressed in a mere brief quote at the very best.

And worse yet still, quite often, even these colorful "memes" tend to have absolutely no punctuation, or may even be full of grammar and spelling errors, to boot. So much for human "social" progress, eh?

Just Because

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Just because you should, doesn't mean you will. Just because you will, doesn't mean you're ever even gonna get the chance.

On the Nature of Anger, or... Live and Let Dog (or Cat, or Mouse) Live

Yes, I do get angry sometimes. I think everyone does. Even some of the sweetest, most innocent folks I've personally ever been privileged to know. Such as a few handicapped people I've been lucky enough to be acquainted with over the years, whom, I have observed, that even they too, from time to time, have their little moments of bitter frustration and deep, abiding sorrow and disappointment.

And besides, in most cases, with a little help, and a whole lot of patience, most people tend to "get over it," as they say, as we all should, of course. After all, Life is hard for a whole lot of people. Everyone suffers sometimes. Everybody cries, you know - whether they ever let anyone else see that side of them or not. And some of us, I am deeply saddened to have to acknowledge, definitely seem to have it a whole lot worse than others.

So it's not the periodic strong emotions all us, hopefully humble, human beings tend to feel, or the times of great stress that may cause some folks to be unable to properly manage the more negative side of their nature, but rather, it is how we deal with our inner angst that often makes all the difference in the world.

Therefore, it's where and how we channel that raw energy, that comes as part and parcel to the often bitter slings and arrows of Life, that matters most of all. It's how we use it to either help or hurt others. Especially those closest to us, whom are often the very last people who deserve to be left holding the proverbial bag.

So goes the old adage, that as I often recall, reads something like this:
"The boss takes it out on the man. The man takes it out on his wife. His wife takes it out on the kids. The kids take it out on the dog. The dog takes it out on the cat. The cat takes it out on the mouse. And the mouse? Well, no one quite knows for sure." 🐭

"Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful"

Sometimes, they don't dislike you because of something you supposedly, just maybe, may or may not have even "done wrong" to begin with. Sometimes someone or other in your life just can't stand the sight of you because you may actually possess something that they themselves do not, or something (such as a talent or some other all too obvious virtue - even if it's only innocence) that they might not have in quite such glaring abundance.

Maybe you're just too pretty. Maybe you're just too smart. Maybe you're none of the above. Maybe you're just plain average, but the fault actually lies within them, and not you. Therefore, maybe they themselves feel an overwhelming deficit, a deep chasm in the pit of their very soul, and the only way they can feel better about the sorry state of their own wretched existence is to put others down, just to feel even just a little bit bigger, or so-called "better" than everyone else.

Sometimes it's just because of someone or other in their own past who despised them for no particularly good reason - other than pure, instinctual, bad old fashioned jealousy, that is. You know, envy. Spite. And they are already angry on the inside because maybe... like a lot of us, "Life just doesn't seem fair." Sometimes. Sometimes for healthy folks, but not so much for the mentally ill, the perpetually self-tortured.

So... that right there is actually all the excuse in the world that some sad people might need to hate your stinking guts - and then treat you accordingly. But then... I guess that's just some people for ya. Hmm. 🤨

On the Nature of Perspective

Sometimes, we do not know ourselves as well as those who view us from a different set of eyes, just as those who similarly fail to see themselves from their own frail, limited, human perspective.