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Which is at the very heart of my concern over the whole issue of truth in the first place. No correct me if I’m wrong, but when we say the word truth we are talking something that is well, true.
That seems simple enough, but outside of a few details how much stuff out there gets peddled as truth even if you can’t actually verify it is true. And naturally it gets even more complicated by the fact of the number of people who disagree over whatever they decide is true.
Talk about something being totally silly, try delving into some philosophy professor’s idea of what is a ultimately true. Like that is something of which there is no debate!
Still I think if you were to ask most people they would claim and in particularly if you are selling something (including yourself as a politician) that they want the truth. It does sound like a popular idea. I’m just not all that sure it translates into reality in terms of something that actually works if you try it.
I don’t mean to be a pessimists here on that subject or make it sound like I’m trying to defend lying, but I just know of the times when the truth simply doesn’t work in terms of getting the right response. And that folks to me is the basic foundation of decision making that each salesperson, advertiser, politician and nay, even television evangelists as to build upon.
Now you can think what you want. You can get all ethical and take the moral high ground so to speak, but the plain fact is when you butt is on the line, the truth is going to be a lot less appealing if you know if you talk about it disaster will follow.
Even though I am not a bible thumper I do know that famous saying from the bible about the truth will make you free. Well it might do that, but it can also mean in the wrong situation it frees you from being able to make a living. Ah-hah! So let’s see the bible thumpers tell us how THAT is a good thing!
I’m not going to sit and debate what kind of freedom knowing the truth might get you. Whatever it is, I can assure you that in my business, which I do regard as a form of advertising they truth isn’t always a good thing.
I guess I ought to give a little lip service to the silly idea of expressing regret over the fact that there are times when a lie works better than the truth. And if you need me to do that, well I can serve up that baloney if you want.
However (and don’t read this part if you don’t really want to know) I personally enjoy the current method of fabrication. The truth means remembering facts. A lie you just invent whatever. It’s just plain easier on me in my situation. Hey, it might not be what a person wants to hear, but let’s face it folks, it is the truth and that ain’t no lie!
The big question is which ones? And in that regard I think that is in part a matter of personal observation. We all have our own way to testing the credibility of a given charity, but I also think that plenty of times that reduces down to when it doubt we don’t contribute to a given charity. Or in some cases we don’t give at all anyway.
I wish I could say that my own philosophy on this subject wasn’t as described above, but it is. However in my case I’ll be honest and admit that in part my attitude stems from envy. I mean if I could figure a way to get people to give me money without having to tax them for it or lie about it, I’d be more than happy to try.
The problem I have is that there isn’t any viable charity I can make up to get away with asking for donations. I had thought of something like raising money for an old folks home for retired politicians, but then I wasn’t sure that would exactly inspire much in the way of contributions.
I tell you that the more I think of this approach of fund raising the more I envy those who are able to come up with some really creative charity they can make up that will get people to give money. Oh I realize that there are also a few out there who really do need the money and honestly are just trying to help people.
I will salute them too. Of course I have a lot of trouble identifying with that kind of goodness. In my case if I was in charge of some legitimate charity I doubt I could manage to be sure the money got to those in need. Oh I would certainly claim that I was interested in their needs, but in reality I would be doing everything I could to suck the bank account dry and make it look like it all went for legitimate expenses. At least on paper.
So I suppose understanding my own moral limitations on this subject it probably really is a good thing that I don’t get that involved with charities. In my situation perhaps I could actually regard it as a good deed that I don’t try to help.
However you can be darn sure that I am not exactly going to admit that to my voters though. I might be willing to confess my weakness in my blog, but I’m not crazy enough to do so for my voters. That is where I draw the line. I would rather preserve my image do I can get reelected. Hey, just being honest in that regard. There is no reason from my point of view to add to the ranks of the unemployment myself because I suddenly decided to tell the voters the truth. I’ll let somebody else do that!
In the meantime I think I’ll give this whole charity thing a little extra thought. There might be some way yet for me to get involved without actually getting involved. And you can trust if I can figure a way I will.
Gosh I guess I better run. Otherwise I might be late for that dinner where I’m being honored for my humanitarian work. What can I say? I just hate to disappoint people at times. And why tell THEM the truth if it would only disappoint! Works for me. Well I guess when it comes to excuses there isn’t that much that doesn’t work for me.
Actually I can even explain why I hadn’t done it sooner. I mean when my grandfather passed away years ago and I ended up having this stuff literally dumped on me by my dad I just wanted to get rid of it. But my grandfather had been an important part of my life in many ways so I didn’t feel like I could just toss the stuff away.
He was my model in terms of politics since he was also our city’s mayor when I was a kid. Well perhaps not the perfect model, but he did have a big influence on the way I approached politics. I guess I felt a certain pressure to follow his role. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest choice, but you know it did serve me well in terms of political survival so I guess I can’t complain.
The thing is I had fully intended to go through all the boxes. But I just never got around to them. I would think about it sometimes, but I don’t know I just somehow kept putting it off for one reason or another.
And then the day came when my wife decided we needed to stop putting it off. (I think she was primarily motivated by this television show she watched about people finding wealth in the form of stocks and bonds in boxes they inherited.) But regardless I knew she was right.
So I arranged for someone to pick them up and closed out the rental space. Then I had them delivered to our house. Afterwards came the real fun. Taking the time to do what we had put off for far too long, searching through the private artifacts of another person’s life.
Despite my wife’s disappointment I have to admit that I really ended up enjoying the experience. True we didn’t find any hidden “treasure” in terms of stocks and bonds, but we did find all kinds of personal items that reflected things about my grandfather’s life that I didn’t even know.
It turned out he had been interested in nature. I found books on bird watching and national parks. I even found a few items that indicated he had been involved with the Audubon Society.
They all hinted to the fact that his life was more diverse than I had ever imagined. That in fact his interests extended beyond the walls of city hall and politics.
For me it was a revelation. A certain epiphany about how people can be a whole lot more than we imagined. And it was definitely true in my grandfather’s case.
That brought me to the disquieting reality that perhaps stored in the minds of so many people are the hidden treasures stored away that await to be discovered. I can’t say I’m going to make that a life’s calling, but I do think I’ll probably look at people a little different from now on. Hopefully, I’ll do so in a more positive way and not just to regard them as someone to take advantage of. Hey, I’ll try, which for me is about the best I can promise!
Basically the golden rule of deception applies here. Out of sight, out of mind. So that comes down to if you can keep your pride in check and not tell the world or anyone your little secret then it will stay a secret.
But that’s the problem, a secret at times is sort of like knowing a joke. We just can’t resist the need to be somebody else knows about it. And the moment we do, the whole point of it being a secret is gone!
Well I imagine I didn’t say anything shocking or revealing did I? That isn’t some special truth most of us don’t know.
So how come we play the game anyway when we know it is dumb and stupid? Er, should I answer that with the obvious? No, I guess not.
Now aside from that reality of course, life does abound with hidden spaces in many other venues, genres and actions. Ah, was that poetic or what? Okay don’t say it!
Okay the thing is hidden is a preferred style of hording extra elements to life that we don’t want to be sure the rest of the world finds out about. It is a wonderful and glorious practice. And I salute the effort.
Why you might ask? Because to me that is the one characteristic that truly helps to make us so different from the rest of the life forms on the planet. While they don’t have the thought process to give such efforts that much thought, we do and at will we construct all those little spaces to store what helps to give life more mystery and less sorrow. My opinion of course and I’m proud of it.
Therefore folks let us celebrate our genius of deception. Let us walk upon the shiny stones of our creation and be truly joyful that we can. After all it is part of the special raiment of creativity that truly is unique to humans. And in history we have worked very hard at times finding cool places to hide facts and other information we didn’t want anyone to know about. As a fellow pack rat of secrecy I salute you one and all.
Now don’t you feel just a proud as can be for being so clever and sneaky? Doesn’t it make you heart swell till it is ready to burst with happiness just to know how truly special you are on this planet?
As a politician of course I would be totally lost without this vehicle of choice to savor in my life. I honestly couldn’t survive. I consider it one of those cases where the ends truly do justify the means.
And that folks it for me reason enough. What’s your excuse? Feel free to borrow mine if can think of a good one. Take care one and all.
Oh I’m sure they have even more value than I could categorize in this posting. But I think the basic idea to me is that the tree in its many forms and uses is one of those resources whose value can never be appreciated enough.
No, I didn’t suddenly become a nature lover or advocate for the environmentalists, but that doesn’t mean I can appreciate a tree if I want to. Naturally I didn’t mention a trees biggest contribution to mankind as wood for furniture or some other form we use all the time.
The thing is, a tree is valuable, but what I was delving into here is the concept of how a tree is in many ways a symbol too. One that if we see it for the message it conveys we can apply to something like people.
A tree represents in part to me the concept of stability. They have roots and branches and yet are never moved from there location. And people can have roots also. We also can have branches in terms of families or acquaintances.
As with a tree we too can be source of stability. Some people definitely have that quality to be dependable and secure. They never seem to be phased by life and you can pretty much depend on them being in the same place at the same time no matter what happens.
Such folks, god bless them, are also like a tree in that they provide shelter and shade from circumstances at times to those of us who are in need. And that too is something you can’t overrate in terms of value.
But just like with trees, people come in all kinds of variety. Some are larger, some smaller, some more known for stability and others well, far easier to bend or even break.
The big challenge is that unlike a tree, where you can see from its appearance what it is like, people don’t always reveal their real qualities are first impression. Sometimes you think the person is like an Oak. Somehow who is strong and dependable and a resource you can look to for “shade.”
However at times you don’t find out till later that they are not like that at all. Instead the silliest bit of pressure or wind so to speak and the bend. They have no strength to endure. And that can be a difficult thing to find out if you count on them and it turns out they aren’t so reliable. But that is part of the discovery process we all go through in life I suppose, even more so when you are a politician like myself.
Oh yes and before I forget I can’t neglect to mention that too me, being the typical greedy conniving person that I am, I also view people as trees in terms of one other aspect. I size them up for when they need to be cut down. Hey, no offense, but with some people they are so stiff in their character they might as well be a piece of furniture to sit on. Just saying it as I see it, pass the saw!
As for any of his fans, all I can is hey, I am not writing his novel here, just taking the title a different slant, so please cut me a little slack okay? Which in part brings me to the heart of this posting. The times, which is the ones we all have, will be either best or worst depending on who you think you are.
Okay, I know you don’t need my playing the old positive thinking trump card here. That wasn’t my intention in the first place, but I figured I better say so up front so I did have anyone groaning and hopefully they will keep reading.
What I wanted to point out is how the saying I borrowed for the title reflects the simple truth of life of how in the same day some people have bad times while others have it great. And if you are having a great day the world just seems to be the best place you can be. If it sucks, well then you probably might not mind if you had a way to relocate.
Where I have no idea because I don’t think there is such a place in this life in the universe where everything is perfect. Call it guessing if you want, but all I know any of the aliens who people claim have abducted them never spend time invited anyone to their planet by bragging how cool it is.
Hope that gives you a reason to rethink the idea of wishing we could have formal contact with aliens. Heck what if they really come here because we have it far more fun than they do? I’ll let you mull that one over a bit.
In the meantime let’s move back to the issue of good times and bad ones. And in that regard I want you to sort of think of this in terms of warfare. No, you won’t need a gun or uniform and you are going to hurt anyone.
Instead I want you to treat it as a case of boredom and unhappiness being an enemy. So if you are having a good time, just consider that a case of being on patrol and meeting light or no resistance. Hoist the victory flag and just celebrate the heck out of the best times.
Just one word of advice though don’t shout too loud. Otherwise you risk having somebody who isn’t having the best of times planning some kind of raid to ruin your time. Some people’s idea of the best of times is making sure nobody is having them!
On the other hand if you are in the worst of times now it is time to go on the offensive. How do you do that? Well first of all be honest. Don’t be in the middle of having the cannons of the enemy going off all around you and claim it is all quiet. Get to the heart of what makes things the worst no matter what it is.
After you have done that then ask the next question. Can you fight the worst times? Or are you out of ammunition? If so I just can make one suggestion, RUN AWAY!
That’s right, find a place to retreat and hide if you can. Hey, escaping may not be the answer to all problems, but trust me if we are talking fun it sure beats the other options.
Just a little slice of wisdom pie served up to a needy world. Seconds available upon request!
The only thing is that while it might be a good title and the movie was decent I can honestly say I know that many people who work 9 to 5. All the office employees that I know work 8 to 5 with an hour lunch. And that includes the ones that work for my city.
I think in part it reflects the attitude of those who create fiction that is supposed to be a view of real life. They essentially paint life with their own hues of values and make each stroke conform to what they want us to accept as reality.
Even if it isn’t close to the true, it doesn’t seem to matter. Because you know what? Most of us are such chumps for their movies that we keep going back for more.
And what is really amazing is how eventually it seems like we end up slowly mutating in our own idea of what is true till we actually buy into their version of reality. Oh maybe if they create some story that is about our own type of life we will divorce ourselves from regarding it as real.
But be honest, the image they mold in terms or some characters is something we totally embrace as if it were accurate. And tell me that your own anchor of understanding on a given job or type of person that you see in the movies who you don’t know personally doesn’t often conform to their fantasy.
Take the image of people who live in New York city. Have you ever noticed that regardless of how poor the person is they always have some truly great apartment. I don’t know where you live, but it takes money where I live to afford any place to stay. And if you want to afford the type so apartments they show ordinary people renting in New York I can guarantee you that you are not going to be living in those places and working at a minimum wage job. It just doesn’t happen folks.
And I think most people are smart enough to know that is true. But despite that we still allow ourselves to often use the movie industry’s cinematic offering as true far too often.
Does that really hurt you might ask? It can, especially if you for some reason end up making a decision using that fantasy as reality. And that can be an extra problem if you have shaped your opinion about someone based on what people of that appearance act like in the movies. Come on folks admit it, we’ve all done it from time to time.
Okay, well I suppose I have pretty much stated the obvious. But let’s be honest folks, if most of us weren’t prone to being brain dead couch potatoes, myself included, maybe we would keep our mind in gear more and not let it become the product of borrowing somebody else’s fantasy for our reality. And at the heart is the fact we will most likely keep doing it. So let’s just smile and celebrate being the lazy creeps we are. Pass the beer and potato chips and hope the next sitcom has less commercials. While you are at it, pass the remote too. I don’t mind watching television, but I prefer choosing my own version of fantasy denial. Cheers!
But it doesn’t mean I like it. And it makes me extra annoyed with people who think not showing up on time for meetings or work as no problem. They always seem to want to suggest that there are worst things.
Well I suppose in some ways they are right. Getting a terminal disease is worse. Being a victim of a violent crime is worse. I could probably make up a list of things that qualify as worse, but it still doesn’t make someone being late a good thing in my book.
The reason I got on this subject is because of this one employee I have to put up with. He is head of our Accounting Department. And even though he isn’t a god, you would think sometimes by the way he acts that he thinks he is.
I would fire the jerk if I could, but he basically does his job, albeit with a sucky attitude that I lack the justification to get rid of him. Plus with city employees you have to contend with all kinds of red tape as with any government employees that makes that option even more complicated.
So I get stuck with him. And in his case what bugs me more than anything is not that he shows up late for work. I wouldn’t be too concerned with that part as long as he was in his office when I needed to see him. No the thing that bugs me is the way he keeps you waiting forever when you need something from his department.
For example his department is responsible for issuing all city checks. So if I need to put in a check request it has to go to him.
Now if I was dealing with anyone else, I would just take the stupid check request down to his office and he would cut me a check. At least that is the way it should work. But not with this jerk. With him it has to go through “channels.” Basically it has to be submitted via an interoffice envelope.
That just means it gives him an extra day or two before he actually has to write the check. And talk about having to provide documentation for the check request, man with this guy it is practically like having to comply with information for an audit.
Plus even when you do manage to get it right, it can take a week, that’s right a week before I get the check. And believe me there have been a few times when I’ve not been happy over that reality.
So yes, folks, it is true that there are things worse than being late. But none of them in my opinion is quite as bad as having to deal with someone who makes being late for whatever a joy.
I just hope that you don’t have too many people like that in your life. If so I hope you find a way to avoid them or a way to work around them being late. Life is filled with enough joy without those little complications, but I suppose like the cold and other things we hate, yet tolerate we will all learn in our own way to grin and bear it. And if we are lucky we make the other jerk bear it a little too!
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