On December 19, 2010 I bought a used 21-speed bicycle for $160, a new bike helmet, and an air pump. My vague recollection of those acquisitions pairs with only a few memories of riding that bike. How many times in my life, I wonder, have I invested money and quick-to-disappear-commitments in something that illustrated my lack of discipline? I have a few pieces of more recent evidence—right here in my study—of my foolish and quickly-disproven belief that THIS TIME I will stick to it. I know I can. But, despite my ability, I don’t, thanks to the fact that my will fades so quickly. I’ve had some successes, of course, but they have been outnumbered by unmet objectives and commitments.
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I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity.
~ Edgar Allan Poe ~
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Alternative facts cannot justify claims about alternative realities. Yet truth and facts are contextual; perspective can transform one absolute certainty into its antithesis. Intentional adjustments to manipulate others’ frames of reference, though, behave like sinister prisms—making malevolent acts appear charitable and worthy of admiration. Eventually, trickery teaches lessons to the victims of fraud—specifically, who can be trusted and who cannot. That clarity, though, becomes muddy when the confusion of unyielding distrust gets in the way of reality. If two people—one with a history of honesty and the other with a history of lies—make the same claim, the dishonest one is apt to be judged a liar. But one’s judgment about the honest one may be clouded, tainted by the other’s past. Context.
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If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn,
they will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem.~ Leonard Cohen ~
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The indoor temperature can be 76°F; still, I feel cold, especially when I compare that temperature to the 88°F outside. I feel moderately comfortable, usually, when I wear long-sleeves and long pants. But when I walk outside to face the blazing climate, I feel positively wonderful…for a time. Soon, though, the long-sleeves, long pants, and stifling humidity become too much; I want nothing more than to run naked through a mist of cool water. But I don’t. Because I am a civilized man being who recognizes nudity for what it is: a vulgar, unwholesome, and unforgiveable abandonment of human modesty, one of the only attributes we can claim entirely as our own. No, of course I do not believe nudity is bad in some way. I do believe, though, that many of the world’s societies have adopted an irrational loathing of nudity. And I believe many people in those same societies find nude bodies (those that do not fit the mold of what is, at any given time, the ideal) disgusting. I have heard people complaining about others on a beach. They say something to the effect that “I don’t want to see the naked body of an old fat man!” When I hear such bigotry, even from friends or acquaintances, the level of respect I feel for the speaker declines precipitously. My experience with uncomfortable temperatures somehow led me to begin writing a treatise on compassion and human decency. Perhaps it’s symptomatic of adult ADHD; might I be afflicted by the condition?
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Dreams serve as punishment. Not for actions, but for thoughts.
Debbie, distractions are far more numerous than opportunities and desires! 😉
I identify with the bicycle post. So many opportunities, so many desires, such fortitude, muffled by so many distractions.
Right place, right time, right thing. I like that perspective, Bev!
I suspect that there’s a pretty large percentage of the population that buys sports equipment, musical instruments, art supplies, fabric, etc.. and never get around to using it for one reason or another. That’s why chains like Play It Again Sports, are packed with bicycles, sailboards, and other gear, and all sorts of musical instruments may be bought from Elderly Instruments. I’ve bought a few things that have not been used as much as intended, but the interesting thing is that I usually do get around to using them at some later date. In fact, I’m going through that right now with a Low D whistle (a kind of flute used for Trad Irish music) that I bought about 5 years ago. I grew frustrated with my snail’s pace progress in learning it and put it away. However, when I got it out a week ago, I was able to play it much better than I did when I put it away. That’s happened before with instruments that I’ve bought. Quite the mystery how I learned to play better without practicing for four years! Anyhow, all that to say that you’re not aloneat not always carrying on with some pursuit. Right place, right time, right thing. That doesn’t always happen.