Dark Humor for your Black Friday

Sometimes I have dark and twisted thoughts.

I imagine we probably all do from time to time.

The difference with me, however, is that I usually write them down.

If they aren't long enough to turn into an entry, I send them to my friend Phil, and he records himself reading my dark and twisted thoughts aloud in a very calm and sincere voice. Then, he sends the recording back to me and I slap on some animated words and a musical track by Schumann and post them on a YouTube channel called Phizzy Essence.
 
Here's one of our Phizzy Essence videos to get you all into a Black Friday mood:

Typical Morning Thoughts

The day starts like any other day and I am up when I am up and my mind reboots into reality and what a harsh reality it can be.

But today is the day and I am going to live in the moment and not let my past make me cringe in regret and I am not going to let my future loom before me in a messy mass of uncertainty and worry and fear.

I am not perfect, but I am going to be the best person I can be, the full package, not perfect, but not the worst, perhaps a bit quirky, I mean, it's not like I am crazy or dangerous or anything, although I do spend a lot of time talking to myself, but...

Today is my day, and today I am going to utilize my energy and time in positive ways, aside from the nine hours of work and the eight hours of sleep and the hour or two of commute time and...

Wait...what does that add up to?

Nine and eight and two and...did I include eating? I have to include eating, I'm not a machine, for crying out loud. I can't just go full throttle and not eat, I might pass out at work...

Gotta get to work...wait...what time it is?

Is that clock set to the correct time or is that the clock I set twenty minutes ahead to make sure that I am never late? Should I be recalculating the time like that? I shouldn't, right? That defeats the purpose of setting it forward.

Holy crap! Is that the TIME!?

Wait...no, that's the stove clock I forgot to set backwards for Daylight Savings Time. Almost gave myself a heart attack, which is probably not far off in my future at the rate I am going. I need to exercise more. I should eat better food.

Who ever sets the stove clock anyway? I guess it got set at some point. It doesn't blink 12:00 like the microwave.

Why does the microwave have so many buttons and features? Has anyone used the "soften" button in the history of microwaves with a "soften" button? Whatever happened to simple elegance in interface design?

The toilet. Simple design. One control. One result. Unless it gets plugged. Then, it has two possible results. I don't like the second result.

I should probably set the microwave clock.

How do I set the microwave clock?

I should probably set the stove clock.

How do I set the stove clock?

Why does my kitchen smell weird? Is it onions? Did I cook something with onions last night? Was it the night before?

Why do we even eat onions, they smell horrible! Whose responsible for eating the first onion? Who would want to do that? Did they just eat a raw onion like an apple and conclude, with that strong and harsh flavor, that onions weren't poisonous?

Is it rotten chicken? Did I cook chicken this week?

I should run the garbage disposal. I should squirt dish soap in first and then run the garbage disposal.

Is there anything in the garbage disposal that I can't see? Like a spoon? Will it break if I turn it on? How can I tell? Should I reach in?

What if I was reaching into the garbage disposal and the power surged in some weird way and the garbage disposal turned on and chopped up my hand? What would I do? Is that normal to think about having my hand chopped up in the garbage disposal? Do other people think about losing their hand in a garbage disposal or am I just weird?

No, I'm not weird. I'm...actually...I'm lucky...I should feel lucky. I have a good job and both of my hands and I am fairly healthy and I'm not dead, yet. That's pretty good. Especially the death part.

Assuming that death is worse than existence, that is. Which it might not be. I mean, it's either pure love or non-existence or reincarnation...or Hell, but, come on, that seems a bit pessimistic, even for me, so it's probably reincarnation because that's the most difficult one to deal with once you throw Hell out of the mix.

That would just figure, right? Billions of years...over and over...of...this...

Plus, who knows? Why should I even be reincarnated as a human? Why should it even be on Earth? Maybe I will end up as a pile of intelligent orange goo on some distant planet in some distant galaxy. There's an awful lot of space in space. I could be anything, anywhere, at any time. Would the quality of my life be better or worse?

Quality of life is important. I have a good quality of life. I'm lucky, really.

My quality of life would definitely be worse if I chopped off my hand. I will just run the garbage disposal without checking.

Smells better. Must have been rotten chicken in the garbage disposal.

I should try to find the manual for the stove clock.

It's getting late, I have to get going. I have to get to work. That was a waste of time. Completely unproductive. Maybe I can make up the time on my lunch break.

Where's my lunch?

My coffee? My keys? My wallet? My shaver? My jacket? My book? My snack? My water?

Where's that thing that I am going to forget until I start driving for about five minutes?

Got 'em.

Gotta get going. Gotta go. Gotta get through this day. Gotta make it count.

Life...it's still there.

What I have Been Writing

A lack of posts does not mean a lack of writing.

I am working through some drafts.

I will be back here soon.

Thanks to all who are reading.

Show Compassion

In a time before now...

In a place not here...

Master Chen and Foo...

SHOW COMPASSION

Warrior sage Master Chen was lecturing to his apprentice Foo on the virtues
of compassion when Foo interupted him.

"Master," said Foo, "I do not understand compassion."

"Foo, you do not understand anything," said Master Chen, "But you understand
that you do not understand, so ask your questions."

"Master," said Foo, "you say that we must have compassion for all living things."

"That is correct," said Master Chen.

"Plants and animals are living things," said Foo.

"That is also correct," said Master Chen.

"If I show compassion to all living things," said Foo, "I cannot harm or kill
any plants or animals. But then I will have nothing to eat. So what do I do?"

"Foo," said Master Chen, "are you asking me if you should starve yourself to
death in order to be compassionate?"

"Yes," said Foo, "I am."

"Yes, Foo," said Master Chen, "You should starve yourself to death."

Foo sat in stunned silence as the Master continued.

"Also, let poisonous snakes bite you, let wild animals eat you alive, let greedy
people take everything you have, and let one or more psychotic killers stab you
in the face multiple times."

And Foo was enlightened slightly more than he was before.

"Foo," said Master Chen, "You have that stupid enlightenment expression
on your stupid face again. You aren't enlightened, stupid, so just stop being
stupid...stupid!"

"But Master," said Foo, "Are you not teaching me that my questions are
foolish, and that every virtue must be judged and balanced by wisdom?"

"No," said Master Chen, "I literally just want you to die and leave me in
peace. If I had my sword with me I would...CUT OFF YOUR HEAD!...but I left my
sword at home...and I am feeling a bit bloated and gassy...not really in a
head-chopping mood...so, today, you must kill YOURSELF with compassion."

"Oh, master," said Foo, "I love you, too."

"That's it," said Master Chen, rising to his feet, "I'm getting my sword."

So ends the lesson of SHOW COMPASSION.

The subtle art of saying nothing

There are a lot of things I know but there will always be more things that I don't know.

I accept my ignorance because I understand that existence is a complex process and human beings are complex creatures and societies are complex organizations and I am stuck right in the middle of it all and I am never going to fully comprehend any of it.

To deal with all of this complexity, we accept a lot of simple opinions and ideas without questioning and researching what they really mean. These ideas become our intellectual equivalence of browsing a greeting card aisle to avoid the time and effort of expressing ourselves through our own original thoughts and words.

Bumper sticker intellect.

Shrink-wrapped and fun-sized opinions.

They are mobile and convenient and a perfect accessory for that busy person on the go.

I understand.

People want to have opinions because no one wants to look foolish, although "foolish" is a word often substituted for "ignorant", which is not the same as "foolish". If you did not know this, you are not foolish, just ignorant. If you are insulted that I just called you ignorant, go look up the definition of the word "ignorant", because, if you don't, and you continue to believe that I just insulted you by calling you ignorant, that's foolish.

The good news is we can address ignorance by putting in time and effort, and utilizing the proper resources, to reach a well-informed opinion. Before doing that, however, take the time to decide if you really are passionate about an idea. If you don't care about an idea, you don't have to have an opinion. I know it feels like you should have an opinion, but you really, really don't.

Just accept your ignorance and truthfully say: "I don't know".

Or perhaps: "I don't have an opinion."

Or even: "Hmmmm..."

which is an effective, noncommittal way of moving a conversation forward if you happen to be stuck talking to a person discussing a topic on which you have no interest nor opinion. It's bound to happen time and time again.

And even if you have a well-informed opinion you still might want to consider using these noncommittal conversational techniques, because most people don't want to hear about your well-informed opinions, and have very strong opinions about where your well-informed opinions should go, particularly if they are opposed to their own opinions. Revealing, or even feigning, your ignorance will allow the other person to continue to express their opinions, without you having to agree or disagree with them, which will make you appear more intelligent and interesting.

In this way, a paradox is born in which ignorance becomes knowledge and apathy becomes compassion and silence becomes intellect and wisdom and power, and all you have to do is say nothing.

Which sounds easy...but is a surprisingly difficult thing for people to do.

Connections: Ernest Hemingway to Woody Allen

Connections are  entries tracing the connections being various books, films, and music I have been exploring. Any given allusion in these entries is worth experiencing but I find the connections between the experiences to be even more interesting to explore...

Last week, I finished reading the Ernest Hemingway memoir A Moveable Feast. It is about Hemingway's time as a expatriate in Paris in the 1920's. The book appeals somewhat to an intellectual fantasy of mine, living in a world where days are spent discussing profound and revolutionary ideas with some of the greatest artistic minds of the decade and features several famous authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ford Madox Ford, James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, and Gertrude Stein. It appears that many of these artists had intelligent and sensitive minds, which can make dealing with the day-to-day tedium of existence difficult; perhaps they make better friends through their writing than they would have made face-to-face.

If you have seen the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, a lot of the film was inspired by A Moveable Feast and also The Sun Also Rises, which was Hemingway's first novel and well worth reading as well. If you are interested in watching some other Woody Allen films, here is a list of ten popular films, selected from various point of his career, that will give you a good starting point:

1. Sleeper
2. Annie Hall
3. Manhattan
4. The Purple Rose of Cairo
5. Hannah and Her Sisters
6. Crimes and Misdemeanors
7. Bullets Over Broadway
8. Deconstructing Harry
9. Match Point
10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Note that I don't like the last few films in that list as much as the earlier films so, to even things out, here are a few more Woody Allen films that I personally liked much more than the critics:

1. Stardust Memories
2. Radio Days
3. Manhattan Murder Mystery

Stardust Memories is particularly interesting because it was so heavily influenced by Federico Fellini, which will be the topic of the next Connections entry...

Love is blind

The other day, I saw an auxiliary sticker on a vial of Viagra.

Please note that, while the sticker I read did reside on a vial of Viagra, it was not my vial of Viagra.

The sticker was a warning about using Viagra and it read as follows:

Report any sudden loss of vision to your doctor immediately.

Are there people out there who actually need this advice?

Are they having sex and going blind, and then choosing not to immediately contact a doctor?

If so, let's hope they aren't having sex to reproduce.

The contemplation of douchebags

In a time before now...

In a place not here...

Master Chen and Foo...

CONTEMPLATE DOUCHEBAGS

Warrior sage Master Chen was walking in his gardens when his apprentice, Foo, ran up to him and exclaimed, "Master! One of the other apprentices just called me a douchebag!"

"Foo," said Master Chen, "You are lazy, dull, annoying, stupid, smelly, and, most recently, a big, fat tattletale...but you are definitely NOT a douchebag."

"Master," said Foo, "What is a douchebag?"

"Traditionally," said Master Chen, "It is a feminine hygiene product for when women aren't feeling so fresh. But it is also a slang term for a person who is very much unenlightened."

"But master," said Foo, "How can a feminine hygiene product be the same as an unenlightened soul? Is it a paradox?"

"No," said Master Chen, "It is just a very poorly chosen word, most likely invented by a douchebag. Unfortunately, we haven't come up with anything better."

"I understand, master," said Foo.

"Now, Foo," said Master Chen, "It is time for you to learn the four noble truths of douchebags..."

"NOBLE TRUTH NUMBER ONE! All of life is suffering and all of suffering comes from dealing with douchebags."

"NOBLE TRUTH NUMBER TWO! Some douchebags are born and some are made, some are young and some are old, some are men and some are women, and, at all times, all the world is filled with douchebags."

"NOBLE TRUTH NUMBER THREE! The best way to deal with douchebags is to...CUT OFF THEIR HEADS!"

"But master," Foo said, "Surely there is a better way to deal with douchebags besides cutting off their heads."

"No, Foo, there is not." said Master Chen, "Let me tell you a story."

"I once had an apprentice who was a big douchebag but, still, I taught him."

"I taught him to be kind and loving, so that he would receive kindness and love in return."

"I taught him to be patient, so that he would never again be a victim of his self-destructive anger."

"I taught him to be humble, so that he could appreciate what he had and so he would never suffer from humiliation."

"And the apprentice understood and was enlightened, so I...CUT OFF HIS HEAD!"

"But Master," said Foo, "If the apprentice was enlightened, why did you cut off his head?"

"Because of NOBLE TRUTH NUMBER FOUR! The only thing worse than a douchebag is an enlightened douchebag."

And Foo, who was not a douchebag, was enlightened slightly more than he was before.

So ends the lesson of CONTEMPLATE DOUCHEBAGS.

True blue

If I was a blueberry, I think I would be upset that the first artificial blue flavorings were assigned to the blue raspberry.

I bet the blueberries thought they were a shoo-in because it's not like there are a lot of other blue foods out there providing competition.

No one is going to eat a flavored ice pop, or a hard candy, that tastes like cheese or potatoes or corn chips.

At best, blue raspberries are only half-blooded blue fruits, talentless posers that stole and exploited all of the best aspects of the blueberry species.

It is important to get the right berry for the job, but sometimes a blueberry has to be realistic, and play that race card for all it is worth.

Introspection of introversion

My sister, who is not as much of an introvert as I am, sent me, who is more of an introvert than she is, a link to one of many metadata sites that contains a popular cartoon guide to understanding introverts.

http://atchuup.com/how-to-understand-introverted-people/

It is a fairly good description, somewhat oversimplified, but I support the effort of any introvert, or extrovert, to try and understand introversion, and to communicate that understanding. I believe we are at a point in history where this understanding is critical because, as we are redefining our roles within the Information Age, many of us are gravitating towards introversion anyway. I am observing more and more people, particularly younger people, who behave like I do.

Does an introvert actually have Asperger Syndrome or ADHD or could some cases simply be a manifestation of the skills necessary to exist in the Information Age? Are we treating a disease or a personality? Are we medicating a disorder or a shift in a societal paradigm?

Maybe we should invent a drug that cures people of our pathological inability to look up from our mobile devices, because, let's face it, we all look like fools.

One of my favorite movies is a film by the guy who did "Boyhood", Richard Linklater, and it is called "Waking Life". It is just a collection of vignettes without a real plot, discussing intimate and interesting ideas. One vignette features a writer friend of Linklater, Kim Krizan, and she discusses the need to create as a need to communicate, and a need to communicate as a need to be intimately understood, and how difficult it is to be understood though language and words. I don't know if everyone feels this way, but for me, this passage describes the root of who I am and what motivates me:

Creation seems to come out of imperfection. It seems to come out of a striving and a frustration. And this is where I think language came from. I mean, it came from our desire to transcend our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. And it had to be easy when it was just simple survival. Like, you know, "water." We came up with a sound for that. Or "Saber-toothed tiger right behind you." We came up with a sound for that. But when it gets really interesting, I think, is when we use that same system of symbols to communicate all the abstract and intangible things that we're experiencing. What is, like, frustration? Or what is anger or love? When I say "love," the sound comes out of my mouth and it hits the other person's ear, travels through this Byzantine conduit in their brain, you know, through their memories of love or lack of love, and they register what I'm saying and they say yes, they understand. But how do I know they understand? Because words are inert. They're just symbols. They're dead, you know? And so much of our experience is intangible. So much of what we perceive cannot be expressed. It's unspeakable. And yet, you know, when we communicate with one another, and we feel that we've connected, and we think that we're understood, I think we have a feeling of almost spiritual communion. And that feeling might be transient, but I think it's what we live for.

Interactions that are intimate and interesting. Feeling understood and understanding others. Anything beyond that feels like a waste of time and energy. Once that transient moment of understanding is shared with another, it is time to end the conversation and recharge. Time to go back and learn, or experience, something new again, alone, so that, at the next encounter, there something new to share and understand. This drives a need to create and a need to pursue new ideas. If these are the traits of an introvert then I am an introvert. But first and foremost, I am me.

The cow says...

The original idea for the Master Chen and Foo series came from a koan that I wrote. My koan is a spoof of a Japanese Zen koan called Joshu's Dog which goes something like this:

A monk asked Joshu, a Chinese Zen master: "Has a dog Buddha-nature or not?"

Joshu answered: "Mu."

Whether or not you fully understand the meaning of the koan might be relevant to your spiritual life, but is not relevant to understanding my koan. My koan relies only on wordplay and it goes like this:

Joshu, a Chinese Zen master, asked a cow: "Has a cow Buddha-nature or not?"

The cow said: "Mu."

I called the koan "Joshu's Cow" and I would tell it to people and nobody understood it because it is a pun on an obscure allusion to a riddle that has no answer. That's a lot of responsibility to heap upon an unsuspecting victim who just happens to be standing next to me at a party, attempting to dip his broccoli floret into the only available bowl of ranch dressing.

It reminds me of another riddle I wrote involving Arnold Schwarzenegger and healthcare and it goes like this:

Q: Why did Arnold Schwarzenegger have to take allopurinol?

A: Gout!

This riddle doesn't work very well in written form because the answer must be said using an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation so that it sounds a bit more like:

"GEEEEE-YOWWWTT!!"

Really, the only funny part of the riddle is the impersonation because, without the correct voice, the answer to the riddle simply becomes a medical fact followed by an exclamation point. Informative, and mildly startling, but not funny.

The riddle can't be written without losing the meaning of the answer. The riddle cannot be told by someone who cannot do a Schwarzenegger impersonation. The riddle cannot be understood by anyone who does not understand that allopurinol is a drug that reduces the amount of uric acid in the blood and is commonly used for the prevention of gout. In fact, the only way to explain the meaning of the riddle to an uninitiated listener is to tell the person the answer to the riddle before you have asked it.

It is a bad riddle on many, many levels.

The upshot is I learned that, while I am not very good at writing jokes and riddles that are understandable and funny, I am good at writing elaborate explanations as to why they are not understandable and funny, as well as why they should be understandable and funny if only the rest of humanity wasn't so stubborn about persistently being themselves, and would all just become me instead.

I am good at these things because I am passionate about finding complex connections between seemingly disparate ideas. It makes me happy to mix the highbrow and the lowbrow, the intellectual and the moronic, the profound and the banal, the serious and the satirical, because this is what is inside of me and what I need to express.

I have not yet learned how to express all of this within the simple and elegant context of a joke or riddle. Instead, I created Master Chen and Foo to serve this purpose. So, here it is, the very first Master Chen and Foo, based off of the koan "Joshu's Cow".

---

In a time before now...

In a place not here...

Master Chen and Foo...

TALK TO ANIMALS

One day, Apprentice Foo asked warrior sage Master Chen, "Master, can an 

animal be enlightened?"

"Walk with me through the pastures, Foo," said Master Chen, "and we shall see."

Soon, Master Chen and Foo happened upon a sheep, and Master Chen said to the

sheep, "Can a sheep be enlightened?"

And the sheep said, "Baa."

"The sheep cannot be enlightened," said Master Chen, "so I must...CUT OFF 

HIS HEAD!"

And Master Chen cut off the sheep's head.

Next, Master Chen and Foo happened upon a chicken, and Master Chen said to the

chicken, "Can a chicken be enlightened?"

And the chicken said, "Cluck."

"The chicken cannot be enlightened," said Master Chen, "so I must...CUT OFF

HER HEAD!"

And Master Chen cut off the chicken's head.

Finally, Master Chen and Foo happened upon a cow, and Master Chen said to the

cow, "Can a cow be enlightened?"

And the cow said, "Mu."

"The cow is enlightened," said Master Chen.

"I understand, Master," said Foo.

"Good," said Master Chen, "because now, I must...CUT OFF HIS HEAD!"

And Master Chen cut off the cow's head.

"But Master," said Foo, "If the cow was enlightened, why did you cut off his

head?"

"Because, Foo," said Master Chen, "the cow is also DELICIOUS.  Go grab a hacksaw

from shed...we gonna eat GOOD tonight!"

And Foo was enlightened, but only a little.

So ends the lesson of TALK TO ANIMALS.

Honk if you are an idiot

The purpose of a car horn is to communicate with others, to warn others, not to bully them.

For those of you who suffer from the delusion that other people care about your banal, impulsive opinions or immature emotional outbursts, rest assured that we don't.

Stop crying wolf with your horn.

Your time would be better spend focused on learning the right-of-way rules at an intersection or talking to a therapist or punching yourself repeatedly in the face.

In order to protect the rest of us from the insecure and the self-righteous and the foolish horn honkers of the world, I propose a limit on the number of weekly horn honking events. This will include a maximum amount of time a driver can spend honking the horn continuously.

After the predetermined thresholds are reached, the car horn will blare out random phrases in a whiny, nasal voice. These phrases may include one or more of the following:

"I'm LONE-LEEEEEE!!"
"Everyone HATES me!"
"I'm sexually re-PRESSED!!"
"Me SMART! Me push HORN!"
"Pay ATTENTION to MEEE-EEE!!"
"I'm a moron! I'm a moron! I'm a moron! I'm a moron!"
"DUUUUUH-HUUUUUUUUH-HUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH!!"

In addition, repeat offenders will be punished with one or more of the following random events:

1. The horn will stay on continuously for 24 hours
2. The horn will fire off at random intervals between 2:00 am and 5:00 am
3. The horn will honk at the driver at twice the normal volume as they approach the car
4. The horn will fire off inside of the car on speakers pointed directly at the driver's head

Honking a car horn is a privilege not a right. Treat it as such.

Pour tea

My friend Phil and I are working on a new set of pieces for the Phizzy Essence YouTube site called "Master Chen and Foo". They use a traditional Master and Apprentice trope for the story format.

Since I haven't figured out how to do the animation yet, I thought I would at least post the written parts here every once in a while in case I never finish them.

---

In a time before now...

In a place not here...

Master Chen and Foo...

POUR TEA

Warrior sage Master Chen was drinking his tea when his Apprentice, Foo, appeared before him.

"Master," said Foo, "Do you mind if I have some tea?"

"No," said Master Chen.

"Then I cannot have some tea?" asked Foo.

"You may have some tea," said Master Chen.

"Master, I am confused," said Foo.

"Foo, you are always confused," said Master Chen, "You asked if I minded you having tea and I said that I do not mind you having tea, so you may have some tea."

Foo poured himself some tea, sat across from Master Chen, and laughed heartily.

"Master, you do not understand what I mean," said Foo, "You are the one who is confused."

Master Chen took the scalding hot teapot from the fire and held it before Foo.

"Foo, do you mind if I pour tea on your crotch?"

"No!!"

Master Chen poured tea on Foo's crotch.

"Auughhh! Master!  Why did you pour tea on my crotch?"

"Because you do not understand what I mean."

Master Chen paused a moment, then said, "Foo, do you mind if I pour tea on your crotch?"

"Nah...uh...yes!  Yes!"

Master Chen poured tea on Foo's crotch.

"Auuugh!  Master, why did you pour more tea on my crotch?"

"Because you do not understand what I mean."

And Foo was enlightened slightly more than he was before.

Master Chen poured more tea on Foo's crotch.

"NyuuuuAAAuuugh!  Master, why do you keep pouring tea on my crotch?"

"Because I do not like you...and I do not like your crotch."

So ends the lesson of POUR TEA.

And they taste great with peanut butter as well

Apparently, there a species of jellyfish that is immortal.

First thought of this jellyfish: "Hooray! I'm immortal!"

Second thought of this jellyfish: "Oh crap! I'm stuck as a jellyfish...FOR ETERNITY!!!"

Where is my mind?

I have absolutely no idea how to use Blogger so these entries will have nothing extra on them for now. They will all be first drafts as well.

This approach is appropriate given that I have been spending a lot of time with Ernest Hemingway and he would appreciate the stark simplicity of a default template, although he would not agree to using first drafts. He would say to start all writing with one true sentence.

I don't know where this writing comes from or where it will go.

It originates in my mind but I don't know where my mind lives. Not just in a profound or philosophical sense but from a practical sense as well. I have emotions and inspirations and dreams that do not appear to have an origin in my conscious mind.

In dreams, we create stories with characters and plots and settings. The stories must either be created in full before we experience them or improvised as we experience them. Either way, the storyteller of our minds must be separate from the audience of our minds, or we would already know the entire story the moment the dream begins. We could not be surprised when the evil man who is hiding in the dark cellar of our nightmares springs out and chases us.

The storyteller and the audience come from the same single mind but one does not know about the other. This is strange.

We create labels for this mystery because we are human beings and we need a semblance of control over the mysteries. You probably already have your own label for this idea. You might call it neurophysiology or the Freudian id or universal consciousness or the divine will of God, and your labels will stick as long as you slap them on hard enough.

Labels are only words. They are inert placeholders until we come up with better inert placeholders. We don't really need these labels if we can learn to face the mysteries of existence and accept them as they are. And this is a difficult thing to do.

Intro

My name is Lance.

I am a decent writer.

I need a creative outlet again.

That's it for now.