Tweets II

I asked. They answered. I wrote.

-Sebastian Junger

When I originally created this blog it was not my intention to turn it into a grandiose, electronic journal. (My intention was for it to be a online audition for Ashleigh Brilliant's ghostwriting position.) Frankly, I believed that very few lives warranted periodic airing. Well, with the advent of Twitter I was proven wrong. We can now read, (and see), what brand of peanut butter Ashton Kutcher, (no offense Ashton), is putting on his toast. We can now read inane "tweets" that are touted as mountaintop revelations. We can now see that the sign of a superior intelligence is merely the ability to eloquently, and sometimes not so eloquently, state the obvious.

Now that I've got that thinly disguised rationalization out of the way, I can safely continue to state my opinions.

The title escapes me, but I remember reading a book a while back in which a future, heavily computerized society is on the brink of shutting down due to a digital virus. Before the apocalypse, a company produces a software program that saves the day. They are perceived as heroes. However, by the end of the story we learn that this software company was the entity that created the virus to begin with. Allegorical? Of course. The author, like Ray Bradbury in his book Fahrenheit 451, is definitely trying to tell us something. I guess we're all have to come to our own conclusions.


The Bible states in Acts 4:32 that: "...the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." It also states in Acts 4:34 that: "Neither was there any among them that lacked; for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold." Sounds a lot like socialism/communism does it not? If you think about it rationally, communism is much closer to the Christian ideal than Capitalism is.

Things That (Hopefully) Make You Go Hmm

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2Cor. 11:14

The clever machinations of humans are often mistaken for benevolent celestial interventions. One must be extremely careful as to which " higher power " one is paying homage to. However, do not let me discourage legitimate Christian belief. Even if the mythology of Christianity was completely wrong, the ethical system inherent in it would justify the existence of God.

Tweets

Any group of people that needs to trick, bribe, or in any way coerce people to join them is certainly not a group I wish to be part of. Besides, any organization that would have me as a member has standards that are way too low.


Contrary to the impression that I may have given, I actually have alot of respect for AA. However, I still can't help but feel a certain amount of cynicism when I see people in the program use the concept of "tough love" as a tool to further their own agendas or as a license to engage in some pretty mean spirited shit.


I've heard the phrase "the leveling of pride" spoken of by various AA members and various pseudo-Christians. It has been explained via neo-spiritual psycho-babble as a desirable step in personal development. What it really means is that if I'm stronger, faster, smarter, or in anyway better than them, then I'm obviously arrogant and need to be brought down to a level equal to or, preferably, below then. Only then can I achieve the blissful state of humility.

Go Ask Alex

A PTSD Adventure

(Post Traumatic Substance Disorder)

I was raised a poor, black child. Oops,wait a minute, wrong story.

Today as I celebrate three months without a drink, ( My last drink was on February 22nd. ), my thoughts turn to writing. This is something I haven't done in a while. Serious drinking can sometimes make it difficult to type.

What I have done is quite a bit of reading. Recently, I finished a book written by Mary McGarry Morris that was titled: Songs In Ordinary Time. In it there is an alcoholic character by the name of Sam Fermoyle. While in a sanitarium, he makes the following observations to a Dr. Litchfield: " Hey! Okay, I'll tell you the honest-to-God truth. You see, a lot of people think I'm a natural-born loser, but actually I can win anytime I want. Okay? You like this, don't you? You see, the trick is I'm a lousy winner, but I'm a hell of a beautiful loser. I am comfortable with defeat. I know it well. I understand pain and anguish. They never pull any punches the way happiness does. You see, when you're happy, you're always looking over your shoulder for the big sucker punch. But hell, when you've been down as low and as long as I've been down, you don't have a worry in the world, because the only way from here is up, right?"

Nietzsche it is not, but I thought it profound enough to christen this little writing exercise.

Assholes Anonymous

When many alcoholics are actively engaged in their disease, they are not very lovable people. More often than not, they are manipulative, controlling, ( We could increase the list ad infinitum. ), assholes. After they have quit drinking, a lot of these people are simply just sober assholes. So in an effort to curb the rising tide of assholism, I present the following twelve step recovery program.


1) We admitted we were powerless over being assholes-that our attitudes had become unbearable.

2) Came to believe that an asshole bigger than us could intimidate us to civility.

3) Were forced to turn our will and our assets over to the care of our sponsors as they've seen fit.

4) Made a scathing and fearful immoral inventory of ourselves

5) Admitted to our sponsor, to ourselves, and to another asshole the exact nature of our wrongs-and were promptly indicted.

6) Were entirely unready to have our sponsor publicize all these defects of character.

7) Arrogantly demanded him to approve our shortcomings.

8) Made a list of all persons we hated and began to take revenge on them all.

9) Took direct revenge on such people whenever possible, except when to do so would martyr them or others.

10) Continued to take your inventory and when we were wrong promptly lied like hell.

11) Sought through therapy and medication to improve our reputations, hoping only for good PR and the money to carry that out.

12) Having had a rude awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to force this bullshit on other assholes, and to fake these principles in all public affairs.