I'm no different than anyone else; a lot of the experiences and events in my life which I gleefully describe as something close to paranormal, can also be explained by mathematical coincidence and normal statistical variance. ("I don't care what anyone says...I made the dog bark with my mind!") However, the event which occurred this past Monday night (9/10/12) on WWE's (Pro wrestling) television broadcast is too chilling to dismiss so easily.
Jerry "The King" Lawler, is 62 years old and a semi-retired Pro wrestler, who shares commentary duties with Michael Cole on WWE's "Monday Night RAW" broadcast. He stepped into the ring in one of the earlier matches to continue a feud which had been started a couple of episodes ago. My wife walked into the room and I updated her as to the current state of affairs with the wrestlers in that match. After pointing out that Jerry was the oldest guy in the ring, I informed her that sometimes they like to bring former "superstars" out of retirement to battle and put the younger upstarts in their places...and usually the fans love it.
However; I couldn't help but add that I worry about what kind of shape the older stars were in whenever the script called for them to join in the fracas with the younger guys, and whether they might sometimes be too complacent and not shape up enough to stay in touch with the highly-trained and skilled current guys. I openly stated that (and I actually used Jerry as my example), I hope that none of them push themselves too far because they're having too much fun remembering the good ol' days. (Especially true for Jerry as I learned that he still mixes it up once or twice a week on the side - so it would be very easy for him to fall into the trap of not realizing his limits have changed.) I finished by saying how easy it would be to make it through the match, but incur a heart attack later as the body catches the brain up on its condition.
Then, it happened. Less than 30 minutes later, his co-announcer (Cole) comes on camera with an obviously solemn expression that Jerry had indeed just collapsed only minutes ago and had to be given CPR before rushed off the the local hospital.
No; I'm not trying to lay claim to any special prescient ability here - despite being open-minded, I'm still quite rational. Nevertheless; the fact that it happened right after I had mentioned it, in pretty much the same manner I had described it, to the specific person I had used as an example...
...well, that shit has a way of sticking around your thoughts for quite a long time. Kinda' makes me want to casually discuss >how many former wrestlers with the first name of "Jerry" survive heart attacks with no loss in ability" - just to balance out the karma, ya' know?
Sep 12, 2012
Aug 30, 2012
Oh, by the way...the font I'm using is not necessarily representative of my taste - there are other fonts which appeal to me more than this one.
However, it's the only font I've found which bears some similarity to my normal handwriting. I print in non-script lettering and slant my writing to the left (even though I write right-handed).
So; it felt more "me"...and since "me" is what is being shared here; it felt "right".
However, it's the only font I've found which bears some similarity to my normal handwriting. I print in non-script lettering and slant my writing to the left (even though I write right-handed).
So; it felt more "me"...and since "me" is what is being shared here; it felt "right".
Aug 7, 2012
Olympics
I'm finding the NBC coverage of the 2012 Olympics to be more interesting and engaging than their coverage of prior Olympiads. In the past, NBC always seemed to practice such deep bias in favor of the U.S. athletes that I would literally choke on too much "rah, rah". I root for the U.S. just as much as anyone else, but I see U.S. athletes for 200 weeks between every Olympiad. I tune in to the Olympics as a reminder that there are other countries and other athletes out there and I want to see what they look like, what they're good and not good at, what are their personal stories, how nuts do their fans get when their team is ahead, etc., etc. With so much time devoted to our own athletes, I feel like I'm watching propaganda, not sports. This year's coverage, however, has been far more broad, inclusive and informative and I don't feel like I'm seeing less of the U.S. efforts. Good work. Now, I can feel some of that "Olympic Spirit".
Aug 4, 2012
"Joy"
A
while ago, maybe a year or two after 9/11, an TV interviewer asked his guests to relate what lessons they took away from the event. His
answers were various and mostly centered on somewhat "global" or
political themes.
I thought about how I would have answered...what I took away from 9/11 was far more personal. I found that I was appreciating children more than I used to. I was smiling at them more often; watching their play and interaction more intently; and most of all, I was recognizing the sheer joy that they could experience in doing nothing more than running around.
I'm envious of that - their ability to experience "joy" simply by being themselves. It's something we lose as we grow to adults, isn't it? But, it's not just "learning the rules of life" that steals this sensation from us - it's also learning how to find your place in the world.
It seems to me that the more we focus on our paths, goals and hopes in life, the more we learn to restrain ourselves in order to stay true to that path, goal or hope. As a child, we identify with experiencing life, because we haven't figured life out yet. As we slowly figure out what life means and where we fit (or want to fit), we begin to identify with where we fit. Ultimately, we learn to replace the joy that came with the sensation of "letting go", with the more restrained satisfaction of achieving something we had striven for.
Satisfaction is not bad...but, I think we lose a part of ourselves when we train ourselves to rely only on satisfaction.
We need to "re"learn the ability to"let go" once in a while...
...maybe we wouldn't have to worry about "hanging on" so much.
I thought about how I would have answered...what I took away from 9/11 was far more personal. I found that I was appreciating children more than I used to. I was smiling at them more often; watching their play and interaction more intently; and most of all, I was recognizing the sheer joy that they could experience in doing nothing more than running around.
I'm envious of that - their ability to experience "joy" simply by being themselves. It's something we lose as we grow to adults, isn't it? But, it's not just "learning the rules of life" that steals this sensation from us - it's also learning how to find your place in the world.
It seems to me that the more we focus on our paths, goals and hopes in life, the more we learn to restrain ourselves in order to stay true to that path, goal or hope. As a child, we identify with experiencing life, because we haven't figured life out yet. As we slowly figure out what life means and where we fit (or want to fit), we begin to identify with where we fit. Ultimately, we learn to replace the joy that came with the sensation of "letting go", with the more restrained satisfaction of achieving something we had striven for.
Satisfaction is not bad...but, I think we lose a part of ourselves when we train ourselves to rely only on satisfaction.
We need to "re"learn the ability to"let go" once in a while...
...maybe we wouldn't have to worry about "hanging on" so much.
...it's Indifference
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
--- Elie Wiesel
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
--- Elie Wiesel
What Saves Us...
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime...
...Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history...
...Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone...
...Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own...
...Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
--- Reinhold Niebuhr
...Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history...
...Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone...
...Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own...
...Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
--- Reinhold Niebuhr
A Life Worth Living
"Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge, And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind]. Love
brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness. In the union of love I have
seen In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision Of the heavens that
saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of [people]. I have wished to know why the stars shine.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of [people]. I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love
and knowledge led upwards to the heavens, But always pity brought me
back to earth; Cries of pain reverberated in my heart Of children in
famine, of victims tortured And of old people left helpless. I long to
alleviate the evil, but I cannot, And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living."
--- Bertrand Russel
Aug 3, 2012
The Hardest Battle...
I've
lived all my life being disabled. Unfortunately, the only person who
knows that I'm disabled is me. Everyone else thinks I'm "normal"...and
that's what hurts.
To show you what I mean, imagine this scenario...you're lying on the street, the victim of some sort of random violence. Lying next to you are other victims of the violence, all of you are bleeding, all of you are scared, all of you are wondering if you'll live long enough to say goodbye to your loved ones. In your mind's eye, pieces of your life dance nervously across your awareness, reminding you of your many failures, touching only briefly on your few successes. You turn your head to look at the others and their blank stares and ashen expressions tell you that they must be going through the same thing.
A muffled sound wafts through the thinning air and when it reaches your ears, you realize that someone is saying that the ambulance is almost here. That gives you a sense of comfort...help is on the way. You turn your head to look at the nearest victim. You mouth the message that it won't be long now. Your're not sure if she understood...she doesn't look very good and you wonder if you look just as bad.
Finally, the ambulance arrives and you find a small wave of hope wash over you. At least now, you think, whatever chance you still have will be taken by the paramedics. They come and stand over you, they check your pulse and give you a thorough visual inspection. After only a second or two you hear them say "He's okay, he doesn't need any help." And to your amazement, they move away to treat the woman lying next to you, going as far as pushing you aside so they have more room to work on her. Hey, your mind yells out to them, can't you see I'm bleeding? Can't you see I'm hurt? But, they do not respond and focus on the woman.
That's what it's like to have ADD, no one can see your wounds, no one knows you're bleeding, everyone treats you like you're just looking for attention and helping you would only use up valuable resources. If there is any one condition that makes you feel completely separate from the rest of the world, it's ADD.
That's how I've spent my entire life.
ADD/ADHD may be one of the most insidious conditions one can suffer through, especially as an adult. In some ways, it has ruined my hopes and dreams; but, I do have some attributes which may allow me to provide a voice for my compatriots.
With that in mind, I hope my entries in this section of my blog will:
To show you what I mean, imagine this scenario...you're lying on the street, the victim of some sort of random violence. Lying next to you are other victims of the violence, all of you are bleeding, all of you are scared, all of you are wondering if you'll live long enough to say goodbye to your loved ones. In your mind's eye, pieces of your life dance nervously across your awareness, reminding you of your many failures, touching only briefly on your few successes. You turn your head to look at the others and their blank stares and ashen expressions tell you that they must be going through the same thing.
A muffled sound wafts through the thinning air and when it reaches your ears, you realize that someone is saying that the ambulance is almost here. That gives you a sense of comfort...help is on the way. You turn your head to look at the nearest victim. You mouth the message that it won't be long now. Your're not sure if she understood...she doesn't look very good and you wonder if you look just as bad.
Finally, the ambulance arrives and you find a small wave of hope wash over you. At least now, you think, whatever chance you still have will be taken by the paramedics. They come and stand over you, they check your pulse and give you a thorough visual inspection. After only a second or two you hear them say "He's okay, he doesn't need any help." And to your amazement, they move away to treat the woman lying next to you, going as far as pushing you aside so they have more room to work on her. Hey, your mind yells out to them, can't you see I'm bleeding? Can't you see I'm hurt? But, they do not respond and focus on the woman.
That's what it's like to have ADD, no one can see your wounds, no one knows you're bleeding, everyone treats you like you're just looking for attention and helping you would only use up valuable resources. If there is any one condition that makes you feel completely separate from the rest of the world, it's ADD.
That's how I've spent my entire life.
ADD/ADHD may be one of the most insidious conditions one can suffer through, especially as an adult. In some ways, it has ruined my hopes and dreams; but, I do have some attributes which may allow me to provide a voice for my compatriots.
With that in mind, I hope my entries in this section of my blog will:
- Offer some clarity for those who cannot "...just concentrate!...";
- Provide some focus for those who cannot "...pay attention!...";
- To give a calm eloquence to those who cannot "...stop talking!...";
- And most of all, to provide some validation to those who cannot "...just try harder!..."
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