Month: March 2006

Sorry for the delay in posting, globetrotters, but I’ve been reevaluating my life, which is a good thing. I have haikus to share and also some ranting, but that’s OK. I have no fear or worry about being put on any list, like many people I know, because I am already on those lists anyway.
Here’s the rant—

I was at the gym this morning and noticed that the six TV’s on the wall were all showing some kind of news/entertainment show. Either CNN, ESPN, MSNBC, or something else. It was almost all fluff, and if they did air a relevant and somewhat important story, the next piece was invariably something distracting, either dire and horrible or cute and fuzzy. This is ‘bread and circuses’, a well known technique used to distract the masses from what is really going on in the country. If 50% of the people are busy watching the terrorist trial in D.C., or cheering George Mason University, or shaking their collective heads at the foreigness of other cultures, then this 50% are not paying attention to the ruination of this country by George W. Bush, his cronies, and their lapdogs. To be fat, happy, and distracted is all that most people want in life. A big-screen TV, swimmin’ pools, and movie stars, a few episodes of COPS, and the death sentence of a crazed religious fanatic.

Aside from a huge technological leap, nothing has changed in over 2500 years. The greedy pigs are still in it for the money and real estate, and they are willing to lie and feel superior in doing so. Money sucks. It’s dirty and corrupt, and gives birth to all the demonic forces that have plaqued the world.

Here are the haiku…

#25.
Bread and circuses
kept the Roman populace
fat, happy, and dumb.

#26.
Money causes grief
yet puts clothes on our backs
and food on our plate.

#27.
Farmers grow the food,
tailors sew the warm clothing,
money causes pain.

Johnnyboy

After a week resting on my laurels, I dig in to the pile of reading due on Monday for my Meso-American Studies class. I’ll get that done easily enough and then work on the backlog of philosophical work I need to resolve. I read for about 3 hours today, and will do the same tomorrow and Sunday. I’ll start on the other stuff Monday. No worries.

The past week was spent playing around with model airplanes and going to some incredible AA meetings. I am so grateful to be sober, serene sometimes, and usually happy, joyous, and free. Because of this sobrity thing I am able to address life-threatening health issues with sense and aplomb, changing my eating habits, adjusting my excersize routine, and generally not being afraid of that change.

Haikus on Tuesday—a double batch, I promise!

I have been missed at my homegroup in the past 2 weeks, and this morning I was telephoned by one of the members, a fellow that I respect very much if only for his cool and level head. He was relieved to find out about my speaking commitment this week and my visit with my father the week before. I asked him what was going on and he told me about a very long business meeting that I also missed. It seems that some folks are becoming unhappy about newcomers, especially folks from rehabs, sharing about the ‘mess’ and not the ‘message’. This is an old saw, and not one to get hung up about, or leave on account of. We talked for a while and both of us agreed that newcomers have nothing else to share about except the mess. Even in my own story, I am only now slowly moving away from a drunkalogue as I build a sober history of recovery with which to reference. This fellow agreed that it is a natural occurance for newcomers to share this way, and also for some folks to become ‘bleeding deacons’ about it. This will take months to resolve, and in that time, if folks do what they are supposed to do* , more will be revealed, resentments will dissolve, and the group will remain the strong and vibrant group I love. The last thing the group needs is people jumping ship, depriving those who need their kindness, calm, and wisdom a chance to ask them for help. In the words of Ben Franklin, “We must all hang together, or surely we’ll all hang seperately.” This kind of ‘group shake-up’ is also nothing new to the rooms, and is always greeted with this kind of chatter. It’s healthy. It’s good for everyone. Breathe deeply and remember that everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.

Johnnyboy

*Don’t drink, go to meetings, talk to your sponsor, practice acceptance, read some AA lit.