{Most of 'Not All, Not Everything'...}
{Not All, Not Everything…..}
The Tremor in my Right Hand
makes
Simple Tasks Not...
This has the Side Effect
of
Thinking 2 Much
about
Said Simple Things.
Battling
a Carton of Milk,
I Think of Those Cartons Themselves..:
The Waxed Paper they're Made of,
their
Folded Construction,
the Machines that Fold that Paper.
Who was the Forgotten Genius
that
Invented this Common Container..?!
Was the Carton's Creation its Creator's Crux,
or
a Side-Step from his Path 2 Greater Greatness..?
Was his Life One of Comfort Because of the Carton..?
Did It Make him a Wealthy Man..?
How Many Cartons have been Made
since
he Folded his Very First..?
How Many were Made Just Today..?
If Laid-out Side 2 Side,
End
2 End,
Every One,
How Much Land would Those Cartons Cover..?
Surely they'd Reach Farther
than
the Best Eye could See.
I Think of me,
&
the First One I Remember.
How Many have I Used Since..?
Two of those Small Ones,
each
of my School Days.
My Air Rifle's Ammo
came
in One.
How Many Cartons Have I Ever Seen..?
That Number is Big-Giant Huge.
How Many Times,
in
How Many Stores,
with
Row
upon
Row
upon Row of Them..?
One Can Wax,
Sagan-Esque,
on
their Billions...
Carton in Fridge,
en
Route 2 my Room,
Mind Exploding with All History's Milk,
&
Further,
Every Cookie Ever.
How Much Bovine Extract..?
What Percentage from Goats..?
How Many Homemade,
or
from Pepperidge Farm..?
I Sit down
&
Attempt 2 Wrap my Head around
the
Giant Concept
of
'All,
Everything'..:
Every Single Thing
that
Every Single Human
has Ever Thought,
or
Made..:
Not 2 Try 2 Think,
or
Make them,
but 2 Attempt 2 Understand the Vastness Encompassed.
I Sit on a Couch with a Cookie in a Glass on a Table in a Room
of
an Apartment in a Small,
Modern City on Our Planet.
Every Thing I See
is
Someone's Job,
Eight Hours at Least,
Most Days.
Drawer Pulls,
& Lampshades,
Hairbrushes,
& Rugs.
Even All Walls R Work,
&
behind them,
with Wires,
& Pipe.
Someone Made Them,
&
Those,
& Someone Else put Them/Those There.
One Long Before
had
Invented those Things,
their Design then Refined by Many Others.
The Clothes on my Back,
&
in All of your Drawers,
Once just a Peasant's Hot Sweat.
The Vast Bulk of All Folk in All Times Clothed Mostly..!
How Many Times could the Earth have been Shrouded
with
Fabric they've Already Made..?
How Many Miles hath the Third World Stitched..?
&
the Cloth Itself..!:
From Roughest Burlap 2 Finest Silk Chenille,
&
the Flannels,
& Wools Betwixt.
Potato Sacks,
& Royalty's Robes,
Business Men's Suits,
& All Sheets
on
All Beds.
Ever.
The Husband's Wife Beater,
&
his Wife's Lingerie.
Could he/she have Conceived
when
the First Weaver Weaved..?
I Think Quite Probably Not.
I Think of the Speeds
that
we Humans can Go,
from First Walk 2 the Blur that is Now.
Running was Quickest 4 More Time
than
Not.............................
We used Horses Much Longer than Engines.
Walk,
Run,
Horse,
Train,
then Auto,
then Plane;
Now we take Rockets 2 Space.
Thank U,
First
Guy with the Wheel..!
I think of Inventors,
of
which I Am Not..:
Though my Grunts in its Praise may B Most Eloquent,
the
First Flame would Not have been Mine.
Mayhaps,
though,
methinks,
I could have Crafted the Knife,
admittedly No Small Feat..:
Laziness is the True Mother of Invention,
&
I am a Truly a True Son of Hers..!
That Said,
& in Knowing myself All-2 Well,
there
is No Way I'd Suffer
By-Hand Butchering 4 Much Time At All.
No Doubt Brow Protrusion
would
In No Way Preclude
my Perspicuous Predilection 4 Predation,
nor
my Preference 4 Flesh over Fruits;
I can Easily See
the Paleolithic Me
learn
that Honed Stones will Cut Quickly a Kill.
I see Also the Small Leap
from
the Skinning of Game 2 Protection of Such,
&
from
There,
the Atrocity of War...
A Knife on a Shaft
is
a Spear that,
when Thrown,
is Able 2 Kill at a Distance;
The Craftier Coward
could
Defeat a Braver Brute,
Still till Now.
Those who Did had more Kids,
&
Use of Tools saw First Change
from Survival of Fittest 2 Smartest.
The Atlatl,
a Device
that Allowed one 2 Launch a Spear even Faster,
was
maybe the First ‘Mechanism’ Made by Man..?
Even if Not,
What
a Beautiful,
Ingenious Feat,
Especially Given its Complete Lack of Precedence.
The Upper-Paleolithic Brilliance of it’s Inventor
showed
a Simple,
yet
Advanced Use of Leverage,
at Least 15,000 Years before Isaac Newton was Born..!
The Reward 4 his Resourcefulness,
beyond
an Elevation of Station in his Tribe,
was,
well,
a Sudden...Success...with the Ladies..:
The Biological Imperative of Any Animal Female is 2 Acquire the Mate
that
Best Provides 4 her Young,
& this Atlatl Guy must’ve looked Mighty Fine,
with
his New-Found Status,
& Pile of Fresh Food.
I Do So Hope he was History’s First Nerd,
& through Only the Size of his Brain-Pan Won
the
Cavegirl of his Dreams...
It was Probably a Descendant of he & his Beauty
that
made the First Bow & Arrow,
the Next Great Leap in Projectile Technology.
One could Take Prey Quickly,
& from Safer Distance than Ever Before,
Freeing
one’s Intact Self
2 Further Elevate one’s Tribe
from
the Muck of Pre-History.
It's All Time,
U See..:
Less Time Hunting
is
More Time Inventing,
&
Learning,
& Growing One's Brood.
It's Not Hard 2 Conclude
that
Always Hunting 4 Food
would
Preclude both Music,
&
Art.......:
He who found that Rhythmic Banging Pleases Ears,
or
Drew Pictures of Great Hunts on Walls,
was
Surely Already Well-Fed.
(Probably got Laid like Mad, 2..!)
Even More,
there was Time 2 Look Up,
&
Notice that Skies Change with Seasons,
&
Plan.
Those who Left before Freezing
weren't
amongst Those who Froze,
&
as Humans Do,
Bred,
& Bred.
At That Time,
the
Smartest of them had Many a Child,
&
More Survived Because of Said Smartness,
Fortuitous
4 Us,
U’ll Agree.
Was This When True Love Evolved..?
How Long had Gods been Invented..?
Fire was Not just Praised then,
but
Tamed;
Someone Found that Crushed Wood burned Better than Just Wood,
&
Some Other that Some Rocks Melted,
Cooling Harder than the Original Rock.
Grunts turned 2 Words,
&
those Words then meant Pictures;
Those who used Both Hunted Better..:
Harder Tools meant Better Weapons,
&
Pictures of Failure begat more Successful Strategies.
The Best Hunters Taught their Many Children 2 Hunt,
the
Worst
Eventually Starved…
Time Passed,
Hunters Hunted,
then
Animals were Kept,
& the Plants they Once Gathered
were
Home-Grown.
Wars were Fought Then over Food.
More Time..:
Man had Spread All Over the Earth,
as
these Skills Allowed him 2 Live where he Pleased.
Some Moved with the Skies,
others
Stayed where they Were;
Each had their Own Words.
Each Invented their Own Gods.
Time came in Some Tribes that Enough Food from Some
fed
Others that Did Different Things..:
Choppers would Chop
so
that Builders could Build.
Weavers would Weave,
&
Seamstresses Sewed what they Wove.
Some could now Trade
what
Others had Made,
so the Makers had More Time 2 Make.
Who was it that Sold the Concept of Money,
&
the Fact of Rarity’s Worth,
that a Coin This Size was Ten Chickens,
&
One That Size could Buy one a Horse..?
Although Much Evil
can
B Said was his Fault,
Without him I Fear
Trade would Fall 2 Near Halt..!
Ersatz..:
How many Chickens
would
One need 2 Raise
2 Pay Every Bill that Everyone Pays..?
How Much Today
would
That Guy B Paid..?
Alot,
I Think U’d Agree.
By then,
I’d Imagine,
Every Thing had Name..:
A Word that Meant That Thing.
There were Also Words 2 Represent Most Acts, 2,
&
Lots of Words that Described Acts or Things;
Soon All of That could B Written.
Most First Things Written were About their Own Gods.
Humans Fought Wars about them, Then as Now.
More Time..:
Humans had Raised Great Cities All Over,
built
upon a Great Evil..:
The Amazing Designs
of
most Wonderful Buildings
were
Constructed on the Backs of Slaves;
The Vanquished of War served their Conquerors till Dead,
erecting
Empires while Suffering in Squalor.
Notwithstanding,
Astounding Things
were
Invented in Each..:
A Mechanical Clock
that Freed Time’s Telling
from
the Skies,
& the Telescope that Freed us 2 Study them.
The Telescope’s Opposite was of Greater Import,
as
the Microscope made the 2 Small Big Enough,
&
we Truly Owe Most of our Lifetimes 2 It.
With It we could See the Tiniest Killers,
&
in Time Kill Them
before They Killed Us.
Precise Units of Measure,
&
Devices 2 Measure Such,
allowed Newton 2 show How Things R,
& Da Vinci 2 show How They Could B.
Gunpowder,
eesh,
a Fuse I’ll Not Light;
I’ll just Note
that
it Shook the World,
Then till Now.
The Process of Printing,
&
Movable Type,
made the Written Word Available 2 All..:
A Fantastic Thing,
though,
of Course Double-Edged.
The Compass,
&
Sextant,
& Moreso Navigable Boats..!
Without the Rudder we’d Still B Shore-Locked,
&
the World may Still B thought Flat..!
Gad Zooks,
It’s Almost 2 Much,
this
‘All,
Everything’ Thing...
Let’s Consider just Some I’ve Left Out..:
I’ve been Leaning on Invention
that
Moved us Along,
but Ignoring the More Time Betwixt;
Combined with the Fact
that
most Do Not Invent,
or Advance us In Any Way,
I’d
Do Well 2 Discuss What we All Do..:
The First True Human Skulls,
i.e.
Just Like Us,
have been Dated Conservatively at Somewhere around 160,000 Years Old.
That’s over 5,300 Generations
of
Modern Humans,
the Vastly Vast Percentage simply Living.
Life..!
Each Life is So,
So Much -
Think of Just U,
reduced
2 Statistics,
& Pie Charts,
& Line Graphs,
& List after List after List..:
Each Day’s Personal Menu,
detailed
Down 2 the Bite;
A Real-Time Script of your Entire Life,
with
Every Single Word U’ve Ever Said.
An Encompassing Pie Chart
of
All your Time Spent,
Categorically Divided Minutely.
A Graph of your Relative Emotional Well-Being,
from
Ecstatic 2 Suicidal,
& Each Feeling U had In-Between.
A List of Everyone U’ve Met Ever,
however
Fleeting that Meeting may have Been.
A Bar Chart of Time Spent with Each.
A Whole Section on Sex,
from
First Kiss 2 Last,
Each Encounter Described,
&
Rated...
Imagine Seeing,
in Vats & Piles,
Everything U’ve Consumed,
each
Cigarette,
& Every Last Pea.
Every Cent U’ve Ever Spent,
on
Anything.
How Many Steps have U Taken..?
What was your Average Speed..?
Where were U Every Day of your Life..?
Now Try,
though U Can’t,
but
just Try 2 Conceive of All of the Charts,
& Graphs,
& Every Last List.
All the Statistics of Every Single Life.
160 Thousand Years.
5,300 Generations
of
Slaves & Kings,
Chefs & Dishwashers,
Housebuilders & Housewives,
&
Farmers,
& Merchants,
& Thieves.
Each Person who’s Worked 4 Every Boss who’s Ever Lived,
&
Every Single One of their Families.
Though the Data may Differ
from
Idiot 2 Genius,
It's Sheer Amount doth Gast the Flabber...
This in Mind,
One must Notice
that
History's Study is of Highlights,
&
Low-Points,
as Opposed 2 it's Actual Grind..:
We All Hear of Napoleon Bonaparte,
&
his Defeat at the Town of Waterloo,
while the Tears of the Wife of just One of his Sergeants,
their
Child Coughing Slow Death in his Absence,
Dripped
Utterly,
& in All Ways
Unrecorded...
How Many Steps did She Pace on her Child's Final Day..?
Was That the Worst Day of her Life..?
We'll Never Learn of the Billions of Great Loves,
nor
the Sweetest Deeds Done in their Name.
In Rome,
Crucifixion was Daily,
&
Thousands Suffered Quite Exactly
as
Christ did.
Their Agonies will Never B Known.
That
Said..:
The Not-Very-Arguable Most Huge Human Folly
is
the Negation of Half its Potential Intelligence
4 Quite Nearly the Whole of its Existence.
While I'll B the First 2 Acknowledge
my
Deplorable Mathematic Deficiencies,
would One Not Imagine that Advanced though we R,
we’d
B at Least Twice that Far
had Half of our Number Not been Discounted Outright..?
I Speak,
of Course,
of Women.
It Seems that the Biological Imperative of Each Sex,
either
the Aggressive Spreading of Seed,
or Nurturing of Offspring whose Birth Nearly Killed them,
had
Created,
Quite Logically,
Rigid Social Roles 4 Both..:
In Prehistoric,
Pre-Complex-Tool-Using Times,
when
Small Groups of Humans were Better Termed 'Packs'
than
'Communities',
This was Apt..:
The Generally-Stronger Male provided Food 4 the Usually-More-Frail Female,
who
in Turn Kept the Home,
& Cared 4 the Young,
Blah Blah, etc.
With the Passage of Time,
though,
& the Advent of Language,
Self-Knowledge,
& Rule of Law,
these Roles were Adamantly Reinforced,
instead
of their More Logical Phasing Out.
Potential in All Fields Not 'Traditionally' Feminine
was
Not Only Not Recognized,
but Actively Discouraged in Females Worldwide,
an Evolutionary Loss we can Never Regain,
&
Mankind's Greatest Idiocy thus Far.
‘History’ may B Called that
simply
because Women weren’t Allowed 2 Make Much..!
Imagine were we Honestly Able 2 say ‘Ustory’,
&
there were Two Times the Minds at Work at All Times
on
each Problem Presented since Near First.
Twice the Minds 2 Cure Sickness,
&
Avert Disaster,
& Invent Stuff of Dreams...
I Despise the Very Notion
that
a Female Da Vinci Quite Probably was Not Taught 2 Read,
her Brilliance instead Trapped in Near-Exploding Head
as
she Cooked Dinner,
& Washed Dishes,
&
went
Mad.
What of the Greek Woman who Learned how 2 Fly
from
Bird Watching while Laundering Outdoors..?
How Crestfallen was She
when
Imparting her Glee
2 a Husband,
angered by Dirty Floors..?
These Things Could have Happened,
&
what’s Worse is They Still Could..:
Women R Still Held in Lower Regard in Most of the Modern World..!
Gad Zooks.
Men Quoted their Gods 2 Subjugate Women,
at
the Cost of both Woman & Man.
Grrr,
Yes,
but still Tears Lost on Spilled Milk,
so
I’ll Go,
though while Onward,
Maybe More Down than Up..:
Now Think of Man’s Evils,
&
Collective Good..:
How would Mankind’s Scale of Justice Tip..?
Of those One-Hundred & Sixty,
which
Thousand Years
was the Height of Goodwill betwixt Men..?
Is it Now..?
I’m Really Not Sure.
Our Population’s Exploded
in
just the Past Hundred Years,
but
Then Again,
More Crime is Reported,
& then Solved,
& then Punished.
We Now Hear of the Bad from Half-Way ‘round the World,
mere
Seconds from When it Occurred...
I Don’t Think that More Seen Means there’s More,
though,
ya Know..?
“He Killed my Brother,
so
I will Kill Him,
& His Brother May Just Kill Me.
If So,
then My Son shall Kill Him,
or
His Son,
whose Brother may Then Kill my Son.”
When has This Not Been..?
Never,
I’d Say,
as this Circular Stupidity seems Hard-Wired.
How Many were Pulled from Invention by Vengeance..?
How much More could we B Had they Not..?
Have we Lost Whole Centuries..?
Millennium..?!
How many Writers turned Fighters,
or
Great Painters were Killed,
their Skills so much Better 4 Brush
than
the Gun..?
Shining Worse on Our Nature
is
the Unfortunate Fact
that our Penchant 4 War Breeds Invention,
&
Some of our Best Came from Worst..:
The Age of Machines,
&
Assembly,
Mass-Wise,
was Used First on Guns,
not
Light Bulbs.
Modern Medicine was Advanced on Battlefields,
Mostly,
& More Doctors were Trained 4 Felled Soldiers
than
Sick Kids.
One Always Learns Quicker with a Gun 2 One’s Head.
This is True,
however
Sad May it B.
The Importance of the Sterility of Instruments Used in Operations,
&
the Development of Effective Anesthesia,
Undeniably Two of the Most Groundbreaking Developments in Medicine,
were
Both from Wartime Triage Borne.
One of the Main Reasons that the Cyclotron used in my Own Brain Surgery
even
Existed 2 Save my Life
was its Original Use in the Study of Atomic Physics,
with
the Partial Aim of Creating The Worst Weapon
Ever
Known
2 Mankind.
My Continued,
However Damaged Existence
is in Part Owed 2 the Approximately 214,000 Dead,
&
Uncounted Maimed or Diseased Unfortunates
of
Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
My Impotent Note of this Irony
is,
of course,
of Nil Import.
As Proton Beam Technique Advances,
though,
it May B Found that More,
maybe Way More,
than 214,000 Lives R Extended,
Tipping the Scale toward the Good Side Once More...
This,
kinda..:
I Can’t but Think
that
if Viewed Statistically,
the Percentage of Worldwide Atrocity,
if
Only on a Personal Level,
Surely must B Lower than in Centuries Past.
That Is 2 Say,
& ‘tis Truly but a Hope,
that a Smaller Percentage of the Whole of Us
do
More of our Total Ills.
How Many a Village
was
Raped,
Robbed,
& Pillaged
when Alexander took Most of the World..?
How many a Town
was
Burnt 2 the Ground
by Genghis Khan’s Terrible Hoards..?
The American Civil War,
with
both North & South Combined,
left 620 Thousand Dead or Missing Soldiers,
over
the Course of just Four Short Years.
All with Parents,
most
with Families,
620 Thousand Groups of Charts,
& Graphs,
& Lists.
Russia’s Stalin was Said 2 have killed 20 Million of His Own People.
(That's Quite a Bit More than the Biblical God's Direct Death Toll
of
2,270,000 plus,
Not Counting the Unknown Populations of Sodom & Gomorrah,
or
Egypt's Entire Generation of Crimeless Firstborn Males.)
Assuredly,
with our Modern Weapons,
Less
Men can Kill More in Less Time,
Percentage-Wise I Think Less Men Kill
than
Years Past,
& Further I Think Less Men Want 2.
Those who Do probably Don’t Want 2 Kill
in
the Way that we Kill Most Today -
Push the Right Buttons,
&
the Bad Dots on the Screen Go Away.
Methinks Most Men who Crave Killing
Desire
2 Wrest Blood,
& Real Grue...................:
Time Was when One Looked in thine Enemy’s Eyes,
&
Watched his Life Leave as One Took it.
Death from Afar is Less Test of Mettle
than
of Eye-2-Hand Coordination.
At Least in the West,
it
seems War’s Less Romantic
the More ‘Blood-less’
that
Each War Becomes...
Trade the Blade 4 The Button,
&
the One-Shot Gun 4 Machine,
I’d Guess that Causing the Death of Another,
another
Human,
would B Less Satisfying 4 the Bloodthirsty,
& Somehow more Horrible 4 the Just -
That Disappearing Dot Doth Not Threaten thy Life,
&
its Eradication proves Nothing of its Eraser.
Battle was Once Rite of Passage,
&
Boys Clamored 2 Die in Service of their Country,
or God.
Now,
most Join Armies 4 Dangled Rewards
of
an Education that they Can’t Afford Otherwise.
Perhaps the Fantasy’s Broken
by
Filmed Reality Beamed 2 Each Home Everyday..?
Or Maybe
most Just Rn’t as Proud of their Homeland,
Our
Leaders more Tarnished
than the Gods that Once Were..?
Why Die 4 Ideals that U’ve Seen So Battered
by
Those Same Men who Ask U 2 Die 4 Them..?
It’s Quite Different than Dying 4 your God
when
Asked by Those whom U Know would Die, 2.
That is Why those Not in the West
seem
so Fanatical..:
They Clamor 2 Die 4 their God 2 Prove themselves,
&
R Asked 2 Do so
by Those whom they Believe Untarnished,
& Closer 2 their God than They.
They R Taught that All Other Gods R Evil,
& that their God is Pleased by Killing Followers of Those Gods,
by
Teachers that have Gained their Undying Respect
through
Killing those who Follow those Gods.
Killing,
& Dying 4 their God is Very Romantic 4 Them.
Their Heroes R Those who have Died 4 the God they Worship.
When has This Not Been..?
Hold on,
just a Tic,
as Ahead of Myself I Do Tend 2 Get,
&
I’m Kinda Freakin’ Out
about That which I’ve Bitten Off..:
It’s ‘All,
Everything’,
as a Concept,
Right..?
What have I Done..!
I mean,
Simply Ponder..:
I’ve Barely Touched upon Joy,
&
That which Brings Us Such,
why Some Folk just Love 2 watch Baseball,
while
Others,
eh,
Not so Much.
Some People,
when
Not Actively Striving,
R Bored Quite Out of their Mind,
while
Others Dream of just Having the Chance
2 Relax,
B Lazy,
& Unwind..?
Why do Some Find it Awfully Funny
when some Poor Sap gets Hit in the Balls,
while
Others Look Down on Low Humor,
& Yawn through Fart Jokes,
& Pratfalls..?
I Guess what I Grab 4 is Preference,
why
Humans will Choose This or That,
How One Age’s Lady’s Delightfully Curvy,
but
in the Next One
she’s,
well,
Kinda Fat.
While I’m At it,
whose
Idea was Lederhosen..?
U know,
those German Pants..?
I mean, Really..!
Someone,
Somewhere in Germany,
thought
those were the Sexiest Thing,
& Somehow Convinced this 2 Others..!
Sheesh..!
This Leads me 2 Wonder
at
the Way One Presents Oneself 2 Other Humans...
Cultural Signifiers,
as
our Sociologist Friends would say,
R Incredibly Telling when,
say,
Describing ‘All,
Everything’,
as
All Humans,
in Every Epoch Engage in them.
I would Imagine that this Phenomena Probably Evolved
from the Dominant Male Procuring 4 himself the Best Skins 2 Wear,
whether
or Not he had Slain the Beast from Whence Said Skins were Skinned...
From Earliest Times,
the Chieftain of a Tribe Showed Himself as Such Visually,
though
Ever so Simply at First..:
Carrying a Bone from the Kill that Proved him Best,
&
Garnered the Respect of his Tribe,
or the Wearing of an Amulet that Meant That Bone,
a Meaning that was Lost on No One.
These Things Symbolized his High Station,
&
Sometimes,
their Removal Signified his Fall.
The Recognition of Symbols was One of the First Traits
that
Separated Humans
from their Less-Evolved Contemporaries,
& Symbols of Leadership were Surely Amongst the First.
These Signifiers Evolved the World Over,
&
4 Many a Century,
the Leader was Always the Most Elaborately Festooned
in
Any Room he Occupied.
Perhaps the Royal Scepter
is
Naught but a Bejeweled Thigh-bone..!
Elaborate Headdress,
from
All Continents,
were Also Amongst a Chief’s Chief Signs..:
Bigger Crowns with More Jewels,
the
Most Feathers,
or Biggest Spike,
the Boss Always had the Best,
or at Least Biggest,
Hat.
Yes,
the Pope.
Military Rulers Flaunted their Exalted Rank
through
a Chest full of Medals that Left No Doubt;
This is of Interest
because
not Only the Leaders,
but also Lowest of Low,
&
each Link in the Chain of Command in Between,
were
all Visually Denoted by Color,
or Hat,
or Stripe...
Now Generals could Look Down from Safe Height
on
their Soldiers,
Playing Chess with All Those Living Chess-Pieces.
The General,
& Private could Both See who’s the Pawn,
his
Lower Value Shown Plainly through Clothes.
& Christ,
just Look
at the Catholics..!:
The Shocking Anality by which Rank is Shown,
&
thus,
Clearly-Graduated Nearness 2 their God,
is Surely the Definition of ‘Religious Order’.
Perhaps they thought God Liked Chess 2..!
This Concept of Visual Showing of One’s Standing
was
Quickly Commandeered by Civilians..:
The Wedding Ring has been Used 4 over 4,800 Years,
its
Unbroken Circle as Infinity 4 Lovers,
but
As Important,
a Symbol 2 Others of Its Wearer’s Unavailable State.
Jewelry has Always served Dual Purpose..:
The Beautification of One’s Body through Adornment,
but
Also Showing at a Glance that One could Afford 2 B So Adorned.
Throughout History,
the
Wealthy have Quite Often moved from Beautiful 2 Garish
in
the Attempt 2 Show Said Wealth...
In Fact,
Looking Back,
so
Much of ‘High Society’ Fashion through the Ages
seems
Foolish 2 Modern Eyes;
Much of it,
while
Still Preposterous,
is much Easier 2 at Least Understand
when one Notes that it has been Specifically Designed
with
the Aim of Flaunting One’s Social Station..:
The Clothing of the Rich Looks Utterly Uncomfortable
because
It Is,
& Sends the Immediate Message
that One Wearing Such a Garment
is
Rendered Incapable of Performing Physical Labor..:
Long-Trained Gowns,
the Bound Foot of the Orient,
& those Gigantic Powdered Wigs,
All 2 Expensive 4 All but the Rich,
&
Further,
Rarely could the Underclass even Use them,
as Exposure 2 the Rigors of their Wretched Lives
would
Rather Ruin the Delicate Beauty
of those Aristocratic Accoutrements.
When Viewed in That Way,
one
can See that indeed Revolutions have been In Part Caused by Fashion..!
Egads..!
That Being Said,
‘tis
Not so Odd 2 See
that Some Leaders have sought Uniformity -
Some Subordinate Sod Shoveling Shit’s Somehow Sated
by
the Fact that his Supervisor wore the Same Suit..?
One Wonders if That Ever Worked..?
I’m Sure ‘twas a Chinaman
who,
in Home’s Privacy,
Fled his Life's Mind-Numbing Grayness
by
Flouncing ‘round in his Granny’s Most Fashionable Frocks..!
Some Gods R Said 2 Say how their Followers should Dress,
as
if He’s a Fashionista when Done Playing Chess..!:
He tells Mormons what Underwear they need Wear All the Time,
&
that the Islamic Woman must Cover her Face when Not Home;
The Bible’s God
says
Our Bodies R Shameful,
but Different Sects say Different Things of How much Shown is 2 Sexy;
The Amish R Christian,
&
Cover it All,
& the Catholics Don’t Say, “Hey..!” ‘til Skirt Strays Above Knee...
It Seems an Episcopal just Need Hide the Bits..?
Adam & Eve seemed Enough Covered by a few Fig Leaves,
so,
I Guess,
really,
Who’s 2 Say..................................?
In that I’ve Not seen even a One Struck Down Anywhere 4 being Quite Utterly Nude,
One
must Think that He Waits
‘til yer at Pearly Gates
2 Wag Holy Finger 4 Being so,
ummm,
Rude..?
Should There B a God as the God in Those Books,
then
That God Allows the Innocent 2 Starve,
& Men 2 Rape Children,
& Creates Weather that Kills Untold Thousands
of
His Followers.
He could Easily Stop this Victimization of the Crimeless,
but
Doesn’t.
We Know this because Innocents Do Starve,
&
Men Do Rape Children,
& Weather Does Kill Thousands.
Why Do Humans Still Worship the Gods of Those Books,
&
Further,
with the Above in Mind,
Believe He Cares One Whit about Any Human’s State of Dress,
at
Any Point in their Comparatively Miniscule Lives..?
I Fear that Belief in These Gods will Hinder Mankind Until That Belief is Gone.
It's All Time,
U See..:
Time Spent Waging Wars 4 One’s God
is
Time Not Spent Saving the Species.
Time Spent Healing War’s Wounded
is
Time Not Spent Curing Disease.
Ahem.
Here We Go..:
Whenever I Broach the Subject of Gods,
&
my Accusations Against Them if They Do Exist,
& my Wonder at Mankind's Many Millennia of Blind Faith,
especially
when Confronted by That Which Truly,
Obviously,
& Logically Shows that Faith Unfounded...
...well,
I feel kinda...
Bad.
I Feel Bad because so Many of Us,
so
Many of Those Dearly Loved in My Own Life,
have
an Overwhelming Need 4 the Existence of a Good,
Loving God.
Or
a Universe filled with Spirits,
or
Coincidence that Must B Fate...
Or
Good & Bad ‘Energies’ that Can’t B Detected,
or
Previous Lives we’ve Supposedly Lived...
There is a Constant,
Burning Desire in Humans that there B Something Greater than Us,
the
Craving that Death B Not ‘The End’,
& that an Everlasting Kernel of Each,
not
Tethered by Fragilities in our Physical Frame,
will
Survive the Fetid Grave,
& Witness Eternity.
The Shreadlessness of Proof Sates Not their Want,
nor
Belief.
So I Feel Bad.
Is My Disbelief Simply a Case of Misaligned Chakras..?
Am I Plagued by Unnamed ‘Toxins’,
left
Unsapped 2 Do their Evil these Long,
Agnostic Years..?
Is my Lack of Faith the Product
of
Priestly Misconduct with Altar Boys in some Craven Life Lived in the Past..?!
Why does it Feel I’m Stealing Santa from Children,
exposing
their Parents 4 the Liars they R,
&
Ruining their Christmas Morn’s Joy..?
Perhaps because That Is What it Is..:
Heaven,
Hell,
Chakras,
Crystals,
Reincarnation,
Fate...
Maybe they’re All Ol’ St. Nick..:
“Daddy,
Where do the Presents Come From..?”
Man Invented All these ‘Clauses’
as
Answers he Didn’t Have,
& he Wronged Each Virginia he Lied 2.
Man Created God out of Need 4 an Answer 2 Every Single Question he Had.
Lightning..?
God.
Death..?
God.
Sex..?
God.
Creation..?
God.
This was All Fine & Good
until
more Logically Plausible Explanations were Proven,
&
Systems Created 4 Proving That which has Yet 2 B.
This..:
Ancient Man saw Sun’s Eclipse as a Sign of God’s Anger,
&
he Supplicated,
& Prayed,
& Sacrificed Virgins...
...& the Sun Returned.
Imagine that U Lived Among them,
& knew Naught of Even our Solar System,
let
Alone the Regularly Converging Paths
between
Sun,
Earth,
& Moon............
What would U Do when Sun was Stole Next..?
I’m Quite Sure that I know Exactly what I’d Do,
&
the Virgin would B Quite Right 2
Run.
Those Poor Girls,
Cursed by Hymen,
Rendered Heartless by Men
simply
Trying 2 Bring Back their Sun.
One of those Maidens
might’ve
Dug-up a Root who’s Extracts could’ve Changed Medical ‘Ustory’s’,
um,
Route..!
Same of ‘Witches’,
&
Gays,
& All who’ve Died Ever 4 Any ‘God’ that has Ever been Made.
Ignorance of Ignorance
was,
4 a Time,
an Excuse.
Now..?
Not So Much.
God’s Realm Doth Shrink Daily.
Consider the Poor Copernicus,
who
found that Earth Circled Sun,
Forsooth;
That is 2 say,
Not the Catholic Way,
so,
as per Usual,
they Forced his Untruth...
See,
How could they Say we’re God’s Chosen
if
Sun didn’t go ‘round the Earth..?
Up went their Hackles,
&
they Threatened him with Shackles,
their Version worth More than Truth’s Dearth..!
Galileo Galilei,
the
First with Telescopic Astronomy,
told Everyone who’d Listen that Copernicus was Right;
Again,
that Angered the Holy See,
who,
though Provided Proof Positive would Still Not Agree,
&
he 2 was Crushed
by All of the Church’s Might..:
Upon Orders from Rome,
he
was Imprisoned at Home,
&
Died there,
an Old Man,
Embittered,
& without Sight.
It Wasn’t ‘til 1993
that
the Catholics Graced him Validity,
350 years After their Ignorant Slight.
I Apologize 4 the Awful Rhyming,
& Reducing such Crime 2 Bad Verse,
but
should I Really Unload,
my Head may Explode,
its Big Bang Besmirching our Infinitely Beautiful,
Ever-Expanding,
Scientifically Explainable,
Quite
Physical Universe..!
My Fights against All Religions,
which
have Lasted Quite Nearly my Whole Adult Life,
is
Really a Fight in Favor of Humans,
& the Fact that we R an Incredible End Product
of This Planet’s Six Billion Years.
Many People,
without Giving my View Much Real Thought,
accuse
the Notion of Godless Existence as Cold;
I actually Find it Much more Flattering -
Despite our Foibles,
&
Fighting,
& Greed,
& Considering the Faults of our Supposed Guidebooks,
well,
Just Look Around..:
I’d Think Few have None
or
Naught 2 Cherish,
& with Thought I’d guess Most have Much;
Enter Any Museum,
& see that Some from Each Age
Lived
their Lives 2 Make Beauty 4 Any 2 See;
Further,
some may Attribute the Flowers 2 God,
but
did God ever Pick One 4 U..?
When I give a Flower,
or
some Trinket from Me,
‘tis I that give That Thing -
B it Token of Friendship,
or
my Heart in Symbol
there’s No Ghost that’s Guiding my Giving Hand,
nor
Hope of Reward in some Eternal Shangri-La..:
It’s Me,
giving That Thing 2 Show Another,
that
They have Meaning in My Heart,
&
No Gods Compel me 2 Do so with Fear of Fire,
or
Karmic Regret...
Isn’t That Better..?
I Think so.
I Also,
though,
Understand the Want of Easy Meaning,
&
Human Desire 4 Ceremony,
Both of which Religion Certainly,
&
Very Simply Sates...
There is Surely More Comfort in the Belief
that
One’s Daughter,
Fatally Mangled by the Auto of a Drunken Simp,
lives
Eternally in Heaven at the Hand of God,
than
2 Suffer her Loss without so Soothing a Salve...
The Bonding of Two ‘Souls’ in the Very Eyes of the Almighty
by
No Less than his Agent on Earth,
must Seem so Much More Certain
than
the Same Words Said by a Civil Servant
who,
Mere Minutes before,
may’ve Issued Something no more Sacred
than License 2 Fish in the Local Lake...
I can Also See the Social Need
that
the Excuse of Religious Gatherings Satisfied..:
Especially in Agrarian Cultures,
where one Otherwise would Only Leave one’s Own Land 4 Needed Supplies,
each
Sunday’s Session of Worship
lead One 2 See Oneself as Part of the Greater Community’s Whole,
&
2 Convene with one’s Neighbors,
Dressed in One’s Finest Finery.
This Ritual Also gave Chance 4 the Singular 2 Meet Mate,
&
B Mated,
& All 2 form Protective Bonds of Friendship beyond Family.
All of these Things make Perfect Evolutionary Sense,
however
Illogical their Cause.
Such as Shown,
though,
were we Godless from Start,
would
we Not have Developed Corresponding Rituals 4 Each..?
Humans R Amongst the Most Social of Beasts,
&
One Must Think we Would have,
God
or No,
developed Ceremonies 4 Births,
& Deaths,
& Declarations of Love...