A Case for a Hermitage

1. When you are a hermit, no one comes to your house, so they don't see the cat hair on the couch or the drips of spaghetti sauce on the stove top or the crumbs on the counter and think "TSK. Doesn't she ever tidy this place?"

2. When you are a hermit, you don't see anyone, so they don't look at your clothes and your hair and think "TSK. There's a stain on the collar of his shirt. And his hair is much too long. Would it kill him to get a haircut?"

3. When you are a hermit, you don't interact with anyone, so you don't have to be afraid of accidentally offending someone or hurting someone's feelings, as if you were some sort of lumbering cave troll who backs into someone's favorite heirloom vase and sends it tumbling to its doom.

4. When you are a hermit, you don't tell anyone what you do, so you can spend your time as you really honestly like. If you feel gardening that day, you can spend the whole day covered in dirt. If you feel like sitting in the sun reading a book, you can do that without someone thinking, "What a lazy bum. Doesn't she know there is grass to be mown, weeds to be pulled, leaves to be raked and plants to be watered?"

When you are a hermit, you are insulated from judgment. Sure, the people in the town 40 miles away, where you go to get supplies think, "Strange old duck. Half the marbles have rolled away," but they only think that on the day you go into town, every 3 months or so. And the rest of the time, you're free to be yourself.

Beautiful Writing

This link has been put about on Facebook, but I know some of my readers have not, so I will repost it here.

Roger Ebert is best known as a movie critic, but ever since cancer and the attempted treatment of it changed his life, he has emerged as a preeminent modern essayist (in the form of his blog).

This post about loneliness struck a chord for some of my friends, and it does for me as well.  One thing he did not bring up, but a commenter later on does: some of the loneliest times I have ever experienced were in the presence of another person.  I would state "most of the..." but I have a crappy memory and I'll give myself and others the benefit of the doubt.  For me, loneliness is about connection and sharing - or lack thereof.  Most of it can be avoided by exerting oneself, and the remainder must be endured.

It sounds like it might be a sad post, but it's not really.  Just thought provoking.

The Rally

Some time ago, I posted a link from the Daily Show that made a case for the US political machine being like the WWF.  It brilliantly illustrated a long held speculation I've had about politics.  (Re-watching it, I still think it's brilliant.)

In mid September, I had a similar feeling of concurrence.  This feels a little like deja vu.  As a non-conformist, this happen rarely (it had better!) and as a moderate, this happens rarely (unfortunately) as the media doesn't  cover moderation very often.  Jon Stewart, on the Daily Show, announced the Rally to Restore Sanity.  He said it would be for all those people who are tired of the divisiveness of the current political climate, to which I thought, “Absolutely.  It would be cool to attend that. How often do you see a rally for moderates?”  Of course, I'm not going to pay hundreds of dollars just to go stand with a crowd of people, no matter how much I agree with them.  Besides, I had two fears: one, that the rally would be co-opted by extreme liberals (I know Jon doesn't swing that way, but many people who watch his show do), and two, that it would be all shtick and no substance.

A week or two later, I was planning my trip to WV and MD, and I realized that I would actually be in the area the weekend of the event.  The stars aligned and I ended up going with my hostess, Jen, and her friend, Sarah.  (My one regret is that Sarah and I didn't explain the purpose of event to Jen a bit more, so she knew what it was about beforehand.) We made a small detour to check out the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian (very cool building – I'd like to visit again and spend half a day there...) and then dove into the crowds of the rally.

Current estimates place the crowd at 200-215 thousand people.  I'll not go into a long description as this article from the BBC summarizes the situation well.  There were some great signs; my favorites were “Poster Board is a Terrible Medium for Complex Arguments,” “!,” and “What do we want? Moderation!!! When do we want it? In a reasonable time frame.”  (Some more can be found in this gallery.)  It was an extremely diverse group of people with all ages, colors, and creeds represented (here's a photo gallery from the event).  I saw lots of women in Muslim headscarves (which, unlike some former NPR journalists, makes me feel happy about diversity).  For people-watching, it was a “target rich environment.”  The noise of the crowd, however, drowned out any hope we had of actually hearing the event, and after a couple hours, we left, needing a toilet not in a plastic box, a place to sit down, and somewhere where we weren't being jostled every other minute.  Turns out, being somewhere where the crowd was continually moving was good for people watching and bad for people averse to being knocked about by people who (sensibly, I admit) carried all their provisions for the day on their backs.

Later, we caught up though commentaries and live-blogging on some of the events we'd been present for but couldn't see or hear.  The pundits claiming that this would be something to motivate the youth to vote missed the point entirely, as should be evident from some of the un-youthful entertainers they had: Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), Ozzy Osbourne, The O'Jays, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and R2D2.  After a day or two, Comedy Central has posted most of the show online. Most notably, we listened to Jon Stewart's closing speech, which can be seen here as “Jon's Moment of Sincerity.”  I highly recommend watching it, as the sentiments expressed are extremely sensible and illustrated well (I love a good metaphor!):

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
Jon Stewart - Moment of Sincerity
www.comedycentral.com
Rally to Restore Sainty and/or Fear The Daily Show The Colbert Report

My fears were laid to rest, as it was neither partisan, nor without substance.  I wish I could have heard it live (the recording is deceptive – the crowd was never silent, there was always some idiot (not Jon) talking) but I am satisfied with having been there, having represented, and knowing that the cameras were recording Jon telling the world what I and many like me want to say:

“We are reasonable people and we can work together and be diverse at the same time.”

Thank you to Jon Stewart and all his minions for doing this for us, the quiet moderates.

Postscript: Yesterday, I saw video from a post rally press conference.  Both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert acquit themselves well.  Stephen had shed his larger-than-life parody character and was actually himself.  He has a gentle demeanor that was very surprising to me.  Jon, as I've seen in other interviews, was earnest and easily shed questions that tried to apply too much political meaning to the event.  Great interviews, if you're interested.

Sense and Sensibility

The Daily Show is on hiatus this week, so they're doing their usual thing and highlighting past interviews with a common theme. This week it's "brilliant banter" and the first one was so spot on, I had to share.

Jane Goodall is lovely, thoughtful, and supremely intelligent. Worth listening to:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jane Goodall
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

I LOVE what she says about fundamentalism.

A Rare Political Post

Some years ago, I became an independent when I became disenchanted with the political process. I realized that neither party is committed to governing. No, they are actually committed to perpetuating the political industry (a beast somewhat like the entertainment industry). In the following clip, the Daily Show court jesters do some pointing out of hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle. As usual, this is simultaneously entertaining and sickening. The second half of the "bit" however is an analogy between the political industry and professional wrestling that is so spot-on, I just had to share it with my two or three regular readers.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crumbums & Fatcats
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Never fear. I'll return to entertaining content tomorrow. :)

No Architect Barbie

Barbie apparently decided to make the "big bucks" of a computer engineer rather than the little bucks and big reputation of an architect. In some ways, I applaud her choice.
Here's a funny opinion piece about Barbie Not Becoming An Architect.

Something to Think About

My wonderfully thoughtful friend, Janiece, posted today about a series of essays that probe into what one believes.

I followed some of the links she included and found this fabulous essay by Norman Cousins. It really says a lot about the human condition in a short space and I highly recommend reading or listening to it.

Funny Peculiar

Do you think women place greater importance on compliments from males than they do from other women? (And men on compliments from women?) Why do you think that is?
I had an experience recently that surprised me, because it seemed to indicate that I do that. I'm not sure why. I would rather believe that I place greater importance on compliments from those whom I respect, regardless of gender.

On the other hand, what I *really* should be reinforcing for myself is that both compliments and insults are more about the giver than the recipient. They express his or her opinion and view of the world, which is, for better or worse, skewed.

Contrast and compare...

(And yes, I'm trying to go to bed on time, but not having much success. Toodleoo...)

Masochism?

What is it, exactly?
When I asked myself this question recently, it seemed to me that it was causing oneself pain or difficulty on purpose, ostensibly to achieve something desired.
Exercising at the gym
Watching the news on TV
Dieting
Etc.

However...the dictionary has several definitions, and three out of the four have one thing in common: *pleasure* is derived from pain, degradation, etc.
So, unless you're one of those crazy people who experience an endorphin high after exercising, that doesn't qualify, and honestly none of the other (admittedly humor-based) examples do either.
So though we joke that the friend who stays in the job with the craptastic boss is actually a masochist, that's not the description at all.

So what is? What makes us do things that are painful, tiring, saddening, frustrating, in order to reach a goal or obtain something that we think/hope will make our lives better?

(**Note: I am not a masochist myself, but there are times if I wonder if I am. ;)

One of Us! One of Us!

I just joined the cult that is Facebook and feeling pretty good about it. I've gotten in contact with some friends from my childhood whom I miss. I've posted a bunch of photos, and in doing so have made great strides in figuring out which 100 photos, from the 1000 taken, that I want to get printed out and made into a photo album (for all those non-Facebook people out there).
Speaking of reconnecting, I went out to a friend's 40th birthday party and got to see friends I haven't seen in a year or more. That was pretty awesome. They are some really stellar people and I miss them lots. Several of them have been making some big changes that I'm really proud of.

Later: Actually, I can share my Facebook albums with anyone, so here's:
India Trip, Part 1
India Trip, Part 2

A Request for Tolerance

One of the things that most strikes me about the politics of today is that it is the inverse in many ways of the changes that occurred 8 years ago.

In 2001, when Bush took office, many conservatives felt that the office of president had been sullied by Clinton's behavior while holding office. Many of them reiterated for their liberal brethren that Bush is our president now, so sit down and be quiet. Many liberals considered (even at that time) Bush to be akin to the Anti-Christ. To have not voted for Gore was to have been a vote for darkness and chaos.

Now, change the above paragraph, substituting 2009 for 2001, conservative with liberal and vice-versa, Bush for Clinton and McCain for Gore, and you have (aside from the economic and world situation) a virtually perfect inversion.

American liberals and conservatives should keep in mind that they have stood in each others shoes. Remember how you felt when someone denigrated someone you believed in. Remember how fearful you felt. Understand that these feelings are now those of your ideological opposites. This doesn't mean you have to agree, but it should inform how you treat your brothers and sisters. Be kind to each other. We have more in common with each other than we differ.

Economy Bites

Janiece said it best on her blog when she pointed out that her economy worries boils down to a control issue.
Go, read, and I'll get back to that job I am currently lucky enough to have.

Best of luck to you all in these nerve-wracking times.

Movement

Heard On the Turning Away (Pink Floyd) on the radio on the way home from work.
It's one of my favorites, but it's so moving (always brings tears to my eyes) that I can't listen to it very often.

There were two versions on YouTube, the one I'm embedding here and another one that was paired with a Carl Sagan clip and some computer generated celestial images. I liked the latter, but found it to be a bit manipulative, so I'll include the former, live version (which has a great section with the whole audience singing along) which suits my purposes just fine:

Note: There is an extensive instrumental section at the end.

The lyrics, if you would like to see them, are located here.

Reactions to Tragedy

I found this very interesting article, by Shankar Vedantam at the Washington Post about a scientific study looking at how people (as groups) react to tragedy. Essentially, they determine that there are "two distinct forms of moral reasoning." The most interesting paragraph is:

But our mental systems can come into conflict in the case of terrorism and large-scale disasters: Our focus on perpetrators who intentionally cause harm prompts us to minimize the effects of "mundane" tragedies such as floods, famine and disease outbreaks, because those do not have a sinister agent behind them.

I highly recommend the whole article at the Washington Post.

Food for thought...

WOW.

It's actually scary to listen to the speech of someone who speaks so well and so much to the heart. I love that he reached out to those who did not vote for him. I love that he pointed out that the work has only just begun. (Because he's right. There's a long road ahead.)

It's scary to have my hopes raised so high.

Scary, but thrilling.

Wow. What a moment.

_________________________________

Makes me proud to be an American.
I love diversity. I think it's one of the best things this country has going for them. I simple do not understand those who want to be surrounded by those who are exactly like themselves. Intellectually, I know it's about fear, but I still don't really get it.
Like Michelle, I'm a little teary eyed about what this election says about the maturity of the American voter. A pundit on CNN pointed out that this doesn't mean that there isn't anymore racism, but that people are voting for Obama *in spite* of their own racism. I would point out also, *in spite* of the fact that he has a foreign sounding name. It was something that was extremely apparent to me when looking at my ballot. There is no hiding that his name is so different from the Joe Schmoe Anglo name.
Here's Jim's response.
Here's Janiece's well-written "Open Letter to President-Elect Barack".
John Scalzi has Reality Check post I think is a good antidote for some of the extremist kool-aid that's been drunk by both sides.
(Others to be posted as they appear.)
For perspective on John McCain from a former Navy man, here's Jim's post on McCain. (He's pretty rough on the guy, but then again, McCain betrayed something Jim really knows the value of -- his honor as a naval officer.)
More from Michelle and Nathan (stole a link from him, see below).

And to address the breaking of a racial barrier, here is Whoopi Goldberg (Isn't that a Jewish name?) and our own MWT, an American of Asian descent.

An Informal Poll, Appropriate to the Times

A friend (who wants to win an argument) has requested that I put a question to you, dear readers.

What would you think of an employer who, when laying you off, tells you on a Friday and asks you to leave at the end of the day (you are permitted to come back on Saturday to get your things and send an email to the rest of the company saying "bye")? Is this insulting, insinuating that you are not trustworthy? Or is this considerate, saving you from awkward goodbyes? Does getting a severance package affect the "feel" of the dismissal? Is there a better way to do it?

Your input is appreciated and no, I won't tell you which side was mine. (To be honest, I can see both sides, though one side was my natural inclination and immediate reaction.)

Speaking Up For What's Right

Sorry I haven't been as prolific of late, folks, but even when I think of something to blog about, by the time I sit down at the computer I've either forgotten or lost interest. However, I did find something today...

On John Scalzi's Whatever, he posted about something very important in today's political and sociological climate -- On Who is American. He was prompted by Gen. Colin Powell's remarks during an endorsement of Obama. Powell said (according to this NY Times article) about the conservative concerns that Obama is actually Muslim and not Christian, “And we have got to say to the world it doesn’t make any difference who you are and what you are. If you’re an American you’re an American.”

Thank you, Colin Powell, for saying what's been bothering me about the current trend of American thinking. Muslim does not equal terrorist. No more than Christian equals disbeliever of science. No more than atheist equals morally-bereft. We cannot vilify each other if we ever hope to make this world a better place for anyone.

[sigh] I love Colin Powell. (Thank goodness he climbed out of that pit he fell into when he in Bush's administration!) Go to the NY Times article or the MSNBC article and watch the video. It really says it all.


And yes, it would be So. Awesome. if Powell were formally involved in Obama's administration. I understand if he doesn't want to be, but it would be so great.

The Daily Show addressed the extreme negativity pretty directly, as well as whether Muslims can be good family men. (The first one is particularly good.) I feel sorry for John McCain.

it's here! [/sotto voce]

[Dances jig]
My mail in ballot arrived today in the mail. Yippee!
I'll take my time over the next week or so to check out the million and one amendments Colorado has on the ballot (including the royally misguided and unthought out Amendment 48), vote, and then get it in the mail to be counted by election day.

Yay voting!

Finally a Political Voice

I was watching CNN's* post debate discussion this evening and was struck by a realization...

But first, a little background. Five or six years ago, I decide to change my political affiliation from Democrat to Independent/Unaffiliated. People said it was foolish, since I would lose a chance to vote in primaries. However, I was disgusted with the political machinations of the Democrats and was tired of being associated with the party. (Friends who happen to be Democrats are fine, of course, it's the behavior encouraged by the party that I disliked.) So, I changed my affiliation. I said that instead of making a "protest vote," I would make my registration a protest.

Now, things have turned on their head. I've always been a proponent for a multi-party political system (yes, there are nominally more than two parties, but we all know it's Dems vs. Reps) but have been told it's pretty much impossible at this point. Tonight, listening to the pundits, I suddenly realized that we ARE moving away from the two party system, in a way that's even better than having three or more major parties. I, as an Independent, have become part of a nebulous third group that defies stereotyping. We don't have many representatives in Senate, and we're not going to have an Independent president, but we ARE a force to be considered and reckoned with. There are enough of us that politicians are starting to have to pay attention to what concerns us (or at least pretend to). Pundits are biting their nails trying to figure out "what will the Independents do?"

I, who have never felt like I had a voice in politics, feel like someone's listening. Maybe I and my fellow Independents might actually change things around here.

MORE ISSUES! LESS MUDSLINGING!

* PS - CNN deliberately avoided "The Spin Room," saying "what's the point?" Bravo, CNN! Thanks for realizing how stupid it is to hear partisans parrot their party's talking points.

Preaching to the Choir

Watching Sarah Palin's speech right now. Irony? She put down Obama's "speaking to adoring crowds" (a Republican talking point I've heard before) but who is she speaking to? Throngs of adoring Republicans who cheer at the right points and boo the right points (NEW TAXES, BOO!).

Ah, politics, how I hate thee. Turning perfectly nice human beings into automatrons of partisanship. Excuse me while I hurl.