If you're stuck in someone's frames, click here to free yourself.Est. Nov. 1997
Welcome to my Greatroom. This is the place where I'm supposed to tell you about myself and speak the magical words that give you some idea of what goes on inside the head of the Magician. Well if anyone had any idea of what truly goes on inside the heads of others I supposed many of us would be considered certifiably nuts, so that stuff is probably best left unsaid.
What I do hope to pass on in this page, besides the basic info promised, are thoughts. These are the kind of thoughts where, if someone asks you "do you really believe that?", you answer with "well, I meant it at the time I said it". Do not dispair, I'm not really a loon but I do tend to think from more of an emotional perspective than a logical one. But as one Captain Spock said, "logic is the begining of wisdom, not the end". With that in mind, I shall continue.
If you'd care to register with Netminder to be notified when this page changes please press here.
[ Family | Motivations | Philosophies | Top ]
Merlyn: Currently I am a 40 year old male human residing just south of Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Washington, in what we call the Great Pacific Northwest, USA. If you want to reach me you can sometimes find me lurking in LOLChat, ICQ (4522711), or PowWow.
I was divorced in 1991. I have a son who is 9 and a daughter, 20, who, after being on her own for the first time for just under a year, is back! Argh!.
I work in the computer industry for a large organization known world-wide. I'm a webgeek and a manager and am enjoying it a lot. In January of '97 I was notified of an impending lay-off which happened in May. Until that time I was a mish-mash of Programmer, then Projects and Systems Manager for the previous 14 years at another site. When I found the job up here I was apprehensive of course, but things are turning out fine now. The hardest part of moving, even though it was only 70 miles and a ferry ride away, was that I was moving alone for the first time in a very long time. For this and many other reasons my relationship with my children has become even more important than before. It's not a matter of priorities at all, there simply are no other priorities that could compare to my kids.In this life I have been (so far): Camp counselor, nurse and manager; lifeguard and swimming teacher; Gas station guy; Junk yard guy; firefighter; medic; emergency medical instructor, water safety instructor; Lay preacher; guide; mountain climber; appliance deliver dude; student; mountain rescue instructor; father, son and brother; philosopher; philanthropist (sorta); computer geek; consultant.....etc. Like I said, "so far". Life is still young and current aspirations don't go far beyond combing my beach!
[ Family | Motivations | Philosophies | Top ]
My daughter is quite a lovely and petite little thing but every bit 20. As I said before she's back "home" after being on her own for just under a year. Shit happens aye? As with many her age, her aspirations are unclear but she now knows that she want's to go back to school so things are looking up. Actually she "want's" to go to Medical School :-). What is it about kids that makes them think thier parents are rich?
She is all at once complicated, yet transparent; deep yet silly; disciplined yet looney; spontanious yet predictable.
If you think that all those adjectives are a little difficult to swallow all at once and in the same person, then, well, hehe, I give you "woman". Or "kid". Or....human?
[ Family | Motivations | Philosophies | Top ]
My son is a great joy to be around. While he is emotional he is also a little devious. What he lacks in athletic talent he makes up for with daring and stead-fastness. He is reading three years ahead of his age and doing well in other subjects. He speaks well for a child of 9, usually with deep thought and kind understanding. Sitting with him on our beach in front of a campfire, beach-combing and climbing around on the driftwood are times that he and I will both treasure for as long as we live - and it is during these times when we have our deepest, and most fun conversations. He's found a sport he loves (soccer) and we also enjoy roller-blading together, not to mention fishing! We're looking forward to more Cod this year and if things work out just right, or if we are lucky, Salmon and Steelhead! He's after his first Halibut but methinks he misjudges his skill and equipment...
[ Family | Motivations | Philosophies | Top ]
Motivations: Well I do get asked this from time to time, so to know me is to know what motivates me. But then again if I could really figure it all out I'd be a lot better off these days. In this portion of the "blather" I present thoughts and ideals which have motivated me in times past and future. I may use elected works of poetry, quotations, cliche's even, and will probably change them from time to time. Little things that come to mind when I have to decide this fate or that. These are personal motivations and the words used to define or describe them, though often not my own, are close enough to the mark that they could be. This is not to say that they are 100% applicable and in all cases, or that they won't change or haven't changed over the years. Aging is a constant, and growth is the reward.A pet peeve: One thing that really ticks me off is when I feel judged, or misjudged based upon someone's supposition of my motivations. I've been called naive, simple, even pathetic once. But I've also been admired, complimented, even reveared at times. If people like me then I feel rewarded. If it's someone who's affections I return then I feel even more personally gratified. But if someone doesn't like me it's OK. As long as they don't judge me. It doesn't hurt my feelings when someone doesn't like me, but it hurts me a lot when it's based on an unfair judgement or the words of another person. The only thing worse than basing a dislike on misjudgement is basing it on a prejudgement. It belittles us both.
Well I've said a lot more in this opener than I intended to so off we go, time for the little things...
One of the best indicators of someone's personal motivations are the books they read so I will begin by telling you a little of what I enjoy reading most of all. While much of my reading is to learn something, much of it is also simply for entertainment. I am a history buff and am here to refute the all-too-common belief that to look back is foolish. Only in looking back can we be prepared to look forward with confidence and wisdom. Secondly I am a psychology and sociology buff, the precepts of my favorite subject, which is philosophy. I won't necessarily list particular books but instead topics and authors. There are simply too many individual books to list!
Merlyns Favorite Reading:
- Robert Fulghum, the undisputed champion of story telling and handling those real life melodramas with kind humor and practiced wisdom. His books began with Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, and 6 books later he is one of the most read authors of modern times. If there was ever a candidate for all humanity to emulate it is he. For a collections of "Fulghumisms" click here.
- Eastern Philosophy, mysticism and religion have survived more than twice as long as popular western thought and so in my search for the wisdom's that come from the search of spirit I delve deeply there. While I am not a religious person per se, I am a philosopher and therefore the questions of divinity are quite important. I would urge anyone with an interest and an open mind to read the writings of Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching), Sun Tzu (The Art of War), Morihei Ueshiba (The Art of Peace), and of course the I Ching. There are many books on the market presenting the thoughts of Buddhism, the Tao, and Hinduism and I would recommend that anyone with an interest in the spirit and philosophy to read some of these fine works. You don't have to convert to Buddhism to appreciate many of the philosophies any more than you have to be Christian to appreciate Paul's "Faith, hope and love" speech in I Corinthians. It is time for humans to open their minds to all the wonderful ideas out there and stop wearing the blinders placed on us by our self-serving politically minded religious leaders. You will never be good enough in the eyes of these fools and demagogues so you may as well concentrate on the spirit within. "Resolve, now if never before, to approve thyself to thyself; Resolve to show thyself fair in God's sight; Long to be pure with thine own pure self and God." (Epictetus - from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus). The answer, as the struggle, is within.
- As a reader of history I find it of paramount philosophical importance to read the history of war. As is common knowledge, only by learning the lessons of the past can we hope not to repeat past mistakes. If more people concentrated on history rather than ambition, humanity would indeed learn to stop making war on itself and finally grow beyond that most obscene of genocide's known in the animal kingdom. For all our arrogance and self-ordained superiority we have yet to learn the lessons of the "simplest" of insects, to live with one another. I would urge anyone with even the most meager interest in stopping this vulgar self-destruction to read as many of the available works as possible on the subject of war. Donald Kagan's "On the Origins of War" is excellent in its treatment of not only his ideas but also those of his predecessors on the subject. His introduction alone is worth the price of the book. Other authors include the American patriot Thomas Paine; The Polish Ivan Bloch who said that the future of war is "not fighting, but famine, not the slaying of men, but the bankruptcy of nations and the break-up of the whole social organization"; Will and Ariel Durant; The Greek Thucydides who said that people go to war for "honor, fear and interest"; The Prussian Clausewitz; John Keegans "A History of Warfare"; and many many others. It is only natural that since war has been around since well before recorded time that so too would writings about it. For all its evolution, humankind has yet to "evolve" beyond self-destruction. I'd say we have a long way to go to even learn the simplest lessons from the simplest of insects.
- Finally, I enjoy general books on philosophy, psychology, natural healing and self-help, as these are the things that really force us to grow. Contemplating "the big one's" is nowhere near a simple task and it really does take concentrated effort, and forces a confrontation with that idealism in me that refuses to accept today's culturally defined "reality". I aver that reality, in terms of culture, is an abstract, NOT an absolute. In terms of society and culture, that which we mistakenly call "reality" is really only a summation of cultural norms made up of day-to-day living, of economics, current theological dogma and other related things that we accept or conform to. That's why I have so much trouble with people who speak so simply of real life in the real world. It's only real because we make it so and all it takes is people to change it. That's not reality, its just common sense. Life in the business world for example; It's readily acknowledged that to succeed you must be vicious and cutthroat, it's survival of the fittest. We readily accept this because it's "reality", but it's not reality, it's man-made and may be undone by man too. All it takes is effort, people. The same goes for government. How many times do you find yourself complacently accepting the "reality" of politics and politicians and being so disappointed in this "reality"? Well it's that way because we as a society made it, make it that way. It may make us feel better to think that "hey it's reality, what can I do about it?", but that's a cop-out and you know it. The same goes for me though, what can I do? So I read, and raise my children to question these little realities and to question authority and to know the difference between natural reality and man-made reality. And I talk to my friends, often spending hours debating these things and solving all the worlds problems!
Merlyns Favorite Music:
- Classical Music: My favorite classical music is that of Tchaikovsky, particularly the 1812 Overture and Swan Lake. I love Dvorak's 9th Symphony (The New World), Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Holst's "The Planets", the deep tones of cello conserti by Brahams and Bach, the violin works of Paganini, and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". I also love classical guitar and piano, and enjoy many an aria - yes, I like opera too. My favorite aria is Caro Nome as sung by Roberta Peters.
- Blues, Jazz and Big Band: I really enjoy Blues and Jazz and love the fact that three nights a week I can listen to All Blues on the local PBS station. I like old and modern blues running the gambut, but am more drawn to the awesome guitar and piano works. I love the music of Glen Miller and Arti Shaw, and New Orleans Jazz is the best!
- Rock: Of course I am a product of my generation and love what is now called "classic rock", although we just used to call it rock! :-) I gravitate more towards the music and not the vocals and my tastes run the spectrum there too. Favorite bands are Santana, Led Zeppelin, Robin Trower and Yes but there are so many that it hard to single any of them out.
- Other: I can even stand some Rap, I guess it's grown on me a little but I still like it harder, like Rage Against the Machine. I can put up with some country but really don't give it much of a chance. Frankly since Eddy Arnold is not performing anymore country has gone sour.
- Metal: Oh yeah. I've been into heavy metal since before the term. People my age look at me with quite the little 'eye' when they find that out. In fact, though I love and listn to many kinds of music I have to admit that most of what I listen to these days is metal. Since I have a whole other page devoted to it I suppose that's kinna obvious too. :-)
[ Family | Motivations | Philosophies | Top ]
Philosophies? Where motivations are more of a cause, philosophies represent the effect. These are the little things that are the result of living. I am what I am. That is not to say that things won't change nor to imply that there isn't room for improvement but deep down, I am equiped to do only so much. When asked "how will they do? [the training crew suddenly cast into active duty]", the wise Captain Spock replied to Admiral Kirk, "as with all men, each according to his gifts". Simple yet profound, pragmatic yet mystical; for how well do we really know our gifts? Many are simply not yet realized, some may not ever be, but we all have them. "How we face death is at least as important as how we face life, is it not?" (J. T. Kirk). But you never know until you're there, do you? So these philosophies represent those gifts realized, and yet leave a lot of room for those yet to be realized. It's a search, whether intentional and direct or unconsciously, we all walk the path of existance. We need only open ourselves to the boundless gifts waiting for us. So, here we go. The little philosophies of life. Years of existance, perhaps lifetimes, all rolled into a convenient little package. For what it's worth...
I offer these few citations as a sampling of the sum of the lessons of the life of me. Some are my words and some are quotes. Where I know the authors I credit them. Being true to myself I reserve the right to offer opinion on all of them! In subject form:
Little Common-sensical "rules" of living that, hey, if everyone obeyed the world would be a much better place, don't you think? Now tell me this: Why is it so hard?
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it up.
If you break it, admit it.
If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you value it, take care of it.
If you make a mess clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it will brighten someone's day, say it.
If it will tarnish someone's reputation, keep it to yourself.
Source unknown
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that Aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Robert Fulghum, author, philosopher, human
All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, Ch 1.(1989)
The Family is the Country of the heart. There is an angel in the Family who, by the mysterious influence of grace, of sweetness, and of love, renders the fulfilment of duties less wearisome, sorrows less bitter. The only pure joys unmixed with sadness which it is given to man to taste upon earth are, thanks to this angel, the joys of the Family.
Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-72), Italian nationalist leader. The Duties of Man, ch. 6 (1844-58; tr. 1907).
OK so those who know me and know that I am not Christian (oh my gawd!) will wonder about the term "angel" so chill, consider it a metaphor! I consider myself a country boy so this quote jumped out at me. Think about it. There is "something" in "family" that is beyond definition, beyond words, that is above all the foundation of all we are and all we do. Without family there is, to me, emptiness. I don't know where I would be without that motivation and I do not care to think about it.
The proliferation of support groups suggests to me that too many Americans are growing up in homes that do not contain a grandmother. A home without a grandmother is like an egg without salt and Helpists know it. They have jumped into the void left by the disappearance of morbid old ladies from the bosom of the American family.
Florence King (b. 1936), U.S. author. Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye, "Does Your Child Taste Salty?" (1989).As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.
Pope John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla] (b. 1920), Polish ecclesiastic, pope. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 Dec. 1986).Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we've put it in an impossible situation.
Margaret Mead (1901-78), U.S. anthropologist. Quoted in: New Realities (June 1978).
Now this one I can rant on about for pages. In The Tower I rant and rage about things and this one quote, I think, sums up the entire cause of it. I said that American society has outlived it's usefulness and I truly believe that statement. We go on and on and improve so many "things" of our lives, yet our ancient values do not grow beyond their puritanical foundations and so we are wont for spiritual growth. Not that which is bound by tradition or steeped in religion, but true growth which will allow us to see us for what we are and for what we may become. We cling to ancient mythologies just as our forefathers did, yet we call ourselves wiser than they; we speed up our lives and abilites to proportions that would scare the bejeezuz out of our forefathers, yet we pay no heed to the wisdom that must accompany it...Sorry, I don't want to bring you down here, but I do want you to take a moment and think about what you have given up as payment for you successes. The gift that my parents and theirs could give to my children if we lived our lives in the old ways - together - is immeasureable - and I am denying them that. Visitation is no substitute for "being there".
When all is said and done, friendship is the only trustworthy fabric of the affections. So-called love is a delirious inhuman state of mind: when hot it substitutes indulgence for fair play; when cold it is cruel, but friendship is warmth in cold, firm ground in a bog.
Miles Franklin (1879-1954), Australian authoress. My Career Goes Bung, ch. 19 (written 1900; published 1946).The greatest sweetener of human life is Friendship. To raise this to the highest pitch of enjoyment, is a secret which but few discover.
Joseph Addison (1672-1719), English essayist. Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments, "Of Friendship" (1794).Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship. Others have their family-but to a solitary and an exile his friends are everything.
Willa Cather (1873-1947), U.S. author. Shadows on the Rock, bk. 3, ch. 5 (1931).All love that has not friendship for its base,
Is like a mansion built upon the sand.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1855-1919), U.S. poet, journalist. Upon the Sand.Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.
George Washington (1732-99), U.S. general, president. Letter, 15 Jan. 1783.A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher. Human, All Too Human, ch. 7, aph. 390 (1878).No man can be friends with a woman he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her. Sex is always out there. Friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Nora Ephron (b. 1941), U.S. author, journalist. Harry (played by Billy Crystal) to Sally (Meg Ryan), in the film When Harry Met Sally (screenplay by Ephron, directed by Rob Reiner, 1989).If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man, Sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair.
Samuel Johnson (1709-84), English author, lexicographer. Quoted in: James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson, 1755 entry (1791), though quoting Johnson's opinion "at a subsequent period of his life."
True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about but few have seen.
François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-80), French writer, moralist. Sentences et Maximes Morales, no. 76 (1678).Where both deliberate, the love is slight:
Who ever lov'd, that lov'd not at first sight?
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), English dramatist, poet. Hero and Leander, "First Sestiad."
Our society is not a community, but merely a collection of isolated family units.
Valerie Solanas (b. 1940), U.S. artist, writer. The SCUM Manifesto (1968).What is called good society is usually nothing but a mosaic of polished caricatures.
Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829), German philosopher, critic, writer. Dialogue on Poetry and Literary Aphorisms, from "Selected Aphorisms," in The Athenaeum, aph. 5 (1968; first published 1798).To understand the true quality of people, you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions.
Marcus Aurelius (121-80), Roman emperor, philosopher. Meditations, bk. 4, sct. 38.If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Sun Tzu (6th-5th century B.C.), Chinese general. The Art of War, ch. 3, Axiom 18 (c. 490 B.C., ed. by James Clavell, 1981).Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.
Lao-Tzu (6th century B.C.), Legendary Chinese philosopher. Tao-te-ching, bk. 2, ch. 81 (tr. by T. C. Lau, 1963).True eloquence consists in saying all that need be said and no more.
François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-80), French writer, moralist. Sentences et Maximes Morales, no. 250 (1678).Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.
Mark Twain (1835-1910), U.S. author. Following the Equator, ch. 27, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" (1897).The most spiritual human beings, assuming they are the most courageous, also experience by far the most painful tragedies: but it is precisely for this reason that they honor life, because it brings against them its most formidable weapons.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher. Twilight of the Idols, "Expeditions of an Untimely Man," aph. 17 (1889).Madness is something rare in individuals-but in groups, parties, peoples, ages it is the rule.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher. Beyond Good and Evil, "Maxims and Interludes," no. 156 (1886).
I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 23 Sept. 1800.Of the best rulers,
The people only know that they exist;
The next best they love and praise
The next they fear;
And the next they revile.
When they do not command the people's faith,
Some will lose faith in them,
And then they resort to oaths!
But of the best when their task is accomplished,
their work done,
The people all remark, "We have done it ourselves."
Lao-Tzu (6th century B.C.), Chinese philosopher. The Wisdom of Laotse, ch. 17 (ed. and tr. by Lin Yutang, 1948).Freedom of men under government is to have a standing rule to live by, common to every one of that society, and made by the legislative power vested in it; a liberty to follow my own will in all things, when the rule prescribes not, and not to be subject to the inconstant, unknown, arbitrary will of another man.
John Locke (1632-1704), English philosopher. Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690).What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.
James Madison (1751-1836), U.S. president. Federalist Papers, no. 47 (Jan. 1788).Every country has the government it deserves.
Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821), French diplomat, philosopher. Letter, Aug. 1811.Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P. J. O'Rourke (b. 1947), U.S. journalist. Parliament of Whores, Preface, "Why God is a Republican and Santa Claus Is a Democrat" (1991).The mechanism that directs government cannot be virtuous, because it is impossible to thwart every crime, to protect oneself from every criminal without being criminal too; that which directs corrupt mankind must be corrupt itself; and it will never be by means of virtue, virtue being inert and passive, that you will maintain control over vice, which is ever active: the governor must be more energetic than the governed.
Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), French author. Saint-Fond, in L'Histoire de Juliette, ou les Prospérités du Vice, pt. 3 (1797).The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men.
Plato (428-347 B.C.), Greek philosopher. Quoted in: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Society and Solitude, "Eloquence" (1870).Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government.
George Washington (1732-99), U.S. general, president. Letter, 31 Oct. 1786.Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Thomas Paine (1737-1809), Anglo-American political theorist, writer. Common Sense, ch. 1 (1776).Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Ronald Reagan (b. 1911), U.S. Republican politician, president. Speech, 11 Dec. 1972 (published in Speaking My Mind, "The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan," 1989).
[ Family | Motivations | Philosophies | Top ]
[E-Mail]
Neither I nor any contributor to this site is a known member of any militia or organization with intent to overthrow the legitimate government of the United States by illigittmate means. Vincit veritas (Truth wins out).
