Found on Usenet from James Allison

[Guest guest]

Though I cannot put my finger on it, nor can I quote it verbatim, I am

reminded of the Whitman poem where he said (paraphrased):

 

I could live with the animals.

They are so self contained.

They do not lie awake at night

Weeping and worrying.

There is not a one of them

That bows to one of their own kind

Who lived years ago.

 

I know exactly where I stand with my cats. They are not nice to my face

and critical of me to my back. This is not to say that they don't get

pissed at me at times... But when they do, they let me know in no

uncertain terms that they are pissed. And all I have to do is rectify

whatever it was/is that is pissing them off, and everything is once

again alright with no grudge or secret disdain.

 

And they know to come to me when they are in some kind of trouble or

have some kind of problem. Yet they also have a sense of those things

over which I have no power. I have had a number of them just disappear,

never to be seen again. But this is rare and only happens when the

circumstances are beyond intervention.

> Tomorrow morning I will sit in silence and be with you in spirit... you are

> a good man AW.

There is an axiom that the only REAL success in life is spending one's

time the way one WANTS to spend one's time. And for those who have this

compulsion to worry about one's relationship to goodness, it is an

evidence of their doubt.

 

A person whose attitude is one of care-free abandon, who doesn't worry

about what they should do, but rather just does what seems to be

efficacious at the time for THAT occasion, and then whether it turns out

well or otherwise has no recriminations or regrets... That person is

healthy in a spiritual way.

 

Those who are constantly mindful of their and others relationships to

whatever it is that they are in constant supplication or apprehension

are the spiritual equivalent of a hypochondriac. The problem is that in

spiritual hypochondria, there is no one who can help, for those who are

spiritual hypochondriacs believe themselves to be in favor and anyone

who would tell them to just drop all the bullshit concerns MUST be some

kind of infidel.

 

Those who most want you to listen to and accept their religion are those

who least want to listen to and accept another's religion. And those who

most want others to be tolerant of them are the least tolerant of

others.

 

This never occurs among my cats.

 

There isn't a doubt in the world that what they do isn't the right thing

to do at the moment. I try to learn that lesson from them and act out of

immediate comprehension of the right thing at the right time.

 

It isn't, of course, always the right thing that gets done, but at least

it is not done with any deviousness, nor with the idea of taking

advantage.

 

And I think that THAT is what makes plotting a good tryst so much fun.

The intrigue of having things affect multiple levels and having the plan

interlock so that what happens is the result of having understood,

planned, and then have the whole thing fit together and come out just

like it was hoped, brings satisfaction.

 

Alas, life and the day to day, ever changing, hour to hour, custom made,

minute to minute existence is so manifold and complex, that it isn't

possible to completely prepare for every eventuality.

 

It is the difference between training and rehearsing. The difference

between Boxing and Dancing.

 

The Dancers rehearse and then the performance is done with every move

pre known.

 

But Boxers train, and are then thus prepared to take improvisational

action depending on the circumstances, even when the opponents are

trying to confound and out-do the other.

 

My father used to say that after you've seen the three

MuhammedAli/JoeFrazier fights, that there just wasn't much boxing left

that wasn't inferior and less than what was possible.

 

Life is more a boxing match than a ballet performance.

 

How well we handle it (life) is an indication of how good a man (or

woman) we are.

 

And Perfex handled even her demise with style and grace. She will be

buried in the same manner. She deserves nothing less.

 

Hope you are well.