Nation's school districts differ on drinking water standards...

After decades of finally coming to grips with Ronald Reagan’s proclamation that catsup is a vegetable and as soon as welfare mothers understood that, wasteful government spending would cease and desist, the Nations school districts are now in a quandary as to what is water and what isn’t. Depending on where one lives, Perrier is not real water because it’s French, Mexican water is okay because they make Corona out of it and no one gets sick from that, the water around Three Mile Island, Love Canal, and Hanford are all fortified with vitamins, and high octane pop sold in vending machines in school hallways is better than anything because it just is.

Much ado about metal sculptures...

So I bent the pipe today… all day. The concept stayed constant but the question remained, “how do I know where I’m going, if I’m not sure where I’ve been?” It’s quite heavy and it will soon get even heavier. Heaviness of heart equals heaviness of metal equals heaviness of desire to express? I ache from the process, but it’s a good ache. Symmetry was maintained throughout but I’m not sure where I’m going with it. The theme is absorption. Absorption of thought and absorption from the constant shock of daily moment to moment balances… life, livelihood, and the bombardments of confrontations. The mother-in-law thinks I’m nuts, the wife gives me space, and the neighbors are afraid. The cat and dog are oblivious as it should be. The pipe awaits the bending die but it sits at Home Depot for I’m out of supply for the moment. Can I get it to do what I want? Will I achieve compliance? What color should I paint it? Where will I put it when I’m finished? Will I be inspired to attempt another? Will I get zinc poisoning? I’m pleasantly exhausted and quite fine with feeling old. George Bush can kiss my ass.

Process versus Result…

I can’t help but think that result oriented people are generally struggling to be happy and they project that unhappiness on others, as they demand closure with the most favorable end result. For failure is the worse scenario. Deadlines are to be met. Margins must be maintained. The contract must be won at all costs. After weeks of struggle and agony, pressures put on not just ourselves, because our friends and family also suffer, we are given a reward, a banana, a dangled gold chain, or an attaboy. We then say it was all well worth it. We elevate these people and want to emulate them because the rewards of success are great and the end result becomes an absolute.

To an accomplished artist, at least the ones I know, the peace they carry with them is the release of emotion and ideal they project during the process. The end result is the final closure of that process completely open to the interpretation of the eyes of the beholder. It is a ritualistic ending. They have gotten their message across because their craft is perfect because they did their best. It’s like the old saying… “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”

We forget that the most amount of time spent achieving a result is in the process. If we dismiss the process as a necessary evil, we dismiss a great amount of time we spend on earth. This seems like a great waste to me. Life is way too short.

The next time we applaud an accomplishment; we should judge the end result on whether the process toward the goal was a joy or a sacrifice and struggle for all involved. Did we do our best or just spin a favorable reaction? Then we can judge if there was a true benefit.

Dominance and Exclusion Continued...

So at least half of Americans are adamant that the economics of life are more about potential than probability… where absolutes are definite concerning personal behavior, but business behavior is a free-for-all. How Syndicate/Mafia/Mob-like.