How do you rate at your fire Dept.
Chief
Leaps tall buildings in a single bound
Is more powerful than a locomative
Is faster than a speeding bullet
Walks on water
Gives policy to God.
Deputy Chief
Leaps short buildings in a single bound
Is more powerful than a switch engine
Is just as fast as a speeding bullet
Walks on water if the sea is calm
Talks with God.
Assistant Deputy Chief
Leaps short buildings with a running start and favorable winds
Is almost as powerful as a switch engine
Is faster than a speeding BB
Walks on water in an indoor swimming pool
Talks with God if special request is approved.
Platoon Chief
Barely clears a Quonset hut
Loses tug-of-war with a locomative
Can fire a speeding bullet
Swims well
Is ocassionally addressed by God.
District Chief
Makes high marks on the wall when trying to leap buildings
Is run over by a locomative
Can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self-injury
Dog paddles
Talks to animals
Captain
Runs into buildings
Reconizes locomotive two out of three times
Is not issued ammunition
Can't stay afloat with a life preserver
Talks to walls.
Senior Man
Falls over doorsteps when trying to enter buildings
Says, "Look at th choo-choo"
Wets himself with a water pistol
Plays in mud puddles
Mumbles to himself.
Firefighter
Lifts buildings and walks under them
Kicks locomotives off the tracks
Catches speeding bullets in his teeth and eats them
Freezes water with a single glance
HE IS GOD!!!!!
Monday, October 10, 2005
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Laughter is the best medicine
GOOD - BETTER - BEST
When Mr.. Wilkins answered the door late in the evening one
day after he'd lost his wife scuba diving, he was greeted by
two grim-faced policemen. "We're sorry to call on you at this
hour, Mr. Wilkens, but we have some information about your wife."
"Well...tell me!" he demanded.
The policeman said, "We have some bad news, some pretty good
news, and some really great news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Fearing the worse, Mr. Wilkins said, "Give me the bad news first."
So the policeman said, "I'm sorry to tell you sir, but we found
your wife's body this morning in San Francisco Bay."
"OH MY GOD!," said Mr. Wilkens, overcome by emotion. Then,
remembering what the policeman had said, he asked, "What's
the good news?"
"Well," said the policeman, "When we pulled her up she had two
five-pound lobsters and a dozen good size Dungeoness crabs on her."
"Huh?" he said, not understanding. "So, what's the great news?"
The policeman smiled, licked his chops, and said, "We're going
to pull her up again tomorrow morning."
Blond wants a Job as a Cop
A blonde walks into the police department looking for a job. The officer asks her some questions:
Officer: What's 2 + 2?
Blonde: Ummm... 4!
Officer: What's the square root of 100?
Blonde: Ummm... 10!
Officer: Good! Now, who killed Abraham Lincoln?
Blonde: Ummm... I dunno.
Officer: Well, you can go home and think about it. Come back tomorrow.
The blonde goes home and calls up one of her friends, who asks her if she got the job.
The blonde replies excitedly, "Not only did I get the job, I'm already working on a murder case!"
The State Patrolman Gets good answer
A guy is pulled over on a highway for excessive speed, when asked by the officer why he didnt immediately pull over and stop when he seen the police cruiser the fast thinking fellow had the perfect response...
"Well you see Officer its like this, a couple of weeks ago my wife ran off with a highway patrolman and when I seen the flashing lights I thought it was him trying to return her!"
The LAPD, the FBI and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigation, they conclude that rabbits do not exist.
The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads, they burn the forest, killing everything in it -- including the rabbit -- and make no apologies. "The rabbit had it coming."
The LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling, "Okay, okay, I'm a rabbit, I'm a rabbit."
The new CIA agents
Three men are going through CIA training, trying to become secret agents. They finally got through all their written and physical tests when they are pulled aside by one of the instructors who took them to a small room with another room adjacent to it.
They brought the first guy's wife into the room and left her there. The instructor then loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the first man saying, "Go kill your wife of five years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room. He came back out one minute later and said, "I can't do it." The instructor replied, "Then you fail out, so get out."
The second candidate's wife was brought to the room. The instructor then loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the second man and said, "Go kill your wife of ten years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room, but returned three minutes later and said, "I can't do it." The instructor replied, "Then you fail out - get out."
Finally, the third candidate's wife was left in the adjacent room. The instructor loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the third man and said, "Go kill your wife of fifteen years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room where there is silence for one minute. Suddenly, there was the sound of two gunshot, followed by a huge commotion in the room.
The third man came out finally, sweating profusely, and said, "You gave me blanks, so I had to choke her."
TOP TEN SIGNS YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL:
1) Two 18-wheelers collided. You arrive at the scene of the accident just in time to see the two drivers' bodies melt.
2) Your body hair is getting so coarse, it's starting to poke through your uniform.
3) You can predict the weather by the length of your bowel movements.
4) Instead of chocolate sprinkles, you ask for wood chips on your donuts.
5) You order raw meat at your favorite restaurant.
6) Your apartment is suddenly roach-free.
7) At night there's this eerie green glow - and it's you!
8) You start to generate electricity and sparks fly from your mouth when you drink water.
9) The tomatoes growing in your backyard are the size of pumpkins.
10) They transfer you to Area 51.
You Might be a Firefighter if...
1.You can tell what type of fire it is by the smell of smoke 10 miles away.
2.You have ever had a heated debate over the color of firetrucks.
3.You have ever spent 10 min trying to force open a door only to have someone come along and open it by turning the handle.
4.You have ever taken 10 or more showers in 1 day.
5.You lay out your cloths from that day so if there is a call at night you can find them quickly.
6.You take great joy in smashing the windows of a car parked in a fire zone or in front of a hydrant.
7.You have ever been airborne without an aircraft and water was your thrust.
8.You always wear red suspenders.
9.You have ever slept in a hosebed.
10.You carry a ton of specially modified tools in your pocket.
11.You ever cursed out someone for armor-alling the seats to make them look nice.
12.You've ever clung to the air horn chord for dear life because the driver is insane.
13.You have ever played jingle bells at Xmas time on the air horns to clear traffic.
14.You double your weight every time you go on a job a building.
15.You have ever said, "she's hot tonight" and not been talking about a girl.
16.You have ever had "yoda ears"
17.You have ever called a person found after a fire a "crispy critter"
18.You have ever smoked and there wasn't a cigarette in sight.
19.You have ever stomped out a fire with your boots because you couldn't wait for water.
20.You have ever walked 3 miles into the woods in 100 degree heat in full turnout gear and a 5 gal or more water can strapped on your back just to put out a fire.
21. your kids are afraid to get into water fights with you.
22. "climbing the corporate ladder" has nothing to do with career advancement.
23.your work gear makes you sound like Darth Vader.
24.You roll around in anything that just burned to make your new gear look old.
25.You take pride in the fact that you haven't washed your gear in years.
26.You carry enough in your pockets to give the Swiss army knives competition.
27.You carry enough in your car to extinguish a minor blaze.
28.You have ever juggled hot coals with your gloves.
29.Your Own vehicle has more lights than a Christmas tree.
30.All the shirts you own say you are a firefighter.
31.You find yourself living at the fire department 365 days a year!
32.When you go to rent a movie, and they insist on getting Backdraft EVERY TIME!
33.You are caught on the back of a truck with your girlfriend or wife in the middle of something and the page goes out for a call.
34.if you have more pagers than than money in your wallet.
35.if the smell of a fire excites you more than sex does.
36.if a great stop has nothing do with a moving vehicle.
37.if assembling a mile and a half of hose to catch fire in running up hill is a good day.
38.The microwave goes off and you run out of the house thinking it was your pager.
39.you ever tried to patent a 911 blocker with the phone Company
40.if you can hear that the siren will go off even before your dog notices it.
41.If you have ever woken up thinking your pager went off and as you look at it, it goes off
42. if you have ever tested your gloves by putting a fuzzie out on your hand.
43.If you have ever been awakened with a CO2 extinguisher
44.If you have ever dried your gloves on the trucks exhaust
45.You know you're a firefighter when you really think that rusty old hydrant looks good in the garden. :)
46.All your friends give you t-shirts from their departments for your birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc.
47.if your wife voluntarily chooses the lumpy side of the bed to Avoid being trampled in route to a call!
48.your wife/girlfriend has learned to duck and cover when she hears the pager go off for fear of being run down.
49.if you had to extricate someone by cutting the car doors off on one side and realized there was nothing wrong with the doors on the other side.
50.If youhave more toy fire trucks than your kids do.
51.When you have ever made a jacuzzi out of a 2100 gallon dump tank and a rescue boat motor (15 horse Merc). ..It was hot!.............Watch yer toes!
52.When you take all of your improtant stuff (like wallets and pagers) out of your pockets before going to a training involving a portable tank.
When Mr.. Wilkins answered the door late in the evening one
day after he'd lost his wife scuba diving, he was greeted by
two grim-faced policemen. "We're sorry to call on you at this
hour, Mr. Wilkens, but we have some information about your wife."
"Well...tell me!" he demanded.
The policeman said, "We have some bad news, some pretty good
news, and some really great news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Fearing the worse, Mr. Wilkins said, "Give me the bad news first."
So the policeman said, "I'm sorry to tell you sir, but we found
your wife's body this morning in San Francisco Bay."
"OH MY GOD!," said Mr. Wilkens, overcome by emotion. Then,
remembering what the policeman had said, he asked, "What's
the good news?"
"Well," said the policeman, "When we pulled her up she had two
five-pound lobsters and a dozen good size Dungeoness crabs on her."
"Huh?" he said, not understanding. "So, what's the great news?"
The policeman smiled, licked his chops, and said, "We're going
to pull her up again tomorrow morning."
Blond wants a Job as a Cop
A blonde walks into the police department looking for a job. The officer asks her some questions:
Officer: What's 2 + 2?
Blonde: Ummm... 4!
Officer: What's the square root of 100?
Blonde: Ummm... 10!
Officer: Good! Now, who killed Abraham Lincoln?
Blonde: Ummm... I dunno.
Officer: Well, you can go home and think about it. Come back tomorrow.
The blonde goes home and calls up one of her friends, who asks her if she got the job.
The blonde replies excitedly, "Not only did I get the job, I'm already working on a murder case!"
The State Patrolman Gets good answer
A guy is pulled over on a highway for excessive speed, when asked by the officer why he didnt immediately pull over and stop when he seen the police cruiser the fast thinking fellow had the perfect response...
"Well you see Officer its like this, a couple of weeks ago my wife ran off with a highway patrolman and when I seen the flashing lights I thought it was him trying to return her!"
The LAPD, the FBI and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigation, they conclude that rabbits do not exist.
The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads, they burn the forest, killing everything in it -- including the rabbit -- and make no apologies. "The rabbit had it coming."
The LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling, "Okay, okay, I'm a rabbit, I'm a rabbit."
The new CIA agents
Three men are going through CIA training, trying to become secret agents. They finally got through all their written and physical tests when they are pulled aside by one of the instructors who took them to a small room with another room adjacent to it.
They brought the first guy's wife into the room and left her there. The instructor then loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the first man saying, "Go kill your wife of five years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room. He came back out one minute later and said, "I can't do it." The instructor replied, "Then you fail out, so get out."
The second candidate's wife was brought to the room. The instructor then loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the second man and said, "Go kill your wife of ten years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room, but returned three minutes later and said, "I can't do it." The instructor replied, "Then you fail out - get out."
Finally, the third candidate's wife was left in the adjacent room. The instructor loaded two rounds into a pistol, handed it to the third man and said, "Go kill your wife of fifteen years." The trainee took the weapon, went into the next room where there is silence for one minute. Suddenly, there was the sound of two gunshot, followed by a huge commotion in the room.
The third man came out finally, sweating profusely, and said, "You gave me blanks, so I had to choke her."
TOP TEN SIGNS YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL:
1) Two 18-wheelers collided. You arrive at the scene of the accident just in time to see the two drivers' bodies melt.
2) Your body hair is getting so coarse, it's starting to poke through your uniform.
3) You can predict the weather by the length of your bowel movements.
4) Instead of chocolate sprinkles, you ask for wood chips on your donuts.
5) You order raw meat at your favorite restaurant.
6) Your apartment is suddenly roach-free.
7) At night there's this eerie green glow - and it's you!
8) You start to generate electricity and sparks fly from your mouth when you drink water.
9) The tomatoes growing in your backyard are the size of pumpkins.
10) They transfer you to Area 51.
You Might be a Firefighter if...
1.You can tell what type of fire it is by the smell of smoke 10 miles away.
2.You have ever had a heated debate over the color of firetrucks.
3.You have ever spent 10 min trying to force open a door only to have someone come along and open it by turning the handle.
4.You have ever taken 10 or more showers in 1 day.
5.You lay out your cloths from that day so if there is a call at night you can find them quickly.
6.You take great joy in smashing the windows of a car parked in a fire zone or in front of a hydrant.
7.You have ever been airborne without an aircraft and water was your thrust.
8.You always wear red suspenders.
9.You have ever slept in a hosebed.
10.You carry a ton of specially modified tools in your pocket.
11.You ever cursed out someone for armor-alling the seats to make them look nice.
12.You've ever clung to the air horn chord for dear life because the driver is insane.
13.You have ever played jingle bells at Xmas time on the air horns to clear traffic.
14.You double your weight every time you go on a job a building.
15.You have ever said, "she's hot tonight" and not been talking about a girl.
16.You have ever had "yoda ears"
17.You have ever called a person found after a fire a "crispy critter"
18.You have ever smoked and there wasn't a cigarette in sight.
19.You have ever stomped out a fire with your boots because you couldn't wait for water.
20.You have ever walked 3 miles into the woods in 100 degree heat in full turnout gear and a 5 gal or more water can strapped on your back just to put out a fire.
21. your kids are afraid to get into water fights with you.
22. "climbing the corporate ladder" has nothing to do with career advancement.
23.your work gear makes you sound like Darth Vader.
24.You roll around in anything that just burned to make your new gear look old.
25.You take pride in the fact that you haven't washed your gear in years.
26.You carry enough in your pockets to give the Swiss army knives competition.
27.You carry enough in your car to extinguish a minor blaze.
28.You have ever juggled hot coals with your gloves.
29.Your Own vehicle has more lights than a Christmas tree.
30.All the shirts you own say you are a firefighter.
31.You find yourself living at the fire department 365 days a year!
32.When you go to rent a movie, and they insist on getting Backdraft EVERY TIME!
33.You are caught on the back of a truck with your girlfriend or wife in the middle of something and the page goes out for a call.
34.if you have more pagers than than money in your wallet.
35.if the smell of a fire excites you more than sex does.
36.if a great stop has nothing do with a moving vehicle.
37.if assembling a mile and a half of hose to catch fire in running up hill is a good day.
38.The microwave goes off and you run out of the house thinking it was your pager.
39.you ever tried to patent a 911 blocker with the phone Company
40.if you can hear that the siren will go off even before your dog notices it.
41.If you have ever woken up thinking your pager went off and as you look at it, it goes off
42. if you have ever tested your gloves by putting a fuzzie out on your hand.
43.If you have ever been awakened with a CO2 extinguisher
44.If you have ever dried your gloves on the trucks exhaust
45.You know you're a firefighter when you really think that rusty old hydrant looks good in the garden. :)
46.All your friends give you t-shirts from their departments for your birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc.
47.if your wife voluntarily chooses the lumpy side of the bed to Avoid being trampled in route to a call!
48.your wife/girlfriend has learned to duck and cover when she hears the pager go off for fear of being run down.
49.if you had to extricate someone by cutting the car doors off on one side and realized there was nothing wrong with the doors on the other side.
50.If youhave more toy fire trucks than your kids do.
51.When you have ever made a jacuzzi out of a 2100 gallon dump tank and a rescue boat motor (15 horse Merc). ..It was hot!.............Watch yer toes!
52.When you take all of your improtant stuff (like wallets and pagers) out of your pockets before going to a training involving a portable tank.
Why guns are better than women.
Ten reason's why some men prefer handguns over women:
#10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22.
#9. You can keep one handgun at home and have another for when you're on the road.
#8. If you admire a friend's handgun and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times.
#7. Your primary handgun doesn't mind if you keep another handgun for a backup.
#6. Your handgun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.
#5. A handgun doesn't take up a lot of closet space.
#4. Handguns function normally every day of the month.
#3. A handgun doesn't ask , "Do these new grips make me look fat?"
#2. A handgun doesn't mind if you go to sleep after you use it.
And the number one reason a handgun is favored over a woman
#1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A HANDGUN.
#10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22.
#9. You can keep one handgun at home and have another for when you're on the road.
#8. If you admire a friend's handgun and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times.
#7. Your primary handgun doesn't mind if you keep another handgun for a backup.
#6. Your handgun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.
#5. A handgun doesn't take up a lot of closet space.
#4. Handguns function normally every day of the month.
#3. A handgun doesn't ask , "Do these new grips make me look fat?"
#2. A handgun doesn't mind if you go to sleep after you use it.
And the number one reason a handgun is favored over a woman
#1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A HANDGUN.
Winter Willows
Looking into this picture relaxes me. In it, it seems to me that it's only a minute away from snowing...and the silence of the wood that surrounds me is so perfect.... I hold my breath.... knowing the least of sounds will shatter it.
Quotes and things
There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth... not going all the way, and not starting.
Buddha
I have not lived untill I see God. And when I have seen Him, I will never die.
Me
I like your Chirst, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
Mohandas Gandhi
And a woman spoke, saying,
Tell us of Pain, and he said:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; and you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over the fields.
Kahlil Gibran
The Prophet
The Absolute is The One. There are infinite aspects of The One. The Tao is The Way that The One flows, shifts and creates.
Do not confuse The Way with The One.
Lao Tzu
The Tao of Power
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
Basho
From the pine tree
learn of the pine.
And from the bamboo
of the bamboo.
Basho
A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the "universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Albert Einstein
There is no point at which the universe ends and God begins.
Me
But Jesus called for the children and said, "Let the children come unto me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child, will never enter it."
Jesus
Luke 18: 16-17 REV
Listen or thy tongue will keep thee deaf.
American Indian Proverb
If you understand, things are just as they are.
If you do not understand, things are just as they are.
Zen Proverb
I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.
Socrates
What the mind of man can conceive and believe, It can achieve."
Napoleon Hill
Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.
Plato
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like no one is watching.
And love like you've never been hurt.
Mark Twain
Buddha
I have not lived untill I see God. And when I have seen Him, I will never die.
Me
I like your Chirst, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
Mohandas Gandhi
And a woman spoke, saying,
Tell us of Pain, and he said:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; and you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over the fields.
Kahlil Gibran
The Prophet
The Absolute is The One. There are infinite aspects of The One. The Tao is The Way that The One flows, shifts and creates.
Do not confuse The Way with The One.
Lao Tzu
The Tao of Power
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
Basho
From the pine tree
learn of the pine.
And from the bamboo
of the bamboo.
Basho
A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the "universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Albert Einstein
There is no point at which the universe ends and God begins.
Me
But Jesus called for the children and said, "Let the children come unto me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child, will never enter it."
Jesus
Luke 18: 16-17 REV
Listen or thy tongue will keep thee deaf.
American Indian Proverb
If you understand, things are just as they are.
If you do not understand, things are just as they are.
Zen Proverb
I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.
Socrates
What the mind of man can conceive and believe, It can achieve."
Napoleon Hill
Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.
Plato
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like no one is watching.
And love like you've never been hurt.
Mark Twain
Taken from" The Tao"
The softest thing in the universe
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.
That without substance can enter where there is no room.
Hence I know the value of non-action.
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.
That without substance can enter where there is no room.
Hence I know the value of non-action.
"Illusions"
The current of the river swept silently over them all -
young and old, rich and poor, good and evil,
the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.
Each creature in its own manner clung tightly
to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom,
for clinging was their way of life,
and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.
But one creature said at last, 'I am tired of clinging.
Though I cannot see it with my eyes,
I trust that the current knows where it is going.
I shall let go, and let it take me where it will.
Clinging, I shall die of boredom.'
The other creatures laughed and said,
'Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you
tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks,
and you will die quicker than boredom!'
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go,
and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks
Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again,
the current lifted him free from the bottom,
and he was bruised and hurt no more.
And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried,
'See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies!
See the Messiah, come to save us all!'
And the one carried in the current said, 'I am no more Messiah than you.
The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go.
Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.'
But they cried the more, 'Saviour!' all the while clinging
to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone,
and they were left alone making legends of a Saviour.
Richard Bach
from "Illusions"
young and old, rich and poor, good and evil,
the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.
Each creature in its own manner clung tightly
to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom,
for clinging was their way of life,
and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.
But one creature said at last, 'I am tired of clinging.
Though I cannot see it with my eyes,
I trust that the current knows where it is going.
I shall let go, and let it take me where it will.
Clinging, I shall die of boredom.'
The other creatures laughed and said,
'Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you
tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks,
and you will die quicker than boredom!'
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go,
and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks
Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again,
the current lifted him free from the bottom,
and he was bruised and hurt no more.
And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried,
'See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies!
See the Messiah, come to save us all!'
And the one carried in the current said, 'I am no more Messiah than you.
The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go.
Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.'
But they cried the more, 'Saviour!' all the while clinging
to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone,
and they were left alone making legends of a Saviour.
Richard Bach
from "Illusions"
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Auto biography
Shaun was born November 25th in the year of our Lord Nineteen Hundred Eighty, at 8:58 am…. It was Tuesday…and it was raining……
Hello and welcome to the autobiography of Shaun .Today we will feature the two main parts of Shaun’s life as they are now, fishing and motorcycling. These currently make up the body of not only how Shaun spends his time but who he is as a person. These defining characteristics will soon be shown to be so interrelated as to become as important as air and water.
Fishing: “It’s not a matter of life or death. It’s more important than that”.
That catch phrase has become the defining motto for Shaun’s attitude toward fishing. Learning the joy and tranquility of fishing, Shaun became an avid fisherman by his early teens. Often blowing off work or school to spend eight to ten plus hours at the river, he could go all day without food and last far into the night without sleep, not willing leave the fish he had not yet caught . It wasn’t until much later, closer to his twenties, did Shaun learn about saltwater fishing. It was love at first cast. The sheer variety of species was astonishing, and the technical and environmental changes brought a new series of challenges. Shaun’s path into saltwater fishing was helped greatly by a friend that had recently moved into New Smyrna Beach and through trial and error educated Shaun on the fundamentals of saltwater fishing. Being an apt pupil and learning all he could, Shaun began to redevelop his skills and soon become as proficient at fishing the saltwater as the fresh. It is after someone masters these skills, then that person can began to understand the Zen-like state one can reach while fishing: the solitude, sounds, and feelings of contentment that can be achieved by a good day on the water.
Motorcycling: “I love the smell of high–octane in the morning.”
“I love the smell of high-octane in the morning.” Shaun says as we warm up the bikes on a clear. Saturday morning. Its early Fall and this is our first ride of the new season.
We’ve been riding all summer, through the heat and humidity and afternoon thunderstorms and this is what we’ve been waiting for. Shaun double checks the straps on the tank bag and sprays on some more chain grease. “Seventy-five degrees, not too humid and not a cloud in the sky, it’s gonna be a good day.”
Shaun began riding motorcycles at thirteen. The first one was a 900cc Honda that his Uncle lent him. He would ride around the three acre lot behind his house for hours. Now ten years and six bikes later, the place he feels most at home is five hours on the road with no end in sight. The road calls to him and he answers.
The wind in the face and the sound of the engine as you blow through a pile of leaves on your way down a bumpy two-lane country road, Returning a wave to the kid on the front porch as you slip though his town. The best parts of riding are not even expressible except in intangible ideas. Once the breeze takes effect, all of life’s impossibilities begin to melt and life it self begins to flow, slowly, like a mountain stream during spring thaw, allowing you to drink it in. It is though this stream that life speaks to us, in the trickling and bubbling, whispering its endless answers. In this way we are able to communicate with the Universe directly and let it teach us who we are.
It is easy to see that Shaun’s passions are diversionary, but not that they are an escape from reality, more that they are a quest into the depths of reality, a window for viewing the Universe and seeking its truth. Like all good windows in our lives, these are as simple as a turn of a key or a flick of the wrist. The Universe is still out there, as it always will be, whispering, though the roads and rivers of our lives.
Hello and welcome to the autobiography of Shaun .Today we will feature the two main parts of Shaun’s life as they are now, fishing and motorcycling. These currently make up the body of not only how Shaun spends his time but who he is as a person. These defining characteristics will soon be shown to be so interrelated as to become as important as air and water.
Fishing: “It’s not a matter of life or death. It’s more important than that”.
That catch phrase has become the defining motto for Shaun’s attitude toward fishing. Learning the joy and tranquility of fishing, Shaun became an avid fisherman by his early teens. Often blowing off work or school to spend eight to ten plus hours at the river, he could go all day without food and last far into the night without sleep, not willing leave the fish he had not yet caught . It wasn’t until much later, closer to his twenties, did Shaun learn about saltwater fishing. It was love at first cast. The sheer variety of species was astonishing, and the technical and environmental changes brought a new series of challenges. Shaun’s path into saltwater fishing was helped greatly by a friend that had recently moved into New Smyrna Beach and through trial and error educated Shaun on the fundamentals of saltwater fishing. Being an apt pupil and learning all he could, Shaun began to redevelop his skills and soon become as proficient at fishing the saltwater as the fresh. It is after someone masters these skills, then that person can began to understand the Zen-like state one can reach while fishing: the solitude, sounds, and feelings of contentment that can be achieved by a good day on the water.
Motorcycling: “I love the smell of high–octane in the morning.”
“I love the smell of high-octane in the morning.” Shaun says as we warm up the bikes on a clear. Saturday morning. Its early Fall and this is our first ride of the new season.
We’ve been riding all summer, through the heat and humidity and afternoon thunderstorms and this is what we’ve been waiting for. Shaun double checks the straps on the tank bag and sprays on some more chain grease. “Seventy-five degrees, not too humid and not a cloud in the sky, it’s gonna be a good day.”
Shaun began riding motorcycles at thirteen. The first one was a 900cc Honda that his Uncle lent him. He would ride around the three acre lot behind his house for hours. Now ten years and six bikes later, the place he feels most at home is five hours on the road with no end in sight. The road calls to him and he answers.
The wind in the face and the sound of the engine as you blow through a pile of leaves on your way down a bumpy two-lane country road, Returning a wave to the kid on the front porch as you slip though his town. The best parts of riding are not even expressible except in intangible ideas. Once the breeze takes effect, all of life’s impossibilities begin to melt and life it self begins to flow, slowly, like a mountain stream during spring thaw, allowing you to drink it in. It is though this stream that life speaks to us, in the trickling and bubbling, whispering its endless answers. In this way we are able to communicate with the Universe directly and let it teach us who we are.
It is easy to see that Shaun’s passions are diversionary, but not that they are an escape from reality, more that they are a quest into the depths of reality, a window for viewing the Universe and seeking its truth. Like all good windows in our lives, these are as simple as a turn of a key or a flick of the wrist. The Universe is still out there, as it always will be, whispering, though the roads and rivers of our lives.
Free will and determinism
I received this paper from bryan and just found it on a floppy disk. I think it will make for good reading here.
Determinism V.S. Free Will
The will of the individual is free. I believe that we have control of our actions to a certain point. We have the ability to differentiate between different ideas and make a decision based on our rationalized conclusion. We are partially free in society, we can decide on a decision, but the choices we can chose from are determined. The question lies are all things determined, some, or none?
Determinism leaves it that all things are what they are, and do what they do, because it has already been written that way and there is nothing that can be done about it. If this is true then we should all lie down and wait for the next action to come about. So then, that is to say that we all of us are only doing this because it was already determined that we would lie down and wait. So thinking has gone out the window and we have become machines, unless we do have some sort of free will.
Free Will is an idea that is based on the concept of choice, reason governs choice, and man has always had the ability of reason. Free Will is born from the ability to choose between different consequences. Determinism implies that we are incapable of reasoning and incapable of free thinking. That implies every idea, discovery, and thought was all predetermined. Nothing is original so therefore what is the use of man thinking?
Reasoning can not be explained by the brain process. We are governed by the brain but there is nothing that governs the brain. There is little evidence to build a case against free will. What governs and tells the brain what to do? The answer is free will. It is able to decide and rationalize between the pros and cons of a situation. This answers the problem that everything is casually determined, that is, that everything happens could not have happened other wise. The fact alone that man can and does choose between two or more decisions about his actions depending on the better outcome for himself or others lends us to believe that free will must exist.
Two of the main ingredients of free will are spontaneity and rationalism. We are able to assess a situation and make a rational decision. I can be hungry and decide to eat, or if I like I can starve myself, which as machines we would not be able to self destruct so I shouldn’t have that option unless I had some type of free will. I also have the choice between two different types of food, popcorn and an apple. I chose an apple. I chose between the two different types of food, but my ability to choose was determined by the fact that I was hungry. In society it is no different.
America requires that a child attend school to the age of sixteen. After that he has the option of furthering his education. He could drop out and join the work force or he could opt to further his education and get a higher paying job. Even though he does have the choice of what option to chose, more then likely he will try to further his education by finishing high school or even going on to college. Society pressures him to make this choice. He fears to make the wrong decision because of what society might think. So instead of dropping out he stays in school, and gets an education. This is just one example of free will with limitations. It is all a question of transcendence; do we believe that the categories of determinism are adequate to your total experience as a human being, especially moral and intellectual? There must be some reality or dimension to human behavior however dimly perceived.
In America we have more chances to practice free will. Our nation is based on free will. Yet even though we have one of the more free societies we still have constraints. I am free to walk down the street. Yet I have a limited choice of how to walk down the street. I can walk backwards if I choose. I could also walk sideways. There are hundreds of different ways that I could walk down the street. I could also choose to walk down the street in the nude, and if I was caught, I would be arrested.
In society we have the option to do whatever we want. Yet if it is disobedient to American laws or American society then we would suffer the consequences. So we are presented with multiple limitations. One of the biggest limitations in society is the law. If someone in society makes a wrong decision, he in turn must pay for his misconduct. These limits are decisions because it makes us fear to make the wrong decision. On the other hand being prompted by rewards we tend to make decisions that society feels are acceptable.
The best explanation of free will and how its beliefs came about would best be described by St. Augustine’s reference to God, and Adam and Eve. St. Augustine said "no righteous act could be performed except by free choice of the will, and I asserted that God gave it for this reason." Which actually means that God gave Adam and Eve free will, and Adam and Eve misused their free will, and so sin was brought into the world? Everybody after Adam and Eve have inherited this fall and have had a loss of free will but stay bonded to that will. So in the first humans free will was a condition of human hood but left open the door for sin. This is called the free-will defense.
If the will of an individual is not free then how can the individual be held morally responsible? If determinism was true then no one could be held morally responsible for one’s actions. Our actions can be changed, by what we chose. The punishment- reward system that is in place would be pointless. Yet society knows that free will does exist. That is why the punishment reward system is in place.
How free is the will of the individual? Although free will does have its limitations it does still exist. For instance we have the limitation of gravity, and gravity hinders are ability to fly. Yet that does not stop man from flying. We are limited by gravity, but because of free will we are able to overcome that limitation. The limitation of this example is gravity. Man himself can not fly, but he can create a machine that allows him to fly.
Media also affects our free will. We are bombarded by advertisements from radio, print ads, and television. It seems that we have a wide variety of products to choose from. We always chose what is most appealing to us. Media determines what we will choose yet it gives us the choice to choose. Advertisement is hardwired to appeal to every age and walk of life. It gives you so many choices yet also limits what you can choose. Things that are less advertised you will be less likely to buy.
If determinism was the constant belief of all it would almost render morality impossible. If it is true that all things are casually determined, then this must also apply to our willing and choosing. This would mean the denial of free will, and the end of morality. Why would we consider the idea of praise or blame if the person could not have done otherwise if they do not choose and act freely. This is why free will seems to many to be a condition for responsible and moral actions.
These ideas fall into the category of indeterminist who believe that all of our actions cannot be determined and that possibly the will is free of casual dermination. The determinist would say that that our wills are determined and there can be no morality, yet if morality is a fact then our wills must not be determined. And the fact is that we do all live our lives on the assumption that there is free will and that people are responsible. The determinist might claim that their position is true and all things are determined, but yet they cannot live as if it were true.
We are free in society to make decisions that affect our everyday life. Whether it is media, government, or laws we still maintain are free will yet these provide certain limitations. Yet all the decisions that we do make are all in some way effected by the society that we live in. Society contributes its input into most of our decisions. Society presents us with choices and is able to pick from the options that they present in front of us.
Determinism V.S. Free Will
The will of the individual is free. I believe that we have control of our actions to a certain point. We have the ability to differentiate between different ideas and make a decision based on our rationalized conclusion. We are partially free in society, we can decide on a decision, but the choices we can chose from are determined. The question lies are all things determined, some, or none?
Determinism leaves it that all things are what they are, and do what they do, because it has already been written that way and there is nothing that can be done about it. If this is true then we should all lie down and wait for the next action to come about. So then, that is to say that we all of us are only doing this because it was already determined that we would lie down and wait. So thinking has gone out the window and we have become machines, unless we do have some sort of free will.
Free Will is an idea that is based on the concept of choice, reason governs choice, and man has always had the ability of reason. Free Will is born from the ability to choose between different consequences. Determinism implies that we are incapable of reasoning and incapable of free thinking. That implies every idea, discovery, and thought was all predetermined. Nothing is original so therefore what is the use of man thinking?
Reasoning can not be explained by the brain process. We are governed by the brain but there is nothing that governs the brain. There is little evidence to build a case against free will. What governs and tells the brain what to do? The answer is free will. It is able to decide and rationalize between the pros and cons of a situation. This answers the problem that everything is casually determined, that is, that everything happens could not have happened other wise. The fact alone that man can and does choose between two or more decisions about his actions depending on the better outcome for himself or others lends us to believe that free will must exist.
Two of the main ingredients of free will are spontaneity and rationalism. We are able to assess a situation and make a rational decision. I can be hungry and decide to eat, or if I like I can starve myself, which as machines we would not be able to self destruct so I shouldn’t have that option unless I had some type of free will. I also have the choice between two different types of food, popcorn and an apple. I chose an apple. I chose between the two different types of food, but my ability to choose was determined by the fact that I was hungry. In society it is no different.
America requires that a child attend school to the age of sixteen. After that he has the option of furthering his education. He could drop out and join the work force or he could opt to further his education and get a higher paying job. Even though he does have the choice of what option to chose, more then likely he will try to further his education by finishing high school or even going on to college. Society pressures him to make this choice. He fears to make the wrong decision because of what society might think. So instead of dropping out he stays in school, and gets an education. This is just one example of free will with limitations. It is all a question of transcendence; do we believe that the categories of determinism are adequate to your total experience as a human being, especially moral and intellectual? There must be some reality or dimension to human behavior however dimly perceived.
In America we have more chances to practice free will. Our nation is based on free will. Yet even though we have one of the more free societies we still have constraints. I am free to walk down the street. Yet I have a limited choice of how to walk down the street. I can walk backwards if I choose. I could also walk sideways. There are hundreds of different ways that I could walk down the street. I could also choose to walk down the street in the nude, and if I was caught, I would be arrested.
In society we have the option to do whatever we want. Yet if it is disobedient to American laws or American society then we would suffer the consequences. So we are presented with multiple limitations. One of the biggest limitations in society is the law. If someone in society makes a wrong decision, he in turn must pay for his misconduct. These limits are decisions because it makes us fear to make the wrong decision. On the other hand being prompted by rewards we tend to make decisions that society feels are acceptable.
The best explanation of free will and how its beliefs came about would best be described by St. Augustine’s reference to God, and Adam and Eve. St. Augustine said "no righteous act could be performed except by free choice of the will, and I asserted that God gave it for this reason." Which actually means that God gave Adam and Eve free will, and Adam and Eve misused their free will, and so sin was brought into the world? Everybody after Adam and Eve have inherited this fall and have had a loss of free will but stay bonded to that will. So in the first humans free will was a condition of human hood but left open the door for sin. This is called the free-will defense.
If the will of an individual is not free then how can the individual be held morally responsible? If determinism was true then no one could be held morally responsible for one’s actions. Our actions can be changed, by what we chose. The punishment- reward system that is in place would be pointless. Yet society knows that free will does exist. That is why the punishment reward system is in place.
How free is the will of the individual? Although free will does have its limitations it does still exist. For instance we have the limitation of gravity, and gravity hinders are ability to fly. Yet that does not stop man from flying. We are limited by gravity, but because of free will we are able to overcome that limitation. The limitation of this example is gravity. Man himself can not fly, but he can create a machine that allows him to fly.
Media also affects our free will. We are bombarded by advertisements from radio, print ads, and television. It seems that we have a wide variety of products to choose from. We always chose what is most appealing to us. Media determines what we will choose yet it gives us the choice to choose. Advertisement is hardwired to appeal to every age and walk of life. It gives you so many choices yet also limits what you can choose. Things that are less advertised you will be less likely to buy.
If determinism was the constant belief of all it would almost render morality impossible. If it is true that all things are casually determined, then this must also apply to our willing and choosing. This would mean the denial of free will, and the end of morality. Why would we consider the idea of praise or blame if the person could not have done otherwise if they do not choose and act freely. This is why free will seems to many to be a condition for responsible and moral actions.
These ideas fall into the category of indeterminist who believe that all of our actions cannot be determined and that possibly the will is free of casual dermination. The determinist would say that that our wills are determined and there can be no morality, yet if morality is a fact then our wills must not be determined. And the fact is that we do all live our lives on the assumption that there is free will and that people are responsible. The determinist might claim that their position is true and all things are determined, but yet they cannot live as if it were true.
We are free in society to make decisions that affect our everyday life. Whether it is media, government, or laws we still maintain are free will yet these provide certain limitations. Yet all the decisions that we do make are all in some way effected by the society that we live in. Society contributes its input into most of our decisions. Society presents us with choices and is able to pick from the options that they present in front of us.
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