[MD] still going?

[John Carl]

Hello Dan,


> Dan:
> Yeah I can sympathize with that. Money for work. Gave up on that a
> long time ago myself. Now if only I could get the electric company to
> agree...



Jc:  Yeah, I hear you.  There are different situations.  I've often
lived as a caretaker where people just need somebody to live there and
take care of the place.  Lu and I lived for a couple of years like
that, in a refurbished gold-mining era mansion.  It's rare, but they
happen.  I've got a situation like that now, where I don't have to
worry about rent or utilities.  It's nice, it gives me a lot of
freedom.

And of course, it helps that Lu has a job.  heh.  So no, you don't
need money if you have a hard-working wife to support you :)



>
>>
>> Dan:
>>
>>
>>> Take my writing. I put a great deal of care into
>>> my stories. Does anyone notice? Probably not. I look around me and I
>>> see bestselling novels that are little more than drivel.
>>
>>
>> Jc:  Amen.  Did you ever read Harry Potter?  It was pure crap.  I
>> couldn't
>> believe it was so popular.  Goes to show you.
>
> Dan;
> I tried reading the first book in the series. Put my failure off to JK
> Rowlings being a woman. Cannot seem to relate to women authors.

Jc:  Me too.  quite often, but there are some... I got hooked on the
science fiction of C.J Cherryh, and even though I can't imagine how to
pronounce her name, her books are awesome.  Deep, rich and thoughtful.

Dan:


Others
> tell me I have to keep reading it the book and it'll get better but
> hey. Same thing with 50 Shades. No luck. But they sell like hotcakes.
> Those books. And they make movies outta them.
>

Jc:  yep.  That's a good argument for focusing on quality rather than
money.   another example is the newest Star Wars.  The same story as
the first one, only this time we'll make it about a girl-skywalker.
Do people actually just want to watch the same thing?  Over and over
and over again?  Crazy.

>>>
>> Jc:  We can only conclude that people are dumbing down.  The phenomenon
>> isn't completely surprising, but ghastly nevertheless.
>
> Dan:
> People in general? Or just those tasked with feeding us drivel?

Jc:  The giant.  It's not really a "those" so much as it is a process,
eh?  Power evolves, is all.  Until it reaches some natural limitation,
some crisis point where people get fed up.  People have a deep wisdom,
that helps me stay optimistic.  Sure, JK Rowling sold a lot more than
Edward Abbey, but he was popular also, and popular with the kind of
people I like.   One reason the pursuit of quality is its own reward,
Pursue Quality and you end up knowing quality people.  Pursue money
and you end up knowing moneyed people.





>> Jc:  Because caring is its own reward.  Yes, absolutely.  I gotta remind
>> myself of that.  I guess part of my problem is that doing bad is also its
>> own reward!  heh.
>
> Dan:
> Bad by which measure? I know a fellow who grows high potency marijuana
> in one of his spare bedrooms. I don't normally partake since my mind
> is muddled enough on its own but on one of my visits to his place he
> insisted I try just a toke. Now I've puffed on a little wacky backy in
> the past but nothing like this stuff! Jesus... it was like another
> drug altogether!

Jc:  When you're not a regular user, it can be quite surprising, the
shift in perspective.

Dan:

>
> Since recreational marijuana is illegal in the state where I live I
> suppose my buddy is breaking the law. Yeppers. I think he might be
> breaking bad. But I've seen his setup. Nothing but quality. So when we
> talk about doing bad I think we might have to qualify that insomuch as
> what exactly is bad?
>


Jc:  Well you certainly can't look to what is legal, for what is bad.
Laws are subordinate to morality because we all know there are bad
laws and good laws.   And there are good laws, that aren't good to
follow in particular situations.  We know what is good and bad, simply
through the process of asking ourself the question and remaining open
to the answer.  The MoQ starts thus - What is good and what is not
good need we anyone to tell us these things?



>>
>
> Dan:
> We all have to have money. If of course we don't wanna crap in the
> weeds and eat outta Dumpsters. That's why I do what I do and you do
> what you do. But there is nothing inherently wrong with having money.


Jc:  I agree.  But many have fallen into the monkey-values trap.
Their need for money is a tight-fisted clinging that traps them in a
cage.  I think it's good to demonstrate creative solutions to problems
that don't use money, or at least, much money.  The lack of money
solves many problems also!  For instance, if we couldn't afford cars,
we'd stop contributing to global warming!

Dan:

> We live in a world where anyone can make a big old stinking pile of
> money. That doesn't mean money is all there is, however. I think lots
> of people get trapped in that upward spiral where enough is never
> enough. Money makes em think they're somebody. And conversely those
> without any cash in their pockets are nobody.

Jc:  It's not that money is evil, it's the love of money that is evil.
The fundamental valuing of money.  "Thou shalt not ultimately  value
any but value"  MoQ commandment #1

Dan:

>
> I've been thinking about the woman who called the dealership
> complaining someone stole change outta her car. I don't know who she
> is or a thing about her. Did she realize a kid would lose his job over
> it? And if she did, is she some sorta righteous bitch who figures her
> shit doesn't stink? Was the kid right stealing her change? No. On the
> other hand, there're little foibles we all tend overlook each and
> every day. Rolling through stop signs. Going a few miles an hour over
> the limit. Picking up a quarter we find lying on the ground. Or in
> someone's ashtray.


Jc:  The whole story causes me to wonder and ask questions.  Like, was
it the kid's job to clean out the ash tray?  Had he been in the habit
of throwing the cigarette butts away, but keeping the loose change?
Maybe he'd done that for months, with nobody complaining til now.
But... now, that's probably not how the story goes.  Who knows.  You
should re-write it.  Or better yet, go find the kid, probe his head,
go find the lady, ask her her story.  Get the whole story, write it
down.  That Truman Capote shit sells like hot cakes.  If you get rich
off my idea, send me a tip :)


Dan:

>
> It all reminds of Lila finding herself at that restaurant after having
> ordered several drinks and then discovering that her wallet is
> missing. The manager could've been a hardass. Called in the law. Had
> her arrested. Made a scene. Instead, he gave her a bye. Even though he
> had to know it'd never happen he gave her the address and told her to
> send the money whenever she got where she was going.
>
> So yeah. It is a real slippery slope we're all making our ways across.
>

Jc:  Waiters are good students of humans.  He knew she wasn't pulling
a fast one on her.  He could tell her shock and upset were genuine.
Plus, waiters make their living off of the voluntary generosity of
their patrons, he'd have to be a real son-of-a-bitch to get nasty with
her, I'd think.   But then people surprise me sometimes, with how
nasty they can be.




> JC:
>> That's why it's gonna be a Trump/Sanders
>> election next year.  People know this and they are pissed off about it.
>
> Dan:
> I'm pretty much apolitical so far as that goes. Yeah, maybe the
> climate is right for electing Bozo but the winds can shift real sudden
> like. Guess time will tell.
>

Well, I didn't say "elect". heh.  I'm hoping for a Trump/Sanders
because I thinking that would be the most likely way for a Sander to
win and if you want to overturn the system I'd rather America
undergoes a Socialist revolution than an Apocalyptic one.

John feeling the "Bern"