Author: plinyblogcom

The “Orange Plague,” presently ravaging the Nation, is notably similar in toxicity to the 14th-century European “Black Plague,” but. nevertheless, distinguishable from the latter by its absence of a known organic (i.e., bacterial) etiology. Analogous in its facility of infection, its advent is generally observed to have had its proximate occurrence simultaneously with the public release of the movie, “Dumb and Dumber,” and most impactfully in response to a low grade television game show, “The Apprentice.” The latter, hosted by the real estate grifter, Donald J. Trump, was ultimately recognized as the cause and metastasis of the thematic disease.

The thematic, infectious disease is bizarrely, albeit, uniformly, manifested by a mental condition popularly described as “brainfog,” substantially disturbing the individual capacity to exercise availoable reason and substituting in its place, an aberrant and irressitable tendency to support irrational, paranoid ideations. The ubiquitous brain fog initiates pernicious infection, perpetuating ubiquitous beliefs in the existence of ubiquitous sub-rosa conspiracies, factually promotes fraternity and feelings of kinship with others identically afflicted, and promotes antipathy for uninfected citizens stubbornly and eternally clinging to their faith in factual reality.

Such symptoms are inarguably injurious to established society, manifesting their greatest harm in the symptomatic practice of unfettered belief and ardent promotion of the articulated delusional policies promoted by the dynamic lunacy of an ersatz Orange “Sorcerer.” The latter human “Biohazard” is justifiably owed exclusive credit as the egregious source and empirical dynamics of the toxic transmission of the subject disease, functionally and effectively analogous to the memorable “Typhoid Annie,” in its empirical attribution to the cosmetically tanned, orange hair-dyed, shifty-eyed. egocentric, President and publically declared, “would-be” “Dictator,” Donald J. Trump.

Such dystopic behavior has impactfully interfered with the Nation’s history-long international friendships converting loyal allies to enemies; traditional international opponents to be confusedly morphed into conversant friends, an excellent national economy, sadly downgraded to conditions of inflation and excessive consumer prices, national secrets treasonously revealed to potential enemies, health and societal safety, severely hobbled, established law and order, atavisticly and self-interestedly bypassed, education and free speech constricted by un-democratic censorship and quasi-religious strictures, and democratically definitional elections, slanted and deemed unreliable.

The toxic National circus plays on, perversely orchestrated and approved by the infectious orange-haired ringmaster, exemplified by his selection of a Presidential cabinet, whose provenance includes a head of security with personal ties to our inveterate enemies, a health secretary who principally opposes modern responses to illness, such as vaccination, pasteurized milk, and fluoridated water, an alcoholic head of the Nation’s armed forces with scant military experience and large body tattoos representing ardent support for White Christian Nationalist Militias, an Attorney General whose loyalty is , inappropriately directed to the Orange President, instead of the American people and who, as directed by him, demands ubiquitious “political retribution, an Education Secretary of Education whose enlightenment is limited to the business of professional wrestling, a Secretary of Immigration who is an announced, dedicated xenophobe and other “Mad-Hatter” and side show monstrosities to, somehow, guide the Nation. The traditional mainstream American citizen has unwittingly and unjustly fallen ill to a consignment of incompetent, cynical mismanagement for an unjust, unhealthy, four-year disability.

His undeserved and uncalled for suffering and disillusion can only be assuaged by his own continuing to hope and express himself by democratically-based behavior and beliefs, with the predictably, empirical hope that in a few years, he will accrue the opportunity to reprise the Nation’s traditional health and its rightful colors to the traditional, red, white and blue, of government responsibility and citizen participation, from the present orange disabilitry and ugly blemish on its laudable tradition.

-p,

The contemplative reader of history, doubtlessly, would possess an underlying interest in the fundamental nature of Mankind itself. The universally understood function of the study of reported history relates to the desire for an objective understanding of Mankind’s past; however, an additionally singular benefit for the contemplative student is found in the philosophical search for an understanding of the nature of Humanity, as empirically revealed by its past actions.

In said endeavor, it is contextually useful to consider the accepted societal morality prevalent at the time of the period examined. It is ultimately enlightening, for example, to seek the metaphysical revelation of societal acceptance of our Nation’s earlier practice of chattel slave ownership. To avoid misunderstanding, we do not subscribe to any concept of situational (relative) or temporal morality; the enslavement of human beings is metaphysically and eternally evil, regardless of time and ambient circumstance.

Nevertheless, it would be enlightening to discover the mental and emotional dynamic of its mundane acceptance by the then-contemporary members’ “good, Christian, law-abiding citizens,” as well as the temporal understanding of past conceptional rectitude and historical social acceptability, Such understanding would be useful in the continuing effort to understand Man’s intrinsic and timeless nature and the basic dynamics of his fundamental interpersonal relationships..

Contextually, as we contemplate man’s societal history, certain fixed, interactional standards of acceptable behavior reveal themselves to be timelessly mandatory and perforce, systemically existential. Our Nation’s dedicated and knowledgeable Founders transcribed such basic and timeless criteria in the American Constitution, viz., liberty, equality, freedom of expression, thought, and belief and, notably, freedom from oppressive rule.

These elemental criteria have proven to be timeless and universal. Where the nuances of history reveal any less than their mutual recognition and absence of societal or governmental adherence to such standards, the resultant evaluation of tyranny has been appropriate. Other historical phenomena may serve to reveal the varied nuances of human behavior relevant to time and situation; nevertheless, these fundamental standards are notably included in the secular mandates of the Ten Commandments, and best expressed by Emanuel Kant, in his “Prolegomoma,” also denominated as “The Golden Rule.” of refraining from any action toward another you would not wish for yourself.”

History revealingly demonstrates the negative sequelae of Man’s failure to observe such fundamental standards of moral and just behavior, which empirically confirm the tragic outcomes. Classic literature is replete with such instances of tragedy, in the fictional rendition of the ultimate effects of the violation of such basic humanistic principles, rendered in aesthetic language, making them reliably adjudged as “Classic.”

The presenting consternation and fear of the contemporary mainstream American citizen responsive to the dystopic, unconstitutional rule by the present Trump Administration might be assuaged by his contemplative reference to the historical record, making empirically predictable the self-immolation of the Nation’s immoral, unprincipled, and dystopic rule eschewed by a much wiser voting citizen.

-p.

We have always observed that a pet owner’s personality is reflected in the manner that he treats his dog or cat. Indeed, there exist reliable studies that reveal that, generally, pet owners evince the traits of thoughtfulness and affectionate responsibility

With few exceptions, American Presidents have uniformly been pet owners, (usually, dogs) the more recent of which being Warren G. Harding (“Laddie Boy”). Herbert Hoover, (“King Tut”), Teddy Roosevelt (many species of animals), FDR, the celebrated (“Fala”), Lyndon Johnson ( two beagles). Clinton, a cat (“Socks”), Obama, two Portuguese water dogs; and Biden, German Shepherds (“Commander” and “Willow”).

In contemplative analysis, Donald Trump’s choice to refrain from owning a pet is consistent with his systemic egocentrism and singular concern with himself. The dynamics of pet ownership, as stated, empirically encompasses a responsible concern for an entity other than oneself, regarding which latter quality there is no available space in Trump’s sole concern with himself. We would venture to speculate that no self-respecting dog, given Trump’s deplorable persona, would happily accept him as its pet owner. The latter declaration, at first glance, may be deemed merely a literary effort at emphasis; but after some thought., its vetsimilitude may be attested to, in the recollection of instances in which a dog, introduced to new person, instinctively snarled or barked, whereas as to others, he demonstrated a willing affection by licking or softly emoting canine approval. Smart dogs and, notably, well-informed voters have the innate ability to make the telling distinction.

In addition to our systemic instinct, the empirical instances of errant and psychopathic behavior on the part of Donald Trump are unprecedented and not analogous to the traditional desire for pet ownership of past Presidents. His persona is literally, sui generis in its sole and neurotic aspiration to be publically adjudged, “a winner,” according to his singularly neurotic criteria. The egomaniacal quest is never-ending and, notably, unlike other American presidents, some dealing with war, civil unrest, or national economic depression, there is no systemic inclination to devote time to a dog or a cat. Egotistic self-concern, empirically extending to the point of extreme cruelty, does not afford space for sentiment or responsible care for others, certainly not to household pets.

Concerning the previous observations regarding the instinctive reactions of newly introduced pets, we are supremely confident that any such introduction would predictably result in snarls and barks of disapproval, demonstrating without cavil that canine instincts are more reliably dependable than red-hatted MAGA voters.

-p.

As the initial progeny of poor Ashenazi-Russian immigrants, we absorbed the cultural criterion of the primacy of learning and education. Respectful social acceptance was ethnically dependent upon accumulated wisdom. This criterion for a life of value has beneficially persisted on an enduring lifetime rewarding basis.

We eternally saw education as a precursor to such a cultural determination and systemically revered education and its instructors, from High School through College and Professional School. In our mature years, we with retroactive understanding, look back at our practice of respectfully wearing our one sports jacket wit tie to lecture sessions, and sheepishly confess to inwardly restraining ourselves from the impulse to respectfully stand when the Professor entered. We entertain the presumption that other first-generation Jewish progeny felt similarly.

Contextually, the youthfully significant existence of friendships, sports, and social dating, in principle, were felt secondary to our inculcated appetite for elective reading and an adequate education. Contemporarily, such inspired motivation, disappointingly, is contemporaneously seen as archaic, compared to the ubiquitous modern desire to pursue a formal education, in pursuit of a profession or specific employment. Nevertheless, our lifelong aspiration for knowledge and understanding, as such, has continued to provide a sense of wholeness and personal fulfillment, the latter of cogent necessity and solace in our elder years.

The acquisition of a mature perception ( balanced objective knowledge) and its aspirational and ultimate prize, viz., wisdom, appears to be the successful product of a valid and useful understanding of ourselves as well as other human beings. It must be acknowledged that Man’s eternal quest for knowledge is empirically proscribed by the natural limitations of Man’s mental proficiency as empirically evolved and that temporally accepted explanations in the form of superstitious belief are retrogressive and demonstrably harmful to the progress and intellectual achievement of humankind.

Tangentially, as we view Man’s beneficial search for knowledge, ancient and present, we have, with the years, become dismayed at the widespread human inclination to conflate rationally attained empirical knowledge with atavistic adherence to superstitious belief. The ubiquitous pre-historic belief in a “Sun God” as an explanation for diurnal changes and the phenomenon of the disparate seasons. is illustrative and rational useful. A plethora of superstitious or non-factual”beliefs” have been conceived to explain phenomena, subsequently illuminated after rational and empirical inquiry. Empirical inquiry has inarguably proven to be far more developmentally useful than beating drums or chanting pleas to an unseen but presumed power. As a related but cogent matter, we might reference the ample historical record of injustice and human tragedy brought about by the militant human punishment and the plentiful existence of wars concerning the existence of “non-believers” of the temporal dominant religion. This blemish on the course of Man’s history shamelessly and reductively continues to date.

However, returning to the thematic direction of the present writing, we have observed a notable difference between those individuals who, by the dedicated application of their capacity forexperiential learning, as well as that derived from the written experience of others, ultimately enjoy the satisfying feeling of “awakeness,” and personal participation in the extant dynamics of human existence; having thereby acquired an individuated catalogue of their own lifetime of human existence. We have noted, over the several decades of our life, that one’s rationally enlightened knowledge of oneself, in tandem with an appreciation of the state of humanity, is the most productive human state of fulfillment.

It would seem that the appropriate awe and respect for educational enlightenment, evinced by our younger days, albeit, admittedly somewhat ethnic and unsophisticated, ultimately proved to be beneficial and satisfying. We can confidently assert that empirically acquired enlightenment is a product of Man’s knowledge of himself and empirical history and is the sole effective portal to Man’s personal acquisition of a fulfilling life and, ultimately, an improved world.

-p.

We wholeheartedly agree with the mainstream American citizens who declare that President Donald J. Trump resides in his singular, out-of-touch-with-reality bubble. However, in the interest of accuracy, we would add the empirical adverb “mercantile’ to the descriptive observation.

It is not unreasonable to fantasize, a large. old-fashioned golden cash register with its familiar [“Tching”] sound as included in the conceptual bubble. As we perceive the egoistic and merchandising head of State, his sole concern is his aspiration to be seen as a “winner” and revel over perceived “losers.” The cogent measuring rod relative to such neurotic aspiration is money, the latter, his systemic blood supply and reductive scoreboard. In the many years since his bubble floated up to the surface from his status as real estate gonif and amaturist host of a low-brow game show, at no time has the orange-boy wonder ever indicated any doctrinaire or political point of view. Trump lacks the opportunity for “useless political or economic points of view, his time being fully subscribed to his efforts to be publicly seen and admired as a monetary winner; indeed, the elements of propriety, moral compass, objective fact, responsibility, empathy, loyalty, prudent wisdom and conscience are entirely “Trumped” by such reductive and neurotic goal.

Such) reductive view of humanistic aspiration ubiquitously affects his behavior in his roles as husband (he is in his third marriage, to dare), real estate entrepreneur (why should I pay my contractors), and currently as President of the United States, (raising money for my campaigns, tariffs, complaints about NATO, and the like.)

In his perception, money is the singular measure of success (i.e., “winning”) and eternally exist as the sitting judge and selected jury regarding choices of ethical propriety; all other considerations, thought moral or appropriate, are for “losers,” shamefully inclusive of young American soldiers and sailors killed in the Second World War.

Such skewed and reductionist persona of Donald Trump underlies his sophomoric and dystopic decisions regarding both National and International matters. In his reductive incapability, the Nation is suicidally charging other Nations, including our closest allies, greater tariffs to bring in more money to the Nation and assert its status, as he conceives it, as “winner.” The adverse effect of such a Trump-inspired sophomoric program is already harming the Nation.

It boggles the mind to observe the dystopic picture of an American President shamelessly, evoking the archetypical picture of a common peddler of merchandise by his bizarre and inappropriate solicitations of retail sales to the public, of such items as, vodka, “golden sneakers,” Bibles, cologne, steaks, and other relevant shopping mall merchandise. Is it rationally possible, by comparison, to conceive of Calvin Coolidge selling T-shirts, Linden Johnson hawking sneakers, Teddy Roosevelt selling whistles, or George Bush, Sr, selling cologne?

The starkly inappropriate feature of a “Shopping mall President, ” added to the other personal “blessings” of Donald J. Trump, make fit as a subject for caricature, not a President of the United States. This egoistic darling of the National populist underbelly is empirically and unexplainably remarkable in his sublime incapacity in the role of American President, but, simultaneously and ironically, capable of irreparable damage to the Democratic Republic.

-p.

Political thinkers, with apt historical confirmation, would predictably agree that the presence of a substantial number of populist, inadequately educated, and poorly informed citizens presents an existential threat to the existence of a democracy. The Founders’ aspirations for the creation of a Nation “by and for the people,” Thomas Jefferson presciently observed, mandates an educated and well-informed citizenry.

Unfortunately, the Nation has eternally been home to a sizeable population of citizens who lack such Jeffersonian criteria and the ability for useful participation in the affairs of the Nation. Furthermore, contextually, by the elected shallowness of their lives, they remain in a state of perennial discontent. Meaningless and purely mundane lifestyles predictably result in feelings of personal and self-generated grievance; the latter providing fertile ground for manipulation by tactical “snake oil” assurances by demagogic charlatans, of the promise of a better life.

A brief but revelatory visit to the populist “Whine Cellar” will predictably reveal a predictably large inventory of a non-specific sense of ubiquitous discontent, founded in a personally minimal and reductive mindset and its concomitant feelings of disappointment and of unfulfilled life experience. Such self-generated feelings of discontent and grievance often result in the defensive dynamics of projection of the cause for failure on others, conceivably expressed as racial or ethnic prejudice.

The contextual discontent renders the personally”aggrieved” populist amenable to tactical demagogery and political manipulation. The slogan, “Make America Great Again,” can be effectively translatable to “Punish Those Responsible for My Discontent” and is demonstratively vulnerable to political manipulation. This phenomenon is descriptive of the etiology and dynamics of the toxic etiology and endurance of the Trumpist-MAGA dynamic and its implicit hazard to the existence of a Democratic Republic.

It is frustrating but, painfully, comphensible that, while the copious clientele of the ‘Whine Center” maintain a skewed and reductive conception of the foundational basis of their felt grievance, by rational and empirical comparison, the consequences of such ubiquitous feelings of discontent are painfully objective.

As a proximate result of the facile manipulation of the frequent imbibers of the “Whine Center,” the traditional American Citizen has recently found himself deprived of a working federal civil service, engaged in the rendition of existentially vital, domestic and international, services, of financial relief services, of National security and intelligence services, health and medical research and treatment services, independance operation of American Universities and institutions of learning, empirical repudiation of the constitution and American rule of law, of an impartial Supreme Court, of the natural right of women to control their bodies, of the unfettered right of all citizens to vote and have their vote counted, of the casual treatment of the ” Separation of Powers,” violations of the constitutional “Separation of Church and State,” of humane and empathic treatment of immigrants, the widespread acquisience in the public ownership of military weapons and the consequent loss of lives, particularly schoolchildren, the dangerous and negligent avoidance of global and environmental concerns, the mishandling of our relations with NATO and other foreign friends and foes, of the pernicious influence of political and religious lobbies, the failure to construe a humane and equitable justice system, the hobbling and elimination of regulatory agencies, the latter, assuring the citizenry of the safety of food, drinking water ,medicine, ambient air and consumer products, the safety of travel by air and highway, the salubrious nature of the workplace and the fair treatment of labor, and as well, the telling elimination of federal inspectors-general, and the persistence of inequitable and discriminatory tax provisions.

The latter ubiquitously numerous categories of atavistic elimination are matters of great and objective consequence to the Nation and constitute substantial impediments to the maintenance of the American society. They are a proximate result of the eternal vulnerability to perverse influence of the reductionist, dissatisfaction with personal life, resulting from the elective failure to strive for personal advancement. its implicit satisfaction of enlightenment, and the consequent acquisition of a meaningful and rewarding life.

It is manifestly inequitable and tragic that the predictable, easy proselization of the reductionist, “whining” underbelly of the Nation by the malevolent Donald J. Trump and his MAGA confederates has thus resulted in a plethora of (democratically) valid and objective grounds for material, substantive citizen complaint.

-p.

It seems appropriate and responsibly empathic to discuss the subject of personal “coping” tools relevant to the frightening dystopic threats to our Republican Democracy, as painfully discussed in recent writings.

It would be empirically reasonable to presume that individuals with diverse personalities and varied life experiences would demonstrate nuanced techniques for (the contextual) temporary relief from stress and difficulty; nevertheless, we have noted that among the most ubiquitously popular, temporal refuge is sought in the indulgence in emotionally soothing, “comfort foods.”

As universally known, “comfort foods” are personally chosen comestibles, such as chicken soup, mashed potatoes, pot roast, and beef stew, that temporarily provide an escape from presenting problems, offering needed consolation, and a feeling of well-being. It is our presumption that nuanced, personal foods selected for this purpose are dynamically effective because of their subjectively related recall and contemplative reprise of pleasant eating memories, affording temporal relief from a presenting source of situational angst.

It is inarguable that the elective indulgence in comfort foods for such purpose, inarguably, does little or nothing to resolve the troubling problem, but it does serve the office of a momentary respite from its relate misery and anxious perseveration. In any event, this mode of brief, enjoyable, and nutritious, time out is incomparably preferable to alternatives such as intoxication or release of hysterical outbursts.

However, we have two worrisome caveats and one recommendation to express, directed to those who contextually use “comfort food” for temporary relief from the dystopic and bizarre policies of the Trump Presidency; the practice havimg especial relevance since Trump’s term has slightly less than four long and painful years to endure and toxicly fester.

[CAVEAT 1:] The high cost of “comfort” or other food is predictably ever-increasing due to Donald Trump’s mania and ignorant addiction to the self-defeating National policy of indiscriminate and, ultimately, economic and politically harmful tariffs.

[CAVEAT 2:] Prudent concern should be personally exercised concerning the possibility of unhealthy obesity, given the empirically based, predictable instances of Trump’s ubiquitous and multifaceted challenges to democracy and reason during the next four years.

[RECOMMENDATION]: Externally voiced public opposition by voiced and active political opposition would be far more effective, more individually salubrious, and, indeed, beneficial to the effective amelioration of the extant threats to the Nation. It may also serve as an ameliorative practice in the personal containment of consummate angst.

-p.

[N.B. We had resolved to take a “time out” from writing on the unsavory subject of our perverse President and his MAGA sycophants; however, a recent plethora of their jarring acts eroded such firm resolve, with the impact of a wild tsunami.]

Traditional Americans have always been passively mindful of the principal vulnerability of our unique Democratic Republic. The Nation’s significant population of inadequately educated, grievance-inclined populists, its political and social divisiveness, anecdotal acts of religious extremism, and atavistic prejudice have eternally existed, threateningly analogous to a pile of smoldering ashes bearing the empirical potential to ignite a destructive conflagration of the Founder’s radical experiment in humanistic, enlightened polity.

Like the apocryphal infestation of locusts as recited in the Book of Exodus, the past several months have evinced a devastating, pestilential attack by Trump on long-standing citizen rights inscribed in the American Constitution. The classic principles of the fascistic, authoritarian handbook have been applied in such a dystopic degree that we have been unable to refrain from expressing our distress and great alarm.

The present Administration, infamously led by a demonstrably unfit, egoistic, neurotic, chief executive with a record of 34 major felony convictions, outstanding criminal felony indictments, and a demonstrated persona, reflective of an absence of respect for the constitution and the rule of law, has recently outperformed, even himself, in authoritarian, fascistic acts; destructive of our Democratic way of life. This paragon of immodest pathology, as known, tactically selected a Cabinet of perverse but personally acceptable, loyal persona to support his egregious and non-democratic agenda; notably, an Attorney General whose loyalty to the orange, ego-deranged autocrat demonstrably exceeds her legal responsibility to the American people. America’s neurotically-egoistic snake oil salesman has boasted of his (skewed ideation) of having received a “Mandate” from the people, despite the empirical fact that he won by a mere 1.5% of the vote.

Before the “imperial” ascendency of this orange national hazmat, what imaginative individual, in his most pessimistic ruminations, could have conceived of an outlandish American President who would, ruthlessly and despotically effect the occurrence of the following grim travesties against the democratic, constitutionally observant Nation:

• The brutal arrest, torture, head shaving, and lifetime incarceration in the especially fearful prisons of El Salvador, of dozens of Venezuelans without due process, on the irrational, bogus evidence that they bore tattoos and, therefore, ipso facto, were gangland criminals. It is notable to observe that the MAGA loyalist, chosen by Trump, as Secretary of Defense has (White Christian Supremacy) tattoos all over his body. [see: plinyblog # 253 “Tats”]
• The arrest by ICE ( functionally, the Presidential Gestapo), wearing black masks (?), of an innocent female foreign graduate student at Tufts University and her forcible abduction to a jail in Louisiana, based solely upon her written expression of opinion on the war in Gaza.
• Trump’s fascistic retributive pogrom against his political opposition, most relevantly against the dutiful professionals legally appointed to investigate his multiple crimes; and law firms, lawyers and Judges who he envisions to be against his interest.
• His employment of the bizarre assistance of a perverse, billionaire autistic savant to imperil our federal infrastructure by the irrational elimination of functional agencies and departments, as well as their experienced civil servants, thus weakening the operation of our Democratic Republic; the latter program, heartlessly including legislatively created federal programs of assistance to elderly and disabled American citizens. and to needy third-world countries. Most suicidally pathological is the perverse elimination of the Nation’s existentially important medical research agencies, including the NIH and the CDC.
  • Trump’s totalitarian attack on the Nation’s existentially valuable institutions of higher education, Universities, inclusive of educational institutions, such as the revered Smithsonian Institution and Museum and other American landmark institutions of education and enlightenment.
• The autocratic attack on the right to vote by making the exercise of the definitional democratic voting franchise both difficult and politically corruptible.
• The outrageous, Hitler-like declaration of intent to seize other sovereign countries, such as Greenland, Panama, and most bizarrely, our traditional neighbor and close friend, Canada,
• Trump’s declaration of imperial intent to use the American Military Forces to accomplish the above and to enforce his extreme xenophobia regarding immigrants.

In our haste to identify the extant nightmarish danger to our uniquely humanistic and free Nation, we are conscious of the possibility of the omission of other cogent sources of concern for the Nation’s democratic endurance which, in our dismay and concern, we may have impulsively omitted,

However, speaking for ourselves and derivatively, for our Founding Fathers and those many young Americans who have paid the ultimate price in the defense of our Nation and its unique Democratic form of Republic (the latter, referred to by our singular head of State, as “losers,” and suckers,”), we would loudly and angrily broadcast the following message to the MAGA -Trumpists: “FOR SHAME !”

-p.

We’ve been told: the ancient bard,
Could hear the “music of the spheres.”
We have since seen harmony on high,
But astral strains never were heard.
We do hear the music of “our” sphere,
Whose virtuosos perform in nature’s realm.
One has but to attend to hear.

The splash of raindrops on trembling leaves,
The whistled wind-song thru tall dark reeds,
The high pitch scratch of cricket limbs,
The basso profundo of bull frog croaks,
The redundant “coo” of mourning doves,
The baby sounding off for the mom,
The wolf intoning his baritone aria,
The countless chirps of little birds,
The gleeful chatter of sportive chipmunks,
The staccato sound of barking dogs,
The brassy honks of overflying geese,
The lakes soft slosh on muddy banks.

One can, in truth, faintly hear,
If he listens, most meditatively,
The upward thrust of perennial plants,
The final melt of tardy snow,
Spring, is that really you?
Have you just returned?
Welcome, do come in, Spring, my love.
Bienvenue!

-p.

The evolutionary gift to Homo Sapiens of the foundational capacity for interactive communication, enabled the ability to retroactively relate empirical experiences, and proved to be existential to his survival and continuence. Uncountable eons of Man’s continued advancement preceded the miraculous development of distant interactive (“virtual”) communication, enabled by the contemporary miracle of the internet.

Said innate and foundationally systemic predecessor of the modern, internet-facilitated, “virtual” transmission of  interactive thought and provides the cogent theme of this writing. We will elucidate the subject following an autobiographically inspired but contextual note.

We have gratefully attained the remarkable age, appropriately described as “late octogenarian,” arriving in relative good health but, unhappily, in need of a “walker” for ambulation. Notably, we are fortunate to be able to report that our adult life has been fulfilling notably, as husband and father, and contextually, as eternal student, reader, traveler, and regular participant in the rewarding lifetime inclination to inquiry and contemplation.

Despite the loss of the physical ability to walk about unassisted by the slow and plodding employment of a “walker,” we have observed that our frequently thematic, life-long conversation with ourself, referred to in our numerous (1,250) blogs, together with our elective reading and travel have enabled a recollective library of memorable or non-internet (“virtual”) library of contemplative reflection, consistent in their enjoyable reprise. From Socrates and Spinoza to Sigmund Freud, Dickens and Trollope to Faulkner and Roth, from the plays of Euripedes to Arthur Miller, from rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon to the Louisiana Mardi Gras, from Paris, Bruge, and Prague to South Holland’s Keukenhoff Gardens and the Galapagos Islands, from the various Caribbean Islands to Cape Town, South Africa; personally from marriage, children and divorce to happy remarriage, from the days of kindergarten, College and Law School to practice and retirement. These recitations of experience are among the library of reprised “virtual” exercises of our intimate recall.

We often luxuriate in our comfortable easy chair with a plethora of “apps” to recall and virtually experience.

-p.