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At the risk of being unduly repetitious, we have been continuously appalled by certain offensive and unscrupulous televised commercials which surreptitiously prey on the assumed vulnerability of the ubiquitous, circumstantial cash-tight retired citizen, and to once again desire to express our repulsion.

As declared in an earlier writing, the most egregious of such efforts to shamefully garner huge profits by sleight-of-hand misrepresentation continues to rankle us and disturb our sense of plain rectitude and empathy for the elderly retired citizen. Such advertised deceits are most disturbingly observed in the virtual plethora of televised proposals for life insurance repurchase and home equity mortgage transactions, as set forth below:

LIFE INSURANCE REDEMPTION:

It is the ubiquitous experience of middle-class retirees, at some point in time, to find themselves “cash-tight.” Televised solicitations hawking the availability of needed cash by the re-purchase of their life insurance by insurance company in exchange for a tactical sum in profitable avoidance of the insurer’s actuarially calculated imminent responsibility to pay large sums of money to the insured’s intended beneficiar is an offer too bad not to refuse, unless truly desperate.

The amount of pre-calculated, monthly insurance premiums, paid over the insured’s lifetime are actuarially determined upon several practical factors, the most salient of which is the applicant’s age and, consequently his (statistical) lifetime. Monthly payments are profitably utilized by the insurance company for “legal” investments, viz., mortgages and secured loans) are so calculated that upon the decease of the named insured, the insurance benefit will have been covered.

It is without cavil that the older the insured, the closer he is to the experiential (actuarial) event of decease and the contractual obligation to pay the usually substantial insurance benefit; upon which the relevant premiums have been actuarily calculated and paid. The avoidance of payment of the premium payments, as seductively offerred, by the policy’s repurchase and cancellation (in exchange for a tactically calculated amount) will place certain pre-calculated funds in the hands of the insured, but will also, notably avoid payment of  the policy benefits on decease to the previously designated beneficiary. The transaction of repurchase of the policy results in a remunerative windfall for the insurance company; obtained for an inadequate sum of money paid to the elderly insured and a loss to the intended, and possibly needful beneficiary.

One of the frequently shown television commercials deceitfully hawks this transaction as a “Gold Mine;” we would classify the metallurgical chemistry of such benefits as, “Fool’s Gold.”

EQUITY LOAN:

The smarmy, solicitous, and familial, loving offer by a handsome, mustached, homey, cardigan -wearing, mature movie celebrity, of the mortgage ( i,e, the,sale) of the accumulated and expensively paid for equity ownership of one’s home, for “tax-free” (your own !) money and the discharge of the obligation to make mortgage premiums can easily be revealed as another tactical and deceitful, “rip-off” of the cash tight senior (homeowner) citizen.

Fundamentally the homeowner should have the current calculation of the accurate value of the equity of the relevant property confirmed by an independent, professional source. It is the common assumption of the equity loan mortgagor that his financial obligation vis-a-vis the realty will thereafter be free of monetary and other sundry obligations; but this assumption is far from accurate. The homeowner is still obligated to take care of the proper maintenance and repair of the building and grounds (as determined by the equity purchaser) and pay the taxes and insurance on the subject premises.

One consideration should be personally considered. Many senior homeowners have an aged or infirm relative living with them. They should be made aware that, according to the provisions common to all equity loans, that upon the decease of the record title owner, the residing relative or friend must vacate the premises, and conceivably become homeless.

We abhor the disturbing state of affairs regarding the humanistic ideal of “respect for the elderly!”

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Since his evolutionary appearance on the Planet, Man has demonstrated the need, or, perhaps, the irresistible compulsion to travel. His mode of accomplishment of this ubiquitous compulsion has remarkably evolved over the countless eras of his elected voyaging, from hike to horseback and then the automobile, from the raft to canoe and then the steamship, from airplane travel to the spaceship. Regarding each advancement in travel, new skills were necessitated. Travel on horseback, in time, was improved by blankets, saddles, and stirrups, the subsequent development of automobiles by the modern internal combustion engine, ships by large mobile rudders and steering mechanisms, and still later, spaceships made possible by the use of newly developed nuclear fuels. The historical periods respectively saw new and utilitarian human advancements in travel. The voyages of Columbus, Marco Polo, Magellan, The Kon Tiki, Lewis and Clarke, Perry, and Admunsen are but a short example of this thematic, innate human aspiration.

Desired travel to exotic climes, by alternate means, however, has eternally been available, and notably, without physical exertion or time-taxing and costly expenditure, Additionally, this category of in situ travel is successfully and beneficially accomplished, without loss of singular adventure and profitable enlightenment, albeit, at the convenient venue of your choice, viz., the mere utilization of an easy chair and soft light (in place of a tight airplane seat or windy deck chair). The pleasure and enlightenment of all modes of travel experience, metaphorically, resides in the dynamic arena of the voyager’s perception and later reminiscence and is experienced mindfully. Thoughtful and excitingly engrossing reading. in our view and experience, may permissibly be considered as a comparable and effective alternative experience to the experience of physical travel.

Employment of the armchair mode of voyaging entails no effort in packing suitcases, taking a taxi to the point of departure, tickets, waiting rooms, security checks, and seat selection; only a brief and comfortable trek to your favorite easy chair, a soft reading light, and your elected reading material.

Similar to the choices of shipboard or airplane travel to a desired destination, armchair travel is fully inclusive of choices of destination, long travel (Novel or extensive Treatise), relatively near and easily accessible destination (Magazine or Essay), or a chosen local jaunt (” Blog”). It is empirically conceivable that all such elected modes of travel evince subjects in common, albeit, in varying detail and illustrative length, The temporal choice is exclusively that of the voyager.

For the regular “blogosphere commuter,” there is the exclusive and enticing opportunity of ubiquitous choice of subject matter and a virtually unlimited panoply, or ample smorgasbord of exploration and inspiring thought.

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The compelling physical attractiveness of the animalistic scent of musk seems to have been a distraction to Donald Trump from his passionate bromance with Vladimir Putin and introduced a new inamorata, in the name of Elon Musk, Trump has never been an agnostic when it comes to the worship of wealth and Elon is credited with being the Planet’s richest dude.

A musky analogous, offal-like odor of the muskrat and the musk deer seems to have enraptured the orange egomaniac to the extraordinary degree that the apocryphal Samson fell hands over scandals for Delilah, It took the Biblical Delilia merely a haircut to enslave the strongman and it took merely the financing of Trump’s election and Elon’s financial standing, to enrapture Donald. Such passion is so intense as to be purportedly irresistible as the content of musk in men’s colognes. [N.B.: the muskrat is a rodent found in wild, wet habitats and the musk deer is a small animal, living in mountainous areas of the globe; both have glands that emit the putrid bodily scent of musk, used in the manufacture of Men’s colognes].

Donald J. Trump has apparently succumbed to the financial phenomes of Elon Musk to the extent that he has virtually camped out at Mar-a-Lago and has had the privilege of mutually morphing into the rare anomaly of conjoined twins; to the remarkable extent that Donald Trump has, uncharacteristically, acceded to Elon’s recommendations. Many Republicans, notably the devout worshippers of the autocratic-leaning orange Deity have expressed dismay at the empirical existence of a “dual Presidency,”

It is our considered opinion that this hot “bromance” will cool off very soon because of the nuanced clash of egos and the “bunk mate” relationship will, before long, disintegrate; our reasons are motivated by their common follows\

(1) Each of the two are egotistic and ultimately unwilling to share the limelight\

(2) Since both are headstrong egotists, differences in opinion are not tolerated.

(3) Both are irrationally impulsive and neurotically sensitive and unforgiving.

(4) The parties share the adolescent trait of impulsiveness and personal lack of control.

When we apply the above observed neurotic traits to the empirical response to their observed fundamental differences regarding: Trump’s stated mantra, “Drill baby Drill,” and his firm opposition to environmental responsibility (including withdrawal from the Paris Accords). with Musk’s existential support use of electric vehicles and salutary environmental policies including opposition to carbon caused, global warming, Musk’s intentions concerning China’s leadership in the production of his manufacture and distribution of electric automobiles, and by contrast, Trump’s angry declarations regarding doing business with Red China, including his support of Chinese tariffs, together with their mutually neurotic need for the sole spotlight, we can empirically anticipate the ultimate decline of passion in the thematic bromance and its predictable evaporation.

It is our prediction that, shortly after the crowning of the Orange monarch, the heartbreaking dissolution of the subject bromance will take place, The pheromones of “Musk” are essentially short-lived and ephemeral.

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As universally known “Christmas” is a Christian Holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. The familiar Jewish celebration of “Hannukah,”commemorates the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Empire in the Second Century BCE and the related miracle of the lamps burning for eight days with only enough oil for one day. The two celebrated events occur at the same season and time of year,

We have always recalled thefond memories of a notable experience, which memorably occurred in our third grade of public school, during the season of these two holidays. As young children of European Jewish immigrants, the colossal ambiance of the bright, decorative, and celebratory holiday of Christmas was fascinating to us, yet was an effective reminder that we, born into a non-Christian ethnic American population, were not participants in the highly publicized and popular Christian holiday. As Jewish children, however, we did identify with the far less inclusive or universally advertised holiday known as “Hannukah.”

Santa Claus and his reindeer, decorated evergreen trees, gift stockings, candy canes, and all of the attractive phenomena, of the great American holiday, conceivably, including the Macy’s Parade, were for others. To be clear, we did not, see ourselves as essentially different or separate from other American children and were notably proud of our own distinct ethnos, we were nonetheless, fascinated by the universal celebratory light show and traditional folkloric practices of the holiday celebration of the birth of Jesus, as recounted in the New Testament.

The less ornate, contemporary holiday, Hannukah, is celebrated with family and close friends. at home.The festive day is often called, “The Miracle of the Lights” and honors the ancient reconquest of Jerusalem from the Selucid Empire and the rededication of the Second great Jerusalem Temple. The Old Testament event incorporates the participants’ symbolic diet of fried potato pancakes; the oil necessary to their preparation analogically symbolizing the apocryphal lamps which contained barely one day’s supply of oil but miraculously, burned for a celebratory eight days. There are traditional holiday songs and games (ex, “dreidl) and (as contrasted with substantial Christmas gifts) ttraditional gift of a few holiday coins (Hannukah “gelt”) to young children,

What is inspiringly memorable is the demonstration of the benevolent intention of our sensitively aware schoolteacher who, on that day, drew a straight line down the middle of the chalkboard and wrote on one side, in all capital letters, the word, “Christmas,” and the other, “Hannukah.” We were pleased and gratified at her sensitivity and the inclusive act of awareness, in the face of all of the hype, public notices, and advertisements relative to Christmas, regarding that part of the class which were not Christian. We were grateful for the thoughtful and kind recognition and felt comfortably included in the seasonal celebratory ambiance,. In a contemplative recollection, sometime thereafter, we entertained the further thought that the well-intentioned schoolteacher was overgenerous since Christmas, pragmatically and historically plays an existentially vital role in Christian theology and that, Hannakah, remains a less significant holiday, merely in celebration of an historic military victory,.

Years later in one of my (usual) contemplative ruminations, I concluded ( not detracting one bit from the teacher’s benevolence) I generated some further thoughts concerning the relational importance of the holidays. I concluded that, in the context of the Christian faith, the holiday of Hanukkah, indeed had existential importance. It was the epiphanic realization, that if the Maccabean army lost and Judaism was erased from existence, Christianity could not have historically evolved (from the Hebrews); and, as a result, the joyous holiday of Christmas would not exist.

N.B. While we are on this metaphysically significant subject, we would beneficially request of our humanistic readers thatwhen the opportunity should appropriately present itself, to advise any self-identified acolyte of ” Christian White Nationalism,” that any cursory reading of the New Testament reveals that Jesus was a brown-skinned Palestinian Jew, as the Biblically presented son of Jewish parents, viz., Joseph and Mary a/k/a “Madonna.”

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First-generation children of Ashkenazi-Jewish immigrants from Central Europe may remember the amusing tales their elders attributed to a mythical City, of Chelm; tales which were part of the rich, Eastern European Yiddish cornucopia of humorous but intrinsically instructive, folklore. The inhabitants of that mythical city were unmitigated fools whose universal delusion was that they were wise men. The stories are called “Tales of The Wise Men of Chelm.” A few samples of the folklore should prove entertaining and, as well useful in conveying the contextual theme of this writing:

In one such typical tale, the wise men of Chelm, observing the misfortunate fact that fallen slices of toast often landed on the buttered side, pragmatically decided that all toast should be buttered on the “other side:” In another, they wisely concluded that flames from a burning barn were useful in viewing and consequently fighting, nighttime fires; in yet another, the wise men were consulted as to the problem of disposing of the large quantity of soil dug up from building the new synagogue; and came up with the “Chelmish” solution of digging out a hole and burying it. The ultimate result is necessarily and frustratingly understood.

An analogous “odd-ball” quality of distortion and reductionist logic maintained by the large horde of today’s MAGA-Trump supporters provided the dynamics of the present writing; meriting instructive reference to such near-sighted and reductionist, “Chelm-like” reasoning and resultant solution. The analogical reference concerns their paranoid ideation of a National liberal conspiracy as justification for their consequent support of Donald Trump for President. The MAGA’s reductive ignorance, as related below, can rationally and empirically be described as colossal, resulting in a solution far more illogical and bizarre than a typical Chelmish brainstorm; yet significantly worse in consequence.

The perverse MAGA ideation that the purportedly democratic Nation has secretly been run by a small, inner network of financially influential people (“The Deep State”) rather than the avowed rule by the people of the Nation is proximately responsible for their ubiquitous grievances and disappointing lives, will be ameliorated by the imperial rule of a single person dedicated to autocracy is far more than “Chelmish;” Indeed, it is mind-boggling and empirically dangerous.

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Aside from groups engaging in”bird watchers”), most contemporary humans go about their busy, self-absorbed, lifetimes on Terra Firma paying scant attention to their earthly airborne co-tenants. In our experience, the average lawnmowing, auto driving, commuting to work,, television viewing, hamburger consuming, coffee-drinking, member of the fraternity-sorority, referred to as “homo sapiens,” seem to perceive birds as merely and uninterestingly, part of the Planet’s natural environment like the wind and weather. Notably, their evolutionary, meat-eating amphibious ancestors, in their era, by existential contrast, warranted vital scrutiny and life-preserving diligence.

For the non-geological-evolutionary scientist, it requires a veritable “leap of faith,” to accept the notion that the little English sparrow, the tiny Black-Capped Chickadee, and the Goldfinch are the temporal evolutionary progeny of the Brontosaurus and the toothy Tyrannus Rex. Aside from the class of birds denominated as Raptors (“Hawks”), most of the unassuming avian inhabitants of the sky and Earth are content with a diet of insects, seeds, or floral nectar.

Contrary to their universally indifferent perception as simply, flying multi-colored fauna, birds, in fact, seem to perform the important role of reseeding the planet’s flora, reducing the impact of the planet’s overabundant population of annoying, and often toxic, insect population, providing a source of nutrition (ex, chickens and their eggs, turkeys, pheasants, pigeons), cultural ornaments for Indigenous peoples and women’s hats, quills for writing, mattress and pillow stuffing among other applications; and a plethora of referential vocabulary, viz., “bird-brained,” “chicken-hearted,” “chicken,” “eagle-eyed,” on the wing” “flight pattern” “crow’s feet,” “wing and a prayer,” “feather-nesting,” “egg head,” “feather-light,” “aviator,” flight pattern,” “nest egg,” “roost,” flock,” bill and coo,” “sitting ducks,” “turkey-necked,” “eagle eye,””alight,” “swoop down,” and others.; demonstrating that, contrary to the assumption that birds are out of mind, their presence, notably, in our analogous thoughts;

We would observe that birds have territorial assumptions but do not make internecine nor, interspecies wars, seem to share a common interest in food and a healthy environment, are musical and acrobatic, socially gregarious, unanimous in their decision-making regarding food sources and climate, seasonally flexible and adaptive, socially egalitarian, domestic and family oriented, practical and not delusional, and usefully and empirically motivated by considerations of natural survival viz., food, weather, and procreation.

In moments of deep and disappointed rumination concerning the unnatural and perverse condition of contemporary mankind’s casual respect for morality, avarice, and its populously singular ignorance, we unwittingly are struck with the bizarre question as to whether the birds might possibly be watching Mankind, from on high, us for a possible change (analogous to their own evolutionary transmogrification from Tyrannus Rex to black-capped chickadee,) to something universally peaceable and acceptably multi-societal.

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With all appropriate respect and sincere apologies to the singular genius of Albert Einstein, and despite our diffidence concerning its possible perception as reductive, we have come to a personnally satisfactory understanding of the metaphysical (and empirical) essence of the concept of “Time.” Our attained onclusion is that the conception of “Time” emanates from the dynamic comparison of recalled experiences in one’s respective temporal relationship. We will elucidate. by way of a recent, instructive, occurrence of an exotic e-mail.

The e-mail message simply sought our possible identification of two parties appearing in certain photographs, regarding who, unfortunately, we were unfamiliar. The exotic feature of the communication was that it was transmitted from a child of a first cousin (by marriage) which child we had not seen since he was a cute, blonde, curly-haired toddler, being gently rocked in a hammock, by his father on the back lawn of the homestead owned by his in-laws. our maternal Aunt Anna Kenigsberg and her husband, Morris, on Main Street, Middletown Connecticut. The communicant remarkably informed us that he was now 78 years of age; attesting to the bizarre fact that we had not seen or spoken with him for upwards of three-quarters of a Century.

In the course of said exotic communication, we requested, and soon thereafter received, a detailed, well-written history of the births and deaths of the family and progeny of our Mother’s eldest sister (“Tante Anna”).

The recited experience had the effect of causing us, once more, to contextually ruminate on the nature of “Time,” as nuanced and empirically perceived by Mankind, distinquished from the cosmic and metaphysical phenomenon, famously emanaring from the genius of Albert Einstein viz.,”Time,” as variously lived and and perceived by humankind is contemplatively, and empirically demonstrated by our natural reaction to the receipt of exotic e-mail.

Our reflexive rection to the recounted e-mail scenario is respectfully submitted as empirical confirmation of our eternally-held proposition that Mankind’s perception of “Time” is empirically based upon his reaction to the temporal order of his nuanced, accurately recalled, lifetime experiences. For a utilitarian and humanistic understanding of Man’s lifetime of experience, even the incomparable intellect of Albert Einstein offers meager assistance.

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It may be noted, alarmingly, that the President-Elect’s many choices for cabinet positions, uniformly evince the worrisome characteristics of inexperience, conflicts of interest, a full menu of past immoral and/or criminal behavior, and, notably, the prerequisite demonstrated fealty to Donald Trump. As inappropriately flawed as they are, only one, JFK, Jr., can, aesthetically and empirically be described as characteristically “grotesque.”

John F. Kennedy Jr. is similar to his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and his father, Attorney General, Robert Kennedy solely in name.; his appearance, persona, and fundamental beliefs are incompatible and totally divergent from his attractive Uncle and Father,.In appearance, the least significant aspect of this writing, he appears emotionally impassive, dark-complected and speaks in a halting, strained, and gravelly voice.

Our protagonist is an ardent conspiracy wonk and has exhibited a lifetime of advocacy for the cessation of the medically salubrious, disease-preventing practice of vaccination. His principle ideation, that vaccination causes autism, is in direct contrast to medical research., proving otherwise., This deluded conspiracy monger has been nominated by Donald Trump to be the Nation’s Secretary of Health. His anti-vax proclivities would, otherwise appropriately and pragmatically, eliminate his name from rational consideration as Health Secretary. However, his existentionally redeeming feature is his expressed support of the egocentric President-Elect,

Medical history consistently demonstrates the salubrious nature of vaccination. The diserases of polio, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, mumps, whooping cough, tetanus, COVID-19, and scores of others have been medically preventable by the prophylaxis of vaccination. JFK, Jr.’s paranoid ideation that vaccines cause autism, and serve some nefarious need of an existing “Inner State” is toxic and grotesquely harmful.

The widely inappropriate nature of the JFK, Jr. nomination for the impactful office of health czar is additionally inappropriate by reason of the bizarre nature of his outlandish behavior; inclusive of his questionable deposit of a dead bear in New York’s Central Park. The mentally flawed nominee has, in addition, publically disclosed that he has a worm in his brain; presumably the impetus for his conspiracy ideations and, as well, his obedience to Donald Trump.

JFK, Jr,, the President-Elect’s selected nominee to the societally impactful office of Secretary of Health and Human Services has recently declared his grotesque and ultimsately disastrous intention to halt vaccinations for polio. It was this notably grotesque announcement that caused our angst and, indeed. the motivation for this writing,

We can painfully recall polio’s crescendo years, 1940 to 1950, and the raw universal terror of infection of polio, causing, among other precautions, the verboten attendance, especially of young children, at movie theaters or swimming pools. We remember President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who, at age 29 contracted the paralytic disease) founding the National March of Dimes to raise funds for polio research. We recall images of the dreaded iron lungs, of paralysis, and tragic deaths. When Salk and Sabin successfully developed the preventive vaccine for this dreaded disease, the WHO (and the entire world) celebrated the momentous occasion with existential relief.

The selection of the thematically grotesque nominee for the vital office of Secretary of Health and Human Services is disgraceful and extremely dangerous; it might conceivably, be the dynamic product of a hopelessly flawed President-Elect and his brain-wormed, grote4sque nominee.

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We have recently read some medical-chemical articles on the use and dynamic effect of the ingestion of so-called “magic mushrooms.” As reported, partaking in such exotic fungi produces certain desired effects such as the visual mobility of inanimate objects, intensity of color, and the experience of an enhanced heartbeat. We have been puzzled as to the dubious aspiration of users to thus distort reality. It is our theme that the phenomenon of distortion, notably, exists in today’s political scenario without the prerequisite administration of psychedelic chemistry

We have, on personal principle elected to not comment on the nuance of individual taste in experiencing “pleasure,” inclusive of such aspirations for altered reality; ye, we have empirically noted that recent developments in the Nation render such questionably desirable distortions readily available at no charge and without chemical concomitant except that of the resultant “heartburn.” In sum, our observation is that “Golden Mushrooms, LSD, and other expensive and possibly hazardous, mind-altering stimulants are an unnecessary precursor to the experiences of mind-bending distortions of normalcy, daily reported, the Nation’s media.

Millions of voters, constituting as much as nearly 50% of the Nation, elected to the office of the President of the United States, considered the avatar of liberty and individual rights, Donald J. Trump, an individual totally lacking a moral compass nor a scintilla of requisite capability. with a record of numerous felony indictments and 34 convictions, including treasonous purloining of secret government documents, an admirer and friend of Russia’s Putin and other autocratic leaders of our enemy countries, undemocratic election denier and sponsor of National insurrection, perpetrator of election fraud, promoter of militant White Christian Nationalism, a lifelong misogynist, and adjudicated rapist, the perpetrator of extensive tax fraud, surreal violater of the Constitution’s Emolument Clause, a crass and shamefully inappropriate embarrassing retail hawker of glitzy merchandise to the American public, an adjudged defamer, and a miscreant who has publically declared his intention to set aside the American Constitution and rule as an autocratic dictator; wreaking vengeance against all of his political opponents. Who needs golden mushrooms?

Such phantasmagorically distorted, shockingly elected American Chief Executive has likewise proposed as his Official Cabinet nightmarish, hallucinatory, and bizarre choices of unreal and caricatured figures whose respective personas are appropriate for inclusion in, the cast of Lewis Carroll’s, Alice In Wonderland” or more visually, creatures in a Roku horror movie. He selected a sexual predator, sex market trader, and drug addict for America’s Attorney General, a spokeswoman for Putin, and friend of (the now deposed) Syrian pathological tyrant, Asad, as chief of American Intelligence, a conspiracy delusional opponent of vaccination, who deposited a dead bear in New York’s Central Park and boasts a worm in his brain, as the Nation’s top health authority, a Secretary of Defense, a known alcoholic, tattooed White Supremacist who is opposed to women in the military, an Immigration Secretary who has stated his intention to deport millions of immigrant families and a veritable psychedelic quilt of similarly incapable and principally unfit nominees. We repeat the previous question as to the practical need for chemical catalysts for psychedelic dissimulation of normal reality?

The ubiquitous opium den is sadly, not limited to Mar-A-Largo and the sycophantic MAGA lemmings. The context of contemporary university education, student protests, atavistic prejudice, including an epidemic size reprise of the toxic disease of antisemetism, gender prejudice, interference with women’s natural authority over their own body, derision of the humanistic welcome symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, suicidal opposition to ameliorative policies regarding global warming, fascistic censorship, the emotionally unhealthy results of smartphone insularity and loneliness in place of salubrious human interaction, the fateful decline of liberal scholarship in favor of short term goals, the effective emasculation of representative democracy by the legally, unlimited franchise of political donations, the irresponsible despoilation of the natural environment; we could, unhappily, go on ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

Rational good sense and the salubrious standards for societal and individual interaction have been distorted beyond any recognizable image of empirical normality, resulting in a surfeit of distorted reality regarding which, no employment of Golden Mushrooms or other chemistry is empirically, comparable or necessary.

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We have always frowned upon aphoristic pseudo-wisdom and encouraged their disregard. Such presumptuous a priori, all-encompassing, and reductionist guides to choices of action, judgment, and positive solutions to the universe of presenting matters are to be scrupulously avoided, Pre-prescibed choice and recommendations are thoughtless and misleading emanations of reductionist pseudo-wisdom, empirically unrelated to the issue at hand or alternate choices of action.

We have presumably, commented on the sophomoric practice of relying on the traditionally classic “chestnuts” of ersatz wisdom and thought it would be us to explore a sample of the dilemmas posed by the sophomoric application of such pre-packaged advice in its more modern iterations.

Plainly stated, our thematic message is the efficacy of reason to problems and issues as they present themselves, as opposed to the curation of an arsenal of priori solutions to be selectively activated when deemed relevantly necessary. Some more modern recommendations bear, at times some meritorious advice, but lead to resultant dilemmas.

(1) Getting a second medical opinion. This is a cogent suggestion, especially when surgery is recommended. A conundrum arises when the second opinion is not confirmatory of the first. The troubled prudent patient then acquires the dilemma of which opinion to beneficially accept.

(2) The encouraging dynamic recommendation: “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” In the event of an unattainable or plainly hazardous goal, the ubiquitous encouragement of unceasing repetition may lack pragmatic wisdom or border on neurotic and hazardous futility

(3) The acclaimed author, Ralph Waldo Emerson, famously stated:” A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” A pragmatic question arises the nature of “foolishness” is empirically determinable only after many unsuccessful attempts.

(4) “Everyone is entitled to his opinion, is an ignorant, overly generous, and disconcerting franchise For any opinion it to deserve consideration, and value, it must be a relevant statement by a relevantly knowledgeable person. The apparently confident declarations of the most effective speaker are empirically valueless without knowledgeable basics. The constitutional grant of the right to free speech, notably, does not mandate acceptance of unsupported or factually irresponsible statements.

(5) ” It’s all relative.” Many judgmental subjects, opinions, feelings, tastes, evaluations, and responses to presenting stimuli, are empirically nuanced and are, in fact, relative to individual perception or experience; but, not all things such as “love,” (including the familial variety), “patriotism,” “morality,” “truth”, “accuracy,” and “equality” are among the phenomena not intrinsically or subjectively relative.

(6) “Better late than never.” This popular recommendation has a nuanced applicability depending upon circumstances.: Arriving two days late for a birthday party, accepting an option two days after its withdrawal, arriving with the promised casserole or dessert two hours after the dinner guests have eaten and departed, “locking the barn door after the horse has bolted,” applying the fire extinguisher long after the extinguishment of the fire are practical examples.

The wisdom of the contemplative individual instructs him to solve problems and reconcile presenting dilemmas by application of personally experiential wisdom relevant to the extant issue and to eschew a priori “wisdom,” irrespective of its source.

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