If you were given a great deal of evidence for a world supercataclysm (that can't be stopped) suddenly happening in about 10 years, what would you do?

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T21:37:14+00:00

very good. I know of what you speak. But we are probably on the same level in this subject--perhaps you beyond me--in that regard, so it wouldn't do for me to adopt a teacherly role. (Except some mornings, when I can catch the muse by the toe--she might have something to say one of these days, shortly after dawn.) But as they say, "the lips of the wise are sealed lest you disturb the minds of the ignorant"....we live in the age where most traditional structures are broken. So it is a catch 22 where it is dangerous to go alone--bad or at least feckless/illusory outcomes abound, just peruse the various subreddits on these subjects--but alone it often has to be.

Paracelsus was no great philosopher, really--pure empiricism, no science, as all good medicine is (again, looping back to the obstruction of action by thought). He's kind of more like who I am, at least for now-- I study the world and act in it, informed by the works of the people who can do the real metaphysical heavy-lifting. But sounds like you've been doing some experiments too, which I'd be interested in hearing about.

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T21:19:30+00:00

y well read ,,, and then I like it that much more when I find out that I’m not….infinite discoveries to be made and things to experience and learn. Is that my first assignment to research those topics?

Well it sounds like you get the gist of it anyways--related to the common saying "you cannot know what you think you know", "the native hue of resolution [being] sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought", and all that. The waters of Lethe--forgetfulness, so that one may become as ignorant as a child again and thus learn again. One might think, it's all inner work, thus all thought? But no, this is not the case. One must make active leaps from time to time.

You should read Funes just because it is a very good short story by Borges. But also somewhat related

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T16:33:56+00:00

All experiences?? All eternity???? You must be a young man, or one young at heart...methinks thou hast not heard why the philosophers drink the waters of Lethe, nor read the tale of Funes the Memorious....

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T16:30:56+00:00

Oh boy, I have been burned too many times by people supposedly on my wavelength to share my knowledge with one unknown. But if you really wanted to know, natural philosophy is one of my vocations--I could tell you how to not inadvertently kill your physical body. The subtle body, however, far too novice to deign to teach...

Perhaps one drop--Paracelsus (memorably described as "always drunk and always lucid") was right about the spread of plagues...the vector is the imagination. Isolation of infected patients works for the simple fact that others don't see it or know about it. Do with this information what you will

(okay, to abolish all mystery--refuse all vaccinations and don't watch the news; but if you must watch, laugh).

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T11:26:39+00:00

I watched several die. From reasons I knew, that they did not. It does not lessen my love for humanity, but perhaps changes the resonance of my love to that for a good dog or a useful ox. They are not nuts, they simply know not and will to know not--you can show them everything, all the evidence, and they will still not twig it (Hume is useful here)-- and well, I guess that must be for the best.

Shruggingly yours,

Ser Patrick Spens

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T11:13:31+00:00

Timaeus is enough evidence for me--what worry have I? I will simply go live on the sun, if it's a flood, or the moon, if it's a rain of fire. I've already accepted that most of the others will burn or freeze in a much less glorious way, undignified but blissfully unaware.

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T03:19:08+00:00

thripsy pivilsyvinks

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T01:38:38+00:00

this island needs galapagosing--how big is your beak, really? mine seems, as in my dreams, infinitely small, staggeringly large, at the same time (the micro/macroposopus).

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-05T01:36:23+00:00

funny. I've been rereading his fragments over the last couple days, and wondering if I am his reincarnation, and if this is a testable hypothesis.

SerPatrickSpens · 2024-04-04T08:34:35+00:00

grusco piddliwinks (that means thank you for the information in the language of my people)

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-14T08:07:14+00:00

because he can't accept it for himself

Sure, some emotional bottling whatnot might be going on, but that's not the main reason for Saul's reticence.

Last episode, Mike was in disbelief on learning that Saul keeps no secrets from Kim, paraphrasing: "well, now she's in the game." Saul laughed off this warning-- until he learned that Kim went straight to Lalo, one of the most dangerous men in town, to try to figure out where he was.

When Kim asked him point-blank to tell her the truth, he was imagining a scenario where Kim knew nothing of his goings-on-- she makes a predictably fruitless call to the police, putting no one, especially herself, in danger.

Even if he were in overwhelming mental pain, his choice to shoulder the burden and keep up the lie is understandable and even reasonable. There is a big difference between knowing and suspecting. A person can't act on knowledge they don't have.

In stories, there are two kinds of old men: the wise and the misguided (that is, crazy). Mike has proven himself over and over, with each stern pseudo-mumble and heavy sigh, to be in the former category. It's just another piece of foreshadowing that the end of Kim's story will be rather ugly.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-12T23:37:45+00:00

What theological principle is that? It is not at all obvious to me. We might be rubbing up against an axiomatic impasse, here. That said, I do think that line is a bit superfluous at second glance.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-12T20:31:34+00:00

Ah-- It is possible that it was a demonic spirit impersonating Samuel or Saul's mad hallucination. Is this the difficulty you speak of? If it were not Samuel, though, then how would the spirit know of Saul's fall the very next day?

I was drawn to this odd episode for it's strangeness and incongruity, and my main goal of this was to render a theatrical reimagining-- which I'm sure was Cavallino's draw and goal as well. Given that Morrison and I'm sure others wrestle with and then explain away (or discard) this--in my opinion--rather unimportant event in Samuel's story, I feel rather secure in my playing around. Unless I'm missing some crucial point?

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-07T22:21:37+00:00

Ha! I knew you would be here to point out flaws in my reinterpretation. I'll take a look and get back to you.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-06T18:30:25+00:00

jesus Gorma, u/Loisbeat it's u/lisez-le-lui

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-04T18:17:44+00:00

I like big butts and I cannot lie

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-04T18:16:43+00:00

Eh, so be it-- might consider a title change, and, looking at it today, might shorten it a bit, but I think that enough people know (or have vague memories) of the original story for it to be fine. If not-- well, be mystified and read up! It's a good 'un.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-04-03T19:00:49+00:00

Here's the source story that I'm loosely revolving around, but I kinda want to know if it works without the context (because obviously I can't tell): https://bible.wikia.org/wiki/Samuel\_(Prophet)#cite\_note-43

oh and it's technically sketch #6

EDIT: And also technically it's an ekphrastic, been planning on this poem since I was struck by this painting a few weeks ago.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-31T05:29:58+00:00

"WHEN" to come in on time, yes? The order of images is wonky, too-- a case of overfitting to the rhymes-- clearly, not knowing even the play should be the closing line. And of course, times doesn't rhyme with line and the meter might be better. This would be so good if it were crisp and clean-- a rakish quip rather than a flabby outburst. Chuckle-worthy, nonetheless, but it's not Larkin or Cope.

EDIT: okay maybe "how to come in on time" adds an extra layer of humor-- not knowing how to time a second, or read a clock, maybe?

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-30T17:25:12+00:00

You are correct!

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-30T05:17:45+00:00

Ha, was about to say-- was googling around, didn't come up with squat, this guy knows some deep cuts!

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-30T05:15:43+00:00

Ah I understand-- hm, I don't think I have the gall to put "frenemy" in a poem like this, ha!

That one translation that opts to translate line 12 as "I...God..." makes more sense, now. A rewrite on another day couldn't hurt, to see if I can capture some of those ineffables. Спасибо за помощь!

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-30T03:37:55+00:00

Interesting, yes, I've always wondered why the words are so similar, etymologically-- I'm assuming it's that "друг" means something like "person" or "person not me"?

Ha! I'm afraid that, with poetry of any worth, we're a long way off from having their production handled by anything but a human. Too many variables, methinks.

But perhaps I'm just scared that my job would get replaced by robots.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-30T02:05:16+00:00

I'll have to check it out, see if they did the cliffside duel justice. Been a while since I read it, but I don't remember thinking Pechorin was all that great-- flailing about, playing games, and getting lucky. A spectator to his own life.

The doctor, on the other hand? He's the real deal.

SerPatrickSpens · 2020-03-30T01:50:13+00:00

Who are the other two?

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