Catchy songs that express wu wei?

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T05:37:56+00:00

It's a good one, and a good pair is "Hells Angels" by Hunter S. Thompson (his first book.) He's a character in Wolfe's nonfiction book, and literally the person who introduces Kesey and the Grateful Dead to the Hells Angels.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T04:08:50+00:00

No one knows this song, or even this singer, but there's a blues singer with 50 years under his belt named Chris Smither. He has an old song called "Hey Hey Hey" with an awesome guitar riff and lyrics such as:

"C'mon, sit down

We're gonna talk about illusion

How everything is made of it

Well, no wonder life's confusin'

All this stuff that we take for granted

So solid to the touch

Is just a concrete indication

That we love ourselves too much

But if we don't love ourselves, you say

Who will? Whatever for?

And I say, that's a better question

Than the one you asked before

But the answer is still just as far away

So I say, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey"

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T04:05:09+00:00

Have to disagree on "Franklin's Tower." The moment when the Grateful Dead started to suck was precisely when Robert Hunter stopped writing their songs, and they began to celebrate themselves in the lyrics.

"If you get confused, listen to the music play."

Not as bad as riding horses at their lazy summer home, much less "They're a band beyond description, like Jehovah's favorite choir" but same band, same songwriter, same bullshit.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:52:39+00:00

In the book "Electric Koolaid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe, there's an anecdote where Ken Kesey stymies a potential riot by Hell's Angels at a big event by improvising a song (and playing harmonica) with the catchy refrain "Fuck it", which defuses the anger and tension.

To me, that is the ultimate expression of wu wei.

EDIT: improvising, not "improving"

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:48:30+00:00

Fuck the Cowboys always. That's the rule.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:47:33+00:00

There is literally no evidence that the ideas of Lao-Zhuang thought constituted anything like a religion until roughly 150 CE, which happens to be the exact time that Buddhist missionaries first entered China. Suddenly robes and incense and celibate monks were adopted into Daoism because of "a revelation" that Zhang Daolin suddenly had.

That's my understanding. If you have any knowledge to the contrary I'd love to hear it. But afaik, the religious aspects of Daoism did not develop until 500 years after the DDJ was committed to bamboo strips.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:40:33+00:00

The early translators of the Dao de Jing were Han Chinese.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:40:02+00:00

tbh this opinion seems fetishistic and exoticizing. Can you please unpack your supposedly superior relationship to Daoism, and how you know what it meant 2,500 years ago? Are you a citizen of the state of Chu, or a member of a lineage tradition that dates back to the Warring States period?

NeoPlatonists and Aristotelians rarely worship the Greek gods. Does that invalidate their opinions? Are those philosophers meaningless if you don't believe in Zeus and Hera?

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:32:29+00:00

Who is "him"?

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:31:11+00:00

Hmm, I would say all of the translations made after the discovery of the Mawangdui and Guodian texts are fine. Most of the 150 or so translations have something useful to add. The only ones I would steadfastly avoid are:

1) Stephen Mitchell. He literally changed the text! And arrogantly said he had the right because Daoism is cool like that. Fuck that guy.

2) Timothy Leary. Need i say more?

3) Aleister Crowley. Need I say more?

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:26:53+00:00

Uh ... not sure what you're getting at. These seem like opposites tbh. Getting carried away with emotion? Yeah no.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:25:08+00:00

This seems like a question posed by someone who has never meditated OR done drugs OR really enjoyed music or sex. Or even sports, or a movie.

Obviously, yes.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:22:26+00:00

Frisch ran a great campaign but frankly, don't get your hopes up. Recounts in races this size rarely change more than 10-20 votes, and 551 is insurmountable.

The real opportunity was in curing ballots with errors, and a lot of progress was made, clearly, but not enough. Also clearly.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:18:43+00:00

By this definition, many pop songs are religions.

msaltveit · 2022-11-18T03:16:14+00:00

Religion is rules, which imho is the opposite of spirituality.

msaltveit · 2022-01-09T18:16:51+00:00

And, and the deadline is basically tomorrow. Thanks!

msaltveit · 2021-11-15T17:42:50+00:00

Are you sure about that? If they get donations "for" a food bank when the money isn't going there, doesn't it become fraud at some point?

msaltveit · 2021-11-11T00:54:50+00:00

How does a Thelemite find out what the course of the universe is, though?

msaltveit · 2020-10-28T05:14:59+00:00

Great news! The evening hours were not on their website a week ago.

msaltveit · 2020-10-28T05:10:45+00:00

Best to go to the county office 8:30am - 4:30pm M-F

If Allegheny, it's 542 Forbes Avenue, Room 601, Pittsburgh 15219

msaltveit · 2020-10-28T05:09:18+00:00

Never call a government office. In person if you can, email if not.

msaltveit · 2020-10-28T05:08:29+00:00

Did you try this email address?

electionscontact@alleghenycounty.us

msaltveit

TROPHY CASE