Captains Blog: Thoughts on post mortem and “Remember God is always right”
Well last week I ended my monthly membership at the Gymn a friend and I were training at. I decided I was going to change my routine for another type of exercise which is more of a mountain scaling type training.
I could not help but reminisce on the times me and my best friend had in the gym together. The daily experience was usually a physical duress mixed with moments of philosophical enlightenment. On the last day of lucidity and pain I and my work-out companion were reminiscing on the meaning of life between vigorous pulls on a low row machine. We were going through the different activities of the human existence that made life bearable. I am not sure how but some way all this existentialism kept being interrupted female passerby with particularly rounded out hind quarters wrapped in tight leotards. Luckily these interruptions only lasted the two seconds it took her to walk by.
Where was I? Ah yes existentialism. Anyway we were going through that which classified the human experience in a list form. Some of these were the first alcohol experience, grade school mortification, being with a woman, siring a child…etc. Then it dawned on me. I said “Is killing another man a part of the human experience? Because if so this is not something I may never know. What about you?” This to which my companion paused thoughtfully and replied “There was that time I almost killed you.” This of course took me off guard for a moment then I smiled. “Ah yes but luckily I had the foresight to hide all but one of your cartridges and the only one I left you I emptied out all the shot out of so you were just shooting blanks. Ha, who da fool now!”
Enough of that rot… I took my son, Thomas, to see the Transformers over the weekend. There was a host of new additions to the pantheon of characters but as far as special effects I felt that most of what I was seeing was the same as the first movie. I will admit there was some new effects but hardly made it worth the hours that I spent in the theater. What did make it worth while was definitely not the lack of plot and predictability of the out come but the fact that as soon as the lights came on at the end of the movie I looked over at my 10 year old son to see stars in his eyes and smoke coming out of his ears. He looked at me and said ¨That was awesome!!¨. It was at that point when I realized that every 10 year old boy wants to be Sam or some kind of variant of Optimus Prime. Interestingly enough they did incorporate into the story where a hero, a Colossus, dies and then comes back to life to save the world. Where have I heard that one before? Speaking of ripping off Greeks and other traditions there was also an element of stealing the earth’s sun in a Modern Day Prometheus fashion. Apparently the movie did rake in colossal profits over the weekend despite bad reviews. I guess it was guys like me who were hanging out with their 10 year old sons. This BTW did make it worth seeing. So my suggestion to you the reader is to see this movie ONLY if you have a 10 year old son or 10 year old male relative who will make it worth your whilel. Let it be known that I wanted to go see Up with Tammy and Maddy. Damn the modern multiplex!!!
Later that day…in the evening to be exact, I decided to watch a different movie to wind down and to also to continue my Hellenistic experience. This movie was Zorba the Greek. I was fascinated as this was a movie taken from one of my favorite novels written by one of my favorite authors Nikos Kazinstakis. The movie was masterfully directed by Anthony Quinn who starred as Zorba as well. It was one of the few movies which actually caught the spirit of a book in cinematic form. It shows Zorba a simple man who embraces life as it comes. He loves women and believes that friendship is the most important treasure there is on earth. When his friend and “Boss”, the young English narrorator of the story, says that he does not want to pursue a relationship with a beautiful young widow on the island of Crete he says “I do not want to cause trouble”. Then Zorba ensues with one of my favorite quotes of the movie and perhaps the thought which encapsulates the whole film as well as Mr. Kazinstakis’ novel: “Boss!! “Life is trouble, to live is to cause trouble and there will be no trouble when you are dead!”
Cause some trouble this week!
FeO2
“Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. “ Roman 6:9
This one is for my Pops who is a child of the sixties. It’s a Roger Whittaker.
I don’t believe in if anymore
“Now if you load your rifle right
And if you fix your bayonet so
And if you kill that man my friend
The one we call the foe
And if you do it often lad
And if you do it right
You'll be a hero overnight
You'll save your country from her plight
Remember God is always right
if you survive to see the sight
A friend now greeting foe
No you won't believe in if anymore
It's an illusion
It's an illusion
No you won't believe in if anymore
If is for children
If is for children
Building daydreams
If I knew then what I know now
(I thought I did you know somehow)
If I could have the time again
I'd take the sunshine leave the rain
If only time would trickle slow
Like rain that melts the fallen snow
If only Lord if only
If only Lord if only
Oh I don't believe in If anymore
It's an illusion
It's an illusion
No I don't believe in If anymore
If is for children
If is for children
Building daydreams…..”
“I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying.”. Woody Allen
¨The only thing I do gracefully is fall from grace¨ Rusty Firestone
Three Religiions
Facing the wall
