The Portrait of Zool

From todays headlines... story.news.yahoo.com/news...d_abducted ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know.

Above the fireplace of the Cabaret hung poised as regal a figure as ever wielded a rubber chicken. Zool, as always, depicted wearing his best leather trimmed in red, stood watch over the hallowed meeting place, and with glad aires did lower his eyes and raise a smile for the homecoming. "Tis very good to see you again, Lord Exodus." The painting's lips swirled and bubbled, each brush stroke perfectly depicting every syllable, his voice emenating mysteriously from the life sized portrait. "It is always a time to toast with the heady brew of Joy when the traveller comes by to his home once again." And Zool did tip his crystal chalice, and drink deep.

Anytome.

"I hope. all I have is hope." Isn't 'hope' where you have trust and faith that your condition will improve? "I know that can never be but I keep on hoping. and dreaming. and eluding myself." Like Master P said, your message is one of pain (not hope). You do indeed have a way with words - a very valuable way, I agree. But the second quote rather sums up your BOOK OF SHADOWS in theme. I don't know your situation - if you are in immediate danger then something must be done. There must be a relative or a trustworthy authority figure around somewhere you can turn to. If your trouble is more metaphysical in nature due to some previous or contemporary trauma then you should ask for help. We all need help sometimes. There is no shame in it. Take care of yourself - Our selves is all any of us really have in this world, and from the looks of your writing you also have MUCH to give the world. Don't throw it all away simply for a lack of resolve in nurturing yourself. Email me anytime. papa_k3n@yahoo.com

You're gonna be okay Ope. Don't listen to me.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black... It's called live and let live, btw.

Love yourself, Opes. Give yourself a break.

Zool smiles, and steps out of his portrait. "What the monster seeks to keep is merely it's own exxistance. You are not the monster. You seek peace. Peace is your natural state. You try so hard - it only makes the monster more real. Do not try to turn away from the monster Turn to yourself instead. You can not help but be yourself, simply let yourself... be." ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know.

Your struggle is the measure of your desperation. Admit that it never works. No matter how miserable you feel nothing changes. Let go and be. ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know.

Conflict, ego, expectation You badly need a reformation Acceptance, love and compassion Give your guilt a long vacation.

So what is in our realm of understanding? And failling that, what is in our realm of experience? And failling that, what should be in our realm of faith? Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/14/02 7:17:08 pm

Scientific truth - repeatable evidence... What does that have to do with the human spirit? Can one discern the ineffable essence of actors by examining the stage? Their costumes? Their lines? The world is bigger than you or I or Einstein could ever imagine. It is simply a matter of serial minds in a paralell universe(s?). ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know.

What is the true self? Is it the ego, with demands for more and constant comparison with others? Is it that little voice that sees the difference - wait, that is just another guise of the one who demands more, making constant comparison with others. Let it go. What is the opposite of thinking everything is against? What is the opposite of powerlessness? What is the opposite of always seeing the world insufficient? What is the opposite of seeing only shortcoming in oneself? What is the opposite of seperating oneself out and calling not getting what one wants a trick of evil? Give in to abundance. Give in to self creation. Give in to Love. Give in to oneness. Your 'AXIOM' is but a reflection of how you see yourself. You've made a choice somewhere, and you can change it anytime. Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/12/02 6:47:36 am

Good one Rev!

Hehe, did they now? ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know.

Oh very well! Zool moves to a large blackboard where he begins resignedly writing one thousand times: "I will not point out other's misspellings or bad grammar." Happy? *Turning back to the blackboard he stealthily munches on a piece of chocolate hidden in his cupped hand...*

Yeesh, PLEASE don't compare me to Misha! Honestly, I know I've slaughtered a word or six in a sentence, but it's usually at least phonetically decodable. I figured "ofre" was most probably supposed to be "form", but only because I couldn't think of what else it could be. I just thought I might gently suggest a little more legibility, without insulting or accusing. Actually, I am impressed by your sharp wit Nyyark (just don't accidentally cut yourself ). Is it the old pluralist/monotheist controversey? I thought we were talking realities, not deities. It could figure in, and it just as well could not be mentioned. At any rate, yeah, I suppose I could always learn some gentleness. My apologies, again. YFA Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/6/02 7:31:50 pm

"I'm not entirely sure why you use this ofre of debate. To me it looks really condesending, as well as putting more value on word than meaning, but I'll use it while adressing you as your prolly more comfortable with it." Wow. that's very big of you to use my "ofre of debate" (could I take this opportunity to ask you to try to be a little clearer, at least correct obvious misspellings that are crucial to the understanding?), since I am probably more comfortable with it, even though you find it condescending. Please consider me to feel appropriately publicly spanked by your gracious and clever inversion of responsibility - it's not condescending at all (on some planet, I'm sure.) Reading through the rest of your reply, I take it you found my reply to you just a little more than condescending - I'd go so far as to say you found it, well, insulting. Please accept my humblest apologies, if you were insulted. Also, I see you understood very little of my reply - entirely my fault, I am again sure. Perhaps you would consider a change in tack. Should we start over? Should we pick a single issue for clarification? Perhaps pistols at fifty paces? Lemme know. Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/6/02 1:50:43 pm

" I dreamt you all into existence, on some level. Now if I learn to respond to you in the way I dream, you'll all respect me. A reality-bringer only tries to tell me that I am wrong." I believe on some level, we all co-create each other. Are you sure you don't respond to me in the way you dream? I cannot know your reality, so I really couldn't tell you you're wrong. P.S. Bring chocolate, and we'll all respect you. ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know. Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/6/02 11:32:42 am

" By your defintion of reality Zool, it would be different for eery person, as a metter of fact, I wouldn't see any 'our' about it." Actually, I was referring to our individual experiences. Reality is different for every person - or are you gonna tell me we aren't having this debate? " I've always tried to define reality as what actually is, rather than the realm of my existance." How do you seperate the two? Are you talking internal reality and external reality? Yes, they are also personal experiences, the internal shared overtly and the internal shared covertly. " In my realm of existance, many thing exist that I know don't really don't." Can you say "paradox"? Is this something like (just as a 'faith' example) God, whom you 'know' exists... " I wholly exist in my mind, and partally in reality, mainly because I attached things I recongize as important values to non-existant things." You'll have to explain this a little more, though I thought Know thyself came AFTER you were brought into physical existance. " What then is the point of reality? Well I think its real only importance is for communication between two people." I really couldn't say, but it has been handy for that durring this discussion. I reserve the right to point out other uses at some future time. " I can say this without worring about Christianity, because in that light reality doesn't matter. I only worry about the Lord." Reality doesn't matter? Then why put us through it? My own opinion about the Lord is that he isn't worried, but of course I really couldn't say. " I find it really funny when people are so bound by reality. Especally when people say things like 'We will never be able to do [insert anything here]. If one but looks at people compared to 100- years ago, you can see how much the agreed upon 'must be reality' has changed. Do these people expect it not to change in the future? I've often wondere that." Funny the concretist notions people pick up, isn't it? Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/6/02 11:28:12 am

Okay, Reality, for all intents and purposes, boils down berely to the realm of our experience. If it is consistent, why look beyond it for other explanations? (Of course 'ordinary' reality is not as consistent as the concretists would like to believe, which provokes them to no end. ) You do not believe that there is such as thing as the "Single, All Important, Universal Truth That Clarifies All Existance..."? Funny, that's what you seemed to sum up in your last paragraph...

Welcome to America.

Gaaah! I am NOT CRANKY! Define reality - isn't that like convicting a portrait of a crime the model committed? *Chuckle...* ~Zool~ Ancient, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Bard of Terra, Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards. Master of Magic and Mayhem, The Moonlit Realm Elder than dirt, more foolish than a jester, able to trip over the smallest logic in a single step. It's... Oh, you know.

Could I logically deduce that up is down and night is day? LOL! Those who speak of objectivity and then make the facts their slaves! If I hear another person try to support their opinions with "I am a realist" I'm gonna puke! What does your heart tell you? Of course, if your heart has no truth in it, what does it matter?

Is that your truth, that you have no internal truth?