A glossary for discussing these times is helpful, especially for our young people.

Stoking / Stoker

Somebody who makes a mountain out of a molehill, finds division when there isn’t any, etc in order to get power. Often Stokers will create a problem (without people knowing) and then claim to be a solution to that problem. Here are some examples:

• Demonizing the other party
• Using terms like “killing babies”, “pro life” and creating a “Pro Life” vs “Pro Choice” narrative when in reality most people are largely in agreement (e.g. …

I have to refresh my supply of guitar picks regularly. I’ve never solved the puzzle regarding how they just vanish all the time. The prevailing theories are:

1. Conversion to pure energy: They literally just disappear. The matter in them suddenly ceases to exist. Most people argue that’s impossible because according to E=MC2 that would create the energy of a nuclear bomb. But maybe there is a flaw in Einsteins equation.
2. Wormholes: They disappear into a wormhole and emerge somewhere near Barnards Star. That theory at least keeps Einsteins equation intact
3. Aliens: Aliens have a serious deficiency of guitar pics on…

I’m not quite sure how democracy really works considering that it’s pretty much impossible to have a productive detailed discussion in a group with more than 4 or 5 people. Just think of how hard it is to choose a place to goto dinner with your family. And then talk about politics? Forget it. When you hit 20, it’s downright impossible, and anything beyond that no way. And then try to do it online…ha!

I love the concept of the wisdom of crowds as it applies to supporting a populist candidate like Bernie Sanders or AOC. But it can also…

This is probably obvious, but we have to always remind ourselves what game is really being played so the ensuing drama doesn’t overcome us. And set any respectful debate in the right context, free from the emotional manipulations of the mediocre. (Which is really hard to achieve on social media because the person who shouts loudest gets the most attention — sigh).

The founding fathers of the US were afraid of the 2 M’s:

• The Monarchy — who had too much concentration of power
• The Masses — who at the time were relatively uneducated

So they structured the government to…

There are many religions in this world, for example:

• Money and power
• Sex and power
• Fashion and power
• Victimhood, anger and hate
• Love

Most of which are of course egocentric. There is nothing wrong with a healthy ego, but there are many people in power who prey on inflating our egos — for example politicians, advertisers, and religious / cult leaders and dictators. This technique of controlling people has demonstrated century after century to be highly effective, and an essential tool for organizing and sustaining societies and economies. …

Most teachers suck…it’s not because they are bad people, it’s because they are part of a infected and perverted system that prioritizes as follows (DESCENDING order of importance):

1. The Nation-State: We want a working population that is educated well enough to be good worker-bees, but not too much where they might do something crazy like become an activist, follow their passions, etc.
2. The School System: The administrators want to advance their careers, get power, etc.
3. The Teacher: They want their job to be easy, stroke their ego, make money (in the case of private piano teachers, this is obviously a…

I don’t make up the rules, but in order to not be frustrated, best to know the way things really are. I think many of us are in denial about it. I’m old fashioned, I prefer to get to know somebody first, be romantic, then make love. So many people laugh at me for being so old fashioned. Modern dating is clearly having sex first, and then if all that fucking works out, and you can tolerate each other, and you keep having fun, then maybe think about hanging out without fucking, and if that works out, then maybe try…

I just got back from my second Burning Man, and I can’t help but think about what was transformative this time. My first time I was just amazed at how this was really a city in the desert, the art, the symbolism that the Man instilled in me, and how generally nice and open people were. And I loved it, despite my hatred of being dirty and dusty. This time the same theme kept coming up : “You Have the Power, We Have the Wisdom”

I don’t normally get a chance to engage that much with the younger generation (e.g…