Looking at the universe by way of polarities is dangerous to your health. There are such things as Good & Evil, Positive & Negative, Black and White. That doesn't mean any of those pairs will explain everything.
But they will explain a few things. Everything in the universe seems hold up a mirror to everything else in the universe.
Water moves the same way sound does (based on what we understand about the two).
The movement of celestial bodies looks an awful lot like the movement of atomic particles (as far as we can tell).
Black and white can't be told apart without comparing one to the other. Ever look at a white surface for a little while and watch it turn black? Or vice-versa? Alan Watts tells it better.*
Men don't understand women, and women (despite claims to the contrary) don't understand men.
Good and Evil are mirror opposites, and often mistaken for each other.
Sorry. That looks like two of the same thing to me.
All binary comparisons. All disregarding other factors, with varying degrees of obviousness. All incomplete and flawed, but also true.
In principle, I hate platitudes. It's another word for cliches. I also think cliches only got that way through overuse. You hear something enough times and it gets old. You hear something down the generations, and the meaning gets lost in the doctrine.
It's better to tell jokes than repeat commandments anyway.
So I've decided to write up some new versions of old jokes, all full of light and purpose. Tomorrow they will be old and empty. I'm only telling them in the hope that they will make somebody laugh. If one doesn't make any sense at a glance, move on. If it does make sense, feel free to repeat it until it withers & dies.
For the love of all that is good, don't take this seriously. Or do. It's none of my business.
A guard dog barks first. A mad dog just bites. Both demand your undivided attention.
There is no depraved art. Only depraved artists or depraved audiences.
Good poetry shows you the doors and windows in the room, but leaves the corners dark. Bad poetry locks up & turns the room into a brightly-lit cell.
Talking to real people is a good habit. Talking about real people is an addiction.
Beware fat priests demanding sacrifice. Likewise thin statesmen bearing gifts.
When two cooks are working on the same soup, it's because they don't trust each other.
Evidence of wisdom and a lifetime of bad decisions often coincide in a single grey hair.
Bleach, hydrochloric acid and Coke are all composed mostly of water. That doesn't make them healthy to drink.
Dissonance sounds good, if you are listening for dissonance.
Children have all the qualities of dogs, except loyalty and respect. I know because I used to be one. A dog, I mean.
Listening, Thinking and Speaking are all mutually exclusive. One thing at a time, and in that order.
Before wisdom, humility. Before humility, humiliation. Therefore, beware wisdom.
Hating the rain increases the likelihood that you will die of thirst.
An honest mistake becomes dishonest upon repetition.
And finally...
To err is human. To forgive is more human. To act like it didn't happen is cat.
See you in another present.
*Incidentally, I love this lecture.
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