Musings from the Shire

Upon reading my own blog one might conclude that my life is consumed with dealing with personal demons, watching movies, and traveling. While these things have and do preoccupy a good deal of my time especially since I started this blog I do in fact have a lot of other interests, passions, and personal concerns. Rather than write a series of lengthy treatises/monologues on my various passions and other interests I thought it might be more fun and accessible to just say what happens to be on mind and heart at the moment. Call it an exercise in free association. So grab your favorite beverage and get comfortable at the computer screen and give an ear, but don’t take too seriously, the latest musings and ramblings of a hobbit who currently has too much time on his hands for perhaps his own good…

Religion: While I enjoy engaging friends and anyone who will listen on the topic of religion I must confess I have lost interest for the most part with organized and institutional religion. Not sure all the reasons why. Do feel many, but not all, institutional leaders have become too insulated and lost touch with the people on the street. Not just religious leaders but politicians, educational folks, corporate leaders, etc. Base this in large part on their various proposed reforms and vision for those under their care. Just don’t think many are able to put themselves in the shoes of those under their care. IMO, has a lot to do with the widening gap between the have’s and the have nots.

I have currently taken total responsibility for my own spiritual development and am not particularly concerned because I do keep in contact with others and do frequent the institutional establishment a couple of times a month. Nice thing about my current situation is that I now have limited exposure to the culture war rhetoric and dogma. Everyone’s got their own brand of dogma I suppose but I have little patience these days for theological and metaphysical dogma. If people want to be dogmatic just wish they would put more emphasis on being dogmatic about living a life of nonviolence on all fronts, loving others, learning to love themselves, living a life of simplification, and just learning how to enjoy life in general…..Said I wouldn’t write a treatise so I better stop. Maybe add more later on this subject because it is near and dear to my heart…..

Music: Am currently listening to the Moody Blues as I write. Music has such a powerful effect on people. Ponder if there is something deeply metaphysical about music. Seems so fundmental to the human experience. Can’t imagine a world/universe or a future without music. Why does music effect us the way it does? I’ts such a mystery. It’s also so personal. No two people have exactly the same musical tastes. Kind of like a snowflake. Can’t help wondering if God programmed our propensity for melody into our genes like sex and the need to eat and sleep???.....Music comforts our souls, stimulates our senses/emotions, disgusts us at times, makes us think, moves our bodies, and gives us something to talk about and look forward to…thank God for music….

Summer: Mixed emotions. Since I am no longer teaching summer school I do enjoy summer more because I am now off for two months….but….do hate the heat….It gets really hot around my neck of the woods and it does effect my emotional state of mind…fortunately…. I am able to beat the heat each summer by heading for cooler climates. Will be taking off for a few days to the mountains in a couple of weeks and than I will spend three weeks on the Oregon and Northern California Coast where the temperature rarely gets to 70 degrees. This has been an unusually cool spring and early summer here in Bakersfield. Has been in the 70’s the last three days which is rare for these parts. Usually we are near a hundred every day by this time of the year. Got my fingers crossed that the temperature will remain under 100 until I take off for vacation. Once I am gone it can get as hot as hell as far as I am concerned. I revel in reading newspapers while I am gone and seeing the temps back home in the 100’s. Sounds sadistic…I know…When I was younger I spent my summers working in the heat. Suspect it probably fried some of my brain cells. Just chalk up my sadism to biology….