tag:holychao.com,2005:/tag/philosophyHoly Chao : Tag: philosophy | Holy Chao Being a collection of deranged ramblings regarding Discordian tainted independence, and other such rubbish2012-02-04T02:26:16ZTypourn:uuid:867bff73-8919-4a7f-bc54-606477c81ccd2009-11-18T10:14:57Z2012-02-04T02:26:16ZVenerable High Pope Swanage I, Cogent Animal of Our Lady of DiscordThis is how important we are.<p><img width="500" height="247" src="http://www.holychao.com/files/pbdsaturn.jpg" alt="Saturn (and Earth)" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.holychao.com/files/pbdsaturn.jpg">full image here</a></p>
urn:uuid:6395b2f1-3d2b-4d3b-b30a-200f7857b4982009-04-13T08:10:11Z2012-02-04T02:26:16ZVenerable High Pope Swanage I, Cogent Animal of Our Lady of DiscordAnnouncing a new holiday in celebration of Our Lady of Discord<P>Dear friends, adventurers, and fellow Paratheoanametamystiks, I exercise great privilege as Pope in announcing and describing for you a new holiday to celebrate Our Lady of Discord: Irrefflery.</P>
<P> Many of your friends, relatives, and loved ones may be inclined to celebrate an ancient pagan ritual, Eostre, on the first Sunday after a full moon following the vernal equinox. In your travels you may have been invited to some number of events of celebration of this ancient Pagan ritual, and in many cases you may find that the celebrations have diverged wildly from their original roots as all things which fall under Eris' purview are prone to do.</P>
<P>I offer now a celebration which is quite distinctly a further iteration of this celebrational drift, Irrefflery, which is a very simple ritual that everyone may enjoy. The core elements are quite simple meaning it shouldn't be too hard to keep it straight after a lot of drinking on Saturday or to organize at the last minute. Irrefflery is a self describing celebration as its form can best be described as a portmanteau of irreverence, waffles, and revelry. Core to Irrefflery:
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<DT><B>Zombie Movies</B><DT><DD>Many of our friends who celebrate Eostre do so with the conviction that a historical figure of admiration rose from the dead. In an expression of friendship and mutual appreciation we will celebrate with theatrical performances of many people doing the same thing!</DD>
<DT><B>Waffles</B></DT><DD>Waffles are delicious, and what better cause for celebration is there than eating some?</DD>
<DT><B>Celebration</B></DT><DD>Gather your friends and enjoy Irrefflery together so that the joy of this holiday can spread throughout the world!</DD>
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<P>Enjoy Irrefflery each year! Or don't.</P>
urn:uuid:1068b17f-c956-49da-af50-e5fa9c5c813e2007-12-11T18:50:47Z2012-02-04T02:26:16ZVenerable High Pope Swanage I, Cogent Animal of Our Lady of DiscordI am a...<P>For a long time now I've had a problem with the idea of pigeonholes, and not just on a personal level. "I am a vegan." "I am a Christian." "I am a burner."
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People let these aspects cease to describe them, and start to define them. I think it's tied into accomplishment; if you identify yourself as a burner, then going to lots of burns and having nifty mutant vehicles and being full of interesting ideas is a way to demonstrate how dedicated a burner you are.
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<P>I'm not dedicated at all, except for perhaps towards mercuriality. I like to do <b>lots</b> of different things, and do them well, even if I am not the best. Vive la difference! What I do, I do for my own benefit and enjoyment, and what I get the most enjoyment out of is learning. The natural consequence of learning is to excel.
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I am not a motorcyclist. I am not a poet. I am not a developer. I am not a dancer. I am not a gamer. I am not a racer. I am not a mechanic.
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<P><B>I am.</B></P>
urn:uuid:f7a8f881-1912-4d89-af7e-941780124d912007-10-28T13:21:49Z2012-02-04T02:26:16ZVenerable High Pope Swanage I, Cogent Animal of Our Lady of DiscordIrreverance to MarriageThe delightful and divine miss Ev shall be mentioned here from time to time, at least if I know anything of the Goddess. Today she features as a co-conspirator and enabler for my twisted irreverent ponderings regarding marriage. She is of the same opinion I am, that the entire institution is really rather silly, so when I started mocking it by plotting out my own dogma-smashing wedding she went right along with it.
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In this way my insanity was encouraged and I pursued it further than the original twisted premise of the groom dancing with his father and the bride dancing with her mother.
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One further such reflection was on the importance of wedding invitations. Frankly, they don't have any. But some people attach a great deal to them, so it's a ripe target for mockery. I imagine mine would read something like this:
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swanage and <unlucky girl> decided to get hitched. We'd like you watch the whole debacle, so please show up at <place> on <date> at <time>. Also we're gonna give you free food and liquor so don't forget to bring us a present, you ingrate. And for that matter, write back telling us how many people you're bringing to wolf down our food.</blockquote>
See? Simple, sarcastic, and straight to the point all at the same time.
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<P>Maybe it's not masculine for me to be pondering marriage as a single man, but by Eris, if riding a motorcycle and looking fucking hot as hell without a shirt on aren't masculine enough, I don't know what is.
urn:uuid:ab0c5c2c-c131-41cd-9a31-3bf333f8c5132007-10-08T21:47:12Z2012-02-04T02:26:16ZVenerable High Pope Swanage I, Cogent Animal of Our Lady of DiscordFall PDF has come and gone.I really, really like going to <a href="http://www.playadelfuego.org">Playa del Fuego</a>, as it's a celebration of some of the best parts of humanity. It is such a friendly and accepting environment, I wish that it was possible to destroy our society and rebuild it with that fleeting place as a foundation. Perhaps my hope that the result would be different from what we have now is naive.
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Somewhat ironically, one of the more popular activities was <i>shunning</i> an individual whom demonstrated herself incapable of responsibly enjoying the free environment of PDF. Reflecting, I think I bore a disproportionate responsibility in encouraging unkind, dissociative behavior. I am not regretful however, as making someone else clean up your shit (literally, in this case!) is in my opinion an abuse of the kind of environment that's fostered out in Delaware twice a year.
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I do know that I made new friends, I gave and was given too, and I came home feeling absolutely exhausted but also very good about helping someone who got stranded. I hope he is granted the same opportunity I was to enjoy helping a stranger, and I hope he seizes the opportunity to turn the stranger into a friend.
urn:uuid:1a4b4124-0e5b-45d0-b36f-b79be02b1beb2007-09-16T08:38:27Z2012-02-04T02:26:16ZVenerable High Pope Swanage I, Cogent Animal of Our Lady of DiscordKissing One's Fear of Death GoodbyeToday is September the 16th, which means that five days ago was September 11th, 2007. I do not particularly like the scale of memorializing that occurs over the events of that day six years ago. And I am not just a callous, insensitive fool, as I'd attended the wedding of one of the victims killed that day merely one month prior.
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No, the reason I bring up the 11th of September is because five days ago was the last time I was discussing the fear of death.
Many of us learn to fear dying, though not through any innate aspect of being human. It is only through us each inuring the innocent into an incomprehensible idée fixe that we may not have a conclusion to these lives we each lead, that this fear is bred. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy this life every bit as much, and I would even hazard to say far more, than the next chap. There is an end to everything, to good things as well. I think this is an axiom we each can accept on a rational basis. Many people find themselves capable of, in moments of quiet leisure and safety, embracing the concept in regards to their own mortality. Others are indoctrinated into a belief that the essence of our being persists and goes to an entirely different plane of existence after the body dies. And there are even those who hold the belief that essence returns in the form of some other life.
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Having never died personally, I cannot claim with veracity who is right. I do know that when truly faced with potential doom, many, even those who in times of calm and reason can attempt to accept it, still revolt at the thought. I've been prone to flirting with death for some years now, and have had the good fortune never to consummate such flirtations. I find it difficult, personally, to recall the last time which I was gripped with a legitimate fear of impending doom.
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I like to think that it is possible to rationally train oneself away from fearing mortality, to accept that it is impending in our lives some day. To reject anxiety when faced with a situation of danger. To every time one's mortal fear rises, to quell it and push it back down until it never rises. To conquer the fear of death, knowing full well there will come a day with death will conquer us each. For me, it is freeing, not a morbid obsession but the justification to take each day and live it happily, peacefully, and contented.