Pammy, Pammy, Pammy, it's January and its wet and windy and I'm pretty much on my arse looking after all the animals I have foolishly made myself responsible for - writing nice fluffy heartwarming stuff right now ain't easy. Hang in there babe, I promise the next post will be about bunnies, and fairies, and cuddling up nice and warm together, and being in love, and getting surprise cheques through the post, and the sun shining in winter, and people being kind to each other, and the planet being happy because everyone is looking after it, and all politicians waking up one day and thinking, 'right, I'll retire now, cos actually I'm making a right ballsup of this', and everyone just plain and simple feeling good inside and and and.....
Awwwww go on then, just for you I'll abandon my serious post and continue talking about nice stuff for a while longer ok.
One day there was a little happy fairy and he had no idea that there was horrible stuff going on in the big wide world. He lived in a little hole between the roots in the base of a big oak tree. Not so far away he had a little fairy girlfriend who he had been going out with ever since they had left fairy school. They had always liked each other, ever since junior fairy school, but they were both very shy and it was ages before either of them had the courage to ask each other for a date.
It was coming to the end of the final school term and the happy little fairy realised that it was a now or never situation. He knew tha once he left school he would no longer see his girl every day and the thought of that was breaking his heart. So on the very last day he plucked up his courage, and while they were waiting for the bus back home, he said, 'Little fairy girl, you are very special to me and I would really like to keep seeing you after we finish school'. The little fairy girl went bright red and looked down at the floor and went very very quiet. The happy little fairy's heart sank. He just knew he had done a wrong un and wanted to die on the spot. Oh my god, if only he could turn the clocks back just five minutes. Why had he ever even thought she might be even remotely interested in him. A huge lump rose up in his throat and he could feel the tears coming into his eyes and he just wished more than anything that he had kept his mouth firmly shut.
By now there was a huge group of fairies at the bus stop and he was beginning to feel more embarrassed than he had ever felt in his whole life. Somehow everyone seemed to know what was happening and it was all starting to feel a bit like a scene out of a shakespearian play. And then after what seemed forever the the little fairy girl raised her head and looked him straight in the face. Slowly slowly she gave him this oh so sweet little smile. And suddenly everything changed for him - suddenly his whole world came together again and his little smile came back to his face.
Ever since that day the happy little fairy has gone to see his gal every day. They usually just sit and talk crap. He is a happy little fairy now.
But dont forget little fairy, everything in this world is temporary, true happiness, really true happiness, does not come from this world, it comes from within. So take care cos if and when things fall apart it's gonna hurt real bad.
I'm Eighteen and I Like It
7 months ago
Tom, the problem with this kind of buddhist crap about happiness coming from within is that it can encourage fatalism. Sure, you can be at ease with yourself but suffering is not all about what is inside. You can suffer through exploitation, oppression, imprisonment, violence and so on, and these wellsprings of suffering need to be addressed in the real world. It occurs to me that it's a hell of a lot easier to cope with the shit life throws at you if you have food, clothes and a sturdy roof over your head. Crucially your little fairy is ignorant of the 'horrible stuff going on', he's just a bit of a dick who needs to ask himself whose side he's on. Good post mate, thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteThis idea that the problems of the 'real' world have to be addressed in the real world, exactly who is doing anything to help. As far as I can see most of these big-hearted helpers are just adding to the problem - worst examples being politicians and religeous nutters.
ReplyDeleteA huge amount of these real world problems are the symptom of a lack of inner peace - they come from the idea that peace is in some way acheivable outside of yourself. Sorry, don't believe that - it's never been done so far that I can see.
i hate fairies. why? because they keep clogging up the bug zapper.
ReplyDeletere last post:
omg.
Ram Das.
I do that meditation.
omg, tom!
EVERYONE: he is absolutely correct. listen to tom.
and read "Be Here Now" by Ram Das
(or not. but listen to tom.)
Such a sweet post Tommy. I am with you on this one. If everyone were able to obtain and maintain a sense of inner peace... why would anyone need to fight or violate any one else's rights.
ReplyDeleteI think that there is a reason whyn the route of inner peace appeals to the satisfied and the prosperous. I would never advocate the way of the poltician or the religious nutter but rather direct action by the oppressed to change their situation. I do not see the virtue in putting up with shit either as an individual, as a class, an ethic group or as a gender. Let me put it another way without struggle by the oppressed we would still have slavery and aparthied (not just in S.A but also in the USA); women would "know their place"; working people would still doff their caps and work for a shilling a day with no trade unions; gays would still go to prison for loving who they wanted to and young girls who got pregnant would still be locked away in asylums and their babies taken away from them! If that's the world you're after then you're welcome to it. Btw Tom, disagreeing with me is not a reason to say sorry.... freedom of expression is another thing struggled for and won... for now.
ReplyDeleteKropotkin, I see what you are saying and to a degree I sympathise with your argument. I don't know enough about history to say whether things are better now than they were. My feeling is that one area of the world may be better but another may be worse.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a bit of a Jade Goody with some of your comments - buddhist crap, implying my view is in some way invalid due to being 'satisfied and prosperous', and trying to tell me the kind of world I want.
For me this is not some kind of emotional rant - it is a conclusion I have come to through much thought and much experience. I have decided that in my own life the best thing I can offer to the world is to try not to add to its problems and help where I can. I'm kind of through with telling people what's right and wrong and I'm through with people telling me what's right and wrong. For me it's about love. I totally and utterly agree with Kindness's comment.
Bugger inner peace. I just want a piece.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to tell you what you want or how to live. I love you despite disagreeing with you. This is pretty fundamental stuff. I'm sorry I brought it up. Right I'll push off. As I said, I liked the post, that is not incompatible with believing the position is problematic.
ReplyDeleteOh Tommy. I knew my adoration for you was not misplaced.
ReplyDeleteInner peace is in loww supply for a lot of people in this world right now. That's sad...
Big smooches hon.
But dont forget little fairy, everything in this world is temporary, true happiness, really true happiness, does not come from this world, it comes from within. So take care cos if and when things fall apart it's gonna hurt real bad.
ReplyDeleteAnd today, that was exactly what I needed to read. Thanks. :)
we are all architects of our own lives - if you fuck it up little fairy then you only have yourself to blame - on the other hand - happiness comes from within so no-one else has the power to make you completely unhappy unless, of course, you let them.
ReplyDelete:)
Hmm, I don't know about true happiness - I think people who always chase after happiness (within or without) are bound to come a cropper.
ReplyDeleteMaybe inner self belief is more important in helping you deal with the knocks that life throws at you. Well, in theory.
Kropotkin, if you re-visit these comments please feel welcome to carry on the discussion. I am and always have been interested in this fundamental argument. I have given it a lot of thought and no doubt will continue to.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do think about though is if a change is made, is it real if it is only held together by a law. A real change has to happen in the human heart, then it sticks. From this point I wonder if maybe the protest comes first, then the law, and then hopefully the real change in conciousness. Don't really know.
Hey Tom, here's the thing, I too am interested in deep-seated human change. I can't say that I am a believer in law, nor in Government. Actually I hope you realise that I am interested in inner change - I know you know that - it's just that I am also a humanist and an anarchist. There is a kind of mutual, not to say free communist society that I want to live in for all kinds of selfish and altruistic reasons including the survival of the planet as well as creating the conditions in which everyone has the leisure and the opportunity to enjoy culture, play and love; for me vital components of happiness. Now it might be that if you're head is right you can be happy in a prison cell or in deepest poverty but that does not make it right!
ReplyDeleteNever bothered with any of it much. I open my eyes in the morning knowing that I can influence some things and I'll be influenced by others. We're all somewhere in the chain. I just have to get on with stuff. Idealism's fine. It's great and the idealists will affect things down the chain also, including me but being out and out idealist doesn't work because there's always the greedy maverick spoiling it for everyone else. I'm part of a rolling melting pot of ideas and humanity and that's fine by me.
ReplyDelete