The calibre of a man is found in his ability to meet disappointment successfully, enriched rather than narrowed by it. — Thomas Kelley.
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This little stanza comes from The Mahabharata, some writings from a sub-continent sect.
What is the greatest wonder?
Each day strikes and yet
we live if we were immortal.
This is the greatest wonder.
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I do not have tangible evidence to support the rumour that the following answers to examination questions emanated from Rudd Street, Oxley.
* “The body consists of three parts – the brainium, the borax and
the abominable cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the
borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abominable cavity
contains the bowels, of which there are five – a, e, i, o and u.”
* “Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives.”
* “The alimentary canal is located in the northern part of Indiana.”
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“What luck for rulers that men do not think.”…Adolf Hitler.
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An evolutionary analysis of narcissism.
Copyright © 2008, Paul Lutus — Message Page
The Policeman | The Preacher | The Teacher
The Expert | References
The Policeman
First, please excuse my not using the P.C. expression “Police officer.” It’s too cumbersome.
Not all narcissistic “policemen” are duly authorized officers of the law. Many are narcissists who focus an inordinate amount of attention on rules that, apart from them, no one cares about. Some invent rules of their own, then try to enforce them. This narcissistic role is complicated by the fact that many of its members are both narcissists and OCD sufferers.
In normal life, regardless of how many rules there are, most are not enforced unless their violation represents an injury or inconvenience to someone. In ordinary circumstances, unless there is a victim no one cares, and this pragmatic outlook extends (or should extend) to courts of law. In evaluating legal issues, justices are expected to ask themselves a series of practical questions, including, “where’s the harm?” An example might be an unofficial nude beach — a group of people want to sunbathe in the nude, they’ve chosen an unused, secluded area, where’s the harm? Obviously someone could make the argument that they are technically breaking a law against public indecency, but normally in a case like this, there’s no enforcement unless a citizen files a complaint.
Enter the narcissistic policeman, whose motive is not public order or justice but control and domination. In our hypothetical nude beach example, it doesn’t matter whether the “policeman” is a duly authorized officer of the law or a busybody narcissist — if he chooses and is inclined, the “policeman” can make a lot of trouble for the sunbathers, regardless of how careful they are not to irritate public sensibilities.
One can usually distinguish a narcissistic policeman from the ordinary kind. A narcissistic policeman will harass you based on the letter of the law, asking only “is it legal?”, while a normal one will only bother you if your behavior violates someone’s rights — before taking an action, the latter will always ask the justice’s question, “where’s the harm?”
“Is it legal?” is important in some contexts, but no one expects all laws to be enforced in all circumstances, except possibly a narcissist. “Where’s the harm?” is a more pragmatic approach, and it is the standard most likely to be applied by a seasoned, non-pathological policeman. Therefore if you meet a policeman who seems to care more that a law has been broken than whether any harm is done, chances are you are in the company of a narcissist, whose agenda is control and domination. By the way — if you are confronted by a uniformed policeman, and if you believe he is a narcissist intent on harassing you for no perceptible reason, for God’s sake don’t share your conclusion with him. The danger is that you may be right — ever hear of “narcissistic rage”?
Philosopher Ayn Rand wrote that a government could achieve total domination by passing laws so numerous and contradictory that every citizen becomes a lawbreaker, allowed to walk around free only through the forbearance of the authorities. That is a perfect description of the narcissistic policeman role, as well as an approximate description of modern times.
“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”
— Ayn Rand, “Atlas Shrugged”, 1957
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…and all you wanted to know about Fanta.
In 1940 Fanta was created by the German Nazi chemist Schetelig during World War II in Germany, for the German Coca-Cola bottling company in Essen. Due to wartime restrictions on shipping between Nazi Germany and the United States, the Nazi bottling plant could not get Coca-Cola syrup. The CEO of the plant, Max Keith, needed a product to keep the plant in operation and devised a fruit flavored drink made from available ingredients.
Using apple fiber remaining from cider pressing and whey, a byproduct from cheese manufacture, Fanta was created and became quite popular. The original German Fanta had a yellow color and a different flavor from that of Fanta Orange. The flavor varied throughout the war, depending on the ingredients used.
The name ‘Fanta’ was coined during an employee contest to name the new beverage[citation needed]. Keith told them to let their Fantasie (German for “imagination”) run wild. On hearing that, salesman Joe Knipp spontaneously arrived upon the name Fanta.
After World War II, Fanta was introduced to the United States by Coca-Cola, and in 1960 they bought the trademark. What had been known as Fanta Klare Zitrone (“Clear Lemon Fanta”) in Germany, was introduced to the United States as Sprite in 1961 to compete against 7-Up. Fanta Orange is the most popular Fanta flavor, available in 180 countries. In terms of volume, Brazil is the largest consumer of Fanta in the world, followed by India[citation needed]. Fanta remains more popular in Europe and South America than in the United States.
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Griff Rhys Jones and his bantering with the locals whose fishing is disturbed as he propels his canoe through shallow, narrow river-ways with a sturdy pole. This chap is an accomplished narrator. I enjoy.
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“Infamy! Infamy! They’ve Got It In For Me.”
The acropolis is one of the most recognisable icons of Greece and is a good representation of Classical Greek culture and a well heeled consortium would probably hand over three or four billion for it which could be used wisely like restoring Greek pensions; shipped to the States to join the Queen Mary at Long Beach, or more appropriately, London Bridge in Arizona, the State that prompted Beattie and Bligh to introduce pull over edicts embarrassing older people and inducing health break-downs. Entire castles have been bought from tottering estates, cut into numbered pieces and rebuilt to become homes for the well-to-do and tourist venues.
The nanny-state mentality is stuffing this and every country locked into its practice. Greece is today’s model of Australia twenty years hence. Much sooner if primary exports fall over. Mandatory, State-enforced helplessness; compulsive compliance of nannyism is not helping the independence of conscionable oldies like me in conflict with a State Government which throws millions into ‘aren’t we caring and considerate’ look-good, anti-smoking advertising, but behind the bull-shit, an entirely different scenario. Throughout life I’ve striven to sort-out my own problems, an early manifestation of the ‘trust no one’ philosophy, I expect. Being extraordinarily perceptive which means my shit detector was well-honed, I quickly learned that deceit was the template of health and similar industries and I regard their practitioners as poxed and avoid their company.
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Other People’s Musings:
Not all entries will feel momentous. If they are epiphanies, they might well be trivial ones, such as this one from Maugham’s notebook from 1941: “I often think how much easier life would have been for me and how much time I should have saved if I had known the alphabet. I can never tell where I and J stand without saying G, H to myself first. I don’t know whether P comes before R or after, and where T comes in has to this day remained something that I have never been able to get into my head.”
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Beware Thugs In Parks:
Below is a grab from my market day experience at the Labor Party tent when I idly remarked how the NLP has three or four anti-Labor themes in every issue of the Courier Mail that could be picked-up and run with:
Now while I had become acquainted with this lot by mutual, initially Labor-favoured small talk well before Raguse made his seat runs, my comment so startled the boy Jason, that he produced an apparently ever-ready camera and asked me to pose with his lady-friend for a “matey” shot. I did so without qualm, having nothing to fear or hide and the Labor Party mind games began, a fruitful mental exercise replacing crosswords. Once an avid Labor voter, I seek now to support the candidate most likely to damage Queensland Labor hoodlums.
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The Mark Twain Literary Award most probably came about by a favourite:
“All you need in this world is ignorance and confidence, and your success is assured.”
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Daltonism: Michael Rowland mentioned his Daltonism a few weeks back.
Marcus_Aurelius.” How much more grievous the consequences of anger than the cause of it.”
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