I wrote this weeks ago, but am just now getting a moment to post. I'll try to read GC if I can finish later tonight. I'll try to cross-post at VoA, too.

Tens of thousands of years ago, we humans could not, for the life of us, understand what fire was nor how to control or use it. Today, we have butane lighters and microwave ovens.

Thousands of years ago, we measured time by the seasons and the sun (days and years). Today, my cellphone is accurate to, well, just how much of a second do you want to count? A billionth?

Hundreds of years ago, it took us years to go from the Far East to North America. Today, if I really don’t need to go, I can use Skype and video someone in China as if she were sitting in front of me. When my wife wishes to actually go there, (it being half way around the Earth), she does so by leaving on an airplane at 6 p.m. on a Friday (Toronto) and arrives in Beijing at 6 p.m. on a Saturday – twelve hours of travel.

We’ve come a long way, baby. (Yeah, I am paraphrasing.)

Almost 250 years ago, the United States of America (re-)discovered democracy and did their best to create a free and open government of its people, by those people, for them. Today, despite all the constitutional agreements in written documents, it is no longer a free and open government of them, by them, nor for them. It is beyond the scope of this text to prove this claim, yet, for the sake of argument, it is unfortunately true. Irrevocably. But, it is what it is. The quality of living is good so who is to complain?

And, for the most part, much of what is erroneously called the free world (as opposed to places like North Korea or other oppressed regions of peoples) has followed suit.

I say erroneously because, what you may not know, those in power (and most people don’t even know who those people are) create the rules to get what they want… not what you want.

Again, the quality of living is good so who is to complain?

Well, I do. And I do have lots of complaints, most of which will never get heard of nor (if heard) considered for correction. I cannot change that no matter how much I yell, explain, or write about in blogs.

So. What do I do about it? I work within the boundaries that proper decorum dictates what and where those boundaries are to get what I need and want. This leaves me wanting much because those boundaries are very restrictive. To get around those restrictions, I must… to a moderate extent… violate those boundaries a bit. Of course, I must use my wits (what wits I have) to take care that the people who set those boundaries don’t notice me having experiences that they don’t want me experiencing.

Let me jump a bit in my discourse. As I see it, (and I can justify my opinions on this), there is no old man sitting in the clouds magically creating planet wide floods, and granting everyone’s wishes just because they love him. As John L. once said, “Imagine there's no heaven… No hell below us.” Well, let me bring in another song. This time, a young Miss Sinatra sang, “You only live twice or so it seems. One life for yourself and one for your dreams. You drift through the years and life seems tame till one dream appears and love is its name.”

For me, love was a stranger who beckoned me on. (I’m paraphrasing her now. Plagiarizing her?) I didn’t think of the danger. It was my dream so I paid the price. I made my dream come true. So, (I am no longer paraphrasing or plagiarizing now), I went to prison for my transgression against those people who discovered that I had violated their boundaries. As Forrest Gump said, “Shit happens.”

(Come on! Don’t roll your eyes. I’m just trying to be a bit entertaining, here.)

Okay, to tie all this together, I know what I know. I know what fire is, does and can do for me. I know stuff that people even today don’t know. Tomatoes are fruit. The earth is not flat, nor the center of the universe, you can’t make gold by doing anything to lead, and atoms are not the smallest indivisible thing. Wearing your seatbelt in a moving vehicle is a very good idea… whether the (previously mentioned) boundaries call it a law or not.

Love is a four letter word. Not a very well defined one but surely a big word in my life. As Bill Shakespeare said in his play “Hamlet”, “Aye, there’s the rub.” By rub, Hamlet means a difficulty, obstacle or objection.

You all know what (who) I love. Again, who is to complain? Well, those in power (and most people don’t even know who those people are) created the rules to get what they want… not what I want. So, what do I do about that? I mean, you only live twice, right?

If I thought for one moment my dreamed of lover would never get hurt by loving me, I would love Her. To hell with any boundaries except Hers. Because those boundaries that are not Hers are not only fickle but based on things such as the Earth being flat and the center of the universe, tomatoes as vegetables, and Santa Claus being buddies with elves and the Easter Bunny. Dominus vobiscum, eh?

But.

My previous lover did get hurt by my love for Her. At the time, what wits I had was insufficient to prevent Her getting hurt by those who discovered that we violated their boundaries a bit. (Okay, a lot.)

In conclusion, because of what I know, I only live once. The only consolation I have is that wondrous treasure trove of memories that I made when I had my years with Her.





Regarding this post and every post I write about myself describing my past, be advised that I was tried, convicted, sentenced to a very long time in prison, and I served the complete sentence. Be further advised that I am no longer practicing illegal activities today and that I refrain from doing so by my own choice, not from fear of legal entanglements or society's outrage. I remain crime free because I choose to.