Blog Updates

A few new pages here have been up for awhile. They’re still kind of works in progress, but the indexing has come together rather nicely. I organized it by year, so the list isn’t ridiculously long per each section. Each sub-page is titled for the year of its listed posts (e.g. 2011, 2012, etc.), with it’s parent page being Lest We Forget.

The lectures I’ve written (and favor enough to have posted here and, in some cases, touched up), are listed, as is some of the poetry… however, the whole Vanitas section is still a work in progress. (By the way: “vanitas” is latin; feel free to look it up if it’s of any interest).

I’ve also been posting aphorisms. Started doing that on twitter, actually, but with the “aside” feature for posts I had been mostly using for quotes, I decided to post them here to, in a similar way. Who knew twitter would actually have any uses beyond the obvious ones.

I’d have included some of the quotes from others, but, well, it didn’t quite click with the way I wanted to use them for this site, so I’ve been using some of my own cute, concise one liners. That might change, but we’ll just have to see.

A Reflection

Think of your blog as a mirror: what does it reveal? Consider your blog name, theme choice, design, bio, posts… what does every element tell you about yourself?
Daily Prompt: Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall Aug. 14th

The title is Latin for Evil Love. It might be taken as a nod to the dissonant forces within myself, to the nature of polarities and how they coexist and compliment each other (e.g. passion and reason). Assuming, of course, that there’s an awareness of them and that the individual can be decisive. That there’s conflicting forces within (and without) that can be coupled together to great effect, directed, doesn’t mean choice gets taken out of the equation. If you’ve got mixed feelings on whether you want to buy a composition book or a leather-bound journal, if you don’t pick one you’re probably not going to get either… or you’re going to settle for something you’re not sure you want. Being indecisive isn’t ideal.

The theme was chosen because it appealed to my aesthetic tastes, it’s clean, simple…. I might even say elegant. Plus, the black and white is another allusion to polarities. The home page was a big selling point. It displays the latest post, so whatever was last posted (especially in a splurge of three or four posts at once) was posted last on purpose. So it’s be the one on display. Most of the time. And the widgets are set out in what I feel to be a simple manner, in line with the reason I picked it. The number of posts displayed on the home page is usually determined by how everything else looks with the size of the posts listed, and (more so) by what I know of numerology and the meanings associated with certain numbers – when I was the Head of the Dark Aspect at the Force Academy, there were seven of the most recent posts on display there; now, it’s set to nine.

On the home page are also included widgets for my twitter account, the Facebook page for the Order of the Sith, and links to my home sites. The last of which is due to be changed again, I think. There is still a link to The Sith Resource, and that might be removed since everything I was interested in exploring with that has been redirected to the Order. And though I still check in to see if there’s anything of interest, the Force Academy is hardly at the forefront of my mind. I’m really quite over the place, to put it in clearer terms. So it might stay there, but it might not. The twitter feed isn’t going anywhere though; I fucking love that platform. The last tweet I make on any given day, or the last of a bunch of them, is usually tweeted with the fact that it’ll show up on the home page in mind, as with the latest post.

Throughout all of this, my way of life (as a Sith) is impossible to avoid running into, in one way or another. I suppose one thing that’s obvious is my fondness for simplicity, and in presenting things with that in mind, and that I enjoy things having a meaning, even if it’s often hidden. I mean really, who the hell out of the people that read this would have guessed my choice in the number of recent posts displayed is almost always tied into the interest I take in numerology. Beyond that… what all of this says about me, I leave for the reader to decide. I could do what’s suggested in the prompt, tell you what I see in this ‘reflection’, but where’s the fun in that.

Motivations & Timing

The Sith Resource… why now? While I feel I still have plenty more to offer the Order, it’s a different style and has become the product of someone elses vision since I handed over the reigns, and while I’m not opposed to collaborating, offering support in a sense, and helping things along here, it doesn’t entirely satisfy what I would want to see in a site centered around Sith Realism. The resource is an opportunity for past teachings to be showcased and possibly dissected, torn down, or built upon, and its a return to the roots of the Sith. Miles has a peculiar relationship with the word ‘Sith’…

“This place frustrates the hell out of me sometimes.

Part of it is the association with Sith probably. The use of the term is difficult to preserve, in the way I use it to label my path. The symbol has such beautiful possibilities to me but it also has a major drawback. The origin is a symbol created in popular culture, and what has emerged as my path is nothing like that popular cultural identity. It may use that identity as a launching point, but it looks behind it for value.”
~Miles, Sith Lord

Which has, in fact, been a point of contention between us from time to time. Not that I hold it against him, but we’re not exactly the same ‘brand’ of Sith. Enough to co-exist, to help each other out, to connect and conflict with each other well, but there’s a subtle distinction between us, and what we resonate with. So when I say a “return to the roots of the Sith”, I doubt it is something he or others that resonate with his approach and outlook will always feel drawn to. But I have always possessed a certain passion for the mythos, for the older teachings (perhaps because of their flaws, rather than in spite of them, and for their burning passion, their brazen attempts to blaze a path forward and define what a Sith is). I might even go as far as to call it a sense of reverence.

The drawbacks of shallow thinking have always been outweighed by the benefits of dedicated, sincere, genuine practitioners of the Sith, and the count of how many will always remain one, for oneself, so – projection or valid observation – I rarely find it to be frustrating. Not to mention, shallow thinking (and it being shared) has always served as a potential gateway into something more. Not always… to be sure, some people are lost causes not worth knowing, but they’re truly few and far between, and almost inevitably weed themselves out or defy expectation to grow into someone that commands attention.

So the resource, as it exists now, is a showcasing of various highlights from different eras, many of them arguably a representation of the Sith Ways being articulated in a very early, infantile level of development, some being brilliant, ahead of their time, what you might call… “classics”.

As it may come to be, maybe others find resonance with the mythos, with older teachings and how they can be used as starting points, points of contrast or gestation for further evolution of different facets of the Sith Way, with a shameless willingness to draw on the fiction outright when it’s so desired, and in a place where recognition, hierarchy, and things of the like take a back seat, where the site itself isn’t so pretentious, doesn’t take itself so seriously (and this is less a stab at OotS than at other sites) that it requires regular activity on a weekly or monthly basis to retain the ‘privilege’ of an account, or attaches arbitrary standards to things like the ‘Darth’ title in an ass backwards attempt to give it weight and meaning.

A New Project

I started thinking about an experimental project last week, and tried out a few different free forum hosts to see which I’d like to use and how I’d like to set things up. And now, there’s a new web site up called The Sith Resource (click here to check it out). It’s reminiscent of other projects, like the The Dark Holocron and the original, wiki-styled Resource site, but I think it’s got a lot more potential than either of those ever had. It’s kind of like a ‘Dark Holocron 2.0’ in a lot of ways. The content that’s being added is organized in a much simpler way though, and the fact that’s it’s on a forum instead of a blog or web page (like Adam Yaw’s Great Jedi Holocron, which was actually my initial inspiration for The Dark Holocron) means it can go as far – if not farther – as the Order of the Sith. And speaking of the Order, how it served as a partial inspiration is worth explaining.

If you spend any time at all at the Order – or, for that matter, the Force Academy – going upwards in the hierarchy has a lot to do with your role as a member of the place, the level of responsibility, and there are certain expectations that have developed for Knights, Lords, and other ‘leader-esque’ titles. It’s probably been a bit like that at the FA for most of that sites existence, but with OotS it seems more a part of the transformation it’s undergone over the last three or four years.

Anyways, the point is that the focus at the Sith Resource won’t relate much, if at all, to your role at the site. People of certain rank will be able to work one-on-one with less experienced people (e.g. newcomers), but it doesn’t mean there are any expectations that you do so. Leaders in these communities, including myself for a while, have gotten into a bad habit of expecting, pleading for, writing up a ‘call to arms’, or trying in some other way to illicit member contribution – and it can be done, because I’ve been one of the most accomplished in this, especially at the FA, in one of the most subversive, costly, and effective of ways – but we didn’t used to expect anything out of people, we didn’t used to act so entitled to membership interest and participation.

I think it came from the disappointment, the sense that there’s no point to it, the feeling of being sucked dry by everyone else when you’re the only one putting anything into a community… but the fact is, we aren’t entitled. And it’s a waste of time to expend more energy, more time, and more attention by worrying about whether other people are also doing something. If you want to expand your influence very far, it’s going to have to encompass some sheep to, so come to terms with it. If you’re one of the strong, dealing with, placating, and influencing the weak just comes with the territory. You don’t get to deal exclusively with the strongest no matter what you do, or how strong or successful you are. The best way to deal with it? Suck it up and deal with it.

That’s a pretty all-pervading theme of what I’ve done with the Resource so far; the way I look at it, I’m not aiming to judge anyone until I get to know them, and even afterwards it’s not going to be a judgement based on what they have or haven’t done for the site. Instead, it’s going to be based more on their own level of competence, their own state of being, their own passion as a practitioner of the Sith Ways, which doesn’t necessarily translate into high activity or contributions at a site, even at a site centering around their way of life. With an Order, I guess it only makes sense that it become more like an Order in that sense, but this isn’t an order, it’s a resource. Like I said in my personal intro, “the aim here is the study, showcasing, and development of Sith teachings and practices.” If you think about that, it doesn’t even necessitate individuals training and tacking their progression in a very personal or close way – if it happens it happens, I mean it’s bound to, but the focus is on the Ways of the Sith.

The rest of that post seems like a good closer for this post too, so to quote a bit more of it, “If you’re a Sith – or Sith Realism is just something you find to be interesting – then this site is here to serve you, and so am I. If you think you like the general idea of it and it seems like it might be worth exploring the content (or exploring yourself) then you’re not only welcome, you’re invited.” I’ll be there, doing my thing. And if you have any problems with the page loading, let me know. I still need to register on their support forum in case I need technical support from the web host at any point, but if there are any immediate problems I’ll make it a higher priority and try to get it fixed soonest.

The Flowers Of Evil

(Originally divided into three seperate pieces, to be posted in sections, this is the original post and the way I was initially going to post it – that is, all together, in one piece. That’s actually how it was written.)

What are “The Flowers of Evil”?

Every word, every action, every post… these are all flowers. You could tamper with that meaning and apply it to the number of things said in a single breath/post, but for the purpose of getting across my meaning, each piece we write and share is a flower.

But what makes them Evil?

That they are grown, harvested, and shared by darksiders. We all tend to flowers of our own, and that applies to all of us, but the nature of a flower is determined by the things we resonate with, believe in, and stand by… among other things. The Flowers of Darksiders are flowers of Evil simply because they are of the Dark.

So it’s fair to say that, in your mind, all Darksiders are Evil?

Yes, without a doubt. Many of us over the years have convinced ourselves and others that this isn’t so, that just because we’re dark or different does not mean we are evil or that we should be shunned. I myself was once a vocal supporter of that idea. I think it’s because we wanted acceptance, we thought it was stupid to be rejected or treated differently because of our beliefs and affiliation and the things people would attach to those. We were niave.

Niave? Could you explain that?

Certainly. It didn’t seem fair to be treated when we all had interests in the Force, ethics, practices, and ways that relate to each other; no matter how differently we viewed these things, our clashing perspectives and beliefs revolved aound many of the same things. Because of that commonality, people like me didn’t understand that given our differences it is only natural that we be treated differently in some ways.

Are you saying you should be rejected, disrespected, or shunned? You can’t be serious.

Well, that’s not precisely what I mean, but it’s close. Look at it this way: Lightsiders generally believe in and stand for altruism, helping others, doing what’s they believe is right… and harming others, being self-centered, viciously pursuing your own ends at the cost of other people, and other similar practices – oas well as their underlying values – tend to be frowned upon when they manifest in Light practitioners.

They cannot help but judge us within the context of their outlook as Lightsiders. Anything more objective than that and they wouldn’t be responsibly percieveing or acting as Light practitioners. They’re right to view us as something to oppose, undermine, and challenge at every turn. And if they’re not, then they’ve lost sight of what they’re meant to be.

But you haven’t been kicked out of anywhere lately for being a Lord of the Sith, or for your well known allegiance to Darkness… have you?

No… no, not lately. And I don’t think I ought to be. But short of being kicked out… where there is a group of lightsiders, there should be a thorn in my side. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

What do you think that says about the Lightsiders of the world, and what do you think should be done about it?

Like I said ealier, to me it says they’ve lost sight of who they are and what they stand for. Look look up my response to Tianwen’s Reasearch Questions. I can’t believe I got away with trashing the Jedi Way so bad and not getting any direct disagreement, criticism, questions, or even clarifications from any of the Lightsiders there, many of whom are Jedi. Not only did it not seem to bother them on a personal level, it also didn’t seem to occur that my opinion on the idiocy of the Jedi Way might reflect badly on their way of life in the eyes of newcomers, expecially since the answers I gave weren’t really disputed in any way.

They need to take a good hard look at the reasons why I can get away with something like that, why I can actively promote deliberate manipulation, dangerous lifestyles, and allegedly unhealthy practices when they can see what I’m doing. They need to ask themselves why the hell they haven’t at least chimed in here and there to offer alternatives they believe to be better.

Let’s get back to the Flowers of Evil. What’s the relevance of this concept to the communities?

Many of the flowers cultivated and offered by Dark Side practitioners are harmful to others. They can have an adverse affect on other people, many of which never wanted, asked, or learned how to deal with such dangerous specimens.

It’s relevant to Darksiders in that we cherish our insights, our perspectives, and everything else we’ve worked for. We care for it and place so much importance on our flowers that we find ourselves trying to share them with others. We’ve tried so persistently and been so successful in selling our bouquets over the years that they’ve become acceptable, in spite of their evil.

Sorry, I’m still not getting it. You bring up evil again, but exactly makes you and, by extension, your flowers so very, very evil?

It’s fine, communication is one of those things one has to struggle with continually… the struggle to articulate.

Look… Think about what I value, believe in, and promote: passion, awareness of it and alliance with it; deception, deliberate use of untruths and misdirection to get what I’m after; manipulation, not only the mindful manipulation of other people, situations, and so on but the active expansion of ones ability to influence ones surrounding world; and awareness and exploitation of the conflict inherent in life; aggression, ruthlessness, and persistence in pursuit of goals.

Do you understand what I’m getting at?

I think I’m starting to.

*laughs* I could be more explicit. I could explain what living by those values can really lead to, how genuinely dangerous it can be if you stand by them and go the distance, but I don’t really want to get in trouble for promoting violence or anything, so more in-depth elaboration on some of the more iffy, natural consequences from adherence to Dark ways might need to remain off the record.

If you say so… With your “flowers”, what, if anything, should Darksiders be doing differently with them?

I think that maybe the more volatile breeds ought to be confined to being shared amongst other Darksiders, with only the most deliberate, calaculated exceptions. That’s one of the reasons I reprivatized the Dark Training. We openly affiliate ourselves with the Dark, we signed up for this, we expect to be treated viciously and without mercy by each other from time to time, and understand that it’s something we are encouraged to do to one another… as needed, and within reason.

That’s an interesting way of looking at it.

You have to consider another angle of this to. What we grow, shape, and harvest… we cherish these. It doesn’t make sense to dish them out without purpose, without intent, and so freely that their value become diluted.

We’re sitting here talking about flowers, but that implies gardens, groves, gardeners, and the way you talk about them, one could even infer that gardens can be segragated, act as retreats, private stashes, and other things like that. Am I reading to much into it?

Not at all. I wrote a poem about one kind of ‘garden’. It’s called Seductive Oasis if you want to dig it up. That was about an oasis of complacency and atrophy. The plants, the water… everything about the enviroment whispers in your ear that it’s safe to rest, that it’s okay.

I make it out to be a bad thing to most of the time, but that depends on the person. I tend to get swallowed up by such things… it’s an Achilles’ Heel of mine. But for some people, an oasis like that reinvigorates them, and the seductive nature of it holds little or no sway over them.

What about the Gardeners?

It’s the gardener’s nature that determines the nature of the plants, their enviroment, their food and water… there are all kinds of things that make up the process of manifesting flowers and other such greenery. I note the differences specifically between Lightsiders and Darksiders simply because that’s the context I work with. If you keep breaking it down into minute detail, we’re all different. The way I look at it though is just a way of seeing the differences – and their dynamics – in a way that’s relevant to me and what I’ve dedicated my life to.

How does your concept relate to this exchange between us?

Well… *shrugs* Every answer I’ve given is a flower. And they’re flowers that probably won’t hurt you, at least not right away. They might lead to some pain and risk down the road, but that depends on how you feel and react to their fragrance, their appearance… if they tug at you, if they appeal to you at all, I might’ve harmed you.

That doesn’t bother you at all?

I gave you this fresh cut bouquet for a reason. So no, it doesn’t bother me. Not in the least.

Well… thank you for your time. However evil you claim to be, it’s been a pleasure.

*smiles* Likewise.

Abaddon

He comes bearing bitter fruits,
The Apples of Sodom(y) and Knowing.
Their pretty, ruby red hue rendered moot,
For fear of what they’d be showing.

He comes only to lay waste.
Running from him, desperate,
They flee with greatest haste.

(Written October 25th, 2012 // ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_(personification) )

Brace Yourself

I’ve got to do something with all these goddamned drafts that have built up and sat unpublished and – in most cases – unfinished. They’re going to drive me crazy if they just keep sitting there. Of course, my problem is I’m loathe to delete them, but I think I’m either going to do that, copy them to something else and clear them out, or post them all en masse, unfinished, and forget about them afterwards; bottom line, I want them out of their little wordpress “draft” holding pen. They’re bugging the shit out of me every time I bring up the dashboard for Maleficus Amor so much… the degree to which such an insignificant thing is grating my nerves is kind of unreal. I can’t stand it. (4–12–13)

Alright, brace yourself. I’m clearing at least a good chunk of this shit out so it won’t bother me. Some of it is quite aptly described as shit, some of it will be worth puttin out there, and most of it will be some mixture of both. Bottom line though, I’m tired of them sitting where they are, in my drafts section, so if you keep up with my mind splatterings here, you’re about to get hit with a bunch of stuff from there, most of it old. Either throughout the day today, or over the next week, or over the next few weeks, depending on how I feel like spacing them out. Then, I’ll probably post something new. (4–13–13)

Edit (4–16–13): All drafts have been cleared out as of today, the 16th. All of the old drafts have either been deleted or posted, leaving me with a nice clean slate behind the scenes, a slate that’ll likely be reflected – for as long as it lasts – outwardly. Enjoy; I know I do.

A Fresh Start… Or Something…

So… I seem to have started using this blog as a storehouse for partially completed (or, in some cases, ‘finished’) lectures and other such writings, like posts from discussions at the Force Academy for example. I probably won’t stop doing that, but if you keep up with this blog – and if I keep up with it at all – you’ll probably be seeing some more free-writes. In my “time of absence” I started a new blog under another name. Some of the things I explored there and the tweaks I made to things I was already familiar with in previous experiences might start to show up here in subtle ways, especially if I want to use this as an outlet or means of expression (or whatever the fuck you’d like to call it)… as a playground.

I’m really not sure what that means for the other blog(s) I started while I took my little vacation from the force realism communities, but I’d really kind of like to keep using it to. That might take away from what I do here of course, but it that turns out to be the case, then so be it. I got a taste of the wider audience I can reach and the liberation of not saying words like “Sith” or “the force” haha, and I liked it in a few different ways. So if Maleficus Amor gets neglected because I want to enjoy myself, then so be it.

I think it’s kind of fitting though that I give this medium a little attention, it kind of goes hand in hand with going solo, not being the HoA at the Force Academy, and it just sort of feels right. It just needed a sense of revival, a fresh start of sorts, which I already started playing around with in changing my avatar and bio. My old bio for the gravatar profile read…

“I am Sith. Online communities have been handy for discussing and better articulating many ideals, though I have to say I have allowed it to limit my growth at times. Eventually though, fine tuning ideals gave way to living my life and, when discussing online, writing from a more experiential, down to earth orientation.(fyi, sith realism, not roleplaying.)

I set up the Order of the Sith site in ’06, and acted as the only administrator up until ’09. During the time I stepped away and was more active at the FA, it was run and further developed by Miles and Khaos. I am (again) currently one of two adminstrators of the forum.”

Now it reads…

“I am Sith. I’m known pretty much everywhere online as (Darth) Draconis; I founded OotS in October of 2006, I studied at the FA for a time, was knighted (sometime in ’09 if memory serves) and have served as head of the dark aspect there until last month, when during an unannounced leave of absence I was removed from my position. I am a devotee of darkness, one could say, and a Sith (Realist) practitioner.”

Much shorter. I might tweak it a little more too (I’ve already noticed a few things to screw around with in it), but yeah, I like it better now. I pulled it from the intro I posted at Mortose’s new site, The Dark Asylum.

Speaking of which, I wouldn’t bother popping in unless you’re older than around 16-18 personally, and you might not have an interest in it unless you’ve got an appreciation for some of the more blatantly dark(evil?) parts of the human mind and soul, as I imagine that will come into play more if the site grows into anything. Of course, you’d have to ask Mortose what she has in mind for sure though, as even in my case the only things I’m sure of are that it’s a ‘meeting place for monstrous souls’, the tagline reads ‘monstrum in anima’ (which I’ll claim credit for \m/ >< \m/ ), and Mortose would like to rebuild the training program she was spearheading at the FA before she was banned: NSoD (Nine States of Dissonance (?)).

Dark Teachings: Inherently Flawed

Let us entertain the possibility that there are flaws in the teachings of any given darksider. Do these lead to the failures of students over the years? Of course. But it raises the question of whether the origin of these failures is in the lectures and practices espoused by one adept or another… or if the it is in the student that fails to advance. For some, in having watched so many crumble over the years, it does leave room to wonder. Not for the person reading this though: The teachings presented and offered at any given time by any given practitioner are always flawed, without fail.

The straigthforward teachings are only ever the best a practitioner can offer at the time they’re given. But being the best an individual can furnish, at one point in time, does not make them perfect. Some of the more brilliant, deceptive teachings are deserving of praise because of the flaws intentionally worked into them.

They are flawed, and many have crumbled, or remained content with mediocrity. But that does not eclipse the reality of others having succeeded with the same materials, the same lectures, the same way of life. The weak and malcontent, the failures and the mediocre, will always outnumber the strong and victorious. The ratio of succesful adepts to failed students is simply a reflection of that. However it is spun – that they were different, that their path led elsewhere, the dark wasn’t for them – the bottom line is that some people are cut out for darkness, and for success. Others, are not.

There are always going to be flaws, no matter what is taught. They are there to be worked through, lived with, for those that are able and willing. They serve a variety of purposes, one of which will be explained…

“We are all born weak; strength is something we learn. I believe all weakness can be made strength.”
~Luciana, Dark Knight

A competent Master will not drive away all but the best, at least not without providing the weak with initial opportunities to become strong. In this, the flaws serve students, forcing them to take what they have and work through its contradictions, shortcomings, and deceptions through their own application and experiences. This process in and of itself begins the process of culling the weak from would-be adepts. They aspirant will attempt to put it to use, fail, be confronted with the price of practice, and they will either turn away, deciding that the way of the dark is flawed… or they will stay with it, growing and evolving. Budding, unfurling. Becoming.

In relation to this, the failure of Dark Masters in the past has been their short-sightedness. With the idea of culling the weak and weeding out the unworthy, they approached newcomers early on, with no thought to timing, or to how the weak can be put to use for the advantage and growth of students that will stick around, that can hack it. Those that are too weak to endure or advance will be found out in time.

Dark Masters and Knights perceptive and experienced enough to work smart, rather than just working hard or with wasted intensity, won’t flush their time or efforts down the toilet. Instead, the weak are allowed to be weak, providing a backdrop for the strong to stand out from as well as a resource for them to exploit, and the mindful, seasoned Darksider will guide his own attentions to enabling the strong to become stronger.

The lectures, however flawed, will always have a certain essence, a sense of darkness pervades, and they act as gateways. Even the most flawed will appeal to someone, they will act as starting points, gateways, pulling them in with allegedly effective methods to get what they’re looking for, and forcing them to either grow or fall by the wayside as they go deeper down the rabbit hole. Because you will never know how practical, effective, or valuable any of it is, in any given lecture, technique, or exercise, unless it is worked with, refined or discarded, on the basis of trial and error.

Ask yourself how flawed this lecture is.

Mindless Self-Indulgence

(Written January 15th, 2012)

What do I mean by mindless self indulgence? I mean stupid greed. I see these spurts of political activisism online and on the news, I see people talk shit about greed, and I see people crying out “poor me, poor me, oh give me some attention, give me some sympathy, poor me, poor me”. Whinny, do-nothing twats most of the time.

Some of them, the ones that’ve recently been out in protest I suppose, could argue that they’ve done more than me. Maybe… but here’s the thing: I have an excellent understanding of my own stances regarding economic and foreign policy and I know that if I wanted to bad enough I could do what they’re doing, and I could do it better. I don’t think most of them really want it that bad, because what’s more important is feeling involved in a movement, wearing the new “goodguy badge”, so to speak.

And even those that crave the change usually seem to be either stupid or uncharismatic; which brings me to mindless self-indulgence. Rather than seeking effective influence, they use vulgar, unfocused, lazy methods – almost exclusively, in my opinion. Where is the public speaking, the rallying, the leadership and the coherency? It doesn’t take money to get up in a crowd of protestors and speak, in doesn’t take money to figure out what to say. And hell, it doesn’t even take much money to write a manifesto of some sort and print out enough copies to hand out to people – not to mention that it’s free to spread from place to place on the internet.

And the criticisms that I have heard, as I said, often seem to hone in on the greed of wealthy people. I have a problem with that argument completely aside from the people it’s coming from or the sloppy manner it’s conveyed. The problem isn’t greed itself, that would benefit people. The problem, as I see it, is instant gratification without enough forethought put into it… or, in other words, mindless self indulgence.

Huge corporations don’t go bankrupt because of greed. If that greed was guided by intellect it wouldn’t destroy the source of its satisfaction, it would perpetuate the existence of it. So when CEO’s are bleeding their companies dry instead of maintaining them, bettering and furthering them, it’s because of stupidity. Not greed. Just incompetence. So to with the protestors whining in the streets or bitching incestantly online. Here’s the bottom line: if you want change through the existing system in its current form, vote everybody out of office in their respective elections, and maybe consider running for office yourself; if you want change through a movement involving protests, bring your intent into focus and make yourself known, make an actual attempt to carry the tide of those that feel the same way; and if you want radical, expediate change, exercise your second amendment rights.

Assuming that the government and the politics are important enough to you to devote your time and energy to it. Otherwise, admit that while you care, you don’t really care enough to devote your time, your effort, your feelings, your attention, your very life to such a cause… admit it, then shut the fuck up. I don’t feel the need to persuade anybody one way or the other, I don’t care what choice you make, but make a choice.

(Written January 15th, 2012 (i.e. slightly outdated/obsolete))