discipline

Martha Graham said "Only through discipline can you attain true freedom." But freedom of what? Freedom from guilt of not doing it right? Freedom from having to practice something over and over? Freedom from getting yelled at? Freedon from others judgement?

Now. . . my dog, Maximus, has a little discipline issue. He is in the "puppy adolecent" stage as I like to call it. But, why would he have incentive to change? Dogs after all "don't do guilt" and wrong is an intellectually relative term that I fear he can't quite grasp. So, why be disciplined? Isn't it far more exciting to just run around and follow the whims of the moment? Scratch when you want to scratch, sleep when you want to sleep, bark when you want to bark and bolt when you want to bolt.

Can you imagine going through a day following your inner impulses in such an unadulterated manner? Perhaps you should try it. That's it. . . go ahead! Live it up!

. . . but don't blame me when the sh*t hits the fan!

No reason for what you love.

Why is it that you can support a team and at the same time "hate" another team and it is OK? For example, I had a student tell me that she hated the Dallas Cowboys because it was the favorite team of her x-boyfriend. Well, I guess this is enough of a reason. But isn't hate one of those intolerant reactions? Not in sports or musical taste.

Don you like the Beatles?
No!
Why?
They look stupid.

So goes many of the arguments in our world today. In fact, the number one justification for finding something bad is that it is boring. So is my car mechanic but so important to my life.

Personal taste usually needs to be tempered or it is irrational. But sports -- no reason is needed. The college football season is closing and all my friends cheer their team for no reason or the weakest of reason. Such fun. Well USC plays Oregon this tomorrow -- I cheer for anyone who plays USC why? Because I went to UC Berkeley. Is this a reason for such faithful support? In anything else, no. but ..........

Go Bears!

Don

Has Elvis Finally Left the House?

I guess it was inevitable. I read in the L.A. Times that Cobain earned more income posthumously than Elvis! The first rock icon who showed the way to connect music with mass culture has finally been eclipsed. But I guess the real irony is that Cobain -- the king of grunge is really underneath it all a capitalist. So Cobain is now the master of the house. Who's next? A grim thought if you have to it requires posthumous existence (is there such a thing?).

Dave