Forgive me in advance for my responses to your blog entry; but here goes (I'll refer to your paragraphs by paragraph number, rather than re-quoting all of your blog.)

Paragraph 1:
Wisdom in this world? I detect only opinions. Wisdom is elusive, and debatable.

Paragraph 2:
Be yourself? I believe that few people actually practice the "Be yourself." philosophy. Everyone I know tempers this with what the listener/reader can accept. Even my mother and former lovers were not completely candid. We all temper what we see as truth, with what the listener/reader can accept.

Paragraph 3:
Won't we be destroyed either way? If you believe in life after death (eternal life / reincarnation / etc.), then any suffering that we encounter in this life is a blink of the eye - a spit in the ocean. If you believe that our existence ends with death, then anything goes; and for some people this, sadly, is the TRUTH. I am not presumptive enough to believe that I know the TRUTH. And I'm less presumptive to believe that someone else's truth is the TRUTH.

Paragraph 4:
What is that about apples and trees they fall from? Maybe apples don't fall far from their trees, but birds will eat seeds and shit them out miles away. On the upside, birds seldom eat whole apples, so the apple story might hold true unless a bear eats the apple and shits it out miles away before it is digested.

Paragraph 5:
Aged hippies? Well I've been accused of being an aged hippie (likely because of my uncut, unkempt hair), but I ask, "What is a hippie?" & "What is aged?" If you have long hair, are you a hippie? Or does one have to smoke weed? Do acid or 'shrooms?
Embrace it or wallow in it? What's the difference? If you step in dog shit, do you embrace it or wallow in it? I scrape it off my shoe and walk on. No more, no less.
Ice skating in the freezing rain? It's better than skating on a foot of snow. Freezing rain might be less comfortable than snow, but try skating on snow.
Lipzit? My Oxford dictionary doesn't include this word, so I plead ignorance - which is not an unusual occurrence w/ me.
I try not to look at myself in the mirror, because if I see someone on the street with looks similar to my own, my cultural upbringing kicks in; and I think I'm looking at some aged hippie who is some Viet Nam veteran who is homeless. Throw the mirror out the door. I got myself a cat to replace any human companionship I feel I need.
Don't get me wrong; she reminds me of all my former lovers. Some days I say, "I love you." and she purrs. Some days I say. "I love you." and she growls. This is not just human nature, it is the nature of the beast.
Sleep aids? Are you willing to share? I'll share my OLD CROW bourbon (which lasts about 6-8 hours) w/ your magic potion that lasts 10-12 hours.

Paragraph 6:
BIG QUESTIONS - BIG ANSWERS? There are no easy questions. There are no easy answers. Ask Newton & Galileo. Ask Jesus. Ask Martin Luther King. Ask JFK & RFK. Ask the Dali Lama.

ASK YOURSELF; "Am I happy with my life?"

For thinking people, the answer is: NO!

Why not? That is what you need to ask.

Good luck on your search. You'll need it.

-Denny
 

Correcting my own alcohol influenced response:

My response labeled as "Paragraph 3" should be added to my Paragraph 2 response. To amend my response, I should add that the name Jesus (Latinized persona) is a man's name, whereas Christ is a DIVINE TITLE. It is similar to MESSIAH, MASTER, GURU, LORD, ALLAH (my death sentence, ala Rushdie etc.)

I'll let it to history to decide if Jesus was/is the true MESSIAH.

Do I believe he was a prophet? I believe we are all prophets.
If my memory servers me correctly - and I'm paraphrasing this: Terrance McKenna said; "It's not hard to hear voices in your head. The problem is determining if they speak the truth."
Maybe it was Timothy Leary, but I believe it was McKenna

MORE TO COME ... >>>>>>>>>

-Denny
 

BTW:
You mentioned "Being here now"
There was a book published before you were born entitled "Be Here Now"
It was written by Dr. Richard Albert, a colleague of Timothy Leary (DO YOUR HOMEWORK).
He is also known as Babba Ram Dass.
Read it, but you will still have to decide if he speaks the TRUTH.

There are no easy questions. There are no easy answers.

You decide.

-Denny
 

Wow, Denny. Glad to see I ignited such a fire in your belly that you felt the need not only to reply and critique my mad rantings, but THREE times.
I know the book Be Here Now. I know Ram Dass. Personally. He's a friend of my fathers.
No, not really, but if you knew the way my Dad talked about him my whole life, you would forgive my confusion at believing so. Whenever I had a problem or a question or pretty much a conversation with my Dad he would quote Ram Dass. I came to think of him as my uncle, the monk. Ram Dass is actually THE aged hippie to whom I refer.
Are YOU familiar with the wise words of aging rapper Marshall Mathers, AKA Eminem and sometimes Slim Shady, "I am whatever they say I am, If I wasn't than why would I say I am?"
That's pretty much how I feel about Messiahs and prophets and gurus (oh my!): All right, if you say so. To Jesus, or Mohammed, David Koresh, Dr. Phil, whatev man, I say, "Great. Hope that works out for you."
Lip zit. A zit at or about one's lip. Maybe better understood as two words. Forgive me. I made it up.
You're right about birds and bears and apples. I feel better. Thanks.
All in all, your response was enlightening and entertaining. You are a bit of a hoot, you know?
Thanks,
Autumn