Blog Dis
A comprehensive list of hits
2024-04-30
Let it be known that I'm a pacifist first and foremost. I don't believe violence is the answer. A thinking, feeling person utilizes intellect first, before acting on impulse to do harm. We each learn how to cultivate an aura of peace bcus in the long run we benefit more w/ a philosophy that lends itself to a state of grace. However, the threshold to the wall of desperate temper is a thin layer of flimsy paper and too often this very thin layer is punctured, pushing a temper to a furious boiling point. This morning as I dressed for work, I thought about all the things that humans do that push me over the edge. I mentally tallied a list and immediately started to laugh. What if I was prone to violent behaviour, and went out onto the ledge of total insanity? Well, I'd surely do something completely out of character, like strap to my shoulder a telescopic slingshot and head for the nearest rooftop. I wouldn't use rocks, as did David to slay Goliath. Nope. I'd use indelible paint balls, to mark my targets accordingly. This fantasy, of course, will forever remain a fantasy in my head but the act of completing a comprehensive list of hits is in itself a cathartic release.
So, here is my list of temper-inducing elements:
1) Idiots who lock their dogs in cars w/ the windows rolled up in the blazing heat of summer. Before you get your knickers into a twist for having used an insult like idiots, the word I really wanted to use was retard, a no-no word. Know that the word retarder originated in France in the 15th Century, meaning to hold back, to restrain. Then this word entered the English language and its meaning was bastardized to demean an individual w/ delayed thinking. This contentious word should possibly be brought back into fashion solely to describe the owners who cook their helpless dogs to death. Heat in an enclosed environment like a car rises to 120F in a matter of minutes. I'd like to punish these intensely callous and stupid bastids by locking them in their own car in the heat of summer. Every summer this public message is blasted out, yet every single summer there are incidents of dogs dying in this manner, while their idiot owners cry crocodile tears, "I didn't know!" [Perhaps they should even be elevated to the status of idiot-extraordinaire].
2) Romance scammers who target the elderly, and by hook and crook will convince an elderly person that their nephew or niece is being held in prison, and that unless they provide an injection of cash, asap, that their loved one will be in jeopardy. These scumbags have perfected their trade, and will arrange for another third-party courier to arrive at the front door of the elderly person's home to collect the cash. And despite banks in Canada now questioning the sudden withdrawal of cash, as a measure to prevent fraud, these despicable schemes, these robbers are still able to dupe individuals by getting them to clink on links in texts, emails or online. Life is a hard affair at the best of times, so that by the time you make it to your so-called golden years, the very act of losing all of your hard-earned cash makes me want to discolour these scammers and their face with permanent ink.
3) Kitty owners who allow their felines to run free outside, placing them in danger. Cats are killed by cars on the road each year. I see the posters for 'Lost Cat' everywhere, throughout each season. So, if dog owners are required to leash their animals, then so too should cats be restricted from roaming freely in a city centre, unless they're on a leash. Go live in the country, if you want your kitties to live freely, the way farmers handle feral populations, to give cats jobs like mouse-hunters. And if you're going to own a kitty then take full responsibility for the work required to care for a cat. Cut out the lazy routine and brush your fur-baby, to avoid their fur becoming matted, before their fur becomes almost impossible to comb, after which owners give up altogether. Why did you get a kitty in the first place? And why then are you too cheap to pay for a groomer to handle the problem? I wouldn't waste a slingshot on this lot. Instead, I'd not permit them to comb their hair for a year; see how much they liked matted hair.
4) Leaf blowers: These bastids would be high on the list, and I'd aim my slingshot to hit them either between the eyes or to knock some sense into them by clunking them in the back of the head. Every flippen day I hear leaf blowers in the wee hours of the morning, blowing leaves off the property of banks. Since when does a banking institution's bottom profit line have anything to do w/ the perception of tidiness outside? I mean... come on already!
5) Walking four abreast on the sidewalk. These oblivious bastids are not deserving of a precious paint ball to the head, but rather, should receive a few whacks from a baseball bat on the back of their legs for hogging the sidewalk. Even as they see people walking towards them, they can't be bothered to make room for the passerby. I've literally had to step off the sidewalk into the street of oncoming traffic, bcus these knucklehead galloots are too pin-headed to realize a sidewalk is public property, not a personal catwalk. Women too are guilty. I've been sidelined in the past when carrying bags of groceries, so that if two women are coming in the opposite direction, they'll refuse to give me some extra room. Really?
6) Loud cell conversations. Like totally. Like when I walk to work or ride the bus, like I hear bubble-heads chatting on cell phones and like every second word is like because like thinking is sort of like stunted. Oh my lawd. If you exist, please give me the strength to cope with the hoards of the eloquently challenged. This is ear-pollution, plain and simple, and if you must chat on your cell phone knowing your conversation is within ear-range of those around you, puh-lease just stop, and text them that you'll call back later. I don't wear ear-buds when I'm outside, nor do I look at my phone. I want to be aware of my surroundings. There's an element of danger when dealing with a distracted individual who's potentially causing harm to themselves, such as using a crosswalk while staring at their phone, or while running on a shared activity path, oblivious to traffic. Cyclists ring a bell multiple times but the distracted conversationalist doesn't hear a bloody thing. [I wonder if I'd be able to cycle while clutching my slingshot to fire off a quick paint ball?]
7) Most politicians, save three: Liars the whole lot of 'em, for the most part. I should know. I worked for two Conservative Members of Parliament for seven years and know from firsthand experience that they roll over like five-dime wh*res. The name of the game is expediency and re-election. So what if compassion doesn't jive with the levying of taxes on the elderly and low-income persons, while allowing Corporations and the super-rich all the perks they can handle. I could list numerous methods of punishment but again, I remind you that I'm a pacifist at heart. These thoughts are not conducive to happiness. [The three exceptions are Joey Smallwood, Cdn politician who championed bringing in social assistance in Canada; Jack Layton, Cdn politician who headed up our New Democratic Party and who was ahead of his time, calling for the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and who voted to extend asylum to U.S. soldiers who didn't want to fight in Iraq. Plus our current Prime Minister Trudeau whose Liberal government is responsible for having passed quite possibly the most progressive policy in the past 50 years, legal cannabis throughout the country. We need more growth industries to bring in more tax dollars to help support our growing needy. We also need to green the planet as fast as possible].
There you have it! A good Buddhist I wouldn't make but I find it difficult to practice detachment in all areas of life. Suppose I care too deeply. To my mind, the gentleness of domesticated animals, the sanctity of peace and quiet, the protection of our elderly, and the logic of governing fairly are fragile things that deserve genuine and realistic care.
So, if you see me wandering around at night on the rooftops and I have a crazed look in my eye, it merely means that I've finally popped my cap. I recommend you hunker down in your bunker, and wait until my momentary rage passes because these telescopic slingshots mean business... or so I've heard, plus you don't want any errant paint ball to stain your clothes.
So, here is my list of temper-inducing elements:
1) Idiots who lock their dogs in cars w/ the windows rolled up in the blazing heat of summer. Before you get your knickers into a twist for having used an insult like idiots, the word I really wanted to use was retard, a no-no word. Know that the word retarder originated in France in the 15th Century, meaning to hold back, to restrain. Then this word entered the English language and its meaning was bastardized to demean an individual w/ delayed thinking. This contentious word should possibly be brought back into fashion solely to describe the owners who cook their helpless dogs to death. Heat in an enclosed environment like a car rises to 120F in a matter of minutes. I'd like to punish these intensely callous and stupid bastids by locking them in their own car in the heat of summer. Every summer this public message is blasted out, yet every single summer there are incidents of dogs dying in this manner, while their idiot owners cry crocodile tears, "I didn't know!" [Perhaps they should even be elevated to the status of idiot-extraordinaire].
2) Romance scammers who target the elderly, and by hook and crook will convince an elderly person that their nephew or niece is being held in prison, and that unless they provide an injection of cash, asap, that their loved one will be in jeopardy. These scumbags have perfected their trade, and will arrange for another third-party courier to arrive at the front door of the elderly person's home to collect the cash. And despite banks in Canada now questioning the sudden withdrawal of cash, as a measure to prevent fraud, these despicable schemes, these robbers are still able to dupe individuals by getting them to clink on links in texts, emails or online. Life is a hard affair at the best of times, so that by the time you make it to your so-called golden years, the very act of losing all of your hard-earned cash makes me want to discolour these scammers and their face with permanent ink.
3) Kitty owners who allow their felines to run free outside, placing them in danger. Cats are killed by cars on the road each year. I see the posters for 'Lost Cat' everywhere, throughout each season. So, if dog owners are required to leash their animals, then so too should cats be restricted from roaming freely in a city centre, unless they're on a leash. Go live in the country, if you want your kitties to live freely, the way farmers handle feral populations, to give cats jobs like mouse-hunters. And if you're going to own a kitty then take full responsibility for the work required to care for a cat. Cut out the lazy routine and brush your fur-baby, to avoid their fur becoming matted, before their fur becomes almost impossible to comb, after which owners give up altogether. Why did you get a kitty in the first place? And why then are you too cheap to pay for a groomer to handle the problem? I wouldn't waste a slingshot on this lot. Instead, I'd not permit them to comb their hair for a year; see how much they liked matted hair.
4) Leaf blowers: These bastids would be high on the list, and I'd aim my slingshot to hit them either between the eyes or to knock some sense into them by clunking them in the back of the head. Every flippen day I hear leaf blowers in the wee hours of the morning, blowing leaves off the property of banks. Since when does a banking institution's bottom profit line have anything to do w/ the perception of tidiness outside? I mean... come on already!
5) Walking four abreast on the sidewalk. These oblivious bastids are not deserving of a precious paint ball to the head, but rather, should receive a few whacks from a baseball bat on the back of their legs for hogging the sidewalk. Even as they see people walking towards them, they can't be bothered to make room for the passerby. I've literally had to step off the sidewalk into the street of oncoming traffic, bcus these knucklehead galloots are too pin-headed to realize a sidewalk is public property, not a personal catwalk. Women too are guilty. I've been sidelined in the past when carrying bags of groceries, so that if two women are coming in the opposite direction, they'll refuse to give me some extra room. Really?
6) Loud cell conversations. Like totally. Like when I walk to work or ride the bus, like I hear bubble-heads chatting on cell phones and like every second word is like because like thinking is sort of like stunted. Oh my lawd. If you exist, please give me the strength to cope with the hoards of the eloquently challenged. This is ear-pollution, plain and simple, and if you must chat on your cell phone knowing your conversation is within ear-range of those around you, puh-lease just stop, and text them that you'll call back later. I don't wear ear-buds when I'm outside, nor do I look at my phone. I want to be aware of my surroundings. There's an element of danger when dealing with a distracted individual who's potentially causing harm to themselves, such as using a crosswalk while staring at their phone, or while running on a shared activity path, oblivious to traffic. Cyclists ring a bell multiple times but the distracted conversationalist doesn't hear a bloody thing. [I wonder if I'd be able to cycle while clutching my slingshot to fire off a quick paint ball?]
7) Most politicians, save three: Liars the whole lot of 'em, for the most part. I should know. I worked for two Conservative Members of Parliament for seven years and know from firsthand experience that they roll over like five-dime wh*res. The name of the game is expediency and re-election. So what if compassion doesn't jive with the levying of taxes on the elderly and low-income persons, while allowing Corporations and the super-rich all the perks they can handle. I could list numerous methods of punishment but again, I remind you that I'm a pacifist at heart. These thoughts are not conducive to happiness. [The three exceptions are Joey Smallwood, Cdn politician who championed bringing in social assistance in Canada; Jack Layton, Cdn politician who headed up our New Democratic Party and who was ahead of his time, calling for the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and who voted to extend asylum to U.S. soldiers who didn't want to fight in Iraq. Plus our current Prime Minister Trudeau whose Liberal government is responsible for having passed quite possibly the most progressive policy in the past 50 years, legal cannabis throughout the country. We need more growth industries to bring in more tax dollars to help support our growing needy. We also need to green the planet as fast as possible].
There you have it! A good Buddhist I wouldn't make but I find it difficult to practice detachment in all areas of life. Suppose I care too deeply. To my mind, the gentleness of domesticated animals, the sanctity of peace and quiet, the protection of our elderly, and the logic of governing fairly are fragile things that deserve genuine and realistic care.
So, if you see me wandering around at night on the rooftops and I have a crazed look in my eye, it merely means that I've finally popped my cap. I recommend you hunker down in your bunker, and wait until my momentary rage passes because these telescopic slingshots mean business... or so I've heard, plus you don't want any errant paint ball to stain your clothes.
