In the present (a poem)

When emptiness fills the void

and ghosts from the past

decide your future

you wake up relieved

knowing the fight is over.

For now at least,

at the break of dawn

when the sun

covers the moon

that's out of reach

for those

living in the present 

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Comedy is hard

'Have you ever had an orgasm, sir?' is one of those questions you can expect when you sit at the front row at a comedy show. Some stand up comedians just love to interact with the audience. And I'm in for it.  It makes a comedy show so much more fun than to watch one on television. 

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Not every comedian gets everyone to laugh. And that makes sense. Imagine being of Russian descent and the comedian on stage cracks a joke about Putin and Ukraine. Although the joke in itself can be hilarious, some can be not amused. But it's still a joke. Having a different appearance can make you a target for stand up comedians. It's why the front row seats are taken last by the audience. Because a good comedian is capable of making fun of anyone. Are you short or tall, Asian or Caucasian, in a wheelchair or do you have curly hair? You should be aware you could be a target for a comedian.

Some are more easily offended than others and comedians are people too. Really.

Has someone ever made a joke at your expense? And did you feel offended?

The End of Meaning (a circle #poem)

At the end of meaning

comes the time

we think things over

and we remember

what we lost

and what we gained

who we loved

and if they knew

we did our best

or maybe not

was all we had

a single shot

at knowing what's important

not only now or in the past

but 

at the end of meaning 

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Today's problems

The biggest problems on the planet are things like greed and indifference.

Those who don't care about politics, are part of the problem:

A problem that's not to be underestimated is that many people won't talk with people who don't agree with them. When you never step outside your bubble, you will never grow as a person. 

Partially thanks to my dear departed mother, I've always strived to join different 'tribes', clubs, societies. It's one of the reasons I joined Freemasonry (and wrote about that here)

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Unlike in most other countries, in the USA there's no central governing body for Freemasonry. Leading to big differences between Lodges and deviations from the old rules, established around 1770. This leads to some Lodges in the USA only accepting married men. Some Freemasons Lodges claimed the right to refuse members whose skin colour is darker than Hitler's was. Yes, they would not allow Jesus to join Freemasonry! And other US Lodges accept 'every man'. Who pays a couple of thousand dollars a month in contribution. Thus being able to claim: 'See, poor people are just not fit to rule the world, only old, white, rich dudes are!' Partially kidding of course: yes, there are some rich and powerful Freemasons but the organisation in itself is not ruling the world. If so, they'd be doing a terrible job.

Segregation is still very real (click) in present day America and even some American Freemasons are not afraid to be racists.

There are also nice and welcoming Lodges in the USA, of course. And yes, women can become a Freemason (click) too.

Luckily some Freemasons never stopped talking about the issue. This lead to a 'white' and a 'black' group of Masons recogniging eachother's existence. In Delaware. In 2006. Baby steps.

In other countries there have also been isues of course: should women be allowed as member? Jews? Catholics? Et cetera. And those problems will keep popping up because people will always be prejudiced. And yes, Freemasons are people.

We may never reach the point were everyone is welcome in every club, but at least we can try to be inclusive. 

How about you? Do you like it in your nice, cosy bubble, or do you sometimes go out and talk to people who look and think different from you?

Bleating elf (a #poem)

Washing her feet in

untrue tweets,

trampling 'the left',

she doesn't know

her lies smell bad

and she resorts to theft.

She steals a quote

from a populist

'thinking for herself'

Is she 'a rebel anarchist'?

Nah, just a bleating elf

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American Conservatives love to contradict themselves

Why do American Conservatives keep contradicting themselves? Honestly I've stopped wondering and just accepted it as a fact that stupid people really don't know what they're talking about. They simply repeat oneliners from right wing populists. And call that 'I do my own research!'

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One of the things they love to shout is 'Freedom!'. They claim they want freedom for all but at the same time don't want women to decide over their own bodies, don't want Muslims to practice their religion, want to ban books that make people think for themselves, want to ban anything remotely gay, want to cancel 'cancel culture', et cetera. 

Not so long ago their slogan of choice was 'Better dead than red': 

Now it's 'I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat':

Conservatives publicly side (click) with Russia:

(proudly waving Russian flags at CPAC, just before Trump speaks)

Their hero, Donald Trump, is not afraid to publicly speak in favour (click) of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. Some say Trump is in Putin's pocket because Putin has some dirt on the former US president. I have no idea where that thought comes from.

Some of Trump's [sheep] fans didn't get the memo - or are just plain stupid - and state they oppose the system of government Trump's friend and ally favours:

An incredible percentage of the people that still follow Trump could not win a 5th grade spelling contest. Like this lady who misspelled 'Brittney Griner', the athlete that was detained by Russian authorities and sentenced to 9 years in a labour camp after they found a tiny bottle with cannabis-oil and a picture of her kissing a woman (her wife) in her bag.

President Biden traded Griner 'because someone should not be locked up for the possession of cannabis' (except when they're poor, black and in US prisons of course) for a captured Russian arms dealer (Viktor Bout) but a former US marine is still in Russian custody; 'Why didn't President Biden protest when the Russians detained Paul Whelan in 2018!? conservatives now scream. Well, they'd better ask their hero Trump. It was he who was president back then, not Joe Biden. 

Interestingly enough Paul Whelan (click) has been arrested for spying. And said he was a deputy Sherrif in Washtenaw County but that Sheriff's office has no record of him working as Deputy. And he was discharged from the military for being an arsonist.

'Yeah, but that's just a fact!' is one of the standard responses from people 'on the right'. Too bad, because they often get the chance to come with actual arguments but seldom deliver. 

Sarah, who thinks Brittney Griner has 'a commie ass' is a 'real American patriot' according to her Twitter profile. That means she wants freedom for all. Except for people she doesn't like.

Have you got any idea why Conservatives often contradict themselves and apparently are not ashamed of looking stupid?

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Received (a short story)

Behind her painted smile

was an open secret

she wasn't willing to share

Not yet anyway

Thus he asked

for nothing

And that's

what he received 

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Freemasonry

Let's get it out there: I'm a Freemason. 

I think it started when my girlfriend at the time was pregnant with our now 27 years old son. My life was suddenly and rapidly changing and I needed something to hold on to. To not lose track of what was important. A calm haven to (re)turn to when life was living me instead of vice versa. On a search like that one usually turns to religion. Or alcohol or other drugs. I've tasted some Buddhism, went to a schul, had dinner with the Hare Krishna's, followed some Baptist sermons, had myself schooled by some very nice and well behaved Mormons, looked up the Jehovah's Witnesses (instead of waiting for them to knock on my door), accompanied a neighbour to her mosque, et cetera. I learned a lot in those years, made some new friends and gained more understanding of different people. But they all said: 'This is how it is.' and 'This symbol stands for...' You know, a bit dogmatic. 

Perhaps that's why I got attracted by freemasonry: you meet a lot of different people (yes, women too. The first female Freemason was initiated long before women were considered beings in their own right by governments and granted the right to vote. Although - truth be told - it's still a male dominated 'world'. But hey, good luck finding a female Catholic priest or imam. Or an invitation to a High Tea, aimed at men. Material for a future blog piece) from all walks of life. 

With the methods we use, you learn not to get angry when someone has an opposing opinion but to ask why: why do you think what you think and why do you think does the other person have different thoughts about the same matter? In other words: you compare opinions instead of lining them up against eachother. Of course that means there's sometimes friction. But that only takes the rough edges off of both and - in a figurative but often also physical (ever noticed how people who disagree with eachother keep a physical distance?) - sense, brings people together. 

How it helps you to grow as a human being is that freemasonry helps you question your own motives: is it really me that wants this or is it because I think people expect this from me? 

It's also not very dogmatic. For example: there's this symbol in freemasonry that many see as a letter 'G' (click). 

Does it stand for God? For Gaia perhaps, for those who prefer to put their faith in Mother Nature and less in a deity? Does it stand for Geometry because - after all - we were originally a group of stone masons? Is it a circle with a square in it, symbolising everything can be broken down to perfect mathematical equations? Or is it perhaps a snake biting its own tail? Or the Circle of Life, interrupted or 'blocked' by your temporary shortcomings or some trauma holding you back? That's for every Mason his- or herself to decide. And every single Mason will look differently upon how to interpret 'the secret', the rituals and symbols. And that's okay. 

What do you know about Freemasonry? Perhaps you know of a juicy conspiracy theory you would like to share? Welcome to comment! 

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Squares (a circle #poem)

Going around in squares

you see more

with every journey

Light conquers darkness

and you have been handed the tools

to help you overcome

or at least challenge

whatever comes in your path

It's a heavy burden

but you're not alone

In the darkness

you hear them breathing

those who see you struggle

as they measure 

their own accomplishments

You know you are judged

And realize that judge is you

as you are

going around in squares.

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What if the airplane was never invented?

Would your (grand)parents never have met if the airplane was never invented? What would the Vietnam war have looked like? Any war after 1910 for that matter. 

Would we perhaps now travel by some kind of subterranean railway system? Super fast submarines, carrying 250 people each?  What would migration look like? Would there be people protesting globalism? And how about the consequences for the environment? 

Would multi millionaires own private trains? Would you ever go abroad for work or vacation?

Think what the world would look like with a lot less expats or immigrants with a darker skin colour.

Thousands died in airplane crashes. What if they all had lived?

Many people work at airports and in the airplane industry.

Would they all be unemployed if planes were never invented?

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Here (a short story)

He needed shelter. And a drink. On this street everything appeared closed but when he saw a well-known sign he walked on a little faster. It was not his favourite brand of beer but sometimes it is better not to complain.

On opening the bar door he felt slightly disappointed. It took him a while to realise why: he had not heard the cheerful 'Ting-a-ling-a-ling!' of a welcoming chime.

It was very quiet here in every respect. Not even music. Only now did he realise that all conversation had come to a halt and all faces were turned towards him. He straightened his back, walked to the bar and ordered his favourite drink.

The barman just looked at him with a question in his eyes. So he repeated his order. The barman heaved a deep sigh, shoulders drooped. He ordered a beer, was made to pay straight away and emptied his glass fairly quickly.

Outside awaited the pouring rain but still he would rather be there than here. 

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Should we trust people who state we can't trust others?

Some people believe the Great Pyramids were build to store grain. Simply looking at them makes that theory seem highly unlikely. Yet people take it as a fact. And not just former American presidential candidates.

There is some consensus they were build as tombs for pharaohs. Although some mummification equipment was found in pyramids, only one contained an actual mummy. The ancient Egyptians didn't want the bodies of their leaders to be found, so why build a giant structure, advertising where to find them? 

So what was the purpose of the pyramids and were it really the Egyptians that built them? A man named A.J. tries to provide some answers in The Why Files (click). Were the pyramids really powerplants?

The farther we go back in time, the harder it is to find evidence for theories and the harder it gets to seperate fact from fiction. Especially when 'the government' apparently doesn't want people to know the truth. Are our governments trying to hide facts from us? Why? If they're not, why don't they put any effort in debunking conspiracy theories? Could it be they confuse us on purpose? To what end?

It's a fact that The Montauk Project existed. It's true governments do things they like to keep under wraps. Kidnap, torture and murder for example. Does that mean we should always believe those who claim the exact opposite of what the government tells us? And what if time traveling heroes really exist but they also sexually abused young men?

(Watch until the end. But not with young children, please)

Should we always trust the government or always put our trust in people who state we can never trust the government?

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You once smiled (a #poem)

Long shadows and lighting bolts

turtle necks and blue clay molds

A woman's mind

everyone's kind

Can't you hear them sing?

The wind, the trees and a lonesome child?

Just wear that ring

and remember you once smiled

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We love to believe amazing stories

David Icke has millions of fans. And I get that. His stories are fantastic. Literally. People like the former football player's stories for the same reason they love the stories of J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien and those of George R. Martin: it's nice to - if even for an hour or so - escape to another realm of existence. Forget about everyday problems, ailments, heartache and whatever bothers us. 

As a teen I ate up the stories of Erich von Däniken: Humans are a failed alien experiment? Cool!

I loved the Superman comics:

An alien being with superpowers that helped us fight the nazis? Amazing stories!

Just like: 'Some powerful people on Earth are secretly alien lizardmen who want to kill us all!'

David Icke may have had too many football balls hit his amygdala. It's the spot in our brain that houses our conscious, the 'voice in our head'. When it malfunctions, we can't tell right from wrong, a lie from the truth.

Either way, his ideas have been debunked over and over again and his followers believe them like people who believe everything in the books of Dan Brown is reality. Take his rocksteady believe that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the real story of how 'the jews' want to control the world. Although it was written by the Russians a hundred years ago as 'evidence' the jewish were an evil people. Not just ordinary but poorly educated civilians believed the constructed story, also people like Henry Ford saw it as proof his anti-semitism was justified. Dangerous stuff!

Do you believe the stories of David Icke, although they have been debunked? If I may ask: why?

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Palms (a #shortstory)

At the party he saw

some old friends

And made some new ones.

The music was a bit too loud

for his taste but good to dance to.

Everyone, the DJ, the waiters and waitresses, 

the security guards, the performing artists, 

the management of the club, of course the guests

and even the wardrobe ladies, 

seemed to have a good time.

Proof of that he saw 

when he used the bathroom:

at the back wall of the stall

he noticed

the imprint of two

sweaty hand palms.

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Changes

With every new development there are fierce opponents: 'Why change? What we have works well and is good enough!' 

If we never change, we never develop. Perhaps not every change is for the better but if we had never made any changes we would still be living like our ancestors, 100,000 years ago.

A man who never opposed changes was David Bowie. He more than once changed his appearance, the way he sold records, didn't oppose the sale of digital music, et cetera.

Do you oppose change? Why?

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Engulfed (a #poem)

 

 

  She spoke to him

  Like no one had spoken to him before

  She asked him a question

  He never had to answer before

  Somehow he managed to answer

  Although bound by invisible restraints

  He knew he could trust her.

  She said so with her eyes.

  And so he surrendered

  - with his eyes closed -

  To her and the darkness

  In which they were both

  Engulfed.

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The Feast of Light

Halloween marks a great season for entertainers in our part of the world. I'm guessing it's the same for my colleagues in areas of the world were the Feast of Light is called Dia de los Muertos or Divali, for example. It marks the time that most work on the lands is done and - because it gets darker - we spend more time at home, with our loved ones. Back in the day there was no internet. No tv or radio even! And when many people couldn't read, these were the times they told eachother stories. Ghost stories. 

I like the symbolism surrounding the traditions, this time of year. Have always been attracted by symbolism. It may well be why I once decided to become a Freemason. 

We have our 'own' (often 'borrowed' - like most habits and traditions - from other cultures) traditions, especially surrounding the different solstices.

So, when I get the chance to play a ghoul, a character from a scary movie or simply a character who embraces the dark side that lurks in all of us, I jump at the opportunity.

From pre-internet days:

So, how was your Halloween? Did you wear a costume? Did you have a scary parent/child moment that really was only scary for onlookers?

Did you dress up your cute cat?

What do you call the Feast of Light in your neck of the woods and do you have traditions that are different from other people celebrating moving into the dark?

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