"Do You See the Fnords?"

Let's start with what a fnord is. While best known from a book called the "Illuminatus Trilogy" by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, it actually originated in a work called "Principia Discordia". "Principia Discordia" is a foundational text for the Discordian religion.

Discordianism is a modern, chaos-based religion, or perhaps a parody religion, depending on one's perspective, which venerates Eris, the Ancient Greek goddess of chaos. The "Principia Discordia" was authored by Greg Hill and Kerry Wendell Thornley. The two used the pseudonyms Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst, respectively, within the book.

In this context, a "fnord" can be thought of as a type of misinformation or disinformation, a deliberately implanted falsehood or distraction. It's a part of the overall Discordian theme of chaos, confusion, and seeing through the illusions presented by societal systems and the media.

The "Illuminatus!" Trilogy later adopted and expanded on the concept, presenting fnords as subliminal, anxiety-inducing messages. Simply put, a fnord is "a piece of disinformation in plain sight," and the news and media in general are full of them. Most headlines and snippets are fnords. Here's an example, a major news story right now is that the Republicans might impeach Merrick Garland.

Today on Twitter, NewsMax posted a story about this. The attention-seeking headline was,

"POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: House Speaker McCarthy suggested the lower chamber might launch an impeachment inquiry into AG Merrick Garland after an IRS whistleblower said he interfered with an investigation into Hunter Biden."

Whoa, all caps must be very serious and real, you don't just use all caps willy-nilly, do you? Anyway, a guy with the Twitter handle @Shorting_Bull responded with this, ' "Suggested"...."might" '

My response was, "You're not supposed to see the fnords," and he then responded with, "It's like those damned pictures they sold at the mall where you could only see the sailboat if you stared at it the right way."

What a great point, and it led me to the reason it is so hard to talk to people who do not yet "see the fnords". If you remember those pictures he referenced, once you can see the boat (or whatever is in the given picture) you can never not see it again. Yet if you show it to someone, point right at it, draw a circle around it, they still do not see it.

No one can see a fnord for you, you must see it for yourself. Once you do, you get really good at seeing them really fast. Remember the movie "They Live" and those glasses in it? With the glasses on, the characters saw the truth of modern society. All the media went from pretty pictures to simple black and white messages like....

"Consume"

"Obey"

"Do Not Question Authority"

"No Independent Thought"

"Conform"

"Submit"

Etc.

"They Live" is a fictional movie that explains the reality of fnords. It had to be absolutely over the top to break through the mindset of modern man who thinks he is free and yet is enslaved by the system he has been conditioned to defend since birth. It was taking the fnord to the maximum and entertaining sci-fi extreme.

The real fnords, though, are more subtle; you either see them or you don't. Yet, if you look for them, if you clear your mind, you will see them. Once you do see them, you will be like characters in "Illuminatus!" who, after waking up, ran around shouting, "I see the fnords," and ended up at a loss for how others couldn't see them. I mean, they are right there, in the open, so obvious. Just remember, a day before, you didn't see them either.

Then, just remember standing in a mall at Spencer Gifts in the '80-'90s (assuming you are old enough) and shouting at your friend,

"I see it, there's the boat, right there, don't you see it? It is right there!"

And your friend tilted their head like a German Shepherd hearing a strange noise and said, "I don't see it." It is like that. They are not going to see it until they are ready to see it for themselves.

In real life, there are no magic sunglasses to see the fnords. It remains the job of each individual to see them for themselves. So, do you see the fnords? If not, keep looking. Once you see them, you will never not see them, ever again.

#grownostr #jacksthoughts

Costco is great, you have to follow two rules and only two.

1. Don't go near the place on a weekend, at all, ever.

2. Same and more so with holidays.

Do that and it is a great store. About 11 AM on a Tuesday is perfect.

Example, in Jacksonville when I was a kid a guy robbed a store with a handgun. Wrong store, clerk pulled a shot gun and blew half the guys head off (literally). The guy ran about 4 blocks with half a head and then fell over stone dead. He could have killed or shot people long before dying. Still a shotgun to the head is 99% of the time instant lights out.

This was a good day BTW for good people. The fuck bag that got his head blown off had the week before robbed a store and killed the clerk. The clerk was a woman and there was a customer who was there and was a witness. The scum bag got the money, put the gun to the women's eye, winked at the witness and shot her right in front of him and left without saying a word.

If only he'd of had a 00 haircut a week earlier.

That is why I loved my job pulling parts at a junk yard. I made more in 3-4 hours then working all day at something hourly. I didn't even really have a "boss" the guy I worked for was named I shit you not, Muskrat. I don't even know his real first name.

I'd show up and there'd be a list of parts to pull and what vehicles had them. I'd pull the parts and leave them in bins and if it took me an hour I was paid per part. I got paid on Saturdays in cash, if he wasn't there he'd leave the money in a drawer under some stuff for me.

I think this is partly why I was always into some sort of entrepreneurial thing throughout my life. Once you have that type of work environment you know it is possible so you keep seeking it and better.

Oh and cash money no taxes!

Good morning from the airport #coffeechain. Dallas Love DOES NOT have good coffee fwiw.

Still looking for someone to put angoosstory to the nostr protocol as a presentation for Self Reliance Festival. Octo 14-15

If no one steps up, I guess that is my topic...

Anyone?

#grownostr #srf #lftn #decentralization

Prove it wrong I dare you. 👇

Politics in a meme no additional explanation required 👇

Used to have a lot of pecans. My mom said the tree in the backyard and the two behind my dad’s office aren’t producing anymore last time I visited. Course I’m not sure if it was my grandparents or my great grandparents that planted them.

I am 50 but even at "middle age" and aging fast I keep trying to learn more and do more.

Some of my next projects...

1. Develop the best Salsa Macha recipe there is and publish a how to on it

2. Completely revamp one of my fish tanks using new techniques and publish the how to on this as well. Thanks to "Father Fish" for this one.

3. Expand my knowledge of ChatGPT to how to effectively use 20 different plugins effectively before I turn 51 in August. I am at 8 since starting a few weeks ago.

4. Develop a fermented version of our cucumber salsa (very different from #1)

5. Learn the process of degoogling an android phone and installing my own OS instead of buying it off the shelf.

6. Upgrade my home network of a WiFi mesh style network.

7. Learn how to make "mushroom catchup", I can thank Towsends for this one.

8. Develop a wrap based on canned chicken for my waffle cone maker where I have already done it with pork rinds and an egg/cheese version

None of these are directly related to my business, could make a list a mile long between now and end of summer if I did that. We should all be doing things like this all the time, all our lives.

Don't waste your Dash! Polymaths are not born, they are made by never ceasing learning.

Good evening my #Nostr family. #grownostr

Day 67: #grownostr initiative

Its almost time to harvest some okra. I like to slice and dredge them in egg and corn meal and fry them in oil until crispy. Simply season with a little salt and pepper out of the oil. Pair them with sliced tomatoes--it doesn't get much better to me. How does everyone else like okra?

#gardening #homestead #okra #friedokra

I never have except for an annual pina colada or two in Florida. I have always said that straws have five uses.

1. Women who have lipstick on and don't want it on the glass

2. Frozen drinks

3. People who are dehydrated and you need to get fluids in them

4. Drinking from a canteen with a gas mask on

5. People who are infirm

After that they are just for people who suck. 😝

Oh sub out the usual peanuts for something like pine nuts or hazel nuts to get those legumes out of your diet.

#75hard half way

1. Follow a diet, no alcohol

2. 2 forty five minute workouts per day (this is the hardest part to make space for)

3. 1 gallon H2O (tough when flying fwiw)

4. Read 10 pages (easiest)

5. Take a photo of your progress (a motley assortment)

#lftnchallenge