Sports?

 Here's a little revelation about myself. Some of you may perfectly relate, but others may just find another reason to hate me. Whatever the case, I am who I am.

Sports... particularly ball sports. I've never really felt any kind of thrill, excitement, adrenaline rush or even loyalty toward any team. I just don't get it. There's nothing there for me. Nothing. Now, I do respect that people are into watching sports and being emotionally involved with "their" team(s), but when it comes to actually having to sit down and watch a game, I can't think of many things that are more boring... maybe watching paint dry. Watching people run around on a field kicking, throwing or hitting a ball around just doesn't do anything for me. When I was younger (middle school and into high school) I tried to like watching sports and even enjoyed playing games. I even thought it might be fun to be a "jock" and be "popular" if for no other reason, the ability to play a ball sport. 

Perhaps, always being the last person picked for teams and intentionally being left out of sports by peers and family members ruined it for me, but maybe it was that I found other things in life that were more exciting. From a very early age, I have always been intrigued by science, technology and how things go together. I have always been a creator and innovator and have a deep appreciation for the creativity of other disciplined artists and inventors. 

Perhaps, my threshold of adrenaline is a bit higher than seeing a ball go through a goal or into a hoop because I do feel that adrenaline rush watching or participating in what may be classified as extreme sports - where the maneuvers are risky and stakes are high. It should surprise no one that several of my own kids gravitated toward extreme sports. Although my own involvement in such is usually more on the side of strategic than tactical, I have been known to engage in some extreme activities myself - and I have the scars to prove it. Mostly though, just getting out there and pitting myself against the elements (and whatever other danger - man, beast, device or natural phenomenon) provides a dose of adrenaline in itself. The rush of beating the odds or what some people describe as "runner's high" are indescribable sensations that can only be experienced. Though I can try to put them into words, the only way to know it is to experience them personally.

Baby Blue

Baby Blue 2021

 This guitar has a history. It is the last musical instrument I have made - 22 years ago, while I was still on active duty. It was more of a novelty than anything. Besides wanting to recover some confidence in my skills, due to dealing with disabilities, I wanted to make a statement. It was almost entirely a buildup for the punchline of a gag. I thought it would be fun that whenever anyone asked me if I played a musical instrument, I could say, "I play a little guitar" and then bring that out. It has a name: Baby Blue.

This guitar is built almost entirely from scrap materials and repurposed hardware. Most of the wood is from an inoperable organ that some friends gave us before they moved. The fretboard is from a piece of rosewood that, for whatever reason, ended up on a pallet in a warehouse where I once worked. I used the wood for several different instruments. Most of the hardware and decorative material was left over from upgrades to other guitars I have worked on. I had to buy a few items from music stores and a luthier supplier. If I had to add up the total cost of materials that I had to buy new, it would probably total about $30. The cost in time, skills and passion: priceless.

Long before I even built this guitar, I had built several other instruments throughout the years. I started building and innovating with guitars and accessories while I was still in high school. I wish I still had some of the instruments that I built then or at least to have some photo-documentation of such. Virtually nothing exists though. The process of making instruments has necessitated some ingenuity, especially when working on a limited budget and having only rudimentary tools at my disposal. One of the "tools" that I developed was a computer program (that I wrote in BASIC) that would calculate the placement of frets on a fretted instrument. It was a pretty simple formula, that even with my limited math skills, I was able to somehow figure out and later refine. It is dead-on accurate. What WASN'T accurate was my placement of where the bridge position pickup should go. For some reason, the placement is off a bit and that's why it's slammed right up against the bridge. In almost every single instrument I've ever made, there is some major flaw that even though many people might not detect, it is something that I can't help but notice every time I see or play it. One of these days, I'll be to the level where I don't screw up royally while making a musical instrument.

Several years after I was out of the Air Force and moved back to Bellingham, we were downsizing (and I was trying to come up with some cash for more musical equipment), I put this, along with some of my other equipment up for sale. Somebody came and bought this. It was with almost instant regret though. It was as if I had sold a part of myself. My children were even sad that I had sold it and expressed that to me. 

A year or two after I had sold the instrument, we were getting tires at Les Schwab. While we were waiting, I walked down to a nearby pawnshop. Lo and behold, Baby Blue was on the rack for sale! I literally ran back to the tire shop and told Julie, "you'll never guess what I found at the pawnshop!" She didn't guess, so I had to tell her... and I begged for some money to buy it back. The cost was a little more than what I sold it for at our yard sale, but the strange thing was that they said it came with a case. Case? It never had a case. They came back to the counter with a case. It was a saxophone case. Whatever... I'll take it. The guitar had a few more scratches and dents than what it had before I sold it, but it was okay. It was now mine again. I sold the saxophone case on eBay and it was enough to make up the difference between the cost I sold the guitar for and the amount I had to pay for it at the pawnshop.

Fast-forward a few more years. We were once again in transition. I was going across the country to school and we were downsizing, but this time I was trying to avoid selling any musical instruments that had sentimental value. Instead, I gave a couple of them away to my children - and this was one of them. It was still in the family, so it wasn't completely gone. 

Now, as almost our entire family seems to be in transition and everybody else is either downsizing or they just don't have the capability of taking everything with them. This guitar is now back in my possession... for now. It needed some cleaning, re-stringing and repairs (one of the pickups was busted and needed some hardware). It is now proudly displayed on the rack once again. 

Cheap Microphones!

Well, would ya just look at that! A plethora of cheap microphones! These are the kind you give your preschooler to belt out nursery rhymes. You can also hand them to the slobbering drunks as they try to "sing" Karaoke.

They are most particularly suited for your special friend who feels they have to utter some kind of self-proclaimed profundity, and to add to the drama they are creating, feels the need to drop the microphone on the floor (as long as they turn the switch off first to keep from irreparably damaging the speakers - and listeners' ears).

I think everyone who has a collection of professional (expensive) microphones needs to have at least a few of these to hand to less-than-professional mic handlers who have no concept of how to properly use a real microphone. So... for those untrained or negligent users who desire to get their hands, feet (as well as unmentionable body fluids) on my microphones, I present to you my collection of cheap microphones that I (mostly) don't give a crap about.

Oh, and if you do manage to slobber all over any of my microphones or touch them with your unwashed hands, even these chintzy ones, you are still required to wipe them down with at least 91% alcohol.

Back in the day – Installment 3: Photography

 
Actual photography goes way back more than 150 years ago, but this isn’t a history lesson. I only go back as far as what I can remember being in my lifetime. Most of these technological changes have been within the past 20 years or so though, which for me, only seems like a few years. 

At the present time, every few months there seems to be a new digital camera with more megapixels, sharper images, more filters and features. There was a day when digital cameras (at the consumer level) did not even exist and we did not have the benefit of sharing photos over our phones or the Internet. But we did share them. 

The conventional camera itself was fairly simple, with relatively few moving parts. For the sake of simplification, there were two main kinds of cameras. There was the type that, at minimum, had adjustments on it for exposure, ISO (or ASA), aperture and focus. These settings have carried over into modern cameras, but that’s where it ends. The other type of camera was a basic camera that only had had few, if any settings. It was analogous to popular “point-and-shoot” cameras now. 

The one thing that conventional cameras had in common was that they all used film. There were different types of film though. Most decent quality cameras used 35mm film. There were other cameras that used larger (and more expensive) rolls of film and their quality was unparalleled, even with many modern digital cameras. Film purists still cling to their film cameras and swear by them. Not me though. When I got my first digital camera – a 4 megapixel point-and-shoot camera, I used up the roll of film that was in my 35mm cameras and promptly sold them to the highest bidder on eBay… and never turned back. No regrets. 

Simpler (and cheaper) plastic cameras were called “Instamatic” and were relatively easy to use. The film came in cartridges. You would open the back door, pop in the cartridge and shoot. After every shot, you advanced the film by one frame with a lever. Whether the film came in rolls or cartridges, the standard frames were: 12, 24 and 36 – and sometimes 20. That’s all the pictures you could take before reloading. Each roll of film was anywhere between $2.00 and $4.00 for economy film. That was the actual, unadjusted cost in the early to mid-1970s. Film came in different “speeds” (ISO/ASA) and compositions as well as the choice between black-and-white or color. Initially, some people opted for black-and-white because it didn’t cost as much.

Besides the initial cost of the camera (which was comparable to a digital camera now) the cost of film wasn’t the only expense. If you were shooting indoors, you needed a flash… usually flashbulbs or flashcubes. I tried to explain this concept to my kids and they gave me funny looks. Try to understand this. A flashbulb is like a light bulb, but you can only use it one time, and then you throw it away… but not so quick, because it’s very hot when you pop it out of the socket. Flash cubes were ingenious though. Not only did they have a plastic covering that somewhat protected you from burns, but each flashcube contained four flashbulbs, instead of a single one. So you could take four pictures in rapid succession without having to change a bulb. You could shoot as fast as you could click the shutter and advance the frame. Later flash units (which are still in used today) had a xenon flash bulb that could be used an indefinite number of times, but it could take up to 30 seconds between flashes, and they used up batteries quite rapidly, which were also an expense.

Instamatic cameras were snapshot cameras. They were so popular, it seemed like everybody had one. They were so easy to use that anybody could take pictures. All you had to do was look through the little window (viewfinder) click the shutter button and that was it. Advance to the next frame and keep going. The quality was lousy, but nobody really cared that much either. You saved a memory and that was what was important. There were two sizes of instamatic films: 126 (larger negatives and square pictures) and 110 (small negatives, rectangle pictures). A lot of people opted for 110 cameras because it would easily fit into your pocket. There were other variations of film types and photo media such disk cameras and Polaroid cameras (instant cameras where the pictures came right out and developed by themselves), but those weren’t as popular.

The next expense was film processing – which could easily cost twice as much as you paid for the film. There were two ways that you usually had your film processed (well, three… but let me get through these first two before I make matters confusing). “Drugstore” processing was the first. At certain stores and camera shops, you slipped your film into an envelope, write your name, address and phone number and then checked the boxes: type of film, how many exposures (frames), type of processing, type of film, and number of prints for each exposure. Then you sealed up the envelope and dropped it into a slot and waited. Usually, processing took a week or two. Some places would process it in-store, but many of them would send it off to a processing plant to have the work done. You had to check back with the store to see if your pictures came back. Either the clerk would check for you or you might look through the drawer or bin that was alphabetized with your last name. Some stores might even call you on the phone to let you know it was ready to pick up. If your pictures were done, you could open the flap of the envelope and look through them to see which ones turned out. If there was something wrong with any of them (like under/overexposure, blurry, or blank) you weren’t required to pay for them because you could usually dispute those photos and leave them there. You didn’t pay for photos until after you picked them up. 

The next method of having your photos processed was with a mailer. This was convenient if you didn’t live close to a store that you could drop your pictures off. It was similar to the envelope at the store, but instead of dropping them in the slot, you put it in the mailbox and mailed it off. You had to calculate the costs yourself though and write out a check or buy money order include it with your order. Sometimes it took a month or more for photos to come back – and we were perfectly okay with this. It was pretty exciting to get those photos back in the mail though. 

So, how did we share photos? On the processing envelopes, there was an option for double prints or a specified amount that you write in. Each additional print was usually about 25-35 cents. Some places had bargain deals though for much cheaper. When you got your photos back, then you simply handed out the extra prints or sent them along with letters or cards to your friends or loved ones. We thoughtfully kept all our good pictures in photo albums and our friends and family kept the photos we sent to them either in an old shoe box or their own photo albums. These were treasured mementos. Should I even take a moment to introduce another method of sharing photos? The slide show? Haha! I think every family or social group had that one person who shot all their photos on slides and everybody who couldn’t find a good excuse to leave before the lights went out became an unwitting viewer of endless vacation slides.

Now I want to get back to the third option of photo processing that I mentioned earlier. For some people, photography was a hobby. No, not just taking pictures, but processing them as well. A photography enthusiast may spend many hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on darkroom equipment. My mom had a setup. She even had her own darkroom built out in the garage for this. You first needed to develop the film, which consisted of unrolling and loading the film into a special tank and filling it successively with several types of chemicals, then cranking a handle to agitate (for even distribution) for specified amounts of time. This is one of the reasons it was necessary to have a darkroom timer that looked a lot like a big clock. 

Then once the film was developed, you had what are called negatives that you had to cut into manageable sections and dry (hopefully after rinsing well enough so they didn’t have chemical or water spots). After the film had sufficiently dried, you could then make prints, using photo paper. That was done using what was called an enlarger. You basically made a picture of your picture – printing from negative film onto negative paper and since you have two negatives, it makes a positive. I’m not making this stuff up! Keep in mind that all of this was extremely time consuming and took place in darkness. It wasn’t completely dark though. You had just enough light from a dark red bulb. You had to develop the photo paper in a vat with similar chemicals that were used for the negatives. 

I’ve personally never developed my own film and never had any interest in doing so, but my mom did and I had friends who did this. You had to be a real die-hard photographer or perfectionist to appreciate developing your own photos.  It could also get pretty costly, especially if you didn’t know what you were doing and messed up on the processing. This was the stage that you could change the tint or do any retouching. It was a complicated process. I guess you could say it was old-school “Photoshop” that made tangible, permanent prints, so there was no “undo” function.

Keeping all this in mind, if you wanted to be a good photographer, it took lots of practice, and patience, while learning from your mistakes. Unless you had unlimited money to blow, you couldn’t just shoot a bunch of pictures, hope for the best and then not be disappointed. Each shot had to be planned, calculated and executed with care. If you thought somebody might have blinked when the bright flashbulb went off, you’d better take another picture because most likely they did blink and ruined the shot – and it would be two weeks or a month (or longer – especially if you kept film in your camera for months) before you even knew if they turned out.

Fast forward to present day. Almost everybody has a camera, either built-into their phone or as a dedicated “point-and-shoot” or DSLR or newer mirror-less. Everything is instant too. Click and then send to your friends and family or share on social media. You can make prints or photo books, but those are waning in popularity because almost nobody sits down and flips through photo albums anymore. 

Back in the day - Installment 2: Television

 

How far back should I go? Well, considering that this is a finite timeline (since the concept of consumer electronics does not go back further than a century), I will start at what I can remember from my childhood – about midway on that timeline. 

Our Black and White TV (in background) c. 1966

We had a black and white TV until a lightning strike hit our antenna in the mid 1970s and then my parents bought a 19” solid state, color TV. Turning on the TV was a conscious decision. If we wanted to know what was on TV, we consulted TV Guide, which had the projected programming – though it was sometimes wrong, and frustrating. We had one local TV station that we received quite well with the rabbit ear antenna that was on top of the TV. There were two stations in Vancouver B.C. (Canada) and two (well, maybe one and sometimes another… depending upon whether, or how viewers were positioned in the room) from Seattle. The reception from those distant stations was sketchy, at best. Sometimes, the images on screen were “ghosted” and at other times, they were garbled. Most of the time, we could at least get audio though. Suffice it to say, most of what we watched was our local station – KVOS (which doesn’t even exist anymore). If you didn’t like what was on TV, there was no changing the channel option. You either watched what was on or turned it off. It was that black and white TV in the wooden cabinet that we watched the live Apollo 11 moon landing and when President Nixon resigned. 

Our TV reception improved slightly when we upgraded from rabbit ears to a deluxe rooftop antenna that could rotate with a remote box with an orientation knob. One of the annoying frustrations was a neighbor who had an electric fence that would “zap” our picture every second. It was just one of the things we had to deal with.

In the vacuum tube generation, it was expected that users would service their own TVs and radios. If you didn’t know what you were doing (which applies to most people) you still gave it a try. You simply unplugged your TV (so you didn’t get electrocuted) and trying not to touch any of the wires that said “DANGER” on them, you carefully pulled out all of the glass vacuum tubes and packed them in a bag and brought them to the hardware store or even your local supermarket – most of which had a tube tester. You just followed the directions on which knobs to turn and what readings the meters and lights were supposed to be. If you found a tube that was faulty, you’d buy that tube and replace it, hoping it would solve the problem. If it didn’t solve the problem or if none of the tubes were faulty, THEN you called a repairman or brought it into the shop. It could take weeks… or months for you to get your TV back. It’s not that it really took that long to repair, but it just took that long for them to finally get to your TV – or they just held it that long to make it seem like the problem was more complex and involved than it really was. I used to work in an electronics repair shop and I can neither confirm nor deny that there were some hokey things that happened behind the scenes. 

In the age of solid-state electronics, nothing was considered “user” repairable – though many dads tried… and many dads either made matters worse or got shocked (or both) in the process. There were warning labels on the back of the TV to ensure that manufacturers were not held liable. The insides of the television set seemed more complicated and mysterious from that day forward – especially as more features were added and with the advent of color television. I remember one television set that was advertised on a TV commercial by Magnavox: “Works in a Drawer” where all the circuit boards were accessible by opening up a drawer, supposedly making it easier for repair personnel to do their job. I don’t think this concept caught on though because for the rest of us, who cares?

The fact of the matter still remained that there were only 13 channels on the dial. Well, technically not though. It started at 2 and went through 13, but between 13 and 2 was UHF. That was mysterious because with UHF, when you fine-tuned the UHF dial and there was just static/”snow” (at least in our location). It didn’t really matter though because there were only so many television stations in our local community.

Then everything changed. Cable television. This was both a good thing and not so good. For about ten bucks a month, we could get something like 30 premium channels in addition to local TV stations. For a few dollars more, we could get HBO and/or Showtime. This was the first time many of us had our innocence rocked by sneaking R-rated movies while our parents were shopping or on date night. The other thing that changed was that cable TV supplanted other relationships and activities. Where we used to ride bicycles, play ball games and work on tree forts with neighborhood kids, they were too busy watching their favorite shows. Backyard barbecues, gossiping over the fence and sense of community gave way to isolation and sedentary lifestyles. TV ruled almost every American household. Not too much afterward, came VCRs – with the war between Betamax and VHS, with VHS coming out the winner (not due to quality, but availability of movies on the platform). Everybody had a VCR and could buy or rent whatever they wanted. Then came DVDs and Blu-Ray… and now, streaming services.

Sadly, not much has changed since early Cable TV, except that there are seemingly unlimited channels now and with the addition of Smart TV and the Internet, we can watch anything and everything – quite literally. What HAS changed is that instead of a 19” tube-type TV with grainy picture, we now have flat screen, high definition TVs that can take up an entire wall, with booming 7.1 surround-sound. Every home can be a movie theater in this day of modern technology. Does anybody take their TV to the shop anymore? It’s virtually unheard of and I don’t know if there are any local shops that repair them. Mostly, by the time your warrantee expires, it’s time to upgrade to a new TV anyway and the old one gets thrown in the dumpster.

Back in the day - Installment 1: Mail Order

Probably as recent as about 20 years ago, when we had to order something (although most items you could find at a brick and mortar store before being decimated by big tech retailers), you could order from a printed catalog. Here is the process: 

1) You find what you wanted in the catalog and pull out the insert in the catalog with an envelope that you needed to fill out (it's usually toward the center or back of the catalog). 

2) Fill out the catalog number, the description and quantity and then you added up the subtotal.

3)There were a few states that required sales tax, so if you lived in one of those states, you calculated the sales tax and added that. 

4) Then, you chose the shipping method and added that to your subtotal. 

5) Once you have determined the total cost of the order, you have several payment options. Some companies (but not all) have the option to pay by credit card. Not everybody has a credit card and some people don't trust filling out their credit card information in unsecured mail. If you are daring enough to use a credit card, fill in the boxes (literally boxes) with your credit card number, expiration date and so forth. You then have to sign with your "John Hancock" (anyone who still knows what your "John Hancock is is certifiably old school). 

6) If you don't have a credit card (there weren't as many people 20+ years ago who had unsecured credit as there are now), you have to use an alternate method. Keep in mind there is no PayPal, or any other methods of online payment, since online shopping was still a new concept that many companies hadn't yet adopted. Go back a few more years and online anything didn't even exist... period. It was just standard practice to order through a catalog - and you used a check or money order. In this case, the choice determined how long it took for your order to be processed. A) If you used a personal check, the company had to wait for the check to clear, which my take up to a week or more. That meant that they had to contact the bank and ensure that you had enough money in your checking account for the purchase at the time to avoid an overdraft nightmare. B) The other option is to use a money order. You could go to your bank, the post office or Western Union (wherever that is - train depot, I guess?) and purchase a money order. The money order itself was a nominal fee (about 75 cents) in addition to the face value of the money order. This will speed up your order by a few days because they can process it upon receipt of your completed order (provided you did everything correctly - which, if not, they returned it to you).

7) Put your completed and signed order form, your check or money order in the envelope provided, write your return address on the envelope, put on a first class stamp and drop it in the mailbox. And wait... and wait... and wait...

8) If your order form was filled out correctly and you have sufficient funds in your account AND if the item you are ordering is in stock, they company processes the order. If there is a problem, they may send you a letter stating the problem. If there is a backorder, they may state that in a letter or you may call them with a toll-free 1-800 number and wait on hold for what seems like an eternity to inquire about your order. If there is something wrong with the order and it's your fault, they may just return your check and order form. If the item is out of stock indefinitely, they may offer a substitution - an option that may or may not be checked on the initial order form. Your order may take up to a month or more to be processed and sent. In those days, most orders were sent UPS or FedEx Ground, so you got there when it got there. There was no tracking number that was available for customers to track their orders. All this was perfectly normal and we rarely complained about it. I had one order that took several months... literally. I called several times to ask about the status and they acted like I was pestering them and I should "be patient and confident it would get there." That was 1997.

Fast forward to present day. 

1) Log on to Amazon, Wal-Mart, eBay or any number of online mass retailers. 

2) Click on what you want. 

3) Confirm your order. 

4) Package shows up at your doorstep a few days later... and hopefully you notice it's there before a "porch pirate" steals it.

The Oppressor's Greatest Fear

 One of the greatest fears of the alpha in a codependent relationship is for their partner to become independent and successful because their control over their partner is diminished. 

We tend to think of a codependent relationship as one between a narcissist/sociopath, and an over-accommodating or needy partner, but this form of toxicity extends beyond a personal relationship. A dysfunctional alliance can also be on a macro level - such as between an oligarchy and its citizenry; an employer and employees; landlord and tenants; or a corporatocracy and independent entrepreneurs or freelancers. 

Anytime the balance between the controller and the controlled tips in favor of their reciprocal dependent, they must take drastic measures to regain control and oppression. In a personal relationship, it may take the form of physical violence, threats, emotional abuse (which includes gaslighting), isolation and restricting essential resources. In instances where the underdog discovers that he or she can be independent or successful, it is almost always necessary to change the "rules" so that the alpha regains complete control and then it becomes even more difficult for the oppressed to prosper or escape subjugation. The scenario is almost identical where the relationship is on a macro level. 

Victims of oppression and abuse may not even recognize their role in a codependent relationship. It seems "normal" to them. Even when acknowledged, they may continue to rely on their oppressors and keep supporting or defending their empire because they feel "secure" in that relationship or don't feel like there are any other options. In many instances, there are no other options though. A healthy relationship (whether it is personal or on a macro level, as I've described) is a complementary partnership where every aspect is mutually beneficial and assets are shared - not where leftover crumbs are used as bargaining chips. 

Sometimes, all that is needed to level the playing field is for the truth to shine bright enough to penetrate the veil of illusion so that those who are oppressed can see a clear path for egress and to recognize their own potential - understanding that their own worth, their skills, their talents and their voice are every bit as valid as those of the elites and the powerful.

Our Society is Based Upon Illusions

 If you haven't figured this out by now, I'll just go ahead and be blunt. The society that we live in currently is based upon illusions. Those having the most control of those illusions (that millions and millions of common citizens buy into as if it were gospel) are the elites. In order to be included in that circle of elites, you have to possess one, two or all three of these attributes: celebrity status, wealth or power. Once a person is in that circle and plays by their rules; fame, fortune and power will continue to be handed to them on a silver platter... they are treated as deity in our world of illusion and their words have weight as if they were experts on every subject that falls from their lips or appears in print. If such a person turns away from the inner circle of the elites and... goes rogue, if you will, and chooses to follow a narrative that deviates even the slightest hints to shatter those illusions, they will be destroyed... thrown under the bus.

Our entire economy (from the money we print to the stock market) is based on an illusion of value. Learn the difference between stock (which has intrinsic value) and the stock market (which is smoke and mirrors, and its fluctuations are based merely upon perception and speculation. Money itself (whether printed or virtual) is merely an illusion of value and by itself is inherently worthless because it isn't based on any standard of value.

Politics is a game where we are led to believe that one candidate or elected official is virtuous and worthy of that calling (despite corruption, ineptitude or lack of qualifications), where the other candidate or party is portrayed as evil, inept and not worthy of the office - the common citizenry being played, divided against each other and focused so much on "their" candidate or party that everything and everyone of genuine importance in their lives is for naught.

The entertainment industry, which mingles with and heavily influences politics and the economy outside its realms, is purely illusion. Infamy is just as effective at boosting a career as fame from virtuous or heroic deeds, skills and talent. Celebrity status, in and of itself, is a commodity that shadows over true talent and skills and those who have gained that status capture the audience of millions... perhaps billions of stupefied viewers who tune into their mind-numbing performances, day-after-day, week after week. Little girls twerk seductively to raunchy lyrics of talentless chart-topping performers, while true talent by those who have spent a lifetime learning and refining their craft, gets buried... intentionally shut out of their deserved limelight because their act does not fit the current narrative that is forced upon us by industry execs. Films, shows and theatrical performances that don't pass the litmus test of Hollywood smut are shunned and blacklisted, while morally bankrupt hollowness is streamed into our homes - the consumers of such revere this as cultural refinement and worthy of committing to memory, only to be regurgitated in its various forms to be endeared by the masses of zombies who savor unoriginality.

Industry is all about consumerism and consumeristic lifestyles. Even those who feel they are being a part of a planet-saving revolution, with their endless virtue-signaling tweets, instagram posts and so-called "activism" play a major part of destroying our planet unawares, because they are led to believe by their handlers that they are the counterculture that will "rise up and change the world" while their very actions defy their narrative... and they are clueless to the damage they are doing (directly and indirectly) to undermine a safe and habitable environment. They only know enough (because they are indoctrinated by their institutions of learning and by "reliable" sources in the media) to alter their consumeristic habits toward those they are brainwashed to believe are better for the planet, but they don't know enough to understand the procurement, industrial processes and eventual disposal of the products they purchase and the lifestyles they choose that are purported to be "green" or "organic" or whatever buzzwords is used to lure them into the illusions that the new big tech magnates use for publicity.

Even the roots of our society: liberty, free speech, religious worship, individuality and independent thought are being infiltrated by purveyors of illusion and fantasy to the point where we are afraid to speak out about reality (in all its beauty... and even discomforting ugliness) so we don't even dare to speak about an elephant in the room for fear of shattering an illusion and causing offense to those who wish to continue to believe. We continue to go down the rabbit hole of illusion and fantasy instead of confronting and ultimately fixing the societal problems that we have. Thus, the wealthy will continue to get wealthier, the poor and independent will be relegated into obscurity and insignificance, the chasm of divisiveness will continue to widen further. Legitimate virtue will be overshadowed by disingenuous recognition, only being availed to those who make a diligent search for such treasures.

For everything that is based on illusion, be brave enough to use your God-given intellect to develop critical thinking skills to break free of your dependence upon those illusions. Blossom in your skills and talents, being the independent creator that God intended for you to be. Finally, never give up your dreams, passions and all that is in you that has still never emerged - never let fear or discouragement stifle your passions and creativity because you are never too old and it is never too late to be who you were meant to be to build your legacy.