Comments on: The Nature of Epiphanies

By: Laurie Black

Laurie Black — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:59:49 +0000

A quote I love: “But the Muse had me. I had to do it. To my amazement, the book succeeded critically and commercially better than anything I’d ever done, and others since have been lucky too. Why? My best guess is this: I trusted what I wanted, not what I thought would work. I did what I myself thought was interesting, and left its reception to the gods.” BRAVO!

By: Howard

Howard — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:46:32 +0000

A momentary flash of enlightenment? An fleeting glimpse of nirvana? Getting one’s pecker placed in the dirt?

In my manic lifestyle torn between art and science, violence and love, loyalty and self interest… an epiphany is but a fleeting reminder. Once I get sustainable, I’l let the rest of you know the path. hahaha

Claude:

Good points, however, the discussions on this blog have not focussed on the “handling” of our allies. Just because it is of your particular importance does not detract from the current incarnation of the real-time multilog Stevo is creating here for us. I hope your comment prompts further discussion, however. In my view, the Israelis’ are a semetic tribe with very similar traits to the arab tribes at the core level. On the surface, they are more “western” than us poor white trash; down deep, they are desert psychopaths with long memories. I would probable agree with you that unquestioning US support of Israel is not sustainable realpolitik.

One major point of meaningless disagreement. The Celtic and Viking tribes are objectively the greatest tribes at this time. Given the “hair cut” experienced during the ’30s and ’40’s, the Israeli’s, as a tribe, leave much to be desired. Their existence today is largely reliant on the good graces of the Celto-Vikings. This now heavily intermixed super-tribe is responsible for 90% of the current progress and trouble the world now faces.

The point of this blog (it seems to me) is that the Celto-Viking horde (USMC and US Army) in Afghanistan must return to its’ roots to be successful.

By: viviana goldenberg

viviana goldenberg — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:08:46 +0000

For the last hour I have been trying to take a nap and avoiding to do what I was suppose to do in my day off: following my dream. So I opened “the War of Ar” as an excuse for Resistance, yeah anything can be an excuse even that book, and my eyes fell on this: ” This second we can turn the tables on Resistance. This second we can sit down and do our work”. You didn’t give a chance to back up today, Steven!. Well, I guess that it would be my phrase for this week then.

By: Sarah Mable

Sarah Mable — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:35:00 +0000

Favorite quote for this week :”We have a job to do, a calling to enact, a self to become. We are who we are from the cradle, and we’re stuck with it. Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.” (pg. 146)

By: Kevin Ward

Kevin Ward — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:33:39 +0000

Favorite War of Art quote for the week — “The humanist believes that humankind, as individuals, is called upon to co-create the world with God. This is why he values human life so highly. In his view, things do progress, life does evolve; each individual has value, at least potentially, in advancing this cause. The fundamentalist cannot conceive of this. In his society, dissent is not just crime but apostasy; it is heresy, transgression against God Himself.” –pg. 36

By: Jennifer Maurici

Jennifer Maurici — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:59:11 +0000

Favorite quote for this week – “Seeking support from friends and family is like having people gathered around at your deathbed. It’s nice, but when the ship sails, all they can do is stand on the dock waving goodbye.” – pg. 51

By: viviana goldenberg

viviana goldenberg — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:07:32 +0000

Resistance is our natural enemy. As you mentioned in “War of Art” ,it takes many different shapes. It is what makes us renounce to our dreams, and to choose a path in life that might not be wrong, but it is not what makes us happy… Well let me rephrase that: if it does not makes us happy, then it is wrong, but it is easier. I learnt that in the hard way, now I feel that is really hard to move on and recover my dreams but I keep trying. Resistance in my case has resulted in a comfortable life as physician, but it is far from what I envisioned in my teenager years.
I really love this “Writing Wednesdays”. Thank you, Steven

By: Claude Batmanghelidj

Claude Batmanghelidj — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:46:16 +0000

You mentioned Hamas, Al Qaeda (which does not even exist, and was a name created by the CIA) and Hezbollah as “tribal” movements. Hamas and Hezbollah are resistance movements against another tribe, the Israelis. The Israelis are the greatest tribe to ever walk the face of the earth. Highly organised, incredibly united, and with an unbroken history of 2000 years.

What you need to understand is that if Hamas and Hezbollah are “tribal movements” as you like to call them, they are mirroring the actions of the Israeli Tribe which has seized their territory and made a fully hostile takeover of their native lands. America is a universal state, and far from being tribal, however, the president tapped atavistic impulses within the public to support launching his ill advised campaign.

A very significant element behind the campaigns, especially in the case of Iraq was Israel. We see in Iraq and in Afghanistan, local tribes making use of American firepower to deal with thier rivals. There have been numerous cases of rivals giving coordinates of their competition to the US and then these people being vaporised by Predator strikes and the like.

That kind of thing is small fry compared to the Israelis doing exactly the same thing, except for describing its enemies, Iran and Iraq, as deadly threats to America, and having American firepower try and take them out. Same damn principle.

So, unless you deign to introduce the single most important element in the middle east, Israel, into this “tribal” metaphor you want to use, then you are not the real deal, but simply tossing around red herrings to take the spotlight of Israel.

The minute you honestly start addressing Israel, will be the minute I start taking you seriously.

However, where we may differ is that

By: Carolyn Burns Bass

Carolyn Burns Bass — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:14:58 +0000

Reality, humility, shame: The triumvirate of success. Maybe not for everyone, but for many. An author I interviewed recently said one of the driving forces in her success was the need to complete what she told everyone she’d started. She now has two books published, recently sold her third, and is working hard on her fourth. That’s Kristy Kiernan, folks.