classic

The Three Triumphs

by Damian Hospital 

Life would be meaningless without triumphs. There is no greater feeling than

to actually achieve a goal one has worked on for years. But since you and

the world are changing constantly, triumphs may be short-lived.

There are three types of triumphs:

The first type of triumph is called The False Triumph.

“I’VE WON!” (“I’VE BEATEN SUPERMAN!”) As you can see in this cover of Action

Comics, a villain named Neutron not only has leveled Metropolis, but he also

actually KNOCKS OUT AND BEATS SUPERMAN- right in the middle of the street

for the world to see!

It looks likes this character has achieved the impossible, and there is no

arguing about that scene on the cover. The villain has won and completed the

ultimate goal of defeating the most powerful superhero in his own hometown.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is, you and your grandmother know that Neutron didn’t win a damn

thing! Everyone knows that his “victory” will last for about three minutes

before Superman gets up and takes out the trash in one panel! Did you REALLY

believe that Neutron defeated Superman? That Superman would not prevail in

the end?

We are all familiar with The False Triumph. Unfortunately it is the most

common because we are short-sighted. But today’s triumph is tomorrow defeat.

We think that because we achieve a goal, it is expected that something good

will happen to us.

How do you feel when you think you’ve met “the one”, your ideal soul mate?

You think you’re on top of the world, that you’ve finally defeated Superman.

But very shortly, you will see that like in the comic books, Superman always

prevails in the end. Your “ideal soul mate” will soon be your worst

nightmlare.

How do you feel when you get hired for a good job? How do you feel when you

get a degree? How do you feel when you stand up to a bully? How do you feel

when you’ve think you’ve solved a major problem? How do you feel when your

checking account swells? How do you feel when you are respected by all of

your peers and authority figures? How do you feel when you think you’ve

lived out a dream?

We all delude ourselves because we just take a snapshot of the current

situation. We think we’re on top of the mountain, but we really are Neutron.

Take a look at the cover again. That’s us, my friend.

The second type of triumph is called Bittersweet Victory. In the above

panel from Watchmen, Ozymandias throws his hands up on the air and shouts “I

DID IT!” after he changed the course of human history…at the expense of

millions of lives. He saved earth from hell, and started the way to utopia,

but had to destroy half of New York to achieve it. Years of planning and

sacrifice all paid off.

You’ve really won…but at what cost? You may have finally did it-achieved

your lifelong dream. But as you look back and see all the suffering and

effort and loss and sacrifice, you begin to wonder if it was all worth it.

And even if you do come to the conclusion that the ends justify the means,

there is no denying that you’ve lost part of your humanity to achieve your

greatest quest. You may be the victor, but the victory is bittersweet.

The final type of triumph is called Punching God in the Face. Although I was

unable to get a picture of someone punching the Almighty, I got the next

best thing from Green Lantern. Just visualize yourself as the puncher and

visualize God as the man getting decked. This is your final and uncontested

triumph. Not only have you achieved your goals, you have conquered reality

itself. You have broken through the chains of ignorance, failure, and pain.

Nothing and no one can bother you or stand in your way. You’ve won. You’ve

really won. It’s not The False Triumph, it is the real deal. The world is at

your mercy. You view reality as it truly is. You’ve become the best a mortal

could be. You will live out the rest of your life happy and in a state of

bliss.

Just remember these three comic book scenes the next time you think you’ve

accomplished something of merit.

A Timeline of an ex-Boston Movement Member

There are plenty of great articles and opinions out there about the Boston Movement written by ex-members. You can go
here
or here for some highlights.

I am choosing a more concise approach, just so you can get the general idea of what one person went through, from the time of joining the church through 12 years after being asked to leave.

As a sidenote: although I’ve been wanting to do something like this for years, only now has the right time arrive.

1974-1991

Grew up in NYC. We attended a Baptist church that my father helped found. The church became Pentecostal in the early 80′s.

We moved to Florida in 1990. I attended a Baptist church, while my parents eventually started attending a Presbyterian church.

Went off to FSU in 1991 … and stopped attending church. Partied and wasted my time a lot. Had a bad first semester.

January, 1992

A girl a liked who had rejected my advances became a disciple. I was talked into attending a bible talk, and then doing bible studies.

February 12, 1992

Was baptized.

March, 1992

Bore fruit — friend was baptized.

Summer, 1992

Went home to Miami. Attended church there.

Fall, 1992 and spring, 1993

Went back to Tallahassee. Continued to reach out and helped convert a married couple.

Summer, 1993

A new preacher took over. First sermon was bashing homosexuals. I thought we were supposed to hate the sin, not the sinner, and was offended. My discipler told me I should apologize for questioning the sermon. I did. Two weeks later, at a one-on-one meeting with the preacher, I was asked to leave church for two weeks.

This, to me, was tantamount to a death sentence — like a fish being asked to breathe on land for two weeks. I was crushed. My buddy Jon drove me home, and I cried the whole time. He tried to console me, but….

I met someone in my Calculus class who was having trouble with formulas. I helped him out … and I eventually ended up moving into his townhouse. I was afraid of staying in the apartment with the brothers.

I cannot say that I knew why I was afraid, but I was. I felt ashamed for being asked to leave. I felt I was a failure.

I found myself reading the Timothy Zahn Dark Force Rising book at this time. I guess I will always believe in the Force! My solace was far, far away.

Fall, 1993

I moved back to Miami. I couldn’t imagine staying in Tallahassee another minute. Any time I saw a disciple, my heart sank. They looked so sad when they saw me; I was close friends with many people at the church. I couldn’t take it. I had to leave.

1994 – 2001

Let’s see … I didn’t go back to school. I worked full-time, sometimes two or three full-time jobs. I dated … finally lost my virginity somewhere along the line. Was engaged … broke it off … was betrayed by a friend who tried to steal my identity … more dating heartbreaks … made peace with my old pre-church friends, some of whom were angry with how I acted while I was at church.

For about five years, I could not stop thinking about church. At first, it was a constant river of memories and thoughts. The river became a stream, then a trickle, then finally … it was gone. I was able to forget. Five years.

I didn’t pursue religion seriously for about four years because part of me still believed the ICoC teachings. Then I started exploring new age stuff like Course of Miracles, Marianne Williamson … and this led to discovering the Enneagram (thank you, Damian. Isn’t it funny you bought that book before we went in to see The Phantom Menace?)….

I tried to move back to NYC in 2001, which didn’t work out. After 9-11, I met my future wife in Florida.

2002 – 2005

Married now, with two kids. Going to school again … real close to graduating … so busy … I find myself burning out a lot.

I think about how energetic I was at church … I do a search, and find out that the ICoC website is gone, and that the Boston Movement has splintered. Looking back, I am not surprised.

I think back to Tallahassee, and what could have been. I think of all the friends I had, and how I was instantly cut-off from them. I think of the good people I knew who were part of a misguided larger whole.

I think of how Kip Mckean =
The Realtor. I think of the reality that I bought … only to have it repossessed.

I think of my friend Damian … how we had traumatic, albeit different, experiences at college that haunt us.

I love my family. I’m sooooooooOOOO glad that part of my life is long dead and over.

I hope the friends I left behind are okay. I Google search them occasionally, but I can find none.

Thank Odin for skeptics like Michael Martin. Thank Zeus for Ockham’s Razor. Thank the Unseen Hand for Theravada Buddhism — the only philosophy/religion that comes close to what I believe.

And now, a tribute to those friends I left behind whom I miss:



Franklin — would you believe I became vegetarian four years ago?

Marco — if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t appreciate Ratt or Stryper!

Jon — Sega Genesis, X-Wing, your wonderful family … and you were there at the end.

Rodney — I wonder if you still think about the snapping fingers.

Chris — that crazy green Volvo station wagon, listening to that Doo Doo Brown song.

Deana, Kim, Kama, Carla — The real Fantastic Four.

Tammy — I owe Jimmy Buffett to you.

Dan — did you really think I was prideful? Hahaha.

D. Coates — J. and I still talk about you on occasion.

Kevin — Self-effacing humor is my secret to humility, in case you were wondering. You were the best leader in a crazy situation.

Kent — whitenessing.

Felicia — talk about bad timing! 

There are others … my memory sucks … anyway, you get the idea.

Mirror Universe

Last week, I was making a left turn at Commercial and Nob Hill in the morning. I was talking to my wife on the phone. Of course, I was tired.

I looked in my rear view mirror, and I saw myself in the car behind me. No — not someone who LOOKED like me. It was me.

I thought I had lost my mind. I expected to see my body float into the sky … perhaps having not realized that I had died tragically of a gunshot or fiery meteor to the head.

I looked again and told my wife, “You’re not going to believe this….”

I thought, is this some strange optical illusion? Morning light playing tricks with my eyes?

I thought some more: man, do I need some sleep!

I looked again. My eyes were not deceiving me. Behind me, in a Hyundai (Korean make, like my Kia), was a guy with the identical beard, glasses, facial structure, hair, and skin-tone as me. I thought of taking a picture with my cameraphone, and then thought against it — I was suddenly afraid. I didn’t want my mirror double to see me.

I watched him — he was drinking Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and looking at his watch. He performed these actions with the same mannerisms that I have seen myself do on video tape,
with that serious-yet-perplexed look. I was astonished.

The light turned green. I had intended to make a u-turn so I could get on the Sawgrass Expressway. I wondered if he would do the same. He did not.

Somehow, I knew he wouldn’t. I knew he was going to continue north, and the Lazy Man’s Ethics in me said, “Don’t you dare pursue this. It’s totally crazy. He probably doesn’t look like you when you look at him up close.”

Right. Like Damian wouldn’t walk up to him and say, “Hi, Tony,” if he saw this guy … he looks like me. I know it.

So, if you’re driving a Hyundai in South Florida at 7am or so on Nob Hill and Commercial, and you look like this pic
, email me and tell me what alternate universe you dropped in from, because there’s no way you’re from here.

One example of how the Matrix deceives you and leads to ruin:

- You are taught that accounting is for boring people. Geeks. People with no life.

- You stay away from accounting, because you don’t want to be boring.

- Years later, just before you retire, you lose your pension. You are pretty much helpless.

The Matrix code when it comes to pension funds:

- Most defined benefit pension plans are severely underfunded.

- If things go bad (like they have in the airline industry), a company can default on their pensions. The government picks up the tab, but can only pay a portion of
the pensions owed.

What you can do:

- Demand from your politicians and your company that they fund their defined benefit plan.

- Since most companies no longer offer defined benefit plans, be grateful you have a defined contribution plan. 

- Don’t be afraid to invest conservatively, even if you’re young. Better to have some money than to gamble it all away, pursuing risky 10%-20% returns. 
Hedge your bets.

- Read books on accounting. The Matrix controls us by encouraging us not to learn. You won’t become boring.

Fair Warning

by Tony

I heard a Chinese General had the nerve to suggest that if the U.S. interferes with a possible invasion with Taiwan, China may escalate to nuclear weapons.

I also heard a U.S. congressman suggest that if terrorists managed to deploy a nuclear device on the U.S., we would have to take “draconian measures,” possibly taking out Mecca. He was thinking out loud, but he still said it.

I’m glad somebody has stated what most Americans know: the kid gloves come off if a nuclear exchange is initiated against us. It would be a very ugly moment, and easily the most destructive
since an asteroid slammed into the planet and wiped out the dinosaurs.

In this case, the U.S. would survive relatively intact. The attacker, on the other hand … well, their deserts would be turned to glass, cities would be crushed, millions of innocents would die, and that part of the world would be rendered
unlivable for years.

I believe in fair warning — if you let your enemy know what you are capable of, there is a chance that your enemy will stand down. It worked with the Soviet Union for decades. Back then, it was called M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction). We need to pursue this strategy again. There’s no guarantee that this will work again, but its certainly better than the alternative. And I suspect that China and terrorist-sponsoring nations will agree.

The U.S. has become the Authority,
like it or not. Democracy in Taiwan will not be allowed to be crushed by the Chinese, and terrorists will learn the illusion of their existence should they succeed in a massive attack against America.

If only President Bush wasn’t a neutered leader with an idealistic bent …
I sure hope someone gives these delusional fools abroad FAIR WARNING, since they
might not be interested in PLAYING FAIR.

Possible Solution for the Movie Industry

by T.D.

How about DVD Kiosks in movie theaters? The machines would burn only the movies playing at the theater … $5 a pop. If you like the movie, you can purchase a copy to tide you over until the DVD with menus and extra features comes out … and the
movie bought at the Kiosk can then be used as a $5 coupon towards the purchase of the DVD when it comes out in stores.

This would attract people who want a copy of a movie before it comes out, and you would be undercutting the bootleggers. The movies would be distributed at theatres, increasing revenue for theatres.

The DVDs themselves would be barebones — no fancy box, and only the movie, with no menus or scene selection features. This is to minimize cost. A simple printed label, with the coupon feature.

In a similar vein, how about CD Kiosks outside concerts after a live show? Fans can buy MP3 CD versions of the entire show for a cheap cost. This promotes the bands songs … and encourages people to attend more shows or get the studio version if they hear the live version online. Think
Grateful Dead or Phish, and the positive fan culture they’ve engendered, partly because of live bootleg tapes of
their classic shows.

Provide cheap alternatives to the packaged product, and lawsuits may prove unnecessary. Heck, if
the MPAA and RIAA had a more innovative mindset, ala Google or the open source
community, they could even co-opt the Limewires and Bit-Torrents of the world to
sell product.

Just my two cents….

***

Update:  Since I wrote this, I got the following info from G.A.V.
(thanks, Gary!):

As to your idea… Sony introduced “The Nice Price” for back-catalog

music some years back, but the problem is much more complex than just

high price. The problem is the current state of the US copyright

laws.

The economics of copyright say that the song-writer (not the given

performer) is entitled to a fixed amount of money for every single

“phonorecord” (this is the word used in US Copyright law) of a song. 

The economics are such that recording and manufacture, plus the

ASCAP/BMG required dues, the bare minimum is $0.80 per song to break

even.

With the emergence of Wal-Mart music downloads, it’s possible to get

any CD for just above cost… $8.90 – which … not coincidentally …

is the approximate price of a Sony “The Nice Price” no-frills release.

New releases (on the other hand), also take into account marketing,

initial manufacture, music video production, and (have you read about

the remergence of) payola. Note that well-established money-maker

bands are actually cheaper for their new releases? This is because

the sales price assumes that the CD will sell multi-platinum -

economics of scale. Other releases assume approx. half-platinum sales

(you can’t get signed unless you’re expected to make this… but there

are still flops).

Strangely enough, the economics are very similar to the other

copyright managed business… books. However, books – unlike music -

have a means to give “obvious” value to the new releases. Hardcover

vs. Paperback. Another similarity, the “big” money is in the

back-catalog, not the new releases.

I mentioned to G.A.V. that Bruce Springsteen’s latest effort was released as
a double-sided CD/DVD — which may have been the music industry’s atttempt at
creating a hardcover-like format.  He agreed, and we both agree that paying
$10 for a CD is not outrageous or expensive.

Is your iPod worth your life?

A Daily Skew Public Service Announcement

    A teenager was murdered for his iPod in Brooklyn, New York the other day. As someone who is always aware of crime probabilities and unsafe situations, I do not own an MP3 player or iPod because of this. You might as well be walking around with an open bag of cash.

    

    The irony is that the murdered teen’s parents moved out of Brooklyn to Pennsylvania to keep him safe. But the boy was visiting his grandmother in Brooklyn, and was killed on his way to the bus terminal.

    Unfortunately we live in a dark world filled with immoral ruffians, who only take and don’t give anything positive back to society. As someone who was raised in such an environment I can personally attest to this. Unfortunately, I am unable to don a costume and defend the streets from thugs, like Batman does on other Earths; I could only write.

    So if you’d like to decrease your chances of being mugged or killed, do not carry:

• iPods
• Book bags
• Shopping bags with a store’s name on them
• Expensive sneakers
• Name brand clothing, including jackets
• Expensive sunglasses
• Sport caps
• Toys
• Sports cards or comic books
• Jewelry
• Lottery cards
• Purse
• Cash [if you must carry cash, assume it will be stolen, and only carry an amount that you will be okay with losing]
• Credit cards [If you aren’t going to use the credit cards that day, do not carry them]
• Social security card
• Keys you are not using that day

Here’s a sneak peak at next year’s blockbusters.- Conrad Hospital Delaghetto

Terminator 4: Future Imperfect

Clash of the Titans

Galaxy Quest 9: The New Generation

Miniature Golfing with Ed

Rama

Hero scientist…Tom Cruise [War of the Worlds]

Female scientist….Jodi Foster [Contact]

Old scientist…Patrick Stewart [X-Men 2]

Angry scientist….Samuel L. Jackson [Changing Lanes]

Dumb scientist….Ben Afleck [Daredevil]

Nerdy scientist….Jason Alexander [101 Dalmation's II: Patch's London Adventure]

Truth in Advertising: 

Camel planning to take the plunge

M.O.T. News

North Carolina–Camel cigarettes have announced an attempt to do more honest advertising. The campaign will revolve around a dinosaur bursting out of a pack of cigarettes, just as someone reaches for a smoke.

A mock-up of Camel’s advertisement.  Will it work?

The ad must be presented to Congress for approval, because of the use of an animated character.

The official press release was less harsh, stating the company’s belief that a dinosaur in your lungs will deter teenage smoking.

Shark King Declares War on Humanity!

M.O.T. News

UNITED NATIONS—The planet’s shark population has declared war on humanity because of their mistreatment by fishermen, according to the Shark King. An emergency United Nations assembly was called hastily as the Shark King, whose real name is unpronounceable in human languages, addressed the assembly via giant telescreen. According to the Shark King, who marine biologists have identified as being an extinct 100-foot Carcharodon megalodon, it was being filmed from an undisclosed location at the bottom of a sea. Scientists do not know who filmed the declaration, or who supplied the ample lighting at such deep, dark depths.