Compassion, Creativity, Buddhism, The Quest for Truth & Wisdom, Health & Wellness, Music, Films, Literature, Art, Revolution, Healing, Critical Thinking, Mental Health Advocacy, Social Justice, Resilience, Reflection, The Beauty of Melancholy, Spiritual Development, Consciousness, Memento Mori, LOVE…
Aloha.What do you think about revenge? To be honest, I never fully digested the concept of revenge. Of course, I understood it but only on a superficial level. It was only after certain events that I came to a working definition of the desire for revenge.
Revenge seduces us into choosing it as a response to injustice or evil.
Life puts us to the test and in these moments we discover what we truly believe in. It is a sobering realization to acknowledge these desires in your being. We all have an ideal version of ourselves and how we would react when someone hurts us or our loved ones. Sometimes reality manifests itself differently and we don’t always live up to our idealized selves or react how we imagined we would.
I always found this quote by Johnny Depp so intriguing and dark…
Now I understand people’s thirst for revenge but it somehow still feels wrong inside. Taking revenge would change who you are and compromise your ethics. I don’t feel that it is right to allow others to change who we are {even though sometimes it happens without our knowledge or consent}.
I have a post on revenge saved in my drafts folder. Perhaps I need to post it. Maybe this stream of consciousness reflection is telling me to do just that.
*
Please enjoy An Eye For An Eye by UNKLE….
Lyrics
“Even now in heaven there were angels carrying savage weapons.
An eye for an eye A tooth for a tooth Run, run, run, but you sure can’t hide
An eye for an eye A tooth for a tooth Run, run, run, but you sure can’t hide
Does our rule benefit the earth?
Does it help the grass to grow?
The sun to shine?
Is this darkness in you too?
Have you passed through this Night?
Run, run, run, but you sure can’t hide
When you’re going you’re not coming back from
Run, run, run, but you sure can’t hide
An eye for an eye A tooth for a tooth
Run, run, run, but you sure can’t hide
An eye for an eye A tooth for a tooth
Run, run, run, but you sure can’t hide
This great Evil…Where’s it coming from?
How’d it steal into the world?
Who’s doing this?
Who’s killing us?
Mocking us with the sight of what we might have known
Karl Pilkington has quickly become one of my favourite comedians. I consider him to be an ultimate “truth-teller” {as most comedians are e.g. Larry David}. They shine a light on many hypocritical, controversial or hidden aspects of society and human behaviour. I have respect for comedians and their honesty. They have such keen eyes and ears for social observation and commentary. A comedian will tell it like it is. You can count on them for that.
*
In this short video clip, Karl meets Vinnie the “pick-up artist”.
The results are comedic gold.
{I simply can’t get enough of Karl’s sarcastic looks when the camera catches him in action}. He is clearly not convinced by Vinnie’s seduction tactics. Hilarious!
It is truly a case of the clueless leading the confused. I truly feel compassion and pity for these men. They went to this man for guidance and wisdom {just observe them staring at Vinnie}. If anything, he simply strayed them from the path of love and authentic, soulful relating.
Vinnie’s lack of respect for personal space and boundaries worries me. Respect is gravely missing from the equation. I totally agree with Karl when he notes, “you can’t go about just touching women!” Don’t you just love how outraged he is at this lack of respect? All men should be outraged at disrespect towards women. I think the measure of a man lies in how much he respects women {and others- including himself}. Karl is a man of integrity and is often the voice of reason. I find myself agreeing with him all the time.
An example of Karl’s solid logic is his response to Vinnie’s approach to seducing women. Karl observes, “why don’t you have a chat and see what they like first?…Give them some facts. I’m interested in nature and that so give them a little nature fact or a little…you know, something that like that if they go, “why are you talking about nature for you boring ****” and walks off then I didn’t want to go out with you anyway. If you don’t like nature then**** off.” Karl’s philosophy is to be authentic and if Karl Pilkington is anything he is the epitome of honesty and authenticity.
I love that Karl knows no hypocrisy. He probably doesn’t have a false bone in his body. His approach is to be real and I think more people should adopt this way of relating. I am a person that likes to know where I stand with people. I don’t have the desire or the energy to pretend to like someone or something when I don’t. Your life energy/chi/prana is sacred and I don’t think it should be prostituted in being false. Isn’t it a tragedy that so often people don’t know who they are before old age or death? Why not go within on the greatest journey of self-discovery? {I digress because I am going on a tangent}.
Karl’s authenticity is in direct opposition to Vinnie false pretense of seduction. Vinnie is playing a role. He is acting but who is the real Vinnie? We know exactly who the real Karl is and I deeply appreciate this. In my humble opinion, Vinnie has got it all wrong. His aim is to touch a woman physically and this approach is a disservice to women. It is so reductive because it shrinks women into a sole object of sexual desire, nothing more and nothing less. In this paradigm, women’s identities are fractured and their intelligence is dissolved- or at least obscured from the dialogue.
Most women would love it if a man would be attracted to their mind as well as their body.By only focusing on the body, Vinnie is creating a schism between the body and the mind. He clearly doesn’t know that the intellectual and creative realms are very sexual {i.e. “intelligence is sexy“}. If he really wanted to appeal to women, then he would teach these men to appeal to their minds, hearts and souls. In essence, his approach to seduction is boring because women are more intelligent and complex than he leads these poor men to believe. {Most women will also enforce their boundaries}.
I cannot give Vinnie any of credit for pretending to be interested in what women have to say. His false sense of interest does nothing to convince any woman that he actually cares about what they think or feel. I just get the feeling that he is always planning the next move as if he is in a game of sexual chess. Even his line of “the desert fascinates me” sounds like b.s. His declaration of “social freedom” is so ridiculous that it sounds like a comedy sketch in itself {a parody}. Is Vinnie claiming that social freedom exists when men can touch women at their leisure? I certainly hope not.
My conclusion is that the lady or Karl should be teaching the class on being attractive to women. Karl may not have any “chat-up/pick-up lines” but he knows how to listen to and relate to women; hence he knows how to respect women. Chat-up/pick-up lines are cheesy, to say the least. Authenticity will get you much further than any recycled and contrived chat up/pick up lines will. Karl has the alchemical gold that is missing from Vinnie’s lecture- respect for women.
*
What do you think about Karl Pilkington, Vinnie the pick-up artist and the moaning of life episode on marriage?
In this reflection, I wanted to explore the intellectual and poetic side of Tupac that is rarely discussed {the same happens with Jim Morrison the lead singer of The Doors}.
I hope to explore other artist’s reading lists in future reflections.
He was a voracious reader and student of life. His passion for learning and social justice advocacy was a part of his essence.
Tupac’s intellectual power came from a vast knowledge of eclectic topics. He loved to explore esoteric, the metaphysical and philosophical topics. This study became the foundation for his song lyrics and life philosophy.
His mother, Afeni Shakur, had already instilled in him a revolutionary education as she was a member of The Black Panthers. She passed on her wisdom and Tupac continued to polish the jewels.
Tupac was truly an autodidact {a self-taught person}. He would educate others through his song lyrics.
In this short video, Tupac’s first manager Leila Steinberg discusses Tupac’s love of literature and critical thinking.
“Leila Steinberg is an artist and community organizer who began working with youth twenty years ago in the San Francisco Bay area. As the daughter of a criminal defence attorney, she grew up surrounded by the workings of the justice system and took a front row seat at the personal tragedies and socio-economic pressures that turn so many at-risk youths into hardened felons. Steinberg helps them connect with their hearts and turn anger and pain into creativity. AIM promotes artistic expression as a way to handle problems as opposed to choosing violence, drugs or other forms of escape. As the program facilitator, Steinberg sees confronting pain as the best way to move past it. She believes self-awareness is a key to making better choices. Steinberg is committed to helping people who fall through the cracks of society. In 1995 she began a series of specialized programs for youth within the juvenile justice system and those residing in residential treatment facilities. As hip-hop music became the expression of today’s youth, Steinberg began training artists to develop voices powerful enough to reach a generation. While conducting poetry workshops in Northern California, she met Tupac Shakur and he became a regular participant in her class. They shared a vision of developing a space where each artist in attendance is encouraged, inspired and motivated to address social change in their work. Tupac referred to Leila as the “bow” and himself as the “arrow.” –http://www.pinlight.com/leila.htm
It is said to be a “documentary examining the politics, music and life of Tupac Shakur.”
This is the description from the Youtube video…
“This is a list of books read by Tupac during his lifetime including while he was at the Baltimore School of Arts and in prison. They are presented in no particular order. The topics include Black history, the afterlife, religion including Zen, war, women’s liberation, music, and poetry. Reading these books, it is clear how they moulded Tupac’s thinking and language. This is a handy list of good reading material if you ever find yourself locked up.”
One Hundred Years of Solitude Written by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1984 Written by: George Orwell
Ah, This! Written by: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
All God’s Children: The Boskett Family and the American Tradition of Violence Written by: Fox Butterfield
All You Need to Know About the Music Business Written by: Donald Passman
And Still I Rise Written by: Maya Angelou
Art of War Written by: Sun Tzu
Assata: An Autobiography Written by: Assata Shakur
At the Bottom of the River Written by: Jamaica Kincaid
The Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to: Alex Haley
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Written by: A.C. Bhaktive-danta Swami Prabhupada
Black Like Me Written by: John Howard Griffin
Black Sister: Poetry by Black American Women, 1746 to 1980 Edited by Earlene Stetson
Blues People Written by: Amiri Baraka
Catcher in the Rye Written by: J.D. Salinger
The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences Written by: Walter B. Gibson and Litzka R. Gibson
The Confessions of Nat Turner Written by: William Styron
The Destiny of the Nations Written by: Alice A. Bailey
The Diary of Anais Nin Edited and with a Preface by: Gunther Stuhlmann
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Written by: E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil
The Grapes of Wrath Written by: John Steinbeck
Great White Lie: Slavery, Emancipation and Changing Racial Attitudes Written by: Jack Gratus
The Harder We Run:
Black Workers Since the Civil War Written by: William H. Harris
Here and Hereafter Written by: Ruth Montgomery
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Written by: Maya Angelou
I Shall Not Be Moved Written by: Maya Angelou
Imitation of Christ Written by: Thomas a Kempis
In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens Written by: Alice Walker
Initiation Written by: Elisabeth Haich
Interesting People:
Black American History Makers Written by: George L. Lee
James Baldwin: The Legacy Edited by: Quincy Troupe
Kabbalah Written by: Gersham Scholem
Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by: Ira Peck
Life as Carola Written by: Joan Grant
Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs Written by: Linda Goodman
Makes Me Wanna Holler Written by: Nathan McCall
The Meaning of Masonry Written by: W.L. Wilmshurst
Moby Dick Written by: Herman Melville
Monster:
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member Written by: Sanyika Shakur
Music of Black Americans: A History Written by: Eileen Southern
Mysticism Written by: Evelyn Underhill
Native Son Written by: Richard Wright
Nature, Man and Woman Written by: Alan W. Watts
No Man Is an Island Written by: Thomas Merton
Nostradamus: The Millennium & Beyond Written by: Peter Lorie
The Phenomenon of Man Written by: Teilhard de Chardin
Ponder on This: A Compilation From the Writings of: Alice A Bailey & the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul
The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Written by: Mark Bricklin
The Prince Written by: Niccolo Machiavelli
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
The Psychic Realm Written by: Naomi A. Hintze and J. Gaither Pratt, Ph.D.
A Raisin in the Sun Written by: Lorraine Hansberry
Roots Written by: Alex Haley
Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools Written by: Jonathan Kozol
Secret Splendor Written by: Charles Essert
Serving Humanity From the writings of: Alice A. Bailey
Sisterhood is Powerful: Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement Written by: Robin Morgan
The State of the World Atlas Written by: Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal
Social Essays Written by: LeRoi Jones
The Souls of Black Folk Written by: W.E. Burghardt DuBois
Teachings of the Buddha Written by: Jack Kornfield
Telepathy Written by: Alice A Bailey
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: W.Y. Evans-Wentz
Thoughts and Meditations Written by: Kahlil Gibran
Tropic of Cancer Written by: Henry Miller
The Visionary Poetics of Allen Ginsberg Written by: Paul Portuges
Wisdom of Insecurity Written by: A.N. Watts
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Written by: Robert M. Pirsig
“People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is
realizing that you are the beholder.”
–Salma Hayek
I love Salma Hayek’s empowering quote.
According to Salma’s perspective, only you define beauty because you are the beholder. People let others define beauty for them- whether it is the media and other people. It is so refreshing and empowering to realize that you are the beholder.
Tonight the United States of America chooses their leader- their president.
The world is watching. So many people are hoping for change.
I sincerely hope that the United States makes progress in their quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (as stated in the declaration of independence).
Here I present a video of one of my most respected and favourite artists/musicians/poets…Dead Prez…This is their appearance on Def Poetry Jam called “4 The Hood.” It includes the beautiful and heartfelt “Window To My Soul.”
Their spoken word pieces and music are filled with intelligence, social justice, critical thinking and soulful, revolutionary poetry. 4 the hood begs the question: is money the real president?
Is voting really choosing between the lesser of two evils or the evil of two lessers?
Lyrics
RBG…RBG…
Look look
Yo, you expect me to vote for the lesser of two evils?
NEVER!
It’s more like the evil of two lessers.
That’s like sayin’ – M! Choose your oppressor!
Pick one! Jeffery Dahmer or Hannibal Lecter
You want Crack, Coke, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper?
THEY ALL FU**ED UP and neither one of ‘em better
Cuz Crack is like a Democrat
Cocaine – Republican
Marijuana – Independent Party
SAME GOVERNMENT!
You really think your vote counts?
Ask my folk down in Florida didn’t they straight THROW they sh*t out!
And them crackas act innocent,
KNOWING they depend on this
Benefit from HUSH money from big businesses
MONEY is the president!
Dead Prez,
Dolla dolla bill, and I bet no convention ain’t spinnin’ this
Soon they gon’ need us
BELIEVE US
When these cats pick rappers to be POLITICAL LEADERS?
Don’t be pawns, be Lolita Lebrons
Run up on them all like ‘Muthafu**a it’s ON!’
If CONGRESS can’t make PROGRESS
Let’s change the PROCESS –
NO MORE TOMS RUNNIN’ FOR OFFICE!
Talkin’ like that these crackas’ll call you crazy
What’s crazy is, ain’t no difference in ME and JAY-Z –
The SAME BOAT brought us the SAME PLACE in slavery
So we rock the same chains anyway
BABY, BABY!
*This post is dedicated to my friend Olly who is the biggest Karl Pilkington fan that I know.
Karl Pilkington is a critical thinker.
Karl Loves To Think Outside The Box…
Part of Karl’s mass appeal is that he stays true to himself. Despite his massive success, Karl seems to still be authentic. He is always honest, curious, humble and so funny. He is best known as comedian Ricky Gervais’ friend and colleague on their very successful podcasts The Ricky Gervais Show. He was the star of an idiot abroad and even wrote a diary about his adventures. His latest creative endeavour is the moaning of life.
*
In this short video clip Karl deconstructs happiness in relation to physical beauty/fitness.
For the moaning of life, he meets a man who has had 120 procedures and approximately $150,000 worth of plastic surgeries. Karl posed without his shirt next to the man who’s had all the plastic surgeries. The interviewer says to Karl, “I am quite impressed with that you don’t care. You are happy to stand there posing with your top off. And let’s face it, you haven’t the best body known to man.”
I love Karl’s humble yet refreshing attitude in response to the interviewer. He replies that his body is “not a bad one…it works. But I understand that any women watching this wouldn’t go…oh, look at him. But that’s the reality isn’t it? That’s what most people look like.” Why is Karl’s physique so unattractive or unacceptable?? I don’t think it is by any means. It’s a manner of perception and what we are being sold {in an ideological sense i.e. perfection}. Most people prefer fantasy and illusion instead of truth. Karl Pilkington is the ultimate realist and he employs his critical thinking skills to deconstruct the situation.
Karl inquisitively asks, “So I don’t know what’s happened where they think that’s normal on the left.” Adverting has sent people on a relentless quest for perfection, beauty/sex appeal and youth. Men are now being attacked with similar psychological warfare that women are attacked with {albeit to a much lesser degree}. Even children are being groomed as consumers.
We are reduced to our exterior appearances- not even amounting to the sum of our parts. In the mainstream media, what we look like has solely defined who we are. Our rich inner life, emotions, intellect, spirituality have been erased from the discourse and divorced from our identities. I wonder what consequences this emotional and spiritual disconnection will bring.We cannot allow society, marketing/advertising to dictate to us who we are. Your self identity needs to be your own creation because only you know who you are inside.
The ridiculous new plastic surgery that Karl mentions is testicle ironing. What has happened to people that they need to invent these new procedures? Are they really that bored or obsessed with unattainable perfection? Why don’t people focus on true problems in humanity: poverty; hunger; war; abuse to children, animals, women, the environment; human trafficking; genital mutilation; acid attacks; rapes; racism, sexism, discrimination of all types; social inequality, etc? I always wonder what great things people could accomplish in their personal lives {and humanity as a whole} if we wouldn’t be seduced by this culture of narcissism and distraction.
Will people wake up to their own power in order to enact change in their lives and in the context of the world? Will most remain asleep? Time will tell but hopefully more will realize this matrix is a prison {if we chose to stay enslaved in it}. It is time to wake up and realize that emancipation from society’s brainwashing is in our hands. We hold the key. This quest for perfection, endless youth and eternal beauty is a social construction and an illusion.
No one will argue against self-care as caring about one’s health and appearance is quite healthy. The danger lies in caring too much because it can distract you from more important things in life that are more deserving of your time, energy and attention. Focusing obsessively on such trivial and vain things such as perfection seems like such a waste of energy, time, money and human potential but that’s just my opinion. As Karl says, “don’t worry about it.”
*
Do you agree or disagree with Karl Pilkington?
Why or why not?
{I hope to feature more moaning of life clips and Karl Pilkington in the near future}.
{I was lucky enough to see her in person when she opened up for Radiohead. It was divine and I loved her music}.
I copied this from her biography page…
“”Known as no1darker – Parker has always been uncompromising, passionate about the music and loaded with don’t–give-a-shit resolve. She has a love of art, arps, photography, architecture, graffiti, 808, concrete, glaciers, adidas, Bass, rust and all things white. She is incredibly hard to pigeon hole : one minute she will be in the studio making dark, menacing, haunting music- going from Booty shakin’ beats to string drenched ballads. The next she’ll be climbing mountains and reaching new summits; from Kilimanjaro in Africa to the avenue of the volcanoes in Ecuador. She has worked for many charity’s, including Crisis, the NSPCC, Get kids going and many more, she even dressed up as Pudsey Bear for Children in Need!! An old school analogue girl at heart, she still remains a die hard B Girl and is defiantly a freaky B*tch! One things for sure: She’d give the men in white coats a run for their money if they even dared think about taking her away…”
-Time Out magazine
“Beats so phat, so dope and so dark, there ain’t a NYC MC alive (cept maybe Rakim) that could handle them”
“Knowing our self Who we think that we are Constantly changing Constantly changing
So near and so far
Knowing ourself
Who we think that we are
Constantly changing
Constantly changing
So near and so far Who we think that we are Who we think that we are Who we think that we are.”
He notes, “the ultimate goal in acquiring money is to have enough money so you don’t have to worry about money.
His observation, “the best thing about money is when you don’t have to pay attention to money” is paradoxical.
It is a paradox that you can stop paying attention to money only when you have money.
This begs the question of how much money does one need to have in order to stop paying attention to it?
{I suspect that it varies from individual to individual}.
Moby talks about how he grew up poor and even lived in an abandoned factory in a crack neighborhood.
*It should be noted that at no point in time does he complain about the poverty he experienced.
One senses an air of gratitude from Moby for these experiences.
His humble beginnings are quite the contrast to his massive success as a musician. I believe that Moby truly deserves and enjoys his success- financial and otherwise.
His last point was that he doesn’t understand the pursuit of money for the sake of money.
Chasing money for the sake of money sounds like greed to me.
To me it seems that Moby is asking existential questions about human existence.
Specifically, he is questioning purpose and what brings happiness and satisfaction.
He does not think that happiness is derived solely from money.
Moby Loves Animals & Is An Animal Activist…
However, Moby notes that money can improve the quality of your life.
Sociology teaches us that a person’s income and social status greatly impacts their health and quality of life.
Sadly, society is not a level playing field; hence, the vital and urgent importance of social equality is understood.
Moby invites us to define success and find happiness and satisfaction on own our terms.
Tilda Swinton as David Bowie. Photographed by Craig Mcdean for AnOther Magazine.
Tilda channels David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust alter ego…
Tilda is a Rebel Rebel…
Tilda is a huge David Bowie Fan…
“The other day, I was going through the airport security and I was searched by a male security guard. I’m very often referred to as “Sir” in elevators and such. I think it has to do with being this tall and not wearing much lipstick. I think people just can’t imagine I’d be a woman if I look like this.”
“You’re always playing yourself. It’s all autobiography, whatever you’re doing. It’s using them as a kind of prism through which to throw something real about yourself, or something relaxed at least. Because the last thing you want is to look like you’re acting.”
Tilda Swinton in Candy Magazine
Tilda is a Futuristic Cosmic Mermaid…
Tilda as a Cosmic Space Goddess…
Tilda Laughs At The Status Quo…
Tilda Transforms Through Make-up Artistry…
“These photographic performances and the opportunity they afford me to play with the shapes and attitudes of this lexicon are thrilling to me.”
*
Tilda Swinton is a brilliant actress and performer {one of my favourites}.
“Society circumscribes us and we play into this feeling that we have to pick one identity and stick with it and any natural transformation within our spirit is to be resisted at all costs.
If there is some great shift in someone’s life one is to feel nothing, but shame and failure, that’s the thing I am constantly drawn back to.”
“There is something insane about a lack of doubt. Doubt, to me anyway, is what makes you human, and without doubt even the righteous lose their grip not only on reality but also on their humanity.”
What keeps her engaged in performing and acting is the moment of shift and doubt in one’s identity.
“There’s such an effort to try and explain people.”
Tilda Removes The Wig/Veil/Metaphorical Mask…
Tilda The Transformer…
*
Gender, identity and beauty are such an intriguing topics which I hope to explore in future posts.
“Tilda does not always play women; she has played Mozart on stage, an Elizabethan nobleman in Orlando (1992) and an androgynous angel, Gabriel, in Constantine (2005).” -Internet Movie Database
*
Please enjoy the fascinating video of master make-up artist Joseph Harwood as he transforms himself from a male/androgynous appearance into a female appearance.
{Joseph really shows us how make-up is art and how you can express yourself and construct our own identity}.
I am most grateful for a class I took called “sociology of gender relations” because it enlightened me about gender.
This class also brought to my awareness the struggles of women, gay people, transgendered people and other types of minorities.
More than anything this class convinced me that everyone deserves equality, there needs to be more love, compassion and acceptance in the world and that we should collectively fight discrimination of all kinds.
“A foolhardy lot, we accepted it all, as we always do, never asked:
“What is going to happen to us now, with this invention of print?”
In the same way, we never thought to ask,
“How will our lives, our way of thinking, be changed by the internet, which has seduced a whole generation with its inanities so that even quite reasonable people will confess that, once they are hooked, it is hard to cut free, and they may find a whole day has passed in blogging etc?” — Doris Lessing
*
The irony is not lost on me that I am using the internet to communicate to you and you are using it to read this post. I am also not saying that the internet is exactly the matrix.
I simply liked this quote because it questions how the internet has changed our lives. Of course, it has changed our lives for the better. I love blogging as much as the next person. You can research anything you want at the touch of a few computer keys. You can communicate with people all over the world. You can buy things online, etcetera.
We also need to analyze the negative ways the internet has changed our lives so that we can find a healthy balance online and offline.
“This is the end My only friend, the end Of our elaborate plans, the end Of everything that stands, the end No safety or surprise, the end I’ll never look into your eyes…again…”
Karl Pilkington Reflects On The Art of Seduction in The Moaning of Life…
15 SepKarl Pilkington has quickly become one of my favourite comedians. I consider him to be an ultimate “truth-teller” {as most comedians are e.g. Larry David}. They shine a light on many hypocritical, controversial or hidden aspects of society and human behaviour. I have respect for comedians and their honesty. They have such keen eyes and ears for social observation and commentary. A comedian will tell it like it is. You can count on them for that.
*
In this short video clip, Karl meets Vinnie the “pick-up artist”.
The results are comedic gold.
{I simply can’t get enough of Karl’s sarcastic looks when the camera catches him in action}. He is clearly not convinced by Vinnie’s seduction tactics. Hilarious!
It is truly a case of the clueless leading the confused. I truly feel compassion and pity for these men. They went to this man for guidance and wisdom {just observe them staring at Vinnie}. If anything, he simply strayed them from the path of love and authentic, soulful relating.
Vinnie’s lack of respect for personal space and boundaries worries me. Respect is gravely missing from the equation. I totally agree with Karl when he notes, “you can’t go about just touching women!” Don’t you just love how outraged he is at this lack of respect? All men should be outraged at disrespect towards women. I think the measure of a man lies in how much he respects women {and others- including himself}. Karl is a man of integrity and is often the voice of reason. I find myself agreeing with him all the time.
An example of Karl’s solid logic is his response to Vinnie’s approach to seducing women. Karl observes, “why don’t you have a chat and see what they like first?…Give them some facts. I’m interested in nature and that so give them a little nature fact or a little…you know, something that like that if they go, “why are you talking about nature for you boring ****” and walks off then I didn’t want to go out with you anyway. If you don’t like nature then**** off.” Karl’s philosophy is to be authentic and if Karl Pilkington is anything he is the epitome of honesty and authenticity.
I love that Karl knows no hypocrisy. He probably doesn’t have a false bone in his body. His approach is to be real and I think more people should adopt this way of relating. I am a person that likes to know where I stand with people. I don’t have the desire or the energy to pretend to like someone or something when I don’t. Your life energy/chi/prana is sacred and I don’t think it should be prostituted in being false. Isn’t it a tragedy that so often people don’t know who they are before old age or death? Why not go within on the greatest journey of self-discovery? {I digress because I am going on a tangent}.
Karl’s authenticity is in direct opposition to Vinnie false pretense of seduction. Vinnie is playing a role. He is acting but who is the real Vinnie? We know exactly who the real Karl is and I deeply appreciate this. In my humble opinion, Vinnie has got it all wrong. His aim is to touch a woman physically and this approach is a disservice to women. It is so reductive because it shrinks women into a sole object of sexual desire, nothing more and nothing less. In this paradigm, women’s identities are fractured and their intelligence is dissolved- or at least obscured from the dialogue.
Most women would love it if a man would be attracted to their mind as well as their body. By only focusing on the body, Vinnie is creating a schism between the body and the mind. He clearly doesn’t know that the intellectual and creative realms are very sexual {i.e. “intelligence is sexy“}. If he really wanted to appeal to women, then he would teach these men to appeal to their minds, hearts and souls. In essence, his approach to seduction is boring because women are more intelligent and complex than he leads these poor men to believe. {Most women will also enforce their boundaries}.
I cannot give Vinnie any of credit for pretending to be interested in what women have to say. His false sense of interest does nothing to convince any woman that he actually cares about what they think or feel. I just get the feeling that he is always planning the next move as if he is in a game of sexual chess. Even his line of “the desert fascinates me” sounds like b.s. His declaration of “social freedom” is so ridiculous that it sounds like a comedy sketch in itself {a parody}. Is Vinnie claiming that social freedom exists when men can touch women at their leisure? I certainly hope not.
My conclusion is that the lady or Karl should be teaching the class on being attractive to women. Karl may not have any “chat-up/pick-up lines” but he knows how to listen to and relate to women; hence he knows how to respect women. Chat-up/pick-up lines are cheesy, to say the least. Authenticity will get you much further than any recycled and contrived chat up/pick up lines will. Karl has the alchemical gold that is missing from Vinnie’s lecture- respect for women.
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What do you think about Karl Pilkington, Vinnie the pick-up artist and the moaning of life episode on marriage?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
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For more information…
Karl Pilkington…http://www.karlpilkington.com/
The Moaning of Life TV Series…http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3277670/
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Peace & Comedic Love…
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Tags: Alchemical Gold, Attracted, Attraction, Authentic, Authenticity, Comedian, Comedians, Comedic, Comedic Gold, Comedy, Comic, Courtship, Critical Thinker, Critical Thinking, Egalitarian, Emotional Intelligence, Emotionally Intelligent, Gender Identity, Gender Relations, Honest, Honesty, Human Behaviour, Identity, Intellect, Intelligence, Intelligence Is Sexy, Intelligent, Karl Pilkington, Larry David, Listen, Listening, Relate, Relating, Respect, Seduce, Seduction, Sexual, Sexuality, Social Commentary., Social Observation, Sophisticated, The Art of Listening, The Moaning of Life, The Moaning of Life Television Show, Truth, Truth Teller