A pre-season treat for the upcoming 2015 Major League Baseball season;
Joining in on the first wave of ‘black’ ballplayers in essence de-segregating Major League Baseball, Clemente was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and left unprotected following that year by Brooklyn and signed as a free-agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1955 season. The fact that he could have created a more liberal Free-Agent structure in MLB at the time is overlooked by many Baseball fans and brass within most Major League Organizations. Ironically, the player most Brooklyn ‘fans thought wouldn’t matter anyway (as Brooklyn won the World Series in 1955), actually backfired within a few years, as Clemente quickly established himself as one of the young great superstars of the game alongside Willie Mays and Henry Aaron. There was no doubting Clemente’s talent. He had a rifle for an arm, had good speed and he practically swung his way out of poverty as a youngster growing up in Puerto Rico.
When Roberto started his career in 1955 with Pittsburgh, he struggled in his inaugural season batting a modest .255. The following year he proved himself as a force to be reckoned with batting .311. He really came into his own in 1960, when he posted a .314 batting average, hitting 16 Homeruns (the first time in his career belting 10+ Homeruns) with 94 RBI’s.
It was in 1960 that Clemente became a household name, as his Pirates won the World Series on Bill Mazerowski’s walk-off Home-run. He received due recognition for his fielding prowess in 1961 winning the first of twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards. To go along with his Gold Glove defense that year he batted .351, leading all Major Leaguers.
In fact from 1960-1967, Clemente’s lowest yearly average was .312. In an off-year, 1968, he batted only .291. This may be attributed to the change in making the pitching mound higher. His .291 average was still .40 points higher than the league average of .251.
If you thought that this off-year (by Clemente’s standards) was the sign of him slowing down you’re sadly mistaken.
The following year of 1969, Clemente hit .345, and in 1970 he bettered that mark with a .352 average. In 1971 Clemente batted .341. It seemed that Roberto could feasibly make a run at the long fabled hit-record of 4192, set by the late Ty Cobb. The 1971 campaign also saw the Pirates win their second World Series under Clemente’s tutelage.
Indeed, Clemente reached the milestone of 3000 Hits (on his last at-bat of the ’72 campaign), while batting .312. No-one realized this was to be Clemente’s last hit ever. On New Year’s Eve (Dec 31/72), Clemente was traveling by plane to his native homeland of Puerto Rico with thousands of dollars worth of medical supplies, when the plane went down.
Roberto Clemente was dead at the age of 38.
In looking at Clemente’s accomplishments not only was he successful when it came to his career and family relations, there was also a sense of duty to provide to the poor, where he himself had once resided.
In looking at Clemente’s accomplishments we can see that he was the consummate ballplayer. He had 200+hits in a year four times. He batted .339+ six times and keep in mind that this was in a pitcher’s era. His lifetime batting average of .317 was .55 points higher than the league average and he led the National League in batting average four times. Clemente won the NL MVP in 1966, and finished in the top ten in MVP voting eight times.
Roberto Clemente was coming off a .312 average and his 12th consecutive Gold Glove season after the ’72 campaign. He not only produced in the regular season but in the playoffs as well as evidenced by their two World Series wins in ’60, and in ’71 in which Roberto won WS MVP batting .414 with a .759 Slg % that series.
He will always be revered as a class act, not only for his professional accomplishments, but in giving back to the Pittsburgh community and to his Native Homeland of Puerto Rico.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Greatest Boxers of All-Time - by Moses
As we will soon be treated to the next Floyd Mayweather fight, I just thought I'd treat the viewers to a piece I recently edited (for greatest pleasure read from Twenty-One to One);
Greatest Boxers of All-Time
1. Rocky Marciano never lost a fight. He went 49-0 and was the Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1949-1953. Of his 49 wins, 43 were by knockout. He defeated Joe Louis himself in 1949 to win the Heavyweight Belt. A true legend, Marciano is the 'Satchel Paige' of Boxing. He was known for punishing his opponents with heavy body shots (the reason we see Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky' slugging huge Beef Rib Racks in the meat plant his future brother in-law sets him to train in). Marciano had, perhaps, the heaviest punch in the History of Boxing.
2. Joe Louis went 69-3 over his boxing career. Joe Louis was the second African American (after Jack Johnson) to win the Heavyweight Championship (or any Belt approved by the World Boxing Commission). He won the Heavyweight Championship in 1937 and held it until 1949. In his 72 fights Louis recorded 57 KO's. Joe Louis held the belt for thirteen years.
3. Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) fought through probably the toughest Heavyweight division of all time. Ali defeated Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, George Chuvallo, and Leon Spinks, throughout his storied career. Ali could 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee'. He won in convincing fashion when he showed up, which was all the time. His lifetime record was 56-5 with 37KO’s. The only fight Ali should ever have backed away from was the Holmes fight.
4. Sugar Ray Leonard was 36-3-1 in his career. As an amateur Leonard won the Gold Medal as a Junior Welterweight in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the 1976 Summer Olympics. As a professional, Leonard took on Roberto Duran to win the Welterweight Championship in 1979 (his first belt). Sugar Ray then took on and beat Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns to win the Middleweight Championship in 1981. In 1983 Leonard fought Marvin Hagler to win the light-Heavyweight Championship. Of his 36 wins, 25 came by way of knockout. Having the belt in four separate weight classes makes 'Sugar Ray' the most versatile Boxer of All-Time.
5. George Foreman fought against the likes of Ali, Frazier, Norton, Chuvallo, Holmes, Tyson and Holyfield throughout his career. He is the only Boxer to have won the Belt in two different eras. Foreman finished his career 76-5 with 68 KO’s. Considering that Foreman had won the Heavyweight Championship Belt for the first time in 1973 and for the last time in 1996, his career span makes him one for the ages.
6. Marvin Hagler was as polished a fighter as there has ever been. Hagler won the Middleweight Championship in 1978 and was also an accomplished Light-Heavyweight fighter, winning the Belt in 1985, once Sugar Ray Leonard retired. Over the course of his career Hagler fought against the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns, and Donny Lalonde. Hagler finished his career 62-3-2 with 52KO’s.
7. Floyd Mayweather is the greatest Welterweight of all-time, neigh Sugar Ray Leonard. His professional career has seen him go undefeated 46-0 to this point of his career. Time will tell if Mayweather supplants Leonard as the most versatile Boxer in the history of the sport, with respect to fighting in different weight classes, over the course of his career. One thing is for certain, he'll be remembered as one of the greatest pure fighters of all-time.
8. Sugar Ray Robinson was the Middleweight Champion in the 1950’s. He finished his career 173-19-6 with 108KO’s. He fought against the likes of Jake Lamotta, and ‘Kid’ Gavilan in the toughest fighting division in the 50’s.
9. Matthew Hilton is the best Canadian Boxer in the Pro-Ranks, of all-time. In his storied career he was 32-3-2 fighting against a legend in Wilfred Benitez (knocking him out in the ninth round) to win the Middleweight Belt. Of his 32 wins 24 were by Knockout. Had cocaine not entered the picture, Hilton surely would have held on to the Middleweight Belt that he earned earlier in his career against Benitez.
10. Jake LaMotta is best remembered for the movie made by Martin Scorcese, 'Raging Bull'. LaMotta was a great fighter. He will unfortunately be remembered for the dives he took in the prime of his career against the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson. LaMotta won the Middleweight Belt briefly in the mid-fifties. He went 93-9-4 and recorded 30 Knockouts in his Boxing career.
11) Jack Dempsey was a fighter from the 1910’s and 1920’s. He was the Heavyweight Champion for most of the 1910’s. In his prime his toughest foe was Gene Tunney who he knocked out twice. His career shows a mark of 65-6-11 with 51 knockouts. He was one of the first true Irish-American Heroes of that time.
12) Roberto Duran fought for almost an eternity. Having fought in over 100 matches, Duran is best known for his rematch fight against Sugar Ray Leonard, (No Mas) in which he lost to Leonard. Nonetheless, Duran was one of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen.(and he did defeat Leonard in the first fight). His lifetime record was 104-16 with 69 knockouts.
13. Lennox Lewis – Was Gold Medallist for Canada as a Super-Heavyweight in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Lewis soon climbed to the top of the Professional Ranks, and after emigrating to England, won the Heavyweight Title as Heavyweight Champion of the World defeating the impressive Evander Holyfield in 1995. He held the Belt, off and on, until 2002 when he retired. Some of the boxers Lewis fought include Mike Tyson, George Foreman, and the previously mentioned Evander Holyfield. His career record shows 41-2-1 (32 wins coming by way of KO).
14. Wladimir Klitschko - Was Gold Medallist for Ukraine as a Super-Heavyweight in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He soon climbed to the highest level in Professional Boxing and became the Heavyweight Champion of the World in 2006. Overall, he is the second longest reigning Heavyweight Champion of all time and has the second most successful title defenses total of any heavyweight boxer with 22 (including his "super" title recognition), behind just Joe Louis (25) and ahead of Larry Holmes (20) and Muhammad Ali (19). He currently has 17 consecutive title defenses, behind Joe Louis's 25 consecutive title defenses and Larry Holmes's 20 consecutive title defenses. He is also second of all-time in Heavyweight Title Fights with 26, trailing only Joe Louis (who had 27 Heavyweight Title Fights). Klitschko is 63-3 lifetime with 53 KO'S. Once his storybook career ends he'll probably be placed in the top 10 in my book.
15. Joe Frazier – A lefty from Philadelphia, Frazier defeated Ali in 1972 to win the Heavyweight Belt, before losing to George Foreman in his first defence of the belt (in 1973). Frazier stuck around to fight Ali again, this time losing, in 1975. Frazier was probably the best pure brawler to come out of Philly. His lifetime record was 32-4-1 with 27 KO’s.
16. Roy Jones Jr. – Established himself to be the greatest Light-Heavyweight Boxer of his day. Had the competition been better he very well may have cracked the top ten. Through his career to date, Jones Jr. held the light-Heavyweight belt from 1994 until 2001 (a lengthy mainstay). His career shows a mark of 56 Wins and 8 Losses with 40 Wins coming by way of Knockout.
17. Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns – ‘Hit Man’ Tommy Hearns was thought of, in the early – mid eighties, to be at the top of the Middleweight Division. He fought against the likes of Duran, Leonard, Hagler and only lost five fights in his entire career. His career record was 61 Wins 5 Losses and 1 Draw (48 Wins by knockout).
18. Mike Tyson – A true enigma. Had Tyson fought any real tough Boxers when he started out, his wins may have carried a little more weight to them. When Tyson won the Heavyweight Title of the World he was thought, at the time, to being the real thing. Although Tyson was dominant against Trevor Berbick and Michael Spinks, once he fought against Buster Douglas and lost, the sentiment changed. Had Tyson fought against Douglas in America, I firmly believe he would have remained undefeated throughout his career. Tyson though, never got back to the level that most thought was inevitable after that defeat. He could never beat Holyfield, Foreman, and Lennox Lewis and therefore ranks this low on my all-time list of boxing greats. In his career Tyson was 50-6 (44 by knockout).
19. Larry Holmes – Finished his career with 69 Wins and 6 Losses (with 44 KO's). Holmes started his career, like Tyson, undefeated through his first 30 fights. Although he accomplished an excellent record through his career, he never had to fight the great fighters that Ali, or Joe Lewis did. Although Holmes fought and beat Ali, it was beyond Ali’s prime. In his toughest and most influential victory, Holmes fought against Ken Norton for the Heavyweight Title. It was a truly great Heavyweight Title Fight for the ages.
20. Ken Norton –A sentimental favorite of mine, Norton was considered by most to be the strongest man in the fight game of the 70’s. These times were the days of greats such as Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes, and Chuvallo. Norton fought Ali 3 times over his career, losing 2 and winning one. Ironically, the fight in which Norton beat Ali he didn’t win the Belt as the fight wasn’t sanctioned. Norton’s physique was truly impressive. Over his career, Norton fought against Ali, Frazier, Foreman, and Holmes. His Lifetime record was 42 Wins and 7 Losses with 1 draw. 33 of his wins came by way of knockout. Norton briefly held the World Boxing Champion Belt in the late Seventies until losing it to Holmes.
21. Oscar De La Hoya – Recently retired, De La Hoya compiled a 39-6 Record over the duration of his career. A true Middleweight, De La Hoya had a punishing style leading him to 30 Knockouts. De La Hoya is one of the most versatile Boxers, with respect to weight class, in the history of the sport.
Greatest Boxers of All-Time
1. Rocky Marciano never lost a fight. He went 49-0 and was the Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1949-1953. Of his 49 wins, 43 were by knockout. He defeated Joe Louis himself in 1949 to win the Heavyweight Belt. A true legend, Marciano is the 'Satchel Paige' of Boxing. He was known for punishing his opponents with heavy body shots (the reason we see Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky' slugging huge Beef Rib Racks in the meat plant his future brother in-law sets him to train in). Marciano had, perhaps, the heaviest punch in the History of Boxing.
2. Joe Louis went 69-3 over his boxing career. Joe Louis was the second African American (after Jack Johnson) to win the Heavyweight Championship (or any Belt approved by the World Boxing Commission). He won the Heavyweight Championship in 1937 and held it until 1949. In his 72 fights Louis recorded 57 KO's. Joe Louis held the belt for thirteen years.
3. Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) fought through probably the toughest Heavyweight division of all time. Ali defeated Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, George Chuvallo, and Leon Spinks, throughout his storied career. Ali could 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee'. He won in convincing fashion when he showed up, which was all the time. His lifetime record was 56-5 with 37KO’s. The only fight Ali should ever have backed away from was the Holmes fight.
4. Sugar Ray Leonard was 36-3-1 in his career. As an amateur Leonard won the Gold Medal as a Junior Welterweight in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the 1976 Summer Olympics. As a professional, Leonard took on Roberto Duran to win the Welterweight Championship in 1979 (his first belt). Sugar Ray then took on and beat Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns to win the Middleweight Championship in 1981. In 1983 Leonard fought Marvin Hagler to win the light-Heavyweight Championship. Of his 36 wins, 25 came by way of knockout. Having the belt in four separate weight classes makes 'Sugar Ray' the most versatile Boxer of All-Time.
5. George Foreman fought against the likes of Ali, Frazier, Norton, Chuvallo, Holmes, Tyson and Holyfield throughout his career. He is the only Boxer to have won the Belt in two different eras. Foreman finished his career 76-5 with 68 KO’s. Considering that Foreman had won the Heavyweight Championship Belt for the first time in 1973 and for the last time in 1996, his career span makes him one for the ages.
6. Marvin Hagler was as polished a fighter as there has ever been. Hagler won the Middleweight Championship in 1978 and was also an accomplished Light-Heavyweight fighter, winning the Belt in 1985, once Sugar Ray Leonard retired. Over the course of his career Hagler fought against the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns, and Donny Lalonde. Hagler finished his career 62-3-2 with 52KO’s.
7. Floyd Mayweather is the greatest Welterweight of all-time, neigh Sugar Ray Leonard. His professional career has seen him go undefeated 46-0 to this point of his career. Time will tell if Mayweather supplants Leonard as the most versatile Boxer in the history of the sport, with respect to fighting in different weight classes, over the course of his career. One thing is for certain, he'll be remembered as one of the greatest pure fighters of all-time.
8. Sugar Ray Robinson was the Middleweight Champion in the 1950’s. He finished his career 173-19-6 with 108KO’s. He fought against the likes of Jake Lamotta, and ‘Kid’ Gavilan in the toughest fighting division in the 50’s.
9. Matthew Hilton is the best Canadian Boxer in the Pro-Ranks, of all-time. In his storied career he was 32-3-2 fighting against a legend in Wilfred Benitez (knocking him out in the ninth round) to win the Middleweight Belt. Of his 32 wins 24 were by Knockout. Had cocaine not entered the picture, Hilton surely would have held on to the Middleweight Belt that he earned earlier in his career against Benitez.
10. Jake LaMotta is best remembered for the movie made by Martin Scorcese, 'Raging Bull'. LaMotta was a great fighter. He will unfortunately be remembered for the dives he took in the prime of his career against the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson. LaMotta won the Middleweight Belt briefly in the mid-fifties. He went 93-9-4 and recorded 30 Knockouts in his Boxing career.
11) Jack Dempsey was a fighter from the 1910’s and 1920’s. He was the Heavyweight Champion for most of the 1910’s. In his prime his toughest foe was Gene Tunney who he knocked out twice. His career shows a mark of 65-6-11 with 51 knockouts. He was one of the first true Irish-American Heroes of that time.
12) Roberto Duran fought for almost an eternity. Having fought in over 100 matches, Duran is best known for his rematch fight against Sugar Ray Leonard, (No Mas) in which he lost to Leonard. Nonetheless, Duran was one of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen.(and he did defeat Leonard in the first fight). His lifetime record was 104-16 with 69 knockouts.
13. Lennox Lewis – Was Gold Medallist for Canada as a Super-Heavyweight in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Lewis soon climbed to the top of the Professional Ranks, and after emigrating to England, won the Heavyweight Title as Heavyweight Champion of the World defeating the impressive Evander Holyfield in 1995. He held the Belt, off and on, until 2002 when he retired. Some of the boxers Lewis fought include Mike Tyson, George Foreman, and the previously mentioned Evander Holyfield. His career record shows 41-2-1 (32 wins coming by way of KO).
14. Wladimir Klitschko - Was Gold Medallist for Ukraine as a Super-Heavyweight in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He soon climbed to the highest level in Professional Boxing and became the Heavyweight Champion of the World in 2006. Overall, he is the second longest reigning Heavyweight Champion of all time and has the second most successful title defenses total of any heavyweight boxer with 22 (including his "super" title recognition), behind just Joe Louis (25) and ahead of Larry Holmes (20) and Muhammad Ali (19). He currently has 17 consecutive title defenses, behind Joe Louis's 25 consecutive title defenses and Larry Holmes's 20 consecutive title defenses. He is also second of all-time in Heavyweight Title Fights with 26, trailing only Joe Louis (who had 27 Heavyweight Title Fights). Klitschko is 63-3 lifetime with 53 KO'S. Once his storybook career ends he'll probably be placed in the top 10 in my book.
15. Joe Frazier – A lefty from Philadelphia, Frazier defeated Ali in 1972 to win the Heavyweight Belt, before losing to George Foreman in his first defence of the belt (in 1973). Frazier stuck around to fight Ali again, this time losing, in 1975. Frazier was probably the best pure brawler to come out of Philly. His lifetime record was 32-4-1 with 27 KO’s.
16. Roy Jones Jr. – Established himself to be the greatest Light-Heavyweight Boxer of his day. Had the competition been better he very well may have cracked the top ten. Through his career to date, Jones Jr. held the light-Heavyweight belt from 1994 until 2001 (a lengthy mainstay). His career shows a mark of 56 Wins and 8 Losses with 40 Wins coming by way of Knockout.
17. Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns – ‘Hit Man’ Tommy Hearns was thought of, in the early – mid eighties, to be at the top of the Middleweight Division. He fought against the likes of Duran, Leonard, Hagler and only lost five fights in his entire career. His career record was 61 Wins 5 Losses and 1 Draw (48 Wins by knockout).
18. Mike Tyson – A true enigma. Had Tyson fought any real tough Boxers when he started out, his wins may have carried a little more weight to them. When Tyson won the Heavyweight Title of the World he was thought, at the time, to being the real thing. Although Tyson was dominant against Trevor Berbick and Michael Spinks, once he fought against Buster Douglas and lost, the sentiment changed. Had Tyson fought against Douglas in America, I firmly believe he would have remained undefeated throughout his career. Tyson though, never got back to the level that most thought was inevitable after that defeat. He could never beat Holyfield, Foreman, and Lennox Lewis and therefore ranks this low on my all-time list of boxing greats. In his career Tyson was 50-6 (44 by knockout).
19. Larry Holmes – Finished his career with 69 Wins and 6 Losses (with 44 KO's). Holmes started his career, like Tyson, undefeated through his first 30 fights. Although he accomplished an excellent record through his career, he never had to fight the great fighters that Ali, or Joe Lewis did. Although Holmes fought and beat Ali, it was beyond Ali’s prime. In his toughest and most influential victory, Holmes fought against Ken Norton for the Heavyweight Title. It was a truly great Heavyweight Title Fight for the ages.
20. Ken Norton –A sentimental favorite of mine, Norton was considered by most to be the strongest man in the fight game of the 70’s. These times were the days of greats such as Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes, and Chuvallo. Norton fought Ali 3 times over his career, losing 2 and winning one. Ironically, the fight in which Norton beat Ali he didn’t win the Belt as the fight wasn’t sanctioned. Norton’s physique was truly impressive. Over his career, Norton fought against Ali, Frazier, Foreman, and Holmes. His Lifetime record was 42 Wins and 7 Losses with 1 draw. 33 of his wins came by way of knockout. Norton briefly held the World Boxing Champion Belt in the late Seventies until losing it to Holmes.
21. Oscar De La Hoya – Recently retired, De La Hoya compiled a 39-6 Record over the duration of his career. A true Middleweight, De La Hoya had a punishing style leading him to 30 Knockouts. De La Hoya is one of the most versatile Boxers, with respect to weight class, in the history of the sport.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Time Twist and the Illusion of Control - Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)
What if 24 hours were really 25 hours?
How would the human mind perceive this?
Does that mean that we would have more time to work with? No.
By changing our perception towards time, only changes perspective. Time is constant.
With more thought in a shorter period of time changes our perspective towards the day and the day seemingly becomes longer. This means 24 hours seems like 25 hours.
When 25 hours feels like 24 hours, our strength becomes an ability to function at an optimum level. By curving our perspective in this manner makes time ‘fly’.
Being trapped by time is an illusion, as 24 hours is 24 hours.
Having no choice, with respect to our dreams (subconscious ruminations), is something we all have to come to terms with. Our dreams are what prepare our conscious state for the following day, and can occur in both the conscious and subconscious states. These ruminations in our conscious state have us fighting against time, and if manifested, lead to racing thoughts. Racing thoughts makes for ‘long’ days.
The illusion of control does not exist in our dreams.
Our subconscious is alive during our sleep. Knowing this, that in twenty minutes of R.E.M we’re capable of living a full day, and/or night, makes a person appreciate their life. Waking up to start the day should not be taken for granted. To ‘day dream’ (carry conscious state ruminations) is counter productive as we tend to fight against time during these instances.
As the conscious state and subconscious states are related, it stands to reason that the subconscious mind is constantly used. For example, should a man be thinking a word – that word can come out accidentally in speech – a ‘subconscious slip’.
As our conscious and subconscious states are related, yet separate entities, to live life unilaterally (between the two) strengthens our affinity, our soul.
When we remember our dreams it is a blessing, and to Native Americans is considered visionary.
The illusion of control is confusing to those that understand that anything can happen at any time. Control is only a measure that occurs after the fact. In reflection, a person understands what has occurred, what could have been done, and the cause and effect relationships (ramifications). These ramifications as to what happened in our past, are dealt with in our subconscious, and shapes our conscious through our dreams. In our conscious state most people think that they are in control, that they can make something happen, or make something not happen. This illusion of control is what makes us human.
The concept of ‘the straw that broke the camels back’ comes to mind in understanding that we are not in control. As animals, our souls can only take so much punishment before it acts out. A subconscious full of anger promotes night terror, and in turn burdens our conscious state and causes us to act out. This burden takes form in physical crime, dishonesty, and if manifested severe enough, mental health breakdown of our conscious state.
By understanding that ‘No man is an island’, one recognizes to work with whatever it is that they encounter.
When your son accidentally spills something on your new couch, it’s not the end of the world. Shit happens, and to be blind of imperfections, one buys into the idea that they and their loved ones can be perfect. Some look for ulterior motives in a pessimistic state in trying to reach perfection. This defense mechanism is an illusion of control. By mistrusting in this manner, a person doesn’t trust themselves. This mistrust lives amongst all of us. Those that deal with their issues is considered a natural maturation process and allows a person to overcome their fear that they’ll be caught when they make a mistake.
No one feels good about themselves when they make a mistake, but you still have to move forward. This illusion of control is a worldwide epidemic. ‘Everyone knows everything, and no-ones ever wrong. Until later’ – (lyric written by Neil Peart).
How high, how fast, how strong. At some point there is an innate breakdown that we all experience. System overload, too much pressure. To combat we slow down. Those that ignore the symptoms of stress are susceptible to mental health issues (formerly known as nervous breakdowns). We need therapy in our lives to deal with our stress. Reading, sports, movies and television, video games, music, writing, amongst other genres are therapeutic in unleashing pent up anger, and this releases our stress valve to reasonable levels. Pushing ourselves too hard is a problem of the times of the present day. We all want to be successful. How badly we want success is another question. In 1986, Baseball pitcher Donnie Moore was one out away from taking his team to the World Series. He was accredited with the loss. Moore never recovered psychologically from this event. He killed himself a few years later. In our day there is a huge emphasis on meditation and diet. With these areas increasing amongst the public, it enables those to balance their energy, and become less susceptible to mental health disorders.
Here’s an analogy. I can be strong. Strong enough to win. Strong enough to dominate. Strong enough to win the battle. Strong enough to win the war. By the way, who is the enemy?
It has to be alright to make a mistake, or lose the game. If not, a person won’t accept themselves through adversity. In tough times, many people don’t deal with adversity well, and it manifests, increasing our stress-load exponentially. To live our lives with this much pressure can be unbearable, but unfortunately is the reality for some people.
How would the human mind perceive this?
Does that mean that we would have more time to work with? No.
By changing our perception towards time, only changes perspective. Time is constant.
With more thought in a shorter period of time changes our perspective towards the day and the day seemingly becomes longer. This means 24 hours seems like 25 hours.
When 25 hours feels like 24 hours, our strength becomes an ability to function at an optimum level. By curving our perspective in this manner makes time ‘fly’.
Being trapped by time is an illusion, as 24 hours is 24 hours.
Having no choice, with respect to our dreams (subconscious ruminations), is something we all have to come to terms with. Our dreams are what prepare our conscious state for the following day, and can occur in both the conscious and subconscious states. These ruminations in our conscious state have us fighting against time, and if manifested, lead to racing thoughts. Racing thoughts makes for ‘long’ days.
The illusion of control does not exist in our dreams.
Our subconscious is alive during our sleep. Knowing this, that in twenty minutes of R.E.M we’re capable of living a full day, and/or night, makes a person appreciate their life. Waking up to start the day should not be taken for granted. To ‘day dream’ (carry conscious state ruminations) is counter productive as we tend to fight against time during these instances.
As the conscious state and subconscious states are related, it stands to reason that the subconscious mind is constantly used. For example, should a man be thinking a word – that word can come out accidentally in speech – a ‘subconscious slip’.
As our conscious and subconscious states are related, yet separate entities, to live life unilaterally (between the two) strengthens our affinity, our soul.
When we remember our dreams it is a blessing, and to Native Americans is considered visionary.
The illusion of control is confusing to those that understand that anything can happen at any time. Control is only a measure that occurs after the fact. In reflection, a person understands what has occurred, what could have been done, and the cause and effect relationships (ramifications). These ramifications as to what happened in our past, are dealt with in our subconscious, and shapes our conscious through our dreams. In our conscious state most people think that they are in control, that they can make something happen, or make something not happen. This illusion of control is what makes us human.
The concept of ‘the straw that broke the camels back’ comes to mind in understanding that we are not in control. As animals, our souls can only take so much punishment before it acts out. A subconscious full of anger promotes night terror, and in turn burdens our conscious state and causes us to act out. This burden takes form in physical crime, dishonesty, and if manifested severe enough, mental health breakdown of our conscious state.
By understanding that ‘No man is an island’, one recognizes to work with whatever it is that they encounter.
When your son accidentally spills something on your new couch, it’s not the end of the world. Shit happens, and to be blind of imperfections, one buys into the idea that they and their loved ones can be perfect. Some look for ulterior motives in a pessimistic state in trying to reach perfection. This defense mechanism is an illusion of control. By mistrusting in this manner, a person doesn’t trust themselves. This mistrust lives amongst all of us. Those that deal with their issues is considered a natural maturation process and allows a person to overcome their fear that they’ll be caught when they make a mistake.
No one feels good about themselves when they make a mistake, but you still have to move forward. This illusion of control is a worldwide epidemic. ‘Everyone knows everything, and no-ones ever wrong. Until later’ – (lyric written by Neil Peart).
How high, how fast, how strong. At some point there is an innate breakdown that we all experience. System overload, too much pressure. To combat we slow down. Those that ignore the symptoms of stress are susceptible to mental health issues (formerly known as nervous breakdowns). We need therapy in our lives to deal with our stress. Reading, sports, movies and television, video games, music, writing, amongst other genres are therapeutic in unleashing pent up anger, and this releases our stress valve to reasonable levels. Pushing ourselves too hard is a problem of the times of the present day. We all want to be successful. How badly we want success is another question. In 1986, Baseball pitcher Donnie Moore was one out away from taking his team to the World Series. He was accredited with the loss. Moore never recovered psychologically from this event. He killed himself a few years later. In our day there is a huge emphasis on meditation and diet. With these areas increasing amongst the public, it enables those to balance their energy, and become less susceptible to mental health disorders.
Here’s an analogy. I can be strong. Strong enough to win. Strong enough to dominate. Strong enough to win the battle. Strong enough to win the war. By the way, who is the enemy?
It has to be alright to make a mistake, or lose the game. If not, a person won’t accept themselves through adversity. In tough times, many people don’t deal with adversity well, and it manifests, increasing our stress-load exponentially. To live our lives with this much pressure can be unbearable, but unfortunately is the reality for some people.
The Decriminalization and Legalization of Marijuana - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)
Roughly 20 Million People in North America are regular Marijuana smokers. In our day we see Mega-Cities’ Court Houses clogged with simple possession of Marijuana charges. It has become a societal epidemic. To a person that carries in their belief that Marijuana is a ‘legal’ product this dichotomy is grossly offensive. At what point does authority become skewed, with respect to this issue?
For example; a man smokes a joint, works an eight hour day, five days a week. He does his job well and is conscientious. To what level of a microscope do we want to live? Are people to believe that Marijuana is the Devils’ drug? In our day there is somewhat of a breakdown in communication. Plainly put, we’re taught within the home what is acceptable, and then, taught what is acceptable outside the home. For an issue like Marijuana to be considered unequivocally illegal outside the home is essentially telling a person that they are an illegal quantity. This societal condemnation causes us to mistrust the system.
In 1976/77 the U.S President Jimmy Carter was pushing for the legalization of Marijuana. Congress at the time refuted, and this issue has been sidestepped (Albeit a brief interlude of decriminalization in 1996 within Canada).
Here’s the bottom line; dissecting a person on this issue brings countless, needless, and unjust measures. In other words, don’t judge a man for keeping his custom.
By decriminalizing and legalizing the use of Marijuana, the Government would see Tax Dollars on the Manufacturing and Distribution of this product. The Government would also set a level playing field for the people. Caught smoking in Public and you’d be issued a ticket, as one currently is when in possession of alcohol in the Public domain (outside the home, or in the bar).
We, the Public, are in a crossroads today. A person believes what they believe, and, in the same breath is told to lie about it. This element of fear is man-made and causes compounding issues. Let’s not forget that prohibition of alcohol existed across the U.S.A in the late twenties and early thirties, and that caused so much turmoil that the policy had to be overturned.
For example; a man smokes a joint, works an eight hour day, five days a week. He does his job well and is conscientious. To what level of a microscope do we want to live? Are people to believe that Marijuana is the Devils’ drug? In our day there is somewhat of a breakdown in communication. Plainly put, we’re taught within the home what is acceptable, and then, taught what is acceptable outside the home. For an issue like Marijuana to be considered unequivocally illegal outside the home is essentially telling a person that they are an illegal quantity. This societal condemnation causes us to mistrust the system.
In 1976/77 the U.S President Jimmy Carter was pushing for the legalization of Marijuana. Congress at the time refuted, and this issue has been sidestepped (Albeit a brief interlude of decriminalization in 1996 within Canada).
Here’s the bottom line; dissecting a person on this issue brings countless, needless, and unjust measures. In other words, don’t judge a man for keeping his custom.
By decriminalizing and legalizing the use of Marijuana, the Government would see Tax Dollars on the Manufacturing and Distribution of this product. The Government would also set a level playing field for the people. Caught smoking in Public and you’d be issued a ticket, as one currently is when in possession of alcohol in the Public domain (outside the home, or in the bar).
We, the Public, are in a crossroads today. A person believes what they believe, and, in the same breath is told to lie about it. This element of fear is man-made and causes compounding issues. Let’s not forget that prohibition of alcohol existed across the U.S.A in the late twenties and early thirties, and that caused so much turmoil that the policy had to be overturned.
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