Poets Day US

There are a few people on this planet, well at least a couple, that are true friends. These are the people that, if I turned up buck-naked and broke on their doorstep they would take me in. To me that is a measure of true friendship, those that would take you in when you are at your worst, without question, and help you get back on your feet. There are a few people on this planet that I would do that for obviously. There are also a few people that I would love to see buck-naked on my doorstep, but that is, because, you know – science J They say you can judge a person by the company they keep, sure, that might be true but that means that everyone who hangs out with me has been condemned. I think you can judge the value of a person by the strength of their friendships. There are many levels to friendship – let’s look at a few. Nod your head friends:  People that you see on a regular basis but have no idea who they are – also know as whassups. Drinking Buddies:  ...

Many years ago (seems like a few of my blogs start this way) my family was in Manila, driving near Smokey Mountain/Tondo – a particularly harsh part of the world. People were eking out existences from the city dump and many were dying every week just struggling to survive. It is a particularly shitty part of the world. Anyways, the fight to exist that we saw from the comfort of the van we were in brought my sister to tears. I commented that there was good and bad in everything, then my Dad turned round and said ‘James, that is probably the smartest thing you have ever said’ When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other. ~ Tao Te Ching Far be it for me to disagree, be it ever so slightly, with any Philosopher but to me the a...

I remember as a child of a place in London at Hyde Park called Speakers Corner where people would congregate (or in our case accidentally walk past) to hear a bunch of self important windbags rattle on about religion, politics and the sexual preferences of Margaret Thatcher – this was a few years ago. These over opinionated blowhards would stand on a soapbox and rant and rave to the assembled throng just because the throng was there. I do recall my parents telling me to get away from the weird bearded man speaking in tongues (at least it seemed like he was) and to generally ignore the vitriolic speeches that reverberated across the North East corner of the park. My how things have changed. Now people no longer need to stand on a soapbox to vent their opinions, they have a virtual soapbox that gives them the ability to say something, usually without fear of repercussion. Back in the day you could express your disapproval to a soapbox stander by booing, walking away or throwing ...

And I am not talking about the big commune of yurts where they keep the past winners. I am talking about what I like to (as of today) refer to as The American Idol complex pertaining as to how sometimes people need to be told the truth and often it is the people closest to them that fail in doing so. The only person who told the truth was that annoying English git in his tight V-neck shirts. The truth will set you free No, this is not a sermon from the mount but I often use that phrase. However, I do know that I am also guilty of not always telling the truth to avoid upsetting others but that is not what The American Idol complex is. Well what is it then? The American Idol complex (and trust me, I have played a Doctor on stage so I know what I am talking about) is where good meaning but badly executed praise is heaped on someone who should not have praise heaped on. It was amazing in the early episodes of American Idol how many tone deaf, talentless people turned up to...