Are we all too quick to worship and follow men who we have labeled as great?

Why is it such a big surprise to us when men, who are widely regarded as great, turn out to be a hypocrite, charlatan, or have so many skeletons in the closet you can hear them rattling a mile away? Why are we so shocked? Aren’t they human too despite the flattering opinions we wish to lavish on these godlike figures?

Admittedly, we can all sometimes become mesmerised and then attached to these shining examples of humanity, which can inadvertently make us forget about our own important role to play in life.

These legendary men, who in most cases take the moral high ground, can sometimes be found guilty of not practicing what they preach.

In a series of six posts, I will try to pull down the veil of perfection that protects 6 great thinkers in history, as I reveal their own, and perhaps unflattering, mortal afflictions.
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Are kids taught lies just for them to fit into the system?

In writing this post, the Pink Floyd song “Another Brick in the Wall” comes to mind when listening to the lyrics and analysing the meaning behind them in regards what we are taught in school.

Let’s now take a look at some of these lyrics shall we?

We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.

“Wrong, Do it again!”
“If you don’t eat yer meat, you can’t have any pudding. How can you
have any pudding if you don’t eat yer meat?”
“You! Yes, you behind the bike sheds, stand still laddy!”

~ “Another Brick in the Wall” from the 1979 album “The Wall”

The lyrics above should encourage us all to ask the following questions:

• Do teachers, and the Educational System in particular, actually teach us any truth, especially in regards history and the so-called facts of life?

• Why don’t they have the integrity to teach us truth, critical thinking skills and the art of living wisely, rather than irrelevant information that only serves to dumb us down?

• Is there indeed a hidden conspiracy perpetrated by those in power to use the educational system as a tool of propaganda, so to serve their eventual goal of total mind-control over the masses? Read more…

Why am I such a Miserable Old Fart?

It’s easy being pessimistic when you are a grumpy old man like me, with nothing but endless conflict, the continuing economic crisis, and Mayan predictions of something terrible to come.

So all I can see in front of me is the impending march of doom.  For every minute the clock passes, brings me ever more closer to extinction.

This awareness of my own mortality brings with it cynicism, as I cast envious eyes over the world that I will soon no doubt leave. For vengeance I wish nothing but misery for the rest of you poor souls who will remain in this apparent  existence of suffering.

But then again, why would I want to spend anymore time here being tortured by this miserable and superficial planet anyway, with its competitively violent human beings and their ignorant ways – maybe I am the fortunate one. Read more…

What heavenly delights awaits us this Christmas?  A King’s feast?  An abundance of expensive gifts?  A chance to drink as much as what’s contained in a brewery?  A chance to become the Karaoke King, or Queen, by participating in a good old sing-song despite having a voice like a bullfrog?  Or maybe a time for joyful celebration amidst heated arguments over who gets the TV remote?

I say thee nay!  Be wise, my friend and see Christmas for what it really is – which should be spent sharing precious time with friends and family.

Christmas should not be spent just on getting stressed and relinquishing the little money we have on meaningless stuff just to satisfy our guilty conscience. Read more…

It’s my baby boy’s first birthday today and it serves to remind me that time does really pass in the blink of an eye.

It’s already been a year since I’ve had to dig deep into the recesses of my mind and soul to drag out something called “Philosophy” to help me through the difficulties of fatherhood.

But to be honest with you, it’s got a bit easier since then – Why, you may well ask?  Here’s why:

• father and son have at last bonded (so mummy won’t get too much of a look in from now on)
• son makes me laugh all the time (there’s nothing better than laughter to ease the stresses of life away)
• son has taught me so much wisdom about myself and life (so forget Socrates and the like – they’ve got nothing on my boy)
• son has given me the inspiration to write posts (as for the creation of this blog, I blame a man called Mr Blobby)
• son has hired me to be his Football Coach for the next 17 years (which I’m happy to do for a small fee from his weekly pocket money)
• son will be making his debut for Liverpool Football Club in 17 years (something I was hoping to do myself many moons ago)

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That Which Does Not Kill us Makes us Stronger

I’m not worried about Swine Flu killing me like the rest of the world.   With all the scaremongering from every media source you can think of you’d think I’d be running down to the pharmacy to buy me one of those silly face masks.  I’ve already seen a few people in public wearing them and I’ve got to say they look rather bizarre and funny too – it just goes to show what lengths human beings would go to when frightened.

So instead I have chosen to follow the fine example of none other than the iconoclastic Superman, Friedrich Nietzsche and grow a moustache 4 times the size than is usual.

The German philosopher, Nietzsche who was filled with nothing but sarconic wit, subversive ego and tragic wisdom suffered from illness most of his life, but he refused to to be defeated by it.

Instead, Nietzsche thought himself as a Superman who can overcome his illness and overthrow every convention of society that attempted to subjugate his own “Will to Power”.  It also seemed to me that Nietzsche’s moustache represented his own philosophy of defiance and overpowering will against all odds.

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