Ok this will be a good thread.

Trolling, trolling, over the bounding sea! I like the little smiley guys just as much as the next guy Mark. L. Frank Baum was the author of the Wizard of Oz and that series of books. It ain't da big bad words that scare me. "Big" ideas? Huh?! "I think, therefore I.......must ascribe meaning and categorize every last quark, and every subtle nuance in the guise of some fabricated concept of "perfection" that is patently absurd?! You are an "artist" and therefore shall be worthy of more reverence and esteem than the next man who doesn't take life quite as seriously, or address their interests with such a degree of passion and or obsession as to shut off the rest of the world and discount other limitless possibillities. Yes, the coastline can be seen as both a complex and jagged line, AND a straight and smooth line, while out in space it's all just an insignificant spec of infintesmally unimportant dust... as are we. Now I'm getting into some Kafka and Heinrich Boll! The coastline can also be seen as a pipe wrench, a tree, or anything else you care to come up with,.... or not. Yes, I am frowning Marco right now Mark, I am crying, I am not happy right now. My dog Jax, my best friend of 13 years just died on Monday night. That kind of loss really puts all this B.S. into a whole different perspective. No offence intended, but it's really meaningless at face value. We make our own meaning and if you care to complicate it ad-infinitum, have at it.

The Beatles, and countless other prophets, poets, artists, writers, gurus, as well as many other ordinary people (as are all of the previous list as well), they all have said it in so many different ways and in every conceivable language, and it is oh so simple: Love is all you need. And I think it was Steve Martin (as, "The Jerk") who may have added, ".....and this chair, that's all I need is this chair.....oh, and this paddle game,...and this..."

Best,

Marco

Marco, I am sorry about your friend.

Regards
William

Marco, truly sorry for your loss. Yes, they have souls...

When they pass, that is when we confront the unknown, or what we percieve as Darkness. I understand. But ask, when the "I" defines inside and outside as Darkness, as a postmodern "no exit", what "me" is created?

From there, can we love?

Be still.

Thank you for your kind words William & Mark. Rest assured Mark, that through the darkness I can also see how bright her light was. The light lingers even in her absence. I do celebrate her light as well as well as mourn the loss of her companionship. Were I lost in the darkness you would not be reading these words here at all.

You are surely right Mark, they do indeed have souls.

Marco

Marco, I've been through that recently also. Very sorry to hear that it has happened to you. I thought that I couldn't get another dog, after that happened. But after 3 months, I couldn't live without one, either. I finally got another one, and it made all the difference in the world. You can't replace them, but you can love another one. When you feel like you can, then give it a try.