We have a massive windstorm going through Portland right now. It's times like this I'm quite glad I don't have to shelter myself from the storm using trees, bushes, or conveniently angled big rocks.
Or, for that matter, that I don't have a huge chance of dying from internal parasites.
Or that getting food doesn't involving chasing anywhere from 200 to over 1000 pounds of meat on the hoof, usually with big antlers
I have over a mile to walk from work to the train station. I could take the bus, but I'd get home later, and sometimes it doesn't even run. So I pushed my way through the wind the whole way, glad I didn't have to try to use the umbrella!
My umbrella's the straight-spine kind, so it can be opened even in the winds we had tonight. However it also acted like a sail. That point where I stepped in the mud crossing over towards the MAX station practically turned into a Wile E Coyote moment.
ZIP! Preeeoooww! RUTCH!
Luckily was smart enough to close umbrella and not hit trees.
It's a fictional book that appeared in Tove Jansson's Moomins series. (The Wikipedia page doesn't mention it, but they're called Mumins in the Portuguese translation.) The Muskrat, a nihilistic philosopher, always carried "The Uselessness of Everything" with him. One begins to suspect he just pretends to read it so that he can spend a long time lying around in hammocks and baths. It's his excuse to be cranky and lazy: since everything is useless, he doesn't need to help anybody. Eventually the book is lost, and the strange and powerful Hobgoblin replaces it with "The Usefulness of Everything." The Muskrat was annoyed, but the Hobgoblin thought it was pretty funny.
Exactly. People go on and on about what it is that separates us from the animals, searching for some trait that we have that they don't-- whether it's cognition, physiology, or behavior-- when really it's just paperwork. Paperwork is what separates us from the animals.
My favorite part in the five-century-old satirical novel Journey to the West, by Wu Ch'eng-En, is where we find out about paperwork in the afterlife. The Monkey King has been brought to the underworld, but the creatures there are having trouble declaring him officially dead. He's listed neither in the ledgers for a monkey nor as a human, being a supernatural creature residing somewhere in-between. Eventually they find Monkey's file, where he's listed simply as Soul 3150. The Monkey King revises the records by crossing out not only his own name, but the names of his fellow monkeys as well, rendering them very difficult for death to find.
No, Da Nao Tian Gong (the chinese title) is actually part of the Journey to the West story. ^^ it's just one little chapter.
At once point I had a link to where you could by the VCD of the old movie that was made of that chapter... all in Mandarin, of course, but the music is nice.
There are several different English translations of Journey to the West. As slupine points out, Monkey's adventures are only part of the novel. If you're interested in picking up a copy, you should read the Wikipedia entry so that you can choose a particular translation and edition that sound suitable to you.
What's spooky is that I JUST picked up a "retrospective" sci-fi magazine, and they did an article on each of these old shows, some classic (Blake's 7), some terrible (The toy-toons rage of the 80's), some really obscure... (Monkey) And reading it- I'm going "Dang, this sounds REALLY familiar...why?"
Dragonball is not so much "based on" Journey to the West as... very loosely inspired by it. Every once in a while there are little hints of Dragonball resembling Journey to the West, but that's all.
Monkey Magic, however, can be said to be based on Journey to the West. It's still very different from the book. Some of the characters from Journey to the West are in it, to begin with. ;)
Journey to the West is a timeless classic, so it would inspire any culture it touches. It hasn't made much impact on Western culture yet because it was translated so recently. It was translated into Japanese much earlier.
As for my therioside being simpler than my homid one. Well that depends if my Asperger's can be transered to a wolf mind. =\
I don't my wolf pack would like one of their memeber to suddenly have panic attack during a hunt. Or go through sensory meltdowns, which might be worse since my sense are hyperstrong.
I'd say their lives actually are simpler, just not as pleasant as some might think. Sure, you've got to hunt for your food to survive, but that's the fun part! Sure, there are pack dynamics, but at least in a wolf pack they're more overt than in a human family (mostly).
Parasites are a problem, as are weather conditions.. but even if you had a shorter life span, it'd still be awesome.
(Broken bones though, those would just suck. For as long as you're still alive. >_>)
When I think of wild life, I tend to think of getting shot/stuffed/put in a zoo or otherwise killed or hunted. <:) You'd have to stick me way out somewhere where I'm gonna be safe.
Or just make me someone's pet fox. Then I'd be spoiled rotten. :x
PS: Your icon is cute! XD
It did make me think. The comic here kind of reminds me of a comment Bill Maher made on home-raised cats "Sure, it's a fur-ball with a broken spirit, but yes, it technically does live longer than an outdoor cat." Then I got to thinking when I saw this; is my therioside 'better'? Well, no, it's simply part of me; and I think that is the beauty of being a therianthrope. I can have the experience (past life, current soul, what-have-you) of being a (in my case) wild animal but within the context of my human body and mind. What a blessing, and what a pain it can be at times!
I've seen my mate get frustrated like this. Often he'll just scowl at whatever it is, without being able to pinpoint just what's getting to him, or communicate it. Seems to be a therian thing, body language and emotion, not usually as much head-logic as non-therians.
Could part of the frustration with "the system" be that it's gotten so far from where it's supposed to be, even by non-therian standards, that it doesn't serve any healthy purpose? Paperwork in a system that really served people might not be that bad - but the fact that it doesn't serve any purpose unless you're `the system' makes it more stupid. Let's face it, in nature we have animals that cull the sick and the weak from a herd, keeping that herd fit and healthy. If we had the same thing with politics, the system would be fit and healthy, too. And maybe not suck so much? I'm not suggesting hunting down corrupt politicians - well, maybe in law - but as society we need the natural sense of pure feelings, intuition, and direct uncomplicated sincerity that therians usually have. We need you, and who and what you are! Don't be intimidated by society, make it back down instead! Leave your mark on it, and show it which of you is in charge! Or at least, show others, usually non-therians, a better example to live out. We've got very few role models left anymore. =)
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 05:47 am (UTC)Or, for that matter, that I don't have a huge chance of dying from internal parasites.
Or that getting food doesn't involving chasing anywhere from 200 to over 1000 pounds of meat on the hoof, usually with big antlers
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Date: 2008-01-05 06:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 06:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 06:23 am (UTC)ZIP! Preeeoooww! RUTCH!
Luckily was smart enough to close umbrella and not hit trees.
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Date: 2008-01-05 06:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 06:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 06:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 11:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 12:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 04:42 pm (UTC)I know That feeling
...
seems every day at work they come up with a longer paper trail in out 'paperless' office
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Date: 2008-01-06 07:13 am (UTC)All I can say is "Here here"
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Date: 2008-01-06 05:37 pm (UTC)What a frustrating book title!
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Date: 2008-01-06 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-09 09:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-09 09:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 12:23 am (UTC)But you never see a Fox filling out a W-4 form for deductions on her MICE!!!
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Date: 2008-01-10 07:52 pm (UTC)My favorite part in the five-century-old satirical novel Journey to the West, by Wu Ch'eng-En, is where we find out about paperwork in the afterlife. The Monkey King has been brought to the underworld, but the creatures there are having trouble declaring him officially dead. He's listed neither in the ledgers for a monkey nor as a human, being a supernatural creature residing somewhere in-between. Eventually they find Monkey's file, where he's listed simply as Soul 3150. The Monkey King revises the records by crossing out not only his own name, but the names of his fellow monkeys as well, rendering them very difficult for death to find.
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Date: 2008-01-10 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 08:11 pm (UTC)At once point I had a link to where you could by the VCD of the old movie that was made of that chapter... all in Mandarin, of course, but the music is nice.
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Date: 2008-01-14 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-13 09:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 07:25 pm (UTC)What's spooky is that I JUST picked up a "retrospective" sci-fi magazine, and they did an article on each of these old shows, some classic (Blake's 7), some terrible (The toy-toons rage of the 80's), some really obscure... (Monkey)
And reading it- I'm going "Dang, this sounds REALLY familiar...why?"
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Date: 2008-01-12 03:41 pm (UTC)Wow Apparently the concept of Paperwork in the underworld is common thought for the Japanese
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Date: 2008-01-12 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-12 11:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-13 09:31 am (UTC)Monkey Magic, however, can be said to be based on Journey to the West. It's still very different from the book. Some of the characters from Journey to the West are in it, to begin with. ;)
Journey to the West is a timeless classic, so it would inspire any culture it touches. It hasn't made much impact on Western culture yet because it was translated so recently. It was translated into Japanese much earlier.
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Date: 2008-01-12 03:45 pm (UTC)I don't my wolf pack would like one of their memeber to suddenly have panic attack during a hunt. Or go through sensory meltdowns, which might be worse since my sense are hyperstrong.
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Date: 2008-01-12 09:17 pm (UTC)Ow my head... why do I taste ferret?
WHY DO I KNOW WHAT FERRETS TASTE LIKE?!?! OH GOD!
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Date: 2008-01-12 11:17 pm (UTC)that sounds like Sythastisa(fuck spelling)really.
Though a sythasyte wolf would be funny
Pack: *is read to howl*
Wolf: WAAAIT! DON'T! BigFang howl's is weird shade of blue! It won't harmonize with the fusiacha howls!
Pack: *looks annoyed*
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Date: 2008-01-13 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-06 10:01 pm (UTC)Realizing that this is commenting nearly a month after the post. Oh well...
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Date: 2008-02-06 10:03 pm (UTC)Agree
Date: 2008-01-24 06:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 10:34 pm (UTC)I'd say their lives actually are simpler, just not as pleasant as some might think. Sure, you've got to hunt for your food to survive, but that's the fun part! Sure, there are pack dynamics, but at least in a wolf pack they're more overt than in a human family (mostly).
Parasites are a problem, as are weather conditions.. but even if you had a shorter life span, it'd still be awesome.
(Broken bones though, those would just suck. For as long as you're still alive. >_>)
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Date: 2008-02-08 05:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:43 pm (UTC)I know this comic was posted awhile ago but...
Date: 2008-03-10 09:05 am (UTC)Then I got to thinking when I saw this; is my therioside 'better'? Well, no, it's simply part of me; and I think that is the beauty of being a therianthrope. I can have the experience (past life, current soul, what-have-you) of being a (in my case) wild animal but within the context of my human body and mind. What a blessing, and what a pain it can be at times!
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Date: 2008-03-24 12:23 pm (UTC)http://www.akrasiac.org/rachel/documents/abnegation.txt
Not easier, not harder, just different.
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Date: 2008-07-01 06:57 am (UTC)Could part of the frustration with "the system" be that it's gotten so far from where it's supposed to be, even by non-therian standards, that it doesn't serve any healthy purpose? Paperwork in a system that really served people might not be that bad - but the fact that it doesn't serve any purpose unless you're `the system' makes it more stupid. Let's face it, in nature we have animals that cull the sick and the weak from a herd, keeping that herd fit and healthy. If we had the same thing with politics, the system would be fit and healthy, too. And maybe not suck so much? I'm not suggesting hunting down corrupt politicians - well, maybe in law - but as society we need the natural sense of pure feelings, intuition, and direct uncomplicated sincerity that therians usually have. We need you, and who and what you are! Don't be intimidated by society, make it back down instead! Leave your mark on it, and show it which of you is in charge! Or at least, show others, usually non-therians, a better example to live out. We've got very few role models left anymore. =)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-16 11:27 pm (UTC)A sprained ankle can be a death sentence for a cheetah - they have to run marathons just to eat.