A Glimpse Into Madness

So you wish to convey to others a sense of confidence and mettle (hehe) by having them listen to a song that reminds one that life is pointless, entropy is unavoidable, and the universe is filled with callous and causal destruction.

Bravo sir

Correct, once you accept the crushing despairity of knowing the fortunes of your own life and those of your loved ones dance precariously on the precipice of whimsy, buffeted about by sociopathic local and national leaders, inscrutable financial markets erected upon shaky foundations of economic fallacies, treacherous companions and fickle allies, roll-of-the-dice social contagions, and other dolefully ironic twists of fate, coupled with the absolute fact of mortality accompanied by a sure reversal of fortune in health, we can all feel better about ourselves.

In truth, though, knowing all that and still soldiering on to kick ass and take names in our brief sojourn in this alien land does make one feel a bit like a bad ass. Plus, knowing a song in latin is pretty cool, too.

And actually, I do play this every morning right when I get to work as an ironic reminder to appreciate what I have today. For tomorrow....

Correct, once you accept the crushing despairity of knowing the fortunes of your own life and those of your loved ones dance precariously on the precipice of whimsy, buffeted about by sociopathic local and national leaders, inscrutable financial markets erected upon shaky foundations of economic fallacies, treacherous companions and fickle allies, roll-of-the-dice social contagions, and other dolefully ironic twists of fate, coupled with the absolute fact of mortality accompanied by a sure reversal of fortune in health, we can all feel better about ourselves.

In truth, though, knowing all that and still soldiering on to kick ass and take names in our brief sojourn in this alien land does make one feel a bit like a bad ass. Plus, knowing a song in latin is pretty cool, too.

And actually, I do play this every morning right when I get to work as an ironic reminder to appreciate what I have today. For tomorrow....

But isn't the feeling of acceptance just a perpetuation of the irony? I mean if you remind yourself daily of this, wouldn't the real victory be not to know? Because if knowing is pointless anyway, why bother?

I still love this song, and you sir have a very eloquent grasp of the English language. This was a nice post. Kudos for posting the image of the original Medieval Manuscript. Maybe you should have Tywinn stop by so that he can get his daily dosage of "reality"...

But isn't the feeling of acceptance just a perpetuation of the irony? I mean if you remind yourself daily of this, wouldn't the real victory be not to know? Because if knowing is pointless anyway, why bother?

Trying to wrap my head around this question has only succeed in causing me to crawl deeper down the rabbit hole. Ha ha. The only purpose I find in this daily repetition is to bring both a sense of equanimity in the face of the twists and turns cast by that fickle mistress Lady Luck, like a calm within the eye of the storm, and to retain a sense of gratitude. I'm also fairly certain that the "lament" was written by some hard partying monks who did so with a good sense of humor behind the facade of seriousness the music imparts.

I still love this song, and you sir have a very eloquent grasp of the English language. This was a nice post. Kudos for posting the image of the original Medieval Manuscript. Maybe you should have Tywinn stop by so that he can get his daily dosage of "reality"...

Thank you for the kind words. Carl Orff's work is, indeed, an epic piece. Also, I like your animated alphabet thingy. Makes you look educated in the classics.

Old Spice!

One of my favourite bits of music. It is exceptionally enjoyabe on the lonely drives home coming down the hills.