Department of Inconvenient Truths
Indicium Parilis Facultas ne Necessarius Veritas

This goes hand in hand with observations I’ve become obsessed with – Americans are becoming more and more deeply rooted in vanity. We have the inability to grasp the concept that a choice we make isn’t necessarily the best choice, but we want to try and influence others that our choice is the best. For some folks, good isn’t good enough. Everything needs to be perfect. I have made it a hobby to watch the actions of others, especially those that are hell-bent on making sure their $25,000 car is as perfect as a hand-built exotic. There can be no small blemish on any consumable. Blemished items are discarded as unwanted trash. A slightly miscolored kernel of corn ruins the entire can of corn. A single run on a paint job is a travesty and demands refunding or major discounts. “I PAID HARD EARNED MONEY [spoiler alert: they did not work hard] AND THIS HAS A (almost imperceptible) 1MM SCRATCH (that can only be seen with a flashlight and a magnifying glass) – I WANT 50% OF MY MONEY BACK!”

If you care to participate in my new found hobby, try to open up your mind and allow yourself to escape the clutches of vanity – then, start paying attention to everyone around you, everyone you come into contact with. Start counting the number of people that obsess over the smallest detail. You will have more jaw dropping moments than you could have ever expected.

I began this journey as a classic car buff back in the 80s. I was brought into it by my father and later, by friends. I kept up with the trends, becoming one of the first to enjoy the hobby of detailing (true detailing, not the joke that the industry’s become) my cars and doing cosmetic work. Custom car stereos, custom paint, avoiding cheap accessories. What it’s turned into is finding pure and pristine barn units, with extreme low miles, spending 2x what the car as originally worth to “restore” it, or, begin building a $40k engine and doing swaps with modern drive trains to make the vehicle as powerful as absolutely possible – which in turn drives these cars to take prizes in the car shows, which drives away the weekenders working on a budget.

We have went from being a society where only the 1% elite rich could afford perfection to the majority DEMANDING perfection at every turn. Buying “sub par” because that’s what we could afford and living with it has turned into buying sub par and demanding that perfection exist. Seeking the most economical (cheapest) contractor’s bid on a project, only to DEMAND perfection in their work.

Here’s some life lesson’s I’ve learned. I’ll be adding to this list as I remember the more important lessons.

From the book/movie “1984”, when I first watched the movie back in high school (or maybe it was Jr. High?) – Never let them see your weakness(es). Winston let it be known that he was afraid of rats above all else, and that was used against him. To expand this, “…never let them know what you’re thinking.”

From Sun Tsu and various other situations and people, my core belief is to “Never get bent out of shape over anything you cannot control.” If I didn’t cause the problem, or if I cannot control the problem or outcome, there’s no reason to get torn up over it, there’s nothing I can do. To paraphrase, “….it is, what it is.”

Be kind, also be prepared to kill every mother fucker in the room.

Always have a knife. (or multi-tool). The premise of this lesson is from the Boy Scouts: Be Prepared!

Education and intelligence do not necessarily have a symbiotic relationship. One can be educated. One can be intelligent. One can be educated and intelligent. One can also be educated and dumb as a bag of hammers.

The best times of your lives are hardly ever noticed while they’re being experienced.

Organized religion is the world’s way of controlling the masses. Some of the most corrupt people I’ve known kneel at the foot of the cross on Sundays after partying like rock stars on Saturdays. You cannot have hate in your heart and be Christian. You cannot be greedy and profess to be a Christian either. “A rich man cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:16-24

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’^[a] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

If the political scope of the United States is the Grand Canyon, the two major political parties are but a creek bed apart.

Always have a backup (plan).

To become “elite” at a particular skill, profession, game, etc. means you’re in the 1% – which is 99% better than anyone else. The stars must align to make everything come together. It’s not just experience, intelligence, education, or skill. It’s also health, mental well-being, preparation, desire, stamina, drive/ambition and an unmatched willingness to bounce back and try again and again.

Help someone with their job or task, you will learn something.

Pay attention to your surroundings, never get tunnel vision.

Sometimes the solution to the problem will present itself with patience. Many times, the solution is simple, overthinking is the majority of many problems.

Many problems persist because of (or lack of) friction. Either add friction or subtract friction and the problem can be easily resolved.

Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lay down.

Take naps.

Be kind to animals. Dogs especially. Your dog thinks you are his/her entire world, treat them accordingly. Never take them for granted.

Karma is real.

After a lifetime of friendships, there’s maybe one, or if you’re lucky, two people in the entire world that you can count on when the chips are down, and it’s not necessarily someone that’s related to you or someone you’ve considered “your best friend”. Sometimes, it’s just an acquaintance. More times than not, there’s no one that you can count on to help hide the evidence. Keep that shit to yourself.

It’s impossible to use alcohol to wash away bad memories.

The war on drugs was a sham and complete failure.

Keeping up with the Jones’ will keep you in debt.

Treat the Janitor with the same respect as the CEO: Pick up a broom and get to work.

Just because the main stream media doesn’t cover something, does not mean it’s not true, truthful or real.

First, the EU has determined that water isn’t healthy. That’s correct. Don’t think I am trying to bullshit you. They (the EU), released a report that’s taken 3 years to generate, stating that water isn’t healthy and doesn’t relieve dehydration.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/284426/EU-says-water-is-not-healthy

After a meeting in Italy a delegation of scientists concluded that reduced water content in the body was a symptom of dehydration rather than a risk factor that drinking water could control. Now their verdict has been turned into a regulation that will become UK law by December 6 and is bound to send shockwaves through the soft drinks industry.

The bizarre diktat from Brussels has far-reaching implications for member states, including Britain, as no water sold in the EU can now claim to protect against dehydration.

Any producer breaching the order, signed by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, faces being jailed for up to two years. It took the 21 scientists on the panel three years of analysis into the link between water and dehydration to come to their extraordinary conclusion.

Now let’s see here, how should I reply to this?

Wow.

They’re fucking nuts.

Too many eggheads in one basket?

Morons.

Idiots.

They’re in so much financial trouble over there and they finance a study and the conclusion is this? Everyone on the planet not only knows it’s common sense that water re-hydrates you, it’s the basic and essential need of every animal on earth. How do we know this without their scientific knowledge, experience and “proof”, because if we don’t drink water, we die. Sure, you can drink other stuff to replace water, but it has water in it. Without the water, you wouldn’t have the “other stuff”. Without water = death. With water = life. Living vs. Death. Seems to me the epitome of being “healthy”.

Duh.

Fucking idiots.

/CF

Addendum 7-3-2013:

Now, American Journalists are producing headlines concerning American medical professionals stating that we Americans are dehydrated and in serious need of more water in our daily lives!

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/07/02/chronic-dehydration-more-common-than-you-think/

Dehydration is one of the easiest conditions to reverse, according to doctors, but it is also one of the most commonly overlooked. It can contribute to a long list of medical conditions from respiratory and circulation problems to headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure and kidney disease.

“Sixty-percent of our bodies are composed of water, 75 percent in our muscles, 85 percent in our brains, it’s like oil to a machine,” explained Dr. Roberta Lee.

Most people know that they are supposed to drink water, but up to 75 percent of Americans may be functioning in a chronic state of dehydration, according to new research.

“We have a tendency in the U.S. to drink a lot of beverages that are mildly dehydrating,” said Mary Grace Webb, Assistant Director for Clinical Nutrition at New York Hospital.

How can this be?

First, how can CBS justify not backing the .eu folks? You know, all of the mainstream media outlets think anything european is great! and everything in America is crap!

Second, one must assume that if both sides are touting completely opposite opinions, one side is correct, the other side is incorrect. Who will make the monumental judgement as to who is correct?

GASP!

/CF

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100126/D9DFDKLO0.html

“I was desperately hoping to receive the care I needed to save my baby,” Burton wrote in her statement. “However, after a few days there, I did not feel I was receiving the care I needed, and instead of being allowed to leave or go to another hospital, I found myself being ordered by a judge to stay at Tallahassee Memorial and submit to all medical care from its hospital staff, whether I agreed or not.”

As some of you may recall, I’ve never had the flu. Not once in my life have I ever had nausea, muscle aches, weakness, etc. and a common cold at the same time. Yes, I get sinus infections, colds, upper respiratory issues, etc. but never what is clinically defined as “influenza”. I have however, suffered from 4 different bouts of pneumonia in both lungs.

Anyway, I’ve said all-along, there’s something in my genes that kept me from getting it…. Well, check this out:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BG5LZ20091218?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=22&sp=true

As with my testosterone, this is probably something else in my body on overdrive :-)