Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 22

Random Act of Metaphor: A Skimming Bluet in Unpredictable May

Hmmm, will resiliencewin out against the odds in the fight for survival?

I have been on vacationthis last week. In years past, I would spend this week chasing after birds –the many brightly coloured, spring migrants passing through on their way to nestinggrounds. But my wonky back put an end to birdwatching a couple of years ago.Bending backwards to look up into the trees is something it will not tolerateany more.

So I have been lookingdown (instead of up) at the handful of early butterfly, dragonfly and damselflyspecies that are out and about this time of year. I do the best I can tocapture photographs of this winged wonders using my point and shoot digitalcamera with its 35x zoom. It is a hit and miss proposition as it often cannotfocus on creatures this small.

But every now and then,it surprises me as it did with the SkimmingBluet at the head of this post. (Note: I have tentatively identified it asthat species of Bluet. The manysimilar species, all of which are about one inch long, make it impossible for ahobbyist to be definitive in his identification.)

The conditions had to beperfect – bright sunlight and a neutral background of dirt combined with a dashof luck – for my camera to focus on something so diminutive and catch this kindof detail. It also required the help of the Microsoft Office photo enhancementprogram which allows me to correct the exposure and crop the photo as I seefit.

I made it a point to beout yesterday because I knew the forecast for today (Friday) was cool and wet.I was expecting those conditions. But I was not prepared for snow. Yes, herethis morning on May 28th, only a few days after a stretch of hot andsultry days, it snowed.

Not just a few whimsicalflakes. A genuine flurry of big fat snowflakes that lasted 90 minutes. Theground is warm so it all melted on contact. But still, it was a damn snowflurry!

I could not help but wonderabout the fate of the Bluet. Could itsurvive these unusual conditions? Perhaps it burrowed under the leaf litter, assome butterflies do in this area to overwinter, and will remain snuggled there untilthe warm weather returns. I hope that is the case.

A Skimming Bluet in unpredictable May – a random act of metaphor toremind me that life in all its forms, large or small, is fragile but resilient.We do not know what storms tomorrow may bring, so we must get all we can out oftoday.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

A Murder of Crows: Wrestling with the Ambiguity of Life

Hmmm, should I root forthe Crow or the Blackbirds?

I was in the car on myway home earlier this week when I noticed several Blackbirds – most likelyStarlings and Redwings – chasing and harassing a Crow. It strikes an odd andsomewhat comic picture since Crows are about three times larger than the Blackbirds.

It is actually not anuncommon site. Crows, being omnivores, will eat other bird’s eggs or killnestlings and eat them if they get the chance. I once saw several Crows attackand kill a Robin. The Blackbirds are nesting now and a Crow in the vicinity isa threat.

It brought to mind anodd expression: A Murder of Crows.

It is a poeticexpression, meaning a flock of crows, which apparently dates back to the 15thcentury. The origin of the expression is uncertain but could be related to thefact the appearance of a Crow is viewed by some as an omen of death. I ratherlike the expression as it has multiple levels of meaning and sends my mind offon interesting tangents.

But back to the original story. The Crow tried to evade the Blackbirds at first but eventually settled on an electrical pole and made a stand. It was as if it was saying: Come at me now. I’ll take you out one at a time! The Blackbirds made a bit of a show of false bravado and then backed off since they are really not a match for a Crow one-on-one.

There are days when Iroot for the Blackbirds in this encounter – the little guys fighting backagainst the bully. On other days, I sympathize with the Crow. It is simplydoing what comes naturally to it and looking for a meal. It is the elementalstruggle of life on both ends.

Isn’t that a little bitlike life itself these days?

The world is acomplicated equation with often more ambiguity than clarity. It is difficult tofigure out where our loyalty should land from one day to the next. Perhaps thebest we can do is to live our life one day at a time and figure it out as wego.

I will admit that thisis not the most comforting of conclusions. But there is some equanimity to befound in learning to live with ambiguity. Life can seem less like an uphillbattle if we stop trying to reduce it to one plus one equals two.

I have a lot ofpracticing to do to get there. One day at a time, Michael. One day at a time.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Legend of King Stayahom and the Shepherd’s Staff

In a not so far offtime, King Stayahom ruled over a vast kingdom which stretched 100 days hardride by horseback in all directions from the king’s castle. Liberté the Wizard heldthe king’s favour and was free to travel as he wished by horseback using hismagic for good.

But there came a timewhen the king’s advisors became jealous of Liberté and the influence he held.He alone was outside the sphere of their influence and this troubled them. Theyresolved to speak to King Stayahom on the matter.

“Your Highness, Libertéposes a threat to the welfare of your kingdom. You must restrict his travel.”

“What threat?” KingStayahom asked. “Liberté does good wherever he travels. He is our Ambassadoracross the land.”

“Your Highness, do younot see the influence he is gaining? Your subjects revere him and anxiouslyawait his coming. They heed his counsel above all others. Your subjects trusthim even more than you.”

King Stayahom wasgreatly troubled by this news. He began to doubt Liberté’s loyalty.

“What is your advice?What should I do?”

His advisors were readywith their answer.

“The health of the landdepends upon the rule of law. You must tighten your grip. Instruct Liberté thathe must not travel without your permission and must not exercise his magicexcept in the circumstances you prescribe.”

King Stayahom took theadvice to heart and summoned Liberté to the castle.

“Liberté, I have givenyou freedom to move about and use your magic as you chose. But I can no longerdo so. The health of the land depends upon the rule of law.”

Liberté studied the kingand read his mind.

“Your mind has beenclouded by the jealousy of your advisors. They resent my freedom and my magicwhich you know I have only ever used for good.”

“My decision is made,Liberté. My advisors have drafted travel plans for you which restrict you toone day’s horseback ride in any direction. You must adhere to these plans on myorder.”

“As you wish, yourHighness. But mark my words, no good can come of this.”

When Liberté left thecastle, the king was suddenly struck blind. His doctors could find no cause forhis blindness nor cure it.

Word spread through theland that Liberté the Wizard would not be visiting their cities. During thenext year, the absence of Liberté, and the good he spread through his magic,caused great hardship. Unrest grew among the people.

After a year, the peoplesent messengers to King Stayahom to request that his order be repealed. But theking’s advisors intercepted the messengers and turned them away.

The messengers returnedto the cities with the news that had been denied access to the king. The peoplewere dismayed and began to lose faith in King Stayahom. Before long, they roseup in protest and dethroned the king.

King Stayahom went intoexile in a neighbouring country. His advisors fled to distant lands.

Liberté the Wizardundertook a new tour of all the cities in the land. Health and prosperity returned.After his tour, Liberté came to visit the king in exile. The king sought hiscounsel.

“Liberté, I do notunderstand why my subjects dethroned me. Upholding the rule of law was for thehealth of the land.”

Liberté shook his headand replied:

“The law is not a weaponto be wielded with a heavy hand. It is shepherd’s staff to be used with careand discernment. A wise ruler surrounds himself with advisors who understandand honour this truth. Therein lies your downfall.”

As Liberté parted withthe king, he gifted him with an ancient shepherd’s staff. King Stayahom’svision immediately returned and he saw the error of his ways. But his exile wasset in stone for all time.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

In Search of the Truth: The Professor Porter Method

Hmmm, perhaps I can say thank you by paying it forward.

One of the few things Iremember from my college days, 40+ years ago, is a concept learned in an Interpersonal Communications course. Itdescribes three ways we view ourselves: 1( The way I see myself 2) The wayothers see me 3) The view I have of how other people view me.

These three views areconcentric circles that overlap in one small area. The area of overlap is thetrue nature of who I am. That is a valuable concept in itself. But the value ofthe concept of concentric rings, and where the truth lies, became foundationalin my life in a bigger sense.

Two years of collegetaught me some stuff and got my nameon a diploma which indirectly got me my first job. But I felt dissatisfied withmy education. I wanted to learn to think critically and analytically so I couldmake up my own mind about important things.

And so, after a brief timein the working world, I quit my job and enrolled at York University determinedto train my mind. In those days, liberal universities like York encouraged andchampioned independent thinking. I fear that value has been lost.

In my second year atYork, I took a literature-based Social Science course taught by ProfessorPorter. I am not sure what attracted me to the course. But I do know that itwas the best decision I ever made.

Professor Porterassigned essays based simply on a few paragraphs from the book we werestudying. Think about it. Wonder aboutit. That is all the direction he would offer. It was frustrating and manyof the people in the class never grasped what he was doing.

But I did what ProfessorPorter asked. I dissected the passage line by line and word by word and, in sodoing, discovered untold meaning in it. Professor Porter later remarked thatwhat he was trying to teach us was a methodof inquiry – aka developing our intellectual capacity to look beyond thesurface and discover the underlying truth.

It was the most valuablelesson of my young life and became part of how I conduct my life. I am findingthat skill to be particularly important in the circumstances in which we arecurrently living.

We are bombarded with informationfrom many sources – particularly the media and social media. Concentric ringsof reshaped information circling around the truth and obscuring it in theprocess. Other people’s version of the truth coloured by their wants and needsand sometimes greed.

If we want to find thegrain of truth, we have to be prepared to pick apart the layers surrounding itusing our God-given intellectual capacity.

Think of it like theRussian Nesting Dolls at the head of this post. The tiniest doll is the puretruth. The bigger and bigger dolls that swallow up the tiny one are the layersof biased interpretation, and sometimes manipulation, which hide the grain oftruth from us.

In retrospect, ProfessorPorter was one of the most influential people in my life. I wish I could findhim so I could thank him. Alas, that will not likely happen. But I can honourwhat he taught me by paying it forward.

Thinkabout it. Wonder about it.Keeping going until you find the grain of truth. It is more than worth theeffort.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

Random Act of Metaphor: Return of the Turkey Vulture

Hmmm, will the lessonstick this time?

Yesterday did not feelmuch like one day shy of May. It was cold, grey and blustery. But I went for myhalf hour, after work walk wearing gloves and a toque because it is part of my stay sane during lockdown routine. Weall have our coping mechanisms.

As I was rounding thecorner to my townhouse complex, I saw a Turkey Vulture soaring overhead – anunusual sight in an urban area. I reflected that hawks and vultures coast onwind thermals during migration to conserve energy. The high winds may haveknocked it off course.

Memory then kicked inand reminded me that I had sighted a Turkey Vulture in the same spot severalyears ago around the same time of year. I even wrote a Random Act of Metaphor post about it. I checked my blog records anddetermined it was four years ago on a blustery Friday although three weeksearlier in the month. Quite a coincidence, all things considered.

I went online andlearned that Turkey Vultures can live for twenty years. I could not help butponder the possibility, however unlikely, that it was the same one I saw backin 2017. And if it was, was it looking down at me and thinking: Damn, I think I saw that human when I gotblown over this neighbourhood four years ago. What are the odds?

In my blog post from2017, I wrote:

Itoccurred to me that this Turkey Vulture and I had a lot in common. Life wasknocking us around and testing our character. It was tempting to throw up ourhands (or our wings, as the case may be) and surrender. But there was a lessonto be learned – the importance of staying the course when events seemed to beconspiring against us.

And isn’t that asrelevant today, if not more so, than it was four years ago?

The return of the TurkeyVulture – a random act of metaphor to reteach me a lesson I did not learn wellenough the first time.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

End User Revolt: Time for a Universal Platform

Hmmm, will you join myend user revolution?

In the last year up toand including the next month, I will have been compelled to learn no less than10 new web-based programs including half a dozen virtual event platforms. Some ofthese involve modest learning curves while others are mind-bendinglycomplicated. My brain is overheating, my reserves of patience run dry and myrepertoire of four letter words is growing.

Enough is enough! I amhereby issuing a directive to developers around the globe. All of you are togather virtually and develop a universal platform on which all your programswill run as distinct but compatible modules. This universal platform must bedead simple to learn, use no confusing terminology and be 100% bug free.

I anticipate a number ofobjections arising which I will address here at the outset.

OBJECTION: What you are asking for is notfeasible. Our programs are proprietary and inherently different. They cannothave a universal platform.

RESPONSE: Overruled. Your problem, not mine.Your job is to make my life easier, not more difficult. That is why you arepaid the big bucks. Figure it out.

OBJECTION: We have invested large sums of moneydeveloping our program. Recouping our investment in a cost-sharing model with auniversal platform is difficult if not impossible.

RESPONSE: Overruled. Your problem, not mine.Your job is to make my life easier, not more difficult. That is why you arepaid the big bucks. Figure it out.

OBJECTION: There is always a learning curve withnew technology. Inventing new terminology is what we live for. We see nopossible way to make the learning process dead simple.

RESPONSE: Overruled. See above.

Furthermore, I will beretiring in just shy of two years in early April 2023. Between now and then, Iam instituting a moratorium on any new programs that I might conceivably berequired to learn. In addition, you are not to change the interface to yourprogram nor issue any major updates that require me to relearn the 10% of theprogram I have occasion to use.

Once I have retired, themoratorium expires and you can knock yourself out with new tech.

I anticipate anobjection arising which I will address here at the outset.

OBJECTION: Our business model is based onissuing new versions of our program every six months with assorted bells andwhistles. The model does not work under a moratorium.

RESPONSE: Overruled. See above.

Web-based technology isa wheel that never stops revolving. I am throwing a wrench into the spokes ofthat wheel. You may ask: How are we supposed to continue to generate income? Myresponse: Figure it out.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Charge of the COVID Brigade

Halfa league, half a league

Halfa league onward,

Allin the valley of Death

Rodethe six hundred.

“Forwardthe Light Brigade…”

~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Hmmm, is the solution tothe problem a kick-ass leaf blower?

Earlier this week whileI was working from home, I heard a loud noise outside in my townhouse complex.I went to the window to investigate. It turned out to be the landscape crew whohad arrived for the spring cleanup. Four men with industrial-strength leaf blowersat full bore.

Ordinarily, I would beannoyed at the disturbance. But this time was different. Why? Because it was anannual activity happening at precisely the time it should – a triumph ofnormalcy when most of the world around me is turned upside down.

It occurred to me, inone of those inspired leaps of insight, that perhaps here was a solution to thepandemic that has twisted us out of shape. I sense you frowning, but hear meout.

I propose that weassemble all the landscape crews across the country with their mighty leafblowers. We can supplement the ranks with those thrown out of work by thelockdown and eager to be productive again.

The assault begins inthe middle of Manitoba. Two lines of leaf blower warriors stand back to back.At the sound of the horn of battle, they fire up their blowers and startmarching forward side by side blowing all the COVID virus molecules ahead ofthem. Every file miles they hand off to another crew who continues the march.

At the Manitoba border east and west, crews await from the neighbouring provinces to take up the charge. The Eastern Brigade swings around Hudson’s Bay, loops down through Southern Ontario, expands north and south through Quebec and presses forward to Labrador. Simultaneously, the Maritime Brigade sweeps through the Atlantic Provinces.

The Western Brigade crosses the flatlands of Saskatchewan with ease and into Alberta while a Northern Brigade blows it way through Nunavut, NWT and the Yukon. An intrepid team of mountaineer landscapers will be needed to cross the Rocky Mountains into B.C.

Precisely one week afterit all began, the final Eastern, Western, Northern and Atlantic teams reach theshores of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They blow the wall of COVID-19 outinto the ocean where pods of whales gorge on it like a feast of Krill.

I think it could work. Ireally do, if we just believe! It surely cannot be any less effective than whatwe have tried so far. A clean sweep from coast to coast like a through springcleaning.

With apologies to Lord Tennyson, we will call it The Charge of the COVID Brigade. Are you with me?

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Deja Vu All Over Again: Round Three

Hmmm, haven’t we beenhere before?

Lockdown. Stay at Home. Physical distancing. Groceries and medical appointments only. Round three of being handcuffed to our homes. Does that mean third time lucky? I wish I could be that positive. Optimism is a scarce commodity at the moment

Figuring out how to getsome enjoyment out of life for the last year has been akin to assembling amillion piece jigsaw puzzle. Pun intended.

I read today that hottubs sales are booming. Makes sense. If you have to be stuck at home, loungingin a hot tub is not a bad way to go about it. But if you do not have one, goodluck. Orders are backlogged. April 2022 is the delivery date if you order now.

Gardening is alsogrowing rapidly as a hobby – anything from growing tomatoes on your balcony tovolunteering in community gardens. Seed purchases are blossoming with some of the highest sales ever. (Insert your ownpun here.)

I do not own a home so buyinga hot tub or gardening is not in my future. Instead, last night I cooked a bigsteak, which should have provided me with two meals, and gleefully scarfed itdown in one sitting.

We have vaccines nowwhich could be seen as a reason for optimism. But I will confess I am puzzledby all the Facebook posts on the subject. Bookedmy vaccine appointment for Friday! Or the Just got my vaccine shot selfie.

It seems like gettingyour shot is a badge of honour. My apologies if you find this offensive, but I donot see that way. It is either a necessary obligation or a Band-Aid slapped ona problem that should never have unfolded the way it did.

For the record, I had myfirst vaccine shot yesterday and have the paperwork – and the sore arm – toprove it. It also occurred to me that if you wanted to catch COVID-19,amass immunization clinic would be a good place to do so. I have not been inproximity with that many people in quite some time.

On a related note, canwe please cease and desist with the social media posts blaming it all on thebad apples that are not following the letter of the law. Asserting that thecurrent state of affairs is all their fault is naïve, to say the least. Thepost-mortem on the pandemic is yet to come and the causal factors may surpriseyou when they are revealed.

But returning to theinitial discussion, how do we go about squeezing a little pleasure out of lifewhen we are handcuffed to our homes? The trite phrases that got us throughrounds one and two – Be patient, Enjoythe little things, Better times are ahead – are wearing thin.

Perhaps Vietnamese MonkNhat Hanh has the best advice on that question.

Sometimes your joy is the source ofyour smile,

but sometimes your smile can be thesource of your joy.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Recalibrating Our Truth Meter

Hmmm, does it onlycompute through the lens of fear?

The question of whetherit is valid to compare our brains to a computer operating system is oftendebated. There are obvious similarities as well as differences. Our brainscannot process large amounts of data as efficiently as a computer. On the otherhand, computers cannot make the creative leaps that our brains are capable ofachieving.

Yes, I know that we areonly just tickling the surface of artificial intelligence and what its’horizons may be. But that is a debate for another day.

What I am ponderingtoday is a comparison of a different sort. The IT world appropriated the term virus from medical science. There is anentire industry built around detecting computer viruses and protecting ouroperating systems from them.

It occurs to me that themetaphor can be turned around and pointed back at us. New considerations arisewhen we allow ourselves to conceive of our brain as an operating system withits own inherent vulnerabilities.

A fundamental differencebetween a computer’s operating system and our brain is the variable of emotion.It is what makes us human. But emotion does not always adhere to reason. Thisis not by definition a bad thing. But it is a source of vulnerability.

If you feed false datainto a computer, it simply will not compute. But if you feed false data intoour brains and attach it to emotion in the process, our brains can be tricked.Emotion becomes a catalyst that blurs the line between truth and deceit.

In the same way acomputer virus can disable an operating system, information wrapped in negativeemotions like fear becomes a de facto virus which can compromise the brain’soperating system. We lose the ability to objectively evaluate information anddetect inherent inconsistencies in it.

Truth, like so manythings in life, truth is not an absolute. The same can be said of deceit. Theysit at opposite ends of a sliding scale which is constantly shifting. We areall gifted with a truth meter. But it can lose its calibration when emotiongets pulled in where it does not belong. Unfortunately, there is no diagnosticprogram we can run to determine if our brain is infected.

What can we do?

We can be on our guardwhen we are fed information cloaked in fear. Filter out the fear before youevaluate the integrity of what you are being told. If the data only computeswhen viewed through the lens of fear, chances are good that it is bogus informationserved up by someone with ulterior motives.

Our truth meter isalways engaged. My request is simply that you make good use of it.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Taking Leave of the Bogeyman

Hmmm, is there anythingas futile as trying to outrun our shadow?

The five year old girltugged on her mother’s sleeve to get her attention.

“Mommy, I’m scared.”

“Scared of what, Sweetie?”

“The Bogeyman.”

“Oh, there’s no suchthing as the Bogeyman.”

“Yes, there is!”

“Let’s look under yourbed and in your closet. You’ll see that there’s nothing there.”

“That’s not where theBogeyman lives.”

“Where do you think helives?”

“I think he lives in theTV and on your computer.”

“Why would you thinkthat?”

“Because whenever youwatch the TV or look at your computer, you have your upside down smile on. Youused to smile all the time. But now it’s always upside down.”

“I’m sorry, Sweetie. I’lltry to smile more. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“But it’s why you wearthat thing on your face when you leave the house, isn’t it? So the Bogeyman won’tknow you’re you.”

“No, no. It’s justsomething we need to do for a little while until… Well, just for a littlewhile.”

“Until you get thespecial medicine?”

“Yes, that’s right. Andit won’t be long now.”

The child thought for amoment – her brow tightly furrowed as she puzzled and puzzled.

“Mommy, I think theBogeyman lives in our shadow.”

“No. Our shadow is justwhat happens when the sun shines on us.”

“But it’s a dark thingthat follows us always. I tried to run away from it, but I couldn’t. TheBogeyman can run as fast as I can.”

“No, it’s true. You can’toutrun your shadow. But it’s not the Bogeyman. The Bogeyman is just makebelieve.”

“I don’t believe you,Mommy.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re stillwearing the upside down smile on your face. I think you should stop watchingthe TV and stop looking at your computer. I think that’s the special medicineyou need.”

The mother was caughtoff guard by this wise counsel. A smile came across her face.

“You may be right,Sweetie. You may be right.”

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That MakeMe Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.