Fire it up...

A couple years ago I was watching an episode of Bill Maher's show, "Real Time". George Carlin was one of the guests on his panel that night. I've always been a big fan of him and one of my greatest memories is seeing him at the Klein Memorial in Bridgeport. What makes that memory even fonder is that my Mom had taken me and my best friend to see him and we couldn't have been any older than 13, true story! Thanks, Mom! I don't think she knew how crude he was and I remember sitting there watching my Mom with tears rolling down her eyes from laughter. She was swatting me in the arm as if to say "close your ears for this part" but she couldn't say much because she was laughing so hard.
Bill Maher had asked George a question regarding the current state of the country and I remember his response. George Carlin said that as a comedian he was basically a commentator on life and that the things happening around us at that time were much greater than all of us. I've often taken that stance in the scheme of life and watched things just happen around me. I believe there are things happening that we do not have much control over. Some things on a spiritual level, political, environmental etc. I do think that talking about things without activity can be a waste of energy and if we do not make a decision to act this can be hurtful to ourselves and others. That activity needs to start on a personal level and getting through the fear and doubts to get moving is not an easy task. George Carlin's way of speaking and use of comedy helped provoke thought in other people and he had a knack for exposing the ridiculous things in life we all spend way to much energy on. Maybe that was his way of being proactive to make people think and fire them up to act.
Does anyone have a match or a lighter or perhaps a flamethrower please...

Here is George Carlin's take on the way life should really be...

I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A Death. What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you're too young, you get a gold watch and you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities. You become a little baby, you go back into the womb, spend your last nine months floating... and you finish off as an orgasm.

- George Carlin

I think he had the right idea. Happy Monday all.

Jim