Catch-02-22-20

My working chair is maybe ten years old, I sit in it everyday in front of a computer. It uses three pillows, or four, your choice—a flat one to sit on, a flat one in back  and one using a zippered case to hold two pillows which at one time was not flat but rather plumpish and now has been deformed  into flatness.

San Francisco,  South Market

It has a lever which can be used to adjust the height of the seat, but a few years ago it started occasionally malfunctioning. I am over 6 ft tall and generally prefer  the highest seat level, and now when it is at that level ccasionally when I sit down the mechanism fails to hold, but it does not drop down at once, instead it  retreats in a series of “bumps” when I am in the middle of doing something and me initial response is not to immediately stop what I am doing  but to reach a finishing point.

Alameda Creek, Union City side 

This whole event takes about 15-20 seconds through 10-12 bumps down which increasingly  prompts my mind  to be increasingly  diverted  from focus on what I am doing  and instead of stopping whatI am doing, I continue while increasingly  building a “ personal victim of the chair”  feeling.

Photography Studio, shopping center, Minowa, Tokyo, 

As I said it takes about 15-20 seconds  and then I reach the bottom which is the uncomfortable   level and then  I need to pump up the seat — Oh one more thing, the lever used  to pump up the seat level— I used to , while seating down,  using my right hand reach under the seat and pump it up.

Waiting for a son, Telegraph Hill

However the pump  is also broken  so I have stand up, go around to the back of the chair, then using  one hand to reach under the chair hold the lever  in the “open moving ” position, pull it upwards to raise the seat  while at the same time using the other hand to hold the whole chair stable to provide a center force.

Found in translation, Tokyo Metro

I manage to do this  by myself ,eachtwie thinking I need to buy a new char, but at 75  I have stopped buying things  which I used to consider  a “long time” purchase,.

At least for five years, the only clothes I have bought are socks and underwear. And still I have new clothes, waiting to be worn, in  original branded plastic bags. I may die before they are ever even opened.

Boston Common about 1970

Why is integrity in business important?  Is a good question—my own thoughts are formed by sociology, theroetical sociology, not the breaking up individuals  into quantifiable social groups  and then using statistics to explain differences.

While walking on the street  and you find yourself approaching someone do you think “they are watching me like I am watching them”?   San Francisco along Market street.

Business is what we all do to live. Many years ago it used to be simple hunting and gathering, agriculture, raising families.  While the development of economic growthl ed to  less killing there was development of  government,  but a government of  group of privileged  exploiting others and using violence  to maintain their economic   advantages. Political order and maintaining privilege  were one and the same.

San Francisco, Along Mission Bay.

In early days “things” were functional tools used for survival. One assumption, I call it an “historical observation” is that as people do things they get better at it, not each person at every thing, but generally both individuals and a society.

Shino is a traditional Japanese kiln which developed in the Seto-Mino area. A kiln refers to a geographical area with a tradition of potters sharing  the same clay, and similar  potting and firing techniques.

As the privilege class grew increasingly wealthy they became more fascinated with a status based on“things”, and the design and craft of things, for the privileged, evolved from functional  to  fashion.

Oribe and Seto Guro are also from Seto-Mino area 

Where “craft” had made functional things used in every day life, “things” artistically done made the everyday use of things meaningful  beyond functionality.

Pretty much I wash the dishes  every night we eat at home, I wash them behind, we redid the kitchen  about 15 years ago and had a new dishwasher installed but its never been used.You can see shino, oribe,  setoguro, mashiiko, setoyaki, bizen, hagi as well as a couple Berkely potters—Gary Holt and  a coupe more I have forgotten and cannot read the signature.

In England, Magna Charta (my thank you to Wiliam Marshal) de-legitimized the idea that some people were “naturally”  more deserving than others and  that the purpose of government was  to maintain a privilege class while legitimizing that  the structure and process of government be made democratic, not autocratic.

Near downtown Albuquerque one morning outside a place which provided breakfasts   before a 6:00 am opening time I saw this woman and thought I did not want my mother, about 72 years then,  to be in this situation, and she never was.

The vision of Liberal Democracy is based on Individual Rights, Law is  Justice, political power is distributed  equally among all people, individuals have a responsibility to learn to express themselves articulately, listen to others who also do, a  willingness to do this  in public discussion and a commitment  to seek solutions and compromise for the common good.

Young people like to spend time  together at this place along Alameda Creek, Union City side.  

This  is better than the idea of god,  god is a belief, you cannot compromise  your belief in god, and you will not compromise  your belief in god, thus your only recourses are submission, migration or to use violence to dominate, none of which will work  successfully  in a democracy.

San Francisco

How we behave, how we treat each other is what creates the structure of society, business, how we earn our  living (business )  and sleeping is our  predominate behaviour. While sleeping we do not, personally anyway,  make the lives of others or society worse.

Three men of different ages  from Salem ME, about 1970.

If during our business behaviour  —and business time is the time we spend earning our living and not what ever is our job title, we are all CEOs of our lives —if  we are cheating, scamming, killing, stealing, making and selling poor quality products, reneging on agreements  . . .

For me it does not make sense to say anything more about this situation.

then not just the transaction but the world is a worse place when our “business”  behaviors are expressed  in the structure of how we treat each other,  and how you,  I  and others will be treated the future.

Somerville MA about 1971

Integrity, ethics, principals, honesty, compassion, empathy and remorse are not the qualities of losers, but they do lose some battles. But  when despicable people,  people whose business behavior  does not have some or all of the qualities of integrity, ethics, principals, honesty, compassion, empathy and remorse are involved it does mean many  innocent human beings. will suffer and die.

Yes, I would only like to know you
That is all and nothing more
But I will go unbounded
Waiting outside of your door
Eric Anderson  I Shall  Go Unbounded

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely . If only every one in the world would do what I tell them to do, the world would be a better place—I see that could be said about any one of us, one part is not our lack good ideas,  most of us have them . . .

In  many situations  the only way to get others to behave as  you want them to do is making them do  it which always defaults to using force and violence which results in defeating the intent and making society a worse place.

How the view looks to the graves of the 47 Ronin at Sengakuji.

Shariputra, all dharmas have the nature of emptiness . . .

“Gate Gate,
paragate.
parasangate,
body svaha.”