I discovered a new meme: “Hi and welcome to our brand new Wednesday Wickedness. We are like other memes in that we will ask you ten questions each and every Wednesday. But our little ‘twist’ is that each week we will pick a famous person and pick ten of their quotes. Each of our questions will be based on the quotes. Got it? Great! Let’s begin this week’s meme!
“Today we picked John Lennon. Here’s Wednesday Wickedness!”
1. “Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak.” Who was the last celebrity that you thought was bright until you saw them interviewed?
Actually, this happens all of the time, not so much with celebrities as much as with politicians. I keep thinking that they got nominated or even elected, so they must have brains in their respective heads. But not necessarily: see Dr. Rand Paul, e.g.
2. “Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.” Do you get upset, and do you think you’re being lazy when you do nothing?
Last Saturday, all I did was write a few blog posts, read a week’s worth of newspapers, watch a week’s worth of news. Was that “nothing”? Define “nothing”. In any case, I don’t get upset even if others might consider it laziness.
3. “If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal.” Do you think that the U.S. and our wars seem to just ignore our history?
Well, not just our history. The Afghanistan war seems to be ignoring Afghanistan’s history; see, e.g., the Soviet Union’s failed attempts to “fix” the country.
4. “I’m not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I’ve always been a freak. So I’ve been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I’m one of those people.” Do you feel you conform just to fit in?
To a degree, don’t we all? That said, I do have my freak elements.
5. “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” Do you feel that you at times do not enjoy the moment because you are worried about what comes next?
On the contrary, I think I probably should worry more about the future, but I tend to have a que sera, sera attitude.
6. “The more real you get, the more unreal everything else is.” Does it seem that when you learn more about yourself, that others’ opinions of you are more likely to seem stupid?
All unwarranted negative opinions about me are stupid, by definition. Thing is, I care less than I used to about what other people think.
7. “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” Do you feel that when you share beliefs with someone, there is more likelihood of accomplishing a goal?
Sure, but only because I’m undisciplined and need someone to shore up my weak spots, as I do with another.
8. “God is a concept by which we measure our pain.” How religious or spiritual are you? Or how cynical are you? (Pick your question.)
I’m religiously cynical. Or cynically spiritual. I’m a person of faith, but I know that, to some degree or other, we all create our religion in our own image. I buy into the loving, compassionate, just God. Others, in my opinion, buy into a warlike and/or punitive deity.
9. “Before Elvis there was nothing.” Do you think as rock ‘n roll history is concerned, that Elvis had that big an impact?
Of course. He legitimized rhythm & blues and gospel and country to a larger audience. My father hated Elvis, but his commercial success, particularly before he went into the Army, was an important development in the roots music eventually coming more to the fore.
10. “Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we’re being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I’m liable to be put away as insane for expressing that.” Do you feel after what has happened on Wall Street and our financial institutions, that his quote is more relevant today?
That there are maniacs is clear. The financial meltdown is only one small part of it. You have global warming deniers making death threats against the scientists who accept global warming. You have politicians that just boldly lie, even though the public record is clear. You have politicians calling simultaneously for less government and more, depending on their issues. Add to that, birthers and other loonies…