Everyday Junglist
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About me. You know how everyone says to be a successful writer you should focus in one or two areas. I continue to prove them correct.
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Becoming Jesus
Jesus of Narareth does not exist. He is not/was not a real person, neither son of God, nor son of Mary and Joseph. That is the conclusion the man had reached after spending approximately one year scouring all of the lands mentioned in the Bible and much further in search of the holy man revered, and worshiped by billions across his planet earth and well beyond. In his time, the distant future, the Christian faith, along with many other human religious traditions, had spread out far into the Milky Way galaxy. As humans had mastered the ability to travel great distances through space and encountered intelligent alien species, they had brought their religious beliefs with them. Some of the earliest and most important explorers of the galaxy, were in fact religious proselytizers or missionaries. They were hoping to convert to their faith any intelligent beings they might encounter, exactly as the early sea faring explorers of earth had done some 3500 years prior, discovering and eventually settling new lands. In the process, through war and disease, they had killed millions of indigenous peoples, but their efforts gave way to the rise of human civilization and the spread of Christianity to all corners of the world.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Fiction
Choice and Emotion
I think it is fair to say that most people believe they have only some to very little control over their emotional states. Things happen in our lives, most of which are out of our direct control, and those things cause us to feel certain emotions. A friend dies and we feel sad, we win a contest and we feel happy, we are stuck in an all day meeting and we feel bored, etc. I also think it is fair to say that most people believe we do have some control over our emotions, or at least the depth of them, or at the very least, how much we let them effect us in our daily lives. The question of how much or how little control we have over our emotional states is difficult and probably unanswerable and likely varies greatly between individuals, societies, cultures, sexes, and many other factors. And, while it is an excellent question, it is not the question I intend to explore in this piece. Instead I will assume that we do have some control over our emotional states and ask a slightly different question. Essentially I want to know if we have more or less control over emotional states we view primarily as "bad" or "negative" compared to those we view as "good" or "positive?"
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Psyche
Are Microorganism's Responsible for Alzheimer's Disease?
Author's preface: As this is a review of a review article I do lean heavily on the original source material for much of the content. The original article is linked below. Be aware that if I do use words or phrasing from the original without attribution, that such attribution is implied. Feel free, and I highly encourage you, to read the original article and compare and contrast with my own summary of it.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Humans
Warning Reimagined For the Modern Age. Content Warning.
Author's preface: With sincere apologies to Jenny Joseph and her classic poem Warning I present to you Warning Reimagined for the Modern Age. Warning, written by Miss Joseph in 1961 was voted Britain’s favourite poem. It is known and loved the world over for its message of old age as a time for indulgence and fun. Warning reimagined was written in 2023 and has not yet recieved any votes in any contest of favorite poems in Britain or anywhere else in the world. In Warning the poem’s respectable middle-aged woman, imagines herself in old age as a cheeky rebel with outrageous clothes and dotty behaviour. In Warning Reimagined the poems disreputable middle aged lowlife imagines herself in old age as a violent, depraved, borderline psychopath. Jenny Joseph created a character whose thoughts have been quoted at conferences and funerals, used to cheer up sick friends and remembered with pleasure by children and adults alike around the world. In Warning Reimagined Daniel DeMarco has created a character whose thoughts should be censored and banned, used to depress and enrage enemies, and instantly forgotten with pleasure by almost all rational right thinking persons around the world.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Humor
It is Quality and Quantity Which Matter
Many credit the ancient Roman stoic Seneca the Younger as the first to say “it is quality rather than quantity which matters.” While it is highly doubtful he was the first to make such a statement, he was the first to say it whose words were written down and preserved. Seneca might be dismayed to learn that his “wise” sayings have been so overused that today many are cliches. They include such classics as; money doesn’t buy happiness (Suppose all the belongings of many rich men were piled upon you….What will you learn from these things? Only how to desire more), live in the now (True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future), use it or lose it (Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body), you make your own luck (Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity), and, things are much better than they seem (we suffer more from imagination than from reality), to name just a few choice examples.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Education
Belts With Holes Are Dead
In one possible dystopian future the fall of man was brought about not by a nuclear holocaust or alien invasion, nor by a biological agent unleashing a zombie plague or a global economic collapse, but rather by an event so mundane, so random, so seemingly inconsequential that not even the wisest of men could have predicted it. This is the world of belts with holes are dead. A world ended when the last belt with holes suddenly disappeared from our planet earth. A hellish nightmarescape where the ability to keep one’s pants up even if they are too large is no longer an option for most. The rich seclude themselves in future belt enclaves where they live in relative luxury and wear whatever size pants within +/- two sizes they desire while the poor live in squalor, suffering from constant pants droppage or doing anything they can to just get by. The lowest of these, the so called “below the knee cutters” are the worst off by far. Their misery was so great that they actually took scissors to every pair of pants they owned and cut them off below the knees. Sick I know, do not read on if you are faint of heart. The only hope left are the so called Pioneers of Future Belts. Will they arrive in time to save our once beautiful planet and usher in a utopian paradise where everyone, regardless of means, can choose to wear whatever pants they want, no matter the waist size or inseam length? These stories represent the collected works of just some of the people who lived through those dark times. Pray their future does not become our own.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Humor
Memorization is a Waste of Time
Author's preface: Below is a republication of an article originally published almost three years ago. The title of that particular post was "Quit Trying to Remember Stuff." It got very few views even for one of my posts. Republishing now in the hopes it may do a little better this time around with a slightly more straighforward though less interesting or provocative (in my opinion) title.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Psyche
Love is Not Quantifiable
Of all the emotions, love is one of the most talked about and debated. These discussions happen between friends and family members and lovers themselves. There is great deal less serious academic/philosophical discussion, though there is some, and there are even some purportedly "scientific" studies of the topic. I put scientific in quotes because in my view the study of emotional states like love falls mostly (though not entirely) outside the purview of the sciences. Mostly, the discourse on the topic is driven by romantic poets and romantic literature in general. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that it does tend to romanticize the topic much more so than any other emotional state. And yes, of course romantic poets and authors are going to romanticize the topic of love, because that is what they do. They are romance writers after all. Unfortunately all of this sometimes leads people to believe that love cannot be an object of serious thought or discussion. I disagree with that contention and hope to illustrate why with an example here.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Humans
To Steal a Thunderbolt
"You want to steal Zeus's thunderbolt?" Loki asked incredulously after listening patiently to his old friend Jupiter's ridiculously insane plan to sneak into Olympus and snare the God kings most powerful weapon. "That is quite possibly the dumbest idea I have ever heard, and your plan has about as much chance of working as Hera taking Athena as a lover on the side. And, if you were caught, would make Zeus exactly as angry. I shudder to think what he might do to you, or Hades forbid, me, if the plan fails as spectacurlarly as it surely will in its current form." Jupiter was unfazed by Loki's initial reaction. He was always a pessimist, and quick to temper, and he had suspected this would be the trickster God's immediate response. However, he knew the idea of it would be impossible for Loki to resist, and he also knew Loki was smart, very smart, especially when it came to theiving, and he hoped his input, and, ideally, participation in the heist, would better his own chances of success. With Zeus's thunderbolt in his hands, Olympus could finally be rid of their ancient, failed, so called king, and become his to rule.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Fiction
Micro Heist
"What's the difference again between a robbery and a heist?" "Gheezus Christ on a cracker Rob you are a dummy" Kleman replied with an exasperated sigh as he often did whenever addressing one of Robbie's incessant questions. "A robbery is stealing some stupid shit from some nobody on the street. A heist is stealing some important shit, like gold or a famous jewel or shit like that, from somebody or someplace important. In our case that would be a museum" Robbie looked puzzled as he contemplated Kleman's answer. He was not exactly sure he really saw the difference. Stealing was stealing in his mind. Then again, his mind was of the slow variety and contemplation was not his strong suit. But, what he lacked in brains, he made up for in spades in courage and loyalty. At least, that is what Kleman liked to tell people when they asked him why he had partnered up with that "retarded kid Robbie." In truth, he had taken on Robbie because he simply did not trust anyone of normal intelligence. In his experience with former partners, the smarter the man, the dumber the plan. Robbie was perfect, exactly because he was so dumb.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Fiction
