Social Media: Damoclean Pot

The Age of Light is Upon Us

Human beings using social media have increasingly discovered the delights of stretching the limits of reckless anonymity. Anonymity.  The marginal propensity to hide in cyberspace while  allowing one's self the careless use  of four-letter 'words'.
The fact is, wanton, reckless, and at times, --brazen taboo crap  inappropriate redundant language is  seemingly inserted in communication  to raise the 'status'  without thought or concern.

Is it inserted to attract attention,  or assign instant importance to jaded, insecure or pathetic lives?  Does it enhance stature, relevance, or draw an  audience to the previously ignored?
 I don't know.
Perhaps the status quo is a sign of  collective societal insecurity.  Immaturity. Inability to distinguish between foul potty mouth and actual communication. Is this a dearth of parental teaching?

I have to be honest, from the point of view of a writer,  it seems like deterioration of civilization itself. It seems we are, unfortunately, at a crossroads;  Perhaps people are blissfully and totally  unaware of the  effect of  scribbling, keyboarding, or texting chopped,  deviate combinations of words, whatever be the method or the message.
 It seems at times that nobody cares about what they are exposed to, or what the effect of such unmitigated, liberally  applied and questionable values of filth may have upon their children. The true long-term effect will not be seen in civilization for some time.
I'm guessing our tasteless melange of social media and rudimentary foul language ultimately will inflict a cost.

Where does "potty mouth" originate from on social media sites like Facebook? Have traditionally taboo, detestable, four-letter invectives  become fashionable?  The associated symptoms are easily spotted. Hedonism.  Jaded narcissism. Warped, over-the-edge humor.  Commandeered language and blatant ignorance. 

Does Potty Brain not recognize that " Potty Mouth" reflects directly upon character, person, background, parents, upbringing, nature, essence, the very spiritual being?

From strictly a human standpoint, in  simple terms, which part of 'a foul mouth suggests a foul mind' is so hard to understand?

It seems it takes little to destroy one's image. It takes no practice at all to foam off at the mouth in  a rude, crude interlude and  begin sliding into that stinking morass;  it is deceptively easy to succumb.

 For the last couple of years I have been curtailing my thoughts on  this distasteful aspect of social media, zipping the lip.  I cannot tell a lie though. In truth we....are not impressed.
There are always better ways to express sentiment.

Go ahead, do feel free to speak as you will.  Here's the plan.  Use whatever language you wish; the English language is changing, but...for the record, --the reward, justice at its finest;  the full chamber-pot --is hanging high above us by the proverbial Damoclean thread. Will it be your next 'word' or thought that breaks the thread?

Think about it.


Is that Incoming I hear?

The Age of Light

The Age of Light

The Age of Light

Light flickered on cold stone  as the wizened, bent man slowly pulled the wooden door open. Ancient wooden hinges creaked, timeless sound echoing into the darkness above. He painfully wound his way up the worn circular stairway, his shadow chasing  bats awakened  with each step.  

The top door opened silently, bitter cold wind drawing tears as he poured the oil.

Flame from the torch of the  light-bearer sputtered, then  flared, sending the message of peace across the land.

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"Light& Peace"    is  'Flash Fiction'  inspired by M3's  Flash Fiction Challenge. The word count limit for this challenge is 100.  "The Age of Light"   is 78 words. 

Is that Incoming I hear?  

No Comment, but...Let's make Decisions

*Winter Sunrise:  The Age of Light is upon Us

The greater realm, inherent curiosity,  the greater purpose--humanity itself --speaks to us in echoes from the past. It asks us with every sunrise  to be brave enough to  make decisions. It demands answers to problematic areas and questions of  life, you know the kind, ethics, morality,  reality,  and intent --in all aspects of our existence. 

 The big  'Why?' even occurs on occasion.  Is the answer always "because"?
 Do you find yourself saying: "I dunno, let's ask Mikey"   or  "Who do you think I am,  Einstein"? or "the devil made me do it" ?
 
 I don't know about you,  but there are  questions I haven't  devised ready answers for.  Yet.   Why?
 To draw important conclusions, thought must be dedicated to the process of making decisions . We actually have to train our minds to think and decide.  Learn how to learn.  It is not always easy. We're bombarded daily and distracted too easily with  trash, trivia, and  'important' daily  bits and bytes. 
How about you?  Can you make important decisions easily? No?    
Let's practice and begin with small stuff.  Small should be easy, right?  Okay, let's start out small. Make some small decisions and specifically  practice the art of making decisions.  For now, pay more  attention to the process of making decisions rather than the decision itself.

 What does one actually do to make decisions?  Let's experiment. Make some. 
 Want pizza instead of  mac 'N cheese  for supper?    An orange instead of an apple?  Red tie instead of blue?    Turn left instead of right, take a different route home?    Recycle the garbage instead of  dedicating it to the landfill...the list goes on.  Mundane crap life.  Decide.  Feel the process.  High road or low.  Black or white.  Dog or cat. Stop or go. Step on the gas, speed up, think faster.   Got enough practice yet? What did you actually do to make those decisions?  What did it feel like?
Let's move into bigger, more difficult  decisions now: 

Go to university? Get married?   Buy a car?   Get a divorce?  Change jobs?  Move across the country,  The generic: like it or not?  That one is general, larger, more complex, more difficult and takes more thought.
    Finally,  a very big question;  one about  life itself.   What exactly is your purpose in life?   Will you give in,   give up,  live a mundane life, watch the boob-tube and eat junk food forever?   Will you hold out for something better,   think for yourself, and make changes for the advancement of  humanity?  
    Will you sit back in limbo, la-la-land apathy, devoid of thought,  and accept the status quo -- or not? Decide.
 
Now we're getting somewhere.  A big question that actually means something. Yes, apathy affects you  even if you don't realize it --or consciously choose the lazy way out, the low road.

 Let us awaken and bring light into our lives by being positive, doing the right thing, making the right decisions.   Can we encourage  thoughtless people. mean, dishonest, and crabby to be nicer?  How about the people that tell  little white lies and progress to ugly black lies?  Can we encourage them to change their lives and tell the truth?  Can the greedy ever be convinced they can thrive otherwise?

Can we influence enough people, ultimately even putting  deviant evil itself on notice?   Yes, that evil, that systemic, encroaching  evil-- the observable pariah that plagues humanity every day.    

 We invite and encourage readers at Incoming Bytes to think for themselves, make some decisions, make some effort,  and come to the same conclusion. We can start civilization over and do things right. How about that?  All you have to do to start is decide which toppings will be on your pizza. Feels good, doesn't it?  You have taken the first step to be in charge of your own life.

  Let us use common sense  and start making change with every sunrise. Let us decide to be proactive and change one mind at a time.  Let us decide to  win with logic and reason.  Let us decide to inspire respect for all of humanity and the planet we live upon.  Let us decide to fulfill our greater purpose in life.
Can you decide if you want to see the world changed for the better?  I have decided.   I do.
Have you made any significant decisions today?  Do you find it difficult to make decisions?


Is that incoming I hear ?


*Photo credit (c) r.a.kukkee 2012 

2012: Is that Incoming I hear?

The Age of Light is upon us...

 Incoming, --frozen solid, or moving in, one at a time?
New Year's Eve  is  a distant memory and January is more than half used up already. The unusually mild winter did a nasty to all January sun-lovers including us here at Incoming Bytes, changing  our freakish snow-laden banana-belt sauna-weather to a more realistic  and politically-correct Canadian January with dry, brutal cold.  It's almost enough to freeze your tongue to a steel pipe, don't you think so?
The garden and bonsai are stored snugly, cozy as can be under a blanket of snow. How lucky for them.   

 It is -33C  ( -27.4F)   today; --that is without any wind.    It was -25C yesterday with a vicious wind--yet in the unheated  sunny greenhouse it was an amazing 5C +(41F)   ...that's almost banana-land warm, sans beach  and iced tequila Sunrise.....imagine that.
Out in the "outerworld,", the real world, -- you know the quaint place where the REST of the world exists?   There are many things happening.
 Earthquakes. Flooding.  Famine.
 Strange underground noises, um....hums, buzzes and shake-ups  too.  Let's draw the  government-supplied  Roswellian window-shades. If we don't look, The truth is not out there. um....ok,,,,um...ok...ding-dong, you're wrong, The Age of Light is upon us....
Shifting earth crustal-bustals.  Tsunami, real Japan-movers.  North poles going south.   Islands rising in the sun just for fun.
 Solar and brain flares are disrupting  electronics, harmonics  and logic. What's that, you say?  Illogical, you say?   Haarp, the Harold angels Zing us with vapour trails delight;
 Political unrest, demonstrations  and nasty riots instead of  quiets.
 International tension-mentions of  nuclear threats, to  positing aircraft carriers in a genuine fear of war games and strange, apocalyptic  joy at the prospect of inevitable and uncontrollable war games.  Fill  the Strait of Hormuz with the crooked scorched bones of lunatics,  pave the parking lots with glass, shall we insist, resist or desist? Nuclear ready or not, here we come....
Totally insane, greedy leaders of itchy,  pseudo-religious miserable self-declared self-righteous countries acting  like they've been out in the sun far too long -because they have been out in the sun for far too long.  Invest, protest and re-test  for Collective, unsurpassed madness and profit in the radioactive Middle East Oil patch.   Hatch a new radioactive plan to do everything radioactively.  
Redefine  mutant civilization?  That’s fine. Drink Iodine.
Camp out, Occupy  this, economic recession to  big Depression,  dangerous repression of civil liberties world-wide.
Wikipedia blackouts?  Ugly SOPA-box....Legislated PIPA, vibes of Internet Big Brother sticking his nose in the business of scribes? 
   
Seems like a normal day to me.
But wait....what is really Incoming? 



that's my story and I'm sticking to it

Last Post for 2011: Happy New Year !

Well, this is it...New Year's Eve.  A time for reflection, partying and revelry.

The Age of Light is upon us: 2012

I wish to thank my friends and loyal readers for keeping in touch with Incoming Bytes  since it's beginning.  We have looked at many subjects, controversial, tough, and even the mundane.  Thank you for contributing so many interesting comments . 
We intend to continue with vigour  in 2012.    With your help, we will attempt to change the world for the better and --continue to challenge our  readers to think for themselves.

Here at Incoming Bytes we wish everyone a prosperous, happy and *safe 2012.  May your families  remain strong with their faith in God,  --and  remain together in the best of health, happiness and prosperity.

We MUST bring the message of peace to the world, so let us individually and collectively pray for calm and a substantial and meaningful  dedication to peace by all nations of the world. 

Let a new spirit  of  sharing, cooperation and international healing infuse all nations. 

Let us challenge ourselves,  cast apathy aside, and DARE to change the world for the better. Let us use common sense and reason.  Let us think --if we dare.
 No matter what 2012 brings us,---
Let the Age of Light begin. 


Raymond Alexander Kukkee


One final note for 2011 !!!  This may concern one of YOUR loved ones.....

*Speaking of being safe, let us also be SMART.  Please don't drink and drive.
It  also our understanding  there have already been TWO avalanches in BC  this year that have resulted in fatalities.  
Our hearts go out to the families of those lost in these and similar tragedies.   
Let us remember them by re-visiting a post from last year about snowmobile "HIGH MARKING" --an exciting, but dangerous and often fatal sport.

If you are a skier, sportsman or snowmobile enthusiast, or have friends or family that enjoy exploring, playing and working  in the great outdoors in avalanche-prone areas, or any area where there is a buildup of snow on steep slopes of any kind,  PLEASE have them read the  following post  about a  tragedy that occurred last year, --which was UNNECESSARY. 

  Let us AVOID any repeat of this disaster.

http://incomingbytes.blogspot.com/2011/02/snowmobile-highmarking-causes-fatal.html



That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Achievements 2011: Were we successful?

The Age of Light is upon us

 
It happens every 12 months.  It's the end of the year, and 2011  got used up pretty quickly, didn't it?   
In looking back it is natural to ask what we achieved --whether it be articles written, books published,  service to others, for personal satisfaction,  entertainment, discussion or persuasive argument.  No matter.
  One might be tempted to procrastinate and reserve judgment until January 1st, but no,  at Incoming Bytes we profess to be  fearless  with an eye open to improvement.  Constant re-evaluation  and questioning is the name of the game. 
During 2011 we touched on many things.

• Was the reader encouraged to pursue further action, pursue life pro actively in their own environment --and face serious issues head-on?  

• Were novice writers encouraged to at least study 'Terms of Service'  and think carefully before submitting their valuable work the rapidly-changing world of  word mills?  

• Did anyone think twice about the endangered sea turtles of Costa Rica?  

• Have any unhappy couples concerned themselves with the need for a quantum change in their own, and  society's collective  lax  attitude toward abusive relationships?

• Has anyone recognized the tendency of the west to promote the proliferation of Democracy in the middle East countries for economic benefit, while diminishing it's worth at home with increasingly-repressive legislation put forth under the guise of 'national security' ?

• Did anyone read 'Occupy this'  twice  and wonder why bureaucracy worldwide, but especially in North America, is in such a hurry to shut down reasonable protest by ordinary  people trying to better our world.

• How about the political gamesmanship with the Keystone Pipeline,  and rejection  of the Kyoto accord by both the US and Canada  in preference for dirty oil of the Athabasca oil sands to feed yet more wealth to powerful international petroleum companies?

• Was anyone convinced we should be asking VERY  pointed questions about the very future of energy itself when CLEAN ENERGY is already  being produced with the new technology of the  Rossi E-cat,   Apparently our politicians are not paying attention. Read this again and weep. 

• Why is the nuclear energy sector still planning to build more nukes after the nuclear disasters in Fukushima, Japan and Chernobyl?  Have any of our readers been convinced it is time to encourage our leaders to   declare war on nuclear power?

• How many snowmobile enthusiasts will have saved their own lives by reading  about one aspect of their   'sport',  the  exciting, but  dangerous and foolish practice of  'Snowmobile high-marking' which, all too often, causes fatal avalanches?   
• *We fondly hope that article and this reminder will save even ONE life this year and many more in years to come.

*We believe that if we have adequately convinced even ONE  snowmobile enthusiast  to avoid 'high-marking' and their understanding of the danger saves ONE life--we will have succeeded. 
  At Incoming Bytes we ask:  

1. How can we continue to improve our own lives? 
2. How can we begin improving society by quantum leaps? 
3. How can we encourage  society to entertain complete change, endorse clean energy, and create a kinder, gentler society that is responsible and sustainable?
4. How can we encourage civilization to allow the Age of Light to begin? An age of  intelligent social construction,  common sense, logic, protracted thought, and cooperation?

 Perhaps  that's a little much to ask of our greedy, profit-oriented, power-hungry,  hedonistic, selfish, arrogant and stiff-necked retail-blinded shopping society so soon.  
No matter. We shall persist. 
  Back to the original question.  Have we persuaded even one person such a quantum change is necessary?   I believe so. That is only one of many worthy achievements.
  It seems to me it's logical to  continue to stay on track, stay informed, use common sense, and explore the mundane, the unknown, the interesting, the challenging,  and the universe itself-- with open minds.  

For 2012:
Let us challenge wrongs and insist upon change with conscience; 
Let us not shirk our duty to ourselves and humanity ; 
Let us continue facing the future and building it better--  for with faith and perseverance, we CAN do it.
The Age of Light is upon us.
  
Think about it if you dare.  Happy New Year!


That's my story and I'm sticking to it 

A Quantum change: Let us Welcome Effectively Human.com

The Age of Light is upon us...

 
As suggested in our  recent   post,'The Age of Light'  here at Incoming Bytes, we would like to believe that a quantum change in humanity is on the way.  The status quo is clearly unacceptable and not sustainable. Perhaps the concept of the  Age of Light   is already at hand. We would like to believe in humanity.  We would like to believe mankind can substantially improve the lot of  all human beings regardless of where they are on the earth. 
 Notice  the phrase  "we would like to believe" ?  Is humanity smart enough collectively to initiate enough necessary change that will significantly alter the course of civilization?  All it takes is one small step at a time by enough individuals to effect a quantum change for all of humanity.


There are clearly people that do care where we are headed and would like humanity to be more focused, gentle, kinder, more--effectively human. People that believe in the dignity and sanctity of life and are willing to put themselves out there and speak up. Let us try honesty rather than hypocrisy. Let us not couch terms and pretend innocence. Let us truly value human life.  
Such are the people at www.effectivelyhuman.com, a site dedicated to the affirmation of human life.
Let us welcome effectivelyHuman.com  and help contribute to the improvement of civilization in any way possible.  We need to reinvent society and the way it functions.  We need to value humans individually and collectively-- with dignity. 
Visit  www. effectivelyHuman.com soon,  and think about what you can do to help yourself, your family,  others, and explore humanity itself.  We encourage the reader to participate.
See you there.
The Age of Light may be closer than we think.





That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The Age of Light

The Age of Light is upon us

 The Age of Light is upon us.   The year  2012 is  almost here,-- the end of an era, the revelations of Mayan culture, strange planets are reported in "Before it's New".  Roswell revisited, all kinds of strange and wonderful sights seen,  misinterpreted, and misunderstood-some strange things are even admitted. 
  
All that in the midst of the  usual prescription of increasing economic tension, political international sabre-rattling, human failure and  failed predictions of gloom and doom, on two separate dates yet.  Let us not forget the past, the previous destruction of humanity and civility by any means, since Nov 11th Remembrance has also come and gone yet again, while the world is still at war.  

What shall we then  concentrate upon?  

I recently published Morgidoo's Christmas Carol, a new Christmas classic as an Ebook, and the subject of the Age of Light happened to be involved.
--The light from the Great Silver Bell and all that. 

A mere story, a work of fiction, a figment of a writer's imagination, ---or is it?   
Here at Incoming Bytes it always behooves us to examine such fascinating possibilities.  Weird stuff.  The unexpected, "incoming bytes " heading our way.
It is not a coincidence that one of the most interesting observations in life may be that writers not only record history and the past for posterity, but also to some degree, in fiction and literature,  imagine,create, extrapolate, project,  and somehow pen the details of the future, at times with unerring accuracy.  It is not a coincidence.


It is not a coincidence that the "age of dirty oil", pipelines, and choking greenhouse gases is not sustainable, nor is it wise to insist upon following that path .
 It is not a  coincidence that the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan occurred, with radiation spreading as we speak.
It may, therefore also not be a coincidence that the favourite heading picture of Incoming Bytes  is that of blinding sunlight in a morning sunrise.  
Sunlight is the greatest, cleanest and most powerful force in nature--one that is easily harvested. Sunlight is free, universal, and endless.  It is the ideal alternative energy.

Nor is the symbolism of the Age of Light and the Great Silver Bell in Morgidoo's Christmas Carol  lost as a guidepost to the future--and with faith and belief,  offering HOPE for mankind. 
I'm hoping you'll read it some day.  There is a reason for everything, including  coincidence, destiny, and fiction.  Perhaps one day we shall all  understand that reality. 


All we have to do is actually  be smart enough to identify the signs already pointing us in the direction of the Age of Light.  If we collectively set our minds to the job at hand, our  civilization can be reinvented and a new Age of Light shall be upon us.
Think about it.  Start now.






That's my story and I'm sticking to it