GSH
05-29-2008, 11:20 AM
Zen Master? Who's buying that?
The study of Zen Buddhism emphasizes a "mindful acceptance of the present moment". It encourages practicioners to look inward for enlightenment, rather than seeking external answers, and to let go of judgemental thinking. So why is the NBA coach known as the Zen Master so often seen on television before, during, and after games, blaming referees for the difficulties his team experiences? Why does the man who is known for being introspective (just ask him) and spiritual expend so much thought and effort disparaging his coaching peers, and handing out asterisks to other teams' seasons? It just doesn't add up.
For that matter, California is known as the epicenter of political correctness. It is a place where the utterance of a single careless remark can make one a public spectacle on par with being thrown into stocks in our colonial past. It is the land of pet psychologists, and even plants are closely guarded lest any unkind word should damage their self-esteem. So why, as a result of something as inconsequential as a basketball series, are there so many California residents clogging virtually every corner of cyberspace, and hurling abusive epithets like "retard" and "trailer park trash" at opposing teams' fans?
I've never been to Denmark, but I know when something smells fishy.
You may think you've found an answer, if you ever visited a Hollywood movie set. There, one may take a stroll down a street seemingly torn from the pages of our collective memories, when the grass was greener and candy bars cost a dime. But don't try to look in any back yards to see if, by chance, Wally and The Beaver are having a catch before dinner. Because, while the scene is calculated to make you see things a certain way, it is only two-dimensional. There's no yard behind the house. In fact, there isn't even a house. It isn't a matter of form over substance - it is form that is completely devoid of substance. A lot of things in California are that way.
But that's not the case with creatures like Phil Jackson and the legions of cyber-trolls spewing their vile invective. Unlike a Hollywood set, a facade is usually a false front with something much less appealing behind it. And so, hypothetically speaking, a coach might construct a facade to cover the fact that the building he lives in is a bordello. Or a fan might live behind a facade most of the year, and only occasionaly let it slip that he is concealing a crack house inside. Hypothetically speaking.
The biggest benefit of a beautiful facade is that it can help sell the building. And that may be the missing piece that makes the enigma of Phil Jackson add up, and explains the terrible stench coming from the direction of the Staples Center. The answer is, "whatever sells". Because some people will pay a cool million dollars for a 1200 square-foot "fixer-upper", if they believe they are going to be living among the Beautiful People. So if it's Beautiful People you want, we'll just construct some for you. Hollywood taught us that.
Speaking of Beautiful People - when a 43 year old man loans his home to a known pedophile, who uses it to abouse a 13 year old girl, after giving her champagne and sedatives, the homeowner would be a pariah in most communities. But in Los Angeles, he gets special courtside seating and becomes the unofficial mascot for the team's home games. And when the pedophile flees the country, rather than serving prison time, most communities would be outraged. But the Beautiful People living in L.A. gave him an Academy Award, which was hand delivered to him in Paris by Harrison Ford. I guess that just shows that if the facade is nice enough, it doesn't matter that there is a sewage plant inside. Whatever sells.
Zen Master indeed. Is anybody really buying that?
The study of Zen Buddhism emphasizes a "mindful acceptance of the present moment". It encourages practicioners to look inward for enlightenment, rather than seeking external answers, and to let go of judgemental thinking. So why is the NBA coach known as the Zen Master so often seen on television before, during, and after games, blaming referees for the difficulties his team experiences? Why does the man who is known for being introspective (just ask him) and spiritual expend so much thought and effort disparaging his coaching peers, and handing out asterisks to other teams' seasons? It just doesn't add up.
For that matter, California is known as the epicenter of political correctness. It is a place where the utterance of a single careless remark can make one a public spectacle on par with being thrown into stocks in our colonial past. It is the land of pet psychologists, and even plants are closely guarded lest any unkind word should damage their self-esteem. So why, as a result of something as inconsequential as a basketball series, are there so many California residents clogging virtually every corner of cyberspace, and hurling abusive epithets like "retard" and "trailer park trash" at opposing teams' fans?
I've never been to Denmark, but I know when something smells fishy.
You may think you've found an answer, if you ever visited a Hollywood movie set. There, one may take a stroll down a street seemingly torn from the pages of our collective memories, when the grass was greener and candy bars cost a dime. But don't try to look in any back yards to see if, by chance, Wally and The Beaver are having a catch before dinner. Because, while the scene is calculated to make you see things a certain way, it is only two-dimensional. There's no yard behind the house. In fact, there isn't even a house. It isn't a matter of form over substance - it is form that is completely devoid of substance. A lot of things in California are that way.
But that's not the case with creatures like Phil Jackson and the legions of cyber-trolls spewing their vile invective. Unlike a Hollywood set, a facade is usually a false front with something much less appealing behind it. And so, hypothetically speaking, a coach might construct a facade to cover the fact that the building he lives in is a bordello. Or a fan might live behind a facade most of the year, and only occasionaly let it slip that he is concealing a crack house inside. Hypothetically speaking.
The biggest benefit of a beautiful facade is that it can help sell the building. And that may be the missing piece that makes the enigma of Phil Jackson add up, and explains the terrible stench coming from the direction of the Staples Center. The answer is, "whatever sells". Because some people will pay a cool million dollars for a 1200 square-foot "fixer-upper", if they believe they are going to be living among the Beautiful People. So if it's Beautiful People you want, we'll just construct some for you. Hollywood taught us that.
Speaking of Beautiful People - when a 43 year old man loans his home to a known pedophile, who uses it to abouse a 13 year old girl, after giving her champagne and sedatives, the homeowner would be a pariah in most communities. But in Los Angeles, he gets special courtside seating and becomes the unofficial mascot for the team's home games. And when the pedophile flees the country, rather than serving prison time, most communities would be outraged. But the Beautiful People living in L.A. gave him an Academy Award, which was hand delivered to him in Paris by Harrison Ford. I guess that just shows that if the facade is nice enough, it doesn't matter that there is a sewage plant inside. Whatever sells.
Zen Master indeed. Is anybody really buying that?