Finding grace under pressure.

brianlux · November 2020

A fine album but for sure, but for here I mean as defined by not falling apart or getting hysterical when the heat is on. It means that even when you're feeling agitated, you act gracefully and keep it together.

So let's share some ways to do that, especially this week.

Stay cool these next few days everybody. Stay safe, and don't let anyone fuck with you heads. We'll get through this trying time and things will settle down. That's how it works. Wars come and go, dictators come and go. Evil doers rise and fall. Diseases come and go. Sorrow comes and goes.

Love, belief in doing the right thing, having compassion, strength, courage and honor. These things never fail.

Thanks for being here, friends.

Lerxst1992 · November 2020

brianlux said:

A fine album but for sure, but for here I mean as defined by not falling apart or getting hysterical when the heat is on. It means that even when you're feeling agitated, you act gracefully and keep it together.

So let's share some ways to do that, especially this week.

Stay cool these next few days everybody. Stay safe, and don't let anyone fuck with you heads. We'll get through this trying time and things will settle down. That's how it works. Wars come and go, dictators come and go. Evil doers rise and fall. Diseases come and go. Sorrow comes and goes.

Love, belief in doing the right thing, having compassion, strength, courage and honor. These things never fail.

Thanks for being here, friends.

And our friend on here as well. Great post Bri. Personally I’m not sure what I will do if this thing goes south tomorrow. Probably the best idea is move to Hawaii. It’s still in the states, heavily democratic, and over a thousand miles from any trump state.

brianlux · November 2020

Lerxst1992 said:

brianlux said:

A fine album but for sure, but for here I mean as defined by not falling apart or getting hysterical when the heat is on. It means that even when you're feeling agitated, you act gracefully and keep it together.

So let's share some ways to do that, especially this week.

Stay cool these next few days everybody. Stay safe, and don't let anyone fuck with you heads. We'll get through this trying time and things will settle down. That's how it works. Wars come and go, dictators come and go. Evil doers rise and fall. Diseases come and go. Sorrow comes and goes.

Love, belief in doing the right thing, having compassion, strength, courage and honor. These things never fail.

Thanks for being here, friends.

And our friend on here as well. Great post Bri. Personally I’m not sure what I will do if this thing goes south tomorrow. Probably the best idea is move to Hawaii. It’s still in the states, heavily democratic, and over a thousand miles from any trump state.

Thanks, Lerxst.

I'm not sure what I will do if things "go south" tomorrow, but Hawaii sounds great. My wife wouldn't go for it (I already mentioned the idea) and it would probably mean dumping a lot of books and records and having to close my book business.

I hope everyone is hanging tough. I kind of feel stupid fretting over an election. I did the same during the Bush years. Things just settle down and go back to normal, right? But what is normal now days does not feel good... at all!

I've gotta keep myself busy today.

Time for the elixir of life- coffee!

hedonist · November 2020

I’m not sure we’ll find much in the way of grace when it comes to politics, regardless of the outcome. Hell, look at how some treat others here alone. Even on non-partisan issues.

I try to do my part, take the high road, yada yada. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I don’t. But there are times I read here and wonder what in the FUCK. Not the arguing or “discussions” themselves - those are a given and should be - but the way of arguing. Silly, superior, childish, and ultimately ineffective. It’s typically fruitless, even under the guise of tolerance or openminedness.

I’m only going to get as stressed about all this as I’m willing to allow it to. I’d be an asshole if I used that as an excuse to treat others like shit.

brianlux · November 2020

hedonist said:

I’m not sure we’ll find much in the way of grace when it comes to politics, regardless of the outcome. Hell, look at how some treat others here alone. Even on non-partisan issues.

I try to do my part, take the high road, yada yada. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I don’t. But there are times I read here and wonder what in the FUCK. Not the arguing or “discussions” themselves - those are a given and should be - but the way of arguing. Silly, superior, childish, and ultimately ineffective. It’s typically fruitless, even under the guise of tolerance or openminedness.

I’m only going to get as stressed about all this as I’m willing to allow it to. I’d be an asshole if I used that as an excuse to treat others like shit.

Yeah, I think expecting to find grace in our culture or society or politics is a stretch- at least in these times. I think we can only find it in ourselves and hope other do as well.

After our last election, I lost my shit and said some things I shouldn't have. I told all Trump voters here to "fuck off". This time, no. I won't treat them like shit, I'll just go out of my way to try to avoid them.

Same thing where I live. A guy who has a small shop in town and I used to be quite friendly. He surprised my when he jumped on the Trump train. I don't give him a bad time about it. It's just sad because we were once friendly, and now I just avoid him like I would a disease. Making a scene would not be showing grace.

I will say, the whole concept of grace is difficult. It's so much easier to be angry, go on a rant, break shit even. But I wouldn't say anger is necessarily a bad thing- it can be used positively- like what John Lydon said about "Anger is an energy" and using it in a creative and positive way. I think in that sense, anger can be a part of grace.

hedonist · November 2020

Again, it’s in how it’s done.

And it’s sad that some friendships have ended over this particular issue. I hope that if I had a friend who dumped me for some part of my ideology, they would respect our past history enough to tell me why, vs. just dropping and avoiding me.

OnWis97 · November 2020

When the Trumpies here, Facebook, in life spike the football like they did last time, my plan is to just ignore it.

It's putting a strain on some relationships...I try to keep things apolitical in the real world, though.

brianlux · November 2020

hedonist said:

Again, it’s in how it’s done.

And it’s sad that some friendships have ended over this particular issue. I hope that if I had a friend who dumped me for some part of my ideology, they would respect our past history enough to tell me why, vs. just dropping and avoiding me.

This is not a close friend- not somebody I hang out with. Come to think of it- I don't have any close friends who support Trump. This other guy is just someone I've been friendly with. He is a downtown merchant not from from my wife's bookstore. He said some things that made what I see as a bad reflection of Main St. merchants in general and he was quoted in a major newspaper and made to look like he reflects the feelings of all Placerville merchants. He does not. I won't go into detail, but these are plenty enough reasons to avoid this person.

I still have a Facebook friend who hasn't dumped me nor I him. I don't understand his political leanings AT ALL. So we just talk about music.

Lerxst1992 · November 2020

OnWis97 said:

When the Trumpies here, Facebook, in life spike the football like they did last time, my plan is to just ignore it.

It's putting a strain on some relationships...I try to keep things apolitical in the real world, though.

Trump clearly lost and in my safe blue state they are out in force claiming victory. I’m not sure where that peaceful apolitical world is.

Bill Maher lectures us about coexisting peacefully but he chose to live his life with blinders on, no kids, no wife, no crazy in laws. He can isolate himself in a dem +50 region. I have none of those luxuries. I don’t know where this peace is.

g under p · November 2020

Yes Brian a fine album indeed my number 1 by the band. Grace Under Pressure is a motto of mine, when critical medical situations pop up I use it to keep me calm to address and solve ANY situation. It's far more difficult to solve those situations in a panic.

Like in the song Red Sector A, a song about the holocaust, many in that circumstances years ago had to be graceful to survive.

All that we can do is just survive

All that we can do to help ourselves is stay alive

All that we can do is just survive
All that we can do to help ourselves is stay alive

Ragged lines of ragged grey
Skeletons, they shuffle away
Shouting guards and smoking guns
Will cut down the unlucky ones

I clutch the wire fence until my fingers bleed
A wound that will not heal, a heart that cannot feel
Hoping that the horror will recede
Hoping that tomorrow, we'll all be freed

Sickness to insanity
Prayer to profanity
Days and weeks and months go by
Don't feel the hunger, too weak to cry

I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gate
Are the liberators here, do I hope or do I fear?
For my father and my brother, it's too late
But I must help my mother stand up straight

Are we the last ones left alive?
Are we the only human beings to survive?

I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gate
Are the liberators here, do I hope or do I fear?
For my father and my brother, it's too late
But I must help my mother stand up straight

Are we the last ones left alive?
Are we the only human beings to survive?

Are we the last ones left alive?
Are we the only human beings to survive?

One of the reasons I haven't been on The Train as much the last four years is because of all the divisions and negativity caused my Trump. I just had to keep my cool, control my anger and post on here with grace because if I didn't I think I'd lose my mind. So hopefully I'll be on here more often going forward knowing the orange one is leaving office shortly.

My new plates just came in....
IMAGINE ......themed after John Lennon and likeness

STY HUMN

Peace and Stay Human friends.

Finding grace under pressure.

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