TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Monday, June 23, 2008

Guest Blogger: George Carlin

Edgy comedian George Carlin, known for his biting, anti-establishment humor, died Monday of a heart attack at the Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday, at 6:00 p.m. He was 71. He may be best remembered for his famous routing called "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," which became part of a lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court. But he left this sound advice that we all would do well to remember.
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How to Stay Young
by George Carlin

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.
Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them
at every opportunity.

And always remember:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments
that take our breath away.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love his companion piece as well:
George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There 's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50

and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by -day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
CAN'T YOU JUST HEAR THOSE LOW BREATHY TONES, THE SOUND EFFECTS AND GREAT DELIVERY?

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

anon: Great stuff...You know: I've been reflecting on just how smart Carlin, Lenny Bruce, and Richard Pryor were. I was smiling at the thought that these guys were smarter than a lot of U.S. presidents. And of course you could also include in the smart category Mort Sahl and Chris Rock, I think. Thanks for the companion piece.

Undercover Black Man said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Undercover Black Man said...

Anon: Thanks for sharing that aging piece. Carlin was brilliant.

SagaciousHillbilly said...

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Right fucking on!

"What is missing from us is that innocent sense of wonder."
(paraphrased from a poem by Naomi Helena Quinonez)

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hey there MacDaddy!

This tribute is wonderful....

It is just so sad to bid farewell to a hilarious and genius artist...

{sigh}
Lisa

Lenoxave said...

Great post daddy. I would always look forward to his specials when they were on. He is such a huge lost. He was brilliant and so much fun.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

undercover: You're spot on. Carlin's genius shines through.
sagacious, Lisa, sdg: It's sad he's gone, but he made a difference, something we all hope someone will say about us when our time on earth is done. Blessings.

Anonymous said...

He will be sorely missed.