Long time readers have heard me mention Georgie in the past. I love his blog and you probably will as well. This week he’s answering questions.

Who wrote that wonderful question on Net Neutrality?

http://www.beingfive.blogspot.com/

Just let the music take you away. It’s a journey you’ll enjoy.
I really enjoy this song and have even sampled a bit of it for one of my ring tones.

For those of you that don’t watch wrestling let me share with you what you missed Monday night.

Remember: Vote Obama!

I finally saw the movie Beowulf this evening and must admit it was a good movie. I really enjoyed the story, even if there was some deviation from the original, and the CGI work was wonderful. If you haven’t seen the movie then go rent a copy and enjoy it. This post will be here when you get back. If you have seen the movie then join me after the jump for what I saw as The Dharma of Beowulf.

Keep in mind this is a movie of monsters and battles so the whole “Do not kill” of the eight fold path is ignored. Without the violence there would be no story or movie made from the story. I’ve discovered in life that if I look close enough at anything I can find some Dharma in it. Without over analyzing the movie I want to touch on three things that stood out to me.

When looking at “Right Action” on the Eight Fold Path we come across the concept of sexual misconduct. Lust easily falls within the range of sexual misconduct and lead to the downfall of both Hrothgar and Beowulf. Let’s not forget the suffering that Beowulf, Wealtheow (the queen) and his mistress Ursula all deal with because Beowulf keeps Urusla in his bed and Wealtheow in a seperate chamber in his later years.

When looking at “Right Speech” on the Eight Fold Path we realize that Beowulf had never heard of this concept. Let’s be honest, Beowulf couldn’t tell the truth until he realized his death was at hand. Only then did he try to set things right. If you only kill three sea monsters don’t tell people you killed nine of them. “Right Speech” is more than just being honest though and that is a trap most of us fall into. Unferth, the king’s adviser, called Beowulf out the first night he was there. He attacked Beowulf with his words and Beowulf responded in kind. When somebody throws an insult at you it’s hard to just let it pass. I know I’ve made the mistake of both throwing and returning insults many times in my life. Heck, just looking at the posts on my blog show I’m not the greatest when it comes to using Right Speech.

From the Four Noble Truths we learn that attachment leads to suffering. Unless you plan on being a monk there is nothing wrong with wanting the finer things in life. Just be sure to stay on this side of greed and to give back where you can. Beowulf and Hrothgar both wanted to live forever as kings. They wanted the wealth, the power and the throne of a kingdom. What ultimate price did each pay for their desires? A life of suffering. Neither found happiness in their lives after making the deal with Grendel’s mother.  Watch the funeral of Beowulf again. Did you see all of the treasure in the boat? Did you see it make him smile at all in the movie?

Let’s look at Grendel’s mother for a moment. Yeah, Angelina Jolie in stunning CGI form. Whoops! We’re back to “Right Action” again. The character of Grendel’s mother was a great example of Mara in my opinion. She was always there, just below the surface, ready to tempt the heroes of the story.

So what happened to Wiglaf? Did he give in to temptation? Did he hurl the Dragon Horn into the sea? That’s up to you to decide.

I’m sure there are many more Dharma examples in the movie just as I am sure there are Dharma examples all around us in life. Open your eyes. Open your mind. See the Dharma for yourself.

I have finally seen the movie Into The Wild. I read the book when I first heard about the movie last year. The movie provides an interesting look into the last two years of a man that wanted to get away from society and technology. If you enjoy documentaries or the work of Jack London you’ll probably enjoy either the movie or the book. It’s a tragic story but still a good one.

The father of the modern adventure game, Gary Gygax, died Tuesday morning (03/04). Dungeons & Dragons has brought me countless hours of enjoyment over the years and I’m saddened to learn Gary Gygax has passed on. The next time you roll a 20, keep Gary in mind.

I am just over 100 pages into the new Stephen King novel Duma Key. It has shades of The Dead Zone in it but I feel Duma Key will go off in a much different direction by the end of the book.

I’ve encountered two descriptions of blood and guts. One relating to the main character (part of his background) and one relating to a side character. The side character instance takes the book into the supernatural realm SK is known for. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

Speaking of Kings. I still want to be a king of my own one day. If only I could find a way to get people to give me money while having 21 year old women dance topless in my tent. Ah well, nothing wrong with dreams.

I received the following in an e-mail Thursday. I thought it was hilarious and felt like sharing it with the rest of you. Aren’t you glad I did it this way instead of by e-mail?

The Collard Greens

An old man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his yearly collard green garden, but it was always very hard work for him because the ground was hard. His only son, Junebug Jankins, III, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear Junebug,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant My collard green garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here my troubles would be over…I know you would dig the plot for me.
Love, Dad

A few days later he received a letter from his son:

Dear Daddy Jankins,
Whatever you do, don’t dig up that garden. That’s where I buried the BODIES.
Love Junebug

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Daddy Jankins,
You can go ahead and plant the collard greens now.
That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love Junebug

It’s time for Super Bowl XLII. My wife and son want to see the Patriots win. I’m not sure which team I want to see win. If the Patriots win it’s NFL history. If the Giants win then it’s history for Jerome Collins.

Who’s Jerome Collins? He’s a player for the Giants. More specifically he’s a player for the Giants that hasn’t played in a single regular season game in his NFL career of three years. He was drafted out of Notre Dame by the Rams. He scrimmaged as an offensive player during practices for the whole season. At the end of the season he was cut by the Rams and picked up by the Cowboys. The Cowboys only kept him for a couple of weeks in the pre-season before they cut him. He was then picked up by the Colts. With the Colts he scrimmaged as an offensive player during the whole season. That year (Super Bowl XLI) the Colts won the Super Bowl and Jerome got his first Super Bowl ring. At the end of that season, his second year, he was cut. The Giants picked him up for the next season and used him as an offensive player during practices but again he never played in a game. Now he has the opportunity to win his second Super Bowl ring in three years all without having played a singe game. Plus, both of his rings will have been won while playing with a Manning brother.

See why I can’t chose between the two teams? I’ll probably cheer for the Giants just to be different from my son and wife.

I consider myself to be one of the lucky people. I’ve seen Pink Floyd perform live. Sadly it was after Roger Waters left the band, but it was still a damn fine show. The video below is from the P•U•L•S•E dvd. While the video was recorded in England the show was part of the Division Bell tour. When the tour came through Birmingham, AL my first wife and I caught the show.

If you’ve never listened to Floyd before watch the video and enjoy. You might even be able to figure out which one is Pink.