Au Cochonnet Marin

Have you ever seen a couple walking hand in hand and wearing the exact same outfit from head to toes?
I have, and it makes me puke.
Because there is only so much togetherness that one can take.

When you agree to tie the knot, it doesn’t mean that you have to morph into a facsimile of your mate.
You don’t have to dress the same way, share the same political views or even share the same activities.
You might make love together but this is as far as the sharing goes. And you might negotiate who goes on top!

The animal kingdom has practiced this kind of Modus Vivendi for a long time.
At the mating season, Papa Bear and Mama Bear exchange a few smoke signals, get together, and after a few amorous encounters they go their separate ways.
Get your own space, he says.
Good riddance, she says.
This is the best way to keep a relationship fresh and exciting.

This long preamble to warn you that in order to survive a couple does not need to be joined at the hip. As a matter of fact, it needs to spend some time apart.
An occasional night out with the boys is not optional, it is mandatory.

When you live with somebody, one of the best ways to sustain a long-term relationship is to get a fairly large abode.
You then immediately stake claim to a space that is going to be yours, and yours alone. It could be the West Wing, the East wing, Downstairs or Upstairs.
It will be your hiding place, you sanctuary, your panic room.
It is where you will retreat when you don’t feel like making small talk or when making an artisanal bomb.

In order to remain undisturbed, you might even post a sign saying, “Keep the X#&* out”.

Then you should sign a non-aggression pact, agree on zones of influence and establish a Checkpoint Charlie.
Those wise preventive measures should keep conflicts (and togetherness) to a minimum.

If nevertheless discord erupts, the first thing to do would be to send your representatives to a quiet place (like Bagdad) to negotiate a cease-fire.
It would be understood that no rockets would be fired into enemy territory during that period and that no underground tunnels would be built.
Failing to abide by these rules would severely undermine your relationship,

To sum it up, togetherness (like sweets) should be used in moderation. Overconsumption could produce harmful side effects.

Alain

PS: I am of course half-kidding. Everybody knows that “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” or as one of my uncouth friend would say “Absinthe makes the fart grow stronger”.

 

He who says nothing agrees.

To tell you the truth, I was a little awed by the huge response generated by the little piece (The new Huns) that I wrote last week.

I usually try to stay clear of politics, but I felt that I had to lend my voice to what some people are reluctant to say.
Pan-Islamism is the new fascism of our era. It is an intolerant form of nationalism that urgently needs to be stopped.

Around 1946, former Nazi believer Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) said:

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

In essence, keeping quiet tacitly condones what is being done or said.And by doing so, it facilitates Pandora’s Box opening.

With automatic weapons being as common as lollipops, extremism and terrorism are becoming a worldwide problem.

The Arab world is awash with weapons and scientists are unable to explain why given a gun, a man becomes mentally disabled.
This strange phenomenon is known and exploited by religious zealots and autocrats in waiting.
They arm desperate young men and use them for depraved purposes.

The twin scourges of the Muslim world are religion and ignorance.
Poor and ignorant young people can easily be indoctrinated into a bloody, but ill-fated adventure that ultimately will never benefit them.

Most of the so-called “Jihadists” never look beyond the barrel of their guns. They rely on “prophets” to enlighten them.
But most so-called Prophets are false prophets, leading their flock to doom.

The main question of the Israeli-Arab conflict could be “Why can Israel make the desert bloom and its neighbors can’t?”

The answer is probably Education, for it is the key to salvation.
And Koran’s rote learning is definitely not education

If the money spent on armament were spent on education, most of the world conflicts would disappear.
A prosperous Middle East would cease to destroy itself.

Ironically, the Muslim World is very wealthy, but unfortunately wealth is squandered on just a few.
If the fabulous wealth of Saudi Arabia or Qatar for instance was spent on improving the lot of their fellow Muslims, the desert could indeed bloom.

But monarchies, dictatorships or theocracies are not the least interested in their brethren’s woes.
They just cater to a few obsequious lackeys.

The crux of the problem is not the very existence of Israel but the true liberation of Muslims everywhere from the yoke of religious and ignorance.

Until this happens, there will be turmoil and bloodshed in the tormented landscape of the Middle East.

Alain

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