Mug Love

The other day, while doing some housework, I came across a gem of a thing in the cupboards of the house I now inhabit.  A mug.

Some people have no appreciation of the attraction of a good mug.  They see a mug as nothing more than a receptacle for liquids, and a means of conveying beverages to the mouth.  For those who don't understand, allow me to enlighten you.

A favourite mug is a very personal thing.  For some people, a feeling of sturdy ruggedness is important, others look for large capacity.  Some require both.  Or the absence of both.  Or one of those things in conjunction with something else not mentioned here.  A humorous image, a bon mot, advice or encouragement.  As I say, it's personal, and I couldn't list everything everybody looks for from their mug.  My previous favourite, a Simpsons one featuring a nude Homer chasing a blue iced doughnut, was broken shortly after I unpacked it following a period of storage.  I was obviously devastated, but, ever stoic, resigned myself to drinking from lesser vessels.  Not for the first time, I considered purchasing a 2000AD mug.  They look about the right size and construction, if a little thick and rounded at the top for my tastes.

My new stoup is a very dark brown, almost black, with a white interior, which I like.  It is, I was surprised to find, roughly as deep as it is broad.  That is, it's as tall as my middle finger, and its diameter is the same.  Its handle comfortably accommodates my three upper fingers, with enough space under the handle for my little finger to support, without being bumped uncomfortably when I place the mug on the table.  Or coaster.  I always use a coaster.

Its a great all-rounder.  It's solid enough to be a comfortable tea mug, while svelte enough to be a respectable coffee mug.  It's plain without being boring, simple, elegant and functional. 

It is everything I aspire to be, yet am not.  In mug form. 

Meditations on Good and Evil

It is an oft repeated claim that 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.' but it is not strictly true. Evil has to be doing something while the good men rest.

What you may not be aware of, unless you subscribe to the Evil Newsletter, is that evil never rests. I have an evil friend, and he shows me the newsletter. He's not supposed to, but the evil aren't big on following rules. That's part of what makes them evil.

They're a surprisingly organised bunch. Shifts, forecasts, projected aims and outcomes, emergency numbers in the event someone is found to be shirking their evil duty, and a fiendishly difficult crossword, it's all in the newsletter.

Women, of course, are capricious, and bring balance to men by constantly being at odds with what they want to accomplish, whether that be for good or ill. Neither good nor evil themselves, they serve an important function, but can be ignored with regards philosophy of higher ideals. This is why Burke left them out of his famous statement. We shouldn't excoriate them, rather celebrate that they are here to temper and moderate our extremes.

The worst kind of evil, the most damaging, is that which masquerades as good. No-one is more dangerous than a wrong-doer convinced they are Doing The Right Thing.

These are the bigots. The zealots. The extremists. People who want to save us from ourselves.

These people don't subscribe to the evil newsletter. They don't consider themselves to be evil, and though they may agree with some of the ideas expressed in the newsletter, often they feel that suggested practises don't go far enough, or methods of implementation are too insidious. People who Do The Right Thing have no need of insidious methods. Right, as they see it, is on their side.

They freely dispense their advice, heedless of the fact that no-one asked for it. They may write a blog, ridiculing people who don't share their point of view. They divide the world into 'Them' and 'Us' categories.

The real problem is that they muddy the waters, blurring the lines between those of us who are good and those who are evil, which evil-doers can at times exploit, promoting fear and paranoia.

Henceforth, my blog will be an unofficial newsletter for the good. Please be aware that your opinion of what is good may differ to mine, but as I am arbiter, you should revise your opinion accordingly.

Love, even unto the women. (Especially unto the women). (Exactly the same proportion of love to the men and the women).

Be excellent to each other.x