The Meerkat Muse: 13th of August, 2025
Welcome back one and all, welcome to the middle of August, and welcome to the Meerkat Muse!
The Meerkat with the Dragon Tattoo
Here we are, tattoo number 10! This is something of a mini milestone, especially for a meerkat who never thought he’d get one tattoo, let alone 10! I wanted this one to be special, and went with something my daughter drew. It felt right to get something done based on her creativity, and the end result is something I am very happy with. I could yet add more detail, but for now, let me introduce you to the dragon!
I am beyond thrilled with this!
Time-Travelling Dreams
My psychedelic nocturnal adventures continue! This time around, my experience related to travelling back in time, reliving my office supply retail days but armed with everything I know now. I took advantage of my future knowledge to be a better worker, anticipating the requirements of my superiors. The part of the dream I most recall relates to rearranging a bay for photo paper. What the subconscious mind picks up on can be very strange!
This wasn’t my only odd dream. I also dreamed my wife and I had two younger kids, possibly twins, as younger siblings to my daughter. Considering how exhausting one child can be, having three under one roof with fry my mind within minutes. There was also a dream tying into recent aggravations at work, and another where my brother and I were out with my parents, at some sort of market/café. I should add that I had all these dreams in one night. What led my brain to conjure up so many scenarios is beyond me.
Ignorance of Science
The human race has come a long way down the centuries. From some very humble beginnings, to developing the means to land probes on other planets. Once, diseases like smallpox were a scourge; now they’re all but erased. There was a time when it took weeks, even months, to cross an ocean, at great peril. Now we can on the other side of the world in a day. Whereas messengers would have to run or ride to convey information to distant lands, we can now do so instantly.
These developments are the result of an unrelenting, insatiable desire to learn more, to peel back the layers of creation, and understand what make things work. The pursuit of science has led us to develop some powerful and dangerous weapons, but equally, we have learned all sorts of positive elements too. Why then, do some people desperately cling to ignorance?
I’m inspired to write this because of my experiences with religious fundamentalists. I know of at least one who insists the Biblical narrative is 100% literally true, and no level of evidence or logic will sway them. What’s worse, there seems to be a steady rise in people disputing and distrusting science. They reject the science, and expert experience, in favour of their limited armchair research, and their half-hour Google search. Sometimes, in an hilarious-yet-tragic fashion, some of these wilfully ignorant people will lecture those with scholarly credentials, and dare to suggest their ‘knowledge’ is equivalent.
How can we be in the 21st Century, having learned so much as a species, having overcome so much, see what we have accomplished slide? When did the pursuit of knowledge become something to be derided? How is it that society-at-large seems to be letting the ignorant drive the narrative?
How might we push back against this dangerous rejection of fact and logic?
The Angry Racist
I say racist, but I’m genuinely not sure, since the person who has been shouting obscenities nearly every night for the past few weeks has been something of an equal opportunity racist, shouting slurs against black people, Asians, and white people! I have no idea what is motivating him to perform this nightly ritual, and I have no desire to openly confront him. He sounds quite powerful, judging from the strength of his voice. Still, if he continues his nocturnal tirades, someone is likely to take a swing at him, soon or later.
A Slow Spell
There’s no escaping the grim reality that both Meerkat Musings and this Meerkat Muse haven’t been rife with activity. I am lacking in motivation and inspiration, largely thanks to work. I continue to quest for a new job, something that might satisfy me more, and a fresh start.
Smelling the Scammer
Whenever I post anything about my books via social media, I invariably attract new followers. You may think this is good news, but these new followers are all out for one thing. They want to sell me something. They have no interest in my books. They serve up promises of extra sales, marketing techniques and clever advertising, but this greymuzzle has been around long enough to understand when something is too good to be true. The moment someone follows me on Twitter, then requests I follow back for them to DM me, I make it abundantly clear I do not wish to discuss sales strategies. Oddly enough, I usually don’t receive any DMs from them at that point.
It’s the nature of the human beast to try and exploit others. Everyone wants a slice of the pie, and with a heavily-saturated market, it’s become something of a cutthroat industry in itself to try and sell marketing methods. The fact is, virtually none of them will turn someone like me into a bestselling author. There’s no chance of these schemes leading me to quadruple (or even triple) figure sales per month. I would be absolutely delighted if this was the case, but these social media prowlers are modern-day snake oil salespeople. One of them was clearly making use of an AI chat bot too! In fact, that exchange was so entertaining that I have to reproduce it here:
Hey
@BenBerwickGB, just stumbled across your epic Chon’ith Empire tales and your curtain-outfoxing cat!
Any chance your sci-fi universe has a planet where foxes ban humans from hunting? Gotta say, I’m with you on the anti-Brexit vibe, maybe we can plot a galactic escape to a bookshop utopia over a cuppa?
My reply: Well, one of my universes is a portal to a whole lot of weird, so all things are possible.
That sounds like the perfect place for possibilities to bloom, Ben.
I’ve always believed the right story can open portals, sometimes to galaxies, sometimes to our hearts. If weird is the currency, then imagination is the compass. Let’s chart a course to hope, wonder, and maybe that fox-led revolution after all.
Does that read like a chat bot of some kind to you? Because it does to me. Whoever sent that message viewed my website, or rather a small portion of it, and used AI to try and craft a message that would appeal to me. Not only is it probable that this was a scam effort of some form, it was also incredibly lazy.
Neckties: The Crucible of Civilisation
I’ve already posted a Stray Meerkat about this, but it’s too fascinating (perhaps it can also be considered funny, in a semi-tragic way) to leave it at that. To summarise the post the Stray Meerkat critiques: people, particularly men in this instance, aren’t suffering for style nearly enough, and should wear ties more often for the sake of dignity. Dressing for comfort is lazy and it’s helping to invite the decline of civilisation.
I think that sums it up quite nicely.
There’s so many serious problems in the world, yet it seems some Christians are choosing some strange battles. Why not encourage world leaders and the rich and powerful to tackle poverty, homelessness, and disease? How about addressing all sorts of pressing concerns? Nope, they’re gonna go to the pulpit and preach about neckties. Sometimes, you really do have to wonder if these people possess all their faculties.
Nothing Much
This is a strange title for this little bit, but it feels appropriate. Not a great deal of what I would term interesting has been going on. The more exciting stuff planned for August is coming up, and will be explored in the next Muse. However, as always, there have been some intriguing dreams, the details of which I cannot really begin to understand, but that’s dreams for you!
There was a weird dream featuring two demonic entities, both huge, building-sized monstrosities, trying to kill each other. One was a sort of run-of-the-mill demon, the other was some sort of shadow monster. There was another dream that sadly featured the Tangerine Tyrant, who had called an early election for some reason. I imagine he would not dare do so at the moment, considering his plunging approval ratings.
Resisting the Jerk of the Knee
There have been a few recent occasions where I have bit my tongue, despite really wanting to respond to a few different people across a few different topics. The fundamental factor has laid in taking a breath, and considering whether or not it’s a worthwhile exercise. Some of the people I would be replying to might be amenable to reason, but others certainly wouldn’t be, and my patience for protracted arguments is sorely diminished at the moment. Still, there have been a few occasions where I’ve had to issue ripostes to some particularly absurd reasoning, such as the aforementioned necktie argument.
So it is that we reach the end of this Muse! More exciting moments will come to pass, I assure you! Until then…
