This time of the year – with the leaves turning and the light quality changing – it calls for a little break from reality. Sometimes that might come in the form of a good binge on alcohol; other times maybe some transcendental meditation. Then there’s the afternoon tea party. This year was the year of the afternoon tea party and so I took a little trip over the weekend. A few score of miles down the dusty back roads past the old shot out refrigerator, through the oaks and park the car and then it’s a scramble through the poison oak and coyote brush and then your almost there. It was early in the afternoon when Trish and I stumbled across a make-shift bridge over a dry creek bed and down a slight crease in the hill where Lilian’s trailer is parked. Planted is more like it. The old fiberglass shell hasn’t been moved for years and the grasses and thistle grow through it and around it. Little purple and yellow wildflowers are spotted here and there as well.
Lilian is dressed in her usual – a white flowing dress to match her long flowing light brown hair with flowers behind her ears. I have no idea how old she might be. I know she’s lived in that trailer for more than twenty years – longer than my wife has been in Chico – but her age is impossible to gauge. She could be thirty as easily as fifty – though simple math suggests she’s closer to the later. Her teeth are white and straight and she almost always smiles. I saw her frown and shed a tear once after a cat friend of hers died but then five minutes later she was smiling again. She understands the efficiency of positive thinking but I’ve never been able to convince myself of the notion.
Back in town they’re fighting over a disorderly events ordinance – by the time you read this it will either have been approved or not. Overseas they’re fighting and dying in the streets for reasons nobody clearly understands. But today, here an hour away from Chico we are drinking tea.
There is nothing like Lilian’s tea. It is sweet and thick with honey and slightly blue. I don’t know what she puts in it – I don’t ask and if I did I know her answer would be vague. “A little of this and a little of that.” You know the story. I drink a glass of that tea and I am smiling before it’s even half gone. My eyes can see. The world looks bright and shiny new again. This must have been how it looked to Adam and Eve – maybe the snake too.
Eventually we end up back in that garden. The clothing disappears somewhere. Who knows where? The nudists tell you not to look at the naughty bits but we look and they are not naughty anymore. We laugh because there is no reason not to. My wife and I disappear to spend some time alone together. Time has become strange and shifty. It doesn’t matter. In an oak grove we stumble across a minstrel in a dark suit drinking from a bottle of gin and taking a wiz. His teeth are bad and his hair is shockingly red. He smiles through mangled teeth and his laugh is a prolonged wheeze. Then he sings us a tune as sweet as any we’d ever heard. He is like a bird and then he disappears but joins us all later at the trailer for a cup of Lilian’s tea.
Eventually night falls and the bugs come out but they don’t bite. We laugh with them as they flit about us in the twilight.
Lilian starts a small fire and over time it grows larger until we are warmed and illuminated by it and then we begin to see the old gods, and the ancient gods swarming around us like the mosquitoes earlier. We don’t pray to them – we don’t have to. They are here with us. We only smile and cry and laugh and sing and wonder at this incredible world and the why of it all. Then those thoughts are gone too and we just are – one with everything and nothing, one with everything we can see and one with everything we cannot, everything that is there and the things that are not. My skin tingles and burns and disappears. Trish is a smiling pool of luminosity. I cannot keep a straight face. I cannot consciously do anything anymore except to love and to be loved and to be.
Lilian’s Tea.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Jesus Camp
Indoctrination and Isolation
We watched a truly scary documentary film this weekend called “Jesus Camp.” The film follows a handul of Evangelical Christian children as they attend church and then a summer camp in Devil’s Lake, Idaho. The children put on Christian-themed plays and musicals and listen to a series of different speakers talking about issues like abortion and, well, mostly abortion really. The children get up and testify – they talk about how they have been “saved.” Mind you these kids are all of ten years old and they are up on stage talking about how their lives were empty before they found Christ. The kids are encouraged by the counselors to address their sinfulness and to beg for their forgiveness. Many of the kids spontaneously break down and cry – some are huddled in heaps on the ground, rocking and weeping because of their alleged wickedness. One particularly horrifying counselor condemns Harry Potter and rails against Americans inability to fast. This I found confusing as this counselor had to be pushing three hundred pounds. Interestingly this same counselor seemed to have a great deal of respect for the Islamic suicide bombers because of their zealotry and their willingness to die for their religion. She seems to be perplexed by the fact that American Christians don’t have the same devotion to their faith and she speaks of creating “children soldiers” to fight in the name of Christ. Another obvious ex-drug addict attacks the concept of evolution and takes the children on a field trip to Washington D.C. where they tape their mouths shut with red tape and write the word “Life” across it.
At first the film just pissed me off. The words “child abuse” and “ignorant” came up frequently during and after the viewing. I felt an urge to punch people. Initially I felt like the film was a waste of time because ultimately it pointed out a problem I am powerless to change. If people want to believe something I think is preposterous and if they want to home-school their children and indoctrinate them with those same beliefs there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it.
But I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of days and I realize that there are things we can do about it on an institutional level. First off we need to be aware of the phenomenon. 25% of the American population is Evangelical Christian. That is a huge voting block. As a group they want more Christianity in government. They do not believe in a separation of church and state, they are not tolerant, and they are angry that religion has been ejected from the public school system.
Second we need to realize the code-language they employ. School vouchers sounds like a good idea – people should be able to choose where their children go to school. But the school voucher issue is being pushed mostly by Evangelicals who are fearful of the public school system and want to be able to use public monies to send their children to religious schools. This is an end-run on the separation of church and state.
Ultimately I have to believe that the tactics of indoctrination and isolation used by Evangelicals will render them powerless. Ours is a nation of tolerance and if our children aren’t raised to understand that there are different systems of belief then they will flounder when they eventually enter into main-stream society. I think a lot of those kids may eventually reject what they’ve been taught at such a young age. How can a ten year old kid feel empty and that he or she is in need of salvation? These feelings only exist because their parents and mentors are encouraging them to feel that way. But what happens when these kids hit their teens and the hormones start kicking in? What happens when they think they have been saved and then they feel empty? And what happens to these kids emotions when their role models who are so judgmental eventually reveal themselves to be imperfect moral arbiters?
The televangelist Ted Haggard appears in the film and the kids are thrilled to meet him. There is no mention of his subsequent fall from grace – it was revealed that he had taken crystal meth purchased from a male prostitute.
Kids are kids – they shouldn’t have to think about abortion and sin and sexuality. These are adult issues and kids will grow up and have to deal with them soon enough. In the mean-time let them indulge in a bit of innocence while they still can because once innocence is gone it does not come back.
We watched a truly scary documentary film this weekend called “Jesus Camp.” The film follows a handul of Evangelical Christian children as they attend church and then a summer camp in Devil’s Lake, Idaho. The children put on Christian-themed plays and musicals and listen to a series of different speakers talking about issues like abortion and, well, mostly abortion really. The children get up and testify – they talk about how they have been “saved.” Mind you these kids are all of ten years old and they are up on stage talking about how their lives were empty before they found Christ. The kids are encouraged by the counselors to address their sinfulness and to beg for their forgiveness. Many of the kids spontaneously break down and cry – some are huddled in heaps on the ground, rocking and weeping because of their alleged wickedness. One particularly horrifying counselor condemns Harry Potter and rails against Americans inability to fast. This I found confusing as this counselor had to be pushing three hundred pounds. Interestingly this same counselor seemed to have a great deal of respect for the Islamic suicide bombers because of their zealotry and their willingness to die for their religion. She seems to be perplexed by the fact that American Christians don’t have the same devotion to their faith and she speaks of creating “children soldiers” to fight in the name of Christ. Another obvious ex-drug addict attacks the concept of evolution and takes the children on a field trip to Washington D.C. where they tape their mouths shut with red tape and write the word “Life” across it.
At first the film just pissed me off. The words “child abuse” and “ignorant” came up frequently during and after the viewing. I felt an urge to punch people. Initially I felt like the film was a waste of time because ultimately it pointed out a problem I am powerless to change. If people want to believe something I think is preposterous and if they want to home-school their children and indoctrinate them with those same beliefs there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it.
But I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of days and I realize that there are things we can do about it on an institutional level. First off we need to be aware of the phenomenon. 25% of the American population is Evangelical Christian. That is a huge voting block. As a group they want more Christianity in government. They do not believe in a separation of church and state, they are not tolerant, and they are angry that religion has been ejected from the public school system.
Second we need to realize the code-language they employ. School vouchers sounds like a good idea – people should be able to choose where their children go to school. But the school voucher issue is being pushed mostly by Evangelicals who are fearful of the public school system and want to be able to use public monies to send their children to religious schools. This is an end-run on the separation of church and state.
Ultimately I have to believe that the tactics of indoctrination and isolation used by Evangelicals will render them powerless. Ours is a nation of tolerance and if our children aren’t raised to understand that there are different systems of belief then they will flounder when they eventually enter into main-stream society. I think a lot of those kids may eventually reject what they’ve been taught at such a young age. How can a ten year old kid feel empty and that he or she is in need of salvation? These feelings only exist because their parents and mentors are encouraging them to feel that way. But what happens when these kids hit their teens and the hormones start kicking in? What happens when they think they have been saved and then they feel empty? And what happens to these kids emotions when their role models who are so judgmental eventually reveal themselves to be imperfect moral arbiters?
The televangelist Ted Haggard appears in the film and the kids are thrilled to meet him. There is no mention of his subsequent fall from grace – it was revealed that he had taken crystal meth purchased from a male prostitute.
Kids are kids – they shouldn’t have to think about abortion and sin and sexuality. These are adult issues and kids will grow up and have to deal with them soon enough. In the mean-time let them indulge in a bit of innocence while they still can because once innocence is gone it does not come back.
Crumbling Bridges
Our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling. Many of us are learning this for the first time because of a massive bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN, that made cost dozens of people their lives and made the national news. The governor of Minnesota defended the bridges “structurally deficient” status by pointing out that there are over 80,000 bridges sharing the same rating throughout the United States. Reassuring, isn’t it?
Country music legend Merle Haggard has been talking about our nation’s crumbling infrastructure for years. As a traveling troubadour Mr. Haggard is in a rare position to be able to criss-cross the nation’s highways and by-ways on a semi-annual basis. Unlike your typical businessman or tourist Haggard and his crew travel by bus and as such they see first-hand the status of bridges, tunnels and roads. Haggard has been outspoken about the need for money to be redirected into our own country’s maintenance and, unfortunately, the recent bridge collapse puts him in the position of being able to say “I told you so.”
Now politicians and journalists alike are scrambling to cover the story of our nation’s inferior infrastructure after the fact. At this point we are so far behind its not even funny. But people don’t want to hear about maintenance, politicians don’t want to address it, and journalists don’t want to cover it. Maintenance is dull. The news instead needs to grab headlines and sell advertising. In a debt-driven consumer based society no one wants to spend their hard-earned money on making sure their bridges are structurally sound – not when there are shiny new iPods to buy and shiny new bombs to drop.
Ebb and Flow
There is a common term in computer programming that goes like this: garbage in garbage out. It applies to everything, government, sex, road maintenance, music, economics. We get what we give and if we ain’t giving we aren’t gonna be doing much getting. So if you’re sitting around and thinking you don’t like what you’ve got then think about what you can contribute to life to make yours better. It doesn’t take much more than effort – but even effort can be hard to come by when things seem entirely futile.
Baby Steps
Only within the past few years have I really gotten good at producing work. That comes in the form of writing, art, and music and I’m not saying I’m the world’s greatest at any of these endeavors but I have gotten myself into the habit of creating. That happened for me because of a couple of things. First I abolished any notions I had of perfection. I know I’m not perfect, I never will be perfect, and ultimately I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to do the best I can, or sometimes not even that. Sometimes I just try and do something just to get myself rolling and I don’t even try and do it all that well. Second I started learning how to break larger projects down into a series of steps. Trish and I have a Buddhist saying we picked up from somewhere: “Snails climb Mount Fuji.” By moving in a direction we get somewhere. It sounds simple enough but it is really easy to just stop moving.
In laboratory experiments rats that were subjected to a relatively moderate dose of cocaine acted as one might expect – they became agitated and anxious and moved faster. But when rats were subjected to massive doses of cocaine they stopped moving altogether. The theory is that the rat’s brains were so over-stimulated by the cocaine and their neurons were taking in so much information at once that they simply could not function. This happens to us when we are over-stimulated by all the worries and stressors that life can throw at us. If we aren’t able to quiet our brains and boil our path of action down to a series of tangible steps we can easily become overwhelmed to a point where we cease to function productively.
Slow down, reach out. Breathe and stretch. Maintain your bridges and keep your feet moving forward. The best time to start is now.
Country music legend Merle Haggard has been talking about our nation’s crumbling infrastructure for years. As a traveling troubadour Mr. Haggard is in a rare position to be able to criss-cross the nation’s highways and by-ways on a semi-annual basis. Unlike your typical businessman or tourist Haggard and his crew travel by bus and as such they see first-hand the status of bridges, tunnels and roads. Haggard has been outspoken about the need for money to be redirected into our own country’s maintenance and, unfortunately, the recent bridge collapse puts him in the position of being able to say “I told you so.”
Now politicians and journalists alike are scrambling to cover the story of our nation’s inferior infrastructure after the fact. At this point we are so far behind its not even funny. But people don’t want to hear about maintenance, politicians don’t want to address it, and journalists don’t want to cover it. Maintenance is dull. The news instead needs to grab headlines and sell advertising. In a debt-driven consumer based society no one wants to spend their hard-earned money on making sure their bridges are structurally sound – not when there are shiny new iPods to buy and shiny new bombs to drop.
Ebb and Flow
There is a common term in computer programming that goes like this: garbage in garbage out. It applies to everything, government, sex, road maintenance, music, economics. We get what we give and if we ain’t giving we aren’t gonna be doing much getting. So if you’re sitting around and thinking you don’t like what you’ve got then think about what you can contribute to life to make yours better. It doesn’t take much more than effort – but even effort can be hard to come by when things seem entirely futile.
Baby Steps
Only within the past few years have I really gotten good at producing work. That comes in the form of writing, art, and music and I’m not saying I’m the world’s greatest at any of these endeavors but I have gotten myself into the habit of creating. That happened for me because of a couple of things. First I abolished any notions I had of perfection. I know I’m not perfect, I never will be perfect, and ultimately I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to do the best I can, or sometimes not even that. Sometimes I just try and do something just to get myself rolling and I don’t even try and do it all that well. Second I started learning how to break larger projects down into a series of steps. Trish and I have a Buddhist saying we picked up from somewhere: “Snails climb Mount Fuji.” By moving in a direction we get somewhere. It sounds simple enough but it is really easy to just stop moving.
In laboratory experiments rats that were subjected to a relatively moderate dose of cocaine acted as one might expect – they became agitated and anxious and moved faster. But when rats were subjected to massive doses of cocaine they stopped moving altogether. The theory is that the rat’s brains were so over-stimulated by the cocaine and their neurons were taking in so much information at once that they simply could not function. This happens to us when we are over-stimulated by all the worries and stressors that life can throw at us. If we aren’t able to quiet our brains and boil our path of action down to a series of tangible steps we can easily become overwhelmed to a point where we cease to function productively.
Slow down, reach out. Breathe and stretch. Maintain your bridges and keep your feet moving forward. The best time to start is now.
College
I remember college being a time of concentrated learning – a lot of change can happen in a very short span of time. People discover who they really are or start charting a course for the future. It’s a time of experimentation and adventure. In college I discovered passions I didn’t know I had and those four plus years shaped my personality and put me on the road to who I am today and who I will become tomorrow. Good times, bad times, and some just plain weird times –I learned a ton and made some incredible memories and friendships.
Looking back there were things I would do again and a few other things I would not recommend.
Do
Change your major. If you get a few years into school and it turns out you’re not really enjoying what you’re studying, try something else! People end up in a certain major for a variety of reasons – earning potential being near the top of the list. But if you can find something you’re really passionate about you will give yourself the potential to have a truly fulfilling career.
Play in a band. If you even have the inclination to start a band do it! You don’t have to be good – in fact almost all great bands started out as not very good bands. Chico has a rich musical history and many of the successful bands from this town were spawned on the Chico State campus. And even if your band never tours the country or signs to a label you’ll still have a great time. Music is a tremendous release from the day to day stress of school, work, whatever. Be part of the river that is music.
Start a Business. If you are the entrepreneur type Chico is a fantastic community to start up a business. Two businesses that started in a garage and eventually went on to national success are Sierra Nevada Brewery and Synthesis Magazine.
Take up an activity. I went to school in Southern California and ended up surfing because pretty much everyone in my dorm was a surfer and it became obvious that if I didn’t pick it up I’d end up spending a lot of time by myself. At home in the suburban east bay area I never imagined I would be a surfer but once I started I was hooked. I surfed everyday for years. I was part of a closely-knit group of friends who spent a lot of time in the water together and I took several memorable surfing trips capped by a three month expedition that took me and three friends up and down both coasts of Mexico in a white Dodge van.
Party. I’m not saying you should go out and get bombed every night, (though I’m not saying you shouldn’t) but you should go out and socialize. There is a space or a scene for everyone and the social skills you develop in college will help you in any field you eventually go into.
Go to shows. I went to a fair amount of music shows but honestly I wish I went to more. Nothing beats catching that quality band in a small venue and if you go to shows regularly here in town you will be treated to some great performances.
Don’t
Don’t fall in love with pot. I got into pot-smoking pretty heavily and ended up spending more time than I wish I had anchored to my couch. Lame. I know some people handle pot better than others but for me I probably wasted years of my life being stoned. I’m not saying don’t get stoned, but do get off the couch. You’ll never look back at your life and say “gee I wish I spent more time on the couch.”
Don’t have a steady girlfriend or boyfriend. This was my biggest college mistake. I had a college girl-friend for three years. Then two months after we graduated we broke up. Stupid stupid stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking and I wish someone had shook me and said “hey dumbass, look at all the girls around here!” Seriously. Stupid.
To Sum Up
Do stuff. That’s my overall point here. Be spontaneous, try new things. Soon enough life and all it’s responsibilities will come crashing down around you and you’ll be spending more time than you ever could have imagined sitting in traffic, talking on the telephone, or staring at a computer screen. Now is the time to get out there, go to an art-show, a demolition derby, a rock show or a rodeo. Find your scene while trying others. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open and experience everything college life has to offer.
Looking back there were things I would do again and a few other things I would not recommend.
Do
Change your major. If you get a few years into school and it turns out you’re not really enjoying what you’re studying, try something else! People end up in a certain major for a variety of reasons – earning potential being near the top of the list. But if you can find something you’re really passionate about you will give yourself the potential to have a truly fulfilling career.
Play in a band. If you even have the inclination to start a band do it! You don’t have to be good – in fact almost all great bands started out as not very good bands. Chico has a rich musical history and many of the successful bands from this town were spawned on the Chico State campus. And even if your band never tours the country or signs to a label you’ll still have a great time. Music is a tremendous release from the day to day stress of school, work, whatever. Be part of the river that is music.
Start a Business. If you are the entrepreneur type Chico is a fantastic community to start up a business. Two businesses that started in a garage and eventually went on to national success are Sierra Nevada Brewery and Synthesis Magazine.
Take up an activity. I went to school in Southern California and ended up surfing because pretty much everyone in my dorm was a surfer and it became obvious that if I didn’t pick it up I’d end up spending a lot of time by myself. At home in the suburban east bay area I never imagined I would be a surfer but once I started I was hooked. I surfed everyday for years. I was part of a closely-knit group of friends who spent a lot of time in the water together and I took several memorable surfing trips capped by a three month expedition that took me and three friends up and down both coasts of Mexico in a white Dodge van.
Party. I’m not saying you should go out and get bombed every night, (though I’m not saying you shouldn’t) but you should go out and socialize. There is a space or a scene for everyone and the social skills you develop in college will help you in any field you eventually go into.
Go to shows. I went to a fair amount of music shows but honestly I wish I went to more. Nothing beats catching that quality band in a small venue and if you go to shows regularly here in town you will be treated to some great performances.
Don’t
Don’t fall in love with pot. I got into pot-smoking pretty heavily and ended up spending more time than I wish I had anchored to my couch. Lame. I know some people handle pot better than others but for me I probably wasted years of my life being stoned. I’m not saying don’t get stoned, but do get off the couch. You’ll never look back at your life and say “gee I wish I spent more time on the couch.”
Don’t have a steady girlfriend or boyfriend. This was my biggest college mistake. I had a college girl-friend for three years. Then two months after we graduated we broke up. Stupid stupid stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking and I wish someone had shook me and said “hey dumbass, look at all the girls around here!” Seriously. Stupid.
To Sum Up
Do stuff. That’s my overall point here. Be spontaneous, try new things. Soon enough life and all it’s responsibilities will come crashing down around you and you’ll be spending more time than you ever could have imagined sitting in traffic, talking on the telephone, or staring at a computer screen. Now is the time to get out there, go to an art-show, a demolition derby, a rock show or a rodeo. Find your scene while trying others. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open and experience everything college life has to offer.
Cognitive Dissonance
It is pathological to go through life thinking that you are always right. It is healthier to understand that sometimes your course of action is wrong. A productive life-style necessarily includes a process of self-assessment and occasional redirection. That being said we are hard-wired to believe that we are morally upright, well-meaning people. When we do wrong our brains will naturally go into overdrive trying to justify to ourselves why what may seem wrong is actually right. So to admit that we’ve done something wrong is fundamentally unnatural and difficult. But it is so important to growing as a person because if we can’t acknowledge our mistakes then we have very little to no chance of fixing them or avoiding those same mistakes in the future.
Along these lines I was speaking to a colleague of mine at work the other day about the “sphere of influence.” Basically there are only a limited number of things we can control and worrying or complaining about the things we can’t control only hamstrings our own progress. For instance I have no control over the weather. I can complain that it is hot or cold but ultimately all I am doing is stealing time and emotion from myself. By accepting the weather for what it is I can then move forward to things I can control. I can get my grunt-work done in the morning when its cooler and then do my desk-work in the afternoon when the temperature is blazing.
This is just a dumb example but the point is that by only devoting energy to those things we can actually control or influence we actually expand that sphere of influence. Our power grows because we are using it wisely.
Along these lines I was speaking to a colleague of mine at work the other day about the “sphere of influence.” Basically there are only a limited number of things we can control and worrying or complaining about the things we can’t control only hamstrings our own progress. For instance I have no control over the weather. I can complain that it is hot or cold but ultimately all I am doing is stealing time and emotion from myself. By accepting the weather for what it is I can then move forward to things I can control. I can get my grunt-work done in the morning when its cooler and then do my desk-work in the afternoon when the temperature is blazing.
This is just a dumb example but the point is that by only devoting energy to those things we can actually control or influence we actually expand that sphere of influence. Our power grows because we are using it wisely.
Burn Season
Gordo Gets a Facelift
A couple of summers ago I had a testy exchange with God that resulted in our chopping down two mature liquid amber trees after the Almighty used them to bombard our roof-top with limbs. We’re still feeling the repercussions but over time trials are turning to tribulations. One of the after-effects of those huge temperamental trees being felled is that we now have a really wonderful outdoor fireplace. We had so many rounds left behind by the tree trimmers that the only solution we could figure was to burn them. A few hundred dollars worth of cinder-block, rebar and concrete later Gordo was born! I had never built a fireplace before and I elected to rely more on aesthetic and instinct that knowledge or research. As a result during the first burning season Gordo had some problems. A fair amount of the cinderblocks crumbled away to dust. Eventually the entire back of the beast fell out so that the firebox really only had two sides. There were also some issues with smoke but I haven’t tested the new design yet so I am reluctant to say too much about that. Well I spent the summer repairing Gordo and I am happy to say that he is intact and ready for the upcoming fire season.
In addition to the structural repair work I also spent some time applying a mosaic finish to the outside and a layer of white mortar to the inside of the firebox. All in all I’m very happy with the finished product – though it will be interesting to see how Gordo holds up as the burn season goes on. We generally end up pushing the capacity of the fireplace – particularly after 12-18 beers – so I’m sure that Gordo will be tested.
Bon-Fire of Banalities
After the recent two days of drizzle some good friends of ours burned three huge piles of brush and tree stumps on their almond orchard. There is something therapeutic about a good burn. Those massive piles of flame got me thinking back to ancient times when fire was precious and powerful – before our energy came through wires and cables. Even today, just over the lip of the second millennium since Jesus walked the earth, most of our power still comes from fire in the form of coal. Six hundred coal power plants provide about 50% of our countries power. Interestingly my friends burning the almond scraps have an entire side of their roof-top covered with solar panels. It’s fun to watch their power meter running backwards.
World’s Going Crazy Again
In Burma Buddhist monks are protesting nearly two decades of repressive military rule. By the time you read this things there may have come to a head. The government is growing increasingly impatient with the crowds of pro-democracy citizens and a curfew has been put in place. In the United States Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s request to visit Ground Zero and lay a wreath was denied and his speaking engagement at Columbia University was protested and condemned. The United Auto Workers are on-strike. What’s new? Everyone wants black and white solutions to problems that are infinitely grey. Government’s want order and repression is a tried and true way to keep things orderly… but for how long? We need to talk and listen to people – even, no, especially to people we don’t agree with. After all we gain nothing by talking and listening to people who already essentially believe what each other are saying. And as for the auto-workers – talk about a rock and hard place. There are economic realities at play on both sides of the ball. Any agreement they come up with now will probably only be torn down in future negotiations.
The Ride of Your Life
The world is changing right in front of our eyes. Good, bad, those words don’t mean much any more. The only fact is change and whether that change eventually becomes good or bad is ultimately going to hinge upon how we react to it. So get ready for it. Embrace it. Strap into the rocket car that is reality and get ready to hit the switch. I can’t tell you where it’s going to end but I can guarantee to you that it is going to be one hell of a ride!
Happy burn season!
A couple of summers ago I had a testy exchange with God that resulted in our chopping down two mature liquid amber trees after the Almighty used them to bombard our roof-top with limbs. We’re still feeling the repercussions but over time trials are turning to tribulations. One of the after-effects of those huge temperamental trees being felled is that we now have a really wonderful outdoor fireplace. We had so many rounds left behind by the tree trimmers that the only solution we could figure was to burn them. A few hundred dollars worth of cinder-block, rebar and concrete later Gordo was born! I had never built a fireplace before and I elected to rely more on aesthetic and instinct that knowledge or research. As a result during the first burning season Gordo had some problems. A fair amount of the cinderblocks crumbled away to dust. Eventually the entire back of the beast fell out so that the firebox really only had two sides. There were also some issues with smoke but I haven’t tested the new design yet so I am reluctant to say too much about that. Well I spent the summer repairing Gordo and I am happy to say that he is intact and ready for the upcoming fire season.
In addition to the structural repair work I also spent some time applying a mosaic finish to the outside and a layer of white mortar to the inside of the firebox. All in all I’m very happy with the finished product – though it will be interesting to see how Gordo holds up as the burn season goes on. We generally end up pushing the capacity of the fireplace – particularly after 12-18 beers – so I’m sure that Gordo will be tested.
Bon-Fire of Banalities
After the recent two days of drizzle some good friends of ours burned three huge piles of brush and tree stumps on their almond orchard. There is something therapeutic about a good burn. Those massive piles of flame got me thinking back to ancient times when fire was precious and powerful – before our energy came through wires and cables. Even today, just over the lip of the second millennium since Jesus walked the earth, most of our power still comes from fire in the form of coal. Six hundred coal power plants provide about 50% of our countries power. Interestingly my friends burning the almond scraps have an entire side of their roof-top covered with solar panels. It’s fun to watch their power meter running backwards.
World’s Going Crazy Again
In Burma Buddhist monks are protesting nearly two decades of repressive military rule. By the time you read this things there may have come to a head. The government is growing increasingly impatient with the crowds of pro-democracy citizens and a curfew has been put in place. In the United States Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s request to visit Ground Zero and lay a wreath was denied and his speaking engagement at Columbia University was protested and condemned. The United Auto Workers are on-strike. What’s new? Everyone wants black and white solutions to problems that are infinitely grey. Government’s want order and repression is a tried and true way to keep things orderly… but for how long? We need to talk and listen to people – even, no, especially to people we don’t agree with. After all we gain nothing by talking and listening to people who already essentially believe what each other are saying. And as for the auto-workers – talk about a rock and hard place. There are economic realities at play on both sides of the ball. Any agreement they come up with now will probably only be torn down in future negotiations.
The Ride of Your Life
The world is changing right in front of our eyes. Good, bad, those words don’t mean much any more. The only fact is change and whether that change eventually becomes good or bad is ultimately going to hinge upon how we react to it. So get ready for it. Embrace it. Strap into the rocket car that is reality and get ready to hit the switch. I can’t tell you where it’s going to end but I can guarantee to you that it is going to be one hell of a ride!
Happy burn season!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Going Somewhere Fast
The Virginia Tech Massacre
This is an incredible tragedy. Of course every feeling person’s heart goes out to the families of the students and faculty who were gunned down in this horrifying episode of sheer chaos and violence. There really isn’t much more you can say about the matter.
Playing the Blame Game
But that certainly hasn’t stopped the national media from desperately trying to turn a random event into a story. Naturally this involves finding someone to blame. Reporters are suggesting the campus security or the President of the University could’ve done more to warn students and potentially lessened the loss of life. Look, randomness can’t be predicted and insanity can’t be stopped. If a crazy person decides to shoot up a bunch of people in a public place then that’s what will happen.
Honestly I find it hopeful that this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often. I have come to the conclusion that there are some people who could do a violent senseless thing and there are others who would do a violent senseless thing but luckily the two types of people rarely intersect. It is an anomaly when a personality has both the will and the wherewithal to reek such utter havoc and destruction. To me that is a small sign of a basic decency that exists.
Aside from this I am getting really nauseated by the general cries for more security. Security comes with a cost and generally the trade-off involves freedoms. I know it is natural for the family of those killed to be angry and frustrated and to want to try and place an order and a context on this sort of tragedy but that doesn’t mean the national media has to latch onto these reactions and rile up a virtual pitch-fork wielding mob calling for the blood of college administrators and campus security.
Don Imus
I feel like I should at least weigh in on this issue. I’ve been thinking a lot about the words and the reaction and for what it’s worth here’s my take. I believe in free speech and I accept capitalism as a viable driving economic force. So the firing of Don Imus alarms me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost he got fired for saying something distasteful. I could accept that if I believed that the overall market, or Imus’ audience, had abandoned the notorious radio shock-jock. But I don’t believe this is the case. I believe that there are likely a lot of faithful Imus listeners who are bitterly disappointed that they don’t get to listen to their favorite radio jock doing what he does and has done every morning for the last forty some-odd years.
So why was Imus fired? I think he was canned because the corporate sponsors didn’t want to risk tarnishing their images. This holds extremely dubious connotations. In this case the issue is racism, but if we project it is not inconceivable to foresee a future where corporate sponsors might hinge their decisions on religion, politics, or whatever the “outrage du jour” might happen to be. We already have a sickeningly limited choice of material to listen to on the “public” airwaves and if we continue to curtail it based on what corporate America is willing to sponsor then eventually there will be nothing left but Top 40 garbage and innocuous squeaky clean “Regis and Kelly” type morning show style banter. That may be fine for the swallow and smile quasi-Christian suburbanite sheep out there but for anyone with a streak of individualism or subversion this spiraling situation should leave us feeling slightly sick to our stomachs. Do I like what Imus said? No, but frankly if the corporate controlled national media hadn’t picked up on the story I never even would have heard it. I don’t listen to Don Imus and that’s my advice for anyone else who doesn’t like what he has to say. Change the station. Then let capitalism take its course.
We desperately need debate in these dangerous times. If we are constantly worried about saying the wrong things then we will never even be able to enter into these types of discussions. Free speech and a free press are the cornerstones of a free society and totalitarian regimes have always focused on controlling speech and print. So which direction are we heading in right now?
This is an incredible tragedy. Of course every feeling person’s heart goes out to the families of the students and faculty who were gunned down in this horrifying episode of sheer chaos and violence. There really isn’t much more you can say about the matter.
Playing the Blame Game
But that certainly hasn’t stopped the national media from desperately trying to turn a random event into a story. Naturally this involves finding someone to blame. Reporters are suggesting the campus security or the President of the University could’ve done more to warn students and potentially lessened the loss of life. Look, randomness can’t be predicted and insanity can’t be stopped. If a crazy person decides to shoot up a bunch of people in a public place then that’s what will happen.
Honestly I find it hopeful that this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often. I have come to the conclusion that there are some people who could do a violent senseless thing and there are others who would do a violent senseless thing but luckily the two types of people rarely intersect. It is an anomaly when a personality has both the will and the wherewithal to reek such utter havoc and destruction. To me that is a small sign of a basic decency that exists.
Aside from this I am getting really nauseated by the general cries for more security. Security comes with a cost and generally the trade-off involves freedoms. I know it is natural for the family of those killed to be angry and frustrated and to want to try and place an order and a context on this sort of tragedy but that doesn’t mean the national media has to latch onto these reactions and rile up a virtual pitch-fork wielding mob calling for the blood of college administrators and campus security.
Don Imus
I feel like I should at least weigh in on this issue. I’ve been thinking a lot about the words and the reaction and for what it’s worth here’s my take. I believe in free speech and I accept capitalism as a viable driving economic force. So the firing of Don Imus alarms me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost he got fired for saying something distasteful. I could accept that if I believed that the overall market, or Imus’ audience, had abandoned the notorious radio shock-jock. But I don’t believe this is the case. I believe that there are likely a lot of faithful Imus listeners who are bitterly disappointed that they don’t get to listen to their favorite radio jock doing what he does and has done every morning for the last forty some-odd years.
So why was Imus fired? I think he was canned because the corporate sponsors didn’t want to risk tarnishing their images. This holds extremely dubious connotations. In this case the issue is racism, but if we project it is not inconceivable to foresee a future where corporate sponsors might hinge their decisions on religion, politics, or whatever the “outrage du jour” might happen to be. We already have a sickeningly limited choice of material to listen to on the “public” airwaves and if we continue to curtail it based on what corporate America is willing to sponsor then eventually there will be nothing left but Top 40 garbage and innocuous squeaky clean “Regis and Kelly” type morning show style banter. That may be fine for the swallow and smile quasi-Christian suburbanite sheep out there but for anyone with a streak of individualism or subversion this spiraling situation should leave us feeling slightly sick to our stomachs. Do I like what Imus said? No, but frankly if the corporate controlled national media hadn’t picked up on the story I never even would have heard it. I don’t listen to Don Imus and that’s my advice for anyone else who doesn’t like what he has to say. Change the station. Then let capitalism take its course.
We desperately need debate in these dangerous times. If we are constantly worried about saying the wrong things then we will never even be able to enter into these types of discussions. Free speech and a free press are the cornerstones of a free society and totalitarian regimes have always focused on controlling speech and print. So which direction are we heading in right now?
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