Because the evening light was insufficient for my
camera, I decided to row over early this morning to snap some photos. But one ship had left just after dawn, and
another had upped anchor and was headed out to sea as I comically attempted to
catch her. However, I was able to get this
nice shot of the remaining beauty.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
A MOST UNUSUAL SHIP
by Ray Jason
Three magnificent Tall Ships sailed into the
Archipelago of Bliss yesterday and anchored only 200 yards away from
AVENTURA. I consider the sailing ship
humanity’s finest blend of form and function - or as I prefer to describe it –
beauty and purpose. So, seeing such
majestic examples of this artistry had my heart astir.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
A SEA GYPSY HAIKU SAMPLER
by Ray Jason
When the anchor was down in one of
my favorite hideaway coves, it felt like a great emancipation – a return to solitude
and stillness. Within a few hours I was absorbing
the tranquility of the tiny bay. I knew
that I was truly being cured of the frenzy when the haiku began to flow.
*******
This ancient form of Japanese poetry has appealed to
me since my early days in college, when I was introduced to the great master of
the form - Basho. Basically, the poems
are tiny snapshots of Nature. But in
their most exalted moments they speak to the sublime interface of the Human
with the Natural. They amplify the often
uncelebrated aspects of the world around us that are elemental, commonplace and
eternal. And they do so with austere
elegance.
The most standard form is three lines with the first
and last comprised of five syllables and the middle line having seven
syllables. They should be immediate
impressions of a real-time encounter with Nature. They should not be abstract and
intellectual. They also require simplicity
rather than ornamentation. An old adage
that expresses this perfectly is: “If the finger that is pointing towards the
moon is bejeweled, that to which it is pointing will not be noticed.”
*******
Monday, December 21, 2015
A PANTHEIST LOOKS AT CHRISTMAS
by Ray Jason
As soon as I finish this essay and
send it out into the world to find its way, I will begin my own private
Christmas celebration. I will cast off
the dock-lines, hoist the sails and head off to a little cove that will
bequeath me the wondrous gift of Solitude.
My only companions will be the creatures of the Sea and the Sky and an
occasional fisherman drifting by in a cayuco.
What I will be seeking in this
isolation is what has been lost in the current incarnation of Christmas – REVERENCE. This holiday is supposed to pay homage to the
birth date of the founder of Christianity.
But it has steadily deteriorated from a spiritual celebration into a
materialistic, consumer frenzy. It is
not about Spirit. It is about Stuff.
The object of my reverence will not
be a god or a man-god or a man. It will
be Nature. Whereas the existence of god cannot be
proven, the existence of Nature cannot be denied. My handsome little sailboat will be moving
through it – through the waves of the Sea - powered by the wind from the Sky. In a very real sense, my boat and I will be
cradled by Nature.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
IT'S NOT JUST A MOVIE
by Ray Jason
Sometimes, when I am anchored alone in the far reaches
of the Archipelago of Bliss, I will see a group of Indios gathered around a camp
fire sharing stories as the twilight deepens into darkness. Everything in such a scene is primal and
elemental and authentic. If there are
children in the circle, I suspect that the adults are probably passing along
their tribal story. They are teaching
the young their shared history and their common values.
Because language was invented long before writing, the
importance of oral story-telling was enormous in our early evolution as a
species. Stories DO MATTER – they are
vital in our societal development. And
as humanity has progressed, so has the manner in which our stories are
conveyed.
Tribal campfire instruction was supplanted by medieval
theatrical productions. Shakespeare
replaced the shaman. But it wasn’t long
before The Book diminished The Bard.
With the moveable-type printing press, far more people could have access
to the shared wisdom accumulated during the human caravan. In the 20th Century, the written
word lost its pre-eminence due to the invention of movies and television. These tools, that combined moving images with
spoken words and music, were far more powerful than the story-telling systems
that had preceded them.
*******
Thursday, November 26, 2015
THE INVISIBLE FRENZY
by Ray Jason
It was a genuine “laugh until you
cry” moment. Two of my absolute favorite
people and their son were sitting across from me in a plush Palo Alto
restaurant. Five minutes into our meal I
looked across at them and was astounded.
Spontaneously, but quietly, I leaned towards them and said, “Good god, you eat like refugees!”
They laughed heartily and acknowledged that their lives are so dominated
by the need to constantly hurry, that they barely notice how revved up they
are.
This was my first contact with the
phenomenon that I call “The Invisible Frenzy.”
I was a few days into a month long visit to San Francisco to enjoy the
company of my wonderful friends there.
But I was already frazzled by the insane velocity with which they
conduct their day to day activities. Was
it so unsettling because I had been transformed by the slo-mo pace of my life
in the Archipelago of Bliss, or had the speed of urban living accelerated that
much in the seven years since my last visit?
Probably, it was a combination of both factors.
Friday, October 30, 2015
WHAT I THINK I KNOW - TAKE TWO
by Ray Jason
| Ray on his birthday 2015 |
As the years thunder by, I pleasantly discover that my needs
and desires keep decreasing. Health,
Happiness, Friendship and Freedom are now the cardinal points on the compass of
my life’s voyage. Because today is my
birthday, it is natural to ponder whether my Ship of Self is sailing smoothly;
or whether it is struggling through troubled waters. Fortunately, the year astern of me has been
splendid, and the days ahead look promising.
For me, one of the joys and challenges of each birthday is to
revisit my core knowledge of the world.
Being blessed with the philosopher’s curse of needing to understand the
mystery of human existence, I use this annual milestone to reconsider “what I
think I know.” My approach this year
will be to focus on the multitude of infants who will be born today and thus
share the same birth date as mine. What
awaits them…???
*******
Thursday, October 15, 2015
THE DIRE NEED FOR REFUSAL
by Ray Jason
One of the many reasons that I
linger here in the Banana Latitudes is because the local people still have
backbones. Or to use a more creative description
that a friend of mine favors – they have not yet been “sheepified.”
First of all, they demand that the government do things to
actually help the real people and
not just the rich people. For example, there are free clinics for
pregnant women and there are local market days where food is available from
farm co-ops at reduced prices due to subsidies.
Yes, the Third World is so backward that they haven’t yet figured out
that you are supposed to subsidize rich, BigAg campaign donors and not the
people in the pueblo.
And secondly, if the authorities initiate policies that are
harmful to local interests, the people make their displeasure very
apparent. They start with acceptable
procedures by going up the normal chain of command. But if these fail, they engage in “direct action.” And they do not waste their fervor and time
on Lame Lefty symbolic gestures. They do
not stand beside a bridge with placards.
They shut the frigging bridge down with their bodies. And, if a telecom giant jacks the phone rates
up obscenely, it will suddenly discover that its transmission lines have been
severed.
I have been directly inconvenienced by these monkey wrench
gang tactics, but their bold and courageous fortitude both amuses and comforts
me. However, most of the other expats
are horrified by such “radicalism.” They
are outraged that they have to go without internet for 18 hours. But wasn’t part of the motivation for abandoning
the First World, to escape a frenzied culture so driven by schedules and deadlines?
Thursday, October 8, 2015
A NICE SGP BOOK REVIEW
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well.
Here is a very positive and thoughtful review of The Sea Gypsy Philosopher, which was recently posted at the excellent website called Resilience. The author, Frank Kaminski, was very thorough and appreciative. Thank you, Frank.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-10-07/review-the-sea-gypsy-philosopher-by-ray-jason
My book remains very reasonably priced at Amazon in the paper version. However, there is some difficulty with the Kindle edition, therefore it is not available at the moment. If you click on the book cover just to your right, you will be linked instantly to the Amazon page.
Be well, everyone!
Ray
I hope you are all doing well.
Here is a very positive and thoughtful review of The Sea Gypsy Philosopher, which was recently posted at the excellent website called Resilience. The author, Frank Kaminski, was very thorough and appreciative. Thank you, Frank.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-10-07/review-the-sea-gypsy-philosopher-by-ray-jason
My book remains very reasonably priced at Amazon in the paper version. However, there is some difficulty with the Kindle edition, therefore it is not available at the moment. If you click on the book cover just to your right, you will be linked instantly to the Amazon page.
Be well, everyone!
Ray
Thursday, October 1, 2015
YOU CAN HAVE THE POPE - I'LL TAKE THE PEACE PILGRIM!
by Ray Jason
She walks alone and unnoticed down one of America’s
scenic but barely-traveled highways.
Like any true pilgrim, she is penniless and her only possessions are the
clothes on her back. But she also
carries precious cargo with her – the message of Peace. For 28 years she quietly delivered her little
peace talks wherever people were willing to listen. She was The Peace Pilgrim.
He arrives in a motorcade led by a
phalanx of motorcycle cops and surrounded by his massive security force. Overhead, helicopters record his every move
and gesture. Each stop during his visit
is meticulously scripted by his handlers – including the incidents that
initially seemed spontaneous. He is
accompanied by an entourage of 170 people.
He is The Pope.
Now you tell me which one of these people is HOLY! Which one most faithfully represents the spirit of Jesus?
*******
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
THE MACHINE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!
by Ray Jason
The sailor within me was concerned. But the poet within me was delighted. This was no ordinary squall that was
approaching from the north. It was so
gray and dark and menacing that it looked like molten lead as it churned across
the bay towards me. So I slipped behind
a small mangrove island where I dropped my sails and set the anchor.
As I was finishing that task, the deluge descended. A burst of wind tipped AVENTURA over to
starboard. It also toppled me gently
down onto the cabin top. I laughed as I
wondered whether the deepening voyage into my Middle Years was beginning to
compromise my balance.
When I began to lift myself up to go below and retreat
from the rain, a primal voice from across the centuries prompted me stay where
I was. So I closed my eyes while lying
on my back and let the warm equatorial downpour saturate me. Within a couple of minutes the rain softened
- and I felt an almost blissful contentment as I let it wash over me.
I was not experiencing any deep philosophical insights,
but there was a vague sense that if I remained there something might be
revealed to me. And a few minutes later
this is precisely what occurred, but much differently from what I might have expected.
Suddenly, I noticed that there was another person 15 yards away. An
Indio fisherman had silently rowed his cayuco nearby and was grinning over at
me. My ”laughing in the rain” behavior
was very different from what he had witnessed with most gringos. He paddled closer and quietly asked me if I
was okay. I sheepishly replied that I
was fine. Then we both smiled and he turned
back to his quest for dinner.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
A MESSAGE FROM THE SIXTH SIGNAL TOWER
by Ray Jason
We had been instructed to “stay with
our guide” who would mother hen us along the acceptable route over the rebuilt
part of the wall. But that beautifully
restored section held little allure for me.
What sang to my wandering heart was the massive serpentine rubble that
undulated across the hilltops and off into the misty distance.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO RIGHT?
by Ray Jason
But when the lonesome call of
contemplation beckons me, there are many empty lagoons where I can linger
alone. There, my only companions are the
creatures of the sea and the sky and my books and my thoughts. But occasionally I will be joined by another
sailing boat that is – how can I say this – different. Most people would describe them as “outlaw
boats,” but I consider them “emancipated boats.”
These are sailors who do not bother
to check in with the authorities, but who wander the Wide Waters as sea
vagabonds without a country. I can
easily ascertain this by making an offhand remark about how easy and
inexpensive it is to clear into this particular country. If they agree with that assessment, I know
that they have not actually checked in, because it is neither easy nor
inexpensive to do so here. Then I will
make another casual remark about the “unfettered freedom of the cruising life.” Usually, at this point our eyes will lock
and they will know that I know.
*******
Saturday, August 8, 2015
THE ARCHIPELAGO OF BLISS
by Ray Jason
It’s early morning down here in the
Banana Latitudes, and I am savoring the languor of the Tropics. Sitting in the shade, with my back against
the mast, I notice a small cayuco emerge from a nearby creek and steer directly
towards me. Suddenly it feels like I have been swept back to the era of Captain
Cook when the natives would row out to the visiting ships to trade with the
sailors.
However, this local trader turns out
to be a seven year old boy - with a cargo of coconuts and chickens. I happily purchase four green “drinking
nuts.” When he offers me a fine hen, I
pantomime what a hilarious ordeal it would be for me to control an unhappy
chicken aboard a small sailing boat. He
laughs vigorously, flashing beautiful white teeth undamaged by sugar and
civilization. It pleases me to know that
when he returns from school later today he will not vicariously butcher
hundreds of “bad guys” on some video game screen. Instead, he will fish for supper with some
line coiled around a stick.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
THE CODE OF THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE
by Ray Jason
Hello again, Stranger.
Our medical volunteers have informed me that yesterday, for the first
time since your arrival, you were able to speak. That delighted our tribe immensely. However, we were even more pleased to learn
that the first words that you uttered were “Thank you.”
This is the conclusion of my short trilogy dealing
with the Sea Gypsy Tribe in a post-Apocalyptic scenario. In order to understand it, I would encourage
you to take a few minutes and read my two prior installments entitled The
Stranger Arrives and The Shattering.
Just scroll down the page and they await you.
*******
Hello again, Stranger.
Our medical volunteers have informed me that yesterday, for the first
time since your arrival, you were able to speak. That delighted our tribe immensely. However, we were even more pleased to learn
that the first words that you uttered were “Thank you.”
I was also told that your efforts to communicate
seemed very painful. So the medical
staff asked me to discourage you from trying to speak until the wound below
your jaw has healed more completely. As
for your efforts to write with that broken right hand of yours, we again urge
you to be patient. However, your
attempts with your left hand have brought considerable amusement to all of us. One nurse describes your scribbling as a
cross between Japanese and Thai with a slight hint of Brooklyn.
*******
Friday, July 10, 2015
THE SHATTERING
by Ray Jason
During what our tribe calls The Descent, the initial
problem was economic. But it soon became societal. The threads of decency and compassion that
normally hold the human tapestry together, disintegrated with astonishing
swiftness. In the USA, the entire
population was more or less under house arrest.
The government tried curfews and martial law and gun confiscation, but
they did not end the violence, they intensified it.
This is a continuation of my fictional depiction of
one possible Collapse scenario. If you
have not read my previous essay, “The Stranger Arrives,” this new one will not
make much sense to you. So it would be
best if you scroll down and spend a few minutes with that piece.
*******
During what our tribe calls The Descent, the initial
problem was economic. But it soon became societal. The threads of decency and compassion that
normally hold the human tapestry together, disintegrated with astonishing
swiftness. In the USA, the entire
population was more or less under house arrest.
The government tried curfews and martial law and gun confiscation, but
they did not end the violence, they intensified it.
At this stage the trauma was limited to the United
States. It was not global. So the big question for those who made it
through the catastrophe is: How did it go from an economic and societal unraveling
in one country to a global nuclear incineration? How did The Descent become The
Shattering?
Monday, June 29, 2015
THE STRANGER ARRIVES
by Ray Jason
Welcome, Stranger!
We are the Pelican/Slocum Sea Gypsy Tribe. I am currently our Spokesperson – a position
that rotates regularly in our clan.
Congratulations on surviving The Descent and the
Shattering. While you are regaining your
strength, we will provide you food, water, shelter, medicine and perhaps most
importantly - emotional comfort and reinforcement. Your injuries are severe, particularly the
wound beneath your jawbone, so please do not attempt to speak.
When you have sufficiently recovered, we will tell you
Our Story. Then later we will describe Our
Code. If you wish to join us, there will
be a probationary period during which we will evaluate your compatibility with
our tribe. Then we will convene a Council
of Deciding and share our assessment with you.
If your skills and conduct seem valuable to our clan, we will happily
accept you amongst us. Should we, or you,
choose otherwise then we will give you a supply of food and water as you commence
again your wanderings as an Earthugee.
*******
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
A VERY DIFFERENT SUMMER READING LIST
by Ray Jason
I refer to it jokingly as “THE
QUESTION.” It used to bother me, but
now it just amuses me. Usually, it is
phrased like this, “Ray, how did you get
this way?” My standard playful response
is, “Are you referring to what great physical shape I am in considering my
age?” This catches them off guard, but
then they continue. “No, I mean how did you
get all of these … odd … and … radical … ideas?” If I am feeling mischievous, I might reply,
“Well, my parents were professors at Berkeley in the ‘Marxism for the Masses’
department.”
Actually, my parents were not to
blame, although my Mom would certainly applaud my determination to look at life
as openly as possible. So perhaps she
was an accessory to the crime. College
was not the guilty party either. I did
have a few inspirational professors, but mostly Higher Education could just as
accurately be called Higher Indoctrination.
No, the guilty party was - and is - BOOKS!
But not just any books. I’m talking about provocative books that seem
to shout from the pages, “I bet you were not aware of this?!” Books that shake your brain like a washing
machine on the “agitate” setting, until the neurons are rearranged. Books that reveal the beauty and majesty of
life, but that also expose the ugliness and injustice.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
LIFE - THE WONDER AND THE SADNESS
by Ray Jason
Peer into this child’s eyes at your
own risk. They have haunted me for 18
months. Every few weeks I look at this
poignant image and try to decipher the message that those enormous brown eyes are
sending to me - and to you - and to the world.
I found this photo at Google Images
and used it to accompany my final essay of 2013. It is of a little gypsy girl in Romania who
has just received a Christmas present from an aid worker. It leapt out at me even though there were
hundreds of other pictures. Why did this
particular one tunnel into my heart of hearts and speak to me so
powerfully?
I have pondered this at least 20 times during the
ensuing months. But before sharing my
conclusions with you, I would like you to pause for a few minutes and study
this young girl. I’d even suggest that
you left click on the photo to enlarge it. Now, what is she saying to you personally with those focused eyes and that enigmatic smile?
Monday, June 1, 2015
S G P SECOND ANNIVERSARY
Today
is my blog’s second birthday; and so I want to reach out and thank all of you
far-flung friends and strangers who have encouraged me these last two
years. Having come from a performing
background, where the response to one’s efforts is very immediate, it is quite
different communicating in such an indirect fashion. It can get pretty lonesome on this side of
the laptop at times, so your support is dearly appreciated. Muchas gracias, as we say down here in the
Banana Latitudes!
Certainly
the highlight of these past 12 months is the recent publication of a book
containing some of the best essays from my site. It has been doubly rewarding because it is
the first book that Dmitry Orlov chose to publish at his new imprint, called
Club Orlov Press. It was also a great
experience working so rigorously with Dmitry when he spent this springtime down
here South of Many Borders. The
manuscript went through 7 or 8 drafts and the cover took 4 or 5 tries. But we are both delighted with the finished
book. It is mysteriously entitled THE
SEA GYPSY PHILOSOPHER, and if you scroll several inches down this page you can
learn all about it.
The
steady growth of my blog has also been very pleasing to me. After the first year it had received about 47,000
visits and after the second it is now up to 111,000 – so a considerable
increase. And the country count has gone
from 117 up to 140. The fact that this
improvement has been made strictly through word of mouth is quite
heart-warming.
I am
happy to note that my blog remains commercial free - with no google ads and
with no donation tab. For you nice folks
who have inquired, there will be an electronic version of the new book in the
near future. And for those of you who
have been clamoring for an Amazon link to my first book, TALES OF A SEA GYPSY,
I will try to get around to that soon.
It is very different from SGP. It
showcases the offbeat and funny side of my eccentric way of looking at the
world and writing about it.
Thanks
again, everyone – may you all flourish in this upcoming year!
Ray
P.S.
The new essay is almost finished.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
A TRIBUTE TO A MASTERPIECE
by Ray Jason
In a world poisoned with sensationalism and hype, this
little masterpiece entered my life quietly and without fanfare. I did not know of it, so I did not seek it.
But it found me – and at a dark time when I needed solace. It renewed my wounded belief in the
transformative power of art. It reminded
me that a thinker/writer can touch people deeply and awaken and comfort them.
In a world poisoned with sensationalism and hype, this
little masterpiece entered my life quietly and without fanfare. I did not know of it, so I did not seek it.
But it found me – and at a dark time when I needed solace. It renewed my wounded belief in the
transformative power of art. It reminded
me that a thinker/writer can touch people deeply and awaken and comfort them.
It is called THE GRAVE OF THE
FIREFLIES and it is a Japanese animated film.
The title alone is steeped in the mysterious inscrutability of the
Orient. One immediately realizes that
fireflies don’t get buried, so what could this mean? But to the sensitive, caring four year old
girl, who found their dead bodies in the morning, it made complete sense to
give them a respectful funeral.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
S G P BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
Hello
Everyone,
I am
delighted to announce that a book collection of some of my best essays has just
been released. It is being published by
Dmitry Orlov at Club Orlov Press, using Amazon’s CreateSpace platform. Because I greatly respect and enjoy Dmitry’s
thinking and writing, I feel honored to be selected as the first title of his
new imprint.Instead of my normal essay, I am instead sharing with you Dmitry’s Introduction for the book. Hopefully this, and your familiarity with my work, will inspire you to purchase a copy. Since we operate in opposition to the mainstream, this book will rely on guerrilla marketing. This means we are counting on YOU. So besides buying a copy, please send all of the people on your mailing list a little note alerting them to this worthwhile collection of essays. To make it even more convenient for you, we have included a link for ordering the book which you can also include in any message you might pass along to your friends.
Club Orlov
Press is part of the movement to topple the old monolithic model of publishing,
whereby the author makes almost nothing on each book. The largest share of the price of THE SEA
GYPSY PHILOSOPHER will actually find its way aboard AVENTURA. So if you wish to read more eccentric
dispatches from my philosophical wanderings, please buy a copy and spread the
word.
Thanks so very
much,
Ray
Book synopsis:
This book is a collection of the best essays from Ray Jason's popular "Sea Gypsy Philosopher" blog, which now has readers in over 130 countries. Although he deals with controversial subjects,
Friday, April 24, 2015
GO AWAY, DR. STRANGELOVE!
by Ray Jason
When I receive emails from anonymous
strangers asking me where I am located, my usual response is, “AVENTURA is 30
miles west of Somewhere.” This cautious
approach is because my essays have undoubtedly earned me a spot on various
governmental “person of interest” lists.
After all, one cannot gleefully describe the folks in charge of the
modern world as Malignant Overlords, without aggravating them. But my impact is probably so puny that I am
less of a nuisance than a sardine to a supertanker.
There is only one factor that
dominates my personal choice of location.
I always try to keep my little ship close enough to the Panama Canal so
that I can sail there in a few days. That’s
because of all of the various Armageddon scenarios a nuclear war is the one
that worries me the most. To survive it,
AVENTURA needs to get through that canal and into the Southern Hemisphere. This concern is not just the ranting of a
lunatic screaming, “The sky is falling - the sky is falling - and it’s full of
plutonium.” No, this fear is based on a
mounting body of disturbing evidence, which I will now share with you.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
AN UNFAIR DESTINY
by Ray Jason
It was one of those “University of
Life” moments. I recognized once again that
I had learned so little in school and yet so very much by simply listening to
the messages that the world provides.
There were three of them in the cayuco - an elderly
woman and a grandson and grand-daughter.
I had just given them some cookies as a little gift, when the woman
asked me if I had a wife. When I said
no, she asked me why. Realizing that
bachelorhood is very rare in Latin America, I knew it would be difficult to
explain. So I carefully answered in my
best Spanish that I had never married because “I loved my freedom so much.” There was a profound pause before the woman
responded. Then she fixed me with her
eyes and answered me with seven decades worth of sadness, longing and
resignation. She said, “I
understand.”
As they thanked me again for the little gift and paddled
away, I was heartbroken by this very personal example of how utterly unjust so
much of the human condition is here on our wet, wondrous planet. That’s because the reason that she understood
my passion for Freedom, was because she had rarely experienced any in her
entire life.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
LEAVE THEM ALONE!
by Ray Jason
This tableau perfectly symbolized the upside-down
sense of superiority that the First World lords over the Developing World. At this exact moment in thousands of towns in
El Norte, the soccer moms were waiting in long lines for school to let out. They were en-bubbled in their massive,
air-conditioned SUVs about to safely transport their children home. They need these steel security pods because
their “advanced Civilization” has become so perverse that human predators make
it dangerous for children to walk or bike to school, like I used to do.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
CATASTROPHIC PROGRESS
by Ray Jason
Last week I found a bay so sublime
that the voice of Nature was louder than the clamor of Humanity. On a typical day I would see 25 dug-out
cayucos being quietly rowed by extremely fit Indios. Only rarely was the stillness disturbed by a
boat with an engine. Most of the human
sounds came from happy children - laughing and playing in the shallow water.
A little cabin on the shore caught my eye. It seemed like a perfect hideaway for a
writer, and I imagined Thoreau sitting on its tiny porch in the twilight savoring
a day well-spent on reflecting and writing.
I believe that if he lived today he would choose a sailing boat as his
platform for observing and commenting on Life.
A cabin on Walden Pond would be impossibly expensive; and he would chafe
at the preposterous restrictions that the bureaucrats would demand.
I have long felt that he too would choose the Sea Gypsy
Philosopher life. This intuition was
recently reinforced for me when I learned that the final sentence that he
uttered on his deathbed was, “Now comes
good sailing!” These thoughts led to
a deeper meditation on how astonishingly different the world is now - in just
the 153 years since his death.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
A WARNING LABEL FOR HISTORY BOOKS
by Ray Jason
“Warning: The Historian General has determined that
most of the information in this book is FALSE.
This is not accidental. This is
deliberate.”
*******
The societal operating system that almost all history
textbooks praise and defend - which we call Civilization - should actually be mocked and replaced. About 10,000
years ago it destroyed the previous template for human organization which was Tribal Living.
That prior system existed for over a million years as
Homo Habilis became Homo Erectus and then Homo Sapiens. During that immense span of time, most people
lived sustainably and peaceably. Sometimes
there were skirmishes involving territorial boundaries, but there was no expansionist
warfare. There were no Tribal
Imperialists seeking to rule the world.
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