Contradictions

I wonder how much cognitive dissonance can slow you down?  Or am I just looking for excuses?  I need to spend more time on myself - you know, like America's neglected infrastructure and the hidden costs that imposes on our economy and our daily lives, I'm sure that my mental and emotional 'infrastructure' needs attention.

• I purport to like writing yet have only written 2 of a possible 12 short papers in a certain class.  And these are the kind I should like.  Do like.  Just not writing them.
  
• I like languages but I'm not learning any right now. 
  
• I like reading yet I mostly read blogs.  Nothing against blogs.... IOZ's wordsmithing notwithstanding.... but at some point I'm just wasting time.
• I love learning... yet find myself so uncommitted to my studies.
• I thought I was a hardworker but I seem to choose distraction and sleep over actual work.  Today I literally slept through work.  (Well, somewhat sick but still).  Where is my drive?
• Why haven't I learned more about my bicycle?

Meh.  So there's more, I'm sure.  I'm going to buy a journal and spend some time with myself.  Adieu.

Oh, and where can I find a genealogy of ideas?

Forgiveness

I found a lot of things in The Color Purple, but foremost I think I was struck by forgiveness.  Such a beautiful, energetic, over-active (?) picture of life.  The people in the book went through so much, largely at each others' hands.  Yet at the end I'm crying quietly near the Fire of Hospitality* as the family is...baptized...by the final reunion of sisters.  And all together, full of love, "so happy...the youngest us ever felt..."

In the end, I liked Albert best, as a character.  What he goes through, his story of redemption, acceptance, forgiveness... humanity could learn a lot from him.  (from all of them).

A few quotes:

I think us here to wonder, myself.  To wonder.  To ast.  And that in wondering bout the big things and asting about the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident.  But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with.  The more I wonder, he say, the more I love.

Which I found hopeful.

-Who do you think you is?  You can't curse nobody.  Look at you.  You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman.  Goddam, you nothing at all.

-But I'm here.

[emphasis mine]

And then there are the youngsters who want bicycles and British clothes.  Mirrors and shiny cookpots.  They want to work for the white people in order to have these things.  Things!  He said, in disgust.  Bloody things!

Which..... is how cultures are destroyed.

A propos forgiveness....  I have one in the hopper about the 9-11 Forgiveness Movement.  Need to get on that.


* A symbolic and always-burning fireplace in our university's student union.

Things to keep track of, #1

• Crashing economies, especially developing countries and the world's poor. Everyone talks about the US, and how Iceland went bankrupt, but really, we're going to be ok. Not great, but ok. What about all those 1.4 billion making less than $1.25 per day?
  
• Sudan. Horrific conflict that I'm sure my country, myself, somehow have a role to play...
  
• Russia. What in the world is going on there, what are they thinking, how are we the same? and different?
  
• Congo. There's a war going and a lot of people are dying. What role am I playing in this?
  
• Good theatre. I saw Hamlet last night and it was awesome. Reminded me that I love theatre and need to spend more time with it.
  
• Bees. Are the bees still dying? Is this a sign of something going wrong in the system? Are we doomed?
  

Do you hear them

DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING

Home sick

keepin' the spirits up -

see more puppies

Also - join in the fun!  Send this to all your friends and everyone can sit around, sick at home, gchatting with their friends about how cute these lil guys are...  (yes its live)

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

And, prop 8 protest signs:

http://listsoffive.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/anti-prop-8-protest-signs/

Post-election

Reasons for joy and hope.

A need to recognize Yes We Can can't change to Yes We Did (even though we did) - there is still so much work to be done.

But I think today it is important to recognize that OMG HOLOGRAMS.  Star wars is real.  Only, apparently that telltale blue glow wasn't real.  As in, the movies have so molded our expectations that CNN added the glow to reassure viewers that it was only a hologram.  Sheesh.

Finally, importantly - read this.  Just to quote part of the poem he has in its entirety:

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

...

(It never was America to me.) 

O, let my land be a land where
Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

...
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath–
America will be!