Last night I listened to the story "Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde" on This American Life. It was a compelling story. Actually, I don't listen to This American Life that often, but when I do, I usually find it to be telling a compelling story.
They don't just tell you what happened. They know how to tell a story. They develop characters and build suspense. And they do all that while telling true stories.
Often, books and movies are based on a true story. They alter the facts in order to make the story more compelling.
Druids are storytellers and historians. What if in our commitment as historians, we were committed to telling true stories, without adding embellishments to make them more dramatic? I don't think fiction should be banned. I like fiction. But I think fiction should be clearly labelled as such, and people telling true stories should be very conscientious about sticking to the truth. Perhaps my Quaker background comes into play here -- truth is a core Quaker value.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
The world around us
People in my culture spend time on Facebook, playing video games, watching youtube videos, watching movies, etc. I think reading books counts too. And listening to radio or mp3s. People engage their minds with images on a screen or page, and with sounds that come through speakers or headphones, instead of of engaging with the sounds, sights, and life forms immediately surrounding them.
Why is that? Maybe it's that these virtual realities are designed by people to capture the attention. The world immediately around us wasn't designed for that purpose. The world immediately around us is full of life forms whose purpose is to survive and reproduce -- they have their own purposes, purposes other than capturing our attention.
People decry the amount of time we spend in virtual realities. Is it bad? What's wrong with it?
We evolved to survive and reproduce. That's how we got here, but now that we are here, it's up to us how we choose to make use of the opportunity to live.
I do want to use the internet, books, and radio to connect to the world beyond my immediate surroundings. I want to use them to show me knowledge, ideas, cultures, points of view. I don't want to only take in knowledge. I want to put it out there to. I want to put my observations and ideas out there, add them to the great mix of knowledge that humans have collected.
All of that could be done in the virtual world. I could read books, and then write about conclusions I've drawn from the reading. I don't want that to be all though. I want to be alive in the world. I want to use not just my mind, but also my body -- to feel the joy of dancing and rollerblading, to feel the sunshine and the wind, to smell the ocean, to hear the birds.
Why is that? Maybe it's that these virtual realities are designed by people to capture the attention. The world immediately around us wasn't designed for that purpose. The world immediately around us is full of life forms whose purpose is to survive and reproduce -- they have their own purposes, purposes other than capturing our attention.
People decry the amount of time we spend in virtual realities. Is it bad? What's wrong with it?
We evolved to survive and reproduce. That's how we got here, but now that we are here, it's up to us how we choose to make use of the opportunity to live.
I do want to use the internet, books, and radio to connect to the world beyond my immediate surroundings. I want to use them to show me knowledge, ideas, cultures, points of view. I don't want to only take in knowledge. I want to put it out there to. I want to put my observations and ideas out there, add them to the great mix of knowledge that humans have collected.
All of that could be done in the virtual world. I could read books, and then write about conclusions I've drawn from the reading. I don't want that to be all though. I want to be alive in the world. I want to use not just my mind, but also my body -- to feel the joy of dancing and rollerblading, to feel the sunshine and the wind, to smell the ocean, to hear the birds.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Profits
This morning on NPR, there was a story saying that BP is facing a lawsuit, and that is is accused of putting profits before safety. Why single out BP? Isn't that the American way? Isn't that the capitalist system we've chosen to live by?
Shortly thereafter, they had another story saying the same thing. In "Construction Booming in Texas, But Many Workers Pay Dearly," they talked about many workers get paid less than minimum wage, or don't get paid at all. They said that 1 in 5 construction workers in Texas get injured badly enough to require hospitalization. And, the story says that the reason for the poor pay and unsafe conditions is that customers want big houses for a low price.
There's something in American culture that says you should always try to get the best deal. That if you pay a higher price than you have to for something, that it's because you were stupid. I've never felt that way. I have an attitude about money that seems to come from the Quaker culture I grew up in. My attitude says that a seller should be focused on providing quality and service, not on price, and that the buyer should be focused on paying the price that is deserved, not on getting a deal. I have an aversion to bargaining, because in bargaining, the buyer is expected to try to pay less than the object is worth, and the seller is expected to try to get more than the object is worth. I have an aversion to gambling (including lottery, buying raffle tickets, and owning stocks), because gambling is about trying to get more money than you've earned.
We live a life of conveniences. We turn a switch, and we have light. We turn a thermostat, and we have heat. We go to the store, and there are shelves and shelves of food. We hop in the car and we go some place. But what is behind it all? What goes into producing the electricity and heat? Where was the food before it was in the store? How many miles did it travel to get here? How were the workers who harvested the food paid? Are there pesticides in the food? Are the pesticides in the workers? What materials went into making the car? What emissions is the car putting into the air? Where did the gas come from?
Why did BP put profits before safety? Because we demanded it. We demanded cars and heat and fresh produce all year round, and gas for our cars, and we demanded to pay low prices for all of it.
As a druid, my responsibility is to think beyond the surface, to see all that is behind the surface convenience of light switch, thermostat, supermarket, and car. It's not an easy task. Our society is set up to allow us to take these things for granted.
Shortly thereafter, they had another story saying the same thing. In "Construction Booming in Texas, But Many Workers Pay Dearly," they talked about many workers get paid less than minimum wage, or don't get paid at all. They said that 1 in 5 construction workers in Texas get injured badly enough to require hospitalization. And, the story says that the reason for the poor pay and unsafe conditions is that customers want big houses for a low price.
There's something in American culture that says you should always try to get the best deal. That if you pay a higher price than you have to for something, that it's because you were stupid. I've never felt that way. I have an attitude about money that seems to come from the Quaker culture I grew up in. My attitude says that a seller should be focused on providing quality and service, not on price, and that the buyer should be focused on paying the price that is deserved, not on getting a deal. I have an aversion to bargaining, because in bargaining, the buyer is expected to try to pay less than the object is worth, and the seller is expected to try to get more than the object is worth. I have an aversion to gambling (including lottery, buying raffle tickets, and owning stocks), because gambling is about trying to get more money than you've earned.
We live a life of conveniences. We turn a switch, and we have light. We turn a thermostat, and we have heat. We go to the store, and there are shelves and shelves of food. We hop in the car and we go some place. But what is behind it all? What goes into producing the electricity and heat? Where was the food before it was in the store? How many miles did it travel to get here? How were the workers who harvested the food paid? Are there pesticides in the food? Are the pesticides in the workers? What materials went into making the car? What emissions is the car putting into the air? Where did the gas come from?
Why did BP put profits before safety? Because we demanded it. We demanded cars and heat and fresh produce all year round, and gas for our cars, and we demanded to pay low prices for all of it.
As a druid, my responsibility is to think beyond the surface, to see all that is behind the surface convenience of light switch, thermostat, supermarket, and car. It's not an easy task. Our society is set up to allow us to take these things for granted.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Madeleine L'Engle
When I was in my teens, a number of decades ago, Madeleine L'Engle was my favorite author. I re-read several of her books a few weeks ago. I don't really like her any more. She struggles to expand her mind to embrace diversity of race, class, and sexual orientation, but it feels like it's a struggle for her. Her mind is still fenced in by a life of privilege. Mercedes Lackey and Tamora Pierce present diversity with more ease.
Beauty and the Werewolf
Robin McKinley wrote two stories of Beauty and the Beast: Beauty and Rose Daughter. I read both. I think I once read another Beauty and the Beast book told from the point of the Beast. Other than that, I hadn't read any other Beauty and the Beast stories, or watched any Beauty and the Beast movies. Then I read Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey. It just seemed so much more satisfying than the Robin McKinley books. The reason Robin McKinley is falling out of favor with me is because her stories are too fairy tale-ish. Beauty and the Werewolf just felt more real to me.
Spring
This year, spring is later than it was last year. My photos from March 13 of last year show my world looking about the same as April 9 this year. Last year, crabapple leaves peeked out March 19, but this year, they are not yet out on April 9.
This year, it seemed that winter lasted about two and a half weeks past the vernal equinox. But on Sunday, April 7, the winds were howling all day long, and apparently that was the sound of spring blowing in. It looks like warmer temperatures are with us now.
This year, it seemed that winter lasted about two and a half weeks past the vernal equinox. But on Sunday, April 7, the winds were howling all day long, and apparently that was the sound of spring blowing in. It looks like warmer temperatures are with us now.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Sick again
I am not healthy enough to live a normal life.
I am not sick enough to be considered disabled.
So I keep trying to live up to being a normal person.
No one can help me.
I am not sick enough to be considered disabled.
So I keep trying to live up to being a normal person.
No one can help me.
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