Hehehehehehe. Okay, if you have no appreciation of dark humor stop reading right now and stay far away from Flight–far far away. Got it? I’m warning you. This is no sweet flight of fancy tome. Our hero is an angry fifteen year old male of Irish and Indian origin with some serious grief and father issues–among other things. Now sit back and sip your hot tea, latte or bloody mary and think about a young man who refers to himself as Zits. If you can’t relate then it’s probably in your best interests–and mine (yes, I do fear homicidal repercussions from unhappy readers)–to go nowhere near this particular Sherman Alexie book. That said, last night I stayed up very late reading Flight via flashlight outside on the front porch–much to the dismay of anyone who had their doors or windows open to receive my hooting laughter when I turned to page 146. Some folks do not find boiled birdies funny–and I do understand that such minds exist. On the other hand, there are minds, such as mine and apparently Alexie’s, which find self boiled birdies absolutely hilarious–especially in the context of a potentially violent encounter between a homeless Indian man and the usual well-heeled white dude. If by some means, like using your local public library, you garner a copy of Flight you too will be in serious need of comic relief by the time you turn to page 146. Though, hopefully, you’ll have found other darkly comic things to chuckle loudly about before page 146. But you’ll also have encountered several incidents of mayhem, murder and molestation along the way. The lives of foster children are not all filled with sugar mommies and daddies. Nor do many events in American history since 1492 recount pleasant Thanksgiving din dins between Europeans and Indigenous folks.
Ever wonder how to diffuse the building anger of teenager? Well, Sherman Alexie offers one way–history lessons of the ”not me” and the “me?!” variety. Yep, direct confrontations of some dark sad truths of reality provide the fodder for the adolescent mind to chew heartily on and time travel, complete with out-of-body experiences, is the medium. From the Battle of the Little Bighorn to the grief ridden friendly skies of a private flight instructor Alexie takes us on a journey through history. Along the way he’ll shred your heart, sew it back together without anesthesia, and then shove it back into your chest. You’re going to need every last piece of humor to endure the operation. If you’re not laughing when Harry Potter takes a swan dive–then you might be dead and gone. Or you’ve abandoned Alexie’s exploration of time travelling adventures as an instruction manuel. Each episode serves as a short story with ethical issues galore. FBI agent Hank Storm may not get your heartstrings trembling–but Gus, Bow Boy and Small Saint could very well lay you flat on the floor demolishing an extra-large box of kleenex–or soaking an extra-large cotton hanky.
Zits experiences violence in many forms via his out-of-body time travelling–and this makes him seriously consider his pains of loss, abandonment and identity. Children NEED fathers–preferably decent men who care about their welfare. That lacking, one must find family where one can. Sometimes the concept of ‘family’ has not a damned thing to do with genetics and biology. It’s got to do with who gives a damn.
I’ve been a fan of Alexie’s work ever since reading his collection of poems and short stories The Business of Fancydancing. Yes, there’s a film by that title too– and it’s a great film. But–it was the text that had me wanting to scream and laugh from one page to the next. Ever felt bushwhacked by a writer? Well that’s how I felt while reading The Business of Fancydancing. It was great. Disturbing at times, but great nonetheless. I will never forget the story of the man, Eve and the post office. Hell, I’ve never entered a post office since and not thought of the story. The same holds true for Flight. It will not numb or bore you to tears. Not sure you can relate yet? Okay, who has had bad acne? Raise your hands now.
Greetings, all cyber surfers. The speech video posted here came to my attention while visiting Occupy Dame Street in Dublin, Ireland on its first day of streaming live for a few hours. If you’ve wandered into the various chatstreams arising for the spreading occupy movement then you’ve probably experienced everything from total madhouse chaos of Occupy Wall Street in New York City to relatively coherent discussion of issues in Los Angeles–at times. Pure chance led me to Dublin’s livestream debut and its sublimity. Yes, sublimity of experiencing the positive actualization of what the internet can do for bridging the literal physical distance between people and places. People were watching and listening online the very serious and informed discussions of those occupying Dame Street across from the Central Bank in Dublin, Ireland. We watched, listened and conversed. There was discussion and communication in English and Gaelic. It was grand. After the livestream went down to cool the computer on the ground and recharge its batteries the conversation continued. It was sweet, heady stuff. Not because of the political exchange, but because of the reaching out and sharing and learning and connecting. All the things nearly impossible in the now often free for all textual brawling, trolling and raving in the Occupy Wall Street chatstream. This video shared by the wildirishpoet is a tiny part of that wonderful conscious inter-connecting. It exemplifies something important for Ireland that can be extrapolated to the rest of humanity–to manifest the sublime we’re capable of actualizing.
It’s been interesting to watch this “movement” of occupation from its inception in New York City with Occupy Wall Street. At the start it was impossible to find any coverage of the event and now, well, now even Fox News is covering OWS as best it can–with the usual suspect results of course. Still it’s telling that even right wingers are increasingly aware of the occupy movement. It’s clear some have no comprehension of the fundamental issues that are bringing people into the streets to voice discontent. The lack of understanding is a sign of what’s gone so very wrong in this culture and others. When one part of the population doesn’t really comprehend what’s got people riled up to civil disobedience then there’s a serious problem with seeing reality. It’s still easy for many to remain comfortable and cozy in their havens of home and work. But I sense that comfort will not last much longer. Chris Hedges recently penned a piece titled “Why the elites are in trouble.” Hedges hits the target right on mark. The occupation will continue until real change occurs. But what Hedges does not contemplate–at least not yet to my knowledge–is just what bringing about real positive change will entail in the long run. The One Percent and their minions may be aware and may have passed the stage of ridiculing the movement indeed–but they are nowhere near capitulating to its demands. Why should they–yet? When they have many tools of FORCE at their beck and call via the carrot of money to blow. I suspect the honeymoon period is about over for the Occupy Movement. The newness and novelty are fast fading. Roots have dug in and are spreading. Now real work is beginning–the work of awaking the rest of the population, the work of having to really deal with the power of the One Percent who will NOT “go quietly into that dark night”. This shifting of consciousness has no clear ending in sight. No one really knows just where it will lead. Oh there is all the hope for a better world for everyone. The thing is how will we get to that promised land of loving compassion for all? There are still the dark dark woods to venture through. And the history of human nature so far shows that’s not an easy journey. This is about more than just creating jobs that give everyone a living wage and enough disposable income to feed the consumer addiction. This shift in values, perspective and relating goes far beyond that and what shape(s) may eventually manifest is anyone’s guess. Oh and for those thinking this will fade and go the way of the peace movement of the 60s, I say think again. This is an awakening that knows no bounds. When the mind is free from illusions then there are no limits, no boundaries and no constraints. People often cite the Rule of Law. Well The Law is a human construct. It’s clear our current Rule of Law is fatally flawed. It does not serve the people. It serves the interests of the One Percent. Only the Laws of Nature are pure and uncorrupted by human meddling. The Laws of Nature are perfect and complex. Nature’s Law trumps human created Rule of Law because it cannot be corrupted by avarice, ego or blackmail. For humans there are laws beyond Legal Law. At the risk of sounding offhandedly simplistic I’ll call these the ”laws of doing the right things” for the “right reasons.” We want to protect the Earth because it’s our only home and it’s a Wonderful Home. We don’t have a planet to migrate to so we need to clean this one up if we wish to continue as a species. We reach out and help others because it’s what caring humans do. Some, like Tim DeChristopher, defy the human construct of Rule of Law to do the right thing–and do it without regret or remorse because they know they’re doing what needs to be done on the most fundamental levels of understanding and awareness.
The Rule of Law serves the One Percent, it’s just one tool they will use in every way they can because they enjoy being the One Percent Feudal Lords and they don’t want their luxury boats rocked by any uprising serfs. The One Percent has not yet begun to fight back. They will. It won’t be a pretty sight. They will not cede power and bow out gracefully. That’s not their style as evidenced by how they’ve become the One Percent This revolution will not be won by millions of keys shaken in the streets per the Czech’s Velvet Revolution. It’s going to be won one heart and mind at a time. And that’s damn hard work. Get ready for the long haul because once awake no one goes back to sleep. This street only goes one way–forward. To where? How long? Creating what?
Imagine the possibilities.
What kind of world do you want to live in?
I imagine a world where no one goes without the necessities of life because of someone else’s greed; where quality education is free for everyone; where everyone gets the healthcare they need; where there is no war, where Mother Earth is loved and respected; where everyone can live a live worth living–and that’s just for starters.
Violating copyright births bad karma---imagine a mad hacker you'll never see coming--nor catch going. Respect = my work is my work and your work is your work.
Everything posted here is my work, copyrighted, unless otherwise noted. Comments aside. Om
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