In Spiritus "The Divine Breath" - Inspiration. The etymology of the word indicates that there are times in life where we are gripped with an idea that seems either so remarkable or so alien that we can't imagine that it came from within ourselves. I like to think that there are times in life where parts of us that have been closed...neuropathways that have been clogged by to much T.V, or general disuse fire abruptly, and we connect to something in ourselves on such a profoundly deep level that it effects the way we see the world for a moment..or even a lifetime. Here you will find something sort of like that... Evolution
October 7. 2002
It is said that it has been a long journey between the beginning of time and the moment that has brought us all to this place, but, really, it is a single moment that is passing with all the haste of a lazy summer day. To our binocular vision, the span of history as measured by the mind of a man has persisted since before our ability to record it, but, in a grander view, the line from Adam and Eve, or, if you prefer, the genetic and cultural leap from our hirsute Australopithecine cousins and the we of the here and now is very, very short.
How can this be, you may ask? In the face of the catalog of evolutionary, spiritual, moral, scientific, philosophical and technological progressions that history is, how could I possibly say that our existence can be measured in a single moment? I will grant that there is a fair amount of technological distance between the wheel and the Dodge Viper, or between the artistic ability of our primitive Darwinian ancestors as exemplified by crude representations of regional fauna scratched onto cave walls and the Surrealist or any other artistic movement. (Both Cubism and The Ashcan School might be notable exclusions from consideration as advancement, but that is a personal view). Compared to our distant parasite-picking relatives, we have come a long way in these and many other respects. So how is it that I claim that despite a host of clear signs pointing the way towards human advancement the passing of millennia is nothing more than the spinning of the wheel of time?
Well, let us for a moment step outside of our humanity and look at history in the harsh light of logical objectivity. Let us put aside our predisposition towards the ego-gratification that pride in the achievements of art and physics and television and professional sports foster in us to stop and think not about our advances in thought, in expression and in invention, for those are numerous to the point of being nearly incalculable. From the walls of Lascaux to the ceiling of the Sistine, the evolution of artistic expression is obvious. The leap from the abacus to the microprocessor is undeniable, and the reduction if not eradication of a host of diseases is without argument. No, it is not the advances of collective humanity that are at issue, but how these advances are applied that have rendered our existence stagnant. Our historical record has shown that there is no greater time of innovation than times of war. In the classic struggle between the haves and the have-nots, advances in resource management and technology have widened the gap so much as to be nearly impossible to bridge. The First World exemplifies its magnanimity not in providing our Third World neighbors with luxuries of life like TV's and high-speed internet access, but with the necessities of survival. Without so much as the slightest hint of deference for our natural world, we pillage our oceans and forests and landscapes with the abandon afforded by a perceived entitlement, and all for our own aggrandizement. All for the sake of jockeying our way up to the top of the heap. Although many groups have distinguished themselves by the how aggressively they have climbed the ladder, when I say "we", I am not referring to any particular country, ethnic group or religious or cultural organization. I am speaking only of humanity as represented by history, past and present. The adage that history is written by the victorious is almost universally applicable, and, in this context, it serves to support the idea of species stagnation rather than detract from it. One of the luxuries afforded to those at the top of the heap is the freedom to record events in a manner that lends to the idea that they are somehow more deserving of being there than the person that has been kicked off the mound. That perk alone is often motivation enough to rise above the rest.
But, one would argue, what other choice is there? Being on top of the heap is, after all, a guarantee of freedom. Those that feel the need to rise up usually do so in a last desperate act of kicking off of the "yokes of oppression", of taking for themselves what was taken from them and to right a social wrong. The wages of freedom very often is blood - whose blood that may be is just as often unimportant.
History also shows us that freedom from oppression often turns into oppression of freedom by those who come to power. The prosperity of freedom often spurs advances to insure and secure the freedom of the ruling power without so much as a regard for and often at the expense of the not so fortunate. Advances in health care and food production increase the population of the ruling mass and prolong their lifespan. Advances in technology are often end results of or applied to weapons improvement and manufacture and advances in culture are often used as propaganda to tout the superiority of those in power to all who would perceive otherwise. Advancement in its myriad forms also serves to galvanize the perception of entitlement to power by those who wield it. "We are greater in number", cries the king and or queen of the hill, "we are more powerful and all below seek to emulate our ways, we therefore must be right. We will act to defend our rightness from those who are wrong, even if it means that we must crush them underfoot." And so the cycle repeats. The oppressor becomes the oppressed, and vice versa.
And so, I submit that the advance of civilization is irrelevant to the stagnation of humanity. It may impact the magnitude of how this stagnation is exemplified, but it is not the source of it. I suspect that our stagnation is due to a lack of evolution and advance of human nature. In thousands of years of human history, we seem to be unable to overcome our tendencies towards hoarding, oppression, disharmony with man and nature, and egocentrism. In a careful reading of the tomes of history, it is clear to see that humanity's drive to control is the pen that inked them. Indeed, it would be a fair statement that the benefits of civilization advancement are a pleasant side effect from an otherwise relentless pursuit to control the world, in whole or in part as it related to a group or individual, and everything in it. All conflict is a direct result of one person or group trying to control another and the other person or group fighting to maintain the control it has.
So what fosters this need to control? What drives humans to domination? The obvious answer would be that he who controls cannot be controlled, and that the drive to control is, in fact a drive to prevent others from controlling us. The drive to control is often manifested as a response to feelings of helplessness and powerlessness over ones own life and destiny. The more helpless one feels the more they seek to control the forces around them that make them feel this way. The school bully often finds himself at the mercy of the class wimp who just couldn't take any more. The bullied student often delivers his tormentor an excess of violence in return for the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that he has endured. If you take a closer look at this relationship, however, I believe that the true source of the drive to control is revealed.
In many cases, the bully resorts to bullying to come to grips with his own sense of helplessness. Bullies are often in adversarial relationships with parents, older siblings or some other imposing figure stronger than they are. Unable to retaliate, they vent there frustration on those smaller and weaker in order to recapture the illusion of control, even if only for the duration of a school day. They intimidate because they are intimidated. His reactions have nothing to do with those he chooses to bully, and the many offences the bully claims were committed by the unfortunate object of his frustration are often imagined, or at best blown well out of proportion. Often times the bully holds no real ill will towards the bullied, he simply sees him as a convenient target by virtue of being smaller and altogether more manageable than the bully's own abuser.
In a nutshell, the drive for control is actually the assertion of the right to self-control. We want to feel, to know that we are empowered to stand at the helm of out own destines, to look ahead with all the command presence and certainty of action of a Jean-Luc Picard and "Make it [whatever it may be] so". We want to know that our whim and will rudders our personal universe and not the whim or will of someone else. Driven by the belief that what one person's actions are in response can affect or impose on the whim and will of another, however, domination becomes a response to the misconception that any one person or group of people can actually usurp the self-control of another, when it is in fact a choice on the part of the controlled to believe that someone else is controlling them. In reality, no one can do anything to anyone else. Even if we allow ourselves to believe that anyone else's actions can be affecting to our lives, it is our choice, our investment of belief that makes those actions affecting and not the actions themselves.
Just as we once believed that the Earth was at the center around which the universe revolved, so do we, if only unconsciously, believe that all events within the scope of what we call "our world" revolve around us. Many respond to natural disaster with the question "why do things like this always happen to me", as if fire or earthquake or hurricane or the god that is responsible for them, singled them out for punishment. We recognize death and tragedy as a part of this mortal life, and yet when it impacts us directly, we feel helpless and angry at the helplessness. Life becomes a cold and uncaring thing full of injustice and persecution. When we grieve, we grieve not for the loss of life or way of life, but for the perceived disruption to control of our lives. We eventually come to accept the loss as an event beyond anyone's control, and with that acceptance we often move on to focus on those aspects of our lives in which we have established our dominance - Work, home, family, hobbies, etc. - and work to solidify our command over those aspects. We respond to loss of control in one arena by establishment or reestablishment of control in another. That is Human Nature.
If this is true, if this is who we are as a species, if this is as imprinted in our genetic makeup as firmly as eye color, bipedal locomotion and a love for chocolate, how can we expect to escape it? If this very thing, this need for control, or at least this dependency on the illusion of a lack of it, is what it is to be human, then how can we not be what we are? The answer is: we can't . We are what we are and that will be true no matter how much change. We can, however, evolve. Evolution is not about change for its own sake, it is a side effect of understanding. Evolution is understanding and adaptation in keeping with that understanding. Taking the Darwin tact on the origins of man, just as our ascent from knuckle-dragging and prehensile tails into our upright-walking opposable-thumbed selves was a result of our understanding that there are more efficient ways to feed and protect ourselves, so too can our human nature similarly adapt to the understanding that the quest for control is fruitless, not because we can never have it, but because we never can lose it. Every single circumstance in our life is the result of a choice that we make, and surrounding every choice is a consequence. There are no mistakes, only outcomes. There are no accidents, only events. We make the choice to take particular action at that particular time in that particular place with those particular people for a particular reason. Unfortunately and all too often we find ourselves caught up in the fight to regain control of what we think went wrong to think about what the particular reason may be. I believe that the evolution of self-control is the realization that we do have control and that the reasons behind our specific circumstances in life are our own. It is the ability to know that we are our own guides, that we have chosen our own paths and that we are always and at all times the creators and caretakers of our own fates. In short, from my point of view, the evolution of self-control is self-mastery.
So how does one attain self-mastery? Truth be told, I have no idea. I make no claims to being the light and knowing the way for anyone other than myself, but I do know that I have invested a great deal of thought on the subject. It is an investment that has yielded some surprising returns. Having put some of these thoughts into practice has made my world a richer and happier place. Once I started to think about the events in my life not as barriers but as opportunities, once I stopped asking "why me?" and simply asked "why?", once I started to "take back" the parts of me that I had given away to the kid who bullied me in second grade and the guy who dumped me and the friends that betrayed me, I started to feel more...whole, more at ease with myself and the world that I created. I started to feel more like the "me" that I always knew I was but never seemed to be able to meet up with, save for in dreams and stories and other products of my overactive imagination. It was not unlike a veil being lifted, and for the first time I could see the world in all its glorious possibility. And what a wonderful word possibility is. Aside from the orally pleasing qualities inherit to words with multiple "s'", possibility is the very foundation of reality. All possibilities are attainable, and for me it took realizing that whole of my world was of my creation to understand that. Every person I have ever met, every choice that I have ever made, every experience that I have ever had, no matter how unpleasant they may have been at the time has been a step in the journey that has led me to this here and now.
And perhaps it is that realization that has brought as all to this here and now. Perhaps there is some idea, some possibility contained within these pages that well set the hand of time, poised and ready to tick off this prolonged moment into motion once again. Maybe our time is here, or maybe it has just begun. Whatever the case, we are all here, we friends and fellows, and we have chosen this event as a crossroads at which to intersect as certainly as we have chosen all of the others, and for our own reasons, and possibly more than one. My reason? In all honesty, part of me would like to fancy myself as some sort of pioneer, some philosophical Lewis and Clark trailblazer erecting markers and drawing maps to guide the way. Perhaps more like a space-faring adventurer, at the helm of some mighty star cruiser boldly going where no one has gone before. The truth is, though, that I am no pioneer, as these thoughts truly aren't mine. They have popped up in various forms in religion, philosophies and other intellectual or spiritual disciplines. I know full well that what I offer here are simply my interpretations of ideas available to any and everyone, whether they are locked deep within the recesses of our genetic code, or floating in the ether of the Universal Mind. Often enough, though, it is not the story that is told, but HOW it is told that opens our eyes to a truth. These may be things that we hear over and over again in our everyday lives to the point of becoming droning background noise, but it isn't until the right combination of words and inflections and phrases finds its way to our ears and catches our attention we begin to truly understand what is being said. In other words, I don't expect that I have said anything that you haven't heard before, but, hopefully, I have managed to put it in a way that you have never heard it, which, in a lot of ways, is probably better. If nothing else, it is a testament to the uniquity of my individual, ever-evoliving nature.
And, perhaps, that is exactly what it should be.
Someone left and open post on an online poetry community requesting ideas on a poem that she considered A Work in Progress. I personally thought that the poem was quite fine as it was. That inspired the following: Tools of the Poet
You would probably be surprised to find just how often I hear the question "Ajsia, (names have been changed to protect the insane) how did you develop your technique for critiquing poetry?" Ok, well, in keeping the spirit of poetry, I did dress that up a bit. Actually, the real question reads more like "What the hell were you thinking?" But, it amounts to the same thing, don't you think?
I have to confess that my only trait that qualifies me as a genuine critic is that I have an opinion and I am not afraid to use it. The problems with that is that I also have an under-inflated sense of my own importance, so I also tend to keep the majority of my opinions to my little self unless someone is bored or foolish enough to ask. The problem with this trait in a community setting is that although my opinion is not directly sought, there is the expectation that I am going to say SOMETHING every now and again if I have any hopes of keeping my membership in said community active. That expectation has doubled since someone made the grave mistake of granting me Assistant Manager status, thus giving me the illusion of authority without actually having any real power of any kind.
Keeping this in mind, I thought that it would be best that I take some time to write a sort of guideline on my own approach to writing poetry, (which is, coincidentally, also my basis for critiquing poetry) specifically relating to the Tools of the Poet. In my mind, if I perpetuate the illusion of learned authority then someone might actually perceive that I have said authority and respond accordingly so that I can get about the business of feeling better about being me. In keeping with the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid, not to be confused with Knights In Satan's Service) theme of my week, I will address each point individually and with sequential numbers. (The truth is that I dont think I have enough clever segues left in my bag of tricks, and I am feeling too lazy to think of anything terribly witty to say.)
1) Grammar - Who Needs It?
Grammar was the nightmare of Tenth Grade English and has little useful presence in the life of the poet. There were reasons that we were asked to diagram sentences and not poems. Ending your verses with a preposition or a dangling participle is not a sign of academic incompetence, but of a highly creative and individualistic mind. If you ignore the rules of grammar, you can be sure to have a fine career as a professional poet or be a success in any job that requires an ability to "think outside the box". Other people will be the ones asking YOU if you want fries with that.
2) Punctuation Optional (.)
As most poetry lacks a set form (Sonnets and Haiku being notable exceptions), then it would have to be assumed that certain aspects of formulaic writing do not necessarily apply. In other words, if it is not REALLY a sentence then it doesnt REALLY need to be properly punctuated, if at all. Commas, periods etc. do little more than clutter up landscape of the poem. Besides, who really knows how and when to use a semi-colon appropriately anyway?
3) Nothing Rhymes? Misspell it!
Better yet, make it up! As the Oxford English Dictionary is expanded in each printing, I would think that it is fair to say that these words have to be coming from somewhere. Some might be industry-specific, some might be inspired by injudicious usage of narcotics. Either way, someone is making them up, why not you? Would "Annabel Lee" have been the same if Poe said "Could ever rend my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee?" Nope. "Ever dissever" is much prettier. Although there is no limit to the power of rhyming in words real or imagined, I would caution the author to use this license with some reservations and avoid using words such as "PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS" in your poems. Unless, of course, you happen to be writing about lung disease or miners.
5) Flow
e.e. cummings. Enough said.
4) Its Not What you Say, Its What They Think you Said
If you are struggling with saying something meaningful in your poem, dont! You could write about something completely devoid of anything remotely resembling the vaguest hint of any possibility of meaning and someone will find something meaningful in it. Why? Because some people have to assign deep meaning to everything. In fact, the harder that they have to look for anything meaningful, the more meaningful they will think it is. Of course, once they have decided that there is meaning, they will argue the point vehemently with anyone who will listen, even the author. Once written, your poetry no longer belongs to you. Get used to it and move on.
In combination of with the above, the most important thing that the poet must remember is to enjoy the freedom that this medium of expression affords. Just as lathes are unique to woodworkers and pasties are unique to strippers, so are these tools unique to the poet. (Although Poets in Pasties sounds like an intriguing business venture). In the hands of amateurs they are often dangerous and not a little frightening. In the hands of those serious in the pursuit of their trade they are invaluable. The beauty of the tools of the poet is that, the rap music industry notwithstanding, you will find them in use nowhere else.
If this has gone anywhere towards clarifying anything for you, then my heartfelt apologies. My intention was to baffle and confuse, and I would be disappointed, although far from surprised to find that I have, once again, gotten it all wrong.
The piece below was a result of a non-debate that I had with someone. Worse than arguing with someone that you disagree with is arguing with someone you actually agree with. Why would you argue aith someone you agree with? Well, it's not the destination that is the point of contention, but the approach. Sometimes people can arrive at the same place by taking different paths. In fact, if you think of all of the people in your life that you have known to be your "kindred spirit", to walk the same road as you...how many of them are still in your life...?
Anyway..here is "Crossing the River" - A Fable
Crossing the River - A Fable
Once, a traveler came to the banks of a raging river. The water surged in mighty rapids over mounds of rough and jagged rock.
For many hours the traveler pondered on ways to cross the mighty river. The water moved far too swiftly to swim across, and any raft that he fashioned would be swept up in the rapids and smashed into the rocks below.
After much thought, he decided that he would fasten a length of rope to the end of an arrow and fire it across the river and into an outcropping of rock. It took many tries and he lost many arrows, but at last he fired true and secured the arrow into the rock so that it could not be moved. He fastened the other end of the rope around the trunk of a tree, and grasping onto the rope, he began to pull himself across the water.
Very soon after he began his journey, another traveler appeared on the bank opposite him. The first traveler continued his way across slowly, battered by the rapids as he went. All the while the second traveler stood silently and watched the spectacle before him.
At long last the first traveler, worn and battered, touched the soil of the bank. The second traveler offered his hand to the first and helped him to his feet. The first traveler thanked him and said, "I have crossed the river. Although the journey was difficult and I was battered by rapid and rock the whole way, I stand here alive and whole. Please, take my rope to make your way across. Although the journey will be difficult, as I have made it, so will you."
The second traveler looked upon the first and said "My friend, I made MY journey across the river many, many days ago. I know that the way is difficult, but as I have had time to walk the bank these many days, I also know that there are other ways to cross this river."
The first traveler regarded the second in astonishment and said, "If that is so, and you did not need to know how to cross the river, then why did you stand there and watch me as I crossed?"
The second traveler smiled and replied, "Did you consider that perhaps I simply wanted to watch YOUR journey?"
The Moral: Because you see someone who stands opposite of you, do not assume that they have not once stood where you stand now.
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