Sitting on the floor of Death Valley,
An oasis in an america that seldom sanctions silence
Reminds me of the first time I visited Sable Island
An oasis in the North Atlantic that still silently serves
where the harsh winter equals the harsh summer here
life can’t escape time and nature
and death isn’t hidden or sanitized
the remnants of the harsh seasons and past generations
lie about like scattered treasure
and humble reminders of impermanence and vanity
The salamander, snake and scorpion here and the wild horse and seal there
live and die by nature’s rules
in a land unfrequented by people and exacting in it’s harshness
where each plant and animal can survive better than man
but only man can survive the rigors of both
As marram grass anchor the sands
the snake outgrows his skin
and man returns to dirt
the insatiable soil and sea stands silent
set for the next unsuspecting visitor
man has always viewed each natural wonder for richness and resource
the path of one thing often leading to the destruction of another
when only remnants of man remain, it will be plain
That places like these should serve no person
and remain silent testaments to the art of the great spirit
Thursday, January 18, 2007
work will set you free
As my son and I walked through the gates of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp I noticed the sign ‘work will set you free’. It was a cruel joke for the millions that suffered great indignities and impossible working conditions only to die a horrible death.
I’m married to a German who is deeply affected by the inhumanity of her countrymen. She was born in 1961 but feels the guilt of being a German. The truth will never set her free.
Americans and Canadians believe that they are free but they are controlled and manipulated from their birth to their death. The de-mystification of advertisements is a way to gain insight into the process that is used corporations to make individuals into predictable consumers and workers.
The advertising industry is working hard to sell and it doesn’t matter to them what they sell. It could be war or a refrigerator. Slogans like "Just do it", "You deserve a break today", "Breakfast of champions” and “Where's the beef?” sell ideals that also sell products. The slogans used by the military also sell ideals; “Were looking for a few good men!” “The few the proud!” “Get an edge on life!” and “Army of One”.
The really dark side of this manipulation is that it creates a standing army of ‘freedom fighters’ ready to defend the propaganda and lies. Freedom is the battle cry used to rally the troops regardless of the circumstance. It is a cowardly simplification that tries to convince others of the need to fight for a principle when the truth is often less of a motivation.
The American public is controlled through jingoisms that tell them how to feel, think and act as part of a proud community. It is not ‘work will set you free’ but something equally as cruel. It could be “Give me liberty or give me death’ or ‘Home of the Brave, Land of the Free or "Operation Iraqi Freedom".
In Canada, we are a bit more circumspect but equally as vulnerable. The slogan, "Aboriginal Pride", is used to recruit native people into the military. It plays on the fact that most Aboriginals are proud but that they also are struggling to find the dignity that was taken from them by the same government now promising to return it.
The sign was also a cruel joke for their captors who once believed their own propaganda and became a superpower that mindlessly followed their leader into hell. They were blinded by power and greed and inhumanity. They were mostly ordinary people that were afraid to think or act differently than the oppressors in their life.
It is not hard to imagine how German people were manipulated but it is, therefore, difficult to understand why today we allow manipulation and propaganda and lies from our political leaders.
The United States allows industry, especially the powerful oil and gas industry, to protect its special interests even if it is against the well being of it’s citizens. The War in Iraq is the obvious example but their self interest has also hindered the scientific evidence validating the threat of global warming.
The fact that Germany used it’s military prowess with such dire consequences should make us all more aware of the threat of super power. This concentration camp is a stark reminder of a highly effective indoctrination and propaganda campaign.
This American corporate self interest and power of manipulation has created ‘a perfect storm’ for the country with more military strength than any country in history. It is a time for truth to set us free. If we can learn to think and act without slogans or signs in time to stop another catastophe, then this will be a fitting epitaph to those that have died here.
I’m married to a German who is deeply affected by the inhumanity of her countrymen. She was born in 1961 but feels the guilt of being a German. The truth will never set her free.
Americans and Canadians believe that they are free but they are controlled and manipulated from their birth to their death. The de-mystification of advertisements is a way to gain insight into the process that is used corporations to make individuals into predictable consumers and workers.
The advertising industry is working hard to sell and it doesn’t matter to them what they sell. It could be war or a refrigerator. Slogans like "Just do it", "You deserve a break today", "Breakfast of champions” and “Where's the beef?” sell ideals that also sell products. The slogans used by the military also sell ideals; “Were looking for a few good men!” “The few the proud!” “Get an edge on life!” and “Army of One”.
The really dark side of this manipulation is that it creates a standing army of ‘freedom fighters’ ready to defend the propaganda and lies. Freedom is the battle cry used to rally the troops regardless of the circumstance. It is a cowardly simplification that tries to convince others of the need to fight for a principle when the truth is often less of a motivation.
The American public is controlled through jingoisms that tell them how to feel, think and act as part of a proud community. It is not ‘work will set you free’ but something equally as cruel. It could be “Give me liberty or give me death’ or ‘Home of the Brave, Land of the Free or "Operation Iraqi Freedom".
In Canada, we are a bit more circumspect but equally as vulnerable. The slogan, "Aboriginal Pride", is used to recruit native people into the military. It plays on the fact that most Aboriginals are proud but that they also are struggling to find the dignity that was taken from them by the same government now promising to return it.
The sign was also a cruel joke for their captors who once believed their own propaganda and became a superpower that mindlessly followed their leader into hell. They were blinded by power and greed and inhumanity. They were mostly ordinary people that were afraid to think or act differently than the oppressors in their life.
It is not hard to imagine how German people were manipulated but it is, therefore, difficult to understand why today we allow manipulation and propaganda and lies from our political leaders.
The United States allows industry, especially the powerful oil and gas industry, to protect its special interests even if it is against the well being of it’s citizens. The War in Iraq is the obvious example but their self interest has also hindered the scientific evidence validating the threat of global warming.
The fact that Germany used it’s military prowess with such dire consequences should make us all more aware of the threat of super power. This concentration camp is a stark reminder of a highly effective indoctrination and propaganda campaign.
This American corporate self interest and power of manipulation has created ‘a perfect storm’ for the country with more military strength than any country in history. It is a time for truth to set us free. If we can learn to think and act without slogans or signs in time to stop another catastophe, then this will be a fitting epitaph to those that have died here.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
ArtificialReality
It is a stormy day on the californian coast and while we are prepared to break camp at dawn, our neighbour is video taping a fire in an outdoor pit.
The fire is taunted by the swirling winds as the cameraman locks his frame and watches his creation unfold. Later, I learn that he has a successful business selling video to nature-loving trendsetters in lala land that want to experience nature in the comfort of their living room.
It reminds me of New York stores that use (or once used) homey smells, like fresh bread, to put customers in a good mood as they entered the store. It is probably the same idea behind the ubiquitous elevator music.
Although a faint smell is more subliminal, like the early days of movies when they used to insert a few frames of suggestive images to prompt the audience into believing they just had an urge to buy whatever was being suggested.
We are easily manipulated because we are so predictable. A little suggestion here or there is all we need. Most of us extract memories from associations with our life experience yet don’t see the bigger picture hidden by our actual reality.
My childhood smells and sights and sounds are probably the same as other kids in my childhood neighbourhood. We all remember the nice smells or the nice images of idealized family, especially in greeting-card season. Some of us, however, also remember the abuse of childhood through similar cues.
The fire is being blown by high winds now. The fire has lost the coziness associated with a gentle flame. I look to the fire starter in alarm but realized that he takes the matter too seriously to be distracted.
As an adult you will never get permission from the childhood imprinted memories of parental authority. You must take it.
It is the most demanding aspect of growing up and the thing that hold us closest to the bosom. The emotional outrage that challenges your childhood source of security, food, shelter and love.
We are all abused as children as the nature of child rearing is abusive. This doesn’t mean that your parents were mean, just ignorant of their own abuse.
The society that profits from this fact condemns the child to repeat the sins of the parents. The exploitation of this repressed individual continues the abuse, through extending the inability of the victim to see the pattern of their life in a rehabilitative manner.
The video taping is over. The fire has died. His excited, quick movements reveals that he knows he has something useful, something valuable. He understands the needs of his clients and the power of comfort and rage.
The artificially of our lives is that we cannot grow up until we see our selves clearly and fully. We can not see the present struggle within us until we recognize our selves as victims.
It is difficult for the child of abuse to know any other way to express love that what the adult offers. It is also difficult for us to see a world beyond what our authoritarian leaders offer. This is why we are all victims, even the victimizers.
We all know that there are rules to life and each person must follow the artificial guidelines or face rejection by society. We also know that life without reality is meaningless. It is the nature of all terrorist acts that they come from pain and sorrow, as well as defiance.
The fire is taunted by the swirling winds as the cameraman locks his frame and watches his creation unfold. Later, I learn that he has a successful business selling video to nature-loving trendsetters in lala land that want to experience nature in the comfort of their living room.
It reminds me of New York stores that use (or once used) homey smells, like fresh bread, to put customers in a good mood as they entered the store. It is probably the same idea behind the ubiquitous elevator music.
Although a faint smell is more subliminal, like the early days of movies when they used to insert a few frames of suggestive images to prompt the audience into believing they just had an urge to buy whatever was being suggested.
We are easily manipulated because we are so predictable. A little suggestion here or there is all we need. Most of us extract memories from associations with our life experience yet don’t see the bigger picture hidden by our actual reality.
My childhood smells and sights and sounds are probably the same as other kids in my childhood neighbourhood. We all remember the nice smells or the nice images of idealized family, especially in greeting-card season. Some of us, however, also remember the abuse of childhood through similar cues.
The fire is being blown by high winds now. The fire has lost the coziness associated with a gentle flame. I look to the fire starter in alarm but realized that he takes the matter too seriously to be distracted.
As an adult you will never get permission from the childhood imprinted memories of parental authority. You must take it.
It is the most demanding aspect of growing up and the thing that hold us closest to the bosom. The emotional outrage that challenges your childhood source of security, food, shelter and love.
We are all abused as children as the nature of child rearing is abusive. This doesn’t mean that your parents were mean, just ignorant of their own abuse.
The society that profits from this fact condemns the child to repeat the sins of the parents. The exploitation of this repressed individual continues the abuse, through extending the inability of the victim to see the pattern of their life in a rehabilitative manner.
The video taping is over. The fire has died. His excited, quick movements reveals that he knows he has something useful, something valuable. He understands the needs of his clients and the power of comfort and rage.
The artificially of our lives is that we cannot grow up until we see our selves clearly and fully. We can not see the present struggle within us until we recognize our selves as victims.
It is difficult for the child of abuse to know any other way to express love that what the adult offers. It is also difficult for us to see a world beyond what our authoritarian leaders offer. This is why we are all victims, even the victimizers.
We all know that there are rules to life and each person must follow the artificial guidelines or face rejection by society. We also know that life without reality is meaningless. It is the nature of all terrorist acts that they come from pain and sorrow, as well as defiance.
It Just Happened
It wasn’t something that I had planned. It just happened. After 16 years of marriage I had lost my way, again. This time I was too afraid to leave the stability of my ‘successful’ life so I lied and cheated on my family, as well as myself.
I had become a prisoner that had build his own prison. I knew that I had a lot to be grateful for – a rewarding career, five beautiful children from two marriages, a nice home in a nice neighbourhood and a wife who provided a six figure income – but I felt alone and and taken for granted.
I had difficulty expressing myself and I would try to please others at the expense of my own needs. It was the second time that I felt I was wasting my life living someone elses life. This recognition that this was pattern woke me up. I realized that I was sleep-walking through my own life.
My crisis led to self reflection and an admission that my outwardly successful life didn’t provide me with fulfillment or happiness. My children were my true joy but even they couldn’t make me whole.
At first, my fight to ignore my wake-up call led me to a dis-connected life. I pretented to be happy but I had given up on my search for my authentic self and was miserable.
Then I met an angel, Corinna, who gave me the courage of my convictions. I knew that it was now or never and, so, within three months we started a new life together.
We discovered each other late in life and with her support and love I’ve spent the last 5 years recovering from my ego-driven, priviledged life. She was the only one who heard my screams and understood that I needed time to discover my self.
In March of 2006, my wife and I went to an Iraq War Protest in New York during the last week of our 7 month trip through america in an airstream trailer.
I went to the protest because I believed that the social and economic cost of the Iraq war will impact the quality my life and turn our society into a totalitarian state. I had hoped that the NY protest would be a powerful anti-war message that it would capture the despair and hopelessness that we had experienced in our travels. Instead, I found that the peace movement is asleep and our press is silent.
The protest was a fun carnaval-like family event. There were some memorable signs and slogans, festive costumes and theatrical skits, music, food and sunshine.
The main stream media didn’t cover the event even though with 350,000 protesters, it was the largest Iraq War protest to date.
The festive atmosphere almost felt the same as when I last protested US foreign policy in New York. It was over twenty years ago on a sunny day in June, with a million others.
But it didn’t because many things have changed in twenty years, especially in this city.
The world has also changed, in a predictably self-destructive way that has created both a problem and a denial of the problem. I have also changed. I see the reality as a mature adult, not a wide-eyed young man.
I had all the answers when I was 20 but forgot the questions my the time I was 30. Now, in my mid-fifties, it could see some perspective.
The message of the March protest felt controlled to my seasoned cynicism. ‘Peace and justice’ stopped abruptly at the police barricates and video cameras.
The mainstream media was not interested in the event – one picture with a short tag line covered the event for the NY Times. Some of the other papers, like the Post, had bigger pictures but not much more insight into the event.
New Yorkers were annoyed by the inconvenience and the unnecessary reminder that NY is on the front lines of a new war with no front lines.
I also felt that the organizers had to be creative to get such a large turnout and that they made a deal with unions to get a high membership turnout.
It was discouraging to see a protest with so much energy and hopefulness yet with so little impact.
It was dishearting to see that the participants and the organizers still couldn’t reach beyond the already converted masses at a time when we are sleepwalking.
We have no control over our lives because we lack the maturity to confront our enslaved selves .
The peace movement fails to convince others of the importance of Eisenhower’s words and find a way to challenge today’s wisdom and tommorow’s prognosis.
It is like going to a funeral while the soon-to-be deceased is still alive and slowly moving towards their death in equal strides of enthusiasm and righteousness. It is an entralling image but the real metaphoric bouquet lies bury in the fact that we are all attending the funeral as paying customers, not mourners.
It was this image that struck the despair deeply embedded within my consciousness.
Although we had attended other protests and interviewed many disillusioned patriots, this was the first time during our travels that I realized how invested we all have become in the dreams of others and how much my past hasn’t reflected my dreams.
I had become a prisoner that had build his own prison. I knew that I had a lot to be grateful for – a rewarding career, five beautiful children from two marriages, a nice home in a nice neighbourhood and a wife who provided a six figure income – but I felt alone and and taken for granted.
I had difficulty expressing myself and I would try to please others at the expense of my own needs. It was the second time that I felt I was wasting my life living someone elses life. This recognition that this was pattern woke me up. I realized that I was sleep-walking through my own life.
My crisis led to self reflection and an admission that my outwardly successful life didn’t provide me with fulfillment or happiness. My children were my true joy but even they couldn’t make me whole.
At first, my fight to ignore my wake-up call led me to a dis-connected life. I pretented to be happy but I had given up on my search for my authentic self and was miserable.
Then I met an angel, Corinna, who gave me the courage of my convictions. I knew that it was now or never and, so, within three months we started a new life together.
We discovered each other late in life and with her support and love I’ve spent the last 5 years recovering from my ego-driven, priviledged life. She was the only one who heard my screams and understood that I needed time to discover my self.
In March of 2006, my wife and I went to an Iraq War Protest in New York during the last week of our 7 month trip through america in an airstream trailer.
I went to the protest because I believed that the social and economic cost of the Iraq war will impact the quality my life and turn our society into a totalitarian state. I had hoped that the NY protest would be a powerful anti-war message that it would capture the despair and hopelessness that we had experienced in our travels. Instead, I found that the peace movement is asleep and our press is silent.
The protest was a fun carnaval-like family event. There were some memorable signs and slogans, festive costumes and theatrical skits, music, food and sunshine.
The main stream media didn’t cover the event even though with 350,000 protesters, it was the largest Iraq War protest to date.
The festive atmosphere almost felt the same as when I last protested US foreign policy in New York. It was over twenty years ago on a sunny day in June, with a million others.
But it didn’t because many things have changed in twenty years, especially in this city.
The world has also changed, in a predictably self-destructive way that has created both a problem and a denial of the problem. I have also changed. I see the reality as a mature adult, not a wide-eyed young man.
I had all the answers when I was 20 but forgot the questions my the time I was 30. Now, in my mid-fifties, it could see some perspective.
The message of the March protest felt controlled to my seasoned cynicism. ‘Peace and justice’ stopped abruptly at the police barricates and video cameras.
The mainstream media was not interested in the event – one picture with a short tag line covered the event for the NY Times. Some of the other papers, like the Post, had bigger pictures but not much more insight into the event.
New Yorkers were annoyed by the inconvenience and the unnecessary reminder that NY is on the front lines of a new war with no front lines.
I also felt that the organizers had to be creative to get such a large turnout and that they made a deal with unions to get a high membership turnout.
It was discouraging to see a protest with so much energy and hopefulness yet with so little impact.
It was dishearting to see that the participants and the organizers still couldn’t reach beyond the already converted masses at a time when we are sleepwalking.
We have no control over our lives because we lack the maturity to confront our enslaved selves .
The peace movement fails to convince others of the importance of Eisenhower’s words and find a way to challenge today’s wisdom and tommorow’s prognosis.
It is like going to a funeral while the soon-to-be deceased is still alive and slowly moving towards their death in equal strides of enthusiasm and righteousness. It is an entralling image but the real metaphoric bouquet lies bury in the fact that we are all attending the funeral as paying customers, not mourners.
It was this image that struck the despair deeply embedded within my consciousness.
Although we had attended other protests and interviewed many disillusioned patriots, this was the first time during our travels that I realized how invested we all have become in the dreams of others and how much my past hasn’t reflected my dreams.
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