Well, so much for my promise

Oh, sure, it’s propaganda, but at least it’s pleasant propaganda. And I like the song. Even if I think ‘MC Yogi’ is a bit of a silly name.

The only time I’ll ever mention the US presidential elections, I promise

What’s the use, right? There’s already such an ocean of crap concerning these shenanigans, I almost feel like a turd. And seriously, what’s the use? Oh, sure, the Democrats might not screw over the world quite as quickly as the Republicans, but God and the big money aren’t going to disappear quite as quickly as that. Oh, no, the only way to do that is by a full fledged revolution, perhaps tearing the country in half as a result. ‘Cause it sure as hell won’t be a peaceful revolution. There’s just too many guns. A result of a rather aggressive culture, I’d think, coupled with a deity that’ll condone pretty much anything, apparently. Even guilting women when they’ve been raped (some source material ; cute, the fundamentalist Christians are growing ever closer to the fundamentalist Islamics; or the other way around, whatever, dogmas are dogmas). So, when the American democracy has been completely hollowed out, when even Israel has turned it’s back on these here United States and when the people always have to look up to see even the children of the ruling elite, the country will devour itself in a gruesome but somewhat nostalgic civil war. But don’t think that this thought of mine is a gleeful one. I like the US in a great number of ways; hell, the country is responsible for a not insubstantial part of my upbringing – this, my dear parents, is no reproach, as it was only a fraction of what you’ve done and, as I retain the ability to nuance, it’s influence is far from absolute – and it still produces much of my recreational diet. And, of course, while human life is by no means sacred, I do think it’s a good idea, in the world we inhabit today, to limit the loss of it to absolute minimums. And while the US of A generally doesn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone without an American accent (or fetuses), in this case I’m sure they’ll agree with me.

But, alas, too late. See you when you’re different countries, United States.

Oh, and, PS: is there anyone who knows Latin who can tell me whether the category is, uhm, meaningful? And correct?

Where the parallels meet, pt.3

Free market alternatives, part 1

But there are other ways of finding, if not sense, than at least some flotsam that will prevent us from immediately disappearing into the abyss. Not quite the rays of hope one would dream of, but as our states and nations find themselves weakened and bogged down, reduced to handling day-to-day affairs, or maybe four years-to-four years affairs, what remains constant, or at least seemingly so, are corporations. Mind you, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, no worse than gods, governments or – heaven forbid – some form of nationalism or racism offering us escape from our transient bodies and minds. The distinction isn’t always so clear, either: when Steve Jobs announces a new, sleekly designed but carelessly constructed (never trust Chinese children to build your electronics) thingamajig, his public acts more like zealots than critical consumers. Of course, Apple isn’t even half a century old.

Where the parallels meet, pt.2

Bloody shackles

We are a link in the chain formed by our blood relatives, the connection between our parents and our children, as has been the case for more generations than we can phantom, from before we could even be called monkeys. But this is not enough. Our bloodlines are not unlike our individual selves, searching for goals and guidance, so often in vain. The past, when used in structuring the future, all too often leads us down seemingly revolutionary, but disappointingly familiar paths. The sins of our fathers become the sins of ourselves.

Where the parallels meet, pt.1

To eternity and back again

Our views on eternity have always been obscured by the brevity of our lives; we sometimes fool ourselves into believing we can touch the ages, leave our mark and not simply fade into the oblivion from whence we came and to where each and every one of us returns, eventually. Religion, naturally, is an important fool in this respect, as it makes us part of a whole encompassing not just our lives and reality, but the entirety of creation and beyond. Of course, God died quite a while ago. Those millions of stragglers dancing around His corpse notwithstanding, this link with something larger than ourselves, wherein we can find comfort and purpose, this connection has effectively been severed. And while losing our link with eternity might not be a bad thing – no crime can deserve eternal punishment and eternal bliss is simply dull – we still have the need to be grounded in something bigger than ourselves, so we can mimic and develop into socialized human beings, and so we can die knowing that not all is (immediately) lost.