23 Gorillas and 2 Denouements

Originally published on this site Feb 3, 2009

A recent Facebook phenomenon has people drafting various “25 Things” notes, capturing and sharing aspects of themselves. They then “tag” 25 of their friends and ask them to do their own version. I was tagged frequently, and came up with the following:

A “25 Things” narrative of quirks, flairs, facets & anecdotes – like most FB activities – fundamentally lacks in connection. “Virtual intimacy” contradicts itself.
Of all our issues as humans, the biggest nut to crack (pardon the pun) remains population control. Barring a “tech” solution (yuk) or some manner of enforcement (umm…nope) this can only be solved when we WANT marital commitment and sexual intimacy placed in a higher regard. Until then, we’ll squirt ‘em out faster than might be deemed wise…
Unfettered population increase in a free-market economy that entices each to “take as much as you want” CANNOT WORK in the long run. Some degree of socialism/communism must be enacted…
…BUT, as those models require grand individual self-sacrifice, they are nearly impossible to enact as long as we keep on insisting that “the self” is of first and foremost importance.
Total self-sacrifice for the sake of others (e.g.: Jesus, Gandhi) is easily imagined and performed, but nearly impossible to choose. Not only does it negate the “self,” but the sacrifice made amidst the millions NOT doing so makes the whole effort invisible…thus highly undesirable to most.
Every screen we stare at – computer, television, movie, game, cell phone – tries to have us stare more, and the more we stare the more we disconnect.
Our collective planetary disregard extends from our “consume & waste” mentality and our willingness to forsake the live, physical environment where our bodies exist for virtual enticement & distraction.
“Everything else” – including the planet itself – really doesn’t care whether humankind survives and thrives. It did just fine without us beforehand, and will do just fine without us afterwards. Our greatest possibility, then, can only be realized through our collective choice.
Since the grand everlasting existence of everything before, now, and to come encompasses the grandest sense of beauty, each component OF that “everything” imparts some manner of beauty.
We are each capable of finding the true gift and joy in each moment of living that bubbles forth from the very idea that all of it – us included – is HERE, NOW, and it is a beautiful thing, and that’s all you really need. Problem is, it’s just not very sexy.
Religion began as a way to explain the inexplicable, and a true desire to pay homage to that which brought all this to be. Trouble is, it’s a lot easier to worship a “thing” versus a concept or idea. The rest is choreography.
The notion of an “afterlife” springs from the joy of living…and greed. Even if I’m wrong, it has no bearing on current existence.
All perception and definition derives first from a core duality/plurality creating distinction and contrast. (Examples: white letters on a white page won’t work; you don’t know silence if there is no sound). In this context, the “self” cannot – and should not – be 100% disregarded. Since the definition of “everything” includes each “self,” then each “self” has beauty and can virtuously embrace its existence.
Eye contact seeks honesty, trust, and connection; a piercing stare can thus intimidate and frighten, or open the door to love and fellowship. The gaze of another acknowledges your existence and thus completes your definition.
Hydrogen has great difficulty abiding solitude, existing in the universe mostly as H2.
We need look no further to understand our need for connection.
(“I think I dropped an electron.” “Are you sure?” “I’m positive!”)
Your thoughts, beliefs, & values matter only in the context that they influence the choices you make. “What you say” and “what you do” is the part that engages and interacts, and reveals the agenda you devised with those thoughts, beliefs & values.
When you say RAGE I hear “pain.”
(Our curmudgeons could stand to weather this reminder.)
Each version of “trying to be happy” means “trying to get what you want.” Fear, then, is nothing more than a reaction to the likelihood of NOT getting what you want. Releasing “want” and eliminating expectations, then, replaces fear with trust and love.
You are likely powerless to influence another person’s choices, and you are likely NOT a motivating factor behind their choices. Let it go, and don’t take it personally – you’re not that big a deal.
Beauty knows no pain. Someone said this before Frank Zappa, and it’s true for both the smaller, individual efforts to achieve beauty (bikini wax?) AND in the larger idea of an “aesthetic.”
The proliferation of art and artists of all sort stems from a quicker sense of self-context & the comparative simplicity of survival. These, amidst our growing numbers, create a din of art that dilutes its impact.
Speaking as a smoker…there’s no need to grow tobacco and sell cigarettes. Any sense of redeeming value is more of a stretch than can be allowed. Turn the fields to soybeans!
No one from the Bush administration will face war crimes charges in the International Court. Goddammit.
(I couple that thought, though, with the surprise felt on Election Night: we weren’t TRYING to “elect a black president,” we were just recoiling – who knew? It feeds the notion that real change can only occur through crisis – without Bush it could well have taken longer.)
These are the gorillas in the room…for nothing here is new, illuminating, or unknown. My idealism suggests we’ve each reached these same ideas in some capacity, but they combine to create a potentially frightening & deflating perspective, and thus they remain as gorillas.
Dedicated to Bill Hicks.
Driven by Pinter’s quote: “Below the words spoken is the thing known and unspoken.”