Every day, I have the opportunity to walk across a small college campus to my workplace. It is a lovely campus, layed out around a long mall, lined with big hardwood trees and nicely landscaped, the flowers changed seasonally and the wide expanses of grass kept neatly mowed.
During class change, the area is alive with students, heading back to their dorms or over to get something to eat, or to wherever college students go between and after class gets out.
I remember my college days on campus, greeting friends, playing frizbee, hanging out, laughing and talking, meeting new people, experiencing so many exciting and new events. It seems to be fairly similar, and not much has changed over the years, except for one phenomenom that I have noticed: these days, most kids walk across campus with their heads down, both hands on their cell phone or ipod, completely focused on whatever hand held device they happen to be using at that moment, completely missing whatever is going on around them in the world outside that small, amazing technological piece of plastic. Their ears are plugged up with earphones and those wondrous cries of the cardinals go completely unnoticed.
Of course, not all students are using electronic devises as they walk across campus, but recently I decided to just pay attention, see how many actually are walking around, heads down, rapidly pushing the tiny buttons in this new form of communication, and I was amazed at how many there were: some walking in groups but without any interaction with the people they were actually walking with, many solo, not looking up at all, shoulders hunched over, complete focus on the tiny screen of the new language of texting.
I walk by many students that I know, without any smile or greeting or realization that I walked by them. Sometimes, when they are in the line for food, I mistakenly think they are talking to me and respond, only to realize that they are talking with someone in some other location, and feel rather silly at the realization of this.
One young womann I work with came to work one day with her Ipod securely lashed to her belt, earphones securely plugged into her ears. I greeted her, but she did not hear me. I had to tap her shoulder and I politely asked her to remove her Ipod while she was at work. She smiled at me, but it was clear that she had no idea what I had just said. When she finally did remove the earphones, she seemed miffed that I asked her to remove her Ipod while at work. "I can hear you just fine", she said, and refused to turn off the device, replacing the one earphone that she had grudgingly removed to have a conversation with me. She turned her back and went on listening to the music that even I could hear faintly from a few feet away.
What type of world is being created here? A virtual world where nothing is real, where the natural environment can be tuned out forever? How can we hear the voice of God if our ears are plugged with earphones and the music is so loud?
Will the songs of the birds cease to exist if there is no one to listen to them?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Rain Creek
Sitting by Rain Creek this morning, I was struck by many things. It was so quiet, except for the sounds of the myriad of birds and the occasional splash in the water of an aquatic creature. I thought, this is how it sounded before there were any motors, the sound of the day was this...... it seemed strange to think of a world where the only sounds were natural, no man made motors or TV or cell phone or anything, except the sounds of the natural environment.
Then I noticed that as far as the eye could see, there were no power cables or poles, only the marshland and the trees and the grasses and clouds and the sky - even though this is the natural environment, it seemed so strange to not hear or see those things that have become such a part of our everyday life.
I watched a pair of small martins feed their young and take turns flying over the marsh, collecting bugs to give to their unseen babies, nestled safely in the martin box Gib has put there for them; beautiful small birds, their song so soft and subtle but complex in the range of notes, almost clicks, that they sing to each other and their young. I watched the red winged blackbirds perched on the rushes, offering their loud and distinctive cry, scattering the seed of the velvety brown plants as they take off and light, heading back and forth to the unseen feeders that I know are by the house and that I have been watching them frequent.
I watched for the ripples of the unseen aquatic creatures as they spashed at the surface of the marsh, most times the result of the water disturbance being absorbed quickly by the water lillies and therefore, going unseen by me.
I watched a hawk soar overhead but fly beyond my site line, no doubt to a field where the prey could be more easily seen and captured.
I saw butterfies fly their lilting flight among the tall grasses and and down into the fern covered bottomland and flies, misquitoes, beetles and water bugs making their way in their protected habitat.
I thought about how beautiful this all looks but with the knowledge that Rain Creek is polluted, as are probably each and every body of water on our planet.
I sat there for quite some time before the first plane went over and I was brought back to the world of the internal combustion engine, the industrial world that is the downfall of all things natural, and possibly, no probably, the downfall of everything.
But for now, I shall enjoy the beauty that is Rain Creek, and continue to try to come to terms with something that seems so totally beyond my control or the control of anyone who would take action against that which is killing us. Because beyond changing the thinking of the industrialized civilization's power brokers, there IS nothing we can do.
I hope my grandchildren are getting to see what is left of our natural world; I hope their parents see the urgency in allowing them to reallize the sacred beauty and connection of everything living, for the future will certainly be one that is devoid of anything we would define as natural, and I want them to know how it was and how it could have been if we had only listened to that which we destroyed.
Then I noticed that as far as the eye could see, there were no power cables or poles, only the marshland and the trees and the grasses and clouds and the sky - even though this is the natural environment, it seemed so strange to not hear or see those things that have become such a part of our everyday life.
I watched a pair of small martins feed their young and take turns flying over the marsh, collecting bugs to give to their unseen babies, nestled safely in the martin box Gib has put there for them; beautiful small birds, their song so soft and subtle but complex in the range of notes, almost clicks, that they sing to each other and their young. I watched the red winged blackbirds perched on the rushes, offering their loud and distinctive cry, scattering the seed of the velvety brown plants as they take off and light, heading back and forth to the unseen feeders that I know are by the house and that I have been watching them frequent.
I watched for the ripples of the unseen aquatic creatures as they spashed at the surface of the marsh, most times the result of the water disturbance being absorbed quickly by the water lillies and therefore, going unseen by me.
I watched a hawk soar overhead but fly beyond my site line, no doubt to a field where the prey could be more easily seen and captured.
I saw butterfies fly their lilting flight among the tall grasses and and down into the fern covered bottomland and flies, misquitoes, beetles and water bugs making their way in their protected habitat.
I thought about how beautiful this all looks but with the knowledge that Rain Creek is polluted, as are probably each and every body of water on our planet.
I sat there for quite some time before the first plane went over and I was brought back to the world of the internal combustion engine, the industrial world that is the downfall of all things natural, and possibly, no probably, the downfall of everything.
But for now, I shall enjoy the beauty that is Rain Creek, and continue to try to come to terms with something that seems so totally beyond my control or the control of anyone who would take action against that which is killing us. Because beyond changing the thinking of the industrialized civilization's power brokers, there IS nothing we can do.
I hope my grandchildren are getting to see what is left of our natural world; I hope their parents see the urgency in allowing them to reallize the sacred beauty and connection of everything living, for the future will certainly be one that is devoid of anything we would define as natural, and I want them to know how it was and how it could have been if we had only listened to that which we destroyed.
The Space Tour
The tour ship slowed so the passengers could get a good look at what the guide was pointing out.
"On the left, out the window, you can see barely see Earth, which is now surrounded by a layer of orbital debris. Although many of you may not realize this, Earth was once a beautiful planet, in fact, they say, this is where we came from. Hard to believe that the garbage planet was once our home.
"Once a vibrant, living planet, where humans and other creatures, such as birds, land animals, and water creatures lived, it has become the waste dump for many space communities. If you can find an old hologram of what Earth used to look like, you might find it hard to believe that this once beautiful planet was taken down in a short period of time by a civilization created by the humans that once lived there.
"This particular civilization actually believed at one time that the planet was theirs to use up and in a very short sighted period of time, our fore bearers completely destroyed their own habitat and took all the other living creatures down with them. After completely depleting their food, water, and air resources, a small colony of humans was able to escape and founded the ancient colony they called "Hope". As we know from our history - were you paying attention? - these humans suffered many hardships and were ostracized for the behavior that they had exhibited on their own planet.
"Made to design systems for survival that were sustainable, the humans were taxed beyond the realm of their own knowledge but a few survived and were allowed to start their own community under the watchful eye of the Keepers of Life. Gradually changing into creatures who were much more like us today, they learned how to live in harmony with every other living creature in their new homeland and their colony flourished to become one of the most beautiful, harmonious communities in the planetary system.
"You can visit their community, which still exists today, on the tour called "Believe".
"And now, out the right viewing area..............."
"On the left, out the window, you can see barely see Earth, which is now surrounded by a layer of orbital debris. Although many of you may not realize this, Earth was once a beautiful planet, in fact, they say, this is where we came from. Hard to believe that the garbage planet was once our home.
"Once a vibrant, living planet, where humans and other creatures, such as birds, land animals, and water creatures lived, it has become the waste dump for many space communities. If you can find an old hologram of what Earth used to look like, you might find it hard to believe that this once beautiful planet was taken down in a short period of time by a civilization created by the humans that once lived there.
"This particular civilization actually believed at one time that the planet was theirs to use up and in a very short sighted period of time, our fore bearers completely destroyed their own habitat and took all the other living creatures down with them. After completely depleting their food, water, and air resources, a small colony of humans was able to escape and founded the ancient colony they called "Hope". As we know from our history - were you paying attention? - these humans suffered many hardships and were ostracized for the behavior that they had exhibited on their own planet.
"Made to design systems for survival that were sustainable, the humans were taxed beyond the realm of their own knowledge but a few survived and were allowed to start their own community under the watchful eye of the Keepers of Life. Gradually changing into creatures who were much more like us today, they learned how to live in harmony with every other living creature in their new homeland and their colony flourished to become one of the most beautiful, harmonious communities in the planetary system.
"You can visit their community, which still exists today, on the tour called "Believe".
"And now, out the right viewing area..............."
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Hot Dog Palace
remember that guy from the Hot Dog Palace?
he came in there that day
and said, he could eat 100 hot dogs in 5 minutes?
said he would do it for nothing
just to give the Palace the free publicity.
that one poet started screaming at him
told him to shove the 100 hot dogs
right up his ass.
that was when Dwayne, the manager at the time
remember him?
grabbed that poet and told him
he was sick of his shit
and threw him out through
the open air window.
then Dwayne told the hot dog eater,
"look what you made me do"
and the hot dog eater said,
"man, I didn't make you an asshole"
I kind of forget what happened after that,
but all I know is,
in the fracas, someone stole the tip jar
and I went home without any money
and Dwayne had to close the place for a couple of days.
and the hot dog eater
ate 100 hot dogs over at the Weeney Wonkle,
but it took him 8 minutes.
he came in there that day
and said, he could eat 100 hot dogs in 5 minutes?
said he would do it for nothing
just to give the Palace the free publicity.
that one poet started screaming at him
told him to shove the 100 hot dogs
right up his ass.
that was when Dwayne, the manager at the time
remember him?
grabbed that poet and told him
he was sick of his shit
and threw him out through
the open air window.
then Dwayne told the hot dog eater,
"look what you made me do"
and the hot dog eater said,
"man, I didn't make you an asshole"
I kind of forget what happened after that,
but all I know is,
in the fracas, someone stole the tip jar
and I went home without any money
and Dwayne had to close the place for a couple of days.
and the hot dog eater
ate 100 hot dogs over at the Weeney Wonkle,
but it took him 8 minutes.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tranquillo
More and more I realize that there are no outside influences that should affect my ability to move through life with ease and calmness, taking each new event, each moment as something that is happening for the first time ever, and seeing the wondrous miracle in that.
Would it be possible to remember this if I were severely injured, or being horribly tortured, or cold on the street somewhere with no place to sleep? Would these events even occur in my life if I came to the state of being as I described above, or would I be in a state of existence where injury, torture or homelessness did not even occur or exist? Some sort of parallel universe that we could slip into, with the same cast of characters, only operating and living in an existence that we cannot even begin to understand or if we do understand, put words to.
What is there when the body is gone? and the house is gone and the money is gone and the television is gone? What if we were left entirely with ourselves without the existence of any material thing? Including our body.
My friend James says, then we would cease to exist. If there is no outside influence to tell us who and what we are, then we simply do not exist. No biologist to trace our evolution, no archeologist to trace our civilations, no sociologist to trace our societies, no prohpets to trace our meaning of existence.
But we do have all those things, all those things that define who and what we are. What if we blocked out all that information and just looked at what was left - what would that be? And how would you know?
Would it be possible to remember this if I were severely injured, or being horribly tortured, or cold on the street somewhere with no place to sleep? Would these events even occur in my life if I came to the state of being as I described above, or would I be in a state of existence where injury, torture or homelessness did not even occur or exist? Some sort of parallel universe that we could slip into, with the same cast of characters, only operating and living in an existence that we cannot even begin to understand or if we do understand, put words to.
What is there when the body is gone? and the house is gone and the money is gone and the television is gone? What if we were left entirely with ourselves without the existence of any material thing? Including our body.
My friend James says, then we would cease to exist. If there is no outside influence to tell us who and what we are, then we simply do not exist. No biologist to trace our evolution, no archeologist to trace our civilations, no sociologist to trace our societies, no prohpets to trace our meaning of existence.
But we do have all those things, all those things that define who and what we are. What if we blocked out all that information and just looked at what was left - what would that be? And how would you know?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
STOPPING BY
Stopping by, unannounced, is something I missed when I was away from the midwest. Here, in the midwest, it is perfectly fine to just stop by and if it is at dinner time then you might as well just stay.
It is not uncommon for your good friends, the ones you want to share meals with and with whom you have the conversations that give your life meaning, to just stop by. Whatever you are doing, you just stop or continue doing what you were doing, while you visit with your friends.
This happened at my house just this evening. We ended up eating lemon pasta, made from the expired lemons given to us by the local brew pub, and drinking a fine bottle of Cabernet Savinion. No particular reason for the visit other than "in the neighborhood". It was a fine end to a wonderful spring day with gusty winds, clear blue skies, mid-50's temps and daffodills blooming like heck all around the neighborhood.
It is not uncommon for your good friends, the ones you want to share meals with and with whom you have the conversations that give your life meaning, to just stop by. Whatever you are doing, you just stop or continue doing what you were doing, while you visit with your friends.
This happened at my house just this evening. We ended up eating lemon pasta, made from the expired lemons given to us by the local brew pub, and drinking a fine bottle of Cabernet Savinion. No particular reason for the visit other than "in the neighborhood". It was a fine end to a wonderful spring day with gusty winds, clear blue skies, mid-50's temps and daffodills blooming like heck all around the neighborhood.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Chase Scene
Well, it is spring and the squirrels are having at it. We have this unique community of black squirrels that someone introduced into our neighborhood - they only live on the east side of the main street, in about a 5 block area in my neighborhood. The gray squirrels and the black squirrels do not get along at all. They have these incredible chasing events in which they run around and around the tree trunks, up and down the trees. jumping from one high branch to another, finally giving up when one or the other manages to fool his pursuer by stopping on a dime and remaining perfectly still.
A couple of nights ago it was fairly mild and I was out on the deck enjoying the night air. The sky was an incredible indigo color, about an hour after sunset, and all of a sudden all hell broke lose. I couldn't see them, but some squirrels got into an incredible chase, making strange noises like screaming monkeys and running about in the treetops and up and down the trees in what must have been some amazing acrobatics. "In the night?", my housemate asked. Yes, in the night. Someone of them must have tried to raid a nest, or steal some food, or snuggle up where he shouldn't have. As quickly as it started, it stopped, and I was left wondering how it all turned out.
Next day, there was some gray fur in the yard, and so, now, there is a gray squirrel around somewhere missing a quite significant patch of fur somewhere on his little body. Must be incredible, being able to run around the trees like that, at breakneck speed.
A couple of nights ago it was fairly mild and I was out on the deck enjoying the night air. The sky was an incredible indigo color, about an hour after sunset, and all of a sudden all hell broke lose. I couldn't see them, but some squirrels got into an incredible chase, making strange noises like screaming monkeys and running about in the treetops and up and down the trees in what must have been some amazing acrobatics. "In the night?", my housemate asked. Yes, in the night. Someone of them must have tried to raid a nest, or steal some food, or snuggle up where he shouldn't have. As quickly as it started, it stopped, and I was left wondering how it all turned out.
Next day, there was some gray fur in the yard, and so, now, there is a gray squirrel around somewhere missing a quite significant patch of fur somewhere on his little body. Must be incredible, being able to run around the trees like that, at breakneck speed.
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