it is a mad mad world

it is a world where privilege and power is more hereditary than height; it is a world where a homeless man can sing "Jesus blood never fail me yet" and yet not come to collect the royalties.    

 

it is a mad world.

 

PS:

1. Quite enjoyed how Andrew Ford calls it "a work which either moves you to tears or drives you mad" - it was clearly driving me mad - I ended up having a small car accident while listening to it!

 

2. The presenter on the radio accidentally called it "Jesus blood never SAVED me yet" which I thought was interesting. She also mentioned that Gavin Bryars tried to find the homeless man to share the royalties, but he couldn't find him - the article on Wikipedia mentions the homeless man was already dead - I am not sure what happened and it what order. Just to confuse the issue, the interview with Andrew Ford mentions that Gavin Bryars himself did not earn royalties out of it. Anyway!!

 

3. I should of course quote from Alice in Wonderland here:

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)     

 

4. and while we are at it, Dickens as well:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.      

Letter to my younger self

Dear Younger Self,

 

To be fair, I think you did really well - at least, all things considered. At my ripe old age, if I were to look back, I think life dealt you with a reasonable hand of cards and you have played them reasonably well. I do not have a whole lot of money, nor a whole lot of professional success - both of which were not unachievable goals - but you have had a good share of experiences, and if nothing else, I do commend you on your bravery in saying yes to life and miraculously coming out not badly scathed. Of course you got a FAT lot of help, but I am glad you took it - life and the world are not idiot-proof and I am glad you have chosen not to be an idiot a lot of the times.

 

If there is one thing I could tell you, tho I don't feel a whole lot wiser than you, it would be this: Things take time, but never EVER lose sight of your goal. Never lose confidence in the worth of your goal and never lose confidence in your ability to achieve it. If your goal seems childish now, it is okay to review it, but always be steered with a goal in life. Everything gains perspective when you have somewhere you are trying to reach, it is a beautiful thing and it gives meaning and value to experiences, good and bad. I believe that there is more to the world than meets the eye, and we are here, because here there was something we wanted to try out - it is within us, as a calling, yearning to be expressed, and it is very individual. We are, as Swamiji would say, born to succeed. Make sure you do!

 

Hugs and much thanks,

love    

 

  

Talking up strangers

One of the things about buying second hand furniture over gumtree is that I end up visiting a lot of homes, meeting a lot of families, learning about their lives - for why else would they be selling their old furniture – the adventures they are off to or that they are just ending. I end up talking to them about their suburb and some of the secrets it may hold – the creeks, the rivers, the gardens, the music, the birds and the people – they are many many secrets hidden in Canberra. And, most often than not, I come back with a small piece of their lives into mine. Come to think of it, it is not very different to (inconclusive) dating – if you go there right, you come back with an awareness of how special people are and how unique their lives and attitudes are, or how much the same, and you come back with a bit of their life – an afternoon, a long conversation, a voice, a rhythm – in your own.

I am, these days, seeing a dentist – and rather enjoying it in the open-ended way that it can be enjoyed thoroughly. One of the things that I find most interesting is how "physical" the practise of being a dentist is, every time a hair dresser washes my hair or cuts them, every time I visit a beautician, the last time when I had to be pulled out water by nearly the scruff of my collar – I am nearly always appalled by the rather sudden intrusion by a stranger into my personal space. To be constantly into other people's jaws and teeth and bones – well that would be something, right?