Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Rainer Maria Rilke, from The Sonnets to Orpheus
A tree ascended there. Oh pure transcendence!
Oh Orpheus sings! Oh tall tree in the ear!
And all things hushed. Yet even in that silence
a new beginning, beckoning, change appeared.
Creatures of stillness crowded from the bright
unbound forest, out of their lairs and nests;
and it was not from any dullness, not
from fear, that they were so quiet in themselves,
but from simply listening. Bellow, roar, shriek
seemed small inside their hearts. And where there had been
just a makeshift hut to receive the music,
a shelter nailed up out of their darkest longing,
with an entryway that shuddered in the wind--
you built a temple deep inside their hearing.
Oh Orpheus sings! Oh tall tree in the ear!
And all things hushed. Yet even in that silence
a new beginning, beckoning, change appeared.
Creatures of stillness crowded from the bright
unbound forest, out of their lairs and nests;
and it was not from any dullness, not
from fear, that they were so quiet in themselves,
but from simply listening. Bellow, roar, shriek
seemed small inside their hearts. And where there had been
just a makeshift hut to receive the music,
a shelter nailed up out of their darkest longing,
with an entryway that shuddered in the wind--
you built a temple deep inside their hearing.
The ?Value? of Stability
I often think of my relationship to politics in the following way: I have radical (perhaps revolutionary) ideals about what successful human interaction actually is. Like a good socialist, I think that everyone should have equal access to resources and maintain relatively equal shares of power. When the few control the resources (wealth) and the many exert themselves desperately and disparately--grasping for a pittance--the structures of power have clearly become imbalanced. And they must be either changed, or destroyed. Like a good libertarian, I think that individuals must choose how to organize themselves as part of a group. Taxation, laws governing social behavior (promoted or punishable), as well as pro-war (and other types of sectarian) propaganda look a lot like coercion. A centralized group-think about who is right/wrong, who deserves to be killed or locked up, and what causes are un(worthy) of support, by threatening the integrity of human will/volition, ultimately engenders (rather than squelches) the revolutionary spirit--which may (seem to) have no alternative to violence in its eruption. What real solidarity we have with one another must be freely chosen. That is, each person must choose to see it in order to choose what to do about it. But in the light we can see shadows.
We in the US experience a more/less stable political environment, despite the shifts between our two major parties and between the ideals that those parties espouse. In Nepal, city-wide and country-wide protests freeze commerce and eliminate the possibility of safely traveling from place to place. Elected officials exert relatively limited control over social institutions and lack sufficient resources to address basic infrastructure requirements. Two different armies (the Nationalist army and the Maoist army) maintain posts in larger cities and along major roads. Thankfully, (at least for now) they have stopped fighting one another. On one hand, the Nepali democracy, with the energy of youth, bubbles with possibilities. Perhaps the people have a chance to create their own future, to make it distinctly Nepali--diverse and welcoming and beautiful. On the other hand, for many (if not most) citizens, political instability appears to inhibit rather than empower them in their daily lives, to limit what is possible rather than expanding its horizons.
Even in times of purported change, the US political system evolves slowly and often in a circular fashion. This relative stability provides a level of comfort for many US citizens, while simultaneously fostering a sense of hope in those citizens whose lives are not comfortable or whose interests are not represented by the centralized power. Knowing that change does happen, that new opportunities do arise, that creativity and ingenuity do actually generate tangible results from time to time channels individuals with revolutionary leanings into roles as activists, intellectuals, or artists. So, the revolution may have a non-violent outlet after all...or so we think, for better or for worse.
We in the US experience a more/less stable political environment, despite the shifts between our two major parties and between the ideals that those parties espouse. In Nepal, city-wide and country-wide protests freeze commerce and eliminate the possibility of safely traveling from place to place. Elected officials exert relatively limited control over social institutions and lack sufficient resources to address basic infrastructure requirements. Two different armies (the Nationalist army and the Maoist army) maintain posts in larger cities and along major roads. Thankfully, (at least for now) they have stopped fighting one another. On one hand, the Nepali democracy, with the energy of youth, bubbles with possibilities. Perhaps the people have a chance to create their own future, to make it distinctly Nepali--diverse and welcoming and beautiful. On the other hand, for many (if not most) citizens, political instability appears to inhibit rather than empower them in their daily lives, to limit what is possible rather than expanding its horizons.
Even in times of purported change, the US political system evolves slowly and often in a circular fashion. This relative stability provides a level of comfort for many US citizens, while simultaneously fostering a sense of hope in those citizens whose lives are not comfortable or whose interests are not represented by the centralized power. Knowing that change does happen, that new opportunities do arise, that creativity and ingenuity do actually generate tangible results from time to time channels individuals with revolutionary leanings into roles as activists, intellectuals, or artists. So, the revolution may have a non-violent outlet after all...or so we think, for better or for worse.
Links
So, here's a basic overview of Nepal's political history from the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166502.stm
Although a lot of the context is left unexplained, more detailed/current/interesting articles on the political scene in Nepal can be found here:
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/main.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166502.stm
Although a lot of the context is left unexplained, more detailed/current/interesting articles on the political scene in Nepal can be found here:
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/main.htm
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Nepal
I just got back from Nepal, where I was visiting my sister, Elizabeth. She's been working as a volunteer (doing social work) in a Nepali village since November. And I got to go meet her people and travel around the country a little bit. We spent a lot of time on buses, traveling from town to town, visiting folks or executing various adventures. These rides were long and hot and curvy and crowded, but completely perfect at the same time. For a reduced rate, the bus driver will let you ride on top of the bus on the luggage rack. This can be pretty exciting, especially when the bus passes through towns and you have to duck to avoid powerlines, or when fifteen farm workers (with tools) help prove that just as many folks can ride on top of a bus as inside.
One day we visited the supposed birthplace of the Buddha. Said a little prayer at the stone on which the Buddha fell when his mother gave birth to him standing up. Of course, the baby Buddha made an imprint on the stone, which is how it can be identified as the proper one. Anyway, temple after temple have been built around this spot for 2500 years or so. A place that has been considered holy for some time now. It's hard to tell how much human will actually imprints on a place...maybe quite a bit, especially over time...and how much expecting to feel something strong and special can really produce anticipated (or not) results.
Thinking a lot about economics. After being in one of the poorest countries in the world, the way I view the ebb and flood of capital in the US is changing. What do we label as crisis? And what would a real crisis actually look like? Also, having less money doesn't necessarily mean having less happiness or having less life. Of course everyone knows this intellectually...but losing money (especially lots of money) still constitutes a crisis from a particular point of view. But if the only things we could ever hope for were enough food to survive and other people to share our life with, then the only crises would be starvation or solitude. I haven't quite figured out what I want to say about this...
Meeting Nepali people and going to their homes and not being able to speak to them really, but feeling welcome and smiling a lot...these were some of the most amazing times for me...drank a lot of sweet milky tea and thought a lot about how interesting it is that people like me can up and travel to the other side of the planet and sit with people who have never left their village and seem really curious 1) how and why i came to be there, and 2) why on earth i wouldn't want to make arrangements to stay there permanently.
One day we visited the supposed birthplace of the Buddha. Said a little prayer at the stone on which the Buddha fell when his mother gave birth to him standing up. Of course, the baby Buddha made an imprint on the stone, which is how it can be identified as the proper one. Anyway, temple after temple have been built around this spot for 2500 years or so. A place that has been considered holy for some time now. It's hard to tell how much human will actually imprints on a place...maybe quite a bit, especially over time...and how much expecting to feel something strong and special can really produce anticipated (or not) results.
Thinking a lot about economics. After being in one of the poorest countries in the world, the way I view the ebb and flood of capital in the US is changing. What do we label as crisis? And what would a real crisis actually look like? Also, having less money doesn't necessarily mean having less happiness or having less life. Of course everyone knows this intellectually...but losing money (especially lots of money) still constitutes a crisis from a particular point of view. But if the only things we could ever hope for were enough food to survive and other people to share our life with, then the only crises would be starvation or solitude. I haven't quite figured out what I want to say about this...
Meeting Nepali people and going to their homes and not being able to speak to them really, but feeling welcome and smiling a lot...these were some of the most amazing times for me...drank a lot of sweet milky tea and thought a lot about how interesting it is that people like me can up and travel to the other side of the planet and sit with people who have never left their village and seem really curious 1) how and why i came to be there, and 2) why on earth i wouldn't want to make arrangements to stay there permanently.
Well...
So, I guess I'm going to try out this blogging thing. Not sure what's going to come of it...perhaps little, perhaps much...we'll just have to see.
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