The "I want to say" part brought tears to my eyes, especially the last two lines! I think those thoughts are the ones that haunt so many of us, that we can maybe see where the fork in the road happened, but we've forgotten how to get back there and can't think of anyway out of it. Sometimes the simplest remedies are the hardest ones. Thanks for sharing!! XO
Yes, capitalism and so much else. One of those other things that your post so eloquently brings out is that we're so busy looking at the ways we're different from each other, we've forgotten all the ways we're also alike. Ultimately, we are all human. XO
Thanks! That’s so pleasing because I’m always trying to say stuff like that but under the water line, so to speak. It’s just really gratifying when someone sees what’s going on :) nice one Danielle 🙏🏼
That's the thing thought isn't it? That the current social/economic system makes castaways of all of us? There's so much division sown between groups of people who should understand their mutual similarities, but are encouraged instead to focus on fabricated differences, and then encouraged to despise each other. So that eventually we are al made castaways from our potential community.
Thanks for reading and being here Patris.You're a wonderful encouragement and support :)
These words are so powerful and haunting. The story of the boy on the train takes me back to a litany of regrettable reactions where I could have been more forthcoming, but then again, I'm not sure it would have changed a single mind. Strange and scary times we live in.
You have strung the chords of two thirds of my life together with these words Jonathan, here especially…
“By accident, we have became skilled illusionists, perfecting a never-ending performance of deference. We’ve learnt the language. We’ve voiced the platitudes. We’ve celebrated histories and nodded along with traditions.”
We will always be that way, the expats, the blow-ins, the castaways in countries where the reminders never cease… it doesn’t matter that it feels like home to us. I have lived here longer than I have anywhere else and yet still I am the curiosity!
You say “I’ve lived here for more than twenty years and so I know the rhythm of this place….” me too, but it changes little, there will always be the questioning looks, the the feeling of ‘how can you possibly know’.
We carry on, hold on tight to optimism and hope that we haven’t forgotten how to be kind.
This was very moving, on all levels… the song, mournfully beautiful too !
For me it's a subtle experience. I don't mind at all being an outsider. Even in places where I don't seem foreign I feel like a bit of an outsider, I've always suffered from insight or seeing the naked Emperor.
But at the moment I think that an increasing right wing political manipulation from above is encouraging antagonism toward foreignness and (tragically) people are responding to this encouragement and acting in a more overtly anti-other manner than they did not long ago. In the twenty plus years I've been here I've seen this change creeping upon the country.
So I don't want to be "one of the gang" exactly, I just don't like the stupidity being celebrated. But yeah, lets never forget kindness and love, the truly radical expressions of the self in these peculiar times.
Glad you liked the song. It was the theme tune to a very sweet BBC series from a few years back.
How many, count them 800 rooms do you need? Bench buddies sit in the hot sun and rain, hungry remains with scrapped burger wrappers blowing in gullies piled up in drifts. Snow shovels useless to move the words written on paper. The billions of people world wide have no place to go. But the natural forces flow from flotsam and jet lagged alike to bring the people together if all goes according to natural laws. Then rebuild we must and open castle 800 doors to people to rest weary bones with a roof over their heads.
Isn't it a great song! There's a whimsical poetry to it that I love.
Let's say this; who knows what'll happen, but surely the shape of today's society will change, and that's got to be a good thing because it's pretty wonky right now. How it'll look I can't say, but there are so many good hearted and kind people about that there's every chance things will be just fine.
A lot of this resonated, also an outsider for half of my life. This was really good, thank you. I sat and read outside, just before it got dark, distant karaoke, no sign of the first stars and the bats are strangely absent this evening.
I take that back, just saw one.
A ginger wine being enjoyed and my two dogs by my side. Cheers Jonathon!
Thanks so much Leon (if it wasn't early Sunday I'd fancy a glass of your Ginger wine too :) Love hearing how you experienced the reading, emerging bats, comrade dogs, karaoke, and a sense of resonance. Brilliant. Enjoy.
Oh yeah I forgot the time difference. We're future you. Which reminds me of something mentioned on Rune Soup, countries like the Philippines may quite be a good idea of what first world countries may become. I saw a clip taken somewhere in Oakland California the other day, an old stomping ground of mine, and there was row upon row of plywood shanty towns. Not unlike here, but plywood wouldn't do so well here in the humidity so they tend to stick to corrugated iron, which can't be much fun in some of the temperatures they're experiencing here at the moment. I think we're all hanging out for rainy season to begin and the joy of typhoons. Living in the Philippines it seems like Life is constantly prodding us with a stick and saying "hey, here's another reminder that you're ALIVE!"
Funny thing with corrugated iron shack, you cant wait for the rainy season to cool things down, but then you cant hear a word anyone says coz that damned corrugated iron is deafening under the rain. Although, maybe that's a good thing!
I've always had this theory (probably loads of people do) that colonising cultures that create growth through the domination of external peoples and the exploitation of raw materials in "third world" countries, will, eventually, apply the same mentality on their internal populations and treat them in the same way.
I think we see happening right now with the ongoing decimation of salaries, the removal of the middle classes, the increase in precarious jobs and massively increasing inequality etc. etc. The powered classes are basically applying colonial strategies to their own populations and hey presto, just like you say, so-called "first world" countries slide to third world standards too.
Anyway, until this weekend, and a couple of days last week, it's been raining and snowing and freezing and wet and windy and horrible here, so finally, this weekend, the temps rose and the leaves and blossoms are blooming and man oh man it's about time!
Glad your feeling ALIVE though, even if it's a strain ;)
I'm playing with the word I learned from @veronikabond 'synchronosophy'... 8 hours before you published this post I wrote in my journal "talk to me" and "detect(ive of) self"... well... you've talked to me, and I'm waiting waiting waiting to respond to what you say ☺️
The "I want to say" part brought tears to my eyes, especially the last two lines! I think those thoughts are the ones that haunt so many of us, that we can maybe see where the fork in the road happened, but we've forgotten how to get back there and can't think of anyway out of it. Sometimes the simplest remedies are the hardest ones. Thanks for sharing!! XO
Excellent observation Danielle, and I agree, there is a mutual haunting going on. The spectre of capitalism?
Yes, capitalism and so much else. One of those other things that your post so eloquently brings out is that we're so busy looking at the ways we're different from each other, we've forgotten all the ways we're also alike. Ultimately, we are all human. XO
Thanks! That’s so pleasing because I’m always trying to say stuff like that but under the water line, so to speak. It’s just really gratifying when someone sees what’s going on :) nice one Danielle 🙏🏼
Thank YOU! XO
Castaways. (As was the son of the woman on the bus will be)
That's the thing thought isn't it? That the current social/economic system makes castaways of all of us? There's so much division sown between groups of people who should understand their mutual similarities, but are encouraged instead to focus on fabricated differences, and then encouraged to despise each other. So that eventually we are al made castaways from our potential community.
Thanks for reading and being here Patris.You're a wonderful encouragement and support :)
Your work is extraordinary
🙏🏽
Aren't we all castaways of one variety or another? Sad!! XO
Castaways become explorers
Then let us all have courage for the journey ahead, hindsight to not return to who/what cast us out, and gratitude for what new paths we find. XO
Amen
These words are so powerful and haunting. The story of the boy on the train takes me back to a litany of regrettable reactions where I could have been more forthcoming, but then again, I'm not sure it would have changed a single mind. Strange and scary times we live in.
You have strung the chords of two thirds of my life together with these words Jonathan, here especially…
“By accident, we have became skilled illusionists, perfecting a never-ending performance of deference. We’ve learnt the language. We’ve voiced the platitudes. We’ve celebrated histories and nodded along with traditions.”
We will always be that way, the expats, the blow-ins, the castaways in countries where the reminders never cease… it doesn’t matter that it feels like home to us. I have lived here longer than I have anywhere else and yet still I am the curiosity!
You say “I’ve lived here for more than twenty years and so I know the rhythm of this place….” me too, but it changes little, there will always be the questioning looks, the the feeling of ‘how can you possibly know’.
We carry on, hold on tight to optimism and hope that we haven’t forgotten how to be kind.
This was very moving, on all levels… the song, mournfully beautiful too !
For me it's a subtle experience. I don't mind at all being an outsider. Even in places where I don't seem foreign I feel like a bit of an outsider, I've always suffered from insight or seeing the naked Emperor.
But at the moment I think that an increasing right wing political manipulation from above is encouraging antagonism toward foreignness and (tragically) people are responding to this encouragement and acting in a more overtly anti-other manner than they did not long ago. In the twenty plus years I've been here I've seen this change creeping upon the country.
So I don't want to be "one of the gang" exactly, I just don't like the stupidity being celebrated. But yeah, lets never forget kindness and love, the truly radical expressions of the self in these peculiar times.
Glad you liked the song. It was the theme tune to a very sweet BBC series from a few years back.
How many, count them 800 rooms do you need? Bench buddies sit in the hot sun and rain, hungry remains with scrapped burger wrappers blowing in gullies piled up in drifts. Snow shovels useless to move the words written on paper. The billions of people world wide have no place to go. But the natural forces flow from flotsam and jet lagged alike to bring the people together if all goes according to natural laws. Then rebuild we must and open castle 800 doors to people to rest weary bones with a roof over their heads.
Amen! The flotsam and jet lagged. For that expression alone :)
Another beautiful comment/poem/prayer to cogitate and set free. Thank you Richard.
“I’m scared we’ve forgotten how to love one another, and that we will all perish, for no good reason at all.”
Can humanity be learned again ? If no one is listening or watching. Are we edging toward the time of too late?
I’m scared there will be no one left, brave enough . But it is my nature to remain hopeful that love and kindness will be the embers carried forward.
“And as my courage strengthens I reach just a little harder for that world beyond reach…”
Thank you Jonathan, I followed your link to the song. Stirring and beautiful, quite the accompaniment to your words.
Isn't it a great song! There's a whimsical poetry to it that I love.
Let's say this; who knows what'll happen, but surely the shape of today's society will change, and that's got to be a good thing because it's pretty wonky right now. How it'll look I can't say, but there are so many good hearted and kind people about that there's every chance things will be just fine.
Say Hi to Ranger :)
A lot of this resonated, also an outsider for half of my life. This was really good, thank you. I sat and read outside, just before it got dark, distant karaoke, no sign of the first stars and the bats are strangely absent this evening.
I take that back, just saw one.
A ginger wine being enjoyed and my two dogs by my side. Cheers Jonathon!
Thanks so much Leon (if it wasn't early Sunday I'd fancy a glass of your Ginger wine too :) Love hearing how you experienced the reading, emerging bats, comrade dogs, karaoke, and a sense of resonance. Brilliant. Enjoy.
Oh yeah I forgot the time difference. We're future you. Which reminds me of something mentioned on Rune Soup, countries like the Philippines may quite be a good idea of what first world countries may become. I saw a clip taken somewhere in Oakland California the other day, an old stomping ground of mine, and there was row upon row of plywood shanty towns. Not unlike here, but plywood wouldn't do so well here in the humidity so they tend to stick to corrugated iron, which can't be much fun in some of the temperatures they're experiencing here at the moment. I think we're all hanging out for rainy season to begin and the joy of typhoons. Living in the Philippines it seems like Life is constantly prodding us with a stick and saying "hey, here's another reminder that you're ALIVE!"
Funny thing with corrugated iron shack, you cant wait for the rainy season to cool things down, but then you cant hear a word anyone says coz that damned corrugated iron is deafening under the rain. Although, maybe that's a good thing!
I've always had this theory (probably loads of people do) that colonising cultures that create growth through the domination of external peoples and the exploitation of raw materials in "third world" countries, will, eventually, apply the same mentality on their internal populations and treat them in the same way.
I think we see happening right now with the ongoing decimation of salaries, the removal of the middle classes, the increase in precarious jobs and massively increasing inequality etc. etc. The powered classes are basically applying colonial strategies to their own populations and hey presto, just like you say, so-called "first world" countries slide to third world standards too.
Anyway, until this weekend, and a couple of days last week, it's been raining and snowing and freezing and wet and windy and horrible here, so finally, this weekend, the temps rose and the leaves and blossoms are blooming and man oh man it's about time!
Glad your feeling ALIVE though, even if it's a strain ;)
Hahah, yeah I grew up with a tin roof and I actually chose to have one on our house and it's crazy loud, but at least you know when it's raining haha.
I feel your theory is true. It's all just a "how can I create more wealth" game and who gets to be the loser this year...
Enjoy the good weather! We've been really dry for four months now, hanging out for a good rain. Everything is looking pretty dehydrated
You really are the future us, I reckon I'm 12 hours and four months behind you :)
I'm playing with the word I learned from @veronikabond 'synchronosophy'... 8 hours before you published this post I wrote in my journal "talk to me" and "detect(ive of) self"... well... you've talked to me, and I'm waiting waiting waiting to respond to what you say ☺️