"These strange broken men were destroying everything that didn’t look and act like them, massacring beautiful and precious humans seemingly for fun." truly heartbreaking. And they're still doing it. I suppose it's their distorted and sick way of pleading for that rebellious Love and kindness and decency, while being too broken and scarred to find it.
Great write as always. Thank you for sharing your rebel heart (and Anna's) and shining in this world of darkness! 💗🙏 ✨
Thanks so much, Veronika. Glad you're here reading :)
And yes, I guess they'll go on destroying the world until we're brave enough to reject the entire facade and return to being human again. Kindness has always been the strongest act and we sure do have some weak weak people in charge at the moment.
I needed this one today as I travel all over the US, feeling the blurry narcotic of capitalism, the heads all heavy in phones, and then the sweet rising up of humanity that sings every time I pause to read one of my favorite Substack letters. There is innocence amongst us, people still believing in goodness and love and the great wild earth that makes us.
Love is truly the mark of the rebel heart and I feel so proud of our community here who resist the drowning. I want to shout this through the airport terminals!
“The painful tragedy of our current era of extraordinary engineered inequality is that showing Love is now the true mark of a rebel heart. You don’t need tartan trousers, safety pins and a mohawk these days, you just need kindness and decency to be a rebel.”
There is nothing but goodness and love and the great wild earth that makes us and we'll never be blinded by the trinkets that allure us:) Thanks so much as always Kimberly. Safe travels
I am so tired and weary right now, and you just light a whole fireworks of words to bring me back to the righteous rage. What a phenomenally mapped transgression from the vantage of change since the 70's. I loved so many lines, I couldn't pick my favourite one. Thank you Jonathan, here is to you and Anna and the kindness, decency, and rebellious love of an ordinary dreamer.
I think you write such powerful pieces and have so much writing talent, Swarnali, so I'm really pleased that this piece landed with you. Thanks. And I'm glad to have fueled your energy because you've done that for me plenty of times :)
I'm always trying to blur the boundaries of fiction and creative non-fiction and academic writing and whatever else and create an intuitive feeling in the reading. I've got a new piece coming soon that is precisely this so I hope yo get a chance to read that too (it's not far in style to this one, https://jonathanfostersthecrow.substack.com/p/the-shimmering-ghost).
I am so glad I am stopping by more often and reading more deeply. All your pieces are so well crafted, and I realise how much I was missing out on while doomscrolling on notes. Now that I have uninstalled it, I am reading more newsletters. Thanks for sharing the Shimmering ghost, I shall definitely read it. You are an expert in telling real stories in fictional voices, I just love your style. Thank you again for the passion and the grit in the above piece.
Ah, finally I made it here. Love this audio. I was/we were walking to the edge of a waterfall, watching the last of the golden leaves of Autumn, slide over etched granite, down to the river bed below. Not a soul in sight, though it would have been amusing if someone were to listen in ; “There were big cars, big tits and big hair and the biggest dick won it all.” Not even the Ravens commented. Maybe I heard a chuckle, but I can’t be sure.
“Welcome to the end game where the rich and powerful set themselves a course to become even richer and more powerful and the rest of the world was left to drown in the rising tide.” Curious, how it seems each passing year we continue to see the same patterns, only worse, much worse. Though never said so eloquently as you are able to. It was an excellent rant.
The president of the U.S. , stands with one hand on the gates of delirium, while the other, wrapped around his wallet. As we, the millions of people ,desperate but not yet in despair,held hands across oceans, singing, chanting , dancing and standing up. We the people, guilty as charged, rebels, all. Thankfully, I can honestly tell you, I absolutely hated every character in Dallas, though my entire family, were glued to the TV.
“…in my own warm jacket and sensible shoes I too smoulder away with rebellion love.”
Me too, Jonathan, me too.
“Find your rebel heart my friend and shine in this world of darkness”.
Today, I found out I am a rebel, and maybe even a little bit punk. That’s exactly why I am here, to learn something new, about life, about you, about myself, and of course the dog. Oh, and to wander nowhere special, intently listening .
What a great thing to be literally a voice in the wilderness, I feel a metaphorical voice in the wilderness sometimes so being there with you guys in the golden leaves is a wonderful thought.
"The president of the U.S. , stands with one hand on the gates of delirium, while the other, wrapped around his wallet." ha ha brilliant.
Funny eh? How being kind and honest and decent is now a rebel stance as the circus staggers further and further into madness. No Kings Day flourished beautifully with rebel love I see. Well done you lot :)
I wish I could record your audio, and take a video at the same time, to show you what I am looking at, while I walk and listen. Then you would realize how cool it is when it all syncs together.
I am forever late, I am forever running, forever catching up and falling behind again... but I listened, then read again and oh boy, I am glad I did. This is gritty and true and shining brightly my friend, I love the way you write!
I am forever searching, too, for that place where those people aren't, the Queens and the JR Ewings but the world really is broken and too many good people fell in the cracks way back then, they never had a chance to use their rebel hearts did they? Of course, they could have climbed out but now they're too scared or too weakened by the bullshit, too self righteous and selfie mad to try.
"The painful tragedy of our current era of extraordinary engineered inequality is that showing Love is now the true mark of a rebel heart."
How wrong is that...?
Hang on to yours my friend and Anna's, I'm holding mine high up on my hill like a beacon in the hope that someone, anyone will join me... not least because my heart aches from shining! 💛🙏🏼
"These strange broken men were destroying everything that didn’t look and act like them, massacring beautiful and precious humans seemingly for fun." truly heartbreaking. And they're still doing it. I suppose it's their distorted and sick way of pleading for that rebellious Love and kindness and decency, while being too broken and scarred to find it.
Great write as always. Thank you for sharing your rebel heart (and Anna's) and shining in this world of darkness! 💗🙏 ✨
Thanks so much, Veronika. Glad you're here reading :)
And yes, I guess they'll go on destroying the world until we're brave enough to reject the entire facade and return to being human again. Kindness has always been the strongest act and we sure do have some weak weak people in charge at the moment.
I needed this one today as I travel all over the US, feeling the blurry narcotic of capitalism, the heads all heavy in phones, and then the sweet rising up of humanity that sings every time I pause to read one of my favorite Substack letters. There is innocence amongst us, people still believing in goodness and love and the great wild earth that makes us.
Love is truly the mark of the rebel heart and I feel so proud of our community here who resist the drowning. I want to shout this through the airport terminals!
“The painful tragedy of our current era of extraordinary engineered inequality is that showing Love is now the true mark of a rebel heart. You don’t need tartan trousers, safety pins and a mohawk these days, you just need kindness and decency to be a rebel.”
There is nothing but goodness and love and the great wild earth that makes us and we'll never be blinded by the trinkets that allure us:) Thanks so much as always Kimberly. Safe travels
Brilliant, left me speechless. Sharing, for sure.
Right on with this! :
~ “There was something deeply broken in this hierarchical world dominated by emotionally retarded maniacs desperate for money…..”
~ “ …. I too smoulder away with rebellion love.”
~ “Find your rebel heart my friend and shine in this world of darkness.”
Shining on, Jonathan 🙌
"I aspire to be a giver. A giver of love, a giver of good vibes & a giver of strength."
It's a terrible yet wonderful world, let's keep shining and making it more and more wonderful. Tip the balance :)
Thanks so much Michaele
"... you just need kindness and decency to be a rebel"
and love, and writing, and friends with rebel hearts 🖤
🖤 And we've got it all :)
Such brilliant writing and it’s so good to hear you read too.
Rebellious Love is a wonderful thing, I just hope it’s enough for such extreme times. My heart tells me it is but then I doubt…
Thanks Jonathan for all of what you have so eloquently said
Thanks Suburbia, your definitely raising my spirits re the recordings :) Nice one 🙏🏼
As far as whether rebel love is enough in these dark days, I’m not sure either, but it’s all I got so I’m going down fighting at least ;)
It’s the best we can do.
I am so tired and weary right now, and you just light a whole fireworks of words to bring me back to the righteous rage. What a phenomenally mapped transgression from the vantage of change since the 70's. I loved so many lines, I couldn't pick my favourite one. Thank you Jonathan, here is to you and Anna and the kindness, decency, and rebellious love of an ordinary dreamer.
I think you write such powerful pieces and have so much writing talent, Swarnali, so I'm really pleased that this piece landed with you. Thanks. And I'm glad to have fueled your energy because you've done that for me plenty of times :)
I'm always trying to blur the boundaries of fiction and creative non-fiction and academic writing and whatever else and create an intuitive feeling in the reading. I've got a new piece coming soon that is precisely this so I hope yo get a chance to read that too (it's not far in style to this one, https://jonathanfostersthecrow.substack.com/p/the-shimmering-ghost).
I am so glad I am stopping by more often and reading more deeply. All your pieces are so well crafted, and I realise how much I was missing out on while doomscrolling on notes. Now that I have uninstalled it, I am reading more newsletters. Thanks for sharing the Shimmering ghost, I shall definitely read it. You are an expert in telling real stories in fictional voices, I just love your style. Thank you again for the passion and the grit in the above piece.
Ah, finally I made it here. Love this audio. I was/we were walking to the edge of a waterfall, watching the last of the golden leaves of Autumn, slide over etched granite, down to the river bed below. Not a soul in sight, though it would have been amusing if someone were to listen in ; “There were big cars, big tits and big hair and the biggest dick won it all.” Not even the Ravens commented. Maybe I heard a chuckle, but I can’t be sure.
“Welcome to the end game where the rich and powerful set themselves a course to become even richer and more powerful and the rest of the world was left to drown in the rising tide.” Curious, how it seems each passing year we continue to see the same patterns, only worse, much worse. Though never said so eloquently as you are able to. It was an excellent rant.
The president of the U.S. , stands with one hand on the gates of delirium, while the other, wrapped around his wallet. As we, the millions of people ,desperate but not yet in despair,held hands across oceans, singing, chanting , dancing and standing up. We the people, guilty as charged, rebels, all. Thankfully, I can honestly tell you, I absolutely hated every character in Dallas, though my entire family, were glued to the TV.
“…in my own warm jacket and sensible shoes I too smoulder away with rebellion love.”
Me too, Jonathan, me too.
“Find your rebel heart my friend and shine in this world of darkness”.
Today, I found out I am a rebel, and maybe even a little bit punk. That’s exactly why I am here, to learn something new, about life, about you, about myself, and of course the dog. Oh, and to wander nowhere special, intently listening .
What a great thing to be literally a voice in the wilderness, I feel a metaphorical voice in the wilderness sometimes so being there with you guys in the golden leaves is a wonderful thought.
"The president of the U.S. , stands with one hand on the gates of delirium, while the other, wrapped around his wallet." ha ha brilliant.
Funny eh? How being kind and honest and decent is now a rebel stance as the circus staggers further and further into madness. No Kings Day flourished beautifully with rebel love I see. Well done you lot :)
Thanks as always my friend :)
I wish I could record your audio, and take a video at the same time, to show you what I am looking at, while I walk and listen. Then you would realize how cool it is when it all syncs together.
Such great comments. I have as much hope in Anna as you do. thanks Jonathan.
Thank you Wes, I'll tell her :)
Does she remind you of Greta T?
Yep. Quite a lot :)
Thank you! This was spectacular.
I'm so glad you liked it Mike. If you want to try another you might like this one :)
https://jonathanfostersthecrow.substack.com/p/the-shimmering-ghost
I am forever late, I am forever running, forever catching up and falling behind again... but I listened, then read again and oh boy, I am glad I did. This is gritty and true and shining brightly my friend, I love the way you write!
I am forever searching, too, for that place where those people aren't, the Queens and the JR Ewings but the world really is broken and too many good people fell in the cracks way back then, they never had a chance to use their rebel hearts did they? Of course, they could have climbed out but now they're too scared or too weakened by the bullshit, too self righteous and selfie mad to try.
"The painful tragedy of our current era of extraordinary engineered inequality is that showing Love is now the true mark of a rebel heart."
How wrong is that...?
Hang on to yours my friend and Anna's, I'm holding mine high up on my hill like a beacon in the hope that someone, anyone will join me... not least because my heart aches from shining! 💛🙏🏼