as you know, was 1985 or thereabouts i read Hesse’s Steppenwolf; and the takeaway that humanity is the bridge between spirit and nature; thought/writing so true it’s never left my mind: for decades on end, coming back to that sentiment, ruminating about it. Now it seems to have finally sprouted to its ultimate significance based on years and years of philosophical peregrinations: When we say a human being is half animal, it is there for all to see—having to clean itself, blow its nose, and change its clothes. in regards to spirit, how do we make this equation balanced and harmonious? of course that requires a formal discussion of all, consensus built by parliamentary math. tis true my personal spirit has always had a facet of imperiousness to it, sometimes transforming to hubris, but i’ve never spit on someone or touched anyone with selfish intent, or the like, or slashed tires or something retaliatory of the like i’ve known others to do—it’s not there on my record—i’ve never allowed the animal part of me to compromise the spirit part of me, which is the ultimate philosophy derived from that idea in a novel i read so many years ago. life is a navigation of the animal and the spirit to be mindful. something like that. today it’s vexing because I’m a sixty-one year old man, that everything i say and do is placed on the wrong end of the continuum of right and wrong, and every half-spirit/half-animal would rather have me dead: am i really to blame for being created with a sense of command? i’m not an asshole or weirdo or creep, i’m someone understanding and true crying out in a wilderness of humans who are now more animal than spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment