ial (12/ 9/ 05)12/ 9/ 05 - I hope readers are entertained by this project. Still, ...
although it may be hard to take the authors (including the speaker) seriously (as the authors knew would happen), I (* I cannot speak for all the author(s)) ask the reader to extract something, something beyond a disinterested countenance or an amused smirk. The project was not a total joke (the first chapter was not at all a joke). It involved actual concern, actual thought. The matter of the project (whatever it may be) has consumed and continues to consume the thoughts of many in moments of uncertainty confronting the "world around us".
The first chapter was written preceding the initiation of the project. It was an entry in my web - log , dating back to 2004 (ow! my head).
The second chapter comes from another author and was written within a short time frame (*I have just decided to cut it out due to the fact that I have not asked for the other authors approval).
I wrote the third chapter shortly after the project was initiated..
Chapters 4 through 7 were all titles of chapters unwritten. In reality, at this point, there was no intention to write them but I put them in as a joke in an email.
Chapter 8 was something I considered today. I wanted to write something on making the revolution addictive. This was an entertaining thought, but even though I have had firsthand experience with addiction, I do not know how much I could write on it (or the science of it)(especially having a knowledge of addiction basically limited to high school classes). I also wanted to write about contrast and hypocrisy. In the chapter, I would start off with the revolution WILL be televised (rather than, of course, it not being televised). I would speak about something on creating confusion, such that revolution was all that people could hang onto but they would not have the ability to analyze it (and thus they would be incapable of rejecting it). As plausible as these ideas may seem (to some readers), I would just be throwing the bull (or chucking the bull?). I forgot to mention that the title of chapter 8 expressed contradiction as it spoke of an intangible... substance. Oh (note that this introduction is all of the top of my head), and in the chapter I would also talk about withdrawal (add to that concept of contradiction). It would be withdrawal from evils, etc.
I like it in Gil Scott - Herons work for peace when he says something to this effect:
I dont want to sound like no late night commercial, but its a matter of fact that there are thousands of children all over the world, in Asia and Africa and South America that need our help. When they start talking about 55 cents a day and 70 cents a day I know that a lot of folks feel that though that, thats not, thats not really any kind of contribution to make but we have to give up a dollar and a half to just get on the subway nowadays. So this is a song about tomorrow and about how tomorrow can be better. if we all each one, reach one, each one try to teach one Nobody can do everything but everybody can do something. everyone must play a part. everyones got to got to work. work for peace.
Anyone I quote is just someone I have heard, not (or at least I do not think so) anyone that I have engaged with in conversation. I think that I sound too much like a spoiled, ignorant, foolish suburban teenage who is truly afraid of change. For the most part, I cannot deny that I am any of these, I cannot deny being all of these.
I do hope to see change in my lifetime. Whether or not I will incite or partake in change, I honestly (and embarrassedly, shamefully) do not know.
note: Genio Santiago Juvenil is not my birth name
I.- (possible title: Distorted Set of Priorities)
II.Resolution Through Revolution*
III.- (possible title: Division - Doubt, Distraction Fear)
IV.Time Management
V.Nameless, Faceless Masses
VI.Pragmatism VS. Idealism
VII.Judgment Weekent
VIII.The Revolution as an Intangible, Addictive Substance
CHAPTER 1 by Genio Santiago Juvenil (a.k.a. the pharmacist of ampurdan)
the US governments priorities? the US medias priorities? the US citizens priorities? your priorities?
... maybe it cannot be simplified into a list, maybe it is constantly changing, maybe you have not analyzed it, maybe you have not evaluated it
... but as the smiling authority figures, "character educators", I cannot force change, the change must be desired by the masses, it must be rooted in every persons personal discontent, the flaw in our set of priorities (a distorted set of priorities) is not a flaw at all unless it is recognized by others, unless it becomes the opinion of the majority, the majority has power, and thus the opinion of the majority holds powerlife? is he breathing? if we value every newborns life, if we value every persons life, if all our lives are equal, then we will see the divisions that create pain are merely the images of different influences upon our lives... the government and the people speak the same language, we speak through emotions, time, money, the governments money?
... the money is fading? fading from the hands of taxpayers? falling into the highest lows until million is no different than billion, no different than trillion and no one measures as a slave would not care to know the exact temperature of the sun burning on his back, but what is burning our dollar signs, our plus signs?, obviously we can seek to blame, seek to criticize, seek to relieve our pain / pursue pleasure, but do we take the right path?, is this right?, so confident in the wrongness of cold politics that we forget to analyze our own actions, forget that we should not be fighting the death penalty or fighting the plight of lovable dolphins when there are bigger fish to fry, forget to analyze the possible consequences...... it is simple spoken in the cold political format that the people do not want to hear, the cold words that would leave the people sitting in their seats rather than encouraging them to stand up (like a dog who rolls over when you whistle the word "freedom"), the cold words are that we must be insensitive to some, we must be insensitive to some and thus our sensitivity which is spoken through emotions, time, money is directed to where it is necessary, who are we insensitive to?, what are your priorities?, what are your strongest influences?, I do not believe that we are cruel, the movement is not one of complainers but rather one of reformers, .it is sincere, as sincere as the way a mother teaches a child to say sorry to his sister, as sincere as a child who is taught and understands the concept of manners (do not give a child a cookie to say "please" and "thank you" for once the cookie is removed, so are the manners), .all lives are equal.I believe that we have divided ourselves to the point where equality remains in words on a piece of paper that is now an artifact of previous history, I believe that we do not examine our "list" of priorities, and that once it is spoken, in conversations at round tables, once there are images and voices, and once awareness and attention reach our attentiveness to the television screen, then there will be change....
the insensitivity concept:
we must be insensitive to the elderly as they have lived their lives, we must be insensitive to those who put their lives under great risk under circumstances under which it is unnecessary, we must be insensitive to the young and foolish and let them take blame for their actions (yes, the youth are constructions mirroring society, but unless society can be altered, unless the psyche of the people (the majority) can be manipulated, unless this is possible, then the youth must fall to the blame, this is the pragmatic solution to the problem, to prevent such behavior from continuing we must speak pragmatically, in the language of the majority)............but we will no longer be insensitive to those newborns, those starving children, life is indefinable, life is an experience, and we do not know what lies beyond here and we will never get any farther from this point on a circle, so we do not deprive people of this indefinable thing called life......
the solution:the clock ticks in the distance and there are steps ahead of us, but once rapidly meditating this information into our heads, we must take action, do not quench the fire with Cola or Pepsi, the discontent which sparks revolutions cannot be dissipated, ...... I could criticize the government further, or criticize the media or criticize the people but this outstretched hand does not demand simply recognition, it demands change, do not fall into community service clubs with fake altruism that leaves once the cookie is taken away, do not do as you are told, do as the influences have guided you to do, and I have faith in the people, in the majority, I have faith that their images of "right" and "wrong" have retained a concern for their fellow man, perhaps they hear the altruism and kindness spoken beneath the lies of bellowing preachers, lecturing politicians, condescending teachers,... but what is the solution?... it is spoken through emotions, time, money, and thus the first step (as all begins with the first step), the first step seems so simple and then maybe it will be seen as childish, as foolish, as the words of one who has not undergone enough human conditioning to believe the circumstances are too great, as the words of one who has not fallen to cynicism and pessimism with a voice unheard, the first step is to change the governments use of money....
and I can only speak as the suburban American democracy child, what is my voice?, what is our voice?, a democracy (1. a form of government in which the people have a voice in the exercise of power, typically through elected representatives 2. a state governed in such a way 3. control of a group by the majority of its members), a democracy, I live in a "democracy" but I no longer live in America, I no longer live in these divisions, a life in America is no more valuable, no less valuable than a life in Russia, divided by waters when these rivers all run in the same direction, maybe they do not see this at all or maybe they are simply shading themselves from the sun, but I want to talk to these politicians and .....the government, and the media, and the people (a force upon which the government and media have strong influence) will work together........in the cold world of politics and the never-ending aid to never-ending suffering, our sympathy fades for our common man, our common man becomes the common American, which becomes our common state,...besides the higher concern for our peers and family which is derived in duties society has instilled upon us and love that has grown in our attachments, besides these immediate connections, it is foolish to claim a life greater in value than another, and.......returning to the governments money, the government should not fall into debt dealing with a distorted set of priorities, the government should not think American, money towards battling AIDS in our own country (the public service announcements appearing most frequently on the drugging television screen addressing an irresponsible youth) should be money battling AIDS in Africa , money towards battling outsourcing in our country (unions which have become whiny children) should be money trying to better the lives of the people who do more work under lower wages under worse conditions in those other countries, money towards fighting abortion (bringing clusters of cells into life only to be born under unfit circumstances) should be money aiding the lives of children already born into unfit circumstances or money spent to aid the parents of the un-aborted births or money spent to the orphanages that will carry these children to bed and through life until they must be sent into the continuing cycles, money fighting a war on drugs should be spent on, should be spent on so much more, the marijuana messiah will sell to wealthy white suburban America and will be sent to jail for a strict straight-shooter term after donating all his profits to charity and then the people will realize that the law is foolish, the law is uncaring and cold, money sent into the vast coldness and blackness of space and the indirect application of space money to defensive and offensive militaristic operations should be sent across the big rivers (in the airplanes that do not fly beyond our dying ozone layer) dividing our land masses and dividing our people,............the first step is to change the governments use of money......but how?
tomorrow
a closed door, a dark room awakened by rotation of light switches, to the touch of human flesh, an alarm clock striking every hour, every minute, every second, all is beginning again but it has always been a straight line heading nowhere, this is nowhere and nothing, all is nothing and once analyzed and thoroughly examined and abolished nothing remains and nothing is created,.......in here lies discomfort, we are afraid of not knowing, not knowing what to do with our lives, not knowing the "reason" for our existence, not knowing what occurs after life, not knowing what to do in situations personal, peer-related, societal, discomforted, we seek for knowledge, we seek answers, no answer truly lies in ourselves (the empty, truest versions of ourselves) for alone we are empty vessels, eager pac-man receptacles with hungry appetites for pretty colors,.....and where is that better land?, that garden of adam and eve and love and leaves and snakes and trees and birds and bees, and there better be a better day, as we say, as we hope, as we strive and make our way,.. is this foolish desire? is it a desire of the minority, the majority, will it forever remained an un-quenched thirst?, our throats are parch and scratchy from yelling against metal doors held tightly by the crossed arms of security guards, bald-headed men with stone skulls,..a candle burns for the writer, so fragile, so weak, so unseen, so useless in the scheme, so he schemes his way out, schemes for attention, schemes for the revolution, but the revolution cannot have any heroes, it cannot hold uncertainty, "the revolution will not be televised", it cannot be thought over and over and have the mere concept of its occurrence debated by its supporters, the revolution will not be televised as it seems it will never happen, these people that are angry at the injustices and the stupidity of the media and the government stare into the questions in the clouds while the bald men sit in comfort, feet implanted in the ground, eyes pointing towards the light of the television like a green stalk growing towards the sun,....so how will we change? how do we make change? well, the change must be desired by the masses, the minority that exists is weak and powerless...
(unfortunately, we have struggled so much to take away the minoritys power (and rightfully so) that we forget that the majority is not always right, but who is to determine who is right? is not that merely an opinion? and thus the answer of right and wrong is merely an opinion of the majority? it is an opinion, but the masses are controlled by the government, media, and the community, and ALTHOUGH we say that we do not give the minority of people (government officials) the power and that the people do truly hold the power because they have the CHOICE of listening, people do not execute that choice, the media and the government have the power of INFLUENCE, that is what this clenched-fist minority desires)
...will there be change?, maybe an aberration, an apparition, the silhouettes of the forefathers telling that those rebels are not rebelling ("the US government is not based on Christianity", George Washington), the conservatives are not conserving, not conserving energy, not conserving the positives that existed in the former formation of the government of the nation, not conserving the true racial relations that existed in the ancient period of each races creation, all races were created equal and thus are equal, and we are not equal in the eyes of bald-headed comfort, we are divided and divided and how often do they ask me of my views?, of my label, not even the label I give myself but the one they should make of me?, who will listen?, who listens with unbiased ears?, can you trust me? can you trust anyone?, feeding me the lies and propaganda, thank the fucking imaginary lord that whether hatred or love boils in the bowels of our mind, the comfortable bald-headed mouses pursuing cheese in the maze of an analyzing scientist will do nothing, fucking nothing, we talk and we do nothing, we walk from box to box and sleep and eat and shit and fuck and do nothing,........it is the most discomforting thoughts that will make the bald men leap from their couches and sharpen their axes, plunge the knife deep into the neck of the man speaking the truth, they wash the blood off the shining blade while the newsman says the Jackson case developments, every 23 out of 24 hours a day, every 23 out of 24 hours a day,......what do we do? brethren, sisters, another division in the entire mass of people attempting to unite people but having to fight other groups in opposition, it is fighting, it is feuding, it is conflict, it is division which poses the threat to humanity, which poses the threat to the cease of poverty and depression and the creation of peace and the abolition of aggression and please fucking listen and try to understand...
division and restriction will inevitably lead to destruction, do not divide and do not restrict, division and restriction are necessary, do divide and do restrict,.........it is the chaos of conflicting views, it is the pain of searching for answers where only opinions exist, thinking practically, division is necessary, it is necessary for organization, it is necessary to represent different views and different perspectives, but division leads to inequality, we judge others, we make people better or worse, we do not reach for understanding, .....thinking pragmatically, restriction is necessary, it is necessary for order, to end chaos, restriction, however, is a force imposed by the powerful, and no one or no group deserves such power and the resulting atmospheric imaginary "superiority" derived from their stature,........what does it all mean?, how does anything help?, it seems if we do not tell people how to think and what to think and what to do they will think and do nothing OR let someone else tell them what to do..............SO this is where we abandon our trust in the people, from our recent history we can see that we are truly these empty receptacles, we think as we are told and we do as we are told, and there is nothing wrong with that because it is undeniably true, I am merely suggesting a shift in the speakers (the ones who tell them what to think and what to do) the problem is not some imbedded evil beneath the psyche of humanity, NO, it is rather that the people do not know the harm that all is causing, they are not aware of what is going on, they are not aware of the extent of the pain and suffering, they are not aware of the governments actions, they are not aware of the pain caused by their actions..........
and once they become aware they have, and I have, no idea what to do, what can I do?, have we become so divided that we think we have no influence over the government or now power in the big provocation called the media?, do we accept our weakness?, do we accept everything as it is? it is so easy to give up on this, they want you to give up, to focus on your petty life and petty problems......if one truly asks themselves what will he/she do with the rest of his/her life, there is so much beauty in the question and the nonexistence of an answer to the question, we question how we are living and why we are living as we do and thus we come to the conclusion that we must give others the right to LIVE, to experience this thing called life in its pristine form.......
Chapter 3
by Genio Santiago Juvenil (a.k.a. the pharmacist of ampurdan)
note: During this chapter there is more clarity, or at least an attempt for more clarity, than was present within my first chapter (chapter 1).
note: Retaining the readers interest is very important. Although the ideas are relevant to all, simply tone and manner of presentation can divert ones attention from the ideas. This entry, with its lucid elocution, attempts to appeal to those who had difficulty or held opposition to reading chapter 1. It also provides variety, essential to retaining the vivaciousness of the revolution.3.1: image
3.2: the imaginary division between "leader" and "follower"
3.3: doubt, distraction, fear
"The revolution will not be televised." The revolution will not be televised because it will be more effective through the medium of radio. Television is the combination of sound and image. One must recognize that image, although not rightfully so, holds much importance. Do the "leaders" of a revolution use this to their advantage; will they be able to do so? Will the "leaders" criticize the importance of image in society and persuade the people to ignore image altogether; is this possible? No, image may be formed with mere words, mere noises. People may judge a radio commentator through his tone of voice. People may judge a writer by his grammatical correctness, his prose, or his vocabulary. There is no "correction" of this. An empty vessel has seen the trees and has been told that they are trees. The immediate action of seeing a tree and coming up with the word for it cannot be erased. We cannot erase what the people have seen, although we can reduce the influence of image on them in the future (once they become aware of the problem). The pragmatic solution, the one which will grasp the attention of the majority out of their own free will rather than capture them against their will, is to voice disapproval of the importance of image, so the people will know that we do not rely on it, but also present an image (this of course is not an option; to have a revolution without image is impossible). The image will not be a lie. It will be a true representation, as true as a few persons representing the voice of many has ever been. What is this image? It is not yet determined, for now there are only the few "leaders" and the absence of "followers". In truth there will never be any "leaders" or any "followers".
A common suffering and a common cause erases the division between "leaders" and "followers". The "leaders" of the revolution envision the same change that the "followers" do and while people may have different roles in the revolution, all will support it, and thus, all of their contributions are significant. As a speaker, or writer, the "leader" is divided from the revolutionaries. Where does the leader stand? He will stand on the platform, he will stand with the people, among the people. Right now he stands as a person seeking reformation; and more generally, one following "self - interest" (self - interest is given a negative connotation; it is undeniable that all pursue self - interest (whether helping the elderly in a nursing home pleases you or stealing money from the elderly pleases you)). The "leader" must not be a "genius" (genius is a misleading term when intelligence truly cannot be proved through tests, when intelligence truly cannot be defined). He must be persuasive. He must be loved, insightful, respected, respectful, luminous, etc. (image, image, image, image, image.....). The only difference that lies between the "leader" and the "followers" is that the "leader" has abolished doubt, distraction, and fear within himself.
the three impediments:
doubt - a feeling of uncertainty
distraction - a thing that diverts attention, a thing offering entertainment, mental agitation
fear - an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm, the likelihood of something unwelcome happening
One cannot force another to rid of these feelings. There is no method for others to follow. One can only make one realize the seriousness of the situation at hand, the capability of a well - executed revolutionary movement, and the futility of these three impediments; he must wish that the person will defeat the impediments on his own.
