Comments | theoldanarchist: In my room... (apologies to Brian Wilson)

theoldanarchist

In my room... (apologies to Brian Wilson)

Jan 01, 2007 14:18

I am sitting in my office. In the living room, a Mormon missionary is discussing the Bible with my parents. I have no interest in hearing what he has to say, nor do I have any desire to debate theology, spirituality, or morality---or interpretations thereof---with him. I am sitting in my office listening to W. S. Burroughs read Naked Lunch.

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the future, anarchism, crankiness

Comments 4

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cautionary words... theoldanarchist January 2 2007, 00:01:32 UTC

Thanks for your reply, Mike. I have felt for some time that you and are in agreement more frequently than either of us would've thought when we first met.

Here are some cautionary words from Lewis Mumford that I always try to keep in mind: "It is not enough to say, as Rousseau once did, that one has only to reverse all the current practices to be right. ... If our philosophy is well grounded we shall not merely react against the "air-conditioned nightmare" of our present culture; we shall also carry into the future many of the elements of positive good that this culture actually embraces...." [The Conduct of Life, p. 18 ( ... )

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theoldanarchist January 2 2007, 19:14:00 UTC

Thanks, Devin. That all came to me in one sitting, though a number of those ideas have been swimming around my brain for a number of months.

I tell you, finally having this office/studio in working order has been a huge help. I really feel like I am getting some things done, and have a better sense of what I am working on and planning. The meeting you called with Jonas and Josh, and our collective decision to work toward something, has helped as well. I feel inspired and creative, and I feel I have something to look and work toward. Thank you for that, and for being a great comrade and friend.

johnny_red January 4 2007, 07:09:54 UTC

The question is, what do want to conserve?

Yeah, that is the question... theoldanarchist January 6 2007, 00:11:36 UTC

I wish I had a more complete answer than this: freedom (for individuals, groups, communities, regions, etc.), love (without which, I firmly believe, life is meaningless; but love itself is impossible without freedom), truth and beauty (which I believe are inexorably connected, and it is no surprise to me that a world severely lacking in truth is also a world that has steadily become uglier). There are many more, but that is a start.