When was the last time, if ever, you came across one word that typifies your entire existence, everything you stand for or against and captures your entire life's philosophy? The word I am referring to is Livity. Live-ity. The art of living in support of all life. Our friend Ras turey brought this to my attention yesterday saying he subscribes only to having been called into the service of Livity. He has dedicated himself, I, too.
That one six letter word is the antithesis of everything that presently stands in the way of just living. It acknowledges, it honors and respects the natural right to survival of all living species without interference and exploitation.
In contrast, while you read this, in Pittsburgh we have what can be called Psychopathity. Experienced agitators inciting mayhem at the G20, agents provocateurs, described in the media as "anarchists". We're guessing, but the requirements to be an advocate against capitalism-protester must be comprised the three U's: ugly, unkempt and unruly. We heard canisters of pepper spray and smoke were out in full force against these protesters rolling trash cans, beating drums and throwing rocks. The crime of record: unlawful assembly. Things came to a standstill when Darth Vader and the 'Guard wrapped the region in concrete barriers and high chain link fence.
I haven't left the North American continent for a while, so its interesting to get a glimpse of this nation's reputation from afar. Our friend in New Zealand, Baz, would have us think the US is a teeming mass of surgically altered adulterers, stupidly rich, overly paranoid and merciless imperialists busy inventing ever more creative ways to exploit Livity.
Its easy to see how he would get his impressions. Whenever I spend time abroad, I am aghast, also. The US appears, from a distance, as a badly built movie set. A trashy knockoff on the truly genius creations of humanity.
The reality is we've never evolved past adolescence, we skipped over maturity and wander endlessly in a fiat version of imitation to the extent imitation of our previous imitations is accepted as the ideal for all of humankind.
Even our media has become a series of morality plays reenacted from our cartoons, Bluto and Popeye, Mickey, Minnie and Goofy, Scrooge McDuck, Dick Tracy, Beetle Bailey, Archie and Jughead, etc. Maybe comics are the height of American glory?
Livity doesn't do comics. Livity doesn't read news. Livity rises above intolerable living conditions and tells us the truth of our conception on Planet Earth and guides the soul through whatever adventures follow early consciousness all the way to the grave. You either understand - overstand - or you don't. There are no exceptions to Livity, the moth accidentally trapped in your home must be released to the outdoors. You might ask, what does Livity kill?
Livity kills exploitation. Livity is the only way we will ever get out of the rat race. It is a state of mind, heart and body in surrender to the life force of Gaia, the perfect system already in place long before the cave man ever came along with his busy hands, tool making hands making weapons, seeking justice and revenge and cannibalizing Livity. The detour was taken, the species became lost, the natural mystics inside us all instantly destined to never see the sunlight. We are in collapse now, a teetering tower of comic strips exposed as poisonous white sugar with no nutritive value. This is what happens when false worship infects the foundations of what could have been, if only we'd seen what we were doing then. There has never been a full correction since.
...Theres a natural mystic blowing through the air;The point is we are not beyond repair, but the outcome is unfolding anyway. Even if we could fix all that has collapsed already and halt the remainder, Climate Chaos is beyond human control. At this moment, the man is putting into place regulations to lessen the effects of human caused global warming inside a fifty year time frame. Is this another comic strip? Yes, its infotainment for the signatories while the wars continue to impoverish Livity.
If you listen carefully now you will hear.
This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last:
Many more will have to suffer,
Many more will have to die - dont ask me why.
Things are not the way they used to be,
I wont tell no lie;
One and all have to face reality now.
though Ive tried to find the answer to all the questions they ask.
though I know its impossible to go livin through the past -
Dont tell no lie...
Its okay to be misunderstood and different from the man. You might find yourself a laughing stock making others amused or angry that you won't fit Jughead's profile. You can find peace in being the outcast because the incast is in collapse reading comics standing in the job application cue for Psychopathity.
The popularity concerning "knowing yourself" is but another clever detour, to "know yourself" is to select and imitate an identity from the incast. Take heed.
Without that monumental detour away from Livity, where, oh where, could we be now? Maybe you'd better not think about that. The scale of the opportunity missed is far too great for most of us to comprehend without running into the blinding light of truth, which is probably why humanity welcomed a detour in the first place. To see our truth is to see we are animations in dust. Moving nothings, undulating wave patterns, lost possibilities and infinite variations on something that didn't happen.
27 comments:
That Rass turey ID was not inspiring Nina, Ras is a reminder to be real, serve Livity and 'see' spirit in everyone. The common 'I'.
Rass BTW is a Jamaican curse word!
My compost heaps, recycling projects, seed saving, Permaculture-like plans etc all have been a 'rass' waste of time by a mad man, in the opinion of most around.
I guess converting gold to green is the maddest of them all.
Live Up Nina and Y'all.
turey who Nina has knighted 'Ras'.
Ras turey: "I guess converting gold to green is the maddest of them all."
If green was gold ... In 2001 the median house fetched 460 ounces of gold and the median price was about $115,000, a 4-to-1 ratio ounces of gold per dollar of house value. By the valuation peak in 2005 that ratio had fallen to 2.17-to-1. The boom period actually saw an overall loss in value.
Stated another way the best time to sell your home and buy gold actually occurred in 2001; you would have received twice the gold which would have seen very handsome appreciation. The truth: the boom was over by the time everyone thought it had begun.
Yes I, sheer madness.
Who gave you the RasS turey ID, Rasta? Not I, never!
Don't worry about "most around", a hungry man is an angry man and there are bound to be misinterpretations and confusion across the land. But be careful with your piles of projects in progress, the citations man might be called in. I say this because I saw it happen yesterday. Neighbor reporting on neighbor.
it may read "in-caste" as well.
like bob told us
they dont want to see us live together
all they want us to do is
keep on fussin and fightin
in pittsburg they have rolled out the big bad sound weapons as well. remember at the seattle summit there were cops dressed as anarchists fighting other cops? who knows what bullsh*t games the ptb's will cook up. i do not believe anything anymore
'cept what you wrote here today
few weeks ago there was a smallish plane over my field again and again. i was working on the fall garden that washed away in the flooding last week. now i know what it was: they busted a 66 year old woman up the road from me for her pot plants. i think they can take the property from her. glad to know thats how the feds spend their time and our treasure. meanwhile, paulson et al skate.
i try not to get overwhelmed, bitter and anxiety ridden. artlife west helps. thanks (again, always)
You gave me "Ras" Nina.
Some a dem did se mi was a 'Rass'. Google it readers.
I must write clearly.
I must right clearly.
Higher Hights.
Has everybody seen today's Petri Dish? Fluffy Toilet Paper and Old Growth Trees
Be sure to see the links. When something appears to be happening and everybody is posting about it, well, you can guarantee it IS happening. ...if you listen carefully you will hear...
Thank you Chickory. Perhaps we are twins separated at birth. :O
I wish sometimes I had never bought this thing I'm typing on. These (sometimes) are rapidly increasing when I sit and observe their effect on livity.
As I always suspected (and successfully resisted them until 1998)
Computers are mostly like the string that dangles the carrot in front of the predators food source.
Name something thats closer?
And yes, I carefully weighed the effect of this before I sent it. Its honest. They're a problem period. We would be better off without them if honestly evaluated.
I will recycle paper, pens and this as well. (its win98. It is obsoleted anyway)
I will not possess computers after this or have them in my sacred spaceface..
end of transmissions. . .
WV: picalt
RW, name something that is closer? To single out one item or one proclivity is only elusive because its all part of the larger pattern of western civilization exploiting Livity.
Here is a quote from Survival Acres Newsletter #7 concerning this situation:
"... Plastic lives and plastic people are how we do business. We call it society, civilization, even culture. These are much better words then mass murderers, indoctrination camps, brainwashing techniques, or wasted lives in slavery to Empire.
The next time someone above or even below your pecking order 'asks' you to do something, pause for a moment and ponder who's really being served here. How much of what we do, willingly or unwillingly, is really for us? The exchange of money for the sacrifice of our time, our thoughts, our morals or our soul is a prostitutes price. But we're all for sale, aren't we?
Of course we are. If we weren't, then we'd all be living in a different place and in a different world. But change can only happen very slowly it seems, the tides always sweep away our tracks as if we've never even been there. But you'll drown in their plastic sea if you stay, even if you just try to hang onto the edges (and they'll stomp your fingers if you do). Or you'll wind up so molded and bent out of shape that you remain barely recognizable as a conscientious human being. ..." 17 September 09 issue
As an off-topic comment, WIN 98 was a great operating system, far superior to the application-heavy "products" newbies are forced to purchase. I must say I feel a little sorry for people just getting started now, the purely altruistic intentions behind the whole www idea are totally lost to them. To go online is to subject oneself to sentiment software tracking for even more purchases, especially high speed since the amount of apps slow everything to a snail's pace. You are probably running a faster, cleaner program than the rest of us.
Charles' post today might very well be an answer for our anxious unemployed friends - Unemployment:The Gathering Storm
(a peek) ... As I noted in End of Work, End of Affluence III: The Rise of Informal Businesses (December 10, 2008), the Third World model of tens of millions of people finding informal employment in non-formal businesses holds much promise for the U.S. unemployed.
As someone who has been "marginally attached to the labor force" for decades (with occasional brief interruptions of formal employment), I can assure you that what I term hybrid work is entirely possible: some paid work, lots of unpaid work, and lots of "experiential capital" created and traded. All it requires is an entrepreneural mindset, an understanding that Capitalism requires Risking Capital and/or Labor to generate a Return (i.e. failure is part of the process, so don't let it get to you) and a very low-cost lifestyle.
The stress level of a low-cost lifestyle is lower than that of a high-cost lifestyle. If happiness is more about "the pursuit of happiness" than consuming, then hybrid work holds the potential of being far more satisfying than formal fulltime work in Corporate America--especially if you can't find work in Corporate America.
The whole entry is important information. Make time to see it.
Nina, thanks for posting that latest CHS essay.
Hello, Charles, if you visit here! I am a huge fan of yours, but generally don't add to your inbox overflow, because I almost never have any disagreements with your ideas, and as far as just being friendly, well, I'll do that here.
I am currently formally full-time employed, but I am tortured by the fact that I have NO freedom. I cannot just leave to go to the dentist, or buy some parts for my hobbies, etc. The biggest reason why I wish to be self-employed (while keeping this as "informal" as possible for many reasons that Charles explains in multiple essays) is to have a sense that I am working for the benefit of myself and my family. That is, I wish to be allowed to take risks from which I will benefit, and have my hard work go into my pocket and soul.
Right now, no matter how hard I work, or how lazy I happen to be, the end result is the same: an hourly wage. Of course, that assured hourly wage plus benefits is what makes such formal employment seem so attractive to our modern conditioned minds. And spouses often add to the pressure to remain in such a situation. Along with the high recurring monthly expenses of modern life.
I have been pursuing my own business ideas with some success, but it is so hard to find the time to do this while working full-time and caring for a family... sometimes (don't tell my wife) I actually wish that my company would close up (like the rather large small business in our building that folded this past week. I got a good deal on some tool belts and packs and tools) so that I could collect unemployment while ramping up.
Just some banal Sunday morning thoughts. I had a weird feeling this morning: I had this feeling that most of what I have believed and done and struggled with most of my adult life, in terms of jobs, careers, and even relationships and personal struggles, is some kind of strange illusion, a cruel game played by Descartes's hypothetical cruel god that fools his senses, so that the only thing he can be sure of is that he exists. "I think, therefore I am."
But can one really think, effectively, when one is barraged by marketing, propaganda, and family/peer-group pressures so incessantly? I'm absolutely amazed at how the slightest action that is considered strange, eccentric, or even "dangerous" in one's peer-group or social cohorts is met with intense disapproval or simple ridicule. My recent interest in hunting and self-sufficiency in the local urban/progressive/reflexively anti-gun demographic, for example.
When I talk about anything related to my main hobby, preparing for the long, slow grinding decline of industrial civilization, boy does the brief silence reign until the subject is changed! One the one hand, I no longer attempt at all to push my ideas or convince people. On the other hand, I no longer censor myself or hide my interests. I'm just that crazy "alternative guy," as my brother's recent paramour put it.
Good morning Publius. When we get excited about something be it our survival plans or Livity, we get very animated and freely share our findings, but too often that excitement and outreach is an embarrassment revealing a deficiency of sharing in those we are speaking with who have other things to concern themselves and would rather we shut up.
IOW, they know they're in hot water up to their ears and eyeballs and do not want to hear someone else's solution. Its much easier to see someone as that crazy alternative guy than take the time to appreciate (and thus honor and respect) his enthusiasm. Just like ALL else that troubles our civilization, turning off and turning away is more convenient and less time consuming.
Of course this all trickles down to children as I am sure you are currently observing. They learn the rules very quickly, "Don't get too excited, you will look like a fool."
**Request for advice:
My 3.5 year old has come down with a fever of 103 degrees F and a cough, and he's sleeping and sleepy... could be the famous new flu.
Any advice out there?
I am somewhat anxious, having been conditioned by all the hype.
I thought this might happen since he started 3 days per week daycare/pre-school in the mornings now.
He's been getting a good multi-vitamin and some pro-biotics, but now that he's sick, anyone have any advice backed up by experience and wisdom?
Hi Publius, a lukewarm bath will usually give comfort. No cold or hot water and no alcohol rubs.
Watch for signs of distress, confusion or anything out of the ordinary. A viral infection is more common in children and cannot be treated with antibiotics. A bacterial infection may need treatment. If there is any doubt seek medical advise. The bacterial usually causes more distress and shows a very sickly child.
Keep feeding fluids to avoid dehydration. When you gently pinch dehydrated skin, it stays puckered.
If the fever persists for more than 4 days or the condition worsens or other symptoms emerge then you should consider medical advise. If you have any doubt seek medical advise.
That's my experience from raising my three. Hope all will be well.
turey.
Liquid children's aspirin to bring down the fever first, followed by a room temp bath, then let him nap and keep lots of watered-down orange juice on hand and those small bottles of pedialyte, serve with a straw.
If the fever won't go down or goes higher than 103 at any time, take him to the ER. Pronto.
You want to make that bathwater as cool as possible to bring down his body temp, but don't get him upset with a bath that is too cold.
Yes, this is the DAY CARE PAYBACK. This goes on all through childhood. You'll be building quite the Dr. Spock medicine cabinet as all of you come down with various bugs and colds, head lice, occasional bronchitis and so forth.
Get the Dr. Spock paperback and memorize. PS: sorry, I don't recommend kid's tylenol at this time, they had some recent problems.
GET WELL SOON EERO!
Vword: tipsy (Wha?)
I concur with Dr. Ras turey.
Also, keep calm Publius. There is no such thing as a parent who has never dealt with this stuff.
Make you wonder how Nadya Suleman is going to handle 14 of these moments at once. Oooo.
Thanks T & N!
I came back from Walgreens and the Coop with various items, such as Pedialite, homeopathic medicine, chicken noodle soup, apple juice, etc., and he was up and playing and watching Thomas the Train... so his fever is down and he's pretty ok.
The "daycare" thing: I was always completely against it. The place he's going is wonderful, though, and it's only 9 or 10 hours per week... run by a church 2 blocks away. There aren't a lot of children in our 'hood, so it's actually quite nice for him to play with other children... the teachers seem to be quite amazing: it's all about learning through fun activities. And they hand wash right away when they start!
Regardless, we can't all hide from the microbes in the air we breath, so we might as well work on strengthening our bodies and minds.
I really think the flu scare is a conscious or unconscious method for the PTB to keep the focus off the evil they are up to... I don't mean metaphorical evil, either... well, my son is demanding that I play with him.
Thanks again... not panicking.
Knowledge of first aid, diagnosis and appropriate treatments keep doctor and hospital visits minimal. In the bush or the city.
That said, when I saw the red streak of infection heading up my arm to the heart a while back, I presented myself for an antibiotic shot. The system is part of the tool kit, it's good to know how it works. Good to have a friend in it.
For Baz: I pay CA$54 per month for mandatory health insurance in British Columbia. The are health clinics everywhere and decent hospitals close by. Medicines are subsidised under certain incomes.
If I'm behind in my payments I start getting the reminder letters that beaurocracies use to keep $ flowing. Check out what Cuba is doing and see Sicko. Big Up Michael Moore!
A good sign of general social health is the readiness for smiles to appear. In Jamaica we call those with inner conflict a screw face.
And Publius google 'childs cough' and read the many possibilities. There is usually no problem. The respiratory tract is cleaning itself.
turey.
WV: dicaters?
Good Publius.
I remember my relief at seeing mine all aglow again. They are all big pickney now. Pretty cars and all.
Daddy still drives a '94 and dreams of a Tesla and the means to charge it from the sun.
turey.
ankie...been enjoying your word generator Nina.
Hi Publius:
Good of you to post here and YES I am a reader here of course of course of course. Glad you have received good flu-care advice...
Yes, starting self-employment, on the side or "riding the big wave/all at once" is often an insane amount of work and not guaranteed to succeed after all that (I speak from experience, heh). Sometimes the time is just against it in which case having Plan B is a good thing. I tend to focus only on Plan A which is OK until things fall apart...
that said, as Nina said, doing something which you care about is HUGE. (technical term :-) Being able to get by on a little seems to be the enabling state. If a household needs stupendous sums each month just to survive then that's quite a hill to climb and stress is inevitable ("screw face" aplenty, heh).
Speaking of Jah, I do a pretty good "Try Jah Love" and "Roots Rock Raggae" in a jam-like way....
Thank you all for posting here.
publius: todays crazy alternative guy is tomorrows sage of wisdom. girlfriend is gonna love that post oil squirrelette stew. nina, Charles' piece dovetails nicely with the post on club orlov right now. i like reading about not participating in the assigned structure!
glad your son is better publius.
word veri: hogstoo. okay, now that is just too perfect.
More boring medical system stories (and child is now sleeping - slight respiratory congestion, slight fever, seems ok):
Turey, I too had the red rash thing in my arm. I had scratched my arm somehow and got some kind of staph something or other in the locker room at the university (my guess). Man, that stuff moves somewhat fast! I called the university hospital on the weekend, and they said get your ass in here.
They dosed me up with an antibiotic, and even WITH health insurance, I ended up paying something like $2000 for that visit. Even after I found a number of fraudulent items on my bill. Unlike most patients (I guess), I actually looked at every item on the bill and confirmed that they did the test.
The little devils billed my insurance company for tests they didn't give me. I demanded they remove those from the bill, or I would tell my insurance company. Boy, did those spurious tests disappear fast.
Is this common in the good ol' USA?
I know that modern medicine is necessary and good for some things (staph infections invading your arm), and not for others (my wife's uncles decades long struggle with depression and now, to top it off, unemployment), or my own issues with the search for meaning and my life's work, etc.
CHARLES! You are the rock star of my blogosphere. You are the real deal: someone who cares about the world, the people and beings in it, and the wit and intelligence to use words and rhetoric to affect it for the good. And I'd love to hear you jam someday!
Nina is like that too - words and art.
Short bio of my musical tastes: Sibelius, Hildegaard von Bingen, Beethoven, Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Waits... that's overly simplified, of course.
Over and out.
I hope Zoner is doing OK...
Sibelius violin concerto--still working through that as a listener, in awe of those who can play it.
thank you for the kind words. Realism is always hopeful, which is weird because so many people seem depressed by the notion that the fantasy of something-for-nothing "prosperity" is doomed.
I apologize for not being here sooner, the war drums have me deeply concerned. You see Charles, we could definitely do it all properly if our directors would calm down and quit selling band aids. All of us have very workable survival plans and thanks to you, lots of wisdom and facts to guide us into a better, happier, far superior lifestyle. But its not to be. The people are not allowed to experience reality, you know why. Its become routine. Can you believe it? We're all going to live out our entire lifetimes as caricatures.
Thank you for your friendship. Yes, you are a rockstar. Accept it.
Jah love brothas and sistahs. Which is about as much rasta as I got.
Here in Northern California the sound of thousands of little scissors can be heard whispering on the wind as it becomes clear that every laid off construction worker and landscape contractor promptly went and planted a pot garden. The green will indeed be converted to gold although at significantly lower prices than recent years.
Nina, I bow to your wisdom.
Charles, you are unfortunately too much of an optimist. The informal economy relies upon the formal economy to generate income. Somebody has to get the money back from the banks and the tax man where it wanders off to die. Only then can them somebodies pay for home repairs, massages, yard work and palm readings and keep all the little people around the edges fed and rent-paying. My contacts in the landlord jungle tell me there's a damn sight less rent-paying happening and much more squatting with a few bucks tossed upwards to hold off evictions.
Watching the boarding up's and the thinning merchandise on shelves makes it clear that alternative arrangements will have to be made all around. Maybe a little extra livity will come my way.
You got a great mind Pangolin. Next time you think you're all alone in the mess, remember I'm with you.
And this state? Edward Scissorhands come to life ... art and life imitatating each other. Yin Yang land.
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