*****
This has been a long and surreal week. And yet, it has had some high points. These might as well be recognized. **
I've been visiting distant family. Well, close family at a distance, actually. This trip provided lots of time in the truck on a fairly loose schedule, alone with my thoughts.
On the morning of the first day, with close to 750 miles ahead of me for the day, I turned to the radio. I quickly settled into an agreeable program on Michigan Public Radio. It was entitled "On Being" ***, and while I was intrigued by the title, I stayed for the content.
The hostess interviewed a lauded Irish Poet (Michael Longley, about whom I was totally ignorant.) Despite my ignorance, I couldn't help but admire the World View offered by this gentle man.
I'll not do these justice; but here are a few of the thoughts that were shared, in some cases with the twist that I added over the course of miles of highway:
Sanity and happiness reside in ordinary Small Things, so it is best to be present, aware and open. It could be Mr. Longley's wild orchids, but it could be appreciating a surprise freshwater drum on a hair jig, too. It could be the morning's sunrise, but it could also be noticing the caress of warm soapy water as one does the daily dishes. It could be a memory of a past life, but it could be a shared, positive thought with whomever you next encounter.
Mr. Longley described the use of poetry to identify and describe the Core Essence of a situation, and the poem itself as the core essence of this description. Go ahead, check out the header at the top of this page! There's nothing in life more beautiful or meaningful (to me) as potentially recognizing the numenon of our being. I'll be honest; I think this recognition begets love, whether it's romantic, familial or simply passion for a task or quest.
Once challenged to define poetry, Mr. Longley declared, "(I)f prose were a river; then poetry is a fountain." That is, it provides form to function; and also function to form. Shape and utility are inextricably intertwined; and this cannot help but be beautiful. Without this connection, something is (at best) less than it could be; and (at worst) a wasteful distraction. He further described poetry as "Care with words." But I believe that he provided this with double meaning. Of course, words are selected and presented carefully in poetry; but the real care is in the healing and compassion conveyed by sharing these words.
Mr. Longley opined that the Opposite of War is not necessarily Peace, so much as it is Civilization. As I've tried to state elsewhere (here, for instance) there is nothing more human than protecting and supporting a civilized state. With the current situations in Syria and Iraq, the Presidential election looming and the pending anniversary of the Paris Bombings, I couldn't have agreed with him more.
I found this solace before I even knew I needed it. Because a few days after my trip began, unexpected election results "trumped" any direction or progress with my ruminations. But that's okay, because I am a practiced thinker and I had already started the exploration of my philosophical beliefs. I do know with great certainty that I'd rather be beaten than embrace the thoughts of an emboldened "friend", who literally thanked God for the opportunities currently afforded by Concealed Carry.
*****
