Supremely gifted minstrel who attempted to rescue his dead wife from the Underworld. Orpheus had been taught to play the lyre by Apollo, and such was his skill on the instrument, together with the sweetness of his singing voice, that he could charm wild animals and even cause trees to uproot themselves and follow in his steps. Jason and the Argonauts took him along when they quested after the Golden Fleece, and Orpheus saved them from shipwreck by drowning out the treacherously alluring voices of the Sirens with his own musical stylings.
Orpheus fell in love with a nymph named Eurydice and blissful was their life together until one day she was pursued by a son of Apollo, the minor deity Aristaeus. In her headlong eagerness to escape, she stepped on a poisonous snake, was bitten and died. Disconsolate, Orpheus found a cave which lead to Hades and followed Eurydice to the Underworld. Here his musical charms were so persuasive that the King of the Dead permitted the minstrel to take his sweetheart home with him - on one condition.
This condition was so simple that it takes some explaining to account for Orpheus's failure to heed it. Perhaps he could not bear to keep his eyes off their beloved object for a moment longer. Perhaps he wanted to share his rapture at birdsong and sunshine as they approached the mouth of the cave. Or maybe he wanted Eurydice to hear the latest lick that he had worked out on his lyre. In any case, he did the one thing he had been forbidden. He turned around and looked at Eurydice, and she was lost to him forever.
Orpheus swore he would never love another, and it may have been the steadfastness of this vow which caused certain wild women of Thrace to tear him limb from limb in a fit of jealousy. They threw his head into a river, and it kept on singing all the way to the sea.
Link to site hosting this version of the myth of Orpheus
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Pulse of the Drum Crawls Onward
There have been some delays with posting. The delays really run the gamut from excusable, inexcusable, inexplicable, easily explained, hard to really explain without coming off as weird, and so forth.
As it stands I really have to do the following:
• Post up the final parts of Bottle so I could finally be done with it. Actually, I have to finish writing them. I can't explain this delay, it just happened.
• Post up my review of the Sandman series. At this point, I'm just going to have to re-read the whole thing because that review (or the draft) is outdated and old and thus irrelevant. Plus it isn't structured properly and will read awkwardly.
That's really about it. Also, I might be deluding myself as maybe 1 or 2 people actually read this and follow it (it being the blog). Others might just click through because Google linked them here. Thanks, I think. Either way, if you're part of that crowd, stick around for a few minutes. Click here and there, you might find something thought-provoking. Maybe not. The only things that have really delayed me are school and that crowd of personal demons that I never actually faced and have finally come to collect their due.
If I get over that last part soon, I'll probably write a story about it. If I don't get over it, well... we'll see what the hazy future holds in store for me and the readers and the jungle wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh
As it stands I really have to do the following:
• Post up the final parts of Bottle so I could finally be done with it. Actually, I have to finish writing them. I can't explain this delay, it just happened.
• Post up my review of the Sandman series. At this point, I'm just going to have to re-read the whole thing because that review (or the draft) is outdated and old and thus irrelevant. Plus it isn't structured properly and will read awkwardly.
That's really about it. Also, I might be deluding myself as maybe 1 or 2 people actually read this and follow it (it being the blog). Others might just click through because Google linked them here. Thanks, I think. Either way, if you're part of that crowd, stick around for a few minutes. Click here and there, you might find something thought-provoking. Maybe not. The only things that have really delayed me are school and that crowd of personal demons that I never actually faced and have finally come to collect their due.
If I get over that last part soon, I'll probably write a story about it. If I don't get over it, well... we'll see what the hazy future holds in store for me and the readers and the jungle wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh
Saturday, October 1, 2011
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer (Walt Whitman)
When I heard the learn’d astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.
- Walt Whitman
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.
- Walt Whitman
The Steep and Narrow Crooked Paths: Vice
The right thing to do has always been a problematic concept, for a number of us. Or a majority of us. The right thing seems to be a difficult concept to grasp because our own needs and desires have a tendency of immediately superseding the matters of others (save for our families and sweethearts). I'm in trouble? And the only way to save my ass is to break this window? Okay! Fellow man? Forget that clown!
I realize that first example is pretty stupid but it's pretty apt, don't you think? Replace "break this window" with "break this law" and you pretty much have the same message I was trying to communicate- You choose to NOT do the right thing by doing something you know is wrong.
Does this make one a selfish person? You'd be inclined to say "yes" but you also have to say "no". Why? Because the universe, for the most part, is an enormous coin. As far as we know, there are two sides to everything. Night and Day, yes dusk and dawn encompass both elements but for a moment let's pretend that the universe IS indeed binary. Thanks to this idea, the question of "Am I a selfish person?" gains two answers- yes, and no.
Yes
Thinking of yourself and ignoring the will and interests of others makes you a horrible person. Or at the very least a selfish person. Is that so bad? In excess, yes. Why is this bad? You don't actually have to listen to me and do what I say but who knows? Maybe some of my skewered wisdom will rub off on you and your mind will somehow expand, or deflate and then expand by other means. But thinking of the self is bad because you have a responsibility to your environment/the universe. Every action you take creates some ripple that goes through everything and everyone. The tiniest action can set off a chain of events that could lead to great things or terrible things. If you have the means of being able to improve things somehow, you should do it. Because you can and because it's the right thing to do. At least I think so- to move forward and upward collectively, rather than have the individual trump everything and everyone, leaving them in the dust while he enjoys soft clouds and a cool breeze. Upward. Forward. Everyone. The greater good.
As such, taking the course of action that benefits you and only you shirks responsibility to those around you and ultimately yourself.
What?!
By thinking too much of myself, I'm doing myself a disservice? Yes.
I realize that first example is pretty stupid but it's pretty apt, don't you think? Replace "break this window" with "break this law" and you pretty much have the same message I was trying to communicate- You choose to NOT do the right thing by doing something you know is wrong.
Does this make one a selfish person? You'd be inclined to say "yes" but you also have to say "no". Why? Because the universe, for the most part, is an enormous coin. As far as we know, there are two sides to everything. Night and Day, yes dusk and dawn encompass both elements but for a moment let's pretend that the universe IS indeed binary. Thanks to this idea, the question of "Am I a selfish person?" gains two answers- yes, and no.
Yes
Thinking of yourself and ignoring the will and interests of others makes you a horrible person. Or at the very least a selfish person. Is that so bad? In excess, yes. Why is this bad? You don't actually have to listen to me and do what I say but who knows? Maybe some of my skewered wisdom will rub off on you and your mind will somehow expand, or deflate and then expand by other means. But thinking of the self is bad because you have a responsibility to your environment/the universe. Every action you take creates some ripple that goes through everything and everyone. The tiniest action can set off a chain of events that could lead to great things or terrible things. If you have the means of being able to improve things somehow, you should do it. Because you can and because it's the right thing to do. At least I think so- to move forward and upward collectively, rather than have the individual trump everything and everyone, leaving them in the dust while he enjoys soft clouds and a cool breeze. Upward. Forward. Everyone. The greater good.
As such, taking the course of action that benefits you and only you shirks responsibility to those around you and ultimately yourself.
What?!
By thinking too much of myself, I'm doing myself a disservice? Yes.
Democracy with an asterisk
Recently, someone asked me some questions regarding democracy, specifically democracy and the USA. I saved my answers to the questions: "Do we live in a democracy?" and some question like "Would you rather live in a democracy? Why/Why not?"
The stuff that's italicized is just expanding on the original answers.
Do we live in a democracy
No. We do not live in a democracy because the people or population don't actually have a voice when it comes to final decisions or those that ultimately affect the entire country. Those decisions are made by elected officials who don't always have the interests of their constituents in mind. More often than not, they're out to serve their own interests and make it so they and/or their bosses benefit. If we really did live in a democracy, 300 million people would have to come together to make decisions regarding the direction of this country and while this is a noble thought that would follow what democracy is supposed to be, it's a bad idea in practice because hardly anything would get done. There would be an endless amount of fighting thanks to sharply differing ideologies and thought processes, not to mention a horrible hatred that seems to be present among everyone- racism, sexism, discriminating against religion, creed, sexual orientation, etc etc etc. Since this country is diverse, those differences WILL be present, regardless of how hard you try to squash their presence. Bummer.
Would you rather live in a democracy? Why/Why not?
What we live in is the closest thing to democracy we will ever have unless we can all get our asses out of our heads. So yes, I would rather live in a democracy where everyone theoretically has a role in shaping their government. The opposite may be true but it has provided a relatively stable albeit shaky balance that has kept us from destruction time and time again, in my opinion. This thing we, at the moment, call democracy is better than dictatorships that always fail. And better than anarchy (in which there is no government) because human nature at this point precludes the possibility of living in mutual peace- somebody will always find a way to take advantage of the lack of governing body and cause chaos. Until we all become enlightened and shake off what ever it is that makes us all assholes who look out for only ourselves, anarchy and communism, socialism, will never fully work beyond theories. What we call democracy may not be true democracy but it is a good alternative that allows us to keep our freedom, rights and privileges until they are bought or sold en masse.
I personally don't believe myself when I say these kinds of things. Why? Because they're just ramblings and more often than not, tend to be misinformed/lacking in knowledge and such.
The stuff that's italicized is just expanding on the original answers.
Do we live in a democracy
No. We do not live in a democracy because the people or population don't actually have a voice when it comes to final decisions or those that ultimately affect the entire country. Those decisions are made by elected officials who don't always have the interests of their constituents in mind. More often than not, they're out to serve their own interests and make it so they and/or their bosses benefit. If we really did live in a democracy, 300 million people would have to come together to make decisions regarding the direction of this country and while this is a noble thought that would follow what democracy is supposed to be, it's a bad idea in practice because hardly anything would get done. There would be an endless amount of fighting thanks to sharply differing ideologies and thought processes, not to mention a horrible hatred that seems to be present among everyone- racism, sexism, discriminating against religion, creed, sexual orientation, etc etc etc. Since this country is diverse, those differences WILL be present, regardless of how hard you try to squash their presence. Bummer.
Would you rather live in a democracy? Why/Why not?
What we live in is the closest thing to democracy we will ever have unless we can all get our asses out of our heads. So yes, I would rather live in a democracy where everyone theoretically has a role in shaping their government. The opposite may be true but it has provided a relatively stable albeit shaky balance that has kept us from destruction time and time again, in my opinion. This thing we, at the moment, call democracy is better than dictatorships that always fail. And better than anarchy (in which there is no government) because human nature at this point precludes the possibility of living in mutual peace- somebody will always find a way to take advantage of the lack of governing body and cause chaos. Until we all become enlightened and shake off what ever it is that makes us all assholes who look out for only ourselves, anarchy and communism, socialism, will never fully work beyond theories. What we call democracy may not be true democracy but it is a good alternative that allows us to keep our freedom, rights and privileges until they are bought or sold en masse.
I personally don't believe myself when I say these kinds of things. Why? Because they're just ramblings and more often than not, tend to be misinformed/lacking in knowledge and such.
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