How to tell a story

How to tell a story

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Coming of (Old) Age

From A Majority of One ...

Coming of (Old) Age

Let's say you've been reading
American history most of
your adult life, over half
a century now, and in that time
you've reached some conclusions
not taught in high school
the usual suspects about
genocide against American Indians
lynchings of black citizens
concentration camps for Japanese citizens
and the most extraordinary atrocity
of all, November 22, 1963,
a coup d'etat orchestrated by rogue
elements in the government
and you accept all these
things as true

and you widen the focus
to the world, where good deeds
get lost in an historic avalanche of
war and genocide and butchery
mass graves, killing fields
(inspiration for future video games)
hard to keep track of it all

and all this, too, is true.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion
that the United States is no better
than a Banana Republic, though
more livable than most, with
perks like shopping and mythology
and escape valves for discontent
like talk shows and voting
and it's hard to avoid the conclusion
that civilization is an asylum
run by sadists.

A lifetime studying history
two sad conclusions
so the question naturally arises
how possibly to live here?

  1. lay low
  2. reduce your universe
  3. remember Nature wins
  4. lay lower