Things that are happening are too personal and too inner-mythic to relate without being overcome by the seeming narcissism of the exercise, and yet that really is what is important, it seems. Fish net knots and truck lines are only the stuff of a time but the Human Drama, the reality of Karma, they are the real Stuff of a given age.
Do I think this is so great?
No, but it is authentically mine, and I seem to live at the cusp of an age where on one side the authentic self means nothing and on the other side it means everything. Again that sounds like narcissism, but in our times, anyone who says torture is wrong puts their personal morality ahead of the national imperative. So you have to be willing to stand against the Nation (group, collective, Other) if you are to stand with Humanity or Spirit. I know, everyone but me has a clever way to parse this. They say ‘America is the Last Best Hope For Humanity.’ which sounds good. And if you accept that it means anything done in service to America must be OK. I can’t accept that. Rightness or wrongness is in the structure of the action in its own context, not what club it represents.
(I always type ‘menas’ and maybe that is My Own Word that -means- what I want it to -mean- because there is a concept I mean to communicate which does not have a suitable name.)
I remember a Jr Hi Pep Rally where I thought, So these are the Heroes that are going to bring victory. The Bullies. The guys they are playing against are probably the bullies at their own school. What do I care who wins? Actually, it’s better for -me- if they all hurt each other really bad. A knee goes the wrong way, and there is one less jock asshole in the world. I was a meanie.