Genesis 2022

 Genesis (2022)

Over countless eons, the universe whispered to us, shapeshifting energy, still holding tight to its mysteries. Finally, there was a planet of water and terrain in all configurations. Life, at first, was a quiet and subtle event, which in time became unstoppable in its concoctions, patterns, symmetries, webs and glorious successes and failures. The life of life evolved in unending cycles of living and dying, driven by serendipity, struggle and chance.

Out of bubbling creation popped beings, the kind who wondered about who they were. And who wondered what to do about it. And told stories to explain the vastness they were given. All the unexpected and unexplained and undiscovered living things that surrounded them became their Garden of Eden. And they took ownership.

God found two of these beings, Eve and Adam, naked in the Garden beneath the apple tree. On the tree was carved, “The Tree of Good and Evil.” Since it was in their nature to be curious, Adam and Eve began to devour the apples. God could not chide them because, after all, he had created them that way. 

He told them that the gate of the Garden would be a revolving gate, since he knew they would be in and out often over their lifetimes. He gave them freewill and creativity and told them not to worry too much about obedience. Obedience just seemed to be a contradiction.

The serpent found little business around the Tree of Good and Evil, but was very busy with temptation at the Garden gate. Creativity often got them in trouble but opened the world to them. Freewill at first seemed like a gift, but humans soon discovered how capable they were of evil, even of most brutal kinds. Good needed a reliable and versatile weapon.

God pointed to the only human constant capable of overcoming evil: love. With this, God sent out them out to stumble into becoming human.

Genesis

 

Race

 For millennia sex has taken human beings across social, cultural, religious, ethnic, geographic and racial boundaries. It is likely that Ancestry.com could find no individual who is pure in any of these categories. It is also becoming clear that race is an outdated and destructive concoction.

What if we just stop using the word? Then we are down to simply skin color, a relatively harmless distinction between human beings, and one that love can surely mediate.

So, race, gone.

At birth

 At birth, you were pure possibility. Then you were loved or abandoned, hugged or abused, supported or ignored, fed or starved, taught or left to struggle. You reached adulthood and, if you are lucky, you realized, that no matter what happened, you are again pure possibility

70

 Let’s try this. All nations agree that their military forces would be composed only of individuals 70 years or older. At 65, they will be able to retire on an ample government subsidy until they turn 70. Then they will serve 3 years minimum at military pay. The government will take care of medical and death costs. War will become a very different animal.

The young will be able to live productive lives up to 70 because they will have the incentive to do so.  Medical costs will be higher, but we will be able to get rid of all the expensive, sophisticated weapons that old folks would have trouble with.

Jesus

 I’m certain that if Jesus came to earth right now, preaching love and tolerance, we’d crucify him again. Well, maybe not crucifixion. Maybe a bullet through the head. A good reason not to return yet.

dumbass freedom

 My concern is with the “dumbass-freedom” pandemic. This virus creates the loss of ability to hear any common sense. There is also a loss of personal responsibility and an increase in me-ness that quickly morphs into meanness. This virus appears to affect Republicans most commonly, and there is currently no cure. “Dumbass-freedom” appears to be spreading most rapidly in white suburbia.

Evolution

 Evolution gave us the drive of self-preservation and the preservation of the species. It also gave us the capacity to function in the complex and fragile web of creation so as to preserve all life. The human brain instinctively recognizes the significance and beauty of this. The conscious human brain creates good and evil and struggles to make sense of the spiritual yearning which won’t let go of us.

We have long become comfortable with killing one another and killing other species. Now we have to decide whether we are comfortable killing our own species.

Bengals

 The Bengals winning streak has gotten the whole city going wild. I know I’ve enjoyed the interview with the Bengals diction coach. And the extended TV spot with Joe Burrow’s orthodontist was exceptional. All the TV anchors and weathermen dressed in Bengals wear was refreshing fun. At least for a little while I don’t have to worry about shootings in the street.

Decency

 When I was growing up, decency and character were valued and expected. They were durable and worthy qualities. They didn’t demand perfection or excellence. They understood that human beings were flawed and could fail. But their goal was to do the right thing and stand for something.

Sadly, these two qualities are not talked about much these days. They have been bumped by concern for status, material gain and number of followers. I’d welcome back decency and character any day.

Abortion

 The Supreme Court is moving toward a decision that will severely limit abortion and take away from women the control of their own bodies. Opponents of abortion claim they are concerned with the lives of unborn children. If this is the case, then they must consequently take responsibility for the born but unwanted children. What will be the laws that assure this in a fair and comprehensive way? Also, if women are not in control, then there must be unambiguous law that delineates the legal and financial responsibilities of the fathers. In the end, if the child is born, the child must become the focus of care and protection.

Talk love

 For all that it may be necessary, the discussion of race, class, wealth inequality, sexism and poverty seems more and more tedious. What does it accomplish really? Where are the changes it hopes to bring?

For me, what we are not doing is talking honestly and persistently about love, authentic love. Anyone who understands and commits to authentic love could never be racist, greedy, egotistical, sexist or lacking compassion.

In a materialistic culture like ours, we have little room for our spiritual selves, and we settle for love that’s sentimental and flabby.

Good/evil

 The real battle is not evil vs. good. We all fight that battle, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. We’re human.

The real battle is intentional evil vs. intentional good. Every day we witness the consequences of individuals whose power and influence are used for evil.

What can we say about the power and influence of intentional good?

Love

 Recently, I wrote that we’ve maligned the word “fuck.” But the same thing is true of the word “love.” We equate it with romance. We use it to sell cars and hamburgers. We wrap it in flowers and candy at Valentine’s Day. We make it cute, and we say we love movies and sushi. We say it more than we show it.

How often in the discussion or actions of love do we consider duty, loyalty, sacrifice, compassion, persistence. Easy love is where we start. Authentic love is what we grow into with practice and character. Instead of saying, “I love you,” say, “I love you, and this is how I’ll show it.”

WWJW

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Thinking

 Thinking precedes everything. But the brain precedes thinking. The universe precedes the brain. Something precedes the universe. Thinking tries to figure out what all that is.

We are born

 We are born, and then we realize we were given wings or shackles, maps or puzzles. If we get wings, we need to do more than fly. We need to soar. If we get shackles, we need to struggle to break free and show what true freedom means. If we get maps, we can’t just follow the designated route. We have to use the maps to explore new regions. If we get puzzles, we have to solve them and then help many others do the same.

Dinosaurs

 Those of us who value integrity, who think civility is essential to social engagement, who value the intelligent and thoughtful use of language, who believe work can be a calling, who see humanity as a community, we are, it seems, dinosaurs.

But history will show that in time dinosaurs become birds, beautiful birds.

Nude

 A friend of mine who was teaching at an art college in Arkansas told me this. A local resident called into the local radio station and reported: “Up in the college, they’s makin’ art off-en naked bodies.” In fact, this caller was absolutely right.

Drawing from the nude figure is a long-time staple in the training of visual artists. To be able to look in a sustained and disciplined way at the nude figure is a gift. It’s an opportunity to understand the beauty, complexity, anatomy and expressive capacity of the human form. It is also a responsibility—to look sensitively and to find humanity.

Curiously, despite the degree of nudity in TV and movies, people can still be uncomfortable with nudity in visual art. A look at the work of artists like Rico LeBrun, Jacopo Pontormo, Egon Schiele, William Beckman, Alice Neel and others will affirm the worth of this activity.

My concern, though, is that artists are quitting the figure for the computer screen and replacing the demanding work of figure drawing for the cartoon.

Fuck

 We have sorely maligned the word “fuck.” It used to be a reliable indicator of low class. And it used to be a lovely way for ladies and gentlemen to add some impact to what they had to say.

Now it flows out of the mouths of seniors and teen girls and everybody in between. It’s the most used adjective in the English language. It’s a required part of every TV and movie script. It’s become a sign of faux-maturity. We’ve made it a flabby shadow of its former self.

So, in deference to fuck, use “bugger” instead.

Life

 Life is the training for life. So stay alert and be open to the lessons given by pain and love.

World

 We are each born into a world that is complex, ever in flux, puzzling and sublime. Whatever shape we take, it’s a gift to be in this world. The great searchers in art, science and spirit remind us that to be fully in this world, to fully appreciate it and be fully human in it takes work, hard work.

What brings the willingness to do this work is awe, standing in awe of creation, both manmade and divine. Awe is a sign of reverence, of the sacred, all of which are sorely missed in the contemporary world. Things and stuff are thrown at us mercilessly. And we bite. We are buried in it to the point we can’t see what’s radiant around us and in us.

Awe stimulates curiosity. Curiosity entices work. Work gives up rewards. The nut of the world is cracked. Its webs, patterns, intricacies, mysteries, lessons, pleasures all appear. 

Brain

 Your brain is a convoluted ball of tissue going about its electro-chemical business. It makes your mind. It takes in all its sensory information and gives you back your reality. An unbroken brain sees a reality that is consistent, coherent and generally reliable. It believes in this reality even though it knows deep down there are more than 7 billion brains on the planet with their own realities.

A broken brain is a different matter. Its reality is sometimes a roller coaster. It can pour heavy darkness over the world. It can live inside itself with its own interior dialogues. It can shape-shift its realities. It can try to destroy itself. But sometimes the world needs a broken brain to see itself as it really is. 

Swim

 Did you ever swim in a work of art?

Did you ever make a work of art for people to swim in?

Empathetic

 As an empathetic American, I feel so sad that people in refugee camps will never experience exfoliation, eyelid rejuvenation or liposuction. 

It breaks my heart that the poor people in Africa will not have access to Noom or to have Kelly Clarkson come into their living rooms or get the advice of Dr. Phil.  

It’s a downer for me to know that families in war zones can’t call in for Door Dash deliveries or same day Amazon delivery. 

How awful that the children of Cairo will never find a Cuisenart or an 8-slice toaster in the city dump. 

And the poor Palestinians, they will have to live with toenail fungus, bulging eyes and restless leg syndrome with no hope of relief.

Love

 

Psych

 

 Religion is losing its believers. Believers are exiting because of institutionalization, because of its chosen-people attitude, because of its rigidity, because of its failure to admit its failures and because of its evangelical drive. They’ve kicked out God without realizing that puts them in charge.

All of us have to decide if it’s worth the effort to acknowledge and maintain our spiritual natures, to decide whether this is a choice or a necessity.

Since evil is essentially the absence of love, it’s our task, and ours alone, to add love to the equation. The trouble is, love is hard, human work. Life work. And the better you become at it, the greater the risk of crucifixion. 

Humans have built magnificent cathedrals, mosques, temples and shrines to God out of their own their own sense of reverence. In reality though, it is likely that God would be happy if all we did was love one another.

Mobs

 We are confronted with so many social ills and inequities these days in America. There are so many good causes that we want to support with protests and marches. But these are difficult and demanding to plan and organize.

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K-12

 K-12 education is feeling the pressure to make learning effective and relevant in a complex contemporary world. Beyond traditional academic subjects, schools must care for students' medical, nutritional and social needs. Teaching spills over into mental health issues, family issues, social media and more. Classroom time is given to preparing for and taking assessment tests. The school year is packed to breaking--or breaking down.

Yet, school systems have resisted changing the archaic structure of the school year and summer vacation. It seems to me that a short required summer term—maybe 2 weeks—would not seriously impact summer vacation. In the summers after the 7-11 grade academic year, students could be given instruction in driving, personal finance, parenting, technical skills, sex education, life skills and more.

So many measures indicate that American K-12 education is not effectively serving the needs of American students. All that needs to be taught simply can’t be taught within the current structure of the typical school year.

Movie

 I don’t know about you, but I just love watching a movie where a beautiful couple marinate themselves in cuteness. They go from cute hate to cute love so effortlessly using the smart and perky dialogue they are given. Little episodes of turmoil and goofiness enliven the story. Inevitably sex reveals their gorgeous bodies in a way that reminds all of us of what we are missing. Finally, happily-ever-after arrives in the form of a simple $100,000 wedding. That’s the way life should be.

Jesus

 I’d rather think of Jesus, not as a God in human form, but a human in God form. In this way, I see Jesus as tempted by all the same things that tempt me. Human Jesus would certainly have stumbled from time to time. He wasn’t born with the God-knowledge of how all things worked. He had to stumble to find wisdom—just like we all do.

He did more than face temptation. He rejected temptation. Love became the wisdom, even unto the bitter end.

White male

 Listen up. I’m a white male, with my white male two-day beard. I deserve Calvin Klein underwear to keep my ample white member comfy, snug and warm. And those finely tailored pants that emphasize my white male sculpted calves and firm buttocks. Need them. That guy on TV convinced me that I also need a wardrobe of uber-stylish white male Untuckit shirts. My feet. Of course, my white male feet need to be protected and supported by sneakers that are designed with new age scientific technology and decorated so everyone can get my brand.

Now I’m ready to go on dating patrol in search of a young, white, blond trophy wife to dangle on my white male arm. Wish me luck.

Checkout

 I don’t know about you, but everything I need to be informed and happy in life I can find on the magazine rack at supermarket checkout. 

Creativity

 The whole point of creativity is not the thing that’s put into the world but the impact the thing has on the world. Creativity can brutalize as it can beautify. It can destroy as it can build. It can open eyes or close minds. It can evoke awe or bring disgust. Creativity is a human gift that we both cherish and waste.

Limericks

 Republicans vote as a block

Like sheep roaming ‘round in a flock

For Trump they all bleat

His sacrifice meat

Till the republic’s head’s on the block

Among Democrats the arguments ring

For programs whose price tag will sting

For the average guy’s needs

Are why their hearts bleed

In their eyes compassion is king

Thinking in America

 Thinking overheard in America:

“I don’t use critical thinking because it sounds too much like critical race theory.”

“I let Fox News chew on the facts first for me, so it’s easier to swallow them.”

“If I want something, that must mean I need it.”

“I don’t need to trust experts since good-looking celebrities would never lie to me.” 

“Thinking for myself always gives me a headache.”

Romantic love

 We love to love romantic love, but romantic love is immature. No amount of flowers, candy or champagne can make it last. If you’re lucky and you’re willing to commit to the hard work, romance can turn into authentic love, dependable and enduring.