by Ray Jason
When I need to recharge my “Faith in Humanity” batteries, I sail to a quiet little nearby cove. Then, I sit on deck each morning, happily waiting for a boatload of Innocent Joy to pass by.
It is a small cayuco being rowed by two boys. Also onboard are two sisters who are singing and clapping their hands in time with their songs. They are on their way to school, which is about a mile across the water.
The children live in a modest house on the shore of the lagoon. It was not built by contractors. It was the work of their father and some uncles and some neighbors. Their mom washes their clothes by hand with rain water that they catch from the roof of their house. She dries them in the sun.
They pick fruits, grow vegetables, keep some chickens and catch lots of fish. In other words, they live simply – just as their ancestors did for who knows how many generations.
The tranquility of this idyllic scene helps to heal my troubled spirit after too much time examining the suicidal lunacy of the Modern World.
*******
About a mile from this anchorage is a little cabin that I think of as Walden South. I believe that Thoreau would be very happy living there in the simple manner that he preferred. His voluntary asceticism, free of the frenzy that occupies most lives, would allow him to leisurely ponder the philosophical subjects that interested him.
I view my fine little ship, AVENTURA, as my sea-going Walden. Visitors tell me that her teak and mahogany interior with bronze portholes and brass lamps, conjure up the image of a bachelor gentleman’s library and study.
Because I paid her off long ago, my only expenses are food, drink, and miscellaneous. So, I can dedicate myself to research and to wrestling with The Big Topics.
Sadly, those subjects are rarely pleasant. And that is why I periodically have to flee from the Wizard of Wifi and find solace in a cayuco filled with singing children.
*******
When I think of Thoreau grappling with the great issues of his era, I am wistfully jealous. The problems that he was contemplating were so much less cataclysmic than what confronts us today.
He did not fear Nuclear Annihilation. He did not have to battle Trans-humanists who wish to “evolve” humanity into Cyborgs. He did not lose sleep wondering whether despicable scientists would release a human-made bio-weapon upon the world.
Nor did he worry about deliberate mass migration destabilizing his nation. And he was untroubled by a “Free Press” that was actually defending Power rather than the People. Chemtrails and other forms of Weather Weapons did not trouble his sleep.
The economic time bomb that is the Derivatives Market would not worry him. He would not feel threatened by a Cyber Attack. There would be no well-funded campaign trying to convince him that men can have babies.
As a white, straight male in the 19th Century, Thoreau would not have to worry about being systematically replaced and also being blamed for every evil practice in human history.
However, if he could Time Travel to our current world, he would probably wonder why “food” had been replaced by so many “food products.” And he might question whether “food products” were the reason that so many people were so huge and almost looked like they had been inflated.
*******
None of these gigantic issues even existed when Thoreau was sitting in his rustic hideaway pondering the world and its problems. But they are inescapable for those of us in the early 21st Century who seek to unravel the Present and perhaps even improve the Future.
In light of all of this, perhaps you can understand why sometimes I have to sheath my cyber-sword, climb down from the societal watchtower … and just sail away.
For more of Ray’s work, please visit THE SEA GYPSY PHILOSOPHER.
“The tranquility of this idyllic scene helps to heal my troubled spirit after too much time examining the suicidal lunacy of the Modern World”
You nailed it Ray. Thanks
Hey Unreconstructed,
Thanks right back at ya. My approach is to keep firing poison arrows of Truth, but to not let myself get poisoned by the black bile that the Malignant Overlords expel. Wow, I just realized that I don’t think I used the M.O. term in this essay.
Am wonderin’ where the TBP Irregulars like Hardscrabble and Uncola and Abigail are. They usually say hi after one of my fairly infrequent essays.
Maybe they just didn’t like this one and are being polite.
Ray
Want innocent joy?
Play with your children, grandchildren, and dogs.
God smiles at this.
And don’t forget to thank Him.
“Because the world is so full of death and horror, I try again and again to console my heart and pick the flowers that grow in the midst of hell.”
― Herman Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund
“We fear death, we shudder at life’s instability, we grieve to see the flowers wilt again and again, and the leaves fall, and in our hearts we know that we, too, are transitory and will soon disappear. When artists create pictures and thinkers search for laws and formulate thoughts, it is in order to salvage something from the great dance of death, to make something last longer than we do.” ― Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund
“I pity people who can’t find laughter or at least some bit of amusement in the little doings of the day. I believe I could find something ridiculous even in the saddest moment, if necessary. It has nothing to do with being superficial. It’s a matter of joy in life.” ― Sophie Scholl
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This is the original text from the book where Desiderata was first published:
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. ~ By Max Ehrmann ©1927
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“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” ― Winston Churchill
Good stuff Anon.
TY, I forgot about Things Desired.
“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.”
Silence. It’s golden.
May you live in boring times. These are too interesting.
To heck with making history. Let me remain Anon.
I wonder what Thoreau’s property taxes were like, and what they’d be today.
Thoreau Cabin Site:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thoreau+Cabin+Site/@42.4420584,-71.3528243,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x89e39a569380bda7:0xd9bbbacbadaefafe!8m2!3d42.4420584!4d-71.3425246!16s%2Fg%2F11b8cxyk4_?entry=ttu
Zillow comparable homes in Thoreau’s area:
https://www.zillow.com/concord-ma/
Property Tax Rates for Massachusetts Towns
Town Residential Commercial
Concord 13.13 12.24
Conway 16.22 16.22
Cummington 13.50 13.50
Dalton 17.01 17.01
154 more rows
I’ve been to Walden Pond many times. My son and 3 grandchildren live in the next town.
Skinny-dipped there around ’80 or ’81 – on the commuter rail side. We mighta made some commuters’ day.
Clever,that.
Prob $3/4 mil for the seasonal shack and $15k / year for taxes. Double those after the renovation.
And what were his pronouns?
Non-tertiary
Receied our respite for 90 minutes yesterday afternoon. Charleston Symphony rehearsal with some visiting fiddler named Itzhak Perlman. He must have beaten The Devil too.
Ray writes what I mention often on TBP. Go out everyday and enjoy Gods gifts of freedom. Just like these kids and Ray does. The real tyranny is in our hearts when we don’t.
When Thoreau was contemplating the world, the Fat Man’s Club required that in order to join one had to weigh at least 201 pounds. That was considered fat. Lizzo would have to pay for three memberships.
Not after reparations kick in.
Yes, yes.
If my father and grandfather had not been simple people, I would not have what I have. I get to take care of over a hundred head of cattle, walk across never industrialized land, and breathe fresh air with its load of wet leaf, fresh dirt, and tiny flower smells.
Walking across it for any conceived reason, is where I feel the most relaxed, the most happy, and the most peaceful.
It’s exactly how I think of heaven, too. God made this place, and it really can’t get better than that.
That’s why I hate the sexual perverts the most: they killed innocence. Even children aren’t safe any more. What’s heading towards us as punishment is going to make Sodom and Gomorrah look like a prayer meeting.
Atta way, Ray! It can be done on land too, please don’t forget. And remember this: it had better be if there is to be any hope for posterity. I have grandchildren and have been at this for a long time now. I’m an old geezer now, but have high hopes for my posterity and have dedicated the time that remains to me to do my best to assure that they survive and prosper in whatever is coming their way.
Hey Cold Mountain,
Me and my Tribe will be rootin for you and perhaps we can do some bartering when things simmer down.
Where are all the regulars today? I always enjoy their comments on my efforts?
Ray
HF is busy writing a book, uncola only chimes in infrequently these days, and Abigail appears here and there…
You don’t need their Kudos, you’re doing just fine…
Perhaps throw a bit more bait in the water…
Hey Rife,
Great moniker! Thanks for the heads up. I am tryin’ to post more often and will redouble my efforts.
Ray
Abigail was made very unwelcome here, a few weeks back.
Dammit! Didn’t pay attention. This is PSBindy.