Journals of Lord Malinov

the poetry of madness

stoned

There are still many, many people living a stone-age existence.  These people have some contact to modern society, but only a few hundred years ago, isolated stone-age nomads were still common.

I asked myself, "why did these cousins remain in the stone-age?"

I think the principal obstacle is the development of agriculture sufficient for year-round supply.  Some environments are poorly suited to any kind of farming.  For the rest, the failure to establish a fixed-location food supply, forcing a nomadic hunter-gatherer existence.  Of course, sometimes this develops when the prey are in such abundance that alternatives are never considered.  Luxury stunts growth.

get more - desire less

A year's supply of harvest means storage which means a fixed location which means keeping artifacts which means archives of writing which generates technological development.  Since nomads typically travel extensively, they were bound to encounter new ideas.  Without a tangible means to communicate these new ideas, anything that wasn't immediately adopted was quickly forgotten.

necessity is the mother of invention

I have been bothered, realizing that one of my obstacles is a lack of respect for my father.  Our feelings for same-sex parents can be highly reflected in our self-image.  He has lived his life in the throws of untreated ADD and anxiety, bravely battling but crazy with a constant overestimation of danger and hyperconservative avoidance of panic.  I understand it all too well, recognizing his patterns in myself early on my path to enlightenment.  I knew that I could not walk the same path he had taken.  I search for better ways.

He will never see the need to relax his attitude.  Last summer, he was struck by lightning.  Later, a deer struck his windshield.  Despite his caution, the Universe seems determined to put him to the test.  He remains strong and basically unhurt.  Go figure.  He and Mom have become square dancing fools.  I'll bet that's a sight to see.

I have realized that I have a great deal of unexpressed hostility for my parents.  They were nineteen when I was born and I seem to have been thrust into maturity to counter my father's immaturity.  It isn't a hostility I need to act on - just the fits of an inner child who feels cheated and abused. 

History and genetics have taught me that we are truly little more related to our parents than we are to any member of homo sapiens.  We are all cousins - our race wars are Cain and Abel - one brother jealous of another.

Cain was a farmer.  Always keep an eye on farmers.  I'm from Kansas.  I know of what I speak.

We are the children of every human being that preceded us.   We are humanity.

The ultimate question - can we survive the onslaughts of Mother Earth?  She is not always friendly.  The Universe has frequently conspired to reduce life on this planet to microorganisms.   The true test of our species will be our ability to adapt to an ever-changing future.  Growth is everything.

The kids rejoin me for the weekend.  It will be an emotional rollercoaster, as always, but I am rarely happier that spending hours with them.  The divorce has granted me the chance to be a first-rate father.  Their brilliance is inspiring.  I have sired greatness.  How could I not be proud of that legacy?

Enjoy,

Malinov

posted by: Malinov at 10:32 | link | comments |

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