The Moment that Changes Us
By Alex Ness
April 25, 2022
WHEN WE CHANGE or, Why I am headless
Over time I've confused various people I love and respect. It isn't that I lie about my views, but that the views I have are rarely based upon the political or philosophical values that are present in the US, since the 1960s to the present. My father told me I was two steps to the right of Patrick Buchanan. My father in law said, you seem to be even more left than Ted Kennedy. If you are aware of these men, you'd perceive that they are far apart, or seem to be, on a scale of Left to Right. According to my father I was so conservative Patrick Buchanan would think I was a true Right winger, and to my father in law, I was so left I would find comfort in the politics of the Left. What both did, was take words I said about things they felt important, and transplanted the whole tree of beliefs related to those views, into my mind. But whatever else I am, I am a person who is evolving, learning, trying to discover all that is important in existence.
"A man who is not a Liberal at sixteen has no heart; a man who is not a Conservative at sixty has no head." Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
Beyond any ideas I have that they recognized or understood, both came to have a far more nuanced understanding of me. The older I became the more complex my own ideas became, and my beliefs do not follow any sort of ideological pathway. And I must acknowledge that my own life informed my views, as anyone who lives develops views, ideas, and makes their choices that are more akin to evolution than change. But I have changed over the course of my life and I've done more than simply evolve, I've experienced things that changed me, that made me become someone different than who I might have otherwise become.
MY LIFE
My world was limited in vision, as I didn't see people of other ethnic descent where I lived, except for a couple Native Americans. When my family visited large cities, like Milwaukee or Minneapolis, I saw many people, in a beautiful tapestry of colors and difference. But I also feared many who I did see. Meeting people was one thing, being afraid of them is quite another. There are reasons for that, but I am not going into that, for a number of reasons. Some reasons for fear involve the unknown and I think that is the likeliest cause for most experiences.
The greatest factor of change and diving into the world offered, came for me in college. Most of my petty views that I no longer have, fell into dust upon meeting so many people from across the world. Taking French did that too.
It was in college I met my wife, and the life experiences and beliefs and fears that I had prior to that moment, grew even more obsolete. I fell in love with a woman who had a family that called her friend group, the UN. In college various residents of my section of the dorm said my friends were the UN. I don't, as an adult fear others, unless I have reason to do so.
I generally like people from across this world, without petty angers or groups that I had felt aggrieved by. And I should say, not all of my experiences were positive. But the more people you meet from any group, you are able to see them as individuals and not a monolithic representative of that group.
My wife taught in major metros and in particular, economically hard hit areas. I had planned to do so, in higher education but I failed to be able to adjust to various rigors of college programs. I still felt a need to teach, and when my son came into our lives, I had a computer, I was a stay at home father, and was able to write. I'd written poetry for most of my life, but now, it transformed to more than experimental styles, subjects of little importance. I was able to teach and express those ideas and concepts I had aimed towards in the beginning of my professional life.
CHANGE
I was comfortable in who I was. I'd marched against Apartheid, I believed in saving the Environment, and I voted. But I didn't always see the suffering of others. I inherited a love of football from the years growing up with my father. When Colin Kaepernick protested in the NFL by taking a knee during the national anthem, it caused me to investigate my own views, along with asking was his attention seeking in order to gain a visibility one that had other goals. He had a contract he opted out of, and for me that was a sign that it was for the mobility to choose his destiny as I confess, I wasn't his biggest fan of his as a player. But that had less to do with his person, than not liking the team he played for, and thinking he was able to get a lot of attention without actually being as good as those giving him praise might say. But it wasn't about his ability to play that he was not signed. When you compared his ability set with other players, it was clear, there were far less accomplished and less talented men getting work, in that realm, than he was. His drawing attention to black men being treated with violence by the police, was a righteous cause.
I might say, however much it was, the problem many Americans felt, was that he was protesting the flag and anthem, of a country that paid him millions of dollars. But that is exactly the point. He lost lots of money for his choice, and he was punished for it as well. Was it the best form of protest? Perhaps not. Did it succeed? While I agree with protesting of the inequity of justice, by race, gender or orientation, I think what really changed the paradigm, was the killing of George Floyd on camera. In a country angry at the lock down, the event happened, and it seemed to fulfill all the claims about unequal justice made by those who did agree with Kaepernick. The world was ready to burst, and it did. But that doesn't mean Kaepernick was wrong. It means he placed an emphasis upon it, and people noticed what was going on, whereas they might have otherwise turned away.
I also say this, research the US Police overall, not just about the egregious slaying of black men. Look into the violent behavior of the police in Loveland, Colorado. Across the US the police are not one monolithic force of power grabbers and bullies, there are many good men and women trying to help the citizens. But in any district where graft and unethical behaviors are overlooked, there will be individuals who seek to gain power, to express power, and to act outside of the law. As such, for me, the problem isn't the police per se, but of groups of police where they've been allowed to act in outside of legal ways, for a long time.
I don't believe that defunding the police is the answer. Instead, I think the need for police reform is the answer, as well as the education of children through young adults about their rights, responsibilities and ideals. Changing education standards are said to have forced civics and government out of schools, and were replaced by social studies. I am not blaming people, but I know, every time the people surrender a right, the government and agents of such, take it for themselves. Don't for a moment think that the Patriot Act following terrorism in 2001, and the war on terror, and establishment of the department of Homeland Security didn't empower the police to hold suspicions over people performed constitutionally protected actions, and innocent expression of rights. I am not a huge gun advocate, but I certainly think giving all of our rights back, is a recipe for disaster.
Do I think Kaepernick was wrongly treated, yes. Do I see things in a new light, yes. But I also think we, in America if not elsewhere, have avoided a great number of issues for years, and while each individual citizen is responsible for their own actions, sometimes racists with power choose to hurt, punish, or kill another person, for anything but a just cause. I do hope an NFL team signs Kaepernick and he has a great season. It might redeem him in some eyes, but he was redeemed in my eyes the moment he was protesting in a way that turned out to be prophetic.
ART AND CREATIVE ARTISTS THAT LEAD ME TO Discomfort, Comfort, or Fear
WOMAN IN THE DUNES
By Kobo Abe
I watched WOMAN IN THE DUNES long before I read the book. Both are fantastic. But I promise, even should those creative works be fantastic, they are unsettling. A man is trapped in a home with a woman he might be attracted towards, but he can't leave the situation he finds himself within. There is a constant threat to the safety and comfort of the home, and the two must act in unison or the danger will likely destroy everything. Every time the two get close to acting upon their attraction, the setting causes them to despair of ever being together, or free of the disaster, a disaster only slowly held back from every aspect of being unleashed.
THE BLACK ROSE
When I'm depressed, or just tired from the world around me, I'm uplifted by positive fiction and drama. In THE BLACK ROSE a young Saxon man refuses to serve his Norman leader, and instead chooses to serve in armies of caravans leading to China. Friendships grow, and a beautiful girl disguised as servant boy falls in love with the lead character. Honor, bravery and love lead me to escape for the 2 hours of this movie. It isn't accurate in some ways, but I like every character in the major roles. It gives me hope when I normally would have none.
JOE MONKS, Writer of Fear
I've mentioned reading and enjoying horror as a genre, but most in the genre does not appeal to me. I love Anne Rice, HP Lovecraft, and others, but Joe Monks is someone who is constantly telling new stories, and his writing, is professional, dark, and perfectly toned. He can write to freak a person out, while only rarely utilizing disgust or repulsion as a means to illustrate fear. That level of tone makes his work well worth following. I am a friend of his, (and vice versa), but he impresses the hell out of me. He is married to an incredible woman as well, Pam is amazing.
FIND HIS WORK AT
http://www.sightunseenpictures.com
https://www.facebook.com/joemonks
https://parler.com/profile/JoeMonks/
About Getting Reviews from Me
First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com.
I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll
follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post
box, although I regret that. It was a crushing defeat to no longer
have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product
it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my
home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will
always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email,
I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so
you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.
MY LINKS:
My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.
No comments:
Post a Comment