To thine own self be true

Two Google headlines–one focusing on Rene Zellweger’s cosmetic surgery (This is newsworthy?); the other on women getting this kind of surgery to please some men (This is hard news?). There are very serious problems in our society–e.g., Ebola transmission and home-grown terrorism–that are far more significant than this sort of distracting, trivial, infantile crap. One manifestation of our society’s increasing irrationality is the inability for the media and media consumers to distinguish between what is important or incredibly dumb and trivial.

Education today has likewise failed tragically, steamrollering kids en masse, stylistically, with bells-and-whistles e-gizmos and catering to the lowest denominator from an uncritical thinking perspective. No longer are distinctions made in classrooms because of political correctness, a lack of diverse viewpoints, and the replacement of books and themes by dumbed-down e-centered curriculum that no two schools, districts, or provinces can even agree on. Frankly, secondary education in Canada is rapidly becoming thoroughly rudderless in terms of teaching important works or themes, serious issues, true media literacy or in developing truly autonomous, critical-thinking students.

As long as kids are required and encouraged to become career-techies for the business world and allowed e-machines to use carte-blanche at school, “The centre cannot hold”. Subject matter and significant content have died on the trendy airless altar of with-it style and delivery systems. Indeed, some educators today are often little more than shills or propagandists for e-machine corporations–a major disservice to our youth in terms of teaching traditional literacy and broad-based (i.e.,historical, integrated, print-based) consciousness.

A no-brainer.

If the dangerous irrationals are not challenged and dealt with early, then there will be more violence. The notion that some idiot’s privacy exceeds public safety and security is frankly deluded and nuts. Our society has increasingly abandoned common sense during the last two decades. Confront, arrest, or deport the fifth-column-troublemakers at the first signs of danger to the Canadian public. Obvious, pure, and simple.

Additionally: These nutcases have a surfeit of irrational beliefs and values. Our society has to pay more attention to the development of young boys and men in our society. The irrational will always need to be safely addressed and expressed or else it will find a way to express itself as in today on Parliament Hill. Unfortunately, statistically, there are likely hundreds, maybe even thousands of potentially dangerous, irrational young men living in our midst today. If they can’t safely be educated or diverted away from dangerous lifestyles and violent actions, then the government, RCMP, and police need to be unified and on the same page for dealing with this insanity, pro-actively before the irrationality, violence, and chaos are, in turn, unleashed upon the innocent, unsuspecting, unprotected public.

Canada has long been too complacent and pussyfooting about this crap as the truly irrational individual privacy over public security issue illustrates abundantly these daze. (I am not surprised that U.S. intelligence revealed the identity of the killer, with picture, well before privacy-obsessed Canada.) We also need serious, major political leadership now more than ever in our country’s history; as things stand, the bigoted, violent, narrowly-agenda-ed crazies are running willy-nilly amok, free or unchecked, with systemic ‘carte blanche’.

………………………….

“Violence is often the only means of emotional release from a sense of unreality, in which even wanton destructive or sadistic acts help to create a sense of identity in their perpetrators.”–Northrop Frye, “The Ethics of Change, The Role of the University”

Re. armed responses to violence–“The only real justification for violence is self-defence, and of course society has a right to self-defence as well as the individual.”–Northrop Frye, “Violence and Television”

Re. the subsequent media coverage that variously focused on the main victim and the main perpetrator–“The focusing of interest on the victim is a common civilizing element in all our major cultural traditions.”–Northrop Frye, “Violence and Television”

(boldface my emphasis)–“In all scenes of violence there is the choice of identifying either with the agent or with the victim of violence. Consequently, it is a very important step in emotional education whether we identify with the agent or the victim of violence.”–Northrop Frye, “Violence and Television”

Yesterday was a long-awaited-for, major, positive turning-point-day, healthwise, for both myself and my wife. Quite exhausting, especially after I wound down by watching Hitchcock’s classic The Lady Vanishes no less. Followed by one of those unexpected, profound deep sleeps.

Elsewhere/earlier in this blog, I had commented about the serendipitous pleasures of meeting other musical heroes in dreamland, remarkably, without any apparent stimuli or conscious desire, Last night I met the legendary Miles Davis, arguably the modern jazz era’s jazz genius. He was every bit as mysterious and interesting as any interviews I’ve heard or seen of him. The familiar raspy voice and no-nonsense attitude toward whatever questions or intrusiveness.

Miles and his band were staying at the Westin and playing a gig here in town. Miles was as he appeared in later life–gaunt and ringleted, with sunglasses when onstage. He was actually quite a nice guy and even signed the complete Columbia boxset and special Kind of Blue boxsets I asked him to sign with his famous colored pens (which he kept with him for his famous impromptu sketching.). At the concert he was back to playing some of the Kind of Blue album which was easier on/for his declining chops.

The dream was totally unexpected, longish, and most pleasurable. He definitely is one of three or so greats I wish I could have seen in concert. And, of course, meeting him was quite a not-surprising high to transition me from yesterday’s turning point into a more low-key Wednesday.

The irrational (as my previous poem points out) is everywhere around and in us daily. Often the irrational takes the form of crazy things that others (such as governments or crazy individuals) do which one sees, hears or reads about. We all also have our own irrational moments, desires, or sides, no matter how common-sensical or rational we profess or aspire to be. (“Lord what fools these mortals be!”)

And much of life, too, remains mysterious or a mystery. Dreams often fall into that category. But I find more and more, as I age, that many of these irrational manifestations or occurrences frequently are potentially or actually pleasurable and fall into, what Northrop Frye termed, wish fulfilment. These special, unusual moments finally say much about who we most are as individuals and the deeper nature of our private inner lives.

“Happiness depends on ourselves.”–Aristotle

(Very much so–attitude being the key, regardless of limits and limitations including health.)

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”–Frank Lloyd Wright

(Certainly a daily reminder, natural disasters excluded. Much of our sense of mystery and beauty comes through contact with and openness to Nature. As Aldous Huxley pointed out, though, our rational life with its abstractions and intellectualizing can get in the way of our responses to and receptivity to Nature’s gifts. As with all beauty, we need to just accept and be conscious of it in order to experience the Zen benefits thereof.)

(Spiritus getting ready to do a book launch reading at Woodward’s Books, Southgate Shopping Centre, Edmo, fall 1989ish–Glen tallest, Dean sitting. We were shortly to be surrounded by a veritable mob of passing shoppers, some sitting on the floor. This type of risky, fearless public reading became our trademark at the zenith of our flow.)

This aft the Stroll of Poets will be doing their first-ever Halloween Dearly Departed reading of poems written by deceased friends and family. I’ll be reading two by Dean McKenzie (2013) and Glen Kirkland (2010). The three of us–all senior high ELA teachers–were better known as Spiritus for some 15 years on the local scene going back to the late ’80s at friend/award-winning-novelist Thomas Trofimuk’s Station Readings Series at Café le Gare in Old Strathcona.

A busy year with the Stroll long underway already. I’ll be part of The Verse Project (poets in schools) and hosting a reading 2morrow nite @ Upper Crust Café. Lots of good, interesting people to hob-nob with. Unlimited imaginations and excellent poetry. My cup runneth over poetry-wise these fall daze.

http://strathconadental.ca/videos/

Check: Strathcona Dental Clinic Patient Testimonial! (dark purple shirt)

One-take camera-shoot spontaneously ad-libbed immediately after a scaling appointment!

Lew Tabackin Trio live at the Yardbird Suite

My thirst for good retro live jazz was finally slaked thoroughly within the first two numbers by the Lew Tabackin Trio, last evening at the Yardbird. Consummate international artists with large followings in New York and Japan where they could play, beloved, infinitely. Imagine the fortune of little old Edmo to luck in with these guys.

Lew blows a fine tenor sax and mystical avant-garde Asian-style flute (the latter no doubt adored in Tokyo!). He was in fine form last evening, roaming the stage, Tai-chi-ing his way through the flute numbers, exploring both acoustic- and mike-sound possibilities. His sidemen are virtuosos of acoustic bass and drums, able to abundantly delight audiences in their frequent solo spots. As I told Lew after the first set: “Great authority, great artistry, great freedom. Endless possibilities rendered beautifully.” He, sweatingly, appreciated that response and would like to return here sooner than another too-long-four-year absence.

His remarkable bass player (solo album shown above), Boris Kozlov is a bass genius. He can play melody, rhythm, harmony, and percussion all at once and by himself. Now is that unbelievably awesome, or what?! If you think you really know and understand music and figure you have heard everything, you have not, till you’ve heard Boris play live or his CD masterpiece.

So how did all this register on me? Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, soulfully a 10 out of 10. I was where I wanted to be/get to within 2 numbers. I slept very deep afterward. Deep inner peace and contentment. Ah, the magic and therapeutic qualities of truly great live music! Hot live jazz–nothing like it to soothe and satisfy the soul.

Below are subject-highlighted Roget words relative to positive and negative human qualities or character development. Words were grouped on obvious/majority number of sub-synonyms leaning toward positive or negative.

Negative (These 87 qualities and tendencies would produce a rather flawed, negative person or negative conflicts.)

absence
accusation
affectation
asceticism
attack
avoidance
badness
blindness
boasting
changeableness
cheapness
cold
concealment
contempt
cowardice
death
debt
deception
dejection
depression
descent
destruction
deterioration
detraction
difficulty
disagreement
disapprobation
discontent
discourtesy
disjunction
disobedience
disorder
disrepute
disrespect
doubt
error
evil
failure
falsehood
fear
guilt
hate
hindrance
idolatry
ignorance
illegality
imperfection
impiety
imprecation
improbity
impurity
inactivity
indifference
ingratitude
injustice
insanity
insolence
insubstantiality
irascibility
killing
limit
loquacity
malevolence
misjudgement
narrowness
negation
neglect
nullification
opposition
ostentation
pain
parsimony
punishment
rashness
resentment
retaliation
ridicule
selfishness
servility
severity
stealing
unskillfulness
uselessness
vanity
violence
vulgarity
waste

Positive (On the other hand, these 77 words are qualities or values which appear to produce positive behaviors, growth, and character development.)

activity
affirmation
agreement
aid
approbation
arrangement
ascent
assent
atonement
attention
beauty
benevolence
breadth
care
cheerfulness
cleanness
coherence
communication
completion
compromise
cooperation
courage
courtesy
curiosity
direction
durability
duty
economy
elegance
endearment
facility
forgiveness
freedom
friend
giving
good, goodness
gratitude
greatness
hope
imagination
improvement
innocence
intellect
intelligence
justice
knowledge
life
light
love
moderation
motion
pacification
penitence
pleasure
preservation
probity
reasoning
rejoicing
respect
restoration
sanity
sensibility
sociality
stability
sufficiency
success
teaching
thought
truth
undertaking
vindication
virtue
vision
whole
wit
wonder
youth

September      (written some 30 years ago)

In the fall we drift along
the tree-lined streets
of unfamiliar places.
Leaves cover everything:
sleepy cars and houses
sidewalks and our coats.

My son drags his foot
beside the curb
like a street-cleaner
but even he admits
we could never hope
to hide these dead
in all the sewer grates.

Joggers and young girls
with dogs pass by
and look at us as if to say
‘you don’t fit our decor.’
The leaves, uncaring,
fall in slow time
wordless to the earth.

I used to think
that streets like these
were only meant for lovers
and their lonely ways,
but how wrong can one be
about yellow, red, and green?

In the fall they drift along
the tree-lined streets.
The man is crunching memories
as he watches his son
run on ahead
laughing with the wind
and leaves.

(Robert Frost family gravestone, North Bennington, Vermont, taken October, 1991)

(from “October”)

O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with amethyst.
Slow, slow!

(conclusion of “Reluctance”

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

–excerpts by Robert Frost

……………………………….

Looking back, I have long taken the road “less traveled by”, similar to Frost, via poetry, unconventional teaching, and dream.

In grade 11, my imaginative/creative self was awakened by Brian Kells during a unit on Frost’s poetry. I immediately connected with Frost’s views of Nature and his poetry. He was the first poet who impressed me with a body of work. No doubt, his love of fall connected with my own, too.

In 1991, I made my first fall New England journey taking a short leave from teaching to follow a building bliss for that area, its writers (notably Frost and Dickinson), and the imaginative dream-world projected by New England and its writers. That pivotal moment marked another turning point in the direction of my own life and quenched a great inner spiritual thirst and hunger.

I should add that my old Ed CI prof-friend Glenn Martin was in Frost’s class at Harvard and gave him a Christmas card poem that year. I learned much about Frost’s presence and personality from many talks with Glenn over the years. Looking back, I would have to say that Frost and his sensibility have been significant in forming my own views of Nature and nature poetry writing.