Are we doomed to forget those
strong places long uninhabited
and lose our way to their thresholds?
Will we despair, seeking shelter
while their still framed forms stand
oblique in disrepair?
...we are forgetting
and mortar is crumbling
to sand
and stones are being scattered
about the earth once again.
Endure Uno
Fri 23rd Dec 2016 01:59
I thinking about the podcast, "Literature and History" (which is on iTunes, and I highly recommend). In it, the pod-castor talks about how Mesopotamia, and its literature are the true root to many of the passages of our modern religions. He talks about how the socioeconomic state of Jews (before their constructed identity) may have led to resentment of the many gods of the the Mesopotamian peoples that may have led to the rejection of it polytheistic nature. The "Old Testament" has a God that does not seem like an all knowing, omnipotent being. Rather, he is much like the gods of ancient Mesopotamia; many of the stories in the bible are basically versions of their myths. I think of this and think about this poem's lament for loss of ancient knowledge. Its relevance, and power even over the psyche of people today is among the most fascinating things I've learned about. This poem directs my mind to a scary future in which our modern knowledge will someday be lost. I have much more to say, but I'll end here. Love the poem.
elPintor
Sat 12th Nov 2016 15:40
Good to hear from you, David..there are some things I can't quite pin down, here. My head just swims sometimes with words that rarely seem to come together to form anything too specific. I would rather it not so, at times. But, I suppose it has it's purpose.
Hi there, Harry..I didn't have politics in particular in mind, but it certainly is a subject that kinda skirts the whirlpool of ideas. I hope this disunity you speak of doesn't come to full boil. There are some factions of Trump supporters that are quite rabid and I hope they don't get a foothold in government (don't worry, I realize that statement leaves a helluva lot out). But, "still framed forms" does imply that I believe there is a place to which return is possible should we stray as a nation provided it doesn't go too far.
Great to see you back, Stu..people tend to think in biblical proportions when they hear the word apocalypse. But, that's selective hearing..too many one track minds who've chosen to become over-saturated with ideas that they'll probably never understand anyway because they refuse to remove their blinders. Anyhow, I listened to some of godspeed you! black emperor..very effective in creating atmosphere..I'm sure to return to it.
Thank you, kindly, for commenting and reading.
elP
quite apocalyptic.
i can only hear godspeed you black emperor while i read this
This could aptly be `about` the structural earthquake of the recent Trump and Brexit stuff.
(I like the `Still framed forms`)
Await something on the resultant disunity with interest.
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elPintor
Fri 23rd Dec 2016 03:36
I just picked up a book--The Book of J. I've only just begun, but it does contest the authorship of the Torah. And even the nature of the god of Judaism (Yahwists vs. Elohists).
Believe me, I'm not anxious to go in amongst the religious to attempt to shake their faith. I take what I hear with a grain of salt because I know that some distort facts to fit their own agendas. But, that which is true cannot be defeated by argument. It always remains true no matter the fleeting opinions of populace or the situation of the times.
No matter the origins of their god, Israel has survived through countless exiles and humiliations and much worse...Israel persists with the promise of their god through centuries. And they've kept ancient traditions, dutifully, if not with exuberance, through unspeakable resistance. That, in itself, says quite a lot to me.
Without reference to Judaism, I hear that the ancient Egyptians experienced their own rejection of polytheism and moved their capital as a result of it (see Amarna).
Anyhow, it's an ongoing discussion...thank you kindly for bringing it up. It's really very refreshing to contemplate such ideas.
elP