Mar 19 2006
A rift in the collective unconscious….
Sorry for the lack of posts this week. Last week was a busy week with the Buzzflash hit, and I ended up writing quite a bit more than I’m used to. This will be good practice as I finish up my B.A. and go for that M.A. Looking at my sitemeter analysis, I definitely notice more activity after a post, so thank you for paying attention.
As I was out and about today, and listening to various conversations, something dawned on me - a general unease in community. It seems to be all around, lots of miscommunication, and a general feeling of, well, for lack of a better word, worry. A lot of people seem to be in both internal and external conflict (wait till I finally tell you about the whole Plainfield food co-op ordeal - sheesh). Friends and family all seem to have something they’re dealing with. This had me thinking about the various ways people interpret this.
The current chaos in the world: erosion of civil liberties and the rise of a theocratic police state here in the U.S.A., the widening gap betwwen rich and poor as the corporations consolidate power at the expense of our citizenry, the Iraq and Afghanistan fiascos, genocide in Darfur, immigration conflicts in Europe, catastrophic natural disasters, etc., would have those of a more metaphysical bent believing that it is really wearing on our collective unconscious right now. I pondered that for a bit. Not really one to believe in that particular way of thinking (although, admittedly open to the possibility if I could just get my brain around quantum theory), I wondered out loud if it’s just because we have information overload like never before in our existence.
Since the dawn of man, there have always been lots of shitty things going on at any particular time on the planet. Let’s just look at, say, 1981. The Soviets were still in the rather oppressive Breznhev era, and bogged down in a brutal conflict in Afghanistan. I’m sure they were committing just as many, if not more atrocities and crimes against humanity as the Americans are doing now. There was a recession in the U.S., and that idiot Reagan, too. And I’m sure something horrendous was happening somewhere in Africa, as is usually the case. Did we feel any different here? Did an Aborigine in Australia feel doom and gloom during the time of the Holocaust, even though he had no knowledge of it?
As one studies belief systems, especially the more irrational ones, and the many fallacies in human thinking, one thing that seems to stand out for me is how we, as humans, put an incredible amount of significance on coincidence. We make patterns, and draw conclusions. And I wonder if that’s what I’m doing now. At any given time, there are always a bunch of rotten things happening. But it’s not a big deal if you’re not aware of them, is it?
There’s also the possibility that at least here in Vermont, where many are held rather captive by their idealism, that the sheen may be wearing off a bit and the cognitive dissonance is setting in. So, how is it in your neck of the woods? Is there this cloud hanging overhead? Or am I just projecting? Help me out here.
Hoping to have a spaghetti western review for you later this week, as well as an answer to the age old question that always seems to be on my mind: why were musical artists that were so good in the 70’s suck in the 80’s? Stay tuned as I get my groove back.
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