it was reported recently
many frogs exploded in Germany
naturally and spontaneously
scientists cannot explain why
but I can
it was gas
if they farted or belched
like we humans do
they would not have exploded
I know I am right
because humans do not explode
even in Germany
When does a ‘natural’ moral state arise? What conditions create it? Does it exist at all?
Francois Rabelais, a 16th Century Benedictine monk wrote about the Abbey of Theleme in his satirical books called Gargantua and Pantagruel.
One of the verses of the inscription on the gate to the Abbey of Theleme says:
Grace, honour, praise, delight,
Here sojourn day and night.
Sound bodies lined
With a good mind,
Do here pursue with might
Grace, honour, praise, delight.
But below the humour was a very real concept of utopia and the ideal society. Rabelais gives us a description of how the Thelemites of the Abbey lived and the rules they lived by:
“All their life was spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their own free will and pleasure. They rose out of their beds when they thought good; they did eat, drink, labour, sleep, when they had a mind to it and were disposed for it. None did awake them, none did offer to constrain them to eat, drink, nor to do any other thing; for so had Gargantua established it. In all their rule and strictest tie of their order there was but this one clause to be observed,
Do What Thou Wilt;
because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour. Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition by which they formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off and break that bond of servitude wherein they are so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable with the nature of man to long after things forbidden and to desire what is denied us.”
The question then becomes, if a state of tyrannous enslavement first exists and is then removed, can those who were subject to it learn to live in a state of utopia, where they can do what they wilt? Looking at post-apartheid South Africa today, it does not appear so, at all!
The acquisition of a conscience only occurs, according to Russian philosopher GI Gurdjieff, through special effort, through deep self-examination:
Man, we are told, has a unique place and function in the cosmological scheme and enters into obligation by the fact of being born. The awareness of all this is not, however, a gift of Nature, neither are Individuality, Consciousness, Free Will and an Immortal Soul—these attributes, which man mistakenly believes he already possesses, have to be acquired by his own special efforts. Above all, the book (Beelzebub’s tales to his Grandson) repeatedly insists that man is asleep. It is only at the moment when he awakens, not merely to consciousness but to conscience — to GI Gurdjieff the words were, in fact, synonymous - that his true evolution can begin.
It seems that the process of inner work is something our modern world has forgotten. The dictum “know thyself” has become replaced with “get rich quick”. Since the inside world is so hard to access, the only reality is the illusion of the external one, the world of gratification and vanity labeled “Babylon” by Rastafarians.
Dr Jacob Needleman elaborates in Money and the Meaning of Life on how “we cannot see the real world because we are not in contact with the deeper powers of thought and sensing within ourselves that could perceive it. Because of this, it is inevitable that we experience the external world as the strongest force in our lives. This is the meaning and origin of materialism.
The error, or, to use Christian language, the “sin” of materialism has at its root nothing to do with greed or possessiveness. Nor does it involve, at its root, some philosophical view about matter and spirit in their usual meanings. No, the error of materialism is an error of reality perception, based on lack of experiential contact with the inner world. What we know as greed and possessiveness, with their attendant traits of cruelty and human exploitation, are results of this ignorance of the inner world. We turn to the superficially perceived outer world to replace that which can only be obtained through deep access to the inner self. Materialism is not a “sin”; it is a mistake.
The capacity to live morally, according to mankind’s highest ideals, requires sustained experiential contact with the higher forces within. Therefore, as actual contact with the inner world diminishes, the individual and the community suffer more and more disorder.
To repeat: moral power, the power to live according to the ideals of the inner world, comes only from direct contact with the higher forces that can pass into the inner self from the deeper recesses of the universal world.”
But the inner, or spiritual world has become so remote from modern man that even if he experiences moments of universality, for instance in a near-death experience, that soon afterwards the experience is often dismissed or forgotten.
It appears that only when one’s back is to the wall that the unspiritual, unbelieving modern man finally turns to a “higher power” for help. This is, according an addictions counsellor I know, the only time we really change or learn. Relinquishing the ego’s control - when it has become clear and obvious to a junkie that it has lost control of the life situation anyway - then makes sense, it becomes a lot easier. The Twelve Step Programme enshrined in the practices of Alcholics and Narcotics Anonymous lists the following:
“We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
“We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
“We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
The “surrender” to a higher power, whatever that higher power means to the individual, is also a common theme across many religions. The belief is that the ego only forms a small part of the whole person or soul. But to “cross to the other side” usually requires the guidance of a shaman or group who have made the crossing themselves, and know which ceremonies, dances and music aid the transition.
For example, The “Red Path” of the American Indians makes use of, among other rituals, a “vision quest” in which the initiate is required to sit in nature for a period of time, usually four days, without food and water, to get in contact with the higher self and leave the ego behind. Here the protagonist enters another order of reality, a landscape of mystery and power to be pulled apart and put back together in a new and more powerful way.
During my experience of Western-based Christianity (which was short-lived) it struck me that the whole message was to talk to a God that was outside of me. I would also be able to communicate with this external God through prayer in the language I spoke. Thirdly, there was little or no emphasis on self-knowledge as a path to God. Simple prayer and faith were enough.
Contrast this with these messages from the late, highly controversial guru known as “Osho”:
“My message is simple - that I have found the god within me. My whole effort is to persuade you - look within, the master cometh. Yes, it is possible. Yes, he comes. And he does not come from the outside; he explodes from the inside.
The guide is not outside, the guide is within you. One has to go deeper into one’s own being to find the guide. Once the inner guide is found there are no more mistakes, no repentance, no guilt. There is no question of doing good or doing bad; whatsoever one does is good. It is not a question of morality either; one’s very being is good and whatsoever comes out of it is good. One walks in light and one walks lightly because the head and the burden of the head is no more there. And when one walks in light and walks lightly, life becomes laughter, love, joy.
If you penetrate into your body, three layers are there: Just on the surface is your body. The body looks material, but deep down there are currents of life, prana, vital energy. Without that vital energy your body would be just a corpse. It is alive, with something flowing in it. That flowing `something’ is energy. But deeper, still deeper, you are aware, you can witness. You can witness both your body and your vital energy. That witnessing is your consciousness.
Every existence has three layers. The deepest is the witnessing consciousness. In the middle is vital energy and just on the surface is matter, a material body.
What are you? Who are you? If you close your eyes and try to find out who you are, ultimately you are bound to come to a conclusion that you are consciousness.”
To sum up: if we look within, we can travel past the illusion of the material world as being the only world. Then we achieve true consciousness, and realize everything has, or is, consciousness. Once in touch with this universal consciousness, we acquire a true morality, free of the guilt and fear imposed by society and our own ego.
Easy,hey? Happy travels!
“God is in everything – he sleeps in stones, breathes in plants, dreams in animals and awakes in mankind.”
By Omoseye Bolaji. And published in Perspectives on Free State Black Writing
When we read something - be it a piece of prose or poetry, we often want it to interest us, to fascinate us, to come across as fresh, as the experts say. Normally the language used in poetry is supposed to be heightened hence those we refer to as “poets” often have impressive facility with words.
A poet like Job Mzamo (in Mangaung) is a sort of wordsmith, using language and imagery to fascinate us, knocking words into light, bouncy, lissome, even irreverent, burnished shapes; and creating poetry in the process. Teboho is on the way to becoming a sophisticated poet, and this short essay is about him.
My main concern here is his poem, “Mary” published in his book, Enter the Night (DRUFOMA 2001). It is one of his simpler poems, but one with a powerful message. The message comes across at the very end. In this poem the poet begins by telling us about how a particular lady is abused, is long suffering. Then the very end:
“And she was buried today”
This haunting ending is proof enough that the poet has succeeded admirably at putting across his message - and in a style which is simple enough. The freshness of the poem reaches an apogee by using this style.
In fact the way the poem is structured reminds me of a poem, “Just a passer by”. By Oswald Mtshali. (Published in “A selection of African Poetry” edited by Senanu and Vincent) In this poem, the poet describes how a man was gruesomely killed, as if (the poet) does not really care. Then he goes home, and a woman neighbour says to him:
“Have you heard? They’ve killed your brother”
“O No! I heard nothing. I’ve been to Church”
The strength of the poem lies in the fact that the poet is ultimately being ironic and sarcastic; for he not only heard about the death; he witnessed it himself!
The first time I read Mohanoe’s poem, “Mary”, I asked him whether he had read Mtshali’s poem (referred to above), and in his typical inscrutable, inconclusive manner, Mohanoe just smiled and nodded. Maybe he was impressed by the much earlier Mtshali poem hardly matters; as Mohanoe’s “Mary” is distinctive in its own right.
Lovers of poetry might also draw a parallel between Mohanoe’spoem, and Michael Echeruo’s “Threnody” (Also published in the book, “A Selection of African Poetry”). Here the poet light heartedly seems to be rejoicing with the world (nature); then suddenly:
“I caught my dove
In the heart of spring
And I was dead!”
This type of conclusion tends to jolt the reader’s attention, resulting in concentrated bafflement and interest. And such writing appeals to a large number of people.
There is a great man whom I feel has been recognized by many–but not enough. I have long understood how mighty he is and he has become my idol.
Not only because he is my father and he has taught me everything I know about life, especially sex, but at the age of 36 has accomplished a great many things.
Since father’s day is right around the corner (not really, but I always pretend it is) I decided to write this homage to my father, Daddy McP, a.k.a. Selwyn Harris. I have come up with 20 reasons why he is the greatest man in the world.
I also did one of those stupid things that I remember they made me do in like kindergarten (the few times I was allowed to go to school, when I wasn’t in the cage) where I take every letter of his name and write something good about him. So this is my homage to my father. The top 20 are in no particular order by the way.
1. He has an enormous beautiful dick.
2. He has fucked many women fat and skinny, all with really nice tits. He also had a teenage girlfriend when he was about 30 who probably had small tits.
3. He raised me in a cage and fed me only chicken bones.
4. He published Happyland and changed zines forever.
5. Other zinesters tried to squash his spirit, but he soldiered on, triumphant.
6. He worked at Hustler for a million years, so he knows a bunch of awesome people.
7. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, when I wish I did and therefore knows a lot more awesome famous people that I wish I knew.
8. He makes a shitload of money looking at naked women on the internet all day and watching porno and writing about it (a job most men dream of having).
9. He has a beautiful cock.
10. He bought me a pony when I was 10, which I kept in the cage with me until it took a shit on my butterfly collection and I decided to cut it up and use it for food, but I preserved its head and it is my prized possession. Every time I look at it, I think of the cage and my daddy.
11. He will make me famous
12. He had beautiful fatties breastfeed me until I was 14 and accidentally bit one of their nipples off. I still have the nipple. Sorry, Lady Cherise.
13. He pumps out dirty words like Mormon women pump out babies.
14. He cut the penis off of my first boyfriend for getting me an ugly corsage to wear to the prom.
15. He had Collective Soul play my Sweet 16 party.
16. He plays guitar better than Paul Leary in the best band ever, Gays in the Military.
18. He can masturbate while eating a pizza with an unspeakable zest for life.
19. He has funded my Harvard education and Oxford graduate program.
20. Best of all, he spawned me with his beautiful, erect penis and perfect supersperm and made a tiny genius who will hopefully someday mirror her daddy.
I just ate McDonalds and I think I’m going to have the worst diarrhea in my life, but, yeah, Selwyn rules. So perfect, even his shit does not smell.
This was no way spawned by anything that my father told me to do. It was all done on my own accord because I love him so much and just wanted to let him know that. Thank you.
