Writing, Ancient Unguents, What Now?Pandora Pop Up. Like you, I am either glued to the news or cutting off all contact with it. I contemplate the old phrase, “What is up to us?” This newsletter comes to you direct from Salt Spring Island in Canada.
So good to see/hear your voice again. First thank you fr solving a decades long mystery - "What are those things on Egyptians women's heads"?
And yes, AI circles - repeating itself over and over until everything is the same. Yuk. I continue to write as well with no help from the robots. Except spelling.
You mention "retrieving ancient ways" several times.
I get that is this a near-universal longing,,, returning or retrieving some mythical superior past.
My thought is... when, exactly were things better to be a human?
I recently wrote a book about the creation of the LDS "mormon" church,
whiich was.. and is... all about "Restoration" of religion to the days of Jesus and the apostles.
That project led the Mormons to nasty forms of polygamy for the rich and powerful,
and servitude for the plural wives. They also used the "restoration" ideas to instutude slavery for the indigenous tribes of Utah...
The dream of a “better past” is a trap.
Leaders like Trump (“Make America Great Again”), Hitler (“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer”), Mussolini (reviving the Roman Empire), and Wagner (romanticizing medieval German purity) all sold a false nostalgia. They painted history as golden, ignoring its brutality.
And this is just a few notable examples from this and the last century.
The past wasn’t better. It was different. MAGA longs for a time of economic boom but ignores segregation and inequality. Hitler’s Reich promised national rebirth but brought war and genocide. Mussolini’s empire led to suffering, not glory. Wagner’s myths inspired fascism, not harmony.
Trying to reclaim a past ideal always means erasing its dark truths.
Progress happens by moving forward, not by chasing ghosts.
Lets do our best to learn from the past, but live as fully as possible in this, the present moment,
which is all we have, and is the best time in all history for most,, but not all humangs
Today is the best time to be alive and human, at least in my opinion.
Let's not long for a romanticised and mythic past,
lets just learn from the past, and do our best to live as fully in the present as possible.
Fully agree! Pick out those key words and it seems that I'm looking for a way home in the "better" past. hmm. am I really? I do look to the classics of the ages to reflect/discover human meaning, but not necessarily social direction. Plus, we know the road to hell has always been paved with good intentions. We are not in the past now, but it is our inheritance and a cautionary history. The question "what is up to us?" is an ancient one. Your comment encourages me to refine my language, to understand more.
Jim, I think you make an unnecessary and impractical leap. "Retrieving ancient ways" is unrelated to, and doesn't suggest, when or if "were things better to be a human?"
I truly laughed out loud at the Paging Dr. McLuhan note!
glad you heard it in your mind's ear, just like I did!
Thank you, Carol good to hear from you again.
So good to see/hear your voice again. First thank you fr solving a decades long mystery - "What are those things on Egyptians women's heads"?
And yes, AI circles - repeating itself over and over until everything is the same. Yuk. I continue to write as well with no help from the robots. Except spelling.
Love to you dear Carol
I love your musings, Carol. And I’m so grateful and humbled by your recommendation!
You mention "retrieving ancient ways" several times.
I get that is this a near-universal longing,,, returning or retrieving some mythical superior past.
My thought is... when, exactly were things better to be a human?
I recently wrote a book about the creation of the LDS "mormon" church,
whiich was.. and is... all about "Restoration" of religion to the days of Jesus and the apostles.
That project led the Mormons to nasty forms of polygamy for the rich and powerful,
and servitude for the plural wives. They also used the "restoration" ideas to instutude slavery for the indigenous tribes of Utah...
The dream of a “better past” is a trap.
Leaders like Trump (“Make America Great Again”), Hitler (“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer”), Mussolini (reviving the Roman Empire), and Wagner (romanticizing medieval German purity) all sold a false nostalgia. They painted history as golden, ignoring its brutality.
And this is just a few notable examples from this and the last century.
The past wasn’t better. It was different. MAGA longs for a time of economic boom but ignores segregation and inequality. Hitler’s Reich promised national rebirth but brought war and genocide. Mussolini’s empire led to suffering, not glory. Wagner’s myths inspired fascism, not harmony.
Trying to reclaim a past ideal always means erasing its dark truths.
Progress happens by moving forward, not by chasing ghosts.
Lets do our best to learn from the past, but live as fully as possible in this, the present moment,
which is all we have, and is the best time in all history for most,, but not all humangs
Today is the best time to be alive and human, at least in my opinion.
Let's not long for a romanticised and mythic past,
lets just learn from the past, and do our best to live as fully in the present as possible.
Fully agree! Pick out those key words and it seems that I'm looking for a way home in the "better" past. hmm. am I really? I do look to the classics of the ages to reflect/discover human meaning, but not necessarily social direction. Plus, we know the road to hell has always been paved with good intentions. We are not in the past now, but it is our inheritance and a cautionary history. The question "what is up to us?" is an ancient one. Your comment encourages me to refine my language, to understand more.
Jim, I think you make an unnecessary and impractical leap. "Retrieving ancient ways" is unrelated to, and doesn't suggest, when or if "were things better to be a human?"