Fear of chaos 2

In an egalitarian society where there is freedom of speech and thought, individuals would be able to make free choices (aside from justice, from government policies, from formal education, from religious indoctrination). In a democratic society, 50%+ of the population (called the majority) has "a say" to decide over the rest of the population (with limited fractions of participation: on staged elections, limited number of political parties, arranged referendums, etc). Freedom of speech and thought that go against the mainstream order and that become civil disobedience or take more violent forms have very little account in democratic societies. A free society of individuals, where each person could make decisions (above the law and established order) is closer to anarchism than to democracy. Anarchism is linked with chaos and that fear of "chaos" invites political elites, economic powers, educational institutions... to establish control measures over their populations.  The enforcement of the order can happen "peacefully" through institutional indoctrination, law enforcement and fear of punishment (by earthy or divine justice)... but can also be violent through the use of force, correction, imprisonment, torture, intimidation, harassment, etc. A perfect society seems to be the one that moves within the permitted boundaries of a system and where people believe that there is freedom of choice. "Chaotic" societies are less indoctrinated and have a social potential to rediscover new ways of socializing and governing. Even though capitalism, in principle, seems to be opposed to democracy, it uses the "free market trade" and the "equal opportunities for all" speech in order to spread its values. It is true that capitalism as well as democracy empower very small elites... but there are deep internal difference between a true democracy and true capitalism. Political and corporation elites seem to work hand to hand to support an economic system that does not seem to be challenged enough (despite the poverty rates on the planet).  But there is no true democracy nor true capitalism. We are closer to monarchic societies, tyrannies and dictatorships... more than ever... our limited participation in the say of our governments is almost nonexistent . Why is Canada still invading Afghanistan and the US killing/and being killed in Iraq? The elites made that choice "and they know better" (we, the people who elect them and who oppose these wars,"know very little" that's why we elect elites to represent us).  Share

the unspoken

He was the man of my dreams  even before I was dreaming of men. It was around the time we could still communicate with our eyes and understand each other without words. Sometimes our eyes understood more of what they were seeing than what our brains could really be conscious of. 

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La Ardilla

Alguien anonimo acaba de morir. El ciclo de una vida que se acaba... o que cambia de forma... y nosotros aqui, esperando nuestro turno.

Ayer camine al cine desde casa... a lo largo de la calle Bank hasta la calle Rideau donde esta el parlamento canadiense. Mi proposito: ver una pelicula colombiana llamada Bluff que presentaban en La Biblioteque et Archives du Canada. Una tarde soleada y un poco menos fria... ya casi se ponia el sol y al pasar por la Corte Suprema de Justicia se me ocurrio darle un vistazo al rio Ottawa (justo detras). Camine hasta alli en contra del viento. Un ocaso solitario y tranquilo. Me encontre con un pajaro y una ardilla. El pajaro emigro enseguiday y la ardilla ni se inmuto. Cortaba ramitas de un arbol para su nido (supongo). Cuando no le cabia una mas en la boca, salto de copa en copa y termino en un hoyuelo del arbol mas cercano a mi. Pense en la vida... para que estamos aqui? no encontre respuesta... simplemente estamos, pense... y tratamos de encontrarle sentido todo el tiempo... hasta que un dia nos sorprenda la muerte.

Alguien anonimo acaba de morir. El ciclo de una vida que se acaba... o que cambia de forma... y nosotros aqui, esperando nuestro turno.

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Meeting J

It had to happen...

I took the Queen's way up to Island Park and drove down to Wellington. I was 20 minutes early so I drove around the block as the butterflies augmented in my stomach. At 9:26 I parked the car on a plate of ice that has survived global warming, right across from the house.  Sushi spotted me first, I wasn't the post man at whom she barks loudly everyday but I did pick up the newspaper and delivered it in J's hands as I also gave them a box of cookies from the Wild Oat. We were both nervous we confessed to each other later on. It was expected, it was necessary, it was what it was. 

The house was spotless and natural white blooming lilies air-freshened the quiet environment. We sat at the kitchen while she made tea. What to say? We talked about the city, the weather, the snow, the rain, our families, the past.. an slowly moved into the present, our present, our shared part in the intersection of two different sets with common elements. Everything was deep but handled with sobriety, heart-felt in opposition to staged or preconceived. There are fears and unknowns and that's the magic of it. 

It had to happen, we had to meet, and it didn't hurt.

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