I finished reading America, by Jean Baudrillard published in 1986. It is Baudrillard’s reflection upon his stay in this country, a rough parallel to the commentary by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835. A recurring theme for Baudrillard is a comparison between the desert and the cities, especially Los Angeles. The concluding chapter is entitled…
Yesterday was blazing hot. The sun felt like you were too close to that charcoal grill. Yet my wife, the disciplined person that she is, prepared to embark on a lengthy walk in the neighborhood. I offered to go along, and she said Ok. She is serious about walking as a fitness regimen, while…
The world, meaning the wider, invisible context of my life, present in mind’s awareness is increasingly given over to chaos. It has not always been this way. There have been interludes of peace, of normality, when the rivers tranquil flow transported commerce, and ordinary ‘gossipy news’ that was a standard mix of fact and…
The fifties were a real high spot in the US…and you can feel the nostalgia for those years,for the ecstasy of power, when power held power.In the seventies power was still there,but the spell was broken.That was orgy time(war, sex, Manson, Woodstock).Today the orgy is over.The US, like everyone else,now has to face up…
Banality, lack of culture, and vulgarity do not have the same meaning here as they have in Europe. Or perhaps this is merely the crazy notion of a European, a fascination with an unreal America. Perhaps Americans are quite simply vulgar, and this meta-vulgarity is merely something I have dreamed up. Who knows? But…
Monday morning breaks with brilliant sunlight. I can hear the voice of our granddaughter, about 9 months old, loudly expressing pre-language delight in another day of life, of shapes, colors, sounds, of endless adventure and opportunity for exploration. May she never lose her voice, misplace her passion. While preparing breakfast I noticed a wild…
This morning I read part of a story in the NYT of a grandmother on the way to the hospital, dying in the arms of her grand daughter after receiving her diagnosis of covid-19. This was a Florida story illustrating the difficulties of testing, and the consequences of back up of lab results, in…
20 Stop thinking, and end your problems.What difference between yes and no?What difference between success and failure?Must you value what others value,avoid what others avoid?How ridiculous! Other people are excited,as though they were at a parade.I alone don’t care,I alone am expressionless,like an infant before it can smile. Other people have what they need;I…
15 The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance. They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapable as a block…
We are seeing at the moment that the pandemic can’t be fought with lies and disinformation, and neither can it be with hatred and agitation, Angelica Merkel told the European Parliament on Thursday, according to French news agency France24. “Fact-denying populism is being shown its limits,” she added. — Business Insider July 9, 2020
