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Jan’s Daily Fresh Real News (to accompany this talk)
SPECIAL WEATHER REPORT: OUTSIDE THE CITY THERE ARE NO ILL WINDS
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Tying Down The Trailers Of The Few Since 1942
November 26, 2003 © 2003: JAN COX
Another Intracranial Dialogue
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On a slightly chilled, invigorating morning, a father and son retired with coffee
to their back porch with its high view over the fields and distant mountains,
and after sitting and sipping a while in silence, the elder said:
“Here’s something I’ve never mentioned:
the whole world talks incessantly about their concern about whether they are: doing-the-right-things in life
(which amounts to: are they treating their fellow man properly),
and men’s religious, political and academic organizations are continually promoting rules and guidelines for acceptable human behavior,
and many of their most bought books are on the same subject,
and at the very base of it all is every ordinary man’s individual profession of doubt
as to what is precisely the right way to treat other people.
Men voluntarily take themselves to venues wherein they will pay to be
hectored and lectured regarding their proclaimed constant failure to treat their family, friends, lovers, business associates, and even strangers
in a manner befitting a civilized homo sapien;
no normal person ever questions the need for such,
and moreover: no one finds the situation curious.”
A bracing breeze suddenly cut through the area causing them both a grinning shiver, and the elder continued.
“Here’s the point for the few like us (from as always: our obscure perspective —
which is irrelevant to the lives of the rest of humanity): it’s ridiculous!
(or for the moment let’s be figuratively dramatic and say):
‘The whole thing is unbelievable! What planet are these people from?
Has all of humanity gone mad? — or perhaps contracted terminal stupidity?’
I tell you (the only other human I know to be wired with the potential of hearing it)
that there is an absolutely clear, totally unambiguous way to treat and speak to
other people —
so what’s all this endless folderol about having: ‘deep, inner uncertainties’ thereabout; and needing to be taught same by some other human?
Of course still (as always be the case in affairs special to us):
you are either born with the conscious understanding of the quite simple,
correct way to speak to and physically treat other people or you are apparently not:
in this realization there are no doubts, no gray areas,
no situations open to multiple possibilities.
People like us — (what to call them? —
they have no name, which is why I continually make up one for our discussions
[the rebel, the certain man, the non partisan thinker, and so on]),
but based on other people’s own, historically consistent admission of not knowing clearly how to behave toward their fellow man under all circumstances,
people like us must be distinguished from the rest — for we know —
with no doubts, no reservations, no exceptions.
But here is another instance wherein I cannot resist noting to you once again
the possibility that it may not just be us who know the particular thing under discussion, but that every human being may know it also;
indeed in all of these cases, from one view it would be reasonable to say that everyone must know it — how can they not know it? — they are humans just like us,
and all of the laws, rules and commandments they collectively come up with
are nothing less than clear reflections of this knowledge.
Again as always, can be seen an arrangement:
it is as though everyone is born with the same knowledge and awareness that is our family line’s distinguishing trait, but that for some reason they cannot directly act on it, (directly being the key word in this expedient scene I am verbally constructing for you), for all of man’s morality, religion and ethics are in-direct acknowledgments of them possessing this knowledge;
almost like knowing how to swim, but denying that you do and insisting throughout life on your need to be instructed in same.”
The sun began to show over the far mountain tops as they refreshed their cups,
after which the father spoke again.
“Consider the deep curiousness of it:
from one view you could say that civilization itself is based upon men being able to be taught to overcome their animalistic, survival based, but socially disruptive drives (such as taking food and sex whenever you feel so moved,
regardless of the extant circumstances), and from this perspective
it is not unfounded to say that civilized men live an unnatural life:
they cannot take another man’s food or mate or property just because they want it, (which is the natural reaction of all sentient creatures of this planet),
but rather they must let collectively established rules determine their conduct,
(which includes their speech) — so: starting from there it would appear expected
and appropriate that men must be taught behavior that is not natural to them:
that they must be infused with an artificial, extrinsically-conceived set of rules
by which to live and judge the propriety of their lives:
and it all seems and sounds well (which obviously it is for humanity collectively),
but I privately say to you that all of it is ridiculous, and simply not true — not for us.
Considering the matter a bit closer up would compel us to say that there is by instinct something in man that is not present in any other animal:
the inchoate features man uses to define, ‘being civilized’ –
so — even though it seems to ordinary men that they must be taught,
and led to behave in the unnatural manner they call: ‘being civilized’ —
there is and must be in him, an innate drive to be so (to reuse the allegory:
like apparently all children can swim — they simply must be put into
the appropriate environment and given the needed encouragement).
So there is naturally in man the urge to treat (both physically and verbally)
his fellow creatures in a certain manner — his idealized: civilized,
caring and compassionate manner,
and he then proceeds to spend much of his life energy in discussing, contemplating, and seeking instruction in the matter.
A realized man doesn’t need anyone to tell him how to treat and speak to other people;
the entire notion is far beyond even ludicrous — it is insane —
like a man insisting that he is not absolutely certain where the ground is.”
The father set down his cup, stood and stretched, then added.
“And as always: everything I just said is of most practical use vis a vis
not you and other people — but you-and-you in your own brain.”
“You mean: me and you.”
“Let’s go for a run.”
J
Non Urban Wisdom: A man who don’t raise himself don’t get raised.