One thing I learned almost 15 years ago is that all it takes to keep a blog from fading even though you are experiencing a time when you can't post is to be honest and just say that at least once a week.
Right now my Spring allergies and the secondary problems they cause have really slowed me down.
This is normal for late March.
I'll be back, in as soon as a few hours, or before April 1st at the latest.
I promise.
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Mike,
ReplyDeleteI learned about your blog from my aunt, Donna Reckers. So many things I wish to contemplate, and my whole life I have been searching for real people who know what it means to live deliberately, and to teach. I am the best student in the world so long as someone is willing to teach me, and being a senior in high school, still never having found a Socrates, I feel, more than ever, completely lost. What foundation do I have upon which to form opinions? How can I care about which president to elect before I can understand the value in government, in some sort of social contract? I am still the young Icarus, wishing to fly on my own, to find myself, to free myself from society's contract before consenting in signing it. I am 17. I have everything to aim for and yet nothing to aim for. My universe, vibrating strings of potential...
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteYes, Dan told me about you recently.
I am sorry I did not respond until now (Good Friday, April 2nd).
I vividly recall what it felt like to be your age exactly.
And, the things you said here were exactly the kinds of things I was saying about myself when I was 17.
I know, because I kept a literary journal then for my honors English class.
When I finish my biographical story which I will probably post here, and on Peak Oil Blues, you will see that for me, being 16-17 was a turning point.
As for society's contract, hold off on signing it.
-The messages about reality coming from this society right now, especially radio and TV, are very innacurate, and are not telling you how much harder your life is going to be than life was for me and Dan and Donna and the baby boomers.
And our political system is so dominated by money now that voting will require research every time you do it.
Try to learn practical basic skills related to food and staying safe and warm and don't expect things like "careers" to be there for you like they were for us.
My generation destroyed this world for you and those your age, so the least we can do is teach what we know about the difficulties you face.
I am glad you want to learn from me and the others who care.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't been able to respond sooner, just got back from a trip to California. I came back to green grass and blossoming trees...hopefully we've finally escaped the throngs of winter!
So, at the most complicated point in my life I have decided to try and simplify it. I start college in the fall at WSU and dorm life is a little frightening...and apparently I have to buy a meal plan, which really scares me. The great thing about going to college, though, is that I will be starting over. New room, new people, new classes.
If there is one book you would recommend to someone who is interested in but completely clueless about the world, what would it be?
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry too, that I didn't correspond again sooner.
Ironically, the beautiful spring you are talking about has slowed me down because it is causing a bumper crop of pollen.
I remember my spring and summer before my first quarter at college. I went to my hometown college, too. In my case it was OSU in Columbus.
As for books, what I really recommend is the nice way to find new books just out or coming out that Barnes and Noble provides on the web:
New Releases
Books Coming Soon
You can use the subject categories at the left to really drill down to a detailed topic that interests you.
In my case, I just learned by looking under Science and Nature --> Ecology and Environmental Sciences that Bill McKibben's new book Eaarth is out this month.
If I read it and like it I will recommend it to you.