Saturday, December 12, 2020

A Quizzical Look at Walls

 

Walls divide. Walls protect.

The Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world.

People walled-off from civilization are generally poor, and ignorant. It doesn't mean that their not happy.

Being walled-in is a feeling... not an actual wall.

Walls made from curtains, wood, brick, stone, glass, plastic, iron, steel, concrete and adobe. 

There's no end of material to make walls from.

Cardboard boxes make great walls when your a kid playing games that require protection from incoming snowballs during the winter.

Historically, walls leave behind stories for future generations. Examples like The Berlin Wall; The Walls of Jerusalem; The Walls of Jericho; Hadrian's Wall; The Walls of Constantinople; and Trump's Incomplete Wall all give us glimpses of other times.

Try reading Jean Paul Sartre's short story "The Wall" for an inside look at the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Or, my favorite short story, "The Rats in the Wall" by H.P. Lovecraft (1923). It first appeared in Weird Tales.

Some walls are built not to divide or hide, but to honor military forces, like The Vietnam Wall; and The Military Wall of Honor in Schenectady, New York.

 As Joseph Fort Newton once said, "Men build too many walls and not enough bridges."

Friday, December 11, 2020

Something To Look Forward To: New 'Indiana Jones' Movie

What America needs right now is entertainment as an escape valve from the stress of the pandemic, and a presidential election from hell. 

Reality has really been shitty. But you know that.

Watching Netflix and hundreds of other entertainment platforms has been the salvation for millions of stressed out Americans.

THE FUTURE

He's coming back! One of my favorite escapism movie heroes, Indian Jonesportrayed by Harrison Ford, has been given the go ahead to produce.

THE RETURN

Disney confirmed that Indiana was grabbing his whip and ramming on his hat for a 5th movie yesterday. It's been 41 years (Wow! It's been that long) since Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. 

The last film, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull came out in 2008, 20 years after the third movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was released. 

Prior to that there was Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984).

Indiana's new adventure is due out in 2022, and as far as I can tell it doesn't have a title yet.

Meanwhile, I'll be consuming all of the escapism type movies I can find, joining millions of other Americans.

Thursday, December 10, 2020

A Couple of Thoughts About Dealing With Reality

Reality has always been a problem for people.

That's where daydreams came in. 

Humans physically stuck in harsh environments needed an outlet from their misery. Thinking about being somewhere else more pleasant gave them something to hope and dream for.

But what happens when people can no longer tell the difference between what's real and what's imaginary?

That question is just one of the many dilemmas Americans are facing this year.

Trump and his supporters have challenged every aspect of the election that Joe Biden won with ridiculous court cases that have been thrown out with scorn. The score is: Courts 56 - and Trump 0

Be that as it may, Republicans are defying the reality of the election and court losses to curry future favors. GOP pols are looking the other way as Trump tries to overturn the election results.

We have a constitution and it held up. This time. Barely.

Millions of Trump's followers have suspended reality, like it was negotiable, and have entered into Trump's world. A world where believers don't wear face masks because Trump doesn't, despite what healthcare professionals advise. 

Like Jim Jones followers, Trump followers are willing to die from COVID-19 if he asks them to.

It's difficult to understand how intelligent human beings can get so carried away with an alternate reality that they lose touch with the real world around them.

Daydreams are one thing. 

Massive delusions are quite another.

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

We All Need a Purpose in Life

Long story...shortened

I have PTSD, but have learned how to live with it.

Recently, I discovered that I had a purpose again to my life. Frankly, up until now, I didn't think I was worth much to anyone anymore.

I saw myself more as a burden to my wife of 46-years, Shirley. She's a champ. Without her I wouldn't be blogging. More on that in a future post.

The main thing I want to convey today is that I'm now caring for my father (he's 92-two years old) fulltime as his Alzheimer's has been getting worse lately. My older sister was overwhelmed with his increasing needs.

That's when Shirley and I dedicated ourselves to making his last days as comfortable as possible and brought him up to Medford, Oregon where we live. 

Now it's time for me to re-connect even more to humanity. Challenges will come. It's life. We know that. We're counting on love and compassion to carry the days ahead.

Sunday, December 6, 2020

My Evolving Blog is a Work in Progress

 

WORK in PROGRESS

I'm still passing judgement on priorities for this evolving blog.

I'm experimenting with this new format. Not sure I like it yet.

This format will only offer one short subject a day with an accompanying photo. Maybe that's a good thing. People tend to read shorter articles these days.

What do you think? Email me at richarddavestancliff@gmail.com and share your input. Have a great day!



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