Most folk like summer. I suppose. But what of those who do not? Are we truly – as I suspect – a minority? Or are we simply a people who should have been born under an equator? Seriously. When I was young and stupid and full of status-quo optimism, I liked summer. At the time I lived in a place where others didn’t (for whatever reason) get all the (beach/vacation) space first. (And I grew up on beaches.) Now, for me – and along with everything else – I associate summer with failure, an ending w/out a start, loss, and more than enough (day)light to allow one to comprehend failure. When I’m having a nice summer day then I usually think about words I’d like to invent. It helps me forget my failure. (Of course, a couple of drinks help, as well.)
Does it actually mean anything that summer follows spring where everything seems to be born and/or conceived and yet, in this day & age, what’s the good in that? At the least, we see where seasons of renewal have lead. Absolute nowhere. Fall and winter are nothing more than space & time where bellies can be filled with indulgence and minds can be cluttered with optimism. And even before summer is over, all of the blinding green is being spewed and expelled out of bodies in the name of Oblivia. But that’s neither here nor there.
Being a failure has it’s advantages. For one, you can always recognize failure. That’s not the case if you’re a winner. It seems that the experiments of 19th and 20th century mankind & earth have or are finally giving way to certain human realities. At the least, I don’t think that the human species was always destined to be about failure.
For example. I recently heard an interesting term: “Failing upwards”. As soon as I heard the term I thought: wow, are others getting in on my little secret and finally starting to see the light? (It is summer time!) The term refers to the political antics of the last twenty – maybe thirty – years where folk get ahead (professionally, economically) by doing nothing to warrant their position(ings). It doesn’t sound like much now but for someone that grew-up in the lie that “you can even be president”, well, nuff said. Of course, there are laws in countries protecting wealth and achievement based on (objective) merit. But who has made any laws governing the subjectivity of “merit”? Isn’t the likes of political and economic conservatism just like that? I’m recalling a moment during the last US presidential election. It was 2003/4, right? Then that THING was re-elected and the first thing I thought about was my favorite word: Oblivia. I know, the word doesn’t exist but then again who cares. We live in a world where everything is achieved through nothing. At the least, in all my failure, I deserve this word – my own little word – in my own little world.
Rant on.
-tgs-
July 10, 2008 at 9:02 pm |
my novel touches in essence, how people get into situations they don’t deserve or warrant. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard called such a culture “simulacra” which basically means a society dominated by strong visuals, everyone is fake, they’ve faked their way to the top in whatever they do, politics through to celebrity.
interesting stuff regarding failure, i’ve never failed at anything in my entire life, but then again i’m a very positive thinking person, where one might call it failure i call it success, because i learn from every step i take, and learning is always a good thing.