The Clairvoyant Zoopraxiscope

Dear Ocscillating,

I'm reading Nadja today. The opening line: Who am I? It's tentative answer : a ghost. In this nearly religious practice of mark makers, I found these two things significant.

Michael
 

It's a bizarre consideration. In our society, do the definitions depend on whether or not the activity generates income?

To write a song on the piano, probably takes more effort and thought than answering a telephone and repeating a script. However, if you aren't paid to write a song, it's viewed as being "lazy."

It takes less physical activity to shine your boots, than to paint an abstract painting, but, often times, the person that occupies their time with painting (if they aren't paid to paint) is viewed as being lazier than a soldier.

I have complete respect for soldiers. My point in only that our society's defintion of "productivity" has more to do with actions in the context of being paid, than the actual effort being exerted by an individual?

Some of the painters would just stare at a wall for hours. If they were on commission, and if a work was produced, they were thought of as "working."

-- john mark
 

Fortunately, we do live a society that respects work.

The converse of the negative application being that we do have copyright laws to make sure the artist is paid for their work.
The system, however, does still have it's flaws: that statement is other than to candy coat the issues.

There are also labor laws, worker's disability and guidelines concerning overtime.

For all of america's problems, these are improvements when one considers the plight of the worker's in Breton's era.

Nadja is a great book though. There's also a great movie with that title.

Would emphasis again, I have complete respect for soldiers.
The bravery and risks associated with that field, are worthy of respect.
 

Interesting note. Much of what we might respect in regards to soldiers, cops...even some of the artists from previous eras that were outside of those instituions, but took some risks, could be their willingess to work toward a country where one's rights, a sign of respect toward's one's "work", were protected.

Of course, the legal definition of "significant variation" does have it's specifications.
 

It's weird to think about breton writing pre-civil rights. Of course, it helps explain why certain attidues pre-valent in the writings of the day would be less controversial (homphobia and sexism being more prevelant at that point).
 

I would apologize again, for the babbling quality of these comments. In its excesse, it isn't quite a "sin", but it's other than the best choice. I would apologize to you and the other posters (maybe i should have passed on the glass of wine).

Commenting to the thoughts on the blog, is probably an innacurate "mirror" as the comments are brief, thoughtful and well written.

I've just realized that basically my "reflections" were re-stated what you had said (in a demur, thoughtful and tasteful manner) in a way that seemed...less thought. I apologize to you and will refrian from the babbling responses. Hope you can forgive me and look past the instance.

-- jm
 

I mean, the blog is thoughtful and well written.


In contrast to my comments. It's always important to think of one's room as juxtaposed to a room on a ship (though it's other than what's happening in the actual). I apologize also for the typos (excess being a really obvious ..mis-spelling).
 

I would assure you that my intent was other than to be intrusive, pedantic, demeaning or rude to yourself or the other posters.

I intended my comments merely as wondering along..so much of poetry is wondering along?

Yet wondering along, as form of social interaction.

There are a lot of blogs out there, and each one has it's own style and expected decorum. If I have in any way, been rude, I would again ask for your forgiveness.
As opposed to re-stated your initial premise (in woefully excessive terms) I was simply intending a wondering along.


*

The topic of the thread has been reverbeating through my own thinking, for the past couple of days. Was is laziness? And was is work? The consideration-- when applied to the medium of writing in particular-- is fascinating.

None of us can probably really ever attain the luster of a line by William Shakespeare, or Walt Whtiman, much less the observational graces of a Frued, try as we might. Often times, in my own writing, in an attempt to obtain the nearly lofty, and inescapable mental acularity of a line such as "my mistresses eyes are nothing like the sun"..I find myself short of the standards. Have I been too lazy? We all try to obtain those standards. Often in setting out to obtain those standards, we might set out with a storeload of energy, wit and aculuarity of our own. It might sound good, then, to begin with, but then it starts to become to catchy, to immediate, too lofty. We lack the subtlety and sophistication of such luminaries.
At that point, one might think, "spring forward.." Ah, but some, understand, to sit back, and rest, try less, show less desperation, less of an attempt at energy. In the end, don't we all find ourselves, only seeming to be half way there? Yet, still, hopefully, forwarding thought. It would seem like resting and putting less into the thing, is laziness, but one knows how much work it is, to maintain that balance, instead of merely trudging forth.

I think of the eloquent liner notes (penned by David Byrne) to the samba compilations released in the early 1990's (a music form I was ingnorant of before hearing a sample on n.p,r,, during those years). I also think of how the music seems to contain the principles of that balance, one hand a thoughtful sophistication, yet on the other hand, and almost lazy, drifting and absent rendering with the purcussive.
I'm reminded then of the lines of the ancient psalmist David, another luminary whose lyrical heights, myself, like the rest of us, could only vainly hope to obtain. "To everything there is a season..." Could one say there is a time to work, and a time for siesta..(parphrased) a time to really go for it, but then a time to relax. We can't do a very good job with it (relaxation) at times.

Then again, I wonder if that application is simply a way of making excuses for when we are lazy. For making it seem like part of working. But then one is reminded that there are times in life, when we simply need to relax, to heal and to be re-plenished.

One can at times, find simular echoes to the thoughts in talmud and the toa (I don't nec. know what to think of everything in the bible, and have read other books).
 

its own style..pardons..another typo...

i'm afraid I'd have quite a bit of work, in that regards, as well, to be anywhere near the lofty heights of our poetic "pre-decessors" and "elders."

The preview option seems obvious, or just a calm measure of mind.
Oddly enough, I did score highly on the sections of the gre that would apply to lit.

I'm afriad, in my youth, I'm still hasty and prone to making mistakes.
I would apologize. Tao...whoa, that one's obvious...

But, perhaps being anxious, anxious to intereject a comment, in the social thirst for interaction, may be too thin of an excuse. My apology, however, is sincere and I hope (my apology) might be accepted.

It would be better to make the correct choice to being with, as the influence in regards to grammar, might be faulty?

Apologies again...and I apologize if the garrulous, wandering quality of the thoughts of these comments..lacks the immediacy and universality...of the more direct statement..

I simply lack the talent of a Whitman, or a freud, or a buddah (yipes), much less a politician, with that one. I'm simply a poet, but a flaw.
 

As I ask forgiveness, I would hope that one might consider...

I brought up social thrist, as a way of explaining, in contrast to the image of one behaving in a socially unacceptable manner (often the ones we might note being kind of univinted to parties and things like that...ostracized if you will)...
that you should push away, I'm simply somebody desiring conversation, to some degree, due to the circumstance of not having many other poet types to interact with socially, perhaps, being a bit garrulous, as I rarely have the opportunity to either converse, or think on these matters. In that regard, to flakey habit of talking to much, is the result of being uninvited to begin with. Perhaps, if one in those circumstances, left out to being with, were including, they might act out less? But it would still be a think excuse. How many lonesome folks can still have manners? And how many folks at the party, are lonesome themselves, even in that circumstance?
 

I'd also apologize for...i'm afraid my comments lack the simple understatement of the simple premise of the thread..

in that way..i fear might have unfairly recontextualized the intial statement as a "great matter"...

and the overall thought...as a more ostentatious statement..

than the initial statement was intended to imply...

of course, that's subjective and understood and socially one would probably expect something other than a commenter apologizing for such a thing..

but i still feel motivated to do so (apologize)...