in the absence of war
November 11, 2009 at 6:49 pm | Posted in blogging, writing | 14 CommentsTags: fundamentalism, writing for fun
and idling with neither provocation nor criticism, two things will result. An attempt to escape into fantasy or the creation of some utopia in which everyone can say whatever they want and everybody can listen to whoever they want. It is however a dangerous idea. It would involve making a distinction between a representative democracy and a democracy. You end up in anarchy, a temper tantrum of Shakespearean proportions, a whirlpool of emotion.
At some point self-censorship is required. This is in order to preserve the species. Morality is, at its heart, born of necessity. It does not require any God. It is a simple choice to act or to be acted upon. And the only stasis is death. Cold and brittle. There is no honour in victory he coughs, only in struggle. And the primary struggle is with the language. It is slippery and disobedient. And sometimes I do enjoy a good full stop.
14 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a Reply
The Puzzle Box
gingatao, the podcast- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
- The Australian Poet Laureate
- another quote from Robert Adamson January 31, 2010
- Three Quotes from Robert Adamson October 22, 2009
- The copyright question (2) October 7, 2009
legal formalities
© P Squires, gingatao, 2007-2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Paul Squires and gingatao, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
'And you have to deal with the terrible karma too.' Paul Squires.
Email us at querygingatao at gmail dot com,
-
Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.
gingatao 
a temper tantrum of Shakespearian proportions, haha. I shall take that image and tuck it away for future flips. Language needs taming, everso.
Comment by Narnie— November 11, 2009 #
It’s the lot of the writer to speak out and then to face the consequences.
It can be a dangerous business
Comment by Elisabeth— November 11, 2009 #
My new motto: I refuse! Self-censorship means not sticking one’s pen through another’s I. Look but don’t touch.
Comment by Agnes, the Kari person— November 12, 2009 #
A period of quiet is often good for the soul and the rest is necessary to regain the strength for future battles. You are right about the struggle and those slippery little suckers words and associated paraphernalia (full stops and the like).
Comment by Gabrielle Bryden— November 12, 2009 #
One rarely says what one wants — or rather one thinks to say it, but the slippery words pull meaning into unintended paths. You never know what other people hear. Listening is a filter. So the whole sheebang is very chaotic. Somehow, though, we bungle along.
There’s an old saying about two ships passing in the night…. and a cynic would say that perhaps much later they run aground. Mind, I didn’t say that.
As always, very thought provoking words here, Squires. And image provoking too.
Comment by Aletha— November 12, 2009 #
excellent, it made me lol when he coughs. u r way 2 brilliant
Comment by tipota— November 12, 2009 #
as always, so awesomely stated. I love this for a multitude of reasons, especially the “tantrum of Shakespearean proportions”.
Comment by psychobillygirl— November 12, 2009 #
I’ve been hanging out for ages with people who engage in tantrums of biblical proportions, so Shakespeare makes a nice change. Good one!
Comment by Selma— November 12, 2009 #
Language is very punctual. Possibly its greatest virtue?
Comment by Brad— November 13, 2009 #
one could say that the absence of war, provocation or criticism is the perfect terrarium to grow up the society of the specatacle. me, myself, i prefer the ranking full stop.
Comment by jason— November 13, 2009 #
You speak truth, sir.
Comment by Patrice— November 13, 2009 #
Wise words, Paul. You speak to me of the wisdom of choosing one’s battles, something I’ve learned a great deal about over the course of my life.
Comment by Thomma Lyn— November 14, 2009 #
This would have to be one of my favourite Paul Squires pieces. The first para is almost political pamphlet, the second para more playful. All wise.
Comment by Stu— November 16, 2009 #
You, more than most, cut straight to the wisdom Paul.
Comment by gnunn— November 16, 2009 #