Toxicity

This is on my 'Top 25 Most Played' list in itunes. System of a Down is a great band that is able to musically and lyrically explore interesting topics.
To me, the first line of the song describes the isolation created by spending too much time in a virtual world. And some crafty software company along with church officials decides that a clever marketing strategy would be to try and reach these masses using a religious based application that, of course, is regularly updated and features pop-ups and side bar ads alerting the user of seat sales to see the holy land or links to buy new luggage. Each major religion could have its own conversion software to increase/maintain membership.

I also recently set up a computer that included the new Windows Vista operating system. It is very slick and cool (although no where near OSX which is already a few years old), but what sickened me was this huge space at the top of the Internet Explorer window that was solely dedicated to advertising. Again a way to reach the wired masses. I personally get mightily insulted when I see these ads, because you figure you know on your own if you want to buy viagra or an obscene T-shirt.

Second line is humorously existential; unless you're an alignment guy like my friend Ian who literally is "looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub" for 8 hours a day.
(listen to the song)

Toxicity

Conversion, software version 7.0,
Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub,
Eating seeds as a past time activity,
The toxicity of our city, of our city,

New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder,
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence,
Sacred silence and sleep,
Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep,
Disorder, disorder, disorder.

More wood for their fires, loud neighbors,
Flashlight reveries caught in the headlights of a truck,
Eating seeds as a past time activity,
The toxicity of our city, of our city,

New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder,
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence,
Sacred silence and sleep,
Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep,
Disorder, disorder, disorder.

New, what do you own the world?
How do you own disorder, disorder,
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence,
Sacred silence and sleep,
Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep,
Disorder, disorder, disorder.

When I became the sun,
I shone life into the man's hearts,
When I became the sun,
I shone life into the man's hearts.

Finally Winter

Woods
Winter dusk
Chickadee in pines
Settling in for night
Still

Disease

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." - Agent Smith (The Matrix)


In his book "Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth" 'Merkel starkly outlines the unsustainability of our current path. Were the productive acreage of the Earth divided evenly among its human inhabitants, each would get 4.7 acres. If all humans used their full 4.7 acres, nothing would remain for the other species. The average American consumes the productive capacity of nearly 25 acres. Put another way, America’s 300 million people consume the share of more than 1.5 billion people (or more than 5 times their fair share).' Doug Pibel on Jim Merkel.

I sat there for a minute, then I said, "I'm trying to figure out what this has to do with saving the world."

Ishmael thought for a moment. "Among the people of your culture, which want to destroy the world?"

"Which want to destroy it? As far as I know, no one specifically wants to destroy the world."

"And yet you do destroy it, each of you. Each of you contributes daily to the destruction of the world."

"Yes, that's so."

"Why don't you stop?"

I shrugged. "Frankly, we don't know how."

"You're captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live."

"Yes, that's the way it seems."

"So. You are captives - and you have made a captive of the world itself. That's what's at stake, isn't it? - your captivity and the captivity of the world."
-Daniel Quinn (Ishmael)

"Ishmael is a critic of human civilization, but not of the human species itself. Humans existed for about three million years without "civilization," and only became globally destructive after 10,000 years of it. Ishmael, then, sees ecological damage as a result of modern society, not human nature." - Miles Morgan Shuman on Ishmael.

We are a species intellegent enough to know that we are killing ourselves, but at the same time we are not willing to do anything about it.

My Own Prison

"My Own Prison"

I cry out to God
Seeking only his decision
Gabriel stands and confirms
I've created my own prison.
Source: Creed
Been a Splinter Since: 1997

Reason: I just watched "Alone in the Wilderness" again. It's an account of the time that Dick Proenneke spent in the Alaskan wilderness at Twin Lakes. I think I've seen it over a hundred times now. I even ordered the DVD and his book. I guess he's a bit of a modern Thoreau except that he was geographically isolated, but he still did all the nature observation stuff that H.D. did. Anyway all this stirred up a memory of a time a few years ago that I was working under my truck during the finest of October days; I remember thinking that it was ridiculous to be a slave to a piece of metal and that my truck had caused me to miss out on enjoying such a nice day. And Tyler Durden confirmed this belief as he states in Fight Club: "the things you own end up owning you". He also said a lot of other cool shit like:
"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.

and


"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time".

Here are some other good ones from him that are worth taking the time to read.

Anyway all this brings me back to the Creed lyric that has been on my mind since 1997ish. Back then it pertained more to some self-inflicted bad relationships I was in. Now, it is definitely my job and mortgage that have me by the balls. Again Tyler: "Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need". I think everyone creates their own prison. I guess I'm jealous that Dick Preonneke actually had the spine to go live off the land in Alaska. In the past, the average hunter/gatherer had to work about 20 hours per week to make a living; the rest of the time you could just look at ants, lounge around or breed, and that's all I want to do for now.


Thoughts/Memories: Blasting this song while at the gym; it was the catalyst for telling her "that's the way it am bitch".

Imagery: Below.

Tangerine

"Measuring a summer's day.
Only find it slips away to grey."

Source: Led Zeppelin
Been a Splinter Since: 1992
Reason: How could something so perfect, soft and peaceful as a summer's day have any standard for measure? And how could something so perfect turn into a rainstorm in minutes. It makes me think that anything can happen.
Thoughts/Memories: 1. Driving to Vermont with Matthew and Murry in the Sunbird for a weekend of drinking/fishing at a time in my life when a summer job and school were my only responsibilities. 2.Endless summer days during an endless summer on the farm during my childhood.
Imagery: See photo below.

Where Soul Meets Body

"Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
Where soul meets body."
(listen to the song)

Source: Death Cab For Cutie
Been a Splinter Since: 2006
Reason: The imagery of "Soul meets body". Sort of like "land meeting sky" on the horizon; something impossible, it never really happens but seems like it could or should.
Thoughts: I like the way this line sounds : "A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere". It reminds me of being in love so intensely it's like the skin on your forehead hurts from a sinus infection.
Imagery: See photo beside.