Squirrels and birds have taken over the neighborhood. Sitting on my porch just now I saw two squirrels running headlong down the street, and I wonder if these are the same two who burst through my yard yesterday upsetting my reverie. It's good to watch the animals get on as they always do. They are not troubled by the vicissitudes of modern life. They just squabbling over food, singing songs of love and chasing down a would-be mate. The large cedar tree in the corner of the yard endures -- through drought and freezing temperatures. A home for said creatures and a witness, albeit a silent one.
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| Provence, 2016 |
I started watching the second season of the show Man in the High Castle. It's grim, but no worse than our current political scene. Well, that's an exaggeration of course, it's worse because the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese have taken over the United States. I watched the last season before the election of our Nazi King and the show didn't have quite the impact it has now. I've also been watching Black Mirror, which is a series of individual stories about our modern obsession with tiny screens and the remote connections. What makes both of these series so disquieting is that they have a large kernel of truth in them. They express the final and worst scenarios of what we are currently building in our culture.
I've given up viewing the news on TV except for the PBS NewsHour. I suppose I've traded one nightmare for another. It's like a bloody car crash alongside the highway -- you don't want to look but you do. Such is human nature.
"Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull." George Orwell, 1984
I haven't watched the news in quite some time. I made a promise to myself to never hear Trump's voice. So I have to be very careful where I turn my attention. I like the sound of those shows you've watched. We'll have to check them out. The animals know how to live. We should pay more attention. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and Roger!
DeleteHappy New Year and hope it'll be good for you and yours. I watch very little regular TV. I surf sometimes to see if I can find one of those shows where the family is trying to find a new home on a lake/beach/mountains/etc. I don't want what they want but I find it interesting what they hope to get and what it costs. It's a distraction and requires no thinking on my part. I am hoping to have more energy for thinking when we get to '17.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. Hoping for my energy to return.
DeleteSince election night, I have avoided television news, even the good stuff; on occasion, I will check in, because I feel a need to know what's happening in case I need to run, but otherwise, I try to steer clear. I'm discovering I am susceptible to escapist movies and series on Netflix. Happy New Year to you and Steve!
ReplyDeleteI cant even concentrate on a book, JS! So this escapist movies are just the thing.
DeleteI had stopped watching regular news even before 9/11 -- made an exception that day. But seen no reason to go back... Credible online papers are enough to give one the creeps. Really try to avoid the more sensational reporting outlets -- just the facts, please.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching and reading lighter things, trying to restore some calm before all hell breaks loose.
xoxo
wow, that's a long time! what i love about the Newshour is that it is not an sensationalistic broadcast. Straight forward news delivery and interesting conversations.
DeleteThat's a terrific quote by Mr Orwell. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.