2001-07-07 - 8:17 p.m. - verba2

I'm back.

It occurs to me that motion depends on the viewer... and that perspective offers a chance for many differences to become manifest. For example, what I consider the zenith of my life, others may consider the nadir. Which is not to say that this is true... but it makes getting to that point much more interesting, or depressing if you thought you were going up but were in reality going down. And in the end, isn't all this motion rather stomach-turning?

If a society can make itself blind, at least temporarily, to what is wrong with the status quo; if we can collectively choose not to see those who are marginalized, can't we make ourselves blind to motion as well?

The above two aren't necessarily connected, by the way; indeed, if you want a connection made (or a single coherent thought to come out of this), you'll have to do it yourself. Jet-lagged J does not have the energy or patience to do anything save ramble at the moment.

Such noble goals we said we started out with. We still say we have those noble goals. Were we ever truly in pursuit of those goals? When was the last time we fought a just war? Has the whole of the last 225 years been one long downward slide?

Certainly my computer's history of glitches has been getting worse and worse.

And who decides about motion, anyway? It's the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Republic soon. Has it all been for the better?

This was part one of an open-ended series on the July Ampersand project. The topic this month is "going up/going down," which happens to be oh so much fun if you are very young and near an escalator or an elevator.

J