The place where the demolished former house of the actovists was standing, still is standing free. So much to the reasons that were presented by the authoriies for demolishing it - they wanted to "built a new house" ;-) But the place has turned to some kind of open air exhibition for many young people that have to say something. Usually they are very angry with many things and this is a good ventile for them to lower the pressure. The funny thing is that it starts getting very popular and the "subculture" develops further and further.
Some day, some years ago, that insane checkerboard-like thing was suddenly there. I believe that somebody painted it during the night. And as I was walking around the place and saw also the small "house" made of the material that remained there from the old demolished house, I thought automatically of the checkerboard and the games that diplomats play, and their consequences. At the end we are always those who have to live with them. At least I don't know of any politicians that share the misery of the catastrophes that they produce. It's crazy. We vote for them and celebrate them, in order to pay the bill for their power and incompetence.
As a sidenote here, when we apply for a new job, we must present a catalog of skills and experience and education, and a CV with at least 300 different things that we have to master perfectly. What kind of CV can most of the politicians present? Well, I made a quick research about that and I was completely astonished to find out that most of them didn't even manage to get some diploma, some graduation, something at all! It seems more and more to me that the only reason for most of them to be so powerful and famous is... that they want to be powerful and famous. ;-)
So the image just had to be this way. It should be chaotic and also depressing.
I couldn't agree with Vonnegut more, regarding the true terror of "waking up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country". He just hit the point. I see that class everyday from my balcony. I just drink one to them, and then sit on my mathematics, being completely free to use my time in my own way. I had to abandon many things, that seemed to be sooooo necessary, and at the end they were as necessary as the cup that Diogenes threw away when he saw that a kid was drinking water using ist hands! ;-) Not to speak about the fact, that I give them the tools they need, for example to make huge companies that at the end destroy them. ;-)
About "primitive societies", I can agree with that regarding the completely complicated and unnecessary framework of regulations, expectations, paragraphs, organisations, and the like. The more "statements" you add to that system, the more it destabilizes. (Comes from Gödel's incompleteness too ;-)) But regarding mind and cognition, I wouldn't for a single moment wish to return to some more primitive stage (than mine now ;-))
But at the same time I see of course that cognition won't make you "happy". It is not there for making us happy. There is of course a hell of fun when you prove some lemma after days and nights of pressing each and every idea out of your mind. But I would hardly name that "happiness". It's rather... being high! ;-)
So, I don't know any kind of complete recipe for happiness. I only know some few ingredients that belong to that recipe. And one of them is certainly to simplify that ridiculous concept of totally unnecessary complications that let people look like Monsier Hulot in the middle of a self-contadicting set of traffic signs distributed all over the place. ;-) It is this how I understand Vonnegut's statement about happiness.
Oh, and not to forget! He says: "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."
But, there is also a countermeasure:
"True thrill is to wake up in the morning, and see that the whole universe is gone, and the only thing you can still do is mathematics!" ;-)
I say amin to the hurting truths you stated Nick!! that's like the Kurt Vonnegut's analogy of the snake eating its tail!
"Human beings will be happier - not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That's my utopia." K.V.
there's one thing i would like to point out here Nick. Imagine, now you are say 40 yrs old, i am about 30! and we both i suppose remember the class mates! I do. And i do also remember some of them nurds, who could not think further then what already was stated in books and they were great at that. next thing you know about them, is when you meet them on the street rushing to their work, and it hurst you to know they are running some huge corporation taht is in charge of something crutial to your life, they even shape laws! who?! them!! And again Vonnegut (it seems it is his day for me today). In one of his writings he says: "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country"
"Head already eaten up, proceed with the body if still available." ;-)
And the thing is that Wald, Wolfowitz, Hotelling, and others proved already in the mid-30's of last century, that no infinite growth is possible as it is propagated by that monster that keeps on eating our heads (and bodies if still available).
So, I take my whisky and smile poisonly to the ignorants of maximum monetary profit, who still think that an equation has to be impressed by their business look. And whenever they go down the damn by their own "actions", I simply say "goodbye"! ;-)
That capitalism eating up our heads is historically but a small scene between important chapters, Visar. It will be eating until it collapses under the own weight. Actually I would rather support their appetite in order to see them crash as soon as possible.
The question about the victims is of course something else. I can only be in solidarity to all of those people that capitalism simply kicked down just because they won't fit the plan. And I can only empower anybody to not have any false respect in front of that "monster" since it is no monster at all. It's perhaps a good master of illusion, wanting to implant you the virus of fear that something bad is going to happen to you if you don't conform. This turns to be a very mighty weapon *iff* you believe that. If you don't believe that you can have your fun with all those mediocre minds.
About the image, it was the house that the political activists were using as their home and "central office", and it was demolished because the power that be didn't want to have them around in an organized way. Clearly, they presented other reasons for the domolition, but not even kids would believe that bluff. But, as it turned, the political activists dodn't gave up, they just moved on to the next house, and now they are eben stronger. And the place where the old house stood, which you see on the image, is now an unofficial but widely known open exhibition place for everybody that has something to say. Which means that the municipal authority helped creating a hype pro activism. I knew that those political conserves from the 19th century are incapable of thinking, but they really surpassed my expectations! ;-)
this gesture reminds me of some building in Berlin, which was inhabited by homosexuals, and that the municipality had brought the verdict to tear it down.
the building itself, apart for its architectural characteristics and which it did not lack, was entirely worked with great artistic sense which i had found thrilling treatment of various social- global issues. only the building itself was like an art gallery. I remember what the writing outside it said (it was in german and i do not remember it's original statement) "the capitalism will eat our heads".
so photo of yours brings something of similar air, and i assume with the destruction of this building, whoever decided to act so, has ravished some pice of art work that won't be found again.
Thanky a lot for the nice comment, Dave! Indeed this and the next one are though as a couple. But for me its's the other one that works as an establishing image for this one. Oh well, any ordering can be reordered.
An interesting contrast here between the floor ending and the neighbourhood beginning, Nick! Very symbolic and a good establishing shot for the next post. Dave.
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