Doesn't Phaedrus tell Chris the same thing late in ZMM? `Were you really insane?'' Why should he ask that? No! Astonishment hits. But Chris's eyes sparkle. `Ì knew it,'' he says. [ZMM]
Lila's Child came about on account of my love for writing. Robert Pirsig inspired me years ago when I read ZMM while his assistance with LC made me realize what I was missing by not writing. I wish I could say I had teachers who inspired me as well. I cannot. I was a poor student. The closest any of them ever got to praising my writings was to accuse me of plagiarism. It upset me at the time but now I look back and say: wow. They honestly thought my writing was that good that I must have copied it from somewhere. What about you? What inspired you to start painting? Did you always fancy doing it? Or was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you were meant to paint? On Sat, Dec 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Dan, > > From my very limited experience, I'd say that the pre-static (before fear > and thinking) response is always to give 150%, but that is not very > advantageous for the survival of the "self" in dangerous situations. I did > later notice that from the intensity of the incident, all the thoughts that > had been floating through my mind that morning vacated. Gone! It made me > laugh at myself! I will get the details concerning the driver some time > this weekend, but from what I could see, they were very fortunate to have > survived. > > Outside the line is where the best stuff happens. I recently reread RMP's > introduction to the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of ZAMM. He said > Phaedrus was never insane. Outside the line is where all the creative > stuff happens, but it is extremely dangerous. It surprised me that both > Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg did a stint in a hospital for > schizophrenia. Tough times, indeed! I had my moments of insanity, but > love and responsibility to my children always kept me in check. But now I > feel free to fly, and do so in my studio. Not as dangerous as flying over > an un-netted sea like Icarus. My studio is my favorite place to be. > > Do you think that your sister being a writer offered you permission to go > back to that childhood longing to be a writer. And there was 'LILA's > Child', that must have stirred the juices. Did you get assistance from > others? I had helpers get me back to making art, and I am grateful to them. > > > Marsha > > > > > > > > On Dec 21, 2013, at 2:44 AM, Dan Glover <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Not only does she draw outside the lines, my sister writes too. It's sort > > of funny that not only are we both artists, but we're both the black > sheep > > of the family... never living up to our purported potential in the eyes > of > > our parents or siblings. She moved off ages ago when she was just a > > teenager and I followed suit shortly thereafter. I never made it as far > as > > she did, however... I only got about three blocks from home while she > made > > it across the country. > > > > My father only sneered when he asked what I wanted to do when I grew up > and > > I told him: to write. For a long time I tried to please him... perhaps > not > > consciously but nevertheless I found myself attempting to follow his path > > through life. Only where he never failed to succeed, I never failed to > > fail. A short time before he passed away he told me what a disappointment > > I'd been to him, maybe not in so many words but I got the gist of what he > > was saying. > > > > I have no doubt that he always did his best for me, but we were not only > > separated by generation but by spirit. He believed in hard work. He had > > fought a war and came home a winner. He had learned to hate the enemy so > > thoroughly that it still simmered fifty years after the fact. The stories > > he told us when we were children inspired me to want to be a Marine like > he > > was. When I grew older I realized my nature wasn't suited for such a > > regimented life. > > > > He died a rich man but all his money couldn't buy him another minute on > > this good earth. I never got to talk to my father about it but I think > the > > MOQ would say that money is a form of social quality. It has nothing to > do > > with biological patterns other than to use them to its own advantage. The > > rich feed off the poor all the while rationalizing that they are the > chosen > > few and so deserve more than anyone else. > > > > Money lends a sort of useless succor to our lives. It fools us into > > believing if we only have enough of it, we will be the comfortable and > good > > citizens who drop a few dollars into the Salvation Army bucket at > Christmas > > time. If we happen to see a street person approaching us, however, we > > become fearful and cross the street to avoid the confrontation of seeing > > the want arising in their eyes. > > > > Hard work only tires me out so I avoid it whenever possible. I work > enough > > to get by and then I stop. Today, a homeless man stopped by the church > > where I work. The secretary and the priest turned him out empty-handed. > As > > he was leaving I followed and called out to him. I gave him the money I > had > > in my pocket and a lunch I had brought. I didn't do it on account of > > feeling sorry for him. I did it because I had at one time been that same > > person and someone had paid it forward with me. > > > > Is that why you stopped for that accident today? Did you see yourself > > trapped in that vehicle? Or were you just being a good citizen, doing > what > > was expected of you? > > > > Everything changes in an instant. Most people never realize that when > they > > leave for work in the morning, they might not return. They don't > recognize > > themselves in the dirty bedraggled faces that haunt the shadows of the > > alleyways and crack houses that dot the underbellies of the cities where > > they live. Most people believe in forever. Others may face misfortune and > > death but not them. > > > > I think it shocks us to realize the slender thread that holds us in place > > can be snapped at any time so we tend to ignore that possibility. We > > believe if we are good and righteous that goodness and righteousness will > > follow us the rest of our days and we'll die comfortably in our sleep, > old > > and worn out, with our loving family there beside us, not homeless and > > alone. > > > > Anyway... > > > > > > > >> On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 11:11 PM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > >> > >> Hi Dan, > >> > >> While inspiring a collage of different experiences, I find 'Butterfly > >> Picnic' to be a little gem. I really like it. *That the woman was > >> watching, but not seeing*. Such a familiar mystery! Your explanation is > >> also interesting from several different angles. - Drawing outside the > >> lines is an interesting metaphor. There is the dependence on the lines > to > >> be able to experience the freedom of moving away from them. And didn't > >> your sister draw outside the line by taking you to the museum? > >> > >> Yesterday was an interesting day. It was very busy. My last stop was > at > >> the grocery store to shop for food for the weekend. I live two miles > from > >> the store and was driving home when I witnessed a very bad accident. > The > >> oncoming driver was not killed, but it was very dramatic. I saw the car > >> lose control, hit many guard tails, take flight and twist through the > air > >> over an embankment to land right-side up in a gulch. It was surreal. > Of > >> course I stopped to help, but more experienced men arrived almost > >> immediately. There was only the driver who was conscious and talking, > but > >> trapped in the car. Since I was one of two witnesses, I stayed to > offer my > >> name and explanation to the police. What had I watched? What did I > see? > >> The whole tenor of the day changed in a few moments, certainly for the > >> driver, but also for this witness. I am still shocked how quickly and > >> dramatically things seem to change. > >> > >> > >> Marsha > >> > >> > >>> snip... > > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html > -- http://www.danglover.com Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
