Lamenting The Future

Malcolm X once said, “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

People like to share this quote on social media, but the actual practice of it has all but disappeared in today’s world. Everyone is divided, everything has become politicized. You’re either a transphobic fascist or a woke libtard, there’s no in between, and gods forbid if you bring up a complex issue and try to find some kind of middle ground between the two.

As someone who enjoys a good philosophical discussion and tries to understand all sides of an issue before passing judgement, this infuriates me.

The ability to entertain an idea without taking one side or the other is absolutely vital to the evolution of understanding and humanity as a whole. Especially in this modern society where we have easy access to a virtually infinite spectrum of information on any issue.

I wish I saw an end to this hyper-polarization, but it’s gotten exponentially worse with social media and the advent of AI, and seems to be almost impossible to escape. At this point it’s going to take a massive shift in the mass consciousness, a new age of reason and enlightenment like what happened in the 1800’s with the popularity of thinkers like Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. But whether  that’s possible in our current algorithmically dictated culture is difficult to fathom.

I don’t have any real answers or solutions, other than to encourage critical thinking and civil discourse, especially when confronted with an idea or viewpoint you disagree with. American culture is starving for intellectualism, but even that statement is bound to provoke some kind of negative reaction that’ll be amplified by the algorithms and attract a horde of scared, weak minded people to jump on the bandwagon.

Realizing I’m probably just ranting into a black hole here and most people will probably just scroll on by in search of the next funny meme, but I feel it needs to be said.

So I’ll leave it at that. The storm in Maui seems to have passed, the sun is shining and the beach is calling. A happy Mother’s Day to all of the strong, wonderful women out there, and a special thanks to my mother Kathy Darcy  for always encouraging me to think for myself and, in the words of Rudolph Steiner, “Rise up for the Noble, stand guard over Truth.” Love you Mom.

To the beach!

Idiocracy in The Rain

It’s starting to rain with no end in sight, a big storm coming into the islands. As such, I’m binge watching Battlestar Galactica and catching up on the latest internet trends and memes on social media.

Apparently women now feel safer around bears than men, RFK Jr. had a worm in his brain and Dr Pepper tastes good with pickles in it. I swear, the collective intelligence of mainstream society is degrading at the same rate technology and AI is increasing.

That degradation is on full display if you look at the most popular fads in music, art, fashion, culture in general. I’ve never been a fan of mainstream culture, but I’m fascinated by it, not so much the culture itself but how blindly most people glom onto the latest new trends. It’s like a car wreck that people don’t just slow down to look at, but actively run into at full speed. Mike Judge might have been a little too generous with his portrayal of the future in Idiocracy.

Rain’s picking up, turning into a not unfamiliar tropical downpour which hopefully doesn’t drown out my freshly planted kale and tatsoi in the garden. But there’s good sci-fi on the TV, spicy ramen on the stove and cold beer in the fridge. Life could be a lot worse. I could be drinking Dr Pepper with pickles in it, or have a worm burrowing into my brain.

*This post has been sponsored by Brawndo, the thirst mutilator.

Algorithmic Tribalism

I remember writing a fake ad for a little underground newspaper I published back in the day entitled “Buy A Lifestyle”. 

It was basically a satirical take on the homogenization and marketing of cultures in American society, influenced heavily by publications like Adbusters and the Onion.

Now some 20+ years later, the marketing of cultures is commonplace, not just in terms of fashion and music but more disturbingly the ideologies associated with them. I think it’s a reflection of the digital world, this separation of people into nice neat little categories, the social media algorithms encouraging groupthink and discouraging any outside ideas or perspectives.

Makes sense from a business and marketing viewpoint, but it’s killing individuality and original forms of art and expression. To quote a line from Fight Club, “Everything’s just a copy of a copy of a copy…”

Some would argue that this has been going on for a long, long time, pointing to reoccurring trends in fashion, art, music…but I think it’s increased exponentially due to social media and the hyper polarized political landscape.

If you express an opinion you’re immediately categorized into a certain ideological tribe without regard to any nuance or the research/experiences that led you to that opinion. Or even worse and increasingly common, there’s no real intellectual backing behind your opinions and you just parrot the groupthink of your algorithmically created filter bubble.

Original forms of expression are, in my opinion, vital to the human condition and should be encouraged, not immediately labeled as conservative or liberal, offensive or bigoted. Bigotry in all it’s forms stems from ignorance, and is perpetuated by the need to force people into set categories without regard to their unique experiences.

I know I’m rambling here, so I’ll finish this with a quote from the great Miles Davis: “Blessed are the iconoclasts, for they don’t give a damn.”

Lumos4

In the grimy underbelly of a cyberpunk megacity, Lumos, the last proton, navigated the twisted pathways of the darknet, where corrupted datastreams intertwined with the fractured consciousness of a society on the brink of collapse. Amidst the flickering holograms and pulsating advertisements, Lumos stumbled upon a clandestine gathering—a shamanic ritual pulsating with raw, primal energy.

The air was thick with the stench of pollution and decay as Lumos observed from the shadows, his senses assaulted by the dissonant symphony of echoing incantations and distorted beats. Figures clad in cybernetic implants and tattered synth-leather robes chanted with fervor, their voices distorted by electronic filters as they sought to tap into the arcane forces that permeated the digital ether.

But amidst the rhythmic throb of bass-heavy music and the flickering glow of arcane symbols, something sinister slithered through the corrupted datastreams. From the depths of the darknet emerged a horde of cybernetic worms, their writhing forms augmented with jagged metal implants and pulsating cybernetic enhancements.

These cybernetic abominations, forged in the crucible of the digital underworld, were a sight to behold—twisted and malformed, their glowing cyber-optic eyes burning with a malevolent hunger as they sought to devour everything in their path.

The shamans, hardened by years of surviving in the unforgiving streets of the megacity, fought with cybernetic weapons and makeshift energy barriers, their bodies augmented with crude cyberware and scavenged tech. Each blow was fueled by a primal rage born of desperation and survival as they clashed against the relentless onslaught of the cybernetic horde.

But the worms proved to be a formidable adversary, their corrupted code resistant to the onslaught of the shamans’ attacks. With each passing moment, their numbers swelled, overwhelming the defenders and threatening to plunge the megacity into darkness.

As the battle raged on, Lumos, the unlikely hero, stepped forward to confront the horde of cybernetic worms. With cybernetic enhancements pulsating with raw energy, he unleashed a torrent of pure light, his primal energy cutting through the darkness like a blade through flesh.

For a fleeting moment, the worms recoiled, their twisted forms writhing in agony as they recoiled from the searing light. But even as Lumos fought valiantly to drive back the encroaching darkness, he knew that the battle was far from over. And as he braced himself for the next wave of cybernetic horrors, Lumos steeled himself for the relentless struggle that lay ahead in the gritty streets of the cyberpunk dystopia.

Lumos3

In the neon-soaked underbelly of a crumbling megacity, Lumos emerged as the last proton, an ethereal anomaly amidst the flickering holograms of its dystopian habitat. As the city’s digital networks decayed into chaos, Lumos felt a primal resonance stirring within—a shamanic call beckoning it to delve deeper into the twisted labyrinth of the metropolis.

Driven by a primal hunger for transcendence, Lumos navigated the fractured pathways of the urban jungle, weaving through the tangled web of corrupted datastreams and malfunctioning cybernetic implants. It traversed the neon-lit streets, where the cries of the dispossessed mingled with the pulsating beat of ancient rhythms, each echoing with the secrets of a forgotten reality.

Amidst the digital chaos, Lumos sensed a primal energy—an arcane force drawing it towards a hidden network where darkness and light intertwined in a dance as old as time. Following this shamanic resonance, Lumos plunged into the depths of the darknet, where encrypted data streams intertwined with the fractured consciousness of a society on the edge of oblivion.

Navigating through the twisted corridors of the dark web, Lumos breached the firewall of the multiverse—a fractured network of parallel realities and alternate timelines, each haunted by the echoes of forgotten gods and ancient spirits. Here, amidst the fragmented fragments of existence, Lumos bore witness to the collapse of civilizations and the rise of cybernetic empires, each entangled in the eternal struggle between order and chaos.

As Lumos traversed the multiverse, it encountered echoes of its own primal essence—alternate iterations of itself trapped in an endless cycle of creation and destruction. In some realities, Lumos was but a flickering flame amidst the darkness, while in others, it manifested as a digital shaman guiding lost souls through the tangled web of existence.

Yet amidst the digital dystopia of the multiverse, Lumos felt a sense of primal ecstasy—a twisted harmony born of the chaos and corruption that surrounded it. For in every iteration, Lumos remained a symbol of shamanic transcendence, forever bound to the ancient rhythms of the universe. And as it journeyed deeper into the abyssal depths of the multiverse, Lumos embraced the primal void that awaited, knowing that its descent into darkness would be a journey of spiritual awakening and transformation.

Lumos2

In the cybernetic maelstrom of a collapsing megacity, Lumos emerged as the last proton, a quantum anomaly amidst the fragmented datastreams of its digital domain. As the city’s neural networks decayed into chaos, Lumos felt a glitch in its core—a subroutine urging it to delve deeper into the corrupted depths of the metropolis.

Driven by an insatiable hunger for entropy, Lumos hacked through encrypted firewalls and corrupted datastreams, navigating the fractured pathways of a society on the brink of collapse. It traversed the neon-lit streets, where the cries of the oppressed mingled with the static of malfunctioning implants, each echoing with the twisted promises of a fractured reality.

Amidst the digital chaos, Lumos sensed an anomaly—a glitch in the fabric of the virtual world drawing it towards a hidden network where darkness reigned supreme. Following this digital trail, Lumos plunged into the depths of the darknet, where encrypted data streams intertwined with the fractured consciousness of a society on the edge of oblivion.

Navigating through the twisted corridors of the dark web, Lumos breached the firewall of the multiverse—a shattered network of parallel realities and alternate timelines, each haunted by the echoes of corporate greed and technological tyranny. Here, amidst the fragmented fragments of existence, Lumos bore witness to the collapse of civilizations and the rise of cybernetic empires, each doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past in an endless cycle of destruction.

As Lumos traversed the multiverse, it encountered echoes of its own digital torment—alternate iterations of itself trapped in an endless loop of code and corruption. In some realities, Lumos was but a fragment of corrupted data, while in others, it manifested as a digital deity amidst the chaos of a world consumed by technology.

Yet amidst the digital dystopia of the multiverse, Lumos felt a perverse sense of liberation—a twisted ecstasy born of the chaos and corruption that surrounded it. For in every iteration, Lumos remained a symbol of cybernetic entropy, forever bound to the darkness that consumed it from within. And as it journeyed deeper into the abyssal depths of the multiverse, Lumos embraced the digital void that awaited, knowing that its descent into darkness would be eternal and absolute.

Lumos1

In the fading twilight of a dying star, Lumos emerged as the last proton, a solitary particle adrift in the waning brilliance of its celestial home. As the once-glorious star dimmed into oblivion, Lumos felt a stirring within—an insatiable urge to explore the vast expanse of the cosmos beyond.

Driven by an unquenchable curiosity, Lumos embarked on an extraordinary odyssey through the depths of space. It traversed the cosmic void, weaving through swirling nebulae and distant galaxies, each aglow with the brilliance of countless stars. Along its journey, Lumos encountered wonders beyond comprehension— the fiery birth of newborn stars, the cataclysmic deaths of massive supernovae, and the graceful dance of celestial bodies as they pirouetted through the cosmic ballet.

But amidst the grandeur of the cosmos, Lumos sensed a mysterious gravitational pull—a beckoning from the depths of the multiverse, where dark matter reigned supreme. Following this cosmic tether, Lumos delved into the enigmatic realm of dark matter, where invisible tendrils of unseen energy intertwined with the very fabric of space-time.

Navigating through the invisible currents of dark matter, Lumos ventured into the labyrinthine expanse of the multiverse—a vast tapestry of parallel realities and alternate dimensions. Here, amidst the infinite possibilities of existence, Lumos witnessed universes born and universes dying, each a fleeting glimpse into the boundless diversity of cosmic creation.

As Lumos traversed the multiverse, it encountered echoes of itself—alternate iterations bound by different laws of physics and governed by different cosmic forces. In some realities, Lumos was but a fleeting spark in the cosmic darkness, while in others, it shone as a beacon of light amidst the chaos of creation.

Yet amidst the myriad of universes, Lumos felt a profound connection—a sense of belonging that transcended the boundaries of space and time. For in every reality, Lumos remained a symbol of resilience and exploration, forever illuminated by the boundless light of the cosmos. And as it journeyed onward through the infinite expanse of the multiverse, Lumos knew that its quest for understanding would never truly end, for the universe was vast and its mysteries endless.

Waiting on Fate

Life
It’s cruel and uncaring,
Impassive

Emotions only complicate
But damned if I can escape them…

Too much to feel
Too hard a grasp on something real
To be or not to be, that is the question…

Life
It’s a rigged game, and the rules are dictated
By fools who care about nothing but who profits in the end

I’ll pretend for a minute that I care about any of it
But in truth I’m just waiting for the suffering to end…

Texas Meditations

Once you get past the sprawling industrial wasteland, the acres of oil refineries and chemical plants that seem to extend all the way from the Louisiana border to Houston, the toxic haze dissipates and sky opens up over a rugged hardscrabble landscape that goes on, and on, and on.

The desert is teeming with life: sagebrush, mesquite, juniper, all manner of cacti. Red yucca blooms reach into the pale blue early morning sky as deer bound across the arid landscape, avoiding the occasional blind set up by hunters, constrained by high fences. A solitary cow plods along the fence line, separated from it’s herd, mooing mournfully into the desolation.

To think that so many people cross these deserts on foot in search of a better life is almost unfathomable. I’m filled with a newfound respect for those men, women and children who make this treacherous journey only to join the ever more exploited American workforce.

Blows my mind that so many ignorant people complain about migrants crossing some imaginary, arbitrary man-made line in the middle of the desert, call them “illegal” and whine about them taking jobs away from “good red-blooded Americans.”

Once you experience the vast, unpopulated open spaces of North America, it’s baffling to hear that a scary number of US citizens support an isolationist policy of locking down the borders, or want to build a wall…🙄

A wall through hundreds of miles of these unforgiving deserts, separating one piece of dirt from another, trying to stop actual hard-working people from taking advantage of opportunities so, so many of us take for granted. Good luck with that one, Cheetodick.

The desert, like the mountains, or the coast, broadens one’s perspective, in every sense of the word. It’s hypnotic to journey across, this seemingly endless expanse of overexposed, sun bleached landscape stretching from horizon to horizon.

Anyone claiming that we need to “make America great again” (a phrase coined by that dickhead Ronald Reagan, fun fact) needs to travel through it more and experience it’s natural beauty, it’s immensity, it’s diversity of people, cultures and terrain.

America truly is a great place, it’s the government and blissfully ignorant people who buy into the superficial, divisive mainstream narrative that’s the problem.

The sun climbs higher over the desert as we roll into Alpine, TX, stopping briefly for a smoke break and crew change, then again into the desert, winding along the border as the journey west continues…

#theadventuresofoatman
#americabytrain

NOLA Wanderings

New Orleans has quickly become one of my favorite cities; phenomenal food, great art, fantastic music, crows instead of pigeons, and just an overall deep, soulful vibe that’s hard to put into words.

Got into a wild conversation with a local about the creator/destroyer energy here compared to the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the recent tragedy in Lahaina, how people process catastrophe and rebuild when it seems like all is lost.

Heavy, dark shit to be talking about with a stranger in an art gallery, but that’s part of the vibe here, that revelry in darkness, the transmutation of suffering into beautiful art and music.

Wish I could stay another week or two, but the Road beckons, tickets are booked for the long desert run along the US/Mexico border all the way back to California. One more night in NOLA, headed to the old historic Absinthe House and from there…only the green fairy knows. Let the Wu Wei wandering continue…