If you want to get me going, mention 911 or: Just Be Yourself! Just be yourself especially gets me, since I haven't a clue as to who I am. Or rather, which self is the authentic self. I don't know if this is a difficulty for you, Dear Reader, I don't know my own zip code.
Perhaps this comes as a result of personality splitting due to childhood trauma or from having to "watch myself", "act like an adult" and various messages that implied that being "myself" was something shameful. So, here I am and having taken inventory of the store, can not find the light bulbs.
Today, in my internet readings, I came across an article about the genesis of depression as a cultural phenomenon. Seems it came on the scene about 400 years ago. It was profound enough that it was written about by some astute observers, at that time. What brought it about is not a mystery. At that time there was a remarkable cultural shift that birthed some remarkable trends, including the Protestant Reformation, Capitalism and a new sense of Self. This Individualism has brought us many things, one of them is the sense of isolation that seems to be the core of the epidemic of depression.
Basically, before the 17th century, people identified with their community and participated in endless communal rituals, also known as: parties. Yup, they were party animals and that gave them a sense of wellbeing. Even as the change was happening, the loss of party affiliation was lamented.
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About Me
- roberto kiam borderlineartist@gmail.com
- I live in a quaint, little town, plagued with the specter of speculation and commerce. I am trailer trash,with wishes for good dishes. I shoulda died long ago, but like a rescue dog, didn't. I am indescribably scattered. I speak three languages. I walk a tenuously, true path. I am lucky. For myself, for others. God, it is said, protects orphans, widows and the innocent.
3 comments:
Just be yourself is just a catch phrase like have a good one. What the hell does that mean? Have a good what? Thank you for your especially astute observations. I think that parties are a mostly these days a perversion of what they once were. Wednesday, open no mic in La Conner was the closest I have come to an interesting party in a long time. I hesitate to call it a party because the word itself has negative connotations on college campuses as some yahoo free for all. Within middle class and affluent families it is usually a gross expression of materialistic practices. In impoverished families, parties are something to strive for in the absence of a more material lifestyle. In fact impoverished families are only different from wealthy families in the sense that they have less of nothing. They are the similar in that impoverished and wealthy families usually long for more of nothing.
Gidakins
maybe it would be more meaningful to say: just be your selves.
in which case all of your selves are authentic. since they all are. how can anything that we are being be less than authentic since that is who we are at the moment. i realize that i more resent the notion of authenticity. once a friend snob of mine told me how much he hated big lots, being the owner of a high priced, high end furniture store. i love big lots, but find that they are disappearing. i like the collection of odds and ends. i like the collection of odds and ends that i call my selves. i beleive them all to be authentic. only psychiatry could come up with a perjorative label for our multiple selves: multiple personality disorder. if the word disorder did not exist, it would elimate nine tenths of the working psychologists/pyschiatrists. multiple personality entropy would probably replace the notion, and we would be right in step with the universe.
any human being who speaks of his self, has probably not explored his wider spiritual origins that include pre birth, in which case he would be exploring his selves. however living in a country whose economy is built totally around immediate gratification, this notion of a spiritual origin beyond the immediate is something that we have kept under wraps for many centuries. thank you to the eastern influence of long robed yogi holy men who trekked across the ocean to remind us otherwise.
you really got me going on this one roberto or whoever you are today.
love,
little lotta
Thank you G. for your thoughts. Now I have more to chew on. What started as a baloney and cheese sandwich is now complete with salad, soup and mints.
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