Day: June 24, 2017

The Meaning

Does forty-two give your life meaning, or is that just the meaning of life?

Fiction writing gives my life meaning. I don’t know if others actively contemplate what gives their life meaning. Surveying an array of friends of family, I can hazard guesses. What gives their life meaning stimulates them. But I can be wrong. Others would have been wrong in the past, guessing what gave my life meaning.

Some, I think, will answer, living gives my life meaning. By that, they mean, being alive and doing the activities of a living human gives their life meaning. The ends and the means are the same. It’s a simple, inviting approach.

I was raised to follow that working, marrying, and raising a family was what life was about. Extending the thinking behind that, it seems that trinity would give our lives meaning. I attempted to follow the precept, and succeeded to some degree. Aging, and becoming more exposed to the world, I grew disenchanted with that trinity as the reasons that gave my life meaning. I questioned what it meant, to have something that has meaning in my life, or to do, or follow something, that gives my life meaning, and perceived many didn’t have one, and substituted activities and goals to give their lives meaning. Some pursue working and making money; others pursue power, politics, social justice, science, or excellence in some area in their lives. For a few, watching and rooting for their sports teams seem, sadly, to five their lives meaning.

I write, “sadly”, with judgmental thoughts, as though I have the answers and absolutely know what’s going on. I don’t. Watching and rooting for sports teams might seem shallow, but if it rewards and satisfies them as much as my fiction writing, are they wrong? Is fiction writing really a greater calling than watching sports?

I know, I’m becoming muddled here. I read the book, “War Is A Force that Gives Us Meaning,” by Chris Hedges, over a decade again. I thought he was on to something there, that war gives many meaning. So do sports, acting, reading…and writing. It’s something to stake as a passion and focus that drives us.

Oddly, I started thinking of Hedges’ book while watching “Foyle’s War” last night. I’ve seen the entire series once, and have viewed many of the episodes twice. I enjoy and admire much in the series, including the acting, writing and production values. Set in England, the backdrop to “Foyle’s War” is World War II. I always enjoyed the sly reference to Foyle’s war as his resolute approach to solving crimes and pursuing justice, no matter where the evidence leads him. This happened in last night’s show; the killer confessed to Foyle after Foyle confronted him with the man’s lies. The man’s response was to ask Foyle to let him go, arguing that his role in the war would save lives.

Foyle was tempted but did not abandon his over-arching principle. He states it at least once in the series, to my memory. I’ll paraphrase as, “If we surrender our basic principles of law and justice to win the war, then haven’t we lost?”

It’s a great part of why I watch. Foyle continually encounters that wall of reasoning that winning the war at all costs is paramount. Foyle doesn’t accept that. When that reasoning falls to sway him, he’s often threatened by the powers of government. He doesn’t allow that to sway him, either, but I always watch to see if he’ll surrender his principles and betray his values.

Which, I supposed, completes the lap of reasoning about meaning. When you find the meaning to your life, it becomes your rock. You stand on it and gain strength. Without it, you’re lost to the currents of madness and fashion.

Time to write like crazy, or edit, one more time.

***

Forty-two, of course, is from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” proving that I’m not the first fiction writer to wonder, what’s it all about? Right, Alfie?

2

Omichi Dream

I don’t know what omichi means. I dreamed of it, though, using it myself throughout the dream, and spelled it for others’ edification during the dream.

Succinctly, I was in school. I was by far the oldest student. I didn’t see or hear of any teachers, professors, or instructors. What I remember is that the other students were teenagers or younger. They were rude, and they deliberately ignored me even as they sometimes discussed me. It vexed me that I would attempt to explain things to them, and they wouldn’t hear – or pretend to not hear – and go on, even as my explanations would help them. Kids, right.

One particular problem or issue was bothering many of them. That’s when omichi struck me as an idea. “You can use omichi,” I told them, spelling it. “Use omichi.” I spelled it, and then explained what it was, apparently showing them a small device that eludes description for me.

I was ignored. Exasperated, I tried leaving the place and found I couldn’t. The next best thing of the activities available was to sleep and wait. Finding a place on a white concrete bench, I stripped down, tucked my items around me, and attempted to sleep. I experienced mixed results. Despite sunshine, it was cold. The kids made too much noise, and again, would come up and start talking about me like I was there, but inorganic, which infuriated me.

Then, they became worried: someone was missing, or could be missing. They weren’t sure. Hearing of the problem, I rose and told them while dressing, “You can use the omichi. Set up the omichi as a spiral system to notify one another.”

Silence met this suggestion. I give up, I decided. As I decided that, a young boy said, “We can use the omichi.”

I turned on him. “That’s what I just said. Set it up as a spiral system.”

The boy, about eleven, white with brown hair and glasses, wearing a green striped shirt and pale shorts, said, “Set it up as a spiral system.”

They decided that’s what they would do, leaving me flabbergasted and dejected, which is how the dream ended.

2

Caft

Caft (Catfinition): A deceased creature brought in and left by a cat.

In Use: “Brenda and Jon found two cafts this week, a rat and a vole. The cafter preferred remaining anonymous. Perhaps more than one cafter was responsible. They would never know. The cafters weren’t talking.”

2

Supercatisopportunisticandexploitingnprecocious

Supercatisopportunisticandexploitingnprecocious (Catfinition): Supposedly the longest word in the world about a feline, the word means an amazing and clever cat who will take advantage of people and situations.

In Use: “Seeing the cat leap up onto the table, pick up the sandwich, give him a look and then jump down and race away, Michael laughed, saying, “Why, you little supercatisopportunisticnexploitingandprecocious.””

***

I hope I spelled it right. I couldn’t find it in any dictionary.

2

Today’s Theme Music

To continue with the theme of dancing through the first week of the season change, I’ll continue with Don Henley. “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” is one of my favorite Henley offerings. Coming out in nineteen eighty-four, the song was written by Danny Kortchmar.

I enjoyed its tech sound and cynical lyrics. The song is like a war story being told in a bar about a serviceman’s experience fighting in another country. The impression is, the heavy-handed government is locking everyone up and bugging everywhere, battling “wild-eyed pistol wavers” in a long-going engagement. The rebels are using the weapon of revolutionaries before I.E.D.s, Molotov cocktails, mixed up in their kitchen sink. Meanwhile, the serviceman is coping with a local young women. All she wants to do is dance, make romance, and party. She seems oblivious to everything going on. It becomes clear by song’s end, who was oblivious.

I thought it was an apropos song for the time. It came before the Gulf Wars and after Vietnam, during the cold war era when the United States and U.S.S.R. were trying to align other countries, no matter who led them, with “their side,” propping up governments with money and weapons, enriching the countries’ power elite at the expanse of the poor. The Soviets were battling in Afghanistan against Osama Bin Laden as the U.S. armed and trained the revolutionary. Meanwhile, the U.S. buddied up to Saddam Hussein, arming him.

With its heavy beat, this is an excellent song for streaming and tramping around. It’s a bitter reminder, too, about how weapons and places have changed, but we’re still arming and aiding governments to fight rebels.

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