cheJake

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Morning Thoughts

Funny thoughts this morning. Just sat up. 8 a.m., Saturday. In times past, I'd be meditating now, then practicing Yoga. These things are good and I will at least practice Yoga this morning. But I've had thoughts.

Yesterday I interviewed Michael Tippen, successful Canadian buyer and restorer of historically and architecturally significant buildings. He's the same age as me. Practices Yoga and eats a raw food diet. Clearly has a vision of a better world and is working toward enabling that vision to become reality. His head does not appear clouded by spite, anger or pet fetish. Unlike mine. I will be publishing this interview, which is good.

Many hours after the interview was over, Lucia, Eldar and I watched the film "Awakenings" on the computer last night. About people who were catatonic as the result of an illness. A doctor was able to "awaken" them for a few months and they were conscious and able to speak and move around on their own, thanks to "el dopa," a synthetic dopamine. The hospital imagery was a bit weird for me, familiar owing to my own stays in hospitals, I suppose.

Funny how I was feeling inadequate comparing myself to Tippen. Like there was something wrong with me for not being him. Something wrong with me, like the characters in the film. Catatonic. Or just bad, thinning hair. Spite, anger, governed by pet fetish.

Lucia attended the interview with Tippen. It was very nice to have her there. She took photos of Tippen's vast and beautiful office, filled with happy and productive people. She sat looking lovely, listening attentively to Tippen speak about his professional history, achievements and philosophy. He appeared to appreciate her. For one thing, she gave him an additional set of eyes to contact with while he spoke. I was looking at my notepad much of the time. His assistant Zsofia, a very pleasant, lovely and well-witted young woman was also there. So it was like they were his audience and I was his scribe. All of us seated in this thoughtfully appointed meeting room, adorned according to his taste, while he shared his thoughts and his story.

Funny how blogs and Internet content in general affect people. Post something on a blog and it's there for everyone to see. Of course, very few people will see it. But they could. I personally love the idea that I can be so public with my private thoughts. But more than once people have let me know they weren't pleased with what I wrote about them and demanded that I remove it. I felt to do so would be an historical injustice. Not that what I wrote had been a perfect account of history, but it had been an account, written freely and representing my point of view at the time I wrote it. But people often don't like the sound of their own voices when play back from an audio recording. And people are fussy about what pictures of them are allowed to exist.

The way I see it, if a person disagrees with how I or someone else has represented them, they can represent themselves differently. They can add a comment to one of my postings. They can write an entry of their own about me, if they like. They could petition friends to write positive things about them. Better to add to the conversation rather than to attempt to censor it.

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