#29

Nobody teaches you how to play chess. All they do is show you the moves. You will spend the rest of your life learning how to play.

 

The Winehouse Effect

I saw of Amy Winehouse’s death and had mixed emotions over it. On the one hand, a fine salutary lesson regarding the inevitable, mortal cost of excessive alcohol and drug intake. On the other, the deep regret over the loss of such a talented singer before she had time to mature her gift.

Then I watched various social media sites. Filtering out the polite condolences, there was a sincere expression of grief counterpointed by a searing vitriol best summarised as “good riddance to another junkie”.
Which is so very sad. The character flaws, psychological dependencies or devastating histories that predicate a weakness for drug abuse are merely an extension of all of us. We’ve all been in situations where running from a problem is acted out by simply getting blitzed on whatever opiate we favour. To denigrate Ms Winehouse for her cause of death is to cheapen ourselves.
Fame does not produce strength of character, it usually emphasises and magnifies flaws. Those living in this society of instant fame should allow their celebrity gods to be human. The Greek pantheon was riddled with very human foibles, but the gods of Olympus were mighty and time has not diminished them.
Amy Winehouse had a significant problem that was very public. That she died today at the age of 27 is far more a damning indictment of the society she lived in than of the life she lived.

No, I did not like her music. But I cannot deny the wonder of her voice. I feel that many close to her will spend many years wishing they had done more, taken that one extra step. Grief and guilt a double burden.

Do not let the media vultures have their way with the corpse of this tragedy. In a few days Ms Winehouse will have been relegated to the long list of singers dead before their time came. While that is inevitable, it is increasingly unpalatable and unacceptable in this world of round the clock media coverage.

Remember her. Next time you see someone on a blatant course for self destruction, get off your arse and try to help. Don’t pass it by to let someone else step in. Make sure someone steps in because you made the call or visit, you posted on a social media site, whatever. Instant everything means you have no excuses anymore, because if failure to act is tantamount to killing, then we just let a real talent die through our own neglect.

Scream righteously about the death of a bad role-model as much as you like. I know why the torches burn low for on Mount Olympus tonight;

They mourn the death of yet another facet of care.

 

#2

It takes more than being full-grown to qualify as a man.

 

In This Light

In this blue, blue sky,
The moonlight glows,
A light so sweet, pale, and heavy
I become obsessed with it.

I’m alone under the moonlight
Calling out your name
Always searching for the future
In this light.

In a night where I can’t grasp anything
There isn’t a moment I don’t think about you
There isn’t a day I don’t think about it.
Let my wandering heart reach you…

Call out my name
Under the moonlight.
I’ll surely meet you wherever you are
In this light.

– by Rie Fu, song from the original end credits of Darker Than Black (Dākā Zan Burakku -Kuro no Keiyakusha)

Sometimes you just happen across a piece that fits where you are right then. This is one of those.

 

#32

Enjoy the little things.

With due acknowledgement to Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

 

Holly Lisle

“Give thanks to the gods, but carry your own pack.”

– From her novel ‘Talyn’.

Which I would recommend as essential reading for any pagan.

 

Immortality

It is sobering to realise that time is sweeping past and some dreams may never come to fruition.
My oldest dream has been to live forever. My ex hated that, she thought the classic three score years and ten was more than enough. She just could not understand the appeal; I like being a thinking entity and there is so much to see, so much to do, so much to understand – so much to think about 🙂
Given the abuses inflicted on myself in the course of having three decades of fun, the reality seems to be that getting through another couple of decades may be a challenge.
So, if I am not to see the glorious future of man, what can possibly assuage the need for longevity?
The answer is that which many before me have found. If I cannot see the future, then I would like something of me to survive beyond my demise. The obvious thing would be some of my writing, and yes, I would like that. What writer would not like that?
But strangely, there is something above that. I find that I would like to be remembered kindly for the way I treated those around me.
Such a simple thing, and something I cannot help but think would improve the world if adopted by more people. But ‘more people’ are beyond my influence. So, to adapt another old adage, one must live in example , and hope one gets it right enough to inspire others.
I do like a challenge 😀