Friday, April 23, 2010

Anna Karenina and Privatization of Misery

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Jared Diamond arrives at his principle of domestication of animals (Anna Karenina Principle) by alluding to what Tolstoy said in his "Anna Karenina." But Diamond may be ignoring a very existential core of what Tolstoy said. What Tolstoy is saying is the "delusion" of being uniquely alone or being "self" in one's misery. Pain is very uniquely personal. t is privatized. In a way, pain is "I." Happiness is not something to do with "I." The statement "I am happy" is rather superficial, because when one is happy, one does not worry about if he himself or someone else is happy.
Happiness is universal. Tolstoy is basically transplanting Buddhist existentialism into Christianity. Rightfully, therefore, he was excommunicated from the Orthdox Church. Suffering (unsatisfactoriness) is universal which is characterized by the delusion of personal suffering. Anna Karenina's misery is universal. The tragedy arises because of attributing such universality to uniquely personal self.

This way of looking at Anna Karenia opens a new perspective on current controvesry of health care reform.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Foot Prints


a man and a woman
shoulder to shoulder
hand in hand
walk on the autumn beach
his foot prints being left behind him
her foot prints following her

The Winter Beach
by Suchoon Mo

http://soundcloud.com/graybluegreen/the-winter-beach

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Destiny And Destination


1.

I have no inspiration
it has expired

I used to have a theory
about something
or something else
it drifted away

I have no need of enlightenment
or awakening
or nirvana

wisdom is a fraud
once spoken or understood
or practiced


2.

a stray dog
or a stray woman
or a stray shadow
may follow me
my destiny
has no destination
my destination
has no destiny


3.

time is not what
time is when
now is now
now is just now
one day passes one day per day
one second passes one second per second
one day is just one day
one second is just one second
time is not speed limit


4.

I am here and now
that does make no difference
I am not here and not now
that does make no sense
ultimate truth is not true

tomorrow and yesterday
they may dance together
until today is gone
or will never come


5.

I am indifferent
to comedy or tragedy
life is neither a drama nor an opera
I have no need of stage


6.

I am real



- Dissident Editions -

For A Place Unknown




a requiem
is my serenade
with no words

rusted machine guns
buried mines
white siberian cranes
in the demilitarized zone
they are mute

deep in the mountains
far in time gone by

memory does not age
it only fades away
from the place once I knew
for a place unknown



Curtain Call



I love her
I adore her
the opera singer

after all that screaming and howling
about her miserable love affair
she bows and smiles beautifully
during the curtain call
and she even has herniated spinal disk

Friday, April 9, 2010

Opera


such a great opera
Don Jose killed Carmen
many times

a soprano in cold shower
is she singing
or screaming?

everyone is going to an opera
I am going to a funeral
everyone will be moved and touched
so shall I
everybody will be clapping hands
so shall I

you are allowed to yell
bravo!
in an opera house
because she died singing
but you are not allowed to yell
bravo!
in a funeral home
just because she died singing

when the soprano sings an aria
do not sing along
because
her voice will climb to the high C note
sooner or later
and you can only croak
like a frog

in this silent holy night
three drunkards sing
a song of silent holy night

in an empty theater
the stage is set
for a mute tragedy
of chorus singers
who are mute
on the stage

- Journal Of Truth And Consequence -

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Elegy Of Summer Night

Elegy Of Summer Night
by Suchoon Mo

http://soundcloud.com/graybluegreen/elegy-of-summer-night

Minuet

Minuet in G Minor
by Suchoon Mo

http://soundcloud.com/graybluegreen/minuet