Really, did you expect anything here? My good friend Michael Bakunin stated, in the 19th century, that in order to create you must first destroy and that the destructive urge was a creative one as well. Bakunin, being the revolutionist that he was, meant this to be a linbe of reasoning behind civil uprising and the overthrowing of governments. It was only through these actions that we could begin anew. It is with these words I leave you to ponder our current state of affairs. Tear down the old, build up the new. How would you do it? What would you do first? What would you put in place? Yawn, so sleepy. I saw a truck/computer/ball point pen commercial about being different and an "individual." It was then that I realized I needed to be different and an individual. Gkad the TV was around to tell me. ------------------ EZLN
That reminds me of a Tears for Fears song called "Break It Down Again." One of the lyrics says, "They make no mention of the beauty of decay." That is an element of the world that is really overlooked and shunned. My wife loves to work in the garden. She has told me many times that bugs and worms are really the difference between healthy soil and plants and unhealthy. Why? Because it is their job to break down the organic material (leaves, dead plants, whatever) and turn it back into something re-usable. In fact, worm droppings, when collected, make VERY expensive fertilizer. In the same way, society has to go through a tearing down process in order to build back up. People don't like it but it is necessary. Now, that doesn't mean I think we have to be reduced to living off the land but I do think it is part of nature to see endings and beginnings. Natural forest fires and volcanic eruptions are part of nature's way of balancing itself and rejuvinating the land. Mount St. Helen's destroyed miles of forest land and killed many people but the land now is rich and fertile and blossoming with new life. Renewal is a part of the way we all live and stay in balance. I for one appreciate the tearing down as much as the building up no matter what we have been raised to believe about the process. We might not have been brought up to appreciate it, but that doesn't make it any less essential to our ultimate survival. ------------------ Time for a new cause.
Jeff, Don't sully up my beloved Bakunin with Tears for Fears lyrics! Seriously, is there a difference between destruction and decay? I guess if you look at an acting agent and intent. I do not knowe if it neccessarily works with society/government. Governmental decay would seem to imply a deterioration within (due to carelessnes, or something). Whereas destruction could be an over-throwing force. Either way, i think that society/human civilization needs both. That is how we progress. ------------------ EZLN
Rimy are you subliminally suggesting overthrow of a certain government? ------------------ 'Deeds, not words, shall speak me.'
I've often observed that the urge to destroy things seems to be an almost exclusively masculine impulse. I think when we're born, our greatest impulse is to create (life, art, beauty, truth, whatever...) But when, for whatever reason, this impulse is thwarted, we turn to its opposite -- destruction. The majority of women can fulfill the creative impulse through having children (as well as other means, obviously). But men have to find other outlets. And, in our money-centered society, the creative drive is rarely respected. Perhaps the people with the greatest urge to destroy are actually those with the fewest outlets for creativity.
I have always thought of deatruction as being in a very short time interval, while decay is much more gradual. The garden reference made me think of "Being There". Mango ------------------ Test Your NBA Trade Ideas 1. Put new topics in the proper forum. Things happening in the rest of the NBA 2. Use clear wording for new threads. 3. No duplicate threads 4. Conduct yourself as an adult. The Serious Police are watching. Donate Blood or be assimilated!
And since the major feminine impulse is to control and manipulate their masculine counterparts, then they can satisfy their own destructive impulses by proxy I think when we are born, our greatest impulse is to cry loudly followed by several years of crapping in our diapers and putting everything in our mouths. Then we go on to macaroni paintings, crayons, pulling our siblings hair, and other creative stuff like that The majority of women probably satisfy their creative impulses more by picking what shirt looks cutest with the new pants they bought, than by having kids (unless the kid looks like an original Picasso a la Sam Cassell). Men sterotypically are creative in different ways than women. They may build or repair something, they may hang out on basketball fan sites arm-chair coaching the ideal plays they believe their team should run, and sometimes, you'll even have a Picasso, Mozart, Michelangelo, or one those seldom mentioned fellas. Perhaps the people with the greatest urge to destroy actually become the most creative in implementing their destruction. A military strategist may pour a lot of time and creative energy into formulating a battle plan to destroy his enemy. [This message has been edited by Launch Pad (edited November 18, 2000).]
You guys sure do limit creativity. Building, painting, music? Everything from computer programming to learning how to clean your house more efficiently is creative. You don't have to be an artist or craftsman to create. That, unfortunately, is one of the real problems we face. We spend to much time wishing for more creative outlets for our abilities instead of learning to create within the confines of our current existence. By the way, Launch Pad, I hope that last post wasn't an example of your current crop of pickup lines. You might be in for a long dry spell. ------------------ Time for a new cause.
LOL Unfor . . . er fortunately, Jeff, I already have a wife, so as long as I can avoid saying something too stupid, I can avoid any needless dry spells ------------------
rascal, I think you are taking "destruction" the wrong way. Destruction and creativity are not mutually eclusive. For example, DADA. These artists saught out to destroy art as we knew it, but to do it by creating a new art. Jasper Johns did similar things, breaking down the process of painting while creating a new painting. The Guerilla Girls seek to destroy the male stranglehold on the arts through new performance art and art ads. So far, I am just staying in the visual arts. The Sex Pistols (thanks to their manager) actually mimiced Bakunin's philosophy, but they wanted to destroy music and the musci industry - through new creation. As far as only a masculine thing, I generally agree, however, Margaret Thatcher was quite good at demanding the destruction of tiny countries comprised of people with dark skin. Ultimately, men are jealous of women because of the giving birth/superiority thing. Women are better and men are sore losers. ------------------ EZLN
