willthomasonline
FUKSHIMAFUBAR TEXT
willthomasonline
FEED YOUR HEAD
Putting together these book and DVD pages over the past two days has been fun. Pulling most of these books off my own bookshelves has reacquainted me with some wise, wry and dear friends.
In the second listing I've also included some DVDs on Jim Wharram, Tristan Jones, Hunter Thompson, Gary Snyder and Jim Harrison I'd like to see - along with some new titles by Harrison and Snyder I haven't read, as well.
Between them, the late lamented Hunter, along with Harrison and Snyder hold the high ground in American letters today. All thee continue to be major influences on my life and work. Whenever I see a new title by either Gary Snyder and Jim Harrison - or a new screed on HST - I order it immediately online from Amazon. (Unless organic food's problematic... There's no point trying to get them from the library - the waiting list for new titles by or about these dudes is always hundreds of readers longI!
Pick any title from these masters of wordcraft - you simply cannot go wrong. To hear a women's voice harmonize with this chorus, check out Diane Ackerman's work. Absolute magic...
It's been interesting to see the eclectic juxtaposition of my tastes in spiritual and worldly concerns. Both go together, of course, in the same way a mirror reflects. And both naturally human inquiries are heavily censored by would-be controllers who understand very well the implications of seven billion people suddenly waking up!
(Remember: "hu-man" = "spirit person".)
So it's always smart to beware what you feed your head. Which is why I once co-founded the radical activist group: Dessert First!
Books, of course, don't hold a fraction of the answers you already have within yourself. But each mind-expanding phrase can help point the way.
I'm also reeling from so many bluewater memories flooding back. After reading every sailing book I could find, I finally had to go to sea to... see. ("Help me finish builidng my trimaran," I told Thea, "and I'll take you to Tahiti." She replied: "I've heard a lot of lines from a lot of guys... " We eventually fetched Polynesia. And a few other places besides.)
And these films! Ah yes, movies pour straight into your Central Nervous System at 24 frames-per-second with zero opportunity for immediate reflection, filtering or personal editing. This is their power. And their mesmerizing danger.
So again, watch what you feed your head - especially around meals and just before sleeping. A diet of too much mayhem can become too real, while more edifying fare can percolate through your dreams so that you awaken with an, "AHA!"
Isn't this what we're here for?
William Thomas
Hornby Island
March 10, 2011
