Been out and about...

Well, this old sea-dog has been roaming and resting...on dry land! And now that I'm back on board the old clinker, I feel much the better for it.

Anyway - what do you think of the weasel goings-on at the White House? Those sly foxes have redefined the definition of torture, so that they can now say that they don't torture prisoners! Is it just me, or is this so transparently awful that even die-hard Bush fans will be disgusted?

'Tis terrible to see a once great nation sliding down the hill of defeat and into isolation. America has long been the western world's friend and has been an aspirational ideal for much of the developing world - now, it is becoming a hated terror state. And a great disappointment to all of us who dream of building a world of peace and liberty.

Bush Whacked

It seems that things are beginning to unravel at the Bush Whitehouse.

This administration's cack-handed misadventures and ridiculous lies have disgusted the world and shamed America. As their stupidity and untruths have grown ever clearer, the level of domestic support for their aggression in the middle east has nosedived.

Yet, through it all, Bush has never once admitted to a single mistake. Never once did he say 'oops, sorry.' He has twisted in the wind like Nero fiddling whilst Rome burned. And all the while he wore a smug look of mock sincerity that would awe even the most perma-tanned game show host.

US mainstream media has failed, I think, to effectively inform the people of the true horrors unfolding on the ground in Iraq. Whether this is due to some perverse loyalty on their part, or simply part of the way the media censors its coverage for the great unwashed, I don't know - but I suspect many journalists are just itching to have a go at Bush, but have been prevented from doing so by their corporate controllers. It seems that they may get their opportunity soon enough. Bush might just be approaching the tipping point - the moment when it is easier to push him further down than to continue to support him and his crazy take on the world.

When the tide turns against him, I predict that Bush will grow ever more insular in his thinking and behaviour. By the time of the next election, my guess is that even most Republicans will be glad that he is gone -- but in the truly irony-free style of American politics, he will be praised and lauded by all and sundry in his party, even as they breathe a sigh of relief.

However things turn out, it is certain that this man has left his mark on history - in the blood of the innocent.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Tee-hee...I couldn't resist sharing this with you. I stopped-off at Portsmouth the other day and bought a few items (i.e. more blankets - its been so very cold these past few nights). Also, I treated myself to Private Eye, the British satirical magazine. The cover photo was so good, I felt compelled to reproduce it here for your pleasure.

The steady march of the nanny (state)

As Britain prepares to introduce ID cards, with biometric data used to verify the identity of the individual subject (Britain doesn't have citizens, they are 'subjects' of a monarch), it may be timely to ponder on the steady erosion of our liberties. Increasingly, we are handing over more and more of our freedoms to the ruling political classes. In a post-9/11 world, we seem to be willing to do away with cherished values and liberties.

When these shabby measures are introduced, it is typically done with the 'innocent people have nothing to fear' mantra. This is false. Undoubtedly, the criminal classes will find a way around the new technology rapidly - possibly (probably, in fact) by creating an industry in ID card pirating!! And if international criminals and terrorists can fake passports, etc., I'm sure they will quickly overcome whatever obstacles are presented by ID cards.

Of course, the recent experiences of terrorism in the UK have involved British citizens who did not mind their identities being known after the fact. So, who will these cards impede?

Ordinary people, of course! They will be subject to new laws making it illegal for them to be out and about with no ID card (otherwise, how could the scheme work?). I have always thought that it is a terrible mistake to unnecessarily criminalise people. And it is a terrible slap in the face for hundreds of years of human progress, when we find our rulers taking our freedoms and converting them to criminal acts.

Go East, Young Man...

As I pass another dark night of the soul with only my little wireless for company and the dying embers of my stove for warmth, thoughts arise of spending some time ashore. Its been a while since I enjoyed the company of others (apart from the welcome hails from passing boats), and I'm a bit unsure of my ability to truly immerse myself once again in the society of man.

In recent weeks, as the horizon shows yet more water and little else, I have taken great comfort from this web log. Thank God in His mercy for satellite communications, allowing me to fire off these little missives - a sort of 21st century message in a bottle!

Anyway, I've been weighing up whether I should pass some months (a year, even) amongst my fellows. My fear, I suppose, is that I will not be able for it - too used to solitude, you see. And my greater fear is that I will like it too much and not want to set sail again. That, for me, is captivity and death.

As I consider these things, the only place which appeals is Japan - Tokyo, to be specific. I've never been to this exciting and mysterious place - though I've heard much about it over the years, of course.

In Tokyo, the old and new stand side-by-side, with huge office buildings dwarfing tiny zen temples. I think I would like that. Of course, I will have to learn the language. Can't get away with the usual trick of using english, but raising my voice and gesturing.

And culturally, Japan is very different from western countries - quite a challenge, I imagine.

Anyway, I will continue to mull it over. If any of you can advise me, I'd be delighted to read your comments. You can mail me at: egbertblah@gmail.com or just post a comment here.

The question is, I think, do I want change for change's sake - or do I truly need the company of my fellow men to survive, to prove to myself that I exist as more than these thoughts. More than this message in a bottle.

They're Not All Locked Up

A little speck on this morning's horizon turned out to be a sizable vessel, bursting at the seams with marine biologists and environmental scientists. A nice bunch, they drew up close and invited me on-board for some food and a few glasses of rum. Before I departed we said a little prayer together, to the Gods of the sea, asking for a safe return to dry land and clement weather (I put in my usual unvoiced request for a nice cabin-girl also). The captain - a solid Norwegian fellow named Kanute - gave me a little bundle of goodies to take back with me. When I unwrapped the kind offering I gasped with delight. Some rare treats there were indeed - two pouches of Captain Black (an exquisite pipe tobacco), a little box of Belgian chocolates, a sturdy pen-knife with their company logo on it and (joy of joys) several newspapers. 'Tis rare for me to get a newspaper on the day of publication.

As is often the case, one news story stood out and played on my mind for the remainder of the day. I felt compelled to write this post and share it with you.

I don't imagine that I have very many readers - I mean, who cares what an old salt thinks, right? But I have a sense that there are one or two who glance at this an odd time. So to you, my friends, I direct a gaze of bewilderment. The story which fills me with such confusion and awe is on the front page of The (London) Independent newspaper. The headline reads Bush: God told me to invade Iraq. According to a soon-to-be-aired BBC documentary, Bush told Palestinian leaders in 2003 that he was acting in accordance with the word of God. Now - to be clear - there is nothing wrong with a fella reading the bible and taking it seriously. And there is nothing wrong with a fella living his life in a way that he thinks accords with the wishes of the almighty. But Bush (apparently) thinks that God is talking to him. He is quoted as saying that God told him: 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq.' Seriously. Of course, the fact that he subsequently brought tyranny to Iraq doesn't factor in this man's thinking.

Now, as we all know, many people have felt the hand of God upon them and this has spurred them on to accomplish feats of magnificence and enormous good. And I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone's faith -- BUT, it seems to me to be unlikely that God wanted tens of thousands of innocent people to be destroyed by American weapons of mass destruction and an entire country to be thrown into poverty, social unrest and chaos. It seems to me to be equally unlikely that, if God did want to do this, he would a) entrust the task to someone so inept; and, b) need any help. As recent weather phenomena in the US have illustrated, God has a lot of ways and means to do damage without needing to call up the village idiot in Washington.

I suppose I would say that every man's thoughts are his own, and it is not a crime to hear God talking to you, even if he is saying brutal and terrible things. However, when you start to kill people, based on the suggestions of voices in your noggin, we have a problem. And when you are the most powerful man on earth, who presides over a fearsome war-machine, and answers to no-one (except, presumably, to God in his head) and you start to attack other nations, based on these voices, then the world has a problem. And not for the first time, I am glad to be at sea - far, far away from Bush and his voice-of-God.

Something interesting & lovely

Shiver (what's left of) me timbers! Its been a cold, long day and its becoming an even colder, longer night. So, imagine my delight when I stumbled across something interesting and well produced on the 'net. I saw a blog by a lovely girl called Amanda. She is involved with a project called Rocketboom - I suggest you go and take a look: www.rocketboom.com

It really cheered me up!

Time

Time has a different meaning for the lone sailor. Without the bustle of the other and his busy business, the clock can become another ornament on the desk, rather than ones keeper. When one has been days alone, what are hours? And when one has been months alone, what are days?

Isn't it strange how the texture of time and our temporal reality is influenced by our state of mind. A tedious, boring task can take 'forever' - whereas, 'time flies when you're having fun.' In reality, of course, in hard physical reality (i.e. the earth's passage around the sun) neither of the foregoing statements are correct. However, from the subjective point of our personal reality, both statements are abundantly true. After all, life for each of us will only ever be as it seems to us.

Many philosophers suppose that time is a strictly physical property, having no meaning for the spirit - many psychoanalysts believe that this is true of the unconscious as well. So, might the differences in our perceived relationship with time be a function of our spiritual selves as much as our cognitive selves? Of course many cognitive psychologists will talk about perception of time as a combination of 'state' and 'thought operations.' But let's not go there - I have long since grown bored with arguing the toss with our cognitive behavioural brethren. And besides, they seem to do quite a good job of this among themselves.

I have always been drawn to the zen notion that time does not actually exist - just the present moment. And, of course, the experience of zen practice for each person is an entirely subjective thing, but many have mentioned to me their profound sense that the moment is not just one of many moments - rather, it is a thing by itself, moving with them, sort of. I too have experienced this sense, and it is difficult to place into language. However, if my sense of the moment is anywhere near correct, that would mean that time does not truly exist. And the zen notion of being in the moment is a matter of present awareness (as they often call it) rather than focusing ones attention on a specific point along a continuum (of moments).

I do not claim to be a zen teacher or anything of the sort, just a traveler on the seas, like many others. But, for me, and for each one of us, it seems a pity not to strive for a state of present awareness -- the moment, the now, is all we can ever have. It is our only true possession.

And in it we may find the wisdom to answer all of our questions.

Little comforts

As the storm clouds gather outside, my little vessel struggles her way through yet another dark night of the soul. You have never felt truly alone, I think, until you have spent a night by yourself far out at sea. The wireless gives a little cheer sometimes.

True isolation certainly gives you ample opportunity to get to know yourself a little better, and to understand the human need for companionship. We are all alone really - yet the comforting presence of others can help us on our voyage through life. Even in death, the ultimate solo act, we cling to those around us for comfort as the darkness approaches.

At sea at night, it can be most heartening to see the lights of another ship in the distance - even if you never exchange so much as a word. By times I have found myself given over to fancy, imagining who might be on board such a vessel and what they might be thinking as they look out at my little light. You see, even the imagined companion can give solace.

Sartre said 'hell is the other.' He was probably correct, as far as it goes. But what is the other, if not ourselves? Ourselves, looking across the ocean, wondering what this alien creature might be like -- this creature who has shared little of what we have experienced and thought. The hell of the other is the hell of our need for him. The comfort of the other is the warm blanket of human experience -- loss, lack, fear. And joy -- definitely sometimes joy.

In a way we are all like little boats, bobbing in the rough waters of life, listening to the wireless of our inner selves, looking out for the lights of the other boats passing with us through the storm.

My Hero...

Since my last post I've been thinking about greatness. True greatness. My hero has always been Humphrey Bogart - a true gent of the old school. He is remembered as a great action hero, a chess player and a romantic idol. In a hundred years from now, people will still imagine Bogey when someone says 'Private Eye.'

But what always impressed me most about him was his concern for others - he always noticed when someone was being excluded from the group and tried to involve them. His love for Lauren Bacall was true and lasting. He was a touch of class, personally and professionally.

If you would like to know more about Bogart, read 'Take It And Like It,' a very good biography. The title comes from The Maltese Falcon - Bogart strikes Peter Lorre, and Lorre says 'You hit me.' Bogart replies: 'When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it.' Words to live one's life by, some might say.

A Hearty Cheer For The Mediocre

Accompanied by the gentle lapping of the sea and the harping scream of a gull (sheltering 'neath my little lifeboat) I have just heard one of those soap-stars singing on the radio. Isn't it strange that those who utterly fail to excel in one field, yet somehow find success, tend to insist on extending their reach into other domains - and always do a rotten job of it?

Soap opera actors branching out into pop music is a good example. Or Arnold - rotten actor, poor govenor. Or any of those people on reality TV shows doing anything. Ever.

It seems that being famous is all that matters. Not skill, talent or ability. Indeed, the careers that those of fame but little talent enjoy might not be possible for one with true ability. Those who excel seem to stick to their game. I don't recall Jude Law or Gene Hackman releasing pop records. Ok, Telly Savalas did release a record or two - but he was kinda good...and perhaps enough of an exception to prove the rule.

Sometimes in the darkest recesses of the night, lying in my little bunk, many miles away from shore I get an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness. It is usually at a moment when I have stopped thinking and begun listening. To the silence, and what passes beneath the silence.
It is a strange thought that our most blissful moments occur when we put away the stuff of life - thoughts, words and actions. And as years go by - for I am by now a very ancient mariner - I tend to think more and more about the nature of truth. Our personal truth - the wisdom that lies in all of us, the wisdom (and compassion) that flows through us and yearns to be heard and felt.

If you have never experienced this, I urge you to stop reading for a bit and close your eyes. Then think of nothing at all -- takes a bit of getting used to, that. Maybe listen to your breathing, each breath being a fascinating and new event for you to experience. Let thoughts flow away and your truth will emerge. Trust me, I know.

The other aspect of this is the lengths many people go to in avoiding this experience of their authentic selves. Take politicians, for example. Bush, Blair et al. They tell thier lies, twist the truth and use language to paper over atrocity after atrocity. What must it be like for them in the small hours? How desperatley must they struggle against the truths within them, truths which yearn to be heard. I suspect they think constantly. And talk. And 'keep busy' - otherwise they would have to confront themselves. Imagine how disgusted their true selves would be when faced with their shabby antics.

I wonder what would happen if more people listened, really listened to their innate wisdom. Would we have a better world, free from greed? Would we have a world where children don't die for want of basic nutrition, whilst the wealthy nations stockpile (or, worse, dump) millions of tonnes of food each year?

Or is it, as some claim, our nature to be aggressive and ruthless? I do not think so - rather, I believe that the latter are habits. Habits are like rules - they are there to be broken.