The following was written in 2006. I was doing well as a freelance editor and was getting close to being hired full-time, so life was good. My friend Eric was married to a lady from Russia, and would have a get-together with her Russian friends at their home in Edina, MN.
Here’s an Ego (11/13/2006)
Ego – a preface. Shakespeare must have certainly allowed his imagination to travel in the direction of a mad and evil character when writing his plays. To play God, and let the wicked potential of letting a brilliant mind delve into the dark side of existence, one shivers at the kind of twisted manifestations that can be conjured up. This is the downside of Free Will. While it is one of the most cherished foundations of every living man and woman on this planet, Free Will has it’s ugly side, where many acts of evil go unpunished. Where the perpetrators may do it for no other reason than they can. Simple as that. They play God and do not value the well beings of others.
Jesus would be Ridiculed Today
I am an observer. I am somewhat omnipotent about my position in things. Nothing gets by me, and in the process, I can be the little man, taking my time to go through the motions that allow me to really be a part of Everyday Life. As if Jesus decided to come back, but not announce himself, walking among us, without anybody ever knowing his true identity. Such as in fables, where the prince walks among his subjects, and discovers what it really is like to be Alive. I seek to have a larger awareness about Life, the Universe, and Everything. As Douglas Adams observes in "The Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy", life is a ride and you'll do best to go with the flow.
Kenneth Martian Gammell
A simple conversation between two older woman about some of their trials and tribulations raising a child, becomes moments of illumination for me, adding to my ‘databank’ of knowledge, reserved for future use. God knows, I have this incredibly expanded mind. Now there are a few people who know my secret (I am a Martian) and are aware of my potential. It all comes back to me. I’m going to make a positive impression upon Everybody. I am going stand up, and make a fool of myself, trying to make everybody believe that what I have to offer will be something of interest to them.
Party with Diversity
As I sit at a party tonight, I am amused by the near hopeless attempt at playing ‘Taboo’ with a group of foreign speaking people. As the hourglass spills the sand, Russian native Semyon is using his wife’s glasses to try to read a game card, telling him the word he has to get his teammates to guess without using the 5 most obvious clues. It takes up most of the hourglass for him to figure out what the word is. Then the predicament of figuring the English translation for any Russian equivalent becomes near ludicrous. Like I, an American being given ‘La Boheme’ and trying to get his teammates to say it.
What's so Funny about Peace, Love, and Understanding
Anyway, it became an exercise in futility, but I, in the meantime, became audience to a type of conglomeration you might encounter at the U.N., or something. (Semyon did announce a clue, “A tiger that lives in the house” – answer: Cat”, that showed he tried and succeeded in such a difficult assignment). I am honoured at the privilege to meet and get to know many people from around the world. I swear I have gained a more global understanding in the process. No I’m not a globetrotter like the US Secretary of State. But America is the world’s melting pot, where all cultures are encouraged to influence our culture, and we all become the better for it.
The Balance in Wisdom
This is a fantastic idea to base a country on, and it works. I feel like a diplomat, truly, finding a position in relating to others that lends to mutual understanding. I am neutral in more ways than I care to admit. I find the convergence of both sides of the argument, where the wisdom gained from two opposing points of view, form a grand design of a more complete picture and the ultimate wonder of life.
