A Fascinating Read

This Bard has been perusing the jaw-dropping, eye-popping Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto, an award winning educator. It is highly recommended summer reading, and nearly impossible to stop reading.

"Once you trust yourself to go mind-to-mind with the great intellects, artists, scientists, warriors, and philosophers, you are finally free. In America, before we had forced schooling, an astonishing range of unlikely people knew reading was like Samson's locks--something that could help make them formidable, that could teach them their rights and how to defend those rights, could lead them towards self-determination, free from intimidation by experts. Those same unlikely people knew that the power bestowed through reading could give them insight into the ways of the human heart, so they would not be cheated or fooled so easily, and that it could provide an inexhaustible store of useful knowledge--advice on how to do just about anything" (John Taylor Gatto, Underground History of American Education)

Scales are dropping from these eyes, and my heart breaking, and thankfulness abounding at the bravery of my mother.

Learning To Be An Actor

"His fellow educators was local farmers that immigrated in from Germany after they tried to make Germany an republic. In Germany they were some of the most greates and smartest educators with the same belief as Harris" (Wikipedia entry on American educator William Torrey Harris)

I couldn't stop laughing! Sometimes, Wikipedia entries are spiced with wandering crudity and stray fouls of mouth, but the entry on William Torrey Harris was tops.

William Torrey Harris (1835-1909) was the United States Commissioner of Education from 1889-1906. Harris, along with a few others helped create the country as it is now, compulsory, segregated, and extending into young adulthood, i.e. high school. When the copper barons, petroleum people, and big guys on Wall Street grew tired of mining and sapping the earth, they decided to mine people. Harris helped them implement their progressive plan of growing German-style potatoes--I mean, people to consume more, think less, and be useless.

Now, before I proceed, I must put this next quote forth. This also was in the William Torrey Harris article on Wikipedia:

"He was responsible for introducing reindeer into Alaska so that the native whalers and trappers would have another livelihood, before they brought other species to extinction."

It makes me laugh so much I nearly snort snot. Personally, I believe, that the person writing the entry knew exactly what they were doing, and must have spent quite awhile trapped in the system Harris created, becoming quite bitter. Or this is proof positive of the successful outcome the philanthropic misanthropes sought for.

But it gets better, or worse. These are quotes from William Torrey Harris, US Commissioner of Education (1889-1906), Editor in Chief of Webster's Dictionary, Simplified Speller, receiver of the Carnegie's Advancement of Teaching award, etc, etc.

"Ninety-nine [students] out of a hundred are automata, careful to walk in prescribed paths, careful to follow the prescribed custom. This is not an accident but the result of substantial education, which scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual" (William Torrey Harris, The Philosophy of Education, qtd. in John Taylor Gatto's Underground History of American Education)

"The great purpose of school can be realized better in dark, airless, ugly places....It is to master the physical self, to transcend the beauty of nature. School should develop the power to withdraw from the external world" (Harris qtd. in Gatto)

"[Education] must make the individual obedient to the requirements of the social institutions under which he lives" (William Torrey Harris The History and Philosophy of Education)

Does Shakespeare Exist As Himself?

<<-This is how that other Bard appeared according to Martin Droeshout.

This is how he appeared after the economic crash of 1610, and had been hobnobbing with the Puritans. ->>

Last, but not least, the following portrait is how he appears in 2009, after a long vacation amongst the members of the Cobbe family. Perhaps, it is him, perhaps not, but as is usual with this particular Bard, there are always arguments about him being himself or another being him. It depends upon which side of the bed one wakes up on, the weather, and other factors, as to whether one is themself on any given day.

The great argument as to the other Bard's identity is surely the greatest achievement a man can attain to, for it is akin to being God. No other creator, other than God Himself, has achieved this height of disbelief and argument from the mortals in regard to identity. How do we know that Shakespeare really wrote what he wrote, and not another more educated? How do we know that God wrote what He wrote and not another more educated? How do we know?

How does anyone know greatness when they see it? One sign is when others won't believe it, or must subvert it, or steal it, or hate it for the despicable truth that knows exactly who and what their identity is. I believe in Shakespeare and that he is who he is and no other.

Suspending Belief

"The problem............is that once a novelist invites reality into his story, he can't tell it when to leave. On every page, he has to tacitly ask the reader to suspend not disbelief but belief, belief in what we know about the world" (Malcolm Jones "Charlie's Company," a review of Glen David Gold's Sunnyside, Newsweek, 18 May 2009)

This is one of the best observations I have found recently, for it seems that it sums up how we are trained to live life these days--suspending belief in what we know to be the truth and reality of Nature's law.

We use to believe, which made suspending it difficult. Now, we willingly choose to suspend belief, for the world of disbelief. And somehow, it is easier to believe in disbelief than in belief. The Bard thinks that he must stop here, for this is quite the circular and difficult subject for him.

Hellfire and Brimstone From An American Prophet

"When God Almighty commences his battle on the continent of America, for the oppression of his people, tyrants will wish they never were born." (David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World)

"For if the free are allowed to stay among the slaves, they will learn the slaves bad habits, by teaching them that they are MEN, as well as other people, and certainly ought and must be FREE." (David Walker)

"....God blessed them with all the comforts of life--He gave them a plenty of every thing calculated to do them good--not satisfied with this, however, they wanted slaves, and wanted us for their slaves, who belong to the Holy Ghost, and no other, who we shall have to serve instead of tyrants." (David Walker)

"To be plain and candid with you, Americans! I say that the day is fast approaching, when there will be a greater time on the continent of America, than ever was witnessed upon this earth, since it came from the hand of its Creator....Your cup must be filled."(David Walker)

"I will give here a very imperfect list of the cruelties inflicted upon us by the enlightened Christians of America.--First, no trifling portion of them will beat us nearly to death, if they find us on our knees praying to God,--They hinder us from going to hear the word of God--they keep us sunk in ignorance, and will not let us learn to read the word of God, nor write--If they find us with a book of any description in our hand, they will beat us nearly to death--they are so afraid we will learn to read, and enlighten our dark and benighted minds--They will not suffer us to meet together to worship the God who made us--they brand us with hot iron--they cram bolts of fire down our throats...." (David Walker)

"They keep us in the most death-like ignorance by keeping us from all source of information, and call us, who are free men and next to the Angels of God, their property!!!!!!" (David Walker)

David Walker was born in 1785, published his "Appeal" in 1829. Walker predicted that he would pay the price with his life. A year later he was dead. And what must he be writing this time around? I wouldn't doubt that he's a pretty good shot at tossing fire balls.

The Singularity of The Storyteller

This is an old post that never was posted (but is now!), and often contradicts itself:

"Homer shows that, as genius ebbs, it is the love of storytelling that characterizes old age" (Longinus)

Does this indicate that genius is only youthful emotion and passion? And if storytelling is a sign of the aged genius, then does that mean a population that does not age or respect age does not have stories or listen to stories? Does this mean that fishermen (those that tell tall tales) are old men at heart?

When old men tell stories they usually recount events of their youth, the stories of their actions and genius. Perhaps, old age is the reliving of the events without the physical aspect.

Could we say that our modern culture is old because it wants to live in its virtual memory, rather than participate physically? Is it possible to begin backwards without first having physically made the story? Is this why we have few stories these days, because we have not lived a story, which makes our virtual reality a nowhere and a never been?

And where are the youthful geniuses? Does a time see its genius, or does it require the old men to look back and see them, remember them?

Ah, but did Homer live the stories he told? Does the teller live the story or only tell it?

And furthermore, if our genius is stored in technological databases who will tell the tale? A computer, a robot, an avatar does not tell stories no matter how advanced. For what does a computer have to overcome if they are not flesh? Even technology, is not above the human desire to overcome the flesh, even it is ruled by this compulsion, for this is the achievement that preeminent "singularity" preachers hope to attain.

Those that desire to twine technology into the human body desire to overcome the earthly rules of flesh, to resurrect frozen fathers, and live forever. They are not so much conquerors, but fearful of the end of the story, afraid of the great Bema in the Sky. Afraid of the moment when they must stand before the witnesses who tell their story for them. At that moment all technology will malfunction, and be overcome by the flesh. The story will win, while the wires wither.

"Everywhere I go I see people poking away at their little mental support units" (Dmitry Orlov, "Definancialisation, Deglobalisation, Relocalisation")