Things I Miss, Part 2: Wall Posters from the 60's

We tacked them on the walls of our dorm rooms in the 60's to exhibit how "cool" we were (or so we thought!) and to announce our political leanings to anyone who cared to know.  Here is a sample of the "artwork" that adorned my own room in those formative years.

We could see from the news footage every evening that things were a mess in faraway Vietnam -- and an awful lot of young men my age were being sent there by the politcos in Washington.  Though it would take a stint of my own in the Armed Forces to become an avowed pacifist for the rest of my life, it was clear that war was a senseless waste of lives. 

 

The Beach Boys were singing about surfer girls in California.  Even land-locked as I was, surfing, I knew, had to be "cool".

 

The posters we hung also portrayed our tastes in music -- I was a "folkie" and listened to a lot of Bob Dylan.

 

Before the convenience of VHS and DVD, we took in our favorite old movies at one of the local art houses.  This was (and still is) a popular cult classic that regularly appeared at a nearby independent theatre popular with students.  Disclaimer:  That I owned the poster is not an admission that I actually inhaled!

These old posters capture a whisper of who I was... or wanted to be seen as... over four decades ago.  Yet, looking at them now, I do recognize the seeds of who I am today beginning to germinate.

Peace, man! 

Self-Awareness

"He who conquers others is stong;

He who conquers himself is mighty."

~ Lao Tzu

Life seems to whoosh us along at a dizzying pace these days, leaving us exhausted and often without a clue regarding our greater purpose or a final destination. It's no wonder we sometimes sense the whole journey might be rather pointless.

Our twenty-first century culture expects quick results and an indefatigable commitment to the race if we hope to grab the prize at the end. We measure our progress in leaps rather than steps. We demand our information at high-speed, obsessively staying connected 24/7 to our ambitions with cell phone and laptop computer, fearing that "downtime" will somehow make us appear vulnerable. We consider a mere 40 hours in the workplace a lack of commitment...

And in the process we lose touch with our inner selves at the expense of our most cherished dreams and spiritual well-being... and of our authentic relationships with others.

Intuitively we know this. In fact, our curiosity about the effects of our rapid-paced lifestyle has generated a phenomenal market, in print and online, for information on ways to improve our lives. As an example, according to the Association of American Publishers, we purchase well over a billion dollars worth of books on spiritual and other self-help topics a year. That's encouraging. Though no one can say for sure how many of us have actually effected a lifestyle change from reading these books, it appears we're at least finally beginning to get the message: True healing – whether it be spiritual, physical, or mental - begins with examining our inner self.

That message – that our desires are the root of our suffering – is not new by any means; it is the foundation of virtually every spiritual belief system, past and present. When we become wired to our outward cravings, we invite into our lives greed, fear, anger, lust, conflict, regret, and a host of other symptoms of dis-ease. By doing so, we close out our own self-awareness and any chance we might have to experience real fulfillment in our life

Until we learn to reconcile our inner awareness with our outward actions, our lives hold little hope of ever having a true sense of purpose or meaning, much less fulfillment or even real joy.

Such reconciliation does not mean we should necessarily forego our ambitions: to rise to the top of our professions, to earn a nice income, to live comfortably, or even surround ourselves with beauty. Rather, self-awareness allows us to recognize that our outward desires offer only temporary gratification, and to expect any sort of permanent self-fulfillment on these alone can trap us in a vicious cycle, spawning disappointment and, when all is said and done, a life lived without real meaning, substance and depth.

By practicing self-awareness – through self-reflection, mindfulness, prayer or meditation - we ground ourselves in the Now and open the possibility of discovering more meaning in our lives. We begin to understand how our lives interconnect with all that is around us. How we create our own sorrows, pain, and disappointments, as well as our joys, well-being and triumphs.

Self-awareness is the anchor that keeps us grounded, reminding us that this often-hectic life does have a purpose to it, however madly it might seem to rush by at times.

Having a Drink with a Famous Writer

While doing a bit of research on the Internet recently, I came across a list of the favorite drinks of famous writers. As one who admires the works of several of the authors on the list, and one who likes a good drink now and then, I couldn’t resist the distraction from my intended research. This post is my attempt to assuage the guilt of interrupting an afternoon of productive research by amusing myself with unrelated web-surfing. Here, then, are a few writers I would have liked to have shared drinks with.

Ernest Hemingway – a Mojito at Bedeguita del Media in Havana, Cuba: The Mojito is my favorite hot-weather drink and Havana one of those tropical places I’ve always wanted to travel to. Throw in an afternoon chumming with Papa and, well, it just couldn’t get much better than that.

Jack Kerouac – a jug of cheap red wine at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco: Though Kerouac’s favorite drink was Tequila, I’m going here with the more traditional Beat Generation beverage-of-choice. The ideal event for this wild camaraderie would, of course, be a poetry reading by Allen Ginsburg.

W. Somerset Maugham – a Gin Gimlet at a Colonial outpost in Burma: Steamy jungle evening... rattan ceiling fan stirring the thick air… the refreshing lime and gin concoction… sharing stories of our adventures in Asia and the South Seas before the days of jet planes and pricey tourist resorts.

Oscar Wilde – Absinthe at an outdoor café in Paris: The author of The Picture Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest was known for his eccentric character and his love for this potent, anise-flavored spirit. Very bohemian in a Toulouse Lautrec kind of a way. Wilde, incidentally, is given credit for the quote, “Work is the curse of the drinking class.”

Hunter S. Thompson – Chivas Regal at his cabin in Colorado: Though I swore off Scotch many years ago, the entertainment value alone of drinking with Mr. Thompson would be well worth the temporary relapse.

Dorothy Parker – a Gin Martini at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City: I haven’t read a whole lot of Ms. Parker’s stuff, but how can you not want to have a Martini with the woman who penned this famous poem: “I love to drink Martinis, / Two at the very most, / Three I’m under the table, / Four I’m under the host.”

Cheers.