I am currently reading two books, both very different yet culturally necessary, and each written by someone I would consider a brave man.
The first, The World As it Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress is written by Chris Hedges. He is uncompromising in his indictment of our current economic and political system in the West, which he considers morally and ethically bankrupt. Hedges points out that we are living in times where we have lost our cultural memory, and as a result, we are ever more vulnerable to the forces of totalitarianism. In addition, he laments the violence and greed which characterize American society, and the ease with which war and militarism have seeped into the psyche of the nation, serving as a reflex response to any threat to its interests.
The second, Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman is written by Malidoma Somé. In this autobiography, Somé shares his painful journey of transversing the colonial intervention into his culture, and finding his way back to a spiritually rich and precious heritage. Through his story, he reveals the depth at the heart of the shamanic traditions of his people, while trying to build a bridge of understanding to the Western mind - a mind that has lost touch with the ground of its being.
Both men are deeply troubled by the violence and alienation which are so prevalent in the world today, and both call for a remembrance of core human values, and the absolute necessity to honour these values in times where environmental, ethical and political decay are seeping into the collective at an alarming rate. In addition, while each man comes out of a different religious and spiritual tradition, both are loudly beckoning for a re-sacralization of what is best in us as human beings.
Chris Hedges and Malidoma Somé help to redefine our notion of the Warrior, and reclaim it as beings who honour the integrity and beauty of life.
The first, The World As it Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress is written by Chris Hedges. He is uncompromising in his indictment of our current economic and political system in the West, which he considers morally and ethically bankrupt. Hedges points out that we are living in times where we have lost our cultural memory, and as a result, we are ever more vulnerable to the forces of totalitarianism. In addition, he laments the violence and greed which characterize American society, and the ease with which war and militarism have seeped into the psyche of the nation, serving as a reflex response to any threat to its interests.
The second, Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman is written by Malidoma Somé. In this autobiography, Somé shares his painful journey of transversing the colonial intervention into his culture, and finding his way back to a spiritually rich and precious heritage. Through his story, he reveals the depth at the heart of the shamanic traditions of his people, while trying to build a bridge of understanding to the Western mind - a mind that has lost touch with the ground of its being.
Both men are deeply troubled by the violence and alienation which are so prevalent in the world today, and both call for a remembrance of core human values, and the absolute necessity to honour these values in times where environmental, ethical and political decay are seeping into the collective at an alarming rate. In addition, while each man comes out of a different religious and spiritual tradition, both are loudly beckoning for a re-sacralization of what is best in us as human beings.
Chris Hedges and Malidoma Somé help to redefine our notion of the Warrior, and reclaim it as beings who honour the integrity and beauty of life.
I've just read the very powerful and informative Chris Hedges. Like the quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” As I finish the last words of this magnificent book, I close the book wishing I could do something good, something definable, to possibly demand or provoke change.
ReplyDeleteChris Hedges speaks a truth that is sorely in short supply. Of course, there are abundant resources for further reading and an index that makes for quick location of topics and individuals you'll want to review. The essays cover the years 2001-2010 and have appeared in various publications. If you've read other of Hedges' work, you will recognize some of his words. They bear repeating and rereading.
I learn and am exposed to material that is historic and glossed over in this Information Age that serves me pablum and pap instead of fact. There are discussions of the manipulation of public opinion and the role of propaganda in taming the populace. There are many references and discussion of the permanent war economy in which we are currently engaged and its contribution to the destruction of the working and middle classes, the way of life in this country.
Favorite essays include: Calling All Rebels (3.8.2010); Do Not Pity the Democrats (pp. 125-134); Celebrating Slaughter: War and Collective Amnesia (10.5.2009).
Description and analysis of the machinations of Israel and her allies against the Palestinian people is presented. Arguments for the ending of war are discussed along with the work of Peter van Agtmael and Lori Grinker. I learned about the American secessionist movements (The New Secessionists, 4.26.2010).
I would recommend this book as an overview and digest of Hedges' thought over the past decade. The man's thinking and clear address and as you've put it is defining our notion of the warrior.
Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman deeply resonated with me. My mother had a similar experience growing up. Being a interracial child, her and her siblings were taken by the colonial authorities to be raised by nuns and priest. Malidoma struggle is one, alas too familiar. His ultimate rise and shamanic birth and him becoming the spiritual is nothing short than amazing.
Thank you Maria for introducing me to his work, it has lifted me up in these difficult time.