LJ Frank

What do I know now that I wish I had known in the past?  Knowledge aids in assuaging angst…of course, there are things I would rather not know. I like being naïve on occasion…a surprise can offer a thrill if the unknown turns out to be positive.  On the other hand, I have been on the receiving end of deception…don’t take it personal. Well, if it involves me, then it’s personal. Exclamation point.  Mostly I like to know…ahead of time …just in case the muck is deep or there’s rattlesnakes in hiding and I need to have brought along taller, thicker, muck and snake bite resistant boots. I’ve walked on jungle paths covered in both concrete and vines. Deserts are places one can find or lose your soul.

I never really appreciated surveillance under any heading… it’s pervasive in the public square, the commercial enterprise, religious structure and “private home”.  I suppose exhibitionism and having a place without drapes is a method of confronting the hypocrisy associated with it. It doesn’t make me feel more secure or safe. Voyeurism is a significant aspect of modern life. Does it camouflage a deeper need or want or reality? 

I drove by a normally visually attractive business that had removed all their exterior lush plants that had added to its curb appeal. In the name of “feeling safer” it’s now void of all appeal. Sterile and uninviting. The frenzy of fear feeds on its own body – a cannibalistic quality.  The ubiquitous camera of modern life won’t save us. But I have been subtly persuaded to feel vulnerable without my android phone. My recall escaped to my camera less, phoneless youth. How did I survive at such a slow pace?

Technology has awakened people to artificial intelligence that began a while back… scientific experiments are underway in deciphering whether we are thinking/alert and about the nature of our thoughts. Will artificial intelligence vis a vie humanoids surpass the need for humans for much work by mid-century assuming the planet is still in a familiar shape that it is today? How many “judges” camouflage the reality of the actions of those who wish to undermine the very existence of political liberty and the contextual nature of technology?

Science is working diligently to offset the impact of climate change… like dislocation, food shortage, war, etcetera. In thinking of revolt within the context of malnutrition, one might consider the words of the English Philosopher Francis Bacon who uttered, “Rebellions of the belly are the worst.”  What happens when there is perceived to be no way out…then what? Who will be the future’s impoverished? Where does and will one “fit in”?

The universe is an utterly incomprehensibly vast, stark, overwhelming place and Earth is but one planet where people exist trying to “fit in” and adapt. If there was but one planet in each of the trillion plus galaxies that had human like habitation, how did they adapt? “Fitting in” and adapting I would think is a common trait among cell-based species…that sense is built into the very cells of existence that thrive for survival. Thinking of adaptation and “fitting in” how pervasive is the idea of wisdom and prophets of wisdom in the universe. Are earthlings exceptional in the trillion galaxies? Do “others” experience a spiritual consciousness? Do other life forms seek transcendence? How many Christs have died on how many crosses? How many civilizations have self-destructed?  Old questions…camouflaged.

Here and now: I eat, drink, sleep, explore, experiment, paint, write and attempt to be aware of the canvas of my life and current place of habitation. The best option for my mind and body is finding a positive one – another common trait among creatures that seek to live their fullest while alive and acknowledging how necessary we are for each other and distancing ourselves from purposefully hurting each other.

To what degree do we camouflage who and what we are and what we mean to each other?