Slow Death (a very catchy post title)

First we’ll start with this poem I’ve heard this morning on the radio. Whatever your situation is right now, it’s bound to find an echo with it no matter what. I’ve coupled the text with the Doors’ song This is the end because what follows – that is if you’re ready to read the post until the end – does really feel like we’re “Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain”.

Martha Medeiros – A Morte Devagar – Morre Lentamente

“Die slowly

He who becomes the slave of habit,
who follows the same routes every day,
who never changes pace,
who does not risk and change the color of his clothes,
who does not speak and does not experience,
dies slowly.

He or she who shuns passion,
who prefers black on white,
dotting ones “it’s” rather than a bundle of emotions, the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yawn into a smile,
that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings,
dies slowly.

He or she who does not turn things topsy-turvy,
who is unhappy at work,
who does not risk certainty for uncertainty,
to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives,
die slowly.

He who does not travel, who does not read,
who does not listen to music,
who does not find grace in himself,
she who does not find grace in herself,
dies slowly.

He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck, about the rain that never stops,
dies slowly.

He or she who abandon a project before starting it, who fail to ask questions on subjects he doesn’t know, he or she who don’t reply when they are asked something they do know,
die slowly.

Let’s try and avoid death in small doses,
reminding oneself that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing.

Only a burning patience will lead
to the attainment of a splendid happiness.”

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This week is making me sick and feeling a little hopeless for our world’s future. If you’ve been following me for a while you know I try very hard to focus on the silver lining and concentration the special little moments in life. But these days, it takes an supernatural optimism.

Actually maybe I should have finished with the poem… Oh well

Ok… so it started with two pieces of news, which are oddly similar in a twisted way:

The highly anticipated trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began in district court on Tuesday with the Jury Selection, Chauvin facing charges in the killing of George Floyd last Memorial Day.

The same day the French student who spreaded a false story about Samuel Patty, her French history teacher, admitted that she “lied” about a classroom incident at School West in Paris to please her father, lie which led to Patty being beheaded 10 days later.

Any comments?

Later that day came stories which seem to corroborate the fact that French nurses and care workers were pressured to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine (no matter the efficacy concerns and side effects) while doctors were said to be allowed to pick the Pfizer one for themselves.

Double standards?

Meanwhile, two killings took place within less than 24 hours, worsening the cycle of teenagers gang violence. Apparently the “mimicry of social networks” is to be blamed – youngsters post videos of rivals being beaten up in order to humiliate their opponents.

Do parents realise they’re in charge of their offspring and should provide after-birth services? Speaking of which…

A 14-year-old girl was killed Monday evening during a dispute with two other teenagers. Beaten and thrown in the Seine, she was later found dead.

Maybe the parents of the two killers failed to mention murdering was bad to their children? Hasn’t anyone thought of printing leaflets? Maybe should we consider a communication campaign? “Just don’t do it”?

And… Cherry on the cake! The cultural legacy of cartoon character Pepé Le Pew, a lecherous skunk who speaks in a French accent is accused to “normalize rape culture.” Six of Dr Seuss’ books will also be withdrawn over ‘hurtful and wrong’ imagery.

What is it called again? Cancel culture? I think we should erase Ace Ventura. That scene with the rhino, seriously… Or cancel Beetlejuice – hurtful image of dead people! And what about the imagery of the Humpa Lumpas for God sake!! And the Hulk? Fat shaming, right?

Oh I forgot to mention that Amanda Gorman’s poetry won’t be translated by Dutch poet Marieke Lucas Rijneveld following an outcry, because it could not be accurately reflected, interpreted by someone of a different ethnicity, genre, and mother tongue.

I guess we should be grateful Shakespeare can’t complain. Did you know Sylvester Stallone wrote a novel in 1978. I wonder who translated it? And who agreed to do Mein Kampf??

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There, you have it. Here is what my brain is filled with these days, simmering with other personal struggles. I wonder if the society is just turning into a massive tv reality show where it’s all about creating a buzz, trolling, shouting louder than the rest of the group, embodying the dominant character role, or playing the one of the victim, unable to think, analyse, debate, argue and fight with words. Insanity and excesses fuel us all. Where I wish there were self-mockery and a witty sense of humour, there seems to be only violence, hatred, and mistrust.

If centuries of racist abuse, gender inequality and very very inappropriate patriarchal violent behaviours led to this, one may wonder what the Covid years will turn us into?

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To avoid any problems in the future, I’ve chosen to live only with people like me. From now on, I intend to interact only with white heterosexual atheistic females in their 40s, mothers of a single child (only girls, only bright). I was going to say I’ll limit myself to peers with dodgy hair but we’re all cheating in that matter with colour and styling treatment so you can’t really trust that category. I will stay away from men (all potential rapists) or transgenders (weird glittery unicorns twisted fans), young people (stupid and violent), black (inferior), Muslims (don’t start me on that), people not born and raised in France… (list to be completed later).

Disagree with this post and I’ll come and get you, probably kick your ass or even stab you if it’s a Tuesday and I’m in a bad mood.

Have a nice week.