Action as the physical expression of thought. Speech is action. Thought is the eternal, the immortal; action is the mortal, the fleeting, the disappearing. Where do I go when I cannot express my thoughts through action?
Does a soul fly through the air? How does a soul get from one place to another when its body is gone? Maybe its medium is the Earth so it sinks and plinkos through the soil to some depth in the fire and emerges home in the blackness to the infinite chatter of all the souls before. Or is it the quiet of the friends and family of the soul in community with each other. What do they do there? Are they waiting? Are they unsure the same way we’re unsure here? Is there a body? Do they remember? Do they speak?
I don’t need technical details, but even a 40,000ft overview would be nice. Not that it really matters. What really matters? It would just be fun. It’d just be fun to have an inkling of an answer so when you’re laying in the dark staring at the wall wondering where you’re going there is at least a little somethin to hold onto.
Currently reading The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Murakami, and The AI Con. I think about all the energy needed to ask “AI” a question and how guilty I feel that we all think, or are being told, that there is this electronic god out there speaking to us when really it’s just math putting one letter after another. Think about that energy. Look up how much energy it takes to talk to “AI”. Do you need it? Is it worth it? What are you doing with all the time you’re saving? Are you enjoying that time or are you rushing about something else? Are you making someone else more money by creating a shittier work product more quickly? Who is at the other end of the slop you’re creating? What do they deserve? The “AI” doesn’t put its name on that product: it’s still your name. Don’t give up your humanity! The “AI” doesn’t think, it doesn’t act, it doesn’t feel, it doesn’t understand. Don’t give up our humanity!
Currently listening to a lot: the new collection of John Cougar, the new Lumineers, the new Lil Wayne is really good, dog eyes. Heather played The Postal Service album for me and we learned that I’ve never listened to it but it is literally right up my alley, so that will be next.
We’re moving to Alameda and Sawyer wants to go to the beach every day. It’s a weird feeling to be at a swimming beach with San Francisco in the distance. It feels a little too socal. It’s weird we found our place again a decade after having lived there. But it has felt like going home. Why didn’t we think of that before? What soul crashed into us, knocking us back there? We had the Thai by our apartment and it’s really good. I was really worried about that.
I can usually be somewhat celebratory on the 4th even with all the crap happening. And most of the time I like to wear an ironic shirt or something. Not sure if I can this year. They passed that bill and for all I’ve read about it, it seems like a monstrosity. It will kill the most vulnerable; it will take food away from children and families; it gives the most money back to the richest. What are we doing? It makes me want to cry thinking about people losing access to healthcare and kids going hungry. It’s disgusting. I can’t write about it anymore.
Fight against everything trying to take our humanity away, even the things that make you feel good. Express your humanity in the most fundamental way possible: caring for others as you care for yourself. That’s all there is. Find some good Thai!
dirttoleaves.com 