yes I do
I was reading a book of Zen the other morning – I do – and came across this question, a question which might be posed by a teacher to a student who has “entered the room.” This question – “What brings you here?”
It’s so cool, for me, such a fabulous question, and I think making sense in pretty much any setting. Any setting at all. “What brings you here?” Why am I here? For what am I here? Here.
So, I’m sitting on the cushion yesterday afternoon – I do – and the question showed up and it took me to this place, this place right here, this Blog – couchsurfingat70. A place where I rarely receive feedback, the once-often texts of “Love it” or “Great post today” pretty much gone. The numbers of viewers on WordPress – giggling, “It’s a lonely old world, isn’t it, cool cat?” And yet, here I am. Coming here. Every weekday. Without fail. Never not here.
I have an answer.
There was a pretty famous science fiction writer, back in the day – my day – named Harlan Ellison. One of his best known books was, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.” He also had another popular crazily mind-bending book – “The Beast That Shouted Love At the Heart of the World.”
That’s the answer for me. For the cushion question. What brings me here is I get to shout love at the heart of the world. Yes I do. Over and over and over again.
That Harlan Ellison short story is one wild ride. An absolute masterpiece.
If you haven’t checked it out, can I suggest Ray Nelson’s “Eight O’Clock in the Morning” (1963)? It is equally as good. A short, tight thriller that packs a wallop. If you don’t know anything about it, I think you’ll soon figure out the movie that it inspired. Just do a quick Google search and you will find it.
Sometimes I think all the creative ideas have been used up. Both of these stories are from the 1960s, but they strike me as infinitely better and more original than anything I’ve seen in the last twenty years. I feel the same way about music. Maybe I’m just getting old, but boy I wish I could turn the clock back 40 years.
Thanks for another comment, Bill. I found the Nelson story on-line, and I’ll read it today.
Not dead yet. Thanks for the time.
You might get more comments if you posted the links (not the text, though at times you have done that) on social media. To comment here requires adding name, email, and website. Also, unless I’m missing something, there seems to be no “like” or any other button to offer a reaction.
Think it was yesterday or the day before, I was delighted to see and read about the three young brass players busking in SD, but as is often the case, I am stealing time between a meal here and my own blog there, between a game I want to watch and a call I have to make, or between a place I have to get to and a bed upon which I want to fall unconscious.
That blog was a shout of love at the heart of the world, but I had no way to shout back without having to do the on-line equivalent of pulling over, reaching for my wallet, and pulling out my drivers’ license to identify myself.
Something else that may discourage comments, though you have already explained it to me: When we hit “post comment,” a screen comes up saying clerical error. Is any wonder people quit commenting? Even now, I’m not certain that this is not a dead letter.