things swimmingly (through a glass)

Necessary precautions must always be observed. Not wanting to slip into being a rigid iconodule, I have mustered up what is left of my strength to write this seemingly unfitting blog post. Last night, I began to watch Seinfeld on NBC. Having become tired and languid from George's sycophantic humor, I lapsed into channel-flipping mode, which left me watching a vaguely suspensful horror film from the 1980's. I knew that if I were to watch this movie, I would be scared and have trouble sleeping. My intuitions kicked in and I flipped back to Seinfeld. Though I had returned to the home station, where it was safe, my mind began to play games with me. Margaret (my evil pseudo demon conscious) leapt into the foreground of my lobes and bgan to taunt me. Her evil ululations resounded within the walls of my brain and I knew that insanity was just around the corner. I began to flip back and forth, the shows became a blur. Suddenly, the Television exploded in a burst of flames. I stared in horror as the souls of my favorite characters drifted from the blazing yellows and oranges. Wisps of smoke and comedy saturated my sallowed carpets, and shades of drama darkened my white walls. Extinguishing the fire with the existential heaviness of my predicament, I whisked myself away into dreams and darkness only to realize how futile my attempts would be. Turning every few minutes to get a cold, refreshing patch of pillow, the covers swamped me like a night's heavy invasion. I was caught, twisting in the cotton fibers my mother bought in 1989. My room began to turn itself against me. Objects became hazardous and frightening. All around, the laughter of my Television. It was like a sick joke.

This morning I have obviously awoken. Prevailing through the consequence, I submit to you my tale. Though it is woefully uninteresting and rather unintensive, I have realized that style rather than essence is the matter keeping things afloat, and have therefore realigned my verbal strategy to fit the model. All musings aside, the drawers in my parent's room still stare at me inquisitevly.

THe precautions that were aforementioned in paragraph one still hold. I'm putting mental barriers and restrictions on myself to discipline and cultivate every last drop of elegance and skill that pervades the walls of my body. I want to pour out energy from my flesh and feel it resonate willingly around my being. The power of knowledge is underestimated. Not of course, for traditional and cliche reasons. To each his own is my motto, and I stick by the well-charted courses of history for this one. My beliefs and life patterns are perhaps a bit too traditional. I have begun an intense cycle of self-discipline and concentration which has manifested itself positively in my studies and mental well-being. However, I am already perceiving the negative effects upon the previously cherished youthful arrogance and boyish humor. Unfortunately, as time stretches itself across the shores of fate, one must realize that all things are finite, in fact, and that the infinite is only an impression within the mind. Perhaps this is why we struggle with the world. To understand and live by its undeniably simple rules that have become mutated and enriched by countless generations of thinkers who impose rather than listen. Thucydides has said some interesting words on the subject, and I defer to him in these cirumstances:

"I have often before now been convinced that a democracy is incapable of empire, and never more so than by your present change of mind in the matter of Mitylene. Fears or plots being unknown to you in your daily relations with each other, you feel just the same with regard to your allies, and never reflect that the mistakes into which you may be led by listening to their appeals, or by giving way to your own compassion, are full of danger to yourselves, and bring you no thanks for your weakness from your allies; entirely forgetting that your empire is a despotism and your subjects disaffected conspirators, whose obedience is ensured not by your suicidal concessions, but by the superiority given you by your own strength and not their loyalty. The most alarming feature in the case is the constant change of measures with which we appear to be threatened, and our seeming ignorance of the fact that bad laws which are never changed are better for a city than good ones that have no authority; that unlearned loyalty is more serviceable than quick-witted insubordination; and that ordinary men usually manage public affairs better than their more gifted fellows. The latter are always wanting to appear wiser than the laws, and to overrule every proposition brought forward, thinking that they cannot show their wit in more important matters, and by such behaviour too often ruin their country; while those who mistrust their own cleverness are content to be less learned than the laws, and less able to pick holes in the speech of a good speaker; and being fair judges rather than rival athletes, generally conduct affairs successfully. These we ought to imitate, instead of being led on by cleverness and intellectual rivalry to advise your people against our real opinions."

Thucydides quotes Cleon, son of Cleaenetus here. Although Cleon had previously suggested putting the whole group of Mitylenes to death because they had revolted and therefore renounced the bonds of kinship and allegiance dictated by the alliances between Athens and Mitylene, his words in this passage could not be truer. I would especially pay attention to the last few lines, where he discusses government and how it is best utilized once it has been established. Obviously, Cleon writes with the knowledge of Plato's failed excursions to Syracuse to form his "Republic," and is also cognizent of the shortcomings of the Greeks in their own domain. I leave you all to view these words as you will and to cherish the thought of the man who wrote them. There are, of course, many other wonderful passages from Thucydides' history. This section comes from Book III. For those wandering souls, I will push a few questions further here. At what point is the government solid enough for the people to be in control? How can a system be created where the people can be in control? What sort of legal limitations must be imposed to ensure the proper treatment of the nation? Most importantly, how can we as intelligent people, begin to apply such ancient ideas to our own faltering government? Or, is it perhaps too late?