December 15, 2002
native nation
I wonder what it would be like if the Native American’s had all gotten together and decided to be united against the European expansion a few hundred years ago. If they had sent messengers out in every direction saying, “ you know that big river? Meet us there we are keeping the white man on the eastern side of the water.” Had they been successful and had an independent nation I think it would be the model for the rest of the world.
We drove, as we always do on our way to Spokane, through the Flathead Indian Reservation. It’s an interesting contrast — trailers and boxy suburbs mixed with amazing, earth-friendly architecture. The People’s Center, Tribal College and other buildings in Pablo epitomize what could have been. Had someone stopped Lewis and Clark and said, “ya know what? Why don’t you head on back home, we’re doing ok here on our own, thanks. We’ll send Christmas cards.” Instead we find generic houses build like a modern suburb next to a trailer park, across the street from the People’s center. On the other end of town you have a big car dealership — a stark white, two story building, completely illuminated and surrounded by metal and plastic. If your eyes can make it past the obnoxious glow that surrounds the building you will see some of the most beautiful mountains Montana has to offer standing behind it.
You can have lights, you can have wood, rock, brick, metal, running water, a modern sewage system. Hell, you can even have plastic but why not use it in a manner that respects the land upon which it sits. The Parthenon is a great building, a wonder of the day and still amazing. It’s pillars were bowed at a 30% angle so that from a distance they would look completely straight (because of the curvature of your eye, straight columns like that become distorted from a distance). It would look completely out of place at the base of the Rocky Mountains, however.
I’m not saying Western culture is entirely bad, I’m just saying that nobody seems to notice how god-awful it’s gotten. Or maybe we notice, we just don’t care anymore. Even the Native people who seem to inherently know the difference between respecting the land and abusing the land have forgotten as they let car upon car pile up in their front yard — the same cars from the glowing dealership on the other side of town.
posted @ 10:16 AM
these thoughts.. along with kids getting adult style diabetes because they eat so much junk food,, media’s twisted control, reading adbusters and this one webpage about the u.s. armed forces being the world’s worst terrorists ever.. all anger, depress, deflate, and yet make me want to claw and fight my way out of all of it. dunno.
posted by freedom on December 15, 2002 02:10 PMWow! Didn’t mean to anger you. It’s not a bummer thing and it’s not a good thing. Not from it’s own side. Want things to change? Change your world-view. Can’t change the fact that European culture landed on this rock and changed it forever. Probably can’t stop kids from eating junk food, don’t have much control over the media (including websites and adbusters). Can’t change many, 99%, of the external factors. Have to start with your mind — then you’ll find your entire world changes.
posted by Tom on December 15, 2002 09:33 PMthat’s the main reason i switched to a vegan diet! it has made me feel much better about myself as a person. i’m working on explaning my reasons for eating the way i do in a calm intelligent manner, as it does get more reaction than when i get all pissed off and freaked out. you could be suprized at how much my temperment continues to change.
posted by freedom on December 16, 2002 07:21 AMThat’s good that your diet makes you feel better and you explain yourself calmly. It’s still trying to manipulate external factors, however. I’m not talking about, “getting more bees with honey,” stuff here. I’m talking about changing your reality by transforming your mind. It would take more room than I have here to fully explain, but maybe start with the Diamond Cutter.
posted by Tom on December 16, 2002 10:37 AMok perhaps, i’ve been looking for a good book to read.
thanks for kenny’s email!
Cool, cool. Book (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385497903/qid=1040329572/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4611014-9049601?v=glance&s=books) or audio online (www.world-view.org/aci/online/course6.html).
posted by Tom on December 19, 2002 01:36 PM
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