Goodbye June

June is gone for this year. Next year she is due to return. The Earth keeps turning, which is gives us the opportunity, at least as a species, to look ahead and consider the record of the past.

Dexter and Hannah, as dogs concentrate on the present. Their heads are closer to the ground and there is much along the way to arouse their interest and to inspect the smells along the way. They give a premonition of what may be ahead. The ability to be in the presence is often sited as ideal for human beings. What is good for individuals may not be good for collectives.

The social individual is functional, whereas the individualized social person is dysfunctional. Take the example of nonviolence which sometimes appears to be effective, to work. For the moment leave aside the question of whether it works when it appears not to work. There is the story of  Father Kolbe who takes the place of a man bewailing the fate of his wife and children and is duly killed. The effect of his self sacrifice on the Auschwitiz Concentration Camp is enormous.

Notice though in this alternative example from Bangkok, that nonviolence works but in a deeper sense it does not work:

Everything works out great, considering what might have happened, but his circumstances remain unchanged. There needs to be a political strategy to address structural violence. Mohandes Karamchand Gandhi was aware of this issue he wrote of satyagraha (as a part prescription) to oppose the increase in violence and “constructive program” to address the underlying issues.

Dexter’s and Hannah’s daily routine is necessarily constrained. Every so often, if not every day, they get to go for a walk in the bush. As has been noted it is along the same path – the easiest option. Of course it is a bit dark and cool at this time of the year. So here is the record of what is past, with the accompanying music by Alberto Ortolani, “Venti di passione”:

How did Iris Dement become such a radical? She is probably expressing the consciousness of the time. A recent song: “We Won’t Keep Quiet”  (You may notice the words on one of the signs, which are not attributed to Gandhi):