The Diaries of Franz Kafka. Comment

 

Franz Kafka's diaries were never meant to be published. Yet his diaries are spread across the internet, the actual published diaries translated into many languages and countless printings. These dairies are very personal, and the gentle Prague Jew would certainly be appalled. 

 Why do we continue to find these writings so fascinating? 
 

Well, simply, they're terribly honest. Kafka never meant for these diary entries to be published, let alone read by another person. For those interested in the mechanics and soul of writing, Kafka's diaries are a source of true wonder. A confessional of a gentle soul, a man trapped in an insurance job, staying up through the night writing his heart-out, his thoughts, pains and acute observations of a time on the brink of great and terrible change, the death and cruelty of two world wars. 
 
When reading Kafka, there is an overwhelming darkness, loneliness, a strong shadow that continually hovered around him, a "something" he tried to rid himself of through intense self-reflection, which the reader of these diaries will discover. 
 
Kafka's life story is, for the most part, a tragedy. A painful experience as one, sometimes, can feel his self-consciousness, that subtle pain at the back of the neck, when, you know, you're being stared at...and his continued bad health. 
 
I've attempted to read Kafka's diaries many times, and only now, for some reason, can withstand the pain of his perceptions, his precarious relationship with his father, and the few women he loved and the true love he never married. 
 
Kafka is a man that loved writing for writing's sake, an artist who experimented daily, till dawn most nights, to pick up his little brief case and begin his work as an insurance lawyer in a semi-official insurance institute. 
 
A strange yet moving entry: 
 
21 February 1911 
 
I live my life here as if I were entirely certain of a second life, as if for example I had entirely gotten over the failed time spent in Paris, since I will strive to return soon. Connected to this, the sight of the sharply divided light and shadow on the street paving. 
 
For a moment I felt myself covered in armor. 
 
How distant, for example, are the muscles of my arms 
 
Kafka's writing was for the act itself without pretension or grandiose dreams, (though his success during his 40-year lifetime was no disappointment) an act of instinct, pure and natural.  

Crichton- State of Fear – comment. (from the archives).

Michael Crichton's concerns have not really changed in the last two decades. In fact, most of his novels focus on this concern in one way or another. Basically, this concern is the arrogance of science, or more specifically, those individuals or political organizations behind the institutions of science, establishing their authority, pushing their "scientific" findings in the guise of altruism, but it is no more than a ruse, to fulfil some personal or political agenda. He believes that society is in great danger because of the intermixing of science and politics. In Appendix 1 of this novel, he cites a chilling example, supported by prestigious institutions, leading minds, politicians and writers at the time, in the promulgation of eugenics.  

Eugenics is/was a concerted effort by the self-proclaimed elite to rid society of their "undesirables", that is, Jews, illiterates, the feeble minded, foreigners as well as political dissidents and journalists. As is well known, WW2 Germany, took the eugenics ball and ran with it, to the tune of ten million exterminations. Crichton cites this example, I believe, because when science gets into the hands of ideologues and zealots, or particularly individuals with a personal agenda, science becomes a weapon of the strong to fetter the weak. It becomes a tool to create fear in the ignorant masses, for those in authority to maintain control over them. The theory of Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect he uses as an example in his newest novel. 
 
As an avid reader of Dr. Crichton for over twenty years, some of his books are spot on the mark, works of uncanny foresight in some cases, while others fail miserably. Personally, I would categorize "State of Fear" as one of his more researched and better efforts. 
 
Environmentalism is a highly contested issue around the planet. The topic of Global Warming has become a part of every middle school curriculum in the Western world. We teach the simple definition, and when students finally understand what the Greenhouse Effect is, after hearing the topic pushed in the media for so long, they become quite pleased with themselves. However, as part of the humanities, it is necessary to show all perspectives of a subject, therefore students are shown other studies claiming Global Warming as fiction or simply a theory at best. They then set out on their individual research projects and are expected to argue their chosen perspective with evidence. The better their presentations are argued and the more evidence they provide to back their claims, the better their grade.  

State of Fear attempts to cover the many divergent views on this subject, and Crichton does so with multiple references, making this not only an enjoyable ride from a fiction perspective - a well-crafted thriller - but also from an educational standpoint. Dr. Crichton should get top marks for this one. 
 
As always, when reading a Crichton novel, one invariably learns something, whether quantum mechanics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence or climatology, one can be certain that the learning experience will be worthwhile as well as entertaining. 

Stout – The Sociopath Next Door - Comment

 

This text is a lucid study of those individuals who seem to be born without a moral conscience, and as Stout elegantly points out throughout this narrative, one in twenty-five Americans are considered sociopath, causing havoc, heartache, destroyed careers, and the death of many people either directly or indirectly. 

 The single argument in this highly accessible thesis, the one that is down-right astonishing, (though not so after reading the reasons why) is that most of us "instinctively" know when there is a sociopath in our midst, but more often refuse to intellectually or rationally call them for what they are...why? The reason is that we would prefer to believe that the human being is fundamentally good, and pure evil is something rare or something beyond our day-to-day reality. On the contrary, there are people who move through their lives without a hint of guilt for their acts of harm. 
 
The sociopath's motivation is ultimately selfish and life for them is one big game, a contest about winning at any cost. This is a frightening notion, but after reading this book, you will more than likely recognize someone in your past or currently in your life that has all the characteristics of a sociopath and come to understand how and why your life is not the way it should be going and the reason for your general unhappiness. 
 
Martha Stout's "composite" case histories are enlightening as she presents us with varied `types of sociopaths from the homicidal & verbally abusive to the dead beat and covert destroyer of many lives. 
 
One of the more interesting sociopath profiles is the case of "Dr." Doreen Littlefield, a psychologist working at a reputable hospital. Doreen isn't beautiful, has a good body and uses it to her advantage. She is the type of sociopath with a highly covetous nature, willing to annihilate any person that has something she doesn't have and desires. Manipulative, dishonest and cunning, Dr. Littlefield interferes with another doctor's handsome patient because the patient is good looking, and her colleague is one of the star psychologists on staff. She deliberately caves the patient in, sending him off to the padded cell to simply make her fellow psychologist look bad. Other deceptions, of course, are planted carefully to hide her tracks. However, in the end, it is truly shocking that a person would engage in such immoral behavior without feeling a shed of guilt. 
 
Plainly stated and argued gracefully, the sociopath does not possess an aspect which most people have that make us legitimately human, and that is an actualized conscience - a voice, a feeling that guides us to do the right action, and not hurt our fellow human beings... 
 
What is also extremely helpful is the chapter "Thirteen Rules for Dealing with Sociopaths in Everyday Life." 
 
The Sociopath Next Door is a text for just about anyone interested in how evil, real evil operates and how to deal with them. 

A Look-Back at 2023 (Part 2 of 2)

 

Again, the most pressing issue of 2023, aside from Gaza and Russia/Ukraine war, is the rearing reptilian head of the censorship-industrial complex. Those in power have been pulling out all the stops. This is not only happening in Australia and the United States, but throughout Europe and certain countries in Latin America.  

For example, the censorship of Glenn Greenwald’s show, System Update, on the free speech space Rumble, has been banished from the Brazilian internet. Glenn attempts to report on all sides of an issue. I know he pays attention to his audience and their opinions, both right and left, on American politics, and his views on Gaza and Ukraine. Glenn certainly does not espouse disinformation, but facts that are contrary to the establishment narrative. Those in power only desire their narrative to be in the public consciousness, and facts are suppressed for obvious reasons.  

Fortunately, I have time to read alternative news sites and opinions. Your basic jobholder has not the time, and between three jobs, only has an hour a day, viewing corporate media. Legacy media is the megaphone for the establishment narrative: it is the propaganda machine to sway public opinion for their dubious ends.  

X (once Twitter) has proved to be one of the platforms where opinions on critical issues can be expressed. It is not perfect, but aside from Rumble and a few other sites, one can feel free to express their opinions. One must ask: will this continue in 2024?  

This issue is important for me personally because free speech is really the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. I have written on this issue all year, and the censorship is visibly getting much worse. At this stage one can only hope.   

One of the biggest news stories published in 2023 would have to be Seymour Hersh’s sub stack piece, How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline: 

How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline (substack.com)  

This work of wartime sabotage was said to be a “mystery” by The New York Times, though without too much thinking, the eradication of Russia’s central gas line to Germany, was a coordinated act by the US and one of their NATO allies to “weaken” Russia economically and a bold move to enter the European gas market for the United States. I found it hilarious and disturbing how the legacy media began blaming Putin for the incident. Why would he blow up his own pipeline? Mainstream pundits hailed that it “came right out of the Russian playbook,’ pushing this lie. (I have never read the Russian Playbook) This act of eco-terrorism, was most certainly the work of the US military.  

Certain events around the planet in 2023 have ebbed to the back recesses of our memories because of the intended genocide by Israel on Palestine, killing over 20,000 people (about the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden) and over 7,000 children. The number of journalists targeted and murdered by the IDF is a wartime record in terms of time, and number. The only reason a dictatorial regime will kill journalists is to prevent information (in this case war crimes) from reaching the people.  

What I find astonishing, and criminal, is the amount of intelligent people across the planet making excuses for Israel’s diabolical actions. To quote a well-known cliche,’ These genocide apologists will find themselves on the wrong side of history once the dust settles. Israel has a right to defend itself is the main tired argument. Israel has occupied Palestine for 70 years, and the ‘occupied’ has a human right, according to the UN, to fight against the occupiers.  

As I have said many times, people view October 7 as an event that occurred out of a vacuum. This was also true when Russia invaded Ukraine. The problem, when one tries to place any conflict into context, they are automatically attacked as “taking sides,” etc. This comes from ignorance and intentional bias. That said, Israel has admitted their efforts to ethnically cleanse Palestine. And with the blessing and military support from the criminals in DC., particularly the Biden administration, in time this insane and evil goal might well be achieved.  

Shame on the lot of you.  

As said above, any other events in 2023 pale in comparison to the crimes in Gaza. An effort to write anything else feels to be useless endeavor.  

Peace.