I am including here a few paragraphs I wrote in a comment at another post. I like what I wrote, I am lazy, I think a few who visit me here might like to read those words, but might not notice them in a comment at another post. See? I have invented three reasons for reprinting those words here and now. For a bit of music, we have a guitar solo from Ritchie Blackmore and a very stylized and (from my point of view) weird rendition of a 1960s classic,"Be My Baby," from John Lennon. I am not sure whether to laugh or to applaud, but it makes me smile. Off we go:
A couple of points, though. It is not only the Old Norse and Thor's Hammer and Snorri Sturluson and Gwyn Jones which/who charm me, it also is the emigrant/immigrant movement. In terms of the Norwegians, I have read the thirty-some volumes in the Norwegian-American Studies series published by the Norwegian-American Historical Association, not to mention (but I will anyway) an indeterminate number of other history books, studies, memoirs and novels about the same topic, plus countless other books which involve the exploration and settlement of the United States. History is the name of one of my primary games -- whether old or recent -- and philosophy, religion, mythology, psychology, sociology, etc., all are among the "vegetables" that are mixed into the "stew" named history which I consume with a passion.
Read a few of Ole Rolvaag's novels, for instance. He is among some of the authors whose books I have held in my hand while walking the streets of Minneapolis and the prairies of South Dakota retracing the footsteps he took and then wrote about more than one hundred years ago. This is using the past to understand the present.
As for the idealization of war, I think you confuse idealization with fascination. There are a few reasons why I have participated in military life. Here are two: One is to experience everything I am able in this life and, thereby, to explore my own being and, by extension, to see more deeply into the nature of man in general; another is because I do believe in good and evil / right and wrong, and I feel an obligation to be ready to fight and, possibly, to die for what I do believe.
(Read some books) by Victor Davis Hanson and, if you are at all interested in the Marine Corps, the books of Colonel Joseph Alexander.
As I said in a comment, "In terms of war, there obviously are necessary ones and others which should never have been fought." I would think that sentence alone would eliminate your interpretation of my interest in war as "idealization." Put most simply, I am a student, and a serious student attends classes as well as reads books.
6 comments:
Woo hooo!Goodmorning Lazy!
i had to laugh reading your comments down below..i think Mr,fram is a bit in love again?Ok Iam just teasing!!:)))
I have never heard of that author Ole Something..He is not known in his own country.
i use books to escape from reality.some write sooo good you cant leave the book behind.
Was reeading the snow child by Eowyn Ivey.Good book from Alaska 1920.
Music is also good.Beatles!
About Norway and vacations..We work hard and can get vacations whenever we want.Dirty work we leave to..well i quess you know who..
I am leaving yes for the high mountains.Need freshness and pure air..Beside blogging needs me to take a brake..I am tired of it.Bad comments about my photoes(Cant belive somebody always has to complain ditt and datt..It makes me unsecure about what I do .why cant they just shut up..if they dont like the shoots just look at something else )and ex lovers who writes and writes..(even they are married..can you belive it?)
so yes.
Iam out and about for a while.May be i will visit the old norse Stavkirke on the way.Some interesting old buildings in Sogn Setesdal, Geilo ect
Ok see you on the path and have a very nice Easter!
Greetings Anita
Muy bueno tu concepto de idealización vs fascinación, y es bueno luchar por lo que uno piensa es el bien, saludos.
I believe I always am in love, Anita, with an ideal as "she" exists in my mind. Perhaps, someday, I will look up and discover the ideal is a real woman who is standing before me.
Yes, Ole Rolvaag was a great Norwegian-American, and it is a shame if he is not read and appreciated in his homeland. He was a fisherman with his father in Norway, came to America in 1896 when he was twenty, worked as a hired farmhand and a lumberjack, among other things, earned a bachelor's degree and, later, a master's degree from St. Olaf College here in Minnesota. He joined the faculty at St. Olaf and taught, but his real talent was as a novelist. One of his books, "Giants in the Earth," in my mind is easily among the ten greatest novels ever written. Incidentally, he was knighted by the king of Norway and his son, Karl, was governor of Minnesota back in the 1950s.
I guess I was not too kind with my comment about Norwegians and holidays. I am sorry for that. Lifestyles and government styles between many European countries and the United States have significant differences, and many of us here are more than a little annoyed because some, like Barack Obama, are trying to make the U.S. more like the European model. There probably will be another civil war here before all is said and done. Anyway, I am glad you will have a holiday from work and from the blogs and from ordinary day-to-day life. I wish you happy times on your journey.
As for "ex-lovers who writes and writes," Kelly (remember her ??) once told me all a woman has to do to get rid of guys like that is to ignore them and not write back. They will lose interest very quickly.
As for your photographs, you are an excellent photographer. Some people try to be helpful and offer suggestions; others just like to think they are experts and attempt to show off by telling you how to improve your work. Just learn to ignore the "wannabe experts."
I am not sure what I will be doing or where I will be when Easter arrives. I have an urge to be religious this year. We shall see ....
Again, take care on your trip, Anita .... be good, stay out of mischief and stay safe.
Yes, Boris, there is a very distinct difference between someone who idealizes something and someone who is simply fascinated by it -- in this instance, "the something" being war. I think too often people reach conclusions without looking deeply enough into matters, or are predisposed to reach conclusions based upon their own beliefs and prejudices. Anyway, I am glad you approved of my effort to distinguish between idealization and fascination, and that you agree it is important to fight for what one thinks is good.
Thank you, Boris, for your appearance and your comment.
Hello Fram,
Só agora vi sua atualização, já tinha passado aqui hoje a tarde.
Os vídeos são excelentes. John Lennon é imortal ficou na história. Ritchie Blackmore não conhecia as músicas.
Não conheço os livros do Ole Rolvaag, nem o do Victor Davis Hanson, pelo jeito que você fala parece que são bons.
Acho que sua apreciação de vida é positiva. Precisamos batalhar por tudo aquilo que achamos que é certo, e o que nos vai fazer bem., seja qual for a dificuldade que tiver que passar.
Um ótimo fim de semana!
Punhado de sorrisos lhe envio.
You are here and there and everywhere today, Smareis. For sure, I am glad you are here once more with me.
I am not certain I ever had heard John Lennon singing "Be My Baby" before this week. There is another version of this song by him, too, but it is a bit over the top from my point of view. As for Ritchie Blackmore, I love his guitar work, especially in "Son of Alerik."
Ole Rolvaag is an artist; Victor Davis Hanson is brilliant. Read Rolvaag to learn about human emotions and pioneer experiences at the most elemental levels; read Hanson to learn about the intricacies of war and warriors.
It might not always seem that way, but I think my life view is positive and optimistic. It might not always appear so because I am serious and surround myself with skepticism and sarcasm, and I never stop asking questions. But, all my stories have happy endings.
Thank you, once more, for your many visits to me and your many smiles for me today, Smareis. May you have peace and harmony and enjoyment during your Sunday.
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