I am a blogging maniac these days!
Philly made me angry yesterday. I found out the city does not plow the streets of the poor. They plow Center City, but they do not plow the ghetto. Ridiculous.
But I digress.
I share a quote from David Eggers here for inspiration. I warn you now: for those who do not think ministers should permit serious profanity on their blog, please skip this posting. Just click that little box on the upper left corner of your screen and turn on the TV. No more to see here. But for those who can swallow a few coarse words, please read on...
"What matters is that you do good work. What matters is that you produce things that are true and will stand. What matters is that the Flaming Lips's new album is ravishing and I've listened to it a thousand times already, sometimes for days on end, and it enriches me and makes me want to save people. What matters is that it will stand forever, long after any narrow-hearted curmudgeons have forgotten their appearance on goddamn 90210. What matters is not the perception, nor the fashion, not who's up and who's down, but what someone has done and if they meant it. What matters is that you want to see and make and do, on as grand a scale as you want, regardless of what the tiny voices of tiny people say. Do not be critics, you people, I beg you. I was a critic and I wish I could take it all back because it came from a smelly and ignorant place in me, and spoke with a voice that was all rage and envy. Do not dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one, and do not dismiss a person until you have met them. It is a fuckload of work to be open-minded and generous and understanding and forgiving and accepting, but Christ, that is what matters. What matters is saying yes."
Saying yes. I want to do that all my life long.
The full interview may be found at http://www.armchairnews.com/freelance/eggers.html
3 months ago
Amen!
ReplyDeleteI must say: refreshing. Sometimes it's pretty damn good if the soul can screaming. Especially if your eyes are open.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, today I heard Klaus Kinski. He had a very angry life. I disagree with much, but he has fought passionately for the poor, the prostitutes, the children and the flowers and the kooks.
I love this. Interesting coming from Eggers. Now to read the interview.
ReplyDeleteI miss you, dear one!
Amen and amen! You do say yes to the world, Carmen, and you are awake and alive. Thanks for sharing the wonderful Eggers quote. It's hard to recover from being a critic, but I hope and believe it's possible.
ReplyDeleteYES! You are definitely on a roll. And thank you for doing what matters.
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, your opening isn't a digression; that's appalling, and what's more appalling is that it is in no way unique to Philly. We do indeed need to be open-minded and generous and say yes to people, but people do things or allow things to be done (including us) that also require us to say NO.