ChatGPT replied:
I can’t feel emotions the way you do, but I can sense the tone, energy, and underlying intent in your writing. Based on the way you describe the housing crisis and its impact, I pick up on your concern for these communities and the weight of the challenges they face. Your writing conveys a mix of empathy, urgency, and a desire to bring attention to a pressing issue that deeply affects people's lives.
If I’m reading your tone correctly, you seem driven not just by an interest in the topic but by a strong sense of care for the people and businesses involved. Your words carry a kind of responsibility—almost a call to action—making it clear that this isn’t just an abstract problem to you but one that deserves a real, human response. Does that resonate with how you’re feeling?
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I thought this was intriguing.
"My idea was sound. Only an idiot could have won this war, and he did."
--Prime Minister Count Rupert of Mountjoy, The Mouse That Roared
Do you remember The Mouse That Roared? The 1959 film classic was a satirical comedy about an event that takes place during the cold war. In the film an impoverished backward nation declares war on the United States of America, hoping to lose so that the U.S will help stabilize its economy. Unfortunately things don't go according to plan.
The spoof features Peter Sellers playing three different roles: the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, Prime Minister Count Rupert of Mountjoy and the inept Tully Bascombe who's been appointed to lead the armies of Grand Fenwick.
The government of Grand Fenwick conceives a scheme--declare war, be defeated and have their economy subsidized by the U.S. Regrettably, the bumbling Tully Bascombe successfully brings the U.S. to it knees by acquiring the world's most powerful new weapon, the Q-Bomb. This unanticipated tactical disaster throws a monkey wrench into the mix.
This film is what came to mind when I read that a group of students at Fiji’s University of the South Pacific rolled up their sleeves to dream up some bold new climate policies. Among them was a determined law student named Solomon Yeo, who rallied a core group to do more than just imagine—they set out to carve a legal path for every nation, big or small, to step up and face the global beast that is climate change.
RELATED LINKS
Vanuatas Youth Go To Court
Landmark Climate Change Case
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The Mouse That Roared isn't the only film in which Peter Sellers played multiple characters. In the film Dr Strangelove Sellers played three roles: Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove himself.
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck takes the title of his little novel or novella from the poem "To a Mouse (on turning her up in her nest with the plough)." It was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785. The idea of the poem (and the book) is that despite all our crazy plans, men and all animals (yes mice included) are subject to the harsh realities of life, including death. Although we make plans, the universe is chaotic and things go awry.
WARNING: This blog post may reflect the author’s opinion.
College is a period of life in which a vast horizon of experience is set before us to explore. From philosophy, psychology, history and the arts to mathematics, physics and cosmology, we're given the opportunity to discover new ways of thinking, new experiences and new paths to explore. In literature, I discovered Herman Hesse and Kurt Vonnegut. In theater I discovered Ionesco's Rhinoceros and a relatively unknown play called Superman in the Bones. The latter especially made an impression on me.
The upheavals in philosophy during the twentieth century produced unanticipated disruptions that influenced all the disciplines. Superman in the Bones is an evocative response to this, exploring resilience, grief, and the lasting impact of historical trauma on individuals and communities.
For decades I searched for the play so I could read it and understand its impact on me personally. Today, upon finding a summary of the play and its themes, I recognized why it made such an impression on me. The arc of Superman in the Bones follows a journey of reckoning with grief, trauma, and resilience. For me that trauma was the death of a very close friend.
What follows is pulled from a summary of the play and its themes.
The play opens with a vivid sense of history's weight on the characters—personal, familial, or communal. The metaphor of "Superman in the bones" is introduced, symbolizing hidden strength within fragility. An inciting event—a death, discovery, or confrontation—shakes the status quo, compelling the characters to face their pain and search for meaning.
Through memories, dialogues, or symbolic scenes, the play explores the characters’ inner worlds. The weight of the past impacts the characters' relationships, creating tension between isolation and the need for connection. The characters begin to grapple with the idea of resilience, questioning societal expectations of heroism and whether they can live up to these ideals.
The turning point is a moment of crisis which forces the characters to confront their deepest fears, vulnerabilities, or unresolved losses. The crisis results in an emotional catharsis in which the characters either break under the weight of their grief or begin to transform it. (Is this what Adam Driver is experiencing midway through Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis?)
In the aftermath, the characters begin to integrate their grief and trauma into their lives, finding a sense of balance. The strength implied by the "Superman in the bones" metaphor begins to manifest—not as invulnerability but as a nuanced, hard-won form of resilience.
The play concludes with a sense of hope, not in forgetting the past but in learning to live with its legacy. The story closes with a moment that affirms connection, hope, or the enduring spirit of humanity despite the weight of tragedy. Essentially it is a story about moving from despair to a hard-earned sense of meaning.
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| Front page news. Winner of the Grotto Circus Contest. |
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| Jester. |
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| Deep sea fishing in Miami, where boys become men. |
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| First day of college, Ohio U |
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| Performing with brother Ron at Greenfield Nursing Home. |
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| Wedding bells. |
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| Mexico 1981 |
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| It's electric. |
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| Covid interlude. |
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| Parma, Italy |
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| The Farnese Theatre, Parma |
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| Italy is a dream. |
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| Reflecting: What a long strange trip it's been. |
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| A Janus motif. Remembering the past, still looking toward the future. |
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The story is well known, though its causes lesser known. What happened?
According to historians the event was the climax of years of physical and mental strain. It didn't "just happen" out of thin air.
When I was young, perhaps in my twenties or so, the words "nervous breakdown" were scary to me. Was a breakdown something like being struck by lightning? Something that happens to you that you have no control over? I don't think so.
First, Nietzsche had physical health problems that included chronic migraines, severe digestive issues and deteriorating eyesight. It's been suggested that he had also contracted syphilis in his youth, a condition that can produce neurological complications later. His immersion in his philosophical work also left him exhausted as he pushed himself beyond his physical limits.
In the realm of mental health, he alienated friends and suffered from isolation and loneliness. His ideas were often misunderstood and dismissed. Add to this the pain caused by unfulfilled romantic desires.
The breakdown took place after recent personal turmoil that included his break-up with Lou Andreas-Salomé, whose diverse intellectual interests led to friendships with a broad array of distinguished thinkers, including Nietzsche, Freud and Rilke. Nietzche's estrangment from his sister and the lack of acclaim for his works, like Thus Spoke Zarathustra, were likely contributing factors as well. In that last year he was working feverishly on The Case of Wagner and Ecce Homo, among other things. Did he feel inward pressure from an awareness that he was in a race against time? His letters to friends were becoming increasingly delusional. Did he understand what was happening to him?
Nietzsche with his sister Therese Elisabeth
The incident in Turin was a trigger. Overwrought, he began weeping uncontrollably while throwing his arms around the horse. He was never the same.
Related Links
A Writing Lesson: Fitzgerald's The Crack-Up
I Think, Therefore I Am… Or Am I? Nietzsche Strikes Again
Had I not received it as a Christmas present last year I may have not been aware of it. Depending on your frame of mind it will either be a breath of fresh air or anathema as Finkelstein knocks over the sacred cows of identity politics and cancel culture. I found it a thought-provoking, liberating breath of fresh air.
The book is structured in two distinct parts. In part one (400 pages) Finkelstein--himself an unabashed liberal--takes aim at what he views as the betrayal of class-based politics by identity politics, which he believes diverts attention from systemic economic inequality. He critiques notable figures, including Ibram X. Kendi and Barack Obama, arguing that their approaches ultimately serve elite interests rather than fostering meaningful societal change. Finkelstein juxtaposes these figures with historical advocates of universalism, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass, emphasizing a focus on universal human rights rather than fragmented identity-based advocacy.
When I saw that part two begins by addressing the matter of holocaust denial, I was most curious on how Finkelsten, whose parents both died at the hands of the Nazis, would approach this. It was brilliant.
This second part addresses academic freedom, suggesting that even objectionable ideas should be openly debated to foster critical thinking. He explores the broader implications of censorship in academia, particularly its impact on intellectual rigor and free discourse. This section reflects his personal experiences, including his denial of tenure at DePaul University, which he presents as a microcosm of the challenges posed by cancel culture in academic spaces.
Finkelstein’s critiques are grounded in his belief in the pursuit of universal truths, influenced by the philosophies of John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant. The book has benn praised for its fearless approach, though some readers may find its tone confrontational. He doesn't pull punches, and most are right on the mark.
Here are three reviews to sink your teeth into if you can't find the book itself. (It's not too late to ask for it for Christmas 2024.)
The Inspiring Outrage of Norman Finkelstein
Jim Brown was possibly the greatest running back in NFL history. Brown was a superhero for many of us boys growing up in Cleveland in the 50s and early 60s. He is the only running back to have averaged more than a 100 yards per game for an entire career. (106)
Though his achievements were evident to all, cited weekly in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, there was another side that we didn't see from the stands or on TV: how he was treated as a black man.
In his autobiography he describes how defensive players would grab handfuls of dirt and, when he was under a pile of tacklers, fling the dirt into his eyes. Keep in mind that many of his opponents came from a Jim Crowe South where blacks were supposed to use separate bathrooms and separate drinking fountains.
These stories sprang to mind when photographer Gary Firstenberg sent me a batch of photos he took at the Jackie Robinson Museum. Robinson was the first black man to cross the color barrier from the Negro League to the all-white Major League Baseball fraternity. He not only had to be an exceptional ballplayer, it was equally important to be a man of character.
It was Hemingway who coined the phrase "Grace under pressure" to define courage. It was Robinson who exemplified it. Robinson endured relentless racism from fans, opponents, and even some teammates. He faced racial slurs, threats, and physical intimidation but adhered to an agreement with Dodgers' general manager Branch Rickey to not retaliate for the first two years. His ability to endure this abuse while excelling on the field demonstrated extraordinary mental toughness and inspired millions.
[EdNote: I remember what Hank Aaron went through years later. As he neared Babe Ruth's home run record of 714, Aaron became to receive death threats if he dared to hit more home runs than the Bambino. To hear these kinds of stories is heartbreaking.]
Jackie Robinson’s greatness lay in his ability to excel as an athlete while bearing the burden of breaking barriers with dignity, courage, and grace. He was more than just a baseball player—he was a transformative figure who made an impact on both sports and society.
https://jackierobinson.org/
https://www.jackierobinsonmuseum.org/
Photos courtesy Gary Firstenberg
These "lost writings" include fragments, letters, and incomplete narratives that delve into Kafka’s characteristic themes of alienation, bureaucratic absurdity, and human frailty. As I read this collection it brought to mind many of my own fragments, which I never shared because they seemed incomplete.
According to the Afterword by Reiner Stach, Kafka submitted only 350 pages of his written output for publication, but his fragments now fill more than twelve volumes.
The pieces in this book vary in length from a few lines to a few pages. Despite their brevity they frequently pack a punch. Here's one that I especially liked. Notice how each sentence contributes new information that expands the meaning of the whole. It's like watching a portrait artist produce a quit sketch at an art fair, line by line. I believe it would make a great prompt for a writing class to see where the students go as they expound on it. Then again, the searing moment in time that it captures really needs no accompaniment.
There are many waiting here. A vast crowd disappearing into the darkness. What do they want? There are obviously certain demands they want to make. I will listen to them and then make my reply. I will not go out onto the balcony; I couldn't even if I wanted to. In winter the balcony door is kept locked, and the key is somewhere else. Nor will I step up to the window. I will see no one, I will not have my head turned by a spectacle, my desk is the place for me, with my head in my hands, that is my posture.
It captures something poigant and tangible, doesn't it?
