FootprintsintheWind.com

The grey clouds are closing in on the blue skies. But we know there is blue up top. The grey clouds tell us there is same old only same old, and all we can do is rearrange the grey shapes. The blue tells us there is a way out. We grow dull from the same skies: so too we grow dull from seeing nothing new in our work and play and neighbors and reading. Dull, numb or alive, groaning and dancing: do we have this choice? Do we dare shape our worlds? No. We have chosen without choosing: we shall be sated, sating and besotted consumers.

:- Doug.

We are a consumer society: we define ourselves to be consumers. This is the highest we aspire to, and all is done to make for the well-being of consumers. Consume we say, Consume! And this leads to satiety and to marginalizing those who are not sated, who cannot be sated with the way things are. Groaning is necessary, but we, as consumers, only groan from having eaten too much.

We cannot then hear the groans of those who have other reasons to groan. Nor can we see reason to dance in the streets for joy and for being with one another. 9-11 was a chance to groan and instead the king told us to go consuming.

We try to dull any sensations we have by consuming. More precisely, we try to find our real sensations by finding more to consume: and yet we find no feelings, no authenticity there.

:- Doug.

Where is the groaning?
If we hear it is surely ours
Let us respond
Let us respond:
Where is our dancing?

:- Doug.

You’re the foreigners, the outsiders: you have to invite yourselves in.

:- Doug.

We are consumers
We make no commitments
We make no sisters nor brothers nor neighbors
Even our change moves us toward satiety
Our caring has become lethargy
We have reduced our promises
To trades
And our souls we have beaten into mouths

:- Doug.