On thinking via David Foster Wallace's Kenyon College address "This is Water."  The introduction to this piece takes me back to Marshall McLuhan's remark in the sixties to the affect "that if you want to know something about water don't ask a fish."   His point was,  of course,  that the poor humanoid is so surrounded by thought and media blitzes that it may be futile to expect him or her to know anything about them … drowning in them as we are.

So it is somewhat pretentious to imagine being shown how to think better,  unless you are someone with the nerve to try,  and a good example of that person would be David Foster Wallace.  His primary focus is what he calls our "default setting,"  which indeed turns out to be very useful.  Taken,  I guess, from  computer language, but also other connexions (see Google),  his take on this is that we are  hardwired from birth with settings which then have to be changed to make sense of a radically changing world.  Most of us will simply overlay beliefs and knowledge over this hard-wiring,  and perhaps make superficial changes from time to time to make things function for us. 

Here is a quote for a start:  "Everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe,  the realest, most vivid and important person in existence."   "We rarely think about this sort of natural,  basic self-centerdness, because it's so socially repulsive,  but it's pretty much the same for all of us,  deep down."  -  "It is out default setting,  hardwired into our boards at birth."   -  "Think about it:  There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute center of."   Now,  let us say that at one critical point one is baptized,  then confirmed after some study and potential brain washing.  There will be some potential change to the basic hard-wiring,  and one may shift the center of existence to a Judeo/Christian God and his right hand person/Son",   Jesus.  A setting has occurred,  one's thought patterns may have changed radically … but the basic hard-wiring may still underlie those changes.

Now to go back to Wallace again, which is described after he describes how the  adjustments in one's natural default setting are often "described as being "well adjusted," which I suggest to you is not an accidental term."   Then Wallace goes through the various types of personal power (wealth,  belief/worship, intellect,  body and beauty, etc.) and cautions that these are unconscious default settings, and thus dangerous to any deeper work in "real world"  default setting.  

My hope is that this brief synopsis will encourage you to pursue this with Wallace,  through the little classic book which was produced from the notes used to deliver the commencement address at Kenyon College.  In the words on the jacket cover, Wallace helps us with these questions:  "How do we keep from going through adult life unconsciously, comfortably entrenched in habit?"  and "How do we remove ourselves from the foreground of our thoughts and achieve compassion."  And as Wallace concludes with this sentence,  I join him is saying:  "I wish you way more than luck."

Roadside Memorials (3) 2015

for Memorial Day,  a brief tribute to the three roadside memorials closest to us.   RIP

#1 is on "S" just a few hundred yards east of "SS."   In memory of Edward  Connel (aka One Eyed Ed),  this memorial was created by two of Ed's children (& myself), and has been haphazardly maintained and added to since.  It consists of a picture of him,  assorted plants,  both live and plastic,  as well as plastic flowers.  For awhile there was a solarpowdered lamp there,  presumably removed when it stopped working.  There are an assortment of beer cans (empty), presumably there to honor Ed's love of the beverage.  My understanding is his close to mortal wounds when he left his moror- cycle at the site may have been due to drinking.  He died in a hospital,   RIP,   Ed.

#2  is on Highway 25 and FF,  northwest corner.   In memory of Tory Kahl,  2 crosses, one tall and one short,  with a copy of the well known poem, "The Broken Chain"  attached to the taller one;   as well as a gothic cross,  a couple of small toy motorcyles and a little angel doll figure.  Usually there is a baseball cap hanging on one side of the tall cross.  And then there is a succession of plastic flower strands,  ballons,  and right now a plastic valentine wreath ornament --  added in the last few days appended to the tall cross.  My intention has been to try and find more information about  Tory's passing,  and I do intend to add that if and when. 

#3 is also on Highway 25, at 1040th Ave., northeast corner.  In memory of Mike Nordin and Jen, there are two white crosses with the different names on each,  Mike's  provides his birth and death years:  1974 -  2004.  This is the simplist site,  and seemingly seldom visited.  There have been decorations in the past,  but there are none at the present time.  Again,  my intention is to find out more about Mike and Jen if I can,  and perhaps add it here.

(Pictures of these memorials would be appropriate,  and I may luck out and get some shot and posted.  I've spoken to a couple of photographers about this.)

My interest in roadside memorials began years ago in Europe where they are far more common.
Sometimes constructed and maintained as small religious shrines,  sometimes with Jesus, the Virgin Mary or another religious saint included.  Some are almost like little grottos,  and often landscaped and planted with meticulous care;  some even with little benches included.  How do we celebrate the dead,  how in this day and age, an "age of discontinuity,"  are we to honor those who have passed along?