[MD] Barbarians & Hippies

[Heather Perella]

Ant,

     The connection between the intellect and biology
is society.  This reminds me of when I went
backpacking, had a garden, walked everyday, camping,
amongst others, for over a year about 8-10 years ago. 
I still had my parents material support, love at
times, but they questioned me a lot and it got rough
with them at times.  I know I didn't help them much. 
They shelled out the $ so I could do this experiment
of mine.  I couldn't help it.  Something swept me
outside, everyday.  I would wake early, eat, and go. 
Wouldn't be back til that night a lot, sometimes I
slept in the woods near the house.  Took vision quests
in various places.  Wanted something to change, but I
was alone.  On one of my backpacking trips I was
camped near a small stream on what around here is
called the Baker Trail.  I realized how I needed
society (emotional support, I wanted to find somebody
(female) that understood me).  On another trip I
realized how society needed me.  
     Why the later?  At the time, right before I
started this whole 'stay outside 99% of the time'
moment occurred, I wrote a book.  Never published, but
it kept track of what was going on in my mind from the
age of 15 to 20 years of age.  I kept journals went
back, reread them, and out came this book.  
      In the book I mention for a chapter how society
is a beast.  I say things like, imagine your in the
woods.  Quiet, calm all disappears as deer run by,
birds flying, raccoons climbing over logs, a bear -
the mighty bear so strong and able to survive alone -
all moving in the same direction.  You hear a sound,
getting louder, ever louder, and bam! a tree falls
down in the same direction as where the animals went. 
Then you see this unusual creature pushing the trees
down.  Loud, Very loud, smoke coming from it, and
others are nearby all knocking trees down.  One gets
quiet.  Is it staring at you?  Does it see you?  Then
something moves and leaves it.  Comes over to you, and
you notice it is a creature that looks just like you. 
The beast, do we control it or does it strap a harness
on us and whip us into action for its' sake.  This is
what I wrote about.  
     Now I'm reading Pirsig and he talks about a
Giant.  We both are talking about society.  He says
this Giant is the master of biology, yet, I haven't
yet read what he has to say about Intellect, which
would be the master of the Giant.  So, why does
society need me?  Why did I decide that long ago? 
Because I thought if I burrowed into society, I could
change society from the inside-out.  Like a spy,
gathering intelligence, and noticing where the changes
could take place.  A spy for the spirit (another long
discussion in my book), the life that is the standard
that even society itself must meet in order to
survive.  My inspiration is nature.  When I say spirit
being the standard I am referring to love, peace,
freedom with constraint, and joy, the necessary
experiences for life to exist.  Without love - nothing
to nurture - no life will grow.  Without peace - only
total destruction - no room for life.  Without joy -
no motivation - nothing to live for.  Without freedom
- then no space to even have life become.  Without
constraint - the bark lining the tree would not exist
and not identities to contain our freedom would be -
no life to notice distinctly anywhere.  This is what I
wrote about, and later put into action with my walking
in the woods.  I needed to know my ancestors and
myself and what was going on or else I felt I was
getting very, very confused.  It would not have been a
pretty sight.  So now after hearing about Pirsig, one
might say I was searching for more beautiful, good
quality in my life.
     As in my last posting in '[MD] Just coincidence?'
it would seem that a current mythos exists, and I,
Pirsig, Gould, and others are noticing this cultural
mythos independently.


SA

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