Dana Westover

I have been reading Elizabeth Marshall Thomas’ book “The Harmless People” again after many years (I discovered a very tattered copy on my bookshelf that I have had for many decades while looking for something else), and once again was completely overwhelmed with respect and awe for the people she writes about. Our ancestors. Her beautifully written account of her travels in what is now Namibia in the Kalahari Desert with her small family and a few bands of hunter gatherers in 1957 is not only a vivid and poetic account of the lives of members of arguably the most successful culture in human history, one that survived for tens of thousands of years, but a reminder of what we have lost in our headlong rush into the technologically driven labyrinth of an overcrowded and relentlessly acquisitive society here in the West. Her brother John was with her on this trip, and along with her parents, made some ground breaking films documenting these remarkable people, and then returned almost two decades later in 1974 to revisit the same area and reconnect with his friends there. In this later film, made with Robert Young for The National Geographic television series, he discovers that things have changed, and not for the better, but that the spirit of joy in the face of incredible deprivation is still strong. The snippets of music that were recorded in the making of this latter film (alongside a larger score by Walter Scharf) are among the most beautiful I have ever heard, both simple and elegant, reflecting the natural world in voice and rhythm, somber and playful, and predating the polyphonic music of the ancient highland Congolese to the north; weaving in and out, effortlessly creating patterns that seem woven of light and air. We are all still descendants of that sound, whether we know it or not. Much has happened since then, so this is in a sense a poignant look into the past. Here is a link to the latter film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocR6f1ITshA

Driving in America: Always the big SUV or the empty pickup truck the size of a cruise ship just behind you, impatient to rush ahead to the next light or stop sign. No joy in the act of driving itself, just a headlong push to be somewhere else, dragging 5000 pounds of steel along for the ride, almost out of spite that anyone would dare to be in the way. HAGG- haulin' air and guzzlin' gas. Most of the rest of the traffic is one incarnation or another of the HotWheels toys of the 70's and 80's, translated into big metal and plastic cubicles racing here and there. Kind of makes you wonder where we go from here when the oil runs out...electric cruise ships?

All in all, though, this is really a very hopeful time, as It feels as though changes that have been coming for decades are actually becoming possible- all based on the idea, as opposed to the previous notion that people are fundamentally greedy and untrustworthy, that we are in fact not that way at all, that we have instead evolved to coexist with each other as neighbors and friends. Science continues to back this up, that while there are a few who always go to the dark side, the great majority treat each other with decency and good will. The main thing is to resist the fear, and to remember that what you actually see is the reality, not the news of some far away place habited by strange and dangerous people who are not of your clan.Those strange and dangerous people are, it turns out, pretty much the same as us, getting slong with each other as best they can. It will take courage to push for these new (old) ideas, but we have been courageous before. A better world awaits.

The people of our country are struggling to feel a restoration of balance and fairness, after a sense of betrayal by the institutions that formerly were trusted, institutions that have been compromised and corrupted by big money and cynical politicians They have done their best to remember the principles of decency and fairness that underlie the foundations of the republic, and of the amazing and unique idea of democracy, even as the ugly truth of slavery and avarice are revealed to have also been part of that foundation. In the process they have become wary of promises of redemption and safety, and a long period of recovery is going to be necessary for them to regain their confidence in themselves and their fellow countrymen. Like all victims of violence, the memory of the last few years will weigh heavily on them, but with the strength that comes from a faith in each others’ shared humanity, there can be a new and perhaps more sober determination to defend themselves from this kind of criminal behavior in the future, and a dedication to honor the courage and love that pushes back against hate and terror whenever it threatens to destroy them. There is an end to the pain and fear that comes from this kind of experience, and it comes from working together to rediscover the goodness in the world and the joy in each others company, and a dedication to counter ignorance with understanding, and mendacity with truth.