A bit of Richard Book Wisdom

I thought about doing the incubator thing as well. I also thought about “candling” the eggs, but then, based on the drastic changes of behavior of the parents, I thought I’d better wait and let them just do their thing. They have begun to show some good parenting skills, they seem to communicate well and take turns… All of “It” is of course, just fascinating to watch -- all of this from the beginning… There certainly must be something alive there, or I don’t think that they would be taking so much time and care… and become so protective. Tammy laid a single egg about this time last year – it was nothing like this… Why has this taken them so long? Why now? Their cage is right next to my bed and I get to watch the whole thing. And, sometimes I do “know” why the caged birds sing. There IS a reason for this whole thing– I don’t know what “analogies” come to mind, but having “hope” in anything right now, is something that I definitely need.

I just watch the third part of Bill Moyers’, “Faith and Reason”. I would suggest that you watch as well. I’m glad to hear, but not surprised that you are still searching…

I’m just going to recommend a few books -- and you can take them or leave them. It’s quite a mix: (And, I’m also curious about what you’re reading at the moment.)

J.D. Salinger’s, Franny and Zooey. This book was something that I could never quite grasp. Some 25 years ago, I bought a first edition of this for you. I don’t quite know why, but it always reminded me of Sharon. I wrote an inscription on the fly-leaf, in a very drunken state, and was frankly embarrassed to pass it on to her. I still have it. I still don’t know what it means….

Three books: Desert Solitare by Edward Abbey and, The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich and The Meadow by James Galvin. I was lucky enough to meet all three of these authors. I met Abbey just months before he passed and was buried in his sleeping bag in an undisclosed location. He already knew he was sick and had only a limited time left. He was on a book tour with his final book, Fool’s Progress. We shared some Wild Turkey together at his hotel bar. He certainly was a man of few words, but I asked a lot of questions, that were never answered, and we both drank quite a bit. Ehrlich is still living in Wyoming and Galvin in Montana. Both deal in prose that deals with both the “living” and the “dead”, and both are present and reside in “Nature”; everywhere abundant… hopefully… the one and the only “God” -- in all of its many glorious complexities. As far as I see it, they work on trying to “expose” the true meaning, if we can ever take the time to look... I really don’t mean to be preachy, but this is the big struggle; “Man against Nature”, IS, “Man against God”.

The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin. I have recommended this book often, and everyone has come back and thanked me for this. Chatwin travels across the continent of Austrailia as they survey and propose an intercontinental railroad. Strange things get in the way, like a rock, only that is a “grandmother”, or maybe a distant relative like the “badger” or an “anteater” to all of the aborigine tribes and peoples that live there.

Anything by Alan Watts! You must include Psychotherapy: East and West. I still have Mom’s old paperback copy with her inked margins… a “treasure”. Read any of his essays that include ideas about how “Western Ideas” developed and why it is so hard for a “Western Man” to develop a new philosophy – it seems to be all about control. But, why do we have to have a “CRISES” before we can understand this simple idea… Another collection is the Wisdom of Insecurity.

Anything, any book, or essays by D.T. Susuki… I don’t know what I have, but this brings it full-circle… Got this name from J.D. Salinger and also Watts.

I also have to mention Bertrand Russell. His book of Skeptical Essays has to be read and relished as well… I also have Mom’s paperback copy with marginal notes… Again, this book is a real treasure and one of the few things that I packed with my stuff when I came out here from Oklahoma.

Another fascinating person I was lucky to meet along the way is James Welch. Read everything he produces and I’ll just let him speak for himself… Read John Wesley, Powell’s, Down the Colorado. Read excerpts from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. What you will find, is that these great discoverers were not only involved in mapping a territory and “claiming” it for the powers that be – this is also a story about developing/evolving a reverence for the great power of “God”. Can you imagine what they saw? Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon come immediately to mind… Can you imagine what was experienced? The “Great” discoverers, not only discovered a continent, they also discovered that they were not all that different from the indigenous people that were here before – they discovered a “personable” religion, they also discovered a new way to see “God”. All, were not only influence by the incredible landscapes, but also by the people that possessed a deep “relationship”, and “respect” with each and every passing cloud…

Sadly, we as idiots… chose to learn, not from our native hosts, but we took or direction from our European ancestors -- to just begin to think how we could exploit everything… “Money”… “In the European/Roman way”, we chose to just cast them off as “savages” -- that were in our way of “progress”… and destroyed a people and a culture – a great tragedy! And, then of course, we began to destroy ourselves in the process… the “effects” are beginning to show… So much “wisdom”, lost, that we can never again regain…

I would also recommend that when you are on your journey, that you take a very close look at North American Indian culture. Completely and utterly DESTROYED. When you take away “God” from a group, when you take away their native lands, you have committed “genocide”. Luckily certain things have lasted, the stories, so I would recommend that you look at, Norton’s collection of, Myths and Legends of the North American Indians or the Penguin Portable, North American Indian Reader.

It IS all about the same thing – GOD – I can experience this with my birds, every morning -- sunrise, music, art, books, every incredible flower, and every insect… I’m sure that you get my drift…. WOW, I find myself extremely lucky. Can’t make enough to pay my rent though…

I do have to recommend a few more books. It’s Garrison Keillor’s, Happy to Be Here; his first book, a collection of stories. His love of people and humanity and people and community and people is infectious…. Also, Iris Murdock’s, The Good Apprentice… a “metaphysical” journey…

Later, you have to spice it up by reading Kafka, Doestoyevsky, Chekov, Baudelaire, Nabokov, and the list goes on and on…and then there is the “music”…