Good Evening.
Today marks the start of a new era for this humble blog. Until now this space has been a sort of abstract personal journal. It's been A reference point for me on the journey through my own mind but that's all over now.
This afternoon I spotted a headline published by the New York Post via Social Network "A Father dropped his toddler from a high-rise, jumps to his death". Chilling. I like most of us have sadly gotten used to the torrid pace with which shock and awe crosses our collective family in this fast forward tabloid information super culture. We've grown numb and unfazed by even the most horrid of tragedies. Can you name a victim of Sandy Hook? Are you still Boston Strong? I'm ashamed to admit it but on most days I wouldn't even stop to read such a disturbing article but today something was different.
Maybe it was the pounding hangover or the aches and pains from two nights in a row of playing loud rock and roll music in distracted bars. Has all the Dr. Thompson and Bukowski of late given me opinionated dickhead muscles? Perhaps the mornings throughly engaging conversation with a trusted friend had put me in a very humanistic place. Whatever the reason, I stopped to read… Then i clicked the link.
I was greeted with an image of shell shocked police, fire and ambulance workers all baring an expression that seemed to shout "is this real? What ARE we?" As I prepared to read the article a pop up add attempting to sell me a new Toyota covered the text. I moved frantically to try and close out the distraction but alas it was not to be. No "X's", no page resizing, nothing would remove this gross consumerism. I sat and stared at that image for a good ten minutes trying to make out some of the text creeping out from behind the ad, then in a sudden burst of horror I had a thought. "What if I just click the damn thing?"
You can probably see where this is going, once I was on line to meet the car of my dreams the article was presented. I closed the page and started typing.
Its time to push back. If a place is set at the table for this kind of nonsense then there must be room for honest loving people to get A plate. I may still post art, stories and poetry in this space but from here on out it's whats on my mind, not in it that will occupy this space. My heart goes out to that child and even to his misguided father. This world is getting desperate, distant, cold and stale. We can do so much better. The time to start is now.
Its time to push back. If a place is set at the table for this kind of nonsense then there must be room for honest loving people to get A plate. I may still post art, stories and poetry in this space but from here on out it's whats on my mind, not in it that will occupy this space. My heart goes out to that child and even to his misguided father. This world is getting desperate, distant, cold and stale. We can do so much better. The time to start is now.
with blessings and love
danny axel
A year and a half later, this is just as poignant as it was then.. if not, even more so!
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