Ciaervo

37/M/Brooklyn

[ciaervo1]

He was a hedge-priest and wizard, not one of those who imbue men's minds with error by professing to teach their superstitions openly for money, but a hierophant of secret nocturnal mysteries.

- LIVY, The History of Rome, 39.8 (written c. 27-8 BC)

[ciaervo1]

“Do you know what it is that destroys virtue and where wisdom comes from? Virtue is destroyed by fame, and wisdom comes out of wrangling. Fame is something to beat people down with, and wisdom is a device for wrangling. Both are evil weapons—not the sort of thing to bring you success. Though your virtue may be great and your good faith unassailable, if you do not understand men’s spirits, though your fame may be wide and you do not strive with others, if you do not understand men’s minds but instead appear before a tyrant and force him to listen to sermons on benevolence and righteousness, measures and standards —this is simply using other men’s bad points to parade your own excellence. You will be called a plaguer of others. He who plagues others will be plagued in turn. You will probably be plagued by this man.

- Zhuangzi (Burton Watson translation) "In the World of Men"

[ciaervo1]

What way do I have of knowing that if I say I know something I don’t really not know it? Or what way do I have of knowing that if I say I don’t know something I don’t really in fact know it? ... The way I see it, the rules of benevolence and righteousness and the paths of right and wrong all are hopelessly snarled and jumbled. How could I know anything about such discriminations?”

- Zhuangzi (Burton Watson translation), Discussion On Making All Things Equal

[ciaervo1]

[ciaervo1]

The Psychological View: Attention is a scarce, fragile personal resource that must be budgeted to maintain sanity, prevent burnout, and protect individual well-being.

The Activist View: Attention is a collective political weapon. Diverting it away from the struggle and toward the self is a victory for the very systems of power they are trying to fight.

To them, solidarity means carrying a piece of that weight with you, even when you go home.

[ciaervo1]

[ciaervo1]

Giving up hope will set you free

[ciaervo1]

that squalid unctuous salamander slag

[ciaervo1]

Evening walk

[ciaervo1]

TOXIC

JUNGLE

[ciaervo1]

shyster(n.)

"unscrupulous lawyer," 1843, U.S. slang, probably altered from German Scheisser "incompetent worthless person," from Scheisse "shit" (n.), from Old High German skizzan "to defecate" (see shit (v.)).

- Online Etymology Dictionary

[ciaervo1]

[ciaervo1]

a man of our tribe came back from America and took ground as large as four city blocks and made a paradise of it.... The man had gone away from our village a poor boy. Now he returned with unlimited wealth, which he had obtained in the country of the American wizards. After many amazing adventures he had become a merchant in a city called Mott Street, so it was said. When his palace and grounds were completed he gave a dinner to all the people who assembled to be his guests. One hundred pigs roasted whole were served on the tables, with chickens, ducks, geese and such an abundance of dainties that our villagers even now lick their fingers when they think of it. He had the best actors from Hong Kong performing, and every musician for miles around was playing and singing.... Having made his wealth among the bar- barians this man had faithfully returned to pour it out among his tribesmen, and he is living in our village now very happy, and a pillar of strength to the poor. The wealth of this man filled my mind with the idea that I, too, would like to go to the country of the wizards and gain some of their wealth.

Excerpt from the historical account titled "A Chinese Immigrant Tells of Labor in a New Land" by Lee Chew, originally published in 1902.

Copied from Five Points by Taylor Anbinder.

[ciaervo1]

[ciaervo1]

To have such a remarkable sample dropped in one's lap is a definitely white way of knowing

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[ciaervo1]

This is how I feel when I drink wine and gin