I am finally back on my bike and my ass pain has subsided. Ah, glorious sleep! As Nietzsche said once, “Sleep must be very, very important - we have to stay awake all day, in order to do it.”
But during my time healing, I watched a helluva lot of Werner Herzog documentaries. Food for the soul. Google says he has done 41 films but I have 45 on my hard drive. I will do a write up soon - highly recommend if you are starting out, some early works of Herzog, perhaps The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner. About ski flying. There are some crazy, strange Swiss out there.
But back to the topic at hand. False prophets. In the above scene from a Herzog documentary about penguins, Herzog contemplates why some penguins turn away from the community and disoriented, deranged, head out into the yonder.
“I opened my heart to the world and the world came in.”
Bob Dylan, still putting out music. His latest song 80 years young. False Prophets.
My own take on “why” isn’t a romantic one. The obvious one. That the penguin is just a misunderstood genius, not meant for the crowd. That the penguin is following the beat of his own drummer (thank you Thoreau) etc … No.
I think it is a rare case of mass psychosis. Rare in animals like penguins but in our more modern, homo sapien sapien, information laden world, much more common. You can now make people do anything - it’s pretty simple actually. This penguin is just following some false prophet, calling out to him.
So after watching, I just tapped out this semi-poem, my own argument. Maybe you have your own take? Why did this penguin just turn away and walk towards the interior of Antarctica?
False Prophets
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
First, they’ll be all smiles
telling you what to do and
how to change your life around.
Fear of this. 100% hope of that.
5 step plans. Edicts. Declarations.
YouTube videos. Amazon bestsellers.
Free webinars. Stump speeches.
Next, having got your
much divided attention they’ll
tell you what you can’t do.
No beer after 6 pm.
No red meat. No laughter unannounced.
No hanging out with whoever.
God forbid, don’t read poetry.
No buying this or believing that.
No blazers, no long hair.
You’ll start to feel happy.
Like there is a solution
somewhere out there.
Like you belong.
Soon thereafter,
you’ll be asked for money
or your time and effort
(which is money).
It’s a test they say.
It’ll pay off
down the road.
You pay up,
each and every ask.
It’s a badge of honor.
It’s what good people do.
After all,
they are like family.
Maybe even more important
than your family which is always
such a pain in the ass.
Finally,
they’ll come with a knock on your door
asking for your soul.
And you’ll be ready
because
you left the door wide open.
You thought that breeze was
just fresh air, didn’t ya?
False Prophets