What would William Shakespeare Do?

In the 1500's, skulls lined the London Bridge. Social unrest (a power struggle if you will) ensued between religion and the state. (or two different belief systems as the reigning queen at the time was Protestant.)  William Shakespeare heeded the warning by those skulls.  He kept his inner-most thoughts to himself.  He couched his political views which enabled him to not only hide his face, but also his beliefs.  There is no direct access to his thoughts on politics, religion, or the Renaissance art.  His choice books to read were never stamped with his name and no personal letters he wrote remain.  He learned hard lessons for one who wanted to be seen and heard by the world. Conspiracies, assassinations and invasions spread.  Danger lurked everywhere and the need for discretion, concealment and fiction impacted his imagination.

MacBeth states about his enemies closing in around him, "They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly.  But bear-like I must fight the course."

Why does society favor the brutal and nasty?  Why do humans love cruel spectacle?  Have we lost our capacity for love, caring, gentleness, and sensitivity to others' pain?  On the streets of London were whipping poles, pillories, and stocks.  People threw tomatoes and rotten food at those in the stocks.  Society paid to see entertainments that mirrored the constant torments of public displays.

Bear-like, Dave and I fight the cause.  Unrealistic, untrue sentiments crossed our path.  The torture of daily humiliation and shame sit at our front door.  Innocent until proven guilty--or so they say... Corporate America favors bully tactics, and society heeds its rules.  Society - with all its norms, mores, and devious acceptable behaviors (greed and best your fellow man to climb to the top of the corporate ladder) strips the individual of our free will.  Corporate America stifles individuality, creativity and imagination...the very things that keep us humans and not humanoids.  Group think is honored and the wildest ideas are ridiculed. Individual ruggedness is subdued into mediocrity and corporate think squashes all human vulnerability and real communication.

The individuals' passions and ingenuity have been tampered with to the point where logic and desire for social inclusion is more important than life itself.  One must have the same "stuff" as everyone else or better than them. (Who is them?)  This cycle perpetuates itself.

In Will's time, the only art being created were portraits of rich Catholic patrons...two very dangerous combinations of client. (Those opposed to the Queen).  Corporations today mostly purchase abstract art that holds no meaning for the viewer, therefore leaving the patron as empty as when they entered the building.

The meaning of art is to arouse a emotion within the observer.  Corporations purchase mostly abstracts and designs that hold no meaning or emotional content for the viewer. (There is no psychic connection being made.)  Computers, cell phones and multi-media used today also inhibit true relationships to be formed.  Communication is stifled and stymied by short cut spelling where words can be misunderstood.  Anger, frustration and violence prevail as humiliation upon humiliation dominates the home-front and shame rules the psyche.

We were in Rockland courthouse this morning observing the undertakings of the judicial system.  The process for today's proceedings were arraignments - where the person says whether they are innocent or guilty. The next step in the process is a trial date being Oct. 31.

People were there for many mishaps.  The one that struck me was the young mother who stole baby-food. What is the matter with society when a person has no one to help them out with these types of problems?  What happened to the community that a church used to contain?  What is the matter with the state?  Was stealing the lesser of two evils for this poor woman?  Face a fine and pay restitution at a later date, or be called in for neglect by DHS for not feeding her child...desperate times call for desperate measures.  We have to start living by our hearts again.  It's within our consciousness to be able to tell right from wrong, and putting this woman in that situation is wrong of society!

Some people think that being a "nomadic American" is absurd.  We live for the absurd, and we miss it.  Society is afraid of what they don't understand. They don't understand the concept of it.  However, most people we spoke with like and even want to participate in our new way of living and traveling. Even the word camping summons happy memories for them.  We all crave times that were simple.  We crave being different when being different was normal or at least an okay way to be.  Society seems to frown on crackpot thinking- however it seems at many times throughout history ( including now) that this type of thinking and its resulting ingenuity is just what we need.

Seek the unpredictable.
The Happy Campers,
Jill and Dave