Tuesday, September 21, 2004

It's PEEOOOOPLLLLEEEEEEE

I've heard this saying soooo many times and I'm trying to wrap my head around it tonight.

The Human Condition!

My god!! What the hell is that? Is it contageous??

Can you imagine what this SOUNDS like?

This all comes about because of one small incident at work.

I'm standing around the water cooler chatting with my colleague when just then Bob walks by

I say "Hi Bob! How's it goin'?" I'm in a good mood so I suspect the tone of my voice is friendly if not positively chipper!

Bob replies "Shitty thanks Kwerkie. But why the hell do you care?"

After shooting Bob a confused, hurt and mildly annoyed face (oh yes, it can be done...I"ve mastered it. I could teach you...but I'd have to charge) [gratuitous reference to a particularly stupid Hip Hop song by one of our very own Canadian songstresses...and Iam using that term as loosely as one would call Celine Dion a songstress] Anyway....after the look given to Bob's back I say "Geez - What's wrong with Bob today?"

Then my colleague (oh turst me...she'll remain nameless the ENTIRE single file...only to be referred to as "my colleague" or "MC" so as not to give her too much credit) Ahem....yes.. MC replies "Bob's suffering from the Human Condition".

Does she think before she speaks?? Human Condition?!!?? My god....break out the Sars Masks!!! Don't sneeze....don't breath in around Bob...I might catch it too!!!

Still....MC brought up a valid point. When is waking up on the wrong side of the bed different from suffering from the daily crapohlah that is some peoples lives??

So I began to think about the words Human Condition. I said them slowly. I said them thoughtfully. I said them in my head. I said them out loud. I still had no idea what the fuck that was supposed to mean.

Then I got a Klever Kwerkie idea. I'll look it up in the dictionary.

Do you know that those two words don't appear together in a dictionary? Human is under H of course. Condition likewise under it's letter C. But no Human Condition together.

Ok...the dictionary is not the place for this sort of musing. How about Gray's Anatomy? Is the Human Condition somehow linked to our bodies...specifically because we are human? Nope. Not there either.

I don't have a full on library at my disposal....let alone a medical library of any form (I'm going to encompas Biology and Psychology all in one blanket term "medical" here for the purpose of this rant.)

Ok...next step is LOGICALY the Internet.

Here are Googles Top 3 listings for "The Human Condition"

1) Godel's Proof and the Human Condition - The Basic Essays.

I'm not going to bore you with the details...if you want to find it you can. Needless to say I read the first page and despite the author's warning that it is "difficult reading", I ploughed through. Yes - difficult reading. No - wasn't happy there. One thing struck me as funny though and I"m happy to paste this quote for you to ponder. (I initially typed poonder - I believe this Freudian slip to be due to the fact that I think he's writting is shit.)

The author notes that 'sophisticated people everywhere opine their concern for the human condition'. The spoken or written word today, consequently, clearly identifies massive, ignorant opinion beating the shit out of intelligent, informed concern.

2) Institute on Globalization and The Human Condition
There is a fucking Institution on this subject!!! At McMasters University....a well known and respected University. Who'd have thunk it??!!! (Clearly many people in order for there to be an "institution" - and i"m not going to define every word for you people....look up instituion in the dictionary....I did-when I was about 8yrs old)

3)The Human Condition is actually a BOOK., Written by Hannah Arendt.
You can buy this from Amazon.com for a mere $13.00 USD before shipping and handling. I can't gather anything about the book...but Amazon kindly informs me that if I read this book...I would also enjoy such novels as "Eichmann in Jerusalem - A Report on the Banality of Evil" by the same author.
Wow....a report on the Banality of Evil. I always wanted to read a report on Evil...Banal or Otherwiese.

4)The Human Condition Records and Chamber Studio
This is based out of Edinburgh and is 13 years old....producing a range of independent music from sonic, to funk to electric pastoral (is that hyped up vespers??)
This one was my favourtie...for obvious reasons. If you don't find the reasons obvious...well...you know what they say. Hind sight is 20/20....that's why I wear glasses.

So there we have it. A whole lot of puffing around but very little substance (Human Condition Records being the exception as anything creating music must be good).


And KUDOS to you who spotted the Monty-Python ala -Spanish Inquistion blunder I made. Our top 2 no 3 chief weapons are....wait,...I'll come in again.


Do you want to know what I think?? Of COURSE you do or you wouldn't be reading this. Here's what I think (and thinking is so important).

The Human Condition is the struggle within ourselves to reconcile what we are ACTUALLY thinking/feeling vs what we THINK others want us to think/feel vs what we FEAR others my be thinking/feeling that we think/feel. This is the kind of circular logic that Lisa Simpson would be proud of.

It's not particularly late..but I am going to end this. I can see additions to this at a later date. Keep you eyes peeled for more insights.

Loads of love
Kwerkie





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