Ok I clearly have to update. I'm not sure why I neglected this site for so long. Holidays are too busy to do anything else it seems. Or at least that's the excuse.
I went to Paris over the holidays, actually. See below.![]()
See? Told ya.
I like traveling for a few reasons:
1. The world won't be very different for very long. Soon anywhere one goes they will be assaulted with McDonalds', Starbucks, Subways and the like. I was in Paris in 1997 and the gap of cultural differences between France and the US was MUCH wider then. Less people spoke English, there were certainly not any chains, and I was utterly perplexed by the "toilets' they used then (which could be described as a hole in the floor and little else). In every way France is now more like the US. Even if it's by inches. I don't think that's a good thing.
2. In looking at the history of another country or culture I'm always interested in seeing how people decided to conduct themselves. In other words, none of us have any idea why we're here or what the fuck is going on. And the most we've figured out is that we have to conduct ourself in some way in order for us all to get along. Living in the United States, a very young culture, one forgets that for a long time in our human existence most people agreed that a man in the sky decided everything. And that a king (or pope) was appointed by that man in the sky and whatever he said was right. And so that king (or pope) takes all the money and sits in a place surrounded by gold and all the people look and say "Isn't he great!?"
Human beings in some ways are not very impressive at all. I like that.
Sorry to be away for so long. I'll be better. Hope everyone had a great holiday.
I went to Paris over the holidays, actually. See below.
See? Told ya.
I like traveling for a few reasons:
1. The world won't be very different for very long. Soon anywhere one goes they will be assaulted with McDonalds', Starbucks, Subways and the like. I was in Paris in 1997 and the gap of cultural differences between France and the US was MUCH wider then. Less people spoke English, there were certainly not any chains, and I was utterly perplexed by the "toilets' they used then (which could be described as a hole in the floor and little else). In every way France is now more like the US. Even if it's by inches. I don't think that's a good thing.
2. In looking at the history of another country or culture I'm always interested in seeing how people decided to conduct themselves. In other words, none of us have any idea why we're here or what the fuck is going on. And the most we've figured out is that we have to conduct ourself in some way in order for us all to get along. Living in the United States, a very young culture, one forgets that for a long time in our human existence most people agreed that a man in the sky decided everything. And that a king (or pope) was appointed by that man in the sky and whatever he said was right. And so that king (or pope) takes all the money and sits in a place surrounded by gold and all the people look and say "Isn't he great!?"
Human beings in some ways are not very impressive at all. I like that.
Sorry to be away for so long. I'll be better. Hope everyone had a great holiday.
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hanke:
he came to my country last year, so we wait for him at the airport
hanke:
