Epistles from the New Fade

those who see what few others do
are called visionaries

and those who are able to define
what is really going on

are usually not to be believed
especially by those they contradict

the New Fade is peculiar
in that it suggests

a time in which notions change
at both an alarming rate

and at a glacial pace
so that it's difficult to know

what's really going on,
even though it seems

everyone is commenting
on everything all the time

in every era
there are those

who seem to grasp
what's really going on

and for future generations
they leave notes behind

those readers are left
with the odd sensation

and knowledge that what they read
with such prescience then

was not generally understood
at the time

and so these little time-bombs
are curious anachronisms indeed

in whatever time
they exist

Edifying the New Fade

sometimes talking about something
even if no one else understands
any better after you're done
is the reward itself

Significant Gain vs. Insignificant Cost in the New Fade

when making decisions many people decide
with the method of pros and cons to hide
their inability to separate
the difference from what they hate
with what they'd rather want

this i believe to be less productive
than if they're willing to give
a more reasoned analysis
and by that I mean this
to be what they ought to want

the game I propose instead
leaves things squarely in their head,
an ability to weigh significant gain
against insignificant cost, so to train
yourself in what you really want

gain is simply what the pros suggest
rather than what cost takes at best,
so that rather than a negative
you discover what the choice will give
and you get what you really want

The Metaphysics of Value in the New Fade

the Metaphysics of Quality are a matter of Zen,
but the Metaphysics of Value are a matter
of discovering long-term worth in something,
so that it isn't a subjective judgment
but an objective one anyone discerning enough
will see

in the New Fade, the Metaphysics of Value
are a tricky thing, because although many people
are engaged in determining what exactly Value is,
there are a great deal more people only
pretending to

Value can be corrupted as a shadow of itself
but then, it isn't really Value
and it certainly doesn't have Quality
(okay, perhaps the veneer of it)

if you think about something long enough
and discover flaws you cannot ignore
then its Value is too far diminished

and that's the point
I'm trying to make

about the Metaphysics of Value

Mountains in the New Fade

mountains in the New Fade
are not what they used to be

they are what they always were
but they aren't what they used to be

they still look the same
act the same
and function the same

but now there are roads
that can be driven

and so they are not the same challenge

it's strange to know this, because for many
long years they were such a huge challenge

and now they are something anyone with a car
can surmount in a few hours

yes, there are still people making a challenge
to climb them but there are no real records left

unless you're crazy

yes, even mountains are different
in the New Fade

they are still nature's best view
with the best perspective

but they have changed
and they are still the same

it's people who are different,
armed with new abilities

and new responsibility

let's see what that ends up meaning

The Mask of Agamemnon in the New Fade

it used to be that the mark of ill-breeding
shown worst on the privileged
and yet in the New Fade
the effects are multiplied the more creeping
power is bestowed on the rest of wretched mankind

this is how all are touched by the ability of
everyday tyrants to be unmoved by reason,
a sense of entitlement that sticks in the cog
of civilization, ensnaring all in a vast web
of pettiness and greed

how then to be captains of our own souls,
masters of our own destinies
when it is the business of the average individual
to look after themselves in an active
suppression of others?

it is insidious, the way this mundane evil works,
thrusting the knife of iniquity with a smile
and words of encouragement,
giving lip service to possibility
while trampling the very ground,
stomping out the tentative buds of freedom
even as they've taken centuries to grow

it is a mask we are all forced to endure;
beneath it a tortured grimace might be seen
by anyone bold enough to look

The Adventures of Jerry Springer in the New Fade!

hey
you all
everybody!

it's not intelligent to be amused by
individuals who can't understand themselves
being interviewed by a guy who pretends
that he can make perfect clarity
all while supporting this behavior
as long as he can make
sensational television off of it

and it's not as if i'm just talking
about Jerry Springer
but all those people who live their lives
using the same precepts, those who
support patterns that only repeat
themselves and benefit no one
just because it's what they know
and what makes it easy to go
about their daily lives

what you learned from your parents
even if you will admit you didn't like it then
but are yourself doing now
is harmful and needs to be corrected
not by some totalitarian regime
or dictator interested in chopping people to bit
to amuse himself and ensure his rule
but so that real reform of the human condition
can be undertaken

it's a little absurd that we've allowed ourselves
to grow more feral the more technological
and global progress we've made,
ignoring all good sense while shrinking inward
and pretending that one life does not affect another
if you don't know each other's names
without being told so in that collision

it's like infinite rubbernecking at an accident
on a freeway, backing up traffic on the other side
where nothing is blocking the road except
perverted looks and diverted minds
incapable of seeing what's in front of them
because they're too busy looking elsewhere

Chop Off Your Arm to Save Money in the New Fade!

the concept of money becomes increasingly
hilarious when people cannot understand
the very basics of it, of economics,
so that they are willing to seek out
"the best deals" at the expense of
the continuing viability of what they
are currently supporting

sure, they get
what they want
right now,
and maybe they don't care
that they won't have that
tomorrow,
but I think there's some value
in actually understanding
what you're doing

maybe that makes me crazy

Negotiations of the New Fade

or, how to cripple yourself
by saving money!

The Problem with Associations in the New Fade

or, making decisions
the hard way,
rather than with
facts

Inheriting Bad Traits in the New Fade

or, learning bad instincts
that prevent you from trusting
a good thing

Turning a "Zero" into an "O" in the New Fade

or, how to complicate simple things
by imposing disorder on order
and assuming things
by not reading and listening!

Turning an "O" into a "Zero" in the New Fade

maybe it's easy and it makes sense
but substituting one thing for another
that it actually is not and only
obscures what it is
should best be avoided

The Universal in the New Fade

with so many different ways to tell ourselves apart in the New Fade
it can sometimes be difficult to remember that some things
we all share:

eating
sleeping
drinking
blinking
shitting
peeing
dreaming
hoping
laughing
crying

and these are only some of them
but hopefully you'll agree
that these already form
a solid common ground

so maybe we can stop emphasizing all the differences
and try to focus on the similarities and where
they might intersect

everyone's guilty in the New Fade;
don't think of the road back
as charity so much as compassion

you want to be heard and loved and understood
just like everyone else

even the curmudgeons

The Gulf Between Logic and Intelligence in the New Fade

logic is cultural awareness,
the ability to understand the world
through the interpretation of human experience

intelligence is cultural assimilation,
the ability to use interpretation
of human experience

you don't really appreciate the gulf
between these two basic traits
of the human mind until you
see just how widely they can diverge

no, it's not a battle of nature versus nurture,
because in the end both are irrelevant;
it's knowing what to do, having the interest
to use what you've learned
regardless of where you learned it
because you can either
make it really easy on yourself and others
or make it extremely difficult

that's where intelligence heads into
the territory of logic

Dog Tribes of the New Fade

with so much stimulation available in the New Fade
there's a wicked temptation to react much the way a dog does,
with much enthusiasm but without really thinking about
what exactly you're doing or way, a happy slave to sensation

i'm not saying that there's anything particularly wrong about this
or that dogs should be judged negatively for this behavior,
because they are among the most charming creatures in the world
and that's exactly why they make such good companions

but people aren't dog
and maybe it's time
we try and learn that
over again
and try being people again
so that we can have a little
restraint

yes, it's great to be excited and to express that excitement
but to stop and think about it is not such a bad thing,
to consider things rationally instead of jumping forward
with too little critical thought given to the situation

people are capable of moderating themselves
and don't need to follow base instinct, much less the rest
of the pack, and yet that's exactly, in small pockets,
the behavior that the New Fade breeds

in bizarre and amusing ways;
that's all i'm saying;
please don't be
offended; it's
fascinating
anthropologically,
and that's good, too!

Leaders of the New Fade

leaders of the New Fade tend to believe their own hype
rather than accept with humility that they owe
to those below them exactly what they were promoted to do

they don't lead so much as steer a course that doesn't work
just because that's what everyone else at that level is doing
and they do it in private "and for the good of those below them"

leaders in the New Fade are in the unique position to recognize
that this isn't working and that they can help champion
a better way, the way all history has been suggesting

but what do i know?

Stray Dogs of the New Fade

they stop and ask you to talk
and they'll want to let you know
what you're doing wrong
according to policy
and if you try and provide
feedback they'll say there are
effective channels for that
just not right here and now
but don't feel discouraged
because seriously
there really are channels
that will address your concerns
but in the meantime keep doing
what obviously isn't working
because it works for other people
so even if it isn't working for you
and it's hurting the company
and the customers it doesn't matter
because that's how it done
no matter how frustrating it is
and how bad it makes you
and the company
and the customers look

so yeah, that's all we needed to talk about
here in the New Fade

Experiencing the New Fade

walk down any street
and you may be able to notice
more about the New Fade
than anything i can write for you

when i say, "walk down the street,"
i also mean to imply that you shouldn't
just walk, although in this day and age,
walking is almost an extreme sport,
because many people will hop
into their car just to get down the street

those people who walk may actually
already do this, take in what they
experience while they're doing it,
not just paying attention
so they won't run into something

(that may be something you should be
doing, drivers, just so you know)

have a look around
look at the houses their
interiors and exteriors
how people trim them
in their many different ways
and what that says about them

stop to look at the
squirrels rabbits birds ants

listen to the world around you

try and experience life
that happens rather than revolves
around you

and you might then understand
the New Fade

give it a shot

Roving in the New Fade

in every era there's the sense
that very little real progress
is being made
but the truth is, even in the New Fade,
that progress is the rule

otherwise there's be no point
in knowing anything has happened

those who know history
are doomed to learn from it
whether they like it or not

Cherry Blossoms of the New Fade

cherry blossoms appeared
and they were breathtaking,
they became an institution;
in the New Fade they still appear

Volume in the New Fade

some things that are quiet in one context
are loud in another

The Act of the Rising in the New Fade

the ability to be true to yourself
in the New Fade is a double-edged sword

many people tend to interpret this
in selfish ways that reflect their decision
to remain in a static version
of themselves, or versions of
other people they have known

for the true individual,
it is instead a challenge
to embrace the best version
of yourself and the ability
to challenge the concept
of reality championed
by others

those capable of this are
the best possible representatives
of the New Fade, not reflections
but proponents of change
that will benefit all
when it is all over
and we all
move on

to a better age

Christianity in the New Fade

i sometimes wonders where all the Christians are

in history a lot of them were bogus opportunists
and today it seems they're all poor or rich
and everyone's bumming off the holidays
for everything but what they're meant to celebrate
which i guess is fine because some of those
did the same thing, too

but where's all the understanding of what Christians
are supposed to emulate and ruminate?

where's the awareness that there were great things
reported in the stories, great things we're supposed
to comprehend?

where's the Golden Rule?

everyone, even the Christians, are looking out
for themselves

no, not all of them,
some of them are tortured by the pain
of it all, know what I'm talking about

but most of them don't
and they'll all be there tomorrow
in their "Sunday best"

while we all wait
for things to get better
or hope that there's justice
in the hereafter
in the here and now
there's every chance
to do what's right
rather than what's easy

there also seems to be a myth
that everything's fine
just if you pretend
but at the heart of all this
is the understanding that
human nature is at the heart of the riddle

now, think about that
as you prepare to gather your eggs

maybe let some of them hatch

Technological Disparity in the New Fade

the rush to innovate in the phone industry
has left a curious phenomenon in its wake,
and that's that most people are using phones
that have horrible reception
and i find that to be ironic
and worth noting for posterity,
that the New Fade can feature
so marked a contrast in one
of its signal technologies

Dogs of the New Fade

dogs are the same as they've always been

but isn't it time that we start treating them
with a little more dignity?

if they're part of the family,
then they shouldn't be raised
to be guardians, so untrustworthy

unless that's our true reflection
of the New Fade

Faith in the New Fade

faith has been categorically discredited
in the New Fade, something fanatics
believe in, but to scoffed at as the remnant
of earlier times, corrupted in its essence
and hardly to be trusted

that's a damn shame, because
there are a lot of good things
about faith, something
to believe in not just
for the sake of tradition
and a basic understanding
of culture and history, but rather
as something that attempts to look
beyond the mundane and peak
behind the veil of reality
to something bigger than yourself,
not science which merely
categorizes things but rather
mysteries that perhaps
earlier generations have
clarified in some way
you may not have considered
in your personal experiences

so maybe it's time
for faith
to make a comeback

no longer to be shunned
but shared

it's worth considering

Plague of the New Fade

the plague of the New Fade
is a little different from
the plagues of other eras

the plague of the New Fade
affects more people
since there are more people
to be affected

the plague of the New Fade
is one of silence
which is ironic
because silence
is the opposite of the theme
of the New Fade

everyone wants to be heard
in the New Fade
and the consequence
is that fewer people
are heard in the New Fade
because everyone believes
they have something to say
even when they don't

so that anyone who actually has
something to say has too much
competition, and so the plague
of the New Fade is that things
worth saying are less likely
to be heard

and even if someone hears
things worth saying, fewer
people are hearing it
than ever before

this is a plague because
this is detrimental
to everyone, and everyone
should be talking about it
but they aren't because
they are talking too much trivia
without merit

and so that leaves us with a plague
in the New Fade that eradicates
just as surely as any other time's
plague the potential for progress

so it's two steps back
with every word that's shared

wanna tweet that?

Fringe of the New Fade

those on the outskirts
are the outsiders looking in
and so therefore we should
trust their judgment as being
perhaps more objective
than ours, even if eccentric

for it is
groundbreaking
revolutionary
frightening

and makes us see double,
once for the way things are
and again as they could be
with just a few small changes

those champions of the New Fade
are those who are willing to
embrace this fringe element,
not reject it, for in the challenge
of these individuals
we see your face tomorrow