"Stop Philosophizing!"

[Tomer Ravid]

Today at school I had a couple of "gap" hours, yet I could not have gotten back home (as such is that when one senses authoritative but discovers that he is the lowest rung of education), and there was no library open to me to write some stuff on the PC, so that I decided to finish with a book I had in mind.

I was looking for a silent place, it was---the hashish den.

In a few minutes arrived at there some children from the 11th and 12th echelon, and sort of asked me for smoking permission. "No problem," I answered.

They did not seem to be the weakest students at school---on the contrary, they were talking about the number of points of which math Bag root certificate they are going to spend, whereas most of the children from MY class have not heard of the term "Marxism."

They handled some deep considerations on necessary subjects such as shoddy-populist politics (thinking that each of these people are not merely to vote in election---but rather they are conformist as well---a definite majority, clothes and also how much is eastern (not only ethnically, but also culturally) is "as talented as a hobgoblin" (such a musical genius, a romantic hero, something unbelievable). Oh, yeah, and lots of curses.

There was a little shrieking criminal who regarded herself "Marxist" and "anarchist" (pay attention, it turns out that it is not talked about a contradiction, only a paradox: these are two sides of a same coin), and yelled at anything, "fascism," "fascism" as if she were a robot, trying to seem individualistic, nevertheless being controlled at a distance by dark movements that unfortunately do not hold any clear philosophical system or definition hierarchy.

Observe that fascism is an ideology derived from the left wing-socialist side of the map, from the altruism and from the big government comprehension.

Notice how much government control in individual living ("fascism") will exist if she will manage to be chosen (she was actually talking about founding a party), and to finally cause "equality" as in North Korea or Soviet Russia.

But this fact is "forgivable," since it doesn't seem like she had performed any mental process of integration and identification before claiming her "arguments".

She sang . . . Not precisely a composition, it was more like an anarchistic jingle, which consisted of the line: "You cop---fuck off". Translation: stop defending individual rights which you truly are so we can make a revolution here and enslave everyone to the savage.

She had smokes her Camel until becoming a lump of ash, called her ("rightist") semi-boy friend a fascist and kissed him. Through emptiness she descended upon her student-bag and stayed there for more or less half an hour. (Such a character from a novel by Ayn Rand!)

While trying to read and then think, I consider, kids that age don't have to develop an entire closed philosophical system, but they do have to show some appraisal for logical thinking, successfully putting on written arguments, scientific or economical success and even for artistic achievements---they do have to show some appraisal for VALUES---I wonder how can anything grow out of this valuelessness---naturelessness---selflessness---mindlessness, out of nothing.

And then there performed an introduction between two girls who were ex-students in my previous school with a little better population---not something brilliant, but as well not coming from a bad place---that describe their personality briefly by using the fact they "smoke and drink a whole lot."

I am considering myself---what makes the distinction between me and them---what had made me not create an interaction with any man as an axiomatic instinct, just for entertainment's sake, and when asked why not answer "Stop philosophizing"---certainly it the norm over here, people whose parents earn more than my own do that.

And then, being asked whether philosophy interests me---I got it, a light bulb (of my own mind) was turned on---it is philosophy that had protected me all my life---it is philosophy that had gotten me out of an eternal cynicism and kept me lone as required---and if somebody think like me, and be educated my way at the right age, before he becomes a zombie---he shall be saved for the rest of his life.

When I am returning home hearing Rachmaninov on my iPod---he puts this all in shout---I ain't weak, I will survive public education.

Oh, will it be interesting to observe some relatives being swallowed by such horrible a society!

Edited March 29, 2011 by Tomer Ravid