Morning Comrades.
I trust you all, at the very least, tried to have a good bank holiday this Easter.
This weeks schedule in regards to this newsletter is going to be a little different for the primary reason that it is my birthday today. With that, you’ll get this one today and another on Friday, everyone will. There is a few free goodies at the bottom of this email for anyone interested.
Usually, I am big on birthdays and have never seen a reason to down-play them. On the contrary, another year around the sun essentially means you’ve managed to stick around for another year despite all the odds and fuckening the “man” sent your way. I am not alone in being able to list a massive list of shit the man has sent to us all individually and collectively this year. This year, however, slaps a little differently, admittedly.
I don’t really have much motivation to find out why nor to elaborate on the potential reasons but that in itself is an interesting, personal, observation. In a nutshell, I am finally growing “up”, or a version of it to be sure. I am certainly not talking about growing into a version that the bourgeois system equates with adulthood: meaningless material goods, responsibilities that cater to no one other than the unpaid, reproductive cycle of weight that serves no one other than the capitalists accumulation of capital or anything of the sort. Rather, a certain feeling of eudaimonia.
Eudarmonia is Ancient Greek and the central goal of all systems of ancient ethics; according to Aristotle, the ‘best, noblest, and most pleasant thing in the world’. . Aristotle conceives of it as the active exercise of the powers of the (virtuous) soul in conformity to reason. Eudaimonia is usually translated as happiness or well-being, but it has some of the same connotations as ‘success’, since in addition to living well it includes doing well. For example, it can be diminished by events that happen after the subject's death, and it is not a state that children can possess. It is complete and self-sufficient, to be attained for no other end than itself, so it includes all other ends that are pursued for themselves. It therefore includes pleasure, but goes beyond it. More plainly, Aristotle discusses the concept of eudaimonia, which refers to a state of flourishing or well-being. He argues that eudaimonia is the ultimate goal of human life, and that it can be achieved through virtuous living. Aristotle believed that aging can be a positive force in promoting eudaimonia, as it allows individuals to accumulate wisdom and experience.
So much for the academic side of this vibe. Years ago I came across the poet Nayyirah Waheed, who, in her seemingly undiminished wisdom wrote these lines:
be easy. take your time. you are coming home. to yourself.
I have used this idea over the last ten years often and here comes the most important realization about both of the above points: Every time I have felt that I was “home” or “at peace” further personal growth, often painful, was on the unseen horizon, subsequently experienced and often followed by a period of uncertainty, learning, humbling realizations and then some more. The same applies today.
With the age that I am at I am told, wisdom, or approaching wisdom is expected and the point of wisdom is sharing it. Considering that we are species that is unable to offer lessons in genetic growth, and every generation having to do learn from the seemingly mistakes over and over again, I both feel like sharing whatever wisdom I have gained at this point is both valuable and irrelevant.
Irrelevant, because, the material conditions of each life lived, each generation, is different to mine and dialectical materialism teaches us precisely this. Whilst over-riding principles remain true irrespective of the person experiencing them, the human experience remains, wholly individual. Whether that is a beneficial trait of our species remains to be seen but it is what it is.
Equally, I genuinely do not feel “qualified” in any shape or form to offer wisdom, guidance or any smart words. Despite all the bourgeouise achievements I have managed despite all the odds, at the core, I remain a semi-self destructive white trash peasant with an education. Or as Idles put it so aptly:
I am my father's son
His shadow weighs a tonne
However, there are a few realizations at this point in my life that I would like share for those that need and want to hear them, which most definitely include myself.
Life is brutal, be kind to your fellow working class comrades in the face of their violence.
Non transactional, honest, aid is what is going to win us the revolution in the long run.
Learn to be kind to yourself and take your time doing so.
Irrespective of Nayyirah Waheed’s words I am beginning to understand that there is no final version of yourself to arrive at. Granted, life is finite, and thus, ultimately, there is a final version of yourself, but the point of it, is this: I have lived a plethora of lives and identities and none have felt as real and comfortable as this one. What I am certain of is this, however, it will not be the last. Life keeps moving and so will you and I. Most importantly is not only this piece of awareness, the inherent kindness that comes with it, but the subsequent, logical, service to others whilst being on this journey.
That’s truly it. Birthdays come and go, I’ve had my fair share of them and I am thankful for the privilege of experiencing yet another one. I laugh at the obstacles thrown in my way previously and those to come, because, we have one another.
Workers, Comrades, Friends and Lovers of the World, Unite! You have nothing to loose but your chains and a world to win.
Thanks for allowing this person to have a room in your life. It means a lot.
Here is a playlist of recent tunes that made me happy. New & old tunes, all genres and no fucks given. Enjoy.
Lastly, here is a beautiful piece of wisdom by Bukowski, as read by Tom Waits.
Yours, warmly,
Steven
feliz aniversário Steven! keep rocking!!! <3