Large Fierce Mammal

“Our Dark Sentiment du jour presents a documentary film from the National Film Board of Canada. Made in 1990, The Burning Times was directed by Donna Read and was part two in a trilogy on women and spirituality. The Burning Times has been criticized as feminist revisionist history and I can see a reasonable argument in support of that in some parts. Still others, particularly the end segment, caused near painful eye rolling. For the most of it though, and taking into account its message, this film is a worthy document.” ~ Dark Sentiments – Day 15

We’ve been here before, seven years and two days ago on the fifteenth day of the first season of this series. Since then, much has happened in the world we know today that, as if we needed it, more than amply supports my observations made back then — observations that don’t so much brand me a brilliant observer as it does a stater of obviosities.

“Twenty-first century human culture worldwide still tolerates murder, torture, and eradication of entire cultures on religious grounds. Before, after, or entwined with all that, we have that covetous constant called greed. No matter the driving force behind it, we’ve proven ourselves to have a tendency to accept attack on dissent, or even attack on those daring to be different from what is graciously granted the definition of ‘normal’, based on the premise that such deviations represent the thin edge of the wedge for the entrance of evil into the world. This is done by forcefully equating the dissent with specific alternate agendas that are defined as evil in the extreme, thereby creating an ‘us or them’ framework of the power monger’s devising. The alternate agendas always turn out to be little more than being contrary to the interests of people of means who have an agenda of their own, a big part of which normally includes maintaining those means at the expense of people they want to keep under their heel.” ~ Dark Sentiments — Day 15

Everyone thinks they understand the word “ignorance”, but there are many uses for it depending on how much time you’ve spent, or want to spend, understanding and, of paramount importance, avoiding it. Sadly, in the county where I grew up and still live, it often means little more than “rude”. As in, “Why did you have to be so ignorant to him?” Irony there, and no mistake.

No, the worst kind of ignorance comes out of an absolute inability to learn and understand new information on a subject because your way of living in the world has rendered you deaf and blind to it. Quite simply, you can’t understand what you don’t know exists. To quote Musashi as I’ve done oft before and will again,

“If you know something, you know something. If you do not know something, it does not exist in your world.” ~ Musashi, What You Don’t Know

In his comment on yesterday’s Dark Sentiment, my Esteemed Friend and bottomless source of inspiration Stephen F. Kaufman said, in part,

“… Always the female, always, and without doubt, for a good reason. The phallic representation of the serpent in acknowledgement of the female’s raison d’etre of creation.The masculine principle as ever seeking union aware of the nurturing of the female without which the masculine would have no reason to be ….

“Aside from the obvious, and I won’t dwell on psychological issues with this, in my view the female has always been the primary force of creation. Certainly in ancient cultures, but notwithstanding that, only in relatively recent times has the woman been subjected to a ‘lower’ position and essentially a slave to a male oriented society. In ancient cultures there was equanimity and no sexual differentiation was evident as both played a significant part in the society. With the onslaught of religiosity, and the male dominance factor, it became the standard for the male to prove his virility by domination of women …. As deftly pointed out in the film, woman has been the progenitor of all of the reasoning and functional values that essentially control civilization with only certain aspects that are male related out of necessity ….

“What is presently happening throughout the world, is a feminist movement to ascertain the rightful position of woman in the overall cosmic sense of things. I think this is good, but at the same time it will take time for the male phallus-driven ego to be able to come to terms with the reality of woman as the definite equal.”

Well met Goode Steve!

Seven years and two days ago, I introduced tonight’s film thus:

Speaking as a man who is blessed with the Love of a powerful, talented, and wise woman, I present tonight’s entertainment free from further personal preamble, leaving the art to speak for itself. I do not, however, excuse my audience from engaging in commentary here intended to fan the flames of spirited discussion. In fact, I demand it! Enjoy me hearties!

Now do please relax, sip, and watch!