The Warrior
Powerful poet conquers new fans at UAS Spring Forum
By:
Mary Jensen
Robert Bly, a guest speaker for the University of Alaska Southeast 2007 Spring Forum, encouraged us to think critically for ourselves. He showed us how to do so by reading translated worldwide poetry from ancient to modern times and then finding meaning in it for himself. The meanings he found were personal but educated because he looked past his own emotions and into the heart and thoughts of poets with a knowledge of their cultural history. He showed us through the preservation of the individual, languages, history, arts and the freedom to use them, humanity will remain inspired. His selections of translated poetry opened our hearts to goals higher than greed. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees that individuals and the arts count. These forces will seek to destroy civilization.
My interpretation of what Bly was telling us is this: there will always be oppressors of freedom and thus there will always be a need for those who will fight for freedom; World War II is one such example. Since the twentieth century, humans have encountered so many new feelings and ideas that oppressions have taken on new flavors, but the concept of corrupt power remains the same. One current oppressor is the struggle between Capitalism and Democracy.
Capitalism assumes that the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few can result in benefit to everyone as they employ their wealth to produce goods and services that others purchase. The idea implies anyone who collects financial resources and puts them to work can benefit both themselves and others. Its vulnerability shows up when wealth is over concentrated in the hands of a privileged few who then have the ability to manipulate or oppress others. Wealth can skew the values of a nation although, I must admit I would not choose to live in a poor one.
Democracy is concerned with broadly sharing the power to guide the form and policy of government typically through the extension of the vote. I think democracy is great, but its vulnerability is mob rule. When the Greeks started off with democracy, they found, as we do now, that the people can become a mob and be swayed to actions not in their best interest, such as war. These two struggle against each other, in a sense, as capitalism enhances wealth and democracy enhances the sharing of power.
When the two vulnerabilities of a few manipulating the wealth of a nation and a mob that has been led to war collide, civilization and its arts decline. In order for the capitalists to continue gaining, they must control us through a mass hypnosis of stupidity through stereotyping, advertising, television and the war on drugs. Hypnotized, we will work for and purchase what they want to sell us despite the impact on the environment or civilization. Democracy gone wrong has its interests in keeping us in the same state of existence so that leaders can control votes to suit their own capitalistic desires and worldview. Both of these detract from individual expression if misused.
Bly and many others, including professors at U.A.S., struggle to maintain the individual and the arts. Bly did us as favor with his bravery in showing us how to perceive poetry and the worth of protecting all of the arts. Bly paves the way for all of us by putting his inner and outer life in the public eye, unafraid; Bly is the true warrior.
