Bradj545

Hello, everyone I'm taking a class in writing poetry right now, and I've written two poems inspired in part by Freedomain Radio. Below is one of them, and I'm fairly proud of it. It's going into my class portfolio after I edit it. The poetic form is called sestina. Credit to Stefan for the "philosopher king" that I refer to! I'd like to know what you think, and if you have any comments, I'd be happy to read them! Sestina: Coming Free Far-off land, under cold northern sky. Asphalt-shingled houses cap off a storm. Furies drawn in wet cigarette ash. Harsh words by which she breaks her own rule. Dull little place, and the money’s in iron, Despite all the sameness, they’re hardly one people. “Why can’t you be like the other people?” “Aren’t we all God’s children, under the sky?” Words spent, time for chores now, find clothes to iron. A singular son walks into a storm Of tiny infractions, each breaking a rule. Forget it, go raid that secret weed stash. Flick that Bic in the alley, tap off the ash. Buzz-hunger, but no stomach for people Who measure their words by some secret rule. Falling mood fits into darkening sky. Can’t stay the night, can’t go back to home’s storm. Lost and lonely where the money’s in iron. Fall tumbles in with clouds dark as iron. Strip mine blasting peppers red leaves with ash. So how’s that for a curious storm? Dusted by deluge, and still not one people Dark-clouded eyes upturned, searching for sky, Submit with ease to a blind kingdom’s rule. Easier still just to follow the rules. Your sensitive sons enclosed by the iron. Are we one people under the sky? Draw your judgments in wet cigarette ash. “Why aren’t you like other people?” Ghost-iron words invoke the inner storm. New-born calm calls to the eye of the storm. Philosopher king calls for a new rule. “Remove the tyrants that bind the people!” “Tear down the walls, and the cages of iron!” “Erase the marks of we cigarette ash!” “Then be the true tribe under the sky!” Under the sky not tinted with iron Free of the ash of misguided rule We’ll be the true people sharing the sky.

Thanks, Triumph.

Hello, everyone I am new to the message board, but I've been watching the YouTube videos for several months. I decided to come to the community to get right to the source. I am not in a financial position to donate right now, though I hope that will change. Stefan has said on several podcasts that he'd rather get a nice letter than a 'stinking' one-dollar donation! So, I'm writing to extend my thanks for the dose of philosophy. Before I get into the personal information, I'd like to make a request or a wish. To the best of my knowledge, Stefan has never debated with Slavoj Zizek and I'd dearly love to see that debate. I think it would be 'spirited', to say the least. I watch Zizek's videos on YouTube occasionally, and I think he's fun to listen to, but I disagree with most of Zizek's thinking. Okay, on to me. I am American, living in the town of Willmar, Minnesota. I've been married to Nancy for 26 years now, and we have one child, our son Drake who's now 21. I work an overnight shift in a shipping warehouse, and my wife is a payroll accountant for the same company. Recently, I earned my bachelor's degree online, and I went on to graduate school, also online, a year ago. My major is Humanities, with a focus on Creative Writing. I've decided that I want to be a writer, an urge that I've been playing with for years, and I realize that I chose the hardest and most expensive way possible to learn to write. In grad school, though, I had an important encounter. My school is very big on philosophy, starting in the course "Introduction to Graduate Humanities". With every class and semester, the focus on philosophy has deepened. I found myself so interested in the subject that I started gathering information beyond that which was included in class. I have started a list of philosophers to look into and it includes such names as Foucault, Derrida, Hume, Hegel, Adorno, Kant and so on. What I feel is that I've brushed up against a subject that will be of huge value to me as I go on in my life and my pursuit of meaningful subjects to write about. During this time, I watched a Slavoj Zizek video where he posed a rhetorical question; "What philosophers do we have in our current time?". I found Free Domain Radio as a result of that question. Also, through the podcasts, I've learned that Stefan and I have some similar experiences and enthusiasms: music, Dungeons & Dragons (which I still play very occasionally), and of course, writing novels. I also grew up in a deeply dysfunctional home, with a 'batshit crazy' mother. I don't feel that I can tackle philosophical subjects quite yet, but in my fantasy world (for writing about, not that I'm living in a fantasy!) there are some comments that I feel that I can make on what Stefan calls "The Blind Photocopier of History" and the 'death of statism'. Once again, a big thanks to Stefan for what he does. I look forward to conversations on these boards! Sincerely, Brad