It’s that time of year again. At least here in PDX, it’s already getting very chilly and frosty in spots. Understandably, this weather puts a bit of a damper on any actions or marches; but that means it’s a great time to curl up with a hot drink like this one:
Ingredients:
1.75 cups of vegan milk alternative
A half cup of coconut milk (or cream) from a can
Ounce and a half of dairy free dark chocolate
1 to 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
A quarter tsp of cayenne pepper
Some vegan sugar and a pinch of salt.
Just boil all that in a pan, constantly stirring and making sure it doesn’t get burnt. Once everything is in a smooth consistency go ahead and pour it up into your favorite heat safe drinking vessel. Now we’re getting cozy.
Now you just need something to read, and a big cozy sweater. I have a few recommendations; and if I may be so bold I’d love to suggest them to you. While not all of them are explicitly political, my experience with them has been very important into how I am growing and develop my politics:
- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson
- This may seem like and utterly bizarre and nonsense books to most people, especially those with materialist leanings. It smashes together Leary’s 8-circuit model of consciousness, some of Crowley’s theorems, self-observations, quantum mechanics, yoga, and so forth into something resembling….something I can’t quite put my finger on, but is described as “an owner’s manual for the human brain. It is a relatively short book (300 pages-ish). It contains a list of exercises, which if followed as written, are said to give one better control over the mechanics of their mind.
- The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus
- There’s a book by that title, that is a collection of several of Camus’s essays; but I am referring specifically to the essay with the same name. Now, content/trigger warning. Camus introduces the concept of the Absurd, which is the conflict between a person’s search for meaning/clarity/unity and the cold world devoid of truths or values. He comes to the realization that only really “relevant” question is “should I commit suicide?”. Either we will discover a meaning in life through a leap of faith, by placing our hopes in a God beyond this world, or we will conclude that life is meaningless, and end it.
- He comes to the conclusion that we should face the absurd and that in facing the absurd we find out own meanings for life. He also identified three characteristics of living an absurd and full life: revolt (we must not accept any answer or reconciliation in our struggle), freedom (we are absolutely free to think and behave as we choose), and passion (we must pursue a life of rich and diverse experiences).
- Road to Valor
- This book is a biography of Italian cyclist; Gino Bartali. Gino was a champion road cyclist, winning the Giro d’Italia 3 times and the Tour de France twice. But not only was he a an astounding athlete; Gino was an antifascist that would put almost all of to shame. Not only did he actively shelter a Jewish family; but he would ferry messages and documents to the Italian Resistance, including materials to help make false identifying papers so Jewish people could leave the country to safer shores. Bartali cycled from Florence through Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche, many times traveling as far afield as Assisi, all the while wearing the racing jersey emblazoned with his name. Neither the Fascist police nor the German troops risked discontent by arresting him.
- Road to Valor is the book going over his experiences and actions in fascist Italy. And not only is it fun to read, but it will be kindling on your internal flame.
- Antifa, Mark Bray
- Even if you are already a seasoned leftist, it can’t hurt to revisit some fundamental things. If you are new to antifascism, this book is an invaluable text. Bray is able to place current and past antifascist movements in an appropriate historical context; and writes in very accessible language. There’s isn’t much more to write that won’t start stepping on the toes of the book itself – so go read it, even if you never read anything again. It is worth it.
- Civilization and It’s Discontents, Sigmund Freud
- I know – Freud has been discredited currently. But at the very least, let’s have a little bit of fun and maybe glean something relevant from this. Over 20 years, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Freud witnessed a nonstop stream of human misery in his psychiatric office in Vienna. He treated a multitude of patients who were, in his opinion, suffering from the toxic side effects of civilization. He thought it essential to alert people to the tremendous psychological damage wrought by the repression of natural drives underneath the bootheel of society, although he did not offer solutions.