Slipping Into Anonymity
Written by billywest on December 7, 2008
So, America has elected its first African-American president. That’s something I always heard would never happen growing up. But it has, and that’s pretty fucking cool. I can’t deny that. But, I also can’t deny that I’m not feeling too good about America’s position in the world, for now and in the future. Yeah, Mr. Obama’s election got everybody feeling positive for a little bit, but national economies that were mighty last year are starting to circle the drain and America itself saw staggering job losses last month. Things aren’t looking up and there aren’t too many people who are thinking that things are going to start turning around anytime soon after the inauguration.
I’d like to say something more positive here about how I believe in America and that it will pull through and regain its position at the top of the heap and all that, but I spent most of the last decade watching the country tank and frankly, have spent the better portion of my adult life experiencing just what it feels like to witness my homeland become broken and withered while people of other countries around the world came to hate us more than they ever have.
How did it get so bad? Why did we let it? Was there ever really any way we could’ve stopped it? I guess I don’t think that we could have. Ten years ago, everybody could see that America was losing its edge. China was already angling to gain a foothold in the Middle East by opening up oil fields in countries that were more willing to do business with them than US. I guess the powers that be (your guess about who they are is as good as mine) in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, saw the inevitable truth that America was about to begin a long, steady slide into mediocrity and they decided to have a fire sale, making a lot of people who were already ridiculously wealthy even wealthier.
Does this mean that I feel completely hopeless? Hell no. I’m not worried about myself; I’ve always taken care of Number One. But, as the future unfolds and the shape of the world changes, I can’t help but feel a little sad about what has become of the country where I was born and raised. Where are things headed for America? I know I have no ideas. But, what I do know is that way too many of its citizens are playing out the helpless victim role. It has become sickening.
Recently, someone asked a group of us living here in Japan, What has living in Japan taught you about yourself? Well, I’m not 100% sure about the answer to that question yet. But, I do know what it has taught me about my own country. Mostly because I see the same thing happening here. I used to think it was the collective spirit of the people of a nation that made that nation mighty. Now I know differently.
Posted in: Journal
Welcome to the Machine
Written by billywest on November 28, 2008
The November-December transition this year brings about some major changes in my life. While my friend JT ponders his future, whether with his current company or the next, I’ll be starting my new position at the head office of the company I work for. While it’s not the pinnacle of my career, to be sure, it is a step upward and will open up a new realm of possibilities for me. However, my thoughts will definitely be with JT as he navigates the troubled waters he finds himself in. Good luck, Bro… No matter what, let’s make sure we’re tossing back some suds together in the near future.
Not only does the move to the head office bring to a close the work I’ve been doing for the last three years, it sees me moving completely into my new apartment in Shibuya, which I recently rented. Of course, I’m loving the new pad’s location and the fact that I can walk from there to my new workplace in Shinjuku if I want. Also, having previously been living in an apartment that was held and furnished by my company, I found myself responsible for finding my own furnishings for the new place. So, I splurged and went out and bought a new-model Sharp Aquos high definition (HD) LCD TV. And, with such a nice TV, I felt that it would be a waste to pump lousy programming through it, so I ordered Hikari cable, or in English, fiber-optic cable. It comes with some great channels, several broadcast in HD. Needless to say, I might be spending a little more time at home from now on. But, don’t worry, I’ll still be making the rounds.
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how this year is wrapping up and even though 2008 started out quite fucking dull, I’ve had a pretty good run overall since mid-summer. But, I’ve been thinking a lot about how things will play out once I become Head Office Corporate Monkey Boy. I mean, my ultimate goal is to be my own boss, to run my own show, to be the Big Kahuna…
So I’m wondering if next week, when I find myself stepping through the big double doors into the dark tower, will the endless grinding and clicking of the gears and cogs of the machine housed within lull me into a hypnotized state? A state that will leave me content and uninspired to pursue the dreams that I have been considering for so many years…?
Well, only time will tell. But, I’ve already begun to hear the voices calling out from within the tower. Saying Welcome…
Welcome.
Posted in: Journal
Hey! (Hey!), You! (You!), Get Offa My Timeline!
Written by billywest on November 12, 2008
A favorite poem of mine is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Most people who know this poem rarely recall it in its entirety, but can usually recite at least a few lines from the final portion, which goes like
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
It seems to be the most moving and meaningful part of the poem for most people, and while I appreciate the thought-provoking power contained within these lines, I’ve always been intrigued by the first part, which goes like
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Take a moment to soak in these lines, especially the part
…And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler…
Did Frost mean travel along two separate paths simultaneously?
While quantum physics theory was still in its early stage of development at the time of this poem’s publication (1916), and the infamous Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics, which implies that “unobserved” particles exist in a superpositon of quantum states, or more meaningfully, they exist in multiple realities sumultaneously, had not been revealed to the world yet, I can only imagine that Frost considered the idea of parallel universes or alternate realities at least briefly when composing these lines.
Or, maybe I’m just a friggin’ geek. Whatever.
Even before majoring in physics at university and in graduate school, I’d always been fascinated by the study of quantum realities and time travel. Yeah, yeah… I know most people who’ve never studied quantum mechanics think the idea of a superposition of multiple realities sounds like science fiction, but it is accepted scientific theory and has some strange-sounding interpretations that come along with it. I won’t go into details here, but you can read the great introduction to quantum physics for the layperson, “In Search of Schroedinger’s Cat” by John Gribbin.
Anyway, having thought a bit lately about roads and roads not taken, I’ve been wondering if there is a me somewhere who took a different path than the one I did, existing now in an alternate reality I can only imagine. And, if there is, is he wondering about the me that exists here and now writing this post? Whoa! Wait a minute… There are people in this world who are wondering if the ones they long for, but are far away, are thinking of them right now, and I’m wondering if some other version of me is thinking of me? Holy shit! That’s wrong somehow. But, anyway…
It’s funny how I hadn’t thought much about this stuff in the last year or so, but starting about a month ago, it’s been on my mind. Too much free time? Hell no; I’ve been as busy as ever with moving, changing positions at work, hanging out with friends, dating… Who knows, maybe I’m longing for some down time. Maybe some action at a distance has occurred and an alternate version of me is communicating with me somehow. Maybe it’s a plea for help from a me that is about to have his timeline erased. Jeez! I just gave myself the creeps…
Well, as luck, or fate, or the sheer randomness of the movements of the universe would have it, I came across a post by Tokyo Cowgirl that seemed to touch on the theme of roads not taken and it resonated with what had been going through my mind for the last several weeks. Being someone that is most often excited by the questions more than the answers (though I am uncommonly tenacious in seeking the answers once I commit myself to solving a problem), I enjoy thought-provoking stories, statements, whatever…
So, being all fired up again about alternate realities and time travel, I busted out my copy of “Primer” and watched it for the somewhere-between-40th-and-50th time. Have you seen this movie? It’s an indie that won big at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and is likely the most powerful science fiction flick ever made. And, it was made on a $7000 budget with no special effects. Yeah, you have to put on your thinking cap for this one, but hey, you’ve got to pull it out of storage sometimes anyway; the moths have been at it.
So, now you ask, Has all this been just leading up to a movie recommendation? Well, maybe, maybe not. Either way, if you’re going to read any more of what I have to say on this subject, it might be better if you’ve watched “Primer” first.
Maybe next time, I’ll get into divergence points…
Update: This post has been updated at 7:10 to Tokyo
