tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63868857847858901662024-03-14T09:01:17.749+01:00Bo-NicolaiMine betraktninger om livet og meningen med dét, litteratur, politikk, rett og galt.
Reflections on life and its meaning, literature, politics, right and wrong. Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-1339418940038984022018-12-05T11:16:00.000+01:002018-12-07T12:47:01.559+01:00Sixth excerpt from "The Iron Meditation": Becoming something new<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to the sixth, and last, excerpt from chapter 5 of my experimental surrealist sci-fi novel "The Iron Meditation".<br />
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The book has not yet been published in English, but you can buy the Norwegian version from <a href="https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/">here</a>, <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX">here</a>.<br />
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If you want to read an excerpt in Norwegian, you can look at <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-det-eneste.html">this</a>, <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-trommeslag.html">this</a>, <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-en-drage-av.html">this</a> and <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2017/10/naturmeditasjon.html">this</a>.<br />
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<b>The Iron Meditation Chapter 5.6: Becoming something new</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I leave what seemed to be a never-ending hall, and my path narrows between rusty copies of well-known architectural buildings that no longer exist. The profusion of statues end, and are replaced by mere reliefs on the walls. Flakes of rust hang from the ceiling, and cracking sounds come from the floor. Like this, it keeps repeating itself for minutes, maybe a quarter, maybe more. Sometimes, what now seems to be a corridor turns so I no longer have a clear sense of direction. The drumbeats have stopped.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then I can detect a strange smell in the air. Smoke reaches me and seems to be coming from up front. The corridor widens again and I find myself in a room with high ceiling. In the middle of the room, there is some kind of goblet in silver color, standing on a square table. The smoke is coming from there, and the temperature in this room is hot. I can hear an angry, boiling sound. I approach, nonetheless, until something spills from the goblet. I take a few steps back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An information sign informs:<i> Goblet made of tungsten, also known as wolfram. Tungsten melts at 3422 degrees celsius and boils at 5555 degrees. Because of its great ability to withstand high temperatures, it can contain boiling iron which only needs 2861 degrees before boiling.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walk around the table and the goblet towards a door on the other side. On the door, there is yet another information text:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Iron is a stable element and much utilized metal. It can react with other elements and create various alloys. Oxygen causes iron to rust. If iron couldn't be made into many forms like this, this park wouldn't have been possible the way it is today. Every object is iron in some form. At 1538 degrees they will melt again, and become something new.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>EXIT</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I open the door. And close it again, in fear. In shock. Time stops. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My breath shivers until I take it deep. My heart starts skipping beats. And then the tears come. The fear. The insecurity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I look back at the smoking goblet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was what I wanted, and yet: What will I say? How will I communicate? On the other side, you see, is a human lady. With white, unruly hair. That's all I had time to see. I scratch my pinky finger with the nail on my thumb. Rapidly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, I think to myself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I open the door again, enter, and let the door close behind me. Standing still, staring at the lady.</span><br />
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-89695378946232334812018-12-05T10:50:00.000+01:002018-12-05T10:50:10.841+01:00Fifth excerpt from "The Iron Meditation": Moist bodies corrode<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to the fifth excerpt from "The Iron Meditation".<br />
<br />
"The Iron Meditation" is my experimental surrealist sci-fi book, thus far only published in Norwegian. I decided to share my first draft for the English language version of chapter 5 on my blog.<br />
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This will be the fifth of a total of six excerpts. I've taken some time thinking about this one and I've decided not to put out part 5 (of chapter 5) in its entirety since it contains some rather sexually explicit paragraphs. I also decided to turn that up in the English version which is not a direct translation of the Norwegian one.<br />
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You can buy the Norwegian version <a href="https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/">here</a>, <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">here</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX">here </a>or from other sources.<br />
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If you want to read excerpts from the Norwegian version of my book, you can take a look at <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-en-drage-av.html">this</a>, <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-det-eneste.html">this</a>, <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-trommeslag.html">this </a>or <a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2017/10/naturmeditasjon.html">this </a>blog entry.<br />
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<b>The Iron Meditation 5.5: Moist bodies corrode (edited)</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[<i>Several paragraphs are removed from here. Before the following paragraphs, the main character met a pair of humans, possibly made of iron, possibly real, possibly statues</i>] </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then it ends. As I look at them, they corrode. Within seconds their bodies turn rusty, exhanging an even metal shine for a nonreflecting dryness, like sand on a cloudy day. And to sand they turn, falling apart into red and brown powder, covering me in dust, disappearing, leaving me alone. And even colder than before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drumbeat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was it even real? The hope of something vanished, but what happened to my thirst? I brush some dust away but it seems to gradually vanish by itself. I don't really know what happened, but at least I want to get moving again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How is it possible to make something like this? How can this park be the product of one human artist and how can it all be made of iron?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another information sign: <i>Rust is iron paired with oxyge</i>n.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very well, I hope for water (H2O, that is, I'm certain).</span></div>
Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-17290744527466533502018-11-30T10:42:00.000+01:002018-11-30T10:42:16.922+01:00Fourth excerpt from "The Iron Meditation": Mirror the world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to the fourth excerpt from my sci-fi novel, "The Iron Meditation". What I'm putting out on my blog, is chapter 5, titled the same as the novel itself.<br />
<br />
While the novel is not published in English yet, you can publish the Norwegian version from <a href="https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/">here</a>, <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">here </a>or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543428157&sr=8-1&keywords=Jernmeditasjonen">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I have also published excerpts in Norwegian: "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2017/10/naturmeditasjon.html">Naturmeditasjon</a>", "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-en-drage-av.html">En drage av forurensning</a>", "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-det-eneste.html">Det eneste mennesket i verden</a>" and "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-trommeslag.html">Trommeslag</a>".<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Iron Meditation Chapter 5.4: Mirror the world</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I notice how hard it is to walk - that the preceding office eternity didn't prepare me for even a park. As if I had magical abilities or there were a god listening in, an oldfashioned iron bench appears. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I do as I'm tempted to, lying down on it to look at a sea with a boat on amidst flying fish beneath a bavang-dhang - that is a high-tech tool with robot properties. It's heart-shaped, anyway, so it's not for everyone, neither are the submarines peeking up from the ocean. And what about the ice berg, ice adrift, polar bears and clouds in the sky? And it's all made of iron. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Drumbeat (is a sound).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bench slightly vibrating, shivering, floating in its coldness, or is it my skin? I'm still half naked as the world is moving and iron waves curl on the surfaces. No one is talking in the wind, I'm just observing. And I'm thinking about the drum. Will I ever actually see it, and can I play it? I'd want to be observant when the sound appears so that I can summon it within my mind and thereby co-create thus imagining myself playing the drum. But I find myself unable to visualize it properly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I zone out of the present and I find myself thinking about strongmen, men with super muscles, and I add that we are not all strongmen despite our technology and knowledge on how to manipulate any gene at will (Crows are weaker than humans, but they've got beaks at least. And I do not.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am waiting for the drumbeat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I repeat the memory of the sound within my head. And I manage to synchronize the memory of the sound within with another actual drumbeat from without. And that is me playing the drum.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then I run. Passing rhinos, dragons, deers and giant octopuses, statues of famous people, villains, ghost army, straw people. And I'm out of breath. I gasp and feel as weak as those who did not consume weight supporting food. My brain is buzzing, and the taste of iron in my mouth mirror the world. I opt for the floor, lie down, scratching my knees in the process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll attempt to recollect myself. And something else is new: I am terribly thirsty. Drinking water would be the loveliest thing on earth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's too far to the rusty water and it's probably not the healthiest to drink. So I hope for the future to present it to me. That I will find water or that someone will bring it to me. I have my back against the floor and the floor is cold. I want to dress back into the grey cloth I still carry around, but, it's wet and will feel uncomfortable to put on.</span></div>
Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-29340059861542079062018-11-26T12:56:00.000+01:002018-11-28T11:43:05.333+01:00Third excerpt from "The Iron Meditation": Flower contains flame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to the third excerpt from my sci-fi novel, "The Iron Meditation".<br />
<br />
The excerpts here are taken from one of the most surrealistic chapters of the novel, loaded with symbolism.<br />
<br />
While the novel is not published in English yet, the Norwegian version can be bought from <a href="https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/">here</a>, <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">here </a>or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I've also published excerpts in Norwegian. You can read "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2017/10/naturmeditasjon.html">Naturmeditasjon</a>", "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-en-drage-av.html">En drage av forurensning</a>", "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-det-eneste.html">Det eneste mennesket i verden</a>" and "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.com/2018/10/utdrag-fra-jernmeditasjonen-trommeslag.html">Trommeslag</a>".<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Iron Meditation Chapter 5.3: Flower contains flame </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I see a giant flame in front of me arising from a flower made of metal. The hall in which it sits, is dimly lit by it, and the organic light from something I believe to be candles. They are like tiny sticks supporting tiny, tiny flames on top. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's an information sign telling me that: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>So-called grey cast iron can appear to be pretty dark and is darker than iron in its pure form. Grey cast iron contains between 2.1 and 4 per cent carbon and 3 per cent silicon with traces of other elements. Iron has been, and remains, the most important metal, economically speaking, in the civilizations within the asteroid belt. Iron is heavy, but can be formed to anything allowed by imagination. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Curiously, it's written in the human language of this area (our language?) Hestitantly, I walk forwards, but not too far. I could turn back to the water. I haven't seen any other liquid than that which I've been drinking since I came to this prison, and my life from before was forgotten (my memories were taken away?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crows have cleaned my body dryly. In the quiet (relative freedom?) I think to myself: I am the only one here (it appears). Maybe I can stay here for a long time? Is there any haste? But what if I don't have much time? What if they come for me and take me back to my room? Are there more amazing things further inside the park or should I take my time to savour everything on my way? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Drumbeat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I return to the rusty water and lay down. I close my eyes and inhale the smell of metal. My legs and feet are invisible under the red-brown surface. When I beat my palms against the water surface, it makes cracking sounds. I repeat, and I do it over and over. This is my drum. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here comes my laughter. Hitting the surface is fun. I wonder what it would be like to swim? And then I imagine my head under water and I get scared. But what if I did? Can I trust the surface to be soft when I break through, or will it be as hard as the sound of my hands beating it? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nauseous, I get up and out. Maybe I can return here, maybe I can't. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did get <i>something</i>. I did check out the water although I didn't dare to try and swim in it. And now I'm walking down the hall and that's new too. As is the flower and the flame. I stop in front of it and I can smell the smoke, and feel how it creates melancholia, like from a memory trying to show itself from a time I can no longer remember. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I never smelled smoke in my office prison. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And beyond the flower there are amazing statues of blackened iron. There are horses here. Big horses and small foals. Swans are flying through the air but they are not alive. They are made of iron too, although they move lightly. I can not understand the mechanism allowing them to fly. There is no rope, no thread, no sound of machinery. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are trees and I notice the intricate patterns on their leaves. Here are insects in the air, landing and taking off from leaves and branches. And here are iron books that I cannot read or turn the pages of. I can see spiders, cows and snakes. One snake in particular attracts my attention, because she is a giant. She carries a book between her fangs and I get the idea that she thinks of it as her own, that she protects it from the world outside, from the other snakes and from it all. But also this is just a thought, because she is made of iron, so is her book and the world around. I'm the exception, because all the others here, they don't think. They don't talk and most of them do not even move. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-80750949331323592672018-11-26T10:00:00.000+01:002018-11-26T11:34:28.896+01:00Second excerpt from "The Iron Meditation": Bruises manifesting to imagination<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here follows the second excerpt from "The Iron Meditation". This is taken from the first draft of the English version of the novel, up to now only released in Norwegian. The Norwegian book can be bought for example <a href="https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/">here</a>, <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">here</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX">here</a>.<br />
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<b>The Iron Meditation Chapter 5.2: Bruises manifesting to imagination </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After momentary blindness, a narrow passage appears to me, like a tunnel or a cave. But even if it's narrow, it looks like it has even walls, floor and ceiling. So my legs move rapidly to meet it. After a few steps the floor starts sloping downwards and so does the ceiling, even more than the floor leading to the passage narrowing further and forcing me to my knees, to crawl. No light is guiding me from up front and my body blocks the light behind me. I'm wrapped up in darkness, I feel the cold from all around me, and my body is shaking lightly. I want to get out, yet I don't want to turn back. What would the crows say? And how would I exit? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't remember how I entered the park and although the crows know everything, my body's the only living organism in here that I've seen since entering. Can I continue crawling in a narrow, cold place like this with no light? I imagine holes opening up in the cave top a centimeter above my head, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and I imagine stalactites falling down from nowhere, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">like knives hidden in invisible pockets within the rock, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the metal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I shudder, and my elbow painfully rubs against the wall </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">upon the small movements of my body</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. See, even a small movement is enough. A stalactite is overkill. It's enough to get distracted at the wrong time and I'll kill myself by being uncareful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, this was what I wanted, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">something else than my office prison, to be a place where actions matter and there is a choice of action. Returning to the office and what do I get? To be locked up there for months more before seeing anything else than its walls, the food they bring me and what technology simulates? This line of reasoning seems to give birth to yet another thought, slightly comforting but tainted by my disbelief: The artist who created this park, whose name I know to be Ugnis, why would he make a dangerous park? (I know I can think up numerous answers if I take my time). And what use do crows have of danger? (Abstract. But I won't take my time to break down this question). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I detect a chill wanting to be born, but I stop it in time only to be answered by a drumbeat that's not too friendly. But I find myself crawling again, investigating the floor in front of me, trying to find out if there's anything sharp coming out from it. It's pitch dark and any time now I will injure myself. Well, as long as I'm careful, it won't be too bad. I investigate the walls as I move slowly forwards. And suddenly it all tilts forward and I'm pushed on. I lose my grip and I find myself sliding down the iron slope escaping the cold, falling head first. Picking up speed, and movement fills it all. The sinking feeling inside, like my organs going sore all at once. Darkness surrounds me. They had to kill me in the end! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm gaining speed and I slide faster and faster. I close my eyes but it doesn't take away anything from my fear, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so I open them. A bulk hits my right hand, slides along my arm, glides along my torso, scratching me up a little. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stripes of blood appear to my imagination and then I feel how it's wet beneath me. There is liquid on the slope! And it doesn't break my fall, it only makes my speed increase. And under the liquid, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the ground gets yet more uneven. And there is a stinging sensation. And then, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it slows down. The slide flattens out a little, but it's still wet and I have a taste of iron in my mouth. Then there's a little bit of light, a warm, organic light, with tints of orange, like the light of fire. There is water around me, and it is reddish brown, or is it only reflection? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then... I find myself lying still and I am still alive. I rise with my back bent to make room for my head. The ceiling is still a bit low, but I can move forwards with my body almost erect. The water deepens and smells the same as the taste in my mouth and the images of my mind. Like blood. I wade on to reach a giant hall where there is plenty of room beneath the ceiling. And now it's not too cold anymore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drumbeat. </span></div>
Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-73582349015981028612018-11-24T18:07:00.000+01:002018-11-24T18:07:10.546+01:00First excerpt from "The Iron Meditation": Blood loses shine <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My sci-fi novel, "The Iron Meditation", deals with themes such as the nature of guilt, marginalization, terrorism, speciesism (that is the discrimination of animals based on their species) and anthropocracy (the view of humans as rulers of the world, basically one of today's ruling ideologies). My novel is only published in Norwegian (e-book) and can be bought for example <a href="https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/">here</a>, <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">here</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543078828&sr=8-1&keywords=Jernmeditasjonen">here</a>.<br />
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Here, I will publish my first English draft of chapter 5, having titled the same as the novel itself: "The Iron Meditation". There will be 5 (or 6) excerpts. This is the first, called "Blood loses shine".<br />
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Up till this point, the main character has been held imprisoned by crows, not knowing for what. Finally he is given some variation from his prison room, being taken to the Iron Park.<br />
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<b>The Iron Meditation Chapter 5.1: Blood loses shine </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The silver grey surroundings sparkle as I stand within them. Spheres of sharp light hover in the air as the silver grey iron surfaces reflect them back. Surface is upon surface and the walls are curved and broken by all kinds of formations extending out from them. They are like stalactites and stalagmites. Others are like bubbles. Small pyramids rise out of the floor here and there. Other places I find sharp spikes. The sound of a muted drumbeat reach me from somewhere. The sound bounces between the walls, and in front of me the iron park continues as far as I can see. Then another drumbeat reaches my mind. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sit down involuntarily and bend over the metal floor. I lay my cheek against it and feel the stone cold against my skin. I sigh while bouncing chills ride down my spine. Then I undress my torso. I throw away the black cloth I've been wearing and place as much as possible of my body against the metal surfarce. The floor is smooth and beautiful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Wow!" I exclaim in excitement. I can't remember having felt a cold like this ever. I rub my face toward the floor, like were I a cat. "M" I say. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If someone was watching me, I could tell them I'm only a human animal who hasn't experienced much the last year. The crows already know. They know it all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So away with these thoughts. I roll around and I feel the sensations toward my skin. I can see the goosebumps on it. Small ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another drumbeat comes from deeper within the iron park. It echoes, and residual sound remains. In the room, and within my head. How big can this park be? What more can I find here? I turn around while still lying on the floor. Now it doesn't feel as cold anymore because of my body that's been on it for I don't know hoe long. I'm done with the floor and rise from it, sharpening my concentration. If I start walking, I must remember that the floor's not even. What if my foot is protruded by an iron spark, a needle, or bruises against unpolished metal? I imagine myself bleeding from protruded feet, how my blood will sparkle dimly and how it will gradually turn cold, congeal and lose its shine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I take a few steps, careful not to cause any situation that will make me shed blood. I move my right foot carefully through a passage between two tall iron cones. At first with my foot pointing forwards until I turn it so that I will have a better grip while I let the other foot follow. The drumbeat sounds again as my hand touches a strange iron formation that reminds me of a miniature pine tree. A non-organic pine tree, in any case, in sparkling grey, almost white. When I hold my hand over the tree, my hand takes on its reflection of pure iron. It fades as I move my hand until my entire body turns sparkly from the reflection from a big, blank surface. I imagine it absorbed by my pale, weak body. But I will walk it off as soon as I take a few steps. Then it will return from somewhere else and disappear again. I walk past more iron cones, orbs, spheres, stars and cylinders, and as I reach the brightest place, another drumbeat reaches me. </span></div>
Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-28759907883230756142018-10-30T13:08:00.003+01:002018-10-30T13:08:53.043+01:00Utdrag fra Jernmeditasjonen: Trommeslag<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Det er ett år siden jeg lanserte sci-fi-romanen Jernmeditasjonen som e-bok. En god måte å markere det på er ved å legge ut en rekke utdrag. Dette utdraget er hentet fra kapittel 5 med samme tittel som boken, altså "Jernmeditasjonen". Jeg velger å kalle utdraget for "Trommeslag".<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBPesWaaTs/W9hGwgWCMqI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/OBQgvfsBWXY0yFs_Io4DDPH4CRXewL6TgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBPesWaaTs/W9hGwgWCMqI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/OBQgvfsBWXY0yFs_Io4DDPH4CRXewL6TgCEwYBhgL/s320/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" width="226" /></a>Her det fantastiske statuer av nesten helt sort jern. Det er hester her. Store hester, men også føll. Det er svaner som flyr naturtro gjennom luften. De beveger seg lett. Men også disse er av jern. De henger ikke i noe. De bare svever, eller flyr, eller er der på vingene. Her er trær. Høye og prangende, med beskyttende kroner. Bladene er detaljerte, med fine årer. Her er insekter i luften. Her er bøker av jern, som man ikke kan bla i. Her er edderkopper. Her er kuer. Her er slanger. Spesielt en statue der en slange åler seg opp høyt over resten, med en bok i munnen, treffer meg som spesiell. Slangen forsvarer liksom boken mot de andre, mot omverdenen. Men ingen kan snakke, og de fleste beveger seg heller ikke.</div>
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Jeg merker det er tungt å gå, at jeg ikke er vant til det. Og ikke før har jeg tenkt tanken, før en gammeldags benk i mørkt jern dukker opp. Jeg legger meg oppå den, og ser utover en havflate med hoppende fisker over, med en båt duvende oppå, med et <i>bavang-dhang</i> så vidt dinglende over. Altså et sånt teknologisk redskap med robotlignende egenskaper. Det er litt hjerteaktig, så det passer neppe for alle. </div>
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Jeg ser ubåter titte opp. U-båter med klesstativ-lignende stråleapparater for tilknabbing av informasjon på toppen. Jeg ser duppende isfjell, flytende isflak med bjørner på, og jeg ser skyer fly over himmelen. Alt i jern, alt i spissfindig spesielle varianter av mørkegrått. Nå kommer selvfølgelig også trommeslaget på nytt. </div>
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Benken under meg duver i sin kulde og fasthet. Jeg er fortsatt naken på overkroppen. Verden beveger seg. Bølgene av jern klirrer seg over flatene. </div>
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Det er ingen stemme i noen vind. </div>
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Jeg ligger her og observerer. Og så begynner jeg å tenke litt på om det hadde vært gøy å slå på den trommen.</div>
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Jeg vil være observant og oppmerksom akkurat når trommeslaget kommer, sånn at jeg kan mane det frem i eget hode, og delta i det. Ikke bare ta det inn, men innbille meg at også jeg slår på trommen. Av en eller annen grunn er jeg smertelig klar over at jeg ikke ser meg selv slå på noen tromme. Jeg klarer ikke visualisere det, klarer ikke se det for mitt indre blikk. </div>
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Jeg tenker på sterke menn med supermuskler. Tross genterapier er vi ikke alle like sterke ennå. Og selv nå er kråkene svakere enn oss fysisk. Men så har de nebbene sine da. Og det teller jo ikke så rent lite. Men hvis noen skrapet nebbet sitt mot ru metall, ville jeg bli irritert. Men nå har jeg nesten glemt meg bort. </div>
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Jeg venter på trommeslaget. Jeg holder lyden inni hodet mitt, og gjentar den. Og så treffer jeg. Lyden kommer utenfra idet jeg starter et nytt slag inni meg. </div>
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Så slo jeg litt på tromme likevel.</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small;">Vil du lese mer? Jernmeditasjonen kan kjøpes blant annet på Boldbooks: </span> <span style="background-color: transparent;">https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/</span></div>
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Du kan også kjøpe den for eksempel på <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">ebok.no </a>eller <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540898718&sr=8-1&keywords=Jernmeditasjonen">på Amazon</a></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-74445831557250323552018-10-30T12:59:00.003+01:002018-10-30T12:59:58.436+01:00Utdrag fra Jernmeditasjonen: Det eneste mennesket i verden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Det er ett år siden jeg lanserte min sci-fi-roman "Jernmeditasjonen" som e-bok. Jeg tenkte en fin måte å markere det på var å legge ut en rekke utdrag her på bloggen. Dette er hentet fra kapittel 2, "Prajnas". Jeg velger å kalle utdraget for "Det eneste mennesket i verden":</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBPesWaaTs/W9hGwgWCMqI/AAAAAAAAA6U/LYFtjAoFQTsYPWIklUm1xcfBZiIOyNCDwCLcBGAs/s1600/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBPesWaaTs/W9hGwgWCMqI/AAAAAAAAA6U/LYFtjAoFQTsYPWIklUm1xcfBZiIOyNCDwCLcBGAs/s320/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" width="226" /></a>Hvis jeg er det eneste mennesket igjen, bærer jeg på en måte menneskehetens ry på mine skuldre. Men for den saks skyld; hvilket inntrykk har kråkene av meg eller andre mennesker i det hele tatt? Vi er tross alt historiens tapere. Jeg får tenke på noe, og håpe på at jeg blir trøtt en gang. </div>
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Jeg kan se for meg en ren planet hvor det fortsatt er natur. Altså trær og grønne ting. Hvor det er mange farger. Hvor det er glede. Hvor det er mennesker i forskjellige aldre. Hvor det er snø. Og klart sollys. Og måne. Kanskje flere måner, til og med. Stjerner. Og vann. Blanke vannflater. Hoppende fisk. Krepsdyr på havbunnen. Tang. Sjøgress. Maneter. Korallrev. Og fjell over havet, selvfølgelig. Kjempehøye fjell. Olympus Mons-fjellet på Mars, mye større enn noe fjell på jorden. Det hadde vært fint å se. Jeg husker et bilde jeg så av noen på toppen av det… Det var hunder der også… Eller kanskje det bare var en animasjon. Men fint var det. </div>
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Romskip. Tenk å gå inn i et, slik som pionerene gjorde for flere hundre år siden, med høy risiko for ikke å kunne komme tilbake til jorden. Følelsen av å forlate, kanskje for alltid. Følelsen av å begi seg ut på et dristig eventyr. Reise sin vei. Spenningen i brystet. Håpet om den nye verden. Jernrust og korrodert metall. Og masse bevegelse. Fart. Eller kanskje merket man ikke farten, det har jeg ikke lest noe om. Men i alle fall. </div>
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Mot noe nytt.</div>
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Vil du lese mer?</div>
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Jernmeditasjonen kan kjøpes hos Boldbooks, her: https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/</div>
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Eller for eksempel <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">på ebok.no</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540898718&sr=8-1&keywords=Jernmeditasjonen">eller Amazon.</a></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-37295443326372493922018-10-30T12:26:00.000+01:002018-10-30T13:09:51.123+01:00Utdrag fra Jernmeditasjonen: En drage av forurensning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Det er ett år siden jeg lanserte sci-fi-romanen "Jernmeditasjonen" som e-bok. Det tenkte jeg markere med å legge ut noen utdrag fra boken. Her er det første. Dette er en liten del av kapittel 11, "Redet", og jeg velger å kalle utdraget for "En drage av forurensning":<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBPesWaaTs/W9hGwgWCMqI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/OBQgvfsBWXY0yFs_Io4DDPH4CRXewL6TgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBPesWaaTs/W9hGwgWCMqI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/OBQgvfsBWXY0yFs_Io4DDPH4CRXewL6TgCEwYBhgL/s320/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" width="226" /></a>Lyset er blodet i en drage av forurensning. Lyset spiller gjennom huden der den er tynn. For lys er likevel ikke helt som blod. Har du forsøkt å holde lys mot fingrene dine? Blir de ikke lysende rosa, kanskje? Har dette noensinne skremt deg? Vi bor i en drage, og lyset kjører gjennom det gigantiske monsteret som bilene i din tid kjører gjennom tunneler. Denne dragen husker jeg fra drømmen jeg hadde i natt. Også husker jeg hvordan den begynte å sprekke. Jeg husker hvordan lyset ble sterkere, hvordan det begynte å dryppe som blod fra sår. Så ble lyset ekstremt intenst og jeg var med ett tilbake til den natten - natten med det sterke lyset. Eksplosjonen. Ødeleggelsen. Jeg våknet og brukte noen sekunder på å oppfatte rommets mørke. Det var ikke uvelkomment, det kan jeg love deg. </div>
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Frokosten min er en gigantisk grønn frukt med prikker på. Den lukter merkelig og smaker tilsvarende. Jeg spiser med en gammeldags skje. Spisingen går langsomt og jeg er utålmodig. Jeg sukker over frukten. Ser stramt på den. Ser ut vinduet på den mørklyse verden. Dragen. Det er en drage, men lyset flyter ikke gjennom den like dramatisk som i drømmen min. Jeg lurer på hvordan det var for folk før. Og for kråkene. Tenk å gå i gatene. Tenk å gå inn på en kafé og bestille noe å drikke. Tenk å se kråkene rote i søppelboksene eller hoppe bort fortauene. Tenk å se klart og ikke gjennom røyk. Tenk å aldri å ha sett lik ligge i gatene. Jeg stirrer på frukten min. Ser ut vinduet igjen. Og sukker nok en gang. </div>
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Var det sant det jeg hadde sagt til Rasjitoja, at det ligger i menneskenaturen å skape slik ødeleggelse? I så fall; er hvert menneske et potensielt monster? Burde jeg ikke da mest av alt ønske å sitte her for meg selv?</div>
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Du kan kjøpe Jernmeditasjonen på Boldbooks, hvor du også finner flere utdrag: https://boldbooks.no/bokhandel/jernmeditasjonen/</div>
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... eller for <a href="https://ebok.no/ebok/jernmeditasjonen_bo-nicolai-gjerpen-hansen/">eksempel på ebok.no</a> eller <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jernmeditasjonen-Norwegian-Bo-Nicolai-Gjerpen-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0774TLDSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540898718&sr=8-1&keywords=Jernmeditasjonen">Amazon</a>. </div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-5297457752196967732018-10-29T11:42:00.000+01:002018-10-29T11:50:15.908+01:00Har helgekosen skylda? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Skillet mellom grå hverdag og helgekos</b><br />
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Det diskuteres om <a href="https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/fedmeproblem-i-norge_-70-prosent-av-folket-er-overvektige-1.14244273">BMI-indeksen må endres fordi flertallet av nordmenn nå regnes som overvektige</a>. Kan et flertall ha høyere vekt enn normalen? Er ikke normalen per definisjon flertallet? Nylig ble det også publisert en undersøkelse som viser at <a href="https://www.tv2.no/a/10048751/">Norge er på andreplass i verden over land hvor størst andel av befolkningen drikker alkohol</a>. Jeg tror mange forbinder god mat og alkohol med helgekos og det å ta en pause fra en grå hverdag. Dette skillet mellom grå hverdag og helgekos er temaet for dette innlegget og jeg stiller spørsmål om dette skillet kan være uheldig.<br />
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<b>"Det er lov å la seg friste" og "det er lov å kose seg"</b><br />
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Mange av oss kan huske reklamen fra Minde sjokolade om at det er lov å la seg friste. Dette var en veldig effektiv reklame; jeg husker den bedre enn gangetabellen! Noe av grunnen til at den var effektiv var at den spilte på verdier vi allerede kjenner igjen; det er lov å kose seg (litt ekstra!) For mange av oss er dette barnelærdom. Vi får det ikke inn så tidlig som med morsmelka, men vi får det inn med lørdagsgodtet. Helgen skal være spesiell og noe annerledes, og da er det endelig lov å spise godteri (kanskje til og med litt mye). Vi blir fortalt at søtsaker ikke er bra for tennene, og kanskje til og med for helsa forøvrig. Noen av oss overhører kanskje foreldrene våre bekymre seg for vekta også. Vi må allerede som barn forholde oss til et paradoks: Vi skal ha det litt mer hyggelig med noe som er litt mer skadelig.<br />
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<b>Uklarhet</b><br />
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Virkeligheten er sjelden sort-hvit, og det skader ikke at vi er ærlige rundt dette. Samtidig spør jeg meg om ikke det er noe usunt med våre vanlige forestillinger rundt helgekos og grå hverdag. Ville det ikke vært bedre om vi koset oss med noe som var både sanselig godt og bra for helsa? Og igjen; hvis det var både sanselig godt og bra for helsa, hvorfor skulle vi da måtte begrense det til helgene og spesielle stunder? Kunne ikke vi da gjøre det oftere? Den grå hverdagen er kjip og kjedelig, men sunnere hva kommer til livsstil (og applauderes av den protestantiske arbeidsmoralen) mens helgekosen innebærer nytelse, men også utskeielse og overdrivelse som ofte innebærer noe usunt (usunn mat, alkohol, rus, sukker). Det er altså ikke sort-hvitt. Hverdagen er både bra og dårlig, helga er både bra og dårlig. Men kunne vi ikke heller ha som mål at alt skal være bra?<br />
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<b>Annerledesdager</b><br />
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Den tankens motstykke finnes i ønsket om å ha noen annerledesdager. Dette kommer frem i diskursen om søndagene, helligdager og høytidsdager. Spesielle dager som løftes ut av rutinen, men likevel har et rituelt fastsatt innhold, er ikke spesifikt for Norge, Norden eller Vesten, men er allment menneskelig. Dette peker mot at disse tingene springer ut av et slags underliggende behov eller tjener en, kanskje sosial, nyttefunksjon. Det sagt er markeringen av annerledesdagene ulik fra kultur til kultur og har endret seg gjennom tidene, også i Norge. Det er også individuelle forskjeller når det kommer til hvor viktig man føler disse markeringene er og det er variabel tilslutning til ulike markeringer.<br />
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Det er ikke det å ha annerledesdager jeg stiller spørsmål ved, det er innholdet i disse annerledesdagene og hvordan vi forstår skillet mellom annerledesdagene og hverdagene.<br />
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<b>Kulturell forestilling</b><br />
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Det som bekymrer meg er forestillingen om at hverdagen skal være kontrollert og produktiv. Vi holder oss selv i tøylene og utøver selvkontroll mens det vi egentlig vil er det vi også mener egentlig ikke er bra for oss selv eller samfunnet. Helga kommer, eller ferien, og det er tid for å drikke mer alkohol, glemme å spise sunt og sette treningssenteret på pause. Gjennom dette handlingsmønsteret bekrefter man en nedvurdering av hverdagen (som utgjør mesteparten av ens tid) og forsterker statusen til det man vet er usunt. Den andre siden av den samme mynten er forestillingen noen har om at sunne ting ikke kan smake godt, av og til eksemplifisert i utsagn som at "tenk at noe så sunt kan smake så godt" (implisitt at det som regel ikke gjør det). Dette er så vanlige holdninger at mange antagelig tenker på dem som objektive sannheter, eller kanskje litt svakere som en subjektiv mening de har gjort seg opp selv, men som bygger på erfaring.<br />
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Problemet er at vi sosialiseres inn i dette skillet mellom kontrollert og traust hverdag og utskeielse i helgene, og at det verken er en objektiv sannhet eller nødvendigvis en subjektiv erfaring, men en kulturell forestilling. Over tid er det nærliggende at folk vil søke mer og mer mot helgekosen og den vil fylle mer og mer tid. Helga blir lengre, det blir mer fyll på ferie og utskeielsene blir voldsommere, fordi vi har lært at det er dette som er det <i>litt </i>gode. Det er dette som er koselig, selv om vi fortsatt vet at det er usunt. Fornektelse av at det er usunt, er et verktøy for å utvide helgekosen, men vet vi ikke egentlig sannheten?<br />
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<b>Brutalitet og undertrykkelse</b><br />
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En annen side av det samme problemet, er hverdagen. Jeg hører noen ganger utsagn som at "jobb ikke skal være gøy", "du trenger ikke like det du gjør" og "fritid er fritid". Det er en del av den samme kulturelle forestillingen, og legger opp til en slags brutalitet. Man skal undertrykke seg selv og finne seg i kjedsomhet og mistrivsel, bygge opp stadig mer frustrasjon. Det er ikke så farlig som det høres ut for helgen kommer og da kan man gjøre som man vil og skeie ut.<br />
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<b>Bra på alle fronter</b><br />
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Men trenger det være slik? Bør man ikke gjøre noe man liker også i hverdagen og da heller gjøre noe annerledes som <i>også </i>er bra i helgene? Bør det ikke være bra på alle fronter?<br />
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Jeg innser selvfølgelig at man ikke kan like ting på kommando og at det kan være vanskelig å finne ting man liker og det som er bra på alle fronter, men det betyr ikke at det ikke bør være et mål eller at vi bør gi opp før vi i det hele tatt har forsøkt.<br />
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<i>Alternativet til at vi sosialiseres inn i forestillingen om en grå hverdag som står imot helgekos, er at vi oppfordres til å finne ut av, hver for oss, </i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hva er det som er bra for meg?</b></span><br />
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(Selv er jeg vegan, avholds og supersunn. Mange tror jeg utviser stor viljestyrke og at livsstilen min er asketisk, men det er ikke slik jeg oppfatter det. Det er dette som er bra for meg).<br />
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-29132093319508314742018-05-21T19:10:00.000+02:002018-05-21T19:46:33.857+02:00Beyond category: Seeing animals as individuals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beyond category: Seeing animals as individuals </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my previous entry, "<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.no/2018/05/vegan-for-your-own-good.html">Vegan... for your own good</a>" I claimed that eating meat is not in your own interest as an animal has more to give alive than dead. Killing the animal for food is to sacrifice a unique individual for the sake of inferior food. There is a major possible objection to this, and that is: You do not, normally, meet the animals you eat. They are not in your life whilst alive, but the meat products they are turned into, can be. If meat is unhealthy, it still wouldn't be worth it to exchange your money for something that is damaging to yourself. However, let's go down a different road. Would you be thinking the same way about humans?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Individualism versus collectivism </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Often, nonhuman animals are viewed as categories rather than separate individuals. That is, whilst Angelica the human has properties ascribed to Angelica, the individual, Penny, the horse, has properties ascribed to the horse species. While it would be scandalous for Angelica not to be named, Penny being named is optional. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Individualism means seeing those you meet as individuals rather than as representatives of their group membership (often not assigned by themselves but by the human individual who defines). This can encompass individuals of other species as well as humans. A given individual of cat species can matter more to you, yourself, as an individual person, than another given individual belonging to the human species. You might care more for Penny, the horse, than Angelica, the human, or vice versa depending on who enriches your life the most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This view, however, is controversial. Many people seem to think you ought automatically to place every single human above every single individual of another species just because of their species membership. This view is collectivistic. Which club you are in matters more than who you really are. This is twice damaging. First of all, it teaches u</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s to automatically view any nonhuman individual as inferior to a human one. This is unfair to the animal who isn't even permitted a true evaluation. Second, it is potentially damaging to the human who buys into the collectivist view. If Penny the horse is good to this human, and Angelica the human is not, he tries to place someone worse above someone better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Individualism also entails viewing the judgment of an individual more important than the customs and prejudices of society. That is: The fact that the collectivist view of animals is prevailing in society, should not matter. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The supremacy of the human species</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is there to say for the view that all humans are more valuable than all nonhumans?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Intelligence is often mentioned. Humans are simply more intelligent. While this seems to be true when speaking of the species as a whole, there are exceptions, and a claim stating that ALL humans are more intelligent than ALL nonhumans would be false. Grown up crows are, as a rule, more intelligent than human infants or grown up humans with certain brain damages. While the grown up crows might be able to make simple tools and communicate between themselves, the human infants and brain damaged, might not. If intelligence were all that mattered, these grown up crows would have higher value and more rights than the humans mentioned. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other traits and properties proposed to be of defining value also elude being relevant for all humans and no nonhumans. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Egoist Viewpoint </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the Egoist viewpoint, the value of another individual doesn't depend on what species or group he belongs to, but rather as to what he means to you, yourself, for better or worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This blogpost is based on my article "<a href="http://masterbloggen.no/blog/2017/09/26/veganer-for-ditt-eget-beste/">Veganer for ditt eget beste</a>" on <a href="http://masterbloggen.no/">Masterbloggen </a>(in Norwegian). Here, I chose to divide it into two separate articles. The article is based on my master thesis "<a href="https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/2452772">The Ethical Egoist Case for Dietary Veganism, or the Individual Animal and His Will to Live</a>". </span></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-59933158672661929152018-05-17T20:57:00.000+02:002018-05-17T20:57:06.772+02:00Vegan... for your own good<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Vegan... </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>for your own good</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it a sacrifice to give up on meat and other animal products? Quite the contrary: It is a sacrifice not to be vegan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Veganism is on the rise. For what reason? To unselfishly and self-desertingly give up the taste of meat in order to save the world? Or... could it be that going vegan is the rational thing to do? Could it be that this is what would be beneficial to yourself? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my <a href="https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/2452772">master thesis</a>, I argued that embracing a vegan diet is the right thing to do from a standpoint even of ethical egoism. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Egoist Viewpoint</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this context, Egoism refers to the ethical view that choosing what is most beneficial to yourself is the correct thing to do. Given a choice between two options, the option beneficial to yourself is the good option, the option less beneficial or most detrimental to yourself is the evil option. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many different versions of ethical egoism. I am primarily inspired by philosophers <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/max-stirner/">Max Stirner</a>, <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/">Friedrich Nietzsche</a> and A<a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ayn-rand/">yn Rand</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, what is a self-benefitting choice? That is choosing the action(s) that help further your life. That is: the action(s) that make(s) you stronger, increase(s) your options, lengthen(s) and enrichen(s) your life. What weakens you is not self-benefitting. That is: a temporary high that leaves more damage than good in the long run is to be avoided according to this understanding of morality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Values worth keeping</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good(s) that enrichens and lengthens your life can be called values. When you collect values, you act in your own self-interest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Values are not necessarily material. A value can be a useful trait in yourself or in another person, that is a virtue. Living individuals can also constitute values. For one, they might have valuable traits, that is virtues. Second, for any reason, they might enrichen your life and contribute to your happiness. Individuals who contribute to your happiness constitute values. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is valuable is what you seek for. When you get it, you do your best to keep it. And the other way round: To exchange a value for something less valuable or even valueless, is morally incorrect given ethical egoism. An example of this would be to obey your parents in their aspirations for you, say in choosing a carreer, when you have better options that would make you happier. Exchanging a good for a neutral or a bad is a sacrifice and morally wrong.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is most valuable to you? </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Choosing meat or animal products over a vegan alternative, could constitute a sacrifice. Given that you could choose between a diet based on animal products and a vegan diet, the question will be: What is most valuable to you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will take a look at two ways as to how meat eating could constitute a sacrifice: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* If the individual animal has a value whilst alive, and this value is lost when that individual dies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* If meat or any animal product is less healthy than a vegan alternative</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Would you have eaten a dog?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nonhuman animals matter to us. Many of us have grown up with a companion dog or cat. Let's imagine you had a dog named Zeus. He had certain traits personal to himself and you think of him as an individual. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've known other dogs, you'd probably recognize that they were each different from each other: that every one was unique. Maybe Zeus was especially intelligent? Maybe he was especially energetic? Or perhaps he was a lazy couch potato. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zeus was probably also very different from all the human individuals you knew. Zeus was more than "just a dog". He had specific traits and properties that the humans you know do not share. That is: Your dog Zeus was unique. Not only was he irreplaceable by any other dog: neither a human individual could ever fill his place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you imagine your dog Zeus being mashed up and turned into meatballs? Well. In most parts of the world, it is not common to eat dogs, so this thought experiment might seem odd to you. But what if Zeus wasn't a dog? Say he was a pig. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pigs can also be companions to humans. They have unique and individual personalities. Say Zeus the pig was your companion. What would be most valuable to you: Zeus, the companion, or the sausages he could be turned into? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you kill an animal to turn her into food, you sacrifice a personality. This is because a personality depends on a living body to sustain it. A corpse is rid of personality and cannot fulfill the functions of the living. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about your health?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then what about the food itself? Let's just agree for the sake of argument that meat is unhealthy and that replacing it with a healthy vegan rich in fresh vegetables, fruit and vegan protein sources such as beans and lentils is an option. Then how could it be in your own interest to keep eating animal products?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A meatless diet can be healthier than a diet containing meat. The so-called Adventist studies in the US found out that vegans have lower risk of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4073139/">obesity, diabetes type 2</a>, cardiac disease and high blood pressure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, nutrition is way too complex for us to conclude with certainty that a vegan diet is better than a meat based one. However, assuming that meat is less healthy than good vegan options, and assuming that living animals have value, then meat production is a negative value converter, turning value into nonvalue. That is, the living animal individual is turned into unhealthy food. A good is given up for a bad. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The practice is detrimental. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This post is based on my article "<a href="http://masterbloggen.no/blog/2017/09/26/veganer-for-ditt-eget-beste/">Veganer for ditt eget beste</a>" found on <a href="http://masterbloggen.no/">Masterbloggen</a>. The article is based on my master thesis "<a href="https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/2452772">The Ethical Egoist Case for Dietary Veganism, or the Individual Animal and His Will to Live</a>". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The original article, in Norwegian, is longer. I figured it allowed for easier reading to divide the article in two and thus publish the second half as a separate entry. </span><br />
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-48359329564066070492017-10-31T13:21:00.000+01:002017-10-31T13:21:42.861+01:00Naturmeditasjon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"Jeg hører vinden. Jeg hører krusningene på det stille vannet. Jeg hører bevegelser under jorden. Jeg kjenner hvordan kroppen min utvider seg og trekker seg sammen mens jeg puster. Jeg kjenner hvordan jorden holder meg oppe. Jeg hører hvordan småkryp beveger seg langs bunnen på vannet og jeg tror jeg hører hvordan skyene beveger seg over himmelen og gradvis fyller den med former av myke snøkrystaller. Ikke at det egentlig er snøkrystaller. Det er bare en sammenligning."<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8FqKVXKobgU/WfhqAXrUoSI/AAAAAAAAA4w/pOYcP9XiM2QvmcjdtJJtnNF5ZSjgIIzZQCLcBGAs/s1600/20171030_113804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8FqKVXKobgU/WfhqAXrUoSI/AAAAAAAAA4w/pOYcP9XiM2QvmcjdtJJtnNF5ZSjgIIzZQCLcBGAs/s640/20171030_113804.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sitatet over er hentet fra min nye bok "<a href="https://boldbooks.no/produkt/jernmeditasjonen/"><span style="color: orange;">Jernmeditasjonen</span></a>". </div>
Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-4292504998017888982017-10-27T22:42:00.001+02:002017-10-27T22:48:51.473+02:00Hva er antropokratiet og bør det avskaffes?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hvordan vil et samfunn hvor mennesker ikke har makten se ut?<br />
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Under arbeidet med min <span style="color: blue;">masteroppgave i <a href="https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/2452772">religion, etikk og samfunn</a></span>, leste jeg «<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ego-His-Own-Individual-Philosophy/dp/048644581X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509135130&sr=8-2&keywords=The+ego+and+its+own">The Ego and Its Own</a>» av Max Stirner. Her går han til angrep på <i>antropokratiet</i> – menneskestyret. Dette må hos ham ses mer som et angrep på humanismen som ideologi, enn som et angrep på menneskenes fremtredende posisjon på jorden.<br />
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Men kan vi trekke dette lenger? Kan vi forestille oss et samfunn hvor antropokratiet – menneskestyret - er avskaffet? Kan vi se for oss en verden hvor mennesker ikke dominerer, og hva kan et slikt samfunn være?<br />
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Er det tilstrekkelig om mennesker styrer etter en ideologi hvor mennesker likevel ikke er viktigst? Kan vi forestille oss et system hvor makten på en måte er delt med andre dyr? Hvordan? Er alternativet til antropokratiet et robotstyre? Eller en anarkisme – en verden uten politikk? Må mennesker dø ut før antropokratiet kan forsvinne?<br />
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Vi kan se for oss flere ulike alternativer til antropokratiet. En deling av makten med andre dyr eller roboter, en anarkisme hvor ingen er på topp ettersom det ikke er noe politisk samfunn å dominere eller en verden uten mennesker. Felles for alle disse alternativene er at de er fjernt fra dagens situasjon og nok krever god fantasi å forestille seg. Men kanskje bør vi fantasere om det likevel.<br />
<a href="https://www.nrk.no/norge/wwf_-_-to-tredeler-av-verdens-dyr-blir-borte-1.13196627"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.nrk.no/norge/wwf_-_-to-tredeler-av-verdens-dyr-blir-borte-1.13196627">Om WWF får rett vil to tredjedeler av ville dyr være utryddet mellom 1970 og 2020</a>. En gjennomsnittlig nordmann spiser mer enn <a href="https://www.vg.no/forbruker/ny-rapport-saa-mye-kjoett-spiser-du-i-loepet-av-livet/a/23757360/">1200 dyr i løpet av sitt liv</a>. Drikkevannet vårt (og de andre dyrenes) inneholder stadig mer plast og havene brukes som søppelfylling. Kan det være at disse tendensene krever radikale løsninger, og en helt ny isme?<br />
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Ny teknologi kan gjøre disse post-antropokratiske drømmeriene mer realistiske. Kanskje kan man finne opp teknologi som noenlunde upartisk kan veie interessene til alle dyr og slik på en måte inkludere ikke-menneskelige dyr i et slags taust demokrati. Men er dette et demokrati – eller bør jeg si «animalokrati» – eller er det et opplyst robot-enevelde?<br />
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Kanskje kan vi finne opp teknologi som på et eller annet vis stopper makttilegnelse eller forsøk på å dominere, et slags elektrisk halsbånd som hindrer folk i å strebe etter ministerposisjoner, om du vil, og med det kaste alle troner, parlament og taburetter ut av verktøykassen og bort fra spillebrettet?<br />
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Kanskje er det på tide med nye radikale ismer. Kanskje er det på tide å bli lovet en bedre verden igjen, og sprøyte nye impulser inn i en frosset debatt og bevege et stilnet verdensbilde?<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5BYtedXcEo/WfORgMbFd4I/AAAAAAAAA4g/GBlRegfxLW8C0VPKVj1GFL_FyNxfkwitwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5BYtedXcEo/WfORgMbFd4I/AAAAAAAAA4g/GBlRegfxLW8C0VPKVj1GFL_FyNxfkwitwCEwYBhgL/s200/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" width="141" /></a>I min roman, "<a href="https://boldbooks.no/produkt/jernmeditasjonen/">Jernmeditasjonen</a>" har kråkene tatt makten og antropokratiet er avskaffet. Selvfølgelig tror jeg ikke det kan skje, eller vil skje, akkurat slik. Jeg har ikke tenkt ut noen ny isme eller hvordan et post-antropokratisk samfunn <i>bør </i>være, men på et tidspunkt må man kanskje trekke grønne ideer videre og utvikle helt nye løsninger som ikke plasserer seg et sted på den gammeldagse høyre-venstre-aksen eller en blass grønnfarging av sosialdemokratiet.<br />
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"Jernmeditasjonen", kan kjøpes hos <a href="https://boldbooks.no/produkt/jernmeditasjonen/">BoldBooks</a>.</div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-18791811152949359582017-10-27T22:06:00.000+02:002017-10-27T22:06:05.429+02:00Oppdatering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Nå er det lenge siden jeg har lagt ut noe her.<br />
<br />
Det betyr ikke at jeg ikke har skrevet noe!<br />
<br />
Jeg har fullført min masterutdanning og skrevet masteroppgaven "<a href="https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/2452772"><span style="color: blue;">The Ethical Egoist Case for Dietary Egoism, Or The Individual Animal and His Will to Live</span></a>"<br />
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Jeg har skrevet en artikkel basert på oppgaven: "<a href="http://masterbloggen.no/blog/2017/09/26/veganer-for-ditt-eget-beste/" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Veganer for ditt eget beste</span></a>".<br />
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Og nå har jeg publisert e-bok. Dette er en science fiction-roman med tittel "<a href="https://boldbooks.no/produkt/jernmeditasjonen/"><span style="color: blue;">Jernmeditasjonen</span></a>". Den kan kjøpes på <a href="https://boldbooks.no/produkt/jernmeditasjonen/">BoldBooks</a>.<br />
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Jernmeditasjonen tar for seg forholdet mellom mennesker og andre arter.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5BYtedXcEo/WfORgMbFd4I/AAAAAAAAA4c/cuOc06evMq0U0Ad1G4VkfCNhdNmYva0jQCLcBGAs/s1600/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5BYtedXcEo/WfORgMbFd4I/AAAAAAAAA4c/cuOc06evMq0U0Ad1G4VkfCNhdNmYva0jQCLcBGAs/s400/Jernmeditasjonen%2Bforside.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<i>Jeg vet ikke hvor jeg kommer fra. Det vet ikke du heller, men jeg vet det enda dårligere enn deg. Jeg burde kanskje krøpet for deg, du som vet litt mer. Sett opp på deg med en tilbeders øyne. Jeg burde kanskje hørt din historie. Men sannheten er at jeg ikke kan høre. Sannheten er at du ikke kan snakke til meg. Jeg kjenner deg ikke, ser deg ikke, husker deg ikke, vet ikke hvor du er.</i><br />
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Slik åpner Jernmeditasjonen. Ordene kommer fra fremtiden, en gang etter år 2379, året Krazi ble født av et egg. Menneskene holdes fanget, og en slags kråker styrer verden. Gradvis lærer vi at det er forskjell på mennesker – de behandles på ulikt vis. Mannen bak ordene fra fremtiden sitter innesperret i et kontorfengsel og må spise sopp hver dag, for det har kråkene funnet ut er det beste for ham. En dag grøter det seg til i hjernen hans og livet hans endrer seg igjen. Hva er det som skjer? Har isolasjonen drevet ham til vanvidd, eller er det først nå han begynner å se klart?<br />
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Handlingen i Jernmeditasjonen finner sted i en verden hvor menneskestyret er avskaffet og hvor alle lever vegansk. Dette er en filosofisk science fiction-roman som tar opp forholdet mellom mennesker og andre dyr, hvordan menneskene tar vare på naturen og ikke minst hvor langt våre fremtidige kan gå i å straffe de skyldige.<br />
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I neste blogginnlegg skal jeg ta for meg en idé som er eksemplifisert på kreativt vis i "Jernmeditasjonen", nemlig at antropokratiet, eller menneskestyret, kan avskaffes. Hva vil dette si? Er ikke dette både radikalt og urealistisk? Vi får se.</div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-35771140838356733212016-08-04T16:45:00.003+02:002016-08-04T16:46:33.846+02:00Som dyr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Som dyr</div>
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Når mennesker behandles uverdig, behandles de "som dyr". Når mennesker opptrer uverdig, opptrer de "som dyr". Mennesker er som dyr ganske ofte, om vi skal dømme etter den tilsynelatende hyppige bruken av uttrykket. Noen ganger kommer det i varianter av "jeg er et menneske, ikke dyr", noe som ofte impliserer at personen anser seg behandlet som et dyr, noe han ikke har fortjent, fordi han er noe mer. </div>
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Men mennesket <i>er </i>et dyr. </div>
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Mennesket er en art blant andre, som har sin unike adferd. Mennesker har særegne, menneskelige språk. Mennesker har særdeles god evne <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">til å lage og bruke redskaper. Vi bygger hus som er tydelig forskjellige fra kråkereir, bikuber eller hamsterdemninger, og kanskje veldig menneskelig; </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">som regel bygger vi ikke hus engang, men betaler andre for å bygge dem eller bytter penger for å få bo i ett som egentlig tilhører andre. </span></div>
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Tidvis henspeiler klisjeen "som dyr" til spesifikk menneskelig adferd, som i den nylig (<a href="https://www.nrk.no/urix/xl/partystedet-som-aldri-dor-1.13046855">på NRK</a>) omtalte partykulturen på Magaluf med høyt alkoholkonsum, <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">slåsskamper og spy. Mennesker er fortsatt dyr, men fenomenet er artsspesifikt og burde omtales deretter.</span></div>
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Den hyppige bruken av uttrykket fremstår noe hysterisk, når vi til vanlig ville medgitt at mennesket jo, i hvert fall biologisk sett, er et dyr. Det er som om vi ikke helt vil ta inn over oss dette i dagligspråket. </div>
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Men kanskje legger jeg for mye i akkurat dét aspektet. Viktigere enn å skyte inn halvfordekte påstander om at mennesket er utenfor dyreriket, spiller frasen på at noe som ikke burde skjedd, har skjedd. At noen har blitt behandlet feil, altså behandlet like dårlig som et dyr, da på frasens premisser forstått som et ikke-menneske. </div>
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For dårlig vil ikke mennesker behandles. Men det tror jeg ikke de andre dyrene vil heller.</div>
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Bo-Nicolai Gjerpen Hansen</div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-5218593393025373402016-05-26T09:07:00.001+02:002016-05-26T09:08:20.558+02:00Brutalitetsbruk (dikt)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Det finnes ikke dyp i dette havet<br />
og heller ingen bunn<br />
for havet tørket inn<br />
og er ikke lenger hav, men noe annet<br />
Saltklumpene ruller<br />
mens tang og tare tørker<br />
og fiskene er i gang å råtne.<br />
De knuses når du går,<br />
men det er slik det er.<br />
De har bruk for din brutalitet.<br />
Nå må det jevnes ut<br />
til ingen lenger vil<br />
forsøke seg på å svømme en gang til.<br />
<br />
Bo-Nicolai Gjerpen Hansen<br />
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-42225715251574599252016-05-13T09:37:00.001+02:002016-05-13T09:39:54.052+02:00Fra øverste hold (dikt)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jeg balanserer på toppen av et stilas<br />
av bæreposer, påfunn, angstanfall og fjas;<br />
det er gårsdagens konstruksjon<br />
som noen kaller tradisjon<br />
men som samles sammen til unødvendig mas<br />
Å<br />
Om det bare raste ned!<br />
kunne jeg i hvert fall se<br />
om bunnen de bygget fra var stødig nok<br />
og om stilaset var verdt alt det.<br />
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Bo-Nicolai Gjerpen Hansen</div>
Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-8118679309255418492016-04-29T21:51:00.000+02:002016-05-02T22:00:01.815+02:00Dyreforsøk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Søndag 24. april var det forsøksdyrenes dag.<br />
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Jeg har skrevet om testing på dyr tidligere,<a href="http://nikolaissuperpop.blogspot.no/2014/10/er-det-greit-med-dyretesting.html"> i et innlegg fra 2014</a>. Der gikk jeg imot tanken om at dyr skal behandles annerledes bare fordi de ikke er mennesker, når de faktisk både har vilje til liv (overlevelsesinstinkt) og evnen til å føle smerte. Samtidig presiserte jeg at jeg ikke ville ønsket noe lovforbud mot dyretesting. Dette gjaldt spesielt innen medisin, fordi det kan hende total<i> nytte</i> for dem som trenger medisinene er større enn <i>lidelsen</i> til dyrene - i noen tilfeller. Det betydde ikke at jeg var positiv til dyreforsøk, men at jeg kunne se den teoretiske <i>nytten</i> av det i avgrensede tilfeller. Dette til forskjell fra kjøttproduksjon, som jeg ikke ser noen nytte av.<br />
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Drøftingen min i det innlegget fulgte i stor grad konsekvensialistiske prinsipper. Konsekvensialismen er ikke den etiske retningen jeg har mest sansen for, i hvert fall ikke i sin utilitaristiske utforming, eller der en tenker best mulig konsekvenser for flest mulig berørte. Jeg tenker at vi ikke har en rett til å ta liv eller påføre noen smerte, annet enn for eksempel under medisinske operasjoner individet selv tjener på. Det vanskeliggjør dyreforsøk som volder lidelse eller død. Det kan imidlertid tenkes dyreforsøk som ikke volder lidelse eller død, og da blir diskusjonen mer komplisert.<br />
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Samtidig finnes det alternativer til dyreforsøk. Dette dreier seg for eksempel om cellekulturer, data-animasjoner eller roboter, samt andre nyere teknologier. Det innvendes at disse ofte ikke kan erstatte dyreforsøk. Det er jeg ikke i stand til å avgjøre, men med tanke på at for eksempel medisiner virker inn på en hel, biologisk kropp, høres dette helt sannsynlig ut. På den annen side har vi poenget om at det er forskjeller artene mellom og en medisin som tolereres godt av en mus, tolereres ikke nødvendigvis godt av et menneske, og omvendt. Dyreforsøk gir oss ikke den fulle informasjon om testproduktet.<br />
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Problemet med dyreforsøk, slik jeg ser det, er at det nærmest med nødvendighet medfører ulemper for dyret. Først dreier det seg om frihetsberøvelse. Forsøksdyr er riktignok alt opp og kjøpt med forsøk for øye, så jeg mener ikke at man kidnapper dyr fra naturlige habitat her. Men selv om dyret er født i fangenskap, betyr ikke det at dette er et gode for dyret. Dernest er forsøkene ofte smertefulle. Tenk for eksempel Draize-testen hvor test-substansen påføres dyrets øye, for så å holdes der i en bestemt tid. Ofte vil dyrene bli bedøvd der forsøkene er smertefulle, men noen ganger vil bedøvelsen ødelegge for resultatet, og dermed bli droppet. Sist er at dyret til slutt dør, enten av forsøkene eller fordi det har tjent sin rolle. Det er vanskelig å tenke seg mange dyreforsøk der ingen av disse ulempene er tilstede.<br />
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Noe av det viktigste vi kan gjøre fremover nå er å støtte alternative teknologier til dyreforsøk. Det er flere organisasjoner som støtter slik forskning med penger, slik som <a href="http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/us-government-animal-testing-programs/peta-funds-non-animal-methods/">PETA</a>, britiske <a href="http://www.frame.org.uk/research/">FRAME - Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments</a> og norske <a href="http://www.dyrebeskyttelsen.no/nyheter/utlysning-av-midler-fondet-for-alternativ-forskning">Dyrebeskyttelsens fond for alternativ forskning</a>.<br />
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De alternativene vi allerede har, gir en viss grunn til optimisme. Etisk bevissthet og krav om bedre og snillere alternativer, fører til slutt et sted, og det kan lede til innovasjon. Jeg synes det er positivt at flere organisasjoner aktivt støtter forskning for å få frem nye alternativer til dyreforsøk.<br />
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Skal verden bli et bedre sted, er dette klart et område som må prioriteres. Foruten å støtte nye teknologier, gjelder det å være kritisk til bruken av dyr som er i dag.<br />
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Hvorfor bruker man dyreforsøk i det aktuelle tilfellet? Hvorfor regner forskerne eller andre med at det er nødvendig eller nyttig? Hvorfor brukes ikke alternativer? Er det i det hele tatt nødvendig med forsøket?<br />
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Og ikke minst: Har vi rett til å bruke dyr på denne måten?<br />
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Mye av bakgrunnskunnskapen for dette innlegget henter jeg fra NOAHs ark nr.2 2012, temanummer om dyreforsøk<br />
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-83719064400018900792016-04-28T11:49:00.000+02:002016-04-28T11:53:57.182+02:00The unjustness of exploiting animals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Confining, inflicting pain on or killing animals is unjust and unfair</b></div>
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Confining, inflicting pain on or killing animals, when unnecessary, is unjust and unfair. I consider practices causing this to be examples of exploitation.<br />
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You wouldn't want these same things happening to you, so don't do it to them.<br />
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<b>The Golden Rule</b><br />
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Does this reasoning sound familiar? It sure echoes the Golden rule, as found in Matthew 7:12:</div>
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<i>Do to others what you want them to do to you.</i></div>
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It is also found in other traditions, like in the Buddhist text Dhammapada verses 129 (and 130): </div>
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<i>All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.</i><br />
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<b>Historical differences between Eastern and Western traditions</b></div>
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Now, in "Indian" or Eastern religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, it has been common to include animals in that equation. While most adherents of Buddhism, and maybe also Hinduism, actually eat meat, many do not, and the topic of meat eating and killing of animals has been discussed for thousands of years. </div>
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However, although there has been exceptions, in Western culture the separation between human and other animals has mostly been assumed or taken for granted. Humans on the one hand, belong to one category, and animals to another. </div>
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<b>Discrimination and prejudice</b></div>
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Often, both in the West and the East, the human category has been split up into a hierarchy with some humans being considered of higher worth than others. The humans considered inferior, curiously, have often been described as animals or given animal-like characteristics. Inferior humans are beast-like, driven by instinct, they are irrational, they are primitive, uncivilized (civilization is a human construct) and so forth. In short, they are given labels associated with non-human animals. Now, these groups of people are of course non-whites, women, sexual minorities, slaves, religious and ethnic minorities as well as people who just don't conform to society's standards. </div>
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At its most base level, discrimination of any of these groups, are justified simply by pointing to the group's distinctiveness. The argument is that discrimination, or differential treatment, is justified because the person discriminated against is, as an example, black. </div>
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<b>Assuming privilege</b></div>
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By promoting standards one can easily adapt to oneself, or already shares, one tries to assume privilege, consciously or subconsciously. If white, heterosexual men are considered the best of the best, one gets a lot for free simply by coincidentally being a white, heterosexual man. If one promotes the white, heterosexual man as the ideal being, one is partial and promoting one's own image. If one considers the interests of the human more important than the identitical interests of the non-human animal, just because the human is human, one discriminates in favor of oneself and one's own group.</div>
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Philosopher Mark Rowlands writes: "the species to which you belong is not something over which you have any control: it is not, that is, something for which you are in any way responsible. So, therefore, species is morally irrelevant" (from Animals Like Us 2002, page 53). Discrimination based on species membership has a name: Speciesism. </div>
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<b>The Contractarian Approach to Animal Ethics</b></div>
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Philosopher Mark Rowlands has carried John Rawls' thought experiment of<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-JQ17X6VNg"> The veil of Ignorance,</a> or the Impartial Position, further. In his great book, <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Like-Us-Practical-Ethics/dp/1859843867/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461832907&sr=8-2&keywords=Animals+Like+Us">Animals Like Us</a></b>, Mark Rowlands presents the <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/contractarianism/">contractarian approach </a>to animal ethics. I would <b>highly </b>recommend it as one of the best books I've read on the subject. The contractarian approach presented is highly practical and possible to follow. He also presents several examples of the actual exploitation and suppression of animals today. Also, he delivers a great elaboration on the problem of killing and death, in general. </div>
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What I present here is <u>based on Rowlands' argument</u>, though I can't possibly do justice to his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Like-Us-Practical-Ethics/dp/1859843867/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461832907&sr=8-2&keywords=Animals+Like+Us">wonderful book</a>, that you should all be reading instead of this blogpost. </div>
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<b>The Impartial Position</b></div>
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Imagine you are not born yet. </div>
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You are hovering in space, looking down on earth, waiting to be born. </div>
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You don't know who you will be. You only know you will be sentient. You will live, and you will feel pain and pleasure. You could become a human engineer or a teacher. You could be male, or you could be female. </div>
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You could become a cat, a pig or even a cow. Actually, nothing stops you from being born as a fish or an insect. </div>
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As you contemplate this, an angel appears with a blank book for you to fill in.</div>
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Now you are given the chance to choose which rules should apply to this world, how human and non-human animals should behave towards one another. You will write them into the book, and the book shall be law.</div>
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Remember, this law shall apply to all who are able to follow and understand the law. Everyone who can understand will, in this thought experiment, do so. </div>
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After writing down the law, you will be born into the world. A random animal form will be given to you. Maybe you will become a chicken, a hen or a cow. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7YGDhDy1eg/VyHSbHKLyDI/AAAAAAAAAzs/B27oSjunir4u84aVPgjomlDVns7dJqKrwCLcB/s1600/Earth6391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7YGDhDy1eg/VyHSbHKLyDI/AAAAAAAAAzs/B27oSjunir4u84aVPgjomlDVns7dJqKrwCLcB/s400/Earth6391.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Would you choose a world where you might live your whole, but short, life in a cage for then being slaughtered? Would you choose a world where human animals could hold non-human animals captive, if that animal were you? Would you choose a world were animals are used for unnecessary experimentation for new cosmetic products?</div>
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Or, would you choose a world in which there was no killing, no captivity and no inflicting of suffering for needless reasons? </div>
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Remember what you chose. </div>
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A person constructing a system in which he himself could be tortured and killed, would be an irrational, self-defeating person. Now, in this thought experiment, what is irrational in the Impartial Position, is unjust and immoral in real life, as not following one's own rules would be having a double standard. </div>
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If you are now human, breaking the rules you made, why do you? </div>
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<i><span style="color: purple;">The intention of this blogpost is to present one of many arguments for taking animals' interests into account, as well as to make my readers aware of Rowlands' book Animals Like Us, which was a great inspiration for me. Also, presenting the argument here, I can refer to this blogpost in the future, hopefully making future blogposts shorter. There have been some months since I read this book in entirety, so I apologize if there is any error. I am trying to convey what I take to be the essence of this position, not a summary of the book. </span></i></div>
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<b>You can buy Mark Rowlands' book on<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Like-Us-Practical-Ethics/dp/1859843867/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461832907&sr=8-2&keywords=Animals+Like+Us"> Amazon.com</a></b>, </div>
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<b>For Norwegian readers, you could also get it on the online store <a href="http://www.adlibris.com/no/bok/animals-like-us-9781859843864">Adlibris.no. </a></b></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-15580489424330959482016-02-23T14:39:00.001+01:002016-02-23T14:39:42.562+01:00I full oppriktighet (dikt)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I full oppriktighet</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeg liker
dyret i deg bedre enn mennesket<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lukten av
din bare hud mer enn parfymen<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ditt bare
begjær mer enn dine pene fraser<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Så når du
kommer hjem vil jeg at du vasker deg<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeg vil at
du fjerner siste rest av by og folk<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeg vil ha
deg naken, jeg vil ha deg som du er<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vi skal
brenne klærne våre, vi skal kaste penger<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Og vi skal
knulle siste urbane minne bort. </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Bo-Nicolai Gjerpen Hansen</b></span></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-37176852230165479352016-02-17T13:28:00.001+01:002016-02-17T13:34:38.229+01:00Forsvar for kjøttfri mandag i offentlige kantiner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Mange reagerer på innføring av kjøttfri mandag i offentlige kantiner i Oslo. For eksempel i et debatt-innlegg på <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/Snikvegetarisering--Petter-Kaland-Melsom-8358844.html">Aftenposten</a> av Melsom, 2. nestformann i FpU. Han mener vi bør si nei til kjøttfri mandag av hensyn til enkeltmenneskets valgfrihet. Jeg mener dette er en urimelig kritikk. Det er ikke total valgfrihet i dag, og vi kan heller aldri forvente det på offentlige kantiner.<br />
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I dag er det som regel motsatt. Det er stort sett bare kjøtt eller animalia som serveres, til tross for at det verken er sunt, etisk eller miljøvennlig. </div>
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Vi har allerede en ensidighet og bytter den ut med en annen. Hvor høyt ropte folk om valgfrihet når det var vegetarianere som ikke hadde noe valg?</div>
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I valgfrihetens navn kan man tenke at det burde være både og. Men hvor stor skal en offentlig meny være og hvor mange skattekroner skal pøses inn i denne? Om hver og en skal ha akkurat sin rett, så blir det fort en dyr kantine. Hva gjelder offentlige kantiner i storbyene, er som regel andre spisesteder innen kort avstand. Vegetarianere, folk med allergier, spesielt helsebevisste og folk med dårlig råd, vil ofte måtte ta med seg matpakke. Hvorfor skal det alltid være disse gruppene som skal måtte det?</div>
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Hvorfor er det mangel på valgfrihet når den oppsatte retten er kjøttfri, men ikke mangel på valgfrihet når den er med kjøtt? Hvis kantinen ikke serverer det man har lyst på, så gjør den ikke det, og det er klart det kan være frustrerende, men skal man forvente at kantinen har en endeløs meny og serverer alt folk kan ha lyst på? Problemet oppstår ikke når menyen er begrenset i seg selv. Problemet oppstår når den ene, eller de få, retten(e) som tilbys er kjøttfri. Da kommer klagene om mangel på valgfrihet. Jeg leser dette til ideologisk innpakning av at man har lyst på kjøtt. Man vil spise kjøtt. Til hvert eneste måltid. På den samme kantinen. Hver dag. Dette er ikke en kamp for valgfrihet. Det er en kamp for status quo og for egne matpreferanser. Det forkler også en motstand mot vegetarmat som sådan. Hva den bunner i, kan man lure på, men jeg vil tippe det er forestillinger som at vegetarmat ikke metter eller at man egentlig må ha kjøtt. Til hvert måltid. Hver dag. I den samme kantinen. </div>
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Noe av motstanden mot kjøttfri mandag kommer kanskje av at dette kommer etter flere grep fra MDG og Byfyrstedømmet, Byregjeringen eller Bystyret, Byrådet eller hva det nå var det het, som griper inn i folks hverdag og oppleves som overformynderi. Isolert sett er imidlertid ikke den kjøttfri mandagen i offentlige kantiner noe stort eller radikalt grep, og ikke et stort brudd med valgfrihet. </div>
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Motstanden mot den kjøttfri mandagen - på offentlige kantiner i Oslo - er ikke et utslag av liberalisme, men av et<a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/okonomi/Atte-trender-som-tyder-pa-okt-vegetarinteresse-8358123.html"> sakte krympende flertalls (de som vil spise kjøtt hver bidige dag</a>) insistering på å beholde status quo. Dette er kulturkonservatisme parret med subjektive matpreferanser og som politisk ytring er den dårlig gjennomtenkt. </div>
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Innlegget mitt her er en bearbeidet variant av en kommentar jeg hadde på FpUs Facebook-sider. For redelighetens skyld vil jeg opplyse at jeg selv har vært medlem av FpU, om enn ikke den mest aktive. Jeg har i utgangspunktet stor sans for FpU. Jeg er ideologisk liberalist og vegetarianer. </div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-15723595470280874752016-02-05T13:53:00.000+01:002016-02-05T13:53:34.283+01:00Hvert år ved vinterens slutt (dikt)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;">Hvert år ved vinterens slutt</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">går jeg gjennom disse grå rom</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">jeg har kjent fra jeg var gutt.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Jeg leter etter ilden,</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">men bygningen er alltid tom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Jeg har ropt gjennom gangene</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">og jeg har gått med tøfler.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Jeg har forestilt fargene,</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">jeg har holdt bort tanken</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">og her er det ingen som ler.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">For når tanken har det for kaldt,</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">kan ingen flamme bli født.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Men det er ikke så altfor galt.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">For ute skinner solen</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">og her står et vindu på gløtt. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Bo-Nicolai Gjerpen Hansen</span></b></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-77767388478507405312016-02-01T22:43:00.000+01:002016-02-01T22:46:45.289+01:00I thank my flu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was about to write that I love my flu, but that would be an exaggeration. My nose keeps running. I have red spots under my nostrils. I'm tired from not sleeping well due to waking up with bouts of uncontrolled coughing. My throat feels like sun-dried cardboard. Still, I thank my flu.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Health anxiety</span></b><br />
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I thank my flu because I used to have severe health anxiety. Now I don't. I don't have it anymore. When I cough, even though my back hurts, I don't expect my ribs to crack. I know it's just a flu. I know it will pass.<br />
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Though I wouldn't wish severe health anxiety upon anyone, I learned something from that period of my life. I learned how it feels to fear for one's life. I know how it feels to be frightened when noone sess or understands why, when the cause is invisible. That period made it easier for me to empathize with old or sick people, and it made me appreciate being alive and making the most out of it.<br />
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After having recovered from my health anxiety, I soon faced a challenge when I got some kind of food poisoning and fever. Deciding it should not freak me out, I decided to watch my feverish condition with interest. Okay, so I have a fever. Interesting. Now how does this feel? Okay, so I had an uncomfortable dream. It was different. It was exceptional. It was unique. It will never return again. What can I learn from it? I came through without problem. I wasn't scared.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>Lessons from Nietzsche and the Buddha</b></span><br />
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What had changed? Well, first of all my outlook. Instead of believing the point of life was to be always happy, hedonistically understood, I started believing it was about developing myself and living my life. To exist is to live one's own exceptional story, including living through one's own particular pain or discomfort. Now, the psychological component of suffering almost disappears when one watches one's physical suffering with the eyes of a scientist, with interest. With mindfulness. I had come to believe what Nietzsche said: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger".<br />
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Nietzsche also wrote: "To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering". I agree wholeheartedly. Amor fati. Love your destiny, embrace your history, your biography.<br />
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Now, this parallells the Buddhist teachings of the inevitability of suffering, of aging, sickness and death. However, instead of seeing the suffering as a problem in itself, Nietzsche saw it as a tool for hardening oneself and growing. I side with Nietzsche, although relieving the suffering that can be relieved, should be done. If not for anything else, than so in order to free the individual from the disability caused by agony. However, also the Buddha taught that everything is transient, nothing remains. Nothing is stationary. Reality is a process, not an essence.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>Learning from my flu</b></span><br />
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Now I'm in the process of having a flu. So what can I take from it?<br />
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Yesterday I was on a train that was almost completely full. Accordingly, I was sitting next to another person, which in Norway, one does not do voluntarily unless one is intoxicated or has a psychiatric disease. Now I was coughing uncontrallaby, and had to sneeze repeatedly, though less often than I had to blow my nose. Not having napkins I kept having to go fetch paper from the bathroom or "tea section". Sitting next to the window, I felt like quite a nuisance to the guy I was sat next to. In short, I felt a bit shameful. Why? Because I felt weak? Because illness is disgusting? What norm does that reflect? Why should it be shameful to be sick? Now, this is something to reflect on. Which I wouldn't have if I wasn't exposed to that situation.<br />
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I discovered that when walking fast, or normally, I had to cough more. Thus I needed to walk at a slow pace. This made slightly impatient because I consider it a waste of time. So I am aware of that now. Also, I felt a bit annoyed when people were rushing past me on the bus when I was paying for my ticket. I felt slightly envious of the healthy people, and thought they were disrespectful not to wait in line till I had paid my ticket. Now, my flu is transient. It will pass. In a few days I will be among the rushing people again. However, some people have permanent health problems. They have to live with a slowed pace everyday. Although a flu is a flu, being sick in general will help you relate to other people being sick. Thus, the experience enables me to understand others' experiences a bit better, if never perfect. This enables bonding between me and them.<br />
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Today I slept at day time. I never do that. I did it because I felt I had to. Having the flu also makes me more generous with myself. I don't expect myself to make big dinners, being social or sleeping at regular hours. It's a state of exception. It disrupts the daily routine. Disrupting the daily routine is good. Then one sees that the world doesn't end by breaking the habit.<br />
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Still, I don't love my flu. I look forward to getting rid of it. I look forward to being a rusher again. Then I'll be thankful for being healthy.<br />
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386885784785890166.post-48445530005873421322016-01-30T22:57:00.002+01:002016-01-30T22:58:31.611+01:00Constellar bear (poem) EN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Constellar bear<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Oh,
glittering galaxy in my headbanging coat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Constellar
bear in dreamy forests<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">running
through cottoned rain,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">jumping
over spruce tops, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">growing
snow nuts in paw prints<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">oh,
hear how the crows converse<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">oh,
secret bending of trees!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He
turns into snow.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bo-Nicolai Gjerpen Hansen <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bo-Nicolaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00375153331650591347noreply@blogger.com0