The Red Rocks Sedona Story
(Chapter of)
The Road Across...
“Surviving America”
“Everyone has their story of coming or going somewhere. One accident brings one to Sedona. Not for your long term stays...as one may become stuck here in the mischievous, disturbing and nonsensical aspects of this particular town (considered spiritual by some- a hospital for karma psychics and psychopaths as well as ailing wallets that need to be emptied by a quick business scheme. Enter a bizarre place. Some times are glorious, some are traumatic!...A place where an artist is not needed but stuck in the conditions of this very plain minded, boring, and superficial community”
Barden Mays' A Traveler
.
Over ten-thousand miles of the road across America have been traveled thus far. It is a small portion of the road that has been travelled, now in the millions of transcontinental miles.
The Road Across becomes both friend and foe, long distances being spanned for “purpose”.
What is Purpose?
How can we best describe this word?
“Purpose” as described in the dictionary:
Maybe surviving the road may constitute a purpose....
pur·pose
[pur-puh?s] noun, verb, pur·posed,pur·pos·ing.
noun
1.
the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used,etc.
2.
an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
3.
determination; resoluteness.
4.
the subject in hand; the point at issue.
5.
practical result, effect, or advantage: to act to good purpose...
Poem of the Wanderer...(Partial From Wikipedia)
#
The Wanderer conveys a sense of the meditations of a solitary exile on his past glories as a warrior in his lord's band of retainers, his present hardships and the values of forbearance and faith in the heavenly Lord. The warrior is identified as eardstapa (line 6a), usually translated as "wanderer", who roams the cold seas and walks "paths of exile" (wræclastas). He remembers the days when he served his lord, feasted together with comrades, and received precious gifts from the lord. Yet fate (wyrd) turned against him when he lost his lord, kinsmen and comrades in battle and was driven into exile. Within the poem the wanderer undergoes three phases, he starts out as the anhoga (the solitary man), then progresses to modcearig (troubled in thought), and finally becomes the snotter on mod (the wise in state of mind). As the anhoga, he dwells on the deaths of other warriors and the funeral of his lord, the modcearig meditates on past hardships, and the snotty comes to understand that life is full of hardships and these are governed by God.
However, the speaker reflects upon life while spending years in exile, and to some extent has gone beyond his personal sorrow. In this respect, the poem is a "wisdom poem." The degeneration of “earthly glory” is presented as inevitable in the poem, contrasting with the theme of salvation through faith in God.
The wanderer vividly describes his loneliness and yearning for the bright days past, and concludes with an admonition to put faith in God, "in whom all stability dwells". It has been argued by some scholars that this admonition is a later addition, as it lies at the end of a poem that some would say is otherwise entirely secular in its concerns. Opponents of this interpretation have argued that because many of the words in the poem have both secular and spiritual or religious meanings, the foundation of this argument is not on firm ground.
The psychological or spiritual progress of the wanderer has been described as an "act of courage of one sitting alone in meditation", who through embracing the values of Christianity seeks "a meaning beyond the temporary and transitory meaning of earthly values".
O
“In one’s wanderings sometimes we find a sense of purpose...”
“A continued purpose has to be resolved within one, whether being an ordinary individual or striving for some greater sense of purpose as an artist, musician, scientist or writer....”
The Road Across...Sedona Story
Background of Travel: The year was 2009. It was now 3 years of being between places, somewhat awkward tour of travel on the US Interstate on a 11,000 mile trip that was supposed to settle to a place that I could call a home.
I had arrived back in the USA after seven year residence-tour in Central Europe and two years in Italy.
I was not an ordinary traveler nor was I seeking vacations, this commonplace thought among the syndicate of ideas.
The eleven thousand mile journey had enveloped many changes in the culture, ways and roads in life. As a native, a citizen and an American I was literally shocked by the changes I had seen on this road across, this journey, place in time and essence of the situations.
This was a Rip Van Winkle (Washington Irving) -effect- taking place, leading to a prolonged journey, with many changes viewed in the lands I knew and remembered....
I had traveled across America many times in the past. I counted 48 trips from sea to shining sea, from the east coast to the west and back again.
This time was different than the times before. It was an era of caution not casualness, and an era of change...not necessarily a scene from Norman Rockwell.
The reader should be cautioned, these are modern times, not idyllic but having a textural surrealism as events took place, events being real. metaphor added for impact.
In this case, I had been purposeful on this leg of travel. I had been enroute to Oroville California after being invited there as a guest artist by a city commission. The venture was seen as certain as with the work involved.
Then, as I watched the economy unravel, the element of certainty began vacillate, as nothing in this element, the current conditions began to read as certain.
The elements of survival of the fittest seemed to be the best description of these particular times, an economic conditions, beginning to be rattled and disturbing.
I already knew the economy was in a tension since 2007, but didn't quite sense the full effects, guessing that this was only a short term episode and not a full-blown economic depression which would last many years or perhaps decades.
It was obvious that things were changing on the road across thus far, giving caution to the road ahead. What I was not really able to come to grips with, however, were the signs of the economy that sent it beyond the red line into the danger zone. Unfortunately, I had seen these signs over and over several years previous, in Iowa, along the interstate, mid-est rural conditions and now seemed to seep to California.
The Bulls head of this socio-economic monster was in its infancy, and with it the current ethics, the free for all, business savvy and state of uncouth, was in its beginnings.
I had banked on this position.
It was a sure-thing, a certain thing, a carefully considered proposition
One thing is never to trust anyone or anything fully.
This is almost the untold rule of America.
It is a certain rule in many many situations, dream seekers, and heavens builders and work seekers beware! There is a bad ball game being played out there, a war with captors and few if any solidly allegiant sides. Truth seekers, poets, writers and artists may find this the kind of environment to run like holy hell from, rather than to. Although some say this entire scheme is fair game, “law of the jungle as they call it...”
“Rather easy Pickens when one knows the ticket’ that old geezer spouted “ Leave your values in Church...Sell everything else! What is the only value on the Earth? Money, Work and how do you get that!!!” he said laughing, and so it is...
Already I was already sick to my stomach at all of this!
But I did pray hard, that the sins of others are not punished too badly in a place called Hell. I knew this all to well, but I did feel a little “Roasting” in the future for all breed of cheap talking persons who got me 3,000 miles out here for nothing, but there were times when Hell seemed just to cold for this scam clan!
And then that everyone turned away in guilt of not having an answer or solution to my problem!
But then again the old Pie Face Stick in the muds couldn't do much for themselves!
However I may add that the proverbial bait and switch as well as the smooth tongue business tricks were in high order these days, as they always are during an economic downturn.
One old reckless advice giver, and there are too many, suggested “ Well, I hear there hirin’ at the Bar and Grill...a job is a job and dats wats demanded people, if de will hire ya!”
What seemingly was, was not. The sands of Caveat, were in the danger zone. Little did I know the road was changing drastically. Any sense of sureness was set on its end...
This is all I wanted to hear. Just to come all the way across the county on my own nickel, hoping to work for someone, and then, after arrival they would be found in hiding, separating it from a joke without apology, turning the situation from their perspective in-side out, stretching on their garters to put the mistake in the other persons court, pissing on their leg and telling them that it is raining...
It is very common for people to anger more when they are wrong than when they are correct...
Old Saying