Unplugging to see the Light
After unplugging from election coverage, Rich reflects outward on Lake Michigan, wondering if we’ll ever see the Big Dipper from Chicago again.
A couple hours ago, Ken and I were hanging out in our studio. He was at his animation station. Two days ago he decided he was going to draw each of the original pokemon, starting with bulbasaur. They look really good! Today he’s on Venasaur. Meanwhile, I was on the couch finishing reading The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy. The last few chapters were absolutely thought provoking. So I shared the story with Ken.
This guy basically lived his life doing what he thought a proper life was. It was about money, status, and having a family. He becomes ill and is dying. No one pities him. He hates his wife. She hates him. He doesn’t have a relationship with his kids. He wonders if he lived his life wrong. If he didn’t live it as he ought to. It reminded me of the dying days of a recent family friend. The most bitter at the end. Angry and lack of joy reflecting upon their life. Acting out on everyone else around.
Ken and I talked about purpose. If you lack purpose, you live in fear. Especially when dying, you’re afraid of death. The character in the book published in 1886 is a real person today. In many of us. People who lack purpose are often extreme. They act out and overcompensate. They don’t understand that fear creates selfishness. We discussed the importance of patience with these people, showing love. Working together as a community.
I’m recording this Thursday afternoon, November 5th. I don’t know the results of the election. Ken and I unplugged Tuesday morning. We haven’t watched any election coverage, the news, or social media. We have no idea right now who was elected president. We decided to do it because eventually we’d find out. It would come to us. It would be interesting to see how long it would take for the news to reach us. We’re wondering if nothing has been confirmed yet. It’s quiet. We live in a high rise in a densely populated neighborhood. All the sounds on the streets are normal. We can’t tell. Maybe Trump won and it’s just another day. Maybe Biden won. But there hasn’t been either an uplifting or deflating vibe. Four years ago the Cubs won the World Series and everyone was joyful and then days later Trump won the election and a depressing mood over the city. There’s nothing of the sort right now. Maybe no one knows yet. I’m going to find out later tonight though because I’m riding my bike on this beautiful fall day to my friend’s house, Jason, to watch the Packer game. The two of us always discuss politics and issues of society.
It’s been interesting though. To intentionally stay away from the news or any sources of information like that. Even though I do it minimally, I realize still how much time I spend scrolling and having my mind go this way and that way. Over the past two days, the only thing to really do was work and hang out with Ken and his dog, Angeal. I’m also realizing that his dog has been manipulating me. I underestimated the intelligence of dogs. That’s a different story. Part of my work too, is posting and interacting on social media. We’ve had two new videos and podcasts this week – three including this one. To post them I put my hand over the newsfeeds of Instagram and Facebook. I censored my own self. The only way to get my attention is through messaging me. That’s it. I feel like I’ve used my computer, iPad, and phone how I really want to: simply as a tool to do my work. I’m wondering how I can implement this more into my life after learning the results of the election.
Yesterday evening I stepped out for some fresh air. It gets dark so early now! Jeez. There’re no buildings east of ours. It’s a big park land the highway, Lake Shore Drive splits the area. And then Lake Michigan. So I walked to the lake and just stared out into the calm water. I spotted what seemed to be the Big Dipper. It was so faded though. At home in Wisconsin I can see it so clear. I then started gazing around more. The night was completely clear of clouds yet there was a haze that blocked my vision to sky. Instead of stars, I saw blinking lights of satellites and planes flying in and out of every direction. Looking west car lights whizzed passed on LSD. Lights from highrises and buildings lined the sky. I thought to myself, “Am I living in the modern world or what?” But soon I thought how this moment was really just a time capsule of the early 21st century. What will the sky look like years from now? It will be different. I’m just a man living and experience Chicago in 2020. The world has always had problems. We solved many of them. And now we have different problems. And then we’ll solve these and then create more new problems.
I thought about how the Native Americans living in what is now Chicago would have seen. They’d be paddling a canoe down a river and the Big Dipper would shine so majestically. The starlit sky would’ve been beautiful. It would be like what I experienced only out in the American West in Wyoming and Colorado. The sky so alive it intimidated me. It thrust me back in wonder. How incredible would it be to experience that again standing in Chicago? I’m curious if all the lights were turned off in the city and surrounding area and lasted five minutes, would we be able to see the stars? If light travels that fast, would the sky clear up instantly? Would we see again?
I want to experience the Light.