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Review Summary: Wisdom, or laughing madman's ANARCHY OF THE MIND? |
Date: 2008-04-09 |
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Details: For me, this is the kind of head trip I enjoy reading. It's not deep, but it can be. It's not serious, but it can lead to some very serious considerations. Actually, much of this book is outrageously funny. It's like Salvatore Dali rewriting the Dharmapada on LSD. Maybe what makes this book interesting, is the way it CONFRONTS you on so many levels. Sometimes, you are confronted by your sense of decency. Other times, you are confronting why you have the sense of humor you do. Because I found myself laughing over and over, about a story conserning incest producing a small tribe of half crazed gypsies living within the lonely trailors in the Pine Barrens. But mostly, the book confronts the mediocracy of normalacy. What can you say when a man tells you, "HEY, mysticism doesnt dissolve the Ego, only Death does that, nor does mysticism destroy the carnal desires." It sounds like a wise jester at our disposal. In fact, history tells us that the most enlightened zen masters, were ALWAYS seen as madmen, just as you have "divine idiots" in eastern Christianity, or crazed yogis who tell you the meaning of life, is that life has no meaning. Or whatever. This book takes the stuffing out of SO MUCH, and with great insight, and black humor, that you cant put it down. Hey, what can you say if someone writes down a title chapter as "BLACK MAGIC AS A REVOLUTIONARY ACTION"? To me, its back to the yippies trying to levitate the Pentagon, back in the 1960s peace marches. So, the book's not demonic, just confrontational. Indeed, its primarily a book about how to be an ANARCHIST. Or, how to conduct LIVING THEATER to confront the banality of existence. Let's have a revolution, and make Popeye our new leader. (We've done worse.) As such, Bey's work could easily be the philosophical underpinning of NEVER MIND THE BULLOCKS HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS. (The book has a very "punk" Zeitgeist, mixed with Yippie revolution philosophy.) This is someone that sees that the problems on earth, are caused NOT by individuals, as much as its caused by Countries, Institutions, Churches, Colleges, as well as a whole sleu of "-ISMS" that produce philosophical, theological, economic, or political points of view, that often OBSCURE our views on the world, and cause wars, rather than clarifiy our role in life, and bring peace. I think Bey is a FREE THINKER, trying to break thru the crystalized conformities and stale philosophies that have frozen our minds into robotic mode. If we take ourselves too seriously, or take the ideas of institutions too seriously, we might miss the most important thing that CAN happen to us in our lives. WE MIGHT HAVE AN ORIGINAL IDEA OF OUR OWN. And, if POETIC TERRORISM is about anything, it might just be about that. How to break free of the NORMAL, to find the truth in the TRANS-NORMAL. So, if you have a strong sense of humor, and dont mind seeing a little bit of IDOL smashing going on, this is a book for you. |
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Review Summary: Grand! |
Date: 2007-07-06 |
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Details: A masterpiece, quite possibly the best book I have ever read! Hakim Bey managed to synthesize the philosophical statement that I have been looking for my whole life! It is good to see such an articulate voice out there who managed to "see through" the paradigm -the Spectacle- and suggest such creative and joyous ways for all humans realize their TRUE POTENTIAL. I've always felt that mysticism and all that consciousness-expansion talk had received a bad stigma because of all the "new age" framing it undertook, but Bey manages not only to "deframe" this concept, and poetically shows the VALUE that such practices can have to "free one's mind" - show people that they need not be oppressed, dogmatic, hive-minded SLAVES, that they truly are MONARCHS. Mysticism helps in a way that it provides methods for the individual rid himself of the "inner cops" inside their heads -all the social programming of generations, sabotaging us by our Freaudian Superegos. Deep inner changes, deep inner consciousness are monstrous catalysts for social reforms -accompanied by good wine and sense of humour- in true anarchist fashion, as Bey rightly states, even though I have a feeling his intent was more focused on change on an individual level...
Well, it was definitely the first book that made me laugh and cry hysterically, but I understand it might be too overwhelming to some...
I'm hopeful that younger generations, such as mine (I'm 20) have the opportunity to be presented to such work, especially at an early age... Man, why haven't I read this back in my schooldays? I might just have quit everything and ran into the woods! =D
5*s
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Review Summary: Brought a tear to my eye |
Date: 2008-07-18 |
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Details: This small book is so big in ideas. This man truly understands the beauty and love of freedom itself.
I'm not saying this as an "Anarchist" or -ist or -tarian or -whatever. I like this book for the thoughts in its essays.
And yes, indeed, I do want somehow to find/create even for a brief time a truly T.A.Z... Perhaps on an artificial island in the pacific? Or perhaps in a decade or so with our economy trashing we can have "Free Cities" briefly? |
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Review Summary: Read This! |
Date: 2004-10-27 |
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Details: If you think you want to live freely, read this. Take what you need from it and leave the rest (you might come back for that later). |
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Review Summary: Entertaining |
Date: 2004-07-16 |
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Details: It's been a while since I read this, but I've always remembered it with some fondness. The book is a collection of essays on different aspects living life outside of society's rules. I thought the book was so interesting since it was such a modern description of anarchy. Bey's description of autonomous zones throughout history also gives pause and can make one wonder why we do accept the "Rules" as they are dictated to us. There are many historical examples of those that don't, and they go on to great creativity or interesting lives. |
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out of 9 Reviews
