Back to Basics

Good Morning from NJ,

When I'm in NJ I somehow always have a sense of being more "grounded" - that somehow this place is more "real" than some other places I've been to in my travels. It's not that those other places physical features are any less 'Real," it's a function of the "attitude" of the place. In the sense that I'm using "attitude" it a kind of pervasive thing, a gestalt of perception that permeates the environment. Another way I could say it is that there's less tolerance for bullshit here in NJ as I experience it.

For instance you'll find very few folks here discussing the metaphysics of coffee. In fact you'll find very few people discussing coffee. It's just what you drink when you get up or want to get up. And, there's no particular philosophical stance about Starbucks in NJ, some people like it - a lot - and others don't so they go somewhere else for their coffee, usually Dunkin' Donuts. That's it.

I also find that it takes about half the time to get through the line at Starbucks (I'm one of those people who like it - a lot. I've been to Italy many, many times and find that at least at the Starbucks I go to they're the closest I've gotten to the taste of "Real" coffee ... but that'sa me!). I think the reason is that people just ask for what they want here in NJ. They go - give me a coffee. Usually the only qualifier is the size - short, regular, large. When the barista comes back at them with "Did you mean "Tall?" they say, "Is that a "regular" - yea, gimme that." (Or in the case of a "Grande" - "Is that a "large" - yea, gimme that.") If they want a cappuccino they order a capuccino, not an "extra hot, skinny, extra foam, fifteen pump vanilla, soy latte" (I happen to order a "double tall, extra dry, one pump vanilla cappuccino" myself - but I'm well traveled).

By the way what is it with both these "Lattes" and "Soy" in coffee ... are you people fucked up??? A latte is flavored milk, a vanilla latte is flavored milk with a lot of sugar added to it - a skinny latte is flavored skim milk with even more sugar. If you want sweet milk go suck a teat - it comes out warm naturally that way. Then there's this soy thing. When did milk come from beans??? What would anybody put more beans into a bean drink??? If you want beans for breakfast why not have a "Full English" and have them baked with tomatoe sauce? That makes sense then you can swipe your rashers in the sauces as well and eat the beans themselves on your fried bread. Get over it!!! No matter what you do your morning coffee is NOT going to be a health drink!

Are you getting a sense of the NJ attitude I'm suggesting here? It's kind of basic. Folks around here believe they see things "as they are." There's a lot of "the 'right' way, the 'wrong' way and 'my way'" around these parts. Usually people get that "my way" isn't necessarily the "right" way, but they also get that they can choose it anyway. This is the power of "getting" the reality of social ontology. That we make it all up anyway ... and you get to choose.

The basics are often located in the language we use to surround the choices we make. The difference I find where things are more "real" is that there is so much less explaining and understanding happening around choices. There so much more, "this is just the way it is, because I say so." Now that's post-graduate level philosophical understanding ... "It is this way, because I say so." This is the literal power of declaration. And, it's only when you "get it" that the declaration has this kind of power.

Think about how many, many things don't actually exist, in purely physical terms - something a "real scientist" could measure or calculate or analyze. No stuff to interact with ... just ideas that we create and then agree to believe in that makes them real. I've given you an example in an earlier post - marriage. It doesn't exist, except by declaration and agreement. Then we build all these supporting artifaces to "document" the reality of it. But I ask you, is any marriage really the "certificate" that documents it? Is that what you think and believe marriage is, a certificate? Yet, the paper of the certificate is the most physical, "Real" thing that exists - everything else is agreement leading to action that makes marriage "real."

So I'll go back a step, think about how many things don't actually exist. How many such things do you allow to influence and order your life? How constrained and limited are you by things that only exist as "real" historically? This is for me one of the most amazing parts of social ontology and the creation of reality, the bringing forth of history into the present. The incredibly human desire to right wrongs of old, that were themselves just social creations - as well as the desire to hold onto ancient, historical social realities. This is the human tendency to nostalgia for the "good old times." The willingness of folks to do whatever's necessary to preserve the past. Think about the billions of dollars, pounds, euros and yen spent each year by governments to preserve old buildings - to "keep history alive" - when people are dying of simple lack of food and clean water.

Which brings me back to Starbucks and NJ. Do you know they've started selling "Ethos" water now ... where some portion of the income of the sale of this water goes to providing clean water to people in places where clean water is hard to get. Isn't this so "humanitarian" ... so ... "California." Of course the first place they introduced the idea was in California, and since I was just there I can tell you that people are excited about it out there. (Remember I like Starbucks - a lot - so I frequent them worldwide ... and have the mugs to prove it ... more about that a bit further down ... BTW I'm giving away a few mugs is anyone interested?) However, do you get the lunacy of this? Do you get the absurdity??? Why doesn't Starbucks just give the money used to provide clean water away? Is their ability to do this in any way linked to the actual water they sell? Don't you "get it" ... people can now believe that they're helping others each time they buy this water ... so it's the "humanitarian" thing to do. What a total crock! BTW - here in NJ people didn't even notice, except that they now charge more for the same amount of water ... and it's not as good ("purified" water with minerals added, vs. spring mineral water).

We've all been so "Madison Ave'd" that we don't even notice it anymore when we being sold a crock. It's so obvious we miss it and take it for something else. It's just a story ... but a story made more real by the "stuff" we attach to it. On the West Coast (or "Left" Coast as a NJ friend of mine likes to say) I think they call that "Branding" making something worth more than it's worth by telling a good story around it. Of course a "good" name and clever graphics and excellent design don't hurt any either. Here in NJ I've heard said, "Bullshit walks and money talks." too many times to keep count ...

This of course also shows up in "ordinary" peoples lives, the remarkable attachment they have to there old "stuff" - especially if it's something of "sentimental" value. They have the experience of it built in, it's become part of who they are at an almost cellular level - yet they want to preserve the stuff to prove it. Like totems and amulets. Like crystals that somehow contain the magical energy of the moment that they can relive again and again by being in the presence of ... and all the while giving up the life they are having and haven't had yet to do. A waste "really" ...

Yet what "contains" all this is largely the languaging that surrounds it and its use. The "stuff" is imbued with magic power, whether it's an historical building that costs hundreds of thousands a year to maintain, of the old charm bracelet that no one will wear ever again but must be held onto because Aunt Margaret gave to little Sally (especially if the old biddy up and died). It's the stories told around this "stuff" that imbues the "stuff" with magic and power - and magic and power of those stories are in no way dependant upon the "stuff," while the magic and power of the "stuff" is totally dependant on the stories told about them. Amazing when you think about it, eh?

What's missing of course is the ability to disengage the story from the "stuff" - to get that the story stands alone. What we all do of course is to support our stories, "which aren't real enough" with "stuff" that is physical and somehow makes those stories more "real" by their physical presence. Like we need a certificate to prove we're married ...

I guess I've been leading up to a question,


"What are the stories that sustain you, and which are those which constrain you?"

Do you know the difference? Have you made the delineations? Are you interested? Then of course there's another question that begs asking ...


"What are the magnificent stories of your life that haven't been told yet?"

Until next time ...

Joseph (from "good old" NJ!)