A huge poet.

I'm sure it is already translated ...but couldn't find it, so this will have to do.

For those of us who have to remember to be really humble...we are nothing more than stardust.

Life
----
And after all, everything has been nothing,
even though it once was everything.
After nothing, or after everything
I knew that all was but nothing.

I shout "Everything!" and the echo says "Nothing!"
I shout "Nothing!" and the echo says "Everything!"

Now I know that nothing was everything
and everything was ashes from nothing.

There's nothing left from what was nothing
(It was illusion, that believed everything
and that, definitely, was nothingness).

Who cares nothingness was nothing
'cause more nothingness it'll become, after all,
after so much everything for nothing.

Jose Hierro

btw, Rad, I'm back...check it out.

Figment

Well, I guess it all rings *true*--but, sort of depressing.

NightOwl wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 3:40pm:


Believe me, in Spanish it is swifter and musical, less solemn.

That's why I searched for a better translation - mine is just, well - mechanical.

Combined with the meaning, it's a full invitation to life, trying to keep focus on the real importance of things : do enjoy them while you're here; but if you try to push them too far they'll loose their true significance.

Well, yesterday I was fuming all the way home, so I tried to concentrate on writing, and cool down, indeed.

As if we hadn't enough here, all this fuss about Argentina & Repsol (a Spanish Petrol Co). The same company that's fixing petrol prices at home - and sucking our blood, is now is being bullied by the Argentinians -so they try to make a national affair out of it. We really are deserving what we're getting.

Misinformation is getting so absolutely filthy that it begins to drive people mad.  But yes, we've back to ""official" recession again after some time, though we feel like we've never been really out. Europe's stock is plummeting, budgets are being trashed...what part of all of it is real and what is just make believe?

About Saramago, I'm not sure if you mean the translation was confusing, or has it something to do with his message?  I find his writing easy, and beauty in his slow motion narration, but perhaps it is not for everyone.

Regarding your own writing, all I can say is that I really enjoy it, and I'll probably tell you why during the weekend. Don't usually find it hard to follow; well, perhaps sometimes your scope is so wide that it makes a few of us have to stop and do some research....but those are my own limits. And amongst the many things the world needs is people learning to transmit knowledge making it simple, amusing, passionate. Being selfish, I do miss more regular writing on your blog, but never if it compromises quality....

I admit that this is the first time I feel I don't quite catch you....is there an specific reason for your question? Perhaps something I said? I sometimes feel my English sounds a bit artificial....

Or is it just because of the book?

Ahhhhh..so it was the "synchronicity" thing........
When you're able to finally read both links, which I really read before last weekend, put them on a timetable together with yours (21st of April)........it's more about things in life that we don't know understand, and that you've already come upon, in several different ways.

About your post on the 21st, and as far as I'm concerned, it's a door to somewhere else, eye/mind opening...and what struck me was the timing. And it does deserve several readings...just to digest correctly.

Don't worry about Blindness right now.  That type of writing needs a determinate state of mind, to get that magical click, and depends greatly on your own circumstances. I found another book of his, "The gospel according to Jesus" very disturbing, so I set it aside. After a couple of years, my life was somewhat smoother, and then I realized why I hadn't been able to cope with it then.....btw, wouldn't recommend it to people who are very involved with their Church - it shakes some basements. But that's another story. Just leave it resting, and when the right time comes, Jose's world will flow into you, no doubt.

Just noticed Jose is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_Best_Books_of_All_Time

Both articles give facts that are mostly correct. But here are a few grains of salt that can give the picture a wider scope:

-      As far as Spanish Democracy can look back (1975), there has always been a nearly impossible to remove 10 % unemployment barrier. At its highest level of production and economy boost, when millions of immigrants made their way in due to the amount of workforce needed, 8% is the most it could be set back. So you have a baseline of people, who, for one reason or another, will always appear on the list. It’s the same as tax paying – if you can’t rely on people’s honesty…..you’ll be rowing upstream forever.

-      When you listen about Spanish bank problems, a huge part (yet to be truly determined, but could reach 75 % of it) comes from the fact that each local government (in fact, 17, and roughly similar to what a State it the US) had the right to control the board of its own savings bank (can you imagine,  banks in hands of politicians?) So, no surprise, it ended in tears. Local saving banks gave huge credits to finance local “Pharaonic” projects, or artificially support their policies, until the housing bubble allowed to display the unbelievable reality.  During all this time, Spanish Central Bank (usually run by a professional, but assigned every 6 years by the government) did absolutely nothing to stop this hemorrhage. And when it became obvious that all were going to bust, instead of making each local government responsible for the squander, and closing the savings banks, they were transformed to normal private banks, using public money - or bonds, but nevertheless, money that Spain must pay back sooner or later. That “brawl” is not over yet, because Spanish Central Bank is still trying to force private banks to “blend” with the newly established banks, ending up with 4/5 huge banks overall.

-      The real problem of economy recovery is that increase of taxes and budget cuts, even though understood as completely necessary, may end up choking the fragile economy “sprouts”. Spain has been losing most of its industry and diminishing its agriculture, cattle and fishing produce, slowly but steadily since the last 30 years.  Tourism has a huge impact on income, but has reached figures where it can grow little more, (and praying so it can stay like this). House building, which had been the (artificial) engine of economy during the 21st century has plummeted, and not expected back for a long time. So how are we going to generate employment?

-      Germany has “finally” realized that imposing their policy of expenditure restrictions may turn back on them, agonizing economies cannot pay back credits. So there has to be a determined level between what you need to invest to make economy recover, and what you cannot spend your money on. We’ll see how they handle this.

-      When a country needs specialized workforce, they look outside for it. Nurses, teachers, technicians, hand laborers…. But when you cannot pay for them, even if needed, what can you do? Well, you can try to improve the skills of unemployed workers, but most of the resources you use on that will be wasted if there are no jobs available. No matter how well you form people, if they still have to “fight” for only one job, there will only be one employed person.

Have to stop here, but there are still a couple of loose ends left.
Questions (of any kind, really) are welcome.

have u seen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_196322&src_vid=...