Love, Death, and Transience:: Letters from Dad to Family and Friends

By Byron Renz

A collage in art is something like a mosaic. It takes picture fragments which have a certain meaning in themselves and juxtaposes them with other picture fragments that convey a somewhat different, but related, idea. When viewed as a collective whole, the sub-themes in each picture blend together to create a large unified master theme.
This book might be described as a literary collage. The theme in each essay conveys a part of the life of our society and political landscape. The essays were written to accompany e-mail greetings for my four daughters and several of my friends at the four seasonal turning points of the year, experienced similarly at the middle latitudesthe two equinoxes and two solstices.
Now, some nine years after starting the practice in 2006, a number of essays have accumulatedsome short and personal and others longer and impersonal. The essays usually make some point about the world that we live infrom the way that words convey meaning, to phenomena of the mind, to political issues of the day.
The purpose of this book is to stimulate thought and to encourage discussion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514401118

Byron Renz

Byron Renz, Ph.D., Wayne State University, has served as a major market broadcaster and a university professor of mass communication. He has studied a variety of subjects in the social and political sciences, communication, and philosophy. He has taught writing from academic and journalistic forms to business forms. He has held Fulbright lectureships in Latvia and Belarus. He has taught communication and communication theory both at the University of Latvia and Rigas Stradina University in Riga. He also taught journalism and public relations at Belarusian State University in Minsk.

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Copyright © 2015 by Byron Renz.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015913813

ISBN:            Hardcover          978-1-5144-0109-5

                      Softcover            978-1-5144-0110-1

                      eBook                 978-1-5144-0111-8

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Rev. date: 12/01/2015

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Contents

Introduction Shadows In The Flickering Firelight

2006

Too Many Monuments

Understanding Who We Are

Apocalyptica

2007

Hello Belize

2008

Paean To Autumn

Christmas

2009

The Equinox And The Solstice

Midsummer Night

Synchronous Behavior

Meaning In Life

2010

Stereotypes And The Uncanny Valley

Genealogy

Throw The Bums Out! Or, What’s New In The World Today?

The U-Curve Of Generational Happiness

2011

Mental Images And Value Systems

Performance Pressure

Our Unconscious Selves

Politics And The Super-Rich

2012

Transition Of Technological Eras

Words, Words, Words

Movie: 2016: Obama’s America

Obamacare And Metonymy

Socialism And The 2012 National Election

A Welfare State

2013

The Rehab Center

Information Secrecy

From Beowulf To Tweet

Runaway Capitalism

2014

Living And Loving In A Virtual World

Curious Item

Social Media And The Human Brain

Political Polarization And Governmental Gridlock

Possibilities In The Virtual World: Fantasy? Or Reality?

2015

Love, Death, And Transience

To Create A New Self

INTRODUCTION

Shadows in the Flickering Firelight

N early ten years ago, I decided to send greetings and a few thoughts on the world we live in to my daughters and a few close friends. Our lives had led us in different directions, and now we were separated by thousands of miles. Discussions that might have occurred around a dinner table were no longer possible. Therefore, I decided to send the kids (now all grown up) greetings and some reflections on life and the world around us at a specific time each year.

Christmas, New Year, Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July were the obvious choices, but they are usually filled with other greetings, good wishes, and activities that discourage reading anything other than cursory notes. So, to be a little different and to mark the events that often determine the times of traditional events, I decided to send messages on the equinoxes and solstices. Celebrations occurred on those days that go farther back in history than the celebrations based on Christianity or Judaism, as well as other religions. So, why not choose the ancient events that were based on the change of seasons? Well, that’s what I did.

Back in 2006, I started to develop essays on some ideas that were floating around in my mind. Sometimes, these ideas pertained to religion; at other times politics; sometimes literature; at other times historical periods; at other times visions of the future; at still other times philosophical thoughts about conditions in society and the world around us. The purpose of these essays was to stimulate thought and discussion.

As I mentioned, these observances of the seasonal changes go back to pagan times. Each season was celebrated in some way, but the season looked forward to the most was summer. That was a time for abandoned revelry. To get a sense of that activity, let’s look at a couple of examples. I have spent some time teaching both in Belarus and Latvia; so, I’ll use those two countries as examples. The summer solstice is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.

Before 900 A.D. Belarusians, which were made up of several eastern Slavic and Baltic tribes (mostly Kryvichi and their branches, Jatviags, and Lits) were pagans. They believed in the God of the Sun, Yaryla. They celebrated the seasons of nature according to the sun and moon calendar. Folk songs were sung at these celebrations, copies of which still exist. Kupalle was the celebration of the Summer Solstice, a day still cherished in contemporary Belarus. During the Summer Solstice, Yaryla (the Sun God) had reached its greatest power. Kupalle is a hedonistic celebration of the land’s fertility in the name of the female God, Kupala. It is thought by some that she was considered the lunar Goddess. Later, the pagan tradition was transformed into a Christian celebration of the male saint, Ivan Kupala.

Fire was the essence of celebration. Correspondingly, fire was the central part of the Kupalle celebration. Fire symbolized the life of Yaryla and expelled death. Youths would flock into the forests and meadows, wearing flower and grass garlands and wreaths on their heads. Purification rituals were practiced—jumping through the fire, bathing in the river, or rolling on the dew-covered grass. People danced and competed in strength. Fortune telling was a popular form of magic practiced on Kupalle night. The girls would put their wreaths on the water and let the river carry them along. The wreath that got to the bank first, or one that became entangled with someone else’s wreath, meant that a marriage would take place. It was also believed that if you picked the leaf of a plantain growing along the road and put it under your pillow on Kupalle night, you would dream about your future spouse.

Superstitions developed in other pagan societies as well. The power of magic manifests itself in favorable or unfavorable outcomes of some particular event. Wreaths on the water, becoming entangled, predict a marriage. A plantain leaf under one’s pillow means that you will dream about your future spouse.

But, superstitions are common, and most have arisen from ancient traditions. These superstitions become imprinted in our young minds and sneak to the fore of our conscious minds even when our logical minds have overridden their illogical impulses.

In Russia, an independent polling organization, Levada Center, found that in 2013, 52 percent of Russians believed in omens, prophetic dreams, and astrology. The Moscow Times listed ten Russian superstitions. Russians believe that shaking hands or kissing a guest across a doorway is absolutely prohibited. In Russian folklore, the threshold is where the house spirit is believed to live, and that is where his curtain of influence resides. And, if the spirit’s space is bridged, extremely bad luck will follow. So, in Russian lore, a guest should wait until he is completely across the threshold and completely in the room before shaking hands. An acceptable alternative would be for the person in the house to come completely out of the room before greeting the guest.

When I was teaching in Latvia, I noticed another Russian superstition that was being observed religiously by Russians and Latvians. That superstition concerned the number of flowers to be included in a bouquet. The giving of flowers is a common courtesy, and it is never a mistake to take a bouquet of flowers when invited to someone’s home or to a birthday party or to some other celebration. But, the number of flowers in the bouquet must be observed carefully. For celebrations and other happy events, be sure that the bouquet has an odd number of flowers. Bouquets with an even number of flowers are reserved for funerals.

A superstition that has an element of logic in it is that before going on a journey, everyone should sit down in silence for a few minutes. The superstitious element in the practice of sitting in silence is that it will ensure a safe trip. The logical element in this practice is that it gives a person a few moments to think about whether he has forgotten anything.

Custom has it that when in a restaurant or a bar, one should put empty bottles on the floor to avoid bad luck. Legend has it that the practice started when Cossack soldiers drove Napoleon back to France in 1814. The soldiers discovered that Parisian restaurateurs charged customers by the number of empty bottles left on the table rather than the number of bottles ordered; therefore, the Cossacks cunningly hid them under the table. When the soldiers returned to Russia, they took the custom with them.

Be careful not to spill salt in Russia. According to tradition, spilling salt will lead to an argument among family members.

In order to avoid putting a curse on something, Russians will knock on wood or spit three times over their left shoulder. They may do both. If you don’t want to spit, you can look over your left shoulder and mimic the sound of spitting by saying fu-fu-fu.

Whistling indoors is considered bad luck and will lead to financial problems, according to superstition. So, whistle your merry tunes outdoors.

Unmarried young men and women should avoid sitting at the corner of a table; otherwise, they will never get married. Some provide a caveat to this restriction by saying that this curse will last for only seven years. That makes it possible for children to sit at the corner of a table.

Also, you should never sit directly on the cold ground or, for that matter, on any cold surface. If you do, according to Russian belief, you will become infertile. This is especially true if you are a young woman.

Birthdays are birthdays in Russian culture. It’s considered bad luck to wish a person a happy birthday before that person’s actual birthday. In addition, you should not celebrate your birthday, except on your actual birthday.

Meeting people who have the same name as yours will bring good luck. This can happen quite frequently in Russia. Very common women’s names are Natasha or Masha or Ira. Very common men’s names are Alexander or Dmitry or Alexei. So, the chances of having good luck are quite good if you have one of those names. If you find yourself sitting between two people with the same name, make a wish; however, don’t tell anyone or your wish won’t come true.

I’ll mention just one more summer solstice event that had its origin in pagan times but with many ancient traditions that carry over to modern times. That event is the Latvian festival called Jāņi (pronounced YAH-nyih) It is celebrated on the eve of June 23, the eve of St. John’s Day (June 24). It was a pagan celebration of the summer solstice (June 21st). However, it is believed that it was moved to the 23rd so that it could be associated with the feast of St. John the Baptist after the introduction of Christianity. This is another example of a pagan festival adjusted in time to coincide with a Christian celebration, as with Christmas and Easter.

Jāņi means Johns. Any man named John has a special status during Jāņi. In some areas, he is given a special loaf of rye bread on the day that Jāņi is celebrated.

The wearing of wreaths on their heads is a tradition that is still widely observed in Latvia. Men usually wear wreaths made from oak leaves. Women sometimes wear oak wreaths, but they are more likely to wear wreaths made from daisies or wild flowers.

Building a bonfire is another tradition that has carried over to modern times. Some people just cook sausages in the bonfire. Other hardier people jump over the bonfire. In some traditions, how high you jump when you jump over the bonfire will indicate how high your flax will grow that summer. So, those hardy souls jump as high as they can.

Special songs are associated with Jāņi. The refrain is always līgo, līgo. (The pronunciation is essentially LEE-gwa). The word līgot Latvian means to sway back and forth rhythmically. Men and women dress in elaborate, traditional costumes and gather around a bonfire, hold hands in a circle, and sway back and forth as they sing līgo songs.

A traditional food made for Jāņi is Jāņi’s Latvian cheese. The cheese is made from fresh milk and cream, and seasoned with caraway seeds. It is eaten with bread, beer, and sausages treated over a Jāņi bonfire.

So, where are we at this point? Well, the celestial quadrants—the two equinoxes and the two solstices—have had deep historical significance in many cultures. The roots were so firm that more modern religious practices, such as Christianity, moved their own celebratory events to coincide with the pagan traditions.

The deep meaning of the solstice and the equinox seemed like a good time to greet family and friends and to offer some ideas in essay form to stimulate thought and dinner table discussion. The thoughts range from poetic to political, to economic, to societal, to scientific, and to philosophical. They are not thoughts to denigrate the past, although, at times, they are trying to help us see the past through the eyes of a person who lived there at that time (based on the historical moment). They are thoughts that try to see the present as it really is (from a balanced point of view). And, they are thoughts that help us try to see the future and imagine the world as it might be at that time.

So, these essays were written out of love for my children, affection for my friends, and the desire to stimulate thought in my yet-to-be found reader friends.

In the first couple of years, some of the quadrants were missed. That is not an error either on my part or that of the publisher. So, let’s move on now to the world of thought stimulated by our celestial quadrants—the equinoxes and the solstices.

Byron Renz

Fort Collins, Colorado

August 16, 2015

VERNAL EQUINOX 2006

March 19

TOO MANY MONUMENTS

by Byron Renz

Welcome to the Vernal Equinox 2006 (Sunday, March 19)!

O n the first quarter of this swing around the sun, the bells of time toll quietly, and the chimes penetrate the webs of our daily activities only as background sound, reminding us gently of the passage of time as we scurry up and down the hills of the little space around us.

What is the thought of the season? Just as we do—with time—countries and cultures age. World events tap the time, thought, and energy of the nation, just as the events of our own lives require our thought, energy, time, and action. Collectively, we age, and, collectively, the historical context of our minds deepens and deepens.

Societies mark the culmination of major events—pleasant or unpleasant—with monuments, the visual reminders of the events that absorbed our energy at the bidding of the thought and inspiration that guided the moment.

The thought that occurs to me today is that, perhaps, we have too many monuments.

What do you mean too many monuments? Aren’t monuments good? After all, they remind us of where we have been. As we look at a monument, aren’t we supposed to remember the past, to take comfort from it, to renew our dedication, to turn hopefully toward the future with determination to move forward reinvigorated, to shape a new world more wisely than before? Well, that’s the expectation, of course, but I wonder whether most monuments bring about such a rebirth of hope and dedication in a youthful plunge forward into a virgin field of the future, ready to shape it into a new world.

From the Neolithic and Bronze ages, man has been creating monuments—to freeze time for new inspiration and hope. Our Washington mall (the one you walk along, not the one you shop in) is becoming a repository of monuments, from the Washington Monument, to the war memorials, to the new monument to be erected in memory of Rosa Parks.

One of the most stirring experiences that I have had was to walk through the war memorial at Khatin, Belarus, a couple of years ago. Khatin was one of some 140 villages intentionally burned to the ground by invading Nazi troops in the early stages of the Second World War. The torch was set to the homes with the families inside. Thousands of people were killed. All that remained were the stone ovens and chimneys, which didn’t burn. Today, at Khatin, each home site is marked by a stone oven and chimney and a plot of land where the wooden house had stood. A sign in front of each plot gives the names and ages of the people who died in that house—men, women, and many children. In front of each plot is a bell that tolls every thirty seconds, every day of the week, every week of the month, every month of the year. The scores of bells, representing the homes in that village, chime in unison through the rolling, grass- and tree-covered landscape, where, otherwise, only the sound of dry rustling grass and leaves and the chirping of birds can be heard. What more striking testimony of man’s brutality to man! What more striking reason to find hope in adversity!

And, yet, I wonder whether monuments really do all that we think that they do. I suspect that they cause the mind to look back, to rekindle hatreds, to resent past injustices, to remember the past nostalgically, to want to revive old glories. I suspect that the second stage in the inspection of monuments—the looking with new hope and a youthful, inventive mind—happens very little. Looking back is an act of retrogression, and, if there it ends, it forces societies to fall back upon themselves, to struggle to revive the past, and to create old orders anew. It may be that reveling in monuments is a sign of societal decadence. Reveling in the past seems to be what is driving the Muslim insurgency today and what may be driving splits in the Western world as well.

So, maybe monuments are not beacons of hope and inspiration—as we often assume—but aberrant lighthouses that entice our ships onto the rocks.

Welcome to spring 2006! Welcome to another Vernal Equinox! It would be nice to be able to see you this summer. Perhaps I could come for a visit—if your schedule would allow.

Love—

Byron

Autumnal Equinox 2006

September 22

UNDERSTANDING WHO WE ARE

by Byron Renz

You Are Here! You Are Sliding into Its Glorious Embrace

A gentle tap from Thor’s hammer and Summer 2006 is nudged into Autumn 2006—the last glorious display of slanting sun’s rays, lingering warmth, resplendent leaves, and a hint of winter in some cooling rains. Yes, Thor’s hammer usually blasts, but all it takes to get summer to autumn is a nudge. The fourth season of the year falls easily into place next to the third. And, a thought may help us enter the new season with curiosity, insight, and dream—an uplifting of the mind, a reverence from new understanding (of ourselves and the world around us).

Remember when you learned the conjugation of the English verb to be?