This is a song I wrote during my short-lived interest in politics. A lot of what Ron Paul said really opened my eyes to new ways of seeing things, but ultimately I lost interest in the “liberty movement” when it became clear that the people wanting less government were just as interested in power as the people they were trying to depose. I still like Ron Paul, though, and admire him for his willingness to stand up to at least one of the Longfingers in our world.
Download mp3: Longfingers
This song is called “White World” and it is about… well, on one level, like many of my songs, it is about people lost in a frozen world, struggling to maintain enough body heat to stay alive. On a metaphorical level, it is about the struggle for perfection and goodness, and how it can sometimes run counter to the struggle for survival, growth, and even love. Ideals are beautiful, but also cold and inhospitable. Everything that enchants us with an image of perfection, can also leave us disenchanted with the way things are. If there was no ice in the world, no dedication to purity and goodness, then maybe the world would heat up into a chaotic, fiery hell. But, if there is too much ice- when the attachments to moral, spiritual, or aesthetic values grow too strong- it becomes harder and harder for any life to flourish.
Personally, I do believe that there is a world where the Platonic Forms live, a world of perfection and beauty, but I do not think humans could survive there for very long. I think it is the world of minerals, and there are places on Earth where this world can be visited- at the North and South Poles, and also at the top of any mountain that stretches above the tree line.
This song was recorded by James Prendergast, who is playing guitar.
Download mp3: White World
This is a picture of me on the top of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. I was very excited to be beyond the tree line for the first time ever!
