[return to Contents Page]

Ray Rasmussen

Deliverance

Humor – true liberty! It is you who deliver me ... from respect for routine, ... from admiration for celebrities, from the mystifications of politics, from the fanaticism of the reformers, ... and from self-admiration. Come, sovereign, turn a ray of your light on my fellow citizens; kindle in their soul a spark of your spirit ... ~ Proudhon

True liberty, do I have it?

As for deliverance from the mystifications of politics, a red sign sticks up from my front yard proclaiming for the Liberals. The Conservatives have been in power for 36 years and I badly want to see them lose. This morning, I walked my neighborhood and counted : 6 Red, 7 Blue. I loosened the leashes a bit so that the dogs could visit the blue-signed yards. I tell myself that democracy itself is at stake.

Respect for routine? It's true that I feed the dogs when they whine precisely at 7 A.M.; fix breakfast at 7:30; check my email at 8:00. But the rest of today is mine, even if it is likely to bear a close resemblance to yesterday, and the day before.

I avoid People Magazine even while in the dentist's waiting room so that stands me well in terms of admiration for celebrities? On the other hand, I admit to a bit of a fixation on the actor Cate Blanchett. Did you see her as the freedom-seeking housewife in "Bandits" – that dance on the beach, the one in the kitchen – her ethereal grace as Galadriel in "Lord of the Rings," her wounded majesty as "Elizabeth?" To my credit, I’ve not yet sent her an offer of marriage.

As for the fanaticism of the reformers I have too many friends who are ardent environmentalists to separate myself from their plots to save the planet. I confess that I may even vote for the Green Party.

Self-admiration? I admit that I was hoping to show that I've been delivered. Come sovereign, kindle a spark in this spirit held in servitude.

meditation class
he begins by examining
the blonde's navel