Home Domesticated
by Hrothgar

I walk the streets in this small town-turned city, and, every once in a while, I can hear the crickets and the other nocturnal insects making all of their delightful noises. There was a time when one could hear them above all else, a time I can remember, but now these creatures must contend with the "Whoosh!" of the automobiles as they pass by, and all of their other myriad loud, mechanical noises. I can see what was once a beautiful field, and I can remember running through it as a child; it has since been flattened and paved to make way for yet another strip mall. I can remember how beautiful that field was when bedecked with the white clean of the snow. I can't help lament the fact that our once beautiful little town is slowly becoming another ugly city.

We used to have so much snow when I was younger. Now, it seems as if we now have a long spring, with the infrequent and inconsequential snow of less than 6 inches. I think it's caused, at least in part, by the mass paving of the area and the influx of new people and their automobiles crammed into this small area.

Now I see a few people walking by, attached to their cellular telephones; that seems to be the fad anymore. People used to wear a dagger at their side. I remember when strangers would say hello to each other, sometimes start up an enjoyable conversation, and, sometimes, make new friends. People now seem to be absorbed in their personal lives and their telephone conversations, thus they have no time to talk to strangers; I have noticed some people who will use a cellular phone as a deterrent to conversing with strangers.

None of these people here are locals. They do not care about the history or the future of this area, as they will study/party here for four years, and, upon graduating, move on to some other land. They say they love the beauty of this area, yet I doubt they realize that their presence, or at the potential for their presence here has brought, and will bring more, destruction and "progress" to our once small town. Every time another shipment of students arrives, forests are torn down, and up go the ugly, prefabricated apartment complexes, banks, and Hotels.

Whenever our weather is not hot and sunny, I can never escape the torrent of negative comments regarding the "bad" weather. We are living in a Temperate Rainforest Zone; Rainforests get a lot of rainy weather, hence the name. So why would someone move here, knowing this? Why are people becoming lizards? Desert lovers. My family has always appreciated the weather, because we grow a lot of our own fruit and vegetables. If people had to grow their own food, they might appreciate the weather more, but, since they only needs go to the supermarket to obtain their food, and they have air-conditioning and heating in their homes, classrooms, and workplaces, they are no longer connected to or dependant upon the weather.

It's both sad and funny to see how weak our modern world has made humanity… in the middle class families especially. We no longer rely upon the weather to help grow our food, and we no longer make our own food, such as bread and the like, since the inventions of the supermarket and refrigeration. We no longer rely upon ourselves for our own well being, we freely relinquish that to the capitalists, who are solely concerned with our money. We do not chop wood for our heat and cooking, since we now have alternative heating sources and electric appliances, though it is the author's experience that a wood fueled fire has always been a less expensive and more efficient, and more independent, source of heat. Also, when the electricity is out, the only heat sources I have seen in use are the deadly Kerosene heaters which are a fire hazard, poison the air in a home, and cause everything in the home to stink like burning fuel months later. When we run out of oil-based fuels, what do we do? What neurotic fool enticed humanity away from such a superior heat source as wood?

As I look into the eyes of passers by, I see a longing that resides within us all for something more… maybe something less, in our lives. They are longing for decent friendships, decent company, and the pardon to allow them to be themselves wherever they are, to shed the masks which many wear to succeed in this modern world. They are longing, as am I, for a freer existence within, where we can do what we want to and enjoy it, as long as we can withstand any associated repercussions, whether our pursuits may take skate on the edges or jump into the chaos of taboo. We are all dying for more life in our lives and less restrictions, such as jobs, which are meaningless, usually do not improve our lives, and steal away most of the time we should be spending improving ourselves and to enjoy our lives.

We are domesticated, from cradle to grave, and we are conditioned into our own domestication by our parents, teachers, and friends. The sheep among us don't even notice it, but the wolves and lions among us do, and we fight it, much to our disadvantage, for the hunted will always fear the hunter.

October 24, 2005


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