Odd conversations

Yesterday I happened to talk to a self confessed Marxist. I thought Marxism had almost disappeared, but for my surprise this man was not only a Marxist, but also a very passionate talker. In few minutes he told me Marx had to be rediscovered, that States (in general, not the US) control amounts of information about us we just ignore; they know for example, who we vote for in any election (He was not aware that vote in democracies is secret) and above all, He told me all Christianity has been built on the heritage of Mary Magdalen. I think this man could easily write a best seller, kinda The Da Vinci Code, were he as good a writer as he is an impulsive talker.

After I got home, I recalled a conversation I had recently with another curious personality. This man, again a man, women seem to be more reasonable these days, told me about a friend of his, the poet Carlos Fuentes. Fuentes had been invited by former President Bill Clinton to his Camp David ressidence. Clinton told him it was difficult for him to look like an intellectual to the eyes of the American public opinion. Clinton felt apparently happy to share some moments of intimacy (ehem) with the poet, for he found a twin soul in Fuentes. I wonder why should a leader hide his intellectual side. In the case of Clinton other aspects of his personality were widely spread, so what could be the blend he wanted for his public identity?

And I wonder, is it just a matter of casualty to meet weird people in a short period of time? I just don´t know. The fact is that a wave of oddity is invading my life in the last weeks. Another example comes with my readings. I´m currently reading Gunter Grass The tin Drum. It is the most digressive book I have ever read. I have sometimes defined innovation as diggressive action. Well, if you read The tin drum you can experience both the value of diggression and the weirdness of its impact. I have even been considering the role of balance between opposite trends as a source of beauty. After all, for Nietzsche Apollo and Dyonisos should be reunited, for Thomas Mann the beautiful soul was a commitment between form and nature...

These odd conversations, as strange as they may seem have added some color to my current rainbow of conversations. Are your conversations with people colorful or they just follow the same pattern day after day?

If you want to find out more about my improvised adventures of last week, read this.

Comments

[Steve Sherlock]

I have that book. I read it in college, now many years ago and I recall not understanding it. It may be with the passage of time, I am now in a better position to appreciate it. Thanks for the note, Felix. I'll move it to my "to be read" shelf.

[Felix Gerena]

Hi Steve. Yes, the book is very hard to read, though once you read the first pages it gets more and more pleasurable. I appreciate the ability of Grass to tell so many different stories (many probably unnecessary, but that´s the essence of litterature, isn´t it?) and give some shape to all that.

[/pd]

Felix: "colurful conversation" can only happen when you open the mind and let the sunlight in !!

Its like a rainbow which requires water and light to form.

Light is symbolic of the other person view points and the water is symbloic of the compassion of tears !!

[Omara]

Fun post! I enjoy that sense of humour you show up sometimes :-) Those kind of conversations you refer to are the ones able to take us out of our comfort zone, sometimes are very rich, others not, but I do enjoy them anyway.