Am I Too Blind To See?
Mr Jinx
"Am I too blind to see? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
So sang Dylan in This Dream Of You.
The first thing to say that both he and Hunter were quoting Dylan from
Precious Angel when they mentioned eyes 'too blind to see'.
But I want to examine the Dream Of You lines more closely:
They appear to be saying that the narrator is blind. But actually the
lines are more slippery than that. In asking the question 'are [his]
eyes playing tricks on him the narrator lets it slip that he sees
*something*. This is reinforced by the oxymoronic 'To blind to see'.
Blindness is an absolute. There are no degrees of blindness.
Anything less than blindness is mere short (or partial)-sightedness.
I would suggest, therefore, that the blindness he refers to is an
'inner blindness' to a specific thing. His eyesight, in fact, might
very well be perfect. But he does not (or is not able to) trust it.
Mr Jinx
Ron Fowler
big dreams baby, but in order to dream you got to still be asleep". "You
either got faith or you got unbelief, and there ain't NO neutral
ground".
Dr_dudley
How's the New Year treating you? I hope better than the last.
On Jan 6, 11:45 am, Mr Jinx <vernon__bris...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> "Am I too blind to see? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
>
> So sang Dylan in This Dream Of You.
>
> The first thing to say that both he and Hunter were quoting Dylan from
> Precious Angel when they mentioned eyes 'too blind to see'.
>
Just skimming the topics, Precious Angel came immediately to mind "I
just cdn't make it by myself / I'm a little too blind to see".
Turns out a search at bobdylan.com for "blind" yields 39 pieces;
granted some of them refer to venetian blinds or even riding the
blinds.
Contrastingly, "deaf" accrues only eight.
> But I want to examine the Dream Of You lines more closely:
>
> They appear to be saying that the narrator is blind. But actually the
> lines are more slippery than that. In asking the question 'are [his]
> eyes playing tricks on him the narrator lets it slip that he sees
> *something*. This is reinforced by the oxymoronic 'To blind to see'.
> Blindness is an absolute. There are no degrees of blindness.
> Anything less than blindness is mere short (or partial)-sightedness.
>
Not quite so, or in the dylanian geminid: It is and it isn't. There is
total blindness, blindness, and legal blindness. Wiki is our friend:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindness#cite_note-ICO-0
That said, while certainly i can't prove it, i'd wager 5$US that in
the land of the blind there are subtle nuances & strata of visual
acuity that even the one-eyed king can't imagine.
> I would suggest, therefore, that the blindness he refers to is an
> 'inner blindness' to a specific thing. His eyesight, in fact, might
> very well be perfect. But he does not (or is not able to) trust it.
>
I note that )quoted above( "the narrator is blind". So perhaps the
"narrator" IS innerly blind to some specific thing; this wd, if
nothing else, certify his cardCarrying membership in the Human
Condition.
That said furthur, bob's degree of sightedness is well-documented.
There was that bit, i found this in the onnernet:
}
PHOTOGRAPHER: Suck on your glasses.
DYLAN: You want me to suck on my glasses?
PHOTOGRAPHER: Just suck your glasses.
DYLAN: Do YOU want to suck my glasses?
{
In case any of us ever thought we wanted to be bob.
Sheesh, eh?
That said finally, as to new years "since it is no better i'm glad it
is no worse".
Yrs in all things dylna & other,
dudley
+++
John Jacob Niles, "Go 'Way from My Window":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpaAeqBhwrM
This is called "02/26 Bob Dylan - No Direction Home":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkaAE4ofNgA"
(??? bob "envisioned" himself going to the West Point military
school ???)
Here's Cher's recording of "Masters of War":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12ZErkwDTEk
& her "Bang Bang":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA-lKOKyRJo
& Bang Bang Yer Terry Reid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm8BmLmASh4
This is called "11/26 Bob Dylan - No Direction Home":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgsC4fMOs5M
Ginsberg Father Death Blues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew6ef3nE-E4
This is called "ALLEN GINSBERG BOB DYLAN":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiH9QZzGc_s
He ain't just whistlin' Dixie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL4RYo7vJ6g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TW3CYryz7w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7G9m1OKtjY
This is called "I'll remember you Bob Dylan":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVXdksxvIpg
I stopped trying to figure everything out a long time ago
adamlynn
Blindness is an absolute. There are no degrees of blindness.
Absolutely false- ask any legally blind person.
Just Walkin'
He used to hunt Harkonnen scum with the best of them; now he's just a
blind prophet off wandering in the desert...
Janice
> PHOTOGRAPHER: Suck on your glasses.
> DYLAN: You want me to suck on my glasses?
> PHOTOGRAPHER: Just suck your glasses.
> DYLAN: Do YOU want to suck my glasses?
>
> In case any of us ever thought we wanted to be bob.
> Sheesh, eh?
Sheesh... that sucks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxfw0-j9TV4
>
> That said finally, as to new years "since it is no better i'm glad it
> is no worse".
But it is better dudley, for those with ears to hear.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/news/story/0,4574,366248,00.html
"...happiness and optimism are not strictly tied to finances."
Now you've got it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDXZkBIxso4
> This is called "02/26 Bob Dylan - No Direction Home":
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkaAE4ofNgA"
>
> (??? bob "envisioned" himself going to the West Point military
> school ???)
"I could almost envision myself dying in some heroic battle
somewhere..."
Young boys do dream of growing up to be heroes.
> & Bang Bang Yer Terry Reid:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm8BmLmASh4
And something's gotta hold on Terry's heart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q92c_dwv3L0
> Ginsberg Father Death Blues:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew6ef3nE-E4
What is the instrument Ginsberg is playing?
> I stopped trying to figure everything out a long time ago
Surfer Dude Discovers the Theory of Everything --
"While academia has pursued its inquiry into the predictions of string
theory, A. Garrett Lisi -- a Ph.D. in physics -- has lived in self-
imposed exile from his field. He's spent his summers surfing in Hawaii
and winters snowboarding in California. Perhaps while enjoying the
snow and sea he found inspiration for what will prove to be the theory
of everything."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xHw9zcCvRQ
It's complicated.
~`~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe8CbmQgwcI
tif
If indeed this is so, he must take heart, for he is on the right
path.
Hark:
" His heart was quiet for an entire afternoon. That night, the boy
slept deeply, and, when he awoke, his heart began to tell him things
that came from the Soul of the World. It said that all people who are
happy have God within them. And that happiness could be found in a
grain of sand from the desert, as the alchemist had said. Because a
grain of sand is a moment of creation, and the universe has taken
millions of years to create it. "Everyone on earth has a treasure that
awaits him," his heart said. "We, people's hearts, seldom say much
about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search
of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life
proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But,
unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them__ the path
to their Personal Legends, and to happiness. Most people see the world
as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out,
indeed, to be a threatening place.
" So, we, their hearts, speak more and more softly. We never stop
speaking out, but we begin to hope that our words won't be heard: we
don't want people to suffer because they don't follow their hearts."
" Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their
dreams?" the boy asked the alchemist.
" Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't
like to suffer."
From then on, the boy understood his heart. He asked it, please,
never to stop speaking to him. He asked that, when he wandered too far
from his dreams, his heart press him and sound the alarm. The boy
swore that, everytime he heard the alarm, he would heed its message.
That night, he told all of this to the alchemist. And the alchemist
understood that the boy's heart had returned to the Soul of the World.
" So what should I do now?" the boy asked.
" Continue in the direction of the Pyramids." said the alchemist. "
And continue to pay heed to the omens. Your heart is still capable of
showing you where the treasure is."
" Is that the one thing I still needed to know?" the boy asked.
tif
p. 130-132
p. 132
" Is that the one thing I still needed to know?" the boy asked.
" No," the alchemist answered. " What you still need to know is
this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests
everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it
is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams,
master the lessons we've learned as we've moved toward that dream.
That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at
which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst
just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.'
" Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends
with the victor's being severely tested."
The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that
the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.
Janice
.
> That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at
> which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst
> just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.'
Well the desert is hot, the mountain is cursed,
Pray that I don't die of thirst,
Baby, two feet from the well.
... Santiago meets a beautiful girl at the well and falls immediately
in love. He realizes that when you are in love you hear the language
of the Soul of the World perfectly.
Her name is Fatima and he begins to meet her at the well every day and
tell her his story and of all the things that he has learned. Finally,
he tells Fatima he wants to marry her. He even thinks about giving up
his quest to the Pyramids to be with her.
Fatima, however, tells Santiago that she understands his need to go
find the treasure, and that she in fact wants him to realize his goal.
The women of the desert, she explains, are proud of their men's
freedom. This confuses Santiago, who is unable to separate love and
possession.
... the alchemist offers to lead Santiago across the desert to the
treasure. Santiago is conflicted because he wants to stay at the oasis
with Fatima.
The alchemist responds that "love never keeps a man from pursuing his
personal legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't
true love...the love speaks the Language of the World."
> " Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends
> with the victor's being severely tested."
> The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that
> the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn
When he is ready to leave he smells the wind blowing off the desert -
bringing with it the kisses of Fatima.
~`~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
frinjdwelr
"adamlynn" <adam...@live.com> wrote in message
news:33abcc85-18c1-4a4f...@35g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
On Jan 6, 11:45 am, Mr Jinx <vernon__bris...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Blindness is an absolute. There are no degrees of blindness.
Absolutely false- ask any legally blind person.
----------------------------------------------------------------
That's right. I have a nephew who's legally blind. Yet he can even play
pool if he bends over and looks closely at the balls. He guides his wife
who has even less vision.
And my legally blind Dylan fan friend who died last year could use a
computer with a magnifying screen.
tif
> On Jan 7, 4:58 pm, tif <pasterna...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> .
>
> > That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at
> > which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst
> > just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.'
>
.> Pray that I don't die of thirst,
.> Baby, two feet from the well.
In the temple of the desert
In the depth of the deep
Where the night is clear with stars
The flowers alive with songs -
In the temple of the desert
In the depth of the deep
The Name is One -
When food fails in the desert of our searching
The manna of light sustains us
And the pillar of fire of our faith takes us
To all the holy lands more speedily and in our days
Than the sterile logic of the Age of Reason.
>
> ... Santiago meets a beautiful girl at the well and falls immediately
> in love. He realizes that when you are in love you hear the language
> of the Soul of the World perfectly.
>
> Her name is Fatima and he begins to meet her at the well every day and
> tell her his story and of all the things that he has learned. Finally,
> he tells Fatima he wants to marry her. He even thinks about giving up
> his quest to the Pyramids to be with her.
>
> Fatima, however, tells Santiago that she understands his need to go
> find the treasure, and that she in fact wants him to realize his goal.
> The women of the desert, she explains, are proud of their men's
> freedom. This confuses Santiago, who is unable to separate love and
> possession.
>
> ... the alchemist offers to lead Santiago across the desert to the
> treasure. Santiago is conflicted because he wants to stay at the oasis
> with Fatima.
>
> The alchemist responds that "love never keeps a man from pursuing his
> personal legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't
> true love...the love that speaks the Language of the World."
Mr Jinx
> "adamlynn" <adaml...@live.com> wrote in message
Those pool playing 'blind' boys are great to win money off.
Mr Jinx
Mr Jinx
On the subject of blindness.
Blindness is a condition of not being able to see. Anything else is
just short-sightedness. People who play pool and claim they are blind
are only fooling themselves. Pool is a losers' game. Snooker is the
echt thing for blind and sighted alike.
Mr Jinx (icy clear of vision and pure in word and deed)
frinjdwelr
"Mr Jinx" <vernon_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8e111182-06de-48be...@a15g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...
On Jan 8, 10:29 am, Mr Jinx <vernon__bris...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Jan 8, 1:21 am, "frinjdwelr" <frinjdw...@charter.net> wrote:
>
> > "adamlynn" <adaml...@live.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:33abcc85-18c1-4a4f...@35g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
> > On Jan 6, 11:45 am, Mr Jinx <vernon__bris...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Blindness is an absolute. There are no degrees of blindness.
>
> > Absolutely false- ask any legally blind person.
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------
> > That's right. I have a nephew who's legally blind. Yet he can even play
> > pool if he bends over and looks closely at the balls. He guides his wife
> > who has even less vision.
> > And my legally blind Dylan fan friend who died last year could use a
> > computer with a magnifying screen.
>
> Those pool playing 'blind' boys are great to win money off.
>
> Mr Jinx
it's for fun, not money. Furthermore, I'm sure my nephew wishes he was just
short sighted and is only fooling himself. He's not.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the subject of blindness.
Blindness is a condition of not being able to see. Anything else is
just short-sightedness. People who play pool and claim they are blind
are only fooling themselves.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
You're the guy who argued that truth is related to prevailing espousal. Now
you're stating the opposite. In the U.S. there are many thousands of
people who are legally blind, but still able to see. Even the government
rules defining the disability agree that the blind are often able to see to
some degree.
>Mr Jinx (icy clear of vision and pure in word and deed)
And yet still so very often just plain wrong.
The answer to your original question is - yes.
Mr Jinx
> "Mr Jinx" <vernon__bris...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
Semantics.
Of course if we are going to allow every short-sighted pool player the
right to call themselves 'blind' this does a grave disservice to those
who actually are blind.
If my leg hurt a bit I would call myself wheelchair-bound.
Mr Jinx
Just Walkin'
>
> > > > Blindness is an absolute. There are no degrees of blindness.
>
Mr. Jinx, not semantics. In the US, we have a legal classification for
blindness and being legally blind does not require one to be totally
blind. Your dismissal of the same is insulting to people who suffer
from this condition. Being legally blind means that one has sight that
is so impaired due to conditions such as macular degeneration,
advanced glaucoma, irrepairable cataracts, loss of central vision,
etc. that it makes it hard for them to function in sighted society and
earn a proper living thus entitling them to certain benefits. Such
benefits include service dogs, franking privileges, educational
assistance and special equipment as needed. I've a number of friends
as well who have fit this category over the years, many of which whom
have never exploited their benefits. Believe me, for them, it is more
than just a "leg hurt."
frinjdwelr
Semantics.
Of course if we are going to allow every short-sighted pool player the
right to call themselves 'blind' this does a grave disservice to those
who actually are blind.
If my leg hurt a bit I would call myself wheelchair-bound.
Mr Jinx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cruel and demeaning remarks against the disabled.
Yup, you're a typical "Christian" all right.
Mr Jinx
> "Mr Jinx" <vernon__bris...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
Sorry. I didnt' mean to offend. I was just joking (and trying to make
a point about definitions). I'll stop now. Good luck to your friend.
Mr Jinx