After the first three chapters of XaW Files: Beyond Humanity were previewed on this blog, I’ll start blogging the next three now. In this third of a trilogy fantasy travelling by web info and maps, a concept I invented on a break from my travels, which consist of travelling to about sixty countries on all the populated continents, my greenYgrey friendly veggie werewolf protagonist with an animal welfare message, travels Europe, after previously travelling North America and Australia. I do this as a favour to humanity, while also trying to sell books, to keep my freelance writing going.
Travel – Writing Philosophy
The book mixes new philosophy from a graduated doctor of philosophy, with comedy and factual data, and a fictional story that this time had an X-Files theme. It was started before the new series of X-Files was written, and published before the series previewed.
This episode, greenygrey philosopher, Mary Werewolfstonecraft, has joined the ramble. She was inspired by Mary Wollstonecraft, arguably the first liberal feminist, and had been posting philosophy on this website for a while. The blog also includes Femen, who are the modern feminists I most identified with.
Femen’s experiences in Ukraine, and a recent Meatloaf documentary, inspire philosophical thoughts on what is possible for rebellions. There’s also a philosophical observation inspired by snow falling on a half-moon day, and my thoughts on winter changing through life.
The snow also reminded me of travelling to Norway, mixed with my travelling philosophy of never returning to places, as there are so many to visit.
I’d recently watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and thought it was a good movie, with lots of writing philosophy I related to, being about a writer with mental health issues.
Chapter 4 Episode 1
Hungary 19.31
It had taken a long time, but we were finally in Hungary. We’d set off in the morning, but had trouble contacting the greenYgrey world, so didn’t get our bearings properly. Moreover, Mary Werewolfstonecraft had arrived in our ramble loaded with philosophy; news from our world and her journey down through central Europe.
To get this chapter under way, and lighten Mary’s load, here’s some of what she told us.
Snowy Afternoon Joy
There had been a snowy afternoon in the greenYgrey world. It was the day after Mary travelled to meet us, but her sense of philosophical contact with the greenYgrey world had still been strong enough to pick up the signals, and relay them to us.
All the werewolves had wrapped up warm to watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which had some good writer insights and inspiring moments, being about a writer when young.
Then, outside winter window, heavy snow showers shared the afternoon with blue sky. Soon there were only clouds, and that was alright, for the more clouds there were, the more snow that fell. Only snow can equal blue sky for value.
Remembering Norway
Snow doesn’t just fall
flying and floating
reminding me of Bergen
remembering dreams to return
flake landing and melting
better to hang in the air?
Moon Snow Connection
During one clear interlude, someone looked up at the sky, and saw a half-moon.
It wondered if someone, sometime, might also have put two and two together on such a mixed weather day, and wondered if the falling snow could have been the other side of the moon, fallen to Earth.
Knocking on Winter’s Years
It was great hearing some news from the greenYgrey world, and I was sorry to be missing the snow. It can be enjoyable watching the weather on such days from the warmth.
I wonder if it’s my advancing years that makes me appreciate winter more now, but I guess I’ve always liked parts of it – autumn colours, winter snow, the sport and warm pubs.
Maybe it was just a few uncomfortable years I didn’t like, either with cold and ill-health indoors, or having to work outside for long hours.
Meatloaf Documentary Poem and Philosophy
Mary had more philosophy for us, as they’d also watched a documentary about legendary rock singer Meatloaf. That had proved fruitful, as it inspired more philosophy; and that is half our work here, with the thinking the easy half, and the writing the harder half. Although both are usually pretty enjoyable, the thinking just comes naturally, while the writing takes a little inspiration to start; like today’s experience.
Mary said the opening scenes showed two great greenYgrey desert scenes, inspiring a little haiku-style poetry:
headlights under brow on open highway
sunrise over sierras
dry desert weather sharpens scenery
Meatloaf’s father tried to kill him, so he had to leave home, and that reminded Mary of a philosophy idea currently strong in the greenYgrey world at the moment. As Femen having to leave Ukraine showed on a bigger scale, we think ‘normality’ is dependent on ‘stability’: while Meat and Femen might rebel against their dominators, if the dominators are removed, then maybe there is nowhere for them to rebel, and no-one to rebel against, leading to the complete collapse of the life they knew and were trying to improve, meaning they have to leave that place altogether, and start from scratch again, as Femen more or less had to do moving to Paris.
And finally, a simple greenYgreyism after the rather weighty previous paragraph. Meatloaf music was mainly written by Jim Steinman, and he described himself as a cross between Wagner and Little Richard.
Mary said she’d also had a very interesting and rewarding trip down through beautiful central Europe, enjoying a little time-travelling and channelling around Lake Geneva, and meeting a nice sexy vampire in Croatia.
I’d enjoyed my philosophical day, and thought Mary’d be a great addition to my last ramble. That reminded me I needed to get the show on the road, so I checked out Google Maps. One Hungarian town stood out on it: Gyöngyös.
References
The first paragraph was inspired by the morning’s writing turning out blank.
Available to buy or borrow on Amazon and all great big bookshops.
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