Thoughts About Our World | El-Branden Brazil

Posts from the ‘Thoughts About Our World’ category

The Day Has Come

The day has come!
We knew it would.
We waited patiently.
The birds have stopped singing.
The skies have turned black;
Within the clouds we see.
What can we do on such a bleak day?
What can any of us say?
I sit,
I lift a violin for a melancholic tune,
While television continues to drivel on
And the radio tells us how to tell.
A signal bursts forth to assert
Conditions of life in the Afterworld.
Now materialistic folly observed;
Why did it take this catastrophe
To tell us what it’s really worth?
And all that we have built
Has become worthless, pointless, short of Spirit;
An aimless hording of all we value;
A failing the cause of our reckoning.
And now it’s here upon us bare –
The Inevitable Day:
The Foresight of Aeons.
The loss of one is always startling;
The loss of all is desperately overwhelming.
The cultural ego of our race
Broken, torn and to be erased.
Nothing can save us –
Nothing will,

While our minds visualise their final resting place.

– El-Branden Brazil

Copyright 31st July, 1999 –

Painting by El-Branden Brazil

The Awakening

“Shh! Shh! Shh!

Don’t awake the sleepers!”

The government speaker cries,

As the men in blue uniforms

Abidingly obey,

Whilst slapping their batons

Upon palms awaiting prey.

The Sleepers…

Intoxicated in their woven fantasy,

Dressed in lies and hidden myths,

Enslaved unwittingly

By protocols, routines and laws

Pretending to be reality.

The Myth-Builders…

Since that bleak Autumn’s day,

Have spread lies of conceit

Without conscience or refrain,

As blood is spilled

To justify their claims.

The Eagle Dream-Weaver…

Staring down upon the global minions,

Callously permitting poverty without refuge,

As green-stained paper

Drips conditionally

Through talons of subterfuge.

The Government Agencies…

Spying and snooping upon the masses

With no oversight nor scrutiny

As they eavesdrop,

Store emails,

All privacy is now erased.

The Greed…

Seeping, oozing like disease

Into the pockets of elites.

A contagion airborne by the banks.

Uneven symptoms of discontent

Among the peoples of the world.

The Activists…

Awake and speaking out

Against those that enforce silence

And who would let the sleepers sleep.

Wake-up and thump the drum!

Stand-up for all that’s right

And connect with life!

Take to the Streets, Revolt, Resist!

Your time is NOW!

How do you wish to live?

– Words & Photography by El-Branden Brazil

Photography by El-Branden Brazil

The Problem With Nationalism

Nationalism is a choice to live in a fantasy land, where colours on a piece of fabric are considered worthy of loyalty. That the myth is even worth dying for.

Such dedication to tribalism is paramount to all that is wrong in the world. Once we move beyond concepts of separation, the sooner we will be unified to take action to save the world that supports us to thrive.

I have no problem with national identity. Indeed, the world is a far more an interesting place for the myriad of cultural flavours that abound across the globe. However, in this festival of cultures, we must be careful not to forget what unifies us as a species, in our celebration of difference. We simply should not get carried away by the mythology of anthems, flags and other constructs of fantasy, to the point where we start to forget what we have in common with those who do not share our anthems, flags and other constructs of fantasy.

To clarify, I am also not naive enough to ignore the cries of those under siege from nationalistic fervour, for which there are many around the world, whose traditions seem desperately under threat. I understand that when nationalism rubs against nationalism, just like when religion rubs against religion, friction occurs.

I am an unashamed idealist that believes we can move beyond base celebrations of tribe. My blood is no different than yours.

– El-Branden Brazil

Reflections On Our Turbulent World

ISIS is behaving like the Khmer Rouge, but on a much larger global stage. Their brutality needs to be stopped quickly.

More than the acts of terrorism, it is the aims of ISIS that scares me. There is a very strong chance that if nothing is done, this savage caliphate will take root and spread its tendrils throughout the Middle-East and perhaps beyond. What kind of society do these beasts wish to achieve, after their caliphate is established upon the blood and bones of so many innocents, killed horrifically? I do not use words like “evil” lightly, but as with the Nazis and the Khmer Rouge before, ISIS absolutely is a manifestation of evil, demonstrating the most depraved and perverted aspects of humanity.

I am extremely concerned about the global ramifications ISIS will bring. Unfortunately, it is just one component of a rapidly deteriorating global arena, where crises of great magnitude are springing up, all symptomatic of a general malaise that can be felt across the world. I wish to be optimistic, but I find it harder and harder, as the environment continues to be damaged with little genuine efforts to abate it. It feels like we are fatalistically slipping back into the Dark Ages, lead by leaders more concerned with the fantasies promulgated by corporations and economics, rather than driven by true vision to propel and improve humanity.

Currently, no one in power is brave enough to implement bold ideas to lead humanity towards a brighter future, that are both socially and most importantly, ecologically beneficial.

We can all feel the rot in the current system, desperately fantasising about what could be. In the meantime, whilst we both hold onto the memory of past glories, as well as fumble without vision towards the future, violent radicalism, such as ISIS, is manifesting their extremist beliefs in the ideological vacuum we have left. It seems for the time being, however bloody, they are succeeding in ways that we are not. I find it truly perplexing and tragic that young Europeans, particularly Brits, are being drawn to the front lines in Syria and Iraq, to fight for an ideology of extreme barbarism. That they should find beheadings and the slaughter of children more appealing than what is offered at home.

We need to find a way to share values that can be universally embraced, and that will neutralise the appeal that the current spate of extremism seems to have for some. We must be better than bombs and guns. We must lead by example and show that compassion and love for all trumps violence always, whilst never forgetting the finiteness of our time on this precious planet that we share.

Hope

There is a seemingly endless cycle of suffering across the world. At times, it can feel overwhelming. It is hope that allows a flicker of light to manifest where there is none. Without hope, there will only be darkness. As activists we are like candles. One candle can illuminate only a room, but a billion candles together, can illuminate a country, and even the world.

Words & Image by El-Branden Brazil

This Is What I Believe

I believe in compassion as a universal truth.
I accept that my spiritual beliefs are no more provable than anyone elses.
I have no interest in trying to convert others.
I believe that there are great unknowables worth enquiring about.
I understand that nothing is knowable without enquiry.
I seek peace for all.
I view love a better partner than hate.
I support same-sex marriage, because love is to be celebrated.
I believe in elevating women to positions of power. The world would be better.
I accept that differences of opinion will always exist, and thank goodness.
I celebrate differences, because this is what drives creativity.
I will not allow differences to be used as a tool for hate.
I celebrate our shared humanity.
I despise nationalistic mythology of tribal identity.
I hail those that can think outside the box.
I support those who sit outside society.
I believe in freedom.
I seek freedom for those with none.
I support government that represents the people.
I disdain government that represents corporations.
I fight for justice.
I cry for where there is none.
I believe in fairness.
I support the hungry and needy.
I will never turn my eye away from cruelty.
I believe in human rights for all.

– El-Branden Brazil –

The Universe

For as long as I can remember, the universe has intrigued me. When I was a child, I would sit out in the garden and stare endlessly at the night sky, marvelling at the seeming infinity before me. Sometimes, I would feel lonely and insignificant. Whilst at other times, I would feel honoured and integral to the scene above.

I enjoy chasing ideas about perception and mind in relation to space. I believe that the universe, while it may seem expansive beyond imagination, is much closer than our senses dictate to us: That the sense of physical reality is only an illusion, manifested by sensory-selected stimuli required for our survival. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and fingers allow us to peer into a universe contrived for our prime needs. However, there is so much more that is out of range of our sense organs.

The dimensions of space, I believe, are deceptive. We can perceive its vastness through our eyes. We can perceive its separateness from ourselves through touch. But, intuitively, I am certain that our place within the universe is far more convoluted and involved. In many ways, the Aborigines may well be correct in their assertion that the universe is being dreamt into existence. As Edgar Allen Poe noted,‘All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.’

Words & Image by El-Branden Brazil