has abaslom and the ethos of arcadia

alas, babylon.

i listened to a man yesterday who was talking about "true heroes" ... he of course noted jesus christ and superman together, suggesting the first was one, and the second just a fiction. he also talked about people like ghandi and "leaders who use non-violent means to "change the world." i at least agree with him on the third, ghandi is a good prototype for some kind of hero. staring at this ... "to be completed" work on tales of two cities, whether from sodom and gomorrah all the way to athens and sparta and perhaps even london and paris--and this particular city, babylon; it stands out as one which truly has no equal or even "mirror" in the history of the world. i suppose i'd add "alexandria" and suggest the library and the laws; something that are fundamental to the ethos of the planet i call "athens."

i imagine he did not know "hammurabi's" name; and even today in this place where i ask and do not receive answers; i imagine you still don't connect muhammad or amsterdam ... to this king who in our history is set apart and lifted high on a pedestal of having "codified and written down" laws ... for the very first time. it's almost comical, it took me a paragraph and a sentence to connect "the king and i" to this mirror world, where the bible and the people have most assuredly decided "babylon" is a negative thing or a depraved place.

"fallen, fallen, is [the city of] babylon the great"

... just a quote from one of my favorite movies; which of course is re-quoting "dante" and/or "the bible"

"a dwelling place [of] (the) demons (say), it has become."