The Brahman Global

As far as the East
is from the West
at the speed of desperate need
progress … a grab bag of plastic
all mixed up with curses blessed
by the priests of endless greed

In the cities
the old ways abandoned
Yesterday’s gods forgotten
In toxic dust
they now rust and crumble
Taken for an Auto Rickshaw ride
Taking the big gamble
Gasoline and Retro-reincarnation
always chasing the big apple

After a final taste
Nirvana died
with a shotgun blast
Idols fallen and calves golden
In their wake
a bloody mess
Since the first stone cast
into Mosh Pit Survival
orphans and widows come last
And the Brahman
he’s gone global

Cultural Trauma
Bad karma
A song and a prayer
will only get you so far
in an atmosphere caste
in petrochemical vapour
Never enough incense
to mask that smell
As for mercy and grace
to forever be
… the untouchable?

Words & Images;
David B. Redpath © 2019

85 thoughts on “The Brahman Global”

    1. Perhaps children of a lesser god
      . . . chasing Mammon?
      Just a ramblin’ morning confession
      over coffee and nicotine, Bojana.
      As always, much beauty in the chaos,
      and the ruins of a cultural implosion.
      But with all the ‘developing’,
      what has been left behind?

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    1. Yes, ‘Progress’ is a two edged sword.
      Much of what gets left behind belongs
      in the dustpan of history. But as the super
      privileged get richer, the poor get to live
      under new & improved forms of slavery
      … Like being chained to a Nike factory.
      Hope is being choked to death by the fumes
      of ‘Progress’, in the developing world’s
      overpopulated Meta Cities.
      Kathmandu is particularly a sad story of
      rapid ‘Westernization’. The smell of burning
      plastic fills the air, as Rickshaw drivers burn
      street rubbish to keep warm.
      Thanks Charlie for the commenting.
      I’ll check in with you soon 😎

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      4. Yes, from the distance of safety,
        life in the U.S. looks like a shootout
        at the O.K. Corral. And the game
        play up on Capital Hill, more like
        a funeral at Boot Hill 🤠

        In Australia, to avoid the unpleasantness
        of peasant unrest, we regularly overthrow
        our leaders, in a Mardi Gras Fiesta of
        democratic blood letting. It seems
        to appease the Tree of Liberty.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Punam, I really did try to bite my tongue.
      I know an outsider’s observations, and unsolicited opinions, are not always appreciated, but what is happening in India,
      and much of the “developing world”, is a global problem, beyond borders.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Oh please! Don’t ever bite your tongue. Your opinions and observations are highly appreciated because we have become jaded about the mess we have created. We so called ‘developing’ nations are actually moving backwards.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I was traveling with a friend who grew up in India, so I was trying to be ‘diplomatic’. But
        then, it is poetry’s business to be dangerous,
        even offensive. Being a simple free-range
        anthropologist, it is my job to observe.
        The mess comes down from the top.
        The inaction of leaders, in the pockets
        of big messy business, with all it vested
        interests in continuing the unsustainable
        status quo. It is a global problem.

        Like

      3. The rot decidedly starts at the top here but poverty and illiteracy of the masses exacerbates the problem. Of course it is poetry’s business to be dangerous and offensive! Why should poetry always be about all things nice! This free range anthropologist’s views are always welcome.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Where there is Elon Musk, there is hope. Solar charged electric cars, with battery
      backup enough to get you to Mars, would
      be a great start. The inhabitants of this
      planet’s Meta Cities would soon be able to breath easy. And once again, see blue skies.

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      Reply

      1. I’m hoping/working on a different future. And, Elon Musk is part of the problem. What mind-blowing arrogance…
        Electric cars are SO dangerous. Those batteries… The industry is already aware of a better way but won’t implement…CNG or, release the Tesla material that the CIA stole after his death.
        And, going to Mars is out of the question. Our body templates are for Earth. Our root chakras & Earth’s Schumann Resonance anchor us here. It is why the body deteriorates off planet, not just weightlessness.
        A pristine Earth, again? Absolutely. If we, as a collective, could get our s*** straight, we could reintegrate with the rest of our souls, re-connect with Avalon & work with the Sidhe’. We will definitely need their help. They are the only ones that can clean up the GMO mess.
        I vote to become a full soul human.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yes, we already possess the technology
        to solve most of this planet’s man made
        problems. The only thing lacking is the
        will to overcome all vested interests in
        destruction, and implement them.
        My Elon Musk reference was a bit of tongue in cheek. But still, a good example of how
        the planet’s future has been left in the hands
        of private, borderless (therefore lawless)
        corporations. With a convincing display of
        humanitarian altruism, you can get away
        with just about anything. Just ask Bill Gates,
        or Mark Zuckerberg.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Caste and wealth have always been a global problem
      The fortunate increase their advantage at the expense of others
      The American Dream didn’t last long
      For man, this is a sad but familiar song
      Temporal authorities delight in the zero sum

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Throw in a dash of state imposed religion
        to glue the social pecking order together
        and keep the plebeians in their place …
        So, welcome to the Machine.
        And did they tell you the name of the game?
        It’s called, “Riding The Gravy Train”.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I am reminded of a story in the puranas
        The wedding of Parvati and Shiva
        Embarrassment dawned when the priest asked for Shiva’s family gotra
        For he had none
        Narada played a musical note in response

        Liked by 1 person

      5. It’s bugging me that I didn’t say this earlier, got immersed into one small portion without remembering the whole text. That particular purana is basically advertising the philosophy of dvaitadvaita with Shiva as the Supreme Godhead and Vishnu in a supporting role. A fusion of sorts. Those priestly games you talk about are in full force there, even if this seems to be a critique on caste. These games have been happening since the days of Marduk, most definitely, Akkad and in middle Sumeria. Early Sumer seems a more open place, but that might be because records are sparse. Ditto early Egypt. Poor Akenathen…

        Liked by 1 person

      9. There was one seer walking this path not far from me
        Who died a few days ago. Reading his life story renewed my hope
        That this world may not be so bad after all
        Some may go, but others will come
        To navigate this spiral
        I believe that there is a Plan

        Liked by 1 person

      10. Yes, I too believe in a grand plan,
        But, in the meantime, one must overcome
        (… perhaps even that is part of the plan?).
        Like Mahatma Ghandi, I am persuaded that
        hope, faith, and love, are the greater parts
        of the total sum.

        Liked by 1 person

      11. 1500 years of caste prejudice
        First patrons probably Gupta kings
        Even Gandhi wasn’t immune
        Whereabouts did you visit in the country?
        Language, culture, population, history, architecture, cuisine change dramatically crossing state lines
        Hope you stopped over for a bit at Sikkim
        That place is still untouched by time

        Liked by 1 person

      12. No Sikkim. Spent a week in Nepal,
        just next door.
        Friends who’ve lived in India, arranged the
        trip, so we duly headed south to Agra, and
        the Taj Mahal. Then to Jaipur, Udaipur, and
        down to Delhi.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. ‘Brahman’, as representing the top of
      the caste system, with its historical links
      to the priesthood, along with the notion
      of racial purity.
      As found in various forms throughout
      human history. Particularly in Europe
      as recently as last century.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Very eloquent and profound reflections in both your distopian poem and expressive artworks, David. You deal with the most current topics of today’s world: the clash between civilisations, the process of assimilation of negative values through the worst effects of globalisation, the ongoing environmental destruction, poverty and inequality rising nonstop, and our spiritual and religious death.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you very much, Marta 💖
      It seems to be my lot, as a free-range
      Anthropologist, is to do field research,
      and make clinical observations 😎
      I do try to stay professionally detached
      … but that is not always possible.
      I do appreciate your comments, for my
      primary prerequisite is to be relevant.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. God. This slays me. You captured it. An aspect of it…profoundly. The thing that struck me most about India was how EVERYTHING….every aspect of being from the most wealthy/healthy/beautiful to the most heart-wrenching poverty/suffering/sorrow was swimming all together….on full display. Jarring, overwhelming and very important to see…..babbling here. I’ve read this twice. It’s a bewildering world we live in. And I’m aware that’s a vast understatement. LOVING Your travels and Your eye/heart/soul reports of Your experiences. You just messed me up a little. It’s a good thing. ❤️🙏🏼☀️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes, sorry about that Katy, but that’s my job.
      As a Free-range Anthropologist (not tourist)
      things always get a bit messy when dealing
      with the study of humanity. It’s a dirty job,
      but someone’s got to do it. Looks like it’s
      down to me. At least the big boss supplies
      enough hope, faith, and love, to get the job
      done. Otherwise I’d be …… a bit despirited.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. SOOOO glad You ARE doing it. You find the extreme beauty in so many things so when You show the horror/sorrow it’s…just part of it all. And Your lens is a poet’s. We are sooooo very sheltered here. And we very expertly categorize and stow things away. There are parts of the world where You can’t pretend life in all its forms doesn’t exist. Some people never experience that, sadly….it’s a whole picture. Yay for all You are doing! Seriously. The whole picture of us…..it’s what we are….at least at this stage of our evolution…….Rock on with Your Beautiful Spirit!!!!! 💖

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yes, it is all part of the human experience.
        The human spirit, in all hues of the rainbow,
        delving the heavenly heights, down to the
        depths of Hades.
        Thanks Katy . . .
        The Spirit of all creation be with you 💞

        Liked by 1 person

    1. But surely . . .
      if dead, then never really God
      in the first place.
      Just another counterfeit
      in a long line of pretenders,
      found lacking in loving grace.
      To know the divine,
      the Spirit sublime,
      the author of life,
      in the person
      of the risen Christ,
      you first need to taste.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Flashes me back to when my wife, while studying for an anthropology degree, had to read several life history books– most notably one about a woman who was born into the untouchable caste. Hard to imagine such a society existing whereby your birth rank is your eternal legacy. I wonder how much has changed (if any) by today.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Sadly, there is a fundamental revival afoot.
      There’s a Brahmin in office, who woes the
      support of the privileged traditionalists.
      Just as has happened in America, this tends to embolden the conservative forces.
      Thanks for your insight, Loujen.
      I am ever reluctant to comment on other people’s domestic politics, but as we are entering the new Global age, and as a world citizen, what happens to one, effects on all … Sooner rather than later.

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thanks, Luiza. Yes, I had to smoke a big fat
      Nicaraguan cigar to help my lungs recover.
      It’s interesting that Ghandi wanted India’s
      future to be centred around traditional rural
      agriculture and village life. It was Nehru
      who decided the only way to lift India’s
      multitude.out of poverty was to emulate
      the industrialized West.
      We’ll … some have become very rich.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. All too often the rush to new leaves old and valuable languishing in the dust of the past. More is lost than could ever be gained. No man may serve two masters and too often we forget that progress wants to be our master. Well observed and well said.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I was using the term ‘Brahman’, a member
      of the highest Hindu caste, to represent the
      the current ruling class.
      I know there is the alternative meaning in
      Hindu theology;
      “Brahman is formless but is the birthplace
      of all forms in visible reality.”
      I was referring to the new Social Order, that
      looks remarkably similar to the old system.
      Thanks for stopping by 🙏

      Like

      Reply

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