LOST WORLDS, THE ROMANCE OF ARCHAEOLOGY

LOST WORLDS, THE ROMANCE OF ARCHAEOLOGY

Thursday, January 10, 2013

AIMS from childhood to the present

Aside from being a 'cowboy' influenced by western/cowboy/gunslinger,etc. movies that featured all kinds of actors and characters, my first 'real' aim was to be an archeologist when I was around 9 or 10 years old and attending a one-room country school in Cornish,NH. Some of the impetus and desire for this 'aim' was given me by THE WONDER BOOKS, which I have mentioned in other places at other times and which somewhat set me at odds with the teachers,the schools, and, of course, various classmates who did not, obviously share, such interests or the quest for 'knowledge' or 'truth' but who were deep into the various antics of most around that age, from sports, fishing, hunting, etc. and they all had to work at chores quite different from those I did or did not do and either could or could not do or was not allowed to do,save for those I was allowed to do. Consequently, my imagination since a child has been most active in various ways and never really understood by others perhaps or appreciated,save in some rare instances, when some 'imaginative insights' perhaps eased their burdens, saved their asses, or gave them a jolt of some kind.           My wanderings about the farm and in the woods at various times of the year, and other 'exploits' kept me on my toes and showed me that I must stay active to stay sane, that is, not remain on levels and doing things on scales determined by others for me to do or achieve,etc.                                                                                                 My grandfather, my father's father, had an interest in history, reading, travels,etc. although not the usual kind we think of nowadays. He only went to the eighth grade and one year beyond  in the same school in Cornish and had wanted to be an electrician at the time. He ended up a carpenter and a millwright, working until the day he died. He often pointed out unusual things to me, such as on a trip to Pittsfield, MA where some of his nieces and my cousins lived, at Museum there. He had visited the Museum there and took me to see the MUMMY, my first Egyptian Mummy, in the case. The Mummy had one toe exposed where the foot had become slightly unwrapped. There were other things there but I can't recall them and I have not ever made a trip back to revisit the place and wonder if the Mummy is still there with his toe exposed!                                                                                            My Grandfather had also been working in Rhode Island and became aware of the famous 'Viking Tower' and had visited it and he often discussed it with me. We also discussed the BIBLE and the question of 'WHO WAS CAIN'S WIFE?" and I even submitted a letter, when I was in Junior High School at Stevens in Claremont, to THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, a magazine my grandmother had subscribed to for me as she thought it would do me good, apparently. My letter gave the 'ingenious' solution, also held by my grandfather,that CAIN'S WIFE WAS AN APE! It seems that neither my grandfather or myself were the only ones that put forth that observation/conclusion. Although some thought that Cain married his sister,whoever she was as did Seth. Women were not mentioned too much in a 'patriarchal society' of fruit-herb-leaf-plant-nut,etc. gatherers and sheep-goat herders of those days after Eden.                                              

All this is, of course, 'ancient history',parts of my early life and not really on the topic. However, in college I became more aware of history and archaeology and ancient art of various cultures from some of the courses I took there, a listing of which show I was interested in nearly everything except my required courses  or major, although I had become interested in PSYCHOLOGY in high school and more so when I bought my Modern Library Edition of THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS by Sigmund Freud which I read from cover to cover over several years along with other books I found in the library on the same and different things. I liked the pose of Freud on the cover and dreams occupied my sleeping hours every night and so on, plus my mother used to discuss the meaning of dreams plus other 'fortune-telling' arts, activities, and practices among other things and some of her 'premonitions','predictions' and 'ideas' etc.                                  

In college I wrote a paper for English, I believe, on: THE ORIGIN(S) OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS and delved into a great overloaded field of speculation and theories that had a wide range,some of which are 'occult','esoteric' and based on many things neither supported or confirmed or accepted by 'standard' or 'varied' authorities and 'experts' that also included and still does, a lot of interesting aspects and studies and travels by others on this topic and many others. The general public often finds such 'sensational revelations' to their liking and their mystification, and I can't blame them for wanting to learn some 'unofficial secrets' that have not been let out as 'official' secrets.

I still have that paper among my files along with other many student papers and projects that someday I might 'reveal' to an awaiting public anxious to invade my 'privacy' or to 'assume my identity' and hopefully paying all my bills and debts that I have without me spending a 'red cent' (not meaning a communist kopek, of course).

Unfortunately, I have not been able to set foot in all the ruins and sites of ancient towns and cities, temples and sacred sites or areas of special significance for life on earth that still vibrate with things from the past and this also includes many 'natural' wonders like caves, mountains or rivers and forests,etc. that I would like to do so if I have the wealth of some of the plutocrats now 'creating jobs' and 'bringing democracy to the world' and similar 'humanitarian' projects when they are not busy vacationing in their condos, villas, resorts or casinos and the like.

Nevertheless, I have had some opportunities to do a bit of this while also not following through with other opportunities and 'magnetic-attractions' but my regrets at not doing so have only enabled me to look and revisit my motives and aims in life along with other things. It is for these and for a few others that I mention all this 'ancient' history in my slightly 'expurgated'  version here.

No comments:

Post a Comment