Communism (?)

I've finished writing two new blog posts for CPL, which should be publicly available on the CPL homepage on January 1st, though they'll already be published by December 21st and available via this link: Felicia's Blog | Chicago Public Library. One of them has five books I've selected for National Science Fiction Day, which includes P.D. James' Children of Men. 

I'm writing now, though, about something else. First:

"...equality is a political theory not a practical policy..." 

Right. I've heard this thousands of times from the mouths of many different people, none of which really dig into communism. Furthermore, the contemporary writing I've read about communism is, as of yet, too difficult for me to comprehend, though I will give myself credit enough to say that I have tried and will not stop until I feel I understand it. I'll take that with me to the grave. I've studied Marx, and, like some awful mathematical course from my childhood, I'm still.... lost. 

Is the way contemporary theorists and philosophers use this term following this popular opinion, which I've underlined in the first pages of Children of Men? Precisely, communism as being a great political theory to only put into practice via the written and spoken word? 

It seems when I come across the term I feel an inherent or innate adversity to it, perhaps due to my lack of comprehension, but also from what I gather the use of the term communism that seems to directly oppose what the intellectuals, whoever they are at whatever given time, seem to be trying to do. Elaborations on this further will have to wait. 

Exacerbating my confusion is Carly Rae Jepsen - an American pop star of the now annoying song "Call Me Maybe" who claims she is a communist on her Twitter page:

She claims she gets it, which I don't doubt that she does, but, why not I? It irks me so. 

Periodicals such as The Nation and The New Inquiry - beehives of political expression that I'm trying to make sense of - are watching this star on twitter, so that also gives her bio some creedence. 

There are lots of people who are late to the party, but I'm afraid I'm going to completely miss it. 

Sincerely,

F

Paper Flowers

I remember art & crafts class from when I was in grade school. It didn't happen all the time, but once a week or so, and everyone was given construction paper, glue, paper and colored pencils, markers, and crayons. I remember being not very good and wanting to be. I'd get bored and spread Elmer's glue on my hand and peel it off, liking the sensation of the cold glue drying and then becoming a thin dry surface to peel off. My Dad took me to an arts & crafts class once in the city too, and I got to use a bunch of cool stuff like pastels and water colors. But I didn't continue, and I focused on other things, like reading books and playing the piano, which I absolutely loved.

I started crafting again a couple years ago. What I've discovered is that my hands are now more steady, my attention more focused, the process more enjoyable. I light a candle or keep scented oil by me, put on some relaxing music, and begin. It's calming now. I think when I was young I had all these other thoughts in my head, especially about identity. Also, I was aware of being watched, or if I wasn't being watched I had a certain paranoia about making mistakes. This is what I'm trying to get at: when you're young, and your mind is cloudy with thoughts about yourself or other people or sadness or confusion for whatever reason, it is very difficult to ground yourself. Once you take care of the mind, settle it, come to terms, and know who you are, how you perceive, how others might perceive, then you can truly ground the hands to create something. That's my own theory anyway. Once I had sorted out all the madness in my mind to some extent, I was able to try to make something, like something as simple as a paper flower. 

For a display at the library, I created tissue paper flowers. After that, I kept making them, and I've gotten a lot better. 

- F