Llama trekking

Llamas make for excellent shock absorbers. Laura and I almost spent a weekend hiking with llamas in the Vermont woods this summer.

"In love with llamas--a Vermont vacation adventure":

http://www.vtliving.com/llamatrekking/index.shtml

Who does your room resembles?
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcfa.htm
(I like the Flemish/French name for shock absorbers: ‘amortiseurs’. Great llama)

In contrast with a country like Bolivia our comments must seem very trivial.

Lieve

Don’t you find our comments to be trivial in other circumstances?

Trivial

Isn´t it the most boring and needless question ever if the comments that are posted here are trivial or not?And if they really are trivial, what´s wrong about that?

Manon

My questions have no other purpose other then to answer my own curiosity. You might find the stuff which makes me curious boring and needless. You are entitled to your opinion.
I was and still am curious as to Lieve’s perception. She finds our comments to be trivial with Bolivia in the background and I would like to know why are they not trivial in her opinion when NY, Dublin, Lebanon or any other place which Arnon is in or writing about is mentioned.
I also did not say that trivial is wrong or bad. Triviality once in a while can be good entertainment.

I consider Bolivia to be special in two aspects.
First there is the climate with it's harsh living conditions , the extreme poverty and it's social injustice.
In the second place there is also , I think , the emotionally demanding relationship with his godsons family. This is an assumption, I know, but still not completely without ground.

Lieve

As of the land characteristics, surly you will agree that this is not the first place Arnon has been to- or wrote about, which can be described as such. I will then assume that you refer mainly to your second argument.
Being relatively new guest on this blog I will have to admit I do not know the background and story of the godson and his family. I do however find it difficult to place Arnon Grunberg in an emotionally demanding situation. I perceive him to be a modern version (excluding the physical fitness) of a true Spartan. Discipline and self control do not match that well with emotions.
And ofcourse, that's my personal perception.

Ilanit, have you read Arnon's work because I have come to the opposite conclusion regarding him as a person than you. Maybe we as readers should be aware of the following mechanism: while reading universal stories/themes/characters we project ourselves between the lines of what a writer has written. Ie; if you're an emotional type, you'll recognize an emotional characters/stories/themes and therefore writer. If you're a Spartan, you'll be seeing a Spartan. That's what makes his work so damn good: we see ourselves reflected in his work (and ultimately -but here's where we should start being careful not to overidentify- him).

@ Ilanit

I clearly stated that my comment is an assumption, maybe it's all projection by my side.
I only started commenting on this blog very recently, I don't pretend to know Arnon that well. I know him by his columns in Humo and by some of his novels, still lot of his work is proof of his empathy for other persons feelings. I don't think you can write that way without being highly sensitive. It's not because one doesn't show he doesn't have those emotions.

Noa

That’s a nice theory, but I can not say it applies to me. Although I love his work I do not see myself in his work nor in him. I will describe myself as a fairly emotional type. A ‘true’ middle-eastern worm blooded and ‘unspartanian’ person. I would have loved to have some Spartan features. Self control and discipline. I’m soooooo undisciplined

Lieve

I think we all have different perceptions which make the ‘truth’ a subjective matter. I did not accuse you in pretending. My arguments are not weather a person has certain feelings or not. I believe that we all feel empathy for others . Well, accept for the psychopath, which I don’t think Arnon is. The difference between us is the level of awareness and the priorities we give to those emotions. That’s a different thing then not showing emotions.

Shock absorber

A little bit off the sides, a bit off the back. These were my instructions to my dad who always wanted to cut my hair. It didn't make me happy.
I've NEVER tasted llama...
No ethical problems, I'm just not your meat guy. An occasional chicken or saltwater fish, can seduce me, not those weird looking creatures on two or four feet, that inhabit the world.
So how does it feel to drive around with brand new/second, thrid or even umtieth hand shock absorbers.
Keep me updated.

@ Ilanit

It's you who stated that Arnon is a true spartan and that emotions don't match with that type of person. So my conclusion was that you don't consider Arnon to be an emotional type. Sorry if I misunderstood you.
Somehow I also got the impression you think Arnon is maybe somewhat lesser aware of emotions. I think the contrary. A writer has the inclination of examining every emotion untill he has completely analysed them. That stands for a higher awarness of emotions.

Lieve

Being derived by emotions and prioritizing them in a sense that they will seriously affect your actions, does not match a Spartan so you did not misunderstood me. I do however want to clarify that I am aware of the fact that my statement is my subjective perception. (we agreed truth is a subjective matter right?) and I mainly try not to define people, but felt I had to for the sake of our conversation. In any way- a person, like everything else, is not black or white.
The awareness I was referring to is the awareness to our own feelings and emotions, not those of others.
But that aside, don’t you think our comments here are always quite trivial?

No one asked but

What is Jesus accually volunteering to?

@ Ilanit

I don't consider every comment on this blog to be trivial. Some are intelligent, others are even intellectual strong and some are proof from a good sense of humour, and I don't think humour is ever trivial. So if you keep the shortcomings of this medium in mind, I think this is an interesting blog.

Lieve

Trivial doesn’t have to be stupid, unfunny or uninteresting. It’s all about importance. Most of the comments here are evidence for the fact people (yep, me too) are really bored sometimes. The cure for boredom is curiosity.

Trivial is knowledge which lacks depth , without a broader context, as we say in dutch 'weetjes' and 'ditjes en datjes'. For those who feel passionate - the quality you need to surpass triviality - about Arnon and his work , every detail is important and none of this is trivial. But maybe Ilanit you lack this passion, that's why you feel so boored .

Mieke

To be passionate doesn´t mean you can´t be bored sometimes or do,feel or say trivial things.One thing doesn´t exclude the other.
Imagine what life would be without any trivial things: a big fuck-up.

I think everything is trivial or is not.
With all respect: i do not think Arnon's books F.E. are not better or more usefull in themselves. I am not stating that our comments could have won a Librisprice; that's another storie.
Why judgements all the time? We do not know what is trivial. We know it possibly for ourselves but one does not know what is trivial to life or to another person.
Why placing Arnon higher in the rank? There is no need to.
Again: i am not talking about artistic quality (which is trivial to lots of people. But who am i calling their jobs or hobbies trivial?)
Just be open. You won't know what is going to make a difference.

Mistake in last comment

ooops. i mean the books are not better.... in themselves THAN OUR COMMENTS. I forgot those words. Hope it makes sense now..

Trivial

By the way: 'trivial' means that something is quotidian and common (concerning intellectual demand).

Anna

I agree. Just because some people think that Arnon is a good writer doesn´t mean he is a better person or much more intelligent then we are.
But some people seem to think he is.For no reason.

Ladies ladies, you are obviously well educated. Then surely you must all know that the topic of 'boredom' is not to be discarded so lightly and is of great interest to many a (deceased and still living) philosopher. Why discard it so lightly?
Anyway: Johannes, Sander - where are you guys these days?

@Manon, have you been consulting Wikipedia again (you hate me already so I may aswell make you hate me even more). As for Arnon, well hey, the pigs themselves said "...some are more equal than others..." Whether it makes 'those who are more equal than others' better people is such an uninteresting question. Manon, yes of course you're just as good and just as bad a person as I am or Arnon is or your neighbour is. Happy now?

Noa

Why are you so aggressive?And I don´t hate you. But perhaps I should do so.

I'm not aggressive, remember our previous 'conversation'? It was you who reacted quite aggressively and then moved on to singlehandedly close the discussion with a bliblabloop. But you\re right, even though you started with all this anger-stuff, there's no reason why I should be infected by it. So adieu, and have a good night.

late praise

mijn meest schrijnende uren tijdens een kampeervakantie heb ik beleefd tijdens het lezen van Tirza. Daarna was ik ook weer heel blij met mijn eigen leven. Een meesterwerk, dankjewel !

Dens

Jesus Christ volunteered to work for the foundation my mother's godson founed. (http://www.snkp.nl/engels-content.html) Somehow it is connected to his study ( clinical psychology) but in my modest opinion this volunteer is enjoying a holiday. Nevertheless I do have warm feelings for him.

Anna S

What does F.E. mean?

Anna

If my books are not better than the comments on this site I would not waste anymore of your time, read the comments on this site, and spend the rest of your time with your child.

Oscar Wilde

To catch a llama is not that easy, at least not in Bolivia. We were offered a llama for three hundred bolivianos, but the animal was not ready to function as a horse or a donkey.

To the ladies

Coetzee has some interesting things to say about boredom in his latest novel, especially about the connection between boredom and religion.
Despite the definition Manon offered I’m still not sure what’s exactly meant with trivial.
Compared to many novels this site is extremely trivial, compared to other novels this site is not trivial at all.
The discussion actually seems to me a discussion about competition, but it is not very clear to me who is competing with whom.
Lieve, my godson’s father is doing okay.
Ilanit, discipline is something you can acquire – would you say that an army is able to function without discipline?
Furthermore, Johannes is on vacation in Italy, Sander is working on his new house. Both activities are extremely non-trivial.

i have never stated that your books are less worth reading!! never. Waist my time some more.

it means for example, according to some people.

@manon

i don't know wether it was meant for me... but i know what trivial means.
People clearly do not get my point.

@ arnon

Explaining my words further would be a waist of time now.
I will think of the matter and let you know again when i am done with it.

All i want to say now is that there are a few things which mean a lot to me. Reading and writing are on top of the list.

Since my flip-flops went to pieces, i think it is logical that you cannot understand me. at the moment. Better times are about to come.

Anna

What was the name of your child again?