Don Quixote Revisited by Tosh Berman

 

Don Quixote Revisited by Tosh Berman

Tosh's Journal - September 29 (Chivalry Code)

TOSH’S JOURNAL

September 29

As a writer, a publisher, a poet, and a lover, I very much follow the ancient code of honor, which is:


1 Believe the Church’s teachings and observe all the Church’s directions.

 2 Defend the Church.

 3 Respect and defend all weaknesses.

 4 Love your country.

 5 Show no mercy to the Infidel. Do not hesitate to make war with them.

 6 Perform all your feudal duties as long as they do not conflict with the laws of God.

 7 Never lie or go back on one’s word.

 8 Be generous to everyone.

 9 Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice


In a complex and dark world, I find this code simplifies things that make me function better as a human being. For the past year, I have read nothing but books that deal with the chivalry code, for instance, “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.” A very long novel, but a work that I enjoyed much while in the bathtub. It was sometime during finishing the last page of the book and draining the tub’s water that I decided to take a trip, to express the code that I believe is essential for modern life.

I emptied my bank account and some others, to purchase a one-way ticket to Tokyo, to bring the code to the citizens of Edo. I intend to penetrate the Floating World by participating in various activities in the area, but alas, with a serious message. Every culture has two sides of the coin, and the opposite of that coin is Sorrowful World. With the lightness of my touch, I’ll bring enlightenment to the masses and therefore hope will once again regain its stature against the hopeless.

All I have is my faith in the code because there is no going back. I mustn’t look back, because the past is right behind, and my steely eyes must go forward, to the present and even beyond the entrance of the future. When I wrote my book “Drugstore Cowboy,” I was on the lam from the law. Once they caught up and sentenced me to prison, I arranged for a publisher to publish it, and even though I’m a forgotten man, the book lives on. Now that I’m released I feel I have a second chance to make things right. There is wrong, and I know that world quite well. Now that I have cut everything off, including friends that I never really had, I’m free to roam for chivalry. You may look like a windmill, but surely the devil lives inside.

September 29, 2014

September 29, 2014

As a writer, a publisher, a poet, and a lover, I very much follow the ancient code of chivalry, which is:

1 Believe the Church's teachings and observe all the Church's directions.
2 Defend the Church.
3 Respect and defend all weaknesses.
4 Love your country.
5 Show no mercy to the Infidel. Do not hesitate to make war with them.
6 Perform all your feudal duties as long as they do not conflict with the laws of God.
7 Never lie or go back on one's word.
8 Be generous to everyone.
9 Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice

In a complex and dark world, I find this code simplifies things that make me function better as a human being.  For the past year, I have read nothing but books that deal with the chivalry code, for instance “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.” A very long novel, but a work that I enjoyed greatly while in the bathtub.  It was sometime during finishing the last page of the novel and draining the tub’s water that I decided to take a trip, to express the code that I believe is essential for the modern life.

I emptied my bank account and some others, to purchase an one-way ticket to Tokyo, for the purpose of bringing the code to the citizens of Edo.  I intend to penetrate into the Floating World by participating in various activities in the area, but alas, with a serious message.   Every culture has two sides of the coin, and the opposite of that coin is Sorrowful World. With the lightness of my touch, I’ll bring enlightenment to the masses and therefore hope will once again regain its stature against the hopeless.

All I have is my faith in the code, because there is no going back. I mustn’t look back, because the past is right behind, and my steely eyes must go forward, to the present and even beyond the entrance of the future.  When I wrote my book “Drugstore Cowboy” I was on the lam from the law.  Once they caught up and sentence me to prison, I arranged for a publisher to publish it, and even though I’m a forgotten man, the book lives on.  Now that I’m released I feel I have a second chance to make things right.  There is wrong, and I know that world quite well.  Now that I have cut everything off, including friends that I never really had, I’m free to roam for chivalry.  You may look like a windmill, but surely the devil lives inside.

January 16, 2014

January 16, 2014

Every morning I have my breakfast of English muffin with peanut butter and a touch of blueberry jam facing my street and always that abandoned car in front of me. About two months ago, I saw a young man in that car, but it seemed like he had trouble starting the engine. I ate one side of the muffin slowly and from the first bite to the last, is exactly how long it took him to try to start up the car. After that I never saw him again, but I am reminded of him whenever I see his car, and that happens every morning.

To distract myself from the sight of the car, I started to read Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote," but the car kept distracting me from the read. I could easily remove myself from my seat where I have breakfast all the time, but I started to resent the fact that I have to move and not the car. The feeling of anger in the morning is not a good feeling at all. But the car in front does change, it gets dirtier and dirtier. Also the front door windows are open, so who knows what goes on inside the vehicle when I am asleep at night.

The other day while I was taking my walk I did go near the car. I didn't want to touch it because it was so dirty. But I did give it a quick glance and what I thought I saw was an image of Kate Moss, maybe a photo taken by Francesco Scavullo on the back seat. It was such an odd juxtaposition to me, that I went back to my house and played some records.

Once inside the house I picked up the Quixote book, but changed my mind and read one of Susan Sontag's essays from her book "Styles of Radical Will." For whatever reason I played the original cast recording of "Hello Dolly" with Carol Channing, and something by Ethel Merman. I just wanted something glamorous and sophisticated in my life. 

But again, I felt a depression sneaking up on me as I ate my breakfast of English muffin with Peanut Butter and jam, facing that same image of that abandoned car.