Joseph L. Kagle, Jr. Peace Essays

The Don Quixote Guide to Life

Cervantes  knew a  thing or two about how to live a full life and attack windmills when they got in  your way. He also had his hero, Don Quixote, tell us a some truths about how to act when age is coming upon your body and mind. He went on a quest. Well, so did I to the Republic of Georgia. Why? Because I t is a step closer to understanding the ‘silk road” and the travels of many from the Orient to the West, Europe. Don Quixote also found a kind of peace in his adventures. I wanted that peace too.

An existence lived by logic alone can hardly be called living

  TBLISI, Georgia — I. woke up considering the fact that I was growing old. I do not consider it much of the time but tonight I did. Normally, I wake up about 3 a.m. and Anne turns on the light to read. We don't stay awake long but it happens as you mature (age and grow) in years.

  Tonight I said, "I am going to stay in this warm bed until May and then get up to go dancing, with you for my 70th birthday."

  She kind of turned my way, rolling her eyes to the heavens when I get into one of these moods, and said, "You have too much to do on your Fulbright before May."

  "No," I said, "I am going to stay in bed for weeks on end, just snuggling against your warm presence. Your skin is so wonderful and fresh."

  "Have you seen the age spots on my hands?" she asked.

  "No," I answered, "you are always you to me." "That's not logical," she replied as she turned a page in her new book.

  "Logic does not interest me right^' now," I smiled, rolling on my side. "It is a myth that someone else cre­ated, probably someone in their teens."

  Lying there in the warmth, I dismissed the notion that I would ever have to get up again and began to consider the uselessness of logic to mature citizens of the world like myself.

  Logic was invented for the young. If X happens, then it follows that Y will happen. If I make an appointment, I must keep it at the time and place that it was made.

  That is not the thinking or actions in the South Pacific. They get up when the sun rises, or not, and go to sleep when the moon shines, or not. It is the style of life that we have found in this former Soviet republic.

  As one Georgian said to me, "Why should I pay taxes or tell the government what I make? It is corrupt and the crooks will put the money in their own pockets."

  I tried to consider this logically but was frustrated by the fact that the same individual complained about not having electricity because the government could not afford it in winter. That is when he mentioned the line about telling the government about his income.

   It may be logical that to make a living you have to get up and work. But tonight, in the warmth of, this bed, with the heavy Georgian covers holding off the chill of the outside cold; it is enough to think about staying here for weeks on end. It is not logical but it is the moment and it is enjoyed.

  I live in an illogical world, which sometimes borders on insanity. War has been the prime movement of the 20th century and the way this century is starting, it is the way that the next 100 years will proceed. During the First World War (and aren't all wars events that impact the whole world), a group of artists, poets, writers and thinkers got together in Zurich and started the Dadaist Movement of art, which was based on illogic and was a protest against the craziness happening in Europe.

  Art is not logical as a profession. Much of the time the only rewards are finding and exploring something new (many times yourself). If I were logical, art would be my last pursuit. It is my life though. It is not only a pursuit but a passion.

  When people tell me that I "must," "should," "con­sider," "be," "act" or otherwise do something, I want to call out in the loudest voice possible. It is a voice not held back by age or infirmity, even when those things are present.

  I call out, "Sancho, bring me my sword, my spear and my shield, I just dreamed the impossible dream. I will stay in bed until I get up and then ride the winds of adventure."

    Age be damned. Logic be damned.