mark hartenbach from "black notebook"

nothing is absolutely true, & if it were it could never be
conceived of, nor understood by the human mind.

***

infinity is the prosthetic limp toward the inevitability
of every man’s limitations.

***

everything is within us. everything stands outside of us.
most are reluctant, or afraid, or simply too indifferent to look.
it makes no difference where we look—we’ll always find
something we need, something to take us further, & something
to throw us completely off track.

***

touch the garment, but don’t let yourself be dragged along
behind it. learn when to let go.

***

politicians do little creative thinking. they give the people
want they want to hear & see. they possess the ability to
predict the flow of the collective consciousness, so that
they can say & do the right thing at all times, & hold on
to power. it’s nothing more than a sophisticated carney hustle.

***

evil speaks for itself. it doesn’t need us to do the talking.

***

democracy has become fascism by the numbers.

***

the more free we imagine ourselves to be, the more enslaved
we are. paradox is a powerful tool. it leaves minimum proof
it was ever there. it has its own natural camouflage.

***

death is a long, drawn out sigh of relief.

***

the world is full of two-bit machiavellis. those that were
deprived of even the most basic emotional & physical
needs are a completely different animal. an animal that
the social sciences pretend to understand. the fact that
their findings change, often drastically, every year, is
evidence of this.

***

obscurity wears many veils. for every veil that’s ripped
away, another replaces it on the other end. it’s chuang
tzu cramped in a dark corner. it will survive with the
dirt & cockroaches.

***

total destruction has to be the goal of every power
structure. the threat must be excessive & melodramatic
in order to achieve its full effect.

***

we sing when we have no other way to say it.

***

society is held together by symbolic relationships. actual
respect, compassion, charity & love aren’t necessary to
its inner workings. they’re often (to the social structure)
gestures that can threaten the hierarchy. this is why the
powers-that-be try to keep them all within a state sanctioned
framework. they can then take part of the credit for something
that they are in no way responsible for.

***

authentic anarchy is uncontained, unconditional love.

***

utopianism has to be founded on an unequal scale. in order
to reach one man’s vision of perfection, he must stifle,
even steal from another.

***

the more rational we become, the more inseparable become
good & evil.

***

violence springs from the ego left unchecked. violence
is the final manifestation of extreme narcissism. violence
is written out of history, replaced with an agreed upon
idealism.

***

harmony is nothing but nuts & bolts thrown down from
the mountain top.

***

the more frightened & desperate we are, the better our
chances of rising above what we’ve been molded into.
the more afraid & hopeless our situation, the more we’re
apt to resort to our animal nature & also our divine nature.
there’s no need for duality. any imposed duality of sacred
& profane is institutional. it has less to do with our basic
physical needs & our spirituality, & more to do with an
insidious means of control.

***

cynicism is an easy escape from responsibility to others.
it can also be one of the last lines of defense.

***

we draw up vows & promises to achieve an equilibrium
that we haven’t begun to understand.

***

spit in the ocean & call it altruism. piss in the river &
call it reconciliation. weigh the corpse down so it sinks to
the bottom of the lake & call it the law of averages. drain
every drop of water from the pond & call it divine proportion.

***

unanticipated exchanges are the closest we get to fair
value. absolute spontaneity lets the angels look the other
way.

***

disappointment is the obvious conclusion of selfishness.
most men’s needs can never be met. it’s a never-ending
stream of the latest manifestation of our divine right to
indulge ourselves.

***

insanity is often an absolute purity poisoned by
whatever has been deemed normal behavior at that
time. its definition is constantly devolving into a
tighter knot.

***

elimination of information in a tribe of hunters &
gatherers that horde their goods, even though they’ll
never use it all in their lifetime, & will perpetuate a class
of vulgar self-entitlement, is a dunce cap that radiates
like a halo.

***

destiny is obvious tendencies that have congealed into
a believable story.

***

the more indestructible we seem to become, & the safer
we seem to be from outside forces, the more our chances
increase of imploding into nuclear waste. entropy will have
its way eventually.

***

compulsion is synonymous with original sin. it’s
seen as a lack of control. however relinquishing
control is seen as a saintly act. it’s a semantic quandary
more than an ethical question.

***

equivalence is inaccessible to all but a few—therefore
canceling the definition. another example of paradox.
another mathematical mistake. another link in the choke-
chain of the bourgeoisie.

***

goodness is a pile of ashes from incinerated documents
that had no escape clause. evil is a rigged compromise
sealed with a handshake or a kiss.

***

morality is a clumsy balancing act with the audience
cheering us on while secretly hoping that we fall.

***

true guilt is courting the favors of the highest powers.
judgment is to damn one’s own opinion & overthrow
one’s own verdict. only the self-righteous are qualified to
wield the gavel. only the repentant can whittle the gavel down
to his own visionary icon. he can name it justice, or he
can call it mercy without a catch, with no small print, &
set it atop a revolving stage that everyone has access to.

***

reality is a faulty construction of the intellect—no
matter how flawless the argument may appear.

***

art doesn’t need to be understood to be validated. it
needs to be felt. what we feel should take precedent
over what we think—in art as well as love.

***

though many would argue the contrary—i believe the
more we prosper, the more we reveal about ourselves.
much that we reveal we’d prefer to keep locked away.

***

every contradiction is true. every truth contains contradictions.
nothing can begin to explain this conundrum except absurdity
& love.

***

value cannot be determined without complete input from all.

***

most understanding is circular & ultimately impressive, but
senseless. revelation is ridiculous & beautiful & a wild ride
that leaves us stunned.

***

art is the unnecessary formed into something indispensable
to the soul.

***

light is to darkness what a mirror is to an irreversible process.

***

consequences are that which we can’t buy our way out of.

***

a crucifix is a smoking gun, not a fashion accessory.

***

praise a man past his capabilities, then watch him crash into
his own reflection, collapse into total inefficiency.

***

vanity is a perfectly proportioned cage.

***

fate is the judgment of the self-possessed.

***

faith is what separates us from lower life forms. faith is
what separates us from others.

***

inclination is another word for refusing to stretch
ourselves past circumstances. circumstance is an
inferior imitation of the moment.

***

financial considerations have motivated mankind more
than anything except genetic proliferation. the root of both
being selfishness, either psychological or biological, but
we’re always trying to disguise it as essential to everyone
but ourselves.

***

sophistication is for those who have little else to offer.

***
theory is watching paperwork to see if it sprouts wings.

***

trying to penetrate another man’s logic to its core is futile,
even if we’ve walked beside him every step of the way.

***

the universe is a wounded animal that will eventually
be cornered, then it will come rushing back at us with a
fury that we can’t begin to imagine.

***

fear is a simulation so perfectly organized & displayed
that we can’t tell the rational from the irrational. our
physical reaction doesn’t tip us off because there’s no
difference in backlash or reverberation.

***

what we see as imagination can be nothing but predictable
patterns laid out to simulate disorder & haphazard effort.
imagination can develop into a concrete manifestation of a
vision that loses all its power in the process.

***

feedback is a sure way to transmit energy into a tragic
context where its power & individuality will dissipate
into just another clue at the scene of the crime, & be
absorbed like blood into the initial facts.

***

passion is an omen that’s difficult to pin down. in a
moment’s flash it can splinter off into something loving
& beautiful, or something brutal & ugly.

***

passion is a game of chance where we ignore the rules.
often we deny their existence.

***

we reason with ourselves in order to buy our impulses
more time.

***

we lay down limitations on the flimsiest of notions,
then insist it’s solid reasoning.

***

uniformity allows us to make ugly self-serving decisions
in the name of unity & equality.

***

one man’s work of art is another man’s undesirable effect.

***

conviction can be nothing but self-righteous provocation.

***

we are redeemed less by what we are than by what we
are not.

***

prayer is often a tower of babel made of matchsticks. a
public display of affectation. an apocalyptic request as
a second choice.

***

organized religion is a row of structural anomalies
advertising immaculate craftsmanship & a perfect
chance to topple others in good conscience.

***

paradox is a natural unfolding, an origami diamond
with something different inside each time it opens.
it clears the way for further development. it cleanses
the pallet to let new ideas roll off the tongue unpolluted
by certainty.

***

when the thread of intellective reasoning is broken—
that’s when we’re open to imaginative & metaphysical
speculation.

***

subjective retaliation, not objective self defense, is the
true nature of the beast.

***

a well-placed quote can be an effective disappearing act.

***

mass ritual is control without the need for enforcement.
individual ritual is reassurance in the form of mental &
physical structure.

***

consciousness on any level is a chain reaction that can
be completely independent of any individual senses or
intellective definitions.

***

consciousness is a cloud of smoke so thick we can’t see
our own hand. the subconscious is the hand.

***

we submit to a saturation process without any understanding
of the results. we no longer have to be persuaded—we
already believe.

***

madness (to give it a generalized definition) isn’t so
much a case of circuits shorting out, as it is a circuitry
so complicated that it can’t be effectively controlled
on any regular basis—either individually or in an
institutional setting.

***

one man’s poetics is another man’s obscenities. all
the theory in the world isn’t going to bridge the linguistic
disparities.

***

the more simplistic the pitch, the more suspicious we
need to be.

***

nationalistic & religious artifacts are icons that are
laid around the shrine to our inability to think for
ourselves. we worship at the altar of indifference
while gyrating & genuflecting in an over-the-top
manner so that nobody gets the wrong idea.

***

a single hair can’t be placed between life & death. yet
we’re constantly trying to pry them apart with pseudo-
theology that’s nothing but reheated materialism, &
with bricks & mortar, & six feet of freshly turned over
earth.

***

we accumulate preconceptions in order to transcend.
we insist that something or someone be there waiting
before we fall.

***

eliminating our animal nature to make room for the divine
nature, or vice versa, will only render both useless. a pile
of ashes we call heaven.

***

perching ourselves on the proverbial mountain top can
be a simple failure to grasp any visible or tangible cause.
an intellectual stagnation. a spiritual hedonism.

***

most refuse to acknowledge that chaos is divine proportion.
it has no chosen people. it has no preferences.

***

imposition of will is an evil metastasis that will eventually
destroy all parties.

***

an acceptance of fate is a direct denial of free will.
predestination is slapstick metaphysics—trying to untangle
the strings wrapped around us, & only making the
situation worse.

***

we think in elliptical shards. speak in clipped phrases.
but we insist that our literature be structured & linear.
yet we lose more in the process than we gain.

***

we are a shattered mirror, or else we’re intact kitsch.

***

any mystery must be dissected down to infinite theorems
that only dilute its beauty.

***

we mistake florescence for illumination. we resort to
clichés & overstate the obvious.

***

we take wild swings at presumptuous reflections &
foregone conclusions. we try to nail down the ethereal.
then we thrust our hands out & demand some sort of
compensation for our foolishness.

***

proof is a balled up fist chained to a wall. nevertheless
we puff out our chests & congratulate ourselves on
our accomplished futility.

***

sometimes self-destruction is our only way left
to exert our will, in an otherwise completely
ineffective life.

***

when the original impetus is lost or discarded, then we can
get to the crux of being where epiphanies spring from
bewilderment & confusion.

***

annihilation of the illusion of completeness is the first step
toward transcending preconception, erasing programmed
memory, liquidating contractual obligations agreed upon
under psychological duress/the gun.

***

the literal sense of the word is only a representation
of control.

***

much that we insist we need is a fusion of collective
status combined with our own conscious & subconscious
will to survive.

***

a silently agreed upon reality dictates the animal’s attempt
to communicate through any way but direct means.

***

narcissistic satisfaction results in convulsive shots of
genetic ad infinitum. a procreative code of perfect
replicas & executioners.

***

repetition is shackled indeterminacy. a safe bet with
supply & demand.

***

zero is raw material for computed future considerations,
as well as pure abstraction.

***

we hand our decision-making over to others & call it
representation of self-interest. but the moment we give
it away we become a demographic.

***

any display of collective emotion becomes an unchallenged
vanishing point.

***

we speak in symbolic terms to confuse the issue, & to
protect ourselves from any direct confrontation & possible
retribution.

***

indifference is a vain attempt to simulate denial.

***

the void is promiscuous.

***

public opinion is usually a forced consensus. a manipulation
of free will into the herd mentality.

***

an attempt at restoration of illumination is usually a poor
reproduction of whatever was pointing toward the light.

***

a swing in the mass consensus is a perfect opportunity
for an ideological exit.

***

equality for all is a semantic tar baby that can pull us
over the edge into inhuman behavior, or into mass graves
that we ourselves dug without questioning their purpose.

***

demand the right to explode in every possible direction,
even if you know that you’ll never need all the avenues.

***

liberation can be confused with degradation, asphyxiation
& elimination.

***

unexplained & often undeserved punishment for natural
behavior is the proverbial curse of cain. a human burden
that pays off in spades.

***

ethical principles are graded on a bell curve. which means
it can be difficult, if not impossible, to know where we
stand.

***

so-called normal behavior is repressed ambiguity.

***

a jury of our peers is often a pit of poisonous vipers.

***

the more redundant we are, the more we’re praised
for our thinking.

***

destiny is lined with trick questions.

***

each moment is a different deck of cards thrown into
the air—with a snapshot to commemorate that which
we can never reproduce.

***

imagination is infinite space that we let be compressed
into as small of a box as possible. it’s referred to as
clarity when it’s actually a drastic reduction of possibility.

***

no one will speak up for the mistreatment of the stray
dog for fear they’ll be bitten on both hands.

***

complete realization of oneself is to risk self-obliteration.

***

ecstasy is the pinnacle, as well as the death, of anticipation
& desire.

***

individuality is an aphrodisiac for those who can
look away from the television & other mass media.
otherwise it’s seen as an aberration, even a threat.

***

an unfettered mind is a verification of an ever-changing
sequence. neither the beginning nor the end can be
exploited.

***

the constant need for sensory stimulation is the perfect
trap for manipulative programming.

***

streaming entertainment & too much information stifles
original thought, & reduces the creative mind to inane
sound bites.

***

the perfect pair is a logistical improbability.

***

feigned submission is an effective means of control.

***

communication for the most part consists of ambiguous
or misplaced punctuation.

***

conversation is trying to find something colorful,
preferably loud & flashy, to hang on our quotation marks.

***

a solution is analytical compromise. an answer is
spontaneous combustion.

***

art is the last judgment pulled through infinity.

***

results have more to do with the point of no return than
a frame of reference where we can begin statistical riffing.

***

artificial intelligence can be applied to humans as easily
& accurately as technology.

***

despair is the polar opposite of indifference.

***

the immaculate conception is to deny jesus of his humanity,
his struggling, & to set his words on a pedestal beyond
mankind’s capabilities thus discouraging its striving. it
turns him into an indestructible, infallible comic book hero.

***

an epiphany is a surrealistic subtlety with at least a
possibility of communicating a higher truth.

***

futility is a lucid approach to that which is beyond any
intellective order.

***

we let ourselves fall into involuntary solitude, then
complain when we can’t even crawl a few feet away.

***

euphoria is a quick fix for longstanding suffering &
the relentless grind of chronology.

***

order is the malicious deconstruction of improvisation,
& a tampering with the holiness of spontaneity.

***

identity has been reduced to the lowest common denominator.

***

we mistake our expectations for god.

***

clever sarcasm & embittered cynicism are a good match
when we’re searching for justification for our weaknesses.

***

uncertainty generates truth & understanding far more
effectively, & with ultimately longer lasting results
than dogmatically jimmied irrefutable fact.

***

coincidence is physics at play.

***

mankind is connected through simultaneous panic.

***

art is running into ourselves over & over, & seldom
recognizing who we are.

***

wisdom is realizing when to shut up—before we
become trapped in circular logic.

***

philosophy is the last refuge of the totally confused.