Congress, communism and snotrockets:

Two days ago, our group of wippers visited the Congress building in downtown Madrid. As i'm a linguistics major and not particularly enraptured by guided historical tours full of dates and names, I was a little skeptical about this one. Nevertheless, it turned out to be quite interesante - mostly because in the 'salon de sesiones,' where all the important meetings take place, there were a few bullet holes in the ceiling from an attempted golpe del estado. Pretty awesome. I was really digging it until they stopped talking, took our pictures and kicked us out.

Earlier that same day, I suffered the third most horrendous experience in my life. I had to give a presentation in my grammar class. That wasn't the horrendous part - only one of the lame facts of life. As I stepped up to the board, I dropped the chalk. I kind of laughed a little when I went to pick it up - and because I had been sick for a little while - I blew an unbearably noticeable snot rocket. Yes. Right in front of the class. I was obviously mortified and a bit flustered so I kind of flew through my presentation and didn't do the topic justice, but whatever. My grade was the least of my worries at that point.

My goodness. That kind of thing doesn't just happen.

I'm trying to comfort myself and explain it away as perhaps I was just caught in the wake of a cosmic pride-equalizing pulse or something. Unreal.

On a completely unrelated topic, I'm (putting off) writing a paper today about the transformation comunismo en eSpain. I guess I've never really studied comunismo outside of Latin Americam, Germany or the Soviet Union, so it's a really enlightening experience.

I find it rather depressing that the most globally accepted ideological revolution occured bajo la bandera roja de comunismo.

There have really only been a couple, maybe 4 major global shifts of that level, and none of them really that spectacular.

1) The Renaissance

2) The Enlightenment

3) Marxism

4) Post-Modernism

I suppose the one with the least amount of damage in its wake would be the Renaissance. Then again, technically, the Renaissance paved the way for the following movements, so it's just as culpable.

Nevertheless, the Marxist revolution was different. It had more heart, I suppose, than the others. Keep in mind I am not talking about the actual (failed) manifestation of Communism in global governments leading to mass murders and the like; I simply mean the unifying effect of the idea.

The Renaissance and Enlightenment were elitist, Post-Modernism is empty; but the global Communist sentiment at least began with a respectable purpose. I suppose the end of the Communist era was also the end of balls-to-the-walls ideological battles. Military takeovers are no longer respected. Nations play nice by forming coalitions to ensure safety, all the while sinking in to a rut of mediocrity and numbness. All very nice for saving lives - which is vital; but fatal for the human psyche. Generation X and following have grown up never having to fight -literally fight- for a cause - actually, the majority don't even have causes (apart from saving a seagull or a tree). In essence, humanity no longer has to think about humanity; thus it is abandoning itself.

Pues, history is a cycle, yes?

That gives us what, about 20,40 years until the next great revolution?

Hmm. Too bad I'll be past my fighting prime.