(MUSIC VIDEO): "THE SPIRIT OF CAIN"

In the last few months we have posted some translations of Greek lyrics that have some bearing on the subjects we are dealing with in this blog. These happened to be from the 'Sasmos' cycle (link), music composed by Nikos Terzis, lyrics written by Yannis Kotsiras for the drama series aired on Greece's Alpha TV. Those that had no immediate bearing on the subject matter of this blog, we posted on a new blog (link), Greek Lyrics to English. With the present piece of music we are moving beyond the 'Sasmos' cycle. When I realized its portent I immediately thought about a lecture by Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson about what he calls 'the spirit of Cain', a psychological and spiritual state of mind that is regrettably all too common in the present age of Nihilism.

 

Jul 26, 2019 Edna Rimon: Γιάννης Κότσιρας - Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος: Στης πίκρας τα ξερόνησα. (Yannis Kotsiras and Stavros Xarchakos and his band at Jerusalem: The arid islands of bitterness.

We leave the clinical part to Peterson to diagnose, but it is clear that if you tell especially young people long enough they are entitled to so-called 'rights' and certain privileges based on who they are, you are well on the way of creating a narcissistic personality. 

There are others who react differently to such an 'upbringing': people who see themselves as victims when they are insufficiently rewarded for being them. This category is even worse off.

They get into a vicious spiral of victimhood, in which the worst victim gets first price. They are on a gliding scale of negative values, down all the way into Hades. 

I have known some of these people, who have never done anything useful in their lives, for themselves or for anyone else. Sadly these are just lost lives. 

The US primarily, but not exclusively, has been the theater of a number of school shootings in which scores of young boys and girls have been killed for no apparent reason.

Now, there have of course been diagnoses and theories, one of the most likely being the over-prescription of psychotropic medications by school psychologists, the existence of whom is a whole problem by itself. 

Whatever the case may be, even if true, that still requires the drugs to fall into fertile ground. Nihilism, narcissism and perceived victimhood are the products of a world view in which nothing has true value or meaning. It is an ideology, but also a state of mind.

Jul 8, 2017 Wanhee: From Jordan B. Peterson: Cain and Abel. Maps of Meaning Lecture 11: Cain and Abel.

Enter, the spirit if Cain and Stavros Xarchakos' chilling composition in Kosta Ferris' movie, 'Rebetiko'. The film tells the story of a young woman growing up in Piraeus early in the 20th century as a refugee from Asia Minor. The music in question just happens to be very good and is used in an ambient manner, contributing to the atmosphere of loss and desperation.

This may sound counter intuitive, but it is especially people who have lost everything they had, that are the least likely to lose their values.

In so far Ferris or Xarchakos or both, are wrong in their psycho analysis. On the contrary, it is the people who got everything without cost to themselves, that are in danger of losing their values. 

Nevertheless 'Rebetiko' is great melodrama and is available on YouTube. Watch it there with all of Xarchakos' brilliant compositions (link). A playlist with more of Xarschakos music with pieces from 'Rebetiko' is available here (link). 

Another piece in the vein of 'The arid islands of bitterness', is 'Kaigomai', including a great number of well placed dissonants (lyrics here.) 

We could mention more examples of the spirit of Cain. The women who both claim to be the mother of a child in King Solomon's story. Scorched earth tactics in war. The family tragedies in which one parent kills the other, rather than giving the other custody over the child. The Biden regime losing to Trump and leaving an economy in tatters and a world on fire. The list is endless. 

There is an answer of course what to do about this spirit of resentment, the psychology of Nihilism and the enculturation of social war that is undergirding all these problems. But after so many centuries of the West going down this road, this is not going to be a short or an easy one. We'll talk about it in the next talk on dualism.

Leaving you with the lyrics of 'The arid islands of bitterness', small islands and outcrops in the Aegean archipelago used as places of exile or displacement in less enlightened times. 

Στης πίκρας τα ξερόνησα

Πού να ’βρω τέσσερα σπαθιά
και μια λαμπάδα στη γροθιά
φωτιά να βάλω σήμερα
και να τον κάψω σίγουρα
τον κόσμο αυτόν που αγάπησα
και μ’ άφησε και σάπισα
και σάπισα..

Στης πίκρας τα ξερόνησα 

το δάκρυ μου κοινώνησα 

και στης ζωής τη φυλακή 

που δεν υπάρχει Κυριακή 

ποτέ μου δε λησμόνησα 

τη μοναξιά τη φόνισσα

τη φόνισσα..

Κι εσύ που ήρθες μια βραδιά 

να μου ζεστάνεις την καρδιά 

με πέταξες αλίμονο 

στο μαύρο καταχείμωνο 

με πρόδωσες και μ’ έφτυσες 

ήσουν χαρά και ξέφτισες

και ξέφτισες..

Πού να ’βρω τέσσερα κεριά

και στην ψυχή μου σιγουριά

φωτιά να βάλω γρήγορα

και να τον κάψω σήμερα

τον κόσμο αυτόν που αγάπησα

και μ’ άφησε και σάπισα

και σάπισα

αγάπησα

αγάπησα

και σάπισα..

The arid islands of bitterness

Where do I find four swords

and a torch in my fist

I'll set fire today

and burn the place down for sure

the world that I loved

has left me to rot

left me to rot..

On the arid islands of bitterness

I shared my tears

also in the prison of life

where Sundays don't count

I could never forget

the loneliness I'd overcome

I'd overcome..

And you who came to me one evening

to warm my heart

you threw me out alas

into the depth of winter

you betrayed me and spat on me

you were my joy but disappeared

but disappeared..

Where do I find four candles

and the courage in my soul

to quickly set fire

to burn the place today

that world that I loved

has left me to rot

left me to rot

I loved

I loved 

and rotted

- More on Greek-English lyrics, music videos, Yannis Kotsiras, Stavros Xarchakos, Rebetiko -