 |  |
Romania - Heaven on Earth
In the past few weeks we have received several critical messages regarding the Association's activity and its presence on the web.
Some people seem to be dissatisfied with the content of the official RMRA webpage:
"Cred ca stilul asta de a face haz de necaz [...] acum face mai mult rau decat bine. Cred ca a veni vremea ca romanii sa fie, in sfarsit, SERIOSI.", or "Romania are si asa o opinie proasta
in lume. De ce mai puneti gaz pe foc si faceti si mai mult tara de rusine. Ceea ce faceti voi e blamare. Sa va fie rusine." or even "O aparitie insolita pe internet, care ne aduce un plus de faima neonorabila este
site-ul de prezentare al "The Romanian Mint Rubbing Association" [...] Iata deci cum cineva, dintr-un prostesc simt al umorului sau mai degraba in bataie de joc, adauga inca o zgarietura imaginii noastre in lume, si asa cam harsaita".
(the last one is actually an excerpt from a newspaper article).
We have carefully reviewed these messages (as we always do) and decided that these people are actually right: there have been so many wonderful accomplishments in Romania in the past few years and all we do is talk about rubbing mint. We are so ashamed. Therefore we decided to
create an alternate version of the RMRA webpage entitled Romania - Heaven on Earth:
Click here or on the above logo to view this page. Any similarities with real facts is coincidental. If your responses are good we might turn this feature into a regular column or even permanently repalce the current version of the RMRA page with this one.
(RMRA)
The Establishment and the Mint Rubbers
~ The "Wooden Leg Rubdowning" Solution ~
In this paper we examine the relations between mint rubbing and the mainstream social and economic activities; to be more specific, we tried to shed light upon the evolution of the mint rubber under the normative pressure of the so called "establishment".
The main idea of this essay is that, in order to achieve a recognized social position and a high living standard, the mint rubber has to acquire the complex skills and techniques of "wooden leg rubdowning" (in Romanian - "frectzia la piciorul de lemn"); compared to which the mint rubbing is a children's game, we might add. Basically, the difference between these two is that wooden leg rubdowning is an active and creative behavior, which means that the wooden leg rubdowner DOES SOMETHING, he/she can account for his/her time and present the results of his/her work, so to speak.
Every society has its ideals. These ideals are impersonated by people we see on TV and read about in newspapers, magazines and other printed materials. They are said to have "reached the top", "made it" or so on. Sometimes called VIP, they are models to be followed by the common people.
But how do they do (the mint rubber may ask himself/herself)?
We, at "Pomul Vietii" - The Society for Applied Metaphysics, took this matter very seriously and, after months of research, we are proud to present the results of our work. That's not an irony!
First, let's see, from a general (theoretical) perspective, the characteristics of mint rubbing. If we are sure of something, it is that mint rubbing is an individual practice. Even if practiced in groups, it still remains a solitary endeavor. Like Kafka wrote about the Law, everyone has his/her door to Mint Rubbing; one must dare to pass through it. Moreover, the mint rubber often has to hide from others, as mint rubbing is considered to be contraproductive by society as a whole and by most organizations, which actively try to control it. As one put it, we quote from The Mint Rubbing Journal - 4th issue: "the first step to become a true mint rubber is to find certain ways to AVOID THE SYSTEM".
|
Another characteristic of mint rubbing is that its results are not tangible and cumulative; after rubbing the mint for 10 years or 10 hours, one achieves the same result: a diffuse state of mental well-being - peace of mind if you prefer, but nothing more. If the mint rubber is asked: "So, what have you accomplished with your mint rubbing?", all he/she can show is the smile on his/her face.
As opposed to mint rubbing, wooden leg rubdowning is a complex social activity. Its main benefits derive not from the interior, but from the external environment, which rewards, in various ways, the wooden leg rubdowner. In addition to that, wooden leg rubdowning can be done as a group activity, where individual contributions merge in a brand-new and brilliant outcome. The wooden leg rubdowner does not avoid the system; on the contrary, he/she has to find ways to integrate with others. In most cases, wooden leg rubdowning is recognized by organizations as an efficient and productive activity, and not by mistake! It really generates positive results, as countless real-life examples demonstrate. However, for reasons that will not be discussed here, both the rubdowner and the organization are very cautious when it comes to its name. Under normal circumstances, one may call it a thousand names, but not "wooden leg rubdowning", except maybe to their own consciences.
In dealing with these practices, the establishment (represented by organizations and institutions like family, educational system, etc.) tends to direct the mint rubbing dispositions of the individual towards their productive counterpart, the wooden leg rubdowning. The incentives used for this purpose are various: material and spiritual benefits, public recognition and so on. For the mint rubber, becoming a wooden leg rubdowner is not a matter of choice, but a matter of time and a matter of being a chosen one.
"Pomul Vietii" - the Society for Applied Metaphysics, The Strategic Studies and Analysis Department.
www.geocities.com/pomulvietii
pomulvietii@yahoo.com
|
~ Page 2 of 5 ~
| |
 |
