disappearance is not death, and sadness at a disappearance is not the sadness of mourning. so saudade expresses not mourning for what is dead, but nostalgia for what has disappeared, with (as in the case of sebastian and the fifth empire) the glimmer of a hope of resurrection. and what the mothers of the plaza de mayo in buenos aires were calling for, knowing they would never see their sons again, was a proof of their death, as a release from the anguish of their disappearance.
jean baudrillard, cool memories, vol. iv.
the image of the disappeared curled up in the freezing atlantic, it has become part of my consciousness. i wonder why. these victims were young, passionate, innocent, idealistic, leftist. all that, i could relate to. but why am i so obsessed with these victims? i'm not sure, maybe it's my hidden tiananmen square complex manifesting itself. theese students in 1989, they were also young, passionate, innocent, idealistic, leftist. they also died young, without being confirmed as dead. they were just a couple of years older than me, they could have been my friends. i still remember that particular morning. the world was never the same again afterwards.
the categorization of that movement as pro-democracy was cheap. it was a youth movement. like all these other youth movements in the world, at that time, or before, or after.
sweeping up my broom,
digging up and old shovel,
nostalgia is for the soon to be weary.
That's an aphorism written by the friend that introduced me to Cool Memories.
Let's just call him Chris D.
Posted by: seamus | April 04, 2006 at 08:12 PM