Punching Holes in Reality

In his writings, Jorge Luis Borges punched joyful holes in reality. He wrote mostly short pieces: hit and run. It is because of this that his writings never got the recognition they deserved. It only appeals to a select group of metaphysically-oriented intellectuals. The rest of us who are deeply engaged in life’s struggles tend to come away with very little.

Borges emphasized form over content. His writing is no doubt meticulously structured and at the same time dazzling in its denseness and complexity. As such, he is much as one who paints or sculpts. Borges managed it with words alone. If Borges had not suffered severely from progressive eye disease, I suspect he would have secured for himself a place in the visual arts.

Obama’s speeches are much like Borges’ writings. One never suspects that reality supports what he‘s saying. A leader’s job is different from that of an artist. We don’t look to a leader to necessarily entertain or dazzle. We look for results. Obama’s rhetoric leaves us empty. Even as he herds us towards the Marxist ideal, his vision lacks warmth, empathy and compassion. It is coldly theoretical. But unlike Borges, whose blindness released him from the world of color and form, Obama seems still trapped by the spectacle of high living which turns bitter on the tongue of all those who are asked to sacrifice.