The Hellbound Bullet-Train

I first heard the poem "The Hellbound Train" half a century ago, recited by Jean Shepherd, a radio monologist of a more innocent time. No one knows who wrote it. Read it aloud to yourself.



The daily reading of news and commentary cannot but lead one to believe that the West has bought itself a one-way, first class express ticket on the Hellbound Bullet-Train. It beggars imagination that anyone could be so terminally naive as to believe that socio-economic conditions will soon improve. There is no longer hope that the train can be stopped or even slowed down; one's only chance is to get off as quickly as possible, however possible. The government can build all the bullet trains it wants, but the reality is that they'll all be going nowhere fast.



There is much talk--endless talk--on the blogosphere about creating a New Paradigm, but the only New Paradigm that will be of any importance in the near term is one's personal New Paradigm. And that New Paradigm requires action.

This site is intended primarily for those who are able, willing and ready to emigrate from the English-speaking north, but it is hoped that it will offer a useful Paradigm Change perspective for those who for one reason or another either prefer to remain in the English speaking countries in the hope that positive change will occur, or are trapped in the north by circumstances which make it well-nigh impossible to leave or to acquire legal residence in another country. The emphasis remains the same whether you plan to emigrate or stay put: Paradigm Change is a personal plan of action that is to be put into effect starting now!

The late Curtis Mayfield (lead singer of the Impressions) encouraged "People get ready, There's a train a-comin'," but he wasn't talking about some high-speed boondoggle: Curtis was singing about the spirit and soul-saving, not about getting from L.A. to San Francisco in a hermetically sealed tin can that shows off the surrounding countryside as a blur worthy of a very bad acid trip.

The larger societal paradigm change may or may not include improved rail transport, but high speed bullet trains... That people are busily debating such matters is evidence that you have no more time to waste. Prepare for disruption and prepare a staged withdrawal from areas that could suffer chaotic disruption if essential services--particularly food supply--are interrupted for any but the shortest of periods, say five days or so at the most.

Get on board the Paradigm Change train, brothers and sisters, because "if you miss it, I feel sorry for you," as the Ojays harmonized with respect to the Love Train, one more that never left the station.