Tag Archives: hst

The busy quiet

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Until you have been an academic yourself, never say they are lazy and unproductive. Some of us actually work hard. We do not clock in 9 am and then clock out at 5 pm. That is a life most of use yearn for, being able to have a set schedule. The ability to plan our lives is very elusive to us.

An academic clocks in when the semester starts and clocks out when it ends. In between that period of time we work hard — research, gather information, collect data, read copious amount of pages and write our fingers raw. What we get in return is knowledge and some kind of standardised grade based on nothing but bollocks.

This is also a time my production of news articles and columns decline drastically. If a lead for a news story goes cold it is easy to explain to your editor, as s/he has been there themselves and understand your situation. Letting you pursue another story with a stronger lead — no worries.

Academia is not that forgiving. Either you complete your assignment and receive a subjective mark, or else you fail — forced to go back to start without collecting your cash. Told you will learn from mistakes, but never given a second chance.

All you can do to stay sane is to cling those moments you should be researching, but decide that it is okay to take a short break from academia. So exhausted that even reading a book by your favourite author makes you sigh. Only tempted to watch TV with a blank stare.

It has not killed me, so I can only assume it has made me stronger. If I only could explain what I have become stronger in.

At least I have snus (Swedish moist tobacco enjoyed orally) and beer. Indulging in some good old escapism.

NB: This was written as an exercise in roman-à-clef. No editing — just a stream-of-consciousness.

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I am, after all, a doctor.

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If you come to me for medical advice or want me to write you a prescription for some kind of drug, you have come to the wrong doctor. As I am not that kind of doctor.

I can assume you would get a similar response from Hunter S. Thompson if you approached him for the very same reasons. He too was a doctor. More accurately, he was a Doctor of Divinity, a title granted to him by Universal Life Church.

When trying to understand a writer and their work, you sometimes have to do more than read their work and what is written about them. If possible, you must find their shoes, put them on and walk around in them for a while — discover where the shoes squeeze your feet and where they take you without hesitation.

As I see it, Hunter S. Thompson— the Good Doctor —is the kind of person you must emulate a bit to fully understand. Not for the sake of becoming him, but to understand where he came from and where his work originated — how it originated.

This lead me to contact Universal Life Church and take one of their courses, study their teachings, preached by Kirby J. Hensley, the founder of ULC.

After passing the course I was too a doctor — Doctor of the Universe.

That provided me with an opportunity to better understand the Good Doctor a bit better. Something very important when you try to wrap your head around how Gonzo Journalism was created — what kind of mind created it.

Take such an experience and look at it, ask yourself, what can I learn from this — how can this affect my work?

With that said, procuring that title has also given me a lot of amusement. A lot of people seems to have an opinion about me calling myself a doctor from time to time.

But you are not a real doctor.

Doctor is such an ambiguous title if you look into its history — what is a doctor? The word is derived from the latin word docēre, which means to teach. Therefore, being a Doctor of the Universe I am qualified, as far as ULC is concerned, to educate people in that topic.

I guess people take it more serious than me, as I see nothing wrong with using that title. However, I use it mostly in jest and to get a reaction from people. I also did it as an homage to Hunter S. Thompson, my biggest inspiration and favourite teacher regarding writing and [gonzo] journalism.

I use the title sparsely tho— where I find it appropriate —but I will never fully stop using it.

Dr.