Hemlock #28 Watchmen: A Cold War Essay (Part One) Ozymandias, The Doomsday Clock, Rorschach, Nukes in Vietnam, Berlin Pop, Rilke, Thomas Merton & the Unspeakable, and Confronting the End of the World

Support my work and get ad-free full episodes on Patreon:⁠https://patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon⁠Earlier episodes (#1-27) up now, ad-free on History of Philosophy Audio Archive / Spotify.Music Credit (Cover of 99 Luftballons by NENA, performed by /millibeep)⁠https://youtu.be/gTss-rBgUl8⁠What the song means (⁠Genius⁠):[Verse 1]If you have some time for meThen I will sing a song for youOf ninety-nine balloonsOn their way to the horizonAre you perhaps thinking of me right now?Then I will sing a song for youOf ninety-nine balloonsAnd something that came of them[Verse 2]Ninety-nine balloonsOn their way to the horizonWere taken for UFOs from spaceHence, a general sentA squadron after themTo give the alarmBut there, on the horizonWere just ninety-nine balloons[Verse 3]⁠Ninety-nine jet fightersEach was a great warriorRegarded themselves as Captain Kirk⁠There was a great display of fireworksThe neighbors didn't understandAnd instantly felt offendedBut they shot at the horizonAt ninety-nine balloons[Verse 4]Ninety-nine ministers of warMatches and petrol canistersRegarded themselves as clever peopleAlready on the scent of a hunt⁠They shouted, "War," and wanted power⁠Man, who would have thought?That someday it would come this farBecause of ninety-nine balloons[Verse 5]Ninety-nine years of warLeft no place for winnersWar ministers don't exist anymoreNeither do the fighter jetsToday, I stroll aroundSee the world in ruinsI've found a balloonI think of you and let it fly--//--Sources:Archaic Torso of ApolloSource: ⁠Wikipedia: Archaic Torso of Apollo⁠Summary: This poem by Rainer Maria Rilke explores an ancient, fragmented statue of the Greek god Apollo, contemplating its powerful and enduring presence despite its missing parts. The poem ultimately concludes with the famous line, "You must change your life"JFK and the UnspeakableSource: ⁠Goodreads: JFK and the Unspeakable⁠Summary: James W. Douglass's book argues that President John F. Kennedy's assassination was the result of his conversion from a Cold Warrior to a peacemaker. It posits that Kennedy was killed by his own security apparatus for pursuing peace with the Soviet Union and Cuba.Merton Lectures on RilkeSource: ⁠Goodreads: Thomas Merton on the Poetry and Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke⁠Summary: This is a collection of remastered talks by Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk and renowned poet, who deeply admired Rainer Maria Rilke. In these lectures, Merton explores Rilke's poetry and letters, demonstrating how Rilke's work informed his own Catholic spirituality.Letters to a Young Poet by RilkeSource: ⁠Goodreads: Letters to a Young Poet⁠Summary: This is a collection of ten letters written by poet Rainer Maria Rilke to a young officer cadet, Franz Xaver Kappus. Rilke advises the young man not on his poetry itself, but on how to live an authentic and artistic life by looking inward for truth.Robert Bly Commentary of RilkeSource: ⁠Scribd: Rilke and Bly⁠Summary: Robert Bly, an American poet and translator, is known for his influential translations and commentary on Rilke's poetry.The Sonnets to Orpheus by RilkeSource: ⁠Goodreads: The Sonnets to Orpheus⁠Summary: "Sonnets to Orpheus" is a collection of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, written as a tribute to a young woman who died from illness. The poems explore themes of art, life, and death through the mythological figure of Orpheus, the legendary musician who could charm all of nature with his song.Doomsday ClockSource: ⁠Britannica: Doomsday Clock⁠Summary: A symbol maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to represent how close humanity is to a human-made global catastrophe. The clock is a metaphor, with "midnight" representing the end of the world, and the time is assessed annually based on threats like nuclear weapons and climate change.