Item 1: My Voice

Jonathon Flaum integrates the Phoenix metaphor and a "be yourself" concept into a narrative about a red wolf to make an existential claim about suffering and freedom. Flaum's claim is that to become free, one must come to terms with their instincts and the mental prison that they have placed themselves into. Once this is done, the mental prison is overshadowed by the intrigue and benevolence of life. External freedom meant nothing to Mumon, the red wolf, until he conquered his internal suffering. The Islamic concept of holy war, Jihad, comes to mind. External Jihad is named lesser Jihad, and internal Jihad is named greater Jihad. Only when Mumon went on a spiritual journey and ultimately died was he able to be reborn to find his howl and the make the most of being set free from captivity and lead his pack. We must conquer our doubts about ourselves before we can experience freedom.

            Mumon’s Spiritual journey reminds me one of my favorite Neil Young songs, “Hey Hey, My My”. The song was featured on his 1979 release with Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps. The particular lyric that I think may apply is the famous, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”,

            The idea behind this lyric is that in the world of Rock ‘n Roll it’s preferable, or even more admirable to die at the height of your success, rather than when you’re on the decline. Kurt Cobain exemplified this idea when he quoted the lyric in his suicide note.

            I think the lyric is very thought provoking and I admire the thought that Neil put into it but I don’t know that I agree with it. Or at the very least when it applies to non-rockstars like myself. And I believe that that Mumon’s spiritual journey is an argument for the antithesis of “It’s better to burn out, than to fade away”.

            Mumon went through an incredible journey. He hunted a deer and sought advice from the animals of the forest. He faced a hunter and witnessed tribes worship him in the center of the Earth. But at the height of his journey, he didn’t burn out. He lived to hunt another day. He lived to become the savior of his tribe.

            If Mumon had burned out at the height of his glory, his tribe would be lost without a leader, and without a howl. I believe Mumon’s story can be a metaphor of how one can still be useful after their prime. And Neil Young is even an example of this. In his old age, he’s still making music, involved in several projects, has a family, and is living a fruitful life. I don’t mean to diminish the value of the lyric, but rather offer another perspective about it, or interpretation of it.