Mutant Message Down Under

Mutant Message Down Under, Marlo Morgan

Here is another book on my list on the track of the North American 'White' person's spiritual ‘a-weakening’. Not that I am consciously seeking disappointment, but it is interesting — in a sad way — that, so far, the three books I have read on my 'quest' have been consistently weak, either on a story telling level, on a spiritual exploration level, or both. It may be because It is such a tall order to create a work of fiction centered around spiritual matters. It is difficult to succeed…

Mutant Message was initially self-published by Marlo Morgan in 1990 but following its success, the book was republished by Harper Collins in 1994 as a work of fiction. There is quite a bit of controversy around this work, and although — I must admit — I did not know this when I first started to read the book, it quickly became apparent that something wasn’t totally ‘right’ with Morgan’s so-called ‘true’ account of her encounter with the Aborigine group.

The controversy is about the opening statements in the author’s preface:

“This (book) was written after the fact and inspired by actual experience. As you will see, there wasn't a notebook handy. It is sold as a novel to protect the small tribe of aborigines from legal involvement. (...)" page xii

I have an interest in other cultures, and this whole thing made me even more curious about the aborigines of Australia — of which, I must say I know close to nothing — it isn’t the purpose of my little comment on this book. Here, I am more interested in finding out more about the little ‘spiritual’ revolution of the west than debating what is or isn’t — sometimes blatantly untrue — about the Australian Aborigine culture in Morgan’s book.

As with my previous readings, I just wonder why we, North Americans, who pride ourselves in being a ‘pragmatic, rational’ civilization, seem to always need spectacular, even magical or miraculous displays of the ‘divine’, in order to pay any attention to the spiritual aspects of our experience. The fact that Morgan felt that she needed mislead her readers just makes me blush from embarrasment at our reoccuriong incapacity to appreciate other cultures for what they are, and instead, create fantasies as extentions of our own symbolism.

In her book, Miss Morgan mislead the reading into believing that she had a true encounter and experience of the aboriginal culture of Australia. This is kind of strange. Perhaps it may have stemmed from a fear that the story may not have the same ‘punch’ if it was a complete work of fiction. But this is speculation that has been address elsewhere.

For my part, what I can distill right of the bat from the story is that it is more an account of the American values system then one of the culture of the Aborigine of Australia. It is like a reflection of what we are longing for, what is perhaps lacking of under valued in our society, but what we all secretly long for.

A society which, openly or on more subtle levels, supports competitiveness, independence, and self-reliance, for the better, but most foten for the worst, so that, one can reap the benefits of one’s 'own' (apparent) ‘efforts’ in its totality. When success mostly on a quantifiable, material level, is present, it is celebrated, and justified. Normally, if you have followed a certain sets of ‘rules’ where you don’t directly ‘harm’ your pairs, you are entitled to material success. The same is true for the unsuccessful, and the poor. From a good Christian point of view: if you are poor or unsuccessful, it is because you have brought it onto yourself. It’s like a materialistic version of the ‘karmic laws’ ahahah!

In a way, this all makes sense as: ‘you are responsible of your own experience’ but it may be a bit short of the entire story. And it offers a restricted solution to ‘suffering’, as this way to ‘happiness’ will only be accessible to a few. In reality, we do know that, you do not get rich on your own. Often, it is because of the hard work of many people, who will never taste even a little crumb of this success, because of ‘circumstances’, local, or world wide…And, if you really want to get rich the ‘right way’, well, you probably never will, because there is no such thing: If there is more food on your plate, more money in your pockets, it is because you didn’t share, and others accept this as a system. And it is fine. We are not going to re-invent our entire social system in a few quick brush strokes. But it’s still interesting to think about it.

So, in contrast, what Morgan has imagined in her book is a society of total interdependence, where each member of society is equally deserving. This is completed by a ‘Garden of Eden’ feel where, although apparently scares, food and shelter is abundant. It’s like a return to our ‘true origins’.

Anyway. This is only what I think. Again, I am pretty dispapointed, because I think that regardless of the fact that the book 'touched' a lot of Americans, it still lacks integrity in it's delivery. This reduces greatly it's 'positive, or inpiring impact.

Perhaps it serves as a reminder that we still have a restrictied understanding of our own human expeirience as a whole, in all it's cultural forms, and must use caution when expressing ideas, ideals, and our own fantasies using other culture as our own little utopist laboratory.

Lastly, Morgan's book just enters the category of 'intersting', and conceited social marker of time, teaching us to be cautious in our cultural references and conclusions.