“Sorry- I really come here for a bit of farm life, you know… see the donkeys, watch the dogs, check on the cats. I have read this blog for years and have totally enjoyed Bedlam farm- until now. Jon, I know this is your blog and I totally respect you for being your true self and voicing your opinion- but I really just loved coming to see Bedlam farm every morning over coffee and spending a few peaceful moments with you, Maria and the animals. I am gonna sign off now; I am sad to say goodbye. No need to reply to this message- I won’t be back on to read it- I just need to stay away and try to find some peace and some happy farm animals- thanks for all the good years and great animal stories. Bonnie..”.
Bonnie touched my heart in different ways with her message. It was sad, for sure, even poignant. I’ve gotten a few other messages like it this week, as well as much praise. Some people wrote to tell me they liked me much better when I never mentioned politics.
People come – some people – come to the blog to feel peaceful in turbulent times, and they are upset when I step out of character and reveal too much of me. They often move on when they think it gets too real.
And many more people show up to give me a look.
Many also come to the blog because they like to think, agree, or not.
I like offering peaceful images, but my passion is getting people to think. I completely understand Bonnie’s need to hang around with farm animals. I do it every day.
Authenticity, not peacefulness, was my purpose and mission on the blog, from the first, from writing about my depression to exploring spirituality to sharing my divorce and breakdown and recovery to meeting Maria and marrying her to my open heart surgery, bankruptcy during the Great Recession, and move to the new Bedlam Farm.
Whew.
In addition to my own many mistakes and missteps, I’ve shared the death of so many dogs and sheep and donkeys and chickens that so many came to love. And so much turmoil in my own life. There is no perfect life, and I certainly haven’t lived one.
Maybe Bonnie came later.
My life has never been only peaceful or even mostly peaceful. It is something I want, not always something I have. My earliest motto was that on this blog, you get the good Katz and the bad Katz, but you will always get the real one.
And yes, I decided to share some of the many thoughts and feelings stirred by the coronavirus tragedy unfolding in our country and the political turmoil it has provoked.
This Pandemic touches me in many ways; personally, as a father, husband, writer, and citizen. It is the most important single event in my lifetime. I want to participate in it in some way besides sitting in my office.
I was a political writer and media critic, and that was an essential part of my life, and apparently, it still is, at least for now.
I have thoughts to share, and I need to share them, not just photography Lulu and Fanny, and pretend it’s 1850.
I have worked hard for you to feel peaceful with your coffee, Bonnie. And I’ll tell you something curious but true: I don’t like writing about politics here either. But I wouldn’t like myself much if I didn’t do it at times right now.
I work hard at it with the animals and my photographs. I want it to be peaceful, just like I want the country to be peaceful; I meant for bedlam to be a respite; there are plenty of places in our digital and media universe to be angry and upset.
But this is not a time to be silent and stick my head in the sand. You can respond to what’s happening in any way you wish; I do not want to look in the mirror down the road and say I didn’t speak up.
Bonnie says she is gone, but I suspect she will come back to peek at any response. I did reply to her, whether she reads it or not.
I will be honest, Bonnie (this is probably why you don’t want a reply), I had mixed feelings about your message.
I do not quarrel with anybody who leaves the blog for any reason. There is no contract, no obligation; there are 30 million blogs out there, and I know you can find some you like, nobody has to be sad or stay here for one minute if they don’t wish to.
People come and go.
When I am done with a blog, I just go. If I write a farewell message, I always wait for a reply.
Bonnie, I never agreed to be your free peace provider only for all of my life of yours, I never promised it or signed up for it. I see the blog as a haven in many ways – photos, cute animals, great dogs, Maria and her work, the people around me, and essays – but that is because there are ideas here as well as cute photos of animals.
It is because of that that it is a haven, not despite it. There are not too many safe places to think in our world.
Your message made me wonder just how much I should care about you. I do care about the people who read my blog. But not so much that I will be your peace provider and soother at the expense of my identity and pride.
I think Lulu and Fanny would feel the same way.
There are lots of ways for me to be useful.
I believe I was more useful in the past week than I have been in years.
That brings me great peace and a sense of purpose.
My essays this week were not a natural or unconsidered evolution for me. If you were paying attention to me apart from the images of the donkeys, I believe you would have seen that.
Your claim to respect me for sometimes revealing my true self – I do it every day, I hope – but my instincts tell me this isn’t entirely truthful. If you were sincere, you would permit me the chance to think as well as offer peace and animal adorability.
You said it yourself, you just want to look at some farm animals. This is really not the right place if that’s all you want, I’m a bit surprised you hung in there for this long.
If you respected me, and not only your own needs, you would, as ao many others have, encouraged me, not for being right, but for being honest.
I don’t want to only be the person you need right now, and I don’t want my blog to only offer peacefulness when so many people have so little peace and are desperately are also in need of a place to help them sort things out.
I can’t tell them what to do and don’t, but I can offer them a safe place to think and argue civilly, and yes, also be peaceful.
In my mind, one does not preclude the other.
It would kill me to be silent as our world is under so much pressure now. I learned this week that this is something that people need as well.
I respect you also, Bonnie, for coming and staying and going, and to me, that means giving you the courtesy of a reply, whether you read it or not.
Thanks for reading my writing and reading my blog and sharing my life. And good luck at finding a blog that will meet your needs right now. I hope you did get some peace here, and I hope you get some more elsewhere.
I have to smile, a bit, when I read your message, Thomas Paine, one of my heroes, came to mind, I’m not sure why.
The summer soldier and the sunshine follower will, in this crisis, shrink from allowing the real world to intrude on their peace of mind. But he or she that stands by the free expression of ideas and that helps people to think and deserves the love and gratitude of any writer worthy of the name.
Frankly, Jon, I was so happy to read your current posts as it reaffirmed to me that you have a pulse. I’ve enjoyed reading your books and blogs for many years and have always respected your views. Thank you for being honest.
I love this post Donna..Maria will love it more…
I have been following your blog for just a little while. As an animal lover I appreciate seeing that aspect of your blog. But we are not one-dimensional people and you are perfectly entitled to comment on the current state of affairs we find ourselves in. As a New Zealander with very dear friends in the US (and having travelled to the US a number of times) I have been troubled and very saddened to see how things have changed in the US. It is distressing to see how ordinary folk have become so stressed and yes, negative to a large degree. It has been astounding to see what has been unfolding in the last few years. What the people need now and going forward is leadership. It is not rocket science.
“They often move on when they think it gets too real. ” John Katz
I also appreciate your honesty. I have shared your writing with many of my friends who think the same. We are baffled by people who refuse to listen to the opinion of others. What a small world they must live in.
Keep writing John! We wait to read more.
Bravo Jon!
You keep doing you and keeping it REAL!!
And then there are some, like me, who just found your blog and can’t get enough of your insight, your thoughts, your love of your wife…..I need another Jon in my life.
Susan, you are so spot on. We all need a few more Jon’s in our lives!
I chanced upon your writting back when you were with Slate and have been following you since! I dont always love every entry, but appreciate following ongoings of the farm, maria and your grandchild. It is impossible not to insert politics, as they are part of life. Keep on being you John! I appreciate what you do.
True peace comes from the inside and not from others. I so enjoy readying. Your blog and keep it up for those of us who are open and respect you even if we do not totally agree on some issues. I visited my ranch in West Texas yesterday and stood amid an ocean of mother angoras and their babies. I felt so much peace and joy.
How can you not talk about politics when it is now ruling every step of our lives and soon every breath we take in public.
(assuming wearing facial masks will be obligatory)
Keep up the good words
I came to the blog because of that post. I am here. I understand.
Sad for me to say that I just “discovered” you in the last couple of weeks, so the only perspective I have of you and your life, Jon, is that time. I am happy that I have so much reading to do to catch up, if that’s even possible, on who you are and what you do. The friend who sent me my first Bedlam Farm blog post said “You’re going to love this guy’s writing, and start with the dog book(s) first.” And so I shall. But I have to say, after unfollowing so many news sources since the presidential election of 2016 because I just couldn’t stand the stress of my hatred (for a fairly non-political person, I can’t even believe I used that word, but I did, I do, and it fits) for the current resident of my White House, your writing on the subject has given me a broader perspective, one that fits my sensibilities and gives me great opportunity to think rationally, something I’d really lost in the last 3 1/2 years. And not to diminish Maria’s art in any way by mentioning it last, what she creates makes my soul sing: Fabric, color, whimsy, animals, friends, helping — those are what I want to concentrate on. Thank you both. Bonnie will find her path I’m sure, and I bet she even comes back to Bedlam Farm eventually because that is where the sun shines.
I am just like you – a friend sent me the link of the article comparing Cuomo and Trump executive styles. I’m hooked. This thoughtful writer has much to share – without vitriol – which I am also guilty of (feelings toward those who I fear now as incredibly ignorant, and therefore dangerous). How do we (I) get past this? How do you convince others who refuse to read or only watch state-sanctioned TV?
My mother lived through the 3rd reich in Germany and was part of the Hitler Youth – it was not a choice. You either joined or went to juvy jail. She joined; her older brother refused and went into detention. My Opa spent 9 years in concentration camps because he refused to join the Nazi party. We are not Jewish; he was active in Social Democratic politics, trade unions, and fraternal sporting associations – all things that were outlawed at the time. Are we headed in that direction here? I fear all the signs that point toward an affirmative answer.
Anyway, sorry, I’m starting to ramble. But this blog gives me both food for thought and food for my soul. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I too have read your books and blogs. I always feel I’m hearing from a friend. And as a friend, it is important for you to tell your friends how you feel. Real friends stick by you, even if they don’t always agree. (After all, it is your blog.)
Perfect. REAL friends don’t always agree.
I have always enjoyed the articles that delve deeper and provoke thought and contemplation not just “pretty pictures of sunsets and animals” .. not that I don’t also need them to clear my mind. Thanks Jon for being honest.
I sent you 10.00. It really felt good.
I cried reading this post. I cried for you and Bonnie. I cried for the friends I can no longer be myself with because discussion is impossible. I agree with what you write. The column that compared the media styles of Cuomo and Trump was dead on. I shared it with many friends but only one Trump supporter, the only one who listens as I hope I listen to him. When friendships die because of politics, it seems almost like a murder. I wish you and Bonnie could talk it out on the farm, not on paper.
When I was growing up, my dad, also an educator, said that our country would decay from within. I see that people are so infatuated with the mundane that they’re losing the ability to think. It’s a rotting of brain cells. I love when I am put into a position of reading and THINKING and assimilating the information. It helps me cement my own opinions. Thank you Jon!
I grew up in your rural town and am one of those children that had move away to the city to make a living. I’ve always been perplexed about how my loved ones and neighbors could support Trump. Your analysis couldn’t be more true. Not everyone will agree with your perspective or understand it, especially if they have never lived in a rural area. I may not like it, but now I understand why they support and defend him.
I applaud you for your honesty, Jon.
History will remember those who took a stand to try to educate others with facts.
Dear Mr. Jon Katz: I have read several of your books and only recently recently found your blogs. I love the way you string words, and I love listening to you make your way through difficulties and joys, even when I cringe at your honest self reflections.
While I isten to you in your books and blogs, my mind is looking at myself, and I ask what am I not requiring of myself that I should be; how can I help ease a burden in someone else’s life? And sometimes I say to myself, “Maybe I should give depression a hard look.” You are a good teacher.
Jon, you have tackled some difficult issues head on over these past few weeks. But as you just wrote, you have always talked openly about difficult issues. What I love is the way you write about the issues, sad ones, beautiful ones, the ups, the downs, the peace, and turmoil of life. Your life just happens to include animals and a farm, as does my own.
Politics will get you into trouble quicker than even religion. It is a difficult and divisive subject that begs us all to dig our heads out of the sand and pay attention, but almost half of the eligible voters in this country, never do and never will. I commend you for writing about the events of the day, all of them, even when they slop over into politics. That is just life and you write about it so well. Thank you.
What’s wrong with a little bit of this and a little bit of that? I think you are doing A-OK. It’s a tribute allowing us to think through your words, no matter what the subject. Thank You.
Hi Jon, I’ve greatly appreciated your thoughts this week. There’s so much noise right now and your thoughts have seemed, to me, calm and measured. There’s too much knee jerk outrage from all sides right now. I’ve been walking around with a feeling of dread since 11/8/16, which has been exhausting. It’s good to hear from someone reasonable.
Jon, I appreciate you sharing this message and your response. It seems to me that anyone who has followed you at all should/would expect your honesty as well as your response. Thank you gor sharing.
Jon, I have read several of your books, starting with A Dog Year.
I have been reading your blog every day for the past week.
Yesterday, when I saw “Sometimes it feels like Donald Trump hates me, that he is out to upset and worry me, that he is determined to dismantle every good thing…” I was elated to see my feelings captured so eloquently. I would not be what anyone would call “elite”, but I feel as if Trump and his supporters are slowly ripping apart the few things in this country that I trusted. If I understand your blog. the rural Americans (and those in areas with blighted industry) have felt as I am feeling for quite some time. I am extremely worried about what America will be with 4 more years of this President. I don’t know how we can survive the decisiveness. Your blog has provided some insight that I needed. Sometimes it helps to simply understand the other point of view. I hope all the Bonnie’s will stay and read and try to understand also.
Thank you for the work you are doing.
Jon, I am a long time fan and have read all your books. I still recommend your book on grieving the loss of a beloved pet. I have stopped by Bedlam Farm page frequently but to tell the truth, I missed the philosophical, challenging you I had come to look to for “food for thought.” Yesterday, my fan status was renewed and rejuvenated. I cherish uniqueness. It appreciate the genuine. Glad to have you back again. See you tomorrow.
Hi Jon,
Just discovered your blog today. Got hooked easily on what I’ve read so far.
Just a quick comment on Bonnie leaving the blog. My wife is of a similar mindset. At times she just can’t take the idiocy that defines Trump’s world. The incessant pounding that common sense takes when he opens his mouth is just overwhelming. I feel likewise often but feel the need to know and report to others who will share the nonsense with others. Hopefully, enough folks will vote to end this fiasco in the next election.
Now, on to the other good stuff you’ve written.
I don’t know how you could NOT write about a global pandemic and all the political intrigue that has accompanied it. This virus has affected every one of us on some level and will continue to demand our attention for some time to come. Keep posting the cute animal photos … love them, but please don’t give up on those sharp satirical pieces you’ve been treating us to. Reading them is good exercise for the mind.
Well done. I understood and I think even Bonnie would understand if she ever troubles to read your caring response. I am new to your blog and have enjoyed it immensely. I, too, am very troubled by the current pandemic and this national, political upheaval. However, I am one who loves to think and play with the facts available. Not everyone is comfortable with facts. Not everyone likes to think. Your comments nudge one into the thinking, even when it is not particularly easy. Thank you for your honesty and for your caring. Your love of animals touches my heart, too. I have been a lover of the nobler species all my life.
You haven’t revealed anything these last couple of weeks that a discerning reader had not already picked up on long ago. IMHO. Keep up the good work.
I recognize a part of me that Bonnie’s writing reveals, as well as a part of me revealed in yours. It was valuable hearing these internal parts of mine reach out to each other in a new medium. . . they’ve known each other for so long. I like the slow, organic way your response unfolded. If Bonnie does peek back, curious, l’chaim! The “cur-” leads over to “cure” and to “care”.
🙂
Keep up the good work and the good fight.
Thank you Jon Katz for ALL your wonderful writing and topics. I have read all your Bedlam Farm books with joy along with somber acceptance when we loose a beloved animal. You helped me and many others to accept loss without blame and pity. You are a great writer no matter the topic. Thank you, Maria and the animals for sharing your life and thoughts from Bedlam Farm!
Hi Jon,
Having enjoyed your books for years, I only recently discovered this blog and I wish I’d found it sooner…. it’s now my go-to place for a daily shot of heartfelt honesty. We’ll take the good Katz days and the not-so-good too. Your blog, your views, your rules. ? You, Maria and all the farm ‘kids’ bring us all much needed light. Thank you from BC, Canada! ?
Jon, keep on being true to yourself. I have shared some of your recent posts when, although I’ve been reading your blog for years, I had never felt inclined to share some of your posts until now. That’s saying a lot because my moto is no politics, no religion on my personal page. You were a political reporter way back when and I’m glad you’re occasionally revisiting l. I LOVE your podcasts and love now getting to know you both better. (BTW I like Simon’s bray at the beginning) I read Maria’s blog, too and have a bunch of her potholders. Reading your blogs is my reward after my day’s work is done!
Jon….Just curious, are you planning to also post the negative comments besides Bonnie’s?
Sure, Sally, would you like to be the first? I know you love to be out front with nastiness, go to it..Maybe Bonnie will inspire you to go read somebody you like…she was brave and honest…
Hi Jon,
I only discovered your blog last week, Confessions of an Elitist. It spoke to me as I grew up as a liberal. I, too, lived in Montclair, NJ for 25 years. My sister moved to Florida years ago and somehow became a huge fan of Trump. So, what you wrote peaked my interest and I discovered a very talented writer in you. I even enjoyed this post, particularly as I strongly believe in the concept of “you, be you,”
Thank you for being added to my collection of inspiring writers. I wonder if you follow Dan Rather?
Bonnie’s “goodbye” strikes me as being very sappy and quite disingenuous. (The word martyr comes to my mind). Here is the point: the blog is an avenue for you, Jon, to express yourself. It is a conduit for you to share a day or moment in your life. Your free, donation-only blog does not exist merely to please others or to provide their daily dose of existential peace. Since you are a living, breathing American you are going to have thoughts on a wide variety of topics- including pandemics and politicians. Any thought you have in your brain merits mention in your blog. Birds have to sing and writers have to write. I applaud your decision to write freely, openly, and honestly about your life; I thank you for sharing it with me. And, I thank you for writing about more than your wonderful animals because that would become boring very quickly and then I would be looking elsewhere for a daily blog to follow.
Jon,
I, too, only discovered your blog a week ago. I love the mix of animals and thoughtful, challenging prose.
I keep sending your articles to friends and family. Please keep pushing us all to think and react to what is going on in the world.
Only, in that way, can we make the world a better place.
PS. Is there an easy way to start at your first entry (in whatever year that was) on the Bedlam Farm Blog. I would like to “catch up” with your life, your animals and your thoughts.
I wouldn’t wish that on anyone Peter, there have been 24,000 posts…We’re not going to be at home that long, thanks for the good words..
Jon, I enjoy your writing. I know you say it as you see it. It’s a gift to read you, see your wonderful photos, life with your beautiful Maria, all of it. I would never judge you. We all have our own beliefs. A lion doesn’t care about the opinions of sheep. I look forward to your next writing.
I cannot understand why some people can’t start to read something and think, “Oh this is not for me, I’ll just skip this one.” Instead they want to gather up all their toys and go home. It is too bad people can’t just agree to disagree any more.
Hi Jon, I like your feisty honesty. Keep it going.
Thanks Joanne, its liberating to have no secrets..authenticity is the key I believe..
Jon, when I am not interested in something you’ve written, I just scroll on to your next post! 🙂 You’ve always been transparent about your blog – why you write it, how it will evolve, why it has evolved. I have learned that me being OK in this world doesn’t rely on anyone else – how they act, what they say. I don’t have to like what anyone says, does or believes; I must accept them as they are. That is how I find peace. I love your blog and will continue to!
Nice, Karla, thank you…you are wise..
I read your response to Bonnie with interest. You have been absolutely honest to write about politics at this time. Our recent political experience and now this coronavirus virus have come to threaten our very existence as Americans. We all need to speak out. We are politics in a sense. Politics is about how we run our communities and nation state. The Founding Fathers were politicians.
Your comments, Jon, were reasonable, balanced and an honest attempt to be non-partisan as I see it. You were not acting as a screaming talking head that we often see on cable news.
I came to writing as a profession late in life. The opportunity presented itself when I was 62 yrs old (I’ll be 70 this year). After having been a married, stay-at-home wife & mom for almost 25 years the man I’d been married to since we were teenagers went searching for greener pastures. I ended up in the corporate world for the next 22 years and then 3 years ago, I was given the chance to write a book. Long story short and 11 published books later, I am now ‘retired’ and writing full-time and doing some freelance writing for the local newspaper. When I launched my writing career, I was advised by a NYC publicist to never put anything controversial (religious, political, etc) on social media and that made sense. I’ve stuck to that edict on my public figure pages until just recently, but I can no longer sit quietly while our country and the world around us crumbles. I totally understand your position and appreciate you expressing your thoughts in this way! If we don’t speak up, we have no license to speak out when the worst comes to pass.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You put into words the things I think and feel, but am unable to put into words.
What is live without honest and respectful communication?
I call people like Bonnie “gentle bullies”. They want people to conform to their view of things and be what they want and won’t just silently bow out if that doesn’t happen. They have to let you know that it’s your fault for not being true to their perception and that if they can’t control you then you are at fault. It’s not her fault, it’s yours. I’ve counseled people like that and I’m sure they are quite lonely but don’t have the insight or will power to change.
I’ve followed you since the beginning and have seen your evolution into a self-assured man who has found his voice and a purpose in life and acts on it. It has been wonderful to follow that and I hope you continue. I believe you will and I will continue to thoroughly enjoy following your journey. Keep it up! Your honesty is refreshing and I cherish it. Thank you!
Thank you, Tracy..
I have been neglecting my art blog ever since all this started. I don’t feel right just posting my art as though it is business as usual. I want to write more politically inspired posts but I am leaving up to writers like you who are much better at it than I am. Keep it up. We need your writing now more than ever.
Today was the first time I’ve read anything you’ve written (I think). I was very pleased with Cuomo’s discussion today. I found great truth in what you said and what I couldn’t really put my finger on. You are absolutely right and you hit the nail right on the head. I hope people read your article, think about it, and realize this is the world we live in right now. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am terrified and it has not much to do with the virus. It’s him.
I grew up in a home that rarely discussed politics. My father was the Business Administrator for the township I lived in. His was a Civil Service position so his employ was not at the whim of the current elected political party. Both my father & mother voted as independent so, as they explained, the could choose the “best person” they thought could run the Township..they never told us who the voted for.
My father had to effectively work with whoever had been elected. He worked well with some of both parties, and not so well with some of both parties. His focus was ALWAYS on what was best for the residents of the township and was not afraid to express his opinion. He held the position of Business Administrator for many years and retired as a very respected member of the community by the community and both political parties.
I’ve used this preface as an explanation of why, as a non political person, I admired your two posts that had decidedly political themes. Let me also tell you that this is the first time I’ve ready ANY of your journal posts. The first was forwarded to me by a friend, this second one I’ve come upon because I’ve chosen to follow your writings..
You have, in these two musings, simply stated the obvious. You pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of two powerful leaders and left us to our own devices. We alone have the power to choose. Thank you for your observations. I appreciated it my non political way..