Funny Harm is a book structured around a discovered archive belonging to an estranged grandfather. The unearthed trove contained photographs, artifacts, sketches, and notes on how to maximize human potential. Scripts focused on steps of becoming or states of being organized many items.
Funny Harm documents what was found, but a puzzle remains, “what happened?” Early readings have encompassed a range of theories, of the man, his methods, and the mission.
The camp’s purpose was to maximize human potential and free the world of human suffering. This purpose was to be achieved through people realizing “strength through vulnerability”, which incorporated therapeutic practices, including ‘tear down’, ‘ripping the face’ and ‘radical ribbing’.
We need radical ribbing more than ever as we live in a world that is full of uncertainty and stress. We are constantly bombarded with terrible news and crisis. It can be hard to keep our spirits up in the face of all this negativity. Radical ribbing helps us to forget our troubles. Radical ribbing creates laughter when there is nothing to laugh about. Radical ribbing helps show the world in a different, more positive light. Yet radical ribbing, on its own, is superficial and does little to help us overcome the limits of modern living. No. Let us go further and embrace a tear down. Let us be ridiculous and make mistakes. Let us laugh at ourselves and feel our feelings. Let us transgress and question our values, morals, and beliefs. Let us get deep, and deeply uncomfortable.
The practices were guided by three key concepts, which can be viewed as the stages of freeing people from suffering and maximizing human potential: Wear your mask; What thou wilt; We bury secrets.
During development of the project, I became accustomed to Reuben’s erratic and elusive collaboration. I had no idea when I would receive his eclectic assortment of archival materials. Information was also scant. I pressed for details. I got little. Even basics like place and time eluded me. I still don’t know when or where any of the events took place. I resigned myself to working and reworking a narrative based on the drip, drip, drip of documentation.
Sit in silence.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
We get uncomfortable.
They will know when.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
They scream.
Loud and long.
You will know when.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
We get comfortable.
Tear. Them. Down.
Shout. Speak. Scorn.
Stand in silence.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
I shared a draft with a close circle of confidants. I realized very quickly that I had become normalized to the material. I heard an array of conclusions. None of them good. During our collaboration, I was keen to know more from him, but I never pressed too firmly. I didn’t want him to cease communication, nor did I feel strongly enough to know more. The mystery of the project was its charm. Now, pressed by the questions and conclusions of others, I felt a need to know the truth. However, despite my insistence and persistence, I was told no more. Reuben cut off all communication.