I N M E M O R I A M Ben Linder. 27 years old. Wears glasses, work shirt, blue jeans, climbing boots. Has wispy beard. B Y ROB SULLIVAN ILLUSTRATION BT STEPHEN LEFLAR 5119 El 19 EN : Electricity. H y d ro electricity. T h e beau ty o f th a t . Taking w a te r and tran s fo rm ing it, gene ra tin g pow e r , g e n e r a t in g l igh t . To take da rkness and give i t l igh t . T h a t was m y dream . You have to see it w ith me: vast be lts o f d a rk land , th e m o u n ta in s o f C e n t r a l A m e r i c a —N i c a r a g u a , n o r th o f M a taga lpa , to be exact. Th is darkness had always been th e re —since the m oun ta ins were b o rn , since th e very b i r th o f this p lane t. And you’re sitting th e re and i t’s n igh t- tim e and th e re ’s darkness. A nd eve ry th ing ’s ready, ju s t waiting to be linked up . So you th row the sw itch and then eve ry th ing ’s connec ted and you look ou t in to the darkness and th e re ’s light. L igh t w h e re the re never - was ligh t before . Power w h e re th e re never was power before . To me, it was like I was c rea ting som e th in g . . . like th e cables and w ires and switches and plugs were keys on this huge da rk musical in s trum en t, and th e n w h en I connec ted eve ry th ing toge the r, it all lit up and s ta r ted to play. T h e no tes m igh t be a ligh t in a k itchen , th e w h ine o f a buzz saw, the tick ing o f a hea te r on a cold n igh t. And unde rn ea th it all, the con s tan t bass h um o f th e generator. I t was like I cou ld th row a sw itch and this w ho le o rch e s tra would s ta r t playing. C onnec ting , like music. ‘Cause th a t ’s w h a t electric ity really is, basically: connec tion . You m ake a connec tion be tw een w a te r and power and you get ligh t. These peop le had never had ligh t before, never had p ow e r—these peop le , o f N ica ragua . A nd th a t I m ade this connec tion w ith them , th a t was p re t ty am az ing too —th a t this kid f rom P o r tland, this guy Ben jam in Linder, would connec t to these peop le in th e m oun ta ins o f C en tra l Am eric a—th a t ’s one am az ing connec tion r ig h t there . T h a t ’s a fo rm o f e lec tr ic ity—peop le connec ting , link ing up , tran s fo rm ing th ings , gene ra ting ligh t and power, power and light. Connec tion , it’s a risk. Any connec tion . Two wires m igh t tou ch o f f and blow. Two peop le m ee t, they m igh t end up h a ting each o ther. Same th ing w ith coun tries , r igh t . They m igh t go to war, blow each o th e r up. T h e re ’s always th a t risk. B u t you never know. You m ig h t h o o k two w ires up and ge t power and ligh t, music. Two peop le can meet, they fall in love and go o f f in to the sunset. And two c o u n tr ie s . . . they m igh t lea rn a little abou t each o t h e r . . . see th a t b o th o f th em have th e ir histories, cu ltures , revolutions. C onnec tions are always a risk. You have to see it w ith me: vast belts o f da rk land, the m oun ta ins o f C en tra l Am erica —N icaragua , n o r th o f Matagalpa , to be exact. You th row a sw itch and th en eve ry th ing ’s connec ted and you look ou t in to the darkness and th e re ’s ligh t. L ight w he re th e re never was ligh t before. Power w he re the re never was power. T h e beau ty o f tha t. To take darkness and give it ligh t. T h a t was my dream . Writer Rob Sullivan lives in Los Angeles. This is his first story in CSQ. Artist Stephen Leflar lives in Portland. His work shows regularly at Inkling Studio. GHB ■ . Since his untimely death in April, Benjamin Linder has become a powerful force. A Portland native who attended the University o f Washington, he strongly represents the spirit o f the Pacific Northwest. Members o f his family have toured the U.S. and abroad speaking out against the Reagan government’s involvement in Nicaragua. The Conference in the Spirit o f Ben Linder, held this fall in Portland, drew some 1500 enthusiastic participants from throughout the West. A Benjamin Linder Construction Brigade is now making plans to leave this January for Nicaragua, He will continue to be an inspiration to us all. Donations to carry his work forward are gratefully received by The Benjamin Linder Memorial Fund, 3558 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR 97214. St. -W inter, 1987 25
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz