To leave a record behind. One person’s manifesto, another a scramble to decode. Little crumbs to build entire new worlds with, or to trample and scatter beneath our thoughtless plodding feet. The world will be ok whether I’m in it or not. Our collective guilt is relieved only by caring, by our devotion. This is the God question.
Category: Writing
Idealism
“A fire, a soaring, a readiness to build, and a conscious utopianism that does not shrink from reality but sees it as a project, something yet to be invented – the unawakened intentions of God.”
The Man Without Qualities
“The sense of possibility could be defined outright as the ability to conceive of everything there might (otherwise) be, and to attach no more importance to what is than to what is not.”
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Alternative ending: Harold gets lonely, decides to draw a friend. Harold sneezes and the mouth turns into a scowl and the eyes are narrow and shifty. The friend turns into a thief and steals the crayon. Harold pursues the thief. Thief draws an open door then covers it with locks to escape. Harold unlocks the doors and corners the thief along a back alley wall. The thief draws a sanitary sewer drain then manages to slide through twisting purplish tunnels. Finally, Harold notices feint purple footsteps left by the thief near a wastewater treatment plant. Harold swipes the crayon when the thief isn’t looking. He draws a quick balloon filled with blue soot and drops it on the thief’s head from a hastily drawn ladder. The thief’s head is saturated in blue crayon. Harold quickly re-draws the mouth into a friendly smile, and the eyes into a warm and welcoming demeanor. The two smile, shake hands in an emphatic manner, Harold snaps his crayon in half and hands his new friend a crayon. The two end up up happily tracing a field where they frolic and play and let their imagination go wild.
G.O.A.T.
LeBron. All time top scorer, minutes played, top 4 in assists, top 10 in steals and defensive rebounds. 4 championships with three different teams, 10 NBA finals (10 conference championships), 8 consecutive. 4 MPVs. Unmatched longevity combined with high-level performance. Durable, versatile, game altering speed, power, size, control. Greatest comeback 3-1 NBA finals win against the till then BTOT before LeBron did MJ a favor and handed the title back to the 72 win Bulls. Always reinventing himself picked up a nice 3-Point shot. Peak LeBron most dominant player on both sides of the ball, combination of physical prowess, height, length unmatched, incredible passing skills. Simply the G.O.A.T. and it’s really not close. I love MJ, but his shortened career is a big knock (from time off and rapid deterioration of physical skills a la the Wizards). A fifth championship would be icing on the cake. Plays on same team with his son would be eating the cake.
Small Things
“Small things seem like nothing. But they bring peace.” – Diary of a Country Priest.
That Little Dance
We diminish with age only if we remain rooted in the past.
Godard Guidelines
“To have a conscience is to be open to the world.”
“To be faithful is to act as if time doesn’t exist.”
What is art?
“Art is what gives humanity to forms.” – Godard.
Fleeting Gems
One should feel no urge or compulsion to write about anything in particular. One should just move, that is, rearrange words, craft and shape sentences, paragraphs, punctuation, follow the flow of grammar. Life isn’t about anything. It is about experience. So experience the movement of writing. What is this about? The very act of writing solves the puzzle. The gems may be there, but you have to put in the work, dig through the soil. Some priceless, some worthless, but always worthwhile. No act is in vain because there is no teleology at the end of writing. What is life about? The living and doing. Reflection is also doing. Either write or don’t write, that is the only choice we have.
The Hack 