What to write about? How does one choose out of everything?


River, sunflower, pneumonia, panther, Jerusalem, fractal, 1967, marzipan, semicircle.


What would a graph look like that compared their respective rates of growth and decay? What determines growth and decay? Does everything grow and decay? Does anything grow or decay? 


“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere, and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.” -Hermann Hesse

 

I have started classes for the fall semester- archery, film production, and music fundamentals. They are perfectly complementary- my frame of thinking never shifts from class to class. I shoot arrows, I shoot films, I notate music- what's the difference? They tell me I'm supposed to find one that I prefer over the others, which is unfortunate, but it's not forever.

Preference, preference, preference. The poisonous obligation of modern times. A wretched word, preference. I advise whoever is reading this to use the word preference as little as possible, only when it is required of you. Don't have a preference. Don't compromise yourself to liking just just one thing best of all- one flower,  one career,  one song. Your favorite. 

Why aren't they all favorites? What is this identity we are creating for ourselves? You're just a sunflower. A semicircle. 1967. You're everything and anything, you're things that don't exist and things that once existed, big huge things, microscopic things, water, sound, light, memory, evolution, apples.

It is important to be a force, an enigma, a flash of light. Make unintelligable sounds, color an entire piece of paper one color, or three colors. Pour water on your head when you're feeling hot. Make a map. Fall on the floor. Exercise your innate and astonishing capabilities, at any age and in any circumstance.

But sadly, these are just words. A stifling limitation indeed. Perhaps it would be better if you just sat on the sidewalk outside for a bit and thought about the purpose of sunflowers, why they exist and what we use them for, and then made that purpose your purpose, letting every decision you make comply with the mission statement of sunflowers. I think that would be a nice change for everyone.