Ripe for the Try-Works

We all have those teachers who, when we look back on our schooling, we can say helped us find ourselves along the way to becoming an adult. Hopefully. I’ve had a few in those crucial years in high school and at university. And we all have those books we can look back to as formative. Hopefully. Watership Down, Lord of the Flies, Crime and Punishment, Slaughterhouse Five. You know, the hits.

In an English Lit class in college, professor George Wolf had my number during our reading of Moby Dick. We kept a journal why we were reading that massive piece of literary greatness. In one of my journal entries, midway through the book, Professor Wolf scribbled in the margins, “you’re a ripe one for the try-works.” It was a response to some sort of emotional reaction I was having to the text. And I had no idea what he was talking about.

Then, one afternoon while I was plowing through a reading assignment on the front porch, just trying to get this beast of a book done. Because let’s be honest, Moby Dick can be a bit much at times. Anyway, I’m reading at a good pace and finish this chapter that really resonates with me. Speaks to my soul. I look back at the chapter title: “The Try-Works.”

The artificial fire versus the burning of the natural sun. Catching a glimpse into the madness and ghastliness of others. Consumed in smoke... Look not too long in the face of the fire, O man! The sun hides not the ocean, all is indeed vanity. “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain” (i.e. even while living) “in the congregation of the dead.” Don’t give up to the fire, or it will deaden thee. 

Take that for what it’s worth. I mean, it’s Melville, after all. I was into it, especially since a good chunk of that book is pretty dry. I heard he got paid by the word. Which makes sense to me.

On Communication

I heard this last week. During a presentation by Martinrex Kedziora, superintendent of Moreno Valley Unified School District, at the BARR Center annual conference. I can’t stop thinking about it:

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

I mean, I went through a journalism college. At a university. I took advertising classes about frequency and all that. But still. It really shook me. I can see it changing how I go through my day-to-day. Better lose my illusion. For real.

We need to stop busying ourselves

The iPhone I have is a 6 something. It’s older than what’s available and because of that I guess it’s been slowed down by Apple. And actually, I’m more than okay with this. Over the winter, with some success, some failure, I’ve tried to cut back on my iPhone usage. The slowness has helped me because the user experience is mildly slower than it used to be.  I was thinking the other day of what life was like before constantly being connected, which began for me in 2010. Before then, no smart phone needed, I got along just fine. 

After work I could just sit on the porch with a book or magazine and just focus. In between chapters or articles, I’d just stare off into the sky. Then I’d return to reading. There was no checking in on things to see if I’d missed something. No scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Because there was no busying myself with what’s happening in the world, I did miss stuff. Didn’t hear about the latest this or that. And what may sound completely shocking, life didn’t end.

Instead, life went on. There was the intentional doing of nothing. Because why do you have to be doing something all the time any way? This coming from a person who is very concerned with being productive. But if you think about it, is scrolling and scrolling and scrolling really productive? Maybe if you’re a journalist. If you’re like me, probably not. 

The other night I found myself sitting alone in my office. In the dark, just listening to music. Mind wandering this way and that. I suppose I was just killing time. But it felt quite liberating. Just sitting, thinking, my eyes not tracking any feed whatsoever. Anxiety low, breathing steady, outlook optimistic.

We’d all benefit from more of this. Your feeds will be there in the morning.

Engaged, Informed Citizenry

When consuming media, any and all forms, from social to television to print to radio and podcast, we need to approach that task as if we were an important member of an engaged, informed citizenry. Because we need to be. We are citizens, not consumers. We need to bring our knowledge, critical thinking, and thoughtfulness to the media ecosystem so we can make sense of our past and present in the hopes we’re able to set a trajectory for the future that is firmly based in reality. 

Hibernating

In a cold winter Nebraska, full of below zero temps, freezing rain, blustery winds, and snowy snow, it was easy to hibernate. It was easy to get tired of trudging through the muck and the grime as one snow blast melted away right before another pounded down. Tired of layering up to go into the office, tired of the wind making your face hurt, tired of almost falling on an icy sidewalk. So yeah, I have no qualms with having been a hermit for most of the winter, fireside. Not working too hard, not pushing it, not go-go-go. As the winter appears to be letting up, maybe you’ll see me around more. And maybe not, who knows.

Trying to see the future

Mired in this shit, it can feel hopeless. Falling back on tired ways of feeling cynical, scared, and at a loss. Beaten down, pushed aside, silenced. These American days are full of division, hate, suspicion, weakness, fear, lies, and what leads to a base level impulse to want to build a wall. A wall to keep out others. A wall to hold tight to our small view of the world. But this, at some point, has to stop. Doesn’t it? How far into the future do we have to look? How far can we see? When do we get there? When is it realized? 

Sonic Youth

“People see rock and roll as, as youth culture, and when youth culture becomes monopolised by big business, what are the youth to do? Do you, do you have any idea? I think we should destroy the bogus capitalist process that is destroying youth culture.”

– Thurston Moore, 1991: The Year Punk Broke