Friday, October 28, 2005
Concepts of color
I have always wondered if everybody saw the same colors. We think we do, but do we really? I might see blue and call it blue, but what you call blue might actually be green to me if I saw the world through your eyes. That’s probably not the way it is, but the concept has always fascinated me. It’s not like it really matters either, but it is fun to think about. Maybe we all see things differently.
Keep it Short
For some strange reason, Anne Lamott decided to write an entire chapter on the fact that she uses index cards. I think that the most intriguing thing about this reading is not the reason why she uses the index cards, but rather the fact that she could take that reason and miraculously turn it into a twelve page paper. The entire article could probably be summed up in one simple sentence that reads like this: I use index cards so I can remember things that I would usually forget.” But I suppose that is why she is the professional writer and I am not. The concept behind index cards is to be simple. It is ironic that she is taking a tool whose purpose is to simplify, and turning it into an elaborate writing.
Give yourself a break!
Perhaps like me, you grew up with the long-standing adage: “Patience is a virtue.” Maybe you have heard it so many times that it has lost its meaning or better still, you are waiting for its truth to manifest itself in your life. Here’s some good news, you are not alone. Henri Nouwen puts words to a well-known fact: “Waiting is not a very popular attitude.” Although common knowledge, the reasons for this phenomenon are less clear-cut. Why is it that we find waiting such a painful thing to do? Nouwen provides a very insightful answer: a time conscious culture. “Time is money” is yet another saying beat into children from an early age. The expectation is that every hour of the day is to be filled with meaningful activity—eating, sleeping and other necessities occupying just enough time to leave the rest of day to other required duties. Clearly in this carefully planned scheme, sitting around doing nothing is equal to throwing time to the wind. More than just a waste of time, Nouwen provides another explanation for this pervasive dread of waiting—fear. According to him, “people are afraid…of inner feelings, afraid of other people and also afraid of the future.”—the things which waiting draws attention to. This is certainly an interesting suggestion which I would not have considered right away. An interesting suggestion, I would not have readily considered this option. Clearly, in a day occupied with constant activity, there is no room for those ugly inner feelings, long exposure to the foul moods of a colleague or class mate or even the uncertainties of the future. It is no surprise then, that people don’t like waiting.
The power of the bulge in my back pocket (or lack thereof if I fold it lengthwise)
Anne Lamott believes in lists and in taking notes, and she believes in using index cards to do both. She stores pens and index cards all over her house so that if she ever needs one, it will be available. She even carries one with her when she takes her dog for a walk. If she has an idea or sees anything worth remembering, she can whip out her trusty index card and record a few words that will remind her of that moment. She explains that one of the worst feelings she can think of is to forget that moment.