As Boring as Life

[robertanasi]

Somewhere Borges said, 'There are pages in Proust almost as boring as life.' I thought of that just now as I was doing the incredibly boring work of reducing primary research to sentences on a page. There is nothing more boring than turning journal notes, transcripts, and ideas into that first step toward a first draft. It feels like I'm gnawing on

Comments

Re: It's all good

[steveboxer]

Yep, and if you don't do it, the rest of us won't have it. That's not an entirely original insight; I've read a variation of it stated by Shakti Gawain, in her book, The Path of Transformation: How Healing Ourselves Can Change the World, in which she quotes Martha Graham:
"There is vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium...the world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."
In Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn makes a similar point as he recounts the story of R. Buckminster Fuller who, on the brink of suicide, found a purpose and meaning for his life at the shore of Lake Michigan by pondering what unique thing he could offer to the world--something he knew something about and, but for his efforts, the world would not have.

Finally, Steven Pressman's book, The War of Art: Break Through the Block and Win Your Creative Battles, wrestles with similar, though not identical, issues as Pressman discusses what he calls "resistance"--a force that's complementary to our dreams and desires, but in opposition to them. Pressman calls resistance an enemy. I, on the other hand, consider it a friend and helpful ally who gives me that extra push to keep going, even when my only remaining motivation is to prevent resistance from beating me.

Re: It's all good

[robertanasi]

Steve, I like the insights there. I agree with you about resistance: if I'm not feeling it, than something must be wrong. Order is wrested from chaos.