101 Drafts
Unlimited Ideas - Finite Fingers
Question Your Data : Inquire Unto Yourself
When you’re reading how much information do you retain?
When you type how much information do you convey?
What forms of communication do you prefer?
What are the different rates of information sharing for those forms?
I’ve periodically been obsessed with the forms of multimedia and their rates of data upload and download to my mind and between my mind and another.
This lead me to make a video long ago based on a comic book by Scott McCloud where he does a wonderful job of tackling certain elements of Media and Human Communication.
Resolution and Form
I aspire to increase the resolution and depth of my communication beyond text typing/writing more regularly. However, writing is, and always will be a solid foundation for all media creation.
Speaking gets me a lot farther a lot faster, but often includes excessive details and lack of structure, requiring more editing. I have 101 Drafts, some transcribed, some edited, some missing research, examples, citations, or turned out to be too complex to complete in the timeframe available.
Further still, and weirdly enough, writing can become “too dense” requiring multiple re-reads(video and audio can also have this challenge). This is where images begin to become important, a lot of information can be encoded into images. I would consider research papers to be in the “Extraordinarily Dense” category. Many classical novels also fall into this category, they can be read over and over almost always more left to learn.
I like to think that my next step will be to interlink my writing with comic like images. Sometimes called infographics, or memes.
From there I will aim to generate audio and video to further accompany my communication. One challenge we are all now facing, is the intensity, and addicting functions of modern media. I struggle with choosing how much and what information amounts to “reasonable” consumption.
SuperNormal Stimuli
These ever evolving medias have been called supernormal stimuli by Stuart McMillen. This writing is itself another media seeking to maintain your attention.
I do this to encourage you to find your purpose, by questioning everything. I do not like the status quo. Neither should you. The future is as bright as we build it, it’s our purpose to build a stairway to Heaven(or Nirvana)[or Satori].
Purpose, Meaning, Struggle
We do this because without a meaningful struggle we collapse. Maybe you’ve considered your pets lucky, to be taken care of, home provided, food, water, walks. I certainly think they are, maybe you think you wouldn't mind having that life.
There is a thought experiment which I find to help when I feel bleak. It is from a lecture by Alan Watts and a story build into a ski movie called: “Days of my Youth”
Let's suppose that you were able every night to dream any dream you wanted to dream.
And you would naturally, as you began on this adventure of dreams, you would fulfill all your wishes.
You would have every kind of pleasure, you see.
And after several nights, you would say, well, that's pretty great.
But now..
let's have a surprise
Let's have a dream that isn’t under control, where I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, that I don't know what it's going to be.
Then, you would get more and more adventurous, and you would make further and further out gambles as to what you would dream.
Finally, you would dream… where you are now.
If you awaken from this illusion, that you’ understand that black implies white, self implies other, life implies death.
You can feel yourself, not as a stranger, not as something here on probation, not as something that has arrived here by fluke
You can begin to feel your own existence as absolutely fundamental…
What you are, basically, deep, deep down, far, far deep, is simply the fabric and structure of existence itself.
-Alan Watts
My favorite advice of all time came from a nurse while I was in the hospital helping my wife give birth to our daughter. She said “EVERYTHING, is a phase” I think that encapsulates everything you might every need to realize.
Scale of Existence
My intent is to broaden your thinking, increase your awareness of yourself in aims of improving yourself. In one of my earlier writing attempts, the meaning behind the title has stuck to the recesses of my mind:
“We Who Climb the Heliosphere”
This statement is a cosmic level abstraction of the combinatory despair and opportunism which I aspire to embody. Climbing Stairs is Energy Intensive, but the only way to increase one’s capabilities is to regularly push the limits of one’s muscles and skills often simultaneously. There is more reward than can be imagined, for those who do not shy away from self sacrifice consistently stepping towards their highest aim.
I’ve found that because I do not have audience feedback, nor do I quite know enough about my readers to create what the sales and marketers call a “customer avatar” I end up talking to my past and present self. I do encourage you to share and comment on my writing so I may improve my content.
Remember, “EVERYTHING, is a phase” There is light where you take the responsibility upon yourself to MAKE it what you will.
Tempest Tossed Souls
Wherever Ye may, be under whatsoever conditions Ye may live
Know This
On the ocean of life, the isles of blessedness are smiling
the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming
keep your hands firmly upon the helm of thought
in the bark of your soul reclines the commanding master
he does but sleep
wake him
self control is strength
thought is mastery
calmness is power
say unto your heart
PEACE, be still…
-James Allan
I see you’ve made it to the end!
Thanks for Reading!
I left a little GIFT pdf for you.
It is a modified transcript of the “Life’s too Short” Video you can download for free to provide scope and scale during tempests in your life.
