Notes From an Amateur Writer #23
The challenge has ended by the writing shall continue.
IT IS SOMETIMES AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO REALITY TO GO INSANE
The world is made up of groups. They are everywhere. They run the world, and control our steps toward knowledge. They even oversee our spiritual nurturing and nourishment. And yet I can't help but wonder if groups are in fact a reflection of humanity's insanities. That groups are insane.
I look out and see people. I see individuals. They are real to me. I may not like everyone one of them that I meet but at least I have reasonable confidence that there is someone there, a soul or some spark of consciousness.
Groups are made up of these individual sparks. Constructed out of and built on top of these individual elements. But they have no soul in and of themselves. There is no individual consciousness inherent in a group. They sap out of the energy of the individuals and utilise that for the group dynamic. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But, to me at least, it usually turns out that way.
I have started writing a story that seems to be exploring this theme. Slowly building to a point where the protagonist realises that the people he sees around him and appear to be individuals are in fact just projected beams of group consciousness. Drones, or Borgs, if you like. And as with most groups, there is someone who sits at the apex of this. Where my story seems to be going is in asking the question who does this serve? When I have looked at this dynamic I have always assumed it served the leaders, the masters in the slave-master dynamic. But as with all things in life perhaps it's not always so black and white.
Who knows, I guess I will see how the story unfolds, and what subconscious ideas flow out as I write it. I wrote out over 2500 words so far, and I'm liking what I see. I will finish the story over the next week and tidy it up and get it edited by the MSP Fiction Workshop before publishing. I'm trying to step up the intent of my writing and take it the next level, if you like. Write more – yes, doing that. Write better – working on that, but having it judged by more of my peers will be a test.
Lessons From the Great PKD
I am rereading Valis by Philip K Dick. It has reacquainted me with one of my favourite quotes from any author:
"...it is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."
I believe that this is due to the fact that the reality we perceive around us, the one we experience on a daily basis has been swayed too far to the side of the group, to the detriment of the individual. And in the case of the individual going insane, as traumatic an experience as it is, it paradoxically is a healthy respsonse given the unhealthy nature of our reality. Certainly not ideal, and best to be avoided, by all means. But understandable.
Sometimes I feel that my life has been a lesson in how to stay sane despite all the groups and mass consciousness vying for my heart, for my soul, for my very essence.
And from Krishnamurti:
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
I think this quote reinforces this very notion. The individual wants to be themselves. To be free to express themselves, but even more than that. At a deeper level they seem to crave that connection from themselves – as themselves – to Life itself. And here I sense the irony, but perhaps also the ultimate ruse. 'Life' is a psuedo group dynamic. Consciousness itself, whatever it is that gives us our breath. It seeks neither to control or subjugate, but to enhance. We humans have concocted a quasi Life dynamic, a quasi goup consciousness. A breeding ground for control. Politics, religions, even in rare instances with families.
These energies influence a lot of what I write about. It is influencing what I am currently exploring with my latest story. I hope I can do it justice.
All images used with permission, and sourced from Unsplash.com.
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@naquoya
Short Fiction:
Bang Bang You're Dead
I Have No Name and I Must Scream
The Last Book Store
The Judge
The Man In The Mirror
The End of the World [Part 1] [Part 2]
The Locked Room
The Gods of Love and War [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]
Notes From an Amateur Writer blog series:
Notes From an Amateur Writer #1 - The Search For Inspiration
Notes From an Amateur Writer #2 - A Call to Action: Interacting With the World Outside of Me
Notes From an Amateur Writer #3 - Facing the Challenge
Notes From an Amateur Writer #4 - The Soundtrack to Grief and Loss
Notes From an Amateur Writer #5 - Music as a Catalyst for Imagination: Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing
Notes From an Amateur Writer #6 - The Stories All Around Us
Notes From an Amateur Writer #7 - Introducing Nomad [A Cyberpunk Mystery in the Making]
Notes From an Amateur Writer #8 - The House at the Edge of the World
Notes From an Amateur Writer #9 - Making Peace With My Kindle
Notes From an Amateur Writer #10 - Learning the Craft of Story Structure
Notes From an Amateur Writer #11 - Adults Sit at the Big Table, Children Sit at the Small Table
Notes From an Amateur Writer #12 - The Time I Won a Lego Competition
Notes From an Amateur Writer #13 - Learning to Fly
Notes From an Amateur Writer #14 - The Tucker 48: Face to Face With a Million Dollar Vehicle
Notes From an Amateur Writer #15 - When the Levee Breaks: A Story in Song and Words
Notes From an Amateur Writer #16 - Monty Python, Keanu Reeves, and My Case of Invisibility
Notes From an Amateur Writer #17 - Dancing With My Muse
Notes From an Amateur Writer #18 - Facing the Challenge Part 2
Notes From an Amateur Writer #19 - Telling Stories
Notes From an Amateur Writer #20 - Life Is Like a Box of Crazy
Notes From an Amateur Writer #21 - Writing Myself Out of Existence
Notes From an Amateur Writer #22 - The Finish Line Becomes the Next Starting Line