Today I embarked on a new journey. One that is likely to lead me to new places, new forms of consciousness and hopefully a new understanding of self, though where exactly this journey might lead I will not know, well at least not for another 1,000 pages.
Yes today, after having it in my possession for almost one year, I finally cracked open the incredibly formidable Infinite Jest, the literary masterpiece by the late David Foster Wallace. Last summer, after a number of consequential coincidences, I decided it was time to purchase this book. As an employee of the corporate book monster Chapters (Indigo) at the time, it also seemed like a ripe moment to cash in on the employee discount and purchase something that might one day lend itself to challenging my mind in ways that The Shopaholic Series couldn't hope to comprehend.
Today was the day, and like other moments in life where the threads are all woven together in one inevitable direction, I felt an uneasy sense that it was time to see what the genius of DFW was truly capable of.
After being only 27 pages in, it is easy to see that this book is no ordinary book, and as Dave Eggers gracefully explains the the novel's recently scripted forward, the strength of the novel lies in its ability to find balance between that which simplifies the simple mind, and that which twists and turns even the most challenged of minds into the dark tunnels of human imagination, genius and foremost - madness. For Eggers, it appears that Infinite Jest is almost a right of passage - a novel that not only speaks to an age in time, but one that also speaks to an demographic, that of the early to mid twenties which is perhaps the most perplexing of ages to be, especially now in the 21st century.
As I have been many times in the recent past, today I was perplexed by my ability to pin point the exact moment in time that fits the daunting challenge of not only beginning, but finishing this novel. This is why I feel that it is not improper to purchase books that one does not always read right away. There is always a time, a sentiment, a conversion of ideas that seem to magically lift a novel of its shelf and into your hands.
Infinite Jest did not fit on my shelf - instead it has been lying dormant on my floor for many months since I first moved into this apartment. Lying there face up, it has remained quietly waiting for the day I would open it, yet also patiently reminding me - with its vivid colour - that it should not be forgotten. Perhaps the stars in these early summer nights aligned tonight, or perhaps it was the subtle voice of my sub conscious whispering "its time" - whatever the reason, I feel as though today I have begun a journey that will invite in new experiences to shape the direction that my own confused journey on the road of life is taking me.
Returning once again to the weighty acclamations for the book written by Eggers, I am reminded that the journey of life is not simply lived in the physical world, but also in the world of the mind as well. If experiences shape reality, then who is to say that experiences stop with the turn of a page?
The importance of experience - not only in and of itself, but also in its ability to shape the substance, direction and changes of a human being were recently re-illuminated for me by a young and bright mind that I have been fortunate enough to become acquainted with over the past year. This young seventeen year old girl became especially taken with the journey of Sean Aiken, after I shared his experiences as the "one week job guy" with her. Like many recent graduates, Sean experienced the familiar sense of anxiety that one collides with soon after finishing university. However, instead of running away from his angst into the safety of 9-5, Sean decided to do something different and set out to find his passion - one job at a time. This journey to try 52 jobs in 52 weeks not only made for a good experiment, but also for a good story as well and as a result experience was followed by a book and a soon to be released documentary. (details can be found at wwww.oneweekjob.com)
In a recent conversation this bright student of mine suggested that she knew that Sean found what he was looking for, she had figured out his passion. Assuming that she had read the book, I asked her what it was and she replied, that from her own observations (she had not read the book, but merely the website) she was sure that he figured out his passion was not for any one job in particular, but rather for experience.
While this observation may be one student's opinion, I found it to be a monumental reminder of the importance that all experiences - good and bad - play in the formation of our selves, and until we resign ourselves to an existence that isn't expanding, thirsting for change or new experiences, we will never stop growing.
The thought that all experiences add dimension to our being, and further a new layers to our humanity, gives me hope. It gives me hope for the future to which I belong, and hope for the future which I will play a role in creating.
So, it is with this new realization, the insight of young student's bright observation, and a myriad of directive coincidences that I will begin my new experience - the experience of reading Infinite Jest, and what an experience that is likely to be.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
What does the face of humanity look like?
What does the face of humanity look like?
This is the question I am asking myself as I prepare to go forward and write a new chapter in my life. It is also a question that I believe we should all be asking ourselves as humanity itself prepares to face a future full of uncertainties, broken promises, unaccountable corporations and indeterminate governments. This is the question that I want my generation and future generations to ask, for as broken as the world that lies before us may seem, we are the ones who will bend down to mend its cracks.
In times of conflict, the question of humanity faces a daunting answer. This became apparent to me today during a discussion about the war in Afghanistan and the role of the red cross in delivering aid to citizens. Do we, as a country of Canadians, have the obligation to separate the enemy from the innocent when it comes to delivering aid? Or do we, as citizens of this world and members of the human race have the obligation to look past political ties and religious belief into the eyes of humanity in its most raw form? This is a question that I will personally wrestle with as we move forward and one that I do not have the answer to.
All I know at this point is that my generation faces the enormous task of trying to re-define humanity within the globalized framework of the 21st century. The 20th century saw the worst of humanity, many times over, and through that process I imagine that much faith in what our species is capable of was lost. Despite the conflicts that engulf the world today, I have faith that the brighter side of growing up in a globalized world positions the world's youth in a unique place - one that allows us to look back into the recent past, learn from the mistakes and move forward into a more hopeful place for the future. However, despite this sudden faith, I believe that we also face the challenges that come from living in an increasingly radicalized world - one in which reason is often eclipsed by passionate greed and an unstoppable faith in one group's interpretation of a higher power. Evermore, we face the challenge of peeling back the layers of society, religion and culture that often engulf the human being leaving veiled from her true human self, and thus vulnerable to the powers granted by discrimination.
As I prepare to move forward into the murky territory of the unknown future and as I prepare myself for the task of trying to understand who I am in relation to everyone else, I will constantly stop myself and remember to ask "what does the face of humanity look like?" One does not have to look towards the Taliban in Afghanistan or the Oil tycoons in the gulf of Mexico to struggle with the tensions bound up in this question. While these groups have more than enough requirements to fill the categorical definition of human destruction, we need not look further than our own back yards to answer this question.
When is the last time you stopped to have a conversation with your neighborhood homeless man? When is the last time that you stopped to look him in the eye, rather than walking casually by? And when is the last time you felt the tension between guilt, pity and sorrow when you decided to stop?
These are not easy questions to answer - nor is that conversation easy to have. Though on this rainy June day in Calgary I have hope that the sun will come back soon. I also have hope that humanity will remain resilient in the centuries to come. We will remain compassionate towards our fellow man and we will remain determined to create a better future for our children. Better not as in more progressed or more understood, but better in that we live in a world where any one can ask the question What does the face of humanity look like? and confidently answer that humanity looks like all of us, for wherever we came from and wherever we are going we always have the opportunity to reach out and shake our fellow man's hand.
This is the question I am asking myself as I prepare to go forward and write a new chapter in my life. It is also a question that I believe we should all be asking ourselves as humanity itself prepares to face a future full of uncertainties, broken promises, unaccountable corporations and indeterminate governments. This is the question that I want my generation and future generations to ask, for as broken as the world that lies before us may seem, we are the ones who will bend down to mend its cracks.
In times of conflict, the question of humanity faces a daunting answer. This became apparent to me today during a discussion about the war in Afghanistan and the role of the red cross in delivering aid to citizens. Do we, as a country of Canadians, have the obligation to separate the enemy from the innocent when it comes to delivering aid? Or do we, as citizens of this world and members of the human race have the obligation to look past political ties and religious belief into the eyes of humanity in its most raw form? This is a question that I will personally wrestle with as we move forward and one that I do not have the answer to.
All I know at this point is that my generation faces the enormous task of trying to re-define humanity within the globalized framework of the 21st century. The 20th century saw the worst of humanity, many times over, and through that process I imagine that much faith in what our species is capable of was lost. Despite the conflicts that engulf the world today, I have faith that the brighter side of growing up in a globalized world positions the world's youth in a unique place - one that allows us to look back into the recent past, learn from the mistakes and move forward into a more hopeful place for the future. However, despite this sudden faith, I believe that we also face the challenges that come from living in an increasingly radicalized world - one in which reason is often eclipsed by passionate greed and an unstoppable faith in one group's interpretation of a higher power. Evermore, we face the challenge of peeling back the layers of society, religion and culture that often engulf the human being leaving veiled from her true human self, and thus vulnerable to the powers granted by discrimination.
As I prepare to move forward into the murky territory of the unknown future and as I prepare myself for the task of trying to understand who I am in relation to everyone else, I will constantly stop myself and remember to ask "what does the face of humanity look like?" One does not have to look towards the Taliban in Afghanistan or the Oil tycoons in the gulf of Mexico to struggle with the tensions bound up in this question. While these groups have more than enough requirements to fill the categorical definition of human destruction, we need not look further than our own back yards to answer this question.
When is the last time you stopped to have a conversation with your neighborhood homeless man? When is the last time that you stopped to look him in the eye, rather than walking casually by? And when is the last time you felt the tension between guilt, pity and sorrow when you decided to stop?
These are not easy questions to answer - nor is that conversation easy to have. Though on this rainy June day in Calgary I have hope that the sun will come back soon. I also have hope that humanity will remain resilient in the centuries to come. We will remain compassionate towards our fellow man and we will remain determined to create a better future for our children. Better not as in more progressed or more understood, but better in that we live in a world where any one can ask the question What does the face of humanity look like? and confidently answer that humanity looks like all of us, for wherever we came from and wherever we are going we always have the opportunity to reach out and shake our fellow man's hand.
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