I have an encyclopedic knowledge of impractical information, which probably makes me a fascinating person to know – even for a brief moment, at a cocktail party or on the bus – but generally pretty useless in the financially gainful areas of life that call for knowledge of things like calculus and Laffer Curves and rocket science.
Unfortunately, and unavoidably, Math bores me to tears. It’s just the same thing repeated over and over again, and yet somehow always yielding confusingly varied results. Science I like, but it has way too much math. It seems like many would-be interesting fields always do. Words, I like; but even their use can become very clinical and depleted. Growing up, schools and other developmental programs try to help us become as competent as possible in a very limited set of areas so that we can go on to succeed in a relatively narrowly defined set of socially acceptable jobs: doctor, lawyer, “business man,” engineer. Or, still socially acceptable as concise descriptions, though notably less lucrative: florist, plumber, swim instructor, dog walker, etc. It seems like we tend to define ourselves shallowly by what we do for a living – perhaps hoping that the implicit social ethos of this work will speak for our greater personal identity.
Needless to say, this limiting paradigm might work better for some than for others. Do I want to be seen as a florist, a lawyer, a “business” woman, or do I want to be something intellectually, emotionally, and experientially richer, to suit the richness of the way I experience the world? I am not sure I am willing to reduce this amazing place (this world, wherever I am in it), and such a potentially amazing life (mine), to one limiting categorical endeavor. I don’t have to, and you don’t have to, either. We are not just cogs. Let our helpfulness to one another come from joy and compassion, and not purely obligation or a hasty need to belong (you already do).
Now, before you write my thoughts off as those of a sky-gazing bohemian (guilty, sure), let me say that I have nothing against the doctors and the plumbers, the playwrights and the undertakers, etc. I have valued the work of each at key moments in my life. Still, sometimes people need to do what they need to do in order to survive, and those roles may not be the most befitting their natural interests. I understand that dialectic. But one ought not let the mind die a premature death while she passes through this life a capable body performing routine things, lest she loses her curiousity. Let’s not let memorized, pre-designated actions detract from the powerful and revealing imagination with which we are equipped (if you are willing to tap into it). Is that not the essence of discovery? Our actions proceed our thoughts, and our thoughts are the filtered energy of the mind. Therefore, embrace your free thought, and don't be afraid to wander.
A message attached to my tea bag once read something along the lines of, “The meaning of life is to experience yourself.” Narcissistic, yes – but freeing. I think I’ll give it a swing. – LM
