That is so kind, Michael. Thank you!! Sometimes I feel a little crazy for my hectic life so it’s nice to know at least one person enjoys living vicariously :)
The concept has got me thinking about incompleteness, namely in education and personally held knowledge. I sometimes wish I'd received a comprehensive classical education. But being complete in this regard might be rather limiting, because I'm not sure I'd appreciate the knowledge if I'd had it all along. Perhaps when we forge our own path through letters, the connections we make seem very much more our own, even fated, and we sense the humanity of those who shared their ideas with us.
I really love that thought. I was a political economy major in college -- somehow I got to university and thought, "why would I waste my tuition on that"? (Thinking of the John Mulaney bit. "I paid $120k for a degree in a language I ALREADY SPEAK!") My grandfather was an economist and had drilled it into me that econ is "practical." Meanwhile, my mother majored in English and talked regularly about how she had "never done anything with her life."
Now, one of my biggest regrets is not majoring in English. Although, I'm oddly grateful, in a way, for this path of finding my way through letters on my own. Maybe because of what you say here -- "we sense the humanity of those who shared their ideas with us."
I well understand the pressure to be practical. Given the decline of arts and humanities degrees and the cost of studying forcing people to consider the fiscal return on the investment, I suspect many people dream of returning to the academy in mid life in the name of personal growth and wisdom. It would be lovely to see some state provision for midlife arts education. I think for some it would beat psychotherapy and medication.
I'd never heard of catalexis and it sounds to me like some sort of condition. I loved reading your (very brief) article because you write so beautifully, but I'm not sure I completely agree that writing is "an endeavor undertaken by someone who likely has lacked for a thing or two in life". Or perhaps it is. I know I feel most fulfilled when I'm writing, and most depressed when I haven't been able to write for several days.
Ha!!! it does sound like some sort of condition, doesn't it? I appreciate you pointing that line out. I wrote this about a year ago and found myself stumbling over that line right before I hit "publish," actually. Perhaps this will be a living essay that I revise and update a bit more. I was trying to relate to the metaphor of a beat "missing." But I think a more apt metaphor is writing as a kind of searching -- and making oneself whole in the process of that searching? Maybe? Thinking how a perfect last line stays with you even if it doesn't resolve the central question of a story. Hm.
You are to me a metaphor for the people I wish I knew and the stories I wish I lived. Stuck on my tongue like a poem after I stopped writing poems.
That is so kind, Michael. Thank you!! Sometimes I feel a little crazy for my hectic life so it’s nice to know at least one person enjoys living vicariously :)
I love it! You taught me a new word and I like that said word can be used to describe the writing experience!
Yay! It's a pretty fun word, isn't it?
It’s a great word!
And it’s great for a Substack publication name.
Merci ! I quite like Curious Platypus too. I've always adored Platypi.
Thank you, as have I. And being Australian and finding it hard to define/categorise my writing the platypus name also serves as a metaphor.
Oh my goodness how beautifully apt!
Thank you 😊
The concept has got me thinking about incompleteness, namely in education and personally held knowledge. I sometimes wish I'd received a comprehensive classical education. But being complete in this regard might be rather limiting, because I'm not sure I'd appreciate the knowledge if I'd had it all along. Perhaps when we forge our own path through letters, the connections we make seem very much more our own, even fated, and we sense the humanity of those who shared their ideas with us.
I really love that thought. I was a political economy major in college -- somehow I got to university and thought, "why would I waste my tuition on that"? (Thinking of the John Mulaney bit. "I paid $120k for a degree in a language I ALREADY SPEAK!") My grandfather was an economist and had drilled it into me that econ is "practical." Meanwhile, my mother majored in English and talked regularly about how she had "never done anything with her life."
Now, one of my biggest regrets is not majoring in English. Although, I'm oddly grateful, in a way, for this path of finding my way through letters on my own. Maybe because of what you say here -- "we sense the humanity of those who shared their ideas with us."
I well understand the pressure to be practical. Given the decline of arts and humanities degrees and the cost of studying forcing people to consider the fiscal return on the investment, I suspect many people dream of returning to the academy in mid life in the name of personal growth and wisdom. It would be lovely to see some state provision for midlife arts education. I think for some it would beat psychotherapy and medication.
I strongly believe art (at least in some circumstances) is just as powerful as psychotherapy and medication! Literature has saved me many times.
Hopefully a little will rub off on me! 🤭
Thanks for the follow. Why would someone as hip and cool follow me? I will assume it’s a mistake and hope you don’t notice.
Haha! I think I saw you also read Junot’s Substack which indicates you have great taste :)
I'd never heard of catalexis and it sounds to me like some sort of condition. I loved reading your (very brief) article because you write so beautifully, but I'm not sure I completely agree that writing is "an endeavor undertaken by someone who likely has lacked for a thing or two in life". Or perhaps it is. I know I feel most fulfilled when I'm writing, and most depressed when I haven't been able to write for several days.
Ha!!! it does sound like some sort of condition, doesn't it? I appreciate you pointing that line out. I wrote this about a year ago and found myself stumbling over that line right before I hit "publish," actually. Perhaps this will be a living essay that I revise and update a bit more. I was trying to relate to the metaphor of a beat "missing." But I think a more apt metaphor is writing as a kind of searching -- and making oneself whole in the process of that searching? Maybe? Thinking how a perfect last line stays with you even if it doesn't resolve the central question of a story. Hm.
"kind of searching -- and making oneself whole in the process of that searching?" Beautifully expressed if I may say so. I very much agree.
My son has a cat named Alexis. Dad jokes rule!
LOL! Omg I love that.
absolutely!