“Now as Pliny says, each man is a good education to himself, provided he has the capacity to spy on himself from close up. What I write here is not my teaching, but my study; it is not a lesson for others, but for me. And yet it should not be held against me if I publish what I write. What is useful to me may also by accident be useful to another.” – Montaigne
I will inevitably regret this post, as it is my first. I will improve and this writing will seem awful.
But let’s do it anyway.
When sharing thoughts, the presentation of the information should not be difficult if it is between friends. If between acquaintances, the dialog is usually more guarded, but the field of discussion is easy; the topics and the cadences are generally understood. Between strangers, however, even if the tone is easy and the assumptions of shared knowledge are correct, there are payloads, weights of those same assumptions, that present potential misunderstandings and insults to both the speaker and the listener. An offense may be taken in response to style. A truthful message, poorly delivered, may inspire repulsion. A false statement, dressed in a succinct and forceful language, may engender repetition of the sentiment in the listener’s mind to their detriment; flowing beautiful words that lead to malice.
Words should be chosen carefully, and with attention to the listener’s context, their life, their beliefs, and their loves. Hopefully, a common ground can be found, and on that ground, a place for the communication of truths. Some sort of agreement, if not in fact, then in attitude.
But we live in a time where the listener is mostly silent. This is a world where the speaker is mostly ignored. This is a world constantly speaking, from every possible angle, to every possible attitude of listener. There is every type of answer. There is every argument. In earlier times, there was an assumption of a commonality to some extent, common starting points. There were only so many answers, and there were only so many voices. Friends, the newspaper, a book, family. The person on the radio. Now there is everything. I do not defend the errors and malicious mass beliefs of the past, but the conversation was limited and common ground was easier to discuss. Debate now rages as useless sound, with every mind turned towards the easiest path. Propaganda works effortlessly. You’re always right, and you’re always wrong.
“If falsehood, like truth, had only one face, we would be in better shape. For we would take as certain the opposite of what the liar said. But the reverse of truth has a hundred thousand shapes and a limitless field. The Pythagoreans make out the good to certain and finite, evil infinite and uncertain. A thousand paths miss the target, one goes to it.” – Montaigne
So why add to this cacophony?
I feel the need to create something. To challenge myself through words and works. And if there’s an audience for it, it is not because I summoned it through appeals to emotions or reinforcements of ideologies. If there is no audience, then I am still accomplishing my goals.
You will find me trying on different suits, as I try on different authors. Currently it is Montaigne. Soon it will be something else, wherever the wind takes me. But I will try to be consistent, to practice.